Final Preparations

Mike didn't think he'd ever back at this place again. It wasn't the kind of place you'd want to make a repeat visit to. The building had long been abandoned for over thirty years, in a rather rundown part of Greater Borealis. Not to mention the last time he'd been here, he'd been nearly killed by an insane animatronic. He could still remember his shrieking voice, those metal hands clamped around his throat…

"Mike? Mike!"

A gentle voice broke him out of his reverie. A warm hand stroked his gently and Chica was smiling reassuringly at him.

"It's okay, Mike. We're here. We're not going to let anything happen to you."

He returned a shaky smile and squeezed her hand in return. He hadn't been on his own the last time he was here. He'd been with Goldie, but she was just a head and he hadn't been in a position to fully trust her. This time though, he was with two escorts. Both of them were fully able-bodied and he trusted them both with his life.

Grunting on the ladder in front of them announced the arrival of the second. A flash of red appeared over the rim of the ladder's edge, Foxy peering up moments later.

"No sign-a life, me mateys," he reported. "Quiet as a graveyard-a ships."

"Let's hope it stays that way." Mike took a few deep breaths. "Okay, let's get down there."

"I'll go first," said Chica. "Mike, you follow me. Foxy, you come down last."

"Now, lass, there's no need fer that. I've already been down inta that feckless dungeon meself and I'm happy ta lead the charge!"

"I know you are, Foxy. However, I think you'll find that my going first is something of a necessity," she said, gesturing to her dress.

"What are ye… oh aye!" he said with a chuckle. "In that case, on ya go."

"Much obliged." With a small dip and curtsey, she began making her descent with the two others bringing up the rear.

The space that housed the testing area for the early Fazbear animatronics was just as stuffy, dusty and rank as Mike remembered it being. In the ideal world, he would have never returned. However, this had been something of a request from Goldie. Since she currently couldn't leave the Fun Palace, she'd asked him to make a return trip to verify some things they'd noticed on their original trip. Things which had seemed a little off, but at the time they hadn't paid much mind to.

They'd confirmed one of them already: signs of forced entry on the entrance to the elevator. It looked like somebody had wedged something, like a crowbar, and forced their way inside. But the main thing they were looking to verify lay in the security office at the very start of the designated testing area.

A chill ran through Mike's spine when he saw him, shining a flashlight on his prone form. His suit was patchy and moth-eaten, smelling strongly of mould. The parts of his endoskeleton showing through were rusted with age. Though he was lifeless as a corpse, Mike couldn't shake the lingering fear that he was going to jump back to life at any second. When it came to Spring Bonnie, you tended to expect such things.

"It's alright, lad," Foxy said. "I've given him the once-over. If he was goin' ta start movin', he'd have done it by now."

"Even so, I think we can all agree it's best not to stay for any longer than we need to. Let's get this done," said Chica, hoisting the animatronic up into a sitting position. "Foxy, disconnect his legs while I see about the arms."

"Aye-aye, ma'am," he replied.

Mike watched them work. Chica depressed the shoulder joints, causing the arms to fall out of their sockets. Foxy did the same for the pelvic area of the suit. Together, they lifted his limbless form off to one side. Even though he was deactivated, they decided it was best to err on the side of caution. Even his current state did nothing to abate Mike's lingering fear. If anything, it made it worse.

That rotted, fixed grin. Those wide, lifeless eyes with their narrow pupils. That voice, shrieking and cursing, hands clamping tighter and tighter-

"Easy there, Mike, easy." Foxy placed an arm around him, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "We're almost done here. How about ya wait fer us outside? I know this rotter isn't much ta look at, so ya won't be missin' much."

"O-Okay. Sorry guys."

"You don't have anything to apologise for, Mike. Having met this one in digital form, I can't imagine how it was dealing with him when he was like this." Chica gestured to the motionless Spring while she opened the back of his head. "We'll have this wrapped up in just a moment."

Mike nodded silently, cursing himself for not keeping it together but thankful for the understanding of the other two. A few minutes passed in relative silence, though Mike was on alert the whole time for the slightest sound.

"It wasn't there, was it?" he asked them when they came out.

Chica shook her head. "Just like Goldie suspected. His AI core was removed. It could have happened in the time between your last visit and us arriving, but if those signs of disturbance were here already, it stands to reason it was removed well before we got here."

"Aye, this was in its place." Foxy held up a black box with an antenna. "Some kinda remote relay fer the suit, usin' it as a power source when it was turned on. Woulda cut off the signal when the suit was turned off." Foxy crushed the device on his fist. "Won't be usin' it now."

With their objective completed, the three of them made their way back up the ladder and clambered out of the broken window. The hustle and bustle of the city streets went a long way to calming Mike down, grateful for the presence of his friends. They waited until they found a quiet spot at the back of the bus back to Little Borealis before discussing in low voices.

"So, that confirms what Goldie suspected: Hawthorne has had a hold of Spring for quite a while. Probably for his own purposes and tying up loose ends," said Mike.

"Can't wrap me head around why he didn't just use that Puppet-a his," said Foxy.

"Probably because Goldie was expecting it and it certainly worked." Chica's expression darkened. "As if what he already did to those children wasn't enough. Now he's taken what's left of them as well, for whatever twisted thing he has planned for them. Oh just wait until I get my hands on him."

"Won't be long now," said Mike. "Honestly, it still feels so strange to me. When I first met you all, Sid was this kind of nebulous, unknown thing just lurking away somewhere. I can't believe we're actually having to deal with it now."

"Believe it, lad," growled Foxy. "This has been a long time comin', but one way or another, he'll get his."

They had to stop their discussion as more people got on the bus at the next stop. They waited until they were back in the town and safely back inside the Fun Palace. Bonnie and Freddy were waiting, along with Jeremy and Phil. Goldie was connected to the new synths, the five of them still in their unconscious state in their digital dreamland.

They reported their findings to her. She was quiet for a while, processing the information.

"Thank you," she said. "I'm sorry about you having to go back in there, Mike. But I needed someone who'd been there already to verify it first-hand."

"It's fine," he murmured. "Just uh, never ask me to do it again unless it's to bring along some matches and gasoline."

"Duly noted." Goldie placed her fingers together like a church steeple. "This is quite the long game Sid's been playing. He must have picked up Spring a while ago, then retrofitted him with the same kind of upgrades that I got to expand his capabilities."

"His presence certainly surprised us," agreed Freddy. "However, I feel I must point out it still doesn't change the situation we find ourselves in. The only question that remains is how we address it."

"On this, brother dear, we are agreed," she said. "To recap from the beginning: we know that Sid was ultimately responsible for the deaths of those children in the creation of the new synths. Now, either as part of some new scheme or to cover up his part in what happened to them, he's taken the fragments of their minds. We need to expose what he's done and get those fragments back. I have no doubt they hold the information that would expose Sid's part in his crime and if they don't, the Puppet certainly will."

"So our main goal is grabbing hold of tall and gangly?" asked Bonnie. "I have a feeling that's not going to be easy."

"You'd be correct. Phil has already shared with me a floorplan of the factory that Sid is based in and I've asked him to bring it along for this." At her prompt, he rolled it out on the floor for them. "Recently, he's practically eliminated any human security personnel and replaced them with bots. Mr O'Neil is the only one still on as the overall security supervisor, with a few engineers headed by one Lidiya Holland. Otherwise, the facility is almost completely automated."

"Which is both a good and a bad thing," chimed in Phil. "I mean, the bots give me less work to do a-and they don't talk back, but it's not like they need coffee breaks. I uh, I think they're based on the old performing endoskeletons the restaurant used. L-Let's just say they're not exactly dressing them to put on a show, though."

"Neither are we." Foxy raised his hook. "I say we get in there and tear 'em apart. Storm the brig and make off with our booty!"

"Daring, but impractical," said Goldie. "With the size of the factory, it's just not feasible to take them all on. I think this calls for a stealthy approach. We need to get in to swipe the Puppet and leave before they know what happened."

Freddy nodded slowly. "I think that should be feasible. As Mike can attest, we've all had extensive experience creepin' about in the dark unseen."

"Yeah, especially you," said Mike. "Just it's not going to be sneaking into the security office to give me a scare."

"I dunno, maybe we can just do it to Phil," said Bonnie.

"H-Hey now, you're not creeping up on me in the dark. I already put up with enough of that from that Puppet thing." Phil pointed to a spot on the map. "He's kept down here, in the lower levels. They have his box down there for resting o-or whatever it is he does. You'll have to make your way through the factory floor a-and into the maintenance area to access it. From there, you'll arrive at the uh, the testing area we have for the robots. He's kept right in the middle here."

"But if he controlled the new synths, won't he be able to control us?" asked Chica.

Goldie shook her head. "Not without connecting directly to you. The protection I put in place for you when you were captured is still there. Even if he were to interface with your minds, he'd have to break through it first and he'd have to take his time for that."

"Which still leaves us with having to deal with him, plus however many bots he decides to bring in when we grab him," said Bonnie.

"Indeed, so you'll each be taking one of these." She unveiled a series of taser guns. "Aaron had a few of these leftover from the old location from the night shift. I've had them modified so a single charge will be enough to put him out of commission temporarily. But you'll have to get him right in the head to manage that."

"Aye, that'll give him somethin' ta think about," agreed Foxy. "What about this Spring fella? Where's he in all-a this?"

"They keep him i-in the same rough area as the Puppet, tucked away here." Phil pointed. "M-Most of the time, he's left turned off u-unless Sid needs him. I-I guess he prefers to rely on the Puppet."

"That's not surprisin'. We can rig together a signal suppressor to give to you beforehand," said Freddy. "It effectively prevents an AI from transmittin' its signal from the core."

"Yes, I can recall your handiwork with my own," said Goldie. "I advise you wait until we are about commence our operation, in case anybody finds and dismantles it."

"S-So all I have to do is head down to where the Puppet likes t-to hang out and stick it on the core o-of a crazy AI. Sounds great," chuckled Phil nervously.

"Ye'll be just fine, lad," said Foxy. "When will we set sail?"

"Tomorrow night. You'll be joining me in the digital realm, separately from the others and we'll run through simulations in a reconstruction of the factory to prepare you."

"Isn't that a little soon?" asked Freddy.

"Perhaps, but I'd rather not dawdle. While I'm almost certain Sid won't act against us while our arrangement stands, he doesn't have limitless patience. I'd rather strike sooner rather than later, while we have the element of surprise."

Chica glanced up fearfully. "But… what if we're not ready?"

"Hey, come on, Cheeks." Bonnie placed an arm around her. "We've already done worse than this. We'll bring this whole thing down, just wait."

"Yes. Yes, you're right." She clenched her fist. "We'll stop him. For good."

"What about them?" Foxy looked at the new synths. "Aren't they joinin' us too?"

"I'd rather keep them out of the firing line for the moment. Remember, we're supposed to be keeping them here as part of our arrangement with Sid. If all of us leave at once, it'll look too suspicious and might tip him off. During the day tomorrow, you all stagger the times you leave one at a time to be in position for when the plan goes into motion."

Bonnie shrugged. "If you say so, but you're the one telling the Goth fox she's gonna have to miss out on beating up the Puppet."

"Fair enough. Sadly, gentlemen," she added to Jeremy and Mike, "I'm going to have to ask the two of you to remain here with me and the new synths. I don't want either of you exposed to unnecessary harm."

"Fine by me. I'm not exactly keen to get up close and personal with the Puppet again," said Jeremy. "We'll keep an eye on you here. Just so long as we get a shot at Hawthorne too."

"I'll make certain of it. Once we get the Puppet, he'll have all the information we need. Not just for stopping Sid, but finding out what happened to the fragments and what he plans to use them for. Once we get them, we can set them free."

"Wait a sec, what do you mean 'set them free'?" asked Bonnie. "Can't we just put them back together or something?"

Jeremy sat up a little straighter. "Hold on, you could do that?"

Goldie was quiet for a long time before she replied.

"No, I'm afraid I can't. Nobody could."

"But why not? I mean, look at you guys. From what I understand, Freddy is pretty much made in the image of your creator. Why couldn't you do something like that with these kids?"

Freddy shook his head sadly. "In his image, yes, Jeremy. However, I am not Fred Fitzbar, nor would I like to think I am. Even then, my mind is only based from the foundation of his, not a direct copy."

"But you said that these fragments are pulled straight from their heads! Maybe they can be reconstructed or something. We do that, we give make them new bodies and they're back. Are you seriously telling me that's not possible?"

"I am. These aren't whole personalities we're talking about or complete minds. They are fragments, pieces of a whole that no longer exist."

"But they remember things! Billy's remembered his name and Susie, he was aware!"

"Billy's fragment was the most mild of a bad scenario. But all of them, including his, are the same: in pain. Suffering, alone and frightened. The kindest thing we can do for them is to end their misery."

"Hold up, you're talking about killing them," said Bonnie. "Like actually, that's what you mean. We're not even going to try and help them?"

"Aye, that doesn't seem right," agreed Foxy. "Just because they're hurtin' doesn't mean they're beyond hope."

"Yeah, exactly! Maybe if we get them and work at it, we can bring them back or something. We can't just give up on them!"

"I'm not so certain it's a question of givin' up," said Freddy. "Rather, it's a question whether they can be helped at all. No doubt you recall the turmoil these fragments placed our newest counterparts through."

"That wasn't their fault. They didn't ask for any of this to happen," countered Bonnie. "They're just kids! Haven't they been through enough?"

Freddy held up his hands. "I'm not blamin' them for what happened. But as Goldie explained to us, they wouldn't have been able to keep themselves intact if they had supplanted the minds of those they were trapped within."

"When they were mixed up in there, aye. But now we've got 'em out, we can help!" Foxy was on his feet. "Make 'em better, heal their hurt! There's gotta be a way!"

"That's what I'm saying!" Jeremy looked at Chica. "You get it, right?"

"I… I don't know," she murmured. "They're… they're dead. Those children, they're dead. W-We found them, when they were…"

"Yeah, but they're not now. There's parts of them that are alive and they have a chance!" He looked back at Goldie. "Has anything like this ever happened before?"

A beat of hesitation. "No."

"Then how do you know for sure that there's no chance of helping them?"

"I know, Jeremy. Trust me on that, this isn't-"

"No, no, I'm not buying it," he snapped. "Just because you think you know all the answers doesn't mean you actually do."

Silence followed his declaration. All of them waited on Goldie's answer.

"You're right," she admitted. "I don't know all of the answers. But I can make the best conclusions based on what I know. I spent a long time analysing those fragments. There may be faint traces of their personalities or memories in there, but that's all they are. They're raw, compartmentalised emotion, drawn from the children at the exact moment of their deaths, reliving those sensations over and over again."

"But we can help them!" His voice was shaking now. "There has to be a way."

"I'm sorry, Jeremy, I truly am. What you're asking, it's like trying to recreate the only copy of a book based on one torn page. Maybe, just maybe, you'd get the general idea right, but you'd never have it exactly as it was. There's nothing else to reference, just that one piece and even then, the letters are smudged and only just legible. Your brother is gone, Jeremy. They all are. What's left is just an incomplete, broken echo. All we can do now is make sure the man who did this pays for his crimes and put them to rest."

Even Mike could feel the pain in Jeremy's expression. He bowed his head and stalked out of the room, people moving to get out of his way. Mike started after him, but was stopped by Freddy.

"Give him a moment, son. It's a harsh thing, to raise your hopes only to have them dashed," he murmured.

"Yeah, it's pretty rough," agreed Phil. "A-Anyway, if that's all for now, I-I'd better get back. If we're gonna set this thing in motion, I need to make sure everything's in position. G-Good luck, guys. See you around."

With a small wave, he exited the Fun Palace. Mike watched him go, then looked at Goldie. The others all did as well.

"Okay," said Bonnie, "are we gonna talk about-?"

"In a moment. You four, go digital and join me. We need to get started. Mike, I'll be in touch in a moment."

Mike nodded and left them while the other four prepared to join their teacher. He managed to find Jeremy in the security office. He was staring blankly at the security monitor. Mike stood across from him, trying to figure out what to say. Nothing came to mind.

"I'm… I'm sorry," he muttered.

"Yeah, I get a lot of that," replied Jeremy. "It can't be that simple. A piece of my brother, of all those kids, is out there and we're just supposed to leave it at that?"

"I-I don't know. Goldie said-"

"I know what Goldie said, I got that loud and clear." He looked across the monitor at Mike. "What if it was you? If this was someone you cared about, if you thought they were gone and suddenly there was a chance you could get them back, even if it was just a small one. Wouldn't you want to at least try?"

He only held Jeremy's gaze for a brief moment before breaking it. He knew what his answer would be: of course. If it was his mom or dad, any of his friends. Chica… he'd do anything to try and get them back. But if he'd been told that it couldn't work, despite what he might hope…

Mike felt his phone buzz. It was a message from Goldie. A glance at Jeremy told him he'd gotten it too. The heading instructed them to memorise its contents, then delete the message. Mike exchanged a look with Jeremy and they opened them.

Hey everyone!

Well, here we go. It's been a long time coming, I know. But I hope the wait will be worth it. As promised, expect daily uploads of chapters, barring any potential disruptions or unforseen complications. But I don't forsee any major issues.

Be strong, be swift, be just.

Alpha