Mable: Funny story; my crown broke off on a Friday evening and I'm going on two days of missing a front tooth because my dental adhesive is being difficult. I have been a Jack-O-Lantern for two days. Fun.
I mean, I'm not burning in an oven pizzeria, so I don't have it that bad. I might look ridiculous, but I have my skin all intact. Anyway, we have a question today!
Nintendocaprisun: Hello there! The animatronics at Hickory's are as followed: Boy Blue is Balloon Boy- Though is now just being called Balloon Boy and resembling Little Joe- Bo Peep was Toy Chica, Sly was Toy Bonnie, and Doc was Toy Freddy. Hickory and Dickory were without souls and were controlled by Doc's direction.
Alright, so, let's continue where we left off. Enjoy!
Can't Go Home Again
Chapter Ninety-Six
Yesterday Mike's plans for six o'clock were to walk out of the new Freddy's and return home with Marionette and Ennard. Yet here it was, six-something, and he was now walking in the back door at Foxy's. He tiredly shut the door behind him and wandered down the hallway. Voices from the kitchen coaxed him over and he nudged open the door.
Foxy was hunched over the open fridge, chatting on about cake, and seemingly trying to see which of the premade cakes wouldn't be missed. The Bidybabs were standing behind his legs, seemingly being who he was talking to. The Minireena and Bonnie doll were standing on the nearby counter and looked over as the door opened. Mike cleared his throat to announce his presence, to which Foxy perked and looked over.
"There ya are, Schmidt. Where'd you run off to?" Foxy inquired. He hadn't gotten to the pizzeria before Mike had left, so he was largely unaware of what happened to him.
"I just thought I'd swing by the urgent care for fun. Took a nap, breathed some tanked air; the usual," Mike responded as he tiredly leaned against the edge of the counter. "What happened to the others? Please tell me that you didn't lose sight of Baby."
"Nah, she's holed herself up in the women's bathroom, an' Ennard's over there in the pantry," Foxy pointed out towards the cracked door. "It just be best to keep 'em apart… But I'm guessin' yer lookin' for Marion." It was rather obvious honestly. "He be over in the Prize Corner waitin' for ya. Best not keep him waitin' much longer." Mike wouldn't argue with that.
"I don't plan on it. Leave one of those in there. We've got a private party on Sunday and I'm not feeling up to baking a new one," Mike forewarned as he turned back out the door. Balloon Boy was standing right behind him, and it was almost enough to make Mike jump if he wasn't so tired. Instead, he looked down at the puppet boy, waited a moment, and then stepped around him. "Hey, Kid," Mike greeted before pointing a thumb back at Foxy. "Keep an eye on him, okay? He gets a little crazy with the chocolate." Balloon Boy proceeded to play a laugh recording and watched the man pass by.
Unlike the kitchen, the rest of the pizzeria was extremely quiet, as it was expected to be. Mike approached the Prize Corner and looked inside to find Marionette waiting for him. He was leaning against the counter and had his head propped with one hand while the other arm was resting on the counter. His head perked after a moment as he turned back to look at the door, as though coaxed magnetically by Mike's arrival.
"Hey. I'm back," Mike announced. Marionette broke into a smile, rushed to him, and embraced him welcomingly. Mike returned the gesture. It felt great to be able to hold him and know they were somewhat safe.
"I was getting worried," Marionette began. He pulled back to look over the human, "What did they say? I'm assuming you were alright if they let you go."
"Yeah, it's all good. 'Mathew Johnson' apparently suffered minor burns and smoke inhalation from his campfire accident, but survived to tell his obviously truthful tale," Mike partially joked with a slight smirk. "I had to drive out to Saint George, but I'm pretty sure they're not going to connect me with the fire. I drove by on the way back and they got the fire under control, but…" He made a hissing noise to emphasis the state. "Yeah, there's going to be cops all over that place for a while… But I don't think they'll be able to trace it back to us."
"Wonderful. I think we could live without that," Marionette agreed in a mix of both worry and relief. "…But I could care less about that. I'm just glad that you're okay. Here, come sit down. You should probably rest," he coaxed as he took Mike's hand and started to lead him inside.
Mike only took a few steps inside when a look of uncertainty flittered by. He glanced away and gave a slow exhale through his nose. He was exhausted, but they weren't done just yet. He didn't want to stress Marionette anymore but knew he had to alert him of what was going on. Marionette noticed his hesitance and looked back at him.
"Mike? Is everything okay?" Marionette asked. He became a bit more worried. "We could move into the office instead. You do look tired."
"No, it's not that…" Mike gave another exhale and stepped ahead. Now he was leading Marionette as he just decided to sit down in front of the counter. He rested his back against it and guided Marionette to sit beside him. The Puppet knelt alongside him as his concern became more apparent. It took Mike a few moments to get his nerve together. He shifted to get comfortable, tugged off his hat, tossed it aside, and uncomfortably fixed his hair.
"So… I ran into Golden Bonnie while I was trying to get out of Chance's office. It's a long story, but he basically stopped Chance…" He looked to Marionette directly, "And then he spoke to me."
"…He did?" Marionette's expression was unreadable. "…What did he say?"
"He said that it wasn't him," Mike answered. Marionette looked confused by the comment.
"That what wasn't him? He didn't say anything else?" he continued asking. Mike shook his head quickly.
"Nothing else. He just said, 'it wasn't me' and that was it… So, I can't make a judgement on this really. I have nothing to go on except what he said, and he could've been lying…" Mike started to explain. He then managed to force it out, keeping eye contact with the Puppet, and not allowing himself to look away. "But I don't think William Afton is who was in Golden Bonnie. That doesn't mean that I think he's still alive somewhere. Afton's probably still six feet under, but I don't think he's in that suit."
There was a hesitant pause between the two of them. Marionette still looked surprised and was obviously taking it all in while Mike turned to face ahead and looked across the darkened Prize Corner.
"I'm sorry… I considered not telling you, but I've held out on you plenty of times in the past, and this just reeks of one of those things that would come back to haunt me later," Mike apologized as his voice turned grim. They were supposed to be celebrating their survival and, in a sense, he almost felt like he ruined it. Though to Marionette, that statement hit a bit closer than he wanted it to. He felt his inner mechanisms tighten as he realized that he too had something he was still hiding.
"Actually, I'm glad you told me… Because there is something that I've been meaning to tell you…" Marionette reached upwards to rub at his upper arm nervously, leaning against the counter as he did so. "Do you still have those blueprints on the HandUnit?"
"It's out in the car… Wait. But," Mike cut off as he dug into his pockets and fished out the two printed blueprints. Both were copies of the Lefty blueprints, though he wasn't exactly sure why two printed out. Then again, he wasn't sure why they printed in the first place, so he shrugged it off and set one aside. "This is the one that printed. I'm guessing this is the one you meant?" Mike inquired as he offered it. Marionette leaned closer to look at it but didn't take it.
"Yes, that would be the one." Marionette trailed off for a second and then scooted closer to the security guard. He laid a hand on his shoulder while using the other to point on the paper. "I know you were curious about all these codes. This one right here is a security code for one of the Party Protection Bracelets." He pointed to the longer code before looking towards Mike. "Some time ago, before you worked at the old pizzeria, management was trying new ways of protecting the children. This was after some of the disappearances and security was becoming a problem."
Mike noticed Marionette's fingers flexing; he was nervous. "As you know, the Toy animatronics, myself included, were fitted with technology to help protect the children. Facial recognition with the criminal database was the one most touted, but these bracelets were also programmed in. Children would be given specific bracelets with certain codes in them that would alert animatronics to their location, as to keep them safe and close by. Or if there was a party, to signal which children were to get the most attention."
"Sounds like a smart enough idea," Mike spoke. "What happened to it?"
"Unfortunately, these bracelets weren't implemented in time. Maybe one or two locations got them, but after the next big event- Jeremy's bite- the pizzeria fell apart, the Toys were deemed a failure, and the whole idea was scrapped. I'm sure the bracelets are still out there somewhere. Perhaps even in the warehouse," Marionette wrapped up. He then turned his attention to the blueprints again. "Now a security receiver frequency is basically just the animatronics themselves. You set a certain frequency and certain animatronics will tune in on the bracelet."
His hand tightened again as he moved to point to the second code, "And that would be my security code." This was followed by a moment of silence.
"Wait a minute," Mike stopped him as he looked over the blueprint again. Marionette knew that Mike would pick it up quickly, and he was. He looked to Marionette in alarm, his eyes widening in horror, as the once confusing patterns of numbers had a purpose. "Wait, are you saying-?!"
"When I was trying to find a way into the pizzeria I found Lefty in the back alley…" Marionette revealed. He was going to keep going but cut off when Mike reached ahead and grabbed his arms. He looked positively terrified and ignored how the blueprint crumpled under his fingers. Their eyes locked as the tenseness of the situation boiled over. Marionette felt the anxiousness return at Mike's concern, along with that agonizing shame. He turned his head down slightly, but still looked to Mike.
"Please tell me you didn't," Mike was nearly begging. The out of tune squeal of metal returned.
"I swear, Mike, if I knew- if I could've detected it- I would've never gotten inside," Marionette blurted out in an outpour of emotions. As though he was defending himself, but not to Mike. It was almost like he was defending his decision to himself. He had wanted to stay calm and collected. "And I didn't realize it until I was inside and couldn't get back out."
"Christ!" Mike choked out. He then pulled the Puppet into a tight embrace as his mind raced over the horrifying things that the paper had portrayed. "Did it hurt you?! I swear if it even touched your mask-!"
"It didn't. I'm okay," Marionette tried to reassure as he slumped into Mike's embrace. He suddenly felt so exhausted.
"Did it electrocute you?" Mike now inquired, still feverish in protectiveness. Marionette did not answer, and Mike knew this confirmed that it had. His arms tightened and he swore under his breath. "I should've been there. I was just screwing around in that office Marionette was trapped inside of that thing." He couldn't help but be a flurry of emotions. He couldn't do anything about it either, because it was already done. "…That was why you were crying in the office. Oh my God… How did you get out?"
"Ennard tore its head off," Marionette explained. "That's why we were on good terms in the office… He got me out of the suit."
"I should've been there. I'm so sorry…" Mike hugged tighter with growing guilt. "You should've told me sooner. I should've been doing more to protect you." Marionette shook his head in disagreement as he pressed his mask against Mike's chest. "…Are you okay? How are you feeling?" He had no idea what to say to help, so he instead continued doing assessments. He had to make sure that nothing was damaged, inside or out.
"I'm okay. I'm just… I just feel… Angry." Marionette's arms tightened as his fingers clutched onto Mike's back. "How could I let this happen to myself? How could I let them control me without being able to tell?! I- I could hear the noise at all, but both Foxy and Ennard could, and yet I still put myself into that beartrap!" He turned his head up enough to almost tuck himself under Mike's chin. He needed the comfort. "And the worst part of all- the worst thing was what Chance said about Henry."
"Chance said a lot of garbage, so I wouldn't put much stock in it," Mike spat with hopes to assure the Puppet. "And I actually felt bad for not getting him out of there…"
"But I know he was right about this," Marionette insisted as his hands tightened on Mike's back. "All those times that Henry was paying attention to me, giving me trinkets and pretending like he was worried about me, he was just trying to get close to my father! That- That Golden Freddy plush that I put so much attention into was given to me to spy on me!... And Goldie never told me either! That's how he was able to take control of it and he- For heaven's sake!" Marionette's voice broke off into the frantic music and distortion of frustration as he let out all his emotions.
It was the usual tears, but the anger spilled out almost just the same, with Marionette clutching Mike and riding it out. The whole time Mike held him and slowly his own anger melted into remorse. Eventually Marionette quieted down, signaling that he had gotten himself under control, and only then did the human dare to speak again.
"…I'm sorry I snapped at you back in the office. It was my own stupid mistake letting that start printing." Marionette shook his head against Mike, disagreeing in it only being his fault. "And I'm sorry I wasn't there… You're safe now. We're both safe. All of Chance's plans burned in that fire. Henry's not here, Afton's not here; they're all gone, and they can't get to you… And if they could, I wouldn't let them. I promise I wouldn't." Mike turned his head down to kiss Marionette's forehead, feeling him tremble, and pet over his back.
"I'm done with Freddy's," Marionette announced. "I…I never want to see another Freddy's. I will not cry over William and Henry again. It's time for me to move on." That wording was very suspect, and Mike paused tensely. "…With my life. With Foxy's. I just want to go back to performing and giving presents- real presents, not gifts of life or anything similar."
"By Sunday everything's going to back to normal. This'll all be just a bad memory," Mike said. In a sense he was almost comforting himself as well with this statement. All of this would ease in a couple of days and everything could go back to some semblance of normal. He had to hope for that, because the frustration and guilt was still there, and Mike could barely stand it. His hand tightened on the crumpled blueprint. "Are you sure you're okay? It didn't do anything else to you? It didn't get under your fabric?"
"No, nothing like that. Anything it did I already recovered from." Marionette finally started to relax again. "Remind me once it's a more reasonable hour to contact Scott. Ennard needs to get home. I owe him that much for freeing me." Mike agreed. "And… I want you to know that what Chance said means nothing. I hope you don't let them get to you."
"I'm not. Trust me, I'm way more concerned with getting the cameras out of our house than I am with what Chance thinks of us. Considering exactly what he went through to get us into that pizzeria, I'm already pretty sure that he's not playing with a full deck… Speaking of which, remind me to gut the clock when we get home." Almost right afterwards, Mike regretted this casual tone, even when Marionette gave a light chime. "Sorry. This isn't a time for joking."
"I prefer it. Only you can make me better," Marionette assured. They then fell into silence. It wasn't a fully comfortable one with all the looming dread that had yet to dissipate. This was just something that would go away with time. For now, they would take what quietness they could.
A scream pierced through the pizzeria.
Mike jolted awake on the office couch. It took him a second to remember where he was, but not long to recognize that his head was resting on Marionette's lap. The Puppet had been resting against the back of the couch and heard the scream as well. Now he was also alert, with his eyes glowing and his hands clutching onto Mike, who grabbed his arm protectively as he tried to detect the source of the scream while sitting in the dark office. They waited there, paranoia seeping in, and then Mike sprung up with a swear.
"That was Tabby!" Mike blurted out as he hurried out the door and down the hall. Almost immediately after he stepped out, Tabby came staggering out of the kitchen and yanked the door shut behind her. She looked shaken with her eyes wide and her hands raised in defense. Mike bounded over to her, unintentionally causing her to jerk back.
"Mike!" Tabby exclaimed as he carefully rested a hand on her arm. He gestured over towards the door and swallowed thickly. "There's- There's dozens of baby animatronics in there and there's this thing- this scary looking boy- I think it was a boy- behind the fridge!" She was scrambling to explain what she saw. Obviously, some of the details were wrong, but Mike could only clench his teeth and try to figure out what to say.
"Tabby, listen. You have to calm down," Mike began. He gave a slow exhale and gave in; he would have to tell her the truth. "You might not believe this, but… The animatronics are alive. Foxy and Marionette are alive."
"Where did the rest of them come from?!" Tabby demanded as she gestured to the kitchen. She then lowered her voice, "They're climbing over everything in there! Was there some sort of blowout sale on robots and you just decided to shove them all in the kitchen?!" She looked back at the door to make sure that nothing was coming through. Even though groggy, Mike noticed something peculiar about her questioning.
"Wait. You're not surprised, or you don't believe me?" Mike inquired. He came to his own conclusion before she could answer. "You knew?"
"What am I, deaf and blind? The wall's like paper!" Tabby asked with an exasperated look as she thrust a hand towards the wall. "Or maybe it was the time I saw Marionette hanging out in the park- and it didn't take me too long to realize that wasn't normal. Or maybe it was when Jerry smuggled Foxy in a couple of weeks ago."
"I get it," Mike defeatedly said. He clutched a hand over his face. "Good job, Schmidt. You dropped the ball on this one... You and 'Jerry'." He looked to Tabby once more. "And you just… Don't care? Wait a minute, what are you even doing here?"
"Eh, I need the job," as expected, Tabby sounded rather unenthused. She then returned to her previous alarm. "We've got a party this afternoon, Mike! I had to get in here to make sure we were ready. Cakes keep disappearing and we're out of premade pizzas!" Mike furrowed his brows in confusion.
"The party's on Sunday," Mike corrected.
"No, it's today," Tabby said. "Fritz was going on about staying open on Saturday. It's today." This immediately presented a new problem, being that it was already sometime in the middle or later morning, and he clenched in a panic. "You have to get those things out of there!"
"I am, I will, I just… I need to make a few calls," Mike fumbled out. "Just, uh… We have a few hours before the party. I need to get Fritz and Jeremy over here, so you can just take off if you want." He was obviously flustered as a new time penalty sunk in. Tabby seemed fine with this, though still shaken. He led her into the hallway. "I'll get this straightened out, just don't tell anyone… And don't go into the woman's bathroom."
"I don't even want to know," Tabby said as she rose a hand to stop him. She continued down the hallway with him and started out the back door. "I'll come back in a couple of hours. I don't care where you put them, just get them out of the kitchen and I'll be fine." With that, she stepped outside, and Mike shut the door behind her. He exhaled and turned around.
Marionette was standing directly behind Mike. "She knows," he half stated, and half asked. He had a small, worried frown.
"She saw you hanging out in the park," Mike answered. Marionette's eyes widened and looked even more concerned, but Mike waved a hand to calm him down. "We've got bigger issues. The party's today and we need to get rid of most of these animatronics. Especially Baby and Ennard. There is no way that either of them are sticking around when we have children in the building." There was a rustling in the women's bathroom. Both of their heads snapped over and they eyed the bathroom door.
"You're right… Call Jeremy, call Fritz, and I'll call Scott," Marionette directed as he looked back to Mike. "Then we'll prepare for the party."
"Are you going to be able to do that after last night? You don't have to if you're not ready." Mike was equally worried for the state of the Puppet, who managed a smile.
"I'll be fine. I'd rather deliver birthday gifts than hide in my box." It sounded honest to Mike. Marionette tended to do better with something to take his mind off things, so Mike wasn't planning on forcing him. Instead, he gave a nod of agreement, kissed him on the cheek, and headed to the kitchen to use the restaurant phone. He didn't expect the Puppet to come with him, but he did. Marionette stayed within a foot as Mike stepped into the kitchen and dialed the phone. Out of the corner of his eye he could see chocolate cake crumbs and butter wrappers on the floor.
"Looks like you guys had a party," Mike flatly remarked. He noticed Foxy cleaning chocolate with a few of the wipes. "Looking good, Captain." It was then that Jeremy picked up. "Morning, Jere. I need you to get over here." Foxy started scrubbing harder at the drying chocolate. "I've got a Minireena and a couple of other little animatronics over here that need somewhere to go while the party's going."
"There's a party?" Jeremy asked in confusion. "…Wait, Minireena? You found the last Minireena?! How did you find her?!"
"Long story that involves Chance's psychotic quest for mass murder… It was awful. I'll explain later." As much as he wanted to joke, Mike still had a lot of mixed thoughts on the night before. Marionette rubbed his back comfortingly. "If you can get over here sooner than later."
"Is Foxy alright…?" Jeremy asked quietly.
"Foxy's currently covered in chocolate. He'll live," Mike reassured. "I need to call Fritz over. Just be careful driving over here; Tabby's on the loose." With that, they ended the call. He set the phone in the receiver for a few moments to get his bearings. "…Alright, one down, two to go," Mike murmured as he dialed the next number. After a longer period of ringing, Fritz answered the call. "Hey, guess who saved the lives of a bunch of people?"
"It went that well?" Fritz asked in surprise. "Who, you or Mari?"
"You did," Mike clarified with a cheeky smile. "I need you to come over to Foxy's, so I can worship the ground you walk on and you can help me figure out what to do with the unexpected animatronic additions."
"…Wait, you mean more than Ennard?" Fritz asked in surprise. "Hold on, I'm in the drive-through. I'll be right over as soon as I get my food."
"Sounds good. You should probably hear all of this face to face," Mike agreed and soon ended the call. He then offered the phone to Marionette, who hesitated and dismissed with a raised hand.
"I think I should take this in the other room. Can I use your cell phone?" Mike didn't see a reason why not and handed it over. The Puppet took it thankfully and paused again. Then he reached ahead and took Mike's wrist before starting to lead him out of the kitchen. The human was a little confused but followed along with the striped male into the office. Marionette only released Mike's wrist once they were in the office. He dialed Scott's number and waited for a response. After a few minutes, he gave a sigh and ended the call.
"He's not answering. I'll try again later…" Marionette crossed his arms thoughtfully. "…But maybe I should speak to Ennard beforehand anyway. There are a few things I need to explain to him."
"Don't tell him about kissing," Mike added in. "Scott's life is hard enough without Ennard trying to bite at his face." Marionette pursed his lips, slightly flat looked, but then got a small smile of amusement.
"And save the conversation about the birds and the bees to Scott? Of course! He seems levelheaded enough to handle such a tense talk," Marionette lightly joked as he handed the cell phone back over. "I'll wait until Jeremy and Fritz arrive. Until then, try to stay close." Mike didn't turn him down.
Fritz was the first to arrive, as could be expected. He carried a bag of fast food that he promptly offered to Mike as he stepped through the door. "I got a double order if you want some."
"Thanks, I'm starving," Mike admitted as he dug into the bag and plugged out a wrapped biscuit sandwich. "You wouldn't believe the night we had." He tilted his head to Marionette, who was still staying within a foot of him. Mike ravenously bit into the sandwich as though it was his only lifeline. Fritz looked to Marionette for clarification.
"It was a trap. Chance was trying to kill all of us at once and erase Freddy's for good. I'm sure you've heard about the fire?" From the way Fritz's mouth dropped, Marionette could assume that he didn't. "Both Mike and I thought that the party was on Sunday, and now we have Ennard in the pantry and Baby- the real Baby- in the women's bathroom." The technician looked over towards the kitchen door and hallway in alarm. "And Mike was correct on the phone. The HandUnit saved us all, so we really do owe you our lives."
"I…I think I need to sit down," Fritz admitted as he tugged out a chair and sat at the table. He exhaled slowly and rubbed over his forehead wearily. "Chance, geez… I never thought he'd do something like that. Especially not this many years later." He paused and, in this moment, the back door opened again as Jeremy hustled inside, toting a cardboard box. "He was always as smart as a whip, but to actually go through with it. Hey, Jere, over here." The technician beckoned him over with a handwave. "What's in the box?"
"Daisy, Rose, and Forget-Me-Not," Jeremy said. "I-I thought maybe they could help me get the new Minireena to trust me. Where is she?" Mike pointed towards the kitchen in an answer.
"Chance lost his mind," Fritz announced with strain. "The new Freddy's caught on fire."
"I know. Mike told me-… Fire?" Jeremy's face started to grow a tad paler. He didn't get any chance to continue when the kitchen door opened and Foxy peered out.
"Yar, look who it be!" Foxy greeted. "Come 'ere, Lad! Yer captain missed ya!" Jeremy looked back, and his panic turned to relief. He set the box on the table and headed over towards the animatronic. Once in arm's length, Foxy reached out towards him. Jeremy expected him to rest his hook on his shoulder, but then stepped in, sliding the arm around his neck, and pulled him into a one-armed embrace. The blond was certain that his cheeks went as red as Foxy's fur as he felt the animatronic nuzzle into his shoulder.
"I'm… I'm glad you're okay. I rushed over here as fast as I could- As fast as I could when grabbing the girls," Jeremy said. He tentatively returned the embrace, also using a single arm to keep the casual feeling. "What happened? There was a fire?"
"Aye, there be a fire," Foxy agreed. "In one night I watched a pizzeria turn into a pizza oven, had a roof cave in on me, and watched a clown bite a rabbit's ear off. Me night was one hell of a thing." He drew back to face the young man, who was staring with widened eyes, and gestured his head to the cardboard box. "Yer plannin' on takin' the lil ones home?"
"For now, yeah," Jeremy said. "I-I don't think they'd do well with the party."
"Then get yer box and I'll lead you to them," Foxy agreed. Yet as Jeremy leaned to grab the box, Foxy added on with a rather peculiar comment. "…And after yer done, we'll have a nice, long talk."
Jeremy could only assume that this 'talk' would be about whatever happened at the pizzeria. Considering Foxy's introduction to it, Jeremy was moderately curious and thus was interested in a full explanation. Firstly though, he needed to secure the other Minireena and whatever else awaited him.
Spurred on by Jeremy's initiative, Marionette asked for the cell phone again, which Mike handed over. "Do you want me to come with you?"
"I'll just be outside the Prize Corner. It shouldn't be a problem." With that, Marionette headed over to the Prize Corner. Mike turned his chair so that he was partially facing the Puppet and turned his attention to the sandwich again. Fritz noticed the peculiar gesture.
"So… Things got intense last night?" Fritz inquired, glancing over towards the Puppet.
"That's one way of putting it. I prefer the word 'brutal', but even that undersells it…" Mike hesitated as he glanced back to Marionette, then back to Fritz. He looked at the technician for a moment, considering what he would continue with, and then decided to ask further. "Just… For the record… No unaccounted-for employees from Freddy's who might come looking for revenge? Or ones who know about how to tamper with animatronic programming?"
"I don't think so. Chance was the last technician who really had the knowledge of the animatronics. Other than he, myself, the owners, and maybe Scott, nobody else really had a grasp on the concept of tampering. Now all of them are… Gone." Fritz almost shivered as he added, "Except for me… And Scott, but he's out of the business."
This seemed like enough to win over Mike for now. Or at least, he would be content long enough to deal with the party. He couldn't help but feel anxious that the death of Chance, if Chance was even dead, would spawn someone else's sudden appearance. Though he was more concerned with Marionette's wellbeing than his own and continued to watch the striped one. Fritz noticed this as well, but he stayed silent.
Meanwhile, Jeremy pushed open the kitchen door and stepped inside. There were a few small footsteps and a hushed voiced at his intrusion, but Jeremy couldn't back out, and that wasn't just because Foxy was blocking the kitchen door behind him. With a slow inhale, Jeremy knelt and set the box down, then opened it. Daisy eagerly climbed out and started to climb his arm while the other two seemed more cautious. On the other side of the kitchen, standing beside a slumped doll that looked like Golden Bonnie, the fourth Minireena stirred.
Without any convincing, the three Minireenas grouped together, and Daisy hopped down and joined them soon afterwards. Even with the fourth one trying to stay prone and on guard, the three other ones patted at her arms and danced in delight. They seemed to recognize the fourth doll even though they had been separated for so long.
Out of the corner of his eye, Jeremy noticed another small animatronic peering out from one of the cabinets. He recognized the baby-like body as the doll he had seen down in Afton, which had become aggressive towards him. Now, with it hiding and Foxy behind him, he was less frightened of them.
"It's okay… I'm not going to hurt you," Jeremy promised as he took a careful step forward and knelt down again. "Hey there… You want to come out?"
"Don't go out!" a female voice whispered from inside the cabinet. "He's going to put us in the box."
"I remember him. He was the one from down below." That comment sounded closer, as though from the closer of the two Bidybabs. Unlike the Minireenas, they were apparently able to speak freely.
Jeremy inched a few paces forward when something off to his right hustled by and rushed past Foxy. Jeremy started to look back and Foxy clarified, "It just be Balloon Boy hobbling by. Don't worry 'bout him."
Jeremy decided to follow Foxy's advice and instead looked back to the cabinet. He smiled a little bit, "It's okay. You can come out. I'm not going to put you in the box… U-Unless you want to." Before he could receive an answer, he instead heard fussing Minireenas and looked over in time to see Daisy and Forget-Me-Not trying to nearly drag the fourth Minireena over. She protested with the same noises of disagreement as they did. Rose just watched, raised into a pointe, and seemingly unbothered.
"Girls, don't do that," Jeremy lightly scolded. "If she doesn't want to come over then don't make her." Thankfully, they seemed to listen this time. Forget-Me-Not still held onto the fourth Minireena but stopped dragging her. Daisy meanwhile released her and hurried over to him. She fussily reached up at him, as though asking him to lift her. "Now? Oh, uh, okay," Jeremy agreed in confusion. He lifted her into his grasp. It was apparent once she turned to look back at the fourth Minireena that she requested being lifted to directly show the unnamed one Jeremy was safe.
It didn't seem to work on the Minireena, but the cabinet opened as the Bidybab peered out. Slowly, the first one stepped out and started to patter a little closer, staring with its large blue eyes.
"Will you take us away?" she quietly asked. He wasn't sure what answer she wanted.
"If you want. I have a home where you can come stay. No fire, nothing scary, I could even make you clothes like theirs," Jeremy offered as he gestured to the Minireenas. He looked just in time to notice that the small Golden Bonnie animatronic seemed to now be closer. Jeremy blinked but let it go as to not startle any of the animatronics. It was then that the Bidybab stepped closer.
"I want to go. I don't want to be here," the Bidybab insisted. The second Bidybab inched out and followed her. "And I want a pretty dress."
"I can make you a beautiful dress," Jeremy assured with a growing smile as he offered her a hand. She hesitated a moment, then placed her tiny hand on his.
Almost surprised, she looked back to the other Bidybab. "He's warm," she revealed to the second animatronic. They then inched closer. Meanwhile, the fourth Minireena was also approaching them.
"You don't have to get in the box, but if you do so I can carry you, then I'll keep the lid open," Jeremy offered as he opened the cardboard box. He patted the bottom, where a thin blanket was folded in the bottom. "What do you say?" All the small animatronics looked amongst themselves. Then Daisy, Rose, and Forget-Me-Not climbed into the box, and the Bidybabs were soon to follow.
"I gotta hand it to ya, Lad," Foxy chimed in with a chuckle. "Ya got this gift with animatronics."
"Maybe." Jeremy smiled as he helped the Bidybabs into the box. "Really just the little animatronics."
"I don't know about that…" Something about the way Foxy had said that was peculiar. It did cause Jeremy to become a bit more attentive and he slightly turned his head towards the fox. As though to cover it, Foxy continued, "Worry about getting that lot home. We'll talk after the party."
"I don't have to leave right away," Jeremy insisted as he turned back to look up at Foxy. "I could just put them in the car and come back in."
"Meh… Nah, Lad. I gotta get ready fer the show, and I ain't lettin' you loose once I getcha to myself," Foxy reassured. "Just worry 'bout getting the lot of them home, yeah? We'll see if ya can get BB too. Mari doesn't need to be babysitter right now." Jeremy agreed, unbelievably curious about what Foxy was waiting to tell him and turned back to the box. To his surprise, the small Bonnie had climbed in at some time while he was looking back, and the Minireenas eagerly joined. He reached in to nudge them in, so they could all fit, then lifted the box, lightly teetering as he did so.
Jeremy and Foxy stepped out of the kitchen and started towards the hall. Marionette and Mike briefly acknowledged them as they approached the kitchen door. The Puppet then turned to the human.
"Wait out here. This shouldn't take too long," Marionette requested. Mike nodded and continued to eat the sandwich as Marionette entered the now almost emptied kitchen. Litter was still dotted around the floor, but he was more focused on finding Ennard, which then landed him at the pantry. He approached the door and lightly tapped on it. "Ennard?" There was a shifting inside. "Would you come out or should I come in?"
He was answered by the pantry being nudged open and the shuffling as Ennard moved back. Marionette opened the door and slipped inside before flicking on the light. His head immediately dropped to find Ennard sitting in the back, tucked into himself, and clutching an open box of cake mix. There was powdered mix spilled around the floor and some was even crusted around his dilapidated bear mask. Probably mixed with butter and eggs.
"I see you found the cake mix. Though I think you would prefer to follow Foxy's example and eat the baked ones," Marionette remarked as he looked over the animatronic. He noticed how somber Ennard seemed to be. "I just ended a call with Scott." He noticed how much Ennard perked at mentioning the man. "He's coming over here now." Ennard's head shot up to stare at him.
"He's coming now?! Ha, ha! That's great! He's coming for me!" Ennard cried in celebration. Then his voice suddenly dropped. "But…Does he even want me back?" Ennard's voice was toned down so much that it almost didn't sound like Funtime Freddy any longer. Just someone who sounded similar and mostly lifeless. "After all I've done… Does he want something like me back?" Marionette was taken aback by the bluntness.
"Tell me you weren't speaking to Baby again…" He hoped not. Baby was determined and stubborn; it would be hard to talk back her direct insults.
"I had a lot of time to think in here, sitting and waiting…" Ennard looked around at the tight pantry. His blue eyes scanned each shelf before making it back to Marionette. He broke out in a crackle of laughter, "I'm so broken!" The laughter then dropped, along with his voice. "Isn't Scott's broken enough without me?" He then looked back to the cake mix box and started to drop some of his wire fingers inside. "I'll just live in here. Can't hurt anyone, can't hurt Scott, and I get all the cake powder I want."
"You would live in this pantry for a half a day and be bored stiff. Not to mention that the cake mix would run out sooner than later. We go through those boxes faster than… Well, you do," Marionette remarked. He then crossed his arms with a less than impressed look, especially as Ennard seemed to be focusing on the box now. "Do you know what Scott said when I told him you were here?" Marionette inquired. "Because I don't. He stuttered and blurted out something and then hung up on me. Translated, I think it means he's concerned."
"I want him to take me home…" Ennard's fingers tightened until the box started to crumble underneath them. "But I don't want him to be afraid of me… I don't know why I can't fix myself."
"Ennard, you're not broken," Marionette insisted as he started to lower himself down. "There's hope for you, Ennard. You proved that to me last night. I believe in you… and honestly, I can't say I believe in many people anymore…" He looked down at his lap for a moment. "Don't give up on yourself yet, and don't make any rash judgements until you see Scott… Which should be any moment now if his frenzy was any indication."
"I missed him," Ennard said. He gave a forced recording of laughter. "He's my playmate, you know. I want him back… I want his warmth back."
Marionette looked Ennard over and then rose from the ground. He briefly exited the pantry, just long enough to get the cleaning wipes and to return. He then knelt before Ennard once more and reached to catch his chin. Ennard recoiled from his touch with a look of alarm as all his defenses raised. It was possible that it was because Marionette touched around his mask, but Marionette couldn't help but think it was because he was just so unused to being touched by anyone other than Scott. He slowed his motions and was as gentle as he would be with a child.
He caught Ennard once more and coaxed him to stay still. "I'm not going to take your mask off. Trust me, that is not my intention. I know how precious one's mask can be." Then he started to rub at his mask with a cleaning wipe. "Try to avoid the cake mix until this dries. No more butter until you get home," Marionette said, still addressing him like he would a child. Ennard squirmed uncomfortably and tried to nudge him away. The Puppet tilted his head, "Would you prefer to do it?"
Ennard hesitated as he was considering it, but then gave a simple, "No." Marionette continued cleaning him. It was the least thing he could do to repay him for what happened.
"I'll thank you again from saving me from that suit." Marionette smiled as he worked. "If it makes you feel better about your programming, it was my programming that got me into that bear." It might have helped. Ennard seemed to raise his head curiously at least. This was all interrupted when the kitchen door opened, and footsteps approached the pantry.
"The Phone just pulled up," Mike called through the door.
"Right on schedule," Marionette chirped as he set the canister aside and rose. "I'll give you two your space. Again, hold off on the cake mix." The Puppet then slipped out of the pantry to join the security guard. As before, he took his companion's wrist and led him out of the kitchen. As soon as the door shut, it could be heard swinging back open again. Ennard recognized the familiar footsteps.
"Ennard?" Scott sounded nearly frantic as he looked around the kitchen. While Ennard wanted to hold back, he nearly flung himself at the pantry door. He reigned himself in as he creaked the pantry door open. There he was, Scott, standing there with his mask clutched in his hands. The excitement started to tingle and tremble through his wires as he nudged the pantry door open further.
"I'm in here," Ennard said. His wire fingers trembled on the door as Scott spun to face him. The human was immediately relieved to see him and exhaled.
"W-When nobody called last night, I thought… And there was a fire on the news- I thought you were- A-And they couldn't say what caused the fire and I just… You're okay?" Scott asked as he moved in. He opened the pantry door the rest of the way and looked over him. "You're not burned, thank goodness. You got out in time."
"No, I was in the fire," Ennard bluntly said with growing amusement. "I got out before I melted, ha ha!" He laughed for a few more seconds, then fell into an odd silence. The animatronic stared down the human with an unreadable look, which almost unnerved Scott, if not for the fact that he had become somewhat used to the clown's odd moments. It was enough to make Scott avert his gaze to the mask in his hands.
"I brought your mask. I thought you'd want- Omph!" Scott was cut off as Ennard lunged forward and enwrapped him in a tight embrace. Almost all the oxygen instantly left Scott's lungs, but he made no motion to push the other away. He forced himself to breathe in what he could as he reached to pat Ennard's back. "I'm guessing it was a long night?"
"I di-n't think y-you wanted me baack," Ennard said. There was a hesitation in his tone and he squeezed tighter for a moment.
"What? Of course I wanted you back!" Scott reassured as he grasped some of the wires. They trembled and shifted under his grip. "I told you already that I wanted you home… And that's where we're going. I'm here to bring you home." It was becoming obvious that something more happened at the pizzeria than he could've imagined. He almost didn't want to ask, because he had a bad feeling that the fact it caught on fire wasn't a good sign. He distinctly noticed that Marionette made no mention of Chance- not that he gave him much time to explain.
Ennard gave a breathy sort of sigh as his grip softened. He started to relax once more, calming back down, and only then began to speak again.
"Soo warm, so warm! Ha ha, still just as warm!" Ennard switched voices as the somberness switched to delight. "Oh, I missed you so much! I thought about ya all the time!" He giggled excitedly as he drew back.
"I thought about you too. I spent most of last night waiting by the phone, you know. I kept thinking that the second I fell asleep someone would call… And then I woke up to the news about the fire, so you can imagine my morning. A-And I didn't want to leave in case you came by the house. I mean, I could've left the window open, but then I would've been driving around like some sort of stalker and..." Scott cut his drawn-out explanation short. "We should really get you home. It's going to be hard sneaking you in if we wait until Noon."
"The sooner the better! I can't be around here much longer… There's a party. I can't be here with the party," Ennard affirmed. Scott assumed that Ennard was more nervous than anything and had no suspicion that Ennard could've mean anything else than that. He offered the mask over, but then drew it back after only a second, before Ennard could grab it. "…Scott?"
"Here, just…" Scott knew he was walking on eggshells- figuratively and literally, considering all the refuse spread around the kitchen floor- and yet decided to continue. "Why don't you let me?"
"You… Want to change my masks? Well, okay! Are you gonna shut off the lights or just close your eyes?" Ennard innocently asked. Scott started to raise a shaky hand to his mask. "Oh… You meant while you were watching… I don't know if I want you to do that." Yet while Ennard gave a light verbal protest, he did nothing outright to stop the man as the hand inched towards him. Scott finally touched the mask and once he was sure the animatronic wasn't going to panic started to move to the edge.
"Okay, I'm going to do it now. Is that okay?" Scott asked. Ennard gaze a sort light squeaking, though it could've been his wires. Either way, he sounded uncomfortable, but he didn't give an answer. So, Scott waited for a concrete answer. It took at least thirty seconds of waiting until Ennard raised his hand. He took ahold of Scott's arm lightly and nudged him closer. The human then gripped under his mask and gently tugged it off.
Scott wasn't surprised at what Ennard looked like under his mask. In fact, he had seen enough glimpses that he pretty much knew what he looked like. It was more the fact that Ennard had willingly allowed him to look, and it was obviously difficult for him. He was beginning to twitch and his wires started to tighten. His eyes darted around uncomfortably as he waited for Scott to replace his mask. Deciding not to push him any further, Scott set the Freddy mask aside and raised the clown mask to secure it on. It fit onto him perfectly.
"There you go! Good as new," Scott said with a smile. "Feeling any better?" Ennard didn't respond just yet, so Scott took ahold of his arm. "Come on, let's get you home."
"Are you afraid of me?" Ennard bluntly asked. It almost too Scott off guard, but he continued to lead Ennard towards the kitchen door.
"I'm afraid for you. Or I was… I'm be honest, I'm not going to feel comfortable until I have you home." Scott could feel Ennard's wires wrapping around his fingers.
"Aww, you really did miss me!" Ennard gushed, returning to his previously eager tone. "If I didn't have cake mix in my teeth, I'd put my mouth on yours." Scott hesitated at the door and tried to comprehend the entirety of that comment. He decided just to let it go and question it later and ignore any sort of implications that Ennard might've inadvertently suggested. Like Jeremy had before him, he used the back door to get Ennard out, and borrowed a tablecloth to get him out to the car.
While Marionette was pleased to reunite Scott and Ennard, along with getting Jeremy a few more animatronics to tend to, he knew that they were still not finished. He looked to Mike out of the corner of his eye, "It's a shame that our work isn't done…"
"One to go," Mike agreed in a murmur. He looked back at Marionette. "Just forewarning you now, but I'm not leaving you alone with Baby. I let Ennard slip by because of the Lefty thing."
"No, you're correct. I think Baby may be less resistant if confronted by more than one person." Marionette had seen and heard little out of Baby since the fire in the pizzeria first started, so he was unsure what they were about to get into. "I'll do all the talking, but I need you to stay by my side."
"I think I can manage that much," Mike agreed. "Lead the way."
They then began to approach the hallway. It was time to see what Baby had to say, and while Marionette didn't know what it would be, he knew it wouldn't be like the conversation with the disguised Ennard down in Afton's. He already had a suspicion that something more was about to come out of this.
He didn't need any confirmation to know he was right.
Mable: Chapter 96: In which everyone hugs, and we try not to pretend that there's not something left unfinished… And I don't just mean Baby.