The next several minutes were fairly quiet. At least, it was as quiet as two animatronics clanking around could be. A few security bots were patrolling the pizzaplex. Chica and Roxy turned in ways that could shield Tee and Cassie from the stray light beams. One was getting a little too close for comfort. Chica squawked at it with her voice box's frequency before running away.
"What was that? Chica, is that you?"
"Oh, shoot. Vanessa," muttered Roxy.
The chicken and the wolf made a detour into the gift shop. Tee and Cassie hopped off. They hid inside a couple of carts with convertible covers. Roxy charged out of the other side of the shop. But just as Chica was about to follow, the chief of security stepped into view.
"Chica, what are you doing in here?" asked the officer. "Did you find him?"
Tee and Cassie held their respective breaths.
"I… thought I did," answered Chica. "But, when I got closer, it was just one of the staff." She picked up one of the gift shop bots by its spine.
"Put me down," it said in monotone. Chica immediately obliged.
Vanessa sighed. "Why they cut the budget for searching eyes, I'll never know." She shook her head. "I lost my flashlight, so my job's a lot more difficult. I'd snag one from the security bots, but I don't want to deal with their monotonous nagging all night."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." Chica took two steps. "Did you also lose your radio? I tried to call earlier to test my communication, but you didn't pick up."
"My radio?" Vanessa asked. "Oh, right. I turned it off to focus on my own searching. The static was giving me a headache."
"Oh dear." Chica held out her arm in support. "Are you not feeling well? You should ask if you can take some time off."
Vanessa chuckled. "Eh heh. Thanks, Chica. But I don't have time to call in sick. The top brass specifically put me in this position. And I-" She flinched and grunted.
"Officer?" Chica leaned over. "Vanessa, what's wrong?"
The young adult pushed herself away from the chicken. "I'm fine. Just… ngh… find that kid. When you do, bring him to my office. I'll deal with him then." Holding a hand against her temple, Vanessa ran out of the gift shop entrance.
"Uh, okay." Chica stood back up. "Stay safe!" While Chica was able to make several calculations in fractions of a second, she couldn't figure out what flipped Vanessa's switch.
Roxy walked back into the shop just as Tee and Cassie peeked out of their hiding spots.
"That was odd," said Tee.
"That didn't sound like an ordinary headache," added Cassie.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say she had the same bug as us." Roxy used her index claw to point at Chica and then herself.
"What are you talking about, Roxy?" Chica asked. "She's a human, not an A.I."
"Yeah, and I know better." Roxy nodded. "That's why I'm not saying that."
Tee glanced over at the other path leading out of the gift shop. "Was there anything down that way?"
"There weren't any staff bots in that direction," answered Roxy. "I guess the manager didn't think anyone would get this far." She held out a hand to Cassie and they started walking.
Chica took one last look at the open entrance. She then held Tee's hand before following Roxy.
…
After traveling through the dark for some time, the four walked into a corridor with LEDs. A few television sets were hanging from a bar on the ceiling. The wall to their left was marked with a wide highlight. The bright line trailed all the way to a closed charging station.
Roxy gasped. "Freddy!"
The rest gathered near the pod and looked inside. Sure enough, the animatronic charging inside was the face of the giant mall. The station opened and the big bear stepped out.
"Roxy, what are you doing back here?" Freddy asked.
"I could ask you the same thing." Roxy held her hip.
Chica stepped closer. "We were looking for you and Monty to compare notes."
"Chica." Freddy smiled, before he glanced downward. "Oh, more children?"
Cassie tensed up. Tee clenched a fist behind his back. A few seconds passed by. Freddy's eyes glowed… blue. Light screened down for his scanning routine. After that was finished, he blinked.
"Hmm, Cassie and Tsun." He took another look at the full group. "I hope you are all doing okay."
"You're not in the mood for a hunt?" Tee asked.
"A hunt?" Freddy echoed. "I'm afraid I don't follow."
Roxy sighed. "Chica and I had a bit of a bug, causing us to chase after any kids that weren't the ones we started with tonight. We thought it might be contagious."
"Most peculiar." Freddy held his chin. "Could that be what Gregory meant when he said everyone was after him?"
"Um, where is Gregory?" asked Cassie.
"He was wearing one of your watches." Chica looked at the bear.
"I'm not sure at the moment," said Freddy. "I had to recharge at the time that he went ahead." He pointed further into the corridor.
Cassie ran that way. Her sneakers lit up with each step.
"Cassie! Wait for me!" Roxy clanked after her.
Freddy, Chica, and Tee looked at each other in confusion before deciding to follow suit. The lights gradually changed color the further they went. The end of the corridor opened in what looked like a giant mouth with fangs. Through there, the open space resembled an artificial swamp with some trees, Montgomery Gator items, and posters.
Somewhere in the distance, a series of ringing noises went off. Cassie and Roxy ran in that general direction. The rest stepped on that floor soon after. Cassie looked up and around at the catwalks, until she spotted a boy in blue.
"Gregory!" she called out.
The boy up above turned. He held the rail while looking down. "Cassie? Is that you?"
Their moment was cut short by the banging of metal. On the other end of the catwalk, a large alligator animatronic was standing. Its claws and fangs shined. Two red lights pierced a star-shaped pair of shades.
The other animatronics and Tee filed onto the room's floor. They looked up in mixed expressions.
"This is bad!" Tee couldn't think of anything else to exclaim in the moment.
"Monty!" called Chica. "Stop! You don't want to do this!"
The gator paid the chicken no mind. He simply stomped in Gregory's direction. Roxy looked around wildly until she looked back up.
"Freddy, throw me." She grabbed his arm.
"What?" Freddy stared at her unblinking. "You told me never to do that again."
"We've got no time for arguing about the past," Roxy insisted, "Now, throw me!"
Monty chuckled darkly as he reduced the distance between him and his brown-haired prey. Gregory leaned back against the rail. He had nowhere else to go. He pulled out a Faz-cam with the flash turned on. But that did nothing to slow the advancing gator. Suddenly, something clanged the metal beside him.
"No! Not you too!" Gregory leaned into the corner of the railing.
The wolf grunted as she managed to pull herself over the top rail. She then slowly stood up to snarl at… Monty? Gregory voiced his confusion and raised his brow.
"You're Cassie's friend, right?" Roxy reached a paw to the boy. "Then trust me!"
Gregory hesitated for a moment. But that hesitation dissolved as Monty took two more loud steps. Gregory stuffed his camera away before grabbing Roxy's paw. She hoisted him onto her back and climbed over the railing. She then jumped down… right into Freddy's arms. Freddy ended up falling onto his back. Gregory let go and stood while shaking.
Montgomery Gator made a loud clang on the floor about ten feet away. Freddy and Roxy still hadn't recalibrated their current elevation and conditions. Gregory still wasn't sure what was going on. Chica had to step in and create an obstacle between Monty and the kids.
"If you know what's good for you, get out of my way," warned Monty.
Chica shook her head. "Not until you listen."
"You can't tell me what to do!" Monty barreled forward like a quarterback.
Chica leaned back before throwing her voice forward. "Ba-gawk!"
Monty cried out and stumbled in place. While he was struggling, Chica walked up and slapped him with the back of her hand. The sunglasses went clattering across the floor. There was a creaking noise as Monty's red eyes tried to burrow into the hen's soul. One green and purple hand went around Chica's neck. The other forced her beak shut.
"Come on! We've got to go!" Gregory told the other kids.
"What? We can't leave them here!" Cassie pointed out the animatronics.
"We fixed them to be good guys," Tee chimed in. "All that's left is Monty and we're in the clear."
Gregory glanced over at the hunting wolf that had just saved him. He let out an exasperated groan.
Chica tried grabbing the gator's arms with her own. However, he was stronger and was leaving claw scratches in the places he was holding.
"Hey, Monty!"
Monty's red glare turned to the side.
"Look at this photograph!" Gregory set off the flash again.
This time, the camera's quick light did sting the gator. He released one of his hands to hold against his eye. As Monty turned around, Tee clicked on the flashlight with a blinder beam. Monty yelled out at the blindness overtaking both his eyes. Cassie came running around behind him. After jumping up, she plugged in the Faz-tool.
Cassie quickly traced the dots on the back panel screen. As the Faz-tool forcefully ejected, Monty fell to his knees and shut his eyes. His complaints and growls went silent. Chica took multiple short breaths. Finally, Roxy and Freddy managed to stand up and see what was going on.
…
Rebooting.
Safe Mode: Online.
After several lines of code rushed by, Monty's vision returned. The first thing he did was hold up an arm over his head. He didn't remember his room being this brightly lit. When he saw the other band members standing nearby, he wondered if this wasn't his room after all.
"Er… did I miss the memo for a slumber party?" He blinked and looked down. "What are you squirts doing here so late?"
Two of the kids' guest profiles popped up after mere seconds. The third, however, showed a blank in his memory. Tee breathed a sigh of relief. Cassie kept looking at the floor. The mystery kid eyed him warily.
Freddy walked over and held out his hand. "Welcome back, my friend."
Monty held Freddy's hand as he stood up to his full height. "Back? What do you mean?"
"There's been a hunting glitch going around," said Roxy. "You weren't an exception."
"A what?" Monty asked.
"Fortunately, these children were able to save us." Chica indicated.
Monty looked at her and gasped. "Chica! What happened to your face? It's all scuffed up."
"You strangled her pretty hard before you snapped out of it," said Gregory.
Monty took a step back. He looked down at his open claws. They were shaking. "No… no… not again!"
He turned tail and ran out of the ball-shooter gallery. Freddy held out his hand before lowering it. Roxy scratched her hair. Gregory crossed his arms. Cassie idly tapped her foot and watched the dancing lights in her sneakers. Tee spotted a glint of something and walked towards it. He leaned down and picked up a pair of familiar shades.
"Hey, Chica?" Tee turned around. "Where is Monty's room?"
"It's right next to the rest of our rooms," said Chica. "Why?"
Tee had an idea.
…
Chica had grown accustomed to noises and grunting whenever she passed Monty's door. But tonight, it was completely silent. She was worried that he might be somewhere else and would have a hard time finding him. She clanged the back of her hand against the door twice.
"Go away!" demanded the deep voice from inside.
"Monty?" Chica called out. "It's Chica. Can we talk?"
Silence returned. Chica waited. Then, she heard the faint clanking of robot feet. The door slid open to reveal the gator. Monty looked down and sighed. He slowly turned and walked back into his room.
The door remained open. Chica stepped inside and looked around. A few stray objects were broken along the floor. The casing for a snow globe was sitting on top of a glittery puddle. A pair of roller blades were missing their wheels. A radio's antenna had been ripped out.
Monty stood with his shoulders slumped. "If you're here to get payback, I won't stop you."
Chica's eyes opened wide. "Monty, you know I'm not going to do that."
"And why not?" He turned toward his curtain while glancing at his visitor. "I hurt you. You should want to hurt me back, at least an equal amount."
Chica sighed. She walked up until she was standing inches away. She curled her mechanical fingers into a fist. Then, she lightly tapped her knuckles against Monty's wrist. She pulled her hand away and opened it back up.
"Seriously?" Monty stared incredulously at her. "Are you even trying?"
"That wasn't for the scratches," said Chica. "That was for being too hard on yourself."
"How can't I beat myself up?" Monty kicked the bulletproof window behind the curtain. "I damaged you, just like I damaged B-"
"That wasn't your fault!" Chica interrupted. "I don't believe the real you would do that. It wasn't the real you that hurt me. It wasn't really you that attacked that child. It was that hunting glitch."
"But it was still my hand." Monty's claws trembled. "My body destroyed his chassis. I should have fought off any stupid glitch, not work for it!"
Chica shook her head. "Physical strength can't fight a virus. We were all susceptible to it."
"How did you overcome it?" Monty asked.
Chica smiled. "We were helped by the friends we made along the way."
Monty deadpanned. "Did you eat a pizza with extra cheese?"
"No, really," Chica insisted. "They saw something worth helping in us. They saw something in you worth helping too." She lifted her hand. "If you really want to get even, wouldn't it make more sense to help them in return?"
Monty turned and fully faced her. "I can never say no to you."
…
Three kids and two animatronics had moved into one of the dining areas to wait. They talked about some of the things they had been through that night.
Tee raised his brow. "You willingly climbed inside of him with all those wires? How are you not a meat pretzel right now?"
"I'm a flexible kid," answered Gregory proudly.
Cassie chuckled. "Anytime we played hide-and-seek, he made it to home base before anyone could spot him."
Roxy crossed her arms while looking at Freddy. "So, what? Did your crash on stage give you a head start to clean out the glitch?"
"I am not sure," admitted Freddy. "Though, if the pattern of you being manually rebooted holds, then I cannot rule out the possibility."
Their chat was interrupted by doors on the side opening. Tee, Gregory, and Cassie reached for their respective tools. However, when they saw who had entered, they calmed down a bit. Chica led Monty toward the rest of the group. The gator's tail idly swished behind him.
"Hey, guys." Monty slowly looked around. "I just want to say sorry about the scares and threats. I wasn't in my right mind, but I don't want to make excuses either."
Freddy loudly stepped over. "I'm just glad to have you back." He hugged as much as his large, stiff upper body would let him.
Roxy and Chica exchanged a thumbs-up. As soon as Freddy pulled back from his hug, Tee walked up to Monty. He held up the shaded stars.
"Ready to help us get to the bottom of things?" Tee asked.
Monty took hold of the sunglasses, put them on, and then wiggled his claws along an air guitar. "Let's rock and roll!"