Present Day-

ROXY

"Okay! We're done! You can look now!"

The process hadn't taken super long, but it wasn't exactly as short as Cassie said- perhaps an hour or more of work than expected. Roxy was no less glad for when it was complete, and for obvious reasons. Nevertheless, she couldn't help but be a little anxious of what she's about to see.

She sidled slowly out of the chair; letting her legs hit the floor but remained sitting in the seat. Her right paw went slowly to her cranium; new claws gently grazing along her skull chassis segment. She didn't open her eyes immediately; instead being glad for the enhanced sense of touch she had again: Their chassis always had these silvery 'strips' that were adhered to the artificial skin's underside; somewhat like nerves beneath the epidermis. It allowed them to detect certain changes like when they made contact with objects or children- its an important feature that HAD to be implemented so prevent them from walking into and incidentally crushing a person on their way by. If they couldn't feel where they were going, the company would've likely been sued for Monty stepping on a child's foot by accident, for instance.

So, she had touch again. That feeling alone was awe-inspiring to her; seeing as she's gone so long being numb. The sensation of numbness was so alien, she felt detached from people in the most robotic sense an automaton could be; and that was a violation within itself. But having touch again... she knew she can hug Cassie and actually feel the warmth- a vital component in the animatronics in identifying themselves as organic in another way. It helped improve mindset over all. If they hadn't been endowed with sense like this, they'd probably act more robotic by extension. They had to be human in some way.

Weird logic, but it works.

She slowly wriggled her tail- she got lucky with that. Eclipse found a tail piece- no hair for her head though. The tail piece was in case children stepped on or pulled it loose or it got caught in something and had to be replaced immediately. The hair for the head wasn't as vital since it wasn't going to suffer damage from being within reach of children or getting snared on furniture as often. She always took care of it religiously so there hadn't been a need to make a spare head piece for her. Her Freddy-talons raked through the bald patches on her scalp- the wolf quite afraid of looking at the damage for herself. Her tail felt normal again, at least.

As for her paws, well, they ARE Freddy's. Eclipse hadn't been able to find any others. She'd just have to paint over the orange and cream skin- though, there was no denying how strange they felt on her. They were slightly larger than her own paws; but just as articulate and gentle with grip as her last set been. Freddy had the paws of a parent- and the soft pads on his fingertips were extraordinarily sensitive and interesting- she honestly liked them. They felt like faux fur- meant to grasp the hand of any child he'd likely have at his heels in a comforting and realistic manner. His paws were made to cradle and nurture.

Her own hadn't been far off either, but something about his felt... different, in other ways she couldn't fathom. Warm, familial, close, things of that nature. She herself originally had the paws of a musician; digits slightly lengthier than Freddy's own and exaggerated green talons for styling and reach for her keyboard's face- Her own paw pads hadn't been AS sensitive and prone to touch as his is. It was a strangely intimate feeling that made her wonder what else he felt on a daily basis. After all, each animatronic had features the others didn't- and a real sense of understanding eluded them unless they've walked a mile in those shoes.

Now she opened her eyes.

The first thing she took in was those same, strangely obscene and huge paws where her old set was; the sight baffling and horrifying to behold. She flexed Freddy's paws; and they moved on her command. She folded them into each other; feeling the tips rub against each other and marveling the amount of sensitivity there. Disorientating, she decided to finally look at her reflection-

Now she got up.

She carefully moved to the glass of the cylinder; an awe-struck, mangy-looking patch-work job looking back at her with the same amount of shock she felt. Its scalp was AWFUL: a single strand of rebellious green hair stuck almost STRAIGHT up at the front of her temples; and the rest of her 'hair' was patched with rogue, errant strands that stuck up in various places across her silvery nob. She looked like she got her finger stuck in an electrical socket and her hair forgot how gravity worked since then. She moved Freddy's paws up and down her visage and back to where her mane used to be; the reflection mimicking the motion. Freddy's eyes stared into her, through her, and into the fragile, broken pup beneath the shell.

She barely kept it together; moving her head to slowly take her in the rest of her body: Eclipse had found some shell for her chest, belly, and pelvic areas at least. So now her torso was covered entirely in new skin. Small blessing, but good to have. THIS much was still her. However, her arms remained bare of shell; and her right pauldron for a shoulder was still damaged and chipped. It looked obscene compared to the shiny new torso pieces she had. And that wasn't even including her legs; as she whined when she noticed one leg had broken segments and the other was about bare as her arms were.

She was hideous.

Freddy's paws touched her face in distress, the wolf glancing back at the worried, sickly looking MUTT that looked like it crawled out of a junkyard and attempted to pass itself off as pretty- Which, wasn't far from untrue.

She slammed Freddy's- or, her- eyes shut; staggering back and burying her face into her- HIS?- paws.

"Oh-! Oh no..." Eclipse moved slowly over, one bony hand touching her shoulder and the other waving hesitatingly around in the air like he didn't know what to do with it.

She shook him off, "I'm horrifying! I can't IMAGINE what Cassie thought when see first saw me!" She produced a garbled, inhalation sound; her compressor whining as she gulped down air. She eventually looked at the attendant next to her, blinking in shock when she finally took him in. "Oh lord- you look like a zombie!"

Now she couldn't help but wonder: How DID Chica and Bonnie look compared to them? Cassie said they were worse off. Maybe she shouldn't lament how disfigured and hideous she was quite yet- as at least she had half the pieces she needed on hand, no pun intended. But still, you can't deny the fact she was now Frankenstein'd together and it rightly weirded her out. Cassie had downplayed it- maybe she truly didn't find Roxy scary, but Roxy would continue to beg to differ.

The Daycare Attendant meanwhile, he frightened her too. He was missing half his mask- showing these weird teeth Roxy never knew he had. He had moving mouth parts, and eyes that actually blink. That mask he had prior was always a little weird to look at but... she wasn't sure she preferred it or the fact she can actually see more nuance on his visage here. Either way, he didn't seem as bare as Roxy might've been- though she couldn't imagine how much worse she looked before he got a hold of her.

Eclipse meanwhile seemed to take the comment in stride, shrugging rather casually, "I'm okay! Only pieces I'm missing is a couple shell segments and a foot! I thought you needed the care more so-"

Roxy shook her patchy scalp- that was something she'll never get used to. "I'll... I'll help you with that. You said you had some pieces around?" Get it together. You're still a winner in Cassie's book. You look better now. It just... takes some getting used to. You've been in darkness a long time. You can't blame yourself for that.

Its HIS turn. He needs some help too.

He nodded, going to lead her out of the cylinder. He waved over his shoulder; bells tinkling merrily despite the grim atmosphere.

Roxy stepped out, then took the moment to look at her tail- it needed to be brushed, but it looked normal. At least she had that luxury. "Oh... I wonder," She started again as Eclipse started to lead her into Spare Parts section. "Maybe you shoulda used my tail for Cassie..."

"I found other alternatives for her. No sweat!" He chirruped warmly. "There was some more soft things lying around- and weirdly enough, there was another tail piece for you. I used that instead. I wondered about trimming it up for your head... we could maybe do that later?"

"Oh, really?"

"Perhaps! I dunno, could be an interesting craft job," He said, honestly sounded weirdly excited by it. Then again, this is coming from the guy who loves glitter glue and scrapbooking. "Could maybe find some actual blankets for Cassie, then, figure what to do for your hair with the remaining tail piece. Can't hurt to try!"

Roxy hummed, though uncertain if the remaining tail section would survive the job. Nonetheless, they continued on into the Endo Warehouse; with him eventually stepping into a room Roxanne herself had never seen before now. She found herself a bit unnerved and horrified by the spectacle, but fascinated in another sense too:

There were shelves upon shelves of various endo segments and parts- no doubt will be useful for Chica and Bonnie later on. Even better, she found what appeared to be a mannequin stand with some chassis pieces already pre-assembled like they're in a dressing room. Freddy had some skull pieces and some torso segments- no new paws for either feet or hands though. Chica had... a lot of new chassis pieces lying around for various places on her body. Roxy assumed due to the probability the chicken would get caught in the compactor and due to her penchant to dirty herself up with garbage. The employees had thought ahead in her case- seeing as she was rather careless when it came to her upkeep.

She moved around; Monty had some leg pieces here and there; and a set of replacement teeth and parts for his powerful jaws. Interesting. He also apparently had new chassis pieces for his hands, but nothing like the claws he had when he plays bass. This set must be a temporary stand-in pair he owned in case he ended up breaking his main set. Here, Roxanne frowned and approached; picking up a hand and turning it over. She wondered if at some point, some of these pieces in this room WERE Bonnie's and they were just repainted.

Bonnie's muzzle was distinct from the others though- that couldn't have been repurposed without having to be reshaped entirely. There was no head segments in here that suggested they belonged to him at any point- likely tossed out, the more she looked. The rounded, soft, natural lapine shape of his upper jaw was more exaggerated than a real rabbits, but the shape was there and his facial pieces couldn't be used for, say, Freddy or herself. Not to mention the sensors in his muzzle was alarmingly sensitive and niche; his whiskers had true functionality in them and were anchored into the chassis quite firmly. They behaved liked extended pressure sensors; though the design and reasoning for it eluded her. With that said, why wasn't she or Freddy made with whiskers? Didn't bears and wolves have them? Anyways-

Now she wondered...

"You sure you didn't find anything for carrot-breath in here? You'd think they wouldn't reuse EVERYTHING he had, right? His facial structure was unique. Maybe not his bottom jaw but the top-"

"Its likely the claws Monty had were Bonnie's originally... And I think the springs in his legs for that super jump? Monty's jump always did come off as more rabbit-like than gator-like..." Eclipse commented as he turned over some finger segments for himself. He pulled a new set of weird trousers from another shelf- something to cover his bare endo leg with. He also grabbed a new foot from the pair that was up there. "Maybe, we can use some of Monty's stuff for him," was his next suggestion.

"Is there any way to paint them? I dunno how I feel about looking at Freddy's paws every time I try to look where mine used to be..."

"I'm sure there is! But, I don't think its a luxury we have at the moment. I'm sure there's another room were the chassis segments are mussed over with more detail... but I haven't found it. Its not on my map."

Roxy sputtered a curse.

Eclipse stared at her, "How'd you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Swear? How'd you do that? Mine always comes out in static."

"Bonnie taught me. Told me we were always capable of rearranging priority tasks and allocating attention to certain programs helps him override blocks in some sections of his brain. He was pretty elaborate about it. What, he never told you?"

"No... granted, I don't like swears. But I do use them unconsciously anyways when I'm frustrated enough," he reluctantly admitted. "Not that I'd DREAM of using those naughty words around children though!"

"I try not to. But, I won't lie, swearing's nice," Roxy smirked. "Makes me feel better. Maybe I can teach you?"

He chuckled, then started to mosey back to the hall, "I think I'll pass... I don't want to get mad at something and say something I'd regret around Cassie. Anyways, I got what I need now! After this is done, we can check on Cassie, then see what we can do about getting her some water and food. I worry she's wore herself out in a plethora of ways."

Roxy nodded there, fidgeting with Freddy's paws all the while. Eclipse wouldn't take more than a couple minutes to do- as most of his damage was just superficial. Some of Roxy had to be bumped out and a full diagnostic was run on her Security Mode on the side. The wolf will have to run the program on Eclipse as well, but she wagered even then it won't take longer than five minutes.

With that, they returned to the cylinder room; the wolf moving to the computer and prepping it while Eclipse placed his segments into the armature's 'hands' ahead of time. He sighed, then slumped his head, "I worry we may not find much for her... I dunno. I want to leave with her but that'd... I don't think we'd make it to her residence in this state- unless we take fully charged spare batteries with us and alternatively change them out for each other...? But even then, I worry that she may not be having the best home life if she's choosing to stay with US over other, actual people. She's in no rush to return home, nor has she expressed any desire to do so. Its not normal."

Roxy stopped typing (having found Freddy's paws to be awkward and cumbersome). She huffed, then shook her head, "She still needs to be with PEOPLE... if possible. If we can get wifi signal upon leaving the premises, we can contact the authorities and direct them to Cassie's location. The modem here is out and I don't know WHERE the heck it is."

The jester bot bobbed his thin shoulders. "You think we should continue to enamor her about doing this? I mean, we're juggling her health here but clearly she's invested in our well-being. And it seems to make her feel better- despite how she'd feel physically."

"I think for now, maybe. I wouldn't mind her company. A selfish part of me kinda wants that for even a brief time," Roxy admitted with some solemnity. She wasn't keen to returning to dreary solitude of this place too soon. Was that truly that selfish? "She finds us to be the closest approximation to family she had. And she told me her dad ain't around anymore so..."

"Oh... I'm... oh." Eclipse sagged visibly, "I... I never saw that memo. Her dad was a technician here, right?"

"Yeah. Decent guy. I think he liked talking it up with Bonnie? That might've been a while ago though."

Eclipse hummed, then said, "He was her only close family, last I checked. So she's, what, with a foster family now?"

"Maybe. Could explain her reluctance to return... some foster families ain't great... though I dunno if that's the case with her. She hasn't specified yet."

The two paused again, Roxy going to type back on the computer. "Go ahead and get in. Sooner we do this, the better."

"Right-o!"

A short while later, the two checked on the girl again- to which they found she'd finally fallen into a more sound sleep. Roxy checked her vitals and winced as she logged the injuries- briefly rethinking her prior sentiment about letting Cassie stay here. Taking her to a hospital was more pragmatic but... Fazbear Entertainment, in all of their infinite wisdom, decided to conveniently build their location as far from a hospital as possible. She could SWEAR that was deliberate.

Anyways, as to what they COULD do- they needed to find sustenance for the growing girl in order to help her get properly on the mend. And it still also didn't change the fact that even if they left now, she doubted they'd succeed at finding her help if they lived far enough from civilization. Last time Roxy checked, the PizzaPlex was built in a more wooded area in the town but it was also a tad more remote.

At any rate, she sent a permission for constant contact with Eclipse; then the two separated to look around the PizzaPlex in general. While Cassie had asked if they can find Chica and bring her down to the repair ward, Roxy wasn't keen on finding food and bringing it to Cassie, just for the likely tampered chicken to take it from her. Chica herself would want to be stopped and wouldn't want anyone finding her until Cassie was taken care of first.

Still, Roxy couldn't help but return to the raceway anyways; looking for both chicken, and the vending machines. Maybe there was some fizzy faz lying around- and seeing as its canned, it had a LONG shelf life. No doubt some of the food and drink here, given no holes was made in the packaging, would stay fresh for a while. Cassie can eat the stuff- just not a lot of it.

The joys of having overly saturated preservatives and fats on these stupid things.

Eclipse meanwhile had gone towards the food stands in the PizzaPlex proper; like El chips and the like. Roxy doubted there'd be anything good over there, but it was worth trying. And she knew the attendant had some snacks stashed away at the daycare somewhere too, for children. Maybe he'll go back there and even grab some more blankets too?

Roxy snuffled around; finding herself back at the salon and staring hard at the building's outside face. Throughout the time she'd been blind and wandering around this place, she'd only be able to numbly sense that the PizzaPlex was a wreck- but feeling it with broken hands with no tactile sensors left in them and seeing it was two different things. And now, beholding the horror husk before her, she couldn't help but further lament their imprisonment here.

They left us here. They left us here to rot. We were their biggest superstars and yet-

Roxy felt something tighten in her motor; something skipped.

They tear down the area around us. They took their merchandise with them- but they proceeded to leave us behind in darkness. We, conscious, thinking, feeling beings- and they toss us aside like toys in a kids' closet-

Freddy's talons found themselves burying into her palms.

Why is it that I'm starting to HATE people?

All this wreckage had put a plethora of things into perspective for her- and it was dizzying. She'd spent so long going after a ghost boy that she hadn't noticed her small world fallen apart around her. She felt her throat pipe clench and pinch in some places- her compressor whined when she inhaled too fast; her blue talons were hard and pointed against the soft palms of the creamy faux fur-

She had to cannibalize her friends pieces to get by. She was surviving- no longer living as she used to. She'd been built and raised here- and it only felt more like a decrepit prison the longer she eyes her precious salon. Cassie's presence truly put into perspective her importance to people-

No wonder she's always been so unstable emotionally. There was some part of her that knew she and her friends don't truly matter to people at the end of the day- that they'll always remain as toys to be stuffed away in their respective closets in Rockstar Row. Most children who come here, never come back; never think to return.

But Cassie did. And while she came for a peer at first, now she wanted to stay for them. Yes, she shut off Roxy once, but she did it in what she assumed was to save another friend. It wasn't done easily, or with no small amount of reluctance. Cassie had hesitated at the time too- Roxy recalled the chipped, fragile nature of her apology. And now, the girl was here with them- sticking it out and insisting she make things right by helping them find each other and repair them.

But even if they did get Bonnie and Chica and left this place forever, what then? What could they do with themselves? Even if Cassie found out how to keep them charged, it doesn't change the fact that their lives can never be what it once was. They had no future alone. They were automatons built with the intention to entertain- What could they do now they didn't have that? Stay with Cassie, who assumably has no real family left herself? It was all they had to go by now.

Cassie. Could she be their new home? Was that allowed? Or would they be cast out by her foster family after getting her there? Would they get forcibly separated from her? Would someone call the authorities on them for being LOOSE? They did belong to Fazbear Entertainment- and they, by extension, belonged to whoever owned the rights to their faces and merchandise.

They had an owner. Who never came back unless it was for this crap around them. They were things to whoever this was. They'd been locked away, and key tossed to the side-

Roxy huffed, beyond angry that she couldn't find an answer to their conundrum. For now, sticking with the short term was easier to focus on: Get Cassie food. Keep Cassie safe and warm. Find a way to get Cassie medical help. Stay with Cassie. Assemble friends with Cassie.

She is our world now. And I refuse to let that change.

As she headed past the salon, refusing the temptation to find herself a mirror she hadn't smashed, she sniffed and chuffed; her sense of smell once again restored to what it once was thanks to her repaired muzzle. This place RANK of vile, past-expired filth- and it clogged her nostrils more often than not. Growing increasingly frustrated, Roxy meandered on to the spectator stands and moved to the dark region behind them- where the vending machines were.

They were gone, except for a couple... and their doors were wide open. Roxy sputtered a curse when she noticed the food racks in them were also empty. She growled, snapped her teeth, then PUNCHED one of the doors in- and thankfully, Freddy's chassis held despite the force exerted. She moved past them, noticing some forklifts lying around too- she heard construction go on here and there in the distance- and there HAD been people here. How come the Glamrocks went so blatantly ignored?

Now her own raceway was pissing her off MORE.

She snuffled around; eventually finding where the rest of the vending machines went: They hadn't been far away- but they too were emptied out of whatever change had been in them, as well as most beverages. Roxanne however found herself smiling a bit more easily when she saw a few scant cans of soda- not too many, but enough for Cassie to get by on until they figured something out.

She bent and grabbed a fizzy faz; the sour-lime flavor with Monty's face on it. She eyed the gator's perky mug, her ears lowering as she recalled Cassie's portent regarding him. This will no doubt take time for her to absorb- but after Bonnie's disappearing act, one can't say the eventuality of nonfunctionally was an intimidating factor to her anymore. She'd welcome it in some cases- and if she didn't have Cassie to worry about, she'd probably would've asked Eclipse to shut her down for good. It was an intrusive and morbid thought.

Tangent aside, she bit into the soda with her teeth- opening the can and not hearing much fizzing or bubbling. Likely flat, but it didn't smell or taste moldy as the soda spilled some droplets into her muzzle. It'll do. She threw the opened can away and gathered up the rest of the flavors around her; opening her chest cavity and very CAREFULLY placing them inside. She didn't need to walk around and shake them up- even though they've lost their bubbling punch.

Now to find Chica.

She walked slowly around; retracing her steps back to the salon and sniffing again for Chica's more distinct aroma. The chicken smelled like, well, what you'd expect out of a Chica: She just straight smelled like Pizza 99% of the time. The rest was a fresh buff from getting cleaned up- or it was replaced by the smell of garbage. Its likely in this case, Roxanne suspected she'd smell more or less the latter. Chica had been allowed to run rampant in this place for uncounted MONTHS- no doubt she's a food-caked WRECK. Frankly, Roxy wasn't sure how prepared she'll be to see her.

"Bathrooms. Bathrooms..." Roxanne muttered as she went.

She sniffed- and sure enough, there was an OLD garbage smell floating around. Granted, there was plenty of turned-over waste baskets and the like around, but this scent was different. Like wet garbage in various stages of decay that's been hovering around some places.

Believing it to be correct, she floated towards the bathrooms and opened the doors- just to find nothing in them. In one such bathroom though, she did find what looked like a single hand print smeared in cheese across the wall. That was more recent, by the smell of it. Chica HAD been here, but it looked like she stumbled- and yes, literally stumbled- on.

"Oh no..." Roxy followed the grody trail for a short while; noticing at several intervals it appeared the chicken had crashed into a variety of things. It appeared Chica's mental state wasn't stable by any means. Its like she was finding path-finding to be impossible- that or visibility.

The fuck did Gregory DO to her? What'd she do to herself?

Her trail went cold once Roxy paused over an immense trench: This hole in the ground was wide across the area; as if something had drilled into the foundation itself at some point after the PizzaPlex closed. Whatever caused this surfaced briefly, then tunneled back into the earth- and sadly Chica had fallen into it at some point between 2 to 4 hours ago. Moldy cheese permeated the churned up pile of dirt on the ground.

Roxy jumped down- though her internal maps say she's going out-of-bounds. She sniffed and lit up her LED eyes; then noticed the tunnel dipped, turned, and swayed at unpredictable times in ANY direction. And it wasn't singular... there was a couple other tunnels that lead into this one. A whole other system of secret paths had yawned into life inside the PizzaPlex ever since its closing- and now, she was starting to wonder.

Roxy frowned. She recalled a while back some kind of enormous tremor had taken hold of the place; then, a notification from the main server saying the PizzaPlex was going to close down for a short while for repairs due to some kind of earthquake. But that notification had been the last time she got any contact from the main server. Now while earthquakes aren't unusual in Hurricane Utah, she still wondered if that's the sole reason this place closed.

The tunnels are far to deliberate to be any stupid earthquake.

The wolf bent onto all fours; crawling around and growling to herself as she went. Ignoring her warning on her Hud about walking outside of the PizzaPlex service area, she went on. Her ears were her best friend here; the wolf listening more often than not. Chica STANK, but the scent of this churned earth was something else. She couldn't identify it too well, sadly- seeing as her olfactory capabilities where limited to what she'd been programmed to know and what she's experienced here first-hand.

She wanted to call out, but a nasty part of wondered if she'd get an answer from not just Chica. For that reason, she pressed on in silence. Her saunter was deafened by soil but her paws still produced the occasional tak tak once rock and churned foundation was met. She winced when certain noises got a bit too loud.

Now the tunnel branches. She paused here, taking a moment to smell around-

"Krrrshhhhh- C-Caaaah-sssie!"

The wolf froze; ducking low to the ground and letting her ears and nose tell her what her eyes couldn't: The noise had come from the tunnel ot her left- and thankfully, no Chica in that direction. But then- That was Gregory's voice! Although, it took Roxy a second to realize that it didn't sound quite like him. The static and slurring was evident enough, let alone the obscene origin of it. It only told her one thing:

That that Mimic thing found a way up out of the depths.

She slowly craned her head towards the tunnel she heard it from. She can't see a blasted thing, dammit! Her LED eye lights were fine and dandy, but she didn't want to give away her location. So she shut them down, sidled away, and listened while remaining on her belly.

Tak tak tak tak.

Its gait was swift sounding, but it still took time to arrive. The whir of servos and rusty brackets attempting to force torque into its joints was evident; creaking and grinding as indicative of needing a good oiling. This Mimic thing definitely needed a lot of maintenance, and no doubt it was weak. However, Roxy wasn't sure if she can take it down alone if she hadn't succeeded the first time. It was obscenely resilient- after all, its been down here for gods know how long and can still WALK. She'd need at least one other bot to assist her. As it were, an impatient part of her wondered about jumping it regardless; just to make sure it couldn't lay a hand on Cassie again.

The idea that it wanted to hurt her in any way had Roxy snarling. Her bear talons dug into the damp earth; the wolf's legs pumping energy into its springs- she was ready to lunge and give it her all once again just to make sure it was gone-

But then, a single, whirring Ba-ba-ah-ah-bawk! echoed from down the tunnel behind her.

The Mimic paused, unable to see beyond what its dim reddish-orange eyes can perceive. However, it's no doubt listening. Learning. It didn't move, nor make any hostile motions. It simply listening and waited for some kind of prompt.

This thing... it used sentimentality to get Cassie to free it... it knows how to manipulate emotions. So if it hears a new noise... it needs to learn how to use it against enemies or targets, right? Is that why its not moving? It doesn't know about Chica?

Roxy blinked, then groaned at the fact she just now recalled the fact she was carrying soda around. Fighting that thing was superseded by the fact she had to bring Cassie sustenance- as well as find Chica. It's strange how the Mimic wasn't going towards it immediately. Wasn't it hostile? She supposed it was actually taking the time to learn. THAT was creepy.

She waited again, watched and observed as it moved slowly to its fullest height- as tall at eye level as Bonnie's ear tips went erect. It literally stood taller than any of them, save for the DJ. No, she couldn't fight this thing alone and win and hope to return to Cassie in one piece- this thing's made mince meat of her before. Whose to say it wouldn't be the same now?

Conceding to the fact Cassie and Chica were priority, Roxy pulled a rock up and threw it down the tunnel; drawing its attention away from her spot. The Mimic mumbled and spat static; unable to properly perceive a proper response at first. It muttered, "Gregory?" in Cassie's voice rather flawlessly though, moving to slowly meander towards where the rock landed.

Roxy took the time to flee- not something she'd ever figure herself doing. She tried moving quietly at first, keeping low and slow but not quite walking. She loped; her movements easy and smooth as she kept herself bent double despite being bipedal. Her hands barely hovered above ground; the wolf just inches away from moving on all fours again.

Chica didn't cluck again- to which Roxy was glad for. And, even better, she can smell her now- although... she supposed the smell wasn't THAT great. In fact, she almost gagged; Chica was RANCID. Literally, she was stinking up the tunnel even before Roxy got nearer. How much dumpster diving had she'd been doing?!

Roxy was about to have her answer.

Just as she thought the area started to lighten up, something gave around her heavy feet; causing Roxy to tilt precariously forward- She straightened and tucked her arms in to her body; carefully sliding down on her back towards some other yawing pit. The aroma of garbage galore greeted her; forcing her expression to contort as she slid to an expert stop at the bottom. She didn't get shaken up too much, at least- good. The soda didn't need it.

"Ba- ba-"

Roxy looked up, only to feel her jaws slide open when she took in the sight of the chicken lying on its belly before her:

Okay, so Cassie was right about this one. Chica was worse than herself; literally looking far more zombie-tranced than Eclipse did by a MILE. There wasn't much of her own shell left on her head- and her endo stank of mold to an overwhelming degree. Soda and caked-on food had glued and deteriorated her innards to such an extent- making it look like her endo would give in some spots. She was already missing her left arm as if to cement that- and her body was twitching violently on the ground like some sort of nasty death throe. She couldn't even comprehend that Roxy was standing just a few meters from her FACE!

"Chica! CHICA," Roxy ran and bent over; grazing Freddy's paws alongside the back of her head. No response to touch. Her tactile sensors were likely shot. The wolf placed another hand on Chica's side; turning her over from her position on her belly and onto her side. She looked the ghastly automaton in the eyes- and there, she saw nothing left of her.

Roxy blinked several times fast; then proceeded to look at her personality chip.

And then she started to cry.

Chica's chip reader was a solid box; reinforced and anchored into the endo itself. Its durability was the highest in all the animatronics; as all endo would or could probably be slotted with a fully formed personality chip to make them an actualized individual. And within reason, something so important needed protection.

But in Chica's case, the case was cracked to hell and back like she'd been caught in some kind of high-pressure space; and her chip was displaced in it on top of that. Worse yet, Roxy can clearly see as she shined her LED optics upon it that soda, cheese, and Monty's Mystery Mix had further eroded it- burned the fragile components that studiously held the heart of her being. She had no idea how she got the articles in there when the chip was placed far from their mouths... but Chica was a literal dumpster diver. Anything was possible with her.

Chica, while her body moved (and even then, barely), was essentially gone. There was no coming back from this fully- even if repairs were made to her outside. Even her chip reader was replaceable... but the chip itself? No, not in the least. And even if it could be replaced, she doubted there was anyone here who could do it.

Roxy choked- she didn't know how but, she was choking on the cold air in her compressor. Her jaws parted; voice box whining in static and rolling in groans as if it couldn't figure out how to produce the primal, guttural sob that clawed its way through her. She whined, sobbed, craned her head back; unable to gulp down air to make her compressor work and move her fans. Unable to stop the torrent of heat that rippled through her both physically and emotionally.

There was no describing the noise she made as she lowered her head again. She turned Chica more, meeting whatever remained of the chicken's forehead with her own. She whined and moaned relentlessly; uncaring if the Mimic found its way to her. Nothing it did could compare to what she was feeling now- to the fact that she's now lost not just Freddy, Monty, or perhaps Bonnie forever- but CHICA too.

This. This. This is too cruel.

Who said we deserved this?

The wolf pulled the fragile bot closer; tucking the limp hen into her lap and cradling Chica's cheese-slathered body protectively. She didn't know what to do- to leave here with Chica and hope Cassie can help (not that she thought she could), or to do the worst right here, right now-

To power down Chica for good.

Her invasive thoughts from earlier returned; unbidden. Even with repair, what could they do if they left here? There was no place in the world for them. They belonged no where but the rotten, slimy hellscape their home had become. Chica was literal the physical epitome of that neglect- as well as a victim. How they hell can they even go on like this? Even if they stay with Cassie, for how long could that fly?

There was no permanence.

There was no point.

Roxy's body whined and shuddered; servos warmed and hummed as it attempted to replicate the lament that wracked her. She tried pulling as much of Chica into her embrace as she could; unable to move or think. She rocked back and forth; the motion automatic and outside of her will. She cried into the hen's remaining chest piece; unable to look up again.

There was a switch on every endo's back; a large box containing their cores and sources of power. And inside of each of them, they also had timers that were usually programmed to wake them back up in case of emergencies or certain intervals. These timers allowed them to use rest mode; and even deactivation can be reversed so long as these power boxes weren't touched. Flipping these boxes directly however... it completely rendered the body inert and unable to wake back up again. It ignored the timers- and so long as they remained flipped, the animatronic won't wake up again.

It was here Roxy's- or rather, Freddy's- soft paws found the hen's spine. It slipped easily into the region between the chassis and core; the yellow power box there had a lid that covered the switch; and it can only be undone by lock and key. It was a safety feature so the animatronic doesn't accidentally turn itself off if it got jarred by something. Roxy hesitated on opening it- unable to even pry the lid open so she can get at this switch. And even if she had access to it right from the get-go, she struggled to muster the bravery to do it.

In all actuality, she wasn't sure if Chica CAN be saved. She'd already computed what needed to be done with her- and while yes, one can place Chica's head on a new endo's body and fix it with a new shell, her chip was the biggest reason why she wasn't toting this crooked, broken hen back to Parts and Service right now. She wondered if anything in it was even recoverable? Could her personality be downloaded and transferred into an alternate chip?

No. She was able to answer that immediately: The chip needed to be in salvageable condition in order to transmit her personality as flawlessly as possible. But in the destroyed, food-caked state its in, she doubted Cassie could pull anything of her left from it. And if she did, it'd be fragmented... broken. Was it worth trying just so she can be crushed by the inevitability of it?

No. She couldn't.

Roxy winced and cried anew; but still couldn't make herself do it. There was nothing of the hen they loved LEFT. What the fuck was she supposed to do?

She couldn't leave her down here in this lonely, pitch darkness- That much she knew. She refused to leave Chica here in this crumbling graveyard built of people's wasted food and spoils. If she was to be shut down and put to rest, it should be elsewhere.

Finding herself using that as a crudely made excuse to not perform the deed, Roxy stood and held the hen bridal style. She pondered what she could tell Cassie and Eclipse, but no answer came. She might as well have never found Chica at all.

So she said nothing- instead turning to find a way out of the second basement layer of the PizzaPlex with the dying, glitching bot in tow.