Mable: Here's the new chapter! I hope you Enjoy!
Almost Feels Like Home
Chapter Sixty-Seven
Mike should've known things weren't going to go much better in the office. He heard the feverish pacing even before he stepped inside to see it. There was Springtrap limping and pacing back and forth quickly. His hands were clenched and his mouth tight, making it look even more like he was grimacing. Fritz was standing innocently beside the door watching without stepping in. Mike considered doing the same, but as he nudged the door closed it squeaked and caught Springtrap's attention.
The springlock suit turned and rushed Mike before staring down at him with an intense glare. This time he decided to drop the silent act and be clear with what was bothering him.
"What were you thinking defend that- that parasite?!" Springtrap exploded. He showed no restraint, shoving Mike back by the shoulder and glaring with a reignited heat. "Did you think I wouldn't find out that you brought that thing here?! Did you think I couldn't smell that sugar-coated mat of rejected organs coming from a mile away?!" He growled and pulled back, but only because of a quick jolt of pain. "And you would shut me off and give it access to my body…"
"It wasn't like that. My train of thought was that if he somehow kept himself together that maybe he'd be able to get your issues straightened out," Mike flatly said, partially joking. It only made the animatronic look angrier, if that was possible. "Just don't even worry about it. That plan is off the table and we're just going to work on you ourselves."
"How am I supposed to trust you? Your word means nothing," Springtrap spat. He began to pace again but slower. "Bringing that butcher in here…"
"The last time I checked you and Ennard worked together before. I know you two hate each other, but I thought you could put that aside long enough to get this wiring thing straightened out. Isn't that what you did during the fire?" Mike asked. It was clear that he was unenthused by the miniature episode. "Something like self-preservation over hatred?"
"I do many foolish things to keep myself alive. I make deals that I shouldn't," Springtrap muttered as he glanced over out of the corner of his eye. Mike didn't have a reply to that. "Do you have any idea how many technicians died at the hands of that thing? Workers doing their job, strung up or cut open, leaving behind friends and family…" He trailed off as his eyes glanced to the door. He stared for a moment, listening, and then turned away from both it and Mike. "Marion's outside the door."
Mike handed the crank off to Fritz and stepped out the office door. As predicted, there stood Marionette with Charlie a few steps behind him. "Any luck on your end?" Mike asked.
"You'll be happy to know that Ennard told me what we need to look for… I'm actually surprised he did after everything," Marionette said pensively. "He thinks it's broken circuitry around the chest or neck, and he said we might be looking at cleaning and repairing wires. He didn't sound like he had much faith in us."
"Considering that Springtrap just chewed through me, I can't say I'm surprised," Mike muttered. He readjusted his hat with a stressed exhale. "But that's good. Gives us a direction to go in and doesn't sound too difficult." He started to head back into the office before looking back. "You're going to come in and make sure we don't kill him, right?"
"If he lets me then that's the plan," Marionette agreed. "Tell him Charlie's a technician. Maybe you can get us both in."
"At this point, I'm lucky if he lets me in," Mike said with a small smirk. He reentered the office. "Okay, Michael. We're still going to do this if you're going to let us."
Springtrap was still silently standing off in the corner, seemingly refusing to speak. Mike exhaled and removed his hat, still not content with it, and ran a hand through his hair.
"Look, I'm sorry I brought Ennard here without discussing it with you. That's not going to happen again… In fact, so there's no more surprises, I'm going to tell you right off the bat that we need Marionette in here to make sure we don't lose you. Will you still let us do this? We're still ready to work."
Springtrap's fists tightened and his head slumped forwards. He obviously wanted to stay stubborn and refuse but said nothing of protest. Maybe because he knew that said puppet was listening outside the door. To both men's surprise, he gave a slow nod. Fritz raised his brows and looked to Mike, who looked back with equal surprise and relief. This was the closest thing to a victory that they were getting.
The technician stepped up with a throat clearing noise. "I'm going to have to shut you down again. You're not going to want to be awake for this." Springtrap looked over at him with a cold glint and Fritz raised his hands in defense. "No tricks, I promise. This is all better for me in the long run, so I won't have to listen to Ennard going on about how much of a better technician he is."
Springtrap either made a noise mixed between a scoff, a cough, or some sort of crackling growl. He still returned to the floor as he had been before and leaned back to allow himself to be shut off. Fritz knelt alongside him before beginning to reach towards his neck.
"No." At Springtrap's protest, Fritz recoiled his hand. The animatronic looked towards Mike and nodded at him. "He does it."
"Yeah, because I did such a good job last time." While he thought this, Mike said nothing as to not rock the boat, and came over to do it. He knelt beside the springlock suit and reached towards the neck. "Here, watch this," he directed Fritz. "I don't think it's the same as Baby's, and I know for a fact that it's not like Marionette."
"He knows Marionette like the back of his hand," Fritz clarified to Springtrap.
"He knows. He heard Chance's self-righteous rant about me corrupting Mari," Mike pointed out. Springtrap gave an impatient groan as the shivers started to return. The security guard hurried to reach inside and unplug the wire again. Once again, the rabbit's body slumped, and his eyelids partially shut. Immediately, Mike turned towards the door. "You can come in now. I don't know how long he's going to stay under, so we need to work fast."
Marionette came into the office and knelt alongside Mike while Charlie more hesitantly stood near the bot's feet. Fritz grabbed for the crank off the desk behind him.
"The easiest way for us to work is to put him in suit mode, but I'm warning you now, be careful where you put your hands," he firmly directed, waving the crank to punctuate. "If he seizes up then you better believe those springlocks are going to fail and he's going to snap back from suit mode so fast that he's taking anything left in him with him. Watch your fingers."
"So, basically you're saying he's a finger-trap," Marionette said. He gave Mike a playful nudge in the arm.
"I'm already getting flashbacks to that movie where they were doing chest compressions and the guy's chest opened up with all those teeth and just-." Mike finished with a click of his teeth that finished the picture. "Except the arms aren't going to look as rubbery jutting out."
"Not unless they're mine," Charlie casually added. She then watched as Mike and Fritz struggled to roll the rabbit onto his side so that the hand crank could be inserted.
"I think I've got it. You just hold him right there," Fritz instructed as he leveled up the crank and slipped it inside. Then he began to turn it, briefly glancing to Marionette for confirmation and getting a nod. He continued twisting until Springtrap's body shifted. All at once everything seemed to loosen up. His mouth opened of its own accord, his legs and arms seemed limp in a dislocated way, and his full weight was held by Mike as Fritz carefully pulled the crank back out. They rolled him back onto his back once again.
"Now let's get this chest open. It should open now," Fritz said as he took the lead. He started trying to remove the fabric. "It's just like Foxy. We can remove the exterior and- Oh." As he unhinged and removed a large portion of the chest, they were all hit by a pungent odor. The smell of decay that Mike had smelled in the backroom, which had seemed to dissipate, had renewed itself with the opening of the chest. "Oh wow, that's…" Fritz choked into his sleeve, then did so again when he saw inside the suit. "Yup, that's a corpse."
It was more the remains of a corpse than a whole one. Parts of it had rotted and shed but some of the mummified flesh remained trapped in the springlocks. Some wires that should've been pulled away by the activation of suit mode remained stuck in mats of waste. One of the wires was frayed but barely held together, only to be enwrapped in the decay. Springtrap's own body was causing his suit to decompose.
"That just-," Mike began only to cut off with his own cough. As much as he tried to keep his compositor he couldn't. "That's so much worse than last time."
"That smell is never getting out of this room," Fritz pointed out with his mouth still covered.
"Look at all of that…" The security guard dared to lean further over and look inside. "This is Springtrap's problem. This has got to be causing the wires to break. Look at how they're stuck in it, and even if they weren't this is going to start rusting the metal and eating through the suit. He's lucky he's not crawling with maggots right now." Fritz's face scrunched in disgust and Mike looked to Marionette to continue, but the puppet was turned around to look back at the wall. "Mari?"
"I'm fine," Marionette assured. That defensiveness was an immediate tip off, but the glossiness of his tear tracks confirmed any suspicious. It hurt seeing his brother's body in such a state.
"What do you think; will cleaning this out do anything to Springtrap? It won't kill him, right?" Mike carefully asked. Now Marionette looked to him.
"You mean moving his remains? No. It's been… Much too long. It'll be fine." The Puppet sighed and looked back to the open suit yet again and the mess inside. "This is long overdue… Give me a moment." He vanished out of the office. Mike almost thought he was going to hide and clean himself up and was a little uneased, but Marionette returned quickly through the door with the cleaning spray and wipes.
Fritz got up to get the wire brush and Charlie took his place while he was gone. "Let me start. I think I can get most of it out without activating the springlocks," she volunteered. That, and she was at least moderately certain that they would be able to reattach anything to her if the worst did happen. Not that it would since she was confident that she could work around them. Not to mention that the smell was much less impactful for her. She could certainly smell what was coming out of the body, but it was dulled, and she lacked a stomach to twist in disgust.
A pair of rubber gloves suddenly flew past her and landed on Springtrap's shoulder. She quickly pulled them on, making them work even with the different hand shape. She looked down at the neck of the suit and noticed the thickly congealed mass there. "Is there any way to get the neck and head open the rest of the way?"
"There's should be a release on the underside of the head. Maybe a button or a release switch," Marionette offered. He sprayed a healthy amount of cleaner onto one of the already damp wipes and handed it over. "This is quick drying but be careful putting it anywhere near the springlocks. One fails and they all might fail. I'll get the head." He reached under Springtrap's jaw and felt around the deterioration and slight fire damage, eventually finding two things deeper inside that felt like releases. Pressing them in caused something to click, but Springtrap's mouth remained prone. "Mike?"
"I'm on it." Mike carefully opened Springtrap's mouth further and revealed the remains of the head inside. He hissed through his teeth as he looked at the bolts and metal that still pierced the head. "I don't think this is coming out… But it's holding up a little better. Either I'm getting used to the smell or this is less powerful up here."
The area around the head was cleared more of the buildup of refuse. He half wondered if Michael had somehow figured out how to open himself and had been keeping it cleaner. Mike looked up to see an old toothbrush offered to him and took it. "I'll get the neck."
"Thanks. I'm going to check the arms and legs just in case," Fritz volunteered as he sat down cross legged beside Charlie. "You know, this wasn't what I expected when we figured out it was an electrical thing."
"I know what you mean. The last thing I ever thought I'd do to Springtrap is brush his teeth." Mike sprayed some cleaner on the brush and began to work, with Marionette holding the releases to keep the mouth from locking or snapping shut. They fell into silence as they continued the slow work.
It took at least an hour of cleaning to get Springtrap's interior somewhat presentable. By now they had collected a bag filthy wipes and had two scares where the springlocks twitched or squeaked in protest. Both instances resulted in everyone yanking their hands back like the suit was about to bite down on them; both times was a false alarm. Finally, the wires were more exposed, and they could see how many of them were damaged. One stood out.
"Right here, back by the spine," Marionette said as he pointed to the wire. It was thicker than the others, made of a few wires that were then sealed together. It looked like something sharp had cut halfway through the bundle. "I can't be sure, but I think this is causing the problems."
Fritz looked at it and clenched his teeth as he saw the open wiring. It would need more than just tape. "You called it. That's got to be causing the shakes… But here's the bigger problem. This isn't something I can just duct tape and leave like this, I'm going to have to solder it back together. Which means I'm going to stick a hot iron against a wire that, when prodded enough, causes the entire body to seize up. In a springlock suit. In a springlock suit that's already threatening to close in on us."
"So, you can't do it?" Mike asked.
"…No, I can do it, but we're going to have to get creative here…" Fritz tapped his fingers on his leg as he looked over the animatronic, the damage inside of it, and then the crank. He had an idea. "I've got an idea that might work. Big emphasis on the 'might'. We turn him on his side and put the crank back in and you two hold the crank and in place." He pointed to Mike and Marionette. "If my theory is correct, the triggering mechanism will be stuck as long as the crank is in it to hold everything open. If you can keep a handle on it long enough for me to do the repairs, then we might fix this."
"Sounds like an idea. What if it doesn't work?" Mike asked as he helped Fritz turn Springtrap on his side again, then accepted the crank from him.
"Then I'll need you to drive me to the hospital. We'll cross that bridge when we get there," Fritz quickly dismissed as to not think about it. He got his soldering iron out and ready along with a replacement for the wire's casing. Mike and Marionette got the crank back into place and both held it steady. Seeing them in place, Fritz took a deep breath and handed a flashlight to Charlie. "Hold this, please."
The technician then laid down on his belly to look in the springlock suit's cavity. It was an unfortunately awkward angle for a situation that involved exact precision. Swallowing thickly, he took the screwdriver and nudged it into the animatronic's body.
"I'm going to try and stimulate the springlocks, okay?" With nods from the crank holders he reached to the nearest springlock that was fully exposed. Using handle of it, he lightly thumped the springlock, to no response. He tried a little harder and still nothing. Finally, he gave a firm strike.
This would've done something because Mike and Marionette could both feel the crank trying to pull. But with both of their grips it didn't move, and the suit didn't close. The body was forced to stay open.
"Okay… I'm going in," Fritz finally agreed. Now wearing the rubber gloves, he reached in with the soldering iron in one hand and a pair of rubber tipped pliers with the other. He got ahold of the bundle with the pliers and looked it over. Then he gave an impatient huff and handed the soldering iron back. "No good. Going to have to strip the wires. Charlie?"
"I'm on it." The Security Puppet handed him the tools as he carefully worked to remove enough of the casing to fire the wires. It was only more difficult since the wires were mostly stuck together, but he managed to get the job done, and the springlocks hadn't reacted at all. He handed back the tools and got the soldering iron back. "Here's the moment of truth. You guys keep ahold of that," he insisted as he slid in closer.
The smell of rot was barely covered by the smell of the cleaner, making it only more apparent that he was halfway lodged in a deathtrap. With a thick swallow he reached in with his right arm and pressed the soldering iron into the frayed wires.
As soon as the heat touched the wires, there was a loud clicking, a ticking, and a shuddering of the suit. The crank yanked so hard that it was like it was trying to pull free of the grasps on it. It turned slightly and the metal on the inside of the suit quivered. Springtrap's mouth even snapped close.
"It's fighting us," Mike warned. There was another surge and the crank nearly twisted again. Marionette dropped forwards to wrap his arms around it and hold with all his might while the security guard tried to do the same. "Fritz, this thing's about to fail!"
"I'm almost there. Just hold it." Fritz sounded surprisingly focused. Not a trace of strain, entirely fixated on the wires mending together, even when he was nearly sweating through his clothes. As soon as the wires bonded, he said back to Charlie, "Insulation, quick." He grabbed the handle of the soldering iron in his mouth- so close that he could feel the heat on his cheek and knew any wrong movement could result in a nasty and visible burn- and took the replacement for the wire exterior. Once the wire was covered, he carefully moved the iron close to bind the plastic to the wire.
"Fritz, hurry it up," Mike forewarned. By now he was having to use all his strength against the crank. It was slowly starting to turn and inside the suit Fritz could hear the ticking again.
When the plastic was bound enough, Fritz released the wires and quickly yanked himself out, bumping the suit as he did and triggering another protest. This time the crank couldn't be stopped and spun freely. Marionette flailed awkwardly as he fell against Springtrap, Mike hand was wrenched painfully, and the suit snapped back into animatronic mode instantly. It could've easily crushed through skin and bone, but Fritz had his hands out of the suit and raised to safety.
"Done!" the technician proclaimed in both shock and relief. He stared down at Springtrap for a few moments before breaking into a smile. "It's done! Fixed!"
"You did it…" Charlie was in equal shock. Though she sent him an excited smile too. "I can't believe you did it! Fritz, that was amazing!"
"That was amazing," Fritz agreed. It was only then that the full impact started to sink in. "…Amazingly stupid." And then the rest of it sunk in. "I almost just got both of my arms crushed right then."
"Sounds like that adrenaline's wearing off quick," Mike lightly teased as he rubbed his wrist. "Don't overthink it. What could've happened didn't happen. You did it, so don't go dwelling on the other possibilities." He now nudged the Puppet who had just recovered. "Besides, we had your back." The Puppet chimed lightly amusement and relief.
"Yeah… Yeah, I did it. All's good," Fritz agreed as he rubbed his face. "I'm not going to risk hooking him up to the Handunit, so it's a waiting game. If it worked, if he's good to go… Then I'm going home, getting back in bed, and taking the week off."
It was all smiles and good humor at that point. It felt like a victory.
Everything felt strange. Springtrap was groggy and his mind was a muddled mess. He shifted wearily as he slowly started to rouse, seeing dim lights beyond his eyelids. There were footsteps from somewhere behind him. Something was wrong but his mind was remembering things wrong, like he was still caught between a dream and waking. There was movement behind him before he felt a hand on his arm.
"Hey, we're done," Mike Schmidt suddenly said. It was only then that he realized he wasn't on a couch, not in the warmth of a comfortable living room, but on a tarp on the hard floor of the office.
Springtrap pried open his eyelids and immediately regretted it. Everything was bright and distorted, and something felt wrong inside of him. The pain of the shocks was gone but there was something gaping in his core. He felt empty and cold. He started to turn his head and out of the corner of his eye he could see Mike crouching over him.
"I'm heading into work with Mari. You just try to sleep this off until we get back," Mike half-suggested and partially instructed. Springtrap released a gurgling noise from his chest to answer. The security guard patted his shoulder. "Trust me, you're going to just want to sleep through it. Fritz had to break out the soldering iron and I'm going to take a wild guess and say you're going to feel it."
How odd; the man should've still been infuriated with him, but instead he sounded like he was trying to comfort him. It was the last thing Springtrap thought of before he started to drift again. It had been ages since he had slept and even though he didn't want to he didn't have a choice in the matter. His eyes closed and the light that crept through them vanished. The office was gone again and so was he.
"She's down there."
As horrifying as the thought was, there was a part of him that believed his father. He was so clear with his words, so convinced and honest sounding, but on the other hand he knew that his father could be twisting the truth again. He always did so when he wanted something, but this was the first time he had ever needed something. Especially when punctuated by such a disturbing reveal.
Elizabeth's disappearance had been sudden and unexplained. There was always a part of Michael that knew there was something his father wasn't saying. She was the favorite, his little princess, so it didn't make any sense that after she went missing their father became so subdued. He didn't go looking for her at all. He had made more of an attempt to find the missing children than her, and Michael was convinced that was just for show to make him look less suspicious and Fazbear Entertainment like it cared.
Elizabeth's disappearance was odd. Even Gabe had said so when he had visited him last, which his father did not know about. Elsewise he might've not brought it up at all. From what Gabe said, she just left one day with their father, as she always did, and then she was just gone. He hadn't seen her since and neither had Marion, and William had only called a few weeks afterwards after the search was long over. Yet here he was calling about Afton Robotics and her and saying that beyond all reason she was down in the business that he no longer owned.
He sounded very convincing. Michael could've believed it easily, if not for one thing; his father always wanted something more.
"You're such a terrible liar, Father."
He had never hung up so quickly. He wouldn't allow him to fill his head with more empty begging, with pointless lies about his sister, or with whatever reason he really wanted back into Afton Robotics. The abrupt ending left Michael feeling unfulfilled, but he ignored it to head back into the living room and drop onto the couch.
The show was on. Clara was currently weeping over a lipstick mark on a shirt collar while Vlad was sleeping in his coffin obliviously. A dramatic scene that he couldn't feel much for when he was too busy steaming about his father and pretending that he wasn't curious about what he said about Elizabeth. She couldn't be down there. His sister wouldn't still be in that place.
"What was that about?"
"…It was my father," Michael admitted.
"I got that much. I meant, what was that about?"
The bowl of popcorn was thrust into his lap and Michael stared down at it. He wasn't hungry, but it smelled too good to pass up. Movie theater butter was his greatest temptation, other than flat out stress eating.
"He was trying to get me to go to his old business. He wanted me to get a job there or something like that," Michael excused. "Probably just wanting a spy in the company now that he doesn't own it." In hindsight, that was a good deduction and probably was the real reason William wanted him to go. Though using his missing sister as bait was tactless and inappropriate. In short, something his father would eagerly do.
"…Wait, he's asking you to get a job at his old robotics plant? Like, a real job in your field?"
"Don't get so excited. It's my father, so there's strings attached somewhere," Michael easily dismissed. He then frowned as he tightened his hand around a handful of popcorn. "I don't need William's charity."
"You're right. You don't want to get mixed up in that… Think he'll give me the job?" Blue eyes sent a glare at the other side of the couch. "Just an innocent question!"
"Don't even think about it. It's not worth it. Firstly, my father doesn't even own it any longer, and secondly, you wouldn't want to work with him if he did. I don't want you to go near him. Don't even answer the door if he somehow finds his way here," Michael insisted. He threw the crushed popcorn into his mouth. "You'd do better getting a job as a dishwasher."
"Easy words from a guy with a cushy job."
Michael didn't consider moonlighting at a bar a cushy job.
"Eh, I don't want it anyway. Last thing I need is to get in the middle of a family feud. What happens if he invites me to Thanksgiving and then I have to go meet your family while you sit here alone eating TV dinners? Until you pop up at the house in the middle of the night and have a mushy reunion with your dad. I suddenly become the guy who saved Christmas and never live it down."
"That would not happen," Michael dismissed unamused. "As sickeningly saccharine as that would be, my father is not the 'mushy' type, and he cares little about family." The words became a cold ball in his stomach as he thought about his sister, his brothers, and his mother. Everything he left behind. "Life isn't like a sitcom special… You would know that if you got out of the house more."
"Yeah, I would, but to do that I would need a job."
The smug smile that followed that comment was just enough to weasel a small smile out of Michael. He always did know how to push his buttons, and right before he shoved his hand back into the popcorn bowl.
"Don't sweat it. One of these days we'll get our act together."
Michael hoped so, because he never wanted to be in the situation where he would have to take his father's offer. Not yet, not ever.
When Springtrap woke again, he was much more alert than he had been earlier. He was still on the office floor and hadn't moved at all, and there was still a strange gnawing feeling inside, but he seemed to be fine. Nothing had been damaged further at least. He listened closely but couldn't hear anything except the dull hum of a fan. Slowly he turned himself over and scanned the room.
Mike was long gone but Fritz was still there. He was slumped in the office chair, feet propped up on his own toolbox, hat pulled over face, and fully asleep. He didn't even rouse when Springtrap started to roll over to stand. Everything felt a little off, but he noticed that the nagging pain that he could always feel was gone. There hadn't been any jolts yet either and no burning or twitching. There was an overwhelming lemon smell wafting through his suit, but he could live with it. It was a small price to pay.
The remains of his surgery were strewn about. A few tools not put back in the box were sitting out, including an unplugged soldering iron, and there was a plastic bag that looked to have cleaning wipes in it. It was only then that he realized they had cleaned out his inside, and for a jarring moment he wondered how much.
Shrugging it off, Springtrap headed to the office door and let himself out. Fritz didn't even hear as he headed out of the room and down the aisles. The warehouse wasn't as quiet as he had grown to expect. He could hear talking, and it didn't take him long to recognize that it was the clown talking with what sounded like a woman.
Of course the clown was still here. Of course it intruded into his life and took whatever it wanted. He couldn't stand being in the same building with it any longer. If he didn't get away then he would have to stab something sharp through its chest. It wouldn't be anything worse than what it had done to others. But he would keep his word, if only because Mike seemed like the only sane person in this entire city who was still a human. He couldn't afford to burn that final bridge. It was time to accept that his survival relied on more than him just running on his own.
Speaking of which, it seemed like it was time to go on his way. Mike would understand, Marionette would live with it, the others would be relieved, and Springtrap would be free. He ignored the voices and made his way to the front door of the warehouse. Then, without any fan fair, he opened the door to let himself out into the world. Then recoiled when he was met by blinding sunlight.
Springtrap hadn't even considered what time it was. The warehouse was always so dark that he just assumed he slept until evening, but to his dismay it was broad daylight. With a low growl he yanked the door shut with a clatter and was stuck standing there directionless. Nowhere to go and nothing to do to escape this. He resigned himself to his fate exhaustedly and sat down beside the door to wait. He had become very used to waiting, but nighttime couldn't come fast enough.
That was how Charlie found him, sitting on the floor with his arms resting on his legs and his head dropped forwards. Instead of looking dangerous even without a weapon, he looked almost defeated, and maybe even a little pitiable. Charlie had mixed feelings about him, especially after they had gone head to head, but she did feel sorry for him. Especially after what she saw inside of him. She wondered if it was worth trying to reach out to him, if only to face her own fears.
Just the thought of getting close to the golden rabbit suit made her anxious in a way that was only comparable to staring down a set of headlights. She held her ground and took a few steps forward. One of his ears twitched and he raised his head to look at her, causing her to stop in place and stare back. They did that for a few, long moments. She didn't know if he was going to attack and he didn't know why this other puppet was here. Eventually he decided that he didn't care and returned to his previous position to wait.
The Security Puppet relaxed slightly but kept watching the animatronic with hesitance. She dared to step closer and watched him for a reaction. His lack of one encouraged her to stop against the wall beside him. She slowly slid down and sat with only a few feet between them. Part of her still wanted to run, but the other part refused to do so. She couldn't be afraid of him forever, and this was probably the only time she would get a chance to confront him like a human being.
When it became clear that he wasn't going to speak, she did. "I apologize for electrocuting you," she said quieter than she intended to. "Normally I wouldn't have done that, but I was desperate. Just like you were." The other made a low hum or groan, maybe a light growl, but she still sat there. More silence followed, and she wondered if it was worth saying anything more.
Springtrap, meanwhile, couldn't tell why the other puppet was trying to speak to him. Considering their past confrontations this behavior was odd. Maybe she was fishing for information, or maybe one of the others told her to keep an eye on him, and he was suspicious and standoffish. Though on the other hand it had been so long since he had a real conversation with someone. He gave a wheezy sigh.
"Does he know you're here?" Springtrap finally asked. It was odd hearing such a normal, if somewhat grizzled voice coming out of that body. Even when she heard it earlier through the office door. He had the same accent that Marionette had too.
"Who, Ennard?" she guessed.
He gave a low growl at the name. "No. Marion."
"Right. Yes, he knows I'm here," Charlie replied. She looked down at her legs and shifted them. The floor was almost as uncomfortable as the conversation. Springtrap gave a hum and returned to silence. "Why do you hate him so much?... Not Marionette, I mean. You know who I mean."
Springtrap didn't even know if it was worth telling her. It was clear that she was at least somewhat convinced by the amalgam's flimsy guise of benevolence. Elsewise she wouldn't be talking with him. Unless she didn't know. It was possible that she hadn't any idea what the clown had done.
"He took the lives of good men," Springtrap admitted. She looked to him in surprise and he didn't react. "And he gets to live as someone's pet. He gets to live the lives they no longer have. It's a crime against nature."
She didn't expect him to have an actual reason. She wondered if that made her a hypocrite, not seeing him as being as human when that was what she herself wanted. It was pushed aside for the time being. "I'm guessing one of those technicians was you… I'm sorry."
"I could care less about me… I had no one to go home to," Springtrap easily deflected. He then slumped a little more, eyes falling and hands tightening. "…Which of the restaurants did you come out of?" To her it sounded like an innocent question; to him it would be a way of figuring out the exact circumstances of her death. He could narrow it down from that fact alone.
"I didn't come out of one. I've been working in Foxy and Mari's pizzeria, but that started recently. They don't make me perform or anything like that, I just use it to do something productive with my time. It feels like such a waste sitting around with nothing to do." Charlie hadn't intended to give her life's story without any provocation. Especially when Springtrap just silently listened and she was unsure if he even cared. She changed her tone and target. "I'm Charlie. I'm the Security Puppet."
"…Charlie?" Springtrap squinted his eyes like he was furrowing his brow. "Not Charlotte Emily. Couldn't be."
"That's it." Charlie was just as surprised at the recognition. "Have we… Met before?"
"You wouldn't remember. You couldn't have been much older than two or three, maybe even younger…" Springtrap trailed off and his voice grew quieter. "My apologies about your brother."
"Thank you," she said, not sure what else to say. "I appreciate it."
"Is my father still alive?"
"What?" Charlie asked in confusion. Springtrap looked at her for the first time during the conversation. She wasn't sure why he waited until now to look at her, but she was almost glad he had waited since she felt like flinching under his intense gaze. He continued looking to her expectantly and she figured it out. "Oh, you mean-!... No. Marion said he died a couple of years ago. It was someone else, a man named Dave Miller."
The animatronic gave a content sort of hum and turned away again, satisfied by the answer. Just the brief thought of William still being alive horrified him. Especially when the last he heard the man was dead and buried. It would've been too easy for his father to just dispose of another identity and pick up a new one. Now comforted, he felt the need to say something more.
"I didn't know what he was doing. It was something that came after years of hindsight, or I would have done something more to stop him," Springtrap defended. His voice sounded weary and drained, like there was no life in his words. She assumed it was from the tenseness of the conversation but knew it could've also been from the surgery.
"No, I understand. I don't know what I would've done in the same situation…" Charlie hesitated a moment, tapping her fingers on the floor. "…Can I ask you something? You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but why choose my dad's house to stay in?" She thought maybe there was some sort of significance. Maybe he would reveal a secret that she didn't know.
"It was the only house connected to the vents that wasn't blocked or being lived in. You have few options when you look like this." Or maybe the simplest answer was the right one. He shifted uncomfortably and straightened his back. The turned his head and looked towards the shelves attentively.
It was then that Charlie noticed the sound of hurried footsteps. "Is that Fritz?"
Almost like he was answering her, Fritz ran around the corner at the end of the aisle and only stopped when he saw Springtrap and Charlie sitting there. He exhaled in relief and slumped on a shelf. "False alarm."
"What happened?" Charlie asked- as though she didn't know. It was clear what had happened; he woke up, saw the rabbit out of the office, and panicked. Not that he would admit to it.
"Nothing. I just got confused and thought I overslept. No problem," Fritz waved off. "I'm going to get ready and take, uh…" He looked towards Springtrap and noticed him still staring. He remembered the outburst in the office and decided to watch his words. "I'm going to take the tools I borrowed from Scott back. You need a ride still?"
"Sure. I need to check in with Baby, she's been waiting to hear back from me," Charlie said with a small smile.
"There's just one thing I need to take care of. I'll be right back," Fritz said as he turned and headed back into the warehouse. Scolding himself for falling asleep as he did.
Now Charlie and Springtrap were left alone once again. The two sat together on the floor in silence, with him now looking ahead distantly like he had before. She wondered if it was right leaving him here alone. It seemed like he could open up to people, even if he was incredibly reluctant.
"What are you going to do?" Charlie finally asked.
"…What am I going to do," Springtrap repeated quietly, distantly, matching his thousand-yard stare well. "What am I going to do," he repeated. He followed with a period of silent thought that ended with a noncommittal, "I don't know what I am going to do."
"Well… I'm going to go out on a limb and say you probably don't want to come to Scott's," Charlie guessed. "…I know you probably want to leave as soon as you can, but Mari wanted to see you after work. He was worried about you when you didn't wake up right away, so I think you should stay until he gets back." Springtrap didn't answer but looked like he was thinking about it. "It's just an idea. Nobody's going to force you to do anything you don't want to."
"Nobody could," Springtrap insisted, almost to assure himself that he had a choice. "…I'll think about it."
The Security Puppet got a small smile, her first angled towards him, and stood from where she was sitting. He watched her turn to leave and wondered of things. Before she disappeared, he spoke.
"My name is Michael," Springtrap called after her. She turned back to him.
"It's nice to meet you, Michael."
Meanwhile, Fritz had dragged himself over to the other side of the warehouse. There he found Ennard riffling through the tipped locker and no longer working on the Candy Cadet, which had already been fixed and closed. A few lights flickered on its head, but it remained silent. He looked back to the clown.
"Ennard? Ready to get going?" Fritz asked. The amalgam responded by dumping whatever he could into his toolbox.
"Ha ha, sure thing! Just give me two seconds. I'm gonna borrow some of this junk to keep on working on Baby. Perfect trade off for this guy." He pointed a wire thumb at the cadet. "But don't get this guy started telling stories. He's got a real dark sense of humor and can't write an ending to save his life." Fritz watched as Ennard continued to fill his toolbox. "How'd it go with Springdong?"
"It turned out- I love that name, by the way- Turns out you were right. There was a frayed wire in the back. Looked to be directly connected to the spine, which is probably why it made everything so twitchy. I mended it and threw a new casing over it, but he almost closed on me twice." Ennard snapped his head over and Fritz smiled a little, edging into bragging. "I was elbow deep and the springlocks started to fail. Mike and Mari had to keep him open with the crank while I finished up."
"Whoa! You know you could've bled out all over the place, right? Heh, you would've been in just as much danger if ya climbed in the suit to fix it!" Ennard always seemed to regard Fritz with a degree of disinterest, focusing usually on whoever else was in the room. He only noticed this now because of how curious the amalgam looked. "Alright, ya got me, I'm impressed! You pulled off the one job that I wouldn't do. Don't like springlocks myself. These wires snap through just as easy as skin does."
"At least you don't bleed. Or sweat. The inside of the suit was so hot and the smell, I can't even describe it…" He trailed off quietly and looked over to make sure Springtrap wasn't listening from nearby. This roused a giggle out of Ennard and Fritz got a lopsided grin. "Let's trade next time."
"Oh yeah? You think I'd swap getting pelted with old candy and told creepy stories about kids for getting both my arms chopped off in a gross, old human trap?" Ennard asked. "…Because sure I would!" Fritz looked to the Candy Cadet curiously, wondering what stories they were, while Ennard gathered his toolbox and stood. "Let's blow this joint. I hang around too long and ol' Willie's gonna come hunt me down."
"You really don't think Springtrap's Michael?" Fritz asked curiously. "I thought you just said that like in a metaphorical sense. Like he's in his dad's suit so he's become his dad."
"Metaphors? Nah! That's this guy's job." Ennard knocked on the cadet's chest with a hollow clang. "I mean what I say and I say what I mean!"
"I don't know. He seems to fit the bill," Fritz said with a shrug. "How are you so sure?
All at once the tone of the conversation changed. Fritz noticed it right away. The amalgam's head twitched and he stayed silent for longer than would've been expected. Just long enough for Fritz's curious look to fall into one of concern, and when that happened Ennard stepped in, leaned in close, and whispered his answer through sharp teeth.
"Because Michael was-sn't this go-ood of a liar."
The comment sent chills down Fritz's spine, and he wasn't sure if it was because Ennard used his real voice or because of the certainty in it. It was convincing, and it was that alone that made Fritz wonder if he was right. How would they be able to tell if Springtrap was Michael or not? The fact was that they couldn't.
"But that's not important right now," Ennard murmured as his voice returned to normal. "We've got some unfinished business to take care of, don't we…?"
"We do?"
"We sure do… Now we have to figure out which of us won bragging rights for the hardest job!" Ennard swung his free arm around Fritz's shoulders and yanked him in, nearly knocking him over in the process. "Now I know you almost had your arms crushed but hear me out: I had to put up with psychological torture. You should've heard this story about a snake eating kittens. Lemme tell ya, if there was a snake trying to eat my kittens, ha ha- There would be no snake."
Fritz played along and snickered a little and tried not to think about the implications that Ennard brought up and was now back to ignoring. He already spent the day working to fix Springtrap, so he was too exhausted to even begin to think of who was inside him. He just hoped that Ennard was wrong this time. Fritz really did.
Mable: A guest reviewer named Tabby brought up an interesting theory if you would like to check it out, because this might be the best time to start questioning both Springtrap and Ennard's words. As far as we've seen, they aren't the most reliable of narrators… But that's to worry about next week! I hope you enjoyed!