Author's Note [This story is rated M for a reason. Mentions of blood will be mentioned more frequently in the next two chapters. Please read at your discretion.]
You… cannot… escape… me…
It breaks down before her, rendering away byte after byte. With each time it breaks, color begins to reemerge, bringing her room to life. Chica sits on the other side of the hollow void, feeling an illuminating peace. In a few more hours, she will be free. After weeks of torment and setbacks, the day of victory has come to bless her.
She envisions a joyous day of eating pizza and dancing with children. With Tessa reprogrammed as a ticket holder, escorting people to their seats with a crummy look as Chica rocks on stage. Despite the fact that there will be animosity between them, she thinks that it will be too lenient just to dissemble the tiger. Witnessing the punishment for the tiger to live in torment for the rest of her activation is too great for Chica to want to turn down.
They will never trust you. It sneers at her. It still taunts her with the truth through its depletion. She couldn't avoid the fact that it was right in that aspect. Scenario after scenario files through her processor, dreading the aftermath of what's to come. Even if she had a plan to let the world know she was set up, would she be able to convince Gabe that she's the right fit?
They want you destroyed... The virus is depleting just as her software replicates benign coding – an assurance for her system to recognize and eliminate future errors.
Subconsciously, she's talking to Gregory about the kid's determination of keeping her alive, even offering for her to stay with him and Vanessa. It gave her the impression that after all she'd been through, they still want to destroy her. She doesn't blame them but she doesn't want to be taken apart. She wants to stay alive but a life outside of the PizzaPlex is an eternal trip into the unknown. It made her anxious to think about.
You cannot… escape… me…
Chica returns to embrace the peacefulness, deciding to deal with the situation if or when it comes. It will be easier to think without this taunting voice in her systems.
CRASH!
A harsh gust of force knocks her over, sending her vision spinning. Externally, her systems give off warning, her mainframes on edge, as a pair of fluorescent eyes dash from the shadows. She couldn't move, not without consequences of the darkness overtaking her. Each time it did, it would grow stronger and more effort for her to overtake it. One more time, she could be overridden by its deity permanently.
Under no circumstances should she move.
Then she hears Gregory screaming. Something was wrong, but her vision and processor were still foggy to make out the assailant.
A sinister laugh. Your friend is in trouble Chica... its voice is fading yet terrifying.
Another crash. She felt something sharp piercing her leg. The fogginess continues to cloud her as darkness overtakes the fog. She's shutting down. The reversal worked faster than expected. She goes off mode, the virus will be gone.
And so will your little friend. Make a choice Chica...
"Help!" Gregory screamed before he went quiet. Chica's terrified.
"Leave him alone!" She screams.
Something's coming into view, is her cloudiness fading? No, it remains and in through all the grayness and blurriness, one color stuck out.
Red. A dark crimson red.
Her eyes were closing. She's fighting to stay awake. She had to save Gregory… please.
Another scream.
Enough!
Another crash emitted and the colors of her room grew dark.
Her eyes turned red.
She wakes up in a shrill of darkness, not dying just floating about. She thought she's regaining consciousness. The entity's laughing evilly from a portal. I. Am. FREE!
No! She rushes towards it – to regain control of herself. The portal shirks to where she could not enter, only watch in horror as it wreaks havoc. She felt disconnected from her body, no sound, sight or memory that came to her aid to configure what was happening.
The entity's laughing louder, turning and she gasps at its true identity.
It's herself.
It leaps to her view, grabbing her by the throat.
YOU'RE MINE!
She came to after what seemed like years had gone by. The portal's further away and she fights against the darkness trying to shadow her into disappearances. Chica holds on to the bare ends of the portal, to avoid drifting in the eternal void. Then she sees blood on her hands and screams.
What did you do!?
What did you do? Monster.
No...
They will never look at you the same again. Any speck of trust will be crushed under their feet – like a grain of sand. They'll want you destroyed.
Stop it!
Monster. They're after a monster. It would not matter. I cannot be stopped!
An external force rattles the area, shaking its inhabitants to different corners. It allows her time to shimmer through the portal, knocking the virus Chica onto the ground. Indications of damage points to the side of her head. Something's attacking her on the entity's control and if she could feel consciously, there's still a chance!
It knocks her to the ground, choking her under its grasps. She fights it, kicking it to a distance for her to get up and regain control. Another struggle ensues between them and at the last second, she uses her strength to slam her hand onto the panel, at the same time it does.
"Anyone found anything yet?"
"Nope."
Freddy sighs, dejected at the answers exchanged. They had regrouped back in Rockstar Row, minus Roxy and Vanessa. A place this huge couldn't be searched in a few seconds, despite there being the six of them. Chica's coordinates were on, but they were irregular and misleading. It states her being in one location, they go to the place, only to find that it'd moved somewhere else. Too fast for them to catch up to the spot before it relocates. Or when they arrive at the place, the coordinates are there, but no sign of Chica or Gregory. And with every second that they spent not searching or searching with no leads, Freddy worries. They'd all seen the bloody garment. If Gregory is seriously injured, time has turned into their second adversary.
From above, Sun whirls down from his line. With his body language, Freddy knew the smaller robot didn't have good news. "This is not good! Where can they be? I have searched every nook and cranny – you would not believe the amount of dust and filth these workers fail to clean up. I am putting in a complaint to the department of Health!"
"This is getting stupid! Where is that menace? She can't be that much of a coward and go into hiding unless she really screwed up." Monty roars, huffing and refraining himself from punching a pillar.
Freddy chose to focus on Sun frantically cleaning a spot on the floor with his tiny arm. Poor Sun is programmed to be all over the place and hyper – no, that didn't seem right. It's more how he's designed to be full of life and have endless spontaneous energy. It's what makes him great with kids. They all had special features, but never to harm children. It's troubling Freddy to imagine Chica harming their friend to the point of a possible life-or-death scenario.
He thought back to a few days ago, inquiring about Chica's diagnostics. The news he'd received was frightening – how a virus is overtaking her system, reprogramming her into a thoughtless and savage monster. It's like she's responding to a new system of violence and mayhem or rather, the virus is its own entity controlling her for its own means. He absently fiddles with the broken device that was supposed to be Chica's last chance to be saved. Even if she's herself and not a mindless monster, Vanessa isn't going to be persuaded of anything but to disassemble the animatronic herself.
Roxy's voice buzzes through his intercom. "Freddy! We found something, get down here!"
"Roxy has a lead, let's go." Freddy instructs the others to follow his lead, rushing through the entrance down to the utility tunnels.
Sun's a bit hesitant. "Um, maybe I should wait up here –" He starts when Monty pushes him forward.
"Not today twinkle toes! Move it." They move further, the dimmed lights flickering in and out. They enter the top of what seemed to be a hole, dark with no ends.
Sun whimpers, stopping in his place as they walk ahead. "Really guys, I should stay upstairs. What if there is a chance Chica will come roaming through?"
"Don't tell me the wittle-little sun's afraid of the dark?" Tessa taunts him with a roll of her eyes. "Your real life counterpart is in the middle of space, surrounded by darkness. Get a grip." She adds firmly, pushing Sun down the hole, his yelling echoes.
Freddy sighs. "Was that necessary?"
"He's fine. I don't hear him yelling anymore."
"That's because ya probably broke him." Monty states before they all made their way down the gap. They continued into the trenches, guided only by the lights in their eyes. Into the darkness, a sinister laugh is heard with red eyes peeked with the darkness.
Tessa scoffs. "Real funny Sun, you can't scare me." She walks forward, only for Moon to instantly jump onto Tessa, throwing her onto the ground.
"Traitor! Traitor!"
"Get off me!" They tussle as Moon picks at her exposed endoskeleton. Freddy snatches the smaller animatronic off his bandmate. Monty helps Tessa up as Moons throws all kinds of words that Sun himself wouldn't dare to speak.
"Traitor!" Moon sneers. Freddy places a hand on his shoulder to steady and get a better grip.
"Tessa ain't the traitor. It's that dipshit chicken who caused this, which means it's your fault."
"Get off my back Monty, I do not have time to be dealing with your quirks!"
"You had plenty of time to forgive that monster and now look where we are! You want to challenge that statement?" Monty raises his fists.
Freddy ignores him, walking ahead while keeping a grip on Moon who would repeatedly say, "Terminate the traitor" a few times in a song-like melody before crackling.
When they've reached Roxy, she stops them from another step, pointing out the trail of bloody footprints that scales the floors. "Chica is down here. I can see her through the walls."
"And Gregory?" Freddy presses. An omen of bad news came from Roxy choosing not to respond, but biting her lower lip. Then, he sees Vanessa at the end of the hall, her face in her hands and on her knees, sobbing.
"She – she's been like that since we'd discovered the prints." Roxy whispers. "I don't sense Gregory's heat thermals. I'm sorry Freddy, I –" Freddy stops her by laying a hand on her shoulder. Roxy grimaces. "I don't think Vanessa should be here, one of us should take her back upstairs, but she's inconsolable."
"I will talk to her." Freddy assured, moving away from the group. He couldn't stop tensing as he approached Vanessa, witnessing the trail of bloody footprints ahead of them. If there's ever a time for an animatronic to feel the grief and stress of a human, this would be it.
"You had plenty of time to forgive that monster and now look where we are!" Monty's words stung. Not because it had been said harshly, but because he knew it to be true. He should not have gotten his hopes up. He should have listened to Vanessa to begin with. Choosing the safety of humans over his feelings is a professional decision that he would and should have respected. Robots are easily replaceable, humans are not. It was earlier he was optimistic about saving one, now he pains on the thought of losing two friends.
He slowly kneels next to her. "Vanessa?"
A sniffle. A moment passes before she shakily replies. "I'm okay."
She is not okay. "I am sorry Vanessa, this is my fault."
"Freddy, no." She sniffles and through her quivers, she adds. "I-I can't b-blame you for having a good he-heart." More tears flow as she toys with the thought that the last time she saw Gregory, she'd been furious with him. Now she'll have to spend a lot of time thinking about what would have happened if she did listen and assisted. That's what good people would have done, push through to help others find a solution.
She lets out another sob, knowing she'd failed to protect the child, just like she failed her own mother. Freddy patted her back. "You do not have to go through with this. One of us can take you back upstairs."
"No, I do. I need to do this." She wipes her face. "I just need to make sure. I hope that if we do find Gregory, he's in one piece. Literally, I can't express that enough." She bites her lip. A bout of arguments and cussing drew their attention to Monty and Roxy trying to pull Moon off his second assault attempt on Tessa.
A loud growl interrupts them, coming down the endless hallway. Afterwards, a low hissing followed by clanking footsteps. They were all on alert.
"Quick! In that alcove!" Freddy rushes all of them into hiding, out of sight and in time for Chica to roam by. Her LED eyes red, she stands on all fours like a feral animal. The already-dimmed lights irritate the robot, prompting for another growl.
Vanessa gasps quietly, covering her mouth to avoid a loud cry. From their view, Chica's mouth showed her hissing. Blood remains covering around her mouth and inside her teeth. Freddy grips her shoulder in a comforting manner, looking at Moon. "Follow her and stay hidden. We'll be a few steps behind following you."
Moon seemingly accepts the tasks, throwing Tessa a don't-think-I-won't-finish-what-I'd-started glare for one last time before crawling onto the walls, following the feral robot. The rest remained hidden until the noise descended. They follow Moon, ensuring a good distance is in place. The option to hide is next to none and no one wants to engage Chica, not unless they wanted to find Gregory. The hallway seemed a bit lighter than previously, allowing Tessa to switch off the flashlight that she'd taken from Vanessa, who's so shaken that Roxy had to carry her for some time.
A while later, they see Moon hovering over another alcove of a former room next to a dead end. Inside, the lights are seemingly darker, though it gives enough light to know the room is filled with beheaded bots. They watch as Chica picks up a head and crushing it in her mouth, the wires busting out of the casing.
"I can't watch this," Vanessa said, sick to her stomach. It's a damaged robot, she deals with broken bots all the time. Except the way her thoughts were running are increasing her urge to vomit. She wanted to run, fear gripping her in place to prevent the option. It keeps her for another reason.
After flattening the bot's head into a disc, Chica growls slowly, flinging the object to the other end and climbing towards a bed of crushed bots and hovering over something. Her heart drops to her shoes as she makes out the scenery in the dimmed lights, displaying a clear picture of the beginning of Vanessa's anxiety stricken moment of the worst case scenario.
Gregory.
