~Back during the PizzaPlex's prime~
VANESSA
That CROOKED bunny.
Vanessa wasn't stupid. She can see Bonnie was sticking his nose where it RIGHTFULLY didn't belong. It couldn't have been more STRESSFUL! He was hacking not only into his own personality, but in the system now. He was advancing in ways that'd make a sci-fi horror movie director wet himself with inspiration.
I didn't even know they can do that, she thought as she eyed the camera in his green room, scratching her head all the while.
She was required to get the camera in his personal digs working properly again. He's disabled it (and some others...) at some mysterious point and been replacing it with static images of himself doing mundane things, like picking up his mildly and casually messy room, doing his make-up, or drinking coolant when he felt hot under the collar. He would regularly (and intelligently) replace the images with re-enactments of his usual routine; switching to different positions in the room or sleeping on the couch. Vanessa only caught it when he slipped up ONCE and had replaced once piece of footage with something older and something she recognized.
She saw the patterns. The Glamrocks were anxious and unhappy. They ACTED fine most days, but their behavior (let alone Bonnie's) was getting steadily out of hand.
It was sadly a trend she herself experienced.
She knew, as Vanny, she was hurting him. Bonnie was looking at her funny now; and it wasn't the haha kind of funny. He literally looked like he was trying to sus her out; knew her dirty little secret. He seemed to catch on way too fast that she and Vanny share the same body-
But certainly not the same mind.
Vanessa didn't think to torture herself with thumb screws, for instance. She didn't look up various torture methods and how to keep a person alive beyond their immeasurably broken body. She didn't play with knives when she was bored.
She wasn't VANNY.
She didn't want to be.
But Bonnie? He didn't see that difference. All he saw was a child-murdering, blade-happy killer. He was just doing his job, technically; trying to stop her and all. He was trying to protect the patrons of the PizzaPlex as well as his friends. He was doing something correct- something Vanessa couldn't really get mad at him for. He advanced only because he was being pressured to do it. She UNDERSTOOD that-
But Cromwell said he needed to be put back on his leash. They ALL did. They were all steadily catching on... its bad enough Vanessa saw Moon watching her with this particularly interesting raptness just earlier today.
She shook her head as she stood up on the rabbit's couch; reaching up to get at the camera and started tinkering with it. She only had enough time to get it working properly again while he was at rehearsal or... whatever he was doing right now. Last she checked, she clocked his location at the other side of the PizzaPlex, talking with Monty or Moon or WHATEVER. He was probably going to check his bowling alley next- given he wasn't bee-lining it straight here to skulk for a while.
He was skulking. SKULKING! The way he just... sauntered around, shoulders hunched, wine-red gaze focused on his current mission: Bring Vanny to justice.
He was also... horrifyingly enough, sharpening his claws. YEAH. She saw the make-shift file in his dresser while she'd been rummaging around. He'd been applying new coats of paint too to cover the new scratches he's streaked his talons with; caking them in layers of bloody colors.
Poetic.
For now, Vanessa had unscrewed the camera's shell off and looked at its wiring; noticing Bonnie's definitely been in it too. He was getting way too clever for his own good.
At this rate, his threat means he'll get shut down, She wondered. Cromwell may say FUCK IT and scrap him! Its bad enough he's bumped Monty up to understudy... as if that isn't proof enough. At the rate this is going, Bonnie will be decommissioned by the end of the week...
She disabled the light that indicated that someone was currently using that camera; messing with it in a way so she can alter the camera's indicator bulbs and rewiring their sequence. The next time it switched on, Bonnie would think he's tricking it- but in truth, Vanessa wouldn't even be using it at all. It will look OFF when she's really using it. She also had to delete the footage in the camera; using her kit to fix it.
She had 10 minutes to do this. Ten, scary, finger-trembling minutes before Bonnie moseyed back in here and saw her.
She really didn't want to be left alone with that twitchy buck anymore. There was NO telling what he'll do if he caught her alone at this juncture.
She fumbled her screwdriver several times; dropping it on the floor once and praying to every god she didn't know existed that his STUPIDLY OVER-POWERED UNGRADED EARS didn't catch it. She would retrieve it, climb back up, and resume the process. She was done in record time; fueled by adrenaline and her own expertise in tech. Vanny had gifted Vanessa the ability to hack as well as tinker; the woman a near savant in the field of machines. It was the only upside to all this.
She eventually clambered back down and tapped something on her fazwrench; then gritted her teeth as she tested the camera. Its light blinked on to indicate its off; and then turned off when she gained control of it. Bonnie will think she's using it at the wrong times.
Oh sure, Bonnie is likely to figure this out in short order- but hopefully not before this bloody feud ends. She just needed to buy time. That's it.
Wiping her face free of sweat, she packed up her stuff and turned to leave-
Just for his door to slip open-
With him standing RIGHT there.
Vanessa noticeably jolted back and held her heart, her palms sweatier than a sinner's own on judgement day as she stared the seven-foot behemoth right in his scowling face.
Oh piss. He was definitely not in a good mood.
Bonnie's eyes quickly scanned her tool box, and then herself. Now his purple-painted eyes narrowed.
He knew.
"Y-You mind? Trying to get out. Had to do some uh-" Vanessa fought the tremor out of her voice as she attempted to move past him- but the buck wasn't having it. He deliberately kept blocking the door; one arm coolly resting on the frame and leaning against it like he didn't have a care in the world.
"Now what'd we got here, huh? Right pretty sight, huh Summer-eyes?" He started loftily, his rasping tenor a caress as he sneered at her.
"I was just... fixing up your... charging pod," Vanessa said. "And... checking your maintenance items here. There's no techs on standby recently so... I hafta do it."
Not a lie, technically. That part wasn't untrue. She DID briefly check his charging pod before eyeing his camera. It looks like he hadn't messed with it either, but she only came for the camera; not the pod. The pod would come another day.
"Uh-huh," Bonnie sounded completely disinterested as he eyed his talons nonchalantly, making it a show to demonstrate them while looking completely normal as he scrutinized the paint job. "So uh, you just make it a habit to buzz into our rooms now, eh? That new? Cuz I didn't get the memo..."
"The techs. Are on. Vacation," She groused at him. "No one's in right now. Sorry but, I hafta do it. So if you don't mind moving-"
Bonnie's eyes darted to her with a noticeable whir; servos humming as they worked to move his optics to her and lock on. There was absolutely no mirth to be found-
Or mercy.
Now he was smirking.
"Actually, sweetness, I was wondering if you can help me with a wee, itty-bitty, teensy-weensy little problemo- since you're here 'n all," He pinched his talons together, placing it in a way she knew looked like he was squeezing her head in-between them from his trajectory. His smile was immortal as he leered, "Mayhaps you can help me with a bit of a technical problem too? Been feeling mighty under the weather, see, and I think I need someone to help with my motor-"
"Just go to the repair ward," Vanessa bit back, doing a reasonable job keeping her voice level. "I can help from the cylinder-"
"Not-uh. No. I think, I'd rather have a person in there and not that damn armature for once. Maybe you can see something it don't, and up CLOSE and personal, huh?" He removed himself from the frame, moved inward, and pushed her further from her only exit. He was leaning his head down so he was barely hand-spans from her own face by now. "We don't need that dumb, silly, little protective cylinder keeping us apart, eh, lovely? All the better to scrutinize what's wrong with me. RIGHT?"
His expression turned sinister; maroon gaze suddenly pinning in his outrageously blue visage. His teeth flickered into view; the chassis on his mechanical skeleton unhinging partially to give the impression of moving lips. Bonnie now bore down on her with all the creeping, imposing aura of a predator having cornered its prey; one clawed paw reaching out to rest on her tool kit and over her own hand. Vanessa was fighting the need to sweat at this point; not fighting it when his ginormous paw closed over her hand on the tool kit handle and gripped as if to pin her in place.
"Nah... nah nah. See here," He started again, utterly blocking her eye-line of the door now. "Its not just me whose got somethin' wrong wid 'em. Not in the least. No, its something I'm sure you understand, eh?" He crooked his head while keeping his smirk, "After all, yous and mes both got a little issue to address- doncha think?"
"Only issue I have is YOU invading my personal space," Vanessa warbled out, trying to step out of his bubble. "Now, please- gah!"
His grip on her hand tightened to a near-bone-crushing degree; the pain so shape and sudden that Vanessa buckled briefly from it. She produced several whimpers too; using her free hand to try and remove his paw. It didn't budge, nor did he react to it.
"I ain't done," He murmured at her, just low enough for only she to hear. He ignored her crumbling and whining of discomfort as he half-snarled, "There's just SO MANY THINGS wrong with us, apparently. You're all always pulling us in to be maintained... calling us broken and buggy and what-not. WE are the ones at fault all the time. Oh, we are the monsters in the closets of this place, huh? But no no-"
Now he wasn't even bothering with the pretense of smiling anymore. His stare had this quality about it now that could make even the reaper reconsider his life choices.
"In all actuality, its YOUR fault we end up so terribly broken. You teach us to do this and that- run us until we're ragged and unable to fight you... or we get in trouble or taken apart if we want to help OURSELVES for once. You don't even give us the luxury of caring about ourselves or give us any sense of self-preservation! PFFT," He blew a raspberry there. "You set the wrong examples, and we only learn what is presented before us; that WE are the faulty beings here! When in all actuality, its all you humans in this damn place making us broken so you can control when we get fixed- and by extension change our behaviors when we're lying prone and defenseless on that damn table. You erase our memories every time you think we'll finally catch on to whatever bull-shit crime you're dredging up!"
His voice was grinding to a throat-scraping range that guttered static here and there in his case; an octave he wasn't for as he continued to biliously blow out, "You murdering, money-grubbing, bastard assholes would set fire to place for an insurance claim if it was convenient for you all- with US still in it! You'd leave us to ROT if even if it meant making another quick buck! LOOK AT CHICA FOR FUCK'S SAKE-!" His other arm swung outward, making Vanessa wonder for a nano-second if he was going to take her head off with it. "WHY AREN'T YOU IN HER ROOM RIGHT NOW TO HELP HER? SHE needs it more than I do! How come NOBODY listens to our cries of help when its needed? WE'RE the ones making you the damn money!"
Vanessa could say absolutely nothing to that.
"And so that's why..." His tenor drained finally. "I was thinking, maybe I should be giving you a little maintenance too. You all seem as broken as US. How ya feel about that? To make you match?"
Vanessa was rapidly shaking her head, bucking beneath the weight of his souring scowl alone. She couldn't stop the trembling in her lower lip, pulling feebly at his grip as his oily, melodious tenor dragged itself menacingly into a range she's never heard before; something that couldn't sound any less like a growl.
He leaned in more; his nose barely inches from hers.
"I wonder if murderers are just like us bots? Just as mechanical... meticulous. Emotionless. Takes a lotta steel in your nerves to be killin' sweet, doe-eyed little kids, right? That or a serious. Lack. Of. Heart," he all but crooned, his punctuated words pointier than freshly sharpened razors. "Now I'm wondering just how much like us you truly are. So why not let me open up your head, splay out all your parts all over my table, and see what you're REALLY like on the inside? Maybe FIX what's in that fucked-up noggin of yours?"
His eyes flickered next; as if a veil had gone over them. Vanessa right then knew she wasn't going to be leaving this room unscathed- given it wasn't in a body bag entirely.
"When I'm done with you," he added right then, his button nose hardly a breath away. "There won't be anything left for the cops to find as evidence-"
It's also then, right in that blessed moment, Chica Chicken showed up at the open door.
"Bonnie! Bonnie... I've been trying to ping you again and you just- ba-bawk?" The hen paused to tilt her head at them, blinking innocently.
Vanessa smiled weakly on the outside, but on the inside- she was weeping with dizzying relief.
Bonnie looked like he wanted to growl, but did no such thing with Chica so near. He only smirked at the hen over his large shoulder, "You comin' to get me for practice today?" His tone was warm, smoother than satin, and completely deceitful. His body kept the view of his vice-like grip on Vanessa from the hen; Chica not seeing that he was plainly hurting her. If anything, Bonnie helped Vanessa to her shaking feet; smiling endlessly.
How much is he hiding from them, Vanessa couldn't help wondering in-between bouts of pain.
Chica started twitching her already jittery fingers; a tic born from her constantly frying system. She clucked softly, "Yeah... was wondering if you could just join us for once and not miss any more rehearsal! You promised!"
"I did, didn't I?" He smoothly returned, his free paw on his chin and tapping thoughtfully. "Hm. M'kay. Yeah, sure. Whatever! Its whateve's- right, sweetness?" He now directed that at Vanessa, passing her an ever-so-suave smirk.
I should scream... say something, she couldn't help thinking. But even if I did... would Chica even stop him?
"Yeah, sure! I was just... right. I was just... fixing things up in here and- You should go and do that," Vanessa steadily found a false bravado, smiling back at him with a composure she very much lacked as well. Her legs were shaking beneath her, ready to give out again the instant he released her. They could both feel Chica's eyes on them, but the hen wasn't seeing Bonnie's paw smashing and bruising her hand over her tool box.
Bonnie's right optic twitched at her, once; the motion subtle. He knew what she was going to do the instant he was dragged away.
Chica moved inward and grabbed his stiff arm; twining both of hers easily around his heavier limb. It was akin to patient, creeping ivy vines gently sweeping up a tree trunk, Vanessa would wonder absently. The hen put her beak closer to the side of the buck's head from behind him; her pretty lilac eyes catching his sideways-turned maroon as she burbled, "Come on. Please? We miss you there." It was a gentle supplication; a plea to get him to spend time with them that he's been missing.
And a beckon he simply could not logically ignore.
There was a gentle sigh from him; his posture slouching as if he was just shaking off his poisonous, mind-numbing, trembling vitriol. "I... I know," he breathed, his expression turning down-trodden. He passed the hen a weak smile; one too timid and easy to chase away. A fragile bloom that betrayed his own exhaustion.
This was hurting them both.
He gave the paw holding Vanessa's hand on her tool kit handle one last squeeze -a silent promise of sordid, bloodied violence to come- and then he was gently lead right out of his room. He didn't even give the woman a passing look, his gaze arrested on one of the only things he had in his entire, miserably short life that he was allowed to care about. His eyes stayed on the very thing he wanted to give his all for and cherish forever-
A thing Vanny wanted to take away out of pure spite.
And Vanessa knew she still, even in that moment, couldn't blame him for his maddening ferocity.
Once he was out of ear range, only then did she collapse. Her trembling knees shook so bad, she couldn't hold herself up anymore. Silent tears creeped from the corner of her eyes, hands limp at her sides and her tool box hitting the floor with a resounding clang; akin to the slide of a guillotine falling upon the guilty man's neck.
Vanessa wouldn't be able to sleep that night.
Present Day-
The prize counter security room had been a sort of bust... even though it HAD a generator in it. When they tried to wake M.X.E.S back up in the main server remotely, it didn't work. Cassie definitely shut it down in the PizzaPlex server itself. So then they tried the terminal- and while it worked, they've discovered something disturbing:
The bots were no longer in Security Mode, which was GOOD, don't get Vanessa wrong... but some of their signals have gone dark. That was the bad news.
This prompted a reaction from Freddy; a reaction neither boy nor woman could've expected or ever been prepared for. They've known Freddy to be their biggest cheerleader and most perky supporter in the months they've been together- and he's always ever smiled, laughed, and given his best despite being a talking head. He never seemed to show much lament after a point- so it's easy to forget he could feel something of this caliber. He always hid just how sad he really was behind his immortal smile.
So when he produced some sort of whine that was more garbled than anything, as if it could've come from a gut-punch, it'd taken them rightfully off guard and an embarrassingly long moment to realize he was actually crying. It wasn't like anything they've ever heard. It was choked; as if he was trying to gather air for some sort of rolling sob but his lack of compressor made it hard. When they've tried to figure out what the heck was wrong with Monty's signal, the bear clarified in a whispery murmur-
"It's... his chip. It must be damaged. If he can't respond or his signal isn't present, then he's..." He didn't dare finish; unable to muster the horrible, damning words.
While Freddy had seemed almost prepared to accept that grizzly inevitability with his friends being left to rot here, it was the lack of stable signal from CHICA that had ultimately put him over his limit. Freddy shut his eyes and produced some kind of noise neither have them have never before heard; something like a chuckle- but wrong somehow. It rolled in random spats; static edged its coarse nature where gasping air should be; and it broke up at random intervals.
It'd take Vanessa a minute to realize what she was hearing was his tears- a sound she never wanted to hear again.
Chica seemed to be active but... she was on the precipice of utter and total system shut-down. There was no ping signal, nothing. Her icon on the screen had a nasty habit of glitching out. No sort of wavelength determined sentient functionality- something akin to a brain signal. She was truly gone- her body just hasn't caught up yet.
It's a grim observation Vanessa didn't think she'd be greeted with when they came here. She ran M.X.E.S's most basic protocols on Chica's remote signal remotely anyways so to disable the tampered signal, but it seemed their security program couldn't connect with Chica properly- which was another bad sign of further mental deterioration. The hen wasn't even fighting back with the attempt to connect with her.
There's no saving her, the woman wondered hollowly, not wanting to say it aloud. Freddy was going through enough- he didn't need to hear it vocalized like its salt in an open, festering wound. It's depressing watching Gregory clutch at the bear's head and cradling it; his small hand rubbing at the back of it.
The other remaining signals were a little baffling but thankfully good signs- they needed the good news; especially Freddy. Roxanne seemed stable, but her connection was set to 'private'. And she wasn't the only one; it seemed the Daycare Attendant was in a similar state. They refused pings, and seemed to be on the move. At least they weren't in Security Mode anymore- so its a small solace. Vanessa wagered they can find and hopefully approach them- though she wasn't sure how hostile they may be even though they're no longer in Security Mode.
So Vanessa tried the DJ on a whim and... mysteriously, they got nothing from him. No signal. Nothing. He may be gone too- but Vanessa somehow doubted it. She didn't know why, but she just did. Its likely DJ was shut down after a point willingly by the other staff and waking him up required a manual override. He was built different from the rest of the bots here; so investigation of him, while not paramount, will have to be conducted in order to know more.
Back to the Glamrocks: to have confirmation of the fact Monty was actually deceased was one thing... but Chica too? Freddy already couldn't take Bonnie's disappearance, let alone this.
And speaking of which.
That's when something so obscenely strange happened that it'd take Vanessa a good full minute to realize what she was looking at. She was having a hard time swallowing it too, now that her green eyes were transfixed on it:
They got another signal, and its the one that had her gulping like a guilty convict walking towards the noose. Freddy's strangled inhaling also stopped when another beep flickered onto the monitor. His amber eyes couldn't be rounder; mouth falling open as he gawped openly at the spectacle on the slightly cracked screen:
Glamrock Bonnie's signal.
It was pulsing, defiantly and poignantly on the security room screen.
"He's... sending a distress ping?" Gregory blinked. "Wha- wait, WHAT? Glamrock Bonnie's still HERE?"
"Its a 10-1 something-signal I think? Cops would get it under normal circumstances, but... the main system isn't active and it can't go through to Wi-Fi. They won't ever get it," Vanessa answered pragmatically, though her tone was distant.
"Why is he... how-?" Gregory shook his head, one hand raking through his wild bangs. Now he looked at Freddy, "You guys can speed-dial the cops? And seriously, HOW is he here? I don't get it!"
"Its a leftover program from the Toy versions a few decades ago," Vanessa continued for Freddy- he seemed utterly devoid of speech for the moment there. No doubt processing what he was seeing on that bleak, dusty screen. "The Glamrocks can't use this emergency call unless special, certain parameters are met. All in which are under a state of duress- not to mention, the signal would have to be approved by security..."
Or rather... just me, she thought with a noticeable droop of her shoulders.
It was true; all the bots can dial the cops- they just weren't able to patch it through unless they go through Vanessa. Every time the cops were summoned here, complicated things happened, so the staff made it so that the security officer can veto patching it through. When Bonnie was decommissioned, Vanessa had sadly blocked his distress.
A crime she never admitted to.
It was right then that Freddy's eyes coasted RIGHT over to Vanessa; knowing this portent for himself. The woman couldn't return it; she just couldn't. Did he guess Vanny's involvement? He wouldn't look anywhere else either; and it really weirded her out. At least he wasn't crying anymore- as its not a sound she wanted to hear repeated or continued (she didn't think she'd hear something so heartbreaking). However, she wasn't sure she can take that staring either.
"Can't get a bead on it," Gregory grumbled. "Where's it coming from?"
"Its in a safe room," Vanessa replied robotically. She typed away, then huffed. "That's why we can't get a lock on it. Its off animatronic maps. Its to prevent anyone from ever finding him..."
NOW Gregory was taking his turn to look at her. What the fuck was this, a freak show? Vanessa gritted her teeth, continuing to type away.
"You know where he is, don't you?" The boy dead-panned.
Vanessa finished what she'd been doing, but didn't just down the power to the office yet. Guess M.X.E.S wouldn't be needed for the moment- its bad enough they couldn't find anything on the Mimic. Its possible the bot was still off map and out of range. The woman sighed, then reluctantly bowed her head in surrender. She didn't verbalize her confirmation. No need to.
Gregory looked at Freddy, then back at her, "Can we save him too? Or... did Vanny really... I mean, his signal looked intact..." He glanced back at the screen. "He's okay, right? I don't think I saw any signal on his brain though..."
"...I don't know, if I had to be real honest, kid. When I was Vanny, I wanted to make sure the job was done thoroughly. Bonnie was hurt very badly and..." She trailed off, making sure to look at anything that wasn't Freddy. "I don't even want to go into detail but... I could swear his chip was damaged. I don't understand how he can send a strong, clear signal like that. It should be flat-out impossible. And he's been in that room for so LONG!"
She shook her head as she eyed the screen and her miserable reflection casting a doleful gaze back at her. She sighed, "How in the world is he doing that? He should've run out of power a LONG time ago! It looks like its still in that one room in the bowling alley-" She mumbled.
"He's in WHERE?" Gregory blabbed.
"Bowling alley back room," She mumbled. "Like I said; it doubles as a safe room. Only people who knew about were select staff and... Bonnie, who has to go back there to clean the balls every night."
"The whole time... he's been right under you guys' noses," Gregory muttered more or less at empty air than his companions.
Vanessa hadn't heard him. She was only hearing Bonnie in her head.
"A good rabbit must always have tricks," He once said.
She shook off the brief recollection, gritting her teeth anew. He must've did something to his brain to save it, She couldn't help assuming. Its the only reason that signal should work now after all this time!
Freddy meanwhile narrowed his eyes and finally looked away. He said nothing; his silence almost as bad as that awful, rueful noise he produced earlier. He mashed his jaw; clenching it as he lingered on any idea as to how Bonnie could last so long. "Residual power mode, is my guess," he finally said. "But you are right... its mysterious that he'd still have any kind of power left after the amount of time that's passed since he was officially decommissioned. And to be spending it on sending a distress signal- I cannot fathom how he's doing it. There is no logical explanation for that."
"I wonder if Cassie has something to do with it?" Gregory wondered. "No... no no. I dunno. Guess we'll see! Vanessa, do you think we can grab Bonnie on the way?"
She looked at them finally, but didn't say anything. She was afraid of the idea of it- as there were too many unknowns. What if Bonnie woke up somehow on his own? He'd kill her- given he was mobile (hopefully he wasn't). And worse, even if they could leave with him, he wouldn't want to. He won't stay around Vanessa. There was no way in hell that'll ever happen. He'd probably make off with Freddy's head and find some way to rip her into little pieces despite Gregory being her kid now. The thought he'd orphan the kid out of spite chilled her.
He wouldn't do that... would he?
She didn't want to say this to them, but... they had no idea what they're dealing with. Not even she knew fully.
"Bonnie's... not stable. I can say that much," She finally affirmed. She looked at the screen again. The brain signal was glitching out. It was definitely hard to determine how sentient he was. "We could get him but... he'll no doubt be hostile. We didn't exactly leave on a pleasant note. I know this may come off as hard to believe, Freddy, but your rabbit friend is a little more interesting than he ever told you, I'm sure."
"How do you mean?"
"Did he ever tell you that he can rearrange his protocol, programs and behavioral tics on a whim too? No?" Freddy wiggled his ears twice- a sign in the negative. "Its the ultimate form of learning for an A.I: To overwrite whatever restrictions had been imposed upon your personality matrix on your own. I didn't think he had the processing power. Bonnie truly came into himself before his shut-down. He was..." She looked away again, "When I was Vanny, I saw him doing something on camera here and there... Sometimes, he'd just sit there and stare out into space... I thought he was bugging out. It'd take me a while to realize- and way too late- to know what he's REALLY up to."
She turned to look at them. She balled her fist in a dramatic representation of her next words, "He was changing himself. He did it very... slowly. It was-" She trailed off for a moment, then reluctantly added in an undertone, "-It was terrifying. I picked a fight with an adaptable A.I. An A.I that learned to bypass our laws and make it its own. And Greg, I want you to know... that whatever you went through that night I chased you around as Vanny, I think its fair to say I went through something similar with Bonnie. I don't think I could've fucked up MORE too- and even now, it scares me. And the fact we're looking at this IMPOSSIBLE signal on the screen? What even is this? HOW is he doing that?"
Said signal kept on blinking mutinously; as if laughing at her. The occasional spike in signal was also scary- and it could forewarn the fact that he may have found a way around his damage- not that she knew how or what. She wasn't even sure if that's the case.
Or, he's faking the broken brain signal entirely just to throw me off, she wondered.
Its bad enough her digital blocks on him were gone- did he finally overwrite those? Or was that a consequence of the main system shutting down or Cassie's shenanigans? Maybe the latter... but she still couldn't deny the fact that its likely he faked the broken nature of his personality chip.
You fucking card, you. Seems Vanny really underestimated you.
Vanessa added lowly while not taking her eyes off the screen, "And then, some ways into our game, something else changed... his behavior got... really weird. I'm sure you noticed prior to his disappearance something went a little side-ways with him, huh Freddy?"
Freddy frowned, though his expression also shared an equal amount of horror and fascination. He wiggled his ears once in his version of a nod (seeing as he had no neck). "Yes... He changed. It was subtle at first but then I started hearing the staff commenting more on his 'aberrant' behavior. Him moving around at odd intervals, leaving his room in Rockstar Row often, lingering in strange spots across the PizzaPlex for long periods of time- Most attribute his disappearance to his programming being faulty or him picking fights with Monty ever since he was given the understudy position... the two never got along. Nobody could get him into Parts & Service to fix him... he kept refusing. And if he went in, he was fixing himself up or someone else was helping him-? We never found out who."
"Yeah... See, funny thing about that-" Vanessa squeezed the computer desk's edge; knuckles going white as her brain hazily coasted back. "He caught up to me eventually. Found proof of me and Vanny being one in the same. And then he... cornered me. I thought he'd just catch me just to hand me over to the police but... no. Not that day. He wasn't in the mood for prisoners that day."
Gregory and Freddy both stared, unable to say anything as she hesitated to go on.
Vanessa pushed off the computer, then grabbed their things. They had to move. "Its a long story... one we'll have to hash out later. Let's just say, I could lead you to him- but if we did, you'd have to come up with a life-saving reason why he won't rip me into tiny pieces. Gregory may end orphaned again if he sees me- and I'm not even kidding about that."
"He wouldn't-!" Freddy started to say, his voice scandalous.
Vanessa furiously jabbed a finger in his direction, "No, Freddy. That's what I was JUST saying a moment ago: He absolutely and irrefutably would hurt me. Bonnie is legit DANGEROUS. And if Cassie's somehow fucking around with him, we need to find her fast! He won't hurt her but... he LIKES Cassie. However, he's completely unhinged and undid his Security Mode with an override that enabled him to inflict pain and kill of his own volition! If he's pissed enough, he could swing at the wrong target by accident. None of you know what the fuck he did to himself just to stop me."
She glared rebelliously into Freddy's eyes, "He's been rearranging his behavioral tics so much in secrecy that he started to evolve in extreme ways- even you noticed that! While I can't defend my position with what I've done to him as Vanny -and there's no reason that I should- he was defending himself from me, and he was within his rights to defend himself! He changed BECAUSE I put stress on him. But I have to say this much-"
She straightened up, turned around, and said with the utmost conviction, "When he had me cornered, he told me in his exact words, and I quote-" And here, she leaned in, "-'There won't be anything left for the cops to find as evidence'."
She said nothing else in elaboration to that, just then lifting the sleeve on her cardigan and rolling up the sleeve beneath that. She turned and showed it to them- and the gasp that came out of Freddy had her cringing, but she wasn't sorry for it:
Her left upper arm had trailing sets of long lines coming from her shoulder; not that they can see the whole thing beneath the rolled up parts of her clothes. The white marks suggested a deepness that no doubt would've compromised her health at one point. They almost stopped at her elbow joint- and even Freddy can see that a set of metal claws had been responsible for it.
"I got this as Vanny one night," She told them. "He was chasing me down and... yeah. He long-since stopped being in a forgiving mood."
The boys only continued to gawp, making her feel self-conscious.
"Now then," Vanessa rolled it back down rather hastily and finished picking up their belongings. "Let's go find Cassie first, then Chica. I worry about the hen at this rate. Bonnie comes MUCH later- and preferably, dead LAST on our rescue list. I'm sorry Freddy, but I'm going to have to argue that."
Gregory and Freddy had quieted after that; leaving Vanessa to wonder what they thought of her. She felt, in all honesty, she should've confessed this to Freddy a LONG time ago. This was his best friend they're talking about; and he deserved a reasonable explanation for his absence. If Freddy was mad though, he didn't show it. It was strangely impossible to tell what he was thinking some moments.
And now, a few minutes after that, Vanessa finds herself here in the atrium with her now solemn, silent companions; unable to look either in the face again after her admission of guilt.
The atrium was obviously a wreck too: With a large, yawning opening in the ceiling right in the middle where it had fallen in. There was no rays from the sun yet; as while morning had come in the time they've been here, its no doubt still low on the horizon. Despite the aperture being so huge, Vanessa doubted they could leave that way- not with the amount of distance that had to be covered between floor and roof. The room was otherwise indescribably empty- save for the occasional forklift and cargo container. It felt lonely in here, minus the rubble in some places cluttering floor space.
The woman sighed, then turned towards the direction of the Fazerblast lobby on the first floor- their next destination. "Come on," she said to both boy and bot. "Let's get Freddy his body back REAL quick and gun it for Cassie and Chica. We don't have a lot of time to be dawdling around. I want to get to Cassie ASAP."
"Is it cuz she may still be hurt or... it it cuz of Bonnie?" Gregory asked rather unhelpfully.
"...Yes," She bluntly admitted. "In fact, I have half a mind to say lets go grab her first if she's going around repairing these guys. Still, her repairing them would take her some time to do it... Vanny didn't exactly leave Bonnie in one piece."
Freddy sputtered indecipherably.
"Anyways, I'd prefer having Freddy on hand and able-bodied in case we run into... well, the Mimic thing too," she went on to say. "So we have a lot of things to worry about, Bonnie aside. All the more reason to make this fast, right?"
Gregory blinked, then eyed the lobby before them. Again, good thing Fazerblast hadn't been far from the main entrance- skipping past it just to backtrack to it later would've been foolish. It was right there- so perhaps Gregory made the right call there.
Still, Vanessa couldn't help but feel as if they should bee-line it for Cassie- but its not like they knew where she was exactly. They'd have to narrow that down while they dug Freddy's body out of the ruins of the laser-tag arena. There was a tiny, selfish part of her that felt relieved they'll have Freddy's protection shortly- and she really hoped his body was salvageable, given it was still in there.
They'd certainly need it.
ECLIPSE
So that's what real stars looked like.
Huh.
The bot found himself in the atrium as well; and for the last while, couldn't force himself to look away from the hole in the ceiling despite the fact he had a mission to do. He stared at the hole for as long as the night remained dark; unmoving until the stars slowly drowned amidst a slowly pinkening, rosy sea of color and blooming light. They were timid, small, diminutive spectral rhinestones whose paltry brilliance weren't anything compared to what his books and children's drawings bespoke of. They didn't have five points on them! And they all had subtle color variances- blues, pinks, yellows... he'd thought all of them where an eggshell color before, like the stars in his daycare. And all too easily, they've faded into easy obscurity and died in a magnificent, all-encompassing blanket of sunlight that teased warmth even though it hadn't even rose yet. His inner timer said the sun wouldn't be fully seen on the horizon for another quarter of an hour at least-
Not that he's ever seen the real sun. Or the real moon.
Nay, the daycare attendant remained wholly entranced as he watched the sky change moods as it did with himself; but on a grander, yet more serene spectacle that enamored and enchanted. He blinked but once or twice; reaching up sometimes and measuring the distance with his spidery digits as if to pluck the weakened stars from the ocean of light like children lost in the play structures.
He learned something, right then, when his fingers phased harmlessly through the distant orbs:
That indeed, while they cannot leave this place, he wanted to try. He wanted to find some way to undo his bonds here and charge his battery alternatively so he can see this sky in greater detail. He loved its romantic shift; how gradual, gentle, and while imposing, loving its been in its inevitable pace. He knew whenever night came, it was just as slow; but he wanted to see it to be sure. To be able to wholly observe the heavens as they embraced and swallowed their respective light and dark sides in silent serenity- two sides that willingly relented their vices each day and gave the sun and moon a chance to breathe equally. He heard tell that sometimes, the moon shared space with the sun in the daytime sky! Was that true?
Why can't his personalities be so gentle? To not fight with each other? Why was it so forceful for him to shift? Why did all his sides want to quarrel so badly about control? Can they not learn to be as forgiving and patient as the world above? Why was it not so below?
He envied it.
He wanted that peace too. He wanted those stars and lights and the nature of its patient change, to equally be a part of himself.
He sighed; his voice box producing a static-y overlap as he pondered his moods and his own willingness to relinquish control to one side or the other. To share the vessel and not war over it. And they all only had their one life: why battle over it when they don't have the luxury of time?
Eclipse eventually got up and ruefully glanced at the hole until it pinkened into gold and green. Such beautiful, gentle colors- maybe the next time he paints, perhaps he can recreate the morning's nuance? He'd have to make a note to come back when night falls- to see if twilight was the same color or something entirely different. The fact that he didn't know made him feel... well, he felt ashamed of not knowing. It hurt, and he couldn't fathom why!
His ignorance hurt.
He picked up a loose piece of concrete; then hurled it across the atrium's vast expanse; the sound echoing once it met contact with another slab on the other side of the room. He swore he'd watch the sky later on- and hopefully with Cassie! That wasn't too much to ask, was it? To share this fascination with a friend? Cassie loved them! She was here for them now- that made him feel full. He supposed then he didn't feel as bitter... but dang if he still wasn't a little hurt by the fact he missed out on so much. People see the sky every day- and yet, the animatronics here weren't allowed to step outside, even for a few minutes-
That infuriated him too. BEYOND measure.
Just as he got up to continue heading towards the daycare- that's when he saw them. As abruptly as his mind wandered, nothing compared to the strange sensation he felt when he beheld the intrepid interlopers within the rubble. He heard scrabbling sneakers and a grunt of noise- a swear or two, and familiar voices floated. He promptly disappeared from his open, lofty position on the second floor and swung like Tarzan to a pile of rebar-spiked concrete nearer to ground level; bi-colored eyes arrested on the disturbance just beneath him:
"The rule-breaker," He couldn't help but spit a little upon locking his gaze upon Gregory. His grip on the block of roof tightened when he saw Freddy's head in his grasp. "Oh! Cassie will be so happy to see this," he muttered to himself.
He recalled her mentioning Freddy's headless body... they can fix him! NICE. More friends to add to their little family! Its perfect. Would Freddy maybe finger paint with him eventually?
FOCUS, Sun. Later, he told himself.
Okay, now he found his gaze shifting menacingly to the woman beside boy and bot. He knew her name, and he knew her game. He knew her, recognized her. KNEW she was the one who tampered with them. How'd he know exactly? Moon whispered it to him- and its a secret that had been passed from Bonnie. He couldn't do anything about Vanessa though- as he'd been tampered with at the time. He couldn't fight back when she took control.
But now he can.
His face plate spun; and for one second, Moon breathed his animosity out into the world in one choleric murmur, "Naughty. Naughty. Horrible... VILE wretch! Security alert: Child in danger!"
His head spun again; with Eclipse briefly placing his long-fingered hand back onto his mask and groaning. That had been unexpected. Cassie's reboot thankfully stabilized Moon; alongside Roxy's diagnostic scan helping to repair certain damaged behaviors. But sometimes, the dramatic and impromptu shift surprised and vaguely frightened Sun and Eclipse. Its always hard to say what Moon would do when in Security Mode.
"But we are in Safe Mode now!" he muttered to himself- or, more or less his other selves. "We have control. We don't need to hurt anyone. No, we can take Freddy back to Cassie! It will make her smile. And..." He squinted as the rule-breakers jointly convened on the lobby of Fazerblast. "-We can save the boy too. That woman needs to go... to leave here forever. And I think that's something we ALL can agree on. Right?"
He didn't get any verbal clarification from his other sides, but he could almost swear there was nods of certainty somewhere.
And with that, he dipped into a slit between the concrete rubble and stalked after them.
ROXANNE WOLF
She couldn't stop crying. How could she?
She managed to find her way back to Parts & Service- didn't take as long as she thought. She still had to find her way out of the second basement layer, but at least she'd lost the Mimic good and proper under there. When she left it behind, she also made sure to put Chica down and bar her own path she took back by pulling mountains of garbage over the walkways to make it appear like dead ends. If the Mimic was determined enough, it wouldn't stop it or hardly slow it down- but then again, she just had to make it look like a dead end. If it thinks its looking at a wall, surely it'll move on?
And it was something she kept doing all the way out. She pulled garbage over the fenced gates to barricade and cover them from view; covered button panels with garbage bags and forgotten clothing, and then made sure to use her ears to listen for any pursuit. The Mimic had found its way out of those strange tunnels at some point- and its likely it'll find its way into the PizzaPlex soon if it stuck to those tunnels. Roxy knew it was only a matter of time before it wised up more, but at least it didn't have a direct path up. It needed to climb; and thankfully, it only had ONE ARM.
So they had a few advantages now, but all it did was buy time. Sooner or later, Roxy would have to face it again... and she'd prefer to have help doing so. She wasn't sure if Eclipse could help in a fight though; which left her to wonder if they can go ahead and find Bonnie and see just how bad off he was. Cassie said he had all his parts- so that was more than what Chica had already. Its a matter of dealing with his personality chip that bugged her.
In the meantime, Roxy found herself setting Chica down in the chair inside the cylinder; the chicken twitched and moved sometimes; made reaching motions here and there, but not towards anything discernable. Roxy went to the computer and scanned her, then slumped when the automated voice gave her a HUGE list of things wrong with her.
No joke, it was listing these things off for 10 straight minutes.
She watched Chica from her position by the computer ruefully; the hen twitching and jerking at unpredictable intervals and waggling her naked, cheese blanketed head around like she didn't understand where she was. Its bad enough she didn't seem to recognize Roxy or notice she'd been carried all this time. The lack of intelligence was telling enough.
"I'm so sorry," Roxy murmured at the glass. Chica didn't respond to it; just twitch her head around.
Roxy returned her attention to the computer, typing furiously away and wondering what the hell she can do to help the hen anyways. The automated voice ran diagnostics and corrected Chica's security mode at least- so the hen shouldn't be swinging at Cassie anymore. But then, the voice attempted to punch in permission to run repairs- and then it just had to make the oh-so intelligent observation regarding the hen's chip that made Roxy sob again anew.
And then, it said something that freaked her out.
"Oh no! It seems we cannot restore Chica to her quirky self. Her personality chip is damaged and in need of replacement. In order to get her back up running, we would have to configure a new personality chip from the manager's room in the warehouse. You must have permission in order to proceed- or, we may have to retire Chica depending on the word of the manager."
...Wait. What?
Did they have... doubles? Of their chips?
"I am in NO MOOD for this existential bullshit!" She spat at the machine. "WHY IS THERE DOUBLES OF OUR CHIPS?"
She rapped her claw tips, glaring at the unresponsive computer and watching Chica scratch helplessly at the chair with her only remaining hand. So Chica CAN be repaired... but it wouldn't be THEIR Chica. The new chip was nice but it wouldn't have Chica's touches or personal memory on it.
Roxy clucked her muzzle, then typed again. Now on screen, she could see a program running that was scanning Chica's memory banks and whatever little was salvageable on her chip to use. Her memory was corrupted too, as if to fuel to the fire. Her Security Mode had bugged it very badly-
She didn't know their Security Mode could even DO that.
"Whoever tampered with us," She spat at the monitor like its a person she was putting into interrogation, "Is in for a fucking NASTY surprise! If I find out who did it-"
She didn't finish, typing for the computer to shut Chica down for now. The hen stopped moving; forcibly put into rest mode for a while as the computer mulled over her memory and the remains of her chip.
Roxy refused to grab another chip. They were essentially rebuilding a new Chica if they did... and she wasn't keen on letting this one die fully yet until she's absolutely exhausted everything the computer knew. Worse case, she'd have to flip her power box in a short while and find a place of rest for her.
She prayed it wouldn't come to that.
Roxy eventually decided it was time to check on Cassie; leaving the sleeping Chica inside the locked cylinder to be scanned. She toed her way back to the padded room, glad to see the girl still lost amidst her mountain of plush toys. She honestly looked a little better now that she had some rest-
But, she couldn't help but groan when Cassie suddenly jerked awake like she was jumping from a nightmare.
"Oh- Cassie, are you okay?" The wolf queried as she slowly made her over to her. "Take it easy. Why're you awake? Are you in pain?"
The girl wrinkled her nose, then quite flippantly said, "What STINKS? Its so bad! The smell woke me up!"
"...Oh."
Roxy looked herself over. Right, she smelled like Chica now. And the garbage she literally surfed in to block the Mimic with. Fantastic.
Cassie gawped, then noticed Roxy's face, "Oh! You're repaired! But uh... was there no clean parts for you here?"
"...They were clean."
"Oh... so uh, what happened? Can I help clean you up?"
Roxy shook her head, then sighed. She sat cross-legged in front of the girl and hung her head. "No. I'll do it. You should just- oh!" She opened her chest hatch, then pulled out the cans of soda. Thankfully untouched. "I found these at the raceway. I sampled them myself. They're flat but you can drink them."
"Thank you," Cassie gladly and eagerly took the pink lemonade (Chica-flavored) beverage; inhaling it a few hearty gulps. Then she stopped and looked at the can with some level of concern. Her attention hovered back to Roxy, "You went out to the raceway, you said. Did you find her?"
"...I did."
Cassie's expression turned grim at the look she saw there. Tentatively she pressed on with, "What happened-?"
"I brought Chica here to be fixed, but... I dunno if it can be done. I'm having the machine look her over on its own right now- Oh Cassie, don't..."
As soon as the words, "I dunno if it can be done" were uttered, the girl was sobbing immediately. If Roxy wasn't covered in a layer of filth she would've hugged her. The girl rubbed at her eyes, then tearfully said, "Did you check everything? What did it say to do?!"
"Her chip was rotten. It said I can replace her with another one."
"NO!"
"I KNOW! I didn't do it- She's still in there and- CASSIE!"
The girl was fighting to get back up to her feet; pulling at the wall and slumping back over in a huff when her leg throbbed. Roxy caught her in mid-fall, though she felt gross touching her at the moment.
"Cassie! Lie back down. Its looking her over right now. She's resting. I'm going to exhaust every resource we have before anything can be said. Okay? Just sit."
"But I can't relax! She needs our help! I want to go in and-"
"No. I'm doing it. I'm running a full diagnostic on her RIGHT now. It'll take a while but it'll pull everything that can be salvaged from her out and store it temporarily until something is decided with her files. If there's enough data to use from her memory, we can maybe use the spare chip and sync it. It may be her best chance-" Roxy slumped however when she said, "But I'm not placing any bets on it. Chica's in worse shape than any of us thought."
They were silent for a moment, the girl holding the can of Fizzy faz like it meant everything to her. She wept anew; the tears more or less silent this time. She also pulled a Chica plush close; crying into its soft head as her shoulders bobbed.
"Oh please... please," she hiccupped. "Please please please... Please be okay. Please let there be enough to fix."
Roxy rested her least-gross paw on Cassie's shoulder, pulling a Chica plush herself. She hung her head as she turned it over, nosing it and stroking it herself. She sighed, and then said, "One time... I walked into Chica's room. I wanted to ask her something- she was making a lot of noise, see."
Cassie kept crying, but listened intently.
"-Chica's notable for being really... loud. Super loud," Roxanne continued in an undertone. "She crashes into things, plays her guitar loud, CLUCKS loud, laughs super loud; and one time, even stole some pots and pans in the kitchen back to her room. Why the heck would she do that, I wondered. Staff complained about her making a nuisance of herself as it is. It was just so WEIRD though... I mean, stealing pots and pans? Why?
Her muzzle pursed out the most bitter smile possible before it faded just as fast.
"So I went to her room- and sure enough, I can HEAR it: She was just... banging them together. Like a toddler having a tantrum. I had no idea why! All I knew is that it annoyed me and I wanted to scream at her." A head shake, "So I went in there, opened the door, and started to open my big mouth- I was so prepared to piss her off. I wanted to pick a fight with her loud ass. I wanted to annoy her like she annoyed me! I just... I don't mean anything hostile. I just couldn't stand anymore though... we were all going through a rough time of it at that time so, yeah. It was actually about when Bonnie disappeared, now that I think about it?"
Cassie nodded, "You think maybe... that was why she was banging them?"
Roxy sighed again, looking oh-so very guilty at her next admission. "Yeah. We all missed him in differing ways- but when it comes to Freddy and Chica? There was no doubt who missed him the MOST. I didn't know that at the time though. All I heard was a different kind of chaos from her room. She was... banging pots and pans. WHY?"
A thoughtful pause. She inhaled slowly; her compressor whirring as it channeled air into her motor. Her voice was a whisper now; the sound intimate and secretive. "There was nothing I ever could've known about her that would've prepared me for what I was about to see... even now, the image of that is still stuck in my head. I couldn't scrub it from memory banks, even if I wanted to."
She shifted on her seat, tail wrapping around them both. The fluffy appendage was nice to have back: and she used it now despite Cassie having a copy of another tail piece over her shoulders. Roxy used her limb to pull the girl in; wrapping it around her bottom just so its end could fall into her lap. The girl messed with the offered tip; combing her Roxy-themed painted fingers through it. The observation made the wolf feel a bit better for some reason.
"So there she was, on the floor of her room, hunched over, banging them fruitlessly on each other just to cover up what she was really doing: She was... she was..." Her ears sagged all the way against her head, "She was just... she was in hysterics. She was crying so loudly! I was so shocked by the look on her face- and the fact it looked like she got into some of my make-up at some point didn't help. There was graffiti EVERYWHERE on her vanity and some of the walls; done with my lip paint. She banged her pots, sobbed, and ignored me all the time she sat in the middle of the floor amidst a chaotic mess of open pizza boxes and cheese-covered plush toys..."
A sigh, "You know how each of us has a pile of plushies of ourselves in our rooms? Well... One of those toys sitting in her room stuck out to me: It was a Bonnie. It was the only untouched toy there too- immaculate, and clean. All her other ones are strewn about her war-zone of a room; covered in cheese or make-up." Roxy waved a slow paw around as if to physically point it out before them. "Every single one; covered in gunk and goo- and yet that ONE toy stood out against the others, cleaner than ever and hair freshly combed. I didn't even know she had it! All of Bonnie's likenesses had been removed JUST the prior day, actually. How she ever got her hands on that plush remains a mystery to me.
"I was stunted into silence; couldn't muster the rage I had before I walked in. She kept crying, banging the pots, and banging her head on one of the pots! It scared me to death! And then- The noise was so substantial, Freddy was marching over in the next minute too!" The girl said nothing as Roxy went on with the occasional pause in her words. "Freddy got her talking... touched her gently on the shoulders, and crouched over her and pulled her into this actual bear hug. I couldn't do anything cuz... I dunno. I don't think I was processing what was going on so well. I was so confused, mad, scared, and confused again- and all the while, my eyes were arrested on the words in the mirror, and the untouched toy on the floor."
She leaned in, looking Cassie dead in her own hazel set as she said, "Her vanity was covered in these little hearts, with she, Freddy, and Bonnie's names in them. They said stuff like, 'We're besties forever and ever!', 'No greater love in the world!', and then I see 'Where's my blue bun boy?' on the center of it. And nearby her, she had the bowling ball within reach." She severed the eye contact, "Bonnie hadn't been gone that long, but... I never imagined I'd see her take it so HARD. It was awful listening to it- it was like the whole world was going to die in some horrifying heat death that'll vaporize us all. I just stood there, basking in her sadness; choked into smothering silence. I was rooted to the spot- watching Chica cry out her every pain and frustration over Bonnie's loss. She even screamed, 'It'll happen to all of us! No one will care about us being gone. They'll treat our image like they treat his!'"
And she was right, was the words that didn't follow that last bit of portent. Roxy knew Chica was right to this day; remembering the hard words of some of the staff that did not like them.
There was a pause then, and it lasted a good minute before she added, "She was SUPER peeved about the sudden removal of the Bonnie merch and decor in his bowling alley. She threw a FIT the day they started removing it all. She clucked to cover her swears; garbled and spat and stomped like a three-year-old. She even railed at the CEO'S own personal assistant HIMSELF when he told us to stop looking for him the day before. Mr. Morris; THE second big-wig. I've never seen her loose her top like that... let alone against one of the biggest players in this whole business!"
Cassie's tears were drying up at some intervals; only to pour again anew here. "She YELLED at the CEO's own watchdog?" She sputtered in blunt shock.
"YEAH! The nerve on that plucky hen," Roxy produced a dry laugh there. "Small wonder she wasn't scrapped that day. Anyways, as for Freddy? I've never heard him cry before. NEVER. None of us ever saw it in all the time we've known him. I didn't think he was capable of it- he's smiling so much. But then, amidst Chica's crashing, I saw him hunch over and- and it- and he..." Her voice cracked here, nose producing an audible sniff as she cracked on, "I've never heard such a sound from him. But he sat there, shoulders jumping, and cried on the floor with her. I felt like an intruder, so... I eventually walked out! I couldn't fathom what I was feeling after that. I was sad too but- I couldn't take it being in that room with them."
Her messy paw found her face, sounding genuinely lost as she mumbled on, "I just dunno. I guess I still couldn't properly process it. Bonnie wasn't my bestie. He was annoying, full of himself, and he loved buggin' me- a REAL show-boat. But I knew he was good and loved them just as much. He's not huggy, but he loved THEIR hugs. So when he was gone, I know they felt like they lost most than a Glam brother- he was their soul-brother or whatever. You know?"
Another sigh. She wondered about stopping there, but couldn't help it when her mouth seemed to move without her input, "When he was around, during some stage performances, he'd break script and- it was fun watching him play, I admit. He'd THROW his bass in the air with a flourish-" Her smile was weak, but present as she blundered on, "Then flick his ear a certain way- Chica apparently understood it cuz she'd run right into his hands, and he's spin her over his head while she shreds this sick, wicked solo on her guitar. Crowd went nuts every time! Then, he threw her into a gentle slide across the stage again and catch his bass like it's no sweat. He knew how to own a stage. He preaches showmanship- I tell ya, he's almost as loud as CHICA when it came to some things."
Her smile remained, but took on a bitter note as she said, "I hated how much he showed off sometimes. I was a little jealous of it. He was easily cool and he made it effortless. I was the fourth and last member to be added to the Glamrocks, so I felt like an outsider sometimes in the beginning nearer to our creation and activation. I knew that... Bonnie, Freddy and Chica were THE OG trio since literally ancient times. I felt completely out of my depth with them. I wanted to make the crowd scream the way they do! Not ride their coat-tails for it, yunno? Those three had the advantage of carrying the names of legends. I didn't. My fucking NAME rhymes with FOXY. I'm a FOXY replacement!"
Cassie reached out this time, then grabbed the wolf's paw to snap her out of it, Roxy hadn't realized she slipped somewhere there. The wolf clutched it back; her eyes now on Freddy's immeasurably soft touch- her paws. Not his.
"Freddy was his best self when that asshole rabbit was around. He and Bonnie would talk about stage tricks sometimes- and they'd try 'em outside of script. He asked me to join in one time and... I was too timid to do it. I didn't feel cool enough... and I was afraid of messing up. But one time, during this LIVE show, Bonnie and him threw each other this look, and boy it was evil. Pure evil, I tell you. So then, Bonnie throws his bass at Freddy! And Freddy grabs it and... guess what? HE KNOWS HOW TO PLAY. His claws and soft paws ain't super great on it, but he played it good! I didn't know he can play bass.
"And then, Bonnie slides up like a smooth criminal and scoops me up! I was so shocked I almost dropped my keytar. He spun me around and says right into my ear, 'SHRED IT!', and then he kept spinning me until I did. And then he slid me over to Freddy, who tosses the bass back at him. Then Freddy did the same thing with me- spinning me around above their heads as if to show me off to the audience! Those two numbskulls were flinging me around like I was a toy!"
She elevated her free paw and held it to her ear, as if she could almost hear the adulation, "And MAN, Cassie. Listening to that applause shot my confidence RIGHT up. I don't think I was the same since then. I would've stayed mad at them but... it was opposite. It was the push I needed. It was because of Bonnie we could even do half the shit we do. Monty wasn't a team player on the field so... our performances didn't have the same oomph when he graduated to full Glam status and Bonnie was no longer in the equation. He just didn't like Freddy enough to try some of these tricks." She hung her head, "I miss that chuckle-head rabbit too... even though it don't seem like it and I know its not to the same capacity as Freddy and Chica."
The girl was listening so raptly- her expression completely wide-eyed and her tears now dry on her face. She sucked on another can of fizzy faz as Roxy concluded it with, "At any rate, I still don't always feel super close with him. But Bonnie knew I wasn't a hugger by nature. He... most of the time anyways... respected it. He's an ass, but his loss KILLED all of us. Freddy and Chica can't seem to play the same since then. There's a reason why people kept asking for him. It pissed off and frustrated poor Monty all the while- being compared to him. I feel bad for him, but... How can you hope to aspire to that kind of cool? That was so much pressure on him."
She sighed, then glanced off to the side, "No wonder Chica was lost. She was never the same since then. She didn't synergize with Monty- didn't try too hard either. I didn't see much of her hanging around him. I hung around Monty when I could to make him feel a bit better- maybe some of that cool Bonnie had would rub off and on me and Monty, but I don't think it was very effective."
Cassie passed a glance at the Chica plush in her hands, "I... huh. My dad used to tell me Monty was unstable and unsafe to be around. He kinda... showed it. Sometimes. I never liked Monty myself cuz my dad's bias towards Bonnie... I feel bad about it now."
"You can't blame him. Monty wanted to ooze cool the way Bonnie did. He's got the flashy looks and style... he's just, lost. And I was lost with him!" Roxy shrugged, then frowned, "Oof- I went on a while, didn't I?"
"I enjoyed hearing it! I want to hear more when I can," Cassie encouraged. She reached out and grasped Roxy's cheese-slathered paws again. She didn't seem to care in the very least how filthy the wolf bot was, "And Roxy, you ARE the coolest. You had to keep up with real superstars and you did it in your own way- with help from them, sure. But you managed on your own after a while. I think you're shooting yourself down too much. I still remember the one time, YOU picked up FREDDY on stage. And the look on his face!" She giggled. "That was priceless! I loved how he flopped dramatically in your hands like a fainting princess while he kept singing. He looked so silly!"
"You were there for that one?"
"Yeah! That was one of my favorite concerts. I saw a lot of them with my dad-" She mussed with the plush Chica's hair piece. Her face fell, "Still... I can see how when we go to find Bonnie, this will be hard. I don't... If Bonnie wakes up, I don't know how he'd take what happened to Chica... but its a given he DOES wake up."
"He wouldn't take it well. At all. I can say that much. He may even be unreasonable with grief like Chica was over him. He was kinda..." Roxy flashbacked to the last days she spent with him. "Not quite himself, in the last days we were around him. He's a bit over-protective of us. He was leaning towards extreme in his last days. I think he knows who tampered with us even before we were tampered with. Even if we can't bring him back, I'd love to see what's in carrot-breath's head anyways. He may have recorded some data on who caused all this."
Cassie motioned, "I want to take the moment to go to the bowling alley then- see if we can at least get his head and scan it. Now I don't know about his chip, but I wager its in better condition then Chica's... his cranial casing and shell thankfully absorbed a lot of the blow from that bowling ball by the looks of it..."
"HE'S BEEN BRAINED BY A BOWLING BALL?"
Oops- looks like Cassie hadn't gotten into that detail. The girl winced at the raised tone, "Y-yeah? To be fair, his chip's protective casing- it was cracked but I didn't see anything suggesting complete shut-down in his head? Granted I'd need to look at it again."
Roxy flicked an ear towards the direction of where she heard the cylinder. Still processing Chica, no doubt. She then stood up, then asked, "Since you're awake now, do you feel up for a visit to the alley? Or you could just tell me where to look- and you can stay and watch Chica for me and wait for Eclipse? He should be coming back with something to- CRAP BASKETS."
She slapped her head, "I need to contact him! SHIT. Hold a sec-" She stared at the wall vacantly, her Hud revealing her narrow contact list. She shot a message to him, but didn't get a response immediately. She pondered this until she got something:
'Found some intruders. They have Freddy's head- heading towards Fazerblast. Following them- I think they intend on fixing him. Watch Cassie. I may be late.'
Her mouth came open, then she noticed the girl watching her raptly.
"Guess Eclipse will be late. He found Freddy's head, at least!"
"REALLY? Owwww... ow ow ow ow-" She doubled over and held her chest, Roxy bending down onto one knee and rubbing her back.
"Watch it, kiddo. Keep your voice down. Hey, just a thought but-" She looked off to the side again, then focused on the girl, "I don't think I want to leave you alone in here suddenly so, while Eclipse is running his errand, we'll visit blue-boy. Check him out together. Chica won't be out of that cylinder for a while so, it'll be just you and me for a bit. Do you think you can make it?"
"You kidding? I want to move anyways. My legs are restless," Cassie grumped. "I can't eat so... I'd rather be focused on something that isn't food. And if I'm doing something, I don't need to think about it."
"...Fair."
"And you need me to help you with finding that room he's in. I dunno if you'd find it easily if your sensors and internal maps make it invisible to you."
"Also fair, and both valid arguments," Roxy harrumphed and sighed. "Okay, I'm going to very quickly scrub myself off and come back for you. Then we're taking a little field trip. Guess Bonnie's coming home today."
"Mm-hm!"