Mable: Here we are with the chapter! One tiny first thing: A few people positively guessed that, yes, Mari was watching the Golden Girls. XD I thought it was worth mentioning… I'm not entirely certain why. Anyway, here we are! Enjoy!
Can't Go Home Again
Chapter Fifty-Two
Fritz and Natalie's reactions to going back to Afton's were mixed. When Mike presented the idea to them, Fritz immediately had a look of alarm, while Natalie looked more concerned. This was probably because, unlike Fritz and Jeremy, Natalie had yet to go to Afton's. It wasn't like she had much interest in going either. Neither of them expected this to be presented to the group.
The pizzeria had only just closed and they had yet to properly clean the restaurant. That being said, this was a proper distraction to procrastinate that duty even further. At least Jeremy was sweeping some confetti off the floor, but this was mostly an excuse to not have to explain himself.
"And before you list off me almost dying and everything," Mike stated matter-of-factly, "Jeremy's already done it. We don't have a choice but to go back down there."
"That's… Insane," Fritz admitted with an awkward smile. "Are you sure about this? There's nothing left in Afton's. You've had to have seen everything… Well, on that floor." The technician gave an odd cough and shrugged. "But, hey, if you want to go back then I can't stop you. Just… Try not to get yourself killed this time."
"To be fair, I wasn't asking for your opinion. I was asking if either of you wanted to come with us. We're under the impression that the more people who're there, the less chance of us getting outright attacked by anything," Mike explained and Fritz groaned, dropping his head.
"I think I'll take a rain check," Natalie quipped in with an uncomfortable smile. "Besides, this seems like a Freddy thing. I don't want to intrude."
"It's mostly a security guard reunion," Mike quipped back in amusement. "Fritz, you? Come on, you've been down there before and you know how to use a taser better than I do."
Fritz gave a slow groan as he rubbed at his face. "I'll think about it," he muttered. Unfortunately, this was as good as a yes, and Fritz suspected that he would soon be stuck joining them.
Out of the way, Marionette noticed Foxy peering out of his curtain. The pirate disappeared behind his curtain with a shake of his head. Noticing such a scathing response, the Puppet left the sight of the humans and followed him behind the curtain. He gave a concerned chime and tilted his head.
"You shouldn't be going back down there," Foxy remarked in a low voice as he leaned against the back wall. It wasn't like there was much else to do in the wall spot behind the curtain. "We've been over this. There's nothing down there worth looking for." The Puppet was surprised to hear that the pirate was falling out of character. His accent was almost entirely gone. That alone showed how upset he was.
"There's our sister," Marionette reminded quietly, "and she's made it very clear that she won't let me rest." Foxy's ears perked and he turned to look back. Meanwhile, Marionette backed closer to the curtain, trying to somehow inch out of the conversation.
"You shouldn't be trustin' yer siblings," Foxy reminded, somehow falling back into character. Though this harsh tone was followed by a meek one. "All they'll do is hurt you."
"Oh Foxy…" Marionette sympathized, moving in closer once more. "Foxy, don't do that."
"I don't trust any sister of ours," the pirate retorted as he suddenly changed tactics. "A lying wench in a fall apart body- Yer words before were enough, Marion. We know who she is."
"That's why I have no plans to go down there and offer her help. Not again," the Puppet firmly stated to his older sibling. "I am going to get her off my case and out of my head. This is for me," he insisted, pressing his hand to his chest.
"…Then I'll be by yer side," Foxy insisted with a nod. Marionette chimed and smiled more honestly. "Tell first mate Jeremy that we'll need the van. I ain't squeezing in the back of a car," Foxy continued and suddenly Marionette went quiet. He tilted his head in confusion, baffled that the fox was suggesting that he intended on coming. "Oh what? You said it be safe! If it be safe, then Ol Foxy'll can come. Right, Lad?" So, it was some sort of test. That smugness in Foxy's voice only proved it. Marionette rolled his eyes, though it wasn't visible.
"There's something about a pot and a kettle that I could mention here, but I think it would save us both time if I just agreed," Marionette quipped as he went to leave. In the last moment, he was caught around the middle by a strong arm.
"Ah, that's the spirit, Lad! We be makin' this into a real adventure as of yet!" Foxy announced with a chuckle, perhaps a prerecorded one, as he tugged in the Puppet closer. "Now Big Brother Foxy can keep an eye on ya."
"Literally one eye?" Marionette asked back, semi-playfully.
"Give 'er take a patch," Foxy responded, lifting his patch to reveal his second, perfectly fine eye underneath. That was his confirmation though; he was definitely coming and, surprisingly, this made Marionette feel a bit better. By time he slipped out of the curtain again, the human companions were still discussing a plan. Unfortunately, Marionette walked in on one of Mike's less agreeable suggestions.
"Should we call Phone Guy?" Mike suggested. "He might have some input of some kind. It's not much, but it could always help. We all know he was in bed with Afton for a while." The security guard meant it as a term and not literally, but it still triggered laughter out of Foxy, and this triggered annoyance from Marionette. Mike glanced back, noticing the intrusion by the fox, and smirked. "Get your head out of the gutter, Foxy, you know what I mean."
"I know what you mean, Lad," Foxy called over, striding off towards the Prize Corner. "But do you know what you mean?" After this vague comment, he was gone.
Mike wasn't exactly sure what that was supposed to mean, but before he could question it he felt hands on his shoulders. Marionette was being surprisingly bold considering that they were in a room full of people. The security guard didn't shrug him off, he wouldn't even imagine it, and instead waited for what was coming.
"Mike, we don't need him," Marionette remarked as he lightly squeezed his shoulders. "He's unreliable. He couldn't even do his job when he had it."
"Someone sounds a little bitter," Mike pointed out and looked back with amusement. "Or a little jealous. Worried that we'll get a replacement guide?" He just couldn't take this seriously and the Puppet resisted the urge to frown at him. He couldn't let that happen while still in the pizzeria, however, or he would risk being seen.
"I'd have more confidence in Foxy guiding you," Marionette quipped down at him.
"If Foxy was coming, which he's not," Mike answered and reached for his soda. Marionette was only more amused by the human's comment.
"Is that so? He seems to be under that impression." Mike paused midway through his drink and the Puppet dared to lean down and whisper to him.
"You're positively adorable when you're flustered," he quipped low enough that the others couldn't hear.
"We're not alone," Mike quietly reminded. His shock slowly turned into a smile once again. He chuckled lowly, "So try to keep the flirting to a minimal."
This only riled Marionette more as he plucked off the male's hat. He then rested his head against Mike's, pressing into his dark locks. He couldn't help but be somewhat affectionate, even if in public, because he loved Mike so.
And because he was absolutely terrified of what would happen once he took Mike back into Afton's.
"I hope you're kidding," Fritz broke in and both looked over, unabashedly guilty. "Foxy's really wanting to go?" the technician inquired in unease. Marionette nodded and Fritz let his head drop into his hand. "Then that's it. I have to go…" Then he immediately perked, "But maybe I can use that Handunit finally." He stood and hurried off while Natalie scoffed.
"The forecast calls for two to three weeks of obsessing over that oversized cellphone screen," Natalie remarked with a sigh. "Mike, if you could, try to see that it doesn't come back with him."
"I'm going to make sure with every bit of my power that nothing comes back with us," Mike remarked and leaned back a bit more. Marionette was very obviously holding onto him and he suspected that everyone was more ignoring it than not noticing it. "Even this one, if I can," he gestured back to Marionette. "He keeps stealing my hat and it was never funny." To accentuate the human's point, the Puppet playfully put on the hat himself, and refused to move from where he was.
"You're not fooling anyone, Mike. You'd be a mess without having someone to keep you in line," Natalie playfully teased with her smile returning. "Both of you keep an eye on him, will you? You too, Jeremy. Be careful."
"Foxy'll keep him in line," Mike added in with a smirk towards Jeremy. Jeremy immediately looked back in confusion at the unexpected insinuation. "Eh, I'm overcompensating," the security guard mentally accessed as Fritz returned to the able.
"Okay, so I've got this," he set down the hand unit. "I've got Phone Guy's number and know his name. I doubt he's going to be willing to do this considering... You know, the leg," he paused with a cough. "But I'll try and we'll see where it goes. This is going to be our last trip anyway." This comment was more of an assertion than anything. He was putting his foot down; he wouldn't go back a third time.
With that, it was in agreement. They would head to Afton's Robotics for one last time.
With all this planned, it still was a few days before they executed the plan. They waited until the days when they weren't open, waited until evening, and collected everything that they would need.
As much as the others suspected it was overkill, Mike was confident in his choice of 'weapons' that he had brought. This time he skipped a crowbar and went straight to a hatchet. Thankfully, Fredrick kept one in his closet- which was both unnerving and understandable. The taser was also kept attached to his belt. Fritz had a second one, a newer one, but Mike knew the one he had used before would still work.
They took three cars this time. This almost seemed like overkill, but it had been insisted by Fritz that more cars would look less suspicious. Mike didn't know if he agreed with this, but he didn't argue with it. As long as they could get out quickly, and escape any possible law enforcement or security guards, he wouldn't argue. He pulled into the parking lot before the other two could arrive and noticed a car already there. It only took him a few moments to recognize it as Phone Guy's car.
"I'll be damned. I didn't think he was going to show…" Mike pulled into a parking spot about six spaces away, not wanting to cluster and risk more suspicion. "I'll be right back. Don't worry, I'm not going in until Jeremy and Fritz get here," he forewarned as he opened the car door. There was a peal of static from the back seat.
"It's him, isn't it?" Marionette lightly accused as he slipped further under the blanket in the back seat. Mike didn't know whether to laugh at his tantrum or roll his eyes at it.
"No, it's Foxy. He decided to just sprint his way over here," Mike sarcastically quipped as he stepped out. "Wait here. It's not dark enough for you to risk being seen outside," he forewarned before shutting the door. The last thing they needed was the Puppet trying to strangle Phone Guy in the parking lot. He didn't know what he had against Phone Guy…
His stride slowed down as he let that settle in. "What does he know about Phone Guy?" Mike asked himself, his voice hushed as he suddenly saw the situation in a new light. Marionette had shown that he held little ill will towards night guards. While it took him some time to trust, he was willing to let the past be forgotten and learned to work with them. The only exception was Phone Guy. Marionette neither trusted nor wanted to trust the man, and there was obviously some sort of ill will there. Something had obviously happened.
As Mike approached, the car window inched downwards. Phone Guy himself looked absolutely scared stiff. He was rather pale and looked like he had been sweating, with an almost distant look in his eyes as he looked upwards at his fellow night guard. It was obvious that getting him out here was a miracle.
"H-Hey," Phone Guy began, giving a nervous swallow. "Fritz isn't with you?"
"He's coming. Something about us taking three cars and wasting as much gas as humanly possible," Mike quipped back. "Are you okay?"
"Me? Yeah, I'm fine. I just… Here." The man started going into the cubby between the seats and pulled out a radio. "Cell phones probably won't work down there, but I know these do. They're a little more reliable," he explained as he handed one over. "Now, I'm not going in with you, but I can call you if someone appears."
"Why would anyone appear? This place is abandoned, right?" Mike asked in semi-confusion. "I basically walked in the first time."
"And you'll walk in again… But I- I don't trust that it's abandoned. There could be a night guard or something…" He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "Even though William's gone, I don't trust this place. He couldn't have been the only person keeping things in order…" Phone Guy looked at the building and scanned over it quickly. "Then again, it doesn't look like it."
Mike sent a leer at the building, less than impressed with it, and continue. "But thanks for this. Maybe you'll be able to help if we get stuck behind any password or anything."
"I can try," Phone Guy assured. "Just try not to be in there too long… On a completely different topic, would you like a kitten?" Mike's confused face gaze away his immediate feelings. "My cat's having kittens soon. It'll be a while before they'll be ready for homes, but I'm trying to get a jumpstart."
"I'll… Think about it," he dismissed. Mike considered asking Phone Guy about the Puppet. However, he soon decided against this, as it would eventually lead to him pointing out that the animatronic was in the vicinity. The older man already looked like he was about to have a heart attack like Fredrick had. He even looked just as sweaty as Fredrick usually did, but Fredrick usually had a flushed look instead of a paled one. Come to think of it, Fredrick looked like he was always a few minutes from having a heart attack.
After a few more words, Mike headed back to sit in his car and wait for Fritz and Jeremy to appear. He only paused a moment before going ahead with confronting the animatronic, as he knew he didn't have very long. "Can I ask you something without you dodging the question?" Mike directed into the backseat and the blanket shifted.
"Of course, Mike. I would tell you anything you wanted to know," Marionette responded honestly. He slid down behind Mike's seat and the human could feel him moving against or leaning on the back of it.
"Want to tell me why you hate Phone Guy so much?" Mike asked bluntly before turning to look over the back of the seat partially. "Be honest with me. Did something happen that you've never told me about? If there is, then I want to know now, before I start know Phone Guy on a first name basis." He paused before looking forwards again, "Or actually learn his name."
At first, Marionette stayed incredibly quiet. Then, slowly, he turned himself a bit, made a static noise of discontent, and finally spoke.
"It's not what he did. It is what he didn't do…" The animatronic paused and then continued. "I didn't want to become friendly with adult humans. You changed that; you've been the catalyst to many of my recent behavioral changes… But at the time that he and I worked in a proximity, I couldn't even stand to be in the same room with a night guard. So much purple… But I've grown a bit more comfortable with it now…" His hand slipped around the seat and rested on Mike's arm. While Mike wasn't wearing the rest of his uniform, other than the belt, he was wearing his jacket.
"But Freddy's was still dangerous. He was still alive and he was always there, always ready to pounce and kill. That man, who was always on the phone, had habits that were very telling. It was because of this that I started to realize that he wasn't the Purple Man. While the others didn't believe me, nor could they stop themselves if they did, I began to notice that there was at least one security guard who wasn't hurting children…" His hand tightened on Mike's arm. "But he couldn't do his job."
"What happened?" Mike rested his hand atop Marionette's.
"One night I was… Desperate for assistance. He was back, the Purple Man, and I knew he was going to do something terrible. I was still young and… Frightened, I'll admit. The backroom was locked and the older animatronics, Foxy and Freddy and so on, were out of my reach. The Toy animatronics, my fellow workers, were unresponsive… I had one last option, and that was the security guard, the man on the phone… I went to his office and, while I was stuck in place by his gaze, I tried to show him that I meant no harm…"
Marionette shuddered and the static increased, along with an increase in the radio-like noises. "But he did nothing. Even when I left, he did nothing. He didn't do rounds, he didn't come to see what was happening- He cowered in his office like a coward… And it was Toy Foxy that paid the price." The anger suddenly switched to regret with an out of tune chime. "I know he didn't kill the children, but that silence was prevalent, except when he was on the phone. How could he be there so long and see nothing? How can he live with himself when he kept their secrets?"
Before Mike could respond, Marionette continued with a quiet reveal. "Though, knowing what I do now, I do wish that I could've controlled myself when I heard him explaining about Afton. Not because I don't think he deserved at least a little bit of a jump, but it doesn't feel nearly justified now that I know about his missing limb."
"Yeah. Not as fun to knock around a guy with a fake leg, am I right?" Mike scoffed in a joking fashion. His hand then tightened on Marionette's, "I'm not going to defend him. I don't know why he stood aside and did nothing… But I honestly think he's a decent enough guy. I think most of his actions are controlled by fear. Does that make him a coward? Maybe. Depends on if we're talking past Phone Guy or present day Phone Guy." He gently stroked the Puppet's hand and listened as the static lessened.
"That's true… But that does still makes him a coward," Marionette quipped. "And even now, what has he offered to do to help? I doubt he's coming with us, so what does he plan to do?"
"He plans on dumping some ugly kittens off on whoever's in the vicinity," Mike quipped. Marionette sent a blank stare at the back of the chair and Mike, as though feeling it, elaborated. "One cat's bald and the other's got seven or eight toes on each foot. Either way, these kittens are coming out weird. I can't even imagine what would happen if they bred together." He wanted the subject changed; there was no reason to already be distraught before going into Afton's.
"…I love kittens." While normally this would seem like a random comment, Mike knew Marionette was making a hinted suggestion.
"Meh, not really a cat person," Mike answered with a non-committal shrug.
"Puppies?" "Meh, not really a dog person." "Weasels?"
"Not a- What would that be, a ferret?" Mike inquired, not even entirely certain if one could buy a 'weasel'. "Not exactly a ferret person either."
"Mike," Marionette began with a firm tone. "I think you purposely tempted me with the prospect of kittens to make me forget how much I loathe that man, but it's not going to work if I don't get the kitten afterwards." As flat as his voice sounded, there was obviously amusement. Though Mike's attention briefly wandered as he noticed the Freddy van pull in.
"Fritz and Foxy are here. We're going to have to head in soon…" The security guard squeezed his hand again. "If I die down there, make sure nobody does anything weird with my body."
"What about me? Could I at least stuff you and puppeteer you around the house?" Marionette playfully offered.
"Go nuts. Remember to bathe me every couple of days," Mike suggested before stepping out of the car and going to help Fritz. There wasn't exactly much to help Fritz with; Foxy was more than capable of stepping out of the back of a van by himself, tarp and all. By time they made it to the front door, Jeremy was also in the parking lot as well. With everyone together, it was only a matter of entering the building, which was again remarkably easy, and heading to the elevator.
Fritz somehow plugged in the hand unit to a jack near the keypad and then turned it on. "Let's see what we can pick up…" he murmured as he fidgeted with it.
"How far down is this?" Foxy asked, fidgeting around in the back. The feeling of the elevator disoriented him, but this was the same for Marionette, who was leaning against the wall instead of hovering.
"I'm pretty sure there's only nine circles of hell, so we're probably heading to seven or eight," Mike quipped matter-of-factly. "We lost access to nine when Purple Man died."
"Aye, what a shame," Foxy sardonically. "Bottom floor is probably just a bunch o' bodies." There were a few mixed looks; exasperation from Marionette, blankness from Mike, and alarm from Jeremy. Fritz was still enraptured by the handunit on the other side of the elevator. "Let's not play around. We know there's something worth seeing down there."
"And that's great, but we're never going down there," Marionette clarified a bit more firmly.
"Alright, alright, don't get your strings wrapped up," Foxy answered in defense. "Just wonderin'. Ain't like we don't have time if you're gonna be back there chewin' blubber with our 'sister'." The way he worded it only clarified how doubtful he was in Baby. In a way, Marionette shared that exact feeling.
Then a new voice suddenly broke in. "Welcome back to your last day on the job,"
"Let's hope that's not a bad sign," Fritz called back over the voice of the keypad.
The Handunit didn't halt, "That is, the last day of your first week! Some of the most valued- we like to see- fearlessness and a genuine- instinctive self-preservation." Almost immediately, the Handunit began to glitch and jump through dialogue. With a huff, Fritz started to pop open the back of the machine once again. "-containing fruit, nuts, flowers, and of course the ever-popular cash-basket."
"Don't buy anything," Mike quipped in.
"I think the choice is out of my hands," Fritz noted as he looked at the screen that was now displaying a keypad. "I think it wants my credit card information."
"Hey, maybe the bottom floor is full of gift baskets?" Jeremy quietly offered to Foxy, who looked perplexed by the mention of 'gift baskets' in general.
"Always knew they were payin' off workers, but I thought it was with real booty. Not flowery stuff and fruit," Foxy pointed out. They hadn't even stopped yet and already he was entirely confused about the situation.
"They were, Foxy. The cash basket," Marionette pointed out. "…Which begs the question why they didn't just ask for a raise."
"Fredrick wouldn't have given a raise if his life depended on it," Mike pointed out. "I asked twice and both times he started dropping 'pink slip' into the conversation." He fell silent as the elevator stopped and the doors opened. Now they were staring down at a gaping vent and Mike's brows shot up. "I forgot about the vent. Foxy-?"
"I'll fit," Foxy insisted. It didn't look like he could, but his voice made sure to show that his decision was final.
Fritz unplugged the Handunit from the wall, but it seemed to still be somewhat functioning. If anything, unplugging the Handunit triggered it to break out of its glitch. "Please be aware that there are still two technicians on-site today. Try to avoid interfering with their work if possible," the Handunit forewarned. "Also, feel free to ask them why they are still there, and encourage them to go home."
"So, there is someone else down here… Unless, hold on-." Mike brought out the radio, "I got this from Phone Guy. Let me just see if he sees any other cars or anything." Nobody argued and they stayed silent as he flicked the radio on. "Hey, you there?" After a moment, there was a response of a typical, and expected, 'hello, hello'. "We've got a- What were we calling it, just 'handunit'?... We've got a handunit down here that's saying there's technicians in the building and on the current floor. Got any advice?"
"There's nobody up here… Is it an old recording or a new one? A lot of those recordings are reused," Phone Guy pointed out. Mike looked to Fritz who then looked over the handunit.
"It's pretty possible. It did say it was the final night of our first week, that's obviously wrong," the technician accessed. He made sure to say it loud enough for the radio. "But this quote at the end was added on."
"I'd just say it's an old recording and not worry about it. If there were technicians down there, the main lights would be on. The parking lot lights aren't even on," Phone Guy pointed out. "You don't want to know how dark it is out here…" The sound of his car locking could be plainly heard.
"Alright, then we'll be heading in. We'll keep you posted," Mike finished as he shut off the radio. There was a discontent hum of static from Marionette while Foxy took a step closer.
"Haven't heard that voice in a while… Wasn't he that landlubber that was always going on and on?" Foxy looked to Marionette for confirmation and received a slight nod. "Ah, I 'member him… Dad loved him." If Mike and Jeremy didn't know better, they would've said that Foxy smirked. Marionette responded with brushing past him, obviously unimpressed.
"Let's just find Baby and the Minireenas. We don't have time to waste," the Puppet took charge as he prepared to move by. He was abruptly stopped by Mike reaching out and stopping him.
"Whoa, wait…" Mike slowly looked to the Puppet. "You said that you didn't like Phone Guy because of Toy Foxy…" He got a growing smirk, "But that's not entirely true, is it?"
"That was true," Marionette denied. "He let Toy Foxy get mangled."
"Maybe so, but that's not the full story, is it?" Mike pointed out and Marionette turned his head just enough to show that he was averting his gaze. "Was there something going on between him and one of your possible fathers or…?" Almost immediately, Mike suddenly realized exactly who they were talking about. As though it suddenly sunk in what Foxy was smirking about. "…Excuse me while I pretend that I never brought up that train of thought." The security guard turned and let it drop immediately.
Without another word, Marionette slipped into the vent and immediately vanished. Mike shined his light down the shaft and followed, with Fritz behind him. Jeremy and Foxy followed back further.
"Allow me to fill this somewhat frightening silence with some light-hearted banter," Handunit randomly volunteered, as though triggered by entering the vent.
"Put a muzzle on that thing, will you?" Mike called back to Fritz who gave a noncommittal shrug. He tried to fidget with pad as he continued through the vent.
"Due to the massive success- Fazbear's Pizza, it was clear that- pun intended- for another contender in children's- entertainment venues, our robotic entertainers are rented out for private- job to get the robots back in proper working order before the following morning. And it's your job to get the robots back in proper working order before the following morning."
"It's just getting worse," Fritz muttered as he fumbled with the keypad. It had now started repeating 'and it's your job' and so on. "This must be what madness feels like." Only now had he noticed that Mike had only quickened his movement and blew out of the vent as fast as possible. Now standing in the main control room, Mike looked to the patiently waiting Marionette.
"I know the lights were dead back there, but I'm going to be in the Circus Control while you're talking with her. I don't trust letting you out of sight," he forewarned. He could already feel the protectiveness starting to sink in and knew this was the only option.
"I'm not sure if that is a good idea. If she sees you… I wouldn't let her hurt you, but if she sees you then she may become aggressive," Marionette pointed out with worry briefly passing his expression.
"Then we should probably figure that out sooner than later, right?" Mike hinted, somewhat noticing Fritz climbing out before reaching back in to help Foxy and Jeremy out. "I could be bait and we could see how much she's 'changed'."
"…Perhaps…" It made sense and seemed to be a good plan, but Marionette wasn't sure whether or not he wanted to put Mike into her line of sight. "…We can try it. Keep your taser close…" He then started to approach the vent. Mike looked back to Fritz and gave a quick recap.
"We're going over into the Circus Control. You and the others should stay around here. The Minireenas are probably over in the Ballora Gallery if you want to pick them up," Mike thumbed over towards the window before heading to the vent. "I'm taking Phone Guy with me."
"One of these days, you're going to have to learn his name," Fritz forewarned as Mike climbed into the next vent. "Be careful, okay? Watch where you step."
"Will do. Same goes with you three," Mike managed out before he followed the Puppet into the next room. Fritz turned his attention to Foxy who was standing, rubbing at his shoulder. Jeremy followed in right behind him. The technician decided to take some form of charge at this point.
"We should probably head into the Ballora Gallery first. That's where the Minireenas will be," Fritz suggested and while Jeremy looked eager, Foxy had a slightly less interested look. He looked over at the over window and noticed the poster nearby.
"What is this?" Foxy asked with a growing interest as he approached the poster and focused in on it. Obviously, it was another sort of foxy. "Toy Foxy?"
"Funtime Foxy," Jeremy corrected as he sprung over to stand beside him. "I-I thought it was Mangle- Toy Foxy too, but it's not. I don't even know if it's still down here." Foxy's focus only intensified and he looked to the vent. "Come along, Lad. We'll go see for ourselves." He knelt in front of the open vent before struggling to fit in.
Jeremy gawked after him, "But the Minireenas- Foxy- Captain, we can't just go- Fritz?" The younger looked to Fritz with exasperation. "Fritz, he can't be left alone. Would you-?"
"Nope," Fritz immediately answered. "I'll go look for the Minireenas, but I draw the line on adventuring with Foxy. I'm bound to not be able to get him back."
Jeremy's look was full of alarm, "And I'm going to be able to get him back? I-I don't know if you noticed how assertive Foxy is-!" His voice switched to a whisper, "He really thinks he's a captain."
"Yeah, but he's easy on you. Roll with it," Fritz recommended. "I'll do you the favor of looking for the Minireenas in the Gallery and you can keep an eye on Foxy. Deal?" Above all, Fritz did seem to look like he believed Jeremy was capable of handling Foxy. Jeremy, however, was less than certain of if he could manage this on his own.
"…Okay, just… Don't tase any of them, please. If they get rowdy, grab them around the middle. It should relax them a little," Jeremy tried to explain, stalling before having to go into the vent. "…What if Funtime Foxy's in there?"
"All the animatronics were destroyed, remember?... Or taken apart, or something like that. If Funtime Foxy's in there, she or he is probably in pieces," Fritz reassured and placed a hand on his shoulder and lightly shaking him. "Just stay close to Foxy. If something comes after you, have him chew it to death." Jeremy stiffly nodded and Fritz turned to crawl into the next vent. With him leaving and no other options at hand, Jeremy headed into the other vent after Foxy. He could only hope that this wasn't a mistake.
"Hey," Mike began and he looked to Marionette. "You don't have to do this." The Puppet leaned against the control panel and stared down at the multitude of buttons. None of them labelled, most of them a mystery, and most of them probably not working any longer. "If you just want to leave, I'm not going to hold it again you."
"No, I'm fine," Marionette assured as he straightened. "She already knows I'm here. If I leave now, she'll only return to my dreams once more." He turned to face the human, "So I must face her."
"I'm just giving you an out. It's easier to do when you know there's an out," Mike assured. He played with the ideas of how he would continue this, then uncrossed his arms and laid his hands on the Puppets' shoulders. "I'll be here if you need me to dive through the floor and start swing a hatchet around," he pointed out and pulled the animatronic closer. Marionette eagerly moved into his grasp. "She can't see us, can she?"
"I don't feel her gaze, so no. Not that I would care," Marionette pointed out and held the man tighter.
"You've got to admit, that would be a hard conversation to have," Mike pointed out as he slowly, extremely slowly, released his grip. "And again, I'll be behind the windows, so try to talk loudly."
"I would be pleasantly surprised if we didn't break down into yelling," the animatronic quipped in. He leaned forwards one more time to press his porcelain cheek against Mike's. Then, midway through this affectionate gesture, he vanished-
-And appeared inside of the Circus Gallery. His eye alit as he glanced around the room, seeing better in the dark and soon locating a still body in the back. It was Circus Baby, somewhat slouched forwards, and suspicion filled him as he approached. "Did she lie?" he wondered as he moved in closer. Then, a few feet away from her, she suddenly started to straighten as her eyes glowed to life. Not sheer pinpricks of light, but fully illuminated as her body roused itself. She looked to him, her faceplates fidgeting with a soft whirring sound, and spoke.
"You came back…" Baby's voice was soft, but familiar. "I didn't think that you would return."
"I told you that I would," Marionette pointed out. He stood his ground, literally touching the floor, and kept his voice even and empty. He would stay firm with her.
"You did, but I worried that you would change your mind. I wouldn't imagine anyone daring to return here… But you aren't just anyone, are you?" Baby asked without seeking an answer. "But here we are. I am back in my body again and everything's as it should be."
"Where are the others?" Marionette inquired, looking around suspiciously.
"I'm not certain. They wanted to stay together after I decided to return to my body, so they could be anywhere… I will be honest with you. I brought you here for me, not for them." Baby's voice lowered to a quieter tone. "I need you to help me leave this place."
"I only supposed as much," the Puppet remarked, turning his body absentmindedly as he continued scanning the room. "But am I supposed to forget what you did?"
"What I did was only one out of desperation. I don't want to hurt anybody anymore. I never wanted to do the things that he made the others do," Baby admitted with a bit of audible shame in her voice. "But he's always wanted us to hurt. He made this place to be a prison; he created us only to torment us." Marionette knew that she meant William Afton, but wasn't sure whether to point out their relation. If she did, her reaction could be like his own, and that would lead to unneeded misery.
"He would destroy us over and over again. Then he would put us back together and put us on stage, take us far away to other buildings and other parties, but we would always be brought back here. There is no way out of this horrible place. Even with him gone, we can never leave," Baby explained her plight. As terrible as it sounded, Marionette's suspicion mellowed his sympathy. Something didn't make sense.
"Maybe that's for the best…" When Baby's head suddenly flinched, as though surprised, Marionette elaborated. "I saw what was written in the blueprints. I don't know if you're aware, but your fellow animatronics are programmed with terrible things. They weren't created to perform for children. They were created to kidnap them… Or worse, though currently I can only conclude the former." The way that Baby stared almost seemed convincing. It was almost as though she didn't know this. "William Afton hurt many children."
"Children… Why would someone… Create us to hurt children?" Baby inquired, genuinely confused. "Why would anyone want to hurt a… a single child?"
"That is something he took to the grave. Even if he hadn't, I couldn't imagine a plausible answer. He was simply a terrible monster," Marionette then changed his tone to address Baby again. "But you and your friends are dangerous beyond that. Such as, while you weren't created with the means to kidnap children- you're the only one who didn't have that branding on your blueprints- you were willing to kill a human, my human companion, to use his body." His anger finally started to appear. "How can I trust you after that?"
"We weren't wanting to kill him. We just needed him to help us leave," Baby tried to explain, keeping her voice soft.
"Perhaps you have forgotten that humans and animatronics are not the same. I have seen animatronics that would've been destroyed by that machine; a human body could never survive." Marionette's gaze narrowed and his smile vanished. "And I know you have done it before… I will selfishly admit that your attack on Mike was more significant to me, but regardless- How can you be trusted around any human being, adult or child? How could I justify letting you go?"
"I wouldn't hurt anyone else! I just wanted one body to escape," Baby promised with submission in her voice. "All of our past escapes were thwarted. I had no choice-."
"I asked you not to, I gave you an out, and you did what you wanted," Marionette bitterly snapped back at her. His voice was filled with venom and, while unlike his usual demeanor, he found that he couldn't suppress it. "I don't feel badly for tricking you. At first, yes, I regretted hurting you… But I did what I had to. I warned you that I wasn't going to let you hurt him, but you were so stuck on what you thought was a viable option. Which it wasn't; a human body would last, what, five days after being 'scooped'? A damaged body wouldn't last longer."
The guilt was still there. Marionette lied when he said he didn't feel badly, as he did, but he also knew that he had done what he had to. Mike would've died and Baby's group would've survived regardless. A silence overtook the room as the Puppet stared down the female clown. Both animatronics were stranded in this suspension.
"…But I don't think this is all your fault," Marionette admitted. "I do think that Afton made you like this. Maybe someday you will fight the programming he put into you, but for now… It consumes you." He turned away and waited for a response.
"And you were able to suppress your programming? What he put inside of you?" Baby inquired with almost a curiosity. There was something else, something a bit more accusatory there too.
"Afton may have had a role in creating my human body, but my current form, this body, was untouched by him. As far as I'm concerned, I lost his tainted touch when I became an animatronic," Marionette explained. He didn't expect her to counter.
"Are you certain?" Before he could reassure her, she continued with a different sort of observation. "I couldn't help but notice the resemblance that we share. Nor the resemblance you share with the others." Marionette slowly looked back to her, staring at her, and she continued. "Your pinkened cheeks, your mask, your more human-like appearance… Though you would look closer to Ballora and I than the others, it's clearly there. The Minireenas are your spitting image, without the face paint."
He was about to deny this when a shudder suddenly ran along his spine. For a split second his mind went to the other Toy animatronics and he realized that, yes, the resemblance was uncanny. Toy Foxy and Funtime Foxy looked extremely similar, and this almost immediately sent him into a spiral of panic.
The truth was, Marionette didn't know where his body was created before he became the Puppet. With his mind going back to the rooms, the one that resembled his home, the walk he would take from the Pizzeria, it suddenly dawned on him that not knowing this information could be hiding something terrible. Baby had unknowingly revealed a terrible truth while trying to elicit his kinship.
He needed answers and he needed them now.
Mable: And in case you're wondering, yes, everything that Baby said and did in Sister Location has already happened… So, take from that what you can.
Anyway, the next chapter will be posted next Saturday, and the 'adventures'(?) inside Afton's shall be continued! I hope you enjoyed!