Sans flipped over the blueprints again rereading the passages. No matter how many times he studied the diagrams something didn't add up. He understood everything, but there still was a missing component to the machine. Some component he'd never be able to get his hands on.

Even if he understood the fatal truth Sans kept coming back down to the lab and trying again and again. Papyrus's lectures must be getting through to him in some way.

Sans leaned on one elbow continuing to stare at the blueprint. He felt drowsiness settling in his bones, and he didn't feel like fighting it. Something about the lab… No, maybe it was the blueprints themselves that made him feel comfortable falling asleep sitting there. The faint familiarity in the handwriting, perhaps, caused him to feel safe enough to slip into slumber.

When Sans did sleep he could hear the voice again.

[RECALL]

Sans doesn't want to remember anything else. He wants to sleep.

[SOMETHING MISSING]

Sans twitches involuntarily against the grating voice.

[SOMETHING REDACTED]

Sans opens his eyes to a vivid memory.

He followed Gaster deeper into the lab granted to him upon becoming a royal scientist. Inside, there were machines with uses yet to be explained to the younger skeleton. He figured they might never be explained considering his specialty might not involve them.

"[Here we are. Asgore asked me to design a weapon to be used in case of warfare with the humans. It was something he required when I became the royal scientist.]" Explained Gaster walking through an automatic door once it had slid open. Beyond it, Sans saw four large machines plugged full of wires. The way they resembled large skulls sort of unnerved him and he shuffled his feet.

"[where did you come up with such a skull cracking good design?]" He asked making a point to look over at Gaster for a reaction. He received a chuckle in response.

"[I asked Asgore if I could use his own skull for the design. In my opinion, there is nothing better to represent power than the highest ranking monster in existence.]" Gaster said as he approached one of the skulls hanging in suspension from the ceiling. He pulled from a lab coat pocket a pair of what looked like mittens and slipped them on.

Sans listened as his father explained in frank terms how he managed to combine magic and the mechanizations of the machine to make this weapon of war he called the Gaster Blaster.

"[Since it's only in the early stages, I have constructed it to where only our type of magic will work with it. That includes you, Papyrus, and I.]" He went on to say pressing a few buttons on a panel. The skull hummed to life in response and began to warm up.

The mentioning of his brother's name caused Sans to wince internally. When the familiar strange feeling started welling up he pushed it aside. Lately, he always ended up brooding later by himself about the feeling.

Gaster gestured forwards calling forth his own magic. The blue and orange glow enveloped his eyes temporarily before appearing on his covered hands. Sans distantly remembered when he was little he wanted so badly to be able to have the orange mixed with his natural blue.

"[The ahem mittens have sensors inside of them to make the link between the user and Blaster much stronger than simply trying to possess the Blaster itself with magic.]" Gaster explained gesturing again. The magic from his hands leapt for the machine and the Blaster moved forwards until it hovered close beside him. "[Now if you'll follow me I would like to show you a field test.]"

"[is that all i'm here for is a field test?]"

"[Partially. I want you to start training to use it.]" Gaster said the last sentence as he exited the room. The Blaster following him became even more ominous to Sans. The skeleton had never really given much thought to fighting with the humans, Hell anyone, before. Combat wasn't exactly his strong suit far as he knew.

Passing through a corridor they came to a room where the opposite wall was scorched. The remains of what could be a training dummy also lie there.

"[Once I demonstrate I'll hand over the control.]"

Gaster held forth his hand and the Blaster aligned over his shoulder. There was a surge of magic, one passing to the other, and the Blaster split open letting forth a beam of light Sans could barely stand looking at. It crossed the room and blasted the remains of the dummy to dust instead of ash.

This lead to Sans putting on the mittens, oversized as they were, and reactivating the Blaster from its idle mode. Upon summoning his magic and casting it over the Blaster he felt the weight of the machine pull him down. Sans stumbled and the Blaster fell with until he managed to save it from falling straight to the floor.

"[geez…you could've told me about this…]"

"[My apologies, Sans. I suppose I am more used to it than you. Don't go skullking about it right now.]" Gaster replied with a slim smile. Sans almost choked on a laugh as he commanded the Blaster to rise and align over his shoulder. He felt the grin on his face widen. Things were great like this…

Sans copied his father's hand motion and allowed his magic to surge. He found the Blaster waiting eagerly for it. If only they could have stayed…

Sans couldn't follow exactly what happened, but he heard the Blaster fire over his shoulder and obliterate the dust of the dummy. Feeling himself on the verge of blacking out he quickly slapped the back of his left mitten causing the Blaster to go into idle mode. Stayed…

As Sans fell to one knee he heard Gaster calling his name. He just needed a little breather after using so much magic. Really should have trained more recently, but what could he say? Recently Sans had taken up the practice of taking breaks from work every now and then.

"[STAYED?]"

The grating voice causes Sans to wake up in the lab. Papyrus banging on the door yelling for him to stop napping caught his attention. Dinner was ready, but Sans was pretty sure the time was early morning.

He pushed away the blueprints the sense of safety gone. Adrenaline replaced it, and he had to spend a few minutes settling down. When Sans surfaced Papyrus could tell something was different about him. It always happens whenever his brother goes down to work.