He was one among the many, one among the weary and tortured, broken, weakened creatures with fainting souls inside them. What they called torture devices…At least they didn't hide its true purpose from them. At least they were honest. Not that it made it easier when they forced electrical currents on Chris and others who suffered. Not when they made them let out an internal scream in the silence of their carcasses.
When they weren't experimenting on Chris, they left him in one of the observation chambers. Those were small rooms with some space for him to walk if he had enough control over his mechanical body again, but otherwise, he was free to muse on his own hopeless situation and feel the terror of what was to come later. Stein and Alison were merciless; if they wanted to enact even more pain upon him, they would do so in a heartbeat.
He was not the only torture device in this chamber, however. There were three others who were very similar to Chris. They couldn't talk and were bound to those broken carcasses. They moved their eyes away from their fellow prisoners, and each pretended like the others didn't exist. Chris wondered why it was…Perhaps whoever watched them would force them into more pain if he saw them try and interact? He certainly wouldn't be the one to try it out himself.
All he could do was to sit and place and allow his anger to fester within him. Chris hated himself for being so weak; even after becoming a machine that was much stronger and more resilient to pain, he was still forced onto a single, damned path in his afterlife. The path that will drive him insane, allowing nothing more than an occasional dream about claiming his vengeance and slaughtering his tormentors. There were many people that found themselves on his list, many…Each deserved to suffer for what they did to him and other innocents.
But his musings were soon undercut by seeing someone pass on the other side of the glass…Two men walked past the torture chambers and discussed something, their familiar voices piercing Chris's ears and making his essence ache. After looking at them closely, Chris finally realized who they were. It was Alison, his chief tormentor…And dad. Seeing his father amidst this hellish place made something click in Chris's mind; he always knew that he was with Alison, but to see him play a part like this was still surreal…But he didn't know about Chris's presence. The boy remembered Alison's reluctance to tell Dad; that must have been because he would've protested because he still loved his son and would do anything to protect him…Yes, of course!
"How are the fun times doing, Mr. Afton?"
"Operational, though they would need maintenance soon to keep their mechanisms working to their fullest potential."
"So, my assumption was correct. Good to know."
"Stein also mentioned something about replacing Viridium shards and the new properties that he learned from new experiments."
"Ah, yes, that…"
They were about to move past the chamber without even paying attention, and Chris realized that was his chance. The fires of unending yearning raged within him again, causing the animatronic to jump up as his hands and the entirety of his body violently flailed, defying his metal constraints. The other torture devices took notice immediately, turning towards the suffering child for the first time during his confinement inside this room. Alison and William turned around, too, after the echoes of mechanical running steps reached their ears. Chris rushed to the window and hit it with his full force, desperately trying to break through, even though he knew it was utterly pointless. His carcass remained silent, but his soul screeched in a desperate plea, the one that he prayed would reach his father's mind…William stared right into the pale eyes of the animatronic.
He must have felt the spirit's presence.
…
Working with Lynda proved to be taxing but not as immediately dangerous as Mike expected it to be. After a few days of having to compile evidence, the teenager realized that his thoughts about immediately rushing headstrong into the beast's maw and uncovering all the secrets about Fazbear Inc, Lockjaw, and Mike's father were greatly overblown, but this was for the better. Lynda knew that any action like this requires careful planning and preparation, as well as certainty when it comes to evidence. Mike worked to help her compile it and see what other leads about Fazbear Inc they can follow.
"I think I found something," Mike said, putting some records on Lynda's table. "Another case from 1986, a boy from the streets gone missing near Circus Baby's Pizza World."
"Anything of note?" Lynda asked while still focusing on her own work.
"This is the only one that got that close to becoming an actual controversy," Mike explained. "That guy, Kenny Lilmoth, had quite a few friends among the homeless crowd, and they spoke out, blaming Fazbear Inc."
"Any investigations?"
"They were about to start some, but what I got from the records was that it got stopped pretty damn quickly and abruptly. As if someone had just commanded the police to end this out of the blue, and they obeyed without question. Soon after, a new story got fabricated; some 'witnesses' saw Kenny running away from town, some even saying he intended to commit suicide. No mentions of any of that previously and no hints whatsoever."
"One one for the folder, then. Good work." Lynda said with approval. "A dozen of those cases and someone in the law sphere we can trust will be enough for Fazbear Inc's reputation to receive yet another blow."
"We should be careful when searching. Bairren has a lot of sway over those people, too much for some restaurant chain owner."
"Oh, he's definitely more than just that, and I have a few leads on that, as well, and speaking of them…"
She didn't finish as both Mike and Lynda heard a doorbell ring. At this point, Mike could see visible distress on Lynda's face; the woman decided to approach the door rather carefully and look at who was outside. Is someone from Fazbear Inc spying on them? Another Lockjaw agent? Mike's thoughts about this job being very calm might have been wrong, after all…
But when Lynda looked outside, her disposition changed immediately, and she opened the door with eagerness in her eyes. There was a woman with blonde hair and a young boy that Mike immediately recognized as Charlie on the other side.
"Mom! "His voice brimmed with excitement as the boy rushed into Lynda's arms. The woman was surprised but eventually accepted and returned the embrace.
"Hi, Lynda, it's been a while." The other woman smiled.
"C…Charlie? Diana?" Lynda said in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"
"What do you mean?" Charlie wondered. "You said we could visit you today."
"Oh, yeah, right…" Lynda sighed and spoke with visible awkwardness. "Of course, come in." She was quick to step aside and let the guests in, leaving Mike confused. She didn't mention any guests to him, and it seemed like she herself was very surprised at their appearance.
"Mike?" Charlie looked up at the teenager with surprise.
"Hello…Long time no see." The teenager chuckled and looked away. He usually would've been much more confident in his interactions, but the weight of being the one to kill Chris still forced him down. He would always think about people he talked with knowing about his crime, and Charlie was no exception. Did the boy fear him? There was no telling; Charlie was always good at remaining quite confident, even if he felt doubt or fear at heart. Lynda was quick between them to introduce them to each other.
"Mike, this is Diana, my brother's wife, a lovely woman in all regards."
"Oh please, you flatter me!" Diana smiled. "And this young man is…Sorry, I don't know you, but Charlie seems excited to see you."
"Mike." The teenager said. "I'm helping Lynda around with some work, an apprenticeship of sorts."
"It has to do with my current task," Lynda explained. "We're both very busy most of the time, so I can't say we've prepared for your visit."
"Oh, not to worry." Diana smiled. "You will not catch us being disrespectful guests, right, Charlie."
"Yep!" The boy spoke with excitement.
"Well, that's good." Lynda sighed in relief. "Come to the table, everyone; I'll get it prepared." She went to the kitchen and made a place for all her guests. This was the first time Mike saw her show a softer side in a long while, but he wondered if she was disappointed that others were distracting her from the mission. Mike wasn't sure if he wanted to take a detour himself. After all, there was a lot of work to be done, and his absolution couldn't wait for long. All the time he will spell doing nothing will be the time he would think of Chris and his family…
"So, Charlie, any news? How is school going?" Lynda wondered.
"It's getting better; I've done almost all of my tests."
"Glad to hear it. And the results?" Lynda wondered; Diana was the one to respond.
"He didn't get any results yet, but I dare say Charlie is quite confident. Aren't you?"
"Yeah, they weren't that hard at all. I even helped some of my friends…Well, helped them to revise, I mean."
"You're always doing your best…I wish I was as successful in my field."
"How is your work going, Mom?" Charlie said with intrigue.
"Well, it's alright, but…Sorry, it's still much to do. I wish I could say when I'll be ready to take you back, but it's all very murky for now."
"Take your time; uncleUncle Terry and Diana are very good to me," Charlie reassured her.
"I never expected an opportunity to get to know Charlie so close, but I'm grateful for it!" Diana said with pride. "What a lovely, hard-working boy! And he's getting along with Marc really well." Mike remembered the name; this must have been Charlie's cousin and Lynda's nephew.
"Well, I'm sure you'll tell me all about it." Lynda smiled. "But first, let me get some tea and cookies; I'm sure you two are hungry."
"I certainly wouldn't refuse," Diana reassured her as Lynda walked to get all the necessary food and cutlery. An awkward silence befell on the table while she was away, Mike gathered that Diana had no idea who he was, she never kept up close contact with the Aftons, but the same couldn't be said for Charlie. He must have known much about him.
"Mike…" Charlie looked at the teenager, likely noticing his saddened disposition. Seeing the warmth of a family, especially one that was hurt by the Fazbear Inc business as much as Mike's, made him reminisce about the days when Clara and Chris were alive, and William wasn't bound by whatever insanity kept him at Alison's side. "Are you helping mom?"
"Yeah, kinda."
"Is she doing alright?"
"She…Is determined, for sure."
"And what about the nature of her work?" Diana wondered. "She is very secretive with me and Terry about it, sadly."
"I can't tell, sorry, you'll have to ask her." Mike shook his head before adding a sour joke. "Don't want to break the code of conduct for my 'apprenticeship,' do I?" This made Diana chuckle, though Mike knew she would much rather receive a genuine, direct answer.
"And how is your family, Mike?" Charlie asked the armor-piercing question, which caused Mike to stumble. He looked away in shame, realizing just how awkward he must have looked. "I heard about what happened and…"
"It's…Complicated." Mike sighed, realizing that this wasn't something he would like to speak about in front of strangers.
"People say many things about you but…Surely this all can't be true?" Charlie looked up. "That doesn't make any…"
But he didn't finish, as Lynda quickly returned to the dining room, saving Mike from having his sin unveiled before someone else.
"Here are the cookies and the tea… Let's talk about what we've all been up to."
Mike took a deep breath. He was not supposed to be there, he was out of place, and all he wished for was an opportunity to sit at a table with his family like this once again.
But alas, he will never get this opportunity again.
…
Few words could describe what William felt when he stared into the eyes of the torture device. A rusty, scratched, and frail costume that could hardly be called an animatronic, one of hundreds that Alison kept underground, each with a soul of a human resting inside of it. Some were former criminals and misfits, some were innocents, even children…But in this place, it didn't matter. They were all part of the same hell, and there was no way out for them, a hell that no one deserved, regardless of their past. And now he saw one of those broken souls, desperately trying to push through the window and to break free, expressing their pain with the only language they could in this body, movement.
Its eyes were both lifeless and full of emotion, of purest despair. Its movements as the animatronic hit the wall were too lively, too real, and smooth; they reminded William of a human…He remembered Stein's words about experiments they had been conducting with Viridium and new souls. By the sounds of it, those were even more radical and painful; William could only imagine the endless stimuli they would use to break their wills. This one must have been one of those that suffered and now pleaded for freedom, searching for someone who would oblige.
"Another one got a little upset. What an annoying bunch." Alison came to the window and stood by William's side. "But I'm sure Dr. Stein and his crew will be delighted to have another observation before them, don't you think so, Mr. Afton?"
"I heard enough about how 'delighted' they are, can't say I wish to hear any more." He said with disgust in his voice.
"I wonder who it is on the other side…" Alison chuckled. "A child, an adult? A criminal or a pure soul?"
"You don't know?"
"No, I'm not the one who keeps tracking their numbers; sometimes, without asking Dr. Stein, I am only left to wonder. But perhaps…" Alison's voice grew quieter as he examined the broken animatronic that tried to get out. "Doesn't matter; let us pay no mind to those subjects, Mr. Afton; we have a business to discuss."
"Indeed…" William nodded and turned around, though he still felt uneasy about all of this…There was something about this torture device, something he couldn't wrap his head around, something that drew him to it. Nevertheless, he still left with Alison.
"So, I hope the maintenance question is settled."
"I still think that going back to abductions so soon after Fazbear Inc's reputation was stained is an absurd idea. Not that you'll change your mind." William said in a mocking tone.
"No, I will not. It is necessary to save our business…But let's get to some pressing matters." Alison looked at William with intrigue.
"I heard Michael left your household not so long ago."
"How do you know?" William crossed his arms.
"My agents always deliver me the most detailed of reports; you'd better not underestimate them." Alison chuckled. "May I ask what happened?"
"It isn't your business."
"Everything that happens in your family is my business. I need to know that he isn't a threat and not worth being concerned over. Is it really too much to ask?"
"He…" William took a deep breath. "He left because of us falling out. It was hard for me to live with him under what he has done, to see his face and remember Chris and that day…I wasn't kind to him."
"Oh, so the loving father finally shows a sinister side?" Alison chuckled.
"Think what you want; I don't care. Mike left on his own accord; he never told Elizabeth or me where he just left a note said about starting life anew."
"I see…A smart decision, even though he probably doesn't even realize how much so." Alison chuckled. "It annoys me that my agents can't track him anymore."
"Leave him alone; he has gone through enough."
"If he stays away from our business, so be it," Alison reassured William, though it was hardly enough. "And finally…There is a potential newcomer to our family that I want you to get acquainted with." Alison announced out of the blue, piquing William's curiosity.
"That being?"
"A new night guard for Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. He phoned me some time ago and said he is looking for a job in our company."
"Poor fellow doesn't realize what he's getting into."
"All the better for us; we need skilled and loyal workers, after all. You've been responsible for outside operations recently, and I want you to get back to regular work, so here's something to keep you busy."
"Very well…What is his name?"
"Jeremy Fitzgerald. I'll provide you the contacts."