I owe you guys/gals/yeses an apology - this took much longer to make than intended. Writer's Block and revisions are a b*tch, coupled with real life problems and papers and exams and *cough* Bendyandtheinkmacine. I hope this little chapter was worth the wait (sorry if it's bad). Also I recently finished the semester for the year so I should (hopefully) have more time to write :3
Thank you again for your continued patience and support!
Trigger Warning:
Implied Abuse
-Physical
-Psychological
X.X
Zachary landed hard on the floor. Pain floods his skull and back in sharp throbbing jabs, and spreads throughout his body, latching on barbs. He hears a laugh and looks up to meet the manic blue gaze of his furry attacker now standing over him.
"Gotcha birthday boy!" Francis declared triumphantly
Zach narrow his eyes in annoyance, and whispers something profane that gets him a fist around his neck. Francis' smile reached his eyes as he wagged a finger and tutted, "Ah ah! Language like that isn't tolerated here, mister! We are a "kid-friendly" company, and insulting a performer of Circus Baby's Pizza World can't go unpunished!" He taps the side of Zach's head and snickers when he shoots him an irritated look. Francis then furrowed his brow when his demeanor takes a turn South. He brings their faces closer causing Zachary to look at him with widened eyes.
"I bet it was you using her voice earlier." he whispered to him accusingly, his voice laced with an uncharacteristic coldness that sends shivers down his captive's spine.
"W-what? No! She's really-"
"Do you humans like seeing me go crazy trying to figure out if what I'm hearing is real or not?! Is that it? Is shocking us not amusing enough for you anymore!"
"BABY IS WITH US!" Zach kicked his feet wildly, hoping to land a blow somewhere, and started scratching at his thick furry fingers as he tried prying them off. "And how in the world would I be able to mimic anyone's voice, when I clearly don't have a damn device on me that could!"
The way Francis' grip instantly slackened at his words, and how his eyes flickered to look off to the side, meant he had taken his words into thought. He said nothing to him, and instead started clicking his tongue as he processed the question in his head. The paw he had holding Zachary down came to rest on his own left thigh, where he began drumming his fingers thoughtfully.
Seeing a window of opportunity, Zach began pushing himself down the floor with his hands. Francis - somehow but thankfully - couldn't hear him dragging across the floor. Hell, he was surprised the guy didn't even see him; not that he's complaining. When a pair of hands suddenly grab him by his ankles, he nearly gasps aloud. He looks down and is met with Ballora glaring sharply at him. She pressed a finger to her lips in a "shh"ing gesture. After Zach nodded his head in confirmation, she swiftly pulls him back.
That got Francis' attention. With a resounding "Hey!" he spun around to catch him. He barely has an idea on where to grab him when Baby throws herself between them having jumped seemingly from out of nowhere.
About time you showed up, Zach thought.
"Francis it's me! I'm really here! He's not tricking you!" She stood with her hands outstretched in front of her to stop him. Her ability to still sound calm despite her posture saying other wise, was admirable at best. "The technician is not here to hurt us. His name is Zachary, he's a friend to us."
Francis scratched his head at her, looking comedic doing so. "I'm confused right now. Are you really in front of me, or am I seeing things." It'd be of no surprise to him if Baby were to suddenly disappear into thin air instead of answering the question. The technician bit was new, but he'll just take it as a another sign of how hopeless he's become. Heck, how she's looking at Ballora right now almost has him convinced.
Baby looked at Ballora confused, and a bit disheartened. Her brain struggled to take in her friend's new and distressing behavior, refusing to accept that it was coming from Francis. They both knew Francis, but Baby knew him a little more personally. He can act a bit questionable at times but that was part of his personality. The fact that he asked such a question hurt more than words can describe.
"Francis, I'm right here." She grabs his paw roughly without meaning to. "See?"
Francis' eyes lowered slowly to their joined hands. Her hand felt heavy - real - in his paw. The air between them smelled faintly of strawberries and vanilla, and it tempted him to bury his entire face in her hair just so he could get a better smell of that sweet red fruit. It takes all of his self-control to keep his paws at bay.
The gloves are a cause for concern. He knows right away that they don't belong on her. Baby never used to wear gloves, but this particular pair made him irritated seeing them on her. All he wanted to do was rip them off and tear them to ribbons.
"I'm here Francis don't you see?"
"Oh I see."
Baby is pulled into a bear hug. She made a surprised squeak as she was pulled to recline against his body, with her head coming to rest on his chest. Due to his larger height he had to bend his knees slightly and almost curl his entire body over her's. Her hands instinctively reach to grasp his shirt like it were a lifeline, no different than how a child would when being picked up. Her nose caught a light whiff of vanilla, which his fur often smelled of. It makes her think of birthday cake, so she buries her nose in his chest, and inhaled deeply. It doesn't take long until one of them gets the waterworks and starts shedding tears. Francis had his face hidden in the crook of her's neck, and was weeping quietly.
"I'm sorry, so sorry. I was afraid you weren't real."
"Why would you think that?" she asked quietly, shedding tears herself. Francis only shook his head and hugged her tighter.
"No. No...- I can't talk about it. I'm sorry."
The tremble in his voice gave Baby an uneasy feeling, but she nods in understanding, and doesn't press the subject further. They part a few minutes later. Francis is smiling again, though a few drops of tears still clung to his lashes.
"So you wanna tell me what the hecking heck is going on here?"
Baby is cut-off before she can get a word out. All eyes dart to the ceiling as a voice penetrated the darkness like a clap of thunder.
"Thank you for your patience. It seems that the power can not be restarted automatically. You will need to restart the power system manually. Please return to the primary control module."
"Circus Baby?" Zach directed his attention back to her after noticing her body start to tremble. She had her head down, eyes focused on nothing, and was hugging herself loosely as though showing she was cold. He would have thought it was only that if he didn't know any better. The others drew their attention back to her as well. Francis gritted his teeth when he saw the human rest his hand on her shoulder to start rubbing it.
"Hey, don't go leaving us now. You're not alone in this. We'll figure something out." Zach said soothingly.
After saying nothing for a long time, Ballora chimed in. "You're trying your hardest to get us all out. It's okay."
Baby lifted her gaze and sighed. "I'm sorry. It just feels like nothing is going right tonight for us. I just want to get us all out before-"
"Wait. We're breaking out of here?" Francis suddenly piped up, but is unfortunately answered by HandUnit's painfully optimistic automated voice when it blasts in their ears again.
"You will now be required to crawl through Ballora Gallery to reach the Breaker Room. It is recommended that you stay low to the ground, and reach the other side as fast as possible so to not disturb Ballora. I will deactivate myself momentarily, as to not create an auditory disturbance. Deactivating."
Baby sighed, pinching the ridge of her nose as she did. "Yes, and Zachary here is our ticket out. As long as he's still breathing, we have a chance."
"So... I don't have to try and kill him?" His question is answered by a unified "YES" so loud, so raw, the force of the volume nearly knocks him off his feet. It left the throats of Baby, Ballora, and Zachary feeling painfully sore. "I was only being rhetorical! Yeesh! My ears are ringing now."
Zach looked at him and rasped, "Good."
"We NEED him, so that we can LEAVE." Baby swore her head was going to explode in any minute. As much as she loves Francis - like a brother - he can get on her nerves sometimes.
"And what's gotten all of you so riled up about HandUnit? I mean I know he's annoying as heck, but why the hysteria?" Francis eyed specifically at Baby as he asked, and the clown promptly lowered her head.
It's Ballora who answers him next. "We now have no way of leaving because the vent doors are now locked."
"The power outage is what allowed me and Baby to get here in the first place." Zach chimed.
Francis' eyes twinkle in understanding now. "Well gee willikers! How come I haven't heard the vent door close behind me, then?" Confused, the trio peer around him. Their eyes quickly widen in astonishment when they see the still gaping doorway of the vent.
"But...how?" Ballora whispered.
"You seriously don't know, Ballora? The doors don't lock on the outside 'cause they're running on a generator."
Amazement glittered Baby's eyes. "How do you know this?"
Francis puffed his chest and answered smugly, "Bon-Bon and I found out ourselves. We noticed the vent would never close when a Technician was in Funtime Auditorium during an outage. So, we came up with a theory, tested it, and as it turned out, we were right!" He then scoffs, sneering "The humans don't want us to escape, yet they do this kind of thing. Hah! Stupid is what they are."
Zach decided not to respond to that. "If you already knew all of this, then why haven't you tried escaping before?" The question sounded more like a heckle than anything. Before Francis could even think of a answer to give, his thoughts are interrupted by the voice of HandUnit blaring through the hidden speakers in the ceiling.
"It seems you are taking a long time. Please proceed as quickly and as quietly as possible."
Annoyed, Francis snaps at it like a dog owner yelling at their pet. "SHUT UP!"
...
He waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Not a squeak, not a gasp, not even a cry, was heard beyond the gallery window. Minutes suddenly felt hours as he waited to hear the relentless struggle of a man fighting for his life. The longer the silence lingered in the air, the more unsettled he became. He looks over his shoulder at the stage hoping it would reassure him somehow.
She too has been quiet since his arrival, which was normal coming from her. But... she's never been this quiet before. He silently wondered to himself if he had maybe, just maybe, cracked her spirit into submission. Perhaps their earlier confrontation had been her breaking point, and has finally learned her place. If he had any lips left, they'd be smiling right now. He had to give her credit for fighting for as long as she had. Her feisty flame managed to stay lit despite everything that was thrown at her by the humans, or himself - she only has herself to blame for his outbursts towards her. It kind of - is - her fault they're trapped here in the first place.
He turn away from the window to saunter over to the stage, with his metal joints groaning in protest. He climbed, careful as to not make too much noise that would alert her, and approached the old sheet she hid under. It'd been a very long while since he felt calm enough to do this. He reached for the hem of the sheet intending to only pull it back enough to see her face, wanting a moment to see it without there being tears or blood, and catch a fleeting glimpse of who he once was to her.
Something flickered across his eyes. A fondness, twisted beyond reasoning, and deluded.
It's not my fault they're in pain. They'll be look back, and they'll thank me for what I did.
As soon as he grabbed the cheap material, the feeling he had at the window returned. It's only now he just realized how truly quiet everything was. Not even her own light breathing could be heard under the sheet.
She would know better then to...
She would know better.
She. Would. Know. Better.
He literally tears back the sheet-
Circus Baby is intelligent as she is naive. Soon everything came together like one of his old puzzle portraits - the silence was loud in his audio receptors. Of course there isn't a struggle going on in the gallery. No one's even there. He let himself get tricked into thinking it was really her sleeping on stage and not old pillows hastily thrown in to give the appearance of a shape.
He screams
...
All movement in Ballora Gallery came to an abrupt halt at the resonate sound. Comparing it to a dying animals cry would be an insult. There was no humanity, no grief. Just anger anger anger.
Baby is the first to shake off her shock. Hiding her panic she calmly addressed Francis and Ballora to go and retrieve their respective subordinates. "Zachary will wait with all of you in the elevator. Hopefully Myles and I will already be there when you arrive." The two older androids nod without question and disperse. Zach cocked his brow at her, and folded his arms over his chest.
"Pardon my French Baby, but what the hell are you doing? I thought we were getting your friends together."
Baby gave an apologetic look. "I'm sorry it's so sudden, but I feel safer having you wait in the elevator with everyone while I'm gone. That way if something ever went wrong, I won't worry as much because I know they're someplace safe with you."
Zach's face softened, but he wasn't dropping things just yet. "That makes a whole lot of sense, but how would I know to leave if something ever went wrong?"
"To answer your question: if Myles joins you without me following behind, leave." Zach would later swear he saw her eyes go dark near the end of her answer. "And to ease some personal tension, you will have to ask a password to be sure it's really him or I in the vent."
"Got any ideas for one?" Zach licked his chapped lips, picking up the coppery taste of blood that was seeping out cracks in the skin.
Baby nodded her head. "Vanilla."
"I don't know why you chose a flavor for a password, but I'm not gonna question it."
Baby smiled a little at the dry humor. Something tells her Myles is going to get along great with the Technician. The last time she managed to have a conversation with the fox was when they were both placed in the same truck for transport months back. It was a relief for both of them, especially Myles. The way his face brightened up realizing he would be sharing his space with her for the long ride to the party matched her's and the Bidybabs. It was great being able to catch up with her old friend/caretaker.
"I best not keep Myles waiting." she hummed as she turned to leave.
"Will you be fine without a flashlight?" Zach asked as he followed her to the vent. She paused halfway knelt on the floor. Her eyes aren't bright enough to see faraway in the dark. She would have to rely on hearing to get around Funtime Auditorium. Like Ballora Gallery, it would be her first time entering the room. It shouldn't be any different from Ballora's, right?
Zach takes her silence as her answer, and added, "You can try checking the drawers in the Primary Module for a spare. You should find one there."
"Advice appreciated and taken." Baby shot the man a final smile before entering the vent.
Zachary cracked a lopsided smile and watched her leave. The girl certainly has a charm about herself. He stands straight and turns on his heel, with checking on Ballora in mind. Like something out of a cheap slasher flick, he is startled when his light catches Francis standing close behind him.
"God you almost gave me a heart attack!" he gasped with a hand over his chest.
Instead of feeling ashamed, Francis laughed and gave him a slap on the back. "Don't worry about it. I'm not gonna try and kill you anymore." He wraps an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close to his side much to the man's annoyance. "I just wanted to tell you how very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very sorry I am for trying to kill you fourteen minutes ago."
"Seventeen actually." Zach corrected.
Francis tilted his head, "That long?"
"Well, it would have been shorter if you hadn't come running at me like maniac."
"Oh yeah! Your reaction was hilarious HAH HAH HAH HAH!"
Zach felt a vein in his forehead twitch as his ears started ringing from the unnecessary loud volume. He almost thought about pushing himself free, but he didn't want to risk angering the android bear in the process.
"Anyway, I'm very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very sorry for trying to kill you." The one arm around the shoulders quickly turns into a literal bear hug. Zach had the air knocked out of him as he was lifted off the ground and squeezed like a favorite stuffed animal or doll. Francis didn't seem to notice his discomfort, or if he was just ignoring it that prick. He did look fully content in trying to hug him to death.
"Put the man down right instant, Francis!"
It's Ballora.
Zach closed his eyes. Thank God.
Ballora took calm strides over to where they stood. In his darkening vision, Zach made out four small shapes trailing close behind her. When she stops in front of him she's giving Francis a look Zachary knows he's seen his mother wear whenever she confronted him about his bullying or grades.
With both hands on her hips, she asked in her lilting voice, "Shouldn't you be retrieving Bon-Bon from the Breaker Room?"
Francis grinned sheepishly, his eyes drifting to the side in guilt. "I just wanted to apologize to the Birthday Boy for scaring him! Right buddy?"
"He can't speak when you're suffocating him." Ballora creased her forehead in worry.
"Pfft! I knew that."
Francis released Zach from his grasp, letting him fall to the floor. Relief came to the man in long intakes of sweet, sweet, oxygen.
The ballerina nodded in approval. "Now go to the Breaker Room, don't take too long in there."
"Yes mom." Francis rolled his eyes at the older android and left.
Ballora shook her head at the bear, then turned her concern to the gasping man on the floor. Her little girls peeked curiously around her legs, studying him through their grinning masks. They haven't had human contact up close in a while - contact that didn't involve murder. After several dry coughs, the man wobbly got back on his feet.
"Do you need some assistance?" Ballora asked gently.
Zachary shook his head now panting. "No thanks. I just need to not move for a bit and let my brain settle. I have a headache the size of Kansas right now" he chuckled. One of the girls - one with her hair done in twin buns - giggled quietly. His eyes fall on her quickly and she joined her sibling in hiding herself behind Ballora again.
"Who are the kids?" he asked, giving a nod to the quadruplets.
Ballora smiled a motherly smile and softly chuckled. "These are my Minireenas - come out my girl. It's very unladylike to hide yourself in front of a guest." She looks down at the girls from boths sides as they slowly walked one by one to line up before him. They mirror each other's movements, arms flat by their sides and head craned back. Unlike the Bidybabs, they were a little easier to tell apart thanks to their different hairstyles.
Ballora starts from the right, resting her hand on the shoulder of girl with her hair done in a long ponytail. "This is Dahlia." she stated proudly. Following her introduction Dahlia gave a small bow that Zach found cute. Ballora moved her hand to the next girl. Her natural blue hair was done in a bun similar to Ballora's. "This is Clover." The sibling gave a small wave. The next girl had her hair done in two pigtails, like Baby's. "This is Violet." She stares at him with her arms crossed, nothing more. Ballora shot her a look before resting her hand on a small girl with the twin buns last. "And this is little Lily." Lily gave a shy wave before quickly retreating back behind Ballora.
Zachary crouched down in front of them, taking care not to scare them with his flashlight. They study each back and forth. He tries not to laugh out loud when one of the girls reached out to touch his stubble in clear interest to feel the texture. When pulling her hand back, she began whispering inaudibly to her sisters with the hand she felt him with in front of her. Three hands were now upon to rub and feel his stubbled cheeks. He was sure the sight would make for a photo to share around on social media. Ballora didn't think so.
"No no no. Don't do that. It's rude." she chided, taking their curious hands off of him. The girl bowed their heads in unison and Ballora tsked in disapproval.
"That was...interesting." Zach did his best to ignore the lingering feeling of their touch on his face, scratching his stubble as he stood straight. Ballora sighed.
"My apologies. They always get curious when they see something that's new to them, regardless whether or not it's human."
"Don't worry yourself. It's nice to know some people appreciate my stubble." He smiled sheepishly to himself, rubbing the back of his neck. "Oh, uh, thanks for helping me back there, too. I thought I was gonna suffocate to death."
Ballora smiled warmly. "You're welcome. Francis can be a bit, in lack of a better word, misunderstanding sometimes." She sighs over in the direction of the Breaker Room. "Let's hope being out of here will make him change for the better."
"What were you planning on doing when you got to the surface?" Zach queried, leaning on one foot. He was genuinely curious to know. How was an animatronic android ballerina suppose to survive in today's world? She looked completely human, no hint of mechanical parts to be seen.
Ballora takes a long while to respond. She tapped her bottom lip with her long finger as she pondered up at the ceiling. Finally, she just shook her head in defeat. "I'm afraid I don't have any answer to give. I never thought the day would come when my family would finally be freed from this horrible place to think about what I wanted to do once I was out."
Zach nodded his head in understanding and didn't press the question further. "I'm sure once you have time to get used to the surface again you can start thinking about what you want to do. There isn't much for someone with your case, but I'll help if you need me."
Ballora gave him smile, but looked ready to cry. "You're a good man, Zachary. You're different from the other technicians that have been here before you."
Zachary sagged his shoulders at the compliment. "Oh, uhm, thanks, I guess..." He felt ashamed. He did not deserve to be called a "good man". Despite everything he's done, he was no hero.
Francis joins them minutes later, looking a lot more cleaned up in appearance. A small top hat sat crooked between his ear, and his white tail coat looked like it was hastily thrown on, like his button-down shirt. Something was also situated on his shoulder - a small blue rabbit in overalls sat on his shoulder like he belonged there. He shot him a quizzical look upon seeing him standing with Ballora unharmed, but chose to say nothing, and nestled closer to his companion's fur for warmth.
"Is that everyone for this room?" Zach asked.
"Yep!" Francis replied. "We're all that's here."
"Ballora?" The ballerina nodded her head in confirmation. "Alright. Let's get you guys out of here then."
X.X
I was gonna press forward and finish with them escaping, but I felt like it was dragging on, and this seemed like a good place to stop :p Next chapter should be the one where they FINALLY get out. Then we can get into the domestic, healing, and Zach becoming a dad to eleven animatronics :3 And we also met Ennard! Or sort of an introduction I guess.