Present Day-
CASSIE
The weird amount of quiet that permeated the PizzaPlex made it feel more or less like a tomb, and the trio some intrepid explorers in some sort of adventure movie; looking for some ancient, priceless relic of untold power. That's Cassie's best comparison of their situation.
For right now, She was getting a piggy-back ride from Eclipse; her arms around his incredibly thin neck and shoulders. While she'd no doubt that she was heavier than what he's used to picking up, he still carried her around like its no sweat. Roxy meanwhile stayed very nearby; listening to Eclipse's bells and Cassie's instructions about avoiding certain obstacles. While she knew Roxy won't say it, the bells were a blessed feature on the jester animatronic- as it saved Cassie some breath having to explain what to watch out for. It didn't help that her ribs still pulsed with her every deep breath- reminding her of their bruised nature.
For now, the group had decidedly gone in the direction of the Raceway's spectator stands; as Cassie thankfully knew of an entrance to an utility tunnel there beneath them. Here, Roxy put her strength to use to move debris; no longer caring of her broken fingers and general damage to her paws. She got some girder out of the way, then the trio was inside.
As it happened, there was some collapsed portions of the tunnels to deal with- which wasn't unexpected. Roxy once again went about removing everything and waited for Eclipse to sidle by with the girl. This kept up for a short while until they finally got to Parts & Service- and the trek hadn't been too bad neither. In fact, out of all the unfortunate, horrifying things Cassie's had to deal with today, at least them making it to the repair facilities hadn't been impeded more than it already was.
Still... Cassie had to admit, the area was no less creepy in terms of atmosphere, even with company to help her chase the shadows away. She winced at the odd assortment of dank smells too- like some sewer pipe had broken through somewhere in this labyrinth and unleashed some of its acrid contents into a section of it. There was no discernable source, but it had Roxy sniffling loudly at some intervals despite the fact she was missing her actual nose.
"I'll look around," Eclipse said, putting Cassie gently down in the large room with the protective cylinder in the center. "Maybe I can find a set of eyes for Roxy and a suitable room for you... And see if I can neutralize that smell's source. I don't want you breathing it in, little one. The air down here isn't well ventilated and quite stifling. If I'm lucky, I can find some generators and get a draft going."
"Its not so bad... I honestly thought Monty Golf was worse," Cassie shrugged.
He waved a finger, "No no! We aren't going to settle for second best if there's first class to be had! Now excuse me, I shall be back in just a few minutes!" He swiftly made his exit, disappearing with a tak tak tak of his singular foot and jingle of bells.
Cassie decided to look around the room: Strangely, it wasn't in bad shape- minus the fact that it appeared the endos that had been in here at some point apparently broken free of their chain-link cages save for a single deactivated one. There'd been no less than 5 individuals in this room at some point; but that had since changed. Cassie eyed the lone endo, the beginnings of an idea creeping to her. She can maybe use it for Chica or Bonnie... Seeing as both needed a new body entirely. Maybe she can take their casing and heads onto a new body like this and throw their upgrades into it too? It could shorten the workload by a lot.
Now she looked at the cylinder: Intact, and while scratched, no glass had broken. It had its own light source too, illuminating the otherwise pitch black room. The light was flickering occasionally from its socket above the imposing repair armature; the power coming from some other independent grid or source. No doubt that in case of power failure and the animatronic inside was undergoing maintenance, they'd need to keep the door sealed shut. It's likely running on its own industrial generator, on that note. The computer was also thankfully attached to the cylinder's own power source- likely to assist in controlling the mechanisms to the sliding glass door.
"Hey Roxy. Can you help me out a sec? I wanna check the cylinder," She queried.
"Is it functioning? I hear electricity humming somewhere," The wolf bot observed as she bent to help Cassie up.
"Yeah! So we can fix you up in a jiffy. We'd need some... hm, your eyes aside, maybe some chassis parts and new claws. You honestly don't look that bad compared to-" She trailed off, her mind lingering on both Chica and Bonnie. Monty had been nightmarish enough.
"Really?" Was that a hopeful lilt?
"I swear. You've been doing okay for someone whose been blind all this time," Cassie informed her. "Now don't get me wrong, you do need work... but I think we can get this done in just minutes. I think the most damage you have on your body had been your hands. I dunno how, but you've been doing well even against that Mimic thing. Although-" She frowned at Roxy's head. "Your head is dented in several spots... but some new hair and a chassis will cover that. Its all on your endo."
Roxy's head still seemed to noticeably droop, but she said nothing to this. She meanwhile continued to help Cassie to the cylinder; carrying her just that short distance and stopping in front of it. "How's it looking in there?" She asked next.
"Let me see- OH. OH MY GOD. ROXY- Ahhhh-" Cassie winced from the force of her words; then wriggled in the wolf's grip. "You're not gonna believe this but- Oh my god, oh my god. There's EYES in there!"
"What?"
"Eyes and- OH. CLAWS! Wait- Put me down a sec!"
The wolf complied, With Cassie bracing her weight with both hands onto the cylinder and shuffling over to the computer. She stopped in front of it; pressing the 'on' button.
"Welcome back to Parts & Services. Now, S-S-Seleeeeeect your procedure," the automated voice burbled out with the occasional stutter.
Cassie didn't, instead tabbing back to the main menu screen selecting which animatronic to repair. Bonnie's name wasn't on there, sadly- she'd have to figure that out later. For now, she commanded the computer to open the sliding doors, telling Roxy to stand clear of them. Once they opened, Cassie turned back to the animatronic in question, "We're lucky! It looks like whoever was in here last had been running some upgrade programs and... I think... oh, hold on a sec."
She hobbled inside the cylinder- and it didn't shut, thankfully. It seemed to sense that there was no bot in the chair. Cassie meanwhile looked off to the side table on the chair's left, reaching out for the convenient set of blue eyes and orange paws. She turned them over, identifying them as Freddy's.
"Oh..."
"What?"
Cassie frowned at something else, then glanced at Roxy. "These are Freddy's... the optics are blue, and the paws here are cream and orange. I think we can use these for now."
"I... I dunno. I don't like the idea of using my friend's parts..." Roxy admitted. Her ears went erect. "And speaking of which... actually, now that you pointed that out, I think I remember something."
"Huh?"
The wolf 'looked' in the general direction of the computer, "When Gregory was here, I think Freddy was helping him stay away from us? It's weird but... before I had my eyes removed, I saw Monty... he looked... rough. He was missing his body from the waist down, but it was his HANDS I noticed... his claws were missing. And when I saw Freddy the next time around, I could SWEAR he was wearing Monty's claws. After that, Gregory threw a cart at my face and took my eyes!"
"He DID?"
"YEAH. The little sh- er, the BRAT!" She spat. "So, I dunno what happened with Chica but, I do know this: I'm pretty sure Gregory's been shoving our parts onto Freddy. What you have on the table may be from those procedures. Can you check the computer again and make sure?"
Cassie nodded, then corrected herself with an audible "Yes!" and hobbled on a single foot back to the computer. She braced herself on the glass the whole time, leaving Freddy's parts on the table. When she looked on the computer next, she went through a 'recent' tab. This tab gave detailed diagnostics of whatever animatronic had what procedure done; whether its maintenance or upgrades. The results were usually given to technicians so they can supervise the animatronics after the finished procedure. Her dad had shown her this once, so she wasn't blind to what she was doing.
Sure enough, Cassie saw it: Freddy had been undergoing maintenance and several upgrades- All in which took respective pieces from the other bots.
All of this... done by Gregory.
Cassie wasn't wearing the mask anymore (as the pain pills had helped a bit), so anyone can see the wrath that just etched itself into place on her visage. He'd went out of his way to hurt all of them and take their parts into Freddy. Now why was this? Cassie thought back to seeing Freddy's headless body in Fazerblast... after Gregory did this, what happened? Where was Freddy's head? Did he take that with him? He gave Freddy all these upgrades... but for him to leave the bear's body behind after all that work he put into him?
Why do I feel like I'm missing too much context here, she wondered.
"Okay. Something's not right," She said aloud to Roxy. "Gregory definitely did this, but as to why... huh. Yunno, before I ran into the Mimic thing, I saw Freddy's body wandering around Fazerblast. He was missing his head, and he attacked me-"
"Attacked you? Jeez, kid. And HEADLESS?" Roxy shook hers. "Freddy would NEVER do that-"
"I know! So I think... I wonder if Gregory took it," Cassie supplied, remembering when she last talked to Gregory, he said 'my friend has the schematics. Follow 'blank' instructions'. And while his words had turned to static, Cassie wondered if the censored tip had been a suggestion of Freddy's. But, that was a stretch.
"I've been everywhere in this place," Cassie continued slowly. "And I haven't seen Freddy's head anywhere- but I literally ran into every other bot, including Bonnie of all things! So you'd think I'd find his head SOMEWHERE. But no, I didn't." She drummed her fingers on the computer's desk, "I'm going to hazard a guess that Gregory took Freddy's head with him when he left... Freddy's always been his favorite, and if he felt towards him as I do about you, he wouldn't dream of leaving him here."
The sentiment was sweet, despite the factual nature of it. Roxy carefully stepped over, one hand resting lightly on Cassie's shoulder. There was a gentle rub of thumb, "I still don't get it," the wolf mumbled. "Freddy wouldn't accept these parts willingly. He'd freak out. Gregory would've had to lie to him about where he got them in order to get them on him... either that or, Freddy took them, but he felt he really needed to don them for a reason. Maybe to protect the boy-? I don't think he'd do it underneath any other circumstances otherwise- he's far too gentle for that."
Cassie sighed, the motion slow and fairly shallow to prevent any rib pain. Keeping her voice low, she went on with, "Whatever the case, it seems Freddy's head is carrying around your eyes. Until we find a set like them, we'll have to use the ones that's here. And frankly, I'm sure Freddy wouldn't mind sharing his claws with you-" Cassie put a hand on the paw holding her, "I know he'd feel sorry for whatever happened, and he'd want you to get by. I really can't imagine him leaving you in the literal dark like that..."
Cassie's head hung low as she said that, remembering the first time she met the bear in person. The fact he'd even take these parts from Gregory showed a lapse in behavior that betrayed that he may not have been enduring ideal circumstances; and that he might've felt pressured into the use of these parts for a REASON. Her mind then flew unbidden to a prior detail she only vaguely logged:
Back at the daycare theater, she saw something through the V.A.N.N.I mask on the big screen. She saw Gregory, running from a white rabbit lady with a KNIFE. Was he upgrading Freddy to protect himself from it? She looked at the computer for some minutes, letting that detail sink in.
"I know... I know that," Roxy harrumphed in a way that brought Cassie back to the present, though her tone was a little on the skeptical side. "I still don't want to use his pieces but... I guess I can use them temporarily. Its just upsetting to think that Gregory would go through all this effort to upgrade Freddy and just... I feel like there's something else here. But what?"
"Gregory might've been in real trouble at the time... not that I know for sure," She told the wolf. She pulled out her mask, flipping it over repeatedly and raising a brow at it, "I wonder... oh, we just don't know enough. All we do know is that we have pieces to use, and an entire endo over there to use as scrap for you or Chica and Bonnie. Beyond that, I think we're good to go! Repairs won't take long at all! We got all we need, just about."
Roxy nodded- then her ears swiveled backward towards the door. She turned half-way, facing the general direction of it as Eclipse reappeared- and carrying an ARMFUL of stuff.
"I'm baaaack~" He sing-songed merrily. "AND I found some neat things! Lotsa things! Some shell for miss Roxanne here-" he put down a couple chest pieces. "And a few pairs of eyes! Different colors too- A couple red, some lavender... a blue set- ah, but... I couldn't find the yellow pair. You had an expensive set, didn't you?"
A noticeable sag of ear panels, "Yeah... My eyes were EXPENSIVE. The technicians at the time, when they told me about the eyes, they said each set has to be made when requisitioned. So while I had my pair, they won't put in an order for another set like them unless I suffered damage. Fazbear Entertainment being cheap again."
If the mask on the jester's face could move, Cassie had no doubt it'd slide into a frown, "I apologize, again. At least we have a literal bunch of other optics to use... though I'm sorry to hear that. Anyways, we do have ONE thing you'll like... TA-DA!" He held up a new face piece- muzzle and all. Cassie clapped merrily at the sight of it. "Lucky, lucky! Roxanne can have her face back!"
If an endo could smile, Cassie was pretty sure Roxy would be doing so right now. She rushed towards where she heard the bells jingle, stopping to feel out the prizes. She paused, then tentatively inquired, "Er... no... hair... pieces? Maybe?"
"Didn't find any immediately... sorry! But but but-" He saw her ears droop. "I can look again if you want! That spare parts area is super nice. I even found myself some chassis pieces and a foot! And once we find Chica, she can get a makeover too!"
"And... Bonnie?" Cassie tried tentatively.
To this, the jester let his head sag. Suddenly, the room got a little more cold, "Nothing for Bonnie... sorry. When he was decommissioned as an official mascot a long time ago, the technicians and engineers would've likely taken his chassis pieces and repurpose them for another animatronic after a paint and tune job to adjust tactile sensor placement. However, Bonnie is lucky in the facet that, we can at least give him some replacement parts for his endo- though I don't know how he looks. Could you describe how bad off he was?"
Cassie winced, Roxy noticeably stopping to listen nearby. "He's... in pieces. I mean, literally. In pieces... He's got all of his chassis parts... all segments, just damaged. His chest cavity is wide open and had coolant dried onto it like he was bled out... and his head..." She recalled the sight with some morbid sense of dread. "I dunno who fought him but... they would've had to be an animatronic. His damage was extensive, and he had a bowling ball broken into pieces around his head."
The room somehow dipped to icy; despite the prior, soupy nature of it.
"His personality chip... you didn't see it, did you?" Roxy very carefully asked. "Was it damaged-?"
"I dunno where that is in his head exactly... so, I couldn't tell you," Cassie shrugged. "Why ask?"
The jester bot passed her a piteous shrug. "If its broken... then there's no point in trying to bring him back. He wouldn't be himself ever again," Eclipse supplied uneasily. "He'd be, as you humans say, 'brain dead'. His body would function, but not his mind. He'd be completely gone. But if he had damage applied to his skull... oh, oh dear. That sounds deliberate."
Cassie felt crushed by this revelation; gritting her teeth as she recalled the sight with more clarity than before. The bowling ball was DEFINITELY no accident, then. Whoever did it, wanted him ABSOLUTELY gone.
"I... I still want to see him. To try," Cassie eventually said, her tone warbling faintly. She grabbed at the hem of her sweater, feeling the corners of her eyes burn with the resurgence of tears. The brief recall of his affectionate talons gently kneading at her scalp came to her unbidden; the girl feeling mightily torn up about the fact they may not be able to help him even after finding him. "After a while, can we go as a group and check him and Chica out? See what we can do-?" she tried offering again.
"We can... but I'm apprehensive of how the rabbit looks," Eclipse muttered, folding his bony metallic arms. "Still, I'm curious about what could've befallen him. I mean, sabotage? Who here could've done it? I know Bonnie was of a loud personality but... to want to do harm to him-? I just can't imagine that was done by any one of us consciously..."
Roxy was quiet for a real long time, 'staring' off into space as she seemed to weigh the portent dropped. Eventually, she moved again; picking up her pieces and walking carefully back over to Cassie, "Once I have some eyes, I want to see him too, regardless. And maybe, I can help drag carrot-breath here for a full diagnostic. I want to try and get whatever logs he may have too-" She shook her head, "Whoever did that to him, he may have recorded it. And the funny part about this-"
She moved past Cassie, very slowly moving to place her pieces onto the table next to the chair. "-Bonnie once expressed his suspicions that some staff were behind some criminal activity here. He grew paranoid, suspicious, and generally detached in the weeks before his disappearance. He stopped letting humans maintain him, and showed a lot of distrust to most everybody. It was so uncharacteristic that Freddy worried his friend needed to see Parts & Service- but he refused. He'd belligerently and adamantly said he won't go anywhere around certain staff until he learned more. I think he suspected someone here wanted to hurt him."
Her shoulders sagged, "And now... you tell me you find his body- torn to pieces no less, and in a manner like an animatronic did this? One of us... one of us would've been hacked to do that. And its not like any of us would remember it... or know who did it." She sighed, "Bonnie suspected that the staff responsible was hacking us but... I didn't think it'd happen again." Roxy fussed absently at her replacement parts, ears noticeably lower.
She even eventually said, and in a tone so far away, Cassie almost missed it, "I hope it wasn't me..."
Once again, silence followed; the trio sitting in the thick atmosphere like they're underwater; struggling fruitlessly to breach surface. Cassie felt something like her prior tears return; but they didn't fall. She was a little too exhausted and dried up to cry again.
Eventually, Eclipse looked up, "So er... I couldn't help noticing something: You seem to be steering past Monty's name a lot... and you hadn't suggested we'd fix him... and you said a moment ago you met everyone here-?"
Roxy turned towards Cassie now, one ear cocked higher than the other.
"...I," She trailed off, not sure as to how to broach this. Sadly, she still had to say something. After all, while Cassie herself didn't like Monty that much, she knew he was still Roxy's friend. So she said, albeit reluctantly, "He's gone, I think. I'm sorry but- this thing you told me about the personality chip-"
How could the room get colder? Cassie almost wept for real when she noticed Roxy's posture continue to slump. Her mandible had flapped open once or twice; as if to gnash at something.
"He... he was chasing me around... a little while ago," She very carefully admitted. "I was wading around in some water and... I needed to get away. Every time I ran into Monty during my stay here, he's attempted to hurt me. I don't know why-"
"We're not programmed to..." Eclipse carefully clarified. "We CAN'T hurt children. He sounded..."
"Addled, or hacked," Roxy dead-panned tonelessly. "We all were..."
"Maybe," Cassie shrugged. "Anyways, he chased me around in this flooded area in the utility tunnels, and then, I went to power this electro-magnetic door. I used my fazwrench in it, and then, I got up and climbed through-" She narrowed her eyes, her brain arrested on the grotesque image of the gator sinking into the murky depths. "-I turned around, and this neon sign lit up- and it was partially submerged. But once it powered up, Monty got electrocuted and... he sank and... didn't come back up again. I haven't seen him since. If what you said about the personality chip was true, then..."
If silence was its own sound, then it was by the most defeaning presence here. Roxy garbled something in static- not that Cassie can make it out. It stopped as quickly as it came; the wolf seemingly trying to recover from it. No doubt, hearing all this portent couldn't have been easy for her- between Chica, Freddy, Monty and Bonnie- its a shock she hadn't run off to cry somewhere. Cassie didn't doubt that once Roxy had some time to herself, she'd lament them in privacy.
But still- getting confirmation of a DEATH of a friend- Cassie understood to some extent; as with her father, nothing else had crushed her more.
Until Gregory's betrayal.
She didn't vocalize that, instead coughing and moving on with, "Maybe we should... focus on something else: Let's just get you in there. Fix you up. It'll be fast."
Roxy turned to face Cassie's general direction. While her tone no doubt suggested that her mind was elsewhere, she was still steely in voice when she said, "YOU should be resting. I can hear your exhaustion in your tone alone."
"But I want I help you-!"
"I know, but we can take care of ourselves from here. Eclipse can do my procedure, and I can do his. And while we do that, we can take care of you and maybe find you something to eat and drink that hasn't molded or rotted away. We can look around the salon for Chica on our own-" She shook her head again. "I will not take 'no' as an answer, young lady. I adore your spirit, but you'll burn out worse than I did on that track if you keep going the way you do."
"She's right, you know," Eclipse shrugged, upon seeing Cassie's mutinous expression. "You're no help if you're dead on your feet. Believe me, you'll feel better after a nap. I have to insist- both of us do!"
"I can't believe this-" the girl bemoaned.
Roxy produced something like a scoff, moving to slowly return to Cassie's side and gently holding both shoulders. She supported the girl's weight, "You need to get off your leg anyway. And frankly, I wouldn't mind finding you a set of make-shift crutches while you nap. While you're in our care, you won't want for anything. I promise. Just, please work with us and let us help you like you've helped us."
"But I didn't do anything-"
"Wrong!" Eclipse jovially contradicted. "You showed us where this place is! Told us of some friends who're in dire need! You helped us to be more ourselves again! Its been so long since we've had children to watch over-" He moved over, then ghosted a finger-tip across Cassie's face, "If you didn't show up, I'd still be Moon! And terrorizing whoever enters this place. Maybe... maybe even... killing them. We... we weren't ourselves before you arrived, and we all thank you now for that. Now please, let US help you."
Not like the girl can argue with both of them. She sighed, then nodded. "Okay. Okay... I'll go rest. But, wake me up if you get Chica or some food... or if anything else weird happens."
"We promise," Eclipse nodded, looking her right in the eyes. "And we'll wake you up once we're ready to find Bonnie."
"Yeah, okay."
With that, the attendant scooped Cassie up again; holding her as he would a baby. Roxy followed after him, her ears arrested on his location with each tinkle of his bells. She followed behind him, her face generally resting on Cassie the whole time despite being unable to see. The trio went down a couple halls nearer to the Endo's Warehouse; the tunnels spurting and spitting with fried wires and smelling oddly of burnt copper and singed metal. Thankfully, there was no other immediate proximity threat to Cassie beyond the obvious wear and tear to be found; and not something the animatronics had the luxury of addressing at the moment.
The padded room was actually in good shape too; the walls only slightly torn in some spots. In one of the corners, Eclipse had made a pile of stuffed plush animals and a couple of name brand shirts. The shirts would do for crude blankets- as one was rather huge. Honestly, Cassie knew Eclipse would've gotten more if he had access to it, but he'd been rightfully preoccupied with getting parts for Roxy and setting this up in a hurry. No doubt as Cassie rested, he'd nab more bedding from the daycare itself, once given the chance.
"I'm sorry if its not sufficient," he bowed his head in apology as he lowered her. "-But its only temporary. And really, we'll be nearby. We will work on getting a means of communication with you as well. So you don't have to shout for us."
"Okay," She mumbled, having gotten sleepier during their walk here. Once she laid her head on the largest plush of them all- a Freddy, she was finding it more difficult to keep her eyes open. She pulled the Monty name shirt over her body; pulling some of the other plush toys closer. She kind of liked being wrapped up in animals like this: with a small, more childish part of her wanting to build a fortress or an even BIGGER pile of them so she can hide in them completely.
Roxy bent next to her, pulling some plushies up as Eclipse moved to stand. They both eventually stepped back, "We'll be in to check on you often." Roxy told her. "Have a good rest, Number 1."
By the time the animatronics turned to leave, Cassie had all but nodded off already- dead to the world at large. Despite the strange setting, she couldn't have felt better. She pulled a Roxy plush to her chest; and a Sun plush closer to head. The Freddy supported her; and the others embraced all around her body. She couldn't have felt strangely more like she was in her own bed back in her dad's old house, if for that one moment; surrounded by the collectable stuff he'd bring back from work.
She missed her Bonnie plush, if she had to be honest- as it was her dad's favorite animatronic. She felt holding it kept him closer. She'd somewhat looked for one in the pile, but wasn't surprised to find any. His plushes were discontinued after his disappearance- turning more into a rare and expensive novelty item. Maybe if she was lucky, she could find one more in this place somewhere later on. She didn't know, but the idea of getting another one seemed so strangely important to her.
Her eyes flickered beneath their lids, the girl's mind floating briefly to the memory of her father: To the image of warm-skinned, short-haired figure whose bangs hilariously stuck out in the front- not unlike his favorite animatronic- and something she could swear he did on purpose. His chocolate gaze had been so warm, they almost looked like red wine in the right lighting. The feeling of his calloused hand taking hers; guiding her to the stage for the first time- to see the Glamrocks in action for the very first time in her life.
She remembered being too short; him picking her up, holding her above them. She laughing and clapping madly as Roxanne, Chica, Freddy and Bonnie were lifted onto the stage. The bots moving as one; playing off of each other's movements; dancing in sync as well as playing hard and loud. She'd felt her smile grow ever higher when she locked eyes with Roxanne Wolf; and recalled prodding and fluffing her dad's unruly hair with the idea of getting Roxy for the Glam Deluxe birthday package one day- and a wish he eventually made come true.
Suddenly feeling not so good anymore, Cassie had opened her eyes back up; and once more that day, tears had found her once again.
ROXANNE WOLF
Once they got back to the repair room, Roxy paused; not sure if she could go into the cylinder yet. When Eclipse walked ahead of her and stopped to look back (as she can hear him do), she did everything she could to not make a strangled, choked noise like she was swallowing a lemon whole.
Cassie's words about Monty had confirmed the worst: They ALL had been hacked that night- And none of them had been in their right minds since then. They've all been trapped in this darkness, even without Gregory having taken their eyes as well. Gregory could not be blamed for that- as easy as it would be to put a face to the misery she felt, Gregory's was not apt. In fact, she'd wager whoever offed Bonnie was responsible for this madness. And if she could find who it was...
Well, needless to say, there wouldn't anything left of that perpetrator's remains. Not enough for an open-casket funeral.
Her broken hand went to her motor; the wolf feeling crushed enough to need to briefly brace herself on the door frame leading into the cylinder room. She couldn't help it; couldn't help but feel destroyed by the fact that, if Gregory had been caught by her, she WOULD'VE killed him. A tiny, small, infinitely miniscule part of her was glad she'd never caught him.
When Cassie deactivated her (which... the act still hurt in some part), it was honestly a blessing in disguise: Because when she reactivated herself after a short timer, she was booted in Safe Mode. In this mode, her head had cleared completely: She was able to see that, up until Cassie had arrived, she'd been in this suspended, hostile, tampered state. Her Security Mode had been on the fritz for some time now- and she knew if she found any other people, she would've hurt them like she nearly did Cassie.
And she wouldn't have cared.
She was in Safe Mode, even now- and she suspected Eclipse was too. Both had Cassie to thank for that. Roxy didn't want to stay in Security Mode- as that had turned nigh-on impossible to disable in the time she'd spent wandering around without her eyes. She had to thank Cassie for saving her, in another way.
Still.
Monty... he sounded like he couldn't hold himself back when he was like that. Driven to madness by the constant, vigilant state he was in, he took his furious tempers out onto anything that moved. Roxy knew he was always a little unstable, but its because she now knew the truth:
That Monty HAD been hacked a couple times now. Bonnie confirmed one time, for sure. And each time, his personality got worse. And after Bonnie's disappearance, the poor gator could barely keep himself together. For that moment, Roxy wondered if Monty had been the one to have hurt the rabbit-
Sadly, she still couldn't eliminate the sickening fact that ANY one of them could've done it. After all, each of them had a blank spot in their memory around the time of his disappearance. The thought of that alone had Roxanne nearly having her own bot version of a heart attack. The implification that ANY of them could've done it horrified her. If Bonnie was in Safe Mode either, he wouldn't have fought back AT ALL, despite his rebellious and prideful nature. Not even in self-defense. If he was in pieces... it sounded like it'd been a one-sided fight. She couldn't imagine he'd would've made it easy otherwise.
THAT couldn't have hurt more.
She 'looked' back up in the direction of Eclipse, glad he was being patient and not bugging her about what's weighing her down- besides the obvious. She was growing an appreciation for this new personality already, as it vaguely reminded her of Freddy's warmth. And in the absence of her friend, she wasn't going to lie, she appreciated it a LOT. She also missed the attempts at hugs- not that she was a 'hug' person.
"Hey," she started slowly. "Can you... when you do my procedure, make SURE I stay in Safe Mode? Please? I don't... I don't want to slip into Security Mode again. I think its bugged-?"
"I know. I'd have to ask the same, then," he went on to respond- his tone strangely warm. "Moon is... my 'Security' Mode version of me. So, he's always been a little harsh but... he nearly killed Cassie when she came to the Daycare- and that wasn't normal. I'm ashamed to have asked her for any help when I knew she was putting herself into danger for me, but... I couldn't bear it anymore-" There was a pause, and a small clink that suggested he moved somehow. "-I wanted it to end. We wanted that nightmare to stop. I wanted nonfunctionally over this! TO DIE."
Another clink, "I wanted it to stop. I begged her to make it stop. I begged MYSELF. I can't, Roxanne. I couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't-"
Roxy would furrow brows, if she could. Instead, her head hung lower. She didn't want to say it (nor would she ever admit it, even to her closest friends), but she wished for the same at some points during the quiet months here. On this, she pushed off the frame and walked over to him; unsure of what to do. Again, she was no hug person, but... something was better than nothing. So she gently used a paw to tentatively bump his bony hand; lightly holding it in a firm but no less ginger vice.
He said nothing more to this; instead, being heard sighing and returning the squeeze. No doubt he appreciated it. Likely he wanted to hug her (she knew Sun was a grabby guy), but Eclipse had the best of both worlds; the restraint and patience of Moon's better side and the genial and familial love of Sun. He clutched her hand and held it tight.
"I... thank you. Thank you."
She shook her head in response, unsure of what to say.
The squeeze intensified on her paw. "Let's get crackin'," he eventually said, pulling her lightly towards the cylinder. "I bet you're tired of your own long nap."
"Yeah, I am. I think we're all are a little tired of drifting amidst bad dreams."
"You can say that again."
VANESSA
The former security guard couldn't have felt more uneasy as they arrived at the ruins.
It'll be dawn soon- they'd set out pretty late. Gregory was supposed to be in bed asleep right now, and no doubt he'd been tired while they drove here. He'd taken the time to nap briefly during the trip- but Vanessa knew they couldn't be in here long and expect to perform at peak capacity for an extended amount of time. They had to find Cassie, maybe find a way to disable the Mimic, and get out while being FAST about it.
AND she needed to find that damn mask. Leaving it here was no longer an option; not after knowing what its capable of.
Meanwhile, the pair walked outside the building's perimeter; not seeing any other way in. Most of the building was pretty well-barricaded- including the loading docks and fire escapes. All done intentionally by both workers, and Vanessa herself when she was here last (as Vanny of course). So, they had to resort to the only other remaining way into the PizzaPlex: the front entrance, and through broken glass almost a story up.
Freddy meanwhile had awoken; mentally running through his internal map and also trying to figure how to get in alternatively. He frowned as they looked at the newspaper-blanketed face, his expression increasingly more grim the longer he eyed it. No doubt he was thinking of his friends and mentally preparing himself for what's inside. He didn't vocalize anything- not even telling either Vanessa or Gregory about being careful about their entry, as he should or was expected to say (as he's always been the advocate of playing it safe). Nay, he was so lost in his head, that Vanessa could swear his dread had found a way to choke him up. It was breaking her heart.
He knows we're not here for his friends but... I bet he hopes we can help them anyways. But... How can we? I... I mean, Vanny she- she left them in Security Mode. They'll be hostile. And if we're caught out by ANY of them...
Vanessa found her hand unconsciously going to her belt to her animatronic taser. It was an awful device she never thought she'd have to pull out of her things. Ever since the incident a few years ago by an old and now outdated animatronic whose name was all but stricken from the records, it was mandatory to keep one around. A 'controlled shock' made the bots more liable to listen-
However cruel the device was.
And yeah, Freddy had noticed it not too long ago- but bless him, he didn't say anything.
Vanessa didn't want to use it- especially after she was aware of the fact that she's made life hell for everyone here: Freddy and Gregory aside, she'd also have to account for Freddy's friends. In all actuality, she was afraid of going in- and it wasn't because of the Mimic.
She kept her mouth zipped shut as they clambered up a pile of cargo boxes; getting up onto the awning and stopping in front of the glass. Vanessa shined a light inside, watching Gregory carefully make his way in with Freddy's head providing light for him as well. She'd follow suit, her brows knotting as she took in the sight of the PizzaPlex. Now her eyes went to Freddy in curiosity; and god, she hated what she saw there:
His mouth was open, ears sagging increasingly with every passing second as he took in the lobby's empty, graffiti-blanketed interior. His eyes meanwhile bespoke enough as is; the wearied, strange flutter of his lids- as if he wasn't able to keep them open, as if he wanted to look away but can't. The upward ascension of his lower lids, betraying the sadness his silence further instilled-
This hit her like she was struck by a ton of bricks. If she felt awful right now, she couldn't imagine what'd he say or do when they inevitably encounter his friends. She wagered they were still in Security Mode and will likely catch on to she and Gregory's presence in short order. She didn't want to hear the bear's agonized pleas for them to stop if they charged she and her boy down.
Freddy continued to say nothing as Gregory carefully moved down the ladder; the bear's head strapped to the boy's chest by some kind of harness. Vanessa followed them down, suddenly unable to meet Freddy's gaze again.
"Cassie!" Gregory tentatively called out.
"Shhh! Greg, you have no idea whose listening," Vanessa hissed.
He didn't seem to care, as he passed his guardian the look and started meandering around the lobby. His eyes arrested on a faraway point beyond where the golden Freddy statue used to be. "Man, this place is so different! How the heck are we gonna find Cassie in this-?" He muttered.
"No... idea," Freddy mumbled.
Vanessa continued to not say much as they moved, sidling over to the right side of the lobby. She shined her light around, finding the turnstiles and keeping close to her boy. Freddy continued running maps on his Hud, then he said, "Scanning complete. Main Server is offline- so I cannot get any updated layout. It seems with the state of this place however, its likely most areas are inaccessible unless we take the vents or... other, alternative paths. Like the utility tunnels."
"We could try the tunnels but... I ain't keen on that," Vanessa input. "The basement level may be in danger of collapse."
Freddy's head hummed something; then, "Correct. Seeing as there is a tunnel here right at the main entrance, I can wager something has been burrowing around. Its definitely compromised the entire structure at large. If we are to find Cassie, we MUST do so with haste-" His worried gaze shifted to his comrades, "-The PizzaPlex may be on an invisible timer: Any part of the building can cave in and take whole sections with it. Eventually, the WHOLE place will disappear underground in time. I hope Cassie is in a more stable environment..."
'As well as my friends', was the unspoken words, Vanessa gleaned.
"Yeah, same," Gregory huffed. "So, once we find her, maybe we can just leave? Let the Mimic thing die with this place. I mean, it IS all sealed up here... it can't escape so long as we find a way to block the main entrance later on. And maybe, along the way-" His small hand rubbed lovingly at the bear's head, "Maybe find your friends too and get them out? Could maybe turn off Security Mode... You guys have an override or something?"
"Hm... it would be accessible only from an office... an even then, I am not sure," Freddy admitted. "I do not think we have ever had our Security Mode disabled by staff manually before. I would not know how it works. All I DO know is that if we're manually shut off and certain parameters are met, we would wake up in Safe Mode. That is our other best bet."
"Really? Huh," Now Gregory turned to Vanessa- the oh-so obviously gifted hacker. "What'd you reckon?"
The woman pursed her lip, recalling Vanny's shenanigans with a clear distaste for it. "Well... I did bring our labtop... its not powerful, but we can connect into some systems here and maybe enable some kind of manual control- beyond what Freddy here and the Fazwatch can handle. As to disabling them..." She paused as they climbed some stairs to the elevators- and of course, Vanessa knew they'd have to find another way in. "Well, I did keep that thumb drive too. The one with the copy of the M.X.E.S files? We COULD use it to help Freddy's friends. Its override is pretty powerful."
"...I'm hearing a 'but'-?" Gregory grumbled.
"But... I think the only way the M.X.E.S USB drive can work is with a powerful enough terminal with better CPU than what our little laptop can manage... and it may not be done remotely... given the computer fails," Vanessa replied with a cringe.
"Aw crap..."
Freddy looked alarmed. "Oh no. No no no! I cannot have EITHER of you throwing yourselves at my friends to shove the drive into them! That will just get you WORSE than hurt-!"
"We know," the former guard cut him short. She held up a hand to further silence him, "But, its a 'worse case' scenario. We don't even know if it won't work remotely. For all we know, maybe our little labtop and drive can do the trick. Maybe not, and we go to find a working device here that can run it. Speaking of which- maybe we can try that now. If we can't disable them from the labtop, we could try a security room. And if THAT doesn't work... then its safe to say we'd have to get in close. Greg? Can I-?"
"Yeah! I got it."
He handed Vanessa his laptop's hard case; which was expensive and a worth-while buy, seeing what they're about to be traipsing into. Vanessa opened it up; logged in, then stuck in the thumb drive. She typed for a few minutes, Gregory standing nearby while letting Freddy shine his eyes around and looking for any danger. Vanessa was at this for maybe several long minutes before both heard a groan from her.
"Yeah. We'll have to try the security office- as the machines there are stronger than this thing. But we'll keep it on hand regardless-" She closed it and handed it back to Gregory.
He pulled its strap over his shoulder, frowning as he recalled where the nearest offices where. "I don't remember any around the entrance... Um, wasn't there one like, in Lost and Found-?"
"Correct," Freddy supplied. "We could try that..."
"Its something-" Vanessa supplied, though with a noticeable dampen to her mood. "I mean, the devices in Lost and Found aren't exactly like the security offices in other parts of the building... no actual advanced terminals. Any real places like that we'd have to go and find. I think the nearest office with the best equipment is.. um, probably the one at the prize counter."
"That would be dangerous to get to though-" Freddy said. "We would be traipsing this place for hours trying to get to those rooms safely!"
"True... and looking at these elevators, its obvious we can't get in that way anyways to even get to these offices. No power aside, I ain't keen on getting into a rickety ride like that. You?"
Gregory produced a hissing noise, "Nope!"
"Not me," Freddy added.
"Figured. Alright, let's see if we can use the computers in Lost and Found then-" Vanessa sighed.
"I'm surprised," Gregory went on to say, "So, Lost and Found IS a security office too? It counts?"
"Yeah, it counts. But it doesn't have the same powerful surveillance tools as an actual, fully-rigged office would," Vanessa sighed. "So I ain't expecting any success from it. Don't get your hopes up, kiddo."
They descended the escalator and circled the other side; passing the other gift shop while keeping an ear out. Vanessa unlocked the door; as she still, for some reason, had the keys to the place. She was glad she kept the ring of keys; belting them back on and leading the boy and bot inside. She went to the desk, searched around, then sighed. No power. OF COURSE.
"Hold on," She said. "I think there's a generator here- AW PISS. Nope, not anymore!" She bemoaned.
Gregory's shoulders slumped, staring flabbergasted at a spot in the wall where Vanessa had lifted a hatch; and inside was a nice dank space just big enough for a generic generator. Stolen, quite possibly. After all, this place was by the main entrance, and MANY people had come into the PizzaPlex since its closing regardless- A lot being trespassers and teenagers looking for a cheap adrenaline rush.
"Shit. Welp- guess we'll hafta circle around to Rockstar Row or go find another office elsewhere entirely," Vanessa groaned. "-And even then, its a wager we don't get impeded by fallen debris cluttering the paths!"
Gregory hummed at a thought. Then he supplied uneasily, "I have an idea but... I dunno."
"I'm willing to hear it, kid. Go on?"
The boy tapped a few fingers to his chin, then glanced down at Freddy's head. The bear looked up uncertainly. "You think... maybe, we can find Freddy's body?"
"What's your reasoning here? You and I both know we'd have to trek all the way to Fazerblast in order to get it- and that's a given its even still there," Vanessa queried. She would've told the kid to abandon the idea entirely, but she knew better: Gregory was a HELL of a lot smarter than he let on for his age. He evaded Vanny and several other animatronics as it is with more than just luck.
"Well, think about: Say we found a security office and the M.X.E.S can't disable Freddy's friends remotely. We'd have to deal with them physically, and Freddy's strong enough to do it," Gregory started, ticking off reason number one on his right index. Oh boy. He had more reasons? Like as if THAT one alone wasn't good enough. "Secondly, this place is riddled in debris. We can't navigate through it efficiently. Freddy can move the debris away. Didn't you use him as means of tunneling before and he was good at it?"
"...I did as Vanny, yeah," Vanessa sighed.
"Right. So, reason three being that if either of us gets into trouble or disabled somehow, Freddy could help make up for it. And even if we find Cassie, and say she's hurt- We'd get exhausted trying to carry her out. Freddy can help with that too. Besides protection, removal of obstacles, and support for emergency, its a benefit for not just us, but for Freddy too!" Once again, the boy rested a hand on his pal's head, "I'm sure you're tired of being a talking head?"
The bear smiled gently, "Yes, but I do not want that to be the reason why you would go out of your way."
"-'Course not! You heard me just now say a buncha other reasons why it'd be good to have it. Still... there is one drawback-" He trailed off and frowned. He sighed, then, "Freddy's power mode... Its never been great."
"I can make him more efficient from the labtop. No biggie. And we have the spare car battery outside-" Vanessa pointed over her shoulder.
"Hm. I know its heavy but... you think we can risk bringing it in here? It could be a boon since it generates power- and Freddy can feed off of it without the use of a recharge station?"
The bear had been swapping his gaze between both, but then his amber eyes flew back to Vanessa, "I think its worth trying. I lament the fact you would have to carry it but... it could pay off."
The woman sighed dramatically. "Alright... wait here, and I'll be right back. I'll go grab it and find ya'll here. Greg, do me a favor and look around the elevators. I think one has an emergency escape hatch through the ceiling of it? If you can find and reach it, can you unscrew it? We can probably climb up the shaft," Vanessa said.
"No problem! What screwdriver?"
Vanessa pulled out a Phillip's head and handed it to him. She also handed him a crowbar from her tool bag. "Keep it on you, just in case. I'll be right back- and DON'T go anywhere else but the elevators-" She jabbed a finger at him, "I mean it. Okay?"
"Yeah yeah. I know," he nodded, going to immediately get to work.
"This is gonna be a bitch," Vanessa muttered lowly as she left Lost and Found. "Lord. The fuck are we even getting into? And seriously god, DON'T answer that." She hurriedly added that last part, clapping her hands together as if in prayer. She wasn't religious, but she figured maybe SOME kind of power would rightfully guide their way. But that'd be too optimistic now, wouldn't it?
She didn't dawdle; heading back towards the entrance while keeping an eye on her brat from afar. Gregory meanwhile toed around the elevators and tried to pull them open with the crowbar she handed him; Freddy likely cheering him on as he did. She smiled at the kid's back, gladdened that, for all the mouthy, annoying aspects he had, Gregory was an independent and smart kid. She found raising him to be a mixed experience but delightful pleasure more often not.
He hasn't called her 'mom', even though legally, she was now his adopted mom. She didn't mind terribly, funny as that sounds. She'd feel old if he did- and she still found the endearment a bit too... familiar, for lack of better term. She was only 24, and Gregory and her were more akin to a strange sibling relationship at the moment than anything else. They hadn't exactly gotten that far into their relationship as a family to be using such informal words and being comfortable enough to even give some of them background details. She still called him something as impersonal as 'kid', and it was cringey- But Vanessa had NO IDEA what else to say or call him anything else yet. She hoped in time, it'll click between them.
Freddy had made things easier, thankfully. His paternal advice and excellently written programming meant to carve him into an exemplar role model for children had helped Vanessa figure into a better head space for this parenting thing she was attempting. She was used to living alone and unhealthily- But Gregory and Freddy alike had changed that for her, and for the better. She also knew she shouldn't smother Gregory, as the kid valued his independence fiercely despite the fact he still needed a guardian or parent figure in his life. They were essentially a funny but functional family.
And its something Cassie apparently didn't have anymore- according to Gregory. No wonder he wanted to save her so much.
Vanessa huffed, and while not looking forward to what they had do, she was gladdened for the chance to help make things right again. And to which end, she will absolutely make due- in however way she could.
Now carrying the car battery, she returned to their sides and found Gregory had managed to pry the elevator doors open. She face-palmed at her remembrance of the kid's height though; as the lad was having trouble trying to reach up to the elevator's ceiling. Vanessa sighed and took the Philip's head from him, ruffling his hair and making him spit and sputter.
"Sorry about that, kiddo. Lemme get that-" She winced as she did.
"Wish I was taller..." Gregory grunted.
"You'll get there one day. It'll just take a while," Vanessa told him. "You've been good about drinking your milk-"
"Now if only you ate your greens more," Freddy inserted importantly and with a firm note.
"But spinach is GROSS-" Gregory told him.
"Spinach ain't that bad," Vanessa corrected as she finished getting the screws out of the corner. She smirked when the lid came open finally. "How about broccoli instead? You willing to try that again? How about with cheese?"
The boy only made a gagging noise to that.
"So picky-" Vanessa groused back as she bent to scoop him up. "Now, get up there and I'll be handing our bags up to you."
Gregory got up with her help, then Vanessa started handing him their Chica themed backpack, duffle, labtop case, and the ridiculously heavy car battery. After which, he moved away from the hole in the ceiling as Vanessa heaved herself up and into the shaft proper. It was a tight fit, but she was able to get in well enough. It was in there she took a moment to rest and look around; baffled at the amount of graffiti even inside this area.
"Looks like lotsa teenagers have been here," Gregory said.
Vanessa sagged from her kneeling position atop the elevator, looking up at the ladder leading up the shaft. Any one of these teenagers coulda found that mask and become Vanny's slaves... what I have done in leaving that thing here? That was so STUPID!
"Come on," she gently got the kid down from the elevator cubical and handed him the more fragile items first. "We got a lot of friends to rescue here- and I want to find that Vanny mask too, if possible."
"I forgot about that thing-" Gregory mumbled. "You think its still lying around here?"
"A nasty part of me hopes it is, just so I can find it and destroy it personally," she told him as she eyed the ladder and their belongings. She winced at how much weight they'll be lugging up. "God, that was so incredibly dumb of me to do that- finding that thing is just as important as helping Cassie. If the wrong person got a hold of that thing, Vanny might be able to return..."
"She can do that-?" Gregory blinked, his tenor pitching up several notches in sheer fright.
Vanessa put on the backpack and let Gregory throw the labtop case strap over his own shoulder. She shoved the car battery into the duffle, loathed how heavy it was, but pulled that on too. "Yeah. All the more reason we gotta find it, kiddo. Otherwise, there may be a slight chance that we could be dealing with Vanny again, whether we like it or not," she cautiously warned.
"You think Cassie could have found it?" Freddy wondered aloud.
There was an exchange of expressions, and a distinct jump of gullets at the thought.
"All the more reason to find her," was all Vanessa can say to that. "Come hell or high water, we will find Cassie and that awful mask. We will make sure Vanny stays dead, we'll kill the Mimic too, and free Freddy's friends from the thrall of Security mode all the while! I promise."
And with that, the trio continued up the ladder- with Vanessa praying all the while that none of these threats would be sitting in the atrium waiting for them.