Instead of complying with her demand, Freddy surged forward and wrapped his bandmate in a hug, making Roxy freeze in surprise. Sure, Freddy was one of the more affectionate animatronics, but usually, he waited for others to say they wanted a hug before giving them one.
"I'm so happy you're back Roxy," Freddy said, still clinging to the wolf. "I was so worried when I learned there was a virus affecting you and the others…"
"Virus..?" Roxy questioned in confusion before stiffing up as memories flooded her mind. "Oh, Faz… I was ordered to… I nearly… Oh, Faz…"
"But you didn't Roxy," Freddy assured, releasing the hug only so he could look his distressed friend in the eye. "You haven't hurt anyone… scared Gregory maybe, but we were able to stop you before you could hurt anyone."
"I wasn't scared," Gregory instinctively denied, making Dipper and Mike hastily smother their laughter. Hearing Gregory speak instantly snapped Roxy's attention to him, her ears flattening as she looked at the child in guilt.
"Kid… I'm so sorry…" Roxy said quietly, looking down in shame. "I swear I didn't mean all those cruel things I was saying as I searched for you. It wasn't me! Not really…"
"It's fine, I believe you," Gregory waved away her apologies. "It was the jerk possessing you making you crazy and we got rid of him now so it's fine."
Normally Gregory wouldn't be that forgiving to someone trying to hurt him, but seeing the shifts in personality in Moon and now Roxy demonstrated how much the virus was warping the animatronics' programming. Then there was also the obvious relief and happiness Freddy displayed at having his friends returned to normal and Gregory couldn't help but feel happy for the bear. Thankfully the combination of Gregory's assurances and Roxy's own pride meant she didn't feel the need to keep apologizing.
"So now that Roxy's awake, what's the next step?" Dipper asked twirling his magnet gun. "Are we going to go after Chica?"
"She's the next animatronic we want to free, but first we wanted to get Gregory another means to defend himself," Mike reminded. "So first we need to get the party pass from Chica's green room."
"On it!" Gregory declared, immediately climbing into the vent with Helpy before any of the others could stop him.
"Kid get back here!" Mike demanded from the opening. Unfortunately, this vent was just a bit too small for an adult to squeeze through so Mike couldn't go after him. "I swear he's just as bad as you were Dipper."
"Until he summons the undead to prove a point or starts making deals with demons, I'd say he's doing better than I was," Dipper replied with a shrug. "And I was only a little older than he is too. Besides, with all of us looking out for him, he's already a lot safer than some of my adventures were."
"Dipper, I've been on most of those adventures with you," Mike threw his brother a scowl. "So that is not nearly as reassuring as you seem to think it should be. I know how dangerous some of the things we came across were."
"And we've only gotten more skilled one the years," Dipper reminded with a smug grin. "Besides, Gregory has already shown he knows how to move undetected, just trust him to do this and we'll be ready in case things go south."
"Gregory knows to call us if he needs us," Freddy added. "And he is quite clever. I have faith in his abilities."
"The kid did manage to outmaneuver me in the others so far," Roxy reluctantly reminded. Though she was glad she never actually caught the kid, there was still a small part of her that couldn't help but feel embarrassed by being outsmarted by a child. "He'll be fine doing a quick trip through the vents."
"Fine! You win!" Mike huffed, throwing his hands up in the air before sinking back on the couch. "I'll be patient."
That declaration didn't stop him from immediately checking the cameras for anything amiss. Fortunately, nothing seemed to have happened as Gregory returned a few minutes later, grinning triumphantly with the party pass in his grip.
"Got it!" Gregory said, showing off the pass. "Now where to?"
"Well, that depends," Mike began. "Do you want to do laser tagging or mini golf?"
"What kind of question is that?" Dipper scoffed. "Clearly laser tag is superior."
"Look, not everyone is as obsessed with laser tag as our family is," Mike reminded. "Gregory might prefer mini golf like Mabel."
"No, Dipper's right laser tag is so much better than mini golf," Gregory replied with a knowing nod. "Mini golf is for nerds."
"If that we're true Dipper would be all over mini golf as he's the biggest nerd I know," Mike grinned, getting an eye roll from Dipper but the man didn't deny it. "Anyway, we should head out. Freddy, Roxy, and Moon, you three should head out and act like you're still on patrol for us. It'll be easier for just the three of us to sneak into Fazer Blast as a smaller group and you guys will be able to keep an eye on the others for us. Message us if they do anything suspicious or start heading our way."
"Of course Mike," Freddy readily agreed with a smile. "Please be safe as you travel."
"No one will be able to escape my sight," Roxy bragged, puffing up her chest.
"We'll keep a sharp eye out," Moon promised a determined gleam in his eye.
With the barest ideas of a plan, they all left Roxy's room and went their separate ways. The two Pines and one soon-to-be Pines made their way slowly and carefully through the main atrium towards the Fazer Blast area, slipping under the metal divider.
"Ah, Fazer Blast. The sport of kings!" Freddy commented through Gregory's watch as they made their way further in. "You will need to win the game in order to receive your very own Fazerblaster. Good luck!"
"Don't need luck, I've got skill," Gregory replied smugly.
"Not as much as me and my sister," Dipper replied proudly. "Are skills are great enough that we were able to win a time wish in a gladiatorial battle to the death."
"It's better not to get him started," Mike advised before Gregory could ask what Dipper was talking about. "Anyway, before we head in, we should make a quick detour to the security office back here. It isn't as heavily guarded and it'll be a good chance to upgrade our access."
The other two agreed and followed Mike down the side hallway. It was easy enough to find the office and Mike wasted no time in getting the badge from the Freddy head. Gregory looked around the office for anything else useful while Mike was doing that and found a bowling pass.
"What amazing luck! You got an annual Bonnie Bowl unlimited pass! Free bowling for a whole year!" Freddy congratulated Gregory before switching to the automatic disclaimer. "Mega Pizzaplex entry not included, shoe and ball rental fees still apply."
"I think I'm beginning to see why you're so eager to burn these places to the ground," Dipper commented after hearing that, getting a snort from Mike.
"Yeah, the company is full of greedy cheapskates," Mike nodded as they left the office. "But the pass will help get what we need to lure Chica."
Retrieving the security badge did attract the attention of one of the nearby staff bots, but Gregory happily shocked it with his taser and Mike used his claws to slice the stunned robot's head off. Making sure the destroyed robot was tucked out of sight, the group finally entered Fazer Blast. They ignored the staff bot that was reciting the instructions and went straight for the area where they put on their helmets and blasters.
"Didn't that bot's disclaimer say that shooting the blaster in the eyes could potentially cause blindness?" Dipper questioned as he examined the helmet.
"Yep," Mike confirmed, popping the 'p'.
"But these helmets are the only sensors to register being hit…" Dipper went on with a frown. "Meaning players have no choice but to aim for the head…"
"And this is why the Fazbear company has some of the best lawyers in the country," Mike deadpanned.
"This place can go up in flames fast enough," Dipper concluded, reluctantly putting the helmet on.
"You sure we can't burn it down now?" Gregory asked, enjoying the mental image of this place as a smoldering ash pit.
"Unfortunately not until we know we'll actually be able to escape," Mike sighed in disappointment, before smiling at Gregory. "In the meantime, let's get you that Fazerblaster."
"Right," Gregory agreed, unable to help but feel excited about playing this game. He couldn't help how his eyes widened in amazement as they finally entered the arena, "Whoa…"
"Yeah it's pretty cool," Mike agreed, before leading the group to the right. "One of the bases we need to capture is this way."
With the three of them working together, it was easy to keep the base secure. Dipper was unsurprisingly a crack shot and Mike was too bad himself. Gregory was pretty skilled for a child, but there was no denying how much better the adults were. But it was fun for Gregory to see the two of them pull off some crazy good shots, especially as they stopped taking it seriously and just having fun. They even taught Gregory some cool tricks and they were all laughing by the time they won the game.
"Well done Superstar!" Freddy congratulated through the Fazwatch once he heard the news. "You won the Fazerblaster! Now, go collect your prize from the Superstar lounge!"
"That was awesome!" Gregory cheered as he and the adults dropped their Fazer Blast gear in the provided bin. "Let's do that again!"
"Can't do that right now," Mike laughed, ruffling Gregory's hair. "But we'll defiantly go again another time, preferably in a place without killer animatronics. And we can have the others join us as well. I know Soos never passes up a game of laser tag with the family."
Gregory froze for a moment at those words, staring up a Mike who had turned to respond to something Dipper had said. It… sounded like the other two were planning to not only help him escape but to have him go back with them to the rest of their family. Gregory felt hope try and swell up in him, but he ruthlessly stamped it down. He had been hurt too much to let himself believe something nice like that could happen to him.
But Mike had said it so easily… like it was just a fact of life that Gregory would still be around to go play laser tag games with him and the rest of the Pines family. Gregory shook his head to clear his thoughts, shoving those budding dreams aside. He'd think about what came after this whole mess once they survived.
Oblivious to Gregory's thoughts, the group made their way to the superstar lounge and Gregory claimed his prize. As Mike and Dipper discussed their next steps, Gregory noticed a nearby vent was opened. Curious, Gregory went over to it, noticing how, unlike the other vents he had gone through, this one seemed to have crawled through recently.
"You better not be thinking of taking off again," Mike warned, using frustration to hide his worry.
"I wasn't, but I think someone's been using this vent to get somewhere," Gregory replied, pointing at the vent.
"I think you're right," Dipper said, crouching down to study the vent. "Should we check it out?"
"Probably, but carefully," Mike concluded, crouching down as well. "If someone's using a vent for something, it's probably meant to be a secret and they might have taken precautions. Gregory, you will be in the middle this time."
Gregory easily agreed as he gained enough trust in the brothers to take comfort in being shielded by them. Luckily nothing attacked them this time as they made their way through the vent and they came up onto the catwalks without any issue. Looking around it didn't take them long to find a room that looked lived in with the word "Vanny" painted on the far wall.