Saturday, November 13, 1993
It took a few hours, but Mike, Will, and Vanna sketched out a plan with a few contingencies in case something went awry. The core goal was mostly to ensure Greg remained after his shift - something Will suspected they would have no problem with, as Andrew Bell was set to return to the day shift soon. Greg wouldn't have another chance like this.
After that, it was a matter of Will keeping him sidetracked until Mike showed up...and once midnight rolled around, they assuredly had help.
None of them truly liked the plan, but Vanna felt more at ease that Mike, at most, would only spend a few minutes alone with Greg if the need arose. Will, she trusted to handle himself. She studied her own role with precision.
Now they all sat in Will's dining room, breakfast dishes pushed aside as they reviewed it one final time.
"Wish Bon's old computer didn't bite it," Will said. "Would make a lot of this easier."
"How so?" Vanna asked.
"It had her software on it. She was paranoid about someone stealin' her work, so if the critters recorded anythin', it's stuck with 'em. I can tune the joints, but only Bon really knew how to work the software."
"Yeah," Vanna said. "That's too bad. Might have been helpful. But we're just going to have to work with what we've got."
Mike nodded in agreement.
They continued hammering out details for some time. Eventually, Will leaned back in his chair.
"Anythin' else we're missin'?" he asked.
"No," Mike said, going over the quick floor plan Will had drawn. "Glad to know there are exits in the kitchen and the back room."
"Gonna have to finagle the back one," Will said. "Waylon unlocks it for smoke breaks durin' business hours, but I'll make sure it's unlocked before I go in. But you two remember the latch bar. If Greg follows and you get out, you can lock 'im inside from outdoors."
"Right," Vanna said.
She turned to Mike.
"Ready for this?" she asked.
"No."
"Neither am I."
Mike frowned and checked the time.
It was almost 11am.
"We should probably head back," he said. "Vanna and I need to rest and collect a few of our own things. I have a tape recorder in my closet."
Will nodded.
"Gotta make a few calls myself, then pay a visit to Freddy's to set up what I can," he said. "You two run along. We'll rendezvous tonight."
Mike gave him a small salute and stood up.
"Until then," he said.
Vanna joined him.
"Hey, Will?" she said, as she pushed in her chair.
"Yes, Vanna?"
"If we actually pull this off tonight," Vanna said, "...could I possibly come over sometime? It's nice knowing I have other family, and...I want to know more about my aunt and uncle."
Will smiled.
"Got lots more albums to go through, and no one to share 'em with," he said. "In fact, wait here."
He quickly headed downstairs. After several moments, he re-emerged, holding something in his hand.
"Here," he said, handing it to Vanna. "A little somethin' in the meantime."
Vanna reached to take it. Will gave her a few photographs: one of Bonnie in her uniform, kneeling down so she could hug a young Vesper and Vanna, a smaller one of her aunt, mother, sister and herself at a Fredbear birthday, a third photo of Bonnie and Freddy together, and one of the special edition funeral photos. Vanna had another laugh at the last one, and blinked back grateful tears as she smiled at Will.
"Thanks," she said, softly.
"I'll see if I have any duplicates," Will said. "If not, I'll make some copies."
Vanna nodded, then carefully put the pictures in her purse.
"We should get going," Mike said.
She nodded and walked with him to the front door. Vanna sudden stopped on the landing, then perked before dashing down the second set of stairs.
"Vanna, what are you-" Mike started.
"I left something!"
Will started down to follow her.
"What could you have possibly-"
But she was already gone before Will could finish. Both of them heard the door to Will's Fazbear museum open, then shut few seconds later. Will was almost down the stairs when Vanna reemerged, dashing past him and taking the steps two at a time. Her purse swung wildly behind her.
"What did you take?" Will asked, sternly.
"Insurance," Vanna said.
She quickly joined Mike. Will grabbed for her purse, his fingers barely grazing it as Vanna hit the landing. Vanna yanked it behind her to further keep it out of his grasp.
"Thanks for everything, Uncle Will!" she said, cheerfully.
She yanked the front door open.
"Come on, Mike. Let's go."
"Now hold on a-" Will started.
But Vanna had already pulled Mike out the door and to his car. By the time Will reached the front steps, both of them were getting into Mike's car. Will started to follow them, but seemed to think better of it as the engine came to life. He gestured for the two of them to just go, and headed back inside.
Once the front door shut, Will headed back downstairs. Upon first glance, he saw nothing out of place. The trinkets were locked in their glass case, none of the parts had been messed with, all of the art had been accounted for, and the albums were right where they left them before heading upstairs for breakfast.
What could she have possibly taken that quickly that could also fit in her purse?
As his eyes reached the right side of the room, he noticed the open closet, and the parts box shoved hastily inside.
With that mystery solved, Will walked into his adjoining mancave to get the phone, knowing to deal with it later. He picked up the phone and dialed a number. It took two rings for someone to pick up, and when they did, he heard the laughter of children, and the animatronics singing in the background.
"Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, where fantasy and fun come to life," came a young, female voice attempting to hide her boredom. "How can I help you?"
"Hey, Gwen, it's me," Will said. "Listen, when's your next break? I got somethin' to ask you..."
07/30/1970 10:39:19pm
Muffled voices echoed from outside the confines of its box, though it picked up enough to know they were at an unusually loud volume.
Voice detected.
Engage sound_location.
Puppet surfaced to the top, and pushed one of the lid flaps just enough to peek outside. With the opening of the lid, its internal microphones better picked up the sound coming from the adjoining room.
"...already told you, no."
"Bon, I'm just asking you to consider it. This could be a good opportunity-"
"Not interested," Miss Bonnie hissed. "Why the hell are you trying to push Afton Robotics on me, anyway? They burned their bridge. They can clean up the ashes."
"Times have changed, Bon," a man said. "They're offering an olive branch. You'll still be able to run this place. They just want to expand operations and work with you to develop new technology."
"Then it sounds like they need me more than I need them."
Miss Bonnie's familiar footsteps headed for the back room.
"So far as I'm concerned, they can burn that branch with the bridge," she said. "I have work to do."
A second, heavier set of footsteps followed, before they increased in volume near the backstage door. Puppet saw a shadow stretch over the open door as both footsteps stopped. Two forms appeared in the shadow. One, it recognized as Miss Bonnie's silhouette, from her nose and round face to the shape of her hair. The other had a round head with short wisps of hair at the jawline, and a long rectangular shape protruding from the eyes. By their positions in the shadowy outline, Puppet noticed the man had his hands on Miss Bonnie's shoulders. It caught the round shape of Miss Bonnie's breasts, and a similar round shape under them to indicate her crossed arms.
"Don't shoot the messenger, Bon," the man continued, softly. "Just think of what this means for you. For us!"
He moved a hand to her cheek.
"I just want what's best for our future."
Miss Bonnie's hands unfolded and knocked the man's hand away from her cheek.
"Let me make one thing crystal clear," she said, one hand going to her hip, with the other sticking a finger in his face. "I'm not interested in Afton Robotics, and I'm certainly not interested in you."
Her shadowy finger tapped against his chest on those last two words, before her dark form stormed past him, once more heading for the back room. The man's shadow grabbed her hand, stopping her before she could take two steps.
"It's been four years, Bon!" he protested. "Don't you think it's time to move on to bigger and better things?"
Miss Bonnie turned to him and yanked her hand away.
"Don't you fucking dare," she said, her voice gaining more ice with each word. "Everything I have is what Freddy and I built together. Our vision, not Afton's. It's all I want, and all I'll ever need."
The man's shadow stepped towards hers, trying to take her hand again.
"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."
Miss Bonnie pulled her hand out of his reach before he could try again.
"Stop," she said. "The only way I want you in my life is if you're working for me, and nothing more. If you can't handle that, then get the fuck out of my restaurant."
"Bon-"
"That's Mrs. Wickes to you," she said firmly, her voice shaking.
She grabbed the rectangular shape and yanked it down, catching the man off-guard. Puppet then realized he wore some sort of headgear as he reached up to get the shape out his eyes. Miss Bonnie turned from him and stormed away.
"Now get out of my sight while you still have a job," she said.
Her shadow grew smaller as she stormed towards the backstage room. Puppet watched her physical self replace her shadow self as she stomped inside and slammed the door behind her. At the slam, it ducked back into its box, already fearing her destructive rage. It heard Miss Bonnie quickly twist the lock on the handle to keep the man from following her. From the other side, something loudly knocked.
"Bon, I'm sorry, okay? Can't we just talk about this?"
"Just go away!" Miss Bonnie screamed. "Leave me the hell alone!"
"Bon-!"
"Now, or you're fired! Get lost before it becomes official!"
The knocking stopped, and from behind the door, footsteps slowly faded away. In the lingering silence, Puppet dared to peek out again.
Miss Bonnie leaned against the closed backstage door, quiet for a long moment. Her mouth moved, but no sounds came out. Something glimmered in her eyes. She reached up to wipe them, then let herself slide down until she was sitting. Long, strange breaths left her lips, and her entire body shuddered.
Puppet recognized her distress, and slowly pushed one flap open so it could crawl out.
"Damn him," it heard Miss Bonnie whisper as it freed itself from its strings. "Fucking damn him."
It peeked out over the top of the box in time to see her hand move over her eyes to hide them. Puppet quietly pulled itself from its box, then pulled itself across the smooth tile to get to her. Miss Bonnie shook harder as it reached her. Puppet slowly put its arms around her.
For a long while, Miss Bonnie cried, with shine covering her cheeks as she shifted in her creation's grasp.
"...It's him," she whispered, after a long while. "No one else mentioned Afton. I...I can't believe this."
She wiped her eyes on her shoulder, then reached up to take Puppet's hands.
"He's fired," she whispered. "I can't…"
Miss Bonnie took a long breath and reached into her pocket for her keys. Puppet shifted its view to watch her pull them out. It immediately noticed her thumb over the small, silver key to the mini fridge.
"...I need to relax," she said. "Get my head together."
Engage watch_learn.
Engage artificial_intelligence.
Puppet let go of her then, and snatched the keys from her hand.
No.
No more wine.
Wine made her sad.
And when she got too sad, wine made her destructive."Puppet!"
Puppet quickly leaped away from her, completely out of her reach. Miss Bonnie struggled to push herself onto her feet to follow it.
"Give those back!"
Another leap, and it landed inside the safety of its box. Puppet quickly analyzed the key ring, and tested one end of the key ring's resiliency. Judging by the sound of her footsteps, Miss Bonnie was almost here. It needed to work quickly to take the mini fridge key.
"Puppet, please!"
It threw the key ring out of the box, the keys jingling as they flew towards the other end of the room. Miss Bonnie's shoes skid against the floor as she turned around to follow them. With Miss Bonnie occupied, Puppet used its long arm to dump the mini fridge key into one of the parts boxes on the shelf, where it would take some digging to be recovered.
It then clung to the edge of its box, watching Miss Bonnie look over the remaining keys on the key ring. Her hands shook as she checked it twice. She looked up and gave a sad, hurt look to her creation.
"Puppet…"
Puppet reached up and pointed to the tear streaks on its face. It then shook its head, and crawled back into its box, pulling the lid closed behind it. Miss Bonnie started to come towards it. Her footsteps stopped, as though she thought better of it.
Within the box, Puppet recognized the emotion she showed right before it hid itself away again.
This was something beyond sadness, it knew.
It betrayed her.
Puppet leaned against one side of its box, processing this information.
In order to save her, it had to make her sad.
Yet making her sad went against its protocol as her gift-giver.
Its servos quieted.
Its processors continued to compute this revelation.
She gave it a new protocol two nights ago.
A protocol to take the steps needed when she was unable to accomplish them herself.
Processing new information.
Updating: personality_test.
Updating: watch_learn.
Updating: artifical_intelligence.
Keeping her away from the wine allowed it to fall in line with this new command, Puppet realized. But this new protocol conflicted with its primary purpose.
It made her sad to save her, and allow her own servos to function properly.
It overrode its primary protocol to do what needed to be done.
For a long while, it quietly sat in its box, listening to Miss Bonnie's muffled sobs beyond the walls of its home. In time, the sobs faded into lingering silence, leaving only the gentle hum of its own servos.
Puppet never heard her footsteps quietly approach after an eternity.
Just the gentle knocks on its lid.
"Puppet?"
It stayed inside, not wanting to face her.
She knocked again.
"...Little one?"
Once more, it didn't answer.
It expected her to open the lid to talk to it like she did the day she got the Freddy-bear. Instead, Puppet heard a small bump against the box, then the sound of something sliding down beside it
."...I'm sorry," Miss Bonnie whispered, her voice quiet and shaken.
Her muffled words told it she had buried her face in her hands.
"I'm so, so sorry. ...Please give it back."
Puppet remained still.
It listened as Miss Bonnie sobbed again.
And with that, Puppet let itself go into its default stasis.
"The hell, Vanna?" Mike asked, a bit dumbfounded as he pulled onto the road. "What'd you steal?"
"Borrowed," Vanna corrected, "and the less the both of you know, the better."
"The hell's that supposed to mean?"
"It means you need to trust me, Mike," Vanna said, firmly, "like I trusted you last night."
She cradled her purse, holding it more tightly than needed. Vanna then looked out the window, solely to avoid his gaze. Mike shot a glance to her, then looked back at the road.
"...I'm fucking scared, Mike," she whispered after a moment.
"I'm scared too, Vanna," Mike said, gently. "I'm just...used to it."
"Which is why I'm not just scared," Vanna told him. "I'm scared for you. You heard what Jeremy said. Greg hurt him badly, and he did it quickly. He couldn't…"
Her breath hitched as she moved a hand up over her eyes. Her grip on her purse tightened even more as her shoulders shook. Vanna tried to regain her composure, but the next attempt at words failed in favor of long, silent sobs.
"...He had no one," Vanna managed, after several moments.
She wiped her eyes, and sucked back some snot that threatened to come loose. Vanna yanked open the glove box to look for napkins.
"Neither did Vesper. They were both…"
The limited space of the box's walls surrounding her. The Puppet's cross under her feet. The hot, humid air that stole moisture and oxygen with every breath. The long, gentle arms around her. The lid's flaps above her that wouldn't open, when they did so before.
Before…
"...Trapped?" Mike finished for her, after a moment of awkward silence.
Vanna shook the memory away, before taking another glance out the window. The sun shone high in the sky now, and the houses they passed grew closer together.
"...Why was Vesper trapped to begin with?" Vanna whispered.
"Come again?"
"Mike," Vanna said, her mind still processing the information, "when Vesper showed me her last moments alive, she said she was able to open the box before she fell asleep. After she woke up...she couldn't anymore"
"Chica said she heard something being moved off of it," Mike said, sharing her realization. "Something heavy."
"But what in that place could possibly be heavy enough to-?"
Vanna stopped short as she realized she just answered her own question.
There was only one thing heavy enough at the time to weigh it down.
"...Chica was on the table," she said quietly. "After my accident…"
She recalled that vision in the bathroom, where Spring Bonnie's trembling form momentarily become new again, sitting silent and still in the dark.
Mike quickly picked up on it.
"...They needed a place to put Spring Bonnie."
Vanna went silent, still staring out the window.
"...It was my fault," she whispered.
Mike pulled over and hit the brakes. Both of them jolted forward. After a moment to gather their bearings, Mike turned to her.
"What? Vanna, do you hear yourself?"
"Damn it, Mike! Drive!"
"How can you even say that? You were five!"
"Four," Vanna corrected, "and I wasn't supposed to be on that stage to begin with. I knew better."
She turned to him.
"If I hadn't gone up there, I wouldn't have knocked the damn cake down, and then Spring Bonnie wouldn't have tripped, and Vesper could have gotten out! How is that not my fault?"
"If you're going to go there, then Vesper shouldn't have been in the box to begin with," Mike said.
He immediately regretted saying it, not for the well-deserved slap that followed, but the insinuation that came with it, that Vesper caused her own death. Mike reached up to rub his cheek. In the corner of his eye, he caught Vanna trembling, her face buried in her hands.
"...Vanna…"
"Don't," Vanna whispered. "Just don't."
Mike gave her a moment.
"...I'm sorry," he said, his cheek still stinging. "All I meant is you were little kids. You did what little kids do. They get curious, and then they get into trouble."
He gently rested a hand on her shoulder.
"What happened was an accident."
Vanna took a few more minutes to compose herself.
"...I know," she whispered, after a time. "Logically, I know that. But I can't...I feel that if I hadn't…"
"You wish you could have done more," Mike said, softly. "I know what that's like."
Vanna remembered the napkins, and dug into the glovebox again. Upon finding one, she wiped her face and blew her nose.
"Y-yeah." She managed a ghost of a smile. "But we can do something now."
Mike smiled back, then checked the road. As soon as he was clear, he eased back onto it.
"And we will," he promised.
Vanna gave him a moment before she spoke up again.
"Mike."
"Yes?"
She took a quick, cleansing breath before taking the plunge.
"...Do you trust me?"
Mike took a moment to let her words sink in as he took a turn. Around them, the houses became shops and office buildings
"...Yes," he conceded.
Mike halted the car for a red light, then turned to Vanna to look her in the eyes.
"You trusted me with your life. I'm going to trust you with mine."
Vanna managed a brief smile just as the light turned green again. She gave him a moment, then set her hand on his.
"...He's already taken both of our best friends," she whispered. "Like hell I'm going to let him do it again."