Author's Note

Hope you enjoy the chapter! There will be another extra chapter this week sometime.

Chapter 94

Old Enemies

Mangle was loving having her voice back. Absolutely delighted. And Hedy was happy for her. Really, she was.

But Mangle also would not shut up.

Ruby had taken to following the fox everywhere as she listened to her with glee. Mangle only had two settings now. She was either as quiet as she used to be. Or she said everything that came to mind.

Everything.

She'd made some creative threats to Puppet that made the bot shudder. She called Toby her sister. She told Chi that she squealed too much. She told Teddy to stop regurgitating the rule book. She conspired with BB to steal their batteries. She yelled at Foxy for being mean to Hedy in the beginning. Then she got delighted when Foxy yelled back that he had a pretty good reason to be hostile. Their yelling match lasted over an hour. She talked for a solid forty-five minutes with Bonnie on the benefits of telling stories through songs. She poked Freddy's nose repeatedly and mimicked the squeak. She asked Chica to play karaoke with her. She spent many disturbing hours whispering with Goldy about all the gossip they'd gathered over time, giggling and glancing at the other bots which definitely made them uncomfortable.

Ruby naturally just encouraged the fox's new lack of any kind of tact, loving her blunt way of approaching things.

So, yes, Hedy loved Mangle.

But she was still going to hide in a room that was rarely used as the bot got into a rather venomous argument with the ghost kids, specifically Felix. Apparently the bot had developed an acidic tongue while mute.

The mechanic sighed as the yelling in the distance increased in volume again.

"So you fixed pinky's voice huh?" a familiar voice drawled, making her tense.

Hedy thought a moment before turning the page of the manual for the generator she was reading and answered. "Yep." She spoke coldly, but she had no fear in her voice, unlike back when the man was possessing Spring and taunting her. Didn't mean she wasn't still tense.

"Still think you have a chance of fixing old Springy?" he sneered, moving a little closer.

"I'm confident," Hedy said, looking at Michael warningly.

If he was disturbed by her lack of fearful reaction he didn't show just yet.

He scowled. "Don't know why you're wasting your time. That old pile of scrap is dead."

"Excuse me if I don't take your word for it," Hedy said overly sweetly.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "You're awfully confident all of a sudden girlie. Taking after little Ruby?"

"A near-death experience and realizing just how pathetic you really are tends to do that," Hedy said.

"Excuse me?" he growled, taking a step closer.

She looked unimpressed. "You're pathetic, Michael. Pathetic and a coward."

"You weren't saying the same thing when I buried a pipe in your chest."

Hedy smiled at him and snapped her book closed. Her eyes glinted as she spoke. "You get off on killing children and disabled people. It's almost funny if it weren't so pathetic and sad. I'd say I pitied any girl you could manage but I can't picture many women giving you the time of day much less night."

He glared at her. "You were barely able to speak to me when I was in Spring. Suddenly you've got the confidence to mock me once I'm a ghost? I'd say that's pathetic."

Hedy shrugged. "I was scared of you. I know what you can do to others, and maybe I'm still a little afraid of that. It's natural. Scared of you, however?" She laughed. "I see you for what you are now."

"And what is that?" he demanded, stalking closer.

Her smile didn't waver, but it looked strained as she considered if she should say it.

"Not worth it," she decided.

"Excuse me?" he snapped, looking enraged.

Her smile wavered now with a hint of anger dampened with something else. Sadness, to Michael's shock.

"You're not worth it," she said, her voice evening out and lowering in volume. "You're not worth my fear. Or anger. Maybe not even my pity."

He huffed. "This attempt at being brave is cute Wiggy. But I know the truth. I am your nightmares."

Hedy shrugged at his misplaced arrogance, a little amused by it. "You used to be."

He growled. "You're actually trying to claim that you're not afraid of me Wiggy?"

Hedy sighed and went back to her book with a dismissive shrug. She'd rather leave him to drown, scrambling for some purchase in that pained corner of her soul. She was tired of letting him have any control over her and feeding off her emotions.

Let him starve.

He snarled again but abruptly disappeared when the door slammed open and Ruby walked in.

"Mangle is amazing," the teen declared. "Toby doesn't want to talk to her anymore. That fox has a hell of a sharp tongue. Am I a bad influence?"

Hedy stared at the space Michael previously occupied as she answered. "The answer is always yes, but a lot of that is still definitely Mangle." She smiled at Ruby. "I needed a little break from it though."

"I figured," Ruby looked around with a slight frown. "Were the brats here?" She'd always had a sixth sense for the ghosts.

Hedy shook her head. "Michael," she said with a shrug. It was pointless to lie to Ruby about it. "He was looking to stroke his ego again."

Ruby stiffened, anger flooding every inch of her body. She took a breath to calm herself before speaking. "Did the bastard bother you? I've got ways to make ghosts suffer."

Hedy rolled her eyes. "I'm tired of letting him bother me."

Ruby eyed her closely for a moment before accepting the answer. "Want a pepper spray with salt?"

Hedy smiled sweetly. "That might be helpful."

Ruby's smile was much more sharp. "I'll have one by tomorrow."

"Aw, you're so sweet," Hedy teased.

Ruby smirked before leaning against the wall. "Do you think he's planning to bother the bots?"

"Absolutely," Hedy said. "He thinks he's the smartest person in the building, which means he's the dumbest and never learns how much of a bad idea that is.

"I'll dig up my salt based weapons," Ruby nodded.

She glanced at Spring. "How's the repairs going?" she asked, voice softer.

Hedy hesitated. "Slow. Did you contact that guy of yours? There's some parts I can't seem to find anywhere."

Ruby nodded. "He should be here this week."

"Good. No idea how he'd be able to find this stuff." Hedy picked up a list she had written and looked over it. "But hopefully..." She looked at the silent body on the table and resisted the urge to sigh.

Ruby shrugged. "I know people who know people. We'll get the stuff."

"That will never not sound ominous Ruby," Hedy sighed but smiled fondly at the teen.

"I will never not be ominous Hedy," Ruby corrected her with a smirk. "Now gimme the list of mechanical gibberish so I can take a photo and send it to him."

"Mechanical gibberish?"

"I don't understand half of what you say when working."
"You'd need to know at least some of this stuff to be able to make the more complicated weapons you've used." Hedy frowned in confusion as she handed the list over.

Ruby shrugged. "I might have seen them and used them but that doesn't mean I know what it is. It's 'thingamagig' and 'whatchamacallit' and 'dohickey' to me."

Hedy couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out of her mouth. She should get Ruby to try and name her tools one of these days. That could be fun.

The teen pulled her phone out and saluted Hedy with it before wandering out again after taking a photo of the list.

Hedy glanced back at Spring, her smile dropping as she placed a hand over the bandages under her clothing that restricted her already strained breathing. She'd adjust to her lower lung capacity, eventually. It wasn't too drastic of a change. It wasn't like she skated anymore.

She wouldn't let Michael get to her. She'd get Spring to wake up.

If she didn't, Ruby wouldn't forgive herself for losing control that last night...