A/N Welcome again everyone to the next chapter. As you could probably tell I'm going to be putting the main action of this story into separate nights like in the games, but then I'm going to put in basically an aftermath between each night for everyone to get a bit of a breather. That is what this chapter is going to be, but there will still be opportunities for development like this. So, it may be a bit less exciting this time, but I hope you still enjoy it. Alright then, here we go.

The drive back to Vanessa's house was a bit more awkward than most of the group were expecting. With the addition of Henry there were two more additions to the group, and possibly a whole lot more to unload. Henry, however, did allow the group to release the tension a bit by explaining to Fifi what they already knew about William Afton. He didn't interject at all, though, as he had said that he would like to listen to what they knew before he explained anything.

By the time they returned to the house, however, Fifi was acting like she had a headache. She had to sort through a lot in her training sessions not long after she was made, but this…this was something else entirely. Gregory noticed this as they stepped out of the van, though, and felt he should give her some comfort.

"I know that was kind of a lot," he muttered anxiously. "We basically just crammed a month's worth of stories into thirty minutes, but I think you had a right to know…. Are you still a bit overwhelmed by this?"

"Well, yeah," the mouse replied, "but at least I have some idea what's going on now. The things they don't tell you in training." She sighed. "And there's still so much I don't understand."

He took her by the hand as they walked. "Well, maybe Henry has a bit more information that can help. We can just take a bit of a breather and then he can explain things. We definitely owe Foxy one for leading us to him, that's for sure."

She chuckled. "I know. Maybe I should get his autograph while he's here. I never thought I'd meet someone that important."

"I don't think he's in the best position for that," the boy retorted, and both of them giggled at that comment. It felt just like a conversation between two kids, something Gregory had wanted for a long time.

Vanessa unlocked the door and ushered everyone inside.

"Alright, here we are," she said. "Make yourself at home, Fifi."

The mouse took a couple seconds to look around. "Wow," she breathed. "Nice place you got here."

"Thanks," replied the former guard, "This is what working on you guys got me for a while. I'm sure you can find some comfort with us here."

Fifi nodded with a smile. She knew she wasn't alone now, and she hoped to keep it that way.

"By the way, Vanessa," Henry called out from the watch, "Do you have anything that you can load me into so I can more easily talk to everyone. I have some things to show from the computer you took me from, and I would like to show them to everyone."

She shrugged. "Best thing I have would probably be this electronic fabricator I have downstairs. I can't ever seem to get completely get it working, though."

"I should be able to help with that," said Henry. "I know the ins and outs of our models pretty well, especially now."

The woman rolled her eyes. The last thing she would have expected from this company's other founder was dad-jokes.

"Okay, guys, I'm gonna take care of Henry here, and you all just relax," she stated. "This might take a while so let me know if you need anything."

The boy and the two animatronics nodded and she took off downstairs.

"I worry about her sometimes," said Freddy. "It really seems as if she works too hard, especially now."

"Can you blame her, though?" asked Gregory. "She's trying to stop someone—or something—that's been bothering her for a long time. I'd be a bit excited about it too if I were in her position."

The bear opened his mouth to object, but closed it just as quickly. It was always in his programming to try to make friends with everyone, but now he's realizing it just isn't possible for everyone. He couldn't just ignore everything Vanessa told them previously about Afton, and he knows he made her lose a lot. He still didn't like the whole situation, but he had to accept it. He sadly nodded at Gregory's comment.

"Everything will be fine, Freddy," said Gregory. "I know it."

The boy made is way to the living room couch. "Hey Fifi," he called. "There anything you wanna watch on TV?"

"I've never watched TV," the mouse replied.

"Well, come over here, I'm sure we can find something."

The mouse rushed over next to him and sat down. He pressed a button on the remote and they started looking.

The next thirty minutes were spent with Gregory and Fifi mainly channel surfing while Freddy mainly observed from the bar in the kitchen. The bear was amazed at how this child could make a friend so quickly after everything he'd been through. He watched as the two enjoyed each other's company more than focusing on the activity they were doing, and he started longing for that feeling again.

He admitted to himself that it was before Monty replaced Bonnie at the Pizzaplex that he felt he was able to do that with his friends, and he truly missed it. Maybe he even felt that feeling even before the Pizzaplex was there…That would have been impossible since he was built for the Pizzaplex, but why all of a sudden did he feel that way?

His thoughts were interrupted, however, when Vanessa came back up the stairs. "Okay," she breathed, "that was a bit of an ordeal, but I think I've gotten Henry all set up. You guys ready to hear what he has to say?"

Gregory and Fifi turned to look at each other, neither feeling sure about this. Then they both turned to Freddy, who smiled and nodded. Gregory smiled too, in spite of himself.

"We're coming," he stated.

He turned off the T.V. and the group marched down to the basement. Vanessa led them to the room at the end of the hall where the console with the conveyor belts was located. When they entered, they saw that the console was now on and showing a blue screen.

"Never say you can't get anything to work," Henry's voice came though, the screen flashing again. "It's just a matter of putting the right pieces in the right places."

The mechanical arms hanging from the ceiling suddenly sprung to life, causing Gregory and Fifi to jump slightly.

"I should be able to give everyone a once-over shortly," Henry continued. "I am curious, though, Vanessa, of how you managed to get one of these."

The woman chuckled. "You get high enough in Fazbear Entertainment's tech department you get a few perks. There was a recall on these after a few of them malfunctioned, so naturally, I got first claim on this one so we could figure out how to fix it. There was a lot of pressure put on me to do that. The worst of it, though, came from William when he was in my head."

There was a pause.

"Oh, yes," said Henry, his voice filled with dread, "I suppose it is time to give my side of the story, isn't it?"

One could hear a pin drop as Vanessa lowered her head, her face in a scowl.

"I don't want you to feel like you have to rush into it," she said quietly. "I just need to figure this out at some point—"

"It's alright," he interrupted, "I feel that you all should know, as soon as possible, what you're getting into. So please, pay attention."

Vanessa was taken aback some by this willingness to talk, but she nodded in obedience. All eyes were on Henry when he continued.

"William and I first met in college. We were both studying engineering and became friends after studying on several projects together. I remember him being somewhat cocky at the time, but he showed himself to be a hard worker, and I was close to him due to that. Eventually, though, he became interested in the work behind animatronics and posed an idea to me that we should start making them to entertain children. I always liked kids, so I told him I'd go into business with him after we finished school.

"After I took a business course, we worked on the idea to introduce our creations with a restaurant, and worked to make it a place that I hoped would be a haven for families to have fun together. However, things began to take a turn after we began to open more locations."

The screen on the console suddenly showed a newspaper article with the headline "Girl Found Murdered Outside Freddy Fazbear's Pizza: Company Founder Scrutinized." Everyone suddenly shuddered.

"Now you all have discussed the murders and disappearances regarding this company," Henry continued. "Well, this was the incident that started the downward spiral leading to that. The thing that was puzzling to me, though, was how quickly William wanted it to be erased from the public consciousness. He seemed to have no empathy toward this child beyond what he needed to keep the news outlets happy. That is when our relationship began to suffer."

"I get that," Gregory interjected. "I'd probably be upset at that too. Did he at least try to console the family?"

"Other than a half-hearted public apology, no," Henry answered, "but that's not the worst part of it. Take a look at the victim's name."

The article on the screen suddenly scrolled down and zoomed in on a paragraph, where a name was highlighted in yellow: "Charlotte Emily."

Freddy gasped, "You don't mean…"

"Yes," Henry confirmed darkly. "This little girl was my daughter. Killed in cold blood in the place she was supposed to be safe and have fun."

Everyone was shaken at that point. A company founder was bound to have some feelings toward the things that caused what they built to suffer, but for it to be this personal was horrifyingly incredible.

"I forgot all about that!" exclaimed Vanessa softly. "Every paper I found about that was asking why nothing was done after her death considering she was a founder's daughter."

"Believe me, I wanted something done," Henry continued, "but William wanted to blow past it like nothing happened. 'How can people trust us if we dwell on this,' he said to me one time, but this was more than trust to me. This was my daughter! I wanted to leave after that, but he begged me to stay. I did, but only out of sympathy for the desperation that he seemed to be in to keep me there. I privately told myself, though, that I would keep our relationship strictly professional from now on. But that's when the disappearances started."

He pulled another article: "Fazbear Staff Questioned After 5 Missing Children's Cases."

Vanessa scoffed. "Yeah, I'm shocked the whole company didn't go down after that."

"Hang on," Gregory stepped forward to look. "1983? That was the same year as the last article."

"Yes," Henry confirmed. "It was a year after we started, and it was one of our darkest. So much more happened that year that I just can't go into detail with now, but William was there to cover it all up. In doing that, the company survived, but then he introduced me to something that really had me wondering that there was more to what was happening than bad press.

"He came into work one morning and pressed me to look at something new he had developed. He showed me a vile with a strange liquid inside. It seemed to be glowing, but it constantly changed colors depending on its position to the light. He said it was something that would help the animatronics develop more appealing movement so they would be more inviting to the kids. He called it Remnant.

"With my assistance we started incorporating it into the animatronics systems, and they seemed to work as intended, but there was another effect it had that seemed to permeate through so many of the animatronics that were made over the years."

Fifi's eyes went wide when she heard this. "Wh…What do you mean?"

Henry stayed silent for a moment, but finally said, "Why don't you step forward a moment, Freddy?"

The bear hesitantly did as he was told. Then Henry zoomed in on the article, to the list of the missing children's names. The last names were redacted so only the first names were visible: Gabriel, Jeremy, Susie, Fritz, and Cassidy.

"Tell me," Henry continued. "Do any of these names look…familiar to you?"

Freddy looked confusedly at the list. "I…I do not know. I'm sure there were children with those names I've entertained before but—"

"Don't think about that," Henry interrupted. "Just focus on the names. If there is any of them that seems to…bring a feeling forward, tell me."

Freddy was now feeling apprehensive, but he looked again. For a few seconds he went back and forth through all of the names, but he seemed, more than any of them, to be drawn to the first name, Gabriel. He didn't know what it was about that name, but it did seem to invoke a feeling. It wasn't a bad feeling per se, but it tugged at his mind. He could almost picture the sun shining on him as he looked at it. He could picture running through a field surrounded by children, almost as if they were playing a game of tag. It was like he was reaching out to one attempting to tag them, only for it to evolve into playful wrestling. And then he felt a voice, like a mother's calling out to him…

Freddy stepped back with a start, like he was coming out of a trance. Gregory rushed immediately to his side.

"Freddy, what happened!?" he called. "Are you okay?"

"Gabriel!" the bear spouted out. "Gabriel is the name I know! When I looked at it I…it was like a memory, but…it wasn't mine!"

"It seems to effect some models differently than others," Henry explained, "but so many of Fazbear Entertainment's animatronics, especially those based on the characters of Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy, seem to have those memories hidden in them.

Freddy just stood leaning against the maintenance chair, utterly shaken by what he just experienced. Gregory stood protectively by his friend looked on with dropped jaws.

"Most of you have probably heard the rumors that the animatronics were haunted," Henry continued. "I can tell you for certain that this is true. And this is only the beginning of the effects Remnant had. In fact, it is the main reason why I am here and able to speak to you in this form."

"That's right!" Vanessa suddenly stood recalling. "When Afton was in my head before…he led me to a whole stash of that stuff. We were using it in Vanny!" She scowled. "I bet that's how he was able to survive, too, that scum."

"More than likely," Henry confirmed.

"But what is this stuff, anyway?" Vanessa inquired. "And what does he want with it?"

"He never said for certain," Henry explained, "but he started getting his hands on more quickly. He took a three month 'business' trip that year and came back with a barrel full of it. I had asked him to tell me where he found this and how he obtained it, but he kept me in the dark…I found out much later that there had been at least twenty disappearances in four states during that time he was gone."

As everyone slowly realized what he was implying, their faces shifted to pure horror.

"You mean…" said Gregory, "Afton got the Remnant from…killing those kids?"

"I think so…No, I know so," confirmed Henry. "Every one of them died at his hands because of some sick fantasy he thought he could obtain from that substance. What that fantasy is exactly is beyond me, and I still don't know how he got Remnant from his victims. Worse still, the effects it had on the animatronics became more disturbing. The major malfunctions you mentioned before like the Bite of '87 and the springlock suits became commonplace, almost like it was a reflection of William's true nature"

Henry then showed a boy with a bandaged head, presumably a victim of one of these incidents.

"It took me years before I finally realized what he was doing, and it was during those years that he tested Remnant on so many unwilling participants, including me. When I did find out, he threatened me, and what family I had left, so I had no choice but to leave quietly."

Vanessa was incensed. "You could have done something. You could have called the cops when he told you! You could have done anything! None of this would have happened if you did!"

"No!" Henry exclaimed stopping her rant. "There was too much to think about at the time. I had family to think of beyond Charlie, and I had to do for them what I failed to do for her. Plus, William kept everything hidden after he dismissed the stories, and he forbade employees from discussing it. Even if he had been arrested, there was no evidence to convict him with."

The former guard was still ticked off. "So, he gets away with murder, and we have to deal with the aftermath of it. Brilliant."

Fifi became more and more shaken as this conversation went on, but what Vanessa had just said was her breaking point.

"I don't wanna hear this!" she cried as she started running out the door.

Gregory was the first to run out after her, and he called her until he was finally close enough to grab her arm.

"Fifi, stop for a second!" he said as he tried to tug her back.

"No! Let go!" she bit back sharply.

"We have to listen to him; he might know something that can stop this!"

"He's lying!" the mouse shrieked. "He has to be! We were made to entertain kids, not kill them! How could a murderer possibly make us? We're supposed to make kids happy, and you expect me to believe it's all a part of some psycho's killing spree?! I won't believe it!"

The boy's face turned dead serious. "You don't know the lengths some people will go to just to make themselves feel bigger than you. I've seen so many kids like me get bribed with candy just to get smacked in the face by the hand that gave it to them, or worse…I've never trusted adults since my parents died, so with everything I've seen, this doesn't surprise me one bit."

Fifi just stared at the boy. Just twenty minutes ago, he was telling her what TV shows he liked with a smile on his face, but now here he was telling her about people manipulating kids, just like him, on the street? What has she missed since she was turned off?

"But I'm not just going to sit around and let it happen this time," Gregory continued. "If Afton's found a way to keep doing what he was doing when he was still alive, we have to stop him. We literally just heard from his business partner about the awful things he did. Do you want that to happen to any more kids?"

She took a deep breath. "No."

"Then you've got to accept that it happened so you can help us find a way for it to never happen again. Okay."

"Okay, but…" she turned her head away, "I'm scared."

"Me too," he said smiling, "but that's not gonna stop me."

The mouse hesitantly nodded, and Gregory led her back into the room by the hand. He could see Vanessa and Freddy watching intently from the door.

"Well…" the woman said, "I think I know who I'll turn to when I need a pep talk from now on."

The last bit of tension was finally released as everyone laughed at Vanessa's quip.

"That is an excellent attitude to have, son," Henry added. "I have a feeling that despite what you've been through, you'll go far."

The boy's smile grew slightly wider. "Thanks."

Vanessa turned to Henry again. "Well, is that pretty much everything you have at this point?"

"At this point, yes," Henry confirmed. "As I said, William kept everything hidden, and the information on this computer was just slightly more than what the general public knows. Most of the information stored in the offices where you have been looking has been either removed or destroyed. However, there is one office in that diner that I know should still have some information that William kept from the public. I'll mark it on your map before you leave, if you do intend to go back."

"We do," Vanessa clarified, "but that won't be until 12 AM anyway, so for now, we all should get some rest." She turned to the animatronics. "I'm sure both of your batteries are pretty low now."

"I suppose you are right," said Freddy, then he turned to Fifi. "I should inform you that there is only one charging station here. We may need to take turns."

"Actually," Vanessa interrupted, "I have been working privately on something that might help with that. I developed a wireless charging pad that will charge any animatronic so long as they stay in a lying position on it. I intended it to be used in Parts and Services so you guys could charge while maintenance was looking at you, but it should fit on one of the beds in my bedrooms. All I'd really need now is a test subject."

She looked pointedly at Fifi, and instantly the mouse's eyes brightened.

"You mean…I get to sleep in a bed?" she asked excitedly. Gregory giggled, because that was the same reaction he had.

"If you want to," Vanessa confirmed. "You're welcome to try it too, Freddy. I have more than one."

"I appreciate the offer, but I am much more used to the charging station," said the bear respectfully.

"In that case, then," said Henry, "rest well. It's been very nice to meet you."

"The feeling's mutual," said Vanessa with a smile.

The monitor faded to black and the electronics in the room settled. Then the group started out the door to head up the stairs.

"You know," Gregory said to Fifi, "now that he's controlling those arms maybe he can give you an autograph."

She giggled in response. "Yeah, maybe."

A/N And there we go. Like I said, not the most eventful chapter, but we got some good parts of the lore in, along with some character development. I'm just going to do the best I can to make these characters the best they can be and I hope this chapter helped with that. Anyway, the next chapter will be the beginning of Night 2 at the diner, so look forward to that. As always make sure to leave a review if you can. See you later!