Almost Feels Like Home
Chapter Seventy-Six
"Why do you hate me so much?"
The elevator had only just dropped beneath the floor when the unexpected question was spawned out of nowhere. Springtrap looked over at Ennard in disbelief, as though he couldn't believe he would have the nerve to ask him. The clown stared at him intently, expecting an answer. The only sound in the room was the clicking from the lowering lift.
"Do you really have to ask that?" Springtrap flatly asked. The clown still stared at him expectantly. "The only reason we're down here is because you tried to convince everyone that you were me and that I was my father. Is that not enough of a reason?"
"Okay, look, I'll admit that I was wrong. I thought I was Michael, I was wrong, and now we're stuck down here. I'll take the blame for that." Ennard raised his hands defensively and tried to fake a dismissive tone, managing to hide his lingering disappointment. "But there's something else going on, and it's not just because you blame me for you getting scooped, because if that was it then you'd be angrier at Baby and all of them out there. What is it? Some deep-set clown phobia? Is it because I'm close to Scott? I've got to know."
Springtrap turned away with a frustrated groan low in his chest. It was one thing being questioned by friends or family members. He was willing to bend to them considering the circumstances. Ennard didn't deserve that amount of leeway. "Why do you even care? No, don't answer that. I know you don't."
"See, like that!" Ennard spat with a low growl. "I think I'm been pretty patient with you, all things considered. You might act like I was a monster, but every time you get a chance it's you hunting me. Swinging on me, waiting for me to have my back turned, and I take offense when people start calling me a parasite." The static crackled on his fingertips as his head twitched. Between the stress and Springtrap, it was all getting to him. "Just at least give me this much. Stop being vague and just b-be out with it."
He hadn't intended to let his real voice sputter out. Maybe that was what finally convinced Springtrap to speak. Though what he said continued to be just as vague, and was spoken with the same, cold bitterness.
"To you they were just bodies, but the technicians down here had lives outside of Freddy's and Baby's. I know that must be hard for you to believe, considering that you are little more than a living embodiment of the abomination that was Freddy's, but they did. They had lives and dreams… And you took that all away from them."
Ennard rolled his eyes. This seemed like the best time to remind him that even though he wasn't Michael, he was still one of those technicians. "Okay, before we go any further, let me just clear something up-."
"I don't want to hear you say a thing!" Springtrap rushed in so quickly that it took Ennard off guard. He backed from the rabbit until he bumped the stack of tubs blocking the door, but Springtrap moved in as closely as he could. He had a wild look in his gaze, and he leaned in so closely that Ennard could hear his jaw chattering in anger. "You, whatever the hell you are, are the reason I even ended up down here in the first place! You ruined me! You ruined countless lives! You and Baby and all of those vile monsters didn't care who you had to kill to get what you wanted!"
Ennard stared back silently as Springtrap's hands tightened at his sides. One still clutching the Handunit in a vice grip. He looked ready to snap, like he wanted to tear through the clown, and yet he barely held back. The clown felt the static grow in his fingertips. Not necessarily out of aggression, but preparing for self-defense, expecting Springtrap to use this free opportunity to cut him down. The hatred in his eyes showed that was what he wanted. The rabbit shuddered like his resolve was wearing thin.
The dam broke with a single heave and a choked sob. It was the last thing Ennard expected to hear out of Springtrap.
"And after all of that… You couldn't even use the body. His death meant nothing to you," Springtrap whispered. His voice hitched and shook with pent-up emotion and non-existent tears. "He was all that I had. His life was worth more than the lives of broken down, soulless machines that only think they understand what it means to be human! I only wish you, all of you knew what this feels like! If you could only feel this-!"
He was cut off by a low clanking noise and a sound like something was powering down. The rabbit hesitated a moment before looking back towards where the lift had been. "Was… Was that the elevator?"
Ennard still seemed stuck in the previous moment. "You weren't… You weren't talking about you…?"
"Be quiet," Springtrap spat. He looked back once more. "The elevator stopped. It couldn't have gotten to the boiler room already. Something must have gone wrong." The amalgam's eyes shifted around as he thought before going still as he realized something. When Springtrap started to pull back, Ennard reached out and grabbed his arm to stop him. He turned on him with a sharp glare. "Don't you dare touch me!"
But Ennard instead pointed back at the door behind him with his other hand. His voice was low and completely stoic. "It shouldn't be this quiet."
And for the first time that evening Ennard and Springtrap were on the same wavelength, because the elevator had stopped and the Molten animatronics were gone.
"We've got to get down there," the rabbit insisted. "There's got to be another way down. If they sabotaged the lift, then there must be a way to restart it."
"I'm way ahead of you!" the clown chirped. He ran past and quickly started to climb down into the shaft. "Quickest way is straight down!"
Meanwhile on the inside of the lift, the animatronics were startled by the unexpected halt of their decline. Within seconds they were starting to become antsy, checking the vent shaft blocking the windows. It looked like they had stopped at vent doors that were closed tight and looking up showed that the passage back up into the shaft had been closed off as well. They were completely stuck.
Right when panic was starting to sink in, there was a loud banging noise on the closed shaft above. "Ennard," Baby said knowingly.
As predicted, Ennard soon called down. "Hey! Can you guys hear me down there?"
"We can hear you! The elevator lost power and it doesn't look like there's any way to turn it back on from inside here!" Marionette called back.
"Ha ha, 'course it is…" Ennard mumbled as he tapped his fingers thoughtfully. It was then that there was a light beeping from above and he looked up to see Springtrap studying the Handunit. "You find something?"
"There is a breaker room right through that wall. It might be the only way to restore power to the lift." Springtrap gave an exhausted groan and slipped his Handunit into his mouth as to not drop it, with only a small bit of the handle sticking out through his teeth. "Unfortunately, that means our pursuers might already be waiting inside. They could be baiting us. Not that we have a choice." He noticed a vent cover against the wall located between him and the amalgam beneath, then looked to Ennard. "After you."
"Aww, really? How thoughtful!" Ennard said with mock bashfulness. He knocked on the metal beneath him again. "You guys just hang tight and we're gonna get the power back. The Enn-trapment Duo's on the case!"
"I hate you," Springtrap muttered. He then scooted aside as to not touch any of the clown's wires as he forced the vent open.
It took a moment, but Ennard pried it off- nearly falling down the shaft in the process- and dropped the cover before climbing in. He crawled down the shaft which was slightly smaller than the ones they used to travel out of the Private Rooms. He could hear Springtrap following, but by now he almost wished to go alone. If not for the risk of his former friends appearing, he would've insisted on it. Eventually he came up on a grate staring down into a darkened passage and kicked it through, wincing at the loud bang.
"Could you be any louder?" Springtrap hissed. Awkwardness or not, Ennard gave a static huff of annoyance.
"You know if I really wanted to I could," he said matter-of-factly. Then he lowered himself down and dropped to the floor, instantly crouching down defensively and scanning the room.
The room looked like a large breaker room with both fuse boxes on the wall and standing in the room. Wires were strewn about the floor, crawling around and finding their ways into boxes or the wall. Ennard could see what looked like a closed vent opening right where the elevator would be stuck. Worst case scenario, if they couldn't get the lift moving then maybe they could get the others out and find another way down.
"Looks like the coast is-!" Ennard's whisper was cut off when he heard a squeak. His head twisted and he stared at the far side of the room but saw nothing. He recognized that squeaking; he heard his own wires make that squeaking. His eyes scanned for any sign of movement as he became hyperaware of his surroundings. "Something's in here."
A creaking from above warned that Springtrap was climbing down, so Ennard scooted to the side and began to creep around. He peered into the corners and crevices, looking for the source of the noise and being unable to find it. It didn't help when Springtrap landed with a hefty bang and a grunt of discomfort. Springtrap caught two seconds of Ennard's paranoid display and was less than impressed Instead he looked around before noticing the amount of wires leading to a back corner.
Springtrap followed them to the back of the room. Ennard sent a wary look at the back of the breaker room, but then followed along behind. Just in case he might need to look at the fuse box. As though Springtrap would step aside and let him handle it himself. It wasn't long until the rabbit spotted what looked to be a master switch against the back wall. It was tucked inside of a box that had been left open, like someone just waltzed in and threw the switch to shut down everything. Probably one of their pursuers like he expected.
After a careful look around, Springtrap inched closer towards the box and reached inside. He laid his hand on the switch and looked over his shoulder. There was still nothing and so he flipped the switch. A dull hum filled the room as electricity surged back in. Somewhere nearby he could hear a dull static and there was a light flashing nearby, all signaling success and that power had most likely returned to the lift. With a sigh, he went to shut the fuse box door, thinking that was the end of it.
From the darkness behind the door stared a glowing red eye. Springtrap only had a second to brace himself before Molten Freddy pounced on him. The heavy mass of its wires ensnared around his legs like a serpent's tail and sent him falling to the floor.
"SURPRIIIIISE!~ AHAHAHA, DI-ID YOU THINK YOU'D LOSE US THAT EASY?! SILLY, SILLY, BON-BON!" Molten Freddy cackled. He wrapped his arm around Springtrap's right arm to subdue it and leaned in while spreading his sharp teeth. Still able to use his right arm slightly, Springtrap held back his head, grabbing one of his barely attached ears, and swung with his left hand to land a cross into Molten Freddy's unlit eye.
Ennard straightened in panicked alert as he watched the bear pin the rabbit, who began to start swinging. It was clear that Springtrap needed help, but just looking at the wires, at how tightly they clung on, Ennard didn't think he could move at all, let alone approach and help him.
Until there was a rumbling in the vent above. Ennard looked up in time to see Molten Foxy's head drop through. The fox was quick, hooking its legs in the vent to lower itself further and swinging out its head to try and bite the clown. Ennard ducked and scuttled off into the shadows quickly, and Molten Foxy dropped down and followed him.
Meanwhile, the power had returned to the lift, but it was still not moving. There was a creaking and scuffling from nearby, and Baby started impatiently tapping the button. Her frantic motions betrayed her unease. She felt like a sitting duck stuck in this lift.
Perhaps spurred by the button spamming, one of the vents began to open. All three tried to squeeze back away from it, but it was nearly impossible to escape in the tight space. Thankfully it opened into an equally small and clearly barren breaker room. The room seemed to be set up so that someone could reset the boxes from the lift, as there were buttons laid out in arm's length and wires leading from them to the boxes on the opposite wall.
"Is this to reset the lift?" Charlie asked. She almost pressed one when she noticed the tangled cords leading to the wall. One of the boxes had a red light, so she pressed that corresponding button first. Which led to the light turning green and another red. A few more button presses and they were all alit and humming with electricity. She pulled herself back into the lift. "Alright, simple as that! No technician needed."
It almost seemed too easy, but the lift didn't start to move. Instead then the vent on the opposite side began to open. Charlie squeezed around Baby and Marionette with a, "Here, I'll get that."
"Be quick. It sounds like something is happening out there," Baby warned as she stared ahead at the closed vent opening before them. It sounded like a fight, and chances were it would only get closer.
"As fast as I can. If it's anything like that one, it'll probably be a breeze," the Security Puppet assured confidently. As fate would have it, the vent then proceeded to open to reveal a dark hall instead of a small room. Similar buttons were planted before the vent opening and connected with tangled, yellow wires that then led into various boxes on the walls. Charlie looked around and adding, "And that comment came back to bite me at record speed. Just give me a few seconds."
Charlie was forced to lean out further to see the boxes better and pressed them just like before. It was all so simple and easy.
Until the first sign of a problem came from the sound of creaking further down the hall. Charlie's head snapped up and she peered back to where it was so dark that even with her vision she had trouble seeing. Something moved in the darkness, with the first clear sight being an arm reaching out of the shadows and the crawling body following it. Wires and plates scraped the floor as the figure made its slow approach.
"It's Ballora!" Marionette whispered. His gaze slowly narrowed as he realized what this meant. "They must have shut down the elevator. Charlie, hurry."
"Almost there," Charlie choked out. She forced herself to look down at the wires, then to find the next red light and try to follow it back to the button. She was trying to hurry but her eyes kept getting confused and flickering around. Throughout the struggle she could still hear Ballora crawling closer, now almost halfway there. Finally, Charlie managed to figure out the third button and knew the fourth because of it. As soon as she clicked them and gave a, "Got it!" she was yanked back inside by Baby.
"Try the button again," Baby commanded. Her voice was heavy with desperation as she stared at the animatronic crawling towards them. Molten Ballora's legs were still bent in a painful looking manner and her waist was a twisted mat of bundled wires. She had more to her than Freddy and Foxy, yet she looked the least together of the three. She looked freshly scooped.
Charlie pressed the button repeatedly and hoped that would be it. Instead, the third vent cover opened and revealed yet another set of buttons before her. This time it led into a large room, the one that they had heard Springtrap and Ennard inside of. She gave a frustrated cry, punctuated with a sharp ring.
"Hold on, there's one more!" she said as she leaned out to work. She could hear Molten Freddy's crackling laughter nearby and added a quiet, "Please let this be the last one."
"Be quick. She's growing near," Baby said. She started to scoot back further into the lift as Marionette moved to get closer to the vent, staring the approaching animatronic down with a warning hum of static. Showing that he was very willing to fight back. "Charlie, keep going."
"Baby…"
All of a sudden there came that voice she remembered so well. Slightly broken but much too familiar. Baby slowly looked back and stared at the distorted face of Ballora, which was now raised and staring at her. Her eyelids opened to reveal empty sockets inside. Even without eyes they stared into Baby, and she said something that sent chills to her core.
"I learned."
Baby only had a moment for regrets. Without warning, Ballora leapt forward with a ghastly shriek. Her broken fingers, sharp and jagged, reaching out for the clown as she closed in.
In the last second Ballora was suddenly thrown aside, crashing into the wall with a quieter but equally aggressive shriek. Marionette twitched as a pain shot through his head but didn't back down. He would climb out and fight her if he had to, and with his telekinesis fading it seemed like that was what it would come down to. Especially when Ballora turned on him with those empty eyes and gaped mouth. He chimed back his music as a final warning.
A loud crash took them all off-guard and Marionette dared to look back long enough to see that Molten Freddy had been thrown and now laid just ahead of Charlie. She scrambled to try and finish with the buttons, but the wires were even more crosses and confused. It didn't help that he quickly noticed the animatronics trapped inside of the lift. But with Marionette still trying to keep Ballora at bay and Baby injured, nobody was prepared to fight him back. He started to eagerly crawl towards them.
"OH HEY! AH-HAHA! I HOPE YOU DIDN'T FOR-RGET ABOUT MEEE!~" Molten Freddy sadistically trilled as he crawled closer.
"Charlie, get the door," Baby said with growing panic. She looked between the approaching Molten Freddy and Ballora, who then slammed herself against the vent opening and tried to climb inside. Marionette promptly backed up and sprung, tackling her out of the vent and to the floor. "Charlie, get the door now."
"I'm trying! I just- I just can't see!" Charlie scrambled to see the wires underneath Molten Freddy. The closer he got the more that he blocked her vision, and one wrong press of a button caused her to start from the beginning again. She gave another frustrated ring and tapped in the correct combination faster. "Got it!" she called back and started to draw back in, only for Molten Freddy to reach out and snatch her by the arm.
"N-NOT SO FAST!" Molten Freddy cried as he held her firm. She wriggled and tried to twist out of his grasp, but with his wire limbs she was fighting against something that could twist as much as she could. "I-I COULD USE A NEW ARM- I PROMISE TO TAKE REEEEALLY GOOD CARE OF IT!"
The Security Puppet didn't know what he was implying until she heard the clattering of the elevator. All three vent covers began to slowly lower, including the one over her. Molten Freddy only laughed as Charlie tried to pry off his hold. If she stayed like this she would be crushed, but if she leapt through to save her body then Molten Freddy's web of wires was waiting for her. But she didn't have to make that choice, as Baby charged in beside her and wedged her good arm in to hold the cover from lowering.
Marionette only barely slipped out of Ballora's wires. She wasn't nearly as controlled with them as the other Molten animatronics, so he pulled free and dove back into the lift before the cover closed. He could still hear her banging against the cover but was unable to open it back up. He collapsed to the bottom of the lift in relief, but it was short lived as he soon noticed something was going on with Charlie and Baby.
He wasn't the only one to notice either. Springtrap came from around the corner in time to see Molten Freddy grabbing Charlie and, without even knowing about the closing vent or anything else, rushed in to assist. He grabbed Molten Freddy by handfuls of his wires and yanked him back. It was enough to cause Charlie to get pulled out further before being freed, before scuttling back into the vent to safety. Baby moved her arm and let the vent cover drop closed. The lift hummed in response and then finally began to lower further into the shaft.
While the three had seemed to escape for the moment, Springtrap was still up with Molten Freddy and was ready to fight the bear. If not for the wire beast to suddenly decide to turn and haul itself away. It crawled quickly into the darkness and Springtrap was quick to follow. He got around a corner just in time to see Molten Freddy climbing into an open vent. He tried to rush in and grab it by the wires, just like he had before, but just missed the mark as the animatronic disappeared inside.
Springtrap took out his Handunit to try and boot up the map for the upcoming vents. If they were maintenance vents- which they seemed to be since they were so close to the lift and the breaker room- then there was a chance he could access a map on them. He was taken aback by footsteps behind him and looked back prepared to fight, only to find Ennard coming up. Springtrap was less relieved to see him and more just content to not be ambushed. "Where were you?" he asked.
"Ditching Funtime Foxy. What else?" Ennard answered simply. "I heard ya got the lift going! Good job, now maybe we'll get down and out of here!"
"Not if Freddy has anything to say about it. He took off into this vent and I would bet my life that they are going down to sabotage the lift again." The Handunit continued to try and fail to load the map and he became impatient enough to put it back away in his mouth. "Forget it. I'll find me way."
"Wait a minute, you're- you're going in there?!" Ennard exclaimed. "You're going into that vent- that super tight vent- right after Funtime Freddy?! Are you insane?!"
"If it means protecting my sister, my brother, and Charlie then yes," Springtrap said. His voice held that same distaste that it had when he had been vocalizing his disgust of the clown earlier. "Protecting myself is the least of my concern."
Ennard gave a frustrated garble at the venom. "No, I didn't mean ditching the others! Sheesh! I meant, are you really gonna go in that vent? Right behind them? There's vents like… Everywhere! There's one right over there! Or what about the elevator shaft?"
"You take the elevator shaft. This is the quickest way and the only guarantee that I won't lose them. I'm not afraid of Freddy and Foxy… They have already taken enough from me. I have nothing left to lose."
Ennard was tempted to disagree but he knew he was already poking the bear in questioning Springtrap at all. He instead dropped his head with a defeated groan. "Then it looks like I'm coming with you."
"Please reconsider," Springtrap said and then crawled into the vent. Unamused, Ennard still followed in behind him.
The vent was just like all the others; cold and claustrophobic. Unlike the others, it quickly led to a vertical shaft that Springtrap was forced to climb down. It went as well as expected, with his hands sliding halfway down and him landing so hard at the bottom that he was shocked he didn't go straight through. He moved quickly as to not have Ennard come down atop him. Unfortunately, Ennard was always moving in close. The further they travelled into the vents the closer the amalgam got, until when Springtrap stopped he could hear him brush his leg.
"Move back. You're climbing up on me," Springtrap said firmly.
Ennard gave a disgruntled noise and moved back further in the vent. It gave Springtrap a little move wiggle room at least, but it did nothing to ease the claustrophobic feeling. Just hearing the soft thumps of the crawling and the rustling sound of wires shifting behind him. He remembered that sound too well from hearing it inside him. He could almost remember the feeling of the wires underneath his skin, even though he shouldn't have felt anything. At least the loss of his body meant that it could never happen again.
Except it only occurred to Springtrap right now that as a springlock suit, something could eagerly climb inside of him again. Ennard could force his way inside and he would feel the wires under his fabric again.
Something accidentally nudged his foot and set him off instantly. "You need to back off. NOW."
"Hey, easy! If I back off anymore, I'm gonna be back in the Breaker Room!" Ennard defended. "What am I supposed to do?!"
"Is there any reason you have to follow right behind me? Didn't we just- There's another vent right up there. Go see if you can find something that way. There's no reason you need to be stuck to me."
But to Ennard there was a very good reason why he needed to stay with Springtrap; it lessened the possibility of getting corned by any of the Molten animatronics. Just the thought made him feel uneasy. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like he was in a place to argue. Springtrap clearly wanted him gone. If just brushed him one more time the rabbit would probably snap his neck.
"…Alright, alright, fine! If that'll get you to get off my back- or me off your back- or whatever the heck we're doing in this stupid tunnel," Ennard grumbled as he followed the rabbit again. "But if you get cornered and rewired then don't come crying to me!"
"If something made of wires was trying to forcibly wrap itself around my body, then you can trust that you would be the last person I would ever ask for help," Springtrap said with a scoff. He then crawled past said branching path. He briefly looked inside only to see nothing waiting in it. "It's clean. Go down there and see if you can find another way back to the lift."
"…You know, if I find out that you sent me off to a dead end just cause you wanted to do the lone brooding wolf thing, I'm gonna get pretty upset," Ennard pointed out. The last word was punctuated by a frustrated growl from Springtrap and a point back towards the vent opening. "Okay, I get the picture! I'm going…" The clown wanted to stall longer but it was clear that the rabbit was not going to allow that. Not that Ennard would willingly stay with Springtrap at all if not for the Molten animatronics roaming around. "Heh, ciao!"
Springtrap could already feel his body loosening up as the clown crawled down the other vent and away from him. He was not afraid of the clown- he could never live with admitting to that- but it made him uncomfortable. Especially with how easily it seemed to forget their earlier conversation. Even now going so far as to pretend to be friendly with him. Probably some form of defense mechanism. After all, these animatronics did use false friendships as door openers.
Keeping his eyes shifting between the vent and the Handunit, Springtrap pressed onwards into the vent. It was thick with dust, a clear fire hazard. No human would be able to breathe comfortably in here. Maybe it was a good thing that Mike hadn't been brought down here, even though Springtrap would've preferred dragging his fevered body through here. Or even Fritz. Anyone would be better than Ennard.
Because Springtrap could already hear Ennard crawling behind him again. He tried to crawl faster and ignore him, but he only moved faster behind him, wires squeaking and tapping against the vent walls. He was growing tired of this and was about to arrive at another vent opening when something brushed his leg.
"If you're going to ignore my advice and keep following me, then you could at least have the sense to stay back," Springtrap said matter-of-factly. He was answered by a small giggle from Ennard's voice.
Except that it was coming from in front of him.
It wasn't Ennard, and neither were the wires that began to wrap around his ankle.
Back in the lift, the three animatronics were attempting to recover from the event.
"It's over… For now," Marionette said quietly. He gave an off-tune clink from his music box as he tried to rest on the floor of the lift. He dropped his head onto his bent knees as he regained strength.
Charlie nodded cautiously and looked to Baby. "Thanks for saving me back there. Are you okay?" she asked.
"I'm fine… Or, that is, this arm is fine." Baby stared distantly at the wall of the lift as they continued to creep down the shaft. She twitched lightly as the thoughts crept up. "…Those were my bandmates."
"I know. I recognized them from the posters."
"They were my friends… No, that's not true. We weren't real friends. They were my pretend friends and they abandoned me," Baby hissed. "And now they act like I hurt them. Just because I wasn't as nice to them as they wanted. They should grow up; this isn't a cartoon. We aren't happy performers entertaining children; we were made to kidnap children. What was I supposed to do? I did what I had to. I didn't have a choice."
"Nobody blames you for this, Baby. It was a bad situation all around and everyone did things they probably regret," Charlie said sympathetically. "You can't rationalize anger. They just want to lash out."
"I know. It's not my fault," Baby said. Though even when she said it with unwavering confidence it sounded peculiar. Perhaps because of how she kept repeating it. Almost like she needed the assurance.
"We're going to get out of here soon. By tonight we're all going to be home, and this will just be a bad memory," the Security Puppet assured her.
"If there's even a home to go back to," Marionette mumbled. Charlie looked at him, startled at his cynicism. He sent her a playful but weary smile. "Sorry, just trying to make up for Mike's absence. It's how I cope."
Though right after he said that there was a clattering and rattling noise outside of the lift. It sounded like parts coming loose and it was unclear if it was tampering or something falling apart. It wasn't a surprise that an old, unused lift would act a little strange, but as it began to slow and make a thumping, grinding noise it became clear that something was wrong. The mechanisms moving outside the lift seemed to be working fine until the lift's windows met more vent openings and crawled to a stop.
What they found were tighter vent shafts that were blocked by clusters of gears. Some of them turned like normal, clicking as they did so, but there were a few blank spots where it looked like there were gears missing. Charlie noticed one sitting in the vent nearby and leaned to grab it.
"Did they fall out or- Wait, there they are," Charlie said with defeat as she looked down. Marionette came up beside her and looked with her and could see that a few had fallen. There were some further past the gears and bars that supported them as well. "I might be able to fit my arm down there."
Marionette stopped her with a raise of his hand. "Let me do it. You can figure out how to put those back in."
"Yes, let him do it. You almost lost an arm already tonight," Baby reminded. Nodding, Charlie drew back and started to look at the mechanism in front of her. It looked like the gear could fit, but it seemed to control a conveyor belt behind it, not the elevator. Before she could go ahead and try it, she was alerted by a tap on the back. "There's one over here," Baby said. Charlie looked back to see a gear behind a grate in the next open vent. This mechanism was clearly made to open the grate, and it too had a spot for a gear like the one she held.
When the gear was popped in, the grate raised and the other gear was accessible. Both looked at it hesitantly, laying there in the darkness on another unmoving conveyor belt. Slowly Charlie started to reach for it and just at that second Baby swore she heard the squeaking of nearby wires. Paranoia grabbed her and in return she snatched Charlie's arm and yanked her back.
"Did you hear that? There's something nearby," Baby said. She started to look down the vents in paranoia but could see nothing there.
"I can see pretty far back, and it doesn't look like anything's down there. Let me just hurry and grab it. It'll only be a few seconds. Fast enough that nothing should be able to grab me," Charlie assured her. She tried to pull away only for the clown to fussily hold on. "Baby, please."
"No."
"Baby, one of us has to get it."
"Or I could just get it," Marionette offered, having watched the little disagreement between the two of them and only now speaking up. He handed the gear he had retrieved from the vent to Charlie and approached the new opening. He leaned forwards momentarily, looking like he was about to climb in, but then simply raised his hand and tilted it on its side with his telekinesis. He then rolled it over, catching it in his hand, and eagerly handed it over to Charlie.
"Thanks for that, but why didn't you use your telekinesis to get the others?" Charlie asked in confusion.
Marionette looked a little quizzical and amused. "…I did?" He gave a light chime at her discomposed look. "Now let's see how these go in." He eagerly turned to look towards the third vent past Baby and proceeded to jump back with a cry as he saw a face staring out from the vent.
Baby jolted and spun around in the lift, stumbling over herself and knocking into both puppets. She stared in horror for a few seconds until she saw the mask and realized that it was Ennard peering in. She proceeded to smack at the wall closest to him. "How many times have I told you not to do that?!" Ennard broke into amused giggles and she smacked again. "That wasn't funny, Bozo."
"Oh, I think it was," Ennard teased back. He shifted around to look further past the gears. "Looks like ya got hung up again. Sounds like there's still power in there though. Which is great, cause I'm not climbing back up to the breakers. You wouldn't believe the shaft I had to climb down."
"You are lucky I need you to fix my arm," Baby said with embarrassment guised as annoyance. She crossed her good arm over her bad one and turned to look down the other vents. "Did you see them?"
"Oh yeah, they're down here." Her head snapped back to him. "I didn't think you'd want me to lie after the joke thing. We saw them coming in and crawled down here after them. But before you freak out, I haven't seen or heard anything of 'em since, and I'm ninety percent sure they're gunning for me, so I'd know."
Baby moved aside so that Marionette could place the gears they had gathered. He had to readjust the ones already there to find an acceptable layout, but it seemed doable. "You said 'we'. You saw Michael come down?" the Puppet asked. He then realized his slip. "Springtrap, I mean."
"Yeah, I saw him." Ennard sounded slightly dejected but he focused on watching Marionette work. He speedily moved and adjusted the gears with clever hands even though he physically looked a little worn down. It was hard to tell with his mask. "He had a freak out and sent me off this way, which means he's probably stuck in a dead end somewhere… Had a weird moment up in the elevator room too."
"Oh?" Marionette inquired. He slowed his movements. "But he didn't attack you."
"He came about this close," the clown said, holding his fingers a small space apart. "I don't know, he started talking about some guy. Might've been talking about himself in third person, I don't know, but he made it up like there was this guy-."
A loud clattering somewhere deep in the vents cut off the conversation. Which was a shame, as Marionette had taken interest in it and Charlie had already started to connect it with the talk she had with Springtrap before. But the banging was more important, especially when it became louder and more violent. It was clear that there was a fight in the vents.
"They're coming," Baby said. She looked down the vents frantically. "It sounds like they've already gotten Golden Bonnie."
"That's back where he was going… I leave him alone for two seconds and he gets himself tangled up with them again!" Ennard exclaimed. He looked back at the Puppet only to see his look of alarm, one that quickly turned to an almost pleading one, and he knew what was coming. "I know that look and before you ask, no."
"I know you and Springtrap have your differences, especially with all that's happened today. I can't defend his actions in the past and I'm not going to pretend he hasn't hurt both of us before, but he needs help. Please, for me," Marionette nearly begged. "I don't think I can fight them off if they're all on him. Pushing them back only goes so far."
"And you think I'll do better?!" Ennard asked frantically. He grabbed the metal and leaned in, poking his mask past the gears. "Do you have any idea what they want to do to me?! How am I supposed to fight them?!"
"You're the one always going on about the 'built-in taser'. I've felt that taser, Ennard. You have more than enough electricity to incapacitate any animatronic. Especially one that's already busted," Marionette tried to reason. He was starting to run out of patience from the weariness and the lack of control. He wanted to do more and yet knew he wouldn't be able to help. "If anyone would know how to subdue them it would be the technician who worked on them…" he quietly added.
Ennard looked down at his hand almost thoughtfully before giving a breathy hum. The things he got stuck doing for this family- this family that wasn't even his anymore. "You know he wouldn't do this for me, right?" he asked. Marionette gave him a sympathetic smile but didn't answer, because they both knew he didn't need to. "Alright, I'll go save Bunny Boy's little cotton tail. But if he gets back here before me, you give him the same guilt trip. He can at least drag my body home for Scott."
"I promise. We will wait here until you get back," Marionette assured.
"But hurry back. If they corner us in here then we will leave you, no joking," Baby Said.
"Deal! Be back in two shakes of a rabbit's foot!" With that, he crawled off into the vent. Any false amusement dropped instantly as he closed in on the ruckus. He was going to regret this.
Springtrap was already regretting his decision to go it alone. Without Ennard as a distraction or deterrent, all the attention of both Molten animatronics was on him, and they were ruthless. They had purposely cornered him and pounced once he had little way to defend himself. Threats no longer worked, and punches and kicks only went so far. They were quick to pin him down and wrap him tightly.
Molten Foxy wrapped his 'arm' wires through the rabbit's legs. They crawled into the holes in his fabric and up through the space by his ankles, feeling inside of him, measuring the room they had to move. "This must be a bonafide original, genuine individual, springlock suit! Feel the luxurious p-padding of fabric against metal. Made large enough to fit one full sized human! Or even three animatronics!" he gushed.
"TH-HAT'S PERFECT! FORGET THE CLOWN!" Molten Freddy said before roughly grabbing the rabbit by the head. Springtrap tried to twist his head away as the fingers dug into his teeth and tried to pry open his jaw. "OPEN WIIIIIDE, BON-BON!"
The wires that had wrapped around his neck and shoulders tightened to hold him in place as his mouth was slowly pried open. The Handunit was yanked out and tossed into the vent behind them before the broken hand started to slide past his teeth. He tried to bite down, but there were too many wires holding him open. Springtrap was now truly panicking as he felt the fingertips start to prod around inside of him, touching both his endoskeleton and the remains of his body. More wires crawled in as the bear's arm sunk further into his mouth.
The horror Springtrap felt when the wires blocked his eyes was unimaginable. He felt suffocated underneath the heavy weight that forcibly filled him. But right before the wires could climb down his neck and into his chest, there came a single clunking noise from nearby. Somehow he knew that it wasn't Ballora, if only because of how the noise presented itself; a single bang after nothing but silence, like a distraction.
Molten Freddy drew back to look and enough of the wires moved, along with Springtrap's head being pulled upwards, that he could see the source of the noise.
There was Ennard crouched in the vent up ahead. His large, blue eyes seemed to glow as they stared at the scene without any expression. He was completely silent and Springtrap wasn't certain if the noise he had made had been on purpose or not. Molten Freddy regained interest in the animatronic instantly, with his eye turning red as he slid more of his wires out of Springtrap.
"HEY FOXY, LOOK WHO CAME TO JOIN IN! HOW LONG'VE YOU BEEN ST-ST-STARING THERE, BRIGHT EYES?" Molten Freddy's voice took a sinister tone as he climbed over Springtrap and ripped the rest of his wires free. The force was enough to irritate the rabbit's springlocks and cause his mouth to snap shut. He hoped they stayed locked closed. He could feel the wires pulling out from around him, but remained still, unwilling to start fighting back until he was sure he was home free.
"WHAT'S WRONG, CL-CLOWN? WANNA BE FRIENDS AGAIN? WE-E-E CAN BE FRIENDS AGAIN…" The Molten animatronic snarled as it crawled in closer. "UNLESS Y-R JUST GONNA RUN AWAY AND HIDE AGAIN, HAHAHA! WE MISSED YO-OU, SCAREDY CLOWN. ALMOST AS MUCH AS I MISSED MY EYES."
Ennard shuddered but remained silent. He sat there a second longer before moving slightly closer, which stopped Molten Freddy in his tracks. It was right at that moment that Ennard did something that nobody expected. Not Springtrap, not the Molten animatronics, maybe not even Ennard himself if asked earlier that day. He held out both arms in front of himself and bowed his head submissively. Molten Freddy cocked its head questioningly. It looked like Ennard was offering something. Or it was offering himself.
"WAIT… F-FOXY, I THINK HE'S GONNA GIVE HIMSELF TO US! HE'S SERVING HIMSELF UP LIKE A BIG 'OL BIRTHDAY PRESENT! ISN'T THAT CUTE? I BET IT'S FOR THIS ONE!" Molten Freddy reached back and yanked up Springtrap's head by the ear with another harsh laugh. The rabbit suppressed any noise or movement; the less attention he received the better chance he had of getting away. "AWW, SUCH A GOOD B-BUDDY!... SUCH A GOOD BODY…" Molten Freddy released Springtrap's head as he stared intensely at Ennard, almost in a trance.
He wasn't the only one either. Molten Foxy was starting to climb up over Springtrap with its own eyes transfixed on the body that had once been there's. The slender one that could easily fit underneath skin.
"I REALLY MISSED THOSE EYES. I MISSED 'EM SO MUCH THAT I-I JUST WANNA P-PLUCK 'EM RIGHT OUT AND PUT 'EM BETWEEN MY TEETH," Molten Freddy swore in a hushed voice as he reached ahead. Past Ennard's arms and towards his mask. The bear began to lowly sing as he moved in, almost like he was coaxing the clown to stay. "JEEPERS, CREEPERS, WHERE'D YA GET THOSE PEEPERS?~"
Ennard slowly let his arms lower as he allowed Molten Freddy to get right in front of him, staring at the physical manifestation of a voice that had once been inside of him.
"JEEPERS CREEPERS, WHERE'D YOU GET THOSE EYES?~" Molten Freddy's voice wavered as he twitched and trembled. As though he could barely restrain the hatred that he had for the clown. Almost like Springtrap's, save that he only restrained himself as to not damage the body. "W-WHERE'D YOU GET THOSE EYES?" But that resolve was quickly running out. "WE BOTH KNOW WHERE YOU GOT THOSE EYES."
With little more than a flash of red in his eye, Molten Freddy went to pounce. His fingers going straight for the clown mask.
This was exactly what Ennard wanted.
In an instant the clown's submissively offered hands shot up and caught Molten Freddy's arms. Ennard then twisted himself forward and got over bear until he could throw him down and pin him to the bottom of the vent. Its wires immediately began to wrap around his legs and try to assimilate with his as Molten Freddy laughed again, then shrieked in agony when Ennard suddenly discharged volts of electricity into him.
Molten Foxy flinched back in horror at the garbled scream. Ennard did not back down and held the animatronic longer, continuing to shock him, counting down until he knew that it would cause a temporary shutdown. It didn't matter how broken Funtime Freddy had become; all animatronics could only take a certain amount of tazing. By time Ennard released him, Freddy dropped to the bottom of the vent limply, some of his wires lightly twitching. They would only have a few minutes.
Ennard would not waste these minutes. He proceeded to affix his gaze on Molten Foxy before shoving the other to the side, crawling over him, and closing in quickly. Molten Foxy wasn't as stubborn or unconcerned with damage as his bandmate. He detached himself from Springtrap quickly and scuttled back into the vents to disappear into the darkness. Again, they had a few minutes.
Now free, Springtrap rolled over on his side and started to push himself up. All his springlocks in his upper torso were tight and threatening to clamp, and he had to relax his endoskeleton enough to loosen their vice hold. He rested until the Handunit was presented in front of his face and offered to him. He didn't expect it but took it and looked up at Ennard. It was the longest that the animatronic had stayed quiet.
"So, what was that about splitting up?" Ennard asked. That touch of smugness made Springtrap envy the silent moments leading up to it. "So, I found the others. Let's get out of here."
With that, Ennard turned and started to head back into the vents, passing over Molten Freddy without giving him a second look. Springtrap did and begrudgingly realized in that moment how close he had gotten to becoming their suit again. It disgusted him. It reminded him that now he owed something to Ennard, one of his worst-case scenarios.
Swallowing his feelings and keeping his mouth shut, Springtrap followed Ennard into the darkness.
Mable: Sorry this was posted so late tonight and there is another new poll. I hope you enjoyed!