Borealis Highway

Spring staggered from Vevina's punch, but he didn't stay stunned for very long.

"You're gonna pay for-!" He clutched his head in a scream. "No! No, stop that! You can't do that!"

The Puppet raised his fingers, but they were shaking, like he was having trouble enforcing his control on Spring. There was a metal hissing as the restraints around the Nightmares came loose. They lumbered towards them, teeth bared and claws splayed.

Vevina turned to Billy, but Chica had already scooped him up.

"I've got him, let's go!"

The moment Chica fled, Vevina had to jump back from the sharp hook that swiped across her path. Nightmare Foxy cut across her path, his maw snapping hungrily. Before she could even think of fighting back, Freddy and Foxy barged into it, knocking it aside.

Vevina went to run but felt something cling on to her leg. One of the Freddles scuttled up, little eyes alive with malice. Another jumped onto her arm while a third latched onto her back, trying to strangle her from behind.

"Get… off me!" She slammed the one onto her leg into the wall and it fell off. She yanked the one on her arm with her free hand away and tossed it at Nightmare Bonnie. She went to grab the one on her back, but yelled when it bit her shoulder. "Cheeky little fuck!"

The pressure suddenly left and she saw Foxy, having pulled the tiny bear off and kicked it away. There was no sign of Freddy.

"Told him ta head fer the truck," he said. "We oughta make ourselves scarce."

But their exit was blocked by the papa of the Freddles. Nightmare Freddy swiped with his claws, which they both ducked under. The other Nightmares were coming up behind them. Vevina spotted the door to their left was clear. It lead back to the factory, where there should be…

She pulled Foxy as she ran and he was soon sprinting beside her. They darted back through the factory. Bots with yellow eyes fought those with white eyes, neither side giving them any attention as they passed. They charged straight for the crude covering that had been placed over the hole and dived right through.

They heard a horn honk. The truck was pulling up around the side, admittedly rather jerkily. Freddy was in the driver's seat and looked to be figuring out how it was supposed to work. Billy was gesturing frantically to them.

"Coming!" she bellowed. "Let's move it!"

"Right with ya. Look out!"

Nightmare Foxy shot through the hole and slammed into the side of the truck, causing it to jolt. He dug his claw into the door, trying to tear it off.

"Oi! Stop puttin' holes in my truck!" Foxy shouted and decked the monster in the face.

It recoiled but didn't fall. It snapped at his head with its jaws, narrowly missing his head. Vevina charged, hitting it at the same time as Foxy and sending it to the ground. But the Nightmare wasn't down for long and it looked like the others were coming to join them.

"Just go!" Vevina yelled. "We'll be right behind you! Get Billy out of here!"

Freddy looked like he'd heard them. He hesitated, but nodded. A moment of fiddling later and the truck shot off. The two fox synths sprinted behind it as it tore through the factory gates, tires screeching as it made a turn right. It was still late and the streets were relatively quiet, so they wouldn't have much bother with other cars.

"We can't keep runnin' on foot, Vev!" Foxy yelled.

Vevina glanced over her shoulder. "Doesn't seem to be stopping him!"

Nightmare Foxy was sprinting for them, the Freddles hanging onto his back. Good god he was fast! They needed some way to keep up without tiring themselves out. If they had another vehicle…

She spotted signs of life up ahead as they sprinted. A man on a motorbike, attempting to press his advances on a woman who looked like she very much wanted to be left alone.

"… away from me!" the woman was saying.

"Come on, babe, you know you wanna go for a ride." The man on the bike grinned unpleasantly. "I promise to show you a good time."

Vevina got an idea. "How about me instead?"

The man didn't have time to respond before she shoved him off his bike. She looked over it. This would be easy enough. The engine was already on, she just had to make it go.

"Lass, what are ye doin'?!" Foxy had caught up.

"What does it look like? Getting us out of here! Now get on!"

"But-"

"Now!"

Foxy started to argue, but he climbed on. Vevina tried to ignore how much her face was burning from having him so close, even more so when he wrapped his arms around her.

"Watch where you put your hands," she snapped.

He barked a laugh. "I'm a pirate, lass, not a pervert."

"Hey, what's the big idea?!" The man was back on his feet. The woman looked like she'd already made herself scarce. "What do you think you're-?"

Vevina cut him off by grabbing his shirt lapel and yanking him forward. "Tell me how to start this thing, now!"

"Or what? You think I'm just gonna you ride off with my own bike?!"

"No, but you're going to want to start running in a mo."

A loud roar echoed from up the street. Nightmare Foxy was barrelling towards them, the Freddles hissing and screeching on his back.

The man stared wide-eyed before speaking rapidly. "I-It's already on! Just twist the handle there, the bit in front of that is the brake and keep your hand off the clutch! Th-The other one on that handle, just there, now let me go, please!"

"Cheers." Vevina released him and twisted the handle. She grinned when it revved. "Hold tight, captain!"

The moment she released the clutch, she had to keep a tight hold as they suddenly zoomed forward. They wobbled a bit, but she was able to keep it righted. Ignoring the honking of nearby cars and Foxy's yelling, she pulled out into traffic and took off after the truck. It had slowed ahead, but started again when they began to catch up.

Vevina had to take a moment to revel in the sensation of the bike. This felt amazing! To move at such speeds, feeling the wind as it rushed past her. She had to get herself one of these.

That was one problem solved. But they still had another which she could see in the rear view mirror, now lowering on all fours and gaining rapidly.

The others had escaped. That was the important thing. Now, he had to get the Cuckoo under control. The Puppet knew he would be challenging, but that wouldn't deter him. He was struggling under the assault of his strings, fighting back at every turn.

"You… you little cheater!" The Cuckoo snarled. "We're supposed… to be pals!"

"You are not my pal." The Puppet reached up and tore off his mask. "You are nobody's pal. Your plan is wrong. You are wrong. I will stop you."

"Oh yeah?" He snapped his head up, the fixed grin leering. "Try it, Puppy-boy!"

A tremendous surge of mental energy forced the Puppet out of the Cuckoo's head. He physically staggered from the sudden strength of it. He tried to get back in, but it was virtually impenetrable. The Cuckoo shouldn't be this strong. How was he doing this?

"Surprised?" He had righted himself. "Well, that's just the start of it!"

His legs tensed and he bounded towards the Puppet, twisting in the air to kick. The Puppet arced his back in a way no human could ever do, slipping under it. He turned to see the Cuckoo bounce off the wall and tackle into him with his shoulder. He slammed the Puppet to the ground, pinning him and raised his fists.

The Puppet was able to wriggle out from his grasp, mere seconds before the blow cracked the ground. He scrambled away from the Cuckoo, ordering his Toy-Bots to attack. Not all of them were under his control. The Cuckoo had already managed to spread to a number of them, but he could still fight back. They jumped at the Cuckoo, outnumbering him ten-to-one.

"Ooh now this is what I like!" He crushed one of them in his hands and swung it like a club. "Come on, let's go!"

He bounded out of the circle they'd surrounded him in, landing on two more and reducing them to pieces. But he was distracted. If the Puppet could just get close enough to apply direct control, he could still stop him.

A snarl behind him warned him to move. He just got out of the path of the Monster Rabbit's claws. He tried to place it in his strings, but was once again blocked out. He backed away from it, surrounding himself with other Toy-Bots but it was already tearing through them in a bid to get to him.

He turned to flee, but his exit was cut off. It was Her. A massive, monstrous, hulking form of Her. The jaw on Her head was wide open, but a second was opening in Her stomach. She was coming, coming for him.

The Puppet turned and twisted himself around the She-Monster when She tried to grab him. He made for the exit, but the Monster Chicken blocked his way. He backed away, knowing the stairs were behind him. His Master's office. Perhaps he could activate security, stay inside until he regained control.

But his chances to do that seemed to be getting smaller. The Toy-Bots he had under his control were steadily dwindling. Those that weren't being controlled by the Cuckoo were either destroyed by his Toy-Bots or by the Monsters, who barely seemed fazed by them.

"Oh Puppy-boy!" The Cuckoo was prancing towards him. "Don't leave now. We were just starting to have some fun! I wanted to show you something special I made, just for you."

The Puppet didn't answer. He checked to see that some of his last remaining Toy-Bots were occupying the upper floor. With no other way to escape, it looked like this was his only chance. Maybe there he could concentrate better, find another way around whatever the Cuckoo had done to lock him out.

Scrambling up the stairs, he ordered his last dozen Toy-Bots to cover his retreat. They did so and he knew that but it didn't matter. He could make more. He just had to get control back.

He reached the office and activated the lockdown. The security doors slammed into place. He felt a momentary relief until he heard something heavy smash into it. He checked the camera. The Monster Bear was at the left door, hammering at the metal with its balled fists. A quick glance showed that the others were on their way too. They wouldn't hold them for long.

"Not gonna lie, Puppy-boy. This stings, it really does." The Cuckoo's voice came over the announcement system. "After everything I did for you, everything I was going to do, this is how you say thanks? I thought you were different, but you're just like all the rest. Why does this always happen? Why does everybody always leave me?!"

Again, the Puppet didn't answer. He knew what he would say, but the Cuckoo wouldn't listen. He needed to find another way out.

"But hey, that's okay!" the Cuckoo cackled. "Once we have a nice little talk, I know we can straighten this whole thing out. We'll be there with you, real soon."

The Puppet looked around. Nothing in here would be of any use, unless he wanted to throw his Master's old body at them. That might be funny, but it wouldn't help. He spotted a ventilation shaft in the ceiling. With those Mini-Monsters gone, none of them would be able to fit and he'd locked the Cuckoo out of the cameras.

He carefully removed the grate and managed to climb inside, just as the office doors came crashing down.

"We need ta get outta here!" Foxy shouted over the engine. "That thing'll soon be on top of us!"

"I'm aware of that!" she shot back. "But we can't get to wherever we're going with it on our tail! We need to shake it off!"

She heard a roar that wasn't coming from the engine and swerved the bike, Nightmare Foxy landing on the spot where they had just been.

Now closer to their target, the Freddles leaped off Nightmare Foxy's back and onto the truck. Their little claws dug in, allowing them to scale up the sides. One of them was going for the tyres while the other two made their way to the diver canopy.

"Move us closer! I'll get the lil' devil!"

Vevina was about to when the truck made a sharp turn around the next corner. Leaning in, she turned the bike to move with it. Nightmare Foxy didn't quite move fast enough to slow his momentum and slammed into the shutters of a closed store, denting them. With him gone for now, she fed more speed to close the distance.

Foxy tensed, waiting for the right moment. He tried to grab the Freddle but it scuttled away from his swing. It hissed at Foxy.

"Aye, blast ye too! Get me closer, Vev!"

"I'm trying, quit being a backseat sailor!"

She angled the bike a little more, Foxy preparing to try his luck again. The Freddle was about to sink its teeth into the tyre. They managed to graze it, just as plucked it off. It struggled frantically in his grasp, enough that he dropped it. It tumbled down the road, leaving bits of itself behind.

The other two paid no mind to the demise of their friend. One of them was already at the window, banging on the glass. The door opened and out came Chica. She looked nervous, but that didn't stop her from shakily climbing on top of the truck. Billy's arm shot out to quickly shut the door behind her.

"Come and get me then!"

The Freddles answered her challenge, rapidly scuttling to get after her. She ducked under one when it jumped for her head, kicking away the other when it charged. But they weren't deterred and came after her together. She tried to kick the other, but it ran past her leg and latched on when it came back down. She tried to get it off, but the other one got on while she was distracted. The first bit into her side while the other chomped on her shoulder.

"Chica! Hold on, lass!"

Before Vevina could stop him, Foxy jumped from the back of the bike and onto the side of the truck. He dug his hook into the side, using it to haul himself on top. Chica had just managed to yank one of them off while he grabbed the other.

"Little monster!" She threw it down and crushed it with her foot, kicking its remains off the back. "Rather a dramatic entrance, Foxy."

"Pirate's prerogative. Are ye hurt?"

"Nothing too bad, I'll be fine." She glanced back down the road and gasped. "Oh no, he's back again!"

Vevina heard it as well. Nightmare Foxy was coming, pelting towards them like a bat out of hell. He'd be on them in seconds. They had to shake him off for good if they were ever going to get away.

Another idea came to her.

"Oi!" she shouted. "Get the back of the truck ready to open!"

Foxy met her eye. He looked confused, but he didn't question it. He motioned towards Chica and scaled down the back of the truck. He kicked at the lock until it swung open, moving inside before kicking open the other door. He helped Chica down inside the back and looked to Vevina.

She was already lining herself up with the opening of the truck, getting as close as possible. She looked in the rear mirror. Nightmare Foxy was almost upon them. He wasn't slowing down. Just like she hoped he wouldn't.

"Come on then, lass!"

"Not yet!" she barked back. "Just wait!"

Those thundering footfalls were getting closer. She could almost feel it breathing down her neck. Her legs coiled like springs, slowly moving them up the bike to crouch on top of it. A little bit of wobble, but she righted it. She glanced at the mirror again. That snarling face practically filled the whole thing.

"Come on," she whispered. "Just try it, come on."

Then it happened. Nightmare Foxy pounced. At the same time, Vevina jumped off the bike. There was a strangled yelp and a loud crash behind her, but she didn't look back. Hands outstretched, she grasped hold of Chica's and Foxy's. Together, they hauled her inside the truck's canopy, falling into the back together.

Breathing heavily, Vevina looked over her shoulder and grinned at the sight. Nightmare Foxy had smacked into the bike as it had rolled over when she jumped off. They crashed and tumbled down the road, the bike skidding in a mess of broken metal. The Nightmare scraped along the asphalt, coming to a stop in the middle. He didn't get back up.

"OH YES!" she cheered. "Did you see that?!"

"Aye, now that's a sight ta see!" Foxy frowned. "Hope that feller won't be too angry about his bike."

"He can sue me." She wrapped Foxy in a hug. "That was fucking brilliant! Holy fuck, that jump you did!"

"Yer one ta talk, Vev!" he chuckled, patting her back. "Now that's cap'n material if I ever saw it."

"Yer damn right it was."

She pulled back, looking into his face. There was that smile again and there was that fuzzy feeling. Right now, she couldn't be happier that it was there.

"Ahem." Chica had a knowing smile on her face. "Do you two need a moment?"

Vevina realised she was still holding onto Foxy and quickly let go, feeling her face grow warm. Foxy laughed, his own face turning a shade of blue while Chica tittered. She looked back down the road, her expression turning forlorn.

"I can't believe Spring put the fragments of the children into those… things…" She closed her eyes and took a shaky breath. "One more reason that we need to stop him."

"That be true," murmured Foxy. "What about the Puppet? Reckon he'll be alright?"

"Doesn't matter," said Vevina. "He's made his choice."

"Oh Puppy-boy! Where've you gone? Come on, buddy. You know we'll find you."

The Puppet ignored the Cuckoo's voice, echoing all across the factory. While it was unlikely that anything they had would be able to fit in the vents, he still made an effort to be quiet.

Using the cameras to keep an eye on the placement of the Monsters and the Cuckoo, his mind went through his options. He knew he could easily use the vents to escape through any avenue, but they could also serve another purpose. Ambush. He just had to find wherever the Cuckoo was in the factory and drop on top of him while he wasn't looking. Once he was directly connected, he'd have a better chance of stopping him.

Perhaps it would be better to run, but it was more than just stopping the Cuckoo. He'd already lost to one inferior AI. He wasn't going to let the same happen with this one. This would show Her. He would save them all.

The Puppet searched for the Cuckoo on the cameras. He seemed to be moving around the lower areas of the factory on the first floor, looking for him with his Monsters and the few Toy-Bots he'd been able to control. The rest had all been broken. The Puppet was on his own. But that was fine. That would just make the moment he won even more impressive.

He stopped when he heard growling. The Monster Rabbit was moving beneath him. It pushed aside boxes and debris, searching for the Puppet. He briefly wondered which of the Others was trapped inside of it. But it didn't matter. He'd set them all free, send them back to the Silence. That would make everything better.

He considered trying to attach his strings directly to the Monster, but decided against it. If it didn't work, he'd only give himself away and get caught. Better to take out the Cuckoo and worry about them later. He waited until it had passed before moving on.

Eventually, he found a spot where he would cross paths with the Cuckoo. He was moving down the right hallway, alone. It would bring him right underneath a vent where the Puppet could finally bring an end to this. He prepared the connectors in his hands, waiting.

He checked the camera. The Cuckoo had stopped to check in a corner. He started down the hall, but stopped when a Toy-Bot crossed his path. He took out his frustration on it, smashing it to pieces, then starting again. Just a few more steps… he lowered himself into position, moving his foot to push the grate open. A little bit closer…

An odd chittering noise met his ears. He looked in the direction of the sound, in time to see something small and pink with sharp teeth dive at his face.

The Puppet caught the Cupcake, holding it while it snapped at him. But he felt himself drop. The grate burst open and he fell, right in front of the Cuckoo.

"There you are!" The Cuckoo grabbed him before he could get away. "Good thing Nightmare Chica here has her little buddy, huh?"

The Cupcake returned to its mistress who let out a demonic squawk at the Puppet. The Cuckoo shoved the Puppet into the waiting arms of the Monster Bear, who squeezed tightly, giving him no room to struggle free.

"So, this is what you look like without your mask," the Cuckoo said. "Not gonna lie, I can see why you wore it. You could make someone blind with how shiny that head is!"

"You cannot win," said the Puppet. "You will not win."

"Huh? That's funny, 'cause I'm pretty sure I already have." He tittered, then suddenly stopped to lean into the Puppet's face. "Just remember, pal: what happens next is all on you. But don't worry, you're still gonna join in on the party!"

"No. I will not give Silence to those who do not deserve it."

The Cuckoo backhanded him. "What have I told you about telling me what…?! You know what? It's fine. Because now, you're gonna be the one who'll do as your told. I said I made something special for you."

He stepped aside to reveal another suit, marching stiffly towards them. A bear with lifeless, vacant eyes, matched by its equally lifeless grey synthetic fur. In fact, only one of the eyes seemed to be able to 'see'. The other was nothing but a black, featureless orb. The only parts with colour, the hat, bow-tie and some of the joints, seemed to have their vibrancy drained in comparison.

"See, here's the thing. These Nightmares, they're really useful. They're the reason you got kicked out when you came a-knocking." He rapped the side of his head. "But they're also really… well, let's just say they really need some work to keep 'em in place. I'm having to focus on that so they don't do something really crazy, so I can't really control the bots much. But I figured you could do that for me and I realised you didn't have your own suit like the rest of us do. So I made you this one! It's gonna make sure you have the best time, whether you want to or not."

The bear stepped closer. Its chest opened up, a series of metal claws on tendrils emerging from within. They snapped and grabbed while the Monster Bear shoved him towards it. He only had a brief moment to struggle before the claws grasped hold of him and pulled him inside.

Yellowscar1: Yeah it was fun to bring him over. As to your idea, feel free to message. I'll say right now that I consider this the last of the Synthetic Saga stories though.

Arc of Carona: Things will continue to go down and thank you! I'm quite happy with their incorporation.