Mable: Enjoy!
Going Home in a Box
Chapter Twenty-Two
When the first alarm of the night went off, Natalie had just assumed that it was Freddy and Foxy running around. She had spotted them on the camera twice and chose to pretend she hadn't and suspected that eventually they would trip something up that would trigger an alarm. Though when she checked the map, she found that the alarm was going off in the front of the lobby.
"Not again…" she huffed as she stood up. Smitty was out circling the fountain, so she had assumed that he had run into that same cleaner bot again and the two got in a 'disagreement'. Something that had already happened a few times.
But when she got out into the lobby, she found Smitty doing little circles in front of the water fountain before rolling up to her once he spotted her coming out. So, it obviously wasn't him who set off the alarm, but that didn't mean it wasn't the other Staff Bot currently in the room. She told Smitty to follow and headed through the turnstiles.
That was when she noticed something so unexpected that she stopped in her tracks. Smitty stopped loyally behind her as she stared on in confusion.
The large door to the parking garage was open. It hadn't been when she first came in and she hadn't noticed it opened on her last rounds, though she hadn't come over here at that time. Considering that it looked to be the Mop Bot who sent out the alarm- he was staring at her instead of mopping, which meant he was distressed- the door probably hadn't been open long.
"Here we go. Already starting early," Natalie muttered to herself, trying to ignore the dread she felt the moment she saw the doorway open.
She shined the flashlight inside to see a dark, largely non-descript hallway that turn a gentle corner at the end to lead towards the garage. The walls were painted the same pinkish color as the lobby's and the floor was simple greyed tile. Right at the corner she could see a "Welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex!" poster with a similar picture to the one on the entrance sign and an arrow pointing towards the lobby.
Natalie hissed a little as she considered her options. It didn't look like there were any controls on either side of the raised security door so it wasn't like she could just shut it. Even if she could, she almost felt obligated to go take a look around inside first. Even if this was some sort of ruse, which she almost assumed it would be considering that tonight had been quiet so far.
Finally, she decided that she had to at least walk as far as the garage. Then she could turn around and come right back to the lost and found. "Let's go, Smitty."
Unlike the rest of the Pizzaplex, which had been updated with enough running lights to see without a flashlight and soft music playing in the background, this hallway was pitch dark and dead silent. If it wasn't for the sound of Smitty humming and wheeling behind her, the only noises she would've heard would've been coming from her.
The hallway ended in yet another security door, which was also raised up, and stepped out directly into one floor of the parking garage. With the pink walls replaced by grey concrete, the massive room seemed to sap much of the power from her flashlight, and she couldn't see too far even when the place was entirely barren.
With a scrutinizing hum, she began to walk further into the parking garage. Her eyes and light continuing to search around while her path was brightened by Smitty's light shining past her. They had just about made it to the back when a soft noise suddenly echoed up from the ramp to the lower level. Natalie snapped her light over and listened. It sounded an awful lot like footsteps.
She made her way over to the top of the ramp and shined her light down. It looked like the basement level wasn't cleared out like this one was, and the bottom of the ramp was blocked by caution signs. The moment she shined her light down, she heard the hurried footsteps retreating further into the dark.
"Who's down there?" she called. As expected, there was no answer. "If there's anyone down there you better come out now before I have to come find you."
It wasn't a threat she intended to follow up on, but it didn't work anyways. Natalie huffed and considered her options before continuing down the ramp, Smitty following closely behind her.
Unlike the floor above it, the basement level was packed with stuff. Carts to deliver building supplies, the building supplies themselves, oil drums, some leaking down their sides, some leftover stands and parts of stalls, even some props that looked like they belonged in a desert or canyon- probably Roxy Raceway. It was a mess. It was the visual representation of a rush job.
"What's going on down here?" Natalie muttered. She shined her light over the stuff crowding the parking level. She sighed, "So much for being ready to open…"
She stepped past the caution sign bots who followed her with their eyes. They only moved apart slightly as to let Smitty by, which was probably some sort of collision detection instead of a conscious effort to do so.
They hadn't gotten very far in when she heard the rapid tap, tap, tapping of footsteps as something scurried by. She tried to catch it in her light but just missed it.
"Okay, if this is the rabbit girl, this isn't cute or funny. It's not scary either, you're just wasting my time," Natalie called.
She knew it probably wasn't the best idea to challenge her, and she knew it was her, but she was starting to get irritated with this whole thing. Irritated enough that she kept up the pursuit after the footsteps at a brisk pace. Smitty struggled to maneuver around the obstacles as quickly as she did, but she could always hear him, and he would eventually catch up.
She could sometimes see movement just in the edges of her vision. Just when she was stepping past a stack of wooden pallets, she would catch a glimpse of movement and hastily hurry around only to find nothing. Sometimes she wouldn't even hear the footsteps, making her wonder if she had seen anything at all. She found herself slowly getting led into the back corner, somewhere that smelled of sour machinery oil.
A low creak caught her attention and she turned suddenly to see a gated wall and its chain length door in the slowly edging closed. She approached and shined her light through and into the hallway beyond it, watching the shadows of fencing dance along the pale brick walls. If someone was moving at the end of the hall, she wouldn't have detected them easily beyond the movement.
She pushed the gate door open all the way to let Smitty in behind her and cautiously started to step inside. There was a red door at the end of the hallway with a paper taped onto it, though it didn't look like there was anything on it. No doubt that was where she went and where she was trying to lead her, if the rogue piece of paper was any indication. She couldn't see Smitty's light but could hear him coming up behind her, and that encouraged her to keep going.
Her footsteps echoed off the cold concrete as she approached the door. She could see clearly now that the paper had nothing written on it, or at least not this side of it, so she carefully reached out and lifted it up. There was something written on the other side, taped upside down so she could read it clearly when she lifted it up.
Hi.
Natalie stared at the word for a long moment before letting the paper drop.
"That's it, I'm done here," she said. The irritation almost covered how creeped out she was. "I'm not getting paid enough to go on some wild goose chase. If she wants to play around in the basement, she can go ahead."
She was talking to Smitty, sort of. She didn't think he could understand her beyond direct commands, but it was nice to pretend she wasn't talking to herself. She turned to face him and as she did the familiar squeak and hum of his internal mechanics started to distort and fade until it was that hollow silence drawing at her ears.
Her flashlight beam fell directly onto what was really been standing behind her. It wasn't Smitty, it might've not been for a while.
It was the white rabbit.
It was a hideous sight to behold. No longer blurred by distance and glass, Natalie could make out every detail as clear as day. Every line of stitches holding a patchwork fabric together, its glassy red eyes, its smile stretching open towards its chest. Now seeing it up close, her suspicions were confirmed. This was clearly a person in a costume. The patchwork was skin-tight, betraying the shape of the body underneath.
What might've been a goofy rabbit suit in broad daylight was something much more sinister in the harsh beam of the flashlight, surrounded by darkness and with a backdrop of a wall of chain-length fencing.
It was enough to cause Natalie to jump and take a few steps back, trying to get as much distance as she could from the intruder in the suddenly claustrophobic hallway. The rabbit was frozen in place for a long moment, so still that she couldn't even see it breathing through that thin fabric, and she wasn't even blinking.
The rabbit suddenly jerked and leaned forward, causing Natalie flinched back enough to bump the door behind her. The rabbit turned its head as though studying her, the eyes of its mask unfocused and staring off into space, ears bobbling stiffly. Its arms were down at its sides with its hands pointed out in an either cartoonish or childishly feminine pose.
"Oh…" was all Natalie could say. She didn't know what else she could say, her mind was empty. Any of that gumption she had scouring the basement had run out now that she was cornered by her pursuer.
The rabbit pulled its head back and straightened upright before eagerly raising a hand, leaning into it, and waggling its fingers in a playful wave. Not an innocent playfulness, but something creepy enough to put a lump in her stomach. Without a single word or any warning, the rabbit woman suddenly started to make her way towards her with long, overlapping steps. Hips swaying with the wobbly movement, arms swinging at her sides. It was wrong coming from a person.
Natalie finally reached the point where she wanted out of the situation and grabbed at the doorhandle. It was stuck tight in place, locked, and she was as good as backed up against a wall. The rabbit was taking its time but was no more than some odd feet away. The blond hastily fumbled for the taser on the back of her belt and right as the rabbit was nearly within arm's length, she whipped it out, pressing the button for good measure to give a threatening zap.
"Hey- whoa! That's close enough!" she snapped. The taser aimed right at the big blue ribbon around the bunny's neck and draping down the top of its chest. So close that if she lifted it, she might've bumped its chin.
Apparently, the rabbit wasn't expecting this as she jerked back just as quickly as she had jerked forward, her hands popping up defensively. There was a painfully uncomfortable hesitation after that, during which Natalie didn't take her eyes off the rabbit and didn't lower the taser. Slowly the rabbit raised its hands to its face, then pressed them to its cheeks as though in exaggerated shock. Like it was mimicking a terrified scream.
"Oh, that's no fun at all."
Natalie's eyes slowly widened once again at the voice. Not because the rabbit woman spoke, she assumed she wasn't a mute, but how distorted her voice sounded. Heavy with static and warble, like she was using something to distort and mask her voice. She likely was, but Natalie couldn't even begin to wonder how some random woman got ahold of that technology.
The rabbit slowly dragged her hands up the sides of her costume head until her fingers were trapping the base of her ears. "If you won't play nice, maybe I won't ei-ther," she said quietly, mockingly.
Natalie's lips tightened into an uncomfortable scowl at this point. "What is that supposed to mean? And who even are you?"
"I can't explain myself, because I am not myself, you see…" the rabbit teased. She began to walk back towards the gate door, kicking it open with her heel and catching the doorway with a gloved hand. "Wouldn't you know about that?"
Natalie suddenly realized what she was about to do. "Don't you shut that door," she said. Throwing caution to the wind, she started to bolt forward. "Don't you dare-!"
The door was shut, and the latch turned to lock it before she could reach it and start shaking the knob. The rabbit backed up, giving her another little wave.
"You better open this back up right now, or so help me I'm going to come out there-!" Natalie threatened. Her frustration barely covering the panic that was beginning to leak through. "I'm not playing anymore of these stupid games with you. Open this door. Now."
"Maybe if you keep yelling… someone will find you before morning," the rabbit teased. The emphasis on 'someone' made Natalie's stomach twist. "I'll be watching you!~" Then her voice dipped to something much less faux-friendly, "Vanny."
The rabbit gave a little spin, posed her hands before her for a second, and then began to blatantly skip away into the basement. Something that should've been goofy and silly was extremely off-putting, especially when haloed by the red glow coming from the eyes of her mask, something less noticeable when she was standing in direct light.
Natalie didn't continue yelling after her because of it. She just felt so uneased- plus she assumed calling after the rabbit girl would do nothing but amuse her, since she clearly wasn't coming back. Suddenly the blond was very aware of her situation; trapped down in a dark basement hours before the Pizzaplex was to open, alone for now but possibly with dangerous animatronics waiting for a moment to strike.
She took a shaky breath and aimed the flashlight down at the handle, and that's when her situation suddenly changed.
"Wait a minute…" She reached her fingers through the fencing and with some maneuvering was just able to reach the latch. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."
The door was easily pushed open, and Natalie stepped out a freed woman. Though she was less than pleased, unsure if that had been an oversight or a scare tactic. Neither was exactly a good options; either she intended to leave her there all night or was just making a fool out of her. As irritated as she was, Natalie hesitated before charging after the rabbit.
The rabbit woman could still be dangerous. She was more than willing to lead Natalie directly into a trap if she wasn't careful, but she didn't have a knife, and she had backed up quickly once she saw the taser.
That sealed it. Natalie took off after her into the dark, crowded basement.
This turned out to be a mistake.
First off, it was clear that the rabbit woman expected her to get out on her own because she was still egging her on. She kept catching glimpses of her. Every time she was considering turning around, she would see her face peeking out from somewhere and the chase would be on again, leading out of the garage and into the utility tunnels underneath the Pizzaplex. Natalie could hear her laughing in the distance when she wasn't appearing in the edge of her vision.
Until even that stopped and Natalie found herself abandoned deep beneath the Pizzaplex. The tunnels stank of stagnant water even though they couldn't have been in use for too long and there was little to go on for direction. Whenever she saw a sign that looked to be signaling something on the wall, it would typically lead to a secured cyclone fence or even nothing at all. At this point she was suspecting that the rabbit might've just lost her.
She wasn't sure how much time passed before she managed to find some stairs. She trudged up a few flights of stairs and into yet another room, but this time spotted a sign that seemed important. It looked like a Staff Bot at a desk with an "L" on it. Assuming it probably meant the lobby, or anywhere that wasn't this basement, she headed through and continued on.
It was now that she was seeing the cracks behind the Pizzaplex, passing through a few halls and a storage room, and seeing how much stuff was cluttered and messy. Supplies leaking out of the former and into the latter, cluttering up the walkway and making her half to squeeze by. Eventually she wound up in a hallway that looked a lot like the utility tunnels underneath, though bathed in a florescent red glow.
It made her uneasy and she began to slowly creep down the hall, eyes shifting to the gates and doors lining the walls, expecting the rabbit girl's face to peek out. Except she seemed to be entirely alone. She didn't know if that was much better.
Especially when the floor began to groan underneath her. She looked down at the grate flooring and couldn't see anything underneath, but she could hear it still. It could've been something like steam, but she didn't know what could've been running that deep in the Pizzaplex. Perhaps water pipes, but her imagination was messing with her. Either way she hastily hurried along.
Eventually she made it to another few flight of stairs and by time she reached the top, she was half-worn out. She hesitated for a moment to catch her breath before noticing what looked like a security badge symbol on the far wall.
"Oh, thank God!" she choked. She got a second wind and hastily hurried through the door and into a security office.
It wasn't too different from the one Fritz and Mike had described back at one of the old Freddy's, with two doors leading in that were controlled by simple buttons. She quickly shut the doors and dropped into the office chair, getting a few deep breaths in before scooting up to the computer and logging herself in like she did on the Lost and Found computer. Within a few clicks she was able to get to the map.
To her relief, she looked to be only a hallway away from the main lobby. Somehow, she had gone through the parking garage, down the utility tunnel, and came up on the other side of the Pizzaplex, in the south-western section. There were two alarms flagging her already: one from the lobby and one from the parking garage.
"I hope one of those is Smitty," Natalie murmured as she stood up. She hated to think that the rabbit woman might've done something to him. Though it wouldn't have taken much effort to lead him astray. She headed out once more.
She arrived in the lobby to find the first flag in the form of the Mop Bot standing outside the parking garage hallway. She didn't know if someone rushed by or if he had just been disturbed by the open door, but he was waving as she came up, then rolled up to stand alongside her as she stopped outside of the parking garage entrance.
She really didn't want to go back in, but she wasn't leaving him alone down there. She took her taser off again, took a deep breath, and headed back into the garage. This time the Mop Bot followed along with her. She didn't stop him.
After a cautious hike back to the basement floor, she heard Smitty before she found him. He was making those loud alarm noises which led her right to him, circling around a section of basement scouring for something with his flashlight.
"Hey," she called. He spun back instantly and upon looking at and recognizing her, he began to roll back. It took him a moment to get out of the little section he had gotten pinned in, but he had stopped blaring the alarm.
Apparently, he had been looking for her. That was good to know, even if she wasn't certain he would've been able to let her out.
"Let's get out of here," Natalie coaxed. She led both bots back out. They acknowledged each other with a look but didn't get into another loop of mutual flagging, instead following her back out to the lobby.
Now here she was stuck in the same position; the door to the parking garage left open and a rabbit hopping around who was now confirmed to just be trying to mess with her. Deflated and exhausted, she gestured them towards the door she had come through just earlier.
"Come on, guys. We're moving to a better office," she said. She didn't know if they understood but they both followed. Including Mop Bot, which was her intention as she didn't want to leave him alone.
She settled into the new office with a worried frown resting on her face and went to scouring the cameras. There was no sign of the rabbit, but some of them were especially jerky.
None of the cameras in the parking garage were working. She wondered if the rabbit knew that. She wondered how much else it knew.
As gaudy as this place was, Foxy had to admit that there was a little bit of a charm to it. Not the whole place, definitely nowhere that was overflowing with adds, but places like the little lobby outside of Fazer Blast could be sort of nice to just sit in and listen to the relaxing music droning on. Though he doubted it would have the same feel with a bunch of people trampling through.
After three heated games of Fazer Blast, they were taking a breather. Or technically two and a half games, as Freddy called for a timeout on the third game once it lasted a good thirty minutes without much progress. He could say he needed a break as much as he wanted but Foxy knew it was the bear trying to coddle him again, but he was willing to take the out for a change of scenery.
He was leaning back against the counter of the Snack Space snack bar outside of Fazer Blast, elbows resting back on the counter as he looked out at the section of atrium that he could see above the lobby.
He could hear Freddy returning from the back before seeing a basket being plopped onto the counter beside him, looking over to see it overflowing with bags of chips and candies.
"How about this?" Freddy asked. He looked quite proud of his find. Foxy visibly perked at the surplus of junk food.
"Mighty fine haul here, Fred-o! I'd say this ain't the first time you've plundered a kitchen," he chuckled. Then he began to pull out the bags to look at them.
The packaging was all pretty generic, probably made in-house, but at least there was a variety to them. El Chip's tortilla styled chips, crunchy meaty bites, a small bag of something labelled 'Chica of the Sea'- they felt like gummies, like the Buccaneer Bounty ones they sold in Pirate's Cove, and some bars and wrapped sweets in the bottom. There was plenty to go around and Foxy wasn't too good to accept free food from a competitor.
"It actually is! We were just fortunate that everything has been stocked in preparation for tomorrow," Freddy explained. Right as he said it the realization fell on him. "…Err, you do think they will be able to replace it before lunchtime?"
"Course they will! Blimey, Freddy, the place is crawlin' with food. The place is crawlin' with snack bars. There's a whole line of 'em right out there." Foxy pointed his hook in the direction of the nearby salad bar. He then piled the bags back up and hoisted the basket into his arms before gesturing Freddy to follow with his head. "'Sides, it's yer place. Ya get a cut."
"I suppose you have a point. There are quite a few eating establishments in the Pizzaplex. I am sure there is more than enough that they should not have a problem," Freddy agreed. He followed Foxy as he led them towards the steps leading up above the Snack Space and watched Foxy sit down on them. "Are you allowed to have whatever you want from your pizzeria?
"Yeah. As long as I don't get meself trashed 'er eat a cake with a name on it," Foxy remarked. He glanced up at Freddy before patting the step beside him. Freddy eagerly plopped down beside him; legs bent awkwardly to deal with the length.
"That is good!"
"You've been gettin' a hard time from the employees?" Foxy asked bluntly. It seemed to surprise Freddy and he rested his hands on his knees, tapping his fingers on them.
"No, no... but they were a bit hard on Chica. Before they decided that it was better to give her pizza and let her use her bakery than have her look for… other venues…" he explained vaguely. Foxy looked directly at him with a questioning glint. Freddy crumbled under it in seconds. "…I should not tell you this, so please do not tell anyone else… but Chica has a problem controlling her hunger. It has only gotten worse since they started testing out the ovens."
"Aye. I see," the pirate said with a nod. "And?"
"And they have decided to let her have as much pizza as she wants. I am sure you noticed all of the pizza boxes in her room…" He leaned in and lowered his voice to whisper, "Those are cleaned out weekly."
Foxy hummed in response. Maybe a little disappointed; he expected Freddy to give him something scandalous and instead he confirmed something he already noticed. It was hard not to notice that many empty pizza boxes.
"Sounds like some kinda programming flaw," Foxy suggested. He was in the middle of opening the bag of tortilla chips when a new question cropped up. "Where's it all… go?" he muttered, gesturing towards himself.
"I am… not entirely certain. Since we are not made with stomachs, I assume it must get trapped in the casing and that is why Chica must be cleaned so frequently," Freddy said, voice edging on uneased.
The mental image alone was enough to make Foxy lose his desire to eat. He didn't even have a stomach to turn and yet the idea of seven or eight mashed-up pizzas shoved under Chica's plates for days on end- he shuddered.
"Perhaps that is just part of who she is. She is the mascot for healthy eating and fitness after all," Freddy remarked. Foxy would've wrinkled his nose if he could. Nothing he had seen suggested Fazbear Entertainment was pushing healthy food. "There was a rumor that there was going to be a pizza chef mascot who could taste test the pizza to make sure it was cooked properly, but it turned out to not be true."
Foxy gave another hum of acknowledgement as he finally popped open the chips. He grabbed a few and popped them into his teeth, chewing threw them enough to absorb the flavor before it became crumbs in his suit. The chips were good enough, with their saltiness being their only defining taste but the crunch being a nice change. He offered the bag off to Freddy.
"Now the Daycare Attendant- Thank you!- He is able to drink Fizzy Faz through a small hose. I am not sure what the purpose of this is unless it is to advertise and sell more Fizzy Faz. In which case, yes, I could see that working."
"There's so much wrong with all ya just said there," Foxy remarked. In fact, it took him an extra second to figure out which part of it needed addressing first. "Where is this hose?"
"I believe it comes out from his mouth, but I am not sure how it works. Perhaps you can ask him if I get a chance to introduce you two. Though… it may best that we do not tell many, if not anybody else that you are here. It is not that I do not trust them, but if Officer Vanessa overhears then she may come looking for you, and then our night will be over," Freddy warned. He sounded a little disappointed as he shoved a chip in his mouth. Foxy was unphased, but curious.
"How many bots be in here anyway? Animatronic bots, not those staff puppets runnin' 'bout."
"There is quite a few! You already know about Chica, Roxy, Monty, and myself. We are all very good friends. Then there is the Daycare Attendant, he is very charming. There is also the DJ for the West Arcade located upstairs. We have met only once, but he seems very polite. Unfortunately, he is also much too big to fit out of the West Arcade doors, so we would have to go to him to visit. There is also an Arcade Attendant in the same arcade."
"Quite a few of ya in here…" Foxy mumbled. "…Which one's the sun?"
"That is the Daycare Attendant! Have you met him?"
"Course it'd be the one with the bloody hose," Foxy scoffed. He rustled around in the bag and rather directly asked, "And no Bonnie?"
"What?" Freddy's reaction was immediate. His voice dropped and his eyes went wide, staring at the pirate. Foxy picked up on the reaction and his eyes snapped up onto him.
"There's no Bonnie?" he asked. This time his tone was lower, barely hiding an edge of suspicion. "Ya know: you, me, Chica, and…"
"Oh! I- I thought you were… No. No, there is no Bonnie. Monty is the bass player for our band," Freddy answered. He seemed dodgy, looking away and shoving the second chip in his mouth. Him eating one chip at a time aside, that reaction was still a red flag and Foxy narrowed his eye.
"A'right, how's about this? Is there a Bunny here? Up in Bunnie Bowling?"
"No, there is not. Bunnie Bowling does not have a mascot… I suppose I am the closest thing to that," Freddy said. His tone had utterly deflated, and he absolutely refused to look Foxy in the eye.
This was not how Foxy wanted the night to go. Not only did Freddy shut down the information well, but he was obviously covering up something, and now it was at danger of ruining their night. He had to let it drop and figure out a way to salvage the evening before he lost what was effectively his last chance to be here.
"…You got any tokens? I noticed there's a lil arcade right in the lobby in there," Foxy remarked, gesturing his arm towards Fazer Blast.
After a pause, Freddy finally turned back with that eager glint back in his eyes.
"I am sure I could 'plunder' a few."
…
Of all the bizarre things Foxy had to face this evening, the fact that the best arcade game he had played so far was about stacking beds was definitely up there. It wasn't even a matter of the games all being awful either, there was just a spontaneously addictive bed making game taking up space in the corner of the Fazer Blast lobby.
The only other multiplayer game in the small arcade being a game called Dino Shock. The name would've implied a more exciting experience, but the gameplay was more of a chore than the literal bed making. Firstly, it forced Freddy to use the second controls of the four, meaning that he was practically on top of Foxy for a majority of the game. Then the game itself, a typical side-scrolling beat 'em up, seemed only have interested in registering his button presses.
He stuck it out for a while but a game over was inevitable when he was slowly losing his patience. Once it did, he pushed back from the game, getting a little breathing room from Freddy.
"Yar, this blows," he announced.
"Want to go back to Bed Maker?" Freddy offered. The fact that he made no comment in defense of the game suggested he politely agreed.
"Eh… Nah, we've seen all there is to see in that one. There be no other arcades nearby?"
Foxy was maybe getting a little too comfortable, but Freddy was still just as on-guard as ever. "The main arcades are all located on the third floor. I do not think it would be safe to lead you that far from the exit… Hmm." He hummed thoughtfully for a second as he considered something. "…On second thought, I may know of a place."
…
Foxy watched warily as one of the half-circle shaped security doors at the back of Kid's Cove opened up into a hallway. Freddy waved for him to follow and headed inside while Foxy stayed back a little.
"I think you will like the Daycare Attendant- if we see him. He may be too busy to greet us, in which case we can head straight to the arcade," the other explained as he continued in.
"And what if he spreads the word back to Blondie?" Foxy grumbled suspiciously.
"I doubt he would. He is not very comfortable around the human staff, so I do not see him going out of his way to tell Vanessa," Freddy reassured.
With this Foxy quickened his pace to catch up at the next door. While he wasn't thrilled to be risking blowing his cover, he did trust Freddy's judgement at least a little. He had been adamant about not having his bandmates see him, but was saying that this guy was alright, so he must've had some standards on who was or wasn't a safe bet. Besides, now Foxy was strangely curious about seeing this whole hose thing in action.
But when the door lifted it revealed a dark room instead of the bouncy daycare that Natalie had described. This wouldn't have been as alarming if not for Foxy noticing Freddy tensing out the corner of his eye.
"What's up?" he asked lowly. His eyepatch popping up and eyes scanning the darkness.
"It- Erm- it seems that the lights are off… Which means the sun is resting. We should leave and come back some other time," Freddy explained. He sounded nervous, but before Foxy could ask why, he suddenly jumped in front of him.
Foxy gave an 'oomph' at his muzzle getting bumped and went to take a step back, only for Freddy's arm to suddenly reach back and pull the shorter animatronic against him. He was hiding him, he realized, and Foxy went silent.
"I am sorry to disturb you, I did not realize that the lights were off. We will just be leaving. You enjoy your night," Freddy called to someone. He was looking up and toward the right somewhere and started to back up, pushing Foxy with him.
Only once they got back far enough that the automatic door closed again did Freddy spin around and start leading Foxy by the shoulders back towards Kids Cover. He wasn't nervous, Foxy realized, he was scared.
It wasn't until they were out in Kid's Cove by the assumed safety of the fake campfire that Foxy dared to ask, "So, ya gonna tell me what happened back there?"
Freddy fumbled to start a few sentences and failed each time until finally settling with, "It is best not to be in the daycare when the lights are off. The Daycare Attendant… is not quite himself when they are."
Now that was programming that Foxy was familiar with. Or at least, he recognized the concept of animatronics getting aggressive when it was past closing, and the lights being off usually assured that they full reign of the place. Freddy looked nervous enough that he would probably spill under the slightest provocation.
"I am sorry to get your hopes up. How about we play another game of Fazer Blast instead? I am sure the Staff Bots have recovered by now!"
…After one more game of Fazer Blast.
…
Freddy was acting strange. Foxy had noticed it right away when they left Fazer Blast for the second time. He seemed quiet and looked a little nervous again, and this was after he had all but thrown the last game. Something was on his mind.
Foxy didn't broach the subject and instead waited for Freddy to be out with it. Which, eventually, he was. "Would you mind if we returned to my green room?"
"Sure. What's up?" Foxy asked. Freddy looked distinctly embarrassed at the question.
"My battery is starting to run low. I will need to charge at a recharge station soon, and while there are others located across the Pizzaplex, I do not want to leave you out in the open. Besides, you will be able to play Street Skate Superstar!" The cheery perk at the end didn't cover how self-conscious he sounded about the whole thing.
As for Foxy, who had gone into another lapse of unneeded paranoia, he relaxed at the believable explanation. "Sounds dandy. Let's lift anchors," he said, then began leading the way back. He hesitated entering the Atrium but, seeing that the place was still empty, continued on towards Rockstar Row. "Yer friends usually this quiet?"
"They are all preparing for tomorrow I am sure, and each of their attractions have recharge stations located inside. Save Chica's, but there is one not too far from her. It gives them time to get acquainted with their home away from home."
"You think they charged by now?" Foxy asked. Freddy gave an honest 'possibly'. "…Ya know, ya could've told me earlier. I wouldn'ta minded stoppin' fer you to charge up."
"I know, I just did not want to stop…" Freddy looked at the floor for a long moment. "It is… cumbersome at times."
"Don't I know it. I be runnin' a full ship tomorrow on three hours sleep- iff'n I'm lucky," Foxy said, trying to lighten the mood a little while he waited for a security door to lift. "I've pulled worse but it ain't gonna be fun."
"I would offer my recharge station, but I am not sure if you are…" Freddy cut off there, deciding very quickly that any word following would've come out wrong.
"Good save," Foxy chuckled. He continued on towards their destination.
Soon they were in the backroom behind the green room and standing alongside the recharge station. The door opened automatically as Freddy walked up but he did not get in just yet instead turning back to Foxy.
"This will not take long. Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes," he explained. After a tense moment- Foxy noticed his hands tighten and relax- he asked, "You… will still be here when I come out?"
"I ain't goin' nowhere. Except out there."
Freddy seemed relieved to hear this and stepped into the station, triggering the recharge cycle to begin. Foxy looked through the window at him and he gave a friendly wave back before the pirate nodded and headed off.
It was exactly seventeen minutes and forty-one seconds before the cycle was complete. Freddy gave an approving hum as the charging station dinged to signal that the cycle had finished. Not that it needed to tell him when he could feel the energy flowing through his body. He felt brand-new as he stepped out and made his way back into the green room. He noticed with concern that he couldn't hear the game being played.
Any questions he had were answered when he stepped through to find Foxy stretched out on the couch. He caught himself before he could say anything, noticing that the other had remained remarkably still the whole time.
He leaned forward and realized Foxy's eye was closed. He was sleeping- recharging perhaps. It was so strange to see it in person and, while it felt so odd, knowing it was a more natural way of refreshing oneself.
It looked like he was still in the process of charging, so Freddy quietly made his way over to his chair. He could just sit and wait for him to finish up, just like Foxy did for him. At least they were still technically hanging out.
Funny enough, he hadn't been awoken by Freddy walking out here, the second the chair squeaked Foxy shot upright on the couch and snapped his head to attention.
"Oh! I hope I did not interrupt," Freddy apologized, trying not to sound excited. Foxy grumbled out some kind of response as he heaved himself upwards.
"How long have you been out?"
"Only a few minutes."
"Right… How long 'ave I been out?"
"…I am assuming a little longer than that," Freddy guessed. "So! Where to next, Captain? Unless you need longer to recharge."
"I'm good." Foxy got up quickly after that, not wanting to seem delayed now that Freddy suddenly had a spring in his step. "Night's still young. Let's go tear up the place."
And though Freddy should've disagreed with the sentiment, he couldn't deny that he was a little intrigued to see what was coming next.
…
Of all the risky stunts they could've pulled, this one was relatively tame. The biggest risk being if they ended up getting stuck, trying to jam themselves into a booth already a little undersized for even a normal adult. Foxy got himself in alright, it was just getting Freddy in with him and both into frame that was the hassle.
"Further in, further in."
"Maybe if I lean in this way?"
"Just tilt it like… Yeah, there. Yer gonna be a little off kilter, but you'll be in frame."
"Good! Hold on." Freddy reached to turn it on, having gotten most of it set up before they climbed inside. There was a confirmation sound and he leaned back in again. "What is the plan?"
"Don't look like a couple'a posers. These things bring that outta ya," Foxy warned. He then popped up his hook and shot a grin at the camera. "Cheers!" Freddy quickly posed with a smile right before the camera flash.
Foxy winced and blinked at the light. "Blimey, they don't even need a flash in- Hey, hey, quick. Make like that face ya made when ya shot me in the eye," he said. He then cocked his head back and posed his hand like he was in mid-grab towards his eye, it closed, mouth open in a silent scream. Freddy put his hand up, dropped his mouth open, and stared wide-eyed at the pirate. There was another flash.
Freddy chuckled and requested, "Square up." He raised his fists with a mock intense expression. One that ironically didn't look too different from the one he got while playing Fazer Blast. Foxy got his hook up between then and narrowed his gaze with the edge of a smirk, or what he felt was one. Another flash and both facades dropped instantly.
"Right, one more oughta do it," Foxy said. He tried to think up a quick idea, but was beat to the punch when Freddy suddenly hooked his arm around him and pulled him in. Foxy's eye widening a little at the unexpected grab.
Freddy, as smooth as ever, shot a wink and a peace sign towards the camera. Foxy got as far as a smile before the flash went off. Though that was only because the smile came so naturally.
"Alright, show's over. Let me out." Just as naturally, Foxy pushed Freddy out of the photo booth so he could get past. He got out just in time to see the photo strip getting fed out of the machine and plucked them up. "Not too shabby!" he admired. Perhaps a little embarrassing but it wasn't like anyone other than him, Freddy, and probably Jeremy and Marionette would see it. "Which ones d'you want?"
"Oh no, keep them! I will just print a second set," Freddy offered, fiddling with the controls to 'order' a second set. "I doubt anyone will notice an extra charge… and my name is on the building."
"There ya go!" Foxy encouraged, thumping him on the arm with the side of his hook. He then returned to admiring the picture strip for a moment before asking. "Time?" He knew he was calling it close.
"It is… almost five-thirty," Freddy admitted.
"Then I guess it be time fer me to shove off. Lest I get stuck in here 'til the place opens and 'ave to kill meself."
"Foxy!" Freddy said in aghast.
"I'm kiddin', mate. I'm already dead inside," Foxy only partially joked as he started to head out of the center of the atrium and back towards the new way he came in. He had been keeping a closer eye out for the last hour. Not only had Roxanne started tromping around on the second floor while he and Freddy were trying to get the Fazer Blast Ferris wheel working, but he kept hearing these strange ticking noises that he knew hadn't be present earlier.
Freddy followed slowly. He looked at the photo strip before opening his chest and hiding it inside. Then began to rub at his arm once it was closed again. In only a few short hours everything was going to change.
"Foxy…" Freddy began quietly. Foxy's ears perked at the change in tone, and he turned to face him. His eyes were filled with worry. "I am worried about tomorrow. About opening."
"Why's that?" the pirate asked.
"I am not sure. I do not expect anything to go wrong, but… I feel like it could. I feel like I am not ready for the stage, if that makes sense," Freddy confessed.
"I know what ya mean and I know how you feel, but what's the worst that can happen?" Foxy asked nonchalantly.
"…I fall off the stage."
"…Aye, I'll admit that's a risk in our line of work."
Funny that only now did Foxy realize he could've effectively sabotaged opening day by getting into Freddy's head. It wouldn't have been hard; he was already especially nervous. Yet he didn't like the idea. That wasn't to say that he wasn't still boiling about this place opening, but sabotaging Freddy would just be hurting him. From all he had seen tonight, he realized that Freddy himself was really a small part of a much bigger problem.
"Look… It's going to go fine," Foxy said. He eased into a more serious tone as he did so. "People like us are born to be up on that stage. Once you get up there, you'll know what you need to do. It'll just come to you."
"Do you really believe that?" Freddy asked desperately.
"Yeah, I do." Then realizing how somber the moment had gotten- and how sad it was that he was giving a pep talk to his replacement- he quickly tacked on, "…But just in case, stay away from the edge."
Freddy smiled once more. "Aye, aye, Captain."
"And watch where ya shoot that gun of yers! You start blindin' kids and they'll downgrade ya from lasers to foam pellets," Foxy warned. Then he turned and continued leading again. Freddy chuckled and followed along loyally.
They stayed rather quiet until they made it to the open vent. During which time Foxy had been expecting Freddy to ask him if he would come back, but he didn't. Maybe he was waiting for the right time, or likely he had recognized the risk they would face now that the Pizzaplex would be opening. It was actually sort of sad that he didn't.
"Well, here's me stop," Foxy said. He nodded at Freddy like he was tipping a non-existent hat and moved to climb inside.
"I hope you come back," Freddy confessed. Foxy hesitated halfway into the vent. "I mean- I had a good time tonight! I would not be against having another one."
"It ain't that easy, Freddy," the pirate murmured. He looked back towards the bear and just from the look in his eyes recognized that the bear already knew this. "…We'll see. If I can I will."
"I would like that! Take care, Captain. Have a safe trip home," Freddy said. Foxy nodded, deciding any response would be too sappy, and took into the vent. Freddy waited outside the vent until he could no longer hear him, then sighed, tried to set the vent cover back over the opening, and then began the long wall back to his green room.
As he passed through the atrium, he stepped out enough to see the large stage. There was still a feeling of great anticipation in his chest, but he decided to take what Chica and Foxy said to heart. They were ready for this; they were made for this. His name and face was on the sign. He was Freddy Fazbear; he could do this.
With that last thought, he turned and continued into Rockstar Row.
He hadn't noticed wicked grin peering down at him from the second floor.
…
Jeremy had been so afraid that he was going to arrive late that he showed up early and had to fight the urge to nod off in his seat. He thought he got enough sleep, but his body didn't appreciate the change in routine. To fight the grogginess, he had the radio turned up and was tapping his hands on the steering wheel along with the beat.
He only vaguely recognized a noise outside but didn't get a chance to look out before the back door was suddenly yanked open and Foxy threw himself inside. He could just give a short "guh!" before he could recollect himself.
"This be Pizzaplex private parking, matey! Ye better cough up the fine 'er yer walkin' home," Foxy playfully teased. Jeremy was already relieved to hear that he was in a good mood, a sharp contrast from the frantic way he jumped into the car.
"Th-This is all a big mistake, officer! This isn't even my car! I'm, uh… borrowing it… from a friend named… Mike. Yeah, Mike," Jeremy played along.
"Oh yeah? Mike what?"
"Just Mike, I don't know his last name. I was just borrowing the car. Call him yourself! I don't have his number, but yeah, if we did, he'd tell you he gave it to me."
"…Lad, it sounds like you used this excuse before," Foxy said slyly. Though instead of concerned, he sounded rather intrigued. He reached around the other side of the back of his seat to gently ruffle his already fluffed up bedhead. "And it looks like ya just tumbled out of bed."
"Okay, I might be guilty of that, but I'm pleading the fifth on the other. And no, you can't search my vehicle. I want your badge number," Jeremy said. He started up the car again and looked back, shooting Foxy a smile before beginning to back up the car enough to pull away, having parked just behind Natalie. "Sooo, how'd it go?"
"How do ya think?" Foxy answered vaguely. He answered a little more concretely by fishing out the photos and handing them over. Jeremy stopped the car to look at them and almost did a doubletake, taking them in hand and adjusting his glasses to get a better look. A smile broke across his face which caused Foxy to heat with budding embarrassment. He started to sink into the backseat.
"So that's Freddy! He looks a lot more friendly in person than the statues would have you believe," Jeremy said. He noticed Foxy sliding down and slid up to see him. "Looks like you had a good night."
Foxy gave a low groan.
"Sounds like you had a great night," Jeremy teased.
"I went in there to get information. I got a bunch of weird anecdotes and spent the whole night screwing around," Foxy lamented. To punctuate this, he pulled something out of his pouch and dropped it into Jeremy's hand. "Here's a candy bar."
"Hey, thanks. I could use… Lemon Chica Bar? That doesn't sound half bad," Jeremy murmured. He started to peel it open. "But I thought part of it was to check on Freddy too, and to see how the place is turning out. There's nothing wrong with having fun while doing that."
"He's a competitor. I can't forget that," Foxy said. He forced a stony tone as he looked out at the building with a tight glint in his eye.
Jeremy recognized it as him being dramatic and went ahead to point out the second photo in the list. "This one's my favorite."
Foxy perked back up. "Yeah, that was my idea. Bloody bear fired a laser directly into me eye! Lemme explain: so me and Freddy go over to check out the laser tag. We get in this place and it's a maze lit up in neon. I was half-blinded the second I walked in!" This quickly spiraled into one of Foxy's long somewhat exaggerated retellings, and Jeremy ate it up as quickly as he did that vaguely lemon tasting bar.
Foxy didn't look back at Freddy's. He hated Freddy's. He hated Fazbear Entertainment and he hated that this accursed place was opening. He hated that tomorrow he would have to begin fighting for his livelihood. He hated all of it.
Except Freddy. Freddy was okay.