DT Serum, Primary Testing In Progress

True:
"Sure thing."  I loitered after losing my little kid load, wanting to ask the doc a question, but not sure I dared.  If I did or not, I'd wait until the kids were out of ear shot.

Gaster:
Gaster tucked the kids into bed before going to see True out. He stopped, and took a moment to study his face. "Is everything all right?" He asked.

True:
I hesitated a moment longer before asking, "Hey, Doc? How'd you get the scars?"

Gaster:
Gaster's brow creased a little, and he leaned against the wall. "Which ones?"

True:
I wondered if maybe I should boycott, but instead touched my arms. "The ones on your arms. Guess you didn't get those at the same time as your face?"

Gaster:
Gaster's mouth twitched into a grin. "Actually, the two on my face each have a different story. The ones on my arms are mostly where I have taken my own blood and skin samples to study how those tissues interact to certain compounds. The ones not from work..." He indicated to several old parallel scars on his wrists. "I don't think I have to explain how I got those. I think you know already."

True:
I nodded, turning to go. "I'm sorry if I was out of line, sir. Maybe someday you'll tell me where the face scars came from?"

Gaster:
Gaster shook his head. "You weren't out of line at all. You were curious, and even if I didn't answer, the curiosity would have remained. And of course I will tell you about the others, if you want to know. I hope you have a good night, True."

True:
"You too, sir, and I hope you get some sleep." I turned my chair about and headed back toward home.

Gaster:
There were some sketchy characters in the shadows of the allyways, but none disturbed True as he wheeled home. Where was the sport in mugging a cripple?

True:
I gained speed, lost in thought as I headed home. The Doc had done a lot for me. Watching the boys now and then seemed hardly payback enough. I was a little hesitant to sleep considering what had happened last time, but I conked right out and nothing happened that night.

Gaster:
The next morning, Gaster got up and cooked breakfast for his sons. After that, he and Sam walked Paul to school before going to the lab. He and Sam got to his office at quarter till nine.

True:
I was already in the hallway in front of his office, spinning and popping wheelies out of boredom.

Gaster:
Sam grinned when he saw True. Gaster chuckled. "Give me a few moments and I'll get everything ready."

True:
"No rush," I said calmly. "By the way, the nurses, technicians, whatever the other people down here are, they've been whining about the AC being broken cause it's cold down here, but it feels the same to me."

Gaster:
Sam frowned. "But it is a bit colder down here." Gaster started to get excited. "Maybe it's one of the awoken abilities you possess, True! But how to test it.... maybe.... yes, I think that will work. Please wait in my office while I get the supplies!" He unlocked his office before he ran off to get the supplies he needed.

True:
I stared after him. "Why is it I feel more nervous now?"

Gaster:
Gaster returned with two buckets, each with a thermometer in them. "All right, place one hand in each bucket and keep them there please." One bucket had hot water and the other cold. Nothing overly uncomfortable, but clearly one was hot and the other cold. Gaster paid close attention to any changes in the water's temperature.

True:
I gave him a confused look but humored the good doctor by putting my hands in the water. I watched curiously, waiting for something to happen. My skin tingled, but it didn't hurt, just felt weird.

Gaster:
Gaster excitedly monitored and took note of the results, Sam grinned. He knew his dad loved science, and deeply enjoyed when he could learn more.

True:
"So... What's happening?" I asked uncomfortably.

Gaster:
Gaster looked very excited. "Remarkable! You are swapping the temperatures of the water! The one that was cold is heating at an excelled rate, and the warm one is cooling at a mirrored rate!" He jots down notes, looking very lively as he does so. "Would you mind if I took a blood sample in order to see which genes were activated to cause this phenomena?"

True:
I nodded slowly, staring at the water. "Just so long as I don't end up looking like Deadpool."

Gaster:
Gaster shakes his head. "Highly unlikely. I am just curious is all." Gaster laughed some, having found this discovery amazing, as well as a breakthrough. "Now, shall we go through with the normal check up before giving you another dose?"

True:
"Sure, but what exactly does this mean?" I demanded, confused. "I don't understand what just happened."

Gaster:
"It would appear that you can use your body as a means of storing and transferring kenetic heat energy." Gaster said with excitement in his voice. "As far as the full extent of your newfound ability, I don't know yet."

True:
I sighed and turned to Sam. "What did he just say?"

Gaster:
"You can control heat, but he isn't sure about the limits of it yet." Sam translated. "That's what I said!" Gaster protested. Sam smiled. "Dad, you're getting excited, and you speak science when you're excited. Not everyone speaks science." Gaster rolled his eyes, but was smiling a little as he did so. "I suppose..."

True:
"Ah, gotcha, thank you," I nodded. "I think I want to experiment now."

Gaster:
Gaster nodded. "Would you mind if I observed and took notes?" The doctor looked hopeful. This was clearly a huge breakthrough in his eyes, and was excited to experience and see the results.

True:
"Um. Sure?" I agreed. "Just don't forget under the experiment is still a person."

Gaster:
Gaster nodded. "Of course, True." He promised.

True:
"Cool. Now where the cafeteria? Every place this big has a cafeteria."

Gaster:
Gaster nodded and led the way, having told Sam a few more chapters to read as well as some problems to solve while his dad was gone. Gaster then led True to the cafeteria. It wasn't the most high tech and glossy, but still was clean and well maintained.

True:
I rolled around poking and prodding, finally collecting a cup of tea, a lighter, some napkins, a plate, and a frozen burrito. I used the microwave to heat up the tea to the point of boiling then lid everything out on the table. "Ready, Doc?"

Gaster:
Gaster nodded excitedly. He had planned to only observe and take notes. The most involvement he would do would be to offer suggestions.

True:
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Project What-the-hell-am-I-doing, test one." I picked up the frozen burrito and held it. Yep. It was cold. And not getting any warmer. I set it aside and brushed off my hands before pulling over the cup of tea. It had cooled to where it was no longer boiling, but still wicked hot. I didn't think. Thinking caused hesitation. I simply stuck my finger in the water, fully expecting to get scalded. But.... didn't. "Huh."

Gaster:
Gaster noted everything. He jotted observations in his pad. "How does the water feel?" he asked.

True:
"It feels warm and wet, but not bad." I focused on the water. "I can feel the temperature dropping, but as a secondary thing."

Gaster:
Gaster scritched some notes into his pad before asking True if he would mind Gaster feeling the water for himself.

True:
"Go for it," I said, taking my finger from the tea and sticking it in my mouth. It was barely lukewarm. "Needs honey."

Gaster:
Gaster dipped his finger into the tea. "Remarkable..." He murmured. He started to mutter to himself, speaking in overly technical terms how this may be possible.

True:
I shrugged, having no clue what he was going on about, and turned my attention to the paper and the plate. Piling the paper on top, I lit the whole thing on fire.

Gaster:
Gaster watched from the edge of his seat. He was ready to help if something got out of control, or to record results. The middle aged scientist looked like a kid in a candy store.

True:
I checked it to make certain everything was safe and I wasn't about to set the whole building on fire, then I began cautiously inching my hand closer to the fire. Bit by bit... The tip of one finger touched first. "Whoa!" I whispered as the flames licked my finger.

Gaster:
Gaster watched in awe. His mind was already humming with possibilities and applications to this newfound ability. "Amazing! Do you realize what this could mean, if others have this ability and it's awoken? Think about how much safer firefighters could be!"

True:
I heard him, but all that would come out of my mouth was, "I hope they aren't ticklish, cause it does kind of tickle. It's warm, and beats like a heart!" I slipped my hand in more. Toward the heart of the fire I could feel the actual heat, but it didn't hurt.

Gaster:
Gaster wrote down more notes. "Those are excellent details. I wonder if there is a threshold to the amount of heat you can tolerate. Regardless of the matter, I will not test you on something potentially that dangerous."

True:
"Gee, thanks, doc," I said a touch dryly but smiled. "I wonder..." Remembering what I'd down unintentionally with the water, I placed my hand entirely in the fire and concentrated. I pictured drawing the fire into myself, like absorbing it through my skin.

Dammed if it didn't happen just like I visualized. The fire sank into my hand, finishing with a tiny poof of smoke.

Gaster:
Gaster clearly thought it was all amazing. He wrote notes like mad on what he was witnessing. "Astounding!"

True:
I wasn't done yet. Holding onto the feeling of the warmth in my hand, I placed my finger in the cup of tea. Okay. Now out! I visualized the heat coming out of my finger into the tea... and it worked! The tea was boiling in seconds!

Gaster:
Gaster looked so tickled. "This is utterly amazing. I cannot thank you enough, True. For participating in this experiment.... as well as believing in me."

True:
I glanced at him and smiled. "It's okay. I wanted to thank you for believing in me. You're, well, you're a better dad than mine ever was. And I'm just your pincushion."

Gaster:
Gaster smiles and shakes his head. "True, you are not just a pincushion to me. I like to think of you as a third son, and I know Sam and Paul think of you as a brother. Thank you."

True:
I blushed and ducked my head, awkwardly stirring my tea. "Thanks, Doc. I appreciate that."

Gaster:
Gaster smiled. "Well, I will let you be for now. Come back down when you are ready for another dose." He stood, going to go downstairs to catalog the results of the DT Serum on True.

True:
I stayed and fooled around for a while, trying to get the hang of things, but eventually gave up for now and headed down for my dose. "Hey, Doc Dad, I've been thinking..."

Gaster:
Gaster looked up at True from his computer. "Yes?"

True:
I fiddled with my wheels, rocking back and forth. "Maybe you shouldn't try to fix my back."

Gaster:
Gaster raised his eyebrows at that. "Are you sure?" He was not going to force True's mind one way or the other, since it was his life and his choice after all. However, the option would always be there if he changed his mind.

True:
"No, but... When it hurt, it hurt my back. I think from the bottom down, I just... don't exist to the serum. What if messing with my back makes things... What if it messes stuff up?"

Gaster:
Gaster smiles kindly. "If you want, I can preform some tests, and we can look into the matter more thoroughly after the serum has been properly applied. I'll run some tests on lab pigs and see how that would work."

True:
I hesitated then nodded. "Okay. Poor pigs. But yeah. Tests sound good."

Gaster:
"Well, a pig's anatomy is very close to a human's actually. That is why I use pigs." Gaster explained.

True:
"Still poor pigs, but okay," I nodded. "I'm ready for my dose now. How many more of these do I need?"

Gaster:
"I would guess four more." Gaster said, getting the supplies. "Pills, I am guessing?"

True:
"Have you changed the coating?" I asked suspiciously.

Gaster:
Gaster smiled. "You will be the first to try the new coating. It should make it a lot more tasteless."

True:
I held out my hand for it. "Okay then, let's do his thing!"

Gaster:
Gaster smiled and handed True the pills. They were a slightly different color than yesterday, more than likely because of the new coating.

True:
I eyed them with exaggerated suspicion before popping it in my mouth and swallowing. I made a face and said, "Better, but still tart. I'm going to go grab a drink. Any other plans for me today?"

Gaster:
"Nothing I can think of, although I would like to talk to you later if you have time." Gaster said. "I have another proposition for you."

True:
"Sure," I agreed, turning to go. "Just give me a yell whenever you need to. I'm free. Although... I think I'm going to head to the park and play for a bit."

Gaster:
Gaster smiled. "If you want company, I'm sure Sam is nearly done with his schoolwork."

"Sure, that would be fine," I agreed. "Unless he wants to stay and hang out with you."

Gaster smiled. "I can go and ask him. He's over in an empty office across the hall."

(It's weird not seeing your smiley face icon! XD lol)

"Alright. I need to go get my instrament anyway," I nodded, backing out. "Today was fun, Doctor Dad, see you tomorrow!" I wheeled out and headed up to my room, waiting a bit to see if Sam would show.

(I'll have to fix that!)

After about fifteen minutes, Sam knocked on True's door. The kid smiled happily at him. "Between you and me, you've made dad very happy. He told me you started calling him 'Doctor Dad.' He loves it."

"Well, he is a doctor, and he is a dad, so why not?" I chuckled, hanging my guitar over the handles of my chair and starting off. I wondered if maybe I honestly meant what I said by calling him "Dad." He was more the father figure than anyone else in my life. "You sure you want to hang out with me in the boring world of trees? Seems like this science place is awesome."

Sam shrugged. "It is pretty cool, but I've been here a lot. It gets a bit boring after a bit. The only really cool thing anymore is that I'll help dad with some of his projects."

"Well alright then, what are we standing around here for?" I grinned and took off at a quick pace. I'd slow down... in a little bit.

Sam laughed and chased after True. The kid was short for his age, so it wasn't too long before he started getting a bit tired. He just couldn't move as far as fast with his short legs.

I slowed down subtly until we were at a walking pace, whistling as I rolled. As we got closer to the park, I asked, "So what kind of music do you like besides Linken Park?"

Sam smiled. "Mostly rock, and some metal. I like Breaking Benjamin pretty well. And Set It Off."

"Yeah? Like which songs?" I asked.

Sam thought a moment before he rattled off a few songs. "Evil Angel and Diary of Jane, Both by Breaking Benjamin.... Wolf In Sheep's Clothing, Nightmare, and Haunted are my favorites by Set It Off."

"I might know one of those," I said, considering. "Maybe I'll try singing it. Now... where's a good spot?" I looked around for a good spot.

Sam smiled. "What about over near the fountain, unless you don't want an audience."

"Fountain is fine," I agreed, pushing myself over the grass. Grass was honestly harder than stairs! I got settled then opened my case, laying it down off to the side, open. I wasn't too concerned about it, but if people wanted to tip, it was there for them. I placed my guitar on my lap and picked a few chords.

Sam sat down beside True, just listening. He smiled. "Hey True? Do you think sometime, you could teach me how to play a guitar?"

"Sure!" I promised, my fingers slowly picking out the tune for The Diary of Jane. "How about tomorrow after you finish your school work we'll get started?"

Sam smiled excitedly. "Really? Sure!" He was looking forward to it now.