Upgrade
Gregory left the weird endoskeleton maze behind and approached the entrance to Parts and Services. He passed by a forklift and tripped over the prongs on the ground. The flashlight and toy hit the ground as he lost his balance and landed on the hard cement. Gregory growled and pulled himself to his feet and regathered his things. He gasped upon seeing his toy.
The right part of Moon's face, the darker one with the red eye, tore. Bits of stuffing swelled from the gash across its face. A few fibers of the stuff tangled in a nail on the ground. Gregory frowned. Well, this wasn't his toy, technically. He already had a Moon toy. He was just borrowing this one.
He managed to stash away the toy. This time, the double doors opened when Gregory commanded them to. "Freddy, are you in there?"
Gregory approached the window first, quiet with his flashlight off.
Officer Vanessa stood in front of the now open cylinder. Freddy lay in the chair. Something… felt off, but Gregory couldn't see what it was.
Gregory muttered, "I've got to get him out of there."
"…I found him earlier and kept him in Lost and Found." Officer Vanessa's voice barely reached Gregory through the glass windows and metal doors.
Freddy announced cheerfully, "That is great news. He can be returned to his parents."
The security guard stated, "He can't. Turns out, there's no record of him."
"How unfortunate. If you reattach my head, I will go look for him now," he offered.
Reattach his head?!
Officer Vanessa went on as if he hadn't spoken, her voice as dry as ever. "His name is Gregory. You know how I know that? His Fazwatch kept repeating it… in your voice. 'Gregory? Are you there? Gregory?'"
Gregory bristled at her poor impersonation of Freddy. She could at least try!
Freddy countered, "Vanessa, all the Fazwatches sound like me. It is the default voice option."
Officer Vanessa didn't answer for a long moment. Finally, she said, "If you're part of this, you're scrap. Monty will run the shows until Parts and Service can slap your casing on a new Endo. Hang out here for a while. I gotta find that kid." With that, she walked away from the cylinder and to one of the stairs that wrapped around the side of the cylinder. The cylinder door closed once she backed out of it. Light glared over the stairs and walls as she moved and swept the flashlight over her surroundings.
Freddy called after her, "Vanessa, do not leave me like this!"
A few doors lined the walls above the stairs. She took the second one with a purple door and hall.
Gregory waited until it got quiet to push his way through the second set of red metal double doors.
"Gregory!" Freddy called. "I am so glad you are here and alive!"
Gregory ran up to the now-closed cylinder and looked through the window. He couldn't see much beyond Freddy's feet and, beyond that, his hands at his sides and his bottom jaw. "Freddy!"
"Gregory! Use the console to let me out."
The boy walked around to the computer. Its screen glowed a very dark green. "Select Upgrade" in digital, light green letters stamped across the top. Under it was a list with slightly smaller printed words. "Power Upgrade" was in the same light green with a lighter green box surrounding it and an arrow by its side. "Claws Upgrade" "Voicebox Upgrade" and "Eyes Upgrade", all in off-white text, listed below with "Exit" in lime text.
The computer said, "Welcome to Parts and Service. Please select your desired procedure."
Gregory selected the "Power Upgrade."
"Please enter the protective cylinder to continue."
The cylinder door opened, and Gregory walked inside. Freddy lay a little bit above Gregory on the red and white reclining chair propped up just a little, sort of like a dentist's chair. A giant set of pinchers attached to a robotic arm-like thing hanging above them held Freddy's head about half a foot above his shoulders.
"What'd they do to you?" Gregory asked as he walked around to his side.
"Routine maintenance," Freddy answered cheerfully. "I am functioning much more better… now. Hmm. Grammar function error… Perhaps I am still not at peak performance." His voice suddenly became a little sheepish. "Could you, uh… reattach my head?"
Gregory grimaced. His eyes flicked around the machinery. "I dunno. It looks complicated…"
"Just reconnect the wires and be careful. I am not quite myself at the moment."
The computer bot unhelpfully chipped in, "In case of an emergency, the protective cylinder will protect service personnel outside of the protective cylinder. Deactivating animatronic safety protocols now. It is recommended that no mistakes are made during the procedure."
He swallowed. Oh no. Not only was he going to reattach the head of a very complicated animatronic, but he was going to have to do it without messing up?!
Gregory looked around for a stepping stool but couldn't find one. Instead, he climbed up so that his knees were on the chair, but he didn't push Freddy.
The computer bot said, "To reconnect Freddy's head, repeat the correct sequence by pressing the flashing connectors on Freddy's upper body." Four colored wires poked out of the base of his neck with dark buttons at the base of each one. Blue, green, yellow, red. Was this pattern important, or…?
Then, the blue button flashed. The yellow followed and then green and red were last. Gregory pressed each button. Every time he pressed a button, the corresponding wire would connect to something at the base of Freddy's head. Once all four wires were connected, the pincher hand placed Freddy's head back in place, stuck his top hat on his head, and then retracted.
"Good job. Now, use the testing console to run diagnostics and complete the procedure."
Gregory climbed down and backed up past Freddy's feet as an arm swooped down. The end of it was a flat square with four round, colored buttons in a diamond pattern on its face. Yellow at the top, blue on the left, red on the right, and green at the bottom.
The green button flashed, so he pressed it. The green button and then the yellow button flashed, so he pressed those in order. All in all, there were four flashes. Each time Gregory pressed a button, Freddy's head would twitch to the side or up or down, depending on which button was pressed.
Finally, the bot said, "Good job. Freddy is all patched up and ready for the big show. You may now exit the protective cylinder."
Gregory didn't hesitate to follow orders. He went back to the terminal and confirmed the end procedure.
Freddy got up and walked out, ducking his head a little as he went.
Gregory looked around the room. On the left of the cylinder was a line of rooms, some with wood patched or blocked doors, others with broken windows. Generator-like machines and chain link fences were on the right. An active endoskeleton stared ahead with blank red eyes hung near the machines. The room was so wide he wasn't bothered by any loud noises, nor could he see clearly through the windows.
"There's so much tech stuff in here," Gregory said. He looked up at Freddy. "Is there anything I could use to stop the other bots?"
Freddy answered, "Bright lights in the eyes cause us to briefly malfunction. I suppose a Fazerblaster or a Faz Cam could work."
Gregory perked up. A weapon! Hah! "Where do I get one?"
"You can win a Fazerblaster in Fazer Blast. Faz Cams are confiscated in Monty Golf, but you will need a Party Pass to open one of those attractions. Chica normally gives them out for birthdays. Check her green room in Rockstar Row. You may find one there." Freddy nodded to the doors above the stairs behind the protective cylinder. "Use the service elevators at the back of the room. They go up to Rockstar Row. It looks like they are all out of order except for Roxy's."
Gregory nodded and walked up the stairs. A few blackboards with diagrams caught his attention. One bore a pair of eyes with eyelashes. One had a beak. The other had a set of claws. Gregory raised his eyebrows. "Freddy? Check out these pictures. Chica has some sort of special voice box, Roxy has new eyes, and Monty was given better claws." Gregory looked over the railing around the protective cylinder. "We have got to get these! We could upgrade you!"
Freddy did not stare back with the same enthusiasm as the boy. "Gregory, those parts belong to my friends. I would never do anything to hurt them."
Gregory frowned. "What? All they've done all night is try to hurt me!" He muttered under his breath, "They'd get what they deserve."
Freddy shook his head. "There must be a good explanation. They are not capable of hurting a guest. None of us are. It would go against our programming."
Gregory didn't retort, though he had one on his mind. Instead, he went to the flashlight charger by the screens and then walked through Roxy's door and down the hall. Freddy soon joined him and followed Gregory into the incredibly compact elevator.
One silent, slow elevator ride later, the doors opened. Inside the cluttered room made smaller by a few chain link fence pieces stood a recharge station. A few feet away from the elevator was a door. Gregory stepped through. Roxy's room was… purple. Roxanne toys, a Roxy neon sign, pictures, an arcade cabinet, and a kiddie rocket ride filled her room. A lot of the stuff sat on the couch across from the door. The vanity's lights still glowed. The glass wall out into Rockstar Row stayed bared as the curtains held open.
Outside, Gregory heard a voice.
He stiffened and crept out of Roxy's room and hugged the wall toward Freddy's room. Searching in the semi-light, her flashlight dragging across the floor and walls, walked Officer Vanessa. "Come on, kid!" she called. "Where are you?"
Gregory peered around the corner. Unfortunately, the security officer hung around Freddy's room. Did she know Gregory was going there? She couldn't, could she?
"Are you hungry?" she called, her voice light despite the exhaustion that dragged at her words.
Gregory hid behind the wall as her flashlight's beam scored the floor near him. Did… did she have food on her? No, she couldn't have. She was just lying. She knew he was hungry. Or maybe she did. He could go with her, and then escape again. No, that was risking too much. There had to be some place with food in this mall. …Sun had food on him, right?
She stepped down the hall, passing by the artifacts in their cases. She stopped to inspect one, searching around it as if he might be hiding behind it. Which, he would have laughed at that except for the fact that he would have actually done that.
He snuck past her and quickly got to Freddy's room.
"I'm here to help. Please, let me help you!" she called.
Gregory narrowed her eyes. That's just what the animatronics and Vanny said. He knew he couldn't trust her. He went through Freddy's room to get to the back and climb up the mountain of boxes into the vent. He stopped upon getting to Roxy's room. Faintly, he heard her grunt, "This is why I don't have kids."
Yeah, well, this is why he didn't have a mom. Sorta.
He crawled to Monty's room and unscrewed the vent register.
Then, the ticking of metal on metal started. Gregory bristled and shoved himself into Monty's room. He tumbled to the floor with a quiet squeak.
He raised himself up into a sit and shook his head. He turned on his flashlight in the complete darkness. Claw marks slashed over the jungle green walls, tore open the couch, and broke apart various objects. Not even a S.T.A.F.F. bot was safe, as the mangled corpse of the one on his floor indicated. His guitar lay on the ground. Wasn't that some sort of blasphemy in the music world or something?
Whatever. He needed to get to Chica's room. Urgh! If only he had a high enough clearance pass! He knew from when he first arrived that he'd need a level five pass, but he only had a level four. Did Officer Vanessa get access to all the rooms everywhere? It would make sense considering she was a security guard.
"I bet your parents are worried about you," Officer Vanessa said, her voice way too close.
Bet.
Gregory hesitated by Monty's door. Once he deduced her footsteps were far enough away, he crept outside and started toward Freddy's room.
A beam of light fell over him, freezing him to the spot.
"There you are!"
Gregory couldn't decipher her tone, though he knew she wasn't yelling, as he now raced across Rockstar Row. It took a moment, but Officer Vanessa gave chase with her much longer legs and many more years of learning how to use them.
Gregory skidded on the shiny floor before Freddy's room and darted inside, inches ahead of the security officer.
She followed him, unhindered by any clearance needed for the doors.
The boy ran into the back room and climbed up the pile of boxes and into the vent.
"Wait!" Officer Vanessa called after him. "Gregory, please, I can help!"
Fat chance!
Gregory crawled through the vent. He hurried past the other greenrooms until he got to Chica's, at which point he opened the vent register and climbed out.
Chica-themed things–plushies, a neon sign, dolls, an arcade cabinet, the like–filled the space. Her open curtains separated her pink walls from the giant, clear window. A duffle bag sat on the ground with a chip inside.
"CHICA REPORT: ERRANT BEHAVIOR REPORT – Chica's personality chip has always been a bit 'quirky', but the new Pizza Flavored Monty Mystery Mix Slushy Syrup has adverse effects on her programming. She has attacked patrons, employees and S.T.A.F.F. for it. It is recommended that Monty Mystery Mix should be recalled before we're inundated with lawsuits."
Huh.
"Stop hiding," Officer Vanessa groaned. "Please."
On Chica's vanity next to a large plush cupcake lay a little golden slip labeled "Party Pass."
"Freddy! I found the Party Pass!" Gregory exclaimed.
"Well done," Freddy congratulated.
The neon lights went out with a whine. "Oh crap! Lights out!"
"Quick, find a recharge station," Freddy started immediately. "You should be able to see their locations on your map."
He could check his map, or he could go to one whose location he already knew. So, Gregory ran out into the hallway. Officer Vanessa was gone. In her place, cackling and dancing from foot to foot, was Moon. "Bad children must be found~!" it sang.
Gregory held up his hands. "O-okay, so, I know we haven't been getting along really well tonight. I mean, you kinda chased me around a little. But, you know, Sun was okay with me being up! Yeah, he was really nice. Even though I broke the one rule. But that was an accident, and he knew that. And you're supposed to be just as nice as him, right? Yeah, I met you before. And you were really cool."
Moon's head twitched. A low hiss escaped it.
Pull yourself together, Gregory! "So, uh, it's kind of late. But you'll let me pass, right? I, uh, I wanted to ask you something! Yeah! Since you're here! You said you were going to help me. But you hurt Freddy! He's been helping me."
"I did not harm him," Moon countered. "He was malfunctioning. I brought him to Parts and Services. Any animatronic who is malfunctioning must be brought safely to Parts and Services."
"You kind of knocked him to the ground…"
"I could not drag him there awake. He might injure himself further. He was repaired. He did what he was supposed to do." He cocked his head and stooped down a little further. "You did not. You should be asleep."
Gregory backed up as Moon stepped forward. "Heh! I know! But I, um, I can't! You know that she's after me, don't you? I really did try. You saw me, right? In the Daycare? I did try. But I couldn't go to sleep. Not with her around. Oh! I know! You can help me out of here and then I won't be scared of her, and I can go to sleep in my own bed! Freddy's helping me. And I guess you helped Freddy. So, you can help both of us!"
"Naughty boy, you are lying. Children should not lie."
"I-I'm not lying! I swear! Uh, though, promising not to lie is kind of redundant. If you're lying, you could lie about promising. But I'm not lying! Unless you helping Freddy was a lie. But I didn't know it was a lie, so I'm not the liar, you are!"
Moon jolted. "You come to very far conclusions."
"Yep! Totally! That's because I-I–!" Gregory bumped into the corner of a raised exhibit and slipped. His flashlight went out and rolled across the floor. His Roxy mask and Moon plush joined it. Gregory gasped and scrambled to regather his things and get to his feet. He fumbled to retie the mask but gave up and looped the strap around his arm. He hugged the plush tight and turned on the flashlight.
Moon stopped advancing. His head tipped a little and his scarlet eyes flickered blue for just a moment. "What is that? …it is broken."
"Oh, just a toy. He kind of um… It got all ripped up." Its bright blue eye stared lifelessly ahead. The nail mutilated the red one too badly for them to properly see it. "I didn't mean to. I tripped over a forklift. But it's not broken."
"You should not have been there. You could have gotten hurt," Moon stated. Weirdly, the usual stern emphasis on his words had toned down quite a bit. If Gregory didn't know better, he'd think Moon sounded… guilty.
Gregory shrugged. "Well, I needed to save Freddy. I wasn't about to let some dumb machines or that lady get in my way! Speaking of which, I should go find him." He backed away a few steps.
Moon looked up at Gregory again. "Oh no, no. Naughty boy, that place is off-limits to little children."
For the love of–!
Gregory turned and ran.
Gregory ran into Freddy's room and climbed into the re-charge station in Freddy's back room. He tied the mask to his hip and put away the toy. Gregory stared at Moon again, hoping beyond hope the Daycare Attendant still couldn't open the re-charge station for whatever reason.
Moon stayed, staring at Gregory.
The… lights were going to turn on again, right?
The door to Freddy's green room opened, allowing Freddy inside.
He stopped and the two animatronics stared at each other.
"May… I go into my re-charge station?"
Moon stepped back with a curt nod.
"Thank you."
Gregory climbed into Freddy's stomach hatch when the door opened and then they were both inside the station, waiting. Strangely, as Gregory watched Moon through Freddy's eyes, it didn't move. The other animatronics became confused when Gregory climbed into Freddy, and they kept searching. Was Moon not fooled by that?
Then, the beginning of the next hour approached. The Daycare Attendant jumped onto the boxes and crawled out through the vent.