CASSIE
She had no memory of what happened- none.
But waking up in the arms of her friends was a little bit more relieving- albeit not all the way. Having no memory of their rescue and the fact that she knew Vanny was the last thing she recalled talking to was a frightening notion. Considering Vanessa's past however, and her own history with the aberrant A.I rabbit, Cassie can make assumptions as to what occurred.
She was endlessly worried about the knife wound in Gregory's shoulder- she even cried! She didn't know why, but she couldn't help but feel like it's attached to her somehow. Gregory played it off, saying something along the lines of , "Eh, it'll be a cool scar! I'll have something to brag about eventually", but it didn't console Cassie in the least. She asked repeatedly if she had something to do with it, but Gregory kept his mouth shut. She HATED it when he did that- and he was pretty dang good with keeping secrets. For someone her own age, he didn't emote or give enough clues about himself to give much away. Its bad enough Cassie hadn't known he was an orphan until she learned about it from Vanessa and Freddy.
On another note... she woke up with her limbs tied to her back. So while Gregory continued to play off her worry, Cassie had her suspicions she was doing things she shouldn't. She certainly hadn't forgotten hearing about Vanessa's own experiences and how she'd wake up with blank spots in her memory. On this topic, Cassie addressed her woes to Vanessa- and the woman only sadly reciprocated with a wane expression and not total verbal clarification on much.
"You have a chip in your head... and you shouldn't," Had been what she said to that. "We aren't taking chances."
"But... I was acting weird, wasn't I? Please! I need to know-" Cassie beseeched.
She sighed, stopped what she'd been doing on the computer, and turned to look at the girl. Her expression couldn't have been more grim- and it could only confirm to some extent what Cassie feared.
She was dangerous.
Was that why Gregory was hurt?
When Cassie burst out into tears, Vanessa came over and wrapped an arm around her, then supplied, "We'll take of it! Bonnie's actually already on an idea on how to deal with it. He's been musing some ideas to me. I promise, no one else will be hurt and you'll be okay."
It didn't help much, but Cassie desperately hinged on it regardless.
A small while had passed since that brief convo; and now, they were faced with another dilemma:
It came in the form of Monty's gruff shouting, "FREDDY'S GONE! HE'S BEEN FUGGIN' TAKEN!"
"Wha- huh?" Vanessa jumped back, having been startled by the craggy baritone of the gator bot from her labtop. Her programming of the M.X.E.S temporarily on hold, she tuned back in with, "What do you mean GONE? What HAPPENED?"
"That thing! That giant thingy-ma-hoosit- That blobby mess grabbed him AND the Mimic! Dragged them down somewhere-"
"WHAAAAAAAAAT?!"
That last response came from Bonnie; whose tenor shattered into a full-blown caterwaul as he hollered over the line. Vanessa was shaking her head, with Gregory jumping from his position next to Cassie and leaping to her side so to speak into the computer, "DUDE! THE HECK YOU MEAN?"
"Freddy's- I dunno! His ping signal- check it! Its doing somethin' weird-"
Vanessa was seen tabbing, Cassie getting up to cautiously join her and Gregory next. She watched the computer, and was baffled to see M.X.E.S on the screen too. It seemed to be helping Vanessa with locating Freddy. The rabbit program was helping her scan and locate Freddy's own signal- even taking secondary control of her device to help guide her along. She couldn't help but inwardly marvel at it, but it was a sentiment that didn't last.
A new visual popped up: Presenting what looked like an (albeit outdated) image of the basement levels of the PizzaPlex. Cassie blinked when she noticed M.X.E.S dotting some regions on the map right before her eyes- and drawing dotted lines across some areas as if to indicate blocked passageways-
Vanessa clarified as much with, "Freddy and Monty have been updating our underground maps and getting visual data on what's been damaged or created. These paths here- with the dotted outlines? Those are NEW tunnels-" She pointed at the screen for Cassie's expense. "Freddy and Monty walked those routes, branching off the main map here- Which is indicated with solid outlines. Now the red crossed out sections are cave-in's. And from what I see... looks like Freddy took one of those dotted corridors-"
"You mean the tunnels made by THAT thing," Gregory added.
Vanessa nodded, with M.X.E.S zeroing in on one of the corridors in particular. A red locator blinked on, "That's where Freddy was just a moment ago- WOW. Look how fast its moving!"
"We still got visual?" Gregory shoved himself into way; practically pushing Vanessa as he eyed the screen.
An orange icon with Freddy's distinct shape (which Cassie assumed was also Freddy's current signal) definitely was moving faster than anticipated: It was zipping away from the dotted areas; and in its wake, was creating a new one. They were seeing a new tunnel being carved in real time.
Bonnie's voice emerged from the labtop, "Rox, Monty and I are gonna go find him- in fact, Monty's hot on that thing's trail and currently following that thing down. He's gonna take advantage of the situation and follow it directly. I just now pinged Eclipse and Chica and let them know- had to mute Chica. She nearly blasted my ears out."
"They gonna come join the search?" Vanessa queried.
"Yeah. The more eyes, the better," Bonnie grumbled. "I'd still feel better if they came back for you but Chica's voice will be useful in stunning that thing. Eclipse meanwhile is returning to you. Chica's going into a tunnel to rendezvous with us."
"But we don't need the protection! Can't Eclipse just- Oof!"
Vanessa had (lightly) swatted Gregory in the head, "I'd feel better if ONE of the bots comes for us- just in case Vanny takes advantage of this panic and notices literally everyone heading underground and decides she wants to come back for us! Chica can fend for herself- and seeing as the Mimic and the tangle-thing are in one place... its not like anything poses a real threat to her beyond Vanny."
"Yeah, my thoughts exactly," Bonnie went on to agree. "Anyways. By the sounds of it... and from what M.X.E.S is showing me, Freddy's getting dragged into the underground pizzeria... I'm guessing that thing just stays there in its past time. I wonder why its not just tearing him apart. I half expected it to do something inexplicably violent..." There was another pause. "So strange... why is it going through this effort to bring him down-?"
Roxy was heard spitting a swear, "This is ridiculous! Freddy should've seen that thing coming- he has my other fucking eye!"
"He couldn't move- he was on his back," Monty supplied. "I was just catching up to him when it happened. He was duking it out with the Mimic- had it on the ropes on his own. I think he coulda even taken it by himself- but then, that thing shot out like a bat outta hell and snagged him when he couldn't get to his feet fast enough. It's making the area unstable and shake."
On screen, it seemed they were right: Freddy's locater had come to rest in a darkened region on the subterranean maps. M.X.E.S's own old terminal was near it and showed up as a darkened purple dot there.
Vanessa frowned, then, "Bonnie. See where it landed?"
"Yeah... I do. I think, if we're going down there, I think we can turn M.X.E.S back on so I can free up the use of my own body. Gives me a chance to get Freddy back and multi-task again!"
"That's my own thinking," Vanessa went on to say. "Looks like that amalgamation carved a new tunnel to the underground as of lately. And thanks to Freddy's locater, you all can get under there and come back up using the same path."
Freddy's orange icon blinked repeatedly, showing a steady signal. Cassie couldn't help but sigh in relief; as it meant Freddy was still active. It didn't say what condition- but it's something to hinge on.
Vanessa frowned, "Strange... I wonder why it did that-? Just, dragged him off instead of destroying him on the spot."
"Let's not jinx it," Bonnie stiffly returned. "We're gonna go get 'em, then... I dunno. Shit. Didn't think beyond that point... Looks like we'll be dealing with that thing NOW though. Guess we ain't using the tank plan-"
"I wouldn't eliminate it yet," Vanessa assured, typing on the computer next. "I think we can use them as a contingency plan. If it chases you, maybe you all can lead it to that tunnel under the raceway? It's literally just a couple floors above where Freddy's at... I think you can lure it there and destroy it after you get him."
"...Vanessa. You have any idea of what you suggested?" Bonnie's tone took a hard but cautionary note.
"Yeah, I'm aware," She dead-panned with a resigned sigh.
Cassie blinked, glancing once at Gregory- only to find him squinting hard at his adoptive guardian with an impudent look. He had that stubborn mask set in place.
Bonnie didn't leave her disappointed, "Look. If we headed there... and we set those off... er, you know none of us want you in the building when that happens. And you and I both know that Parts and Service will no longer be viable as a stable hiding spot. Its too close to the raceway-"
"What're you guys talking about? I don't get it-" Cassie suddenly broke in, completely lost and not liking the sounds of this plan- whatever it was.
Vanessa sighed, bluntly ignoring Gregory's suspicious stare. "He means, he doesn't want us in the PizzaPlex anymore since we're being forced to contend with the tangle thing NOW instead of later. With them going after it, they'll have to set the explosives off prematurely. And when THAT happens, the PizzaPlex in general will just be completely unsafe to be in. We need to get out of here and wait outside while they save Freddy-"
"NO!" Both she and Gregory bit-
"NO 'BUTS'!" She bellowed back. "I'm calling it, kids. You two are hurt, confused, and we're way in over our heads now! We don't want to be burden to our friends, do we?"
"But Freddy's-" Gregory began before Vanessa got into his face.
"No. 'Buts'," She reiterated. "We're just in the way at this point, and the bots can't enact on the plan if we're too close to the blast zone! 'Sides, once the raceway starts going, Parts and Service does too. We won't have anywhere we can hide anymore in here. On the side, I don't even WANT you to be in here anymore! None of us do! The bots have already pulled me aside and asked me repeatedly if I can take you out- NOW I'M DOING IT."
Cassie rapidly shook her head- with Gregory going on to say for her, "But what about them? Won't they get caught in it?"
"Look you little varmint," Monty croaked over the line, startling everyone. "Do what yer ma says. Git the hell outta Dodge while you can."
"We'll be fine!" Bonnie went to say. "You think I didn't set up an escape route for us? Or another contingency plan? Don't worry. We got this, rockstar."
Gregory huffed, but then Cassie went on to say, "What about Vanny then? If you blow up this place, it may get the Mimic... it sounds finished if its trapped with that thing too... but what about her? Wouldn't she have an escape route too?"
Vanessa frowned, unable to reply there.
Bonnie once again broke in, "Look, Cassie. For the record, I think I know how to deal with her now. I don't want you worrying about that. Just worry about yourself and your friends for us-"
Gregory growled as best he could, "YOU PROMISED! You ain't gonna get yourself blasted right as-"
"I ain't gonna let us get blasted, kiddo! I promised, as you JUST said," He amicably assured. "I also believe you ordered a double Chunky Bonnie made from scratch? For you and Cassie, for saving my life?"
"You saved his life-?" Cassie blinked at Gregory.
Once again, the boy didn't reply immediately to her beyond passing a cryptic smirk. "Okay. So," the boy went to press home. "-You promise you'll find Freddy, blow those other guys back to the stone age, kick Vanny's ass, and come back and serve us ice cream at Vanessa's place?"
"I promise," Bonnie murmured gently. "And... I believe I promised Cassie's dad something too... been weighing on it for a little while. Haven't said anything about it 'til now but... its just coming back to me."
Cassie leaned in to the computer, "My dad-? What'd he say?"
"You'd hafta see now, won't you? All the more reason for us to get out alive, right Rox?"
There was a sound of affirmation on Roxy's end.
Cassie squinted at the labtop, "You and the others will be okay, right? This still sounds too dangerous-"
"Don't worry, honey face. I promised your dad I'd help give you something for your next birthday. Roxy was telling me just a bit ago that you haven't booked your party for this year! You had another birthday comin' up, right?"
"I... yeah, I guess," she trailed off uncertainly, squinting at the nick-name. Gregory was passing her a look too, shrugging as a follow-up.
"Well, Roxy was insisting we throw one once we get out. For you- and, your dad made me promise to deliver on something for this next one. Couldn't do it for your last birthday since you ordered the Roxy Glam deluxe and I had a separate party in another room for Kendall. She had a birthday same day as you." There was a sigh on his end, "As it is, I also got my ass blasted by Vanny so... yeah. Kinda awkward. Couldn't exactly show up to your next birthday if I was trapped in that room. But see, your dad had a gift for you, and... well, I suppose this year gives us all the more incentive to get back to you, and give it to you. Yunno?"
There was a noise on the other end, then Roxy's voice came on, "I remember that... he pulled us aside for that after her birthday. I can't believe I forgot..."
"Too much happened since then," Bonnie's shrug can almost be pictured there. "But Cassie's dad couldn't get the gift to her thanks to the company rules... manager passed me a modest... er, complaint... about getting certain gifts. We're not allowed certain ones, remember?"
"Yeah... yunno, Bonnie, I'm kinda glad you-"
"Shush! Kids are listenin'-" He hissed immediately.
Roxy produced an 'Ah' noise there. Once again, the kids passed each other suspicious stares.
"Anyways," Bonnie went on to say. "-Now that we have no rules to abide by, we can throw a party our OWN way! I'm looking forward to it, actually! And if Vanessa doesn't mind, if we can throw it at her place, right?"
"Don't break anything in my house, then yeah, we can throw it there," She smiled a bit.
"Aw. Not even one little smashed window?"
"You smash it, you pay for it," she hissed.
"Dangit. Can't party like a real rocker... but okay, boss."
"Can I help with the window smashing?" Gregory offered before Vanessa shot him a 'Don't you even think about it!' look.
Cassie began fidgeting, leaning her weight against the repair module as Vanessa continued typing away at the labtop. She couldn't help but twitch at the mention of her dad, "He... my dad, he couldn't give it to me that year?"
"Sorry, sweets. No. Our manager got on our shared tails about it... And he ain't a very nice man," Bonnie apologetically supplied. "I really couldn't be more sorry. Your dad too- he was pretty upset he couldn't get you the gift the way he wanted to."
It didn't sound like a tangible object, from whatever context clues Cassie was getting here. She bilnked, then squinted at the computer, "So, you promise you get out of that hole and meet us outside? So you can give it to me?"
"Cassie," Roxy's voice this time. "I swear on even your dad's name we'll be out in no time. Just do us a favor, and go with Vanessa and wait for us outside in the sun. I'd feel better if you did. Please?"
"I... I understand," she reluctantly conceded. "And you promise to get Freddy too, right?"
"What kinda Bonnie would leave Freddy in a hole?" Bonnie answered there. "Pul-lease! Freddy wouldn't want to miss your party either!"
One more sigh, then she nodded- only to verbalize her affirmation. "Okay. Please be safe! Or... as safe as you can be."
"We promise," Roxy coaxed. "Just get to safety, and don't come back into the PizzaPlex for anything. Here's hoping this whole place brings Vanny down with it too..."
"Don't jinx it," Vanessa said. "And good luck."
"We don't need luck; I'm the rabbit with the lucky foot!" Bonnie cackled as a response. "I mean, I came back for a reason, after all! And what party isn't good 'nuff reason?"
Vanessa nodded, then added, "Alrighty. I'm downloading the latest upgrades for M.X.E.S, Bonnie. This should help with Vanny but... we won't know 'til you try it."
"Gotcha, boss. Digi-bun says thanks too!"
Vanessa frowned there, blinking repeatedly at the words. She still cut the line after that, turning to look at the kids. She shut her labtop, meeting Gregory's own confused gaze, "Did I... Greg, when we made that thing, didn't we make sure that it shouldn't develop into a full being?"
Gregory nodded, "The M.X.E.S isn't supposed to be sentient... just close to it. Didn't need another Vanny or Afton virus..."
Vanessa huffed, "It... thanks me. That's..."
"Yeah... gonna hafta check over that," Gregory mumbled.
Cassie worriedly glanced between them, "You think it gained sentience?"
"Maybe-" Vanessa replied, "Being in Bonnie's body and having access to the resources that makes him intelligent could've... shit. I hadn't thought about that." She face-palmed. "Well, we'll worry about that later. Anyways, Cass, we're gonna wait for Eclipse to catch up to us so he can carry you out. We're gonna be grabbing the van out of the garage, so we'll be heading there."
"What about the one outside? Didn't you have one?" Cassie asked.
"I do, we're gonna let one of the bots drive one."
"Is that... a good idea?" Gregory carefully pressed.
"Freddy knows how to drive. He's watched me do it for months," Vanessa said. "I've been teaching him too (seeing as I've wanted to get him a body for a while anyways)... he'd need to feel it out, but he ain't ignorant. Once they get him, we can leave. Bonnie and M.X.E.S will track our progress using the signal in Greg's fazwatch... so they'll know what's going on and unlock the loading bay doors once we near it. And if we move fast, we can be out before Vanny realizes what's going on, and she'll get caught up in the mess. The giant blob thing, the Mimic, and hopefully her will be caught all at once."
"That's assuming it actually works," Gregory unhelpfully grunted, and no doubt he was pondering the saftey of the bots. Frankly, Cassie was too.
Vanessa shushed him, then looked around the room, "Grab your stuff, kids. We're outta here."
She couldn't get it out of her head... how... specific, that pet name was.
Cassie was shaking her head as Eclipse hulled her out with Vanessa and Gregory right behind him. The attendant glanced at her, his bi-colored eyes fixed on her contemplative visage. He tilted his circular, disk-shaped head at her, "You alright? Do you feel unwell?"
"Not... more than usual," she muttered, more or less in reference to her leg and now constantly present migraine. Seemed the migraine was a new but permanent fixture in her body- and something she was wondering could be attributed to the presence of the chip in her brain.
"Care to share?" He gently encouraged.
Cassie glanced at him, then back at Gregory behind him. Vanessa wasn't carrying as many things this time; seeing as Chica and Eclipse had taken the majority of her equipment out once they loaded the van. She had one hand on Gregory at all times; helping the kid since he seemed to be focused on blotting out the pain in his shoulder wound. It's still pretty severe- and no doubt Gregory wanted to just sit down at some points. To his credit, he kept his teeth gritted and bore it in silence. Cassie still couldn't help but notice an ominous, slow staining of the gauze in shoulder and shirt at some point. Vanessa was eyeing him with such worry they ALL could feel it.
Cassie returned her attention to the attendant- even though she kept side-eyeing Gregory all the while. "Its just... I know each of you uses certain terms. Like, unique ones? That're kinda your... uh, its like a trademark? Like Freddy uses 'superstar', and Chica uses 'baby bird'... but like, the one Bonnie used back there..."
"-'Rockstar'?" Eclipse offered.
"No... I know he uses a lot of funny ones on occasion, likes to mix them up so the kids' experiences with him are more unique... but he used one in particular had me kinda- it caught me off-guard," Cassie went on to say.
Gregory looked up from his position beside Vanessa, raising a brow. "...'Honey-face'." He was watching Cassie with a weird amount of scrutiny. "I think you told me about that one-"
Eclipse blinked, "Was that... unusual? Bad, somehow?"
Cassie shook her head, although her expression continued to hold a reserved and now somewhat apprehensive note. She didn't specify why immediately, but she eventually went on to say, "Only my dad ever used that term. And I don't think Bonnie's ever heard him use it... that's the weird thing!"
Gregory then added on, "Freddy used superstar a lot for a while... but he started using the term 'cub' just for me. I think he wanted it to be a more personal and private token of endearment... He used superstar on other kids as a general rule of thumb, I think."
"He did, yeah," Cassie confirmed. "I've been around all these guys enough to know what terms they use during their job... and what they use more privately. So... Bonnie's words just stuck out to me."
Eclipse produced a thoughtful grunt.
Vanessa meanwhile slowed down, her gaze critical as she seemed to ponder on some faraway thought. She shook her head at length, her grip on Gregory tightening. "You sure you ain't thinking too much into it? The guy's got big-ass ears. He probably did hear it. That or its just coincidence."
"Maybe..." Cassie didn't sound convinced though. "But I don't see him using the term on me if he DID hear it, in case he'd upset me about my dad. He knows my dad's gone, and he's really good about skirting sensitive topics and reminders of things like that."
Vanessa couldn't argue there, clicking her tongue at that. Now she was frowning too. "Then, coincidence, is my guess," she mumbled, even though even she sounded uncertain.
The words can be coincidental but... its the way he said it... I just- maybe I am looking too much into it, she wondered.
She didn't say more on it though, falling silent instead and laying against Eclipse again. His spidery digits further secured her to himself; and not for the first time, Cassie couldn't be more grateful for the exaggerated length of them. They were meant to show his emotions since his face could not properly convey inflection; but the additional length was also useful for support when holding children. Cassie was too big for him really, but it didn't stop him from holding her like a baby. He apparently liked it too- and she certainly wasn't complaining! He had a very comforting grip, and a secure one.
She thought back on her last physical interaction with Bonnie since he woke up- they hadn't had enough time together, seeing as all they've been doing is running around this place in a mad frenzy. But now that she dawned back on him and his new nature, everything about him was... wrong. But not wrong? He still FELT and ACTED like Bonnie- despite the new traits and that horrid temper. In which case, Cassie couldn't fault him for it after what he's been through.
But his hug when he had that minute of sobriety in the wake of his pursuit of Vanessa... even that felt odd somehow. His temperament towards them was generally still very Bonnie- wonderfully and woefully patient and encouraging. But still, its the way he said certain things- and the way he acted.
No, maybe Vanessa was right: She was looking too much into it now. Best to shelve that until they got out of here. She'll have all the time in the world to get to know him again, and to share her life with them as best as possible-
Oh. Wait-
"Vanessa-" She went on to ask shyly. She looked over Eclipse's shoulder there. "Can I ask something?"
"What is it kiddo?" She blinked up, holding Gregory's hand and moving to match his own speed.
"Your house... isn't it... too small? For everyone here..."
She smiled there, "I... had a good friend set me up with a comfortably sized one. It'll do for everyone here for now. Its a 4 bedroom and 3 bathroom, two story building? Nice living area... spacious kitchen with an island, an office I work in- Damn decent house. I didn't expect to get such a nice one when I did. And I think we can repurpose some of the rooms... Kinda glad Luis convinced me to get it now! I considered getting a smaller one-" She mused more to herself there.
Gregory waggled a brow at her, "I remember now... that weirdo Luis helped you get it. I swear that guy has it down BAD for you-"
Vanessa looked like she wanted to swat him again, but didn't follow-up thanks to the shoulder wound. Gregory smirked knowingly at her like the little gremlin he was, only annoying his guardian further. So to curb the temptation to smack him, she instead focused on Cassie again, "Why? You wanna come by sometimes? Or... is there something else you wanted to ask?"
Cassie felt her mouth tremble, then looked away. She muttered something, only for Eclipse to pick up on it and pause. He turned back to Vanessa, "You think Cassie can come live with us?"
"Oh my god Eclipse, NO-" Cassie tugged on the shreds of his neck collar. "Her house is already not big enough as it is!"
Vanessa however seemed to pause and watch the girl carefully. "I think I can pull a couple favors, Cass. And I don't use one of those rooms anyways. And I KNOW the bots wouldn't mind letting you have one to yourself."
"Oh my god no that's too nice-" She garbled helplessly.
Gregory freed himself from Vanessa and walked up to Eclipse. He did something odd here- a little uncharacteristic from his usually stand-offish personality: He grabbed one of Cassie's hands and held it- or rather, grabbed her fingers in a timid manner. His slighter more umber stare bore into her own honey-glazed set.
"Cass, I dunno what kinda home life you have, but you felt it needed to risk your life for me when you came here. Some dude, a friend whose barely above acquaintance, and yet you wanted to save me? You wanted to stay here for all of them too-" He flicked his head at Eclipse now. "You give me the kinda 'I don't care if I worry whoever I'm staying with' vibes, considering the stunt you pulled. And if that's true, I'm going to wager your current home life sucks, and you want a new place to live. And its no biggie!"
He gestured to Vanessa. "There's room! And I KNOW the bots wouldn't feel it to be home fully without you. I dunno what's up with Roxy and Bonnie's thing with you, but they'd be kinda sad if you weren't there. They clearly love you like Freddy loves me- and if he's calling me 'cub'-" He bobbed his uninjured shoulder, "My guess is that they'd end up begging Vanessa to take you in regardless- given they don't outright abduct you! Heh."
"And even if you don't live there, you can stay there like an extended sleepover?" Vanessa tried. "Just... in case your other family says no to you leaving entirely."
Cassie's lips were trembling; and her vision was blurring now. She took her hand from Gregory and used it to dig into her eyes; doing a miserable job of trying to hide her abashed tears.
Above her, Eclipse threw in with, "Sun and Moon always told stories to the other kids- you know that. You've been to the daycare enough times-" His voice was a special kind of warmth that had Cassie look back up at him as he went on, "And every time they told it, do you remember how it ended?"
Cassie sniffled, then murmured, "...-Happily ever after. It ALWAYS ends that way."
"Always," He assured. He leaned in, then, taking a leaf from the Glamrocks' books, lightly brushed his broken forehead with hers. Cassie pressed back, "And see here, whenever I go to retell this story later down the line, many years from now, I'd like it to end very much the same way: Happily ever after. This story has always been a sad one, if you think about it-"
He inclined his head around the PizzaPlex in general as if to indicate its bloodied and sordid past. "There's always ever been unhappy lives that's ended here. This place, and the people who built it... this is hell's own threshold in which they've crossed, and most hopes go to die. Where many children have disappeared, and families go unreunited. Nightmares have run rampant, and the greed of our employers was our one rule. Their cruelty extended to us, and they've carved us, and the people we're supposed to keep safe, into objects of use. To whatever and whomever can most benefit them with the most money-"
His lanky body noticeably sagged as he added on, "I want this sad, hopeless story, when I go to tell it, to be a happy one at the end. Does it not deserve that? And I cannot imagine it'd go better if you were a part of that ending. You know? And I know for a fact the others would feel the same. The size of a home doesn't matter, my little starfire: especially when you and I both want to make it work. Is that happiness not worth the efforts? Does happiness really have to be tied in to the size of a home?"
When Cassie shook her head, he faced Gregory and Vanessa in-turn meaningfully- no doubt trying to convey his best version of a smile. Vanessa too seemed to have this sheen over her eyes, but she didn't let any tears fall. She inhaled gustily, then joined the bot and boy's sides while looking at Cassie with certainty.
"Tell 'em you got a friend who wants you to come with them. Surely they can say yes?"
Cassie gave a vague nod, but it turned steadily stronger the longer she did it.
Eclipse then added, "Now. Let's get out of here, and end this on a high note for once. Let's turn 'the end' into 'happily ever after'."
GLAMROCK FREDDY
It'd kept dragging them into the hungry earth- the movement a rush of crumbling rock, broken foundation and a screaming cry of metal and steel grinding into itself.
Freddy couldn't move! His muzzle was also sealed shut, so its not like he could scream either. He stopped struggling after a bit; knowing he was weaker than the amalgamation and he was just wasting precious energy at this point. He was along for the ride; his frantic mis-matched eyes taking in the sight of the many faces and the Mimic still feebly attempting to fight its bonds. One of the faces- he's pretty sure it's a classic Bonnie, shockingly enough turned to look at him. It remained focused on him for a solid few seconds, then it turned to the Mimic-
It squeezed.
The Mimic spat static and a noise not unlike Cassie's own scream- the sound frightening Freddy about how or when the mime could've caught such a noise. It didn't deter the tangle however; only continuing to squeeze without any show of mercy. One of the Mimic's orange eyes few off- already weak from the pressure Monty's jaws had applied earlier. It fell limp in its grip; unmoving for the rest of the ride down.
Freddy certainly didn't move again after that- not even bothering to try opening his jaws as the cables around him almost seemed to apply a faint amount of warning pressure. He just watched himself get dragged deeper down; his loaned amber eye sometimes catching movement from a length behind them- Monty no doubt following. Freddy wished he'd stop coming! He'll get hurt! On that note, the bear sent a ping- at least he can still do that.
"The hell- Freddy! Can you read me?" Monty said instead of sending the message back.
Freddy couldn't speak back- he had to send another written message to convey his current position. Monty got the idea and sent a reply back.
'You're okay then?'
'Yes, for the moment,' Freddy pinged. 'Its not hurting me. I think it's just taking us somewhere but... I don't know, it hurt the Mimic... I don't think the Mimic will hold on much longer. Its dripping coolant and its damaged to a degree so that even if it lets us go now, its pretty much finished. I also have no idea what its planning- given it CAN plan.'
'I thought you guys said it acts like a wild animal? Kinda on instinct and shit?'
'It does! Or at least, I believe it did-? I think its... hold on, we're slowing down.'
Freddy realized that they were entering the underground pizzeria; the de facto residence of the abomination. He still didn't move when it came to a clear rest inside the tunnel adjacent to it, then turned to slither into it. He noticed the white Freddy head stop to poke its face through a pipe- was it studying its surroundings? He thought it was blind- Was it listening for something?
It moved on. It retracted the white Freddy head and turned to look at its cargo- the sightless optics arresting on Freddy himself briefly before sliding oh-so casually to the now limp Mimic. It squeezed again- and the Mimic didn't even fight it this time. It didn't apply any force to Freddy though, which was puzzling. Can it not tell Freddy was active? And it wasn't like the Mimic was active anymore itself- and yet it applied a brutish pressure that ground rusty steel into Foxy's ruined chassis.
Its being selective and sadistic. Why?
Freddy frowned as it moved into a room just above the pizzeria; its attic and air conditioning line. It apparently carved out a huge crevasse there for itself; something like a nest as it came to rest inside this unseen chamber. Here, that's where Freddy saw it- The remains of a spring Bonnie.
He remembered it: He'd come here with Gregory before and sealed that thing in a dead room- only for the abomination to appear a moment thereafter as if it sensed the spring Bonnie's ill intent. It gravitated towards him, and dragged him out of the room- not even bothering to look back at Freddy and Gregory.
He could also smell it; disgusting as it was. The spring Bonnie suit was in pieces around the room; with occasional shreds of what looked like flesh and bone still clinging to it. Grizzly enough, it wasn't the only one in this room either:
Strewn about the floor was a plethora of other pieces of bots its found across the PizzaPlex. S.T.A.F.F bots lie everywhere in here too; alongside a couple little wet floor signs and what looked like bits and ends of a... were those old yellow Glamrock Chica pieces? Freddy wasn't sure, but there was a lot of odds and ends in here that left him baffled.
He looked again, and was horrified to see that, around the stinking room, the robot parts had what looked like bloody, rotten pieces of something once living shoved inside the bots it's meticulously stored here. Freddy felt his irises shrink to pin-prinks in his optics; his nose beholding the scent of bodies in various stages of decomposition inside the chassis pieces and the S.T.A.F.F bot segments.
Now Freddy knew there'd been people visiting the PizzaPlex in the months its been closed down... teenagers, other kids looking for a thrill... and Fazbear Entertainment staff alongside some construction workers who were here to renovate the place. At some point, there was an article about a mass of fresh disappearances here... a bunch of workers who went into the PizzaPlex's depths and never came back out. Freddy remembered seeing this article online with Vanessa one night; and saw it in the news the next day. But now that he was looking at this place, was this thing the reason why?
Why was it shoving people it grabbed into the robots?
Freddy started shaking- yes, shaking- as the thing moved around the room and sniffed around. It deliberately crushed more of the spring Bonnie- no doubt the abomination was aware of its victim's pieces and wanted to keep grinding it into dust. It however seemed to be looking for something in particular, but its many selves weren't sure. It turned towards the Mimic now, and the white Freddy head snapped open its plates-
It ripped the Mimic's head off and started throwing it around the room; its grip on Freddy himself tightening to an uncomfortable degree but not crushing him. The many heads of the beast all joined in on the fun; rasping, screaming, howling as they all seized it and started yanking it limb-from-limb. Freddy had a front row-seat of how it dispatches its enemies; and how it almost seemed to take a primal joy from dragging its victims into the deep just to tear them apart in privacy. There was a malicious, grotesque sadism in its manner that chilled Freddy to his endo and motor core. It kept ripping the Mimic apart; then, took off the Foxy pieces- it took the arm, the ruined head, and the chest-
And it ingratiated it into itself!
The Mimic's endo was left on the floor; the beast's many heads simply playing with them at this point. On one occasion, Freddy saw the classic Bonnie worm its way free of the mass and snag a piece of the Mimic's torso, just to keep tearing it apart as if out of SPITE. The classic Chica joined it; the cables spouting from her beak acting as a limb for her seeing as she had no arms. She grabbed at the torso and held it for Bonnie- watching him as he started pulling bits and bobs free.
Another part of the creature writhed; its great bulk opening up and another animatronic that hadn't been seen on the surface emerged. A classic Freddy? A brown bear; not the white one. It came forth from the beast's great body, swiveled around, then turned to face its classic compatriots as if in deliberation of something. Then, it slithered to look at Glamrock Freddy himself-
Now they were eye level- and while it had no optics, Freddy had no doubt the classic version of himself could still see him somehow. The classic Freddy tilted its head- and opened its jaws into an acidic smile.
Glamrock Freddy felt his body get squeezed again; and this time, with deliberate action. A cable writhed around his belly; forcing itself into his chest cavity by prying apart his chassis segments. His hinges groaned as it resisted the pressure- Freddy himself worming but unable to fight this thing's vice. He needed to get his mouth open- but he couldn't!
"Freddy! FREDDY. FREDDY, DO YOU HEAR ME?'"
The classic Freddy paused contemplatively, its cable hovering around an area of the Glamrock's motor as if to find something specific. The tip was rather... gentle, as it poked around Freddy's core. It's definitely trying to find something- but what? How come it wasn't just tearing him apart like it did the Mimic?
Freddy couldn't respond all the while, sending a slightly panicked ping to Monty, 'Its killed the Mimic. Its doing something to me. I don't know what. And please, be quiet! I don't know if it can hear you and just isn't reacting for the moment.'
'What's it doing?'
'Looking for something inside my motor-? I don't know why or what. It didn't hesitate to rip the Mimic apart... but its seems to- hold on a second.'
It must've found what its looking for; because then it took that HORRIFYING second to pull another cable and started prying its way further into Freddy's body! The motor screamed as the cable tips wrenched their way in; and then it seized something-
It pulled this object free; and then, the classic Freddy held it in front of its nose and measured it. Glamrock Freddy had that bleary second to realize that component it yanked out wasn't crucial, thank god- and it was OLD. Freddy hadn't known he had an antiquated piece of metal inside his chest- shaped like a box and had a couple of attachments for basic wires. It had some signs of rust on it, but it seemed to be functional in some part. Why did he have such a thing inside himself? What was it?
Freddy watched as his older version took it into its own chest cavity- wait, DID THAT BELONG TO IT AT SOME POINT?
Glamrock Freddy squirmed, but not too much. He watched as the classic Freddy shut its torso and move- then, a music box started playing. The object it pulled from him was an old music box? He HAD one? Freddy hadn't known he had one, let alone one that WORKED.
Now it focused back on him with interest while still playing the music box. It even flipped him upside-down- then it too turned itself upside-down and faced him again. It started playfully bobbing Glamrock Freddy around- like a toy? Yes, like an action figure!
These are... I remember, Glamrock Freddy recalled. These are children trapped inside of this massive being; unable to do more than scream and lash out in a rage they cannot control or fathom. They react based on a more primordial impulse; never truly thinking beyond a certain limit. And I had a piece of them inside me...
I've called them my friends once, when Gregory and I came down here. I knew what this place was, even though I've never seen it before. But they, that piece- its what connected me to them. It belongs to this other Freddy.
I was never truly me before, not while I had this piece inside me. I and this other Freddy were practically the same individual so long as I held it. The Glamrock is an A.I however- effectually its own individual. But that piece it took- now I couldn't be less connected to them now. That bond was broken between us.
I am... now me.
He felt calmer now- not that he knew why. He blinked, feeling something inside him click different. Something was going on but he still couldn't reason it out.
I was built with this piece for some reason- my makers KNEW its significance to this thing. Why did my makers give me a piece of my older version? Did they know it contained a part of this child's soul in it? To literally give me a child's heart-
He let himself be bounced around- not really interested in fighting a being that was nothing but a confused babble of child spirits that's been left in the closet too long. Its also not tearing him apart so, he wasn't going to piss it off anytime soon. In fact, such a thought disgusted him.
'Monty, I think for the moment, beyond my motor getting torn a bit, I'll be okay. I'll try to figure out something.'
'Its not hurting you?'
'Not too much, no. I think its... playing with me? I'm sending my data to you all- pictures, recordings, everything. I know you all are coming down to help me, but I really wouldn't want to make it mad. Don't try harming it- it'll only do to all of you what it did to the Mimic... and...' His eyes focused on a piece of S.T.A.F.F bot nearby with flesh jammed into it, '-Its done a lot of harm. Too much to account for. But I don't think all of its actions are intentional, nor does it understand fully what its doing... it, THEY, they don't know. They don't know better. It just reacts to harm inflicted upon it. I think its using a form of scanning too but I don't know how or what.'
'We still need to get you out of there- no way Bonnie's gonna leave you there.'
'I know. Just approach this calmly- and don't try anything to hurt it for now. I think I'll be okay- just let me figure something out. I wonder if it'll get bored of me and let me go at some point- and if it does, I think I can get away.'
'But what if it doesn't?'
'I think I can use Chica's voice box if it gets hairy for me. I just need it to loosen up its grip on my muzzle. Just a little- and I'll be okay. All of you, just stay back until a chance opens up.'
'I don't like this, man. This is too weird.'
Freddy watched the classic version of himself bob along too; its music box playing away. Other heads swiveled around him, curiously poking their new toy.
'...'Weird' is putting it mildly,' was all he can say to that. 'I think however, it seems to understand that I'm not someone whose liable to do harm to it... it seemed deliberate that it killed the Mimic the way it did. I think it knows about its hostile programming... and it seems to understand, at least on a rudimentary level, that I don't have the same programming in me. Although I don't know why it'd do harm to people... there's something about its behavior that still doesn't make sense to me... but for now, I think I'm relatively safe.'
'Bonnie's not gonna like this... and Chica's already screamed on the other line. We all had to mute her.'
'I must emphasize that none of you do anything drastic. I think it won't harm US, at least.'
'Then why does it hurt only specific targets and people? I thought it was wilder than that...'
Freddy squinted as what appeared to be a puppet-based animatronic wormed its way free of the mass to check out what's going on. It moved with a prepense that had the bear pondering its intelligence. It seemed to scan him, swiveling around him as classic Freddy continued to bob him up and down.
He went on to send, 'I'll observe it for a while. See if we can come up with something. I really don't think this thing's interested in escaping to the outside world... it could've just burrowed out at any time. I think it wants something HERE- but what-?'
'You mean besides a series of play things?'
'I think its more than that,' he pondered as he was finally lifted right-side up and bobbed along the ground. Classic Freddy produced a low-thrum drone; something akin to a laugh? It was deep, and had a booming resonance. Its laughing?
'If I had to be honest, Monty. I don't think the tank plan may be needed,' He eventually said. 'Again, let me observe it for a little bit. I'm almost convinced it won't do anything to me so long as I'm calm about this.'
Monty's skepticism can almost be heard as he grumbled, 'Whatever, man. You seem okay so... I'll tell the others. Keep in contact! And I'll tell Bonnie to cool his jets.'
'Please do so... I really don't think we need to instigate them into further hostilities,' he practically pleaded.
Monty thankfully disconnected, leaving Freddy alone with the monster mass of children. His eyes frantically scanned the remains in the room, then he pondered its hostility to humans. It didn't seem to mind the Glamrocks... but he still wondered what can prompt for its bouts of violence. There was still a note of wanton unpredictability here to be measured.
It doesn't seem to like humans that much... and it attacked the Mimic and the spring Bonnie... And now that Freddy is dawning on it, he belatedly realized that its never actually directly attacked ANY of them in the time they've been here. And his friends? They've been here for MONTHS alone with that thing- and its never hurt any of them. It only attacks if its provoked by them- Its just... neutral towards them.
He remembered now: When he was here with Gregory some months ago, it'd attacked the boy, but ignored Freddy himself. And what Bonnie said- he said it attacked them the time he came down here because of Vanny's challenge... but it didn't start swinging until Freddy did.
It really didn't care about the Glamrocks! Now why was that?
He relaxed further in its grip, trying to convey his best sense of calm as possible. All the while, he watched its numerous heads and noted each had a certain behavior unique to it: One head in particular, he noticed, hadn't deigned to join in on the fun. It was a Circus baby animatronic; and he only knew the name and design thanks to them having certain S.T.A.F.F bots with its name influencing their appearance and Freddy having asked the manager once what they were themed after. Bonnie's bowling alley had a Circus Baby themed bot that served ice cream when he couldn't, he recalled.
The original Circus Baby in fact largely removed itself from the rest of the group; lifting itself off and slithering around the floor as if to isolate itself from them. It was still attached by a few cables- but it didn't have any interest in partaking in their idea of 'fun'. Its face plates moved; shuffling in an anxious tizzy as if it's annoyed by something. Was it sulking?
Freddy watched the white -or, who he now recognized- as Funtime Freddy hiss and snap several times at Circus Baby's direction- then settle and quiet down like a sleepy monster that just wanted to hibernate.
The classic animatronics (consisting as Chica, Bonnie, and Freddy) moved as a group... interesting. They seemed to be the bulk of this thing's mind and consensus. They moved as one; the classic bots having their turns to pull playfully at Freddy's limbs and poke his nose. In fact, the Chica bot squeezed it a few times and prompted a honk! Bonnie did so once as well, then flapped its ears like it was excited by it. Classic Freddy kept bobbing him up and down- and they all synergically kept playing.
It was playing!
The puppet quietly watched all the while- didn't react beyond just studious observation. It neared, then it moved away, then neared again as if in hesitation. It betrayed a sort of air like its just making sure its compatriots wouldn't be harmed- its aura a quiet threat but not overtly hostile.
Freddy was pretty sure there was other bots in there somewhere- the thing was just too big to NOT have more of them- but they weren't moving or coming out of its immense body as the classic Freddy had. The amalgamation continued to writhe upon itself; pushing and pulling distractedly at objects in the room like its bored or pondering something.
Yes, these were children, at the end of the day. And yes, while they likely did not remember their own names, past, or how they got here, Freddy suspected their emotions were all that's left of them now- their rage, their fear, and their tentative curiosity. Perhaps intermingling traces of fleeting amusement and that child-like spark of playfulness- if his being bobbed around like an expensive toy wasn't anything to go by. He just wasn't sure about hurting this thing anymore despite what it's wrought. It seemed to understand that some targets are what they are... but not fully. It didn't like humans... and Freddy can somewhat guess there may be an enigmatic reason there. Its actions weren't completely thoughtless.
It reacted to its environment... it's nothing but reactive; the only proactive thing it does was look for something... although its end goal was elusive. Freddy however found it strange it incorporated a piece of Glamrock Foxy into itself... and now that he thought about it-
If we're all built with a piece of their souls inside ourselves... I wonder if that's what its looking for-? To be 'whole' again? Or as whole as it could be...
He watched the classic Freddy with a new interest; it kept playing its music box on loop as if truly over joyed to have a toy back! Its low drones emulated chortles- it still had a voice box! And it was laughing.
The observation left the Glamrock feeling winded. He pondered something else: He knew the classic animatronics here had a fourth member to their band- and yet he wasn't here. There was no Foxy. Freddy knew this because it had greedily absorbed the Glamrock pieces into itself like it's a drug addict trying to find a substitution to its cravings. And he recalled that there was a couple pieces of classic Foxy in Rockstar Row-
Was it possible this thing was looking for Foxy?
He squinted at the classic bots, then felt his motor skip.
These were children looking for their lost friend. And he knew where to find it!
Freddy squirmed again- wondering if he can talk to it-
But apparently that was the wrong thing to do: it SQUEEZED when he tried to fight back. The brown bear even garbled static and spit at him; as if its to menacingly tell him to stay still. Freddy complied, albeit uneasily. He even went limp in its grip, feeling his motor skip again in anxious nuance.
Alright, so speaking to it is out of the question... okay. Definitely don't move. Guess I'll send my theory to my friends. Here's hoping it works. I wonder if it'll let me go if it got Foxy back?
He wasn't sure if it'll work at all, but it's worth trying. And now while he still didn't know what to do with this thing, it really did seem keen on not leaving. It just wanted to stay here and keep its friends and toys to itself: A bunch of children sitting in isolation, as if to protect itself. Was it afraid of other humans for a legitimate reason? Was it why it was so hostile towards others?
Surely, there was something the Glamrocks can do to peacefully get this thing to rest?
Freddy mulled it over as he eyed the beast and its many heads. It had a weird resemblance to a mechanized hydra... hm. He wondered if taking out the heads would get rid of it, but again, Freddy didn't want to apply violence. In this case, he just didn't think violence was the answer.
But these children... they can't be here forever. Shouldn't they move on? Leaving this thing in the PizzaPlex was just asking for trouble. More people who come to demolish the building in the future would only find this thing- it didn't matter if it didn't want to leave... it's still very hostile at the end of the day. And considering its warped version of punishment, Freddy certainly knew they couldn't leave it here regardless.
He inhaled slowly; blue and amber eyes scanning the creature entirely. They were children who lost their lives after having a birthday here- a momentous occasion celebrating their coming into this world would also synonymously be their death day. A perverted, grotesque irony that hadn't been lost on the orange ursine.
They needed a happy memory. Just one. All they remember is their bad one, and the feelings it instilled.
What if... they could have one more birthday?
'Bonnie,' he pinged. 'I think I have an idea on how to deal with our giant friend here. You're gonna call me crazy but... you think you can get to the kitchens?'
"What- why?"
Freddy ignored the fact that the rabbit was talking instead of messaging. He continued, 'Just do so. Look around in there- I think I have an idea.'