Five Night's at Freddy's: Rebooted Retribution

Chapter 20

Foxy's Apology Tour

That Saturday in early afternoon, Farrah had to go to the ATM to withdraw money in order to pay some utility bills at the local grocery store. She tried her card a second time and then a third but to no avail. For some reason the machine wasn't reading her card and a line started backing up behind her. She slammed her hook on the steering wheel out of frustration, pulled her card out and was forced to drive around into a parking spot and go inside her bank where she stood behind an elderly man with a cane and a stout Asian woman in a floral print yellow dress. When it was finally her turn after a several minutes, one of the tellers ushered her forward.

"How can I help you today?" The teller asked. Farrah showed the meek little teller her card.

"Um, yeah your ATM couldn't read my card. I just tried using it at the store the other day, but it wouldn't go through and I know there's money on it." She said handing the dark haired teller her debit.

"The chip reader might be damaged. How much did you want to withdraw?" The woman asked, and Farrah told her. She could tell the teller was taking nervous glimpses of her hook hand that had been resting on the counter as she manually typed in her account information. She gave Farrah back her card and counted out money to her.

"There you are." The teller said. "And if you could have a seat over there, one of our banking specialists will be with you shortly to issue you a replacement card." She said motioning to a little seating area with small table that housed a coffee carafe and some banking fliers. Farrah did as she was instructed and sat down on one of the sophisticated padded chairs and waited yet another several minutes for someone to get her. A few moments later, a slender older woman with frizzy shoulder-length hair and light colored freckles on her face came out to greet her. She had been wearing a plain white turtleneck shirt under a tanked long black corduroy dress with light brown heels fashioned with a gold buckle on the front with tan pantyhose that had a seam running down the back of the legs.

"Farrah, it's be awhile." She exclaimed as if she was happy to see her. "Come in, come in."

"Hey Ms. Penny." Farrah said but couldn't find herself to return the same level of excitement as she followed her into her little office that was separated by a glass divider. The two of them had known each other before. Penny used to work at Farrah's old elementary school as a lunch lady before she furthered her education and a got a job here at the bank. Penny seemed to have aged well too, aside from the gray that seemed to frost her dark red hair in natural highlights all over. Farrah couldn't help but pick up on the sensation of sadness emanating from behind Penny's bright blueish gray eyes.

"What can I help you with today?" She asked as they both sat down across from each other.

"I… need a new card. I don't think my chip reader has been working."

"Well let's get you all set up here." Penny stated as Farrah handed her card and her ID to her and she went to work putting all the information she needed in the computer while Farrah glanced at the pictures around her desk. They had all featured the same adorable little boy about seven or eight years old with red hair as dark as Penny's and he was dressed as a pirate, smiling gleefully through freckles and amber-colored eyes. Penny caught Farrah admiring her photos.

"So, do you have any little ones of your own?" She asked Farrah trying to make friendly conversation while she worked and waited on Farrah's new card to print.

"Oh, uh n-no… I wanted some, but I just haven't found the right guy yet." Farrah replied nervously. Penny picked up one of the photographs and had a slight grin come across her face as if to remember happier times.

"A lot of people think little Anthony here is my grandson. We just called him Fritz. He would've been thirty-seven this year... Funny, he reminds me a lot of you when you were that little." She said putting the picture back down. "I still remember you from elementary school. So boisterous… Oh and THAT would be your newly printed card." She said turning around and taking it from the machine.

"There you are. Fresh off the press. I'll write down the 1-800 number on the back of my business card, so you can call and activate it. I know it can be hard to read the fine print on those things. If you need any other financial assistance my number is on the front there." She said handing Farrah her new debit card, license and Penny's business card while she properly disposed of Farrah's old one. They thanked each other, and Farrah went on her way, out the door and toward her van. She happened to glance down at Penny's information on her business card that was still in her hand.

"Penny Fritzson. Hmm…" She read aloud to herself as she got into her vehicle. It couldn't have been just a coincidence. That last name was not a common one, especially around here. Penny spoke in past tense, so that could only mean that she just spoke to Foxy's mom!

Too bad her and Foxy weren't on speaking terms. A part of her wanted to talk to him and figure things out and why he acted the way he did, and the other part just felt bad for him. Perhaps it wasn't a good idea to engage him and get his hopes up. He wouldn't be able to do anything about it anyway. She could talk to Penny about how her son was still with us, he was just a robot pirate fox but that would never go over well. Penny would think she was making a mockery of her son's death and accuse her of being crazy. This left Farrah feeling hopeless. Maybe for right now it was best that she left well enough alone. There was no sense in opening old wounds. It wasn't her place. Her thoughts were soon interrupted by the ringing of her phone again. It was the restricted caller.

"What?!" Farrah shouted into the phone instantly annoyed.

"Don't take that tone with me! How dare you!" It was Farrah's mother on the other end.

"Sorry mom, I thought you were someone else. I've been getting other restricted calls and-"

"Okay, well clearly this isn't a good time since you wanna get snippy so call me back when you lose the attitude." Kate said as she hung up on her daughter.

"Fuck!" Farrah said haphazardly tossing the phone on the seat next to her and stuck the key into the ignition. Before she could start it, she paused again and stared out her front window for a second before glancing at the time on the dashboard. It had just hit noon when the restricted number called her phone and she knew this time it wasn't her mother. Farrah decided to ignore it this time, but it just kept on ringing. Finally, she ended the call herself and let it go to voicemail. There was a notification to indicate that the caller had left a message.

During the trip home however, Farrah could feel herself grow more and more curious about the voicemail that had been left. She sat in her van in the parking lot of her apartment complex and decided to playback the message. It was the same gruff and raspy voice as before.

"Three more nights…" And then her fully charged phone went dead out of nowhere. I should be used to the bizarre bullshit around here by now, she thought to herself as she retreated inside.

Later that night at the restaurant, the animatronics reconvened without Foxy in the main stage area. They still kept their distance from their pirate friend and had continued to give him to cold shoulder. Foxy retreated back to the all too familiar Pirate Cove alone in the dark. He half expected Springtrap to appear, but to his surprise it was Puppet instead.

"Foxy… I know what you did." She said as he turned to peer at her though his glowing yellow eyes. He lowered his ears and eyepatch and glanced down at the floor in shame.

"Do the others know I back-stabbed them?" He asked.

"No. I don't work that way." The Puppet said.

"How do ye know about it?"

"I don't have to be around to know. I can feel it." Puppet began. "I am very disappointed that you didn't have any faith me."

"It would seem I be doin' that a lot lately. I deserve ta walk the plank meself. I be sorry."

"Foxy, you doubt my capabilities. You misunderstood so much but I'm not going to punish you and it's not my place to tell them." There was disappointment in her voice.

"Then 'elp me ta understand." He pleaded. "How can I fix this?"

"You just have to trust me. If you can do that, everything will be fine. Make amends and when the time comes, I will take care of the rest." She instructed before vanishing into a nearby wall. She had been so vague in her responses but perhaps it was best to try and not understand this almost omnipotent being that was the Puppet. Foxy decided to begrudgingly retreat back out to his friends. He thought a good place to start was by apologizing to them first and foremost. He could hear them talking but couldn't make out what they were saying. When they saw him enter, they all fell silent and stared at him. He could see Freddy and Bonnie judgmentally cross their arms in front of their chests while Chica glanced away at him to avoid eye-contact. Here goes nothing, he thought.

"Me hearties? I… just wanted ta apologize fer the way I been behavin.' That is not who I be."

"Tell that to Vixie." Bonnie snickered at him before turning away.

"I had a weak moment and I regret that. If I could take it back I would. I let what was important slip away from me and me feelin's get the best o'me. All I ask is mercy. Ye don't 'ave ta fergive me." Foxy explained. He could see Freddy uncross his arms, take in a sigh and walk down off the stage so they were eye-level to one another.

"What got into you? What could the Puppet have possibly said that was so damaging, that you had to take it out on a brand new friend?"

"I was afeard. And… I misunderstood the Puppet's intentions. I just needed more faith in her abilities. I be nervous about the relaunch of Poirate Cove… About bein' married ta a woife with no soul. I just wanted ta have say. I 'aven't been 'eared Freddy. I want ta set this roight."

"Well, unfortunately, you don't get a say in your life anymore. None of us do. That's part of the curse of being mechanical... Being property. Luckily for you, they should have Vixie fixed way before the deadline. As the for the soul that the new unit clearly lacks, we could get someone for you. Someone easier to meld with it but you would have wait years for them to be 'old enough' if you really have to have someone host the suit now. I mean, years is all we have."

"Freddy, I don't want ta wait that long and get used ta someone else. I picked who I picked. E'en if I did wait, it still wouldn't be roight. Not ta me. Let me at least have o'say in this." There was a long pause as if Freddy was thinking about what to say next.

"Very well, but I can't personally guarantee success. Even if it did work, you need to prepare for when and if she's going to be partially disabled in the event the circuits can't handle a soul that big. There is a chance she won't be able to function right, and you and her will have to live with that. That's why it's imperative that you have patience and trust Puppet's intentions. No more of this pirate mutiny bullshit. There is much to get done and I don't want any more mishaps that would delay our progress of this establishment. This is your final warning." Freddy iterated.

"Word through the grapevine is that you told that girl off. What are you going to do about that?" Bonnie questioned glancing back up at him with an accusing stare.

"We noticed you two have been avoiding each other…" Chica finally piped up.

"Ye know about that?"

"C'mon isn't it obvious?" She said. "Plus, Freddy saw it on the monitor before it cut out after she left." She added.

"In any case, if Springtrap does in fact strike on that girls' birthday like you suspect, then you should probably continue your little apology tour with her as well, so she can be lured in. That will give us a decoy to destroy him and finally put an end to this." Freddy suggested before retreating back to his stage to finish his meeting. Foxy took this opportunity to make his exit. He decided that since Farrah was only there during the day shift, he wouldn't have the chance to talk to her in person. It would probably be better to write her a note instead.

Meanwhile, someone else's dream was stirring up disturbing imagery while it played through his mind. Springtrap found himself back in the pizzeria facing down a long corridor that seemed to stretch for miles and thought he heard the laughter of a small child. He felt compelled to walk the end of it until he reached the bright light at the end of the hallway towards the innocent laughter. The light flashed brighter and he was greeted feet away by a little girl sitting on what appeared to be throne surrounded by balloons and wrapped gifts. It was then he realized, it was the room he had used to murder those children from before. It was almost unrecognizable for it took the appearance of being in clean and pristine order and aside from the figure in the center of the room, the rest of it was empty. The child sat in front of a large purple curtain that was similar to the one in Pirate Cove. He etched closer slowly.

"Dear child, tell me what this is and who you are." He could see a vague familiarity in the child. She was dressed up as a pirate with one light yellow eye and the other iris was completely black and slightly bigger than the other with dark circles under them. As if she hadn't slept in ages. She brandished long light red hair over a pale white face that gave him a cynical grin.

"I'm the keeper of the curtain." She answered. "The one you failed to kill…"

"Farrah, is it? Well, I'm sure I can still oblige the favor."

"You're in my realm now… and can't hurt me here. I'm not afraid of you but you'll be afraid of me..." She exclaimed reaching for a bright purple balloon and casually popping it.

"Well, my apologies for not finishing the job." Springtrap said vehemently.

"No need to be sorry about that. After all, …I was simply the loser child who never got invited to birthday parties." She exclaimed as she stood up from her throne of gifts as they disintegrated into a pile of ashes and disappeared behind her. She began to walk closer towards him.

"Have you any idea who I am?" He insisted gazing down at her.

"I know exactly who you are." She said stopping right in front of him. He leered over her but the little girl, demonic in nature, was not intimidated by his presence at all. When they locked eyes with a challenging glare, it seemed as if she was staring him down instead. "And I am the one who will lead you to judgement..."

"I… Am… The… OMEN." Her expression turned serious and she spoke in double voices. Then she dissipated into a cloud of black vapors leaving another purple balloon to pop loudly inches from his twisted face.