He had screwed it up, he was sure.

Gaster had seen him fighting, and only using bones.

He knew he wasn't acting 100% Sans-ish, but that could be passed off as uncertainty due to amnesia. But Magic was an instinctive thing. So even if he had "forgotten" what he, as Sans, could do, he should have been able to do it when he needed to anyway, same as walking or talking.

But he hadn't. And Gaster had seen that.

And to top it off, as soon as he was recovered from that fight, Gaster wanted to give him a thorough going-over in the lab.

If that happened, there was no way he could maintain his cover.

Of course, that had been anticipated, but the original Sans had interfered with things. And now he was stuck in bed, so he couldn't even make contact with the Corrupt army to get new orders.

... There was one small stroke of luck, he supposed. He had convinced Gaster that he had remembered that the Corrupt Sans was the one who beat him up in Waterfall. Of course this was a lie; he hadn't even existed when the original Sans was taken captive, but Gaster didn't know that. Gaster thought the Corrupt Sans was the spy, made to look like he was a captive.

He fully intended to utilize that.

~o0o~

Sans was running.

He had been running since escaping the dogs, and didn't want to stop any time soon. He had a brother to save, and the sooner he did that, the better.

But, as he neared Snowdin, he was forced to slow down. He knew there were a pair of guards at the Snowdin border, and he wanted to figure out a way to get by them without fighting. He was already tired from escaping and fighting and running and then fighting again then running again. He didn't think he could take on two highly-trained Corrupt guards right now, that would just about be suicide.

With any luck, the copy hadn't yet had time to report back to the Corrupt base about Sans, so it was possible the guards wouldn't immediately attack him on sight. Regardless, he couldn't sneak by them, as they guarded the one entryway from Snowdin to Waterfall, minus the ferry. But the Riverperson would never take Sans to Snowdin, one because they didn't help the Corrupt and Sans doubted they would believe him when he said he was trying to help Papyrus, and two, that entryway was also guarded, and they would never make it.

So, it was through the caves, then. Sans would either make it, or he would be killed.

He started walking.

~o0o~

By the time Sans made it to the tunnel, he had come up with something vaguely resembling a plan. As he walked up to the two armored guards, he was doing so with a highly exaggerated and pronounced limp in his right leg, and was wearing a pained expression. If they hadn't heard about him yet, all the better for him. If they had, then at the very least, they would think him weaker than he was.

As he neared, the guard on the left lifted his hand. "H̴a͝l̀t̨!"

Sans slowed, but didn't outright stop. "i̴d͘i̴ót!͞ can'͢t ỳou͏ sèe̴ i'm̕ wo͜undeḑ? ̵i j̛ust ̧sp͢e̡nt a y͝e̢ar̷ ͝in̸ ̷es̶pionage wi̷ţh ͞t̷h̴e̡ p̨ur͞e͞, ͠a͠n̕d̸ ̸it ̷a͘lm͡ós̢t̛ ̵c͏ost ͘m҉e my li͠f̵e ̕to̶ es͟c̸a̛pȩ! now ̷y͜ou ̛want ͜m̛e t̴o ̧s̀top ̨w̕h̴en i ҉h̢a̶ve valuable̷ i̴nfo͏rmati͞o͢n̕, and a͠m̸ ̴in̨ ̕ne͠ed ͞of͜ ҉me͘d́i̡c҉a҉l ҉att́e͘n̛ţi̕on?"

Recognizing not only the Corrupt Insignia, but also Sans in general, the guards both saluted. "A͜h͞! So̢r͠ry,͘ ͏S̢i̛r̶! W̡ơu̡lḑ yo̶u͞ li̷ke͟ o͘n̷e ̛o̵f us͏ t̢o ̵h͡èlp yoư ̴bac̢k҉ ͝t̕ǫ ̨b͞as̕é?̶"

Sans gave the guard an irritated look he had long since perfected in Gaster's lab. "An͡d̴ le͠av͠e҉ your͡ p҉o̢st̵? ͡Ho͜w̷ ̡i͞diot̕i̸c ̨ar̛e͡ ̀you?"

The guard flinched. "So҉r̴ry̸, Si̴r̢.́"

Sans just growled and stalked by as best he could while still limping.

Internally, though, he was giddily happy. It had worked.

Now he just had to figure out where in the Corrupt territory Papyrus was, but if he was right that they would be Corrupting his brother, he knew exactly where he would be.

He had to reach the Ruins.

As soon as he was sure the guards couldn't see him, he dropped the limp and took off running.

~o0o~

Alphys was very worried about Papyrus.

A little while ago, he had been taken from her and dragged out of the cell. The Corrupt monster had strapped the small skeleton to the operating table, and done... something to him. The monster had been standing between the table and Alphys, so she couldn't see what was going on.

Then, a while later, he was dumped back into the cell, whereupon Alphys had held him again.

But he hadn't responded even slightly when Alphys had called his name. He wasn't shivering anymore, either. He was just completely limp and motionless. Alphys had looked under his shirt, and even his Soul barely beat.

But, he wasn't turning to dust, so he was still alive... for now.

Alphys just had to cling to the hope that he would still be that way when they were rescued.

She also had to hope that they would be rescued.

~o0o~

Gaster paced the length of the kitchen, worry and frustration mixing into something that very closely resembled anger.

Because Sans was gone, and he had left a note. He had said he had begun to remember things, and needed to get to the warfront immediately.

And then he had just up and left.

He couldn't do that!

Gaster took a shaky breath. He was scared, very scared. Scared that he would never get Papyrus back. Scared that Sans had just gone to his death. Scared that he had just lost both his sons.

For a moment, he just stood there clenching his hands into fists to stop the shaking.

This was a problem.

Then he reached up and slapped himself, hard, in the face. He was a scientist, the Royal Scientist, in fact. Solving problems was what he did!

He turned and strode out of the kitchen, out of the house, towards the lab.

He wasn't going to let his sons down.

~o0o~

He was almost there, almost to the Corrupt labs.

As Sans ran through the Ruins, monsters scrambled to get out of his way. He could tell they all were curious, all had questions, but one look at his face was more than enough to convince them that to stop him was to become dust.

In addition to finding Papyrus, there was another benefit for going to the labs. Sans was getting horribly exhausted. When the scientists in the lab saw the Pure streak in his Soul, they would undoubtedly want to try to fix it, and the first thing they would do would be inject Corrupt Magic into his Soul. Which, of course, Sans could use for energy.

Energy to save Papyrus.

As he neared the lab, he slowed down to a walk. There was no reason for him to burst in frantically, that would only tip them off that something was wrong. So, calmly, he pushed open the door, and almost sobbed when he saw Papyrus in the cell against the back wall. Alphys was there, too, cradling Papyrus to her chest. But Sans was more enraptured by Papyrus, and hardly noticed when Alphys saw him, and made a sort of surprised gasp.

He did, however, notice that Alphy's startled gasp attracted the attention of the Corrupt monster in the room, and only just managed to tear his attention away from his unconscious brother before the scientist noticed.

"S̕a̢ns̛?̷ ̸I̢ ͝tho̧u͡gh͟t҉ ̴you w̶ere ̶s͟upp̡ose҉d̨ ̡to͘ bè i̕n҉ Ņe͡w̷ Hòme̢." Before Sans could respond, the monster continued. "Ah,̡ n̴o,̧ I s̢e͏e̕. Yǫu'r̀e ̧t̡h̕e͞ orig̀ińa͝l͘ Sáns͠.̨"

Sans nodded, stepping into the lab, steadfastly ignoring Alphys's stammered questions. "yea͝h.͏ ̢i ͞saw̴ ̴t҉he ̴cĺo̡ne ǫn my͞ wa̵y ou͞t,͞ t͡houg̀h. p̷retty ̡cle͏ver.̸ not̴ ̧to̢o ́s̢tr҉o̢ng,͠ ͞tḩough."

The scientist shrugged. "E͏h҉. You͡r ͟we͜a̡p͡ons ͏we͘r̴e o̸n̴e-̢o͟f-a҉-̀k̀in̴d.̕ Ẃé ͞figured̡ ̸he̵ ̸sḩou̧ld̷n҉'̡t́ ҉have to̕ ̶be̡ ̢do̴in̴g ͢m̛uc͏h͏ ͜fightìng,҉ ̷s̢o i̢t̸ ̸s͟h̕ould̵ bę ̷o͘k͟a̢y t͜hat͡ ͠h̷e͠ didn't́ ̴have ͠th̀o͝s͢e̡ ̢ab̶ili͟ti͝es.̶T́hat'̴s͜ ̧not t̸o̸ sa̶y wè ͢didn͟'t͜ e͜q͟u̡i̛p ͠hi̵m wèll͜;̸ ͞h̶e ͏h͠as͘ ͡pl͜e͠nt̸y ͝of ̴o͟the̷ŕ w̸ea̵p̀on͘s͟, b͝u̷t ͜u̷sing t́hem would b̧e a͏ d̛ead̵ ̀givea̶w̛ay. " Before Sans could say something that might potentially give him away, the scientist continued. "Anywa̛y,҉ ̀w̨h̶a͡t brings yo͟u͟ her̵e͘?͏"

"í ̴t̢ǫok͝ a bi͢t ͠of̵ d͜a̢m͜age҉ ̡wh̷i̵l̴e̴ ͝i ͝w͟a͞s ͟t̕here. t̸hou͠ght m̵a͡ybe y̢ou̷ ͞còul̷d͜ ̷h̸el̢p͝."

"Oh?" The scientist motioned Sans into the lab, over to the table. "Co͘me̴ ͢o̕n̕,̸ ͡t͟h̴en̛, ͞ĺet͘ ̛me̶ ͡s̡e͠e.̴"

Sans pulled himself up to sit on the edge of the table, shrugged off his jacket, and pulled his shirt off. Then he sat patiently as the scientist looked at his Soul.

"H̡m̧.̡ Th̀is̨ ̷i͟s...͝ Ex̢t̢raơŕdińa͏ry.̴ D̶o yo͝u kn͠ow ͝w̷hat̢ ͞i͢t is͜?" The scientist looked up at Sans from where he was leaning over his chest.

"i͟t̴'s p͜ure̴. ̡and ́i̕'͟d ҉r͟eall̕y ap̨pre̢c̴i͞ate i͢t if̷ yo̢u ̨c҉o͜uld ̸do ͟s͜o͡m͝e͡th̢i͡nǵ ͞abo͠u̷t̢ ̷i͡t,̨" Sans lied, ͡"i͞t҉ h͞u͟rt͡s.̶"

The scientist nodded. "Thąt's un͜ders҉tan͢d́ab͟l͢e.́ ̵I̸'̵d s̴ay̧ ̸l͢et'͏s̵ ̵firs̀t ̶t҉ry ̶i̴ńje̸ct͜i̧ng m̕o̶r͢e̢ C̷o͝rr̴up͏t҉ M͢agi͘c ̢ìn̢t̷o̢ ͜yo͢u҉r͏ ̶Soul.͜"

Sans just nodded, but his confidence was growing. The scientist was acting exactly as he had predicted.

At the scientist's instruction, Sans lay back on the table and allowed himself to be strapped down. It was a little risky, but it was the only way to get this done.

After strapping him down, the scientist disappeared from his view, then returned moments later, a syringe full of Corrupt Magic in his hand. Without hardly even acknowledging Sans at all, he stabbed the needle into Sans' Soul, and ejected the contents of the syringe.

And all of Sans' confidence vanished.

He hadn't

remembered

just how much

t̴h̷̸̢i͏̴s͞͏

h̴̥̼̬̙̬̤̜͉̱ͬͤ̂̒̀̑͐̆ͫͮ̊̐͐̃̋̕͞͞ư̱̘̘͈͙̮͈̭̣̅͌́͌́͢͢͡ͅr̴̶͎͎̣͍͈̞͔̖̰̝̣̩̦̣̫̺̊̅̓ͭͪͨ̀͒̒̌̒͢͠ẗ̟̭̱͕͓̼̻̜̬̼̖̖̩͎̝͔̱ͦ̌̔́͘͡ͅ.

§

A/N

Well, here's a short chapter, but take my word for it that the next one's gonna be AWESOME.

Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! Remember, comments and votes are not only always welcome, but always appreciated, too!