Mable: Hey, hey! Here we are- but first I have a note and a few questions.
First, I would like to direct you to Jeanette9a, a friend of mine and frequent reader and reviewer. She has drawn some adorable pictures of Dairy, Rose, and Forget-Me-Not in their dresses on her DeviantArt page of the same name. I definitely recommend you go check them out if you're interested! ^-^ Thank you again, Jeanette.
Now we have a few questions:
Jack Logan: Yes, the wire animatronic looks very much like Yenndo. I don't think that's too much of a spoiler since we know absolutely nothing about Yenndo anyway. XD Except that it may or may not also be some variation of animatronic spaghetti.
Marionetty: Max is actually the animatronic equivalent to the magician doll found in the Circus Gallery in Sister Location. There's also an anniversary picture that Scott released of the magician that gives a really good look at him. Other than that, as he mentioned way back, he was a child who grew up in the same neighborhood as Mari and Foxy.
And I'd love to design a fangame based off Hickory, Dickory, and Doc's Funcade. It's a shame that I have no clue how to make games. XD I'm only good with ideas and typing.
Another quick reminder that there is a brand-new poll waiting as well. So, without further ado, let us begin!... Enjoy.
Can't Go Home Again
Chapter Eighty-Nine
It was late afternoon when Scott ended his final phone call and ended his work for the day. With a tired exhale, he rubbed over his tired eyes and tried to pull himself together. Life felt a lot duller living alone, especially when the highlight of his day was wondering whether or not a clown was going to climb through his window in the middle of the night. With a slow exhale, he stood from his office chair and wandered out into the living room. The cats and kitten were lined on the couch together, with only the kitten taking interest when he walked up.
"Hey there, Little Guy…" Scott reached over the back of the couch to pet the runt. It mewed and squirmed underneath his touch, to which he chuckled lightly before drawing back. His brief amusement switched back to the growing concern as he looked over towards the garage door. He had left it cracked open, watching it, hoping that it would be moved to show that Ennard had returned. Yet it didn't and the animatronic did not return. Scott tried to distract himself with his cats and his work, but he had a taste of life with another human-like person, and now he missed it.
Ennard had been unpredictable and had betrayed his trust, but Scott still missed him. He couldn't help but wonder if that was why the animatronic left; because the trust was gone and their lives had deviated. Scott thought about that a lot, and he tiredly headed over to the garage door. He stepped inside without much concern of the animatronic being inside. With a tired exhale, he looked over everything in the garage.
"What a mess…" Scott quietly muttered as he looked around at the untouched things. His eyes eventually landed on the bed of clothes in the corner and he wandered over to it. Half-curious and with nothing better to do, he slowly sat down on the bed of his own clothes and stared out over the garage. "Did he really just sit here like this?... No wonder he would leave. What life is this?" Scott lifted a handful of his own clothes. The shirt in his hand was partially stained in what smelled like maple syrup. "Just sitting here… All day…"
He sent a tired glance over towards the washer and dryer with half a mind to do a load of laundry. He needed something to do to take his mind off of all of this. He noticed that the dryer was still slightly shifted from whenever Ennard moved it and wondered if it was worth moving it back into place. Though then he noticed the bundle of clothing shoved between it and the wall. That was peculiar enough, and he stood and crossed over to it before reaching for the bundle between the dryer and the wall. All it took was a single grab for him to realize that something was inside the bundle.
"What's this?" Apparently Ennard had been hiding something and Scott retrieved the bundle. Once in both hands, he started to realize that he knew exactly what it was. "Wait…" He felt over the object. "No, wait, it can't be. Why would-?" He cut off as he revealed the object and tossed the pants it was wrapped in aside. It was cold and felt heavy in his hands as he stared at it.
He was holding Ennard's mask. Ennard had left his mask behind. Ennard wouldn't have left his mask behind if he wasn't coming back.
It was only now that Scott fully realized that something terrible had happened.
By time Scott was driving towards ARI he knew that something must've happened that stopped Ennard from returning home. Whether it be him getting locked inside or somehow blocked in some other way, Ennard couldn't get home, so Scott would have to go find him. Yet as he approached the facility, he was struck by a new and horrific sight. It was a building on the other side of Afton Robotics' parking lot that faced the main road. It had always been there but had looked abandoned and uninteresting. Most of the scattered buildings in the area were.
However, since Scott had last been here things had dramatically changed. The building looked fixed up and a new sign was placed over it. Scott didn't have the best vision for spotting signs while driving, but he definitely recognized the cartoon image looming over the building. It was a very familiar bear; it wasn't a knock-off, it had to be Freddy Fazbear. It was another Freddy's.
A wave of discontent washed over him, and Scott felt his heart start to race. He couldn't believe it; another Freddy's was opening without any warning by some unknown person. For the moment though, Scott couldn't investigate. He would tell the others later, but he needed to get down into ARI while he still could to look for any sign of Ennard. As he pulled into the parking lot, he noticed another car already there. He parked by the entranceway and hoped that it would appear like he just needed somewhere to park, even if there weren't any real businesses in walking distance.
Then Scott hurried to the front doors and let himself in. The doors weren't locked, to both his relief and immediate worry, and the lights on the first floor were on. "There's someone here…" But he was already this far. If he could get down to the proper level then perhaps he wouldn't be caught, but he had to do it quickly. He hustled to the hall and the elevator, which he attempted to call. To his immediate horror, the elevator wouldn't respond. "Someone turned the elevator off. Is- Is that all it is? Did Ennard get stuck down there because of the lift?"
Before Scott could even consider what he was going to do next or how he would turn the lift on, he was struck by the sound of rapid footsteps approaching from behind. Someone was coming, and Scott couldn't do anything except lie through his teeth. He could've done it too, if not for who circled the corner of the hallway.
"Stop right there! I saw you come in!" a voice barked before the person stopped and stared blankly. "…Scott?"
Scott knew it was a bad sign when someone knew him on a first name basis. In this case though, he was able to return it as he recognized the older man. "Chance?"
Chauncey Evans Johnson was one of the few people at Freddy's whom Scott had become close with. The older man knew his way around animatronics and had managed to fix broken items numerous times around the old pizzerias. However, his impact in the business had waned over the years, and he had become only more reclusive after Henry's death. At one point around one of the pizzerias' closings, Chance had finally just vanished for good. Nobody was really surprised, and Fredrick even seemed a little relieved by it. Scott himself hadn't expected Chance to stay involved as long as he did.
"Scott, what in the hell are you doing here?" Chance asked in disbelief. Only now did Scott himself remember that he needed to lie. Instead, he decided to ask his own questions.
"Y-You're the one who bought Afton's?" Scott inquired directly.
"Yeah, but where did you even- What happened to your face? What…?" Chance seemed fully confused as he looked over Scott. "You look like a train wreck. What's going on here?" Amusingly enough, he couldn't even spot most of the scars or his leg and yet already deduced that Scott was a mess. Though he focused back on his facial scars.
"It's… It's been a rough few years," Scott admitted almost meekly. "I was just… Coming to see who bought the place. I remembered the office was upstairs."
"Right, right. You used to come by here," Chance realized with a nod. Scott didn't really come here much, but considering how long he was close to William he wasn't too surprised that Chance assumed this.
"But why would you buy this place? I- You didn't want anything to do with William. Other than him, who did?" Scott pressed further. Alas, his wording left him open for the follow up.
"You did," Chance bluntly and blankly, to which Scott went uncomfortably silent. Seeing the conversation stall, Chance turned away. "Come on. I've got an office on this floor." He led Scott through the first-floor halls and eventually to a small office. There was a desk with a computer and a newer office chair, but most of it was still left to how it was when the building was abandoned. Chance sat down in the office chair and Scott sat in a dusty chair pushed against the wall.
"Ever heard of a place called Hickory's Funcade? It's basically just like Freddy's used to be. I've been working there for a while now…" Chance paused to tap his fingers on the desk. "But a large number of the animatronics spontaneously broke down and my services weren't required as much. So, I quit, took what I could, and started looking around for something else to do with the rest of my life. I found out this place was on the market for dirt cheap and decided to take the risk. That's not the only one either, if you saw the building over there." He pointed off towards the window.
"You mean the Freddy's? Yeah, I saw… You're opening the Freddy's too?" Scott timidly asked.
"Yes. Just trying to fulfil the last of Henry's wishes, and I know having the Fazbear fiasco rectified was one of the things he would've wanted most," Chance explained with his voice briefly growing more solemn. Scott nodded slowly in understanding as the older man quickly recovered. "That's my story. Not much else to say… What happened to you?" He pointed to his own face, signaling Scott's facial scars.
"I was- I was in an accident," Scott explained with a small cough. He then leaned down to roll up his pants leg as the older man watched. "I was watching the old pizzeria at night and I wasn't careful enough."
"Damn," Chance blurted out as he saw the fake leg. "I'm sorry- How'd you even survive that?!"
"Luck mostly," Scott explained as he rolled the pants leg back down. "Do you remember Fritz? He helped me out of the suit. He's the reason I'm alive."
"Course I remember him. We basically worked within arm's length for years," Chance answered. "How's the kid doing?"
"He's doing good. I could give you his number if you want to call him," Scott suggested. He then considered the circumstances at hand and the entire ordeal with Ennard. "Have you… Had much trouble with the place? Or with opening the new Freddy's?"
"It isn't open yet, but a little. Mostly understaffed…" Chance paused as though considering something. "You know, if you'd be willing to maybe do some paperwork, it would really be a load off my back. I could pay you for your time."
"You'd want to hire me?" Scott asked in disbelief. He wanted to immediately turn the man down and refuse, but part of him forewarned him that this could be a bad call. Perhaps the best thing would to get in closer and then be able to figure out what was truly going on. Something about this all seemed a little shady. "I… I guess I could. Just as long as it didn't involve me having to, you know, watch the animatronics all night. I can't afford to lose another leg. It's not good for business." The more he talked, the more awkward he felt.
"Nothing like that," Chance assured. "I just know that you were in the business a long time and know what you're doing. All of my workers are freelancers I brought in to move the things and build walls. None of them have any idea how to run an animatronic pizzeria. Especially not one with a reputation like this one's." The older man gave a sigh and stood from the desk. "I'll show you over there if you want and give you the grand tour."
While they were heading to the door to leave ARI, Scott decided to slip in a few more questions. "What about this building? Were you able to find any animatronics?" he hesitantly asked.
"A few unused ones were stored down a few floors and are going to be used in the new Pizzeria. Classic characters like Happy Frog and that pig one," Chance explained. He then looked back towards Scott, "And no. None of them were moving when they weren't plugged in. None of that is going on with these." That was a relief, both because it meant that there weren't anymore of the haunted ones and because it suggested that Chance had not found Ennard amongst them. Though this didn't rule out whether of not the animatronic was still down there.
After a walk across the parking lot, the two were standing outside the new pizzeria. Scott whistled as he scanned over the sign and then looked through the large windows in the front. It looked like there was some sort of foyer area near the front door with a tiny stage, some games and machines, and a curtained archway that led into the darkness that was probably the rest of the pizzeria.
"We haven't opened anything yet, but if all goes well then we'll have quite a show next weekend," Chance explained with a semi-hopeful sound on his voice. "Or that's the plan, if we can get everything straightened out before then. There's a few more things I'll need before the big day, but fate's got a way of dropping things into my lap. Case in point, you." He then looked back to Scott, "So, think you'd mind coming aboard?"
"…Alright. I… Henry meant a lot to me too," Scott quietly agreed. "If he would've wanted this, then I want to be a part of it."
"Trust me. He would've wanted this," Chance encouraged as he reached out to put a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Let's get back into ARI. This place doesn't have an office, so I could use your help over there."
Before Scott could really reconsider his decision, he found himself in Chance's office typing up what was effectively the standard Freddy's disclosure agreement. It was all basic work; things that Scott had done numerous times at the other pizzerias. No wonder Chance didn't want to do it; it was unfavorably droll work. If not for Scott's ability to multitask- thus spending the entire time concocting plans on how to get down into the elevator- he would probably be bored senseless.
He finished around the time that it started to get dark and headed towards the office. He was stopped when he heard talking from inside said office.
"Just put it inside and lock the door on the way out. That's all I need you two to do. Do that and stay put with the other one," Chance laid out for someone else. "When I finish with the first one, we'll take that one out and bring the other one in. Just don't jostle them too much; they're fragile."
This could've meant anything. Chance could've just meant an arcade machine of some kind that he needed moved or something equally innocent. Yet as Scott watched the two workers step out, the freelancers, he felt a growing suspicion that the man hadn't been so firm about a mere game. Somehow, he knew that the man was talking about an animatronic, and 'locking the door' was a dead giveaway that there was something needing to be restrained. He entered the office as the two men left and caught sight of Chance loading a tape player.
"Chance? I finished up," Scott quietly explained as he laid the papers down on the desk. Chance did a double take before accepting the papers and setting the tape player aside.
"That was quicker than I expected. I should've hunted you down weeks ago to do this," Chance complimented as he looked over the papers. "Hopefully this'll keep any lawyers off of our backs. The last thing I need is someone looking to come make a quick payday at Freddy's."
"Yeah, that would be a shame," Scott rushed out before clearing his throat. "I, uh… I heard you telling those guys to move some things." He had to avert his gaze once Chance started to outright stare at him. "I'm not much help with moving heavy objects, but maybe I could help with something else?" This led to a few quiet moments of staring.
"How much did you hear?" Chance asked bluntly. It was as though he saw through any of Scott's words and came to immediate suspicion of his own.
"I really didn't hear much," Scott reassured. "All I heard was that you wanted them to move something… But, uh… You know, I mean, considering everything-."
"Sit down," Chance wearily commanded. Scott did as told, and Chance rubbed over his face. "Okay, how do I put this…?" He then lowered his hands and crossed them on the desk before looking to Scott. "There are animatronics appearing in the alley out behind the pizzeria. Between the wall and the fence, right up beside the dumpster; they just appear. These things that aren't worth anything more than scrap," Chance laid out. "And I don't know if they're… Like Freddy was or not… So, what I've been doing is testing them with frequencies to see if they react."
"Oh… That's strange…" Inwardly, Scott was starting to panic when the word 'broken' came into the conversation. "How many of them have you found?"
"Three so far. The first one I tested a while back, but I haven't gotten around to testing these two newer ones. Now that I can't procrastinate with paperwork- thanks again for that- I need to go ahead and test the other two," Chance explained. "I can't have dangerous animatronics in the pizzeria. I need to know if these were dumped or walked here themselves."
"What are you going to use them for then?" Scott asked in confusion. He tried to cover his growing concern as he thought of the possibility of Ennard being one of these 'broken' animatronics.
"Mostly scrap. I've taken apart bots before to use the parts," Chance explained, "but I haven't gotten around to that either. I don't know; I could probably sell off the whole thing in auction if they come through without being tweaked by anything. Until then, I've got to go through with testing them."
"I can do it." It took a few seconds before Scott realized what he had blurted out.
"What? Scott, you're standing in front of me with a missing leg! Come on…" Chance leaned back in the seat and sent the man an unenthused look. "The only way to tell if one of them is like Freddy was is to poke the bear and see which one swipes back. You'd be alone in a room with one of these things while playing sounds that would piss off any human or machine. It's a recipe for disaster." Though Scott noticed that Chance wasn't specifically giving him a clear 'no'.
"I… I think I can handle it… Besides, I've survived worse," Scott reassured the older man. Chance gave a shrug and shook his head. "I-I can handle it, Chance. I spent hours at Freddy's; I think I can handle five minutes in a room with an animatronic." He needed to do it. As foolish and risky as it was, he needed to see if this was what happened to Ennard. That, and he wanted to know exactly what was going on, because his trust in Chance was waning by the second.
"Alright, fine. You want to do it so bad, then fine," Chance caved as he tiredly rubbed over his own face. He then pointed to Scott, "And if you pull it off, I'll even give you a cut of whatever I get for the scrap. I don't want to go back in there; I had enough of it with the first one." He pushed himself up from the desk and handed over the tape player. "Hold that and I'll get the taser…"
It wasn't long before Chance was leading Scott down the alleyway behind the new pizzeria. The old man stopped at a metal door at the back of the pizzeria that he began to unlock. As he was doing so, Scott looked around the alleyway. He though he saw something in the alley with them, something that looked like a slumped animatronic, but then came to the assumption that it had to be a clump of black garbage bags. Before he could keep looking or ask, Chance broke the silence.
"It's already there at the table. They've got it all set up," Chance assured him. It wasn't too surprising that the two workers were able to move it together. Most animatronics, even if aggressive, would go dormant when more than one worker was on sight. Scott himself had witnessed this in action, so it wasn't any clue to whether or not the 'broken' animatronics were really as broken as they looked. "Just go in, play through the tape, and fill out this paper," Chance handed over a slip of paper and a pen, which Scott juggled with the player and the taser.
"Once you're done, don't touch anything. Just get up and leave, and I'll send them in to move in the next one. You know about the tasers, right?" Chance asked as he gestured at the tool. "Use this too much and parts are going to start breaking down. That's when the animatronics start to lose value, and then it's not even worth the effort. Got it?" Scott nodded stiffly and Chance patted his should before coaxing him inside. "Godspeed, Scott. Don't let it get your good leg." With that, Scott stepped inside and found himself shut into what looked like an interrogation room.
Disappointingly, the animatronic seated at the other side of the table was not Ennard. Even more unfortunately was that Scott vaguely recognized what the animatronic was. From the rotting golden color to the bulky body, to the broken ears and the small holes, to the tightly clenched and abnormally wide mouth; it was a Springlock suit. Not just any suit either, but a Springlock Bonnie suit. Just like William used to wear. That alone was enough to make Scott uneasy. His throat tightened as he shuffled to the desk and sat down.
The tape player was set down on the table and he set the taser in his lap. He then scanned over the paper and saw that it was basically a checklist for the various prompts on the tape, along with an additional notes section. Scott looked back upwards to the rabbit and looked it over. Its head was tilted forwards and it looked dormant, but its rotten smell was just enough to be unnerving. With a low cough, and no reaction, Scott pressed play on the tape.
"Starting audio prompt one in three… two… one…" Chance's recorded voice listed out before a strange mix of distorted noise started to pour out. It was loud and rattling, with a humming noise that was just uncomfortable enough for Scott to make him uneasy. The Springlock suit didn't move in response, to which Scott checked off the 'no' and moved to the next one. The second audio prompt sounded virtually the same as the first, though perhaps a little louder and more disoriented. He looked to the rabbit and there was still no response.
Three and four were similar to the first two. No response, no change in the animatronic, and Scott marked off both on the paper. Then he finally reached the fifth audio prompt. Unlike the other prompts, it didn't begin with Chance leading in. It just started seemingly without warning. The noise was a distorted sort of music. It almost sounded like something that would've been played back at Freddy's, but Scott couldn't put his finger on the tune's origin. A low sound like a groan seemed to also come from somewhere and Scott glanced upwards to make sure that it wasn't the rabbit animatronic.
He wasn't too certain, but it almost looked like the animatronic had moved. It's head almost seemed raised just a touch more, as though it was staring him down. Scott would've noticed movement, so it had to have done it while his own head was turned down. If it had moved at all. Honestly, Scott couldn't tell whether or not it had. The tape ran out and the darkened room was left in silence.
It was just him sitting with the Springlock suit. Scott gave an uncomfortable swallow as he glanced down at the paper, considering what to check off on. Really, the 'unsure' option would've been the safest, but he wasn't convinced that he had seen anything. Though he did start to wonder if that groan came from the animatronic instead of the tape player. He cleared his throat and looked for a reaction, but there was none. He brought the taser up and set it on the table, looking for a reaction, but there was still nothing.
Scott then concluded that the animatronic had not moved and checked off on it. With a tired sigh, he grabbed the taser and stood from the table. Then he turned and started to the door.
The chair creaked behind him.
Scott spun around and stared down the animatronic. Its head seemed to be dropped down forward farther, as though it had suddenly slumped forward. Like it had been holding itself up before. Scott's heart began to pound as he backed out the door and shut it behind him. It took a few moments to regain some form of calmness and only then did he head down the alley towards where he could hear voices. Anxiousness started to creep on him until he felt almost lightheaded, but he had to get out of the alleyway.
Chance and the two men looked to him as he stepped out. Scott quickly pulled himself together and raised the paper, "It's done."
"Great. Everything went well?" Chance inquired. Scott forced himself to keep eye contact on the older man.
"It went… Fine enough. I-I think there was-," he cleared his voice. "The tape started making strange noises, but the animatronic didn't get up or move in any significant way. I guess that means it passed."
"That's good," Chance nodded. He turned to the workers, "Move that thing out and into storage, then move the second one in." As they left to do so, he looked back to Scott. "Okay, what really happened? Because you're looking like you saw a ghost," Chance asked more firmly as he took the paper and scanned it over. He possibly thought that the man was lying in front of the workers and really had something else to say, but Scott decided to keep his comments minimal, considering how he could've imagined it.
"It's not that, it just…" Scott lowered his voice to point out the obvious. "Chance, that golden animatronic is a Springlock suit. I'd recognize it anywhere." He decided to leave out that that was because it was probably the suit that William used, or close enough to be it. Considering Chance's own history with the Springlock suits, he was shocked that he would even consider keeping one. "You can't… You can't sell that. It's too dangerous, even if it didn't move." Chance suddenly got a vacant sort of look. "…Chance?"
"No. I got it," Chance assured as he raised a hand and then rubbed his face. "No, you're right. I wasn't even thinking about that… I can still take it apart and use the pieces inside. Those suits are worth more in pieces than put together anyway." He then straightened and seemed to look normal once more. "Don't worry about that now. I'm not making any sudden decisions on any of that until some other things get settled… Like that other one."
Scott could feel the dread returning and knew his hands were beginning to shake. Somehow, he had forgotten that he was going to be back in that room with another animatronic. He had to resist every urge to refuse going back in and only did so because of the slim chance that maybe it was Ennard. Maybe he would finally get closure on all of this.
"This other one is the twitchy one. Now I've seen this thing move, but I need to know how much it's going to move, and if it's going to lash out at someone or not." Every word made Scott regret his decisions even more. He stiffly nodded, but he felt like he wasn't taking in any of the information beyond his own horror. "Keep that taser close to you," Chance commanded. "Three times and parts start breaking down and losing their value. If you have to do it then we'll take the loss, but it'll come out of your cut." Scott nodded stiffly, but he didn't intend on getting that close.
Back down the alleyway and back through the door into the dark room. This time, the animatronic looming on the other side of the table looked much less like an animatronic and much more like scrap. A hideously deformed Freddy mask was barely held together and looked concocted out of malformed pieces. Metal wires, similar to the Afton animatronics, held the faceplates together. It was too dark to see much of the lower half, except that he saw a multitude of wires wound into each other. It looked to have some form of an endoskeleton, but Scott couldn't see well.
He pressed the button to play the tape, only for it to click in response. Scott had hoped that the workers would rewind the tape while in here, but instead here he was having to do it. He pressed the rewind button and swallowed thickly as it rushed through. Everything was very tense, especially considering the state of this animatronic, and he fumbled with the paper on his lap, trying to find the pen that dropped between his legs. Scott was then alerted by a plastic sounding thump as the taser hit the floor underneath the table.
Suddenly he was defenseless. The obvious solution was to grab the taser quickly and rearm himself. This plan was flawed by the possibility that sudden movement would trigger the animatronic. Bending down would leave him at the animatronic's mercy, but he needed the taser. A louder click signaled that the tape had finished rewinding and Scott knew that he was running out of time. He tentatively reached out and pressed the button and the room filled with Chance's voice before devolving into the first audio prompt.
"Maybe it won't move…" Scott hoped as he began breathing quicker. It wasn't long before he was borderline hyperventilating. His focus on the tape waned and his vision became just a tad clouded. He needed the taser and as Chance's voice came on again, alerting that the second prompt would begin, Scott dropped down. He scrambled to grab the taser before thrusting himself upwards, and promptly slamming his head and back into the table. The table shifted from the force of the strike alone and Scott choked out a panicked noise as he popped back up.
He lost the paper in the transition, but that didn't matter when he realize that the deformed Freddy had moved. It was currently leaning further over the table and watching everything he did. Scott tried to shove his chair back, which it didn't, to lift the taser, which also proceeded to strike the table before he got it above said table.
"I'm going to die. He's going to kill me," Scott mentally accessed. He was alarmed, terrified, certain that he was about to be in the fight of his life, and yet through his bedraggled mindset he watched the animatronic move back slowly and turn its head slightly down. Unlike the Springlock suit, this one was boldly moving right in front of its eyes. Its wires twitched and tugged its mask tighter against its head.
Scott started to focus in on the animatronic as he tried to look through the flawed lighting. Something was amiss, but it only took Scott until now to realize it. The wires weren't just a coincidence, it was purposefully avoiding his gaze, and it was wearing a mask. Almost immediately, Scott's fear was completely replaced with surprise, because the situation abruptly changed.
"…Ennard?"
The animatronic shirked back at the name and confirmed Scott's revelation. The man's eyes widened as he reached over to click off the tape recording. The disguise was impressive; Scott only vaguely recognized Ennard, but a normal person wouldn't have picked up on the small details that he had. It was hard not to notice when he had lived with Ennard for so long.
"Ennard… What are you doing here?" Scott asked with a cracking voice. "I came here to find you. Where have you been?" There was the sound of sliding wires and metal as something shifted inside the animatronic. By time he turned his head to face Scott his mask now had the familiar blue eyes set into it. There was no doubt; this was definitely Ennard. Scott didn't know whether to feel relief or just continued confusion. He gave a weary exhale, "I know it's you."
"I'm sorry…" Ennard finally spoke. His voice was odd. It sounded like the normal Funtime Freddy voice, but there was excess crackling, and it sounded much more somber than his usually bubbliness when using that voice. Something about it only made Scott's dread return, especially with the comment answering none of his questions.
He would've called Ennard out on it, but then he realized that this was the first time they had spoken since the elevator ride at Afton's. That was almost enough to leave Scott reeling. He couldn't afford to lose himself to seemingly petty things; petty in comparison to Ennard's current situation, so he pressed on.
"…It's okay," Scott reassured, hoping that it would help open the animatronic up. Now that he knew it was safe, there wasn't any rush to get the tape done with. "What are you doing here? Did Chance find you?"
"I came for my old bodies…" Ennard quietly explained. His blue eyes slowly lowered to stare down at the table as he stayed largely unmoving. "...I was going to come back." In a way, that was almost a relief. If not for the fact that he was implying that he couldn't come back. "…I missed you."
"I missed you too," Scott admitted. Ennard raised head suddenly as though the comment caught his attention more than anything else. He was staring directly at the man while his wires shifted around in his chest. Scott noticed he was wearing a fabric bowtie and wondered if his metal one was hidden underneath. "Did Chance find you in ARI? Is that what happened?"
"N-N… No," Ennard's voice cracked. "Something… Something brought me here… Did you hear it? There's a funny noise. I followed the funny noise here… And then they found me out there and brought me in here." He reached upwards to tug at his bowtie, revealing that his arm and wire hand was largely the same. "D-Do you like my disguise?... I didn't want them to see what I really look like on the cameras. There's cameras everywhere."
"It's… Different… I prefer your old one, to be honest. I found where you hid it. It's out in the car right now…" Scott stopped his own rambling short at the thought of the cameras. He was feeling a bit more paranoid. "You don't mind if I put the tape player on while we talk? I don't want Chance to come in here." Ennard shook his head and Scott stood from the chair. Cleverly, he moved the tape player to the door and set it on the floor. So when the player was on it would effectively drown out their talking, along with being far enough away for Scott to still hear Ennard. He then returned and sat down.
"Was the noise like the sounds on these tapes?" Scott asked curiously, to which Ennard shook his head.
"Quiet. High. It stung," Ennard admitted. He then gave a tiny shiver. "Why would you come here? You weren't supposed to come here!" The tiny outburst took Scott slightly off-guard.
"I already told you, I came to find you," Scott answered again. "I… I wanted to bring you home."
The silence lasted through the rest of the third audio prompt and stopped when the intermission between the fourth played through. Only then did Ennard speak again.
"You need to leave while you can," Ennard insisted. "Please, Scott. Please. I don't want him to keep you here too." Apparently Ennard wasn't fully aware that Chance wasn't likely to lock Scott up like he had to the animatronic. However, it did make him a little warier of Chance. It was baffling; he knew Chance for years, but he found himself wanting to trust Ennard instead.
After all, Chance's story was just a little off. Scott couldn't understand how someone who lost a family member to Freddy's would try to resurrect it… Then again, Mike and the others had willingly done the same.
"I'll sneak you out. I'm already here, I can do something," Scott protested back. "We'll figure something out."
"Y-You can't stay," Ennard denied quickly. "It's not safe. They'll hur-rt you… I can find my way out." His voice was only becoming more broken as the fifth audio prompt began. He gave a full-body shudder as the strange noise started to filter into the room.
"…That's not good enough. Ennard, you've been here for days. If you were going to get out-… What's wrong? What is it?" Scott asked as he noticed the animatronic's continued twitching and light, breathy noises of discomfort. "Is it the tape?"
"I don't like that sound," Ennard announced, his voice reverting to his wavering one. Or technically, his real one, as though he couldn't bear to continue his charade with the noise playing. "Feels like… Programming."
"It's almost done. Trust me, I don't like it either," Scott reassured. He then leaned down to grab the paper and only in this moment that he realized he felt entirely comfortable in letting his guard down. The thought made him a little concerned, but he couldn't force fear towards Ennard, even considering all that had happened. He sat back upwards in his chair and quickly addressed the checklist. "I'm going to check off that you didn't move, okay? If they don't think you're aggressive, then they shouldn't try to restrain you… And you can try to escape."
Even though Scott said it, he had trouble believing that the animatronic would actually be able to escape this. "But… I'm still going to tell the others… Something's going on and I don't- I think ignoring it is going to hurt us in the long run…" The tape player shut off and the amalgam relaxed once more. Scott stared at him as he felt the questions return and licked over his dry lips. "…You're acting strange. Even considering the situation." Ennard turned his new mask off to the side and pulled back into the shadow. "…Were you hurt?"
"I'm okay," Ennard answered, denying the suggestion entirely. "Tell them I'm here. Tell them not to come." Scott wasn't sure if that was what he was going to do. "And when I get out… I can come home?" The blue eyes were back on the man across the table. It was the first time Scott could remember Ennard referring to his house as 'home'. He wouldn't deny that after fearing Ennard wasn't coming back willingly, it was somewhat nice to hear the clown suggest that he considered the house his home too.
"Of course. It's all- Everything's right where you left it… Except the mask, but I'm taking care of it." Scott sent a glance back at the door, "I guess I should-."
"Go," Ennard nearly commanded. "…Before the noise starts… Goodbye."
Scott stood and retrieved the tape player before standing at the door. He paused to look back at Ennard, who was again acting 'dormant' again. Even his eyes seemed to retract back under his wires so that he could look more broken. Scott inhaled deeply and forced himself to step out into the alleyway. That feeling of dread returned as soon as he was back outside. He only partially realized that he left behind the taser, but he didn't care. He headed down the alleyway and found Chance again with the workers. Like before, Chance sent them away.
This time, Scott felt more unsafe with Chance than with the animatronic.
"How'd it go?" Chance questioned as he accepted the paper Scott had filled out and glanced over it.
"Not a movement," Scott denied as he looked around at the darkness. "Is that the last one? I'm getting a little burned out on… On this."
"For now. Might change by tomorrow if another one pops up in the alley," Chance remarked as he folded the paper. "Kind of funny. I was sure this one would move at least a little bit. Not even a twitch?"
"No, nothing," Scott denied. "…Maybe something with the rabbit. I couldn't really tell with that one, but this one didn't move at all…" It was then that he realized what problems this statement could've led to. "J-Just in case, I don't think you should scrap or sell either of the animatronics until, you know, later… Just to keep an eye out." The older man nodded in agreement and reached towards him. He was taken off-guard when Chance reached out and boldly patted him on the shoulder.
"Thanks for the help, Scott. If you're interested in anymore work then I'll keep you posted," Chance thanked with a grateful smile. "You always were the best at your job. I couldn't have gotten all this done so quickly without you. You take care of yourself, alright?"
Scott agreed, thanked Chance for the work, and eventually found himself limping across the parking lot towards his car. He felt unclean and uncertain in what part of the day made him feel like it. Chance was just as he always was, but Ennard was obviously not lying, and Scott was walking away with nothing to show for it. While he now knew the situation, he doubted that he had done anything to derail it.
He sat down in the driver's seat and stared at the steering wheel for a moment. Then he looked over at the passenger's seat and grabbed at his jacket, which was currently hiding Ennard's mask underneath. He slid it onto his lap and stared down at it as the growing worry welled inside. It was clear to him that Ennard wasn't getting out on his own, regardless of what he said, and this meant that Scott had to decide on what to do.
Scott hoped Mike was just as reckless as he used to be, and that Marionette was willing to do him a favor.
Mable: Sometimes things just don't add up. That's the first sign that something is wrong, and the only warning to be on one's guard…
But I must say that Hickory's question couldn't have come at an ironically better time. XD I am impressed!
Anyway, next chapter shouldn't take too long. I hope you enjoyed!