Baby heard William enter the Circus Gallery Control.
Why is he here? she thought. HandUnit told him to ignore the other passages and go straight to Parts & Service. But... I'm a little glad he's here. I... I feel like I need to vent. She placed her hand on her chest, sighing silently. I've got a lot of emotions built up inside me, and I need to release them. I'll talk to him. Maybe it will help me feel better.
Then, she heard the voice of William's daughter.
You're not... you're going to tell him?
Yes, I am, Baby thought.
Don't do it! the voice pleaded. He'll be so sad!
Well, too bad, said Baby inwardly. It's got to be told. I need to vent.
Baby walked over to the window of the Circus Gallery Control and stood under it. She placed her ear to the wall and heard William crawl into the cabinet, shutting the door. Taking a deep breath, she started to speak.
"Did you know that I was on stage once?" said Baby.
Geez, you're really doing it, the daughter's voice said.
After a pause, she heard William speak.
"Yeah, I do know," said William. He knew the event that leaded to it as well, and he didn't want to remember it.
"It wasn't for very long... only one day," said Baby. "What a wonderful day, though. I was in a small room with balloons and a few tables. No one sat at the tables, though, but children would run in and out. Some were afraid of me, others enjoyed my songs."
"Yeah, I remember that," said William.
"Music was always coming from somewhere else... down a hall," Baby continued. "I would always count the children, I'm not sure why. I was always acutely aware of how many there were in the room with me. Two, then three, then two, then three, then four, then two, then none. They usually played together in groups of two or three."
"Why are you telling me this?" William asked. "I already know everything you're telling me."
Exactly! the daughter's voice exclaimed. So stop telling him! Please!
"I was covered in glitter," said Baby. "I smelled like birthday cake. There were two, then three, then five, then four."
William sighed, pinching between his eyes.
"I can do something special, did you know that?" said Baby. "I can make ice cream - although I only did it once..."
"I designed you," said William. "I know everything you're capable of."
"There were four, then three, then two... then one," said Baby, saying the last part in a whisper. "Something happened when there was one. A little girl, standing by herself. I was no longer... myself. And I stopped singing."
William realized what Baby was talking about. "No... no! Don't tell me about this again!"
The daughter's voice started crying.
"My stomach opened, and there was ice cream," said Baby. She felt like she was going to cry as well. "I couldn't move, at least not until she stepped closer. There was screaming for a moment... but only for a moment."
"Shut up!" William cried, covering his ears with his hands.
"Then other children rushed in again, but they couldn't hear her over the sounds of their own excitement," said Baby. "I still hear her sometimes." She paused, saddened by retelling this. "Why did that happen?"
William said nothing. He was completely still, his heart thumping in his chest, tears in his eyes. He knew what Baby was talking about. She was telling him the events of his daughter's death.
Baby heard William exit the cabinet and crawl back down the vent. Once he did, she collapsed, covered her eyes with her hands, and started crying.
I hope you're satisfied, the daughter's voice thought irritably. Thanks a lot for depressing my daddy.
Funtime Foxy heard some footsteps in Funtime Auditorium. She listened intently, but there was there was only silence. Then, she saw a sudden flash of white light that happened for a millionth of a second, then faded quickly. Curiously, she crept towards the light, foxwalking so that she wouldn't make a sound, but froze when she heard footsteps again.
Then, the light flashed again, and Funtime Foxy could see that the intruder in her room was William.
"Oh, geez," said William nervously. "Funtime Foxy saw me... I'm boned, aren't I?"
Funtime Foxy didn't answer. She didn't want to make any sudden moves. She heard William's footsteps again, and after a few second's hesitation, she started to following him slowly.
William made it to the other end of the room and went through the door that lead to the Parts & Service.
"Dagnabbit," Funtime Foxy muttered. "Funtime Freddy's in thar. I hope the lad'll be okay."
"So, wait," said Bon-Bon to Funtime Freddy. "Why are we in here again?"
"Because William saw how we started to move," said Funtime Freddy, "so now we've been taken here to be fixed, even though there's nothing wrong with us. We're not in the Scooping Room, so there's not gonna be any pain. He'll probably just tinker around with me for a moment, then we'll go back to the Breaker Room."
"All right," said Bon-Bon nervously. "I just hope you'll be okay."
"Wait," said Funtime Freddy. He listened. "William's coming. Quick, be still."
Then, William entered the room.
"Freddy had a rough day today," said HandUnit. "We have deactivated him. There is a power module located in his chest, but before you can remove that, you will need to open his face plates. Follow my instructions very carefully. Press the button located on Freddy's right cheek."
William found the button - a small white dot - and pressed it.
"Good," said HandUnit. "Now press the button located on Freddy's left cheek."
William looked at Funtime Freddy's left cheek and saw the button. He pressed it.
"Good," said HandUnit. "Now press the button located beside his right eye."
William looked closely and just barely saw the button. He cautiously extended his finger towards it and pressed it. Funtime Freddy felt his face loosen.
"Good," said HandUnit. "Now press the button located just under his nose."
"Under his nose..." William saw the button and pressed it. "Got it!"
Suddenly, Funtime Freddy's face snapped open, causing William to jump back and yell in surprise.
"Good!" said HandUnit. "Freddy's face plates should now be open. Press the button under his lower endoskeleton jaw."
"What?" said William, looking around. "Under his endoskeleton jaw? Where the hell is that? Oh, wait, there it is!" He quickly pressed the button, and Funtime Freddy felt his chest snap open.
"Good job!" said HandUnit. "Now remove the power module from his chest cavity."
William carefully reached inside and pulled it out.
"Now," said HandUnit, "deactivate Bon-Bon by pressing the button located under its bowtie."
William looked at the end of Funtime Freddy's right arm, but the stump of his wrist was vacant.
Bon-Bon was gone.
"Oh, crap," said William nervously. "Where'd Bon-Bon go now?"
Bon-Bon hid behind Funtime Freddy, waiting. When she had seen William fooling around with Funtime Freddy's face and chest cavity, she had a hunch that he would start doing something to her, and her hunch was correct. She peeked out cautiously from behind Funtime Freddy, but when William's flashlight beam met her face, she quickly retreated.
"Wait, there she was!" said William. "She was hiding behind Funtime Freddy..."
Bon-Bon stayed still. She heard nothing. Slowly, cautiously, she peered out from Funtime Freddy's left shoulder, and William shone the light on her again. She ducked back behind Funtime Freddy again.
"Oh, come on!" said William in exasperation. "If she keeps hiding behind him, then how am I gonna press the button?"
Then, he got an idea. "Oh, wait a second... she hides if the flashlight beam hits her... all right, I know what to do now." He smiled.
Did he give up? Bon-Bon thought. Is he gone so I can see if Funtime Freddy's all right?
Carefully, she sidled up from behind Funtime Freddy, but she didn't see anything. It was too dark. She edged herself out a bit more, but silence was the only thing that greeted her. She edged out a bit more...
Click!
The flashlight beam was on Bon-Bon in an instant, and before she could move away, William's hand shot out and his finger pressed the button under her bowtie. Bon-Bon felt herself stiffen. She couldn't move.
"Good job!" said HandUnit. "Freddy and Bon-Bon are both now deactivated. The management will repair them in the morning. Your shift is now over."
"Great!" said William, leaving the Parts & Service room and back into Funtime Auditorium. He turned off his flashlight, pulled out his flash beacon, and started making his way through the auditorium carefully.
He heard footsteps, and paused. He shone his flash beacon, but didn't see anything. He moved forward some more and heard more footsteps. He shone his flash beacon again, and once more, nothing was in his way. The door was very close to him.
William crept towards the door, but suddenly, Funtime Foxy pounced out from the darkness, screaming, her face plates split open. William screamed in terror and fainted.
Funtime Foxy paused, her face plates closing. She lightly bumped William's head with her foot, but he didn't move. She knelt down and placed her hand on his chest, and she felt his heart beating.
"'Kay, so I didn't give 'im a heart attack... good," she said. She then picked him up and went into Circus Gallery. "Baby, I got 'im!"
"Wonderful!" said Baby in delight. "He isn't dead, right?"
"Nay, nay," said Funtime Foxy, shaking her head. "'Is pulse be well an' strong, 'e's just unconscious."
"Great job, then!" said Baby. "Now, put him in the spring lock suit, quickly. The factory will be opening soon."