A/N Surprise, surprise! I'm not dead! Sorry for posting this so late, but I had to work through a few distractions over the past two weeks. Either way welcome to Night 5! I have a feeling you're all really going to enjoy the next few chapters. This is where a ton of turning points for the characters are going to be so I hope you can enjoy what I have in store. Also, I love how a good number of you are already trying to guess what Roxy's favor to Henry might be. I'm glad you're getting into it and I know you're going to be surprised. Just hold on to your hats, though, because here we go.
Though it was day, that did not deter anyone from getting a full sleep. They needed it after the night they just had. They all knew this wasn't going to be easy, but last night was extremely taxing both mentally and physically for everyone. Old wounds being brought up, secrets being brought to the surface, and whatever happened in the security office. It all seemed to go by so soon, and yet, they felt like the fought a hundred-year battle.
They couldn't deny, however, that they just kept getting closer throughout this whole experience. It was astounding. The animatronics in particular were used to working with kids, so they thought they could at least make some connections, but they never thought that they could get the level of genuine care as they had over the past week. But here they were, and though no one said it, everyone, including the humans, was enjoying it.
That said, everyone was on edge about it as well. In just these past four days, they've seen how drastically a relation with someone can change overnight, for better and worse. Roxy forgiving Gregory was one thing, but Josh betraying Vanessa was another. How close could the ties they foraged between one another be to breaking? It was something they didn't want to think about, but they did. They couldn't help it. They were worried about each other.
Still, that didn't stop them from facing their demons tonight. They had to be ready for anything, and since Chica was the best lead they had now, they had to do their best to get her on their side. They had to be careful, though. They had to work to keep each other safe and stay alive. The danger was real and they knew it. They had doubts and they had fears, but they had to work through them tonight. They knew it.
Both nerves and excitement were high among the group as they pulled into the diner that night around 11:45. They chatted a little on the way in, but in an effort to just get things started they quickly made their way to the stairwell to discuss the matter with Foxy. When they finished explaining the goal for the night, the Fox folded his arms and smirked.
"Well, sounds to me like you scallywags actually have a plan this time," he observed.
"Pretty much," said Gregory. "Hopefully things will work out like they're supposed to."
The fox chortled. "They never do…but at least you're thinking ahead, lad. You lot prepared for tonight, and it's clear to see. That's good. But ya also have to prepare for things to go wrong. I've no worries about that, though, seein' as how there always seems to be some harebrained solution waiting for you each night." He looked pointedly at Fifi. "Give me a heart attack like that again, and I'll keelhaul ya, girly."
"Awww, I scared the big, tough pirate, boo-hoo. Hahahaha," the mouse playfully mocked, but backed off when this earned her a slight growl. "You know I'm joking. I wouldn't willingly do anything to hurt anyone."
"Best hope not, lass," Foxy warned with a smirk, "or ye'll have me to deal with."
Funtime Chica walked up to them. "By the way guys, I'm really sorry I couldn't help more. I tried to remember when Henry first asked me about it. I really did, but it's like I was really being blocked off from the big stuff."
"It's alright, really," Freddy interjected. "Honestly, I almost envy you. There are definitely…some things about this whole situation I wish to forget."
Both Vanessa and Roxy cast their eyes down when they heard this.
"Yeah," they breathed at the same time.
FT Chica shrugged. "Well, on the bright side, it's not every day you get to see another model of yourself. I might actually get someone good around to share pizza with. We'll be pizza buddies!"
Rockstar Bonnie walked up behind cringing. "Yeah, because the only one who crave pizza as much as you…is you."
She scoffed. "You act like it's the only thing I ever want to do. There's more to me than you think…" She not-so-discretely turned to Gregory. "Although, I wouldn't be to upset if you save me some of that Monty's Mystery Mix."
The boy rolled his eyes and chuckled. Hopefully Glamrock Chica wouldn't be this bad about pizza.
"Hey, speaking of which, how does eating work for you guys?" he asked to no one in particular.
"We'll tell you later," his cohorts said.
"Alright then," said Foxy, "you landlubbers better get in there. You're waistin' moonlight."
"We're ready when you are, Foxy," Vanessa pointed out. And with that the door opened and Gregory's group walked in.
When they walked in Vanessa encouraged Roxy to take the lead, since she remembered where the storage room was. Although slightly hesitant, the wolf agreed and seemed to be taking it in stride. They had been walking for about forty minutes and did not have many issues aside from the odd S.T.A.F.F. bot patrolling. However, as they went further in, Vanessa in particular could tell that Roxy was getting more and more unnerved, so along the way, she started shooting the breeze with her to keep tensions low.
"So yesterday was your first time sleeping on one of my charging pads," the blonde mused. "How'd it go?"
Roxy shrugged as she walked. "Fine, I guess. More comfortable than I've been in the last month."
"I'd say so…no weird dreams or anything?"
"…Just…nightmares. I've been having those for a while though."
Vanessa realized what she just asked. "I-I didn't mean to bring up anything, I just—"
"No, it's…it's fine…I'm just not good at small talk," the wolf mused.
Vanessa gave an empathetic grin. "I totally understand…but you know we're here to talk about anything with you."
Roxy thought a few seconds about this. "I know…and I think I'll talk more when I'm ready. Things have just been…rough."
"There is absolutely no pressure for that," said Freddy supportively. "I just hope we can all help each other out after this, at least."
She scoffed. "Come on. How many more problems could we have other than Afton?"
Gregory chuckled at this. "Hey, you talk about nightmares. Fifi says she keeps having this dream about playing shuffleboard with Mr. Hippo."
Roxy looked at him perplexed, then finally giggled herself. "Really? Okay, maybe we do have problems."
Fifi narrowed her eyes. "Gee, thanks. I feel so much better," she mused in a voice dripping with sarcasm.
The group gave a small burst of laughter at the mouse's expense. When they stopped, however, they realized they were back in front of the security office.
"Okay, Roxy," said Vanessa, "where do we go from here."
Roxy took a moment to look around. Making use of her ability to see through the walls, she scanned the whole of the open space in front of her until finally she noticed the boxes of ice cream stacked against the wall in one room.
"Over there!" she exclaimed.
She led them down a hallway on the left, and opened the second door on the right to reveal the storage room within, piled high with Fazbear memorabilia. From toys to party supplies and other souvenirs, it was all stacked up on one shelf to the left. Another shelf on the back wall had some technical equipment. To the untrained eye, it looked like scrap, but it was really a collection of several more obscure pieces for the animatronics. Finally on the right wall, there were metal folding chairs stacked against the wall, taking up the last bit of space in the small room.
Their target was not immediately obvious, but Vanessa pulled away a plastic table cloth hanging in front of the left wall to reveal a stack of six huge cardboard boxes with the logo for "Monty's Mystery Mix" printed on the side in bold green font.
"Think that oughta be enough?" Roxy asked Gregory cheekily.
"Oh, that's more than enough!" he exclaimed, "…well…hopefully."
Freddy stepped forward to pick up the box from the top. "In any case, there should at least be enough to make one or two trails to lead to where we can restrain Chica."
"Definitely," Vanessa agreed. "It's a simple enough plan, I think. We just spread this out as much as we can, and when she comes, we lead her back in here. Then, we can just pin her down until we can get the antivirus downloaded."
Fifi gave a contemplative look. "Sure, it sounds easy, but we don't really know what's going to happen, do we? Foxy literally just said things never go exactly to plan."
"Well, hey! He also said we're good at improvising," said Gregory. "We can work it out if something goes wrong. We've done that just about every time before. Why are you worried about that now?"
Fifi's eyes widened as if she was unaware of what she just said.
"Um…to be honest…I don't know why I just asked that. My head's been kind of fuzzy since last night…Maybe it's just where I haven't been on in so long."
The orphan suddenly became concerned for her. With what he has seen from Fazbear Entertainment so far, that wasn't the kind of thing to 'just happen.'
"…Okay then," he said, reluctantly brushing it off. "Let's just try to get this thing open."
He looked at the box Freddy was holding and noticed a circular spot toward the bottom on the front that was perforated. He put pressure on it with his good arm until finally a hole opened in the box. He pulled out the bit of cardboard he removed and threw it aside, then pulled out a nozzle attached to a plastic bag inside the box. He noted the orangish-tan liquid inside the bag.
"I should remind you not to eat this stuff yourself," said Freddy. "It is far out of date according to the box."
"I won't…but let's hope that doesn't make it less potent."
Gregory pointed the nozzle upward and opened it, and his worries were quelled when the smell of pizza immediately filled the room. The smell was more intense than any of them had anticipated and within seconds Vanessa and Fifi were coughing and hacking.
"I think that actually made it stronger," Vanessa called out between coughs.
"Geez, what did they put in that?" squealed Fifi, holding her nose for dear life.
"They kept marketing it as a trade secret," Roxy said rolling her eyes. "…as if this company wasn't keeping enough secrets already."
"Amen!" Gregory concurred with disdain.
Vanessa took a moment to compose herself. "Well, at any rate, we got what we need here, so let's just get started. And Gregory…" She took step towards her young charge. "We're going to try not to get separated tonight, but if we do…take this."
She pulled out her pocket knife and handed it to him, as he looked at it anxiously.
"Y…You're giving it to me?" he asked.
"Just in case you're in trouble," she confirmed. "I know I can trust you with it."
In spite of himself the boy gave a small smile and placed the knife in his back pocket.
"Thanks," he breathed.
She returned his smile. Indeed, maybe they had both found the family they had so longed for, but there was still much to do before anything could be decided for that.
"…Fifi and I will hold the box for you, Gregory," said Freddy. "Just spread this stuff out as much as you can."
When Gregory saw his animatronic friends holding the box of ice cream mix for him, he knew it was time to get down to business.
"Alright," he said. "Let's start by going…this way."
He led them to the left and began pouring liquid from the nozzle. Freddy Fifi matched his pace as best they could. Vanessa began to follow but stopped when she realized Roxy wasn't coming up behind her. She turned around quickly and noticed the wolf holding a plush toy, one of herself. Likely from the shelf full of merchandise. She seemed extremely deep in thought while looking at it, like she was in her own little world.
"Hey, you coming?" the blonde called out.
Roxy didn't move her head. "Sorry I just…I can't stop thinking about what you said earlier. About wanting to make Faz. En. into…you know…a proper children's entertainment company. Are you going to let me be a part of that?"
"Why wouldn't I?" asked Vanessa.
"It's just…Even if we stop Afton, what's going to happen if someone tries the same thing as him? I honestly don't know how I made it under his control. I don't want it to happen again. Not to me or anyone else. He said there's people in the company following him. If they hack us again, their going to make us hurt people again. What if they just make me lose control, and I end up killing a child. Everything you'll work for would be ruined if I—"
"Roxy," Vanessa interrupted. "You know you can't dwell on things like that, especially not now. Besides, you're talking to one of Faz. En.'s top techs. If I can't deal with a virus, I don't know who can."
"But you said yourself, even now, my system's weaker after I cleared that virus. Who's to say I'm not going to fall for someone's manipulations now?"
"Because unlike other computers, you're aware of these kinds of things. What's happening with yourself. Only humans could do that before, and many of them can't even do it at the best level. But, Roxy, even if something like that happens, you're not going to face it alone. We can help you through it now, and we will do it gladly. And whatever you experience, you can learn from. I think you're already figuring out what it feels like to be manipulated."
"Well, yeah, maybe, but…what if it happens before I even realize it?"
"Then you work through it, but for now just stay on guard. Look at people and find out what they really want from you, and if it doesn't seem right, get away."
Roxy really took a good moment to think after that. After all that, Vanessa had basically said the same thing that Henry had been telling her since Wednesday—look at people and the world with unclouded eyes.
She nodded. "Okay, I'll try. Guess we'd better catch up, huh?"
"Yep," Vanessa confirmed, turning to go. "We've got a long night ahead of us and we can't leave anyone alone now. We may have a plan, but we don't really know what's going to happen tonight."
Instantly as she said that, two black tentacles wrapped around both of them, covering their mouths and rendering them motionless. Then they were quickly pulled through an open grate in the floor that neither of them saw. It was going to be a rough night indeed.
Meanwhile Freddy, Fifi, and Gregory were continuing down the hallways pouring the ice cream mix out onto the floor. Gregory ensured they could get as much coverage as possible along the way. He wanted to catch Chica and he wanted to do it that night. Slowly however, the flow of the liquid slowed to a trickle, and he looked to the bag inside the box to see that it was empty.
"I guess that's all we're getting out of that one," he said.
"Well, we got pretty far with it, didn't we," Fifi noted as she looked back to the trail they made.
"I should say we did," Freddy agreed, but then the realization dawned on him. "Wait! Where are Roxy and Vanessa?"
Fifi jolted. "I thought they were behind you!"
Panic crept into Freddy's voice. "This is not good. I don't think they should have separated from us so soon."
As he looked down the dark hallway, Gregory began to get scared too, but he was quick to blow it off.
"They're probably waiting for us back at the storage room," he said. "We better just get back down there and start another trail with a new AAAGGHH!"
The boy was picked up by the scruff of his neck from behind, and he was violently turned around coming face to face once again with the scarlet eyes of Vanny's mask. He looked at her in horror, as he observed the bits of flesh that were missing from her arm and her shoulder, revealing the metal skeleton underneath.
"If you want to go somewhere, Greggy," she taunted, "it will be where I take you."
Fifi and Freddy moved to try to free him, but were cut off by jolts of electricity coursing through their bodies. Two S.T.A.F.F. bots were revealed behind them, along with William Afton, his decrepit shadow looming over everyone.
"I'll have my time with you yet, boy," he threatened, "but first, I need to give my unfortunate son a little…discipline."
Gregory squirmed in his captor's grip. "You maniac! If you do anything to him, I'll—"
"You'll what?!" the murderer challenged. "You're forgetting that metal is much sturdier than human bone, child…speaking of which, Vanny has plans for your little reject friend as well." He turned to Vanny. "Now dear, would you take them on? I'll keep you from your fun no longer."
"With pleasure, sir," she hissed.
Immediately, Gregory felt the sting of a syringe in his arm once again. How many more times was he going to get sedated? But he had no more time to think as he drifted off.
A/N So, this was kind of a short chapter, but I let myself get a bit pressed for time before I could submit it today. Like I said, I'm sorry I couldn't get this out sooner, but I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you all so much for sticking with me on this, and please leave a review if you can. See you next time.