"Wake up, my friend…We have much to discuss."
When Chris opened his eyes, he found himself in another room. It was undeniably different from the storage he was forced into before, but it retained the aspect of darkness inside of it. The lighting was very dim, but at least Chris saw that there was much more space for him to move in…If only he could. The golden carcass of Fredbear was put into chains, entirely restricting his movement. Chris noticed a door to his side that reminded him of the one he remembered from 'Fredbear's family diner.' Maybe he was still there, or whatever it had become? At least the sight returned to him, and he saw a lone man standing before him with eyes full of curiosity, Alison Bairren.
"Where…Where am I…" Chris immediately stuttered, surprised at how easily he could speak. When he was in the basement, he had to go through unending turmoil to even utter a single word. "I can talk so…So easily?" It was a cathartic feeling. Even if he didn't feel his mouth moving, Chris could still hear his own voice, and it wasn't even Fredbear's. It was his, even if still embellished with mechanical echo.
"While you were resting, I activated some hidden functions in your dynamic. Any animatronic has this one."
"What do you mean?"
"The voice of the soul. It allows whoever is inside to speak in their own voice, at least a close imitation. Wonderful, is it not?" This gave Chris too many questions to rush through his mind. Souls? He thought no one ever knew that they existed…Was he a soul now? Is that what happened to all the other children who got caught? To Lily?
"Am I…A soul now?"
"Yes, on that, I have no doubt." Alison nodded. "But I'd like to establish your identity, first and foremost. I hope you understand that you must answer truthfully; lying will avail you nothing."
"I understand…"
"So, there can only be one explanation, yet that requires explanation in itself…Are you Chris Afton?" Alison wondered. He guessed it so quickly that Chris felt his soul grow cold, as his carcass grew thinner in a single instant and could no longer defend him as if the animatronics was no more than paper…
"Y…Yes…"
"Magnificent…Fantastic!" Alison let out a joyous shout. "I didn't believe it was possible; I still don't know how it is possible, and yet…You are here, Chris; you are with us." There was no sympathy or concern in his voice, only glee.
"What do you…Mean?"
"See, if people die close or inside the animatronics, their souls become attached to their carcass…But you are our first exception; this discovery is nothing short of a breakthrough! Tell me, what do you remember from after you got bitten?"
"I was in a dark place…I think they took me to the hospital; I heard the sirens…"
"And?"
"I heard them say their goodbyes and then…Then I saw the light and became him…I was on the stage in Fredbear." He spoke meekly and in fear.
"So you were awake all those months? Poor child, we should've realized something was off earlier, but better late than never. Now that you're back to us, we can have a thorough examination."
"E…Examination of what?" Chris said in a sheepish tone as the realization hit him. Whatever Alison's plans were, they did not include telling his family or sending him home. "P-please…I want to see Dad again; I want to see Lizzy again…"
"I'm afraid I cannot do that; your presence here is a matter of necessity. You cannot be set free, not in this form…" Alison shook his head as if trying to feign sympathy. He took a deep breath, preparing to say his next words. "And you should think about them, too. Would they want to see you in a state like this? You're a broken machine now, not their beloved son and brother." No, this was all wrong; Chris wouldn't accept this. He wasn't some machine; he was Chris Afton; he knew that, and even if he truly was dead and became some kind of ghost, he knew in his soul that it was still him.
"I WANT TO SEE THEM!" Chris screeched loudly and unexpectedly for himself; his power emerged once again. This time, it flowed through his entire body, Fredbear's body. He felt like he could move again. For once, he felt powerful. Chris raised his arm, but he didn't last long. Alison pressed a button on the controller he held. "AAARGH!" Chris shouted as an electric shock pierced his body, obliterating all of his newfound power and forcing the animatronic back into submission.
"No, no, no, I don't want you to be naughty. Otherwise, I will hurt you, understand?"
"Please…I want to see them, free…Me…" He spoke through a weakened dynamic.
"I know you feel lonely, I know." Alison sighed, once again trying to pretend he cared and failing miserably. "You had a whole life ahead of you, but people closest to you turned away. Now you'll have a different one."
"H…How?" Chris cowered at the menacing tone of Alison's voice; he felt that this was about to get even worse.
"You will become one of us!" Alison spoke up.
"I…I don't want to…" Chris responded, assuming Alison refers to the animatronics. "Let me go!" Once again, he felt a surge of anger within him; Chris wanted to jump at Alison and grab his neck with the animatronic golden hands and squeeze him tight. Slowly, he can scream and beg for forgiveness until his head is crushed, just like he was.
"Don't blame me; I'm only making the best out of an unfortunate situation! I'm not the one who forced you to suffer this. A nasty, nasty brat, that Mike, isn't he? He and his idiot friends." Mike and his friends…Chris remembered them. They and their cackling faces, their cruel, monstrous eyes that stared at him when he begged for help, squeezed by Fredbear's jaw. This only served to enhance Chris's rage. They deserved his wrath, too; all of them did. "They were the ones who made you suffer; they were the ones who brought you down! They are the scum of the earth, and it would be an act of poetic justice to make them suffer the same way you did. But what can we do, Chris? You are confined to this body, and I have appearances to keep up…A true tragedy is a situation without a solution. Absolutely unfair…But it will not be entirely in vain."
"Why?" Chris spoke, wondering if he wanted to hear the answer at all.
"You don't know how perfect young souls are for experimenting. They may seem fragile, but they are very durable."
"W-what?" Fear once again awakened in Chris's heart.
"You'll learn details in due time. All I need is a perfect fusion of carcass and soul, a path you've begun, but it will require work. This is what those experiments are for, to speed the process up with stimuli. Sometimes physical, sometimes psychological…" The door behind them opened, and Chris saw two tall men entering the hall. "You will be my most prized test subject, and Mr. Afton will never know. It will be a delight."
"No…NO!" Chris screamed after yet another surge of agony. The carcass of the animatronic beamed with the energy of another world, though Chris didn't understand why. This power made him move again. First arms, then legs, even the chains weakened once he regained control. His eyes gleamed with pale white color, the eyes of a predator that was out for revenge. There was potential in this form, the potential to be free and unbound.
"Fascinating beginning, Chris, but I'm afraid this is neither time nor the place." Alison shook his head and pressed the button yet again, causing Chris to screech in a robotic voice.
"You…Die…" The animatronic's voice grew even more spiteful, and his movements grew irregular and slow, but one shock wasn't enough to halt him.
"How bold and resilient; guess you enjoy pain." Alison shrugged and pressed the button again. Even more pain.
"I…Will…AAARG!" Chris recoiled once again, this time feeling as if the electrical currents forced him into sleep once again; he couldn't fight anymore.
"Take him. We're bringing him to the facility."
…
Mike waited a long time before knocking.
He was too ashamed to knock, he thought of how this conversation could go, and every time, it ended with no catharsis or understanding, but Mike had to talk to her. Over the last month, as his father drank and fell deeper into the hellhole of grief, he would often get violent with him; any simple misstep from Mike was enough for William to rage and hit him, and it only got worse with time. Mike didn't ever deny that he deserved it after doing this with his own brother and scarring their family forever…But he also couldn't deny that it hurt. It hurt to listen to his father spout insults and look at him with such disgust…He knew how Chris felt now, and there was nothing fun in it. And a truly noble person wouldn't have to suffer it themselves to understand. Mike wasn't of their kind.
As for his sister, she was as horrified as their father was. After the incident, she almost stopped talking to Mike; seeing him was enough to force her thoughts back to the bite and force her into a state of fear; Mike tried to stay away and not worsen her trauma. But even so, she would stand up for him when his father got aggressive and plead for him to stop. She was the only one William listened to; he would never deny her. This spared Michael some bruises, and he was incredibly grateful…Even though he knew he didn't deserve this and this made him feel all the more pathetic. Now he needed her. Mike decided that he would not stand aside and instead do everything to repent for his mistake, and there was no better way to do this than by doing something he refused to while Chris was still alive.
To listen.
Mike knocked on Liz's door, hoping she was in a good enough disposition and willing to talk. Father wasn't home yet, so no one should disturb them. Eventually, he heard her steps on the other side. Mike took a deep breath, getting ready for a serious talk. Eventually, she opened the door. Mike saw a pale girl with messy hair that began to lose its beautiful color; her green eyes no longer had any hope or joy, instead shimmering with fear and uncertainty. The moment she saw him, Elizabeth shivered.
"M…Mikey?" She spoke timidly, almost in a whisper. Mike realized that he had to be very careful; not all her responses might have been conscious. When he thought about Chris, Mike could barely control his own pain, too. "Did you…Want something?"
"I wanted to talk. Do you have a few minutes?"
"To talk? I…I don't know…Don't hurt me…"
"Please, Liz, I promise I won't hurt you or anything. Just ask something, alright?" Mike spoke in a soothing voice, allowing his sister to take a breather.
"Is it…About Chris?" She looked up. "You wouldn't come otherwise…"
"I…Yes, it is." Mike sighed and admitted.
"Okay…Come in." The girl pulled out the door and allowed Mike to walk inside. She was quick to return to her bed; there was a half-read book lying on her pink blanket. Mike sat by her side. "What did you want to know?"
"I…" Mike took a deep breath. He knew what he wanted to ask, but it was hard to speak of it. Not when Elizabeth still looked at him like some kind of danger that she should be cautious around, especially with a good reason. "I'm…I'm sorry…" Mike let out with shame, but the girl only shook her head.
"Why, Mikey…" She spoke with pain and resignation. "Why did you do it?" She hugged herself while avoiding eye contact with Mike. "I see him sometimes; I have dreams…He's screaming and crying, and you're laughing and…" She sobbed and began shaking weakly as Mike was powerless to stop her pain. It will take years for her to leave this cycle, and this would require a lot of support from a psychologist and family…Mike wanted to help, too, but he was never the one for emotional support. "I want to forgive you, Mikey, I really do, but…Every time I try, I think about Chris and…"
"You don't have to forgive me. If anything, I don't really deserve it…I've done too much shit and nothing good at all, but I want to try. I can never bring back Chris, and I can never truly deserve forgiveness from you or Dad, but…I can still look into something Chris told me about." At those words, Elizabeth looked up, surprised.
"What do you mean?"
"He told me a story about how Lily went missing, about how one of the animatronics took her with a claw in a trap that father made…I didn't believe it at first, but now that I think about what he said, his fear was genuine, and with how father barely talks to us and never mentions what exactly he does in that shady-ass company, maybe I was being the idiot here and ignoring the obvious…And I thought if there's someone he would tell more about, it would be you, Liz."
"I…I know." The girl sighed, piquing Mike's interest.
"Truly?"
"Yeah." She went towards one of her drawers and picked a painting from the inside. When she gave it to Mike, he saw an animatronic with a dark, metal claw emerging from its stomach like in some horror movie, a gross sight. It looked very detailed, as well…
"That's what Chris drew when he told me about it," Elizabeth said quietly. "He was so scared when he talked about it, and he knew all the details…Of course, it was true; how could you not believe him?"
"I don't know…Maybe I wanted to spite him."
"Daddy said we shouldn't come close to the animatronics, remember?"
"That must be why…" The realization fell upon Mike like acid rain.
"Uh-uh." Liz nodded. "He said that this animatronic took Lily; maybe they're taking other children…He also said Daddy tried to keep him away; maybe he's trying to protect us? But I still don't understand…Daddy isn't evil; why would he do this?" Her voice was full of lost faith; all people Elizabeth looked up to have fallen in her eyes, both Mike and William. She must have felt alone and betrayed after all this trauma.
"It must have something to do with the company…"
"But what?"
"I don't know, Liz…Did he tell you anything else?"
"No, not really."
"I guess that's it, then…I won't bring it up to Father; you shouldn't either. If he pretended like nothing happened to Chris, he doesn't want us to know."
"You're right…I wasn't planning to." The girl looked up at Mike. "And what will you do?" At this point, Mike knew where to go, but he didn't want either William or Elizabeth to try to search for him in this place.
"I…I will be leaving for a while." He confessed.
"Where?"
"I can't tell…I'm sorry." He replied, and Elizabeth seemed to understand.
"Can you tell me for how long, at least?"
"I'm afraid not. I don't know how long it will take, to be honest."
"I don't want to lose another brother…" Her lips quivered, making Mike freeze as he heard them. She still didn't want to lose him even after all he did, and even though she was scared of him, even now, he saw tears on her face. He felt his own coming to his eyes.
"I'm sorry you have to go through this, Liz; I wish I could undo it or at least tell you where I am going…But I promise you this, what I am about to do will only serve one goal; I will do everything to do right by Chris, as much as I can…He never found out the truth, but I will, no matter how hard it will be."
"You…You promise?"
"Yes, I promise."
"Thank you, Mikey…Thank you." She sniffed once again and hugged her brother. Mike didn't expect it and, for a while, sat on his knees in utter shock, but eventually, he took a deep breath and returned the embrace. They both cried, and in his heart, Mike knew that this was the last moment of vulnerability he could allow himself for a long time, for he had to dedicate himself to work.
Or else those tears would be for nothing.
…
Again and again.
William thought of him hitting Mike and what emotions it unveiled in him; those thoughts overtook him, distracting William from work. His monotone work, an endless cycle of pointless routine, the one where no matter what he did, his pleas remained without answers, his battles without success. Was it all for nothing, indeed? He didn't want to think of it, but at times, the thought would spring again and again, becoming all the more pressing. Only rare breaks from this, rare breaks like those constant reminders…
"Hello…"
"Mr. Afton?"
"You know, just the perfect time…To show up."
"You sound tired. Is everything alright?"
"As if you'd ever be concerned, Alison."
"The health of our company's workers is very important to me, Mr. Afton, and has always been the case."
"Just get to the point."
"As you wish. I wanted to check in with you about a couple of new tasks, Mr. Afton. We have a franchise to restore, after all! First of all, Freddy Fazbear and the crew will need maintenance soon; I need you to oversee that. There are some spare parts from old Fredbear's that I need to recycle, and most of all…You need to prepare Circus Baby's team for another capture operation. After you and yours finish with the upcoming maintenance, we need to get back on track."
"Are you bloody serious?"
"Yes, why wouldn't I be?"
"I…I just lost a son, and you want me to kill more children already…"
"Not your children. Besides, I allowed you a break. It is not my fault that you never recovered from your destructive drinking habits."
"Again and again…"
"You wouldn't refuse me anyway, Mr. Afton."
"I can't refuse anyway."
"It's good that you remember it. You're an important part of our company, crucial, even. You are the one that controls many other cogs in this unified machine, and as much as I understand your regret over Chris's death, we can't allow our work to falter. Understood?"
"Understood…"
"Wonderful. In that case, you have a clear understanding of your task, though there is one other matter which I'd like to discuss with you in person at some point…About new employees. But other than that, I wish you all the best, Mr. Afton. See you soon."
William didn't have any strength to speak, only listening in silence as Alison hung up. It was time to go home yet again.