Alright! Chapter 3! Time for some of that good old fashioned drama!
Upon reaching the bottom landing, they both froze as they heard the footsteps of the security lady just around the corner. Freddy grabbed hold of her again, and Mirabelle thought that her worst fears were about to be realized. But instead of handing her over, he surprised her by hastily pulling her in the opposite direction.
"Hurry, this way," he encouraged, and she picked up the pace behind him.
They entered into what looked like some kind of medical area, complete with a curtained off, privacy room. He pushed her in the direction of it.
"Quick, hide in here," he basically ordered.
Being in no real position to argue, she complied, ducking behind the curtain. A moment later, and the guard lady suddenly rounded the corner.
"Freddy!?" she exclaimed as soon as she saw him, sounding rather startled at his presence. "You're supposed to be on lockdown," she lectured harshly.
"O-officer Vanessa? I – I uh, I do not know how I got here," Freddy told her, stumbling over his words.
Mirabelle frowned in confusion before pulling back the curtain a bit to peek out at the exchange. Did he just flat out lie to her? Well, so much for her theory that they shouldn't be able to do that.
"Well, you totally blew it tonight, you know. Your system crashed and you ruined the show. Now, Parts and Services have you on reduced power. They said it's a safety precaution. Just one more thing to deal with!" she lamented, clearly frustrated by the news.
"I apologize," Freddy replied, sounding like he was ashamed.
"Okay, look. We're like ten minutes from closing and some kid is sneaking around backstage. If you see anything, notify me immediately. I already alerted the others. Now, go back to your room," she ordered, before turning and stalking off.
Except, Freddy didn't move. Interesting.
Once she was gone, Mirabelle poked her head out of the little room and wandered back over to the waiting robot bear.
"Why didn't you tell her where I was, and why didn't you obey her order? Aren't you programmed to follow staff instructions?" she couldn't help but wonder at him.
"I am, and I will obey her order. But she didn't tell me when I had to go back to my room," he pointed out.
Mirabelle felt slightly impressed that he was capable of interpreting orders in more than one way.
"Besides, I currently have a higher priority directive of keeping you safe. Now, let us go," he offered, once again leading the way.
"Hmm, I suppose that makes sense," Mirabelle decided, following closely behind him once again.
"So, where are we, exactly?" she wondered, after they had wandered a little farther along.
"We are now under the Pizzaplex. These utility tunnels connect all the attractions," he explained to her over his shoulder, sounding very much like some kind of tour guide.
"These tunnels lead to anywhere in the building?" she asked, hurrying to catch up with him so that they'd be side by side.
"Correct. Fazer Blast, Monty Golf, Roxy Raceway: they are all accessible to staff – with high enough clearance of course. Guests are never allowed down here, but yours is a – special situation," he told her.
"Oh? Is it now? Well then, guess I must be a regular VIP," she joked.
To her surprise, Freddy actually turned and grinned at her. There was a moment of silence before he spoke again.
"So, were you able to see our show tonight?" he asked, kind of startling her.
"Uh, yeah. I mean, you know, part of it anyway," she pointed out.
"What did you think?" he then inquired.
She couldn't help but wonder at why he was suddenly asking? If there's too much silence did they just default to some kind of guest survey mode? Oh well, she supposed it wouldn't hurt to humor him.
"I – thought it was awesome!" she told him honestly. "Right up until the part you collapsed and ruined it all, anyway," she found herself teasing. "It's too bad we never got to hear you sing," she realized.
"Yes, that is a shame. Well, maybe someday you can come back to visit when I am not experiencing any malfunctions, and you can hear me sing then?" he suggested, almost like he really cared that she'd missed out.
"Sure, maybe someday when I'm not getting drugged and kidnapped by crazy security staff," she added, still trying to be funny.
"I am sorry that your visit has been, less than ideal," he told her, sounding very sincere.
She flashed him a skeptical side-eye.
"Well, it's not like it's your fault. I'll be sure to mention that in my review," she quipped cheekily.
"You plan on posting a review?" he questioned.
"Yeah, no!" she scoffed. "I wonder how Yelp would react to that? Four out of five stars, great food, awesome entertainment, but could have done without the assault and battery," she voiced her mock-review.
"I do not think patrons would find that very encouraging," Freddy pointed out.
"Yeah, that's – kind of the point," she said.
As they moved, he continued to fix her with a curious stare.
"May I, make an inquiry of you, based on gathered data?" he finally spoke up.
Mirabelle turned to him with a quizzical look.
"You – want to ask me a question? Sure, but you don't have to sound so formal about it, ya know," she teased.
He hesitated, as though he was choosing his words.
"Despite the seriousness of your position, you seem to keep making light of the situation. Why is that?" he wondered at her.
This time, it was Mirabelle's turn to stare at him, but her's was a look of bewilderment! Where on earth had that come from? What sort of program was he running that he could not only understand her downplaying, but also seek to question her motives? She'd never heard of any code that could be that adaptable! It made her wonder what else he was capable of, and yet the more distressing question was, why?
"What? No. I would never," she waved him off facetiously.
"Oh. I must have – misunderstood. My mistake," he stated.
Mirabelle had to smirk at that. It seemed though that the subtleness of sarcasm was still a bit beyond him.
Climbing the stairs at the other end of the underground passage brought them into what appeared to be some kind of back, employee storage area. It was at this point that Mirabelle noticed that Freddy was starting to visibly slow. He stumbled over to lean against another one of those large, red metal cylinders.
"I am terribly sorry. The recharge cycle had not yet completed when I found you. You must continue without me. But if you head through these doors and follow the signs, you should be able to make it to the lobby," he instructed.
"Through these doors and follow the signs. Got it," she repeated, then turned to see Freddy open and climb into the conveniently located recharge station.
"Uh, thank you, again – for your help," she called as the cover began to shift close.
"You are welcome. Good luck, superstar!" he called back.
Mirabelle bristled a bit at the nickname this time, but then shrugged it off. It wasn't like she was going to see him again after this anyway.
Pushing through the double doors, she saw they led to a hallway with a large sign in the shape of an arrow that read: LOBBY. Well so far, so good.
Although it was not to last, because once she rounded the next corner, she immediately froze at what she saw. Hunched at the end of one of the dingiest looking bathrooms she's ever seen, and currently scarfing up garbage by the fist full, was none other than Chica!
Mirabelle only had a moment to wonder at what the heck she was doing, before remembering what that Vanessa lady had said to Freddy earlier. Something about, alerting the others about her?
Well, she sure as sugar wasn't about to get nabbed by some stupid chicken. Not when she was so close and time was running out. As it stood, it looked like the only way around, was the door that she was crouched right next to. Unless she wanted to try and get past that tower of paint cans in the adjacent hall. . .
Wait, paint cans.
Mirabelle was then struck with a brilliant idea to get her out of the way. Stalking up to the table, she levied a kick at it, sending the cans in all directions. She then heard a confirming balking noise that Chica was moving over to investigate. After that, Mirabelle just skirted around her and snuck past without a hitch.
Child's play, she thought, smirking triumphantly to herself.
However, her confidence began to falter as she opened more doors only leading to more storage rooms. Where the heck was the fracking lobby?
Eventually, she found herself in a very mechanical looking hall that didn't have any more signs or any clear direction of where it would lead. It made her think that maybe she'd taken a wrong turn somewhere.
However, just before she could double back –
"There you are!" Came a loud, menacing growl from the other side of a steam covered gate.
A second later, and Monty the alligator came crashing through it with so much force that it blew her hair back!
"Oh, crap!" she exclaimed, and without another thought, went dashing in the opposite direction down the hallway as quickly as her feet would carry her!
She finally spotted another lobby sign and made a beeline for it, barely even acknowledging that she may have gotten a glimpse of Roxy in her peripheral vision. This pointed to even more stairs, which she took almost three at a time, trying to get distance between her and her pursuers.
Blasting her way through what looked like some kind of security office, she rounded two more corners, and blew through two more doors, before finally bursting out into the lobby. . .
. . . just in time to see the huge entrance cover slowly roll over her hopes of escape!
"Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex is now closed. Initiating nighttime protocols," the automated announcement declared.
"What?! No. No!" she shouted, dashing over and slamming into the cover, right when it hit the ground.
She let out a massive groan, smacking her head against the metal.
"Great, now what am I supposed to do?" she muttered to herself.
. . .
A little while later, after finally having an opportunity to recharge for a proper amount of time, Freddy exited the red cylinder feeling much more energized than before. He swung his arms around a bit, testing his mobility, before methodically wandering through the service corridors to make his way back up to his room.
As he did so, his mind began to wander back to those interactions he'd had with that girl. He could not remember ever talking to anyone like her before, and a part of him had to wonder why that was. Why did he only have memories of interacting with small children? So, while despite knowing that it was the right thing, he admitted to himself that he had been a little sad to see her go.
Once in the lobby himself, he was about to head back over to Rockstar Row, when he heard something peculiar that caught his attention.
"This area is off limits." It sounded like Chica's voice.
Freddy moved past the main gates to find her strangely stalking around the lobby, almost as though she were, patrolling.
"Where are you? Who wants candy? Our friendly security staff can help," she was robotically reciting, like she was calling for someone.
"Chica? What are you doing? The Pizzaplex is closed. Shouldn't you be in your room?" he questioned her.
"But, the girl. The girl has not been found. We need to find her," she told him, sort of.
The way she was twitching and staring past him caused him to wonder if she was even talking to him at all, and her manic tone wasn't helping.
"Girl? What girl? Do you mean, Mirabelle? But you don't need to find her, she already left," he tried to tell her, but she didn't seem to be listening.
"No. . ." she trailed, before turning and stumbling off again. "Your family is looking for you," she continued, almost shouting it out in that same sickeningly, sweet tone.
No? What did she mean, no? Was there really a chance – was Mirabelle still here? If that was the case, then Freddy needed to find her. Something was clearly wrong with Chica, and that meant the girl would be in danger if she was trapped in the Pizzaplex. But the question now remained, where would she go?
. . .
Pieces of merchandise flew out of drawers and onto the floor as Mirabelle frantically searched for something, anything, that could help her get out of this mess. She'd managed to snag an entry ticket near the front door, but it only seemed to let her into the gift shop. At least nothing was bothering her in here, but she was starting to lose hope that she was going to find anything useful.
She jumped at the sound of the door suddenly opening, and was surprised to find Freddy peeking in and scanning the room. Mirabelle felt her body tense, as she readied herself to run. But instead of acting hostile, the bear bot smiled when he saw her and padded closer.
"Mirabelle! What are you still doing here? I thought you wanted to leave?" he asked in confusion.
She sighed when she realized that he must not have been able to reconnect himself yet, due to his continual friendly demeanor.
"Yeah, well, wanting something and actually getting it are two different things!" she snapped at him.
"What do you mean? Were you not able to make it to the exit in time?" he guessed.
"Obviously not, no thanks to your 'friends'," she hissed.
"My friends? You mean Chica and the others? They are only trying to do what they're told. It is not their fault," he tried to reason.
"Then whose fault is it?!" she barked at him.
He looked a bit taken aback, but she continued before he could respond, knowing that he wasn't going to have an answer for her.
"Also what is up with this place? You'd think they'd have an emergency exit located somewhere, but no! Every single door requires some kind of, security clearance. Even the ones that lead outside? I mean, isn't that against fire code? Who approved this BS?!" she raved, moving onto the next drawer since the one she'd been digging in was now empty.
"I am sorry that you missed your chance before, but there is still hope. You should be able to escape when the security doors reopen at 6:00 am," he offered pleasantly.
"6:00 am!" she snapped rounding on him. "I'm not waiting around until then!" she argued with an angry head shake.
"Well, if there is another way out, I will help you find it. I promise," he attempted to assure her.
"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep, Freddy," she lectured.
He seemed a bit stymied by the comment for a moment.
"But, I will help you. That is a promise I know I can keep," he finally argued back.
Mirabelle groaned and rubbed at her face. Yeah right, as if he could actually know things. This conversation was a waste of time!
"Perhaps if we could get into some of the security offices within the Pizzaplex. I know that is where the staff keep their badges. If we could get you one, maybe you could use it to open one of the exit doors?" he suggested.
"And how exactly am I supposed to do that? I don't even have any passes, besides this stupid entry ticket I found. I can't go anywhere besides the lobby!" she all but wailed.
"Have you tried taking that pass to an upgrade machine?" he wondered.
"What? No. Don't you need money for that?" she reasoned.
"Not if you scramble it," he quipped.
"Huh?" She just blinked at him with a baffled look.
"Come with me. I'll show you," he encouraged, taking her by the wrist and pulling her across the hall to the customer service counter.
She allowed this with minimal resistance.
Once there, he motioned that she should insert the pass. So she complied, it wasn't like she had anything to lose, after all. It happily ate the ticket, and she watched as Freddy plucked a large, fridge magnet souvenir off a nearby shelf, and slapped it on the machine. It seemed to glitch out for a moment, before suddenly popping out a different pass.
"Huh, I suppose that explains the sign," she mentioned, motioning towards a large warning on the wall that read: Keep Magnets Away From This Machine.
She pulled out the new pass to discover that it was specifically for the Daycare.
"And what am I supposed to do with this?" she questioned skeptically.
"It will get you deeper into the facility. Also, I believe that the Daycare has a security desk," he offered.
"Wait a minute, a Daycare. . ." Mirabelle trailed, turning and heading back out into the lobby, Freddy skipping to keep up with her.
"Daycare as in little kids, right? If there's an easily accessible emergency exit, I'm betting that's where it would be," she postulated to herself with renewed hope.
This did not escape Freddy's attention, however.
"Good thinking, superstar! The Daycare is located on the –" he tried to tell her, but Mirabelle simply turned and leveled a vicious glare at him!
"Okay, that's enough! Stop calling me that, I'm not seven!" she finally snapped, halting him in his tracks.
"I don't fully understand what's happening here," she gestured towards Freddy. "But this, simulated concern, is starting to get a bit over the top, and frankly, it's kinda creeping me out," she told him flatly.
"Simulated? It is not simulated. I am concerned. I want to help you. I do not wish to see you come to harm," he told her, sounding distressed at the idea.
"Oh, whatever," she huffed with an eye roll. "You don't actually care. This is just – part of your programming," she said, waving him off. "Not sure why they felt the need to go this far though," she added in a mutter.
There was a brief pause as Freddy seemed to be processing what she'd said.
"You don't trust me," he finally realized.
"What? Of course I don't trust you!" she barked at him like it should be obvious.
"You're not, self aware. You don't actually think for yourself. You realize that, right? You're just a big pile of lights and wires. You simply imitate intelligence using predetermined conversational algorithms. My guess is, the only reason you've been helping me, is because you're programmed to help lost children find the entrance, so that their parents can be called to come pick them up," she reasoned, as she stressfully paced back and forth.
"And now that the facility is closed, you're trying to do the next best thing, since you can't follow the normal protocol. But what happens as soon as your able to reconnect to the main network, huh? You'll be instructed, just like all the other animatronics, to catch me and take me to that, psycho security lady so that she can do, who knows what with me!" Mirabelle continued to rant.
She paused for a moment when she noticed him just staring at her with what she interpreted as a null code response to a form of conversation he wasn't programmed to handle. She groaned and rolled her eyes.
"Why am I even explaining any of this to you, anyway. It's not like you understand what I'm saying," she realized. "So, while I appreciate the help so far – as for you continuing to help me – thanks, but no thanks. I'm sure I'll be much safer on my own," she told him matter-of-factly.
"I – see," he finally said after another long moment. "Well, if that is how you feel, then you are free to go. I will not attempt to stop you," he assured her in a plaintive tone, flashing her the equivalent of animatronic puppy eyes.
Mirabelle suddenly felt a twinge of guilt in her chest at this unexpected reaction, but then quickly pushed it down in irritation.
"Oh, Jeeze! What? Did they program you with a guilt tripping method if any of the little kids told you that they didn't want to play with you?" she guessed in a mocking tone. "Well, I'm sorry to break it to you, big guy, but it isn't going to work on me. Later!"
She gave him a salute before heading towards the day care to investigate. Leaving Freddy gloomily standing in the lobby, just watching her go.
I'm not gonna lie. It physically hurt to write this! Anyway, until next time! Bye Bye!