Chapter 10: Trial

Early in the morning, Papyrus was woken up with the slight shaking of his backside. "Papyrus, wake up! We need to get ready for the date!" Sans voice said in his ear. He sat up and slipped out of bed, seeing Sans bones protruding from the sheets. "Alphys came and woke me up. She says we have to get up early if we want to find me a look." Sans smiled, slipping out of the covers and onto the floor. He turned and watched Papyrus get dressed. Luckily, Papyrus was faced away from him, slipping into a pair of grey slacks and a suit, trying to get his feet into a pair of dressy shoes. They were a size too small for him, and Sans quietly giggled at his failure to get in them. "I can help." Sans said, walking over. He raised a hand, his right eye glowing a soft blue. The shoes floated into the air, pulling and stretching with his magic. Sans floated them over to Papyrus afterwards, watching his shocked face. "Sans! I didn't know you could do that!" he cried, looking down at the new shoes. He slipped them on with ease now, smiling at the neat fit. "Alright, let's go get you a little freshened up." Papyrus smiled, taking Sans' hand and pulling him into the bathroom. "It might be good for you to take a shower since we're going somewhere a little nicer. Just use the body wash and that should give you a nice shine. I'll be downstairs waiting for you. You should bring the clothes down with you so we can match some stuff up." Papyrus smiled, closing the bathroom door. Sans turned towards the shower door, slipping in and turning on the water. It was warm as it slid down his bones, allowing him to scrub some of the grime off his ribcage and such. He looked down as some dried marrow came off and went down the drain, giving him the idea to check the breakage. It looked a little better than before, being that the bone had healed up but the hole was still there. He felt a little odd looking for the body wash, which happened to be a small square of soap. He gently rubbed it down his bones, watching as it gave them a nice shiny look. He scrubbed harder and all over, finally rinsing off. He turned off the water and stepped out onto the tiled floor of the bathroom, shivering at the temperature. He wrapped in a towel and dried off, walking out of the room and down the stairs. He met Papyrus, Alphys and Undyne downstairs in the living room, all sitting down and typing away on their phones. They looked up and smiled at Sans towel, bringing him closer into the light. His bones shone in the light of the morning sun, shining with the brilliance of snow. Papyrus had some clothes picked out for him, lying them out on the floor. His usual blue parka, a white long neck shirt, pink slippers, black long pants with the white stripe, and a pair of pink mittens. "Why the mittens?" Sans asked, picking them up after he had slipped everything else on. "Just to hide the bones, for now. You can take them off when we get into the courtroom. Anything else you need?" Alphys asked, digging through her old closet. A small collar fell out, Sans picking it up. "I don't really feel comfortable. Maybe something that Papyrus could use to make sure I know he's there with? Like this?" Sans offered, Papyrus nodding. The collar had a small leash with it, glimmering a bright red in the sunlight. Papyrus took the collar and slipped it over Sans' head, taking the leash in his palm. Sans lifted his little hands to the collar, smiling at the comfort it gave him. It felt like Papyrus' hand when he would get hugs from his brother, it was skinny and soothing to the touch. "Well, I think you look really cute!" Alphys smiled, clapping her hands. "Alright, how are we going to do this?" Papyrus asked, sitting down on the couch, Sans pulling into his lap. "First, we have to get him in there. The environment will be kind of stressful, especially for you, Sans. There will be lots of people there, human people, and some may be angry while others would be fighting for you. They will be shouting, fighting each other, and trying to get to you. We have had a tip that some religious people are going to show up, but just ignore them. So, we will walk you up to the courthouse. Then, Papyrus and Alphys will sit in the Accused Stands. I will be fighting for them and for you, so you can relax about that. Asgore will be standing beside you, translating to keep the edge on Gaster. You will be sitting in a chair on the far right, a small stand with a microphone just in case you think of talking. When they, or me, ask you questions, answer them the best you can. Nothing should be personal to you, but the Accuser may try to get under your bones. I will be acting as your Defender. If you get stressed, just sign to Asgore and he will call for a break, got all that?" Undyne asked, looking to Sans. "Yes, but how long will this last?" Sans asked back, looking down at his little mittens. "Maybe two hours? The tops will be five. Just give us the sign and we'll get you out of there. My police force will be out there to keep an eye on things, too." Undyne grinned, brushing a hand through her red hair. Sans actually took in what the three were wearing, trying to match it with another time. Alphys was wearing a pink hairband in her blonde hair, her lab coat with a small dress on underneath. The dress was long and it conveyed the colors of green, pink, white and blue, more like a tie-die style. Papyrus was wearing his lab coat over a suit with nice shiny shoes. Undyne wore a grey suit bordered by a red tie and red shoes. They waited until Asgore showed up with the car, allowing all of them to slip inside. Sans held closer to Papyrus than ever, hoping to never have to let go. Within the next hour or so, the car pulled into a crowd of humans. They looked violent and angry, taking blows at the car windows and shouting at it. The side door opened and Asgore stood there, making a path for Alphys, Undyne and Papyrus to slip out. Papyrus turned and reached back into the car for Sans, seeing him shaking. "It's okay, buddy. Come on." Papyrus smiled, wrapping his arms around Sans' little waist. He pulled him out, holding him like a little baby. Sans clung tight, trying to ignore the shouting. "Give it rights! We want it free! Show us the unknown! Let it be seen!" a woman shouted. "Anything like a monster needs to be killed! Destroy it! Send it back where it came from!" a man shouted next to her. "Let us see the spawn of Satan! It needs to be recorded! It is a terror to our very existence!" another woman shouted on the other side of the crowd. Her whole group was tearing at an officer trying to hold them back, watching as the woman managed to get free. She ran at Papyrus, knocking him down and grabbing for Sans. Sans scooted backwards, watching the crazed woman with frantic fear tearing at his soul. The woman pulled out her phone as she tried to rip off Sans' hood to show his face, smiling crazily. Somehow, Sans thought of this woman as a crazy Mettaton figurine from this world. The thought of more people from his world caused glowing blue tears to well up in his eye sockets, making his body shiver. This was enough! He threw back his head and let out a cry, the tears dripping down his skull. The woman stopped tearing at his head and looked at him oddly, tilting her head to the side. Officers broke from the crowd and picked her up, handcuffing her and dragging her away. Sans stood up and continued crying out, the rest of the crowd going silent. Papyrus came forward and picked him up, looking back at the crowd as Sans pushed his face into his chest. "It's a kid? That thing is a kid?" the man from before asked aloud, looking at the woman beside him. They looked at each other and nodded, shouting for the same cause. The crowd's noise started up again with their cries, getting louder and louder each step Papyrus took. They walked into the building, the doors closing behind them. They walked through a few halls, Undyne breaking off for another door. "See you guys, soon." She said, walking through the door. Papyrus went over to a bench and sat down, hugging Sans tightly. "Shush, Sans. "It's okay, they're all gone." Papyrus cooed, stroking Sans' skull under the hood. Asgore came out of the room and walked over to them, smiling warmly. "They are ready for you now. You can go in." Asgore said, walking back towards the door. Papyrus held Sans closer as he opened the door, giving way to the whole courtroom look. Papyrus walked through the seven rows of people and up to the Accused Stand, handing the leash to Asgore. He put Sans down, blushing as Sans gripped his pant leg. "Come on, buddy. Go with Asgore." Papyrus said, nodding to Asgore. Asgore gave a little tug on the leash, Sans slowly letting go and turning to face him. Asgore and Sans walked up to the little stand, standing behind it. Sans was so short that no one could see him behind it, now knowing that they had gained all of the eyes in the courtroom. A human in a black gown walked in, standing behind the largest of the stands beside Sans. "Judge Frisk has arrived. Let this court be adjourned and prepared. You may be seated." An announcer stood at the smaller of the stands, typing away at a little machine. "Who do we have as Accused? Who do we have as Defended?" the judge asked. "I am the Accuser, Robert Matcher. My client is Doctor Gaster Emile." The man at the farthest podium said. "I am the Defender, Undyne Waterfall. My clients are Papyrus Snowdin and Alphys Hotland." Undyne said, looking towards the judge. "What is the first case?" the judge asked. "First case: accusation of stolen property by Papyrus and Alphys from Doctor Gaster." The Accuser said. Frisk lifted a small mallet and slammed it down on a wooden plate, making a loud bang. "Court begins now. First case, present your evidence." Frisk said. The Accuser stood and smirked at Undyne, holding up a small remote. "It has been found that during this time of stealing property of Doctor Emile, Papyrus used an illegally obtained false key card. This key card was used to reach the floor that the property was held on, and obtained by means of stealing. As you can see, the card was used to scan in at the first lobby entrance, and the elevator. Both at the times that the cameras had caught Papyrus stealing the property, on the floor." The Accuser said, bringing up a document on the screen. "I can explain that!" Papyrus shouted. "We will come to your story later, Mr. Snowdin. Continue, Robert." Frisk said. "During this period, we also found camera footage that Alphys was uneasy around the property and upset about an unknown event. We have obtained evidence from a phone call made by Alphys that warned Papyrus of the current event and the moment to come and steal the property." Robert said, bringing up a short audio recording. The voice was Alphys all right, but it didn't appear to give a direct location or timing issue. "Alright, Mr. Snowdin, you and Alphys case will be reviewed by the jury. Give them ten minutes." Frisk said, looking down at the papers on the desk. The bunch of people to Sans' left each wrote down on a piece of paper, handing it over to the larger man on the end. They spoke quietly to each other, whispering and pointing at some instances. "Has the jury come to a verdict?" Frisk asked. "We have, your honor. Mr. Snowdin, Ms. Hotland, you are charged with Stolen Property on Count One and will be charged a fine for these misdemeanors. Fine will be as Judge Frisk directs." The man on the end of the jury said. "Fine will be set at ten thousand dollars. Inability to pay the fine will result in time in prison based on amount the subject is unable to pay." Frisk said, slamming down the mallet. Papyrus and Alphys sat down, chattering quietly to each other. Frisk then turned to Sans and stared at him. "What is the second case?" Frisk asked, slowly looking away. Sans could already feel the pressure of the courtroom as the members of the jury turned towards the stand he stood behind. Even if he was hidden from view, he felt all the eyes on him. "Second case: Property abuse from Doctor Emile Gaster." The Accuser said, giving a soft smile. Frisk turned back to Sans. "You may sit, Mr. Skeleton." Frisk said, Sans reaching up for the chair. It took five minutes for Sans to get into the chair at the right position, being that he was short and had trouble with his injury. "I have been informed that Mr. Skeleton here is mute. Mr. Asgore will be acting as translator in this case. Second Case begins now." Frisk said, slamming the mallet again. Undyne began to fidget with her papers, seeming to try and get them into an organized mess of sorts as Sans watched from under his hood. "Accuser, present your evidence." Frisk said. Robert walked up to the stand with another remote. "People of the jury, we have evidence that based on this being's state of emotional value, as observed by this camera mounted inside the containment field, anything or any claim made could be false. As shown in this video, the subject was appearing upset, or angry in the case of Doctor Emile's entering the field." Robert said, showing off a video of Sans crying himself to sleep. Sans growled quietly, making Robert turn towards him. "What was that?" he asked, looking around. Sans gave a silent smile under the hood, his canines growing a little sharper. "And, in this next video we have the subject using a sort of power in retrospect as teleportation." Robert said, playing another video of Sans in the blanket and teleporting down to the parking lot with Alphys and Papyrus. "This video clearly states that we have much to learn of this creature, and it has been keeping secrets from us far too long." Robert said, grinning at Sans. "Objection! Direct insult to witness!" Undyne exclaimed. "Withheld, Ms. Waterfall. Accuser, anything else to add?" Frisk asked. "No, your honor." Robert said, backing up. "Defender, present your evidence." Frisk said. Undyne stepped forward to a whiteboard. She began to put pictures up onto clips, three of which were Sans' naked skeleton. She also put up a picture of the device used to take out the chink in his radius, making Sans flinch. "We have evidence of Doctor Emile's abuse to this client. As seen in these first three, the subject was injured using a direct fracturing pod by Doctor Emile. DNA evidence states that this device was not used on the subject during the normal testing, yet the DNA was found several days after the testing was completed. And this video, also recovered from the camera inside the 'cell', was found with visual evidence of the event." Undyne said, playing a video. Sans ended up turning away at the sight of this event. He couldn't bear to watch it happen again. That sickening sound of the fracture of his bones, the pain of his blood leaking out, his cry for help was something he didn't want to witness again. The jury started whispering to each other again, this time about Sans. "Any objections?" Frisk asked. "No, your honor." Robert said, Emile giving Undyne a dirty look. "Questions for the client will begin now. Accuser, state your questions clearly. You may approach." Frisk said, watching as Robert grinned deeply as he walked up to the stand. "Mr. Skeleton, how did you manage to come into this world?" Robert asked. Sans began to sign:

PORTAL. "Through a portal, your honor." Asgore said.

"And what state do you remember being in during your arrival?"

PAIN, SHOCK, HORROR, CONFUSION. "It felt in a state of shock, horror, pain and confusion, your honor." Asgore said.

"Do you have a gender?"

MALE.

"Are there more of you?"

NO.

"Can you truly speak?"

Sans paused for a moment before signing again.

NO.

"We have evidence that you began a conversation about souls. What evidence do you have of souls?"

SOULS CAN BE PROVEN. EACH COLOR MEANS SOMETHING OF THE KEY PERSONALITY OF THE BEING. I HAVE A SOUL.

"Can you show us?"

NO. PERVERT.

"Can you give an example of a soul?"

Sans scooted off the chair and went and stood in front of the Accuser. He grabbed his shirt and yanked him down so he was kneeling in front of him. Sans slowly reached out for his chest, making him flinch.

NO FEAR.

Sans kept reaching, his hands now diving into Robert's chest. He retracted, keeping his hands close to his chest. Robert looked down in wonder at the object sitting in the skeleton's hands. It was a heart, but it was shiny and yellow. Sans turned towards the crowd and stretched out his hands. Everyone in the room gasped at the sight.

SOUL. YELLOW IS JUSTICE.

The jury started whispering again as Sans replaced Robert's soul. Sans gave a tiny smile under his hood as he helped Robert stand back up. "No further questions, your honor." Robert said, gripping his head. That was a small side effect of removing a soul. He could have had an infection or much worse, death. Sans got back into the chair, looking down at Undyne. "Mr. Skeleton, do you have a name?"

SANS.

"Do you have any other abilities that might be of our concern that we currently do not know about?"

TRUE TELEPORT, LEVITATION, MAGIC.

"Since the current accusation, have you been treated well?"

YES, VERY WELL.

"Do you feel the need of wanting to hurt someone purposely?"

YES. ONLY ONE.

"Asshole! You are such a liar! We helped you and now you accuse me of harming you? What kind of a thank you is that?" Emile shouted, shaking his fist at the skeleton.

YOU HURT ME. YOU DESERVE PAIN. YOU DESERVE DEATH FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE.

"Then show me what you are going to do! Show me what kind of a monster you really are!" Emile shouted again, a large smile creeping over his lips. Sans crawled off the chair and walked over to the Accuser's Stand. Sans raised a hand, glowing blue and lifted Emile into the air. "Put me down!" he shouted as Sans slammed his face into the floor. Sans dove his hands into Gaster's chest, roughly pulling out his soul. A deep black.

BLACK MEANS HATE. HATE WILL ONLY BRING PAIN AND BETRAYAL. BLACK BREAKS APART LIFE AND SENDS IT TO THE DEPTHS OF HELL.

When Asgore finished translating, everyone in the room gasped again, their eyes full of fear.

HE IS THE TRUE MONSTER.

Sans smiled after the last part as at least a dozen people jumped up and ran out of the room. "Mr. Skeleton. Do you truly have the need to want to hurt, or kill?" Robert asked, smiling. Gaster lie on his stomach, Sans standing over him.

MAYBE. LIKE NOW.

Sans smiled as he crushed Gaster's soul into fragments. Gaster stopped breathing and he gagged, his eyes going wide behind the glasses he wore. Blood spurted from his mouth, his body going limp on the tiles of the floor. "Medic! We need a medic!" a woman screamed through the doors of the courtroom. A man walked in and knelt beside Gaster, taking his pulse. He shook his head and stared at the skeleton.

HE WILL NOT BE MISSED.

Sans signed those five words and smiled. It felt good to actually do something for a change. Change was good, now that he saw it.

~END