The Time Before (Undertale)

6 ~ A Bit of a Conflict

Gaster wasn't really actually doing anything in his notebook.

He had planned to sketch up some (more) CORE designs, in hopes of maybe, maybe figuring something out (the solutions was there, he knew. It had to be possible to turn the geothermal energy into Magic electricity. It had to be, and he would figure it out.) but instead he had ended up drawing meaningless doodles while thinking over S642.

Truth be told, it had probably been more of a relief for Gaster when S642 had passed out than it had been for S642.

Watching what he had finally accepted to be his child, screaming and writhing like that...

But they had to keep going. They had to.

Gaster knew that a war was inevitable when the Barrier was broken. They needed something strong enough to fight the humans. And, he told himself, it wasn't just for winning the war. He was also making sure S642 would be able to defend himself, to keep from dying, when the fighting started.

He sighed, looking again at the small figure on the table.

... This was going to be difficult, wasn't it? This entire thing. No matter how many times he saw it, no matter how many times S642 was lying there, thrashing against the restraints...

It was going to be difficult.

At the very least, he supposed, he wasn't forcing S642 into doing anything. If S642 wanted to stop...

Would he? Would he let all this work go to waste? Could he?

... Yes. If it came down to it, he would stop. But only if S642 really wanted to.

And...

Gaster almost choked with his next thought, but he finished it anyway.

And if things didn't work out with S642, there was always the still-suspended S643.

Immediately after thinking that, he felt bad. Because that would mean giving S643 a Soul, and who was to say that would be any different from S642, and...

Gaster groaned, pressing a hand to his forehead.

Annoying Dog, what had happened? He never used to get this conflicted over the ethics of his work! Since when did he get this concerned about his test subject?

He sighed and looked at his hands, looked at the holes in them, the holes he himself had carved out.

No. He knew better. S642, and, yes, even the still-comatose, Soulless S643, they were both his flesh and blood.

Metaphorically, of course, as none of them technically had either.

But that was beside the point.

He didn't want to hurt S642. He loved S642 as a father loves a child.

Because S642 was his child.

And, if this went too far, if S642 wanted it to end, it would end. They would be done with the DTW project.

... If.

... He would... still continue with it.

For now.

... For now...

~o0o~

S642 woke comfortably, yawning and stretching. He was, he realized, still lying on the table, but no longer hooked up to the machines.