Mechanical

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Chapter 3: Frankenstein

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Detective Brown had to duck to avoid the small, various marionettes on their strings as the three men made their way through the back of Mr. Fredbear's work shop. One of the marionettes above the investigator was bigger and taller than the others. Detective Brown stopped in alarm when he saw it. It hung above his head like a lanky black spider. Yellow shafts of light came down from above, giving the huge marionette a creepy look. It was all made of wood, painted delicately. The arms were striped black and white, while the face was painted white with round red cheeks and red lips. Two purple painted lines ran down from its black almond shaped eyes.

Detective Brown stared up at it, terrified by its grotesque and nightmarish appearance. It didn't look like that it belonged in the cheerful workshop of a toymaker. It looked like something that a monster would create to send off into the night and give children nightmares.

Jackson stopped when he saw his partner had stopped walking. He walked over to where Detective Brown was and looked up. A wave of dread hit Jackson like a bag of bricks at the sight of the terrifying huge marionette. It grinned down at the two investigators from where it hung; its arms and legs all akimbo, and in an awkward and uncomfortable position. Jackson couldn't stop staring at how creepy it was...and strangely how it looked almost alive...like it controlled its own strings...

"Come along!" said Mr. Fredbear from the front. The two investigators quickly turned their gaze away from the creepy puppet and moved on. Jackson couldn't stop thinking about the creepy puppet. He hoped that Mr. Fredbear wouldn't allow that one to be able to walk around the place.

Finally they came to the back where the four huge metal toys stood in the very back of the workshop. Shrouded in the shadows, and surrounded by crates of parts and other assorted items; the four metal animals all stood in a row and stared out towards the front of the shop with their dark, lifeless lens like eyes. Jackson and Brown stared at the creatures, recognizing what each animal they resembled. From left, to right, there was a rabbit, a bear, a chicken, and a fox.

They all each were taller than all three men. Their metals were all a different color and they all wore some sort of garment that matched their metal color. The bunny was a bluish purple, the bear was a bronze color, the chicken was a golden yellow color, and the fox was a rusted red color. The two investigators stared up at the four in shock. They didn't realize that they were going to be this huge! They were giant. Almost as big as elephants. A person could easily fit inside one of them.

Mr. Fredbear came up to each one and began to turn knobs and flip switches on the metal animals to wake them up. Once he was done, each of the metal animals started to jolt and shake. Smoke poured out from long crooked metal pipes that stuck out from their backs. Jackson and Brown took a couple steps back from the metal creatures. Mr. Fredbear noticed, causing a small smirk to play upon his lips. Then, he turned his focus back to his creations once their eyes began to glow brightly, lighting up the dark section of the workshop.

"Allright, my children, introduce yourselves. Don't by shy," said Mr. Fredbear to the four metal creatures. The two investigators stared at the four animatronic creatures as they continued to shake and twitch. The sound of scraping metals echoed through the room, and the smoke filled the room, but most went out an open window Mr. Fredbear had just opened up.

The bluish-purple tinted metal rabbit came up first. It took two steps forward. Its ears were sectioned into joints, allowing the ears to bend and move on their own. The mechanical bunny wore a purple patterned vest and a white buttoned up shirt underneath. Underneath his chin was a deep red bowtie. His glowing red eyes matched with his bowtie. Jackson instantly didn't like the rabbit, mostly because his eyes were the only ones that glowed red, while the other metal animals' eyes glowed white in the darkness.

The purple metallic rabbit's mouth moved upward into a smile. "G-g-g-g-good good morning, gentlem-men...I...I'm Bonn-Bonnie the Bunny-y," He said in a somewhat deep metallic sounding voice that seemed to echo. He waved his metal arm in jerky movements. The two investigators' mouths dropped open in shock. The robot rabbit just spoke to them!

After the robotic rabbit was done introducing himself, he took two steps back, standing back in line. Next, the yellow chicken came up. The two investigators watched when the bear started to go up the same time as the chicken. The two looked at each other for a minute, their gears clicking inside their round heads. Finally, the bear smiled and gestured for the chicken to go ahead. The chicken smiled back and went up next.

The chicken's steps were heavy and made clunking noises when she walked. She wore a yellow flower patterned dress and a matching bonnet on her head. She smiled by opening her beak. The investigators cringed when they saw that the chicken had a row of teeth along the edge of her beak, giving her a creepy appearance. Her glowing white lens like eyes focused on the investigators, making a strange faint whirring sound. She lifted up her dress and curtsied.

"I-I-I'm Ch-Chica...P-please to m-m-m-meet you gent-g-gentlemen," she said in a somewhat human female sounding voice, but at the same time sounded inhuman from the metallic sound added in to it. Jackson nervously tipped his hat to her. She noticed and giggled, making the investigator's face go pale. The metallic creatures acted more advanced than the other toys that Mr. Fredbear had created. It terrified Jackson to think how advanced the robots really were.

Finally, the chicken moved back to her spot, allowing the bear to go next. The bear was bigger than the other robot animals. It's round metal bronze and copper colored belly had a barred stove door on the front. Inside, fire was seen burning as steam hissed from the metal pipes that came out from his back. His eyes were brass colored and looked like goggles. He wore a human sized black top hat, making it look small on his huge head. He wore a large custom fit dark brown coat with tails and a black bow under his chin. The enormous metal bear's eyes glowed white from inside as he took an awkward bow. Metal screeching against metal, and the sound of huge gears from inside his arms clicked and clanked while he bowed to the investigators, taking off his hat in the process.

"Goo-od day, D-d-detectiv-ves...M-m-my...n-n-n-name is..sssss...Fred-Freddy...Fazb-bear," he said in the similar metallic voice as the others, but his was more deep and sounded like trapped thunder inside his dome like stomach. Brown flinched when he heard Freddy call them detectives instead of gentlemen. Then, Freddy lifted his upper torso back up and placed his hat on his head. Just as he began to walk back, the rust colored fox excitedly came up to the investigators. Brown and Jackson flinched and instinctively placed their hands on their guns. The fox came up fast and approached them closer than the others.

The fox wore an elaborate long, deep red coat with gold designs on it, and a deep red colored pirate hat with gold tassels and coins sewn to it. At his waist was a real cutlass. His jaw opened and closed, revealing sharp metal teeth. Smoke poured out behind him from his pipes as he moved.

I-I-I-I-I...b-b-be-e...Fox-Fox-F-..." The fox began to jerk and twist violently. Metal grinding against metal was heard, then the sound of a bolt being ripped out and flying across the room and hitting the floor. The fox's lower jaw hung loose and swayed back and forth from the other bolt which held the other side of the jaw in place. The fox stopped in his tracks and froze. His eyes flickered on and off.

Mr. Fredbear gasped and quickly came to the fox's aid. "This is Foxy the Pirate Fox...He's the last I created out of the four...He always breaks down a lot. I'm always having to constantly repair him," Mr. Fredbear explained to the investigators as he pulled out a wrench and a new bolt from his back pocket and started to tighten the bolt near the side of Foxy's jaw. Once the fox's jaw was back into place, Mr. Fredbear tapped the side of Foxy's head. "Wake up Foxy. You are as good as new," he said smiling. The fox twitched and finally lifted back up. His eyes came back on as he opened and closed his mouth. "Th-th-thank ye-e-e, papa," said Foxy as he smiled and walked back to where the others were.

Mr. Fredbear chuckled as he wiped his hands on his apron and turned back to the two investigators. "There you have it." Jackson's mouth was open in shock. Brown looked the same, trying to not look impressed. Jackson quickly closed his mouth and grinned excitedly. "These works are incredible!" said Jackson. Brown simply nodded, trying not to show too much emotion, unlike his partner. Jackson was so amazed by Mr. Fredbear's craft, but was too afraid to examine any closer. "How long did it take you to make these?" he asked.

Mr. Fredbear smirked as he stared at Jackson, now starting to see the young boy in him. "Many years, and many unsuccessful attempts," he simply said. "But I never gave up. All of this..." he gestured to the four tall metal animals, then to the front of his shop. "...is my passion." Then Mr. Fredbear's smile disappeared and his arm slowly lowered back to his side as he glared at the two investigators.

"So, which of my creations is being blamed for murdering the poor child?" asked Mr. Fredbear with a hint of anger in his voice.

Jackson's smile instantly disappeared. He went quiet as he nervously exchanged glances with Brown. Brown stared at Mr. Fredbear for a moment, before pulling out a big envelope that held a couple papers inside. He flipped through the papers till he found the one he needed and read it to himself. After a couple minutes, he finally spoke.

"The witness described it being a tall metal rabbit," the short investigator said, then glanced over to Bonnie. Bonnie's gears clanked from inside his chest, and his left ear twitched, making the situation ironic by making him seem nervous. Mr. Fredbear looked over to the rabbit with a worried look on his face. The rabbit glanced over to him, then looked away.

Mr. Fredbear turned around and stood in front of Bonnie, glaring at the two investigators. "My creations would never harm children. Ask any child around here. They have seen these guys come out and entertain them. That is all they know. Entertaining children and families," he said.

The two investigators were silent for a moment. Then, Jackson spoke up. "Do you know of any other toymakers who could have made similar creations such as yours?" asked Jackson. Mr. Fredbear thought for a moment, then his shoulders sagged as he shook his head. "I don't know any other toymakers. It is possible that there are other people trying to copy my work, but I know only of my own creations... It has taken me nearly a lifetime to be able to create these unique toys to be able to move and talk on their own," he said in a melancholy tone as he stared down at the messy floor.

Then he lifted his head back up. "But I assure you gentlemen...Bonnie is not a murderer," he said sternly. Brown stared at Mr. Fredbear for a moment with his same, emotionless face. "You say it as if your creation is alive," Brown stated. Mr. Fredbear narrowed his eyes angrily. "Do you not believe what your eyes had seen?" he asked bitterly. Brown's expression didn't change. "I know of gypsies and musicians tricking fools into believing that they can do magic. I am no fool, Mr. Fredbear. I do not believe in magic. There is always a logical answer to everything."

"Then what about the metal rabbit wandering around at night? How do you explain that? If Mr. Fredbear's creations are more advanced than his other creations, surely it could have figured out how to get out of the workshop and walk around," Jackson pointed out. Detective Brown sighed. "You're making it sound like Mr. Fredbear is Dr. Frankenstein."

Jackson pointed over to Mr. Fredbear's four metal animals. "Well, what we had just witnessed is pretty similar to it." he said. "I have never seen anything like it in my life. The creatures actually walked and introduced themselves specifically to us. How can you explain that and not believe?" asked Jackson.

Detective Brown huffed and narrowed his eyes at Jackson. "I believe that Mr. Fredbear could have simply thrown his voice into his creations and make it look like that they were actually talking." Then he looked at Mr. Fredbear. "How else would your bear have known that we were detectives?" he asked as he gestured to Freddy.

Mr. Fredbear looked over to Freddy, who nervously shifted. Before Freddy could open his mouth, Detective Brown continued. "It is impossible for a metal being to move and think on their own without the proper instruments. You need organs and veins to pump blood, a heart to beat, a brain to help it think and so many other items to help it all work."

"So, you don't believe that Bonnie killed that child in the alleyway last night?" Mr. Fredbear asked. Detective Brown shook his head. "Like I said before, you are not a suspect, we don't have a lot of leads or any body to inspect for that matter. If your creations are really advanced as they seem, then I would suggest keeping that under wraps. If word gets out about Mr. Fredbear being the real Dr. Frankenstein, everyone will begin to believe that you are creating monsters for their children."

Mr. Fredbear opened his mouth, then finally closed it. Brown was right. Even though he was beginning to hate him, Brown was trying to help him. Of course he was a skeptic about his work, but he was smarter than he looked.

Just then, Brown looked over to the left, near Bonnie, he walked over and noticed a door. "Is this door locked?" he asked. Mr. Fredbear watched Brown walk over to the door a couple feet away from Bonnie. "Yes, it is, it has always been locked," he said. Brown examined the door for a while. The door was large and had white paint peeling from it. "Is this where your creations walk out of to entertain the children outside?" he asked. Mr. Fredbear nodded. "Yes. I have the key with me at all times. They entertain three to four times a day."

Detective Brown stared at the door for a while. His eyes trailed up and down along the sides of the threshold. Something caught his eye on how the door was placed. Then he decided to press against the door. As he did, the door came undone from its hinges and crashed against the ground on the other side. Outside a horse whinnied in fear and quickened its pace. Mr. Fredbear gasped in shock as he stared at the door on the ground.

"That's not possible...It was fine yesterday morning," he said. He turned to the two investigators. "Someone had to have broken in," he said. Detective Brown stared at the door again. "It was broken from the inside," he said, pointing to the scrape marks from the threshold where the door once was. Mr. Fredbear shook his head slightly. No, that can't be right. I was here the whole night..." his voice faded.

Jackson slowly approached Mr. Fredbear. "Mr. Fredbear-" he started, but Mr. Fredbear backed away from him. "They would never harm children!" Mr. Fazbear shouted. "I made them myself! I would never create them to kill people!" He shouted angrily. The whole room instantly went quiet. The two investigators stared at Mr. Fredbear in surprise.

Mr. Fredbear breathed heavily as he glared at Jackson. Gradually, his breathing slowed and he turned away from them. "I apologize for my outburst," he muttered.

The silence in the room made Mr. Fredbear very nervous. He knew the two investigators were now assuming he was acting guilty. Finally, the silence was destroyed by Detective Brown. "Thank you, Mr. Fredbear for your time. We will see ourselves out. Good day," he said tipping his hat and avoiding a handshake from Mr. Fredbear. He motioned his hand for Jackson to come. Jackson followed right behind Detective Brown, both walking back the way they came to the front of the store.

As the investigators left, they glanced up one last time to see the creepy puppet. Once they did, they noticed that it was gone. Jackson and Detective Brown felt chills go up their spines at the exact same time. Where was it? Where did it go? Detective Brown shook his head, not wanting to scare himself. They must have already passed by it. The long, narrow ceiling of the workshop was so distorted and messy, it was a miracle that Mr. Fredbear was able to find anything in it. With that, they coninued walking to the front of the shop.

Mr. Fredbear heard the faint ring of the bell of the the two investigators leaving his shop. The two then walked down the cobblestone path back to their station.

In the shop, Mr. Fredbear slowly sat down at an empty stool near him. He buried his face into his hands.

The sounds of wheezing pipes and shrieking metal was heard as the enormous animal creations began to slowly shut down. Their fuels in their systems had run out and were beginning to go back to sleep. Gears clicked and pipes rattled till all four finally ceased moving. Their eyes were the last to finally flicker out.

Mr. Fredbear sighed to himself. Most likely the two investigators now suspected Bonnie. His own creation going against his master, like Frankenstein's own creation...breaking the door down with ease, and escaping into the night... Mr. Fredbear shook his head as he pulled his hands away from his face. No. Bonnie wasn't a murderer. Someone else had to have done this. Someone had to have been framing him and Bonnie for the murder...but who? and why?

Mr. Fredbear looked over to the door that was still laying outside. He sighed as he got up and pulled out his screwdriver from his heavy apron pocket and got to work fixing his door. Once he was done, he began hammering boards across the door. Every nail he hammered into the boards, felt like he was hammering into his heart. This was the only way to keep anymore unnecessary trespassers into his shop, and to keep his creations in. It was only till the investigators caught the real culprit who had murdered the child. Mr. Fredbear hoped they caught the culprit soon, he didn't like the idea of keeping his children cooped up inside the workshop all day.

Once he was done, he yawned in exhaustion and decided to take the day off. He placed his hammer and bucket of nails down and walked out from his workshop to the front. He walked out the front door. The bell ringed overhead as he closed it and locked the door behind him. Mr. Fredbear sighed as he lifted his head and looked up at the sign above his shop written in fancy red lettering: Mr. Fredbear's Mechanical Toy Shop.

The clouds above his shop had suddenly changed to a dark grey. It looked like that it was going to rain. Thunder was heard off in the distance, and a cold chill blew through Mr. Fredbear's old bones. Mr. Fredbear rubbed his bare arms a bit before walking around the shop over to a small two story house next to it. He unlocked the door and walked inside, up the flight of stairs to his small room. He flopped down on his bed. For a while he wasn't able to sleep, but after a while on dwelling on the murdered child, the broken door, and the two investigators. Finally, the lack of sleep got the better of him and Mr. Fredbear fell fast asleep.

The rain came. It drummed against his thatched rooftop like beads of glass. They drummed repeatedly in a soft lullaby as Mr. Fredbear slept. To the left of Mr. Fredbear's bed a couple feet away was a window. The rain dripped down across the clear panes of glass. Looking into the window...was the huge creepy marionette. The rain rolled down the marionette's face like tears as it stared right at Mr. Fredbear in his bed. Within its black almond shaped eyes, two white lights glowed from inside...