Moments after Chris got hit with an electric shock, he blacked out; his soul got forced inside the torture device once again, immediately losing what little control he had at that point. All he could hear after that were fragmented words and phrases, echoes of what the guards discussed between themselves. Most of the time, it involved their routine and watching over torture devices. Chris couldn't hear it too well, not in this state, but there still were some words that he caught…

"And what are we supposed to do with this rust bucket?"

"Just keep it chained somewhere till Doc has more time."

"I am supposed to help change Viridium in the Funtime ones; I ain't leaving this thing alone."

"Wait, they brought them here?"

"Seriously, you didn't know?"

"Just…Just take it to the chamber with us, put it in one of the cells, even if it wakes up, no much it can do there."

"Fine, guess you're right…Wouldn't it be nice if Doc actually arrived on time?"

It took a while before Chris could open his eyes, but eventually, the shreds of control over the metal body returned to him. The boy did not make any sounds or moves so as to not let himself get detected by them, or else those cruel bullies would force him to sleep again. He was in a cage with a few openings he could gaze through. The two men that brought him here were still outside; they walked around and patrolled while still holding their guns. But this wasn't the most interesting and shocking sight…

He could see a large green pillar at the center of this large chamber. It reminded Chris of some exotic crystals he would see in the movies but never in real life. There were a few openings and holes inside it, with a thick cable attached to each one. They lay on the floor and led to the other side of the room.

"I still don't get how this works."

"Who cares? Let the engineers do that when they come back; it should be pretty soon. Hope they finally take them to that Afton guy bunker after that."

"Come on, aren't you interested in how they are doing this voodoo shit at all? Look at this. This is the closest we can get to actual magic!"

"I talked about this with one of the engineers already; it's not magic. They've just replaced viridium shards inside of those robots with new ones and are now charging it from the central pillar."

"So they could eat more souls?"

"Yeah, something like that…And better not to come too close. I heard of some crazy shit happening when the animatronics were connected to this thing…They can feel some other souls. After all, they must be able to."

Connected? Chris looked to the side and saw them…The four Funtime animatronics are each connected to one of the wires and, therefore, to the pillar. What were they doing with them? Was this viridium the thing that made them stay behind? To become those robots? The thing that killed Lily, that forced her to suffer? And they were preparing those machines for another round of killing right in front of Chris's eyes. They stood still, each of them receiving some kind of energy from the central pillar. Maybe it enhanced their capabilities? Could eat souls, as they said? To know this was intimidating and terrifying at the same time, and yet there was another thought that bloomed in Chris's mind as he mused on their words. What if…This was his chance? The pillar's power must have been stronger than whatever held him inside the suit, after all. An idea emerged in his mind…

Chris clung to his arm and managed to learn some things about his new body and where the circuits were, just enough to make some noise. He tore a few wires away, unleashing a rain of sparks from the animatronic's mechanical limb. Not only were they bright enough, they let out a sharp sound.

"You hear that?" One of the men asked, making Chris realize that now was the time. The boy let go of his body and collapsed on the floor, banging it as if someone dropped a heavy anvil on the ground. "Jesus! Is that the Buckethead?"

"Sounds like it just dropped…I don't know, some kind of malfunction? Go check it out; I'll watch the pillar."

"God, those robots just can't stay still, can't they?!" The guard said with anger in his voice and walked towards the cell. For the first time in months, Chris felt a little giddily, those guards might have seemed strong, but in the end, they were awkward and stupid…Just like Mike and his friends. "Oh, shit, it fell on the floor, the dummy!" The man said after opening the cell door.

"Stop whining and put it back up, then!"

"Fine…" The guard sighed and walked towards Chris, beginning to check on him. "Now, what the hell is your problem…" He spoke to himself, still unable to let go of his annoyance. "I think there's a wire torn here. It was alright the last time I checked…"

"Man, I don't need you reporting on each bloody step you take."

"And you call me whiny after this? I'll have you know…"

Poor fools, entrapped in their argument, just what Chris needed. The boy braced himself and reclaimed control of the torture device, finally moving his eyes toward the guard. The quiet mechanical wheeze this movement let out was enough to distract the man.

"Wait, did that thing just…"

Chris did not allow him to finish. He was quick to plunge his claws right into the weak flesh on the guard's face.

"AAAARGH!"

Before he could even react, Chris squeezed his head, seeing the blood flow and drenching his hair in crimson…He didn't savor it too much; killing them was not the priority. Chris tossed him to the wall while the guard continued to screech in panic.

"What the…" The second guard rushed to the gate and saw the torture device standing tall over his wounded comrade and directing both of its pale eyes toward him. "Stand back!" He attempted to shoot, but his nerves got the better of him, and the electric charge that the guard launched missed the mark, thus allowing Chris to make another move. The animatronic rushed out of his cage, pushing the guard aside with his metal arms. He couldn't make any sounds, but Chris's soul screamed in delight at the thought that he might finally get a chance to separate from this gruesome body.

Viridium Pillar was just before him, his prize to claim.

"Die, bitch!" The guard shouted and shot again. This time some of the charges hit Chris's arm, making him lose control of it. As if it got snatched from him in an instant, torn apart without leaving anything except a clotting wound. But it did not matter anymore, not when Chris could finally take another step towards freedom.

He put his iron hand on the pillar. He felt its call…He felt the essence that served as a tying fabric between his soul and the torture device grow fainter, for it was just a small drop in the large ocean that was this pillar. Its energy was unbound, and its might clung to Chris's soul, trying to drag him inside. He wanted to scream, but the boy felt like he was stuck between two powerful beings pulling him apart, each wrestling for control over the child. Yet eventually, the more powerful being won.

The two guards stood up, showering the torture device with electric blasts, but Chris didn't feel anything. No pain, no loss of control, nothing…The might of Viridium absorbed him, immediately forcing Chris to feel the powerful drain coming from the four cables. Each wanted a piece of his soul; each was desperate to gain it…All Chris could do was submit to its flow, the flow that tore him apart.

"Is it…Is that freak down?"

"I think so…Not making any moves."

"Get it back to the cage quickly; Doc will have our heads if he finds out it nearly killed us!"

They thought they had contained him…But in truth, at this very moment, Chris watched them drag the empty device back to its cell through the eyes of all Funtime animatronics, yet none at the same time.

…

Mike feared that something like this would happen, but when the worker finally cracked and began spilling the truth, the teenager hoped that at least this would be over quickly. Alas, those hopes got shattered when three armed guards blocked the exit and pinned him and Lynda down.

"Criminal scum…" One of them said with disgust. "Raise your arms and put them behind your back, now!"

"Eh…" Mike turned towards Lynda. "You have a plan B or something?"

"I…" Lynda hesitated, but only for a moment. She looked towards the worker, that still stood on his knees. Before he could move or realize what happened at all, she grabbed his neck and put her gun to his skull.

"H…Hey, what are you doing?!" He shouted, but Lynda ignored it and focused on the guards.

"If you take another step…I'll shoot his brains out! If you don't want that to happen, drop your weapons."

The guards paused, looking at each other as if unsure what to do. Mike felt his heart beating quickly. He could only hope this would work.

"Are we doing it?" One of the guards asked the one who stood in front of all others.

"Yes, we have to. Open fire."

That was not the answer they hoped for. The shots were fired. Thankfully, Lynda was able to jump away and evade the hit; the same couldn't be said for their hostage. The bullets pierced his body; he could only let out a few pained grunts before falling to the ground as a bloody puddle emerged beneath him.

"Run!" Lynda pointed to the only remaining escape route, another alley to their right. It was consumed by darkness, yet it was better than attempting to fight armed guards. The men attempted to shoot again, but Mike and Lynda were quick to react and ran behind the wall and into the alley. They didn't see the shots, only heard their piercing noise from behind. Mike didn't see a way out of the alley straight away. They were locked between a few houses, which made this place look like some kind of labyrinth.

"Where are we going to go?"

"Let me think…" Lynda spoke, but the two of them had already heard approaching steps. "Dammit! Come on, we got to run!"

They charged further, having no choice but to think fast. The two could hardly find their way in this labyrinth. Mike regretted that they didn't take a flashlight with them. Lynda led him towards the nearby trash compactor, which they hid behind. Mike could feel the disgusting rotten smell coming from it, but he would have to manage it for now.

"Split up; they must be somewhere here!" The guard's voice echoed from behind. This made matters even more complicated.

"Fuck, this is smart…" Mike sighed.

"Not really; at least we have a better chance of taking them out one by one." Lynda clenched her gun and reassured Mike. "Maybe we can still leave quietly…Come on, follow me."

When the guards left the observation area, Lynda made her move, and Mike rushed after her. He tried to tiptoe and be as quiet as possible, the dreadful sense of being watched did not leave him, but he didn't allow himself to get overtaken by fear. Mike agreed to this, knowing full well what the consequences could be, and he was not retreating from them.

He and Lynda left towards the nearing alley, and much to their dismay, it was just another part of the labyrinth. The exit to well-lit streets was nowhere to be seen. They didn't have too much time…

"Wait, there's someone ahead," Lynda told Mike to halt as both of them heard steps. One of the guards scoured this alley with a flashlight in his hands. He was quick in his moves, clearly trained for some light combat operations…Alison thought it would be necessary for his cronies to go through this training to defend Fazbear Inc secrets, it would seem…

"Hey, here they…" He noticed Lynda and Mike but couldn't say anything else. A loud gunshot echoed in Mike's ears; he caught a bullet piercing the guard's lungs. He fell to the ground and dropped his gun, immediately beginning to wheeze with blood coming out of his mouth while his hands shook and eyes became reddened.

"Jesus, Chris…" Mike whispered. "Did you just kill him?!"

"Yes…"

"Have you ever killed anyone before?"

Lynda didn't answer; instead, she moved towards the guard, who went silent, probably to check whether he was actually dead. Mike stayed behind to guard the exit. He couldn't let go of his feelings of extreme unease.

"You know, we better go somewhere else; they could've heard us…"

"Here they are!"

"Well, fuck…"

Both guards got on their trail, and Mike and Lynda were too far apart, each of them having to adapt to the situation at hand. Lynda rushed to the nearest cover while shooting in the guard's direction. Unfortunately, none of those bullets hit them, but it was enough of a distraction for Mike to find his own cover. There was another alley, the one which led in the opposite direction, but he couldn't reach Lynda without getting caught in the crossfire. Mike dammed his decision to ever get involved in this insane endeavor, but it was too late to rethink now.

The teenager gave in to his instincts and made a run for it.

"Hey, that one is getting away!" One of the guards shouted.

"We go after him, then! He isn't armed, should be an easier target."

"Oh, no, no, no…"

Mike ran and felt his heartbeat get faster with every second. They were right behind him, both of them…Of course, they would choose to prey on a weaker target. They'd probably torture him and force him to give away all he knows about Lynda. And if they unmask him and take him in, his father would know sooner or later…This was a horrifying prospect.

"Think, think…"

Mike whispered to himself as he searched for a way to retreat. The alley labyrinth had no end, and he still remained stranded with the enemy inside. All Mike could do was try and hide behind yet another wall. There was a small opening that led to a dead-end, but at least it allowed him to hide away from them, at least for now…And then Mike realized that he had forced himself into a trap. There was no other way out, but the pathway guards were on.

"Search the area; that brat must be nearby!" The guard shouted the second one obeyed. With each passing second, Mike could feel his chances of getting out of this getting slimmer. If one of them sees him, he will have nothing to counter them with, and they were ruthless enough to actually shoot him.

They remained close to the pathway; there was just no way out of there…Mike's hands shook. He couldn't go there, but what was his alternative? To try and climb the walls of a house? That stood almost no chance of success, he might have been quite athletic, but this was far beyond his skills. If he falls, even if he's lucky enough not to break his back, the sound will be a dead giveaway to the guards.

Mike looked away from the shadows, trying to find another cover in the small alley he secluded himself in. He wondered if there was some opening that he missed and that will serve as an opportunity for him to run, but instead…He noticed movement in the shadows. Something slithering in the dark that was far larger than a human, something that evaded the running flashlights while continuing to peer from the darkness itself. Mike could hear the echo of its steps breaking the grave silence, something stepped on the ground with extreme caution, yet it felt so unnatural…Like an animal that tried to imitate human moves, and it was not a harmless animal. It was a predator. Mike couldn't help but stand in silence and watch this creature dissipating between the darkness of the houses until, finally, its eyes gleamed with pale white light. He was watching Mike, and as the teenager stood in silence, he opened himself up to his enemies.

"Here he is, look!" The guard stood in front of him, shining the flashlight at Mike's eyes and causing him to recoil. The guard pointed his weapon at him, leaving him nowhere to run. He closed his eyes, bracing himself for whatever was to come next… "AAAARGH!" The guard screeched in terror, and Mike heard the loud sound of crushed bones and the desperate yearning for clean air while one was drowning in his own blood. Mike opened his eyes. The man before him lay on the ground with a frozen expression of agony and terror on his face while something else stood behind him. Something taller, something that reeked of rot and decay, something that had its hand colored in dirty crimson color. Mike couldn't run, only watch in silence as a creature ripped directly from a child's nightmares arose before him. Robotic body, a fedora, rusty face, and pale eyes…Is this how Chris felt when looking at the animatronics?

"What he…" Another guard pointed the flashlight at the creature, unveiling it for a split second. There was no doubt in Mike's mind that it was mechanical now, though it still had some parts that were far too natural-looking visible through the cracks…Like a cyborg from movies, but not the cool and inspiring kind Mike was used to. It moved towards the nearby guard and plunged its claws into his neck; he did not even have time to scream before becoming a dead corpse lying in a puddle of blood. All the guards that chased him were dead, yet Mike didn't feel calm at all…Not when this creature stared into his soul. Was this a dream? A nightmare? A twisted reality? Mike could not tell anymore, but he felt sweat dripping from his skin and felt a nudging desire to run.

"Take off your mask." A broken, mechanical voice echoed from the monster. It didn't even move its jaws, and despite sounding distorted and incredibly menacing, those were far from the worst part. The voice was familiar.

"I…I…"

"I just want to see your face." A surprising tone of reassurance that Mike did not expect from the creature, yet it motivated him to obey and slowly move his hands toward the mask. "You were lucky I was tracing someone around here…" The monster said. "You would've been dead otherwise."

"W…Who are…" Mike mumbled under his breath as he took his mask off. His reddened eyes brimmed with fear, yet the teenager still stood tall and would not allow a single tear to fall from his face. When the monster saw him, it took a few steps back.

"M…Mike?"

He didn't know what broke his mind more, the fact that the robot immediately recognized him or that his voice was genuinely surprised, for a moment even sounding human.

"You know me?" The teenager finally forced himself to speak up, but before the monster could answer, he heard someone else's steps. Thankfully, those were human. The monster quickly recoiled at the sound of them.

"Take care, Mike…Take care." The monster said quietly before rushing off to the nearby fence. It was too high for Mike to cross, but the robot was swift and got over it with grace and ease, swiftly dissolving in the shadows and leaving Mike alone. Well, he remained alone for a few moments.

"Oh, here you are!" Lynda spoke up as she noticed Mike. "I was afraid we weren't going to find each other. Where are the…" She didn't finish as her eyes caught the bloodied corpses. "What happened here?"

"I…I was trying to hide from them, and then…Jesus…" Mike took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down and think of what just occurred. "There was some robot monster…A man in a fedora or something like that. He came here from the shadows and killed both of them…He spoke to me, he recognized me…Call me 'Mike.'"

"God…" Lynda froze with her eyes wide open. Finally, pieces of the puzzle started to collide in Mike's mind. "Are you sure?"

"Of course, why would I lie to you?"

"But then this would mean…" Lynda looked down with her fist clenched. "Dammit! It was Lockjaw. It must have been!"

"Fuck…And I didn't even believe he existed a few months ago…"

"And if he recognized you…" Lynda looked down in shame, she couldn't speak, but both she and Mike knew the exact thoughts on her mind at this moment. As if they needed more confirmation as to who was hiding behind the mechanical suit. "We should go, don't want to be seen near those corpses…If no one finds the culprit, they'll probably cover it all up again."

"Yeah, you're right…" Mike said.

"Let's go to my home and plan our next step."

"I think I know what to do."

"Huh?" Lynda wondered, but the idea was already clear in Mike's mind; the course of action had been clear.

"Seems like I'll have to do something just as reckless…" He sighed. The bunker that the worker mentioned was a secluded space in which his father worked, and apparently, he mostly did so alone. This was also where the Funtime animatronics got taken for 'maintenance.' This was where the answers lay, a place where he could find some proof of Fazbear Inc's action without fearing getting caught, especially if he was to get in during the weekend. And there was only one person he could steal from; the one he knew had a number of keycards he kept close to himself. "I'll need to get back home."

…

People who lacked punctuality were on a very long list of things William Afton despised, so he was quite relieved to learn that Jeremy Fitzgerald was not one of them. The man arrived a few minutes before 10 AM and knocked on the office's door.

"Come in," William said, finally taking his eyes away from yet another animatronic design template. When he laid his eyes upon Jeremy, William saw a slim man with somewhat long blonde hair and tanned skin; he was dressed in formal clothing with a jacket and a tie. Not a bad look; William got the sense that he would be an interesting individual to talk to. "Jeremy Fitzgerald?"

"Yeah, that's me." The man responded, immediately letting William notice some peculiar details. The strange familiarity in his voice grew even more persistent. Without the phone to separate them, it became clear that this perception wasn't a mistake on William's part. Perhaps it was a mere coincidence? Many people have similar-sounding voices, after all. What was more important is that he sounded worried and, at times, even avoided eye contact, which didn't go along with how he presented himself on the phone.

"Welcome, then. Take a seat. I'd like to discuss a few things with you."

"Of course." Jeremy nodded and sat in front of William.

"I will forego the introductions of our company's goals and purpose, I talked about those on the phone, and I'm sure you know them by now."

"I do. Safety, security, and as much fun and joy as humanly possible."

"Yes, that's about right…" William sighed, having to drown in irony once again. "If I may, how exactly did you learn about our company? Alison said you were very interested in a position here."

"Talked to some kids who were huge fans of the franchise and decided to look into it."

"Yours."

"No, I don't have any. My friend has a son and daughter; they love coming to your establishments almost every week."

"That is our goal, to grant our customers some…Unforgettable memories." William tried to play the role of a loyal company representative, as complicated as it was.

"I decided that it's the kind of business I want to help flourish, especially when…Well, for the time when I finally have my own children. So, my skills would be pretty much yours." Finally, a confident voice, even if it still occasionally broke. William couldn't allow his personal interest to get in the way of the actual interview.

"And what skills are those, exactly? Sorry if this sounds blunt, but despite all your claims and proven work, I don't see anything that could be called an impressive working record." William said with suspicion.

"I know a thing or two about engineering. Alison said he'd welcome new expertise regarding animatronics."

"That's not the position you're applying to; we have enough engineers for the time being."

"But everyone needs a helping hand once in a while. I am not sure if Alison mentioned it, but I sent him some of my outlines for potential new animatronics, and he was impressed." That would explain why Alison took an interest when William was still there…Did he seek a replacement? Or perhaps an apprentice to William? "Surely it's not that surprising? I may not have the most obvious of track records because I mostly did freelance before deciding to 'settle down,' so to speak." Admittedly, it was quite similar to William's own past; he couldn't blame Jeremy for being the same. There was some positive feedback from clients across the town that Jeremy gave them. It was enough to support his words.

"In a few words, what kind of jobs did you do?"

"Engineering and occasionally robotics. Started out with simply fixing what's broken, then moved on to inventing…It's always been my passion, and I wanted to realize it, one way or another."

"You do understand that this is not the position you are applying to, Jeremy?" William felt obliged to remind him.

"Oh, I'm certain about that." The man reassured him. "It's only a nightguard for now; I'm not attempting to shoot for anything higher than that. But as I'm sure you know, many careers have to start somewhere, often in humble and small places. I mean…This was a position no one wanted, either way…" Jeremy's voice grew quieter, raising William's suspicion a bit more. "Strange, surely people wouldn't be that afraid of the dark," Jeremy said with faint sarcasm in his voice.

"There are certain…Rumors make some people wary of this place at night. Nothing to be concerned about, I assure you." William said calmly yet firmly; after two years, lying became simple. If he could trick his own children, then the unlucky co-workers should pose no problem at all.

"Let me guess…The missing children incident?" Jeremy let out in a rather cold tone, immediately garnering Afton's attention. Now there was no doubt in his mind that he wanted the topic to come up, one way or another. Why? There were a number of theories emerging in William's mind, but he didn't wish to pay them too much heed, not before they finished the interview. Jeremy noticed this silence and stared into William's eyes as if he was waiting for something. Some reaction, some response, something this man desperately wanted to hear…But he will not receive it. They were here for a purpose.

"This is hardly appropriate to bring up now." He said sternly, immediately making Jeremy change his tune.

"Yes, sorry…I was just a little curious. A horrible tragedy, no doubt about that. I heard a lot about the place, even if I don't agree with it…"

"Let's get back to the topic at hand," William spoke confidently, even though something told him this would be far from the last time he heard about this from him.

"Yes…Let's do that."

William would keep it formal for now, but Jeremy's interest was telling him far more than any resume ever would.

Whatever he was looking for, Alison would always watch him.