Mable: Enjoy!

Almost Feels Like Home

Chapter Sixty-Six

Mike kept his word and by the next morning he and Fritz returned to the warehouse. By now they already had a plan in mind, but everything had to be precise if they wanted it to work correctly. This meant they would have to convince the rabbit to allow them to shut him down. Under normal circumstances this would've been in line with the repairs they were intending on doing.

"Alright, it's go time," Mike announced as he stepped into the office. Springtrap was already awake- unless he hadn't ever slept- and was hunched over the desk looking at the blueprints. He raised his head to stare at the security guard, then at the technician standing in the doorway behind him. "What's that look? You knew we were coming," Mike reminded to try and dismiss any suspicion. "You're going to let us shut you down to work, right? Because you won't want to be awake for this."

The rabbit stared at him for a moment longer. The animatronic remained silent as he raised himself from the desk and slowly staggered over towards the wall. He kept his gaze on Fritz, almost as though he suspected something, but both knew there was no way he could've figured out their plan by his nervousness alone. Not when Mike himself was staying so calm and collected in comparison.

Springtrap sat down against the wall and turned his head away, offering his neck towards Mike. His eyes rolled to stare down Fritz with that intimidating glare, silently warning him, and the technician finally decided it was too much and tried to busy himself with the tools on the desk. It was almost impossible to ignore the springlock suit that was currently leering at him. It didn't last too much longer though, as Mike knelt beside him and began to reach into the wires of his neck.

"It should only feel like a second. Remember your end of the deal," the security guard reminded.

"Let him tamper with me and there is no deal," Springtrap answered. His voice was low and threatening, and still clearly able to be heard by Fritz, who clenched his teeth and refused to react.

"As though us yanking around live wires isn't tampering already," Mike said unfazed. "Just take it easy. We know what we're doing." His fingers traced over a familiar cord towards the back. He plucked it with little warning and the animatronic's body slumped once more.

Fritz cautiously walked up behind his friend. "Is he really out? Because he woke himself up last time."

"Only one way to find out…" Mike said. He then leaned in and nudged Springtrap harshly in the side. "Hey! We're going to go pick up Ennard and bring him back to poke at your insides!" There was no response. "Yeah, he's out of it," the man finished as he stood and turned to the technician. "Let's go and get back fast. We don't have all day."

The two left the warehouse as quickly as they came in. Mike stopped briefly to knock on his car window, signaling to the puppets inside that Springtrap was under and that it was safe for them to move in once the coast was clear. Though they would need to be careful as it was broad daylight. He knew they could handle himself, so he climbed into the van with Fritz and they began to drive to Scott's house.

The plan was simple enough. They would convince Ennard to come to the warehouse and help them fix Springtrap. That way Mike and Marionette could then go to the pizzeria and finish up the rest of the day. While Fritz and Charlie both insisted on being at the warehouse to assist, both would be taking the day off. Which wasn't an issue as Jeremy, Natalie, and Foxy had all been brought up to speed on the plan and were currently in the process of opening the restaurant and running it like usual.

It would've been so much easier if they could've done it after hours, but nobody trusted Springtrap to stay put, and they couldn't risk him finding a way out of the warehouse and following them. His programming was still unknown, but if it was anything like what they had encountered in the past then he couldn't be anywhere near the pizzeria. They couldn't trust how he would react to being around children.

It was apparent that Fritz's anxiety had not lowered. After the night before, the usually collected technician was a sleep deprived mess, and Mike couldn't help but sympathize. Being kidnapped and dragged out of his house in the middle of the night was one of the few things he had yet to deal with, thankfully, but Fritz wasn't handling it well. The best option at hand seemed to be to ease his mind.

"Just try to relax, Fritz. The hard part's over. Remember, no matter how much Ennard freaks out he's not going to attack us. Worst case scenario: he says no and we have to work on Michael ourselves."

"That really is the worst-case scenario, because I have no idea how I'm supposed to do that," the technician admitted. "I wasted an hour this morning looking through the Handunit and found nothing on springlock repair. Which either means that they weren't supposed to be repaired, or that this is something Henry and Fredrick took to their graves." He gave a low chuckle and added, "You know there's no way Scott's going to let us take him even if he does agree, right?"

"We'll butter up Scott first. With literal butter if it'll convince Ennard faster," Mike answered. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Fritz flinched and got a funny look. "Don't get that look. We both know what's going on in there, so don't act so shocked."

"I'd rather stay in the dark as long as I possibly can, thank you," Fritz remarked as he pulled up outside the house and backed up against the garage. He shut the van off before steeling himself with a deep breath. "Let's do this. You do the talking and I'll grab the burlap sack in case the talking doesn't work."

"Since when did I becoming the good cop?" Mike asked as Fritz got out of the van.

"Because I've got a lot of unrepressed anger after last night and I'd rather not risk it coming out at Scott," Fritz partially joked. "I'll just take it into work and get in a fistfight with Foxy. Easier to patch up."

The two headed to the front door and knocked generously. Neither had called beforehand, so it was lucky that Scott was already awake to answer the door. It was almost surprising after how late he had been out the night before.

"Morning guys! I didn't expect to see you two here. Heh, guess that's either a good sign or a really bad one," Scott said, his smile faltering on that last comment. He moved to the side and opened the door more. "Come in, come in. You want some coffee? Or breakfast? I just put on a pan of hash that should be ready any minute now."

"No thanks. I don't like to mix business and pleasure until ten minutes before closing time," Mike answered. He followed alongside the unusually quiet Fritz into the kitchen. Scott went right to tending to a large pan full of potatoes, melting cheese, and rapidly scrambling eggs waiting on the stove. "You sure you weren't expecting us? Because that's a lot of potatoes."

"I try to make bigger portions when splitting with Ennard. See, he doesn't really eat, so I just give him more to taste. Keeps him off my plate," Scott joked with a light chuckle. Mike and Fritz exchanged a look. "So, what brings you two here?... I'm guessing it's about Michael. Did he leave last night?"

"Well, you'd think so, but no. It's kind of related to Michael, but not exactly directly related to- Let me start over." Fritz stopped, reset his explanation, and began once again. "So, we've come to an agreement with Michael and we've got the situation under control. Kind of… Barely, but we need Ennard's help."

The Phone Guy tensed immediately, pausing his spatula in the pan, and looking over suddenly. "You… You need Ennard's help," he repeated. "…With what? With… Trying to figure out where Springtrap's been staying? Or to- to ask about the vents? Or the scooping?"

"I made the deal with him," Mike volunteered. He shrugged and added, "and I can't be sure he's going to keep it, but it was the only thing I could do to reign him in. He's in a lot of pain, so the deal is that Fritz fixes him and he agrees to keep his distance and not attack anyone else. We're hoping that once he's fixed, he'll just go on his way back into whatever hatch or house he came out of, and we'll all live happily ever after."

"We don't really have a choice. He knows where I live," Fritz added in. "…But Springtrap is a springlock suit and his main issue is with his wiring-."

"So, you- oh no- you can't be saying that you think- that you want Ennard to fix him, are you?" Scott asked in horror. "I don't know if you've noticed, but Ennard doesn't like Michael… At all. He still talks about him this long after the fire and they aren't pleasant things. He's not- He would never willingly agree to go anywhere near him. Let alone agree to work on him," he explained as he continued trying to work on the food. "So, unless you're looking for advice-."

"We need more than advice. We need a miracle," Mike offered. "Ennard was able to call Mari's injury just by hearing it and has been working on Baby with whatever he finds around the house. We need that amount of skill, because we're looking at a suit full of deadly springlocks- with a body already in it, mind you- and we have no idea where to even begin." Scott looked uncertain as he turned back to the pan of food and Mike leaned on the counter, pressing further, suspecting the man was about to cave.

"At least let us ask Ennard. If he says no then we can get his advice and walk out of here," Mike rationalized. "Just let him make that call."

Scott gave a slow, indecisive exhale as he stirred the food, keeping it from burning. "…I can't stop you from asking him," he finally said. "But if he says no then that's it, it's a no. I'm not going to try to push him into doing it." Both men agreed, and Scott put some food on a plate and handed it over. "Here, you can take this to him. It'll help him wake up quicker."

"Thanks for this. We won't be long," Fritz assured as he took the plate and headed to the garage door. Scott called out before he could open it.

"Baby's asleep out there. Ennard's in my bedroom," he said. He noticed Mike giving him a slight smug look as he stood from the dining room table again. "…I can't really work with him on the couch. I just let him use my room…" the older man tried to excuse. Neither Mike nor Fritz looked like they bought it, but time was too pressed to dwell.

Fritz let Mike go first and knock quickly on the bedroom door. He expected the clown suddenly barge through moments afterwards, but he didn't, so Mike let himself in. The bedroom was dark with the curtains drawn and the only source of light being from a clock on the nightstand. With it, Mike was vaguely able to make out a lumpy shape underneath the comforter.

"Ennard?" he quietly asked. He tugged at the blanket lightly, not wanting to startle the amalgam. "Ennard, it's me, Mike. Fritz is here and we need your help."

There was shuffling under the blankets and a low humming noise. Which was followed with a quiet mutter of, "Too early for this…" in a crackled, unfamiliar voice that only partially resembled the clown's true one. More shifting and sliding along with a dull squeaking as wires twisted and reset against each other. A single arm slid out to grab the mask resting on the nightstand, which Mike only now realized was there.

"Keep your shirts on, I'm coming! Ha ha, you two get started early, dontcha? Oh boy, I bet this is gonna be good news," Ennard chirped as he returned to his usual tone.

"You don't even know the half of it," Mike mumbled as he glanced towards Fritz. He looked back as the clown nearly rolled out from under the blankets and was to his feet in seconds. He looked them over before focusing on the plate in Fritz's hand, then gave a low chuckle.

"What's that, a bribe? Ha ha!... Oh, don't look so nervous, Fritz! You know I don't bite,~" Ennard continued to tease. Though Mike noticed that something seemed a little off. His boisterous behavior wasn't nearly as believable as it usually was. He still took the plate when offered, but then just held it with seeming disinterest in the food. Something was off. "So, what are you two doing here at the crack of-… Ten?"

"Nine, but good guess, and the food's from Scott," Mike explained. He crossed his arms as he began the tedious ordeal of trying to convince the clown. "We need your help with some technician work. We've got a complicated case back at the warehouse and we need someone who can-."

"Wait a minute," Ennard interrupted with a raise of his free hand. "Wait, wait, just a second." Mike raised a brow and wondered if he had already caught on, which would depend on whether Scott told him about the night before or not. Though if he had then that would explain Ennard's weird behavior. Mike started to piece it together only to have the puzzle fall apart when Ennard continued.

"Let me get this straight… You two are asking me to fix a bot for you?" There came the smugness, along with an eagerness in his eyes and tone. "The only technician to outlive the big bad Freddybear himself and he and you're coming to ask me for help? Say it ain't so!" He giggled before his tone lowered. "Just kidding, please say it's so."

"You hit the nail on the head there. This is way out of my league," Fritz agreed. Under normal circumstances he might've been a little offended by such relentless teasing, but he really didn't want to risk talking himself out of getting the clown's help. He had no confidence in going anywhere near a springlock suit's live wires. "So, you'll do it?"

"Do it? I'll nail it! Don't let the costume makeup fool you. I might look like a clown, but give me a wrench, a blowtorch, and about three dozen washers and I can put any broken piece of garbage back together," Ennard said with upmost confidence. He then nearly barged past them both. "Let me just go tell Scott I'm splitting."

"Don't you even want to know what you're working on?" Mike asked after him in disbelief.

"Does it matter? Trust me, I'm an expert!" Ennard embellished with a laugh before dipping into the kitchen. Mike and Fritz were left standing there dumbstruck for a moment. The younger looked to the older.

"As hilariously easy as that just was, one of us is going to have to tell him the truth before we drag him over there. I can guarantee you now that Ennard is the type of person to punch first and ask questions later," Mike pointed out. Fritz rubbed his neck and looked a little unsure.

"I don't know… This is a pretty good advantage he gave us. And it's not like we're lying; he didn't even ask what we were planning on working on," Fritz tried to rationalize. Mike gave him an unenthused look. "Springtrap is already shut down. If I can get Ennard over there and show him he's under then maybe I can convince him to help. I can even explain that it would keep Michael away from Scott."

"That's a good plan, but how do we convince him to work? Eagerness or not, Scott had a point about him not liking Springtrap. Frankly, I don't think he's too keen on Michael either."

"Mike, you saw how excited he got when he thought he could show me up. Me asking him to do anything went straight to his head," Fritz pointed out flatly. "All I have to do is butter him up and he'll do it just to show that he's the better technician… And if that doesn't work, hey, I'm not above groveling." He got a playful smile. "Keeps my hands out of Springtrap's gut."

"I'm only slightly above throwing myself at Ennard's feet to not have to poke around Springtrap's innards, but that's only because I've seen what's in there," Mike pointed out cryptically. Fritz suddenly got a look of realization, to which the younger smirked in amusement. "The mummification didn't work out so well so let's hope the fire helped."

"Thanks for that mental image. I'm skipping lunch today."

As they whispered out by the couch, Ennard strode into the kitchen just as confidently as he accepted the job. "Sorry to duck out quick, Scottie, but Mike and Fritz got a job for me. An actual technician job. Ha, I haven't been able to get wrist deep in another animatronic since Baby let me tinker around on her ice cream maker! Hey, speaking of Baby, this would be a great time to put them up for the parts I'm gonna need to keep working on her. That could be our payment plan!" the clown excitedly babbled as Scott watched him.

The man was understandably confused. Perhaps Ennard was just covering, but he seemed too happy for what they had just offered. Usually he was able to see through that. "Are you sure about this…?"

"Course I'm sure! How hard can one animatronic be? Ya just pull a few cords here and snip a few things there," Ennard said. He turned back to wink, showing that he was joking, but Scott noticed his wording.

"Wait… They didn't tell you which animatronic it was?"

"Nah, but I'll figure it out once I get there!" Ennard chirped as he piled more breakfast onto the plate. "I'm gonna just take this with me, m'kay? Gives me something to do in the car." He took a bit and gave a noise akin to a cross between a squeak and a hum. "This is great! Ya really outdid yourself this time, Phone."

"Wait a minute, they didn't…? Ennard, it's not exactly what you're thinking," Scott started to explain. He didn't want to be the one giving the bad news, but it seemed like he had been left doing so. "They don't want you to just work on any animatronic. It's-."

"Try this!" He was cut off when the clown spun around and offered the fork to him.

"Ennard, you're not listening-." Ennard pretty much poked the fork right into his mouth, silencing him with potatoes and eggs.

"What's to listen about? I know what I'm doing!" the amalgam encouraged. Scott was going to protest, he knew he would, and so he lifted his chin with an assuring smile through his mask. "Trust me, Scott. I know exactly what I'm doing. Just let me go handle this." The man had a slightly uneasy look back nodded, and the clown pulled him into a one-armed hug. "Aww, you're the best! You take it easy today, okay?"

He pressed his mouth to Scott's forehead, right under his hair fringe, right as Fritz and Mike came into sight. The two glanced to each other silently, again. Ennard then pulled back from the Phone Guy and strode past the two and to the garage door. "Let's get this show on the road! You back the van up and I'll hop in. Just try to be quiet so you don't wake the Baby," he instructed as he opened the door.

"I'm already awake," Baby said flatly from inside.

"Hey, great! Then you can try some of this," Ennard offered as he eagerly headed in. Fritz looked between Mike and Scott before pointing a thumb towards the door and saying he was going to get the van. With him gone, Scott came close and lowered his voice.

"Just keep an eye on Ennard. He can get… A little overexcited… And he might not be as willing to fix things as he sounds," Scott cautioned. It was clear that he was worried. "And you'll bring him home afterwards?"

"Don't worry. I'm not going to drive Ennard around town again. I'm still planning on going into work this afternoon," Mike reassured. He then lowered his voice, not wanting Ennard or Baby to listen in. "Everyone's going to stay calm and everything's going to stay under control. We're going to make sure that a fight doesn't break out, that's the main reason Mari and I are sticking around."

"Well, good… Good luck," Scott tried to encourage. He watched Mike head out into the garage before returning to the kitchen. Now it was just a matter of trying to distract himself until the ordeal was over.

Baby watched Mike come in before keeping her eyes on the door behind him expectantly. To her disappointment, nobody followed him, and she looked back to him. "Charlie didn't come with you?" He shook his head, to which she gave a disappointed huff. "You should tell her that friends shouldn't leave their friends waiting after a dropped call. She never called me back."

"It was kind of a rough night last night," Mike casually defended.

"I know. Scott told me what happened. I would have appreciated her to do the same," Baby said like she was pouting. "If I would've been worried, then I could've worried all night about her."

"Wait, Scott told you about what happened?" Mike since a glance over at Ennard. The clown was trying to load up a rusty toolbox while stabbing potatoes with the fork in the other hand. He didn't look like he was listening in, but Mike stepped closer to the female clown and lowered his voice. "Did Scott tell him?"

"If he told him, do you think he would still be here? Because I don't. I think he would've found a way over to the warehouse himself," Baby responded. Though still a little sourly in tone. He had a feeling that this was all a ruse to cover actual concern for Charlie, and Baby was just abrasive enough to act that way. She did still have a point about Ennard. If he was willing to hunt robbers halfway across town then he would've been capable of making his way to the warehouse.

"Yeah, you've got a point," Mike agreed. He then decided to toss her a bone. "I think Charlie said something about coming back with Ennard when Fritz brought him back."

"Oh… That would be nice," Baby admitted. She almost sounded a little sheepish and fell silent as the garage door opened. She rolled back out of the way and towards the corner of the garage.

Since Mike had been there last, either Ennard or Scott- probably a combination of both- had gotten a twin mattress and managed to fit it against the wall. It was made up like a normal bed with a yellow comforter and a couple of pillows stacked. Up until this point, Mike hadn't really been certain if Baby was going to stay permanently at Scott's or not. In fact, he had expected that eventually she would want to follow Charlie back to their house, but this seemed to confirm that she was setting down roots here. It was a little endearing.

"Hurry it up, Mikey, or we're going to leave you!" Ennard called as the van backed into the garage. He eagerly opened the back and climbed inside, plate in one hand and toolbox tucked under opposite arm.

"I'm coming!" Mike called back. He tipped his hat at Baby, who only tilted her head slowly like she was confused, and then went around to climb into the passenger seat. "Let's get a move on. We need to be in and out before the party at three." Checking his watch showed that there was plenty of time, but he wasn't entirely confident in this plan. "Chances are by three I'll be up to my knees in sewage, chasing one or both of them halfway across the city. I ought to put money on it now."

The drive didn't take too long. Both Fritz and Ennard were quiet, the one from anxiousness and the other focusing on his breakfast plate. Mike didn't mind it and instead kept himself busy thinking. Wondering about everything that could go wrong in the next few hours. Wondering why Old Man Consequences had not reappeared in his dreams the night before. It was all so confusing, but he didn't get too much time to think about it before they pulled up to the warehouse. Then it was a matter of getting Ennard inside.

Marionette was mildly surprised when Mike and Fritz brought Ennard in. It genuinely surprised him that the clown would agree to work on the springlock suit that had hunted him. Then again, he had turned things around with Baby, but something just didn't seem right. At least he was acting excitable when he came in.

"Hello, hello! Ha ha, how are my two favorite puppets doing today?" Ennard greeted with an excited chirp.

"Oh, you know… Could be worse," Charlie hesitantly answered. She seemed a little more perplexed than Marionette was and looked to Fritz and Mike like they would explain.

"The story of my life! So, where's this animatronic I gotta rip open and climb inside?" The amalgam eagerly looked around the warehouse. "It's not ol' Golden Freddy, is it? He was a bunch of pent up wires, right?"

It was then that the Puppet realized that they hadn't told him. He looked over towards Mike and Fritz, noticing that even Mike was looking a little tense, and gave a slow exhale. He would do it.

"Actually, Ennard. That is not what we brought you here for… But before we get into that, why don't you come with me and see our new Candy Cadet?" He smiled warmly and took Ennard by the wrist, like he was about to escort a child. "He's a little broken up too, so maybe you could take a look at him?"

"Only if I get a piece of old candy and maybe a story," Ennard joked back. Marionette chimed good naturedly and looked back towards the others.

"Why don't you three make sure everything's in order while we're gone?" he offered. He was looking directly at Mike, who nodded in understanding. Then the puppet led the clown back into the warehouse.

"The Candy Cadet?" Charlie asked doubtfully.

"Mari's going to go break the news. Ennard was so eager to come over here that we didn't tell him what he was working on," Mike said. "He's better at this sort of thing than I am. Remind me to thank him later."

"We can thank him now by going and getting everything set up," Fritz offered. "...Which pretty much means moving Springtrap on the floor and setting up whatever else we're going to need. Maybe move that lamp on the desk closer so we get more light. I don't really want to find and hook up the industrial one." He started to head down towards the office.

"I'm right behind you. I just have to grab something." Mike headed down the aisle by the office a little bit before stopping on the left side. He moved a few boxes before pulling out a crank that had been strategically hidden behind them. He didn't know if he would need this for the work they were about to do but figured it would come in handy.

"Is that a hand crank for springlocks?" Charlie asked in surprise. He offered it to her, allowing her to look it over.

"That's right. Thought maybe it'll come of use if Ennard really does need to climb inside him to fix him. With how clunky and complex these suits are, I wouldn't put it past them to have the emergency release hard to get to." The familiar weight was a comfort. Just in case something did go wrong he would have this as a backup. "Let's go." He started down the aisle, resting the crank on his shoulder.

Only to be met right outside the door by Fritz scrambling back out. The man was wide-eyed and his tanned skin was paler than ever. Mike raised a brow at him and was about to ask but realized he didn't have to.

On the other side of the warehouse, Marionette and Ennard stopped in front of the deactivated Candy Cadet. The puppet gestured his arm to it with a quick 'ta-da!' and the clown responded with a whistling mimic.

"That's a cadet alright. A space cadet, ha ha!" the amalgam cracked. He leaned in, hands on his knees, looking up at the bot with a sort of fascination in his gaze. "Never thought I'd see one of these again. You know, they used to have one of them back in ARI, except it was all broken up. I think it was an older model too."

"So, this would be a product from Afton Robotics?" Marionette inquired curiously. "Interesting… And concerning, but mostly interesting."

"No, you see, they did repairs too. Or I think they did. It makes sense since renting out animatronics is only gonna bring in a little cash. Not enough to keep a big place like that afloat," Ennard pointed out. The striped one was about to question how 'afloat' ARI could've been if it was barely staying open, but he changed focus when he noticed how curious the other was in the bot. He was already looking over it for damage, like he was prepared to crack it open and begin to work. His excitement made the puppet feel guilty.

"Ennard… There's something Mike and Fritz didn't tell you about why they went and got you," Marionette tentatively began. He crossed his arms uncomfortably and tried to look anywhere other than the clown.

"This thing is totally busted and I'm not getting candy or a story out of it," Ennard guessed. He sounded serious but it was apparent that he was joking.

"No, not that. The truth is that they didn't bring you here to work on Candy Cadet. They actually-." Right when he was about to force it out- whether it upset his friend or not- he was caught off-guard by something. The only reason he noticed it was because he turned towards Ennard and it suddenly appeared out of the corner of his eye.

All at once, Marionette sprung forwards into Ennard and tackled him in the middle. The amalgam was taken off balance and fell back to the floor, barely dodging the last second swing of a sledgehammer.

Both animatronics looked up to see Springtrap standing behind them with the weapon clutched in his hands. He was shuddering in a mix of pain and rage, but gladly ignored the former to address the latter. The hatred in his gaze could be seen even by Marionette, who was clearly not the target of said anger. The rabbit would've swung again if not for the puppet now in his way, who got more in his way by jumping up and rushing forward to block him.

"Michael, stop!" Marionette exclaimed as he raised his hands in defense. Springtrap pulled back a step and stared him down, as though expecting the striped one to attack. But Marionette wasn't going to give him any more reason to fight and quickly calmed his voice. "He's here to help. I know you and Ennard have a history together and I understand why you don't want to trust him, but you must listen to me: we need him."

To his surprise, Springtrap started to slowly lower the sledgehammer. He switched to only holding it with one hand as he looked to the striped one, then reached to lay a hand on his shoulder. Marionette only noticed a second too late that it was odd that he put his hand on the opposite shoulder.

Without warning, Springtrap shoved him out of the way. It was enough force that Marionette flew and fell into Charlie who was coming around the corner. Without a hitch, Springtrap raised the sledgehammer again and took a swing at Ennard. The clown skirted out of the way right as the hammer dented into the locker, which he then yanked out to use as a shield. The springlock suit hit it again and caused the heavy piece of furniture to fall over. Instead of scuttling away while he had the chance, Ennard shielded himself with his arms, holding them like he planned to catch the sledgehammer.

He would've loved to see the clown try, but he raised the weapon back far enough that he knew he couldn't. It was precisely then that Mike saw what was happening. He threw the crank into Marionette's arms and ran forwards to grab the hammer right when it was craned back. Springtrap turned on him quickly, probably thinking that he was Marionette, but came face to face with the security guard's glare.

"What did I say about putting your hands on him?! Twelve hours in and you can't even control yourself long enough for me to keep my end of the deal! Raging around like a goddamn psychopath!" Mike lashed out.

Beyond all reason, the yelling had an effect. It was like Springtrap only then realized what he was doing. Not that he was attacking the clown- he seemed fine with that- but that he was jeopardizing his own recovery. That he had to keep himself reigned in, no matter what the cost. Mike was still glaring, but he was starting to get the other to lower the sledgehammer. It looked like he had ended the fight.

"Ennard, don't!"

Until Springtrap turned his head just in time to get cracked over it with a toolbox. It was just a heavy enough of a blow to knock him over and drag Mike with him, Springtrap landing heavily on top of him. To no one's surprise, Ennard tried to rush in and fight while the springlock suit was down. Marionette passed the crank to Charlie and sprung back into Ennard, ensnaring him in his strings and fighting him. The amalgam's hands were crackling with electricity, but he was avoided touching the puppet, keeping his hands above him while tried to get past.

Springtrap rolled off Mike and staggered to his feet, with the man getting up quicker and grabbing him by the shoulders to force him back. "Don't you dare, don't you dare!" Mike clearly had no chance of fighting the suit off and instead tried to keep him from reaching down for the sledgehammer. "Both of you get a grip!"

Fritz scrambled to get his taser off his belt and Charlie looked to him in alarm. "Are you going to-?!"

"Just a scare- Just to keep them apart," Fritz answered. He wielded the taser confidently and turned it on, hoping the sound would be enough to catch their attention. Except that the taser didn't respond. He looked over it in confusion and tried a few more times to no avail. "What- What?! Now?! This cannot be happening now!" He tried it a few more times. "It is! It's dead! I can't believe this!"

Ennard was finally starting to get around Marionette, moving his wires enough to shift the puppet's strings. Charlie now tried to step forward with the intention of trying to either help or plead with him. She had just spent enough time around him that maybe he would listen to her. What she didn't expect was that as soon as she stepped into line of sight, Springtrap saw the crank and reacted to it just as severely as he would a taser. He stepped back and stared like a frighten hare looking at a predator, recognizing exactly what it would do.

This had a domino effect. Ennard noticed the reaction and looked to the crank with renewed interest. In this second Marionette decided to stop the clown in the one way he knew how.

He reached up with both hands and snatched off his mask. Ennard reacted instantly; he covered his face with his arms and gave a mechanical cry of horror. To which Springtrap then looked over with his new renewed interest at how the amalgam turned himself away with his guard down.

Mike reached back for Charlie who passed over the crank, and then promptly pointed it at Springtrap. The 'rabbit in shock' look returned.

"Stop," the security guard commanded. "Go back to the office and stay there until I come back there." He stepped back to allow Springtrap to pass. The suit sent one late hate filled glare at the clown's back before heading towards the aisle. He stormed off with a renewed anger and a heated fury that seemed unlikely for someone in so much pain. Mike watched him go before picking up his cap and putting it on.

"Now I will tell you a story."

The familiar mutter caused Mike to straighten fast and Marionette to flinch, as the voice came from right behind him, from the Candy Cadet. Mike sent one exasperated look at the flickering robot and then to Fritz.

"Fritz, did you turn anything off?" he lightly snipped.

Fritz sent him an apologetic smile and lifted the taser. "Apparently this." He then turned it on and off a few times to no response.

"For crying out loud…" The security guard huffed, set the crank on the shelf, and crossed his arms. "Can you just go after him and make sure he doesn't try to sneak back out here?"

"Yeah, I'll see what I can do. Just don't expect a miracle, because he could pretty much knock me over and walk back," Fritz reminded before going. Mike watched him before looking back to the scene at hand. Marionette was still holding Ennard's mask as he stood by the flashing, twitching Candy Cadet, and the hunched over clown who was shielding himself.

"He's gone now! W-Will you g-ve me my ma-ask back, please?!" Ennard asked frantically. His voice wavered between its usual tone and its true one as it stuttered and broke.

"Are you going to calm down and act rationally?" Marionette challenged. The amalgam nodded in agreement and finally the puppet handed it over. Ennard greedily snatched it to put it back on while Marionette gave him a disapproving frown. "We could've had that under control a lot sooner if you wouldn't have done that."

"Oh yeah. I'm at fault for attacking the zombie. I'm so sorry," Ennard sarcastically mocked. "He had it coming! The guy swung a hammer at me, what was I supposed to do?! Wasn't like I had much of a warning!"

"I… No, you didn't… And I guess that's our fault. We were supposed to tell you and I should've paid more attention," Marionette said apologetically. He looked down as the clown knelt to get his toolbox, putting some of the spilled contents back together. "The truth is that Fritz and Mike brought you over here to do more than fix Candy Cadet."

"Gee, really? I wouldn't have guessed! They were so clear on all the details that I couldn't have possibly thought anything else!" the clown sarcastically remarked again. This was what Mike picked up on.

"Wait a minute, you knew something was up and you still- You did know about Springtrap." He stepped up to stand beside Marionette as he looked at the amalgam who didn't return the look. "Scott told you what happened last night and you knew he was over here. That's why you were acting so weird, and…" Mike promptly stopped to smack a hand to his face. Marionette looked to him in confusion, to which the man looked back and explained. "And that's why Ennard agreed to come over here without asking questions. Because he already knew."

"But if you already knew, then why would you…?" It was then that Marionette took a good look at Ennard's toolbox. There were a few normal things inside, but he also noticed two sets of wire cutters. There were few circumstances where Ennard, an animatronic made of wires, would need heavy-duty wire cutters. Marionette's eyes widened and then flashed with anger. "You weren't coming over here to help us! You were coming over here to sabotage us!"

"Ding-ding! We have a winner!" Ennard exaggerated. He slammed the toolbox shut. "No need to thank me or anything. Since none of you could've got the job done."

"Did you think we were just going to stand aside and let you break him further?!" the Puppet asked as he stood over him. "Didn't you think we would notice you snipping wires?!"

"With how burnt out Fritz was and Mike saying he's splitting later? I was pretty sure nobody was gonna catch on!" Ennard said back. Then he abruptly stood to loom back over Marionette. "And why are you protecting him anyway?! What, do we just forget everything everyone does if they're busted up?! That guy's still a raging lunatic!"

"He's my brother!" Marionette defended.

"Oh please, you still believe that?! You still believe that after last night?!" Ennard asked with a laugh of frustration. "Here's a news flash for ya, Mari: that's no brother of yours! That's Willie Afton!"

"Ennard, no. He's just in our father's suit," the puppet persisted. He tried to even his voice to get through to him, starting to understand a little better. "That's my older brother Michael. The one from the tape."

"He attacks people, he breaks into houses, he kidnaps people- he even knows where all the vents are! The only reason I know where they are is cause I practically lived in 'em!" Ennard counted off on his wire fingers. "And that guy is nothing like Michael."

"And how exactly do you know that?" Mike chimed in. Ennard stumbled over his words momentarily, looking a bit flustered by the question.

"I just- I just do. I just know! It doesn't matter how," the clown vehemently insisted. There wasn't even a shred of doubt. "And I wouldn't go trusting a guy whose got a history of snatching kids." With that final bitterness, Ennard turned back towards the Candy Cadet. "Now if you excuse me, I've got a talking vending machine here that needs to get cracked open."

He dug right back into his toolbox and brought out a screwdriver to start taking apart the robot's paneling. While Marionette was still upset, he caught himself when he realized that the clown had just insinuated that he would not work on Springtrap. Meaning that they were stuck at square one again, even if he wasn't sure whether to even trust the amalgam with it.

"Ennard, I know you want to protect Scott and I know you think he's William, but I promise you that he's not. And he's in bad shape-."

"Just forget it, Mari. He's not going to do it," Mike interrupted with an annoyed tone. That annoyance aimed at the amalgam and not the puppet. "I'll just figure it out on my own. Me and Fritz will do it ourselves. That's what we should've done." He then turned to storm off down the aisle. Ennard paused in his motions before turning and calling back.

"Don't hold it against me, Mike! If you knew what I know, you'd do the same thing!" he called after the security guard. "…But we're still okay, right? We're still pals?"

"We're fine, Ennard. Just don't pull anything and don't come back here," Mike called back. Honestly, he was frustrated with Ennard, but there was a small part of his rational mind that understood it.

Mike knew Springtrap wasn't William- he was certain considering the Fredrick situation- but it would've been difficult to convince Ennard with how the rabbit had been acting. Yet Mike would stick with his deal, with or without Ennard's assistance. He stood by his word.

Now it was just Ennard, Marionette, and Charlie standing there. Marionette's concern about his oldest sibling was renewed and he looked back to the amalgam, watching as he started to unscrew some of Candy Cadet's bolts. He considered trying to reason with him but knew it would be pointless. It had been foolish to believe that Ennard would be so easily swayed.

"Can you at least… Just tell me what you think it is?" Marionette quietly asked. Ennard said nothing but stopped his movements and turned his head slightly, like he was listening. "He's in pain. Every couple of minutes he stops with full body shivers that cause his joints to tighten. Fritz said that it smells like something's burning when this happens."

Charlie added in to help Marionette. "When I tazed him, he fell down shaking and Scott said it looked like a springlock failure. After that he went rigid and didn't relax even when Fritz shut him off."

"Does that sound like anything familiar to you?" the puppet pressed lightly. The clown hesitated almost thoughtfully, tapping his fingers on the screwdriver, and Marionette reached out to lay a hand on his shoulder. "Please, Ennard. Just this much? I promise it's not a mistake."

Ennard gave a noise between a groan and a sigh. His wires squeaked as they tightened with stress. It almost hurt to speak. "He's got open circuitry. But it's not just loose wires on the extremities. It sounds like it's going to be somewhere in the chest cavity or neck. Maybe something got lodged in there that's starting to burn. Crack him open, clean out whatever gunk's caught up in there, and wrap up the wires. They're going to want to wear gloves or they're looking at a bad shock."

"Mike will surprise you. He may sell himself short, but he is skilled. Fritz too," Marionette lightly assured. He then patted Ennard's shoulder. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it…" Ennard muttered. "…Seriously. If you tell him I told you that, he's not going to let you work on him."

"I'm just going to tell Mike and Fritz," Marionette agreed. He then turned to leave, lightly beckoning Charlie to follow with him before continuing out. Charlie hesitated a moment and looked back at Ennard.

"Thanks, Ennard. That's really going to help," she told him. Ennard nodded and listened to her leave. Then he slumped a little, disappointed on all accounts. He couldn't keep with the plan after they had figured it out. It was one thing to derail them secretly, but a second if it risked putting everything in his life in jeopardy. Springtrap wasn't worth it, even if just the thought of him was enough to get his hands sparking.

Just when Ennard was about to lose himself into angry stewing a familiar voice spoke up. One that he hadn't anticipated on hearing.

"I am Candy Cadet. I have candy all day every day, and maybe a story?" Candy Cadet suddenly quoted. Ennard sent a confused look inside of the open front and wondered if he had somehow activated something. Everything inside did look tangled up and in need of a good wipe down. "Candy. Candy. Candy."

"…Ha ha, sure! I'll take that story, Buddy," Ennard agreed as he scooted closer and leaned in. "You just keep going while I poke around in here. Don't mind me." To which he began to work, and it began to recite.

"Once there was a spoiled little girl who got everything she ever wanted. She had ice cream for dinner and candy for dessert, and all the toys she ever wanted, and she was loved. One day her father brought her a beautiful doll, but he told her that she was too little to play with the doll and put it on a shelf where she could look but not touch. But she couldn't help herself and went to the doll's shelf. She reached out and broke her. After that, her father no longer spoiled her. No more ice cream for dinner or dollies for gifts, and she was sad. One day, her father sent her a new toy to play with…"

"…That's it?" Ennard asked. It was hard enough swallowing the story when it sounded so foreboding, let alone the ending dropping off. "You can't leave it like that! What happened?"

"She broke it too," Candy Cadet finished.

"…Gee, that's sort of a downer. You should've just ended it after he cut her off," Ennard muttered as he continued to work. Suddenly there was an uneasy feeling hanging over the warehouse. The clown didn't feel comfortable with the 'talking vending machine'. Its story was a little too curious, and just a little too familiar.

Right when the silence was becoming uncomfortable, something small dropped down onto Ennard's head. He looked down to see that it was a piece of candy.

"Candy for dessert. Candy for dessert," Candy Cadet began to repeat. More pieces began to pop out of its chute and drop onto the amalgam. "Candy. Candy. Candy."

"Jackpot!" Ennard chirped as he unwrapped the piece and tossed it past his teeth. "I hope this was just a lucky break and I didn't yank out the wrong thing. That would be a nightmare to fix!"

Ennard's cheery tone covered the uneasy feeling as he lost himself to his work. He wouldn't think about anything else. Not the story, not Springtrap, not Michael, just his work. Just like any good technician would.

Mable: Might take more than a few technicians to fix these guys, but at least it's a start. I hope you enjoyed!