Fire in the Sky
"Guys? Guys are you there?!" Susie was banging on the door to the Fun Palace. "Please, you have to open up!"
There was nothing. Susie slapped the door and almost broke down then and there.
She had no idea what had happened. One moment, it was fine. The next, robots were everywhere. They looked right out of a sci-fi flick. Metal, shining plates. Blank, emotionless faces. Marching in a stuff, mechanical manner. They were rounding people up, crashing down doors and driving them into the centre of town.
But then there the others. The monsters. Twisted, horrific versions of the Freddy Fazbear characters. She'd know them anywhere, anybody in the town would. They were even worse. She hadn't seen what happened if one of them caught you and she wasn't about to find out. They hadn't seen her yet and she planned to keep it that way.
She'd come here because she didn't know where else to go. If a solution to what was happening was anywhere, it would be here. But nobody was answering. Where were they?! She had to get inside. Even if they weren't there, maybe there was something she could use. At the very least she'd have somewhere to hide.
She heard metal footsteps approaching and sounds of struggling. She hid behind a nearby set of trashcans, glimpsing a guy backing away from one of the robots. He was holding a shovel, which he swung at the bot with all his might. The bot caught it and yanked it out of his hands, tossing it to one side. It landed near where Susie was hiding. The man cried out and ran, the bot taking off in pursuit.
She waited until she was sure they were gone and grabbed it. Feeling a little better now she had some kind of weapon, she thought about going to try and help. But no, she told herself. The same thing would probably happen to her. It was better to look inside the Fun Palace. Even so, the man's cries echoed in her ears.
"I'm sorry," she whispered and went back to the door.
She wedged the end of the shovel into the door frame and pushed. The door strained, but it didn't give. She stopped to catch her breath, bracing to try again. More footsteps, coming her way. She pushed as hard she could. Just a little more…!
Yes! The lock broke! She pushed the door open, gently closing it behind her. Looking around, she shoved some tables and chairs against it. Hopefully, they wouldn't come looking for her in here and stick to the streets. The lights were off and the shutters were down. They'd have no reason to come here.
"Guys?" she called out quietly. "Anybody here? Hello?"
Turning on her phone light, she hurried inside, trying to find any sign of life. But there was nobody. The rooms were all empty, even the secret one inside Parts and Services. The old animatronics were still here, but what good would they do?
Susie kicked over a nearby chair, cursing her luck. What was she meant to do now? Hunker down here or take her chances to try and flee? But those bots were everywhere. Where were those synths? Why weren't they here?!
She jumped at a loud bang. It was coming from the door. They'd found her! She held down a scream when the door slammed again. She couldn't fight them. Maybe if she hid, she could find a way to slip past them and back outside.
She scurried behind a stack of decorative presents. She heard the chairs and tables scraping on the ground as the door was finally forced open. Any moment now, she'd hear them coming. Just had to wait for the right moment…
Instead, she heard voices. Very familiar voices that made relief sweep through her.
"… door was broken," said Bonnie. "I think somebody's in here."
"Well they'd better come out, right now!" barked a rough, Irish-accented voice she didn't recognise. "Come on now, we know you're in here!"
"I-I'm here!" she called out, coming out from her hiding place. "It's just me, it's Susie!"
"Sue?" Bonnie's eyes widened. "What are you doing in here?"
"I just…"
The events of the last few minutes suddenly caught up with her. The panic and fear she'd been holding in came spilling out. She ran towards Bonnie, tears cascading down her face and latched onto her.
"Hey, hey, it's okay." Bonnie briefly returned her hug before stepping back. "You're safe now."
"I-I don't know what happened! There were these things, these robots, they're everywhere. Th-They just appeared out of this truck and I… oh god, Wendy! Have you seen Wendy? None of the phones are working and I-!"
"Sue, take a sec," Bonnie said firmly. "Just breathe, breathe. No, I haven't seen Wendy, but we'll keep an eye open for her. We just came to pick up a couple of things. You just stick with us for now, okay?"
Susie nodded, trying to keep herself in check. "O-Okay… okay. I'm sorry, it's just… it happened so fast."
"Keep it together, Susie." The other synth, a pale woman with white hair, fox ears and a tail, offered her a grim smile. "We'll take care of these fuckers."
"I can get behind that." She put together who this had to be. "H-Hey, you're Vevina, right? Nice to see you actually awake."
"And you're the lass who helped to free us." She came up and gripped her shoulder. "Means you've got guts and that makes you alright by me. Thanks."
"Oh!" That brought a smile to Susie's face. "You're uh, you're welcome."
"Grand, now pull yourself together." She patted her shoulder. "Things are shit right now and they're only going to get shittier. But I know you can handle it. You've done it before, you can do it again. Get me?"
"Y-Yes. Wait…" She took a deep breath and tried again. "Yes!"
"There it is!" Vevina slapped her and grinned. "Right, I'm going to get suited up. You grab the rest."
"Already doing it. Come on, Sue."
She followed Bonnie into Parts and Services. She looked around for a moment before getting what she had come for. Susie frowned at the object.
"Isn't that Chica's cupcake?"
"Spare one. The other got smashed, but this should still work fine." She turned to her. "When we're done here, make your way to the road north. We've cleared the way there and we're spreading word. Get yourself to safety. We've got this and we'll find Wendy. I promise."
Susie felt a spike of anxiety at the mention of her girlfriend's name, but Bonnie's words helped to put her at ease. If anybody could do that, it was this woman. She nodded gratefully and Bonnie returned it. They went into Kid's Cove. Vevina seemed to be attaching some kind of mass of metal parts to herself. Susie couldn't help notice that one of the wires went right into her eye.
"You got it?" asked Bonnie.
"Just about…" Vevina looked like she was struggling with one of the clasps. "Actually… you mind?"
"Say no more. Sue, check the others."
Bonnie fastened it in place. Susie adjusted the fastens until Vevina told her it was tight enough. She indicated Susie to stand back when they were finished.
"Okay. How do we get this thing working?" asked Bonnie.
"If that Lidiya lass did things right, I just need to…" She pressed a switch on one of the harness straps.
Almost at once, the whole thing began to writhe. The animatronic head shot up, its yellow eye glowing. Vevina's did too, a broad grin stretching across her face. Arms turned, fingers flexed and the three legs began to find traction. They planted onto the floor like a bizarre tripod, hoisting her up.
Susie gazed on in awe, reminded of the abilities these remarkable people had. Maybe there really was hope.
"Now that's more like it!" she cheered. "Now, time to see who's ready to wrangle…" A metal fist slammed into a metal palm as one of the feet stomped. "…with the Mangle!"
The police career of Officer Maria Wilson had been decidedly dull in Little Borealis. The worst she'd ever had to deal with, up until a certain point, were the occasional rowdy kids and drunken brawls. When those kids had gone missing and then turned up dead, she thought she'd seen the worst of it. How could she not?
But now, the town was under attack. By robots. Jesus Christ, was somebody going to tell her that the events of the Terminator movies were now frighteningly real?
Discharging her firearm for the first time since her training course when she first got it, she stood with her partner James Blake. The man had a frantic look in his eyes, like he was still only comprehending what was going on. She couldn't say she blamed him. This whole thing was insane.
The bot she was firing at just kept coming. The bullets bounced off its metal form, sparking in places but never stopping. Its arms were outstretched like a zombie. She'd seen them already, dragging and herding people somewhere toward the centre of town. She wasn't about to be one of them.
"Oh god, I'm out!" she heard Blake cry. "We've gotta get out of here!"
"Go where? All the roads out of town have been blocked by those trucks!" Her gun clicked on empty. "Jesus, I'm out too!"
"We're gonna die! Oh god, we're gonna die!" whimpered Blake.
"Pull it together!" she snapped. "We're still in this!"
"But what are we supposed to do?!"
Wilson had no answer to that. Nothing seemed to be able to stop them. But like hell if she was going to take this lying down. She drew her nightstick and taser gun, brandishing them both.
Suddenly, something large rammed into the bot and sent it flying. She took a moment to comprehend that it was a man, dressed in a dark brown suit and top hat. The bot attacking Blake was turning as he grabbed the thing and tore its arm off, smacking it like a club. It hadn't even touched the ground before he finished off Wilson's bot by ripping off its head and tossing it away.
"Well, that was invigoratin'." The man had a Southern drawl and spoke like he'd just come back from a nice jog. "Are you alright, officers?"
Wilson had so many questions. Who was this man? What was going on? How had he just done that? Were those bear ears coming out of his head under that hat? Instead, she settled on her immediate response.
"Doing fine, sir. Thanks for the save."
"My pleasure. What's the situation?"
Though he was a total stranger, his calm, reassuring tone meant Wilson actually found herself starting to answer. But she was interrupted.
"H-Hold it right there!" Blake was aiming his taser at the man. "He's one of them, Wilson! I know he is!"
"Jesus Christ, Blake, put that thing down!"
"He just tore those things apart with his bare hands, Mary!" he shrieked. "How can you be just okay with that?!"
"Son." The man had his arms outstretched, his palms open. "I understand that you're frightened. This is a frightenin' situation to be in. But I can assure you, I am not your enemy and every second that you spend believin' that I am, people are in danger and gettin' hurt. Possibly killed. I know I'm askin' a lot, but you have to trust me. I'm here to help."
The taser was quivering in Blake's hands. He didn't look like he was very certain of what to think anymore.
"Jim, listen to me," said Maria. "He's right. Believe me, I'm just as freaked out by this as you. But we've got a job to do and if he can actually do something about these things, I say we let him."
He looked from her, then back at the man. He made a kind of strangled sound in his throat. Then, he lowered the taser.
"There we are," said the man, smiling like a kindly uncle. "On that note, you'd do well to keep that. Sudden bursts of electricity will do more to hurt these bots than your firearms will."
Blake nodded mutely, his lip quivering. Wilson patted his shoulder and looked to the man.
"These things are everywhere. They don't seem to be hurting people, just rounding them up. We've got word from other officers that all the roads in and out of town have been barricaded by the trucks these things came in. A few of them are guarding the barricades, pushing back anybody who tries to run back into town. We can't get any calls out so for now, we're all we've got."
"So your short-range radios are still workin'?" asked the man.
"They're pretty much the only things that still are."
"Good. Get word to the other officers. Tell them to switch to tasers, use anythin' that'll discharge electricity to fight back. Then tell them to get people towards the road north out of town. My friends and I have managed to clear the barricade on our way in. But your priority is gettin' people to safety. Leave the bots to us. Tell your officers that combat is a last resort and not to open fire on myself or my friends. They have the same capabilities as me and we're already engagin' in search-and-rescue efforts, along with engagin' the enemy. We'll do the heavy liftin' on that front."
"On it. Good luck uh… wait, who are you actually?"
The man started to answer, but his eyes narrowed at something behind them. Three more bots were coming for them. He strode toward them, yanking an open car door off its hinges and hurling it like a Frisbee. It cut down three of them while nicking the side of the other one. It didn't' get a chance to recover before the man lifted it right over his head and brought it crashing down on his knee, breaking it in two.
"Sorry about that," he said casually and tipped his hat to them. "My name is Freddy Fazbear. Pleasure to see you again, Officer Wilson. My apologies for treatin' you in such a crass manner on our first encounter."
A memory came to her mind. Being grabbed by the scruff of a neck by an animatronic bear, cheerily telling her that it was time to leave.
"It's uh… it's fine," she found herself saying.
"Glad we cleared that up. Now, if you will excuse me."
He ran off, vaulting over a car before jumping on top of a van and off it, out of sight.
Her daddy had told them to run. Her mommy was carrying her, keeping her head down. Annie Johnson kept her eyes shut, but she could still hear everything. The screaming. The running. The crashing.
She didn't know what was going on. She only knew that it was bad. They had been in their house. She'd been getting ready for school. They were getting into the car when they saw them. Robots, like the kind daddy said were under the Freddy suits. They were coming for them.
They'd grabbed her daddy before they could get into the car. When they did, the robots just broke it. So her mommy had grabbed her and ran. Annie screamed for her daddy, but she saw them dragging him away. He was telling her not to look. It wasn't helping.
She could hear her mommy panting. She was saying that it was going to be okay, they were going to be fine. Annie shut her eyes even tighter, wishing for the noise to stop. For the robots to go away and for her daddy to be okay.
Her mommy screamed. Annie opened her eyes and looked. More of the robots. They were coming towards them, from in front and from behind. Their white eyes were staring at them, hands reaching out. They were going to take them too.
"Mommy!"
"Get away!" she screamed. "Stay away, don't hurt my daughter!"
Her mommy tried to run around them, but they moved to stop her. They were getting closer. She could hear their arms and legs whirring, their feet clanking. Annie shut her eyes again. She wished for them to go away, wished harder than she'd ever done before. She just wanted them to leave them alone.
"YO-HO-HO AND A BOTTLE OF RUM!"
Annie's eyes opened. She knew that voice. She looked to see something fast and red barge into the robots, knocking them to the ground. A tall man with long red hair and dressed like a pirate swung a piece of metal like a sword.
"Alright, me mateys!" He flashed his teeth in a big smile. "Who wants ta dance with Cap'n Foxy?"
He swiped at the arm of one of the robots, knocking it aside and smacking its head with the metal. He aimed a backwards kick at another, making it fall back into its friend. He grabbed the one he'd smacked and hurled it at the other two, making them land in a heap.
"Never fear, young lasses," he said. "These scurvy lubbers are no match fer me!"
Her mommy didn't know what to say. She just stared and so did Annie, their eyes wide. It really was him, but he wasn't in a costume anymore. He was there, smiling and brave. Just like she always knew he would be.
Annie noticed movement nearby and screamed at her mommy. Two other robots didn't want to dance with Foxy, moving to catch them again. Foxy noticed and started for them, but the ones from before grabbed his shoulder and made him fight them instead. Her mommy started backing away, but then someone else stood in the way of the robots.
A chubby woman with bright blonde hair and a yellow dress. When she looked over her shoulder at Annie, she saw purple eyes shining with kindness and care. Her smile made her feel like everything really was going to be okay. When she spoke, Annie recognised it straight away.
"Don't worry. You're safe now." Chica looked back at the robots, her fists clenched. "Get away from them."
The robots didn't listen and tried to hit her. Chica caught the robot's fist and punched it right back. She squeezed its hand, making it break and crack, then tore it off. She used it to hit the other one in the face, then threw it at the robot she took it from. While they were confused, she grabbed their heads and smashed them together. They fell down and didn't get back up.
"There we go." She brushed off her hands like her mommy did when she'd done something. "Are you both okay?"
"H-How… how did you…?" Her mommy still sounded scared. "That isn't… you just…"
"Mommy, it's okay," said Annie. "Chica and Foxy saved us. The bad robots are gone."
"Yes, they are." Chica smiled that smile again. "We're not going to let them hurt you or anybody else."
Annie smiled back. "I knew you weren't a robot, like daddy said! I knew you were a nice lady inside the suit!"
Chica made a funny noise in her throat. Her lip trembled a little, but she still smiled. In fact, it looked bigger and better than before.
"Yes, I am." She looked at Annie's mommy. "Where is your husband? Where's Aaron?"
"They… they took him," her mommy said. "They just…"
"They did," said Annie. "The robots came and took him away. Are you going to help him too?"
"Of course we will," she said to Annie. To her mommy, she said, "Go to the north road in and out of town. The way is open there and there'll be people who can help you. We'll save your husband and handle the robots, I promise. Foxy? We were too late."
"I heard." Foxy had just finished smashing the other robots. "Blast it! If we'd gotten here a lil' quicker…!"
"It's alright. We know where they're going, we have time." They suddenly closed their eyes for a couple of seconds. "Did you get that?"
"Aye, loud and clear," said Foxy. "Let's go and meet 'em, then we'll sort this out."
Chica nodded and looked back at them. "We're going to get your husband back. Remember, north road. You'll be safe when you get there."
Annie's mommy still looked confused, but she nodded back. Annie wasn't confused at all. Bad things were happening, but Chica and Foxy would stop it. She knew Bonnie and Freddy would too. They had saved them and now they were going to save her daddy.
"Thank you," she said. "Please be okay."
"Don't ye worry, young lass. We've got each other's backs." He gestured off. "After ye, fair maiden."
"My thanks, good captain," she said with a curtsey and the two of them ran off.
Annie watched them go, even after some police showed up to help. It was all going to be okay.
Wendy Parker had felt like things were getting better. She could still remember vividly when the news about William Davies came in and everything it had impacted, even her life at home. The mixed up feelings she had about the woman she was supposed to love. But they'd been working through it, coming to terms with it. It was all turning around.
Now, she was being frogmarched by a robot, with what felt like every other person in town, to stand in front of some kind of crudely built stage. Even worse than the ones that had brought her here were the new ones. They were much larger, more monstrous. Like something out of one of Susie's horror movies. They snarled and snapped, standing in a rough circle to keep them penned in.
But she was still alive, that was something. Now she just had to figure out the rest, maybe find a way to get out of here.
"What do you think they want?" she asked the woman closest to her.
"I don't know," she murmured, her voice trembling. "I just hope they didn't get my boy."
Wendy looked at the woman. She was older than Wendy, maybe in her forties. She looked just as frightened as Wendy was trying to hide.
"It'll be okay. What's your name?" asked Wendy.
The woman took a moment. "Erica. Erica Fitzgerald."
"Okay. Well, Erica, I'm Wendy Parker," she replied. "If your son isn't here, he probably got away. If he is, at least you know he's alive."
"But that's it. I just don't know. He didn't come back from his job, he hasn't been home for two days now." Her breathing hitched. "I've tried calling him, nothing. The police haven't turned up anything. If he's gone like my Bobby… god, please, not him too…"
Fitzgerald. She knew the name rang a bell. One of the other missing children was called Robert Fitzgerald. Wendy felt her heart pang for this woman.
"I'm sorry," she murmured. "But don't give up yet. I'm sure he's okay."
Erica looked at Wendy with frightened eyes. "I hope so. I truly do."
"Hey, would you look at this turnout!" a shrill voice said. "I am loving it, I really am!"
The speaker looked a lot like one of the Freddy's animatronics. But she didn't recognise it. She knew there had been a rabbit, but wasn't it purple and not yellow?
"Spring Bonnie?" Erica whispered.
Wendy looked in surprise. "You know that thing?"
"I do, but I haven't seen him since I was young. He performed at the location before Freddy's, Fredabear's," she replied. "What on earth is this-?"
"Hey! Quit talking in the back there! It's rude, you know!"
One of the monster robots, the chicken one, snarled from inside its beak. Even the little cupcake was snapping at them with tiny jaws. Wendy immediately clamped her mouth shut.
"That's better. Alrighty then!" Spring Bonnie clapped his hands together. "So, before we get things started, I figured it was best to kick it off with a bang. Bring 'em up, buddy!"
A monstrous yellow bear with jaws in its stomach trudged onto the stage. It carried two people in its gigantic hands. One was older, dressed in a plain suit with a balding crown and a bushy moustache. The other was younger, with long, greasy hair and tatty clothes. Wait, she knew him. That was Susie's friend, Brad. And wasn't the other her old boss, Johnson or something?
"Thanks! You old fogies probably remember me and my good pal Freda here." He slapped the giant bear on the back. "We did some performing, back in the day. I think you can agree she looks loads better now, huh?" He started laughing, then glared when no-one else did. "That was funny!"
The other monsters took a few steps closer. Those nearest whimpered at their approach. Wendy forced a laugh, nudging Erica to do the same. It spread around and a smattering of forced laughter sounded out. The monsters backed off and Spring nodded.
"That's more like it. Where was I? Oh yeah!" He snapped his fingers and started pacing down the stage. "So we really tore it up way back. Until it was all ruined, by these two. First, we got the big man here, good ol' Aaron Johnson!" He slapped Johnson around the head. "Stooge to an old bore who wanted nothing more than to ruin everything for me and shut me away when I wasn't good enough."
"Spring, stop this," Johnson said. "There's no need for-"
"SHUT UP!" Spring backhanded him across the face and squeezed his face when he pulled him back up. "I didn't say you could talk, did I?!" He let him go and adopted his peppy tone again. "And here, we have Brad Marcus. Some of you may remember a little ditty back in 1983 where a little kid got a little upset and…" He trailed off, his head twitching a few times. "Anyway! Little Brad here was the one who thought the boy of the hour deserved a little up-close-and-personal time with me. We all know how that turned out, didn't we?"
"P-Please, man, please," Brad whimpered. "I-I was just a d-dumb kid, I didn't mean to-"
"Stop it! Stop crying! You hear me? STOP IT!" Spring got right in his face. Brad didn't stop crying. Spring laughed. "Not a good listener, huh? Oh well, doesn't matter. It won't be a problem much longer."
He snapped his fingers. The Freda monster grasped both of them. It placed Brad's head in the mouth in its chest, Johnson's in its main mouth. The two men pleaded and yelled, but Spring only laughed harder.
"Okay then! On the count of three, Freda here is gonna chomp down and shut these two up for good. Then…" He giggled. "We'll see what happens. Ready?! One! Two! Thr-!"
"SPRING!"
The voice came from behind the crowd. She thought it was another bot, but it looked much cruder. It looked like a much rougher version of a mascot suit, but made entirely of metal rather than the synthetic fur. There were no features, no large smile or eyes. It wasn't even coloured. It didn't move like a bot either, more like a person. Fluid and smooth.
"There you are," Spring purred. He snapped his fingers again. The Freda monster took the two men out of its mouths. "Took you long enough to show up, Freda."
"That's not my name anymore, Spring. It's Goldie," she replied. "Please, let them go."
Spring shook his head. "You just don't get it, do you? You don't get to tell me what to do anymore! Nobody does!"
"I'm not telling you, Spring, I'm asking you. Like you said, we really put on a good show in the old days. You remember? For the sake of our former friendship, please just let them go. Then you and I can settle whatever score you want."
Spring didn't reply directly. "That's not a 'tron you're using, is it? That's one of the old springlock suits. Who's in there with you?"
"It's me, Spring." That was Mike Schmidt's voice. "We never did finish our game last time. How about we pick up where we left off?"
"Mikey," he hissed. "I figured. He's your new best pal, huh Goldie? Shows how much our 'former friendship' means to you, doesn't it?"
"People change, Spring. Times change. You know that. There's still a chance for you."
"A chance for what?!" he snapped. "Being locked up and left to rot again? As if! Stop talking like you're the one who's won. I've won!"
Wendy looked at Spring. She frowned. Was that something moving behind them?
"Yet I'm still here," replied Goldie. "We all are. We came because you wanted us here. You wanted me here. Well, here I am."
"Yes, you are! Because I knew you would be! You're just like these two, thinking you're better than me and always ruining everything! Not anymore!" He grasped Brad's head. "All I have to do is squeeze!"
"I know. It sounds so easy when you say it like that."
"Yeah, 'cause it is!" He let go and stepped toward the edge of the stage. "You can't stop me!"
"Maybe not. But we can try."
Suddenly, two large hands emerged from behind the Freda monster. They yanked the two men out of its grasp before it was knocked to the ground. It landed on top of Spring, crushing him beneath it. Something large dashed off the stage and jumped high into the air, sailing right over the crowd. It landed next to where Goldie and Mike stood, setting the two men down.
It was a woman, dressed like a goth with a half-shaven head. Or part of it was. The rest was… she wasn't sure what. Several metal arms, three legs that she could count, all of them emerging from something strapped to her back. She grinned savagely, the limbs writhing and twisting with eager anticipation.
The monsters roared. Other people had emerged from behind cars or rooftops and were fighting them. Just punching and kicking them like it was nothing.
"All of you, go!" called Mike from inside the suit, pointing to the woman with the many limbs. "Follow her, she'll take you to where it's safe!"
"Do as he says!" shouted Wendy to people nearby. "I know that man, now come on!"
"Yes, everyone!" chorused Erica. "This is our chance!"
Nobody tried arguing with them. Several people were already surging forward, funnelled away from the fighting. They followed the crowd as the multi-limbed woman started barking orders and attacking any bots that tried to stop them.
Wendy managed to catch what she thought was Mike's eye. He gave her a thumbs up and then ran towards the stage.
Fate-Be Changed: Again, I'm afraid I must disagree on the Jeremy/Hermana front. They're friends, nothing more. As to the children, as Goldie has already explained: there's nothing to build on. They're primarily caught in the moment of their deaths, going around over and over again. There are very faint vestiges of their memories, but in their current state, without something directing them or holding them together, they'd just tear themselves apart.
Arc of Carona: Please do enjoy.
Yellowscar1: Not a whole lot. Like when he's commanded by Sid, he knows that he doesn't want to do it what it compels him to do but he has no choice in the matter.