Present Day-
CASSIE
The white door closed behind her, but the girl wondered if what she saw in her shadow had been real.
Bonnie's mind was a strangely elaborate trap; but now she was beginning to wonder if she was now hallucinating the feeling of him being there when she left the main server network. Still, it didn't matter if he'd been there or not; not when she had more pressing matters to now attend to:
She looked around her environment; raising a brow when she couldn't recall where the bowling alley would be from here. Oh dear... she should've done a better job remembering where that bot lead her! The girl felt her mouth flop open; unwilling to take off the V.A.N.N.I mask until she was sure she can make it back to Parts and Services from... wherever the heck she was now. The mask was still dulling down her pain- and she needed it in order to make the trek. Otherwise, she may be in trouble.
"Not good," She muttered to herself as she clutched Bonnie's head tighter.
She looked around; thinking she was recognizing some lower level of the PizzaPlex- though not entirely sure thanks to the amount of debris lying around her. There was some graffitti here too; and nothing written for polite company. The girl winced as Bonnie's eye lights shone on a particularly detailed image of a- the poor girl had to turn away here; again, nothing for polite company. She scurried as fast as her leg can allow; her hazel eyes taking in the alarming amount of trash, work vehicles, and holes in the walls and ceiling. It was caved in in some places too; and the tunnel was... how the heck did she even get here? What even IS here?
She frowned and looked again; blinking and going, "Ah!" when she realized she may be in a utility tunnel. This section ran under the PizzaPlex and connected all the attractions- which wasn't a bad spot to be- but with the state of this place and the clearly caved-in spots, she can tell that she didn't want to be in here longer than she needed to be. And it's hopelessly DARK. If it wasn't for Bonnie's weird eye, she'd be in utter and total blackness.
Cassie shined Bonnie's head- his remaining LED eye providing her the light she needed to see in here. She thanked him, though she knew he couldn't really hear her right now. She also took out his other eye from her pocket and slotted it back into his empty socket. It blinked on, but it's far more feeble than the other- no doubt he'll need that eye replaced once she got around to it. Thankfully, it seemed him and Monty shared the same optics, so finding a replacement eye won't be an issue.
But this place... definitely an issue.
She waved his head around; blinking when she also recalled that Roxy was likely still in the bowling alley. Cassie didn't swear but, she felt tempted to do so right now. The wolf wouldn't know where to find her! And the V.A.N.N.I mask had taken her much further than she wanted- like all the way from the second floor to the sub basement layer. How the heck did it do that?!
"Stop questioning it," she told herself. "At this point, I think we're WAY beyond questioning it."
She started to tip-toe forward; more or less shuffling as her leg kept her from moving too fast. The mask helped as much as it hindered here; as visibility and obstacle permanence wasn't reliable in it but it helped the girl retain some manner of mobility as well as somewhat light up the otherwise abyssal tunnel. But Cassie needed to see where she was going and KNOW what objects were real or not; so she had to remove the mask for a minute to double-check that she was in a utility tunnel and she wasn't about to hit a door or phase through the wrong one. She found that the tunnel didn't feel super far from Parts and Service- pretty much a lot of the tunnels were built with the intention to the help the technicians get around.
With this said, she slipped the mask back on and ignored the throbbing migraine. She'd take the pulsing in her temple over the pulse in her leg anytime. Bonnie's head also helped considerably; seeing as her previous flashlight quit on her when she first went to (accidentally) free the Mimic-
...Which, she just now recalled was a distinct and still very real threat right about now- given its left the pizzeria underground.
Her heart leapt RIGHT into her throat there; with the shadows and claustrophobic nature of this place instantly flashing Cassie back to the moment she had to run for her life from the miming menace. They took on a much more sinister note; prompting wild-eyed staring from the girl. She blinked rapidly; all signs of her previous tears gone as she ducked low to the ground and attempted to discern where in the utility tunnels she was right now. She can definitely get to Parts and Service from here... she just needed to find which direction was the RIGHT one.
"If I find Eclipse, I can tell him to ping Roxy. Yeah," she nodded resolutely. "That'll work. Roxy can take care of herself... right? Heck, she may be able to smell me!"
The thought was somewhat reassuring; but not by much. It helped to know that Cassie's allies were a reliable bunch, but the help may come too late if she wasn't careful. Until she found them again, she can't shout or yell for help if she runs into trouble. Suddenly wishing she still had her Roxy talkie, she pressed on.
The utility tunnels were expansive and sprawled like an ant's nest all across the PizzaPlex; but the contractors who built this place thankfully thought to put clear signs and symbols next to the entrances of certain tunnels to indicate where they lead. It also helped that Cassie had navigated these with her dad before; so she had SOME memory to account for. Another win for her. Graffiti over some of the symbols however... well, not too helpful. One of them however had an 'X' over a symbol indicating the direction of Monty golf; but also had a hastily scribbled phrase beneath it specifying that the way was caved in. She wasn't sure if its to be trusted or not, but a lot of the graffiti she's seen too far hadn't been WRONG.
Endlessly glad her dad was a man who loved taking his kid to work, Cassie found her only problems would be her slow gait due to her leg, the caved-in portions, and maybe potentially the Mimic. Okay, so its a lot of problems, but Cassie can circumnavigate the first two issues well enough if she's clever and patient. As long as the Mimic stayed away from her, finding Parts and Service won't be hard at all. She knew where she was in large part-
And then she groaned when she saw the symbol of the raceway beside an entrance on tunnel in particular.
"Aw man! The Raceway AGAIN? Well, at least its near Parts and Service... That's not too bad- but I still don't want to be too near that thing from earlier. I really hope its still stuck in the old pizzeria," she told Bonnie's head. Not like she had anyone else to talk to. "I can't say the exit from the PizzaPlex server was too bad... could be in a worse place."
Shhhhhaaaaaaa...
The girl stopped dead in her tracks; the hairs on the back of her neck raised as some sort of instinctual sensation knotted itself in her belly. She ducked to the ground so quick she didn't even understand why she was doing it; and it jarred her leg. She whined but cut herself short; shimmying herself over to a pile of turned-over crates near a forklift.
Shhhhhaaaaaaa...
She pulled Bonnie's eyes out of his head; as it's the only way she knew how to turn them off right now. She apologized internally to him over and over as her ears strained to listen to the source of the noise. It sounded way too nearby- and way too big.
How can she describe what she's hearing? Well, her best guess was a massive amount of metal grinding against naked rock and earth. It sounded like someone was dragging a series of metal cables- and a BUNCH of them, across a construction sight. The sensation of its immensity made the ground around her faintly tremble; the girl sitting in complete and utter darkness being forced to rely on her other senses save her sight to sense it. It made her ability to feel highten: the girl able to detect every faint tremor as the source of the noise slithered- yes, slithered- by. She shut her eyes; not that it did anything to improve the annoying and terrifying amount of pitch creeping around her.
Everywhere she's been in the PizzaPlex, its had light so far. Weak ones, but some scant sources of light. Failing electrical outlets; frayed, livewires and blinking bulbs; sometimes the neon signs and faintly powered conduits on powered doors; as well as her V.A.N.N.I mask to light the way. But now? She had nothing to go by but Bonnie's head; listening to this giant of the deep creep by like some alien earthworm.
Shhhhhaaaaaaa...
She fought the need to whimper as it sounded like it neared her. She cracked her eyes open in the hopeless abyss-
And nearly cried anew for the millionth time that same day.
She saw its face; not too clearly, but something of it. It had the vague, and usually familiar and comforting shape of Freddy's head- but in this terrible lighting, she couldn't be too sure. Its eyes however- or, lack of them- she can see those quite clearly: A pair of single, pinprick lights colored laser-red to indicate a lack of functional optics; color-coordinated slots meant to fit the usually fragile wires. It didn't blink; only stared as it seemed to loom closer. It was heading towards her quite calmly; no rush, but the grating, slithering noise of numerous appendages of varying size, shape, and metals echoed behind it.
Shhhhhaaaaaaa...
Cassie watched as it came within touching distance of her; how'd she know this? she can hear it right there. She planted her hands over her gaping mouth; Bonnie's head on her lap as she drew her legs in. Tears started budding at the corner of her eyes as the squirming mass of shadows crept easily by like its taking some sort of leisurely, noctivagant stroll. And as it did so, Cassie was horrified to see that there was more empty eye sockets.
MANY more.
All up and down its infinite black body, a scintillate series of lights flared the same red color indicating a readiness to receive optics that will never be restored to it. Forms of varying, decaying, furred and metallic shapes and strange familiarity began to emerge from the endless, ophiomormous mass; Cassie believing she can almost make out the silhouettes of numerous animatronic bodies entangled inside the writhing cables. One of the bodies opened its mouth; and while still too hard to see entirely, Cassie knew she saw some kind of moving tendril length emerge. It wriggled and prodded at moist, moldy air; the tongue's owner's eye sockets providing very little light in which for Cassie to see the appendage clearly. The mouth eventually pulled the mutant, dark tongue back in; puffing out its worn breast like its breathing. It took a drought of the dank air; or gave the illusion of it; head lolling limply over on his shared body.
Not too far from it, another body stirred; a single large, dark paw flexed its sausage-thick fingers; but the color in which remained elusive to the shivering girl. And even then, the fingers didn't move smoothly or naturally- they jerked and twitched spasmodically; as if short-circuiting or having a seizure. The limb was eventually pulled slowly back into the mountainous mass of metal; the digits reaching outward and stiffening like its stricken with sudden rigormortis.
Shhhhhaaaaaaa...
The vetitum of many, uncounted corpses continued to crawl by; the sound thankfully starting to die down as it made its way quite slowly down the utility tunnel. It paused once; the Freddy-shaped head moving around as if trying to divine some sort of cardinal direction. It coiled upon itself like a snake deciding to coil for a strike; changed its mind, then flexed towards another hole in the wall. The many sightless sockets were the only way Cassie can tell what she was looking at; each set disappearing one-by-one as it whelved into a crack on the foundation. The scraping continued; the noise bouncing around the tunnel and drowning out the squeak of Cassie's gasp.
Shhhhhaaaaaaa...
Still crying, still shivering, Cassie took the V.A.N.N.I mask and used its strange, porphyrous light to shine the way forward; not that it helped too much in this place. She may need Bonnie's weak left eye to keep some sort of guide and not have something too bright to draw that thing's attention back over here. However, she also didn't know how well it can see- none of its bodies seem to have optics in any capacity, but there's no telling how it perceived its environment.
With this said, she tip-toed away while trying to be as speedy as possible; teeth gritted and nearly biting her tongue in anxiety. She had no IDEA such a thing lived in the PizzaPlex- and it was in a whole other league. The Mimic was one thing... a bot with a sort of intelligence to it.
But that thing-
What was it that gave her such an unearthly, primal, unnerving feeling? It was literally the bane of the natural world; prompting for instincts she never knew she had to rise up and drive her to run as fast as she could. Nothing she's faced so far had ever felt so removed; so impossibly anomalous and incomprehensible. Her gut told her it too would not hesitate to strike; even the Mimic had premeditated, thought, and manipulated. It can think-
But not that monstrosity. It was far above human comprehension.
Was this the thing that had made so many tunnels inside the PizzaPlex? To have caused the so-called 'earthquake' that closed it for good? In fact, now that she thought about it... the workers who came to dismantle the PizzaPlex... it looked like they left so suddenly- as if in a hurry. She'd seen relatively fresher food around too; as if the men were on lunch break while taking the PizzaPlex down. Not so long ago, there'd been people here to move things around-
But its all gone now... and all the vehicles... broken, turned over, or barely functional. And some of the food they left during their breaks- fresher than the stuff the PizzaPlex had when it was open. She's seen a BARELY moldy pizza on her way into saving the fake Gregory. Rats haven't even touched it. In fact, normal, warm-blooded creatures save for humans avoided this place- she wondered if their instincts also told them to stay away from that thing-
Was it possible that this ghastly giant chased everyone out and is why the animatronics never got properly decommissioned? Was it trying to tunnel OUT?
"Its... it can't," She told Bonnie, her tone tapering off in a wavering note. "It if got out... it'd hurt people, wouldn't it?"
He didn't reply, again, as expected. But she had no doubt that he'd agree.
She started running as soon as she figured she got some ample distance; whimpering a few times as her leg hindered her ability to gain any meaningful speed. She tripped once; Bonnie's stronger eye rolling out of her pocket and into the gloom. Cassie sputtered a choice swear and shined his head to find it-
Then heard it return.
Fuck that eye. Monty had some spares she can use anyways.
Cassie garbled and started crawling along as fast as she could; ducking out of sight as the amalgamation brought a tendril out to where she'd just been. Its Freddy-shaped head clicked and snapped plates as if almost thoughtfully; jutting free of another hole not too far from her. Cassie shoved a fist in her mouth to keep from spitting in surprise.
It can't see too well, could it?
Granted, it WAS dark; but again, it had no optics, and its numerous tendrils felt and groped around. The white Freddy head snapped a jaw plate, then pulled back into its hole. Soon, its many limbs went with it.
Cassie wouldn't move for what she could swear was several minutes or more. She was too afraid of make anymore noise and bring it back again- even though it likely left the area entirely. She didn't hear anymore odd noises; not beyond the building itself thrumming above her as if uncertain of its own weight.
She can't stay in these tunnels. Beyond that beastly thing, the Mimic, and the fact this building could cave in anywhere, she needed to meet up with Roxy and Eclipse. And the sooner they got Chica and Bonnie able-bodied, the faster they can leave. It'd be a tall order, but Cassie had no intention of leaving them behind here in this god-forsaken and literal hell-hole.
She stumbled to her feet; the V.A.N.N.I mask shining the way as well as Bonnie's fragile weak eye. She didn't grab the forgotten good one; as again, Monty had the same specs for eyes Bonnie did. Even the same color. Not like she should be groping around to locate it here. Indeed, she focused on her path forward; eyeing up the signs along the tunnel walls as she identified the Parts and Service tunnel-
Only to hear ANOTHER noise not too far away.
The girl whimpered and cried; then once again flopped to her belly behind some crates. It didn't sound like it belonged to that big thing but...
Shit. Was that Gregory's voice?
"Oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no-" she clapped her hands together in prayer; not that she was religious. She was in no mood for the Mimic now! Of COURSE her luck had to run dry the instant she left the main server! Hell, the main server was SAFER than this place! At least the M.X.E.S thing wasn't in it anymore!
"I dunno... this place isn't..."
"I know I know... but its the only way we can get into Parts and Service right now. Cassie showed me herself. Believe me-" That voice! "-If we can take a different route there, I'd happily detour you there."
"Eclipse?" Cassie peaked her head up- noticing a a couple sets of lights bobbing in the murk. One of the sets belonged to a tall figure with LED eyes. The other bi-colored set was no doubt Eclipse-
And the other two lights were from flashlights- and both from people.
Cassie garbled and pulled the V.A.N.N.I mask off; then forcefully shoved it into her sweater and hobbled free of the debris. She clutched Bonnie's head tightly to herself; mouthing names in utter disbelief of what she was hearing.
Was that actually-
"Gregory?" She called out.
GREGORY
The boy rolled his eyes, but hadn't argued with the daycare attendant further on the matter. Parts and Service had never been easy to access to begin with- as the boy recalled that the only ways he knew personally had been from the stage lift and this tunnel... oh well.
He looked at Vanessa beside him, the woman looking decidedly more worried and anxious with the time that's passed. Her pallid expression bespoke of an uneasiness that wouldn't leave anytime soon either. She grunted once, then glanced at the boy once she felt his eyes on her. She shrugged, as if in agreement with Eclipse.
Freddy meanwhile stopped; his amber gaze focused on a point ahead of them. It was so sudden Gregory almost walked right into the ursine- having been following his shadow loyally for the last while. "Papa bear?" He muttered.
"Gregory?"
The female -and young- voice had the aforementioned boy pausing; Freddy's paw lowering to meet his chest and pushing him further back behind him. "Whose there?" Freddy called into the darkness, his baritone wary.
"...FREDDY?"
Vanessa stepped past her boy, then shined her light where Freddy was looking-
And it landed on a filthy bunch of pink sweater and gleamed off of star decals and unpolished blue metal. The owner of the figure gasped and ducked- then carefully called out, "Um... hello?"
"...Cassie?" Gregory mouthed, pushing past Freddy.
There she was- literally just right there. The girl timidly hobbled out- an observation not lost on Gregory as he felt his mouth come open. She was clutching something huge and no doubt heavy like her life depended on it; the thing in her arms had hair on it and was stained to hell and back. Cassie herself was just as bad; favoring one leg over the other as she shuffled into full view of the lights and protected her eyes from the beams. Her face was cut and patchy; and her clothes were just as bad.
"CASSIE!" Eclipse bellowed and swept over so fast, Gregory still hadn't had the time to process the girl was actually there.
The daycare attendant whooshed by his party and snatched her up; spinning her around once and clutching her protectively to himself in a manner Sun would. Cassie wrestled from him, then heard and felt the stomp of a bear as he lumbered over. Vanessa and Gregory joined in; with Gregory throwing his light at his adoptive mother and throwing his arms around her too-
She stank- but that was her.
And she was SAFE.
"Gre-Gre-" She couldn't even garble out a proper response; nor could he, for that matter. Gregory hugged her and refused to let go; not caring if the thing in her arms dropped. The next thing he knew, Freddy had scooped up both boy and girl; tucking them to his shattered breast plate and resting his huge head over the tops of theirs. He thrummed contentedly; the sound a vibrating resonance that placidly fell and reverberated around and inside their own chests with an effect like a cat's purr. His talons were a strange but a strong, comforting hold on them both.
"Oh Cassie! Goodness-" Freddy rubbed his chin on her scalp. "Oh, its been too long!"
Vanessa and Eclipse backed off, smiling pleasantly as they beheld the hugs going around. Eventually however, Eclipse couldn't resist; and he jumped in on the hugs and wrapped his spidery limbs around ALL of them. Freddy picked them all up in the best version of a bear hug he can manage; still rubbing his face all over the kids and bouncing on his feet.
Cassie couldn't summon words, meanwhile. She'd fallen silent; save for a sniffle or two. She hiccupped several times at length, then reluctantly removed one arm from her coveted metal prize and planted it on Freddy's bow tie so to hang on better. She let him rub his chin all over her crown; whimpering ceaselessly into his neck area like she wanted to bury her face into fur but couldn't. His voice was a warm sound that no doubt lulled the girl into gradual silence again; holding her dear like she and Gregory meant everything to him. He even eventually fell to his own knees; still keeping his limbs wrapped around the children and shoving his muzzle between their faces. Cassie's hand found his cheeks once; palm cupping it affectionately.
They stayed like that maybe a minute or more; no one knew except maybe Vanessa. The woman had backed off, smiling sweetly as it went on.
Eventually, Freddy relented and let Cassie slip from his grasp. One of his hands found her hair and threaded it gently. His expression became serious and concerned however when his amber eyes landed on her leg-
And suddenly, her prize.
Gregory was now gawping too when he saw it had rabbit ears.
"Bu-" Freddy garbled, his jaws parting in a straight gape.
Cassie blinked tears out of her eyes; then noticed their expressions. She pulled the metal object from her chest, offering it silently to Freddy. Gregory backed off as he watched Freddy hesitate on taking it. He removed his paw from Cassie's head and gradually took it- turning it around and coming eye-to-eye with his best friend's severed head.
Gregory felt his hands fly to his mouth in blunt horror. He caught from the corner of his eye, Vanessa looking away.
Freddy said nothing. His dreadful silence was so heart-stopping Gregory couldn't even hear his own in his ears anymore. Cassie was seen fidgeting endlessly, her eyes on the rabbit with a faraway look on her face. The bear gently cusped his friend's cheeks and brought it to his own face- his forehead meeting Bonnie's own in a candid sign of long lost affection.
And then, his shoulders jumped.
Gregory wasn't sure he can take Freddy's tears again, so he went over and leaned on the bear's shoulder; his arms going around Freddy's absent neck area. He was able to see Bonnie's face clearly now; the rabbit only had one eye and it was feebly lit. Wires seem to poke out in some regions of his face like a cruel parody of blood runnels- his blue hair stained with a fluid he couldn't identify. Coolant maybe, that's long since dried and crusted on.
To put it bluntly, Bonnie looked worse then dead.
And Gregory saw the moment when Freddy looked into his head and noted the broken chip- the way his expression went utterly blank with an impressive, unfathomable shock that exceeded any singular inflection-
And then Cassie blurted out, "D-Don't start worrying! Please... I actually- There's a lot to explain but-"
Freddy's claws threaded Bonnie's mussed scalp and tucked him closer to his shattered breast; his chin now resting over the rabbit's crown as he'd done with Cassie before. He huffed- the noise a distressed, shallow rasp that fought to be more. His fangs showed; eyes shut and dirty, cracked muzzle looking a lot of stress lines.
Cassie continued rather calmly, despite the display, "It may sound impossible, but he CAN be fixed. I came upon a solution literally just a bit ago. I was actually on my way to doing it... 'til I ran into you."
The ursine slowly moved his amber gaze to the girl, unblinking as he said, "Fix him. How can you possibly fix this? I don't-" he shook his head in morbid disbelief.
"It can be done!" Cassie interjected with balled fists. "I LITERALY just now stumbled upon a way to do it. Also... you can thank Bonnie for being so dang diddly resilient... cuz he thought ahead." She jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "I can explain it. But I'd rather do so when we're NOT in a horrible maybe-death trap?"
Freddy blinked, then very slowly drew himself to his full and imposing, realistic bear height. Gregory noticed Vanessa wasn't keen on breaking her sudden vigil, and Freddy himself wasn't looking at her. Suddenly the air was THICK with something chunkier than clam chowder. Cassie didn't seem to notice meanwhile; likely not knowing the full extent of their connection here. Eclipse meanwhile was fidgeting in increasingly frantic motions.
"You... can fix him?" The bear repeated. There was something odd about his tone that sat wrong. That warmth from before was very much dead now.
"Yes," She asserted with such finality even Gregory somewhat believed her. She motioned over her shoulder, "We going to Parts and Service, or what?"
Freddy blinked, his paw stroking and mussing Bonnie's gross hair all the while. He inhaled; his worn compressor jumping and thrumming a bit too loudly. He nodded numbly, then looked on the ground for the duffels he'd been carrying. He scooped up their objects, Bonnie's head still tucked to his chest, and stood beside the children. He nodded.
"Okay. So," Cassie started. Eclipse was seen picking her up so she didn't have to walk. "Bonnie AND Chica can be fixed. And before we get to Parts and Service, you'll have to be mentally prepared for what you're about to see with Chica..." She shook her head, expression grim. "Cuz she uh... she doesn't look that much better either."
Freddy stayed stoically silent. Why was that so strange?
Also... Cassie wasn't... saying anything to Gregory. Something was up, but he didn't want to interrupt her when Freddy so clearly needed this. Gregory shined the light down the tunnel, letting his head sink when he recalled shoving Chica into the trash compactor.
God, he felt like Vanessa right now. And he imagined he'll feel worse once he actually saw her. On that note, he was deathly afraid of what they're about to see.
And he'll hate being right.
The walk to Parts and Services was fast, thankfully.
Cassie told Eclipse to message Roxy; to let her know to grab Bonnie's body and bring it back since Cassie made it safely back on her own. Gregory was in total awe of the fact Cassie was so calm about it- and somehow, he felt it's making the bear feel a tad bit better by extension. And apparently, Bonnie's ENTIRE body was accounted for and can be brought over.
Meanwhile, Roxy herself was A-okay. She was a missing ear, according to Eclipse. One of the music men had ripped it off, leaving the poor wolf half-deaf. Roxy managed to crush a bunch of them though as a thank-you for the transgression. She told the attendant she'll be there soonish- as Bonnie wasn't a very light boy. In fact, he had an 80 pound difference between himself and her- and he was apparently in pieces. So, fantastic.
Vanessa finally broke her silence here, "M-Music men? Wait, the little..." She made waving motions with her index finger, "The wind-up prototypes?"
"Yuh," Cassie nodded. "They're apparently hostile... and... they don't look right. Given they're supposed to look like DJ... They were..." She trailed off thoughtfully. "-Some of them had bunny ears. And long faces and metal pulled off in some spots? Like it was on purpose."
That got everyone's attentions and horrified each individually. Cassie found herself looking at ALL of them. "What," She raised a brow.
Freddy jumped his voice box; but it's Gregory who spoke, "They GOTTA be infected with that Vanny-virus. "
"...Vanny. Virus," She reiterated.
Gregory rapid-fire nodded. "There's something about the virus that seems to favor... a rabbit look? But it makes it easy to find it. Its like a tampered version of the coding that already existed in the PizzaPlex? I can't explain it well-" He looked at Vanessa for help there.
The woman sighed and had a hand hit her nose and pinch. Tightly. "The virus was supposed to take EVERY animatronic in this place and make it go crazy. It disables all barriers and removes limiters on strength, Security mode, and exaggerates flaws that already exist in the system- its also adaptive and self-replicating; the code multiplying like a nasty version of the common cold on steroids and jacked to an 11. Its awful, punishing, and makes everyone here, no matter how nice they are, absolutely bat-shit insane."
"Who... who could make such a thing?" Cassie spat, her expression war-like.
Vanessa inhaled sharply, but didn't reply.
Gregory noticed Freddy wasn't looking at her yet. He was so focused on the rabbit that he may be hearing only parts and pieces. He then noticed Eclipse, who seemed to be so utterly focused on Vanessa that its hard to tell what he'll do. It honestly terrified him.
"They were never caught," Vanessa told Cassie instead. "Their mistakes cost the PizzaPlex everything- livelihood aside, its only ever worsened from there. And damn if it don't look like something from a post-apocalyptic tale-" She glanced around, her expression noticeably somber. "Its why we came here, with you being our primary reason. This virus has the ability to spread digitally and if it leaves the PizzaPlex... well, we can kiss the internet and the people plugged into GOODBYE. Its the smoking gun to start an entire new age of digital warfare."
Cassie's prior vehemence vanished in an instant. Now she looked like a ghost.
"Greg and I came up with a security program that's supposed to contain it- but due to the nasty nature of this virus, which can keep replicating itself... that's all we can do; contain it," she continued to elaborate. "The M.X.E.S is to combat it and re-implement its use for something else-"
Cassie gasped, "M.X.E.S! Oh my god I messed up soooo bad. Oh my god-" her hands flew to her face. "Oh my god. I turned it OFF."
"We know," Gregory told her calmly. "And we're here taking care of it. It, and the thing er- how to explain. The Mimic thing-"
Now Cassie looks at him- probably for the first time this WHOLE conversation. "What do you know about it?" Her tone was mysteriously... icy.
Wait.
Gregory blinked, then frowned at her, "If you're wondering if I cut the power to the elevator, I didn't do it. Okay? Why the heck would I give you instructions to run from that thing just for me to kill you at the finish line?"
Freddy was now looking at them, sensing some impending argument start to cue up.
"Oh. You didn't?" Cassie spat. "Okay then. Okay. Well, what was it you said, 'We can't be followed'? HM?"
Gregory threw up his hands, looking absolutely mutinous. "I swear I wouldn't do that! You're like, my only friend!" He threw a hand at Freddy, "Besides him! And her-" He pointed at Vanessa now.
Cassie's eye twitched- wow, she was livid.
Freddy got between them, his paw briefly touching Cassie's head in soft nuance. "Listen, little one. I can vouch for Gregory here: as hard as that is to believe. I was with him when he was talking to you. In fact, both Vanessa and I heard what happened on the other side of the walkie. That elevator you were in was weak- and well-used, sadly. I know its sounds incredibly hard to believe... but it cut at a rather poorly timed interval on its own. It was giving out."
"So... coincidence?" Cassie spat again.
Freddy had the graces to look chastised; his ears lowering and his grip on Bonnie's head tighter. "Er, yes. Not that I-"
Cassie rolled her eyes, then rested on Eclipse anew. "I don't even care anymore. I don't wanna hear it. I'll ponder that. Then we'll see how I feel about my whole death-defying experience being a coincidental fluke."
All three of them looked helplessly at each other, unable to say anything more.
As it were, they arrived at the cylinder room- and Freddy's tool bags all dropped to the floor as SOON as he saw what sat inside the glass prison. He dropped everything but Bonnie's head; his jaws coming open and his eyes pinning to pricks. The next thing the group knew, he was stomping over to the cylinder and very gently placing Bonnie's head on the computer desk. He pulled the cylinder's door- but it didn't budge- the damn thing was built to measure up to an animatronic's strength after all.
"Hold on there!" Cassie barked at him.
She had Eclipse lower her down and hobbled to the computer; typing on it to wake it up. She commanded the door to open- letting Freddy in to grab the comatose hen. Chica didn't even react meanwhile- and it took Gregory a SOLID moment to realize that it was her.
Yup. Now he felt like Vanessa.
He stepped closer to the woman, grabbing her hand and unable to look at Chica anymore. Freddy was now producing these rolling whines and whimpers; his breath loud and shallow as he pulled the limp hen to his over-large form. He sat up on the chair; ignoring the armature overhead as he placed his head on Chica's own.
And he cried.
Nobody spoke for a solid minute; all of them realizing just how bad Freddy was taking it. He could take a broken home; and he can take a broken version of his own body and shrug it off easy peasy- but seeing his friends in this state- and hurt by Gregory and Vanessa jointly made the pair ashamed to be in here with him. Cassie glanced helplessly at Eclipse all the while.
Freddy wouldn't let Chica go at all; his shoulders rolling and jerking at random intervals. His head bumped Chica's constantly; as if trying to get her return it. His teeth showed constantly- his naked talons slipping too easily into the broken crevices of her fractured, fragile form. He couldn't even properly breath after a point.
"What is a Freddy," he eventually whimpered. "-Without a Bonnie and Chica? What is a Freddy without his friends? His family? His greatest loves in the world? His greatest sources of inspiration and livelihood? If I have to leave this place without them... I'd rather not leave at all."
He pulled Chica closer now; the hen almost absolutely lost amidst his huge body.
Cassie inhaled, then said, "She can be fixed too. We have all the parts. All the pieces, and her blueprint is here-"
"I don't. Want. A new. Chica," Freddy SPAT.
The girl jumped visibly. Her own face falling and tears budding at the corners of her eyes. "Her personality is copied into the computer. It's saved. I was also able to grab data from her chip and sync it..." she leaned into the attendant, whose been silent this whole time. "If you want, Freddy, we can try restoring her. We have the resources. But if you think it won't work-"
She trailed off from there, unable to continue.
Gregory pulled on Vanessa now, not wanting to see this. He was crying now too; swiping an arm across his eyes and shoving the heel of his palm into one eye. He never thought he'd see Freddy like this- and it hurt to keep near him when he knew HE was the one who hurt the hen so badly.
Freddy meanwhile chuffed again; bumping Chica's face and laying her flat in the chair again. His claw grazed the remainder of her skull casing; his expression so lost that they wondered if he even wanted to try. His cheeks reflected the light of the armature a little too well- giving Gregory the grotesque illusion of shiny tear runnels flowing down his face.
Eventually the bear moved ever so slowly away; walking mechanically to the computer, Cassie and Bonnie. His hand found Bonnie's head again; ruffling the hair on it. He was... definitely lost.
"Cassie. I adore your bravery and loving intentions, don't get me wrong," He murmured. His voice was hoarse; containing the quality of gravel grinding on concrete. "-But I just don't think you can fix them."
"I. CAN." She stood as straight as she could and GLARED into Freddy's face with unbridled defiance. "I know how. I have the answers! I had someone guide me- Bonnie himself made a complete backup of his personality in the server. I went into it, unshackled him, and found where he was hiding-" She jerked a thumb over her shoulder, "He apparently dumped his brain into the S.T.A.F.F bot sub-network- its what made it go bonkers that time! I was able to reassemble it, and its ready to go, RIGHT NOW. We just need to get the chips, which are in the office."
Nearby, Vanessa's gaze went white, then she 'Oh'd'. Cassie tossed her an odd look but then focused on Freddy again.
Freddy inhaled, then dipped his head at her, "And Chica? Say we can do this thing with Bonnie and it works. What of Chica? Give me the truth: Will she be as she was before?"
"She will. She just won't have much memory of being trapped in this state. And frankly, I wouldn't think she'd WANT to remember being a zombie version of herself," Cassie supplied. "I only got 30% of her memory from her chip being what it is currently... but, she had a whole copy of herself inside the system that was dated fairly near to around the time the PizzaPlex closed. So if we sync the two blueprints, she should be herself. She'll have gaps, but it'll be her!"
"...'Should'," He air-quoted.
Cassie nodded, not going to deny this one. "Should," was all she said.
Vanessa released Gregory meanwhile, staring hard at Bonnie, "You clever bastard. I bet it was HIM who did that..."
"Hm?" Freddy looked at her.
"I wager Bonnie did that. Not the manager. When he was..." She coughed, "-Dealing, with Vanny, he was... busy. With a lot of stuff. I wager he was the one who made backups of everyone. The personalities would be a bit outdated but... they'd be intact. I think Cassie's right, they'll work."
The bear frowned, "He... would he-? No. That's... he wouldn't-? How?"
"Why is that so hard to believe," Vanessa queried.
"He'd have to invade our consciousnesses to do that! He'd hafta get in our heads and..." Freddy glanced away. "How would he have done that-? I'd think I'd remember HIM hacking my brain and dragging copies of me out of me! That doesn't sound like something he'd do-"
"Freddy, did I not get through with telling you that Bonnie is alarmingly intelligent and kinda low-key scary? And super weirdly adaptive and totally kinda-sorta-maybe a bit lacking in care when it comes to collateral? He probably prodded ya'll during rest mode and made sure to be real gentle so none of you noticed. Ya'll are kinda in each other's heads all the time to begin with- you wouldn't have known he was doing it since you're so used to it, yunno? And he isn't forceful- He's your friend after all-" She shrugged, "He had the foresight to save himself like this so... its not that hard to believe."
"...'Scary'-? Bonnie?" Cassie looked amused.
"Yeah," Vanessa nodded. "He's absolutely terrifying to be around. None of you really know."
Cassie was now frowning at the woman, then leaning in. "How would you know-?"
Just then, there was an audible groan and a "Please! How about we just do this and stop beating around the bush?" Eclipse folded his arms, "We talk, clear the air, and get this ball rolling while we work. Shall we? To the manager's office!"
And he was zipping out so fast nobody can stop him in time.
"I need two blank chips!" Cassie called after him.
"Got it! And chassis parts!"
"And joints and wires!" Cassie added before wincing. She inhaled sharply; her hands flying to her chest.
Freddy jerked and bent down. His paws gently grazed over her, "Bruised ribs, says Eclipse. You should take it easy now." He ran his talons into Cassie's mussed hair, "Okay, we'll give this a try. But you need to relax, little one. Please?"
She nodded, slumping down against him. Freddy pulled her close and cradled her; his eyes unreadable as he looked as the computer. His paws rubbed up and down her back in soothing motions. "I miss having soft paws," He admitted aloud.
"Roxy's borrowing your paws..." Cassie muttered. "I couldn't find any other spares for her."
Freddy bumped his shoulders gently, "I won't take them from her if she needs them- goodness knows I still have her eyes. In fact, I'll be giving those back to her. She can have my paws for all I care. I'm sure I can make due with another set of claws for myself in the meantime." He turned towards Vanessa, "Vanessa, can you assist in this endeavor? Cassie is too tired."
"No I'm not..."
"You are, child. You SMELL like you're tired," Freddy chortled. "And I bet you're hungry too! Gregory, the sandwiches?"
Cassie's eyes went completely round in their sockets. Her head darted to Gregory so fast it was comical, "Oh my god you guys had food this whole time?"
Gregory winced but nodded, reaching over to the Chica bag and walking over to the two. Freddy seated Cassie again and went to work on the computer as Eclipse returned at the same time.
"Got the blanks! And I can go grab some pieces for Chica. Cassie, didn't you say Bonnie has all his parts?"
"He does," She affirmed. "He just needs new joints and wires at this point. He really ain't that bad compared to..." She winced when she almost said Chica's name. "Well, we can say Bonnie's not in one piece but he's got everything. He'll need some TLC though, no doubt. Oh, and maybe a new motor."
Freddy hummed at something, then stared at the computer anew, "Complete personality blueprints... No way. Bonnie... did he really do this-? Behind our backs?" He turned to Cassie, "I see one for Monty too! Can we recover him at all?"
Cassie stopped mid-bite of the sandwich, once again her eyes comically round in their sockets. Gregory frowned at that. There was a pregnant silence.
Cassie eventually chewed and swallowed, then turned grimly towards Freddy. She opened her mouth a few times, then said, "I uh... Monty's body is in one of the utility tunnels. I dunno if it'll be good though... he was electrocuted when a powered door came on. His chip, there'd be nothing left in it. And his body... well, I saw his legs at Monty golf... and his torso... I dunno. That's gambling a lot. We may need to find an entire new endo for him at this rate- and all of them were at the daycare for some reason?"
Eclipse folded his arms, "The endos are... yes, all there. I have no idea why they attacked that day but..." He shook his head.
Cassie and Gregory blinked rapidly; with the girl saying, "They ATTACKED you?"
There was a shrug, "They did. Couldn't figure it! At any rate, We'd have to go all the way to the daycare and back for an endo for Monty. Its a lot, but maybe it can be done-?"
Freddy's silence was a reserved one, then he resumed typing, "I want to try for him too. At least try, since we're going this far for Bonnie and Chica. I don't care that he doesn't like me-" His head hung low.
He knew? Gregory blinked. Apparently Cassie wondered the same thing and passed Gregory a shrug.
"-I want to do this for him. Nobody deserves to be left behind here anymore," Freddy continued to assert. "Monty is good and he does good... he was helping Bonnie. He was helping Bonnie help us. He deserves that helping hand too, does he not?" At their nods, he smiled gently and added, "After a bit, I shall find his torso and bring it here. As for his legs... you say Monty golf?"
"Yeah... but they're kinda twisted. Could probably just get him a new set of legs here," Cassie supplied.
"Shortens the work load, then. And pragmatically speaking... gives us more time to work with. Okay. I'm syncing the data on these chips now. Bonnie's downloaded entirely in the span it took for us to talk. Its doing Chica's right now," Freddy added.
He took a wire from beneath the computer and plugged it into Bonnie's head; then he reached in and extracted his old chip. He turned it over and checked the reader. He frowned, then harrumphed. "I may have to get a new reader too... this one's busted. And some eyes... Goodness. This is going to take longer than I thought."
Cassie continued to chow down in the meantime, Gregory sitting next to her and pensively considering her as he tucked into a PB&J Vanessa made for him before they left the house. The girl watched him warily too, her hazel eyes critical of his own.
"I haven't forgiven you yet," She dead-panned. She took another bite, but her eyes fluttered as if she just bit into something heavenly, "But... I may I change my mind in a few minutes. Give me enough sandwiches and we'll see how I feel then."
"Food is fuel for the soul too, right?" Gregory tried cautiously.
"I think Chica will agree to that whole-heartedly," Cassie nodded.
"I really didn't mean it, Cassie. I want you to know that," Gregory said. "I never wanted to hurt you. And you're like, my only friend in the world. Yunno?"
She didn't say anything there- simply kept eating in contemplative silence. Gregory figured he wasn't going to do better, so he'll take it for now. It was enough.