Author Notes

So...I'm going to the school where I'm doing my practical tomorrow...and ninety percent of the teachers are going to be absent...This isn't going to be fun...

Enjoy the chapter and hopefully I survive to write the next one.

Chapter 36

Hedy's Turn

"Hello Puppet." Hedy greeted coldly when she entered the room.

"Hedy." the Puppet responded, climbing out of his box and closing the lid before smoothly jumping up to sit on top.

Hedy stared at him with narrowed eyes while she rolled up.

The Puppet forced himself to suppress a shudder. Even after Ruby's...display, Hedy's coldness made him just a little uncomfortable. She reminded him of a frozen pond, not that he had ever seen one up close, hard on the surface but there was an unknown danger right underneath.

"Ruby won the other day." Hedy stated, leaning back in her chair while she spoke calmly.

As if they were old friends discussing the weather.

The Puppet glanced toward the prize corner, or rather toward where he had hidden the miniature Puppet after failing to untangle the impromptu noose from around its neck. Couldn't give children something like that after all.

He let out a huff of air and looked back at the mechanic, unconcerned. "I am well aware of this."

"Well are you also 'well aware' of just how awfully your little plan backfired on you?" Hedy asked.

Her voice dripped barely restrained contempt.

"The Toys no longer trust you. They doubt you, Mangle most of all, and everyone hates you."

Puppet glared at her but didn't say anything.

"I'm going to be very clear." Hedy spoke softly. "I am disgusted by you. I am disgusted by anyone who would selfishly hurt people, especially those close to them, just to get what they want as if nothing else matters."

Her voice lowered to an almost growl. "I have seen monsters Marionette. I have seen horrible, terrible things that only evil monsters could do. When I first started this job I thought I would see the same thing. But I never saw monsters in the Toys. Never. No matter how hard I looked. No matter how scared I was of them at first. Even after all they've done, all I saw were children who needed to grow up. Except for you. You were always dark enough inside to scare me, but afterwards I ignored it because the others trusted you. I'm never making that mistake again. You ever pull something like that again with anyone, then shredded cloth and a twisted endoskeleton will be the least of your problems."

They stared at each other for a second.

"Do you think you're threatening, Ms. Hedy?" the Puppet finally spoke with a sneer. "Do you think you can make me fear you? You're not the first to come here with that intention and I doubt you'll be the last, dear. I have seen fear, from all sides, and you are not it mechanic."

Hedy looked at him steadily.

"It's laughable really. All your words are empty promises and shallow threats, when really you use words to hide something that's so glaringly obvious." The Puppet snarled.

"You're weak. Why'd you come with us, hmm? To keep humans from dying? And what have you done? Nothing. The night guard won our little game, for now, while you just sat idly by. You lack something that the night guard has. Something that I have. Conviction. You'll never be willing to do what it takes. Your threats mean nothing."

He leaned forward slightly and growled, "You've seen monsters? If you think I'm a monster than you don't know the meaning of the word you mech-" He was suddenly cut off as Hedy reached up and grabbed him by the cloth on his chest and yanked him down to her eye level.

The Puppet squirmed in surprise but Hedy gripped him tightly.

"There are many differences between Ruby and me, and even more between the two of us. But I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm not a reckless teenager, nor am I a psychopathic robot. What I am at this very moment is a very angry friend of someone you hurt. Badly. Both physically by herself and emotionally along with her friends over the years." Hedy hissed, "Do not test me. Don't you dare. You're lucky that no matter how much I want to rip your eyes out right now, I'm still willing to listen to your side. But this, right now, is the only chance I'm giving you. Tell me why you think your behaviour over the years is acceptable. Why have so many people been hurt?"

"You wouldn't understand." the Puppet hissed as he tried to pry himself out of her grasp.

"Don't give me that," Hedy shook him slightly. "I am done being patient, waiting for you all to tell me on your own time. It's ridiculous. Too many people have been hurt because of this."

The Puppet laughed derisively and tried to scratch her but Hedy caught his wrists, "Ridiculous?! You think my anger is ridiculous? What monsters could you have possibly seen! You don't know anything!"

"Then tell me!" Hedy snapped.

At least it was her voice and not his neck...

There was silence.

It stretched on for so long that Hedy was about to get her tools and dismantle him right there.

Finally the Puppet snarled. "I made a promise."

Hedy just narrowed her eyes and waited for him to continue.

"I promised that they would get justice."

"Who?" Hedy asked.

The Puppet sneered. "You really know nothing. The children."

To Puppet's complete and utter confusion, Hedy suddenly looked conflicted. He was expecting her to immediately ask "what children." No one knew about them anymore after all. The old management had made sure of it, paying off everyone from the employment and the media to the police and the families. But he remembered. The Toys remembered. The others remembered. None of the humans did...

His thoughts trailed off in a confused sputter as her grip on his cloth loosened and her eyes widened slightly.

She blinked and glared at him. "What makes you think that you can punish years of innocent night guards for something that one insane monster did fifteen years ago?"

Hedy's voice had dropped to a furious tremor. "They've been gone for years Puppet. They're never coming back! Killing more people sure as heck isn't going to help."

Hedy roughly pushed him away hard enough for him to fall against his box and turned her head away.

"Don't come near any of the Toys again." she warned coldly.

She turned her chair toward the door.

Puppet stared at her until she was halfway there.

"I take it we've seen the same monster then." He said, testing her but unable to remove the slight shakiness from his voice. "Some things just can't be unseen can they?"

She stopped rolling, her hand still gripping the wheel. After a second, she started moving again.

"You're wrong you know. Revenge will help them." he said.

"They're gone." Hedy said sternly.

"Are they?" the Puppet asked angrily. "Why don't you ask around!?"

"You're insane. And if you think your reasons make you better than that murderer, you're dead wrong." Hedy said.

With that she was gone.

Puppet blinked and leaned against his box for a moment before climbing back in, scowling after her. How dare she compare him to that...that...

….

She couldn't be right…

On her way back to the others, Hedy furiously wiped tears from the corner of her eyes.

She had meant to rail at Puppet like no tomorrow. Lots of cursing. Maybe a few shattered masks and broken pieces of a half-wooden endoskeleton. She even knew where to find a wood chipper. Yet here she was leaving because she didn't want anyone, least of all the one person she hated the most at the moment, to see her cry.

…

What was he talking about anyway?

"Stupid," she muttered stopping her chair and resting her head in her hands. She knew what he said about her being weak wasn't true, logically. One person can't go through something like her life and survive if they're weak. Yet at the same time...

"What have I possibly done?" she mumbled.

She didn't help Ruby. She couldn't help her friends either.

"I haven't done anything. Even Mangle's back to where she started!" she said out loud.

"You're kinda wrong there." Goldy's voice floated down to her.

Hedy jumped a little but groaned and didn't look up. "How long have you been there?"

"Surprised you didn't rip him apart in there." Goldy said, not answering the question.

She really should have just left the mechanic but something was telling at her that she needed to say something. Do something.

Hedy shrugged, "I'll let Mangle have that honour." She moved to continue her way to the main room but stopped when Goldy spoke again after a second.

"Speaking of, what you said? I don't think you understand how much you've helped the Toys. I mean, I still don't like them and they are still jerks but..." Gold floated down just a little closer. "You're good for them. I didn't notice it at first but they are...getting better. And it's definitely not just Ruby kicking their ego down a notch, though that helps. After your moment with Toy Bonnie yesterday, I get the feeling you've been doing that for a while."

"Thanks." Hedy said, somewhat unconvinced.

Goldy nodded hesitantly, "I didn't eavesdrop by the way. But, um, I couldn't help but notice you were...crying. Is there anything I can do?"

Hedy glanced away embarrassed. "I'm okay. Just..."

Goldy nodded. She didn't really trust the mechanic but that was simply because of her job. Other than that? She knew what was probably bothering the young woman.

Hedy looked up at the yellow bear, studying her. "How did you know who I am? No one else recognized me, not even Puppet after working with him this long."

Goldy looked surprised then sheepish. "I've always been good with faces." she mumbled.

"I've aged." Hedy deadpanned.

"Plus you used your last name when you were signing the contract and the manager called you by it before you told him to just call you 'Hedy'."

"You didn't tell anyone." Hedy pointed out.

"I was going to but I wanted to know why you were here first. Then I figured you didn't want anyone to know who you were related to. Everyone still remembers him..."

"...Thank you." Hedy murmured quietly after a moment.

"It's really not my place but I have to ask. Why don't you want anyone to know?"

Hedy sighed. Should she tell her? "At first I never mentioned it because it didn't matter. I was just taking a job. I just wanted to know how much of the stories were true. Then after I got to know the Toys I didn't want them looking at me differently. They would if they knew."

"That simple?" Goldy asked with a slight scoff.

Hedy nodded.

Goldy glanced toward the main room where the faint sounds of a rising argument could be heard.

"We should go."

Hedy gestured for her to lead the way, but suddenly stopped, "Uh. Goldy?"

"Hmm?"

"There's something that's been bothering me..." Hedy tried starting again. "The other day when I stayed in the main room with you all, Freddy mentioned something that got me thinking. I still don't understand. 'You didn't want to but you had to'? You were forced to...? I mean, then Puppet said something that..."

Hedy sighed and quit her rambling. She looked apologetically at Goldy.

"I'm sorry. Just...thinking out loud. Never mind."

Goldy stared at the ground for a minute and Hedy was afraid she had made the suit angry. Goldy wrung her hands as she looked up and opened her mouth. Then Goldy changed her mind and shook her head.

"It's okay. No problem." Her voice was soft and forced.

She teleported away into the room.

Hedy resisted the urge to yank her hair out. What the heck was going on? The originals obviously didn't want to hurt night guards like the Toys did, yet they did. For fifteen years. No one was telling her anything and she had a feeling, based on the way Ruby acted, that she was the only one out of the loop. She at least knew why Puppet had his "conviction" though it still didn't make much sense. Too many secrets.

Heh. As if she could talk.

She moved to follow Goldy but shivered suddenly. She glanced around as she absentmindedly zipped up her jacket. Looked like she had a heating system to check out later.

As she moved into the room a blond ghost child cracked a rare smile behind her.

Of course…she walked into a massive argument that Ruby probably had a hand in starting. As she wheeled through the doorway, Ruby slammed her bat down on Toby's head.

"You mess with my bunny buddy again? I'll tear you to pieces!" she yelled, clearly still under the effects of the pain medication.

Although she would also do that on a normal day too.

Bonnie snickered as Freddy steered her away from the angry Toys.

"Come on Ruby. What happened to resting?" he asked her, sighing in exasperation.

"He's getting on my last nerve Freddy." She growled.

Hedy rested her chin in her hand, watching the scene. Things were probably going to be interesting from now on…

Author Notes

Hope you enjoyed and thanks to Corona Pax for the help with Hedy once again. :)