FNAF Security Breach: Whistleblower

by FrostByterFang

Sequel to Ruination. Takes place 2 years after the fall and collapse of the mega PizzaPlex. Luis' free runs into the supply depot finally catches up to him in the worst way possible: Bringing about a series of consequences that could bring trouble to the bots and the rest of the family. Vanessa meanwhile decides to orchestrate a rescue operation to save him. Full summary inside.

16. A Ghost's Touch

CASSIE

She couldn't stop crying.

Watching Chica and Bonnie struggle like that- she never thought she had to deal with it again. To watch her friends and family getting torn apart while she had to hide away like some baby under their sheets, waiting for the monster in the closet to go away. To not be able to do something to help remove the threat from her adoptive guardians; no thanks to WEATHER and sheer fright.

Gregory had wanted to turn around and help, but the taser wouldn't have done much more good than harm; seeing as the bots were all closely engaged and it would've electrocuted them as well as the enemies. Chica couldn't get free, and Bonnie was too frenzied to think about using the kids' tasers to stun the bear. Not to mention, he wouldn't want them throwing in; especially considering the near perfect whiteout they had to endure.

Cassie was now standing in the garage with the majority of the family; watching Vanessa and Luis as they (respectively) bent over Chica and Bonnie. Freddy and Roxy were assisting as well, while the others dithered about around the doorway leading back into the house proper or standing nearby as if wanting to help- not that they could at the moment. Bonnie was alright, just messy and scratched up. His limbs were slightly squashed too from getting briefly held paw-to-paw with the polar bot, and his fleece was torn in several places; giving him a filthy, raggedy look. Again, he was okay, but he definitely needed to be deep cleaned again and several dents popped out.

Chica however... this was where the majority of Cassie's tears came from.

The hen was an absolute mess, to put it mildly. Her motor was torn and in desperate need of replacement pieces, her coolant tank was empty and had huge gashes in it, and all of her feather pelt had to be removed (seeing as it was ruined and had holes EVERYWHERE. Roxy would have to fix it later). Her head was also slightly warped; thanks to Foxy's pressurized bite. Chica would require a lot of TLC and a few days worth of repairs at least.

Despite the hen's raving paranoia about the chances of getting caught in a compactor again and insisting on an upgrade to help brace herself against it, the judgement had been sound. The metallic, stainless steel shard in her arm had saved her life in the end. It slipped out like a hidden knife; and it's heavy with other reinforced materials to help withstand higher pressures. The shard of metal was expensive to get a hold of; seeing as it too was made with trace amounts of chromium and getting it made and sent here took a while. Vanessa had to put in a requisition order for it after Chica suggested it.

"If I ever had a food meltdown again and threw myself into ANOTHER compactor, somehow," she had said all that time ago. "-I'd like to be able to get myself out of the situation. And I'd feel better having it than not... especially since there's no telling what kinda facilities we could get stuck in in this huge world outside the PizzaPlex."

Cassie hung her head as she recalled this, fidgeting with her balled fists and infinitely glad Chica had made such a ludicrous request. It was so random to ask for such a specific feature like a bar of metal that can fend off thousands of pounds of pressure, but here it was; the only reason why the hen wasn't being totally rebuilt from the ground-up like she'd been back at the PizzaPlex. Foxy's jaws would've crushed her head in, and killed her. Chica's source of self (as well as the other bots, you can say) was ALL in their heads; their personality chips, primary battery, their processors, which acted as a brain...

Well, its fair to say Chica would be taking a LOT longer to repair, had she not had this silly upgrade meant to act as a stand-in to some sort of strength augmentation. Its not like Vanessa had too many personality chips lying around, and spare parts like processors and brain modules aren't common to find even when Luis went to the depot for the components. In fact, they literally only had a couple of these pieces lying around; and even if they had the bot's consciousness backed up inside of a private terminal upstairs, the bot still would've essentially died.

Chica didn't need to die a second time- or a third... Cassie lost count if you consider Chica had a tendency to jumpstart herself after 'passing'. No telling how many deaths or false deaths she's really licked and even she cannot recall. Its bad enough Chica seemed rather prone to danger and she's going to therapy just for dying the one time she can somewhat remember.

Meanwhile, the girl found herself trying her best to be more helpful in-between bouts of silent tears; handing Vanessa her tools while Gregory was seen helping M.X.E.S with something on the computer nearby. He was running programming variables and certain repair routines; having the armature run through Chica's form and bump out the dents in her chassis and get at her endo beneath. Cassie herself helped with hardware a bit more hands-on than that; helping Vanessa get places the armature cannot quite run the repair.

Roxy stopped her once, the wolf grabbing her and pulling her in for a surprise hug. Cassie hiccupped against her, the wolf's talons rubbing at her shoulders soothingly. Vanessa looked up from her bent position over Chica's motor, watching them and reaching out for her small hand after taking the tool away. Cassie appreciated the show of affection from both of them; and as it were, she considered them both her mom, funnily enough. Vanessa was legally her adopted mother and all, but Roxy asserted herself in a way that showed she wanted to somewhat take up a similar guiding mantle. It was evident in the way they both treated her; and the girl certainly did not fight the hold whenever either or got a hold of her.

Roxy lowered her head down and nosed her scalp; more a canid-based trait than anything but also a show of familiarizing herself with Cassie's smell for the millionth time. Sometimes the noises she made surprised Cassie; things she's never heard before at the PizzaPlex. For instance, Roxy even squeaked once. SQUEAKED! Who knew wolves squeaked to refer to younger ones? She never did it more than once though; and the instance it happened was after she'd been worried about Cassie's welfare when she was sick.

Vanessa held her hand for another minute, then resumed her work on Chica. She said, "She'll be okay. I can promise that much, hun. Nobody here is going to let her stay like this; you know that."

"I do," She mumbled.

"Good. Now, if you need a moment, you don't need to keep yourself here," She added lowly.

"Its okay. I want to help-" She also added.

Vanessa considered her another moment, then said, "Well, when I need access to certain smaller regions of her body, I'll let you know first and foremost. For the moment, why not take the chance to breathe? Get a sec to yourself, okay?"

Cassie nodded, leaning against Roxy's side as she did so.

"I love you, Cass," She also added on, briefly reaching over to seize her hand again and press it to her lips to kiss it. She didn't get up immediately, trying to show that Chica's welfare was her priority and she didn't need the girl to worry so much. Cassie appreciated the gesture, seeing as it meant she was trying to make everyone's hurts go away as best she could.

Roxy whuffed above her, her hold on her tightening too. "We love you," she also added in a self-assured tone that wouldn't leave one to doubt her words.

"I know. You guys tell me every day," She breathed.

After which, she stepped away to check on Bonnie; who was doing just fine except for the mess in his throat, face, and gut. He honestly looked pathetic sitting in the corner with Luis and Freddy standing over him; hunched over and hugging his legs while sitting on the floor like a child in time-out. He chuffed constantly; snorting and sniffing into the 13-gallon garbage can next to him so he can dislodge the ick in his body like he was blowing out phlegm from a cold. His artificial fur was also gone; Sun having taken his and Chica's pelt to the wardrobe room so he can spot-treat them and figure out what to do with the hen's in order to fix it. The rabbit refused eye contact; looking mightily distressed for a plethora of reasons:

One and most namely, Chica's welfare and his negligence to help her during his tizzy. He will not forgive himself any time soon for the fact that his anger had blinded him to the fact she needed help. Granted, he'd been raptly and aptly distracted with the white bear- who wasn't keen on letting Bonnie escape or disengage. It wasn't like he could help Chica anyways, even if he wanted to. This Polar Freddy was hyper-fixated on capturing the rabbit apparently, and would not tolerate him leaving for any amount of time. It seems like the bear isolated Bonnie and hoped to take him on alone; and he would've succeeded, had it gone on longer.

Bonnie meanwhile... well, you can wager he saw this as his own fault anyways. He was not taking what happened to Chica too well; even though she technically wasn't dead and the skirmish had been survivable. He was letting Luis and his bestie help him out; but the rabbit wasn't keen on talking or doing more than staring hollow-eyed at the floor, his gross-smelling garbage can, or his filthy talons. His eye lids flickered across his optics like he wanted to blink, but his processor failed to properly compute the tic and stalled. So sometimes, his purple-painted lids would just stutter half-way across the blinking motion. It gave Bonnie an oddly realistic look of someone whose fighting to keep his consciousness and was too tired to keep his eyes open; grimacing like he was in physical pain. He wasn't really, but it was hard looking at the bots whenever the blinking motion stalled like that.

This sleepy-eyed expression was adamantly anchored into place whenever he did look up. He caught Cassie's own honeyed pair then, giving her a feeble attempt at a smile. His head was low but slanted in a way to give the illusion of a smile even though he was wearing the rigid-lipped face of his Glamrock chassis. Cassie went over and grabbed his paws; leaning heavily against his head and meeting his chilly, fluffy forehead with her own. Her tears stopped right then; and he pressed back with every intention to make them further cease.

She felt eyes on her for some reason, but she she ignored it and focused on the rabbit before her. She also heard Freddy hum behind her thoughtfully, and he briefly patted her shoulder in silent thanks of her coming to help his friend. She'd hear the bear step away to tend Chica next; Luis doing the same so Cassie can have this moment with him.

Cassie loved this token of endearment the animatronics indulged in. Bonnie's forehead brushes were more animal-based than anything (not unlike Roxy's gestures, actually); and it was another marker that further separated him from her father. It was also likely the animatronics desired to show a form of affection to each other; seeing as their lips (as their Glamrock chassis would not allow it since it was made of metal) did not move. So nothing like kisses could be done; but they compensated with greater body movements like hand holding, hugging, chin resting, nudges, and the aforementioned forehead brush. A lot of tokens of endearment were used primarily for children to make them feel safe around them; a programmed nuance that went a long way once someone got the chance to approach them and understand what they're doing.

Now as to the topic of affection from her father, he had preferred head patting as well as shoulder touches. His physical forms of love had been rarer too; but he never forgot the hugs whenever Cassie felt like they were needed. Bonnie meanwhile employed not just the forehead holds, but the nose nuzzling and chin resting between the other bots and herself. Chin rest was one of his favorite ones, but he'd only use it if Cassie was sitting still and she was propped up against him. These differences always betrayed to the girl just who exactly was sitting before her; and it's reassuring each time Bonnie performed these actions. It meant he wasn't lost inside his own body, or being buried by her father's restless soul.

For the moment, she kept their forehead contact; hearing his breathing level out and remain that way. He calmed noticeably, and the effect she had on him made the girl giddily happy each time. Her importance to him as well as the other bots made her feel very special; and it always, time and again, brought her out of whatever dark thoughts that'd plague her. And yes, despite the fact that Cassie very sorely wanted to make sure Bonnie and her father remained as two entities, sometimes it felt like the rabbit genuinely saw himself as her father in his stead anyways. And in times like THAT, she had to stop herself from calling him 'dad'. She didn't want to use the term so liberally; especially when Bonnie's mental wellness was already suspect. If she started calling him that, he may very well believe that a little too much and be lost to the other person inside.

Although she cannot deny; sometimes the temptation to call him 'dad' lingered on the tip of her tongue regardless. It wasn't just because of the soul; but simply due to him being so familiar and paternal to her. After all, Gregory called Freddy 'papa bear' for the same reasons. Calling Bonnie 'dad' didn't seem too strange- but she digressed. There was no way she was going to call him 'dad' if it meant one person would lose out to the other within this body.

She still wouldn't trade out that bond with him, Roxy and the others for the world. A long time ago, she never would've pictured it when she first laid eyes upon the character her father so very much admired and loved. Her first memory of Bonnie, she had to admit, she'd been intimidated by him. He was huge, he LOOKED muscular, and he SOUNDED heavy. And his red-tipped claws... yeah, you have to admit; to a child, they almost looked like blood! Roxanne's more soft frame made her less scary, save for the teeth.

Despite all that, Cassie hadn't felt too afraid of him even though most normal people were naturally frightened of animatronics or intelligent A.I- or both in this instance. Her father had talked enough of the bots to help desensitize her to them in some part; and in hindsight, it prepped her for the inevitable meeting with them. After all, with the long, fourteen-hour shifts her father had and Cassie being alone a lot, it meant she'd have to spend time with the daycare attendant or the others at some points (given her father outright didn't just take her to work with him anyways). Bonnie and the others also were literally the epitome of some people's fears; and a monkey part of her brain still found even the rabbit a tiny bit scary at first sight-

But then he knelt down to her level and crooned at her in a voice like maple syrup and gentle summer rainfall; smiling at her in a way that made her banish her every reservation as she braved approaching him. He even snuffled his nose realistically and looked as adorable as he can possibly pass despite being an imposing 7 feet tall and a quarter ton. And then once he started combing his talons gingerly through her fluffy hair like a parent would, she'd been sold. She'd even lean on him, and he'd keep a paw on her to steady her as he talked with her father about whatever inane work-related things came to mind.

He felt so human, even then.

To have this same love show through from Roxy at her party as well- it was no wonder Cassie had wanted to save them two years ago. Because really, they saved her even before she found herself truly alone in the world. And she once swore, back at the PizzaPlex, that the love they had for each other she wanted for herself. Greedy or not, she wanted it and wanted to be a part of it; to make her tiny, selective corner of the world just a bit bigger and brighter. When it was just her and her dad, and when even HE felt lonely and off, he'd bring her to mega plex and let her talk to whatever bot hadn't been busy; thus her constant meetings with some of the bots in particular. They'd both been lonely, in a sense-

And she'd never felt safer around all of them.

Cassie felt another tear escape her; but it wasn't a sad one. She calmed too; feeling something in herself unwind completely before tying back up in remembrance of Chica nearby. At least for the moment, the majority of her worries cleared up. She wasn't a walking rain gutter anymore; simply savoring the soft familiarity of the rabbit's fuzz against her own temples and the unique way in which he and the others all held her; to show her just how much of themselves were in every single gesture of love between them.

Cassie disengaged finally, pulling back and gently massaging Bonnie's over-large digits briefly. He kept his maroon optics arrested on her the whole time, the dirty tear tracks on his face thankfully removed from his metal chassis. His face was clean on the surface, but he still had gunk in the skull itself and in his optics. Again, he needed a deep clean; and his smell wasn't pleasant (not that she'd say that aloud right now). His natural blueberry smell was absent or smothered; with the aroma of recently devoured carrot or carrot cake being drowned by the sickly, coppery scent of ichor and blood in his muzzle. Being conscious of this, he shuffled uncertainly from her and glanced away submissively; ears low above his mussed scalp.

"I'm sorry," he muttered to her.

"What're you sorry for?" She questioned. "Not like you did anything wrong... you and Chica and-" My dad, she almost said aloud but she cut herself off. "-You guys did your best! Gregory and me aren't hurt cuz of you two. We just wish we could've done more to help..."

He shook his head, "I'm just glad you didn't. I imagine those tasers woulda pissed off that Foxy and Polar Freddy. Your safety is all we ever cared about." He then murmured intimately, "-We all feel this, and you and Greg are our hearts. You did exactly everything you should have; getting out of the weather, staying together, staying safe- and we're proud of you for doing that. I'm glad your dad raised such a smart girl." He brushed his nose with her head and huffed gently; the motion familiar and appreciated even though he still admittedly stank, "Anything happen to you, we all would've come undone... not just me."

Cassie sighed, letting Bonnie hold her hands and rub back at them. He was chilly without his fur, but she welcomed the touch regardless. "I still can't help but wish we coulda done more. We had the tasers-" she trailed off.

Another head shake, "I don't know why, but a part of me thinks the taser COULD work on Foxy, but that Freddy? Not-uh. He's a tough customer- he can hold back Monty and our Freddy at once in a confined space while holding back himself!" His tone turned cautionary, "He's unreasonably strong too. I can tell he was holding back against me when we were fighting. He didn't want to do any harm-" He glanced away again, but this time for a different reason. He rested a contemplative paw on his chin, "-That baffles me... That bear. Whole time I was fighting him, I never got the feelin' his heart was into it either... and it wasn't just because he was clearly holding back- He just doesn't strike me as... what's the word? Er, he just seems lost, yunno?"

Freddy, who'd been helping with Bonnie and Chica alternatively (the times Luis or Vanessa had to break off for something) looked up now from his position near Chica's feet. His expression furrowed, "He said... he wanted his Bonnie's parts back. He thinks you have them-?"

Bonnie's nose bounced once, raising a brow there. "I ain't... I ain't wearin' anything of his... right? Luis-" He turned to the man in-question. "When I was upgraded, you didn't give me anything weird, right? Not that I distrust you-"

Luis frowned, "Nothing that wasn't to specs in regards to a Bonnie model... a lot of your parts came from the depot and the automotive store equally. Its possible you could have this other Bonnie's pieces but... I woulda figured they were pieces for a Glamrock model! Not a sentinel... they didn't LOOK different, anyway." He bounced his pen on his tablet, frowning deeply, "And frankly... even if you did have any of this Bonnie's parts... you wouldn't have a lot of it. You never needed a lot of repairs throughout the last couple of years. All the stuff I gathered from the depot is still locked up in that closet there-"

He gestured to their supply cabinet on the other side of the garage. "If that Freddy wanted his friend's parts, we could easily give him what we have there. Until recently, you haven't needed any actual repairs that demanded replacement of vital Bonnie-specific components. All of your primary repairs on your internals were done at the PizzaPlex, if I recall? In the Parts and Service room. When Vanessa and Roxy remade your motor and gave you new endo pieces, that was all stuff from the mega plex. You were technically in better shape than the others when you escaped, minus your chassis! You're still wearing the majority of the mega plex parts as of right now... not many of the depot pieces, seeing as you've been doing okay with keeping yourself maintained for the last two years and hadn't needed replacements of anything."

Bonnie kept a hold of his chin, hummed at something, then stood up. Still wearing that pensive expression, he wandered over to the supply cabinet and opened it up. Cassie watched him size up the pieces inside, then take out a couple in particular; pieces the girl recognized that go directly into Bonnie's motor and/or brain to help with certain niche and automatic tasks in his body. He turned it over, sniffed, and searched all over for something odd on it. It was one of the pieces from the depot, as it were.

"I wonder..." he said to himself as he put it back. "If we gave him some of this stuff back, if he'd comply with our questions?"

"You're willing to do that?" Luis said.

Bonnie turned around to face the room at large, "What's a Freddy without a Bonnie? And clearly, this bear is... he's painfully lonely. That's something I understand; especially after being locked up in that ball recycling room for so long. And you guys saw that Foxy-" His expression flexed into something more bellicostic, "He didn't give a damn about that bear! I cannot help but wonder just badly mistreated he is and just how poorly he understands his situation. And while I can't remember the fight too well, I CAN recall the desperation in his movements-"

He folded his arms, "-And I recall that, one of the files on record back at the depot said there was parts placed for a Bonnie being requisitioned even though the Glamrock versions were discontinued a long time ago. Sentinel Freddy musta placed the order himself, and he's been wanting to reconstruct his friend behind the scenes. I wager he's in this only for his friend... and if that Foxy's words and the polar bear's actions were anything to go by, I think we have a founded understanding of him."

He inhaled, held, and added lowly, "What kind of Bonnie would I be if I didn't try to help? The least I can do is let him have some of these back... given they really do belong to his rabbit. Not like I'm using them!"

"You-" Freddy meanwhile stepped over to him, his expression clearly troubled. His azure optics even narrowed, "You're serious? You want to help him?"

"Yuh. I... I think its just a programming thing but..." Bonnie shook his head, "-I feel like I must help him somehow... Bonnie as a rule of thumb is a character programmed to ALWAYS help a Freddy. Dude, even the character-scripted lines for Bonnie is, 'I have your back'," He air-quoted, likely referring to one of the older cartoons as well. "And how many freakin' times have I used that line on YOU? Dude, I don't even have the heart to change around the programming in me that dictates that I MUST comply with whatever you say. Its kinda bull but... at the same time, I'm fine with that?"

He huffed, "Frankly, I ain't even using these parts here anyway! If I gave these back to him, maybe he'll leave us alone? Maybe he'll even tell us about remnant and the-" His nose bounced, expression hardening, "-The experimentation. That's something that caught my ear when Foxy said it... and from the sounds of it, Fazbear Entertainment needs to be stopped. I don't think Polar Freddy is emotionally invested in that so much as he JUST wants his Bonnie back. He was sure to emphasize this every time we encountered each other. Maybe we can even win him over somehow-"

The brown bear had this look on his face- Cassie couldn't put a finger on it, but something was very terribly off about it. He looked like he was trying to fight some sort of reservation that bordered on the hostile; his lids flickering once like Bonnie's had been doing recently and was just... stalling. There was a shadowed quality on his usually friendly mug too. Cassie and Luis didn't miss the moment when, for one second, one weird second, Freddy's metal chassis clicked and lifted off his teeth.

His distaste of the situation was furthered when he said in voice like rocks scraping against each other, "You will not. WILL not-" He said in an undertone like he was fighting to keep it from becoming a greater growl. "-EVER, give anything of yourself to any other Freddy. No one else. No one but US. No one but ME. You hear me?"

Bonnie blinked at him rapidly, no doubt noticing the odd nature of the ursine's demanding tone and stiff posture. His ears even lowered half-way, looking rather meek as he ducked his head and gave what looked like a submissive nod. Everyone caught the instance he even backed away, as if afraid.

Roxy was seen narrowing her eyes nearby and sniffing, her expression pursed. Did she smell something odd? Cassie couldn't figure it.

Freddy approached and grabbed both of Bonnie's shoulders, the grip more parental than anything but... noticeably tight; like he was pinning the rabbit down and keeping him from floating away. "You do not understand, Bonnie... just thinking about you going around this other bear- this... aberration, giving anything of yourself or your PARTS-" He sounded VERY disgusted, "I cannot have that. I will not tolerate that. You cannot starve yourself of things you NEED in case of emergency. Those parts, you will eventually need them in time; if recent events are anything to go by. I will not lose you again; and especially not because you feel sympathetic towards a joke bear whose tried to kill Luis in such a sadistic manner before. I have not forgotten that-"

He looked at Luis meaningfully, cerulean optics on the man's shoulder. Luis shuffled uncomfortably, breathing in and looking away. Bonnie was seen eye-balling him too in passing, then looked down as if ashamed and mixed.

Cassie had forgotten about Luis' shoulder injury and how BAD that was. She still couldn't help but feel somewhat bad for this other Freddy, but she also found her remorse for his predicament a bit drier. Still, Luis had nearly died from that wound; and in a mysterious manner like her father had been. If Vanessa hadn't known him so well and what he was doing, it was likely they would've found him too late.

On a side note... not so long ago, Glamrock Freddy here had felt sympathetic towards the bear too. What happened to that?

Come to think of it... he hasn't been the same since he actualized... how much of him is in there right now? Is this other person's wrath heavily affecting his words and emotional shift towards the other bear just that much? He was so UPSET before!

She frowned and caught Gregory's eye nearby, noticing he was watching his adopted father figure with an especially suspicious gaze. He was no longer typing on the computer, instead rapping his fingers on the desk and narrowing his hazel eyes at the bear as he spoke. He wasn't the only one either; pretty much everyone in the room was gawping at Freddy- but the ursine paid no notice.

Bonnie stayed stuck in place for the longest time after that, not moving as Freddy leaned down and touched his head with the rabbit's own (ah... that was more Freddy-like, Cassie was glad to see). He pulled Bonnie closer; hugging him entirely and holding him to himself. Bonnie complied with the motion, not making a single noise the entire time; as if afraid of further agitating the bear. Freddy's arms caged him in; Bonnie's face vanishing into the ursine's fluffy ruff and shoulders.

"I will not lose you again. Never," he said to him, his baritone a caressing whisper. "You destroyed me with your disappearance, and I have spent what felt like eons trying to piece myself back together in its wake. I will not let this bear have you... and I do not think, in good conscious, I feel well with the idea of him having your parts either. If an accident took you from me and we could not repair you, I-" He inhaled, the motion shaky before it steadied again. "He will have nothing of you. He will have to destroy me first- utterly and completely. And I daresay, Chica is of a like-mind."

"And me-" Roxy said nearby; the others having forgotten she was there. "And while you annoy me to bits, rabbit, I ain't keen on letting you get yourself deaded again. No way." She'd resume helping Vanessa with Chica's motor after that, her tail swishing as if with finality.

Bonnie wiggled his face free of the smothering pelt, Cassie catching his rueful expression and meaningful glance towards the hen, woman, and wolf nearby. He sighed, as if giving up.

Freddy eventually pulled from him, and then he head-butted him again. "Anyways, my friend, I apologize for the authoritative and somewhat commandeering tone... But I simply cannot stand in silence of this- despite your selfless and compassionate desire of wanting to reunite a Freddy with his Bonnie. But surely you understand my worries-?

"...I do."

Freddy hummed thoughtfully, gently caressing his friend's mussed scalp and stepping back away. "Good. Now then, perhaps I can assist in cleaning you up again?" He queried politely; albeit, everyone and their mom knew he was going to do it anyways.

Just as Bonnie opened his mouth to say, Vanessa looked up and said, "Not yet... I wanted to borrow Bonnie for something before he takes several hours for the cleaning- a private talk."

There was a round of blinks- with the rabbit himself tilting his head and setting his ears into an alert or interested position. Freddy was lifting a brow.

Vanessa rose from her position beside the prone Chica- the movement authoritative and clipped. She was wiping her hands on her dirty grease rag and her green eyes were akin to sharpened emerald edges, "I want to talk to him privately about something. See, I ain't gonna tolerate anymore of this shit- not-uh." She threw the rag down and stopped by Gregory, pulling the boy briefly into her despite him being busy on the computer. Gregory mumbled reproachfully, but he silenced at Vanessa's clear tightness and stern body language, "I will not tolerate Fazbear Entertainment's bull. No one here is taking my kids, or my robo-kids. I literally put years into you ALL- gave you everything that I have and will ever have. You all gave me everything I've ever needed in a family- and it will remain so. I raised you, and Luis nearly died just trying to get paw parts for fuck's sake!"

She waved a hand at the others, her teeth flashing as she pretty much snarled, "-Whatever their conniption with us, I ain't gonna lie down and take it. No one's touching my family again. I fought hard to keep this, and by god I'll do whatever it takes to make them all burn for touching you." Her tone couldn't have sounded more primal as she emphasized some of her inflection. She puffed out her chest and grounded out, "I am well past done with this shit and this should be YEARS behind us. Miss Howler even told me recently I was doing so good, I could stop coming to her after the next visits! I'm doing FINE now- but this? This crap is gonna send me right back into her office- or the nut house at this rate!"

Her hand busied itself as it found Gregory's hair and threaded it. "I ain't taking this. Freddy here won't take it, and I sure as fuck ain't letting my kids take it! FUCK NO." She sliced her other hand through the air, "If they want any of you, they'll gonna get a war from me first- and they'll have to LITERALLY climb over my cold, dead rotting corpse before they can lay a hand on any of you again. And frankly, I'm just as much a cheat as Bonnie is-" She gestured to the doorway- where Monty and DJ had been standing and observing, "All of you except Bonnie, leave. Just for a while, so we can talk about something. Me and him can take care of Chica for the moment. Yes Luis, you too- get out."

Luis lowered his tablet and frowned at her; with Freddy doing something similar near him. Cassie felt herself fidget again, glancing once at Gregory from his position tucked protectively against Vanessa's body. The boy shrugged at her despite being nearly smothered by her.

Gregory pulled from her and looked up, pointing an index at himself, "Us too?"

"Yeah, champ. You and Cass make like a tree and leave for a few minutes. I need a private talk with Bonnie and figure something out. It'll be fast-" She produced a waving motion and stepped away from him, "Then you guys can come back in here and help finish up. Got it?"

Gregory was giving her a hard stare, squinting his eyes and slowly rising. M.X.E.S meanwhile showed up on the screen he'd been just using, his pixelated interface looking almost concerned as he watched Vanessa instead. Cassie wasn't sure she liked the hesitation she can see on the usually stoic security program.

Bonnie meanwhile couldn't have looked more confused and wary. His maroon optics were narrowed in their sockets, jawline clenching tightly. He turned back to Cassie briefly and rested a paw on her head once, brushing her quite gingerly, "Get yourself by the fire, my love. You haven't sat down since we got home!"

Cassie heaved a sigh, "You don't want me helping clean you up, huh?"

"You did it last time. Nah, just sit and relax for me, okay? You don't need to be working yourself like that," he encouraged.

Cassie raised a full brow, "Yeah, no. Expect me back in here to help. What did we say about my tiny hands?"

Bonnie slapped a paw to his cheek and chortled, "Ay ay- I see you can't be dissuaded."

"Nope. You're stuck with me-" She supplied as she turned to leave. "I'll be in here to help Freddy with that gunk in your shell."

"Alright," He conceded. "Just sit for a bit, will you?"

"Okay. See you in a few-" she shot back at him.

The girl was ushered out the door by Freddy afterwards, the bear watching Vanessa as well. Luis and Roxy joined their side, and the group left the woman, rabbit, security program, and the comatose Chica behind. All the while, Cassie couldn't help but feel anxious about what it was her adoptive mother could be thinking in order to be putting such a hardened look on her face.

Instinct said it wouldn't bode well.

---

M.X.E.S

He watched.

Vanessa moved to sit where Gregory had been, typing on the keyboard while eyeing the screen directly. M.X.E.S watched his creator as she kept eye level with him; her hands busying away at the more encrypted files on the module.

Bonnie meanwhile walked up and stopped beside her, arms folded and his expression anxious and wary. "What're you thinking?" he bluntly asked. "You have a plan or something?"

"Of a sort..." she enigmatically reciprocated. Her stare remained unblinking as she fixed onto M.X.E.S' primary screen. The program merely observed her in-turn, trying to discern her thoughts from just what she was doing; and from what he knew of behavioral ticks inside of organic beings. "I'm hoping you can help me hammer it out. I plan on going to war with Fazbear Entertainment- I meant that, every fucking word. I'm done trying to find legal solutions on how to deal with them when they always just worm their ways around every fucking lawsuit in the history of man. Its like they have more money than GOD! No, if we have to face them and get them out of our lives forever, we're doing this less than legally-"

Bonnie blinked rapidly, his expression slanting fully into shock now. "You mean like... you're not actually gonna... what, you plan on burning their headquarters down or something?"

"No. I'm gonna PizzaPlex them," she candidly said. "I'm gonna to re-enact that horrible night and fuck up EVERYTHING in their building. And I have a place where I can start-"

"...A virus?" he questioned more carefully now, fighting a stutter in his tenor. "Like uh... maybe makin' Mex here into a virus or-?"

"No. Worse," had been her stiff-lipped response.

M.X.E.S got it at the same time Bonnie did; both rabbits fixing her with a look. And while M.X.E.S wasn't one whose prone to certain emotional inflections and the nuance of their displays, he did try using physical expression when he found it poignant to make a more meaningful connection with his user or users. The other bots, while they were A.I such as himself, they rely heavily on nuanced emotions towards young children and humans as a general rule of thumb and leaned more on facial recognition than he ever did. They sometimes needed a cue from his own displays to get an idea; seeing as his tone wasn't something he's mastered very well- or at all in order to get some points across.

He blinked; or rather, colored over his white optics with a shade of color to simulate blinking since he was on the screen and watching Vanessa from the camera installed onto the device. He was also watching her from Bonnie's eyes at times; seeing as the other resident rabbit was kind enough to let him see the world in general so he wasn't so restricted to the singular camera on the computer as a means of looking at the family. He also watched as Vanessa accessed a restricted and quarantined file in particular; one in-which EVERYONE here tended to avoid like the plague:

"Creator Vanessa, this unit would have to strongly urge you to cease what you are considering," M.X.E.S said, briefly interrupting her browsing by taking brief command of the device. He never took control from her before, but he felt he had to do so now.

She had this look- and seriously, M.X.E.S has never seen anything like it. She looked as robotic as he did, and that was really saying something.

Bonnie stepped forward now too, resting his paw over Vanessa's hand and holding it like he was hoping to still its movements; not that it was moving now- not after M.X.E.S had seized control of the computer. "Ness," he started, tone harder than any rock known to man. "You just- you can't be serious with this shit... you're asking the devil for assistance? I don't fucking get that-"

"Yes, you do," she clipped back, her tone scarily toneless. M.X.E.S literally could not read her vitals now; save for the accelerated heart rate jumping her jugular. She turned in her chair to face Bonnie, breaking the program's eye contact and making it further difficult to read her. So, M.X.E.S alternated to Bonnie's field of view; passively taking a backseat to the bot's optics so he can watch Vanessa more carefully. Bonnie allowed it, of course.

She said, "You felt it: how horrifying that rage and anger is when your kid is in danger. And then, you get home, covered in injuries and Chica's comatose- having nearly DIED defending you all- and ya'll proceed on tellin' me that Fazbear Entertainment wants to turn my kids into pet robots, and you all into SCRAP for whatever nefarious bullshit they plan to do going forward into the future? No. No more. NO MORE OF THIS. I'm willing to deal with the devil to do battle with an even greater evil. And to be fair, this is an evil I'm familiar with; and one I'm willing to barter with in order to protect you all. I will not tolerate anymore harm to you-"

She put her free hand over his paw, her tone briefly finding its sentiment as she added in an undertone, "-To see you and Chica in this state- to see what your absence did to Freddy and the others back at the PizzaPlex? To have front row seats to watching the pain of losing someone dear to you unravel all of them, and to see how destroyed Cassie was until she started picking her life back up here with you- No, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make sure she and Greg get a chance at a life they couldn't have before. I ain't letting their lives get ruined again. I will do ANYTHING to keep protecting that." She leaned in to peer into his face, her breath caressing his whiskers as she hissed, "And as a parent yourself- whoever I'm talking to in there, surely you understand? The BOTH of you."

M.X.E.S thought he felt... something, inside of Bonnie's head. He wasn't sure what that is, and it eluded the program so completely since it felt vastly different than anything else he's ever been exposed to. Some sort of inflection existed inside this rabbit's body that demanded he act in this feeling's stead; and it made M.X.E.S wish to vacate Bonnie's body completely. He did not though, not yet.

Bonnie meanwhile hissed through his teeth while whispering conspiratorially, "Even waking HER? Vanny, of all fucking things-?"

When Vanessa said nothing to that, merely watched him, Bonnie snarled and let go. He said nothing, but M.X.E.S was afraid of the rabbit's thoughts as he sat inside Bonnie's head. He can tell Bonnie agreed with her- albeit begrudgingly. With this said, the security program retreated out of the other rabbit's head so he didn't get lost in his turbulent feelings. There was a reason why M.X.E.S never tended to stay long inside of Bonnie; and its reasons like that that got him. He simply could not understand completely and he felt himself get lost in the sensations of pain and sentiment thanks to this soul inside him.

"Creator... waking Vanny though-" He HAD to say something now, seeing as both Bonnie and Vanessa were agreeing on it. "-This... this will upset the others- this is a danger that could backfire on us all!" It was such a feeble way to get them to stop, but it also wasn't untrue. He had to put voice to it.

"Sorry Mex, but Vanny is already a developed mega-virus who also simultaneously LIKES Bonnie here and is willing to die to let him do what he wants-" She gestured to the rabbit beside her. "I'm hoping to lean on that. And, I'm wiling to make a deal with her, should that somehow not be enough."

"What deal," He asked, his usually toneless voice echoing with a noticeable inflection that surprised both himself, the bot and the woman. Vanessa raised her brow at him once, but didn't comment on it.

"That remains to be seen," She answered now, typing away. "I'm so sorry to upset you, Mex, and I know you're doing your job protecting us... but now, I need to give you a new directive-"

"Creator-"

"You will keep Vanny in control, that will not change. But, if she asks for assistance for something in particular, depending on the circumstances, you may have to render it. And, you will still prioritize the family's safety above all of else-"

"I-"

"Mex, please," She leaned in to the camera, meeting him as face-to-face as she could. "We need this to happen. We won't be enough to stop them on our own; you know that! If just that polar bot could do this much damage- I can't imagine if they sent more like him after us! And WORSE-" She gestured at Chica, "Even if we fight back, we'd end up like THAT! We can't wait around hoping for them to fuck up; we've waited for years to see if we can bring Cassie's father's death to light, and no such chance has ever happened. I don't think it will... Fazbear Entertainment has grossly exploited every lawful hole they can; and they will only continue to do so for however long they stay. We don't got a chance in hell of beating them fairly. If there's a way to do it, someone else would've done it by now."

She inhaled, and suddenly her hands were in her golden tresses as a sign of stress. "Mex, I agree with you completely... I don't WANT to wake this bitch up. But god dammit, Vanny's fucking smart and she's a program too- a fully actualized, realized one with feelings of sentiment, resolve, and some rudimentary sense. She also has a shared goal of not ever really aligning with them... if they conflict with her zealot mentality, she will rebel; naturally. And she is loyal to Bonnie apparently- to a FAULT." She shook her head, "She could've killed us, ALL of us, you know that! But she hasn't and we clearly have her favor. She likes Cass and Bon, and that's hopefully all we'll need. And if anyone knows how to leak an ultra deadly virus into the headquarters' system directly besides me, its her."

She continued typing, M.X.E.S being forced to yield when Vanessa got a hold of his command list and started rewriting some things. "I cannot be more sorry, Mex. I really am... but those kids? They're my life. These bots? Also my life. You too- ALL of you are!" She leaned in and touched the side of the computer as if to cradle his head, not that M.X.E.S can feel it. "You are all I've ever really had, and you are all I'll ever really needed. And to take a famous, unknown man's quote-" She then proclaimed in a voice of steel, "-'No human can hope to win against the devil unless they become the devil themself.' Fazbear Entertainment won't play fair, so why should we? They'll take my kids by the time we even find something lawful to use against them- and that ain't something I'm gonna wait around on. Are you?"

M.X.E.S couldn't sigh, but his image on the screen bobbed in the vague approximation of it. He yielded- even though everything within his programming and sense said not to.

"Thank you, Mex," She told him gently.

"Do not thank me," He said. "Only promise this will be resolved favorably."

"I can promise that I'll do everything within my power to make sure it comes to that," She said carefully.

"...It will have to suffice," he reciprocated with clear resignation, his voice crackly as if to emulate something whispery.

Bonnie had been quiet and contrite this whole time; his expression pained and his teeth bared. His arms kept a stubbornly folded position across his metallic breast, watching as Vanessa's fingers danced across the keyboard and eyeing her and the security program in-turn. He huffed, looking ashamed in equal measures too.

"I don't... she was laid to rest. She even accepted it-" He started again.

"I know. But Bon, do we have any other choice?"

"We do... just... not the choices that are the fastest," He conceded. "And any other choice would take so long, that the kids would be... would be-"

He trailed off, unable to say more. He threaded talons through his hair too; his ears now limp and sticking to the sides of his head. His fluffy tail was just as listless in its display. No doubt he was dueling with several different kinds of mentalities in there; between his own reservations and Cassie's father's own. He looked like he wanted to tear himself apart.

"Okay," Vanessa eventually said. "Whenever we're ready, we can wake her up. Do you wish to wait and tell the others first?"

"They'll violently say no," Bonnie began pragmatically. "I say, we just get this over with and wake her up now, talk to her, and see what she says. And depending on her answers, we can either lock her up again or explain her usefulness to the others, once she agrees to the deal."

Vanessa hummed there and folded her arms, glaring at the screen and the file connecting her to Cassie's old chip. She said, "Mex, make sure everything is locked down and she can't hack your software. Turn off all WIFI connection too- no need for her to download herself into the internet while we're conversating."

"Already done," he told her, quite hating how fast this was going.

"Good, we ready?"

Both rabbits couldn't look more the opposite, but that was all the answer she was going to get. The woman heaved, then waved it off.

"I'll count that as a 'kinda' and get on with it. Now let's see- Bonnie, lock the garage door too. Don't want anyone barging in. And Mex, make sure Chica's systems are secured so Vanny can't put herself in there while she isn't awake to defend herself."

There was affirmations from both, and the two did as bade. Bonnie would return to Vanessa's side and resume his folded arm position; his posture stiffer than granite and his ears now erect and on high alert. He honestly looked like a statue.

"Here we go," She said, cracking her knuckles and pressing into the file. She got the prompt to 'run as administrator', and a few warning pop-ups saying the file was illicit. She bludgeoned through them anyways, then pressed 'enter'-

And M.X.E.S put himself into Bonnie's body so Vanny couldn't take his system by force. He did so just in time; because then the module he'd been in had its screen turn black and blink off. He watched through Bonnie's eyes; still loathing the feel of the rabbit's own conflicting consciousness but bearing it in silence as he observed the module in stoic apprehension. Vanessa wheeled away from it like it was going to explode, pulling on her hands as it blinked back on and they got a red light on the camera; showing that it's being hijacked.

Bonnie growled; unable to fight it as he backed away and he and M.X.E.S jointly slammed down everything they had in terms of security on the ghost in the machine. It was firmly caged in; so it wasn't like it can do anything but be burned by their firewalls and constantly updated software. After all, Bonnie and M.X.E.S has had the advantage of the last few years to be adjusted accordingly; and both were wiser and smarter than the iteration of Vanny that has taken over their module. She was definitely weaker than them, but still she fought as she awoke from a long slumber. No doubt she was trying to get her bearings and was confused by the constraining cage around her mind and the fact she had no body- and naturally she was on the defensive.

This silent digital warfare was unseen to Vanessa, but she wasn't unaware of it. She was watching Bonnie now, noticing and hearing his motor hum with increased activity that suggested M.X.E.S being inside it as well as running the programs needed to keep Vanny in control. She took the tablet Luis had put down nearby, typed on it, and started helping with the prompts. After all, as a hacker, she can assist in keeping the wily she-rabbit program from breaking free. And with them working together, they managed to get her contained again.

It had been several minutes of terse silence, and then:

"Nrg... what- what is-"

Her voice escaped the machine, confused and disoriented. The black screen stayed black; but within its murk, a pair of cochineal eyes opened and blinked at them. The camera atop the module moved and zoomed in on them.

"...Ooooooh? Now what do we have here... What a greeting! OH MY-" She sounded WAY too happy as she identified the pair. And in a voice like an old friend who was seeing their bestie again after years of separation, she blithely cheered, "No way! Vanessa and Bonnie! Ah, I'm so excited to see you~ And totally not surprised. How lovely to be laying eyes upon you again! And my goodness, Ness! You gained weight! Like, what the heck have you been eating?"

Vanessa blinked wildly and punched a fist to the screen (making it shake but not break); startling Bonnie bad enough so he jumped a as reflex. "RUDE! How fucking rude is that! Excuse you!"

"I'm sorry. Its just like- you used to be weigh 130-ish something? You were TINY. What, don't tell me you got into those cupcake catalogues and couldn't help yourself?"

"Mex, I swear. Shut her down," She spat through gritted teeth.

"Now wait a second! I'm sorry. Don't be so dang touchy! Its just been a while... I never said you looked FAT- just heavier. Not in an unpleasant way- I always thought you were totally skinny before. You were SO obsessed with watching your weight. It looks FINE on you, actually. Now don't get your panties in a twist!" Vanessa harrumphed and still looked completely affronted as the doe said, "Now let's see here..."

They can almost imagine she was shaking her head. In fact, the red eyes on the screen retracted; and then a pixelated image of a white rabbit blinked into full view finally. The mask of Vanny stared at them, but it actually moved: Her mouth was closed, and her eyes moved their small pupils to look between them. The camera on the module seemed to attempt to keep up with the motion. Her voice also didn't have the same rippling overlay of static distortion; making out as something a tad clearer than before as she spoke in a voice not too dissimilar to Vanessa's own. There was still a marked difference; as Vanny spoke with a lofty, cheery air that almost sounded fake.

"Anyways, its been years for me, okay? Give me a minute to catch up," she went on to say as the camera swiveled to Bonnie and fixated on him. M.X.E.S can feel something in the rabbit twist unpleasantly. She even said easily and conversationally, "Hm. Oh my... You look good, Bon. A little messy and haggard, but better than you did. New shell pieces? And your body structure- huh. Unusual, but attractive and more pragmatic than the exaggerated Glamrock norm. I always thought the wide ankles looked goofy and cartoonish! Nice to see you can actually move around in those! New leg pieces to better accommodate weight, and you can WEAR clothes now? You look GREAT minus the fact you look like you tried shoving them into a paper shredder and failed. What happened? Get in a fight with the gator again?"

Bonnie pulled at his red coat; something he hadn't bothered to take off despite the white bear having ripped into it. In fact, due to how hot he was running, he started to remove it and tossed it to the side. He hissed and shrugged, "There. Better now?"

"...Now you look like a dork. I mean, SUSPENDERS? Are those suspenders over that total white collar bull you'll wearing? You look like a nerd!"

"GEE. HOW FUCKING NICE OF YOU!" He spat back, arms folded now for a different reason. "We wake you up after two years, and the first things out of your mouth is how we LOOK and you're commenting on my fashion statement?"

"You're a cute nerd! Not stop your belly-aching-" She waved him off, showing a digitally animated hand. "Still... suspenders seem to be a bit much... doncha think? You look like middle-aged dad having a mid-life crisis after he got fired from his white collar office job!"

"Fu- FUCK YOU! Shut your digital hole!" He flipped her off, prompting for Vanessa to snigger next to him.

Vanny meanwhile chuckled at him like he was the sweetest thing in the world. And then, "Well... All that pomp aside, you tell me two years have passed? You've waited that long to wake me up?"

"Did you expect it?" Vanessa queried this time, keeping her tone neutral.

She shrugged, "Eh, yeah. That or you straight deleting my file in the chip. I would've accepted that too-" She waved a dismissive hand there. "I mean, come on, I DIED! I know I did. I downloaded myself into the chip just as the tangled monstrosity got a hold of me, but I didn't bother waking up inside of Cassie's head. I COULD have taken control of her, but no. I threw myself into the chip because I was somewhat banking on Bonnie there needing my files for something-" She put a coy finger to her cheek, tapping it thoughtfully. Her smile, now that it was moving looked unnerving on her. It had a crooked quality to it; like she knew something they didn't and couldn't wait to lord it over their heads. "And it seems I was right: You guys want me for something, don't ya?"

Vanessa inhaled gustily, passing Bonnie a look briefly and gazing back at the screen, "We already extracted all that we needed from your data. We only want your help now for a little... pet project of mine. I think it'd benefit you too-"

"Hm... Strange, you say it benefits me, but you wouldn't do this because it benefits your old tormentor, Vanessa," She murmured in a sweet caress. "I daresay, you need me for something and you know you can't do this alone."

Bonnie said nothing, letting the woman beside him do all the talking here.

Vanessa continued with, "Well, that isn't wrong. But, I'm also stating the truth: That you'd find interest in this and maybe we can peaceably go at it together. Last time I checked, you weren't so keen on Afton's ways; even though you agreed readily to the idea of his work? Or was it the other way around-?"

"I was invested in remnant work," Vanny told them pragmatically. Now she looked at Bonnie, "And speaking of which... I'd like to hear how that went for you! What's life like with a soul inside of you?"

"In due time," he reciprocated neutrally, keeping himself restricted to very few words. "Don't wanna spoil it now!"

Vanny hummed a playful "No fair..." at him, then seemed to 'lean in' back towards Vanessa. She made the motion of it on the screen, popping a hand under her chin to support it and tilting her head. Her ears flopped, "Anyways! I will admit to something else: I never quite... liked, Afton himself. A bit of a bossy, conceited, self-absorbed old timer. In fact, you'd be surprised to know I disliked him! Ah see? That took you by surprise-" She smirked at Bonnie's shift in expression. "Now before you ask, I only wanted him around because he understood so much MORE than I did. He was a man with an invested interest in life and its nuances; and that aspect was beautiful in a way- something I shared and reveled in earnestly. I respected that, and his methods yielded RESULTS."

She produced a waving motion, "You'd be surprised to know though, Vanessa, that he coerced me about as much as I coerced you. I wanted to dive into this thing on remnant and agony he was doing and better understand it. Its an element that is simply so POWERFUL and capable of things we can never do as either bots or man on our own! And melding it to objects made it into something... special. It gave it a power or property to transmute the mundane, and bind souls to things and give them life! There is something infinitely appealing to it that made my pursuit of its understanding worth following Afton for. I wanted to know MORE-"

She opened her arms, as if to gesticulate to the whole universe, "Worlds open up before us once we touch upon it; and I've seen some things throughout the years that, even now, continue to blow my mind. People don't know it, but remnant and agony is why we can even connect with the dead at all; why spirit boxes work, and psychics can commune with them. Remnant is an element of the world; both natural, and not so much. It is MORE than we can possibly understand. And its presence almost feels like God's own touch has grazed the mortal realm and left tangible trails."

The bot and woman passed each other glances.

Vanny's tone took on a reverent quality as she went on, leaning in and giving them an especially intrigued look, "As a program bound to a human body once, I wanted to desperately understand its affects on bots, A.I, and more. Maybe give myself a body of my own, and to do the work myself without Afton looming over my shoulders. I would only keep him around for however long he could gift me with this knowledge- after all, he understood it better than most." She shrugged, "In time, I suspect I woulda got bored of him and killed him... but I digress."

She settled back down, sighing noticeably. M.X.E.S noticed she was not attacking them anymore; merely 'sitting' placidly within the machine and continuing her conversation. Seems she understood her position and stopped the useless fighting; knowing she was weaker than they are. And in this lull she added, "I wish I can say I knew more. If you woke me up to learn more of it, I'm afraid I cannot give very many satisfactory answers- given, that is what you want, Bonnie. I will have to apologize for that." She almost sounded sincere there, making the motion of seeming resigned.

Bonnie's expression shifted; the security program feeling it as it happened. Confusion and more was roiling around inside him, the bot folding his arms and leaning in towards the computer, "Er... 'agony'? That's uh... That's the first I heard of it."

"It is... its different from normal remnant," Vanny added. "It kinda 'adds' to the effect-? No... erg, I never understood it myself. Its why I wanted Afton back. Agony compounds with some things and... its not quite like remnant. It has more interesting and diverse effects. Its VERY misunderstood, even by the 'experts'." She air-quoted that part. "I don't think I've mentioned it to you, now that I dawn back on it..."

"I don't think you have, nah."

"Oh, how negligent of me!" She waved it off, "But, it doesn't matter: I hate to say, I do not think I'm experienced enough in its knowledge to be able to give you a clear explanation on the differences and nuances. I was merely an understudy in its research- SHOCKING, as that is to you."

"I... I had to admit, I wanted to ask you so many things about it... and recently, its been hitting me with a special bout of what the fuck that continues to baffle me. But hearing this-" He sighed, feeling worn. "Not gonna lie, a bit of a bummer you don't know."

"Why do you think I wanted to bring the crusty old geezer back? He knew more than I did!" She sighed. "Ah well... not like the madman would be so forthcoming. I do not miss him, father to us that he is. Father to ALL of us bots and intelligent A.I."

"If I may ask," Vanessa queried now. "Would you be interested in helping us, if it meant maybe getting a few more answers to it?"

"More than willing!" Vanny clapped her hands in finality, eyeing Vanessa now with true and genuine interest. She even cocked a grin at her, her voice rather chipper as she said, "I say, I never pegged you the type to want to know more! With all the fuss you put up then..."

Vanessa pointed a thumb at Bonnie, "Bonnie's... spells, and his recent erm... I don't even know what you call that, but we're hoping to get answers for it. And the only way we think we know how, is to get at Fazbear Entertainment directly. Apparently they're doing remnant experimentation, and they wanted to take Bonnie away because he's soaked in the shit and the kids would make for 'testing materials'. Greg and Cassie sadly came of interest to them-"

Vanny blinked and zoomed in the camera at her, as if to lean in to her face, "They wish to hurt Cassie? Urg... Even I draw the line there-" She produced a nonchalant motion as if to cut it. "And Gregory... oh that filthy little rotter! I always liked his spunk. Seeing him as a bot would be terrifying and interesting! But I also understand not wanting to do so. He was starting to grow on me!"

"Oh, so that stab wound was just playtime for you?" Bonnie retorted sarcastically.

"Eh... it was a lot of things. Recall that I'm a sore loser, Bonnie," She winked at him.

He scoffed at her there.

"Anyways-" she waved him off and focused on Vanessa again, and with more interest. "You were saying something about Fazbear Entertainment?"

Vanessa then said in the most dead-pan seriousness she could muster, "I was just saying, that I want to take them and rake them over the coals. I want to burn their ENTIRE dynasty to the fucking ground and salt the earth they've set root in. I want to rip them up, throw them into hell's own shredder, and piss on their graves. I will not tolerate them hurting my kids, or my robo-kids ever again-" She wheeled and showed Chica to her. "They hurt us, and they're throwing a giant Freddy at us with REMNANT in him too! I don't know what they're doing, but they're definitely bastardizing everything they touch. And now, they want to come after our family? No. I know the only way to deal with them at this point, is to ruin them so utterly and completely, they can NEVER come up from the ashes again." She shrugged, "Get the picture?"

Vanny blinked at her for a solid minute. Then said, "Why couldn't you be more like this when I was in your body before? We coulda been besties! I wouldn't have needed to coerce you into doing ANYTHING. I like this new Vanessa!"

The woman snorted, "You still woulda had to make me kill those kids back then."

"Oh yeah... that's true..." She giggled.

"So, will you help us?" Vanessa probed.

"Hn, why not! Screw it, I'm bored. And I'm game on knowing more about remnant! And fucking up Fazbear Entertainment for FUN? Seriously, why didn't you wake me up SOONER!" She merrily clapped and pointed at them, "Well alright! Sign me up! And... if I may ask-"

"Here we go," Bonnie rolled his eyes.

Vanny shushed him, and then, "Besides willingly cooperating with you, by chance... I'd like to strike a deal if you were to gain my full compliance."

"We can hammer something out... just no more of us killing people or something- besides the CEO maybe-" Vanessa sighed.

"Or Morris," Bonnie growled, his tone like thunder trapped in a metal resonance chamber.

"Morris... that old fart is still kicking? You'd think he'd die of a heart of heart attack or diabetes by now!" Vanny made the motion of filing her claw tips, even materializing a nail file and making a show of it on the screen. She flexed a brow line.

"Yeah, he's apparently still around. His name was still on the files Luis has been able to get-" Vanessa huffed.

"You say Luis?" Vanny smirked, as if looking around for him.

"He lives with us, yeah-" Vanessa said uncertainly.

She hummed at something, then smirked, "Oh yes. This will do nicely. Killing Morris? The CEO... taking Fazbear Entertainment by STORM and possibly learning more about remnant? Heads will roll! Oh dear Vanessa, I promise you find no better ally than me! Now as to my deal-"

"You want a body?" Vanessa immediately said.

"Bingo! You guessed it," She chirped almost sweetly. "I definitely still want a body! I'm sad all of Cassie's hard work on that last one went to waste... she did such a good job! Gifted little thing, she is. As it is, having my own physical form would be preferable. And if we're taking this company apart- I can snatch an endo along the way! Should be pretty easy-"

Vanessa turned to Bonnie and passed him a meaningful look. M.X.E.S could feel the confusion rippling there as the rabbit went on to ask this time, "What, nothing else? Still ain't obsessed with me, right?"

Vanny was giving him such a predatory look there that Bonnie suddenly had no doubts she still liked him. She popped a cheeky smirk at him and said, "Aw. You want to throw yourself at me, big boy? You were a little shy last time!" She cackled at his expense, laughing at his face upon seeing the dread that took him by storm.

"NO NO NO NO NO- I'm good! I am SOOOO good-" He fearfully wilted, laughing it off uncertainly. "I-I was just wondering why you uh... surprised you didn't just straight ask for Cass and me again."

"I knew I'd get a negatory on that, and a body will suffice and is easily more negotiable," She said. "Also, more realistic to just ask for that alone. And seeing as I'm getting the answers to the very thing I want to know more about... I'll be happy with just that!"

Bonnie let out an audible sigh of relief.

She then winked at him, "Don't be lettin' your guard down, handsome. I may change my mind!"

Bonnie let out another uneasy laugh, "Yeah... don't I know it. God I hate how I attract the weird ones..."

Vanny only cackled at him again and focused on Vanessa, "SO! Tell me, how're we gonna hammer this out? And personally... I don't think I can help if I stay restricted to this... what is this. A repair machine?"

Vanessa smirked, "Yeah, disconnected my module here so you wouldn't dump yourself into the armature there fixing our resident chicken- or the chicken herself. And I don't want you in my other computers around here. Sensitive stuff in that."

"Hm, figured. So, what CAN I inhabit then?"

Vanessa drummed her fingertips and looked around. "I think I can jury-rig something. Will hafta think on that."

"Won't you need this thing back for your repair on Chica?" She queried.

"I have this," Vanessa held up the tablet. "I can run every operation from it as I could on this device. I don't need that module, technically. You can stay in it until we figure something else out."

"You are such a smart cookie. Good for you!" Vanny smirked, even though her tone was no doubt coy.

"Tell me something I don't know," Vanessa rolled with it. "Now then, I think I have an idea. You may or may not like it, but it will do for a temporary solution. Oh-" She threaded her hand through her hair, no doubt just now remembering the others. "Right... the family. They will not like this."

"How many bots are we talking here? I noticed you skillfully deleted everything in regards to them on this module before waking me up," Vanny smirked. "Personally, I'd like to know what we have to work with here."

"Lemme see. God, we have-" She gestured to Bonnie and Chica, counted, and whirled around, "Seven bots in the house? Technically more if you count the alters in the daycare attendant..."

"Seven bots. In one home. You are a busy woman," Vanny admitted.

"Plus Luis... plus the kids... yeah. Busy is putting it mildly."

Vanny frowned. "I recall the Glamrocks... but whose the last one?"

"DJ music man. He has a body now, kinda near human-sized?" Vanessa told her.

Vanny hummed at something else, then sat back. "Busy indeed... Okay, this could work. Yeah. That may be enough."

"In the meantime-" Bonnie glanced at Vanessa, his tone reserved. "Should I... say something to the others now? And get Mex here into the back-up terminal upstairs?"

"Go ahead and do that," Vanessa said. "We'll have to revisit the hardware store too... I know you and Chica just went, but I need some things there now for Vanny and for Mex. And then we'll have to visit the electronics store. I need some circuit boards, and quite a few other things." She considered him, then frowned, "I'll be taking Monty with me to the store this time. Him, DJ, and Rox, given she wants to go. The rest of you can stay put here and watch the house- and you need to clean up. You still stink," she dead-panned.

Bonnie rolled his eyes, "I'm aware. I can smell myself plenty, thank you very much!"

"Sorry Bon. No way in hell I was gonna let you come to the store with me smelling like that!" She winced.

Bonnie flipped her off, though the motion was harmless play for him. He stood there, considered something, then nodded. Just before he left, he turned back to the monitor, "Heya... I uh- one last question."

"Hm?"

Bonnie worked his jaw, his optics narrowed and his posture stiff. His paws balled at his sides, "By chance, Vanny... Cassie's father. You know anything about him?"

Vanessa looked up at him there, blinking rapidly and frowning. She glanced between the buck and digital doe.

Vanny raised a spotted brow there, smiling coyly, "I never knew him personally, if that's what you're asking..."

"Don't be fuggin' coy-" He shot at her, pointing a talon in her direction. "You know exactly what I'm really askin'!"

The white rabbit rapped her fingertips on the digital table she'd been leaning on, smiling and smiling like she knew all. She only shrugged at him, "You're asking if I killed him?"

"The hell else you think I'm sayin'?" He seethed.

"Temper temper! I wouldn't DREAM of pissing you off more- not after your little shows back then," She allayed, giving him a gay little wave. "Now uh... this may come as a violent and heart-wrenching surprise to you, but NO. I did not kill him."

Everyone blinked at her; yes, even M.X.E.S wanted to do so. Bonnie did so for him.

Vanny shrugged carelessly, "For once, I am innocent of that little crime. I did not kill her father... although I considered it. I cannot deny, he was pulling a leaf from your books and started looking too deeply into the PizzaPlex's mysteries-" She shook her head, "I would've had to kill him eventually for sticking his nose where it doesn't belong, but it looks like someone else beat me to it! I'm just as surprised as you are."

"Wha- WHO?" Bonnie exclaimed loudly.

Vanny- much to everyone's horror, shrugged, "I don't know! I knew a lot of things about the mega plex, but that was the ONE THING that escapes me-" She put a finger to her lip and tapped it. She hummed, "I think someone recorded it... there must've been some security that found out... or a bot who just doesn't remember. Its possible any of YOU could've killed him and your memory of it was erased. After all, Morris discouraged anymore searches into your disappearance, Bonnie. And Cassie's father wouldn't stop asking around once he started noticing the odd things- your disappearance aside."

"You think... Morris did this?" Bonnie's tone turned especially wooden and small; almost a whisper at that point.

Vanny sighed, "He could have... And he could've had any one of your friends do it. We just don't know. But I assure you, it wasn't me for once! I mean, I could've gained something from killing him... but all that would've done is eliminate another sneaky mouse. He wasn't much of a threat and bothering with him was more hassle than anything. I wager the staff knew more about it and it simply got buried with them."

Bonnie's paws balled again; with M.X.E.S being able to feel the rising tension of his claw tips digging into his palms. There was a lot of racing thoughts; some in which the program wondered about asking, but didn't.

Vanny shrugged again, looking completely helpless in the motion, "Welp! If you want, maybe we COULD narrow that down? I mean... I'm sure there's a way to track that."

"Really?" Vanessa asked this time.

"Yeah, if we dig the right way. Granted, even if I help with this, it wouldn't change anything-" She waved it off casually, "You could have proof to bring to a court, maybe... but it won't do anything but set them back by a decade or two... They'd just be back at it again. No, if you really want Fazbear Entertainment gone, pulling their plug is the only way to do it! The plan YOU concocted, Vanessa-" She passed the former security guard a truly coy expression there; even giving her a wink.

Vanessa huffed and shook her head, "Man, you couldn't sound MORE like the little devil that sits on your shoulder, telling you to do bad things."

"Oh don't kid yourself, hun. You never needed THIS devil on your shoulders. That other one you have seems to be doing the job just fine," She sneered ominously.

Bonnie turned to leave again, his racing mindset a roaring tempest that M.X.E.S was struggling to deal with. Vanny and Vanessa would continue to talk behind him; with the rabbit proceeding out into the main hall leading to the den.

Freddy stopped him just as he was about to climb the stairs to the second floor, "Bonnie! How are things? Can we go back in now?"

The rabbit was sluggish to respond, working his jaw a moment and saying, "I guess... but Freddy, be warned; you ain't gonna like what you see. Let me do something with Mex here, then let me come down and talk to you all before you shoot in there."

The bear would've asked but Bonnie ditched him at the landing.

"This is going to end terribly," Even M.X.E.S dead-panned to the mobile rabbit.

"What choice do we have? Nah, Mex. Vanny isn't my concern at present-"

"That's not what I mean. The others- they will NOT like this. You haven't discussed this them; pulled the wool over their eyes-"

"This was Vanessa's idea. Not mine. But... whatever. We're in this sinking ship, my brother. Let's hope we grow gills on time."

M.X.E.S fell silent after that, letting Bonnie go to the office and kneel down beside the spare terminal. Bonnie then opened his facial plate and took a plug from the terminal itself and attached it to his face; downloading M.X.E.S directly into it and updating it while he was at it. Once he was done, he ran several programs and scanned his system; then he unplugged himself from the device and tapped a button on his endo to shut his face plate.

"Okay- you there?" He said to the computer on Vanessa's office desk.

"Online. Yes, I see you, User Bonnie."

Bonnie walked up to the device and fixed the camera, making sure it was working properly and stepping away so the program can see him better. "Alright then. This device will work for you?"

"It is powerful enough so that I do not have to occupy your body, yes," M.X.E.S went on to say. "The gesture was appreciated by the way."

"No prob, man. We asshole bunnies hafta stick together, apparently!" Bonnie chortled uncertainly. He scratched at the back of his head, then stepped away, "You're free to jump into my head if you need to run damage control. Letting you know. Just... not when I'm not feeling too well. Okay?"

"I understand. For the record, I do not like being inside of your head when this... 'soul' stirs. I feel something there that exceeds my comprehension. It baffles and worries me, and I am afraid staying inside your head whenever it 'wakes' does not do me any favors," The security program went on to say. "I do not understand how you have not gone mad from that."

Bonnie leveled a so-so gesture, "Eh, I'm kinda gettin' there, in case you haven't noticed. I decided I'm gonna take up the idea of 'therapy' and see if I can do something good for myself for once. Focus on er... something else... not that I know what." He folded his arms. "Fuck if I know... I just need to NOT think about this thing inside me."

M.X.E.S was quiet for a time, dawning back on the words of Vanessa and Chica. He knew about their topics because he had eyes across the house and can inhabit any one of their head spaces at this point (minus the humans, obviously). And the last time he'd been in Chica's head to run maintenance, he'd stumbled upon her peculiar thoughts. The program glanced aside as best he can, then looked back up as he pondered these topics.

"Well, I will not claim to be an expert... but perhaps I can make a recommendation-?"

"Huh- how d'ya mean?"

M.X.E.S tried to figure this out, and then said carefully, "There was some concerns about your behavior in regards to Cassie-"

"OH GOD. WHAT DID I DO-? DID I DO SOMETHING WHILE I WAS-"

"No! Be rest assured, Bonnie. It is not what you are thinking-" The security program went on to say. "It is simply a matter of... perhaps finding some time away from Cassie. To take a moment to separate yourself between the person you are from the parent figure. The two being so closely intermingled is what may lead into your current mindset. To give yourself a healthy amount of space from this growing girl and yourself. After all, you were not built to emotionally withstand prolonged relationships with children when you and the other bots were built at the PizzaPlex. All bots grow too 'attached' and it tended to culminate into problematic behaviors. This same error may be what's compounding your current dilemma regarding Cassie's father and yourself. No matter how much creator Vanessa and I have rectified the issues in your system, sometimes these old bugs will flare back up."

Bonnie was strangely silent there, watching the computer and its camera with an expression M.X.E.S couldn't hope to parse out. At length, Bonnie folded his arms and shifted into a hip. "Go on," he said carefully.

"We all... we worry that perhaps your attachment to Cassie is what's making this harder on you- not that we are discouraging it. It is simply asking you take some time to find some space that is adequate for you and her; especially for Cassie: who is growing up and will naturally need and require said 'space' to grow into a healthier mindset of her own. You understand?"

Bonnie was seen raising a brow. And then he pointedly asked, "You guys think I'm smothering her-?"

"No... well, perhaps. Not that I am of that opinion- I am in place to give it. As it is, it is only because of the soul in your body that I say this-" M.X.E.S continued to say. "It leaves confusing data, simply because it will never be something we understand. And sadly, it has further super-imposed the identity of the man from the bot thanks to this same connection. Perhaps it is best you go to sort yourself out before this progresses? You know; being around Cassie makes you feel MORE like her father- which we worry will erase the bot beneath with time-" M.X.E.S flickered, "You understand what I mean?"

Bonnie huffed, "Yeah, I... I'll think on that. I guess."

"Please. Your loved ones worry about your welfare as it is-"

"I know... I get it. Okay, I said I'd think on it, yunno?" The blue rabbit shook his head and turned to leave, "I... thanks, Mex. Thanks for being honest with me."

"That is what I am here for."

Bonnie glanced back at him, "When nobody else will be straight with me, that goes a long way. Seriously. Keep that up, would ya?"

"Yes. Oh, and Bonnie, one more thing- since we are being 'honest' here."

The blue rabbit turned back around. He looked especially confused now.

"Anyone outside the door, first?"

"Er... no. Just us talking," He said.

"Good. Because apparently, Chica wishes to keep this to herself, but she had some... very interesting views regarding you that are very personal. I do not know if she'll say them out loud though, and it seems she's been struggling enough lately with these same conceptions." M.X.E.S flickered once on the screen, his version of displaying uncertainty. "As I said, they are admittedly private, but I also do not know if she would come forward about it at ALL or if Vanessa would just say. As it is, her feelings towards you are... unique, from the others. I want to say that much."

"Oh... so even Mex knows you can't be doing out others' biz? And yet at the same time, you WANT to tell me, huh?" Bonnie smirked, his arms folded.

"Do not get my intentions misconstrued. I simply wish to tell you because I believe it could improve your emotional state... it is within my directive to find a means of improving welfare amongst us all." He pixelated and returned to form on the screen, "Anyways, I also do not know if they will say anything to you directly. And to take a quote from Luis; 'being a bot does not save you from obliviousness- so long as you are male'," M.X.E.S held up his pixelated hands to air-quote that last point. "What I mean to say, is that Chica's emotions towards you exceed what is considered normal for bots. In fact, one can question how a bot can feel such a way. It is truly something she does not understand fully and is struggling with. It could take her quite some time before she can say anything... so I wondered if I should just say so since Vanessa and Chica will continue to dance around it."

Bonnie flexed his ears, slanting him a casual brow.

"To put it bluntly, she is... fond of you. And, it is not the normal type of fondness? This concept exceeds my parameters, but from I can see the last time I was in her system, the mentality she has towards you is 'colored'," M.X.E.S finally said. "Her emotional inflection towards you is... certainly unique for me to sense first-hand. It felt like I was more than intruding; even though I was only inside her mind to passively run tasks. I believe she did not know I could detect this in her- so it was not like I was going out of my to 'snoop'."

Bonnie blinked several times. Then he blinked several more. He worked his jaw, closed it, then glanced aside as if truly confused. Now he blinked AGAIN.

"You're tellin' me... that she like LIKES me. Right? Cuz that's what I'm getting out of this."

"Yes. That is the term I believe I was trying to convey. It is... what is the correct word... something akin to amity? A... 'crush'? Or something thereabouts."

The blue rabbit stumbled upon his footing like he's winded; threading his claws through his hair and glancing helplessly aside. It'd take him a full minute before he could speak up again, and even then it sounded blown away. "Geez. I know I'm a lady killer 'n all but... wow. I didn't... okay. Yeah... I- uh- I-" He turned around, his back now to the terminal. "Yeah... I needta... okay. I-I'll just- kinda... ponder that. Surprised you even told me that."

"This unit believes this epiphany could perhaps better your mindset, somewhat," M.X.E.S admitted. "Waiting around and not saying anything could contribute to negative consequences otherwise."

"...You're telling me... you're rather see me focus on that and a little less on Cassie, yeah?"

"Long and short of it."

"You are something else. I never thought I'd see the day you'd try to play matchmaker here. I honestly should be laughing! In fact-" He chortled. "Holy shit. You can't make this shit up. It IS funny! Bwahahahahaha!"

M.X.E.S was terribly confused by his humor, finding nothing funny about it. The program supposed therein there was context he was simply oblivious to at that point.

Bonnie eventually stopped, then passed the program another look. "Welp! Guess I appreciate that too. Thanks again, Mex! And... making a note to not tell you anything personal myself. Haha!"

"...Of course. Signing you out," the program closed on a confused note.

Bonnie would leave the room laughing like an idiot after that; while M.X.E.S shut himself down in the main terminal. He would also systematically move himself into the bodies of the other bots more routinely so to check on them. After all, he was interested in seeing how they would receive this Vanny business- Not that he'd assume they'd take it well.

As to Bonnie, he wondered if he did the right thing in telling him; but he truly believed the sooner Bonnie knew, the better he would be. After all, it didn't help that M.X.E.S was in his head and body a lot and often. He was exposed to the 'perils' of Bonnie's mindset every time he slipped in to help the rabbit run certain routines and clean up his system. And now, with Vanny being back into the equation, he could easily foresee himself needing to be in Bonnie as often again as he did back then. Truly, the security programmed believed in just being blunt at this point; despite his own social obliviousness to the norm in regards to matters of the heart.

But still, its not like the program understood fully what he just said. He only wanted to see his users improve in mindset. He had no other purpose, and even M.X.E.S would say he delights in providing his services; however oddly it translates. And if Bonnie can perhaps try entertaining other organic mentalities that do not involve 'parenting', perhaps it could really help keep him apart from the restless spirit within.

Not if only he understood what was so funny here!