Thin Mercy

Sans strutted his way through the alert and red lights filling the room of wherever he teleported to. He only stopped in the middle of the room when he saw a figure half dead on the ground. Her chest was heaving and muttering heavily about Toriel. Another part of FRISK. He didn't even get a chance to talk to that one. 

The figure seemed to focus on him and smiled slightly before finally giving out on life. He bent down and closed her eyes before taking off again. Another innocent soul abused. 

That's all they knew. Abuse. 

"Holy crap, Sans is on board?!" 

"Alert, alert!" 

"Any and all fighters, to the front!" 

"Screw that, that's suicide, we've all seen him fight!" 

Everyone parted like the seas as he passed. He had only one destination in mind. The control room. When he reached it, he tore the door off with his magic. 

When he scooted his hands to the sides, two people split away from the room, running as fast as they could. 

Sans moved to the main computer when he heard something buzz by his skull. He turned to see who had those kinds of guts. Probably someone with DETERMINATION. But they better have enough to take him out because he wasn't stopping. "Not in the mood today, folks. Knowing the way this place works, I've bet you've all analyzed every fight I ever fought with FRISK." He juggled a bone in his hand. "But without practice, you are all boned." 

Nobody came out. Sans knew they would be preparing conduits soon, so he needed to hurry. He moved through the computer finding all the goodies that he needed power for from below. He pulled out his MP. 

"Alphys. Ready?" 

"You are clear. Ready to take it." 

"Good. First up, let there be light. I wonder how Monsters will react when they see twenty ships right above them in a sky they never knew about. Let's find out." 

Human. Every human. Every freaking human. They think it's okay to put someone in resets just to make them shoot? Make them watch their brother die, their friends die, and be the last one left to fight multiple times? Over and over with no escape? He shielded the ship with his own magic as he heard and felt some of the more powerful Monsters below noticing the ships. He worked on his last steps to make sure Underground minds were secured before he got into the heavy stuff. It wouldn't do any good to free themselves, but then be insane. 

Sans scooted to the side again, sensing another attack. "Oh, you humans don't like that, do you? Not so easy to fight without a save or a reset, is it?" He moved back to the computer. "Let's see, Tori. Froggits. Whimsys. Royal Guards. Yeah, Doggo, even you." He smacked more buttons to send the Monsters back to where they should be. From all the Royal Guards, to the smallest of Ruin creatures. While he did that, he was also sending most of the ship's power straight to the Underground itself. 

"Got it! Wow, really got it! The barrier is at full power, Sans. Ready for the next step." 

Sans wasn't in a very giving mood. He really wasn't. He really, really wasn't, but he did know there were other kids there like Chance too, probably getting mobilized to fight soon. He watched the screens to their cells as he programmed the doors to open. He felt another attack from behind. "Sorry, but do you really think I wouldn't dodge that? Aren't you expecting me to say that?" 

SELF DESTRUCTION IN FIVE MINUTES. 

He heard more screams and yells. Yikes, that was less time than he thought. "Sounds like your bosses don't like what I'm doing. Take out the employees too? Time for a new job. Maybe something that doesn't involve manipulating Monsters anymore?" 

Mercy was thin. His mercy was so thin. Luckily the blueprint to each ship was exactly the same, it made the job easier. He hit the very clearly labeled microphone. "Hey, all you kids out there on all the ships. Hi, I'm Sans. Sans the Skeleton. If you're tired of people taking over your bodies, you better head two doors down. I opened the doors for you all. Stand on those little round things and then you'll be in a lab where a nice dinosaur Monster will greet you soon. Maybe there will even be candy." After that, he send the recording into a translation unit for any of those kid that didn't speak Monster. 

Now. He had everyone's records pulled up and studied already. Everyone was labeled N now, including Frisky, but there were at least 20 on each ship that were only P a few days ago. Pacifist. 

He didn't want to. He could feel how much rage his body had in it. He literally had blue flames around him right now. But he did it. 

He showed mercy to the Pacifists, but he didn't have time to figure out where everyone could go. It was a luxury a five minute countdown couldn't provide. Considering what he knew, they were lucky he even offered that. 

They were lucky he didn't just crash the ships and let them all burn. Each and every one. 

"Okay. Are you sure about the last thing? Undyne might cut you a break? Maybe?" 

"Close off the transparency to our barrier," Sans warned her. "I promise. This is it, the last time. But . . ." 

"I-I know. Hm. Okay. Transparency closing." 

Last thing. He pulled the Underground into motion shift, one final time. He would need time to prepare for what needed to be done. After motion shift, he destroyed the dimensional barrier surrounding that enabled the 'gaming of souls' in the Underground. There was already a new barrier enabled beneath it. 

 Theirs. A stronger one that allowed Monsters to pass in and out as they wanted, but trapped people in or out. It just needed the humans' barrier out of the way to reach full potential. It would even be transparent so every Monster could see the skies they were all denied. 

Soon. When he was ready. 

He watched as another ship went down. He could see the new barrier working well as the ships just disintegrated as soon as they touched it. 

Even when the humans did get the will to come back and fight, their resets were gone. No more cheating. No more saving. But, before he headed down he had one more message. One message he sent to every ship and every computer connection involved with the ships. 

FRISK IS MINE 

As it blared on the screen on and off, he headed past the control panel and back to where he had come before. He looked one more time at the fallen part of FRISK he'd never get to know personally before stepping over her and moving on his way back. 

The Underground was no longer a place to be trapped for Monsters. 

The Underground was now a place of safety for Monsters, while this . . . the eventual consequences of what the humans tried to do . . . worked itself out. 

 -----------------------

Sans watched Alphys walking toward him and Frisky. "Hang on a second, Frisky." He moved over to meet Alphys, knowing she wouldn't go anywhere and Undyne shouldn't be bothering her that day. 

"Well, I-I'm . . . here?" 

"Yeah I know. I want to make sure you remember too," Sans interrupted her. "No time to go through it all, but you've got six humans in your lab right now. Real kiddos." 

"W-what?" Alphys took a step backward. "Why?" 

"Little conduit kids," Sans added. "They are better off down here than up there. You always wanted some, right?" 

"Well . . . Um, uh. Well, n-not six at least." Alphys blushed. "That's a lot of kids to handle." 

"Oh." Great. Human kids weren't going to be the easiest thing to find a family for. "How about you spend time with the humans and decide the few you want?" 

"I-I could handle one, maybe two," Alphys fidgeted. "This wasn't what I expected." She sighed and looked above. 

"A couple days. I just need a couple. A few, maybe. Sorry. Don't worry." He chuckled oddly. "I'm having a day straight out of hell too. You better get back there." 

"Okay. Um. Good luck?" Alphys said before she started to walk back away. 

Sans just waved at her and turned. He looked toward Frisky like nothing in the world could ever be wrong. Like his life didn't just shatter before him. Like he wasn't responsible for who knew how many deaths to stop it all, once and for all. 

She just gave him a little smile back, holding the MERCY sign in her hands that he just gave her. 

Right now, he needed that sign from her. "Welp, Frisky." He tried to keep his bones loose as he leaned against his booth. "Alphys said there were problems and it wasn't as safe as she thought." He grabbed the ball and shackle and put it back on her foot. "Alphys only got Undyne out for a little while too, so we better get this back on you." 

"Oh." He could hear the sadness in her voice as she sighed. "Yeah. Human technology is pretty advanced. It's fine." She tried to stay brightened up. "Maybe one day. I know Undyne will see the truth one day too." 

"Yeah. So, I better get back to watching Chance, and I'll get you back before Papyrus throws a fit." Her whole day would begin anew with Papyrus instead of expecting to be chased by humans. Couldn't do that anyhow. 

Most of them were probably dead. I couldn't risk it. I did what I could. There were too many on board, I had limited time. I had to do it, I had to stop it! They were responsible for every one. Every time. They were all responsible. He just tried to look happy. "Let's get you home real quick." 

"Okay." Frisky looked toward Chance and Monster Kid still playing in the snow. "At least there's a bright side to staying longer." She glanced back toward Sans. "Thanks for letting him play with someone. I didn't expect to see that this morning." 

"Yeah, I imagine he doesn't have many real friends his age. They make an okay pair." Sans grabbed her ball and took a shortcut back home. "You don't have long, Papyrus starts his day in twenty minutes." While he talked, he tried to cover up his yawn. 

------------------------------------------ 

Sans needed sleep. Lots of sleep. He was overdue on sleep, but he couldn't just leave Chance playing with Monster Kid and nobody watching him. He tried to half-sleep. It was a reflexive sleep that instantly let him wake up to deal with an issue if it arose. It wasn't the best sleep, but at least if there was any strange sound, he could get up and protect Chance. 

He couldn't let anything happen to him. He watched him decorate the snowman with more glee than anyone he'd ever seen. He'd never made a simple snowman before. I wonder when I first made one. I wonder which one I made it with. He pulled out the MP. It wouldn't work much anymore, all the information above being totaled, but he did save a few things. 

For one, his family. Monsters who no longer existed, their presence didn't even linger in the underbelly in the Underground. Even when he saw the pictures, there was nothing he felt for a single one. He wanted to feel something for them. The only one of those pictures in his family that did survive in some form, wasn't whole. He was stretched against time, and only in strange places could information be found about him. 

Sans remembered him though. Strange hall, and a door he rarely had seen. None of those were supposed to be there. He walked inside and saw him one time. A skeleton with a split face. Other forgotten creatures spoke of him. The strange Monster that boated Monsters up and down the Underground spoke of him as the one who spoke in hands. 

Gaster. Brilliant. Probably the one that created the machine Sans used, but even having more clues about him, he still couldn't feel anything for even him. He didn't know who he had been in the family either. Who was who. These skeletons though. These few pictures were the only thing left of them. 

Messed up in a reboot. Maybe going through the hell of resets with their own conduit problem and thinking a reboot would be the cure. He put the device back down. The women could have been a sister, a cousin, or a mom. The guys could have been other brothers. A dad. Anything. 

And they were gone. Gone from his mind and existence forever. Thanks to those humans. 

"I have to be getting home," Monster Kid said. "Do you want to play again tomorrow?" 

"I hope so," Chance answered. "Bye, MK!" He waved as Monster Kid dashed off. Sans watched him pat the snowman better. "As close to perfectly spherical as possible. That's how to build a snowman." 

"Heh. Sure." As he heard his phone ringing and answered it, the familiar voice of his brother echoed in the phone, making his heart feel so much lighter. "Hey, Papyrus. Good morning." 

"Sans! Do you have the little human today?" 

"Right again. There's snow way I'd forget him," Sans joked. 

"Alright. Well, I shall take care of the other human then before I am off to work. I suppose it's time to see what Undyne did to her." 

Ah, the cutting. That's right. "I'm sure it's not as bad as you think. Think positive, bro." 

"Yes, well, I hope so. She sure did grab at her back yesterday." 

"Probably just had a back ache," Sans lied. He was good at lying by now. He hated how good he was at lying. "See ya later, Papyrus." He hit end on the phone and laid it to the side. Just Papyrus' mere voice could stir more in him than any of the lost souls in the pictures. While he laid against his cheekbone though, he felt the funny sensation of skin touching his bone. He looked down and saw Chance holding his other bony hand. 

"Sans, what's wrong?" Chance asked gently. "You don't seem right." 

Sans covered his face. He just had to touch him with his hand. He just had to even still exist. "Fine. Go play." 

"No, you're lying," Chance answered him. "I can tell, it's written all over your face." 

"Not right now. Not yet," Sans felt like grinding his teeth as he moved his hand from him. "Go play." Chance watched him a few seconds longer before he went to sit in the snow again in Sans' coat. No one in the pictures stirred anything in Sans. Not one single Monster or skeleton in those forgotten pictures could touch his heart personally in any way. 

Not like Papyrus could, and not like . . . 

Chance laughed as he tossed snow up into the air, letting it fall on his head. "Raining snow. Ha ha!"