Rough Patches
Goldie had explained it all to Jeremy. She had already configured the console to easily reactivate the synths for him. All he had to do was press each button in sequence to wake them individually, whenever he was ready. But it wasn't ignorance as to how that made Jeremy hesitate. It was a lot of responsibility to place in the hands of just one person and he needed a bit of time before he was ready.
He turned his eyes to the prone forms of the synths, lingering on one in particular. Vevina, formerly known as the Mangle and it showed with her missing eye. Goldie had explained that the eye had been removed so that the relay that transmitted her consciousness into the body of the Mangle could be installed. The connection meant she would literally see and hear everything that was going on inside the Mangle, while her original body remained inert. Unfortunately, there was no way for them to replace the eye, not at the moment.
"Beaten, forced to submit and mutilated." Jeremy sighed as he looked down at her. "You're one hell of a fighter, Vevina."
It was quite a weighty thing. Once he pressed that switch, there was no turning back. He would be in with these guys until the end of the road. He just hoped that he was up for it, that they all were.
First things first, though. He started up the individual activation for Vevina. There was a high pitched buzzing, followed by a loud, positive beep. Her body jolted once. Then, her head shot up and her expression was enraged. It made Jeremy jump back.
"-THINK ABOUT IT, YOU BI-!" Vevina stopped herself, taking in her surroundings. "Wait… this isn't… this is my body." She looked down at her hand, flexing the fingers. "I'm… I'm back in me own…?"
"Yep, you are," said Jeremy. "No more mangled pile of electronics for you."
"You? You're the lad who…" She stared in amazement as realisation dawned. "Does that mean…?"
"It does. The Puppet's gone. You're free." Even saying it brought a grin to Jeremy's face.
"Holy… fuck me, the smart mouth actually came through." She looked as if she could hardly believe it. "He's… he's really gone…"
"Yeah, he is. I have to say, Vevina, that's thanks in part to you. You saved my life, more than once when I was here, so thank you for that." He held out a hand. "It's good to finally meet you."
She looked down at his hand for a while, then back up at him. It was hard to gauge exactly what she was thinking of in that moment. Her features were set in a permanent scowl. Starting to feel awkward, Jeremy began to retract his hand when it was suddenly caught in a vice grip. She didn't make eye contact and she let go quickly.
"Thanks." It was so quick and quiet, Jeremy wasn't sure he heard it. "Right, so if I'm here, then that must mean you have the gutless, cowardly wastes of skin that me so-called friends…" She trailed off when she noticed their inert forms. "Speak of the fucking devil."
"Okay, let's just take a moment here," he said quickly. "I get that you're angry-"
"Angry? Angry?! We are well fucking past angry, sunshine!" She strode over to Clyde and grabbed his lapel. His head lolled like a bizarre doll. "I trusted you! NOW YOU'RE GOING TO GET IT!"
"Stop it!" He clamped a hand to her shoulder. "Put him down, Vevina!"
She slowly turned her head. "If you want to keep that hand, Jeremy, you'd best let go. Now."
She said it with such gravitas that Jeremy almost did. But he wasn't going to let her intimidate him.
"No. I don't think you will."
"I'm warning you-!"
"Save it." He pointed at her with his free hand. "If you really wanted to hurt me, you would have already done it. I agree, what he did to you was scummy, but that doesn't give you the right to hurt him back. He can't even defend himself, for god's sake!"
"You know? You're right." She let his head drop back onto the table. "Let's wake these fuckers up. It'll be more satisfying that way."
"No. If you want to do anything, to any of them, you're going to have to go through me first." He folded his arms, never breaking eye contact. "I am not letting you take your anger out on them."
"They left me!" she roared. "I needed them, they could have done something! But they just let me take the fall for them, all the way down to the pits!"
"They didn't have what you do! They couldn't just fight off the Puppet's control like you, what were they supposed to do?"
"They could, if they showed they had some fucking spine! At least I actually tried to do something and what do I get for it, eh? WHAT DO I GET?!" she bellowed.
"You know it's not that simple!" he argued. "You were all being controlled, manipulated and played against each other. They were scared, dammit."
"That's no excuse," she growled.
"Then give them that chance," he begged. "I didn't come to help just one of you, this is for all of you. You saved my life and it's partially thanks to me we're even talking right now. If that means anything to you, then swear this to me. When I wake them up, I don't want to see any brawling or hitting or anything from you."
"You can't ask me to-!"
"I can and I am. Swear it to me, right now."
She opened her mouth to argue, but shut it again. She snarled and clenched her fists, then unclenched them again. For a few moments, things felt very tense and Jeremy wondered if he might be pushing it too far. But he had to stand his ground.
Vevina clearly wasn't happy with what Jeremy was asking of her, but there was something he'd been able to determine about her. Despite all her rage, she had a personal integrity about her. It was the reason why she had saved him so many times, why she had tried to save the originals. He just hoped it would be enough.
"Fine," she said eventually.
"Is that you swearing?"
"Fucking yes, I swear!" she snapped. "They don't deserve it, but fine."
"You and I both know that's not completely true, not with all of them." He looked at Billy. "If they're willing, they deserve that chance."
"Aye, you've made your bloody point. Just get on with it before I change me mind." She stalked off to a corner of the room and watched sullenly, positioned behind her fellow synths.
Jeremy went to work, performing the activation sequence on the remaining synths. As one, their heads snapped up and various cries of confusion and shock mingled the air.
"Hey, hey, guys, calm down!" he called. "It's okay, don't panic! You're safe, it's alright."
"Jer-bear?" Hermana tilted her head. "You're… you're okay?"
"Yeah, not just me. You all are. As of right now, you're all free synths. The Puppet's not in control anymore," he announced.
They were all silent for a few moments while they processed the news. Hermana was quietly stunned. Clyde looked sceptical. Theodore was stunned. Billy looked cautiously optimistic.
"Wow…" Billy's voice was an awed whisper. "We did it? We're free? Did I help?"
"Yeah, you did, Balloon Boy," said Jeremy proudly.
The boy synth's face lit up. "Yes! We did it! Guys, did you hear that? This is-!"
"Inconceivable!" cried Theodore.
Hermana tilted her head. "You okay there, Teddy?"
"Theodore! And I am far from okay! The hierarchy has been disrupted! Order has been thrown into chaos! This is anarchy, anarchy I tell you!" he shrieked.
"Oh. Okay then!" Hermana said brightly, getting up from the table and beaming. "Woo-hoo! We're free! We should celebrate! We can have a party and play games and stay up late, do whatever we want!"
"Yeah, we can!" Billy hopped off and scurried up to her. "I'm so glad I was able to make you happy, Herm-"
"Shut up, you bubbled-headed idiot!" Theodore gripped her shoulders. "How can you think of parties at a time like this?! We must establish a new order, as soon as possible. Do not worry, however, for I shall continue to direct and guide you all, as I have done for so-"
Clyde scoffed. "Oh please. Like you did that much before."
"Stow that tone, you layabout!" he snapped. "I suppose I shouldn't have expected you take this seriously, Clyde."
"And I didn't expect you to actually be freaking out about the fact that nobody's around to tell you what to do anymore." He snapped his fingers. "Oh, wait, actually I guess I should have expected that, huh?"
"Come ooooon, guys," trilled Hermana, trying to get between them. "Let's not start fightin', okay?"
"Yeah, guys," piped up Billy, tugging on Theodore's jacket. "We don't have to worry about any of this anymore, so now we can all-"
"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Theodore absently pushed Billy away, pointing a finger at Clyde. "I will have you know that I was one of the few individuals who tried to keep some semblance of order and peace."
"Oh, well, I had no idea about that." Clyde roughly shoved Hermana aside, slapping away Theodore's finger. "I thought that was just you, trying to crush everybody with the size of your ego."
"How dare you-!"
"Law and order." Vevina's voice drifted from the corner of the room. "That's what you call it, is it?"
Theodore's face turned white. "B-Bloody hell…!"
"Vev?" Clyde's voice lost its edge, becoming little more than a croak. "Is that really you?"
"Because you know what I call it?" She ignored Clyde's question, stalking out of the dark and into the light. "I call it betrayal. I call it stabbing me in the back. I call it selling me out and leaving me for dead because you were too gutless to even think about anything else!"
"N-Now, now, Vevina," he stammered, backing away and putting the others between him and her. "I-I can understand why you m-might upset, so to speak, the, the situation is more complicated than you-"
"Complicated, is it?" It was amazing how quickly Theodore's mouth clamped shut when Vevina spoke. "Well, I am very sorry for getting all mixed up, Ted. How about you come over here so you can tell me properly?"
"Vevina," Jeremy said slowly, "we talked about this."
"Aye, we did. We talked about no hitting or brawling. You never said anything about talking and I've got a few things I want to say," she retorted. "Because then, we have you. My dear friend, Clyde."
Clyde fumbled and stammered, unable to form any clear words. He would start to approach her, then suddenly back away again.
Jeremy tried to salvage it. "Look, I know you've got beef with everybody, but I think we need to take a moment here and-"
"My best friend. My partner in crime. The one who said I could always count on him, always have my back. Maybe you should have added 'except when the going gets tough' or should I have been the one to clarify that last bit?"
"Vev… I-I'm sor-"
"You're sorry? You're sorry?! Oh, well that just makes it all fucking better, doesn't it?" she snarled. "How about you say that a little louder, I don't think I heard you too fucking clearly!"
"Are you… mad at me too, Vevvy?" asked Billy quietly.
It was like a switch had been flicked. At the sound of his voice, Vevina's expression softened slightly. The two synths stared at each other for a while, one lost for words and the other apprehensively waiting for them.
"Billy… I could never be-"
"'Course she's not, silly Billy!" sang Hermana, skating right up to her and grinning. "Ol' Vevina's just a liiiitle bit cranky right now, 'cause she's been away for so long. But I'm gonna help give a little smile and we can- AWK!"
It was uncanny how much Hermana sounded like a chicken when Vevina clamped onto her wrist, stopping her in her tracks.
"Oh, and how could we forget about skater girl?" Vevina's teeth were bared. "Little Miss Happy-Go-Lucky. Happy to just smile and look the other way, to ignore every bad little thing going on around her in case it hurts her pretty little head? Well, you're going to be worrying about a lot more than your head in a bit."
"Vevvy, you're- OW, OW- hurtin' me!" she cried.
"That's the idea! And that's just a sample!" Her other hand curled into a fist. "Here, I'll even smile while I do it for you!"
"ENOUGH!" Jeremy pushed Vevina away, standing between her and Hermana. "I said no hitting or brawling!"
"Back off! She has this coming, they all do!" she roared.
"Not on my watch, they don't!" he retorted. "You swore to me! I guess I know how good your word is, then."
"I…" She faltered in her tirade. "What do you care? Why do you even-?"
"No, don't try and turn this around on me. This is about you. You gave me your word and you broke it. That's on you, Vevina. Whatever else they may or may not have done, that's on you."
He could see her trying to come up with arguments, with justifications, all to no avail. In the end, she folded her arms and glanced down at the ground.
"Sorry," she said, in that same quick and quiet way.
"For what?" he pressed.
"For… for breaking my word." She only made fleeting eye contact. "And just… aye, that."
"Fine, but you're going to have to earn back my trust with more than just sorry." He sighed and softened his tone. "You're angry, I get it. You have every right to be, but I am not going to let you take it out on them. I thought you were better than that. Please don't make me think otherwise."
She didn't say anything else, only maintaining her sullen silence. Everybody else had backed away from her, either behind or near Jeremy. He let the moment last, then turned to look at the others.
"I can't say understand what you're all feeling right now. What I do know is that, even though he did nothing but control and manipulate you, he was still part of your lives. It's going to take some time to adjust to that and to move past everything that's happened. But I'm not giving up on you. I didn't before and I'm not doing it now. I'm going to be here, to help you work it out and I'm not the only one." He pointed to the exit. "Outside that door are others who are willing to do the same. The original synths of Freddy's."
"My sis?" Hermana perked up. "Is she there, too?"
"They all are. I'm not saying this is going to be easy or that it'll all be okay, because I can't promise that."
"Nice reassurance," remarked Clyde.
"Sorry, Clyde, but that's not how it works. It'll take effort, from everybody. There's some bad blood, not just between you all. But we're not going to leave you floundering, that I can promise. So long as you're willing to take those first steps and make that change, I'll be there." He waited for a response, but none came. "Okay, let's head out there and meet them."
Jeremy led the way to where the original synths were waiting. The two groups stood opposite one another in silence for a moment, a notable tension in the air.
"Alright," said Jeremy again, "so I'm sure you know each other in some capacity already so-"
"HI SIS!" Hermana zipped right up to Chica with a massive grin. "Oh, my gawd, we can actually be friends now! Isn't that amazin'?"
Chica glanced about uncertainly. "Um-"
"I know!" She grabbed hold of her hand. "We have got so much to talk about. And helloooo again, hot stuff!" she called out to Foxy.
Foxy looked confused. "Eh? But I don't feel warm."
"Oh, dear lord, the idiocy is multiplying," muttered Theodore.
"Hey!" Bonnie glared at him. "You want to say that again? Don't think I quite heard you."
Theodore immediately flinched at her tone. "Oh! W-Well, what I meant was that I… you see, the essence of it is that… b-by that, I mean…"
"I think perhaps it might be best if we all calmed down and had a lil' chat," said Freddy, stepping in forward. "We can all step through into the main games area and have a sit down, get to know one another a lil' better."
"Fuck that." Vevina stalked off towards Kid's Cove. "I'm not doing this group therapy shit."
Foxy started after her. "Vev, lass-"
"Don't!" She whirled around and thrust her finger at him. "Don't start with me."
She glared at Foxy for a while, until he backed away. With only a glance back at the others, she left, kicking one of the tables she passed.
"I… think maybe give her a few minutes," suggested Mike.
"Maybe a little longer," muttered Bonnie.
"Hmm, it seems my closest counterpart has gone wandering," said Golden.
"What do… hey, you're right," said Jeremy. He looked for Billy, but there was no sign of him. "Try the break room, it's where he ran off to last time."
"Noted, thank you." Her heavy metal body clomped off, leaving the humans alone outside Parts and Services.
Meanwhile, Freddy started to lead everyone else into the games area. The three humans ended up being grouped alongside each other.
"So… uh…" Phil was trying and failing to find the right words.
Jeremy sighed. "This is going to work out well, I can tell."
"You'd be surprised," Mike shrugged.
Guest: That went well XD
ArchineerRob: Keep it going!
Lavender Hope: Thanks for the review and for your kind words. You take care as well!
Arc of Carona: Well, you got it half right on the Vevina front. As for Sid... well, I'll not say for now.