"We need a test subject, first. Something to use in case this new power goes awry."
"Where will we find that? All of these robots are too public to use."
"Parts and Service. It has scrapped designs stored there. They'll all be cleared out by tomorrow."
It was decided. To Parts and Service they would go. With gentle coaxing, the Marionette freed herself of her metal control and set off down the halls, shakily making her way around the pizzeria in the precious minutes of limbo she had before the guards would come and take her back to her box. Thank Scott that the cameras weren't on; she never could figure out those blind spots just yet.
Finally, the door to treasure. With caution, the Marionette's spindly fingers pressed against the door and gave a firm shove, forcing it open just far enough for her to squeeze her lanky body through. It slammed shut with a thunderous bang, no doubt alerting anyone who heard. Now she stood alone in the dark with only the ghosts for comfort. "Now, to find a suitable test subject." Mallory's words rung in the Marionette's mind like tinnitus or a broken vocal record as she hovered across the dirt-ridden floor, tiles slick with oil and scattered full of broken parts. To be chary was a necessity of high caliber. The entire room was stuffed with broken animatronics in various states of sorry disrepair. So broken, so unwanted, the Marionette could swear it hurting a part of her she wasn't even aware existed until now. She felt the tug to make a difference, something pulling a string she could not perceive in the physical world. She would make that difference soon enough; the children would have life once more.
AHA! Finally, the perfect specimen to use. A fox endoskeleton, limply sat in a corner and sprawled across the tiles, optics half-open with shrunken irises. Creepy, but it would do. Getting to her knees, the Marionette pressed her hands to the floor, pushing through the tile and drawing her arms back up as a white box adorned in red ribbon emerged from below. Giving the gift of life with a present, thematically fitting. The slight glitch in its appearance as it formed disturbed her, but it was minor and barely lasted a millisecond; it would be OK, first tries were never quite perfect. Satisfied, she set the gift next to the endoskeleton and stepped backwards; if she could breathe, her breath would be baited as she waited to see if the gift would work. The present began to dissolve into a dull light and melted into the floor, inching itself closer until it pierced the metal and absorbed right in. With the grinding of metal and creaking of servos seldom used, the endoskeleton stood, sitting up with a jolt and rising to its knees, and then to full height.
The Marionette couldn't help but stare at the creature. 7ft tall, exactly her height, fox ears stuck out from the sides of its head instead of the top as one would assume from a vulpine as itself, torn wires and a tail at least 6ft long that trailed across the ground, scraping the tile ever so slightly. It certainly looked a mess, but it was alive. "Hello. My name is…" it stopped. "…Endo 02…I think." Its voice was masculine in tone yet slightly feminine in a way that couldn't be identified. His tone was deadpan and blank outside of those prerecorded words, words barely intonated and only given so much emotion to utilize. It had worked, everything suggested that it had worked. She had successfully given something the sentiency and ability to live.
She almost cheered out loud but the skeleton had other plans, a surprised look coming over his face before he shoved the puppet into a spare parts closet chock full of metal bars and other pieces, leaning over her in such a fashion that one would question whether the intent was to trap or shield from something. Their optics locked into unplanned contact, the Marionette staring into a pair of optics each colored differently: one teal and one blue. The skeleton found himself gazing deep into almond-shaped holes over top of black nothingness sans that single dot implying some form of optical device or look.
Voices outside the room grew louder as the grumbling of maintenance workers could be picked up on. A bright line was shone inside, hovering right over the two robots for a brief moment. The words of a guard complaining about the endoskeleton moving around again cut through the air like a harsh knife as sharp words were said before the quieting footsteps signified his departure. "Sorry about that. Those guys hate animatronics, especially ones far from where they should be." The fox apologized. "You should go back. They walk around on a ten-minute rotation around this loop." he stated, motioning to the door. "Alright then. Would you like to join me, or are you stuck here?" the Marionette offered; she could finally have some company now that wasn't two voices in her head.
"That…you're…inviting me to go with you?" Endo 02 intonated, curious. The Marionette nodded with a firm and confident nod, the first time she'd ever done a single thing with confidence. "I…thank you…does this mean we're friends now?"
"…Yes…I think it does."
"Great…what's your name?"
"I am The Marionette."
"The Marionette? That's more of a title than a name. How about just Marionette, or Mari?"
"Nicknames already? Alright, but I get to nickname you as well."
"Go right ahead."
"I'm thinking…N."
"I like that."
"Well then, are you ready to go, N?"
"Yes, Mari. I am."