Mable: It's showtime!

Almost Feels Like Home

Chapter Ninety

There was no warning beforehand. In fact, it had been quiet leading up to that sleepy, Sunday afternoon. Even though it was the weekend, Scott was working away in his office so that he could get the evening off in full without having tasks gnawing at the back of his mind. Then the phone rang, and he didn't even have the slightest hunch that it was going to be what it was. The raspy voice was the last one he wanted to hear.

"Afternoon, Scott. This is Detective Burke. I apologize in advance for calling you which such dire news but considering what you've been through I thought it only fair that I warn you about what's coming."

"You… What?" Scott asked. His voice sounded so meek as his throat dried up. He already knew that tone; he was dreading this call.

"Due to some evidence we uncovered at the old Fazbear Entertainment Processing Facility, we are going ahead and getting an arrest warrant for Mike Schmidt for the kidnapping and murders of the missing children at Freddy's. I know it may be a shock to you, but there was no denying what we found there… Unfortunately for you, he wasn't the only one that the evidence pointed to."

"What?!" Scott was aghast. "You're saying- I- I haven't been to the old plant! I- Not even when I worked at Freddy's! There's got to be a mistake-?!"

"Relax, Scott. We know you didn't commit the murders. It's your tampering with evidence that concerns us… But I did look back through the records and I recall you were used as a scapegoat for Freddy's before. I'm going to go with my gut on this and hold back on arresting you outright, but we will be by after we pick up Schmidt for a search and seizure of your property. In these cases, I shouldn't be warning you, but we have reason to believe that Schmidt may be dangerous and might go for possible witnesses, such as he did with Dave Miller."

"I-I don't understand. Do you realize how young Mike was when the murders- missing children- the murders happened?! He couldn't have done that!" Scott was beginning to panic. "I-I might know who did it."

"Save it for when we get there. Just stay put and don't try to leave. We should be there within the hour, after we take Schmidt in and dismantle any malfunctioning animatronics on his property. You can do the right thing here, Scott. You can still save yourself."

The phone call ended abruptly, and Scott was left sitting there at his seat. It took a minute to kick in, but he was suddenly hit by a wave of panic. His stomach twisted and his vision grew blurry and his hands shook so badly that he could barely get the phone back on the receiver. He was beginning to hyperventilate in moments as the horror kicked in.

"No, no, no, no-." A stream of 'no's fell out of his mouth, steadily growing more frenzied as he stared at his computer screen like it could help him. "No, no! This can't- This can't be happening! Not again- I can't do this again! God help me!"

"Scott?" Ennard leaned into the office to see what was up. Baby was starting to roll up behind him too as both could hear his frantic babbling. "Everything okay in here? Scott?" As soon as Scott looked at him and he saw that panicked expression, the amalgam knew that it was bad, whatever it was. He walked over to him and kneeled beside his chair. "I need you to calm down and tell me what's up, okay? What's wrong?"

"Clay is going to arrest Mike for murder and then he's coming after me!" Scott blurted out. He turned his chair towards Ennard. "Clay Burke! Detective Clay Burke! He's coming after us for the murders at Freddy's!"

"What?!" Ennard cried. That panic hit him too. Baby, who was usually unmoved by most news, came to a halt halfway into the office and stared in alarm. She and Ennard exchanged a quick look before he looked back to the man. "How could this happen?! Those murders were years ago! None of those bodies can still be around! And I'm pretty sure Mike didn't do it!"

"He said they found evidence at the processing facility- it was a factory Fazbear Entertainment used after they split ties with Afton Robotics. And that's not all he said. He said something like he thought Mike killed Dave and that he had evidence on me too and was coming here after he got Mike-!" Baby gasped, but that wasn't why Scott cut off. He cut off because he suddenly caught on to another comment made.

"And?!" Ennard pressed in a growing frenzy. "And what else?! What did he say about you?!"

"He said… He said he's going to come search the house after he got Mike…" Scott looked up from the floor and to Ennard. "And dismantled any 'malfunctioning' animatronics at his house… I think he knows."

"About?!" Ennard pressed.

"About us," Baby finished in realization. From the way Ennard dropped his head instead of acting surprised, it seemed he already knew the answer. "And when they search the house… They're going to find us too."

"That's- That's not going to happen," Scott assured with a tight swallow. He reached out to lift Ennard's head to make eye contact. "I'm going to call and warn Mike a-and then I'm going to call Fritz and get his van, and we're going to get the two of you out of here."

"What about you?" Ennard asked worriedly.

"…I need to get the tapes out of here too," Scott said. He turned to grab for the phone, to which Ennard smoothly turned his chair back to face him.

"What about you?" he asked again.

Scott was at a loss for words for a moment. He took a deep breath to try and steady himself. "He said… He said he didn't think I was involved with the murders. He knows Freddy's tried to pin crimes on their employees and he's convinced Mike is the one who did it, so… So, I don't know. I know if I run, I'm going to look guilty, but I have to keep you two safe." He reached out and cupped Ennard's mask with a shaky hand. "You and Baby are the most important people in my life, a-and if I have to go to jail to make sure you're safe then I will…"

Some of Ennard's expressions were harder to read, but the best guess Scott had to go on for the look he was giving him was one of devastation. His hand tightened on Scott's leg, saying more than he did.

"…But not until I get you two to safety," the Phone Guy affirmed. He then turned back to the desk and reached for his phone. He had a few calls to make.

It had been a typical day off until now. Mike had been trying to make the most of it, but it was hard to relax when all the small animatronics were climbing into everything and Jeremy was still as sick as a dog. Still, all seemed normal and nothing tipped him off that everything was about to take a dramatic shift. Until the phone rang and he answered it with, "Hello?"

"Mike, I don't have much time and I need you to listen to me. I just got a call from Detective Burke saying that he found evidence at the old processing facility and he's got a warrant out for your arrest. He thinks you committed the murders! And he thinks you were working with Dave, and that you killed him, and… And I-I think he knows about the animatronics. He said they were planning on shutting down any 'malfunctioning' animatronics they found on your property. He's coming here too so I have to get Ennard and Baby out of the house."

"Are you serious?!" Mike asked in shock. He didn't even consider this to be an elaborate prank by Ennard; he recognized that dread in Phone Guy's voice. "Wait, wait! You've got to slow down! Burke said that?!"

"He did and Clay is not the type to bluff. The only reason he told me is because- well- I think he's trying to threaten me into testifying? He wants you, Mike. He thinks you did it and he said there was evidence to prove it." Mike's mouth dropped open in shock as he took in the living nightmare presented to him. It was the worst-case scenario. "I have to go. I-I don't know what I'm going to do, but I have to get the van and get Ennard and Baby to safety. I'll tell Fritz, just… Take my advice and get Mari and Charlie out while you can. And worn Jeremy."

Scott didn't even say goodbye. He just hung up the phone and the call dropped like that. Mike was left standing there for a moment, stunned, and then just dropped the phone. It dangled from the cord and tapped against the wall. Then he bolted to the hallway and yelled down, "Mari, get down here quick!"

"What's going on?" Charlie asked as she sat up from the armchair. He turned towards her right as Marionette appeared and Jeremy came out from the puppet's bedroom and into the hall.

"Burke's got a warrant out for my arrest! He's charging me with the murders at Freddy's!" Mike exclaimed. Everyone was just as shocked as he was. He looked back to Marionette. "And not only does he think I killed Dave, but he told Scott, or alluded to Scott that he expected to find 'malfunctioning animatronics' over here!" he said with air quotes.

Marionette looked horrified. "He can't…"

"He does. I know he does. Otherwise he wouldn't have made a comment like that. I knew it! I knew that son of a bitch was watching the house!" Mike turned to pace behind the couch, running a hand through his hair. "And if there were more cameras in the house that I didn't know about, then he probably knows everything, and he can spin this however he wants!"

The puppet was utterly speechless for a few moments. He hadn't really thought that Burke would do anything like this, thinking he was incompetent at his job. He still was in his eyes but now he was a real threat.

Finally, Marionette sobered up enough to speak and narrowed his gaze with determination. "We can't let him get away with this. We know the evidence clearly points to William Afton, not you. Unless Burke is blind enough to ignore the obvious signs. In which case we have to prove your innocence!" he insisted. "And we can't let him get you."

"I'm not turning myself in for something I didn't do. I'll gladly admit to breaking and entering, tampering with evidence, I'll even take the heat on not watching Dave, but I am not taking the blame for that pizzeria," Mike promised firmly. He kept this inflamed look for a few seconds before it withered with a sigh. "Now how are we going to go about doing this? We don't have anything concrete we can scare up before he gets here. Even if we did it might not convince him." He was already becoming discouraged.

"There must've been something he found that convinced him you were guilty. Maybe he found something about Michael…" Marionette said thoughtfully, crossing his arms and tapping his fingers.

"I don't know what he found but Scott said he found it at a processing facility. You have any idea what that would be?" Mike asked. The puppet hummed and shook his head. "Well, whatever it is, that's where he found this evidence that's going to put me away, and it sounds like Scott knows where it is… And I sure as hell can't stand around here until Burke shows up. Looks like the only option is to head over there and look."

"Did… Did he mention me at all?" Jeremy hesitantly asked. "Are they coming for Fritz and me too?"

"They didn't say so, but you're going to be a target if you stay here. Especially with that 'malfunctioning animatronic' comment. The best thing you can do is get everyone together and split. Head over to Fritz's or the pizzeria, or just anywhere. Just out of the way where Burke's not going to look yet," Mike directed. Jeremy nodded and started to gather the animatronics around his ankles. They too were beginning to panic.

Meanwhile, Mike headed back to the phone. He grabbed it from its dangling position and only then noticed that Marionette had followed. He started to dial but then stopped and pulled the receiver away.

"I know I'm putting you in danger with this… But I need you to come with me. I don't know what's there- frankly, I'm not afraid of what I'm going to find there- I just need you to be my level head. Think you can do that?" Mike asked. Marionette's worried expression softened enough for him to smile.

"I would follow you anywhere, Mike," Marionette said. With that assurance, the man called Scott back.

After a few rings, Scott's voice answered with, "Hello, hello."

"Hey, it's me again." As soon as he said that, the voice on the other end contorted into a completely different one.

"Mike, what the heck is going on?! What did you do?!" Ennard cried in exasperation.

"I didn't do anything! I certainly didn't kill a bunch of kids, that's for damn sure!" Mike defended. He reined himself in and rubbed a hand over his face while Marionette laid a supporting hand on his shoulder. "Put Scott on. I need to ask him about that place where Burke got this so-called evidence."

"Scott's not here. He blew out of here about two minutes ago to go get Fritz's van. We've got to get boxes and boxes of tapes and clowns in that van and out of dodge or it's gonna get a lot worse. Because I'll tell you now, Mike, I'm not going easy! I have nothing to lose; I-I'm n-nnot ending up i-in anooother fire!" Ennard threatened. He paused long enough to ease up, as his agitated static and squeaking wires could be heard over the receiver. Once he calmed, he added, "It's a factory Fazbear Entertainment used after they dumped Afton. Why?"

"Mari and I are going to go over and see this evidence for ourselves. I might not be able to convince Burke, but if I find something that contradicts him then I can go over him and prove I'm innocent."

"…That sounds like a bad idea. That sounds like you're gonna look more guilty and some old, rusty Freddy's gonna still chase you around."

"If Ennard thinks this sounds bad then maybe I need to reconsider this," Mike thought. Then he shook his head. "It's not like I've got any other way to do this. It's my only shot... Or at least a chance to see what they've got against me. I'm going for it. If I can get myself off the hook, then I can get Scott off it too."

"Yeah, good point. You do and I owe you for life. I'll get Scott to call ya when he gets back. You just try to not get caught before then!"

"That's the plan. Take care," Mike finished and hung up. He then turned towards Marionette and brought him up to speed. "Ennard's going to get Scott to call us back. He said that it's a factory that Fazbear Entertainment used once they broke ties with William Afton."

"Which means that he was working there too under yet another false name," the puppet said with an unenthused look. He gave a low, disgruntled chime and started to head into the living room again. He looked to Charlie who was standing from the armchair and hurriedly tossing her book aside and zipping up her jacket. "Charlie…" he began as he leaned over the back of the couch. She looked to him. "Charlie, you should go with Jeremy. I'm not sure where he's going but it'll be safer there."

The Security Puppet nodded, and he started to turn back away. But then something happened. In that moment she seemed to suddenly have an epiphany, considering it for a long moment, and then her head snapped back over with a jingle. "No."

Both Marionette and Mike now looked back at her. "No?" the other puppet asked.

"I'm not going to leave you two. Let me come with you and maybe I can help. Even if I can't then I'm not going to make it any worse being there," Charlie insisted. She looked between the two. "We're like a family now. We should stay together and try to work through this."

Marionette looked dumbstruck by the whole comment, though maybe mostly from that last comment. So, Mike answered for him with a smile. "You've got a point there. Alright, you can come. Just as long as you don't pull an Ennard and go on a homicidal rampage through the city."

"According to Burke, you already did," Marionette teased lightly. He then circled around the couch quickly and pulled Charlie into a tight hug. One that she eagerly returned, responding to his chiming with jingling of her own. Mike smiled a little more at them and tried to ignore the dreadful thought that he could lose all of this. That in his efforts to find out the truth and protect the business he had inadvertently made himself a target, and now he would take the fall for someone who was already dead.

"Focus, Schmidt. It's not over yet. Even if we can't find evidence, we'll find something. Burke doesn't have enough to convict on something I wasn't even around for," he told himself. He then sobered up and headed to the pantry. "I'm going to put extra food out for Moppet. I think she'll be fine staying here," he said as he got the bag out. The pantry was cold and seemed to be buzzing louder than usual. Or maybe his paranoid mind just thought it was. "If he finds the basement, we're sunk…"

He overfilled the already half-filled cat bowl and hoped it would be enough. If he got stuck in a position where he couldn't come back, then he would have to call someone to take care of her. Possibly his mother but he really didn't want to get her involved. Right when he was about to return the cat food to the pantry, the phone rang again, and he answered. "Scott?"

"I'm skipping town," Fritz bluntly announce. "If you need the van, Scott has it. He said you two talked but I had to get on the highway as fast as I could."

"Yeah, that's about what I expected. Not that I blame you; Burke's been gunning for you longer than he's been going for me. Where's Natalie and Chance?"

"Natalie's with me," Fritz said. Mike could hear Natalie chime in with a 'hey Mike' in the background. "Chance is back at the house. I offered to work something out with the van, but he didn't want to leave. I don't think Burke can break in without a search warrant and due cause… Right?" Natalie gave a nervous, nondescript 'eh' in the background. "Call me if this blows over. Or when you find out what's going to happen."

"Sounds good. I'll bring you up to speed later, but I've got to keep the line open for Scott. And don't worry about Jeremy, he's taking off now."

"Tell him if he needs a place to stay that I'm going to be at my brother's. He knows where that is so if he's desperate he can come up… You just try to stay safe. I don't know what Burke's got on you, but you can't let him take you in on Freddy charges. It'll ruin your life."

"I know, I won't. I'll get to the bottom of this. You just drive safe and keep Natalie close and I'll call you back when I know more." With that, Mike hung up again. Now he was just stuck standing there again. He leaned against the wall with one hand and rubbed over his face with the other, hoping Scott would call back soon.

It was then that long striped arms encircled him and held him securely. Marionette pulled him into a comforting hug, trilling again but in a different way to when he was holding Charlie. He nuzzled his mask into Mike's shoulder and gave silent assurances that all would be okay. It was a brief comfort before the phone started ringing again.

This time it was Scott calling back. "Mike? Ennard said you needed me to call you. What's going on?"

"Thanks for getting back to me this quickly. I need to know where the processing facility is that Burke found this evidence. We're going to go in and see what's in there that's pointing at me," Mike explained. Scott choked on the other end of the line. "And before you say anything, I know it's a mistake and I know it's going to make me look more guilty, but I'm not giving myself up to Burke. You and I both know there's no real evidence pinning me to anything and I'm going to prove it. I just need you to point me in the right direction."

There was a long pause as Scott considered it. Once he began, "Mike, you can't-." But then fell into silence again, fumbling, and eventually giving a defeated exhale. "How quickly can you get over here?"

"You don't have to get involved, Scott. I just need the directions."

"It's going to take too long to talk you through where you need to turn and what the roads look like- it's practically out in the middle of nowhere! Just… Just come over here and I'll take you to it. J-Just hurry… We're running out of time here," Scott insisted.

Mike agreed and hung up the phone before turning to Marionette. "We've got to get over to Scott's and then he'll take us there," he explained, and the puppet nodded.

It was then that Jeremy came out of the hallway carrying a duffle bag in one arm and the Minireenas corralled together in the other. From the lumps in the bag it was clear that the Bidybabs and probably Plushtrap were squeezed inside. He hurried out behind Mike could say anything but returned quickly afterwards to get Balloon Boy and Max. Mike got his attention and brought him up to speed.

"Fritz is heading out of town to his brother's. He said you can follow him if you want. We're going over to Scott's to see if we can prove my innocence," he explained. The blond nodded stiffly and coughed into the back of his hand.

"Okay. I think we're just going to head over to the pizzeria… That way if anyone sees the animatronics, they'll think they're supposed to be there. I don't think he can do anything to them in there… I hope." He shuffled over to lift Max's heavy body when Mike stepped in and stopped him and started to do it instead. "You don't have to do that, Mike. You should get out of here."

"You're still sick so let me just do this. I can't lock up until we're all out of here anyway," Mike said as he toted Max out. Jeremy moved aside to pick up Balloon Boy before looking between the puppets.

"Uh… Take care you guys. I'm sure this is going to turn out alright," he said with a forced smile. Then he started to head out, with Balloon Boy waving over his shoulder at the two. He didn't laugh; he was eerily quiet.

Soon Jeremy was driving off and Mike came back inside to get the remaining two and close the house up. Marionette teleported into the car while Charlie enwrapped herself in the travelling sheet and waited as Mike got the keys. He paused by the door, looking back inside at the emptied house and Moppet eating at the cat food, oblivious to what was happening. He took a deep breath, hoped this wasn't the last time they saw home for a long time, and shut the door behind them.

One by one they all got the same cryptic call telling them to come quickly, that something serious was happening, that it wasn't a joke and that they needed to get there soon. That's what got everyone to Carlton's.

John had gotten there first as he was the closest, doing day labor at a construction site not too far away. He had managed to get out of work saying that it was an emergency, and he really believed it was from the message, and came into the house to find Carlton sitting on the couch looking anxious. His leg was jumping, his eyes were wide, and it was clear that John made the right choice.

Marla got there second. At first, she was prepared to tease him about the clown and then proceed to chew him out if this was about that clown again, but then she saw the state he was in and knew it was serious.

"What's wrong? Did you get news from your mom?" she asked in concern.

Carlton shook his head. "No, it's not about her. It's about something else," he said. He looked to the front door with paranoia when Jessica came in, then relief when he saw it was just her. Though he then looked to the window. "What's taking Lamar so long? I called him like twenty minutes ago."

"It was more like seven minutes ago. He'll be here," John reassured. He then looked to Jessica who came over to sit down on the other couch beside him. Only then did he probe, "What did you call us about? Did something happen with your dad?" That was the other fear: that Clayton got shot in the line of duty. Again, Carlton shook his head and turned this down.

"No, it's not about him… Okay, it is about him, but not like that. Lamar better hurry up." Carlton leaned back on the couch for a moment and only then did they notice how tired he looked. Marla laid a worried hand on his arm. He looked to her, their eyes meeting for a few silent moments, and then he sat up again and began to explain. "I heard my dad on the phone today. He was saying that he found enough evidence that Mike, the guy from Foxy's, kidnapped those kids from Freddy's to arrest him. He's doing it today."

"What?!" Marla asked in disbelief. "But that- I mean- that guy? I mean, he seemed kind of odd, but he didn't look insane!"

"I don't understand. You're saying Clay only decided to arrest Mike now?" Jessica asked in surprise. Carlton nodded and she felt a wave of dread. "He was the last one with Charlie…" She shook the thought off and continued. "Then he must have found something that connected him to the crime. I can't believe this. He was able to open another restaurant and everything!" she said, looking to John.

"Yeah, except that there's one problem…" Carlton murmured. He took a deep breath and looked between his friends. "I don't think he did it."

"Are you sure?" John asked.

"Yeah," Carlton insisted. He mustered up the courage to add in, "Because… I think the animatronics did it. I think Jason's right. I think they're alive." All at once he seemed to lose all credibility. Their shock and horror turned to confusion and maybe a little exasperation on Marla's part. She furrowed her brows and looked like she was about to disagree, but he beat her to it. "Dad has animatronics locked up in the basement."

That took the words out of Marla's mouth. Her eyes widened again and she gave a quieter, "He what?"

"Freddy is the one I saw but I know he has more of them. I thought he was keeping the door locked to keep me out of there, but now I'm thinking he's trying to keep them down there… That's not all either. The clown? The clown that nobody believes me about? Not only did I see it again, but I heard it. It mimicked my own voice like a parrot."

"Where did you see it, in the basement?" John asked in surprise.

"No, out in the sewer. It was looking out of a runoff drain," Carlton explained. There were those looks of disbelief again and he grew more impatient. "I get it. You're thinking I'm crazy. You all still think I'm obsessed with this clown, right? Still think this is some weird story I've come up with to ignore my parents' collapsing marriage? That I'm connecting the wrong dots? Well, here's something none of us have thought of: what if Charlie wasn't killed from being hit by a car like everyone said? There wasn't even a car near her!"

"Carlton," Marla hissed, glancing over towards Jessica who got a horrified look.

"No, I'm serious! Listen to me! If the animatronics attacked Dave and that guy who was working there, who's to say they didn't attack Charlie too?!" Carlton asked. He was answered with silence. "…Well?!"

"What do you mean, the animatronics attacked Dave?" John quietly asked. "How do you know that?"

"…You didn't know that?" Carlton asked in equal surprise. "It was in the police report. Dad keeps copies of everything in his office, the one he doesn't lock. The animatronics came off the stage and attacked Dave and the other guy. Even Mike said it happened in the interview he gave."

"Oh my gosh, the letter…" Jessica suddenly got a look of realization and looked between her friends with newfound panic. "Is that letter was from Mike then what if he was trying to tell us that Charlie hadn't been killed by Dave? What if she was killed by the animatronics? It could've caused similar damage; broken bones, internal bleeding!"

"But then why didn't he ever show?" Marla asked. "We were all there, we all waited for him to come and tell us, but he never turned up."

"Maybe he couldn't… I think somebody's trying to cover up what happened at Freddy's," Carlton admitted. A cold look crossed his face. "…And I think it's Dad."

Everyone looked equally surprised at this, though no more surprised than earlier.

"There's been more children in this town that went missing than we know about. Did you know there was a group of teens that went missing before those kids disappeared? Then there was another group of kids that disappeared off a street not far from it, and other kids just vanishing here or there. Dad's been on these cases and hasn't solved any of them, let alone find a real suspect," Carlton said.

"But this is your dad we're talking about. I know you two don't get along, but he's never given us any reason to believe he was capable of that," John pointed out. It was then that Carlton's look of dread and determination changed to a more regretful one, an almost sad looking one.

"Ever since he's gotten on this Freddy case, he hasn't been acting right. He doesn't care about anything except this work, and that work in the basement- It's insane. He's tapping phone calls, he's got all these tapes with people talking on them- including Henry, Charlie's dad. Like, he's doing some form of detective work, but it's really sketchy..." Carlton paused long enough to take a deep breath. "He said in the call that he found something at Fazbear Entertainment's processing facility and that's what he's using to arrest Mike."

"And Fazbear Entertainment was obviously Freddy's," Jessica confirmed. To which Carlton gave a nod.

It all sounded outlandish, strange, like it couldn't possibly be real and that they were coming up with the most ridiculous claims to try and make sense of their tragedy. Except somehow it was beginning to make a weird sort of sense. There were questions that never got answered; why Charlie had even gone to Magictime in the first place was a big one. Unless she had found this out too and was murdered because of it.

It was then that Jessica realized what she needed to do. She pushed down any lingering mourning and looked up at Carlton. "We have to go see what he found," she said.

Carlton nodded in agreement while Marla seemed nervously hesitant. "Are you sure about this? We could get arrested walking around a crime scene," she reminded them. "Do we really want to do this…?"

"We already missed out on our chance to learn what really happened once. I'm not letting that slip by again. Charlie deserved better than that, and now we're the only ones who can find the truth for her." Jessica stood from the couch and looked between the two, then down at John still sitting beside her. She gave him a small and guilty smile. "It's better than sitting around waiting, isn't it?"

It was the words not said that convinced him. John nodded and stood from the couch with, "Let's find out where it is."

"I've got the directions. I looked them up while you guys were getting here," Carlton explained. He was already hustling towards the front door, not even grabbing his jacket as he threw open the door.

Lamar was walking up to the house when his four friends came hurrying out of the house. He watched in confusion as they all started to hustle towards Carlton's car. "Where's everyone going?"

"You're not going to believe this, but we're going to Freddy Fazbear's to solve a conspiracy that involves Charlie, corrupt cops, and a clown," Marla said, still sounding like she barely believed it herself. "You should've been here ten minutes ago. You missed the whole thing," she finished before sliding into the backseat, Jessica having taken the one up front.

Lamar just watched in absolute befuddlement before shrugging and following them into the car. He was sure he would get the details on the way.

Mike was fighting off a full-blown panic attack by time he arrived at Scott's house. His chest was in a vice as he fought a racing heartbeat and the pangs of nausea to ride through it. It wasn't like he had much of a choice but to keep driving and hope that it wore off before he got to Scott's. Marionette must've noticed as he reached over the seat to rub at his neck and shoulders, chiming soothingly in the tune of 'Tomorrow Is Another Day'. It helped enough to calm him down before he arrived at the house.

Scott was already waiting in the van when Mike drove up. He didn't even let the younger man get out of his car, he just pulled out of the van and waved for him, then turned onto the street and began to drive. Considering how panicked he was about their lack of time this wasn't entirely unexpected. Mike rolled with the punches and drove after him. He was glad he did too, because the drive to the facility was hectic.

It was out in the middle of nowhere like Silver Reef had been and involved going down roads that were faded by the sun. It felt like ages until they arrived at what looked almost like a cross between the warehouse and Afton Robotics' main building. It was in adequate condition, with the doors and windows closed, the latter caked in dust that had accumulated over the years. The parking lot was barren without even a scrap of trash or the remains of newspaper. It was completely abandoned.

Mike parked alongside the van and got out to go meet him. Scott was getting something out of the passenger's seat, so Mike leaned against the window. He caught a glimpse into the back and could barely see Ennard and Baby beyond a stack of boxes. "What's with all the boxes?" he asked nonchalantly.

"It's, uh… Incriminating evidence," Scott admitted. The younger didn't ask and was handed over a familiar radio. It was one that he had been given before when he went down into ARI. "Here."

"Thanks," Mike said as he took it. "I guess we'll tell you if we see anything. Looking at a place like this, I'm expecting there's something in here." He scanned the building with more suspicion in his gaze. "Doesn't look like the cops have been here…" No police tape, no tire marks; nothing looked disturbed. Then again, he wouldn't be entirely surprised if Burke had been using evidence he had found years ago to pin him to the crime. He looked back at Scott to see the man staring at the steering wheel in a trance. "Are you still with me?"

"Still here… In fact… I'll do you one better," Scott vaguely answered. He leaned between the seats and reached over the boxes to hand the other radio off to Ennard. "Ennard, take this."

"I don't like the sound of that tone. Sounds like something's I'd say before I ran off and did something stupid," Ennard pointed out as he accepted the radio. "To clarify, I think coming down here was a bad idea."

"It's not like we have a ton of options," Mike defended. He was partially taken off guard when Scott started opening the van door. He backed up and let the older man step out. Scott's hands were shaking as he buttoned up his jacket; he was clearly nervous. "You don't have to come in there with us. Mari's coming with me, we'll be safe," Mike said quietly.

"No, I… I don't have anywhere else to go anyway… Besides, heh, more witnesses are always a good thing, right? It's not like they're not going to make me testify anyways," the Phone Guy said with an uncertain smile.

"Scott, I really think you should listen to him!" Ennard called from the back. He tried to forcibly squeeze past the boxes, causing them to fall on Baby who let out a disgruntled huff and shoved them off. His mask poked between the seats as he protested. "Okay, if you're that sure then let me come with you! I'll be careful. I'll sure as heck not let myself get caught!"

"It's okay, Ennard. Nothing's going to happen. I just need you to stay here and watch Baby," Scott assured him.

Which brought another scoff out of Baby as she crossed her arms loosely. "You have our rolls reversed… But he has a point. There could be anything in there looking for an easy way out."

"Yeah, us," Mike chimed in. He handed Scott his radio back and started to head for the front door, waving to Marionette on the way. Scott watched him go before turning towards the clowns again.

"I need you to stay out here so that I know you're safe. If someone came while we were in there- like heaven forbid Clay showed up- you two would need to hide. Even if he takes me away in handcuffs, promise me if you have the chance you will hide," Scott insisted. It was clear that he wasn't going to be satisfied until he got an answer, one that Ennard didn't want to give.

"…If that's what you want then I'll do it. I'll wait here quietly and if Burke shows up, I'm not gonna do anything," Ennard agreed and Scott smiled. The clown quietly interjected, "BUT! If I start hearing funny noises coming outta that radio, animatronic noises, all bets are off! And I want you to keep me up to date on what's goin' down in there, okay?"

"That's fair. I love you," Scott said. He reached out to reassuringly rub the clown's arm before looking further into the back. "I love you too, Baby. I won't be gone long…" She straightened a bit more as he drew back and shut the door, then turned to join Mike in getting the door open.

Ennard watched him go with discontent. He didn't trust this place; it all seemed too coincidental that their only lead would be in an abandoned factory. One that was so much further outside of town.

"He- He said he loved me," Baby said in surprise. She sounded absolutely stunned. He must've said once or twice in passing that he loved them, but she couldn't remember him ever saying it directly to her. It made her feel confused and fluttery at the same time. Just the sound of her awe eased the other clown up a bit, but Ennard couldn't say he felt much better about what he was looking at.

In the other car, Marionette turned back to Charlie. "I'm going to go in with Mike and Scott and make sure the coast is clear. Then, once I'm sure there's no threats inside, I can come back out and get you," he assured her. She nodded in agreement and he looked ahead again, waiting for them to get the door open.

Thankfully the door wasn't locked, just heavy and rusty, with the knob sticking momentarily before turning with a crack. Mike pulled the door open and shined a light inside the facility. There was a large room waiting directly inside and he pushed open the double doors all the way to let in as much light as he could. In a heartbeat, Marionette appeared beside him and stared into the darkness with better vision. Without exchanging any words, they began to venture inside. Scott followed hesitantly behind as the two led the way into factory Fazbear Entertainment left behind.

There had to be something waiting to be found.