W. D. Gaster - An Undertale Story

Chapter Two

   Ding!
   The elevator doors opened to reveal a dark room. The room was a dark combination of a green and blue - almost turquoise - room. There seemed to be dust everywhere, and most of the lights flickered, giving off a buzzing sound, while the others didn't come on at all. The room led to what appeared to be a hall, from what Gaster could see.
   Alphys stepped out of the elevator, motioning for the skeleton to come along. He followed her into the maze of halls in the Lab. There were many screens, but most just showed static. "What is wrong with them?", Gaster asked. Alphys turned her head and looked at him confusedly. He chuckled at her confusion. "The screens.", he said.
   "Oh!" Alphys exclaimed in realization. "The screens! Well, you see, some of them just haven't had a message put into them. The screens are kind of like reminders or notes. Some of the screens just don't work. But I'm attempting to come up with a solution to fix them.", she explained. Gaster smiled, fascinated with the backstory of the small things in the Lab.
   The two continued to walk, but then stopped at a door. It had a number on it. But Gaster didn't care much for that. He more so cared about the fact that it was labeled "Royal Scientist". He examined it, noticing the piles of dust and rotting of the page. "Hmm.", he mumbled. Alphys had pulled out a key and had almost put it into the keyhole, but looked up at Gaster.
   "What is it?", she asked. "Is something wrong?"
   "No! Not at all!", he assured Alphys. "I've just noticed how old this place looked and was wondering something... Has this place been used at all since the old Royal Scientist worked here?" Alphys smiled at his observation.
   "You're a smart one. You're almost right. It wasn't used at all until 6 months ago, when I found out about this place. I had went into the elevator and pressed the wrong button, soon finding this dark area. I have only been working here for 8 months. It was extremely new to me.", Alphys corrected him. She then placed her key into the keyhole. She turned the key and there was a click.
   Alphys opened the door and Gaster was interested in what he was looking at. The room was darker than any of the others. There was no light at all, as if a light hadn't been turned on at all. It was pitch black. Alphys reached her hand past Gaster and flipped a switch. A light came on. It didn't flicker, but was in fact very bright and lit up the whole room.
   The room was huge and the same color as all the others. Chalkboards, which were covered in white chalk stains, covered every wall. There was a white counter that was the bottom of one of the walls of the room. There were many glass bottles and testing technology. Some still had drops of potion in them. Cobwebs covered many places and lined every wall.
   Gaster and Alphys stood in awe. "Wow.", they both said, wide-eyed. Alphys walked slowly, step by step, into the room. She looked around and observed it carefully. "This place hasn't been used but... wow. It's..." Alphys trailed off in her sentence.
   "Amazing. Interesting. Fascinating.", Gaster finished for her.
   "Yeah. Those.", Alphys said in agreement.
   Gaster steeped into the room and walked to the white counter, examining it closely. There were still papers with scribbles on them and unfinished blueprints. He found it strange. "It's as if the old Royal Scientist didn't pack up to leave or go somewhere. It's like they... disappeared.", he said, concerned.
   Alphys looked over to him. She sighed in a sad tone. "I was very young when it happened, but I know what happened. My parents were very close with the old Royal Scientist. She was a very social person.", Alphys started. Gaster had no idea who the old Royal Scientist was, or that it was a girl. He was already drawn in by her story.
   "The old Royal Scientist was a female crow creature named Raven Malice. My parents became friends with her when they went to school together. Raven became the Royal Scientist before monsters were sealed into the Underground. She graduated from a High School on the Surface when she was only 12 years old. I see her as an inspiration. She then became the Royal Scientist because the king before King Asgore wanted her to be. He found her to be extremely smart and capable of the job. She was officially named the Royal Scientist when she was 13. Then when she was 21 years old, the war between Monsters and Humans happened. She created technology for the war. But when her whole team who were supposed to use the technology died, she decided that she would risk her own life for Monsterkind. And risk her life, she did. She died towards the end of the battle. She was the last monster to be killed by a human in the war. She went down as a legend for Monsters, but many don't talk about her anymore. For some monsters, it brings back too many memories. So, when you were chosen to be the Royal Scientist, we all became excited. We were happy that we would have someone bring more technology, more safety, into our lives. That's why you are so important, Dr. Gaster.", Alphys explained. "Do you mind if I call you Dr. Gaster instead of W. D. Gaster?"
   Gaster couldn't seem to answer. He was still taking in the legendary story of the old Royal Scientist. The story about how they risked their life for everyone. Alphys patiently waited for an answer for her question. Gaster chuckled and shook his head, chasing his thoughts away. "Yeah. Yeah, you can call me Dr. Gaster. Or just Gaster. I don't really mind what you call me, as long as you don't call me by my first name."
   Alphys looked at him confusedly. "Oh, yeah, I was meaning to ask what the 'W. D.' in 'W. D. Gaster' stood for.", Alphys said.
   Gaster looked to the side of embarrassment of his own name. "Uh... it...", he was still deciding whether he should tell Alphys, someone he just met, his name or not. He sighed. "Fine. It stands for Wingdings. My full name is Wingdings Gaster." He looked away from Alphys and immediately regretted his decision. Alphys tried to hold back her stifled laugh. But after a few seconds, it all came out. Alphys bursted out in laughter at the silliness of the name. Gaster sighed, annoyed.
   He glared at her. Alphys was still laughing, but when she saw his glare, she stopped and gave an apologetic look. She looked away from him and towards a picture on the wall. She immediately smiled. "Hey.", Alphys said, trying to get Gaster's attention. He looked at Alphys. She reached up towards a picture on the wall and brushed the dust off with her hand.
   When the dust was cleared, it revealed a picture of a young woman covered in black feathers with a sharp black beak for a mouth. She had small circle-shaped glasses at the tip of her beak. She wore a white lab coat with a name tag labeled "Dr. Raven Malice". Gaster's eyesockets widened at the sight of the old Royal Scientist. "Wow. You're right. She was young.", he verified. Alphys nodded.
   "That reminds me : How did you become the Royal Scientist?", Alphys asked. Gaster touched his hand to the back of his neck.
   "Well, it's a bit of a long story. Do you really want to know?", he asked. Alphys nodded her head.
   "Look, I told you a long story about a monster I have never even met. I'm sure that this will be interesting!", Alphys said, chuckling at herself.
   Gaster smiled. "Okay. Well, I saw the surface once. I was very young. About 3 years old. I was fascinated by the Human way of life. I was fascinated by the Surface itself. I loved it. Then the war happened. My dad died in the battle. He was killed by a human. It broke my mother's heart. And mine. I grew up most of my life without a father, science as my only friend. When I was old enough to finally go to school, in the Underground, of course, I was so excited to make friends and not be alone! But all of the other kids thought I was a nerd. When I got to my middle school years, I was bullied. People not only ignored me, but some would even beat me up or blame me for things I never did. When I got to high school, I expected it to be the same. And sometimes, it was. But one day, some guys were about to beat me up, but Asgore stopped them. That's how I met him. Soon after, we began to hang out with each other and his girlfriend, who is now the queen, Toriel. We three had fun hanging out. One day, Asgore asked me for help with a subject in math and another in science. I found both to be as easy as 2 + 2. He realized I was smart. One day, in 11th Grade, he said that he would make me the Royal Scientist of the Underground the day he became king. I assured him that he would probably find someone smarter than me. But the day he became king, when we were out of school, he told me I really would be the Royal Scientist. A month ago, he said that today would be my first day as the Royal Scientist. So here I am.", Gaster explained.
   Alphys had her eyes wide as she was interested in his story. "Oh.", she said. "That's a lot to carry on your shoulders. I'm sorry."
   Gaster waved off her apology. "It's fine. I can cope with it.", he said.
   Alphys walked to the door they had entered before. "Well, I'll leave you down here to come up with your ideas. When you leave, the button you need to press on the elevator is '1'. Then you can leave. See you later, Dr. Gaster.", Alphys said. Gaster nodded.
   "Thanks.", he said as she left. He was now in his Lab. Alone, with only his mind to talk to.