- Hi, are you busy this evening after six?

- No, not really.

- I want to meet somewhere if you don't mind. I was a bit rash when I left last time.

- How did the meeting with your boss go?

- It was fine. Maybe an amusement park? Have you been there?

- Once, when spying on a suspect.

- Know where the cafe is?

- Yeah.

- I'll be there.

Elizabeth couldn't stay annoyed for long, especially after the boss turned out to be far more understanding than she expected. She spent the night fearing that she would definitely end up fired from the club and have no other choice but to look for a new job, and all of this because of Charlie's investigation, but it ended up being nothing more than some scolding and forbidding her to bring Charlie in the club ever again. After this, Elizabeth was finally able to sigh in relief and think about what to do next.

She still believed that Charlie was too callous, but it didn't give her the right to demean his mission like that. They both had time for a break, and she felt like apologizing and making up. Her brothers wouldn't have forgiven her so easily, but she wasn't able to hold grudges for long.

The amusement part of Hurricane used to be a place she liked to visit to get a fleeting feeling of her past as she would see the childlike wonder of others who came for rollercoasters and Ferris wheels. It was a favored gathering place for countless families to have some fun outside. It's a shame that this wasn't built back when Elizabeth was a child and had a family of her own. Today's children were lucky to have such a wonderful opportunity, and she would look at them from the nearby cafe and listen to their wondrous laughter, see their warm smiles…She wasn't any different to them when she was of their age.

Today, she decided it was a good place to talk with Charlie, and he was willing to meet with her. He arrived exactly at the time she gave him, very uptight and in a perpetual state of hurry, as he always was. The woman couldn't help but chuckle; it wasn't unexpected, but it almost made her feel like she knew the man…

"Hi," Charlie said as he walked towards her table and sat on the opposite side to Elizabeth. "I'm not late, hopefully."

"No, no, you're just in time. I'm not in a rush, anyway." Elizabeth reassured him. "I didn't make an order yet even though I chose a wine. What would you like?"

"Do they have any beer?"

"Yup, just check in the menu."

Eventually, both of them made their choice and called the waiter in to take their orders. After that was out of the way, Elizabeth felt that now was the perfect time to talk, the last thing she wanted was to dance around the topic, Charlie would appreciate a direct approach.

"Sorry for getting all dramatic yesterday. I was just really worried, and that's all." She explained.

"I take it you didn't get fired?"

"Thankfully not. He just gave me a lecture about responsibility and said to never ever bring you in again."

"So he is somewhat reasonable." Charlie chuckled. "I'm happy for you, genuinely, and I have to apologize as well. I acted very hastily without thinking of any consequences, and we both had to deal with them." Those words were earnest; Elizabeth had no doubt about that. So they both realized their mistakes before too long, good.

"I forgive you. You had a good reason for it…It is important to find out as much as possible about our parents."

"I thought about your words too," Charles spoke up. "About past and present… You're right; I've been focusing on my investigation so much that I ended up ignoring everything else that's been happening around me." The detective sighed with sadness and turned his head towards the playful children and joyous parents outside the cafe. "The leads I'm getting are making me a tad too 'excited,' and I'm working on that. Cody is analyzing the leads, and for now, I don't have anything to do…So I thought, what about a short break? You know, try something for myself, relax, have fun and all." For the first time since they met in the park, Elizabeth could hear genuine awkwardness in his voice, and this made her let out a playful giggle.

"From what I've seen of you, I'm honestly not sure if you can relax at all…"

"That's cause you have never seen me drunk." Charlie smiled. "I become the heart of the party in times like those, Cody won't lie."

"Oh god, I can imagine…So, does alcohol actually have that fun effect on someone? When I got drunk, I usually just fell asleep and then couldn't remember anything at all."

"It's important to not overdo it. I learned that the hard way." Charlie smiled.

"Oh boy, that's anything but fun…"

"That's when I decided that the next time I'll try to have fun, I'll try to do so without drinking."

"Good idea, honestly. And you've come to the right place, by the way. When was the last time you were on a Ferris wheel?"

"Never been on one."

"What?! You're missing out, mister! I made sure to take a ride the moment they opened it. It's lovely to see the town from above." Elizabeth said with excitement.

"It probably is, I just never had time."

"Well, what about now, then? You said you wanted to take a break, so…"

…

Elizabeth was surprised to have Charlie agree so easily, but she really shouldn't have been considering his desire to take an earnest break. She was more than happy to show him around, especially considering that the lane to the wheel had been remarkably shorter than most other times; they even managed to have a cabin just for the two of them. This was a good excuse for her to try and reignite her passion for some of those rides, when she tried to do it alone before, Elizabeth ended up thinking about grim things that she really didn't want to think about, which served to kill her mood for the rest of the day. But when she wasn't alone, it was a much warmer feeling; the two of them found a lot to talk about.

"I almost broke a leg there once, but hey, it was for the team," Charlie told a lot about his hobbies outside of the department, which included playing sports like football.

"I didn't think you played sports before, but you know, I think I should've seen it sooner…You have the perfect build for it, muscles and all." She said in a flattering tone, but it was genuine. He was a very handsome man who clearly worked a lot on his appearances. It was a pleasure looking at him.

"Thanks. I've been playing for a couple of years now; it helps me become stronger. When I'm off duty, it's practically either that or watching some movie at home." Charlie chuckled.

"I watch a lot of movies, too, helps to focus my thoughts on something…Not grim, I guess. Which ones do you like?"

"Hm…" Charlie pondered. "Usually those that make me think somehow, thrillers, detectives, elaborate horror sometimes."

"Ew, horror…I hate those. Too creepy and gory." Elizabeth shook her head.

"Not all of them are like that; some are on the psychological side, and they're far more interesting. Help me train the brain muscle, so to speak, helps with the work."

"So everything you do is connected to that investigation, one way or another…" Elizabeth sighed.

"If you put it that way, maybe. But I think it's all for the better; anything that brings me at least a step closer to discovering the truth is a good way to spend time." He was adamant; Elizabeth couldn't deny that she envied this dedication. In his place, she would've given up a long time ago. "And what do you do in your spare time?"

"Used to talk to my friends a lot more, but now I just don't have the energy, so I just…Keep to myself, I guess."

"Sounds lonely."

"It is. I'm taking up some extra psychology classes as well, hope they come in handy by the time I actually start my career."

"Psychology is useful to know when it comes to dealing with criminals. What do you study there? "

"Exploring some concepts in-depth, like the shadow. You know, this part of our psyche is buried in the subconscious due to our refusal to accept it as a part of us… It's a lot to learn about, but hey, at least it's interesting." Elizabeth smiled and looked out of the window once again. The town looked small from up here, even though they weren't even that high. "I want to help, you know, I really do. I'm just not sure if I'm ready to give it as much time and energy as you do."

"You've helped a lot already," Charlie reassured her. "If you didn't tell me about what your father knew, I'd be much further from discovering the truth than what I am now. Hell, I wouldn't even know if the stalker has anything to with Fazbear Inc and Alison, but after talking to Kyle, there's just no doubt left."

"Guess it's a new method of abducting people… Won't be long before they start taking children again," Elizabeth said with disgust in her voice that the thought elicited. "I only wish Father was still here. He would've known…"

"There is something else I wonder about. We know Alison built a network that can ensure effective abductions, but why? I'm still not sure what he would need all of those people for."

"Probably selling organs for money or something; I'm sure there would be a lot of happy customers for that."

"But there should be a reason as to why everyone he captured has been an engineer or a scientist. Maybe Alison needs them for some kind of project? Why not just hire them? I'm sure there are people who would work on most gruesome things if they're paid well enough…" This stream of thought was interrupted by a prompt phone call. When Charlie picked it up, the voice on the other side spoke.

"Hey, am I interrupting anything?"

"Well, depends on how urgent it is…"

"Hello, Cody." Elizabeth smiled and said playfully.

"Oh, hi there, who's…Oh! You're Elizabeth, right?" He said with excitement.

"Yep."

"Charlie told me about you, said it's really nice working together…I should be happy for you, considering how grim the thing you're investigating is."

"Back on topic," Charlie spoke up. "Did you find something about the warehouses?"

"Yeah. There isn't much this time, but it's more than enough. Basically, those warehouses aren't in use now; I'm not sure why your guy said they were, but oh well…There are still however some spare mechanical parts left there; they're mentioned here as "abandoned" and not in any kind of use."

"That's the ones Kyle's friend looked for…"

"Yeah? Well, maybe, not sure what he told you. The thing is, considering they aren't officially a part of Fazbear Inc. or under any other ownership, you can just come in and search them. No one's gonna ask for authorization or anything. There are also some records about people occasionally hanging out there in the evenings and nights…' Looters,' or at least the records say they are.

"Then I think I know where to go later today…Need to have a word with them."

"I'll go with you," Elizabeth spoke up.

"Are you sure? It might be dangerous at night, and if I want to catch those 'looters,' that's when I need to go."

"I am. I don't want to sit back while you're getting close to learning the truth."

"Alright, then… We'll go together."

…

And then, there was light.

"Are we gonna fix that? Who would ever want to see that gross thing walking around the attraction?"

"It's good for the horror element, isn't it?"

Chris only remembered the shock that he suffered the moment he laid his eyes on his father. He knew it was his father. The aura didn't lie; his soul was inside this monstrous hybrid of man and machine, this corpse imprisoned within a phantom of a place where Chris met his humiliating death. He did not know how his father ended up like this, yet seeing him was enough to terrify the boy and open him up to attacks that forced him into darkness.

The next he heard something, he could feel that he was in a different place with a few people hovering above his metal body. They infused his core with newfound energy. He was 'alive' once again.

"This is some complex construction…Might take a while."

"Then let's not waste any time, the boss wouldn't want that."

Those men began to repair him slowly, one part after another. All the traveling clearly took a toll on a body people now called 'Ennard' that Chris possessed. It was a slow process, but Chris was willing to wait. This sense of submission, of inability to change anything that happened around him, gave the boy an opportunity to think. He must have remained offline for quite some time, unable to see or hear anything during this time. It was just a flash in his eyes, but perhaps it had been quite some time since those guards broke him.

"Here, this goes there, and…"

At last, he was restored. Chris had control over his body again, even though those fools thought he was nothing more than an empty endoskeleton, while in truth, they gave him the ability to break free from this prison with incredible ease. But he decided to wait for a while longer and pretend as if he was a lifeless machine. Those engineers talked to each other, discussed what was happening around them, all the news…It was difficult to gather all there was to their talk from small fragments, yet Chris tried his best to listen carefully.

They gave him his vision back, as well, making the animatronic able to scour the room. It was a small, grey place with a couple of windows, something like a workshop. He didn't see any weapons that could hold him back like an electrical charge; this eased the situation for him. He could leave any time he wanted, and he would soon.

"You done with the voicebox?" One of the engineers asked another one who was overshadowing some device, carefully maintaining it. Chris spent some time watching them work and attempt to calibrate it, mostly because it was amusing to watch them struggle with technology that clearly didn't fit the Funtime animatronic remnants he was in.

"It's hard…And not because of the voice box itself, I'm starting to think it doesn't fit with that endoskeleton."

"What do you mean?"

"The construction is different, unique."

"I'm pretty sure all the animatronics are made the same way; this is an animatronic voicebox."

"Not all of them…I heard there were four that had very different endoskeletons, the ones with moving faceplates, remember?"

"Oh…" The engineer sighed. "The ones Afton made?"

"Yeah."

"Explains it then, heard everyone was jealous of him at the old Fazbear Inc."

"Didn't make him happy, apparently…" They still remembered his father, impressive, although Chris wasn't sure whether they realized that he never killed himself and instead went on this mission at the newest restaurant and became one with Spring Bonnie. "So if they won't fit, maybe we should check if there is one in all the stuff they brought over to Fazbear Fright." Fazbear Fright? This was the first time Chris had heard this name. Was this another restaurant? A strange name, if so.

"Nah, that's the only one, I'm pretty sure. They didn't recover anything from funtimes except the masks, so there isn't much hope. Have you checked if it has a voicebox of its own?"

"If it does it's buried very deep within all the wires, couldn't get that deep."

"Hm…Maybe the one from that creepy bunny animatronic?"

"Spring Bonnie? Nah, he was the second one to ever be made, and that was way before funtimes, we're on our own here."

Chris could help but allow his metallic body to shiver the moment he heard the mention of Spring Bonnie; this was tantamount to hearing them mentioning his father's name. He was inside that animatronic, his soul trapped in the same way Chris's was…He had to find him.

"What was that?" One of the engineers shivered, hearing the echoing movement and the sound it made, the other immediately turned around.

"I heard it, too…Wait, did that thing just…I think that thing is lying a bit differently…"

"Well, I didn't move it!" The engineer said nervously.

"I didn't either…"

Chris blew his cover, and at this point, there was no need to hold back. He knew where to go. All he needed was to know where to find it. It was time to wake up.

Before those foolish scientists tried to come closer and check up on him, Chris jumped up from his spot, finally, the power and energy pulsed through him once again.

"WHAT THE…!" One of the engineers screamed and attempted to run towards the door, while the other froze in a state of perpetual horror. Of course, Chris rushed towards the exit, easily outrunning the engineers and letting out a spiteful hiss through his voicebox, causing the man to fall on his back and scream.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

"Shh…" Chris said as he slithered towards him and put one of his metal hands around the engineer's mouth, causing him to go silent and blocking all his attempts to scream. After that, Ennard looked up at the other, and the realization finally began to kick in. Chris could see tears fall from his eyes.

"P…Please…"

"Just listen." He spoke in a mechanical voice, making the engineer recoil. "Yes, I had the correct voicebox all along; you didn't need to do any of this…Now answer my questions, and I promise I won't hurt you. Where is Spring Bonnie?"

He told Chris everything, told him about the new attraction and where it was…When the animatronic knew all he needed, he disappeared into one of the windows, leaving two terrified engineers behind. He wondered if he should kill them, but he couldn't force his hand when it came to innocents. Whatever they would tell their boss wasn't important. He would be long gone by then.

It was time to find his father and get him out.