Moment to Breathe

"There we are," said Theodore, hammering the last board into place. "Not too shabby, if I do say so myself."

"I'll say!" agreed Hermana. "I can't even feel a lick of wind through anymore."

"I told you that it was worth the time to precisely measure the size of the breaches, didn't I?" he chuckled. "They're far from aesthetically pleasing, but it's better than having a gaping hole where the wall and window used to be. Though we wouldn't have this problem if you'd been more careful, Clyde."

"Sorry." He looked up from sweeping the glass. "The next time I'm punched by a giant monster robot, I'll try to aim for the door."

"See that you do. Ah, so you managed to clear away all of the shards? I'm frankly surprised you deigned to exert that much of an effort."

"Don't get too excited, Ted. I only did it because it was easier compared to what you were doing."

"Hmph! Still a lazy layabout."

"Still a pompous prat."

The two glared harshly at each other for a moment. Then they broke out into a bout of laughter. They both yelped in surprise when Hermana pulled them into a one-armed hug.

"Look at you two! My boys, gettin' along and havin' fun. I'm so proud!"

Theodore pulled himself free. "Excuse me, we are not your boys. We are men, our own men, aren't we, Clyde?"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever you say, Ted," he shrugged.

"Doesn't matter." Hermana beamed at them. "You're still my boys and I'm still proud of ya!"

"Very well, amuse yourself how you wish." Theodore took a seat in an armchair, while the other two rested on the couch. "Though really and I never thought that I would say this, but it should be Clyde that we're the most proud of."

"I know, right?!" Hermana looked excitedly at him. "You broke free! I mean, you actually broke free without Goldie! That's amazin'! I can't believe it!"

"Having trouble believing it myself," he said. "It was so weird. It felt like… I don't know. Like something else gave me the strength I needed. I can't describe it."

"Well, whatever it was, it sure did the job." Hermana let out a peal of delighted giggles. "Oh, I wish I coulda seen when you tossed that creep right through the window. Kick-Star, back in action, hiyah!"

"You know it! Oh, I wish I actually did kick him now. Can you imagine? Just grab him and bam!" He slapped his fist into his palm. "Teach him to try and mess with me!"

"Yeah, gettin' fired up! I like it!" Hermana said. "Vev'll be so proud when she hears about this!"

"You think?"

"Of course! You know she's all about that kind of stuff."

Clyde's smile grew a little brighter. "Yeah, I didn't think about that. Thanks, Skater Girl."

He accepted her one-armed hug and fist bump, the two of them exchanging a genuine smile.

"Yes, all very good. I'm just sorry I couldn't have been more of a help." Theodore chuckled awkwardly. "First to fall to his influence. Somehow fitting, isn't it?"

"Ted, come on. That wasn't on you. Neither of us saw that coming." He looked down at the floor. "Sorry that I… you know, ran."

"If you hadn't, I'd wager you would have been captured as well. If anything, you should have stayed." Theodore gave a cheeky smile. "Might have been rescued a lot sooner, eh?"

Clyde laughed a little, then frowned. "Hold on. That… that was a joke. Like, an actual funny joke. You just made a joke. Hermy, hold him down, he's obviously still being controlled."

"Oh no! Quick, grab him!"

"Now wait a moment here-!" Theodore yelped as Hermana yanked him up and Clyde got him in a headlock, giving his head a noogie. "I say, stop that!"

Clyde laughed. "Sorry Ted, this is the only way to free you."

"Go on, get lost ya lanky creep!" yelled Hermana.

"That will do!" He managed to pull himself free and patted down his hair. "That's quite enough of that, thank you."

"There we go. All back to normal." Clyde dusted off his hands. "Good work, Hermy."

"You too, Clyde."

Theodore harrumphed as the two of them laughed, but chuckled along with them after a moment. Hermana suddenly stopped.

"Ooh, speakin' of work, I gotta be somewhere. You two promise not to start fightin' while I'm gone?"

"You'll be the first to know," said Theodore.

She waved and stepped out the front door to see the other synth in their company. Bonnie was gathering up any bots and their parts before destroying them. Goldie had already taken a few parts she felt might be useful. While it wouldn't be likely the Puppet would return, it was better not let him have any kind of edge, just in case.

"Hey Bon!" she greeted. "Need some help?"

"Yeah, that'd be great. Smashing these guys is fun, but it takes it out of you," she said.

"Sure thing!" Hermana started scooping up bot parts. "Maybe we should get a giant microwave, blow 'em all up in that."

Bonnie snickered. "Sounds fun, but we've only got the one and we've wrecked enough of this place as is."

Hermana conceded that point with a giggle. They spent a few minutes working in silence before Hermana spoke again.

"You holdin' up okay?"

"Yeah, I think so. That Nightmare thing really did a number." She rolled and cricked her neck. "You good?"

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. Nothin' that hasn't happened to me before, ya know."

"It still shouldn't have. I can't believe that freak got into your heads again. If I'd been here-"

"Don't worry, Bon. You were in the end and that's what matters." She held out her arms. "Am I good?"

"Yeah, you're good." Bonnie accepted her hug. "You sure you're okay?"

"Fine, totally fine, it's fine." Hermana paused to consider. "I mean… I guess it was pretty frightenin'. When I could feel him, creepin' back, I really thought that I'd…" She trembled slightly. "Sorry, bein' stupid."

"No, you're not. Look, it's… it's okay to be afraid. I… I was too," she admitted quietly. "But hey, look what happened. We kicked their asses and sent them running."

"Yeah we did! Just too bad I didn't get to see you at your best."

Bonnie scoffed. "Please, I'm always at my best."

"Yeah, you are."

They gazed at one another for a moment. Bonnie realised that they were still embracing and let go, her cheeks flushed blue. But she was still smiling.

"So uh," she said, clearing her throat, "glad you're alright. If uh… if you need anything-"

"Actually, there was somethin'." Hermana's arms went behind her back, but she didn't look away. "After all this is over, do you wanna get dinner?"

"Huh? But… we don't need to eat," said Bonnie.

"I know. But we can still get dinner. You and me."

"But… wait… get dinner, as in…?" Bonnie's eyes widened and the blush deepened. "Y-You mean, you want to-?"

"Yep."

"With… with me?"

"Yep!" Now, Hermana looked away. "You don't have to if you don't wanna, but I just thought that-"

"No, no. I just… well, I thought had a thing for Foxy."

"Yeah, he's pretty cute but I figured he's also pretty clueless. Guys, right?"

"Yeah," she murmured. "Okay. I mean… I don't know. I-I've never really done uh, that kind of stuff. You know, dating. That's always been Chica's thing."

"That's okay. Like I said, you don't have to if you don't wanna."

"I mean…" Bonnie shuffled her feet. "So uh… look, maybe not dinner but… I-I guess we could hang out sometime?"

"You and me?"

"Yeah. Y-You and me. But none of the mushy stuff!" she said quickly. "No hand-holding or kissing or whatever! Just… just hanging out."

"Fine by me!" she chirped. "Whatever we do, I just wanna make sure we both have fun. Sound good?"

Bonnie relaxed a little and smiled. "Yeah. Yeah, actually it does."

"Yay! It's a date! Oh no, sorry, we're hanging out. Right?"

"Right. But um…" Bonnie's voice could only just be heard. "I-I guess it's a date as well."

Hermana squealed with joy. She managed to refrain from hugging Bonnie, but jumped up and down on the spot, a massive grin on her face. Bonnie couldn't help it. She grinned too.

Lidiya had been scouring around for other potential tools to use for repairs when she'd found it. It was the only room they hadn't looked at, straight ahead from the central control room. It came out into a chamber with a glass viewing room. The machinery was lifeless and dead. It was dark, but not dark enough that she couldn't see what lay beyond the glass.

It was a chair, with what she recognised as a brain mapping device attached to the head. Black cables ran from the device to a series of monitors and receiving stations. The chair had restraints around the chest area, arms and where the legs would go.

This must be it. This must be where it happened.

She stood there, staring for… she didn't know how long for. She could faintly feel her hands trembling, a violent churning in the recesses of her stomach. She'd never witnessed the process taking place, but she knew the basics from file. About the stresses it could put on the mind of an adult. About how it should never be used on children.

"If you were curious, I checked the security footage. All wiped I'm afraid," said Goldie's voice over the speaker system.

"I wasn't." She glared up. "I assume you're probably going to find some way to blame me for that too."

She didn't respond immediately. "Actually, I wanted to say that I'm sorry. You're right. I wasn't fair to you and I shouldn't have directed my frustration at you. What happened wasn't your fault."

"Really? So I'm not culpable in his crimes? You're sure you never want to let me forget it?"

"That was… that was uncalled for," she admitted. "It's no excuse, but I was angry and you were an easy target. That was… wrong of me. I'm sorry. It wasn't too long ago when I was in a similar position to yourself."

"What, trapped in a world turned upside down?"

"In a manner of speaking." She went quiet. "Sid manipulated me as well. He made me think that I was going to be tossed aside when the synths were completed. I wouldn't be needed anymore. I acted and I paid the price for it. Worse, he left something in my head that turned me into a tool for his own ends. When that recording hinted about a body of my own, I thought that it would finally put those old fears to rest. That Fred hadn't forgotten about me. That he wanted me to..."

She trailed off as her voice tremored. Lidiya was still angry, but hearing the way she spoke about this, she felt like she could begin to understand. To almost have something that you wanted for so long, only to have it snatched out of your reach again…

She'd felt like that. So many unpaid internships resulting in nothing or sub-standard, unfulfilling work that made her feel like she'd wasted her time and money at college. When this offer had come through, when she learned what it meant for her, she could hardly believe it. She'd finally been recognised for her talent and skills, would get to use them in something truly extraordinary.

And now look what had happened. Of course she was angry. Lidiya had been and she knew who to direct it at.

"Look," she said, "I understand. I'm not excusing what you said to me, but I understand. I'm not expecting us to be friends, but if I'm going to work with you, we can't be at each other's throats. We know who's responsible for this and we can bring him down if we work together. Can we agree on that?"

"I'd say that sounds more than fair."

"Then we're agreed," she replied. "For the record though, I am sorry about what happened to your body. I can tell it really meant a lot to you."

"It did. Even more so that it came from him. I really thought that he'd forgotten about me. At least now, I know he never did." She sighed. "Funny how that works out, isn't it?"

"That's one way of putting it." She looked back at the chair. "Children. He did this to children. Just… I'm going to make him pay, I swear."

"Join the club, we've got jackets." Silence passed between them for a moment. "By the way, I never said: thank you for what you did earlier. If you hadn't been able to establish that connection, I wouldn't have been able to lift the lockdown. You're very good."

"I have my moments. I'll be honest, I was kind of winging it towards the end but it worked out."

"If that isn't a fitting metaphor for life in general, I don't know what is," she remarked. "If you want, you can take a break. With this new bot body, I can actually do some of the repairs on this springlock suit."

"No, it's fine. I do better when I've got something to focus on." She turned her back on the room and returned to the main work area. "You think we'll need to use this thing again?"

"Unfortunately, yes. If I know Jeremy, he won't want to miss out on what's to come. I managed to find the other one you mentioned," she added. "I thought Mike might want to have the option. I've managed to get it up and running, but if you could go over it to be certain I didn't miss anything, that'd be appreciated."

"Already on it." She grabbed a wrench and started examining the suit. "It's weird. The Mike I knew would never have gotten involved in a fight if his life depended on it."

"I would have thought the same, but he's often surprised me."

"Yeah." She paused. "Look, I know you've talked about what happened between us at college. I just want to say-"

The bot Goldie was controlling raised a hand. "Whatever happened, that's between the two of you. I can hardly judge on having made sound decisions when caught up in my emotions."

"Okay. Good. Let's get back to it then." She returned to the desk and brought up the coding for Spring's Purge virus. "Almost done, thank god. Would have been easier to do if his mental development had been consistent. I just don't understand what went wrong here. Look at this." She held up the files. "One day, he's coming along fine. The next, it's like parts of his mind decided to shut off."

Goldie took the files. "Yes, Theodore mentioned something like that. Now that I look at it, it is rather strange and there's no real reason given for it. Just something about potential degradation."

"See, that doesn't seem completely right. That would imply it happened on its own, which it could have. But to me… I can't be sure, but it looks more like somebody did this deliberately. Like they were trying to alter the programme but didn't do a good job of it."

"Is it possible to reverse it?"

"I don't think so. It looks like they tried to work their way back from one of the foundation blocks of his neural paths, but ended up damaging it permanently. Even worse, it caused a small cascade that spread to other parts of his mind. Looks like it was contained, but only just. If you could get whoever served as the basis for his mind, that would be a start. Even then, there'd be no easy fix. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," replied Goldie. "I know it sounds foolish to say, given all that he's done. I just… I hope that there might still be a chance, even a small one."

Lidiya was reminded of her old mind-set. In a way, it was true that they were machines. When it came to machines, if something couldn't be fixed or replaced, it was scrapped. But you couldn't do that with a person. With people, you tried to heal them, mentally or physically. Even when it seemed like you should give up, like with terminal conditions or severe mental illness, you still didn't give up. Yet it seemed so easy to consider with Spring, just because of what he was.

"Maybe… maybe we can find another way. Without the Purge virus, I mean. Maybe there's another way we can stop him."

"How long would take us to devise something like that?"

"I don't know. We've only just started, but you never know."

"And in that time, how many people get hurt as a result?" Goldie shook her head. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, Lidiya. But Bonnie was right. I can't let my personal feelings endanger everybody else, including my family. We do we have to do to stop him, whatever it takes."

Lidiya looked at Goldie as she turned and went back to work. She tried to think of something else to say, but nothing came to mind.

Fortunately, Jeremy hadn't suffered any severe injuries. The suit had taken the brunt of the impact on the tree he'd hit, but it had still jostled him enough to knock him out. There was a cut on his head, but that had been bandaged and he was on his feet again after some much needed rest. Now, he was out seeking his fellow former night guard, who seemed to have made himself scarce.

He found Mike upstairs in the children's room. He was sitting on the bed, looking down at the Freddy Fazbear plush in his hands. He didn't say anything when Jeremy came into the room and sat on the bed next to him.

"So, that happened," he said.

"Yeah. Cornered and almost killed. Again."

"You mean it's happened more than once? I mean, before today?"

Mike started listing off on his fingers. "Almost stabbed or shot during a break-in. Chased by killer animatronics. Strangled by a crazy AI and again after yesterday. Accused of child murder and thrown in jail."

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm right there with the almost getting shot part." Jeremy shook his head. "I'll give Hawthorne this one thing: we probably should have gotten other jobs."

"Probably. At least you were able to do something about it. Seems like most of the time, I'm just running away and praying this will just be another near-death experience." He laughed suddenly. "Jesus, I just realised how insane that sounds when I say it out loud."

Jeremy laughed too. "I mean, I just fought off a giant killer demon robot in a discount Iron Man suit so I know where you're coming from."

"Freddy Fazbear's, where fantasy and fun come to life," remarked Mike. "Just once though… I'd like to not be the one running. I want to actually turn around and fight, but how do you do that? How do you even fight one of these guys when you're just a human?"

"I managed and hey, Lidiya mentioned that wasn't the only one of those springlock suits. If we dig out the other one, you've got dibs."

"I might take you up on that. Just something to give me a chance…" He sighed and looked at Jeremy. "You doing okay though? I mean, you were right in the thick of it."

"Like you said, what's one more near-death situation, right? There is something though…" He stopped to recall. "I went after them and that thing turned to fight me but… it stopped. It spoke."

"Spoke?" He frowned. "You sure it wasn't just your head?"

"I know how it sounds, but it's true. It happened before I got knocked out. I swear, Mike, it said my name. Like it knew me."

"Okay. I guess with everything else, what's one more thing? But why would it know you? Could it have just been the Puppet?"

"I don't think so. When it did, it acted like it was in pain and lashed out not long after. I don't know." He pressed his head into his hands. "Like you said, this whole thing is crazy."

"To say the least."

They looked up at the sound of frantic footsteps. Clyde came bursting through, looking frantic.

"Guys, we need to get you downstairs. Bonnie's heard something coming up the drive."

"What?" Mike's eyes widened. "Are they back again?"

"Not sure, it looks like another of Hawthorne's trucks. You guys better get below until we know for sure."

They followed him back out, hurrying back down the stairs. Jeremy could see the other synths, taking ready positions outside and the truck, getting closer. But it wasn't even trying to conceal its approach.

Then the horn started sounding. It was a rhythm, like music or as musical as a car horn could manage. It sounded familiar to Jeremy, but he heard Mike's gasp.

"Wait, I know that song." He pushed past Jeremy. "That's the Toreador March!"

"From Carmen? Who's playing that?"

Mike didn't respond, but carried on out the door. Jeremy exchanged a look with Clyde, already starting to get a feeling. They followed him out, where he stood next to Bonnie.

"Oh my god…" she whispered. "Tell me I'm not hearing things."

"You're not. It's them. It's them!" Mike called. "It's the others, they're here! They made it!"

Jeremy's split into a grin when he saw who was driving. Freddy Fazbear, waving and beaming. The passenger door opened before the truck had come to a complete stop. Billy came sprinting out, meeting Hermana part way in tackling hug.

"You're okay!" The boy's face was alive with glee. "You're all okay!"

"That's what I was gonna say!" Hermana scooped him off the floor, holding him tight. "Look at you, all safe and sound!"

"Aye, it was a bit touch and go, but we made it." Vevina let Hermana give her a brief hug. "You all look like you've been through the ringer."

"The same could certainly be said for you." Theodore examined the stained bite on her shoulder. "What on earth did this?"

Vevina laughed. "Would you believe me if I told you it was a demonic robot teddy bear?"

"Sounds about as believable as us fighting a giant demonic robot rabbit," said Clyde.

"Oh and you fought them off, did you?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

"He did!" Hermana beamed proudly. "And he managed to break the Puppet's control over him too. Not only that, but he also broke a window with the Puppet!"

"Really?" Vevina stared in surprise. "No shit?"

"No faecal matter indeed," replied Theodore. "Believe me, we were all as surprised as you when we were told."

"I reckon you would be." She smiled and offered a fist to bump. "Not bad."

"High praise." He returned it. "Good to see you're okay, Vev."

"Aye and you."

"Hey, don't leave me out." Jeremy joined them, nudging Clyde in the side. "You forget that you had a little bit of help?"

"Yeah, a little bit," said Clyde. "No but seriously, he was a lifesaver in that fight."

"You as well?" Vevina whistled. "Fuck, leave for a few hours and look what we miss out on."

"But how did you fight? You're a human," said Billy.

Jeremy knelt and ruffled his hair. "You just wait and I'll tell you all about it."

"I can't wait." He hugged Jeremy too. "I'm glad you're okay though. Humans break easier than we do."

"Don't I know it," murmured Jeremy.

Meanwhile, it was Chica and Foxy in something of a race to reach Bonnie first. They nearly pushed her to the ground with the force of their combined hug, but she returned it with equal force.

"Guys, guys I'm so sorry," she said. "I tried to make them wait, but everything was all a mess and the truck drove away before I could-"

"Bonnie, stop." Chica cupped her cheek and smiled. "It wasn't your fault. We're all here now, it's okay."

"Aye, but I'm touched," said Foxy with a grin. "Didn't think ye cared that much, Bon."

"Shut up," she muttered, punching his shoulder. "God, it's so good to see you guys."

"You as well.I didn't think we'd ever…" Chica spotted Mike and bolted past Bonnie, lifting him off his feet in the hug she gave him. "Mike! Oh thank goodness, you're okay!"

"That was my line!" He waited until she set him down, grinning. "Oh well, there goes my chance to rescue the damsel in distress."

"Sorry to disappoint," she said before kissing him.

"Oh please, if anybody's the damsel, it's you, Mikey," remarked Bonnie after they broke apart.

"Yeah but…" Mike thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Okay, I can't really argue with that."

"Oh shush." Chica looped his arm through hers and held him close. "You're brave when it matters and I won't let anyone say otherwise."

"Aye, never sell yerself short!" Foxy squeezed him in a one-armed hug. "I don't just make anybody me first mate, ya know."

"I should think not," said Freddy, striding over from the truck. "I'm relieved to see you're all here and well."

"You too, boss." Bonnie bumped her fist against his. "You've gotta tell us how you made it out of there."

"We shall be happy to tell you. However..." His expression became grim. "However, I'm sorry to say that not all of us made it out."

"What do you…?" Mike looked around at them. After a moment, he realised what he meant. "Oh no… Phil? He… he didn't…?"

"No," Chica said shakily. "Spring, he… he used those new synths. They… they just tore him apart, it was…"

Mike pulled her into another hug and held her close. The elated atmosphere of being reunited faded away in the wake of this news.

"Dammit. Just… dammit!" Jeremy shook his head.

"I had him," murmured Mike. "H-He was almost in the truck with us. If I'd just-"

"Mike, no." Chica squeezed him tightly. "Don't blame yourself, please."

"I think perhaps it would be best if we went inside," said Freddy. "That's only the first bit of news we bring. The rest is decidedly more urgent and pressin'."

The tone of his voice suggested that this news wasn't any better than the first part. The group started to return back to the house, foreboding settling in for what was to come.

Arc of Carona: Always good to hear

Yellowscar1: Yeah once I learned about Lefty, I couldn't resist including him in some way. As to your idea, you can do what you like. I'd say just wait and see what happens first, but I won't stop you if you want to go ahead with it.

Guest: Unfortunately even if that were an option, that would only address part of the problem. You'll see what I mean later.