Mable: Apparently updates are on Saturdays now. XD At least it's not a day I work? Ha ha, well, Enjoy!
Going Home in a Box
Chapter Thirty-Two
"Hello, uh… Hello?"
"Hey. It's me, Charlie."
"Well, hello, hello! Hey there, kiddo! How's Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizza Mall treating ya?"
Considering that Charlie was currently sitting on the cold tile floor behind the El Chip's counter with mariachi music looping endlessly in the background, and not shoved in a box in the back of the daycare, not too badly.
"Better than I thought it would. Is Baby awake? I need to talk to her."
"She sure is! Hang on just one second."
She looked around at the restaurant as she waited. In the distance she could hear a clanking and distant creaking, an ambience she noticed was constant in the Pizzaplex. She wondered if that was a result of machinery or the building being structurally unsound. Though the thought of construction looped her back to John and she quickly had to change topic. Afton Robotics, she thought. This place reminded her of Afton Robotics.
There was a shuffling on the line as the phone was picked up again.
"Okay! Here she is!"
Then the soft tapping of metal on plastic as the phone changed hands, followed by a familiar voice.
"Hello?"
Charlie wasn't sure why, but she felt a wave of relief at hearing Baby's voice. "Hey, it's me."
"Oh, hello. I take it that it hasn't gone too disastrously if you were able to call me," Baby remarked. "How is the "new" Freddy's?"
"It's a trip. At least the lighting's pretty trippy," she remarked. Baby made a little scoffing noise which brought a small smile to her face. "And you'll be happy to hear that there's been no sign of any Circus Baby or Funtime licensing anywhere."
"That's a relief," she said with a sigh. "…Although… You haven't seen anything even remotely similar? No chubby faced child character with her hair up in pigtails?"
"Nothing like that as far as I've seen," Charlie assured. She heard a discontented hum. "I'll keep looking around, but I think you're in the clear."
"No, it's not that. It's just…" Baby huffed a little. "It's very silly. I'm thankful that they don't have me in there, or have replaced me with some sort of copycat, but I… I think I may actually be disappointed that they didn't try to. Was I not good enough for them? That's a rhetorical question, I can already hear you fussing on the line."
"No, sorry. That's the mariachi music. I'm sitting in a big taco stand," Charlie corrected. She readjusted and leaned forward a little, as though to escape the speaker hanging above her head. "If it makes you feel any better, chances are they couldn't get ahold of your rights because they were all tied up in Afton Robotics and all of that. Same thing that happened with Foxy and Bonnie."
"Right… I wonder if they tried to get permission. I find it hard to believe that they could've forgotten the brand entirely. Circus Baby's was- mmm, could've been just as successful as Freddy's."
"The only thing holding it back was… you know, him. If he wasn't in the picture, it could've been a whole different story."
"I suppose it could have been. We could still be human right now too," Baby said somberly. Though after a beat she tacked on a less than enthused, "Working nine to five at Fry Me Taco just to pay rent. Coming home every evening with grease in our hair and meat under our nails, and that music is downright awful. It's looped three times since we've been on the phone."
"I know," Charlie agreed with a jingle. She leaned back against the wall. "But that doesn't sound too bad. It's kind of like a sitcom."
"Please. My life is a sitcom," Baby tutted. "But since you went through the effort of calling me, I suppose I can bear with the noise long enough to hear more. What did you see?"
"Oh, all sorts of things. There's Security Bots with a severe case of nearsightedness, there's a lot of neon, the whole place is in a sci-fi space theme- except for the beach and ocean themed party rooms, and the pirate themed movie they're playing over at the theater," Charlie said sarcastically. "Speaking of which, we met the Sun. Natalie was right, he sounds a lot like Ennard."
"Thank goodness you waited until he was out of the room to say that. He would've taken the phone right out of my hand. He's going half-mad about this whole thing."
"Well, he certainly doesn't act like him. So, don't let him worry about that…" Charlie paused for a long moment, making it clear that she was going to continue but unable to follow-up.
"What's wrong?" Baby asked.
"Nothing. Right now, we're hiding out in a big bounce castle. The place is huge, Baby. You wouldn't believe the size of it. Bigger than the auditoriums in Afton Robotics if you put both of them together, and there's an obstacle course and towers. I have to give them credit, they went all out. At least with this they did," Charlie explained.
Baby hummed to show she was listening, and listening she was. She noticed the change in Charlie's tone and knew there was something bothering her, answering the unasked question of why she had called.
"…And it was nice to spend some time the guys. You'd love Jess, I've got to get you two together in a situation that doesn't involve the risk of death or breaking and entering. But, you know, it reminded me a lot of the old days. Like when I was a kid and I used to play around at the restaurant with them. You just have to push aside all the weird feelings and focus on what it is, having fun."
"That sounds nice," Baby agreed. She took a moment before asking, "…Charlie, what happened?" Her voice now softer to gently coax it out. "I know something must've. I can tell."
"Can't slip one past you," Charlie said. She let any disguise drop as her voice fell with it. "Something happened alright."
"What was it?"
"We were having fun and just goofing off when I stopped to take a break and that's… when John got me alone."
"Oh no."
"Yes. And we started talking about how nice it was to be hanging out again and how he had trouble adjusting, and somehow, we got around to why he and Jessica broke up."
"Oh no."
"Right." She would've been amused by how aghast Baby sounded if not for how embarrassed she was recounting everything. Specifically, what she had said, what she had done, it all played back in her head in a very unflattering way. She sighed, "And it didn't end there."
"Let me guess," Baby interjected. Sounding both flustered and frustrated by the whole thing, and likely rolling her eyes as she spoke the following. "He still has feelings for you."
"And he wants to get back together. Start back up where we left off."
"…What?"
It was clear from that sudden reaction and the uncharacteristic raise in tone that Baby hadn't been making a real guess. Even though she had guessed the order of events correctly. It was the most obvious next step though she, like Charlie, assumed it wouldn't happen.
Baby was still silent, so Charlie finally spoke up. "Are you okay?"
"What- What was he thinking?" Baby sounded totally flustered now. Like she was barely holding back another eruption of emotion. "This must be- This IS the first time you two have spoken alone and he asks that in the same breath as he talks about having broken up with your friend, who couldn't have been far out of earshot. I can't believe it. I can't fathom that sheer amount of audacity."
"I know," Charlie agreed. The reaction finally getting a smile out of her, even if it was one aching with embarrassment. "I wasn't expecting it. Not that he'd want to get back together- though honestly, I didn't think he was going to want that now that I'm so… different. But that he'd make any motion towards it this soon. It was a total shock."
"Well then… What did you say?" Baby cautiously asked.
There was a long silence.
"You said yes," Baby guessed.
"No," Charlie tiredly admitted. "Even worse. I told him I'd 'think about it'. Which means I set myself up for another conversation and am leaving him in suspense for hours. Which isn't fair to him, but… I wasn't ready."
"Oh. No, that's fair," Baby said. She sounded a little less wound up- trying to hide her obvious relief by going back to her usual collected way of speaking. "And what are you thinking of?"
"I'm thinking of asking you what you think?" Charlie asked timidly. The tiny smile noticeable in her voice.
Baby was silent for a few moments.
"Why would it matter what I thought?" she finally asked. Her tone was unreadable. Charlie nervously clawed at the arm of her jacket.
"Because sometimes… sometimes I feel like you know me better than I know myself," she confessed. "And you're a good judge of character, and honest. I know you'll tell me what I need to hear."
Baby was silent again. Charlie patiently waited, assuming that she was considering what she was going to say, maybe leveling the pros and cons, and no doubt struggling to put her own feelings about John to make an unbiased decision.
She had no idea what silent turmoil she had just put Baby through.
Baby knew she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. No, worse than that. It was like she was stuck in a trash compactor that was slowly closing in around her, and the only way out was to answer a quiz question that she didn't have the answer to. She had a few options, but each one led to her sinking in deeper. Funny how she had effectively been given the say and still felt utterly powerless.
Because she could tell Charlie not to get back with John, but it would be solely a selfish move. She could come up with plenty of reasons why it was a bad idea for them to be together, but they all came from the same root: she didn't want them to be. She couldn't ever give an unbiased opinion in this state. She could barely hold back this long without blurting out how incredibly baffling this whole thing was.
The worst part was that she could've easily slipped back into those old patterns. She could've given into the urge to say no for her own desires and maybe she would've gone along with that, but the thought of betraying Charlie's trust like that already filled her with guilt. It would taint their friendship forever. She would never be able to forget what she did here.
Because she felt nothing for John, but maybe Charlie did, and maybe he was good for her, and she just couldn't see it. He was stable, an old flame, someone willing to ignore her transformation- obviously, if he was already pouncing on the opportunity. It didn't matter what Baby thought about him. It didn't matter what Baby felt about Charlie. All that mattered was what Charlie felt about John, and vice-versa.
It wasn't Baby's choice to make, so he wouldn't choose.
"I think… that maybe that's true… but in this case, I cannot make that decision for you," Baby quietly murmured. Her hesitation took Charlie by surprise.
"Really? I mean, you're right, but that doesn't mean you can't give your opinion on it. It'll help me out," she encouraged, hesitantly stringing out the words. "It's okay. I know you don't think much of John."
"I think he's painfully dull and I think he's being painfully inconsiderate waiting until now to pose this question," Baby admitted bitterly. She managed to reign it back in. "But I care about you and all that's important is what you think. If he is what you want, then… Yes, you should get back together with him."
There was a long pause on the line, one that Baby noticed right away.
"…Unless there is a reason you might not want to," she verbally nudged.
Charlie yanked at her sleeve and readjusted her legs. The floor wasn't comfortable, but not nearly as uncomfortable as facing this head-on. Though perhaps this was why she sought out Baby, knowing it would be a little easier to confess to her.
"For starters, I don't think what John and I was doing could technically be called dating. We went on maybe one or two dates, and they weren't exactly great… It wasn't anything he did. John's great. He's nice and funny, he listens…" Charlie trailed off for a moment. "…There's this one thing, but it's pretty stupid," she confessed.
"I'm used to stupid things. As you may recall, I live in a sitcom," Baby goaded. This brought a weak jingle out of Charlie.
There was one other thing itching to come out. Something she could never tell her friends or even Mike and Marionette. Something that she hated even admitting to, but she had a feeling that Baby would understand.
"He reminds me of my dad."
"…Oh."
She heard the way Baby's voice deflated. She knew exactly what she was going through and how painfully awkward it was to admit.
"That could be a problem."
"That IS a problem," Charlie blurted out. All at once letting the cool composure drop with that revelation. "He has hair almost like his, sometimes he acts like I think I remember him acting… And this isn't a new thing. That's part of the reason us dating was so… weird." She made a dry twang of sound. "I thought there was something wrong with me. That I just was having trouble dating John because I had been sheltered for most of my life and just wasn't social adept… And now, even as this, I feel like a more open person. Like I'm a little more emotionally stable, weirdly enough, and I'm STILL not able to form a relationship with him."
"Then why do you keep trying?" Baby asked.
"Because… I know that he has real feelings for me," Charlie admitted.
"That's not grounds to make yourself love him when you don't," the clown reminded. She then added quieter, "…Unless you do."
"I…"
Unless she did. Unless she loved John. Because if she did then who cared about the awkwardness and the different lives. They could rise up together and fight it, and she could return his love. She could return his love.
"…I don't think so," Charlie confessed.
"That could be a problem then," Baby considered. "Or perhaps it's not. People start dating all the time and love rarely has something to do with it. You should see these dramas Ennard watches. They go through three to four loves in a month. It's no happily ever after."
"I know… Where is Ennard? He's not listening, is he?"
"He's sitting out on the couch eating a frozen waffle. Still frozen."
"Good 'ol Ennard."
"Charlie, why did you really call me?" Baby finally and directly asked. Her tone growing firmer. Not out of annoyance, but a strictness to draw out the truth.
Charlie sat there a moment before sinking down into her jacket. "…To have you tell me to not date John," she admitted.
"Fine," Baby said. "Don't date him. If you do, I will mock you relentlessly."
That got out another smile, but it was short lived. There was what sounded like a thump through the wall and Charlie straightened up. She carefully lifted up against the wall to peek over the counter but, understandably, couldn't see anything since there weren't any windows. The noise seemed to come from Mazercise next door, so there wasn't a direct doorway into it like the arcade.
"You told me to say it," Baby huffed.
"No, that's not it. I think I hear someone…" Charlie whispered. Baby went silent and allowed her to listen for a little longer, and finally the Security Puppet slid back to the floor. "Okay, I think whatever it was moved on. Or maybe it's just noises. There's a lot of humming and creaking here. That's probably why they play music all the time." She sat there a moment before adding on, "I wish you came."
"Hmm?" Baby sounded surprised.
"We could've really torn up this place. Maybe not the bounce castle, but there's three floors of escalators we could've had fun with," Charlie said. Baby made a more amused sounding little scoff. "We've really got to figure out somewhere elsewhere we can go. Scott's house is great and all, but you know."
"I would eagerly break back into that same mall if there was even the slightest chance that they had anything in my size," Baby remarked. "…But I agree. As much as I loathe Freddy's, I might've put aside those feelings to go with you. If simply for the skating space." She paused and Charlie could faintly hear the sound of her moving her wheels on the carpet. "But you wouldn't have wanted me there."
"That's not true."
"Yes, it is. I would've put up a huge fuss over John's inadequate timing and embarrassed everyone, including myself."
"…Good point." Charlie couldn't help but smile again. "Thanks, Baby. For being here, even if you're not here."
"Now, are you feeling better or are you covering?"
"I… Both."
"I suppose that's good enough for now," Baby concluded.
Though by that point Charlie had pulled the phone away from her head and was listening again. She had heard something again, though this time it was louder than a thump. It sounded almost like a door clattering closed. She listened closer and felt panic creeping up when she noticed the sound of footsteps out in the atrium closing the distance between Mazercise and El Chip's security door.
"Charlie?"
"There are definitely footsteps outside," Charlie whispered into the receiver.
"Is it Natalie? Or the Rabbit?"
"No, too heavy. It's an animatronic," she said. She started to slowly edge towards the corner of the wall leading into the kitchen. "It might be Freddy, but… I have to let you go for a second. I'm not hanging up."
"Yes. Go hide," Baby encouraged. Charlie could hear the edge of dread in her voice, and it was enough to send her moving. She released the phone, letting it swing by the end of its cord under the receiver.
Charlie got back into the kitchen and around the shelves until she was tucked in the corner behind the door. Just in case she needed a quick escape, or at least the best chance of a hiding spot in the kitchen. The cabinets looked too small to climb into soundlessly. Maybe if she had more time, but the security door was already sliding open.
She really hoped it was Freddy, but she had a feeling that it wasn't. That feeling turned out to be correct.
"Helloooo?" a feminine voice called through. There was a mechanical squeak as she bent over to slip under the door. "Don't be shy, Honey. I already know you're here. I just want to help! I know all about boy trouble~."
It had to be Glamrock Chica and she spoke like she was friendly, but there was an undertone that was anything but. Something sinister hiding behind her words. Less assuring and encouraging and more attempting to lure her into a false sense of security. She didn't fall for it.
"Hmm…" Chica scanned the room and then the area past the counter, and it didn't take her too long to notice the phone dangling from its cord. "Hmm…" she hummed knowingly and walked over.
She lifted herself up onto the counter and leaned as far as she could over until her fingers caught the cord. She then snapped the receiver to her, sliding her hand up the cord and catching it, and pulling it up to her head.
"Is anybody there?" Chica asked. She wrapped a finger in the cord and lightly kicked her feet behind her. The line was deathly quiet. "Sorry, but the Pizzaplex is closed. Ya'll call back now, ya hear?"
She then released the phone, watching it swing down and smack against the wall before hopping back off the counter. She then began to slowly saunter her way to the end of the counter and towards the kitchen door. She began to slowly push it open, poking her face into the crack of the door.
"Is somebody looking for a late-night snack?" she cooed. She then pushed the door open and strode into the kitchen. Charlie caught it and coaxed it open the rest of the way so she could hide behind it. "I know you're in here. Don't worry, I'm not going to tell! I bet you're awfully hungry. How about we split a couple of tacos and have a nice chat? It'll be a girl's night!" Her voice was more bubbly and less sinister, but it was obvious to Charlie that it was still a ruse.
Chica gave a little 'hmph' and put her hands on her hips. The slid off as she began to walk around the kitchen and look around the sparse pieces of furniture, even open a few cabinets. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!~"
Charlie shifted the door enough to peek out and watched as Chica stopped on the other side of the room to poke around some boxes. She quickly ducked back in when the animatronic's head started to slowly turn, and she was out of sight as it turned all the way around to get a full view of the room. Though in the process Chica had noticed something. Her head smoothly spun forward again as her eyes locked on the prize.
The nacho cheese dispensers. Someone forgot to put on the safety caps.
Chica narrowed her gaze as she looked back towards the counter and around the kitchen. She couldn't see anybody or any obvious hiding spots, even though she knew they were there. Still, she couldn't pass up an opportunity like this.
Charlie heard Chica messing with something on the other side of the room and dared to peek out. She caught Chica with her head under the cheese dispenser, completely backwards, beak opened, and pumping nacho cheese in clumpy gulps directly into her mouth. Some of it splattering on her cheek or oozing out the edge of her mouth.
As bizarre as that all was, this left her an excellent opening. The angle Chica was in meant that the door wasn't in her peripheral, which meant maybe she could sneak out. Staying close to the floor, Charlie nudged the door open slightly before smoothly crawling around it, one hand tight on her prong's bell to make sure it kept silent, the other balancing her on the floor. She moved with every pump, carefully sliding back, shifting out the doorway.
She caught the door with her fingers and slowly pulled it with her, and only released it when she began to feel tension. Though by then it was halfway closed. It almost looked natural. Anyone could've believed it drifted closed itself.
Now Charlie was out of the kitchen, but it was no time to get cocky. She continued to crawl along the wall and around the counter at the front of the restaurant, then looked across at the security door. She knew what was going to happen when she started opening the door. Likely, Chica was going to hear her, and she could only hope she would be too caught up in her current position to get to her.
She peeked over the counter one last time to make sure Chica was still chugging cheese before going ahead and silently crawling the short distance to the security door. It began to automatically open.
Chica let out a sputtering noise and was thumping towards the kitchen door in seconds, but the security door was just fast enough that Charlie could slide underneath. Or she was going to before a beam of light crawled across the floor in front of her, outside of the restaurant. She couldn't tell if it was Natalie or a Security Bot, or something else, but she knew she was stuck.
Charlie admittedly panicked and in a last-ditch effort to not set off every security alert in the building, she hastily sprinted and dove over the counter. Disappearing from sight right as Chica staggered around the corner. She quickly took her position back behind the kitchen door as Chica stomped around out front.
"Were you trying to sneak out? That's not nice! I was only trying to help," Chica said. The irritation starting to edge through her voice as she wiped her mouth, smearing cheese across it. "No more games. You better come out."
Then she proceeded to stand guard in front of the security door and look into the kitchen like a hawk. She wasn't going to be moving anytime soon, Charlie got that much, and is Roxanne, Monty, or Natalie appeared then the whole thing was blown. She had to get out of here and find a way back downstairs.
There was only one other way out of El Chip's, and that was through the arcade. She had briefly peeked into the attached arcade earlier when she was up here with her friends and knew it was huge. She also knew there was a security door leading from it to the atrium, though it was likely shut tight. It was still her best bet, especially because she could radio Mike from in there and figure out a plan.
Of course, that meant going through another security door and alerting Chica again, but in this case the arcade was much larger and more than adequate a hiding spot. In fact, if Chica moved slow enough, she could've very well hustled back into the kitchen, or hid beside the security door in the arcade and slipped back inside after Chica went through and before the door could close. She could lose her entirely.
It was worth a shot because she couldn't just hide out in the kitchen forever. Charlie steadied herself and slipped around the door until she was crouched in the doorway staring down the security door.
Then she made a run for it, moving quickly and quietly before sliding in at the base of the security door, ready to roll under the second the door lifted high enough for her to do so. She could hear Chica's footsteps thumping after her, but she was just as quick to make it to the next security door and watched as it lifted up and revealed the dark arcade laying beyond, illuminated by neon strips along the walls and waving along pillars.
Directly in front of her were two strips of red couches set in a wavy patterning and leading out towards the arcade proper. Other than a cluster of pool tables to her immediate left, there weren't many arcade machines back here, but there was plenty of space to run and hide, which was exactly what she did. Charlie broke into a sprint and raced off into the arcade to find a place to hide.
Chica would've been hot on the heels of the woman in the purple jacket when her eyes suddenly focused on her legs. Her inhumanely slender, entirely bare, and pure pitch-black legs.
"BWAK?!" she choked in surprise. She straightened so fast that she teetered on her feet, staring after the retreating animatronic until it disappeared with wide eyes.
Then a violent twitch spread through her body and her pupils shrunk as her eyes focused in. This was not a human; this was a major breach of protocol. She lurched forward in an awkward stagger before hastily stomping after her target.
Charlie had gotten up against the right wall and behind some arcade machines in a curved corner. She discovered while running over here that though there were no animatronics in the arcade, it was far from empty. There were Staff Bots in here. A few Security Bots were doing loops through the length of the arcade while as many cleaning bots were dotted around mopping the floor. One as close as being on the other side of the machines, though it hadn't noticed her.
She listened for Chica and with her still thumping around on the other side of the arcade, she started to look around for better cover or another way out. She found the latter in the form of a red and blue door on the wall further ahead.
Charlie crept out long enough to try the handle, but found the door locked tight. She turned around to retreat back into her hiding spot, noticing Chica fumbling past a counter in the middle of the room. She was moving weird, differently to before. She always had a weird sway to her walking, but now her motions were much stiffer, and she was feverishly looking around as she did so. Charlie got behind the line of cabinets before she could come over.
Even though Chica was still in the middle of the room, Charlie could hear her voice echoing through clearly.
"You're not supposed to be here. Wandering around all on your lonesome. That's against the rules," the other animatronic lulled. Her tone had changed once more, becoming somehow more sinister than originally. "If any of the technicians find you, they'll take you straight to the furnace. You don't want that, do you? I can help you. Just come out and I won't tell anybody that I saw an unauthorized animatronic walking around where she doesn't belong."
The talk of a furnace didn't help things, and it did little to encourage Charlie to reveal herself. Though she felt like even Chica knew that they had passed that option long ago.
The more concerning thing was that the animatronic was starting to edge in her direction. Apparently, she must've noticed how far the footsteps went because she was staying in the general area, circling around other clusters of machines, and searching for the Security Puppet. Her hiding spot wasn't exactly great either, it just seemed less obvious than racing into a bathroom. Chica wasn't checking them now, but she definitely would've heard one of the doors.
Chica must've heard something though because she was coming closer. She walked down the length of the counted and at that point Charlie had to crawl around and hide behind the end of the line of arcade cabinets, elsewise Chica would've already seen her. It sounded like she had slowed down and Charlie couldn't tell if she was imagining it or not if she was actually looking as closely as she imagined.
Charlie considered running for it, she tried to judge the arc she would have to run in to equally dodge Chica and not get stuck against the wall, but in the end, she decided to stay put and pull out her taser. This time she wasn't going to let it get yanked out of her hand. This time she was going to use it, because she was quite literally backed into a corner.
This was the moment that would make or break her escape.
And that moment was interrupted by a familiar alarm blaring from the direction of the El Chip's entrance. It was the same noise the Security Bot had made when it detected Mike and Marionette in the charging station.
Chica instantly spun around and broke into a shuffling sprint towards the sound of the alarm. Charlie didn't miss the fact that Chica was running a lot faster now that she had in El Chip's. Something had changed, and she suspected it was something that turned over the moment it became clear that she wasn't human. She peeked out and caught the back end of the chicken as she disappeared past the counter.
Only to then watch someone else quickly sprint past her and make a run further into the arcade, the sound their footsteps masked by the noise the Staff Bot was making. Charlie was stunned to recognize it as being Jessica, who continued back into the arcade while looking around frantically. Looking for her, Charlie realized, and after only a second of deliberation she was after her too.
The arcade turned into a wide hall after the bathroom and she caught a glimpse of Jessica disappearing around the next corner as she ran down it, not daring to call for her. She sped up, tapping softly on the cool tiled floor, and came around the corner and into a section filled with clusters of photo booths. Her eyes immediately locked on the movement of a curtain and she ran to that booth and hopped in.
Jessica cut off a scream by clamping her hands over her mouth and let them drop with a sigh of relief once she realized it was Charlie squeezing in beside her.
"Where did you come from?" the puppet whispered.
"I could ask you the same thing!" Jessica retorted. She slid back further to give Charlie more room and explained, "I saw Chica come in and when the door opened and you didn't come out, I figured I'd come in and get you myself."
"You were outside?" Charlie asked surprised. Jessica nodded, and an uneasy look passed her mask. "You didn't hear what I was talking about on the phone, did you…?"
"No, I was further down. I just wanted to keep an eye out for you since Freddy said you came up here alone," the blond explained. It was clear that she was being truthful, not that she would've doubted her. "Think she'll find us here?"
"I…I don't know. I know she's dead set on finding me and these are the most obvious hiding spots, so she might start pulling back curtains until she's checked every one."
Jessica frowned worriedly while Charlie got out her radio.
"But she's still out of earshot so first thing's first…" Charlie pressed the call button. "Mike, can you hear me? Jessica and I are up in the arcade and Chica's got us cornered."
The bounce park's security office surprised Mike because it was exactly what he expected it to be. It wasn't a big room that was wall-to-wall in screens with high-tech equipment and lit by a neon glow, but a tiny, cramped space with a desk shoved in, a couple of monitors, and exactly one security door with a glass window looking out to the hall leading to it. There was a door in the back, but much to his amusement he found that it led to a closet-sized bathroom.
Mike dropped into the office chair and kicked his feet up on the desk. It was awfully nostalgic, down to the animatronics crowding in the doorway. Marionette was standing beside Mike with his arms crossed, facing the wall with his back towards Freddy. An effect that would've been a lot more potent if they weren't all cramped in there. Freddy stood directly behind him, half out of the doorway, waiting obediently for whatever was coming.
"…When did you first see me?" Marionette finally and somewhat unexpectedly asked. Freddy's ears perked attentively as the Puppet turned to face him. "It was outside the daycare, was it not?"
"Ah… No. It was back at the recharge station. I saw you leaning over the railing above us, but I did not say anything," Freddy answered. This was a surprise to both listeners.
Mike couldn't understand why Marionette couldn't feel Freddy looking at him. Marionette could though. The more people had looked at him, the more comfortable he got working at the pizzeria and spending time with other people, the weaker that reflex had become. Now he could miss it if he wasn't paying full attention, and at the time he had almost all his attention on snaring Roxanne Wolf. That… was something he had to think about from now on.
"I see. Why didn't you warn Roxanne that I was there? I know she must be your friend," the Puppet asked.
"She is! But when I saw you, I recognized you from the Foxy cartoon. I assumed that you had come here with him, as he has spoken about you before," Freddy continued. He perked a little. "Plus, I could detect your security receiver frequency: Unrecognized Frequency FZ554. That verified that you were a former Freddy Fazbear animatronic performer!"
"What?" Marionette asked blankly. Mike's brows silently shot up as he mouthed the same question.
"Your security receiver frequency; the frequency for which you are aligned with the security protocols. I recognized the 'FZ' as being a Fazbear identifier, which would make sense considering that you, like Foxy, are retired- erm- repositioned Fazbear characters. I too have a frequency code! Mine is FZ901."
The Puppet stared at him wide-eyed for a moment before shaking it off.
"Freddy, you really shouldn't volunteer that information to someone you just met," Marionette said with exasperation. "Someone could use that code for their own means. I had someone try to use mine to trick me once. It was terrible."
"Oh… I am sorry to hear that. I just thought that it was only fair since I could detect yours," Freddy explained. "And I believe that is why the Security Bot was reacting to the recharge station. It must have detected your signal and believed that you were inside."
"I've noticed that they've been following me," he remarked. Freddy didn't seem to have anything to say to that. "And you thought Mike was Foxy."
"I did. If not when I saw you here, then when I looked in and saw him wearing his jacket. I assumed that you were trying to protect him. That was why I stepped in and told Roxy the story that I did… I do not want to lie to her, but I know what may happen if Foxy gets caught," Freddy said somberly.
"I can tell you care about him," Marionette said. It was unclear if he really did or if he was just saying that to drag out more answers.
"I do! He is a very good friend of mine," he said. "...And I am very aware that what we have been doing is wrong. Just like allowing your friends to stay without telling the Security Officer, I have been letting Foxy stay in the Pizzaplex and enjoy the attractions without paying- but I believe this is a good thing! We do not need to be competitive rivals. We can be friendly rivals! And perhaps someday we can have a crossover album."
"Yeah, that's not happening," Mike thought. He might've said it out loud if not for the situation at hand. He was giving Marionette full control of this conversation; he was just here for backup. Watching the cameras and minding his business.
"Well, Foxy is very fond of you too. I can tell. He doesn't normally warm up to people so quickly, let alone other animatronics. We have had… a mixed history with them to say the least," Marionette explained. He hesitated a moment before deciding to go ahead and rip off the band-aid. "How long have you… been awake?"
"You mean my activation? A few weeks, or perhaps a few months. I cannot remember the exact date."
"Can you remember being activated?" Marionette asked. "What is the first thing you can recall?"
"The first thing I remember was…" Freddy hesitated, looking down with a thoughtful expression as his eyes slid slowly across the floor in thought. His fingers tapping on the doorframe. Then he straightened, as though it suddenly came to him. "Ah, yes! I was in a recharge station. One of my bandmates was outside looking in at me. I knew who they were, but I did not know how I got into the recharge station."
"Who was it?" Marionette asked. Freddy visibly hesitated. He actually tensed for a moment, giving it away completely.
"I… I cannot recall," he finally said. His ears lowered a little.
"He's lying. He knows exactly who it is," Mike thought. "Well, we know the Sun's been around a while and he's been doing damage control for him all night-."
"That's fine… On another topic, how long has the Sun been awake?"
Mike smirked a little, glad to see that he and Marionette were still on the same page.
"I am not sure. Longer than I have been. It seems I was the last to wake up," Freddy explained. Before the Puppet could pose another question, he gave a pensive and audible hum.
"What's wrong?" Marionette asked with a tilt of his head.
"It is just… Foxy asked me the same question," Freddy mused.
"I'm not shocked. We don't meet too many new souls," Marionette assured.
But Freddy seemed bothered by something. He hummed again, looking down in thought, and was given the time he needed to process whatever it was. What eventually came was not what was expected.
"May I ask you a question too?" Freddy asked, and Marionette nodded. "Have you seen a rabbit lady?"
Funny how the whole 'woman in a rabbit suit' thing was so ridiculous and yet the solemn way Freddy asked that immediately sent creeping sensation down Mike's spine.
"I have not, but I have heard about her," Marionette said. "Have you seen her?"
"I too have not but there are others who have... There was a child who was locked in the Pizzaplex overnight who told me that he had seen her, and just earlier tonight, Sunny warned me about the rabbit as well," Freddy explained. A look of concern settled on his face. "I feel as though something is happening and everyone knows except for me. I do not like this feeling. It makes me feel unsafe."
Marionette stared at Freddy silently for a long moment. The bear returned the gaze with one of uncertainty and questioning. He wasn't acting, Marionette realized then. He really didn't know.
"…You don't know about the children who went missing?" Marionette quietly asked.
"The rumors?"
"Those weren't rumors, Freddy. Years ago, long before the last Freddy's closed its doors, numerous children went missing at Freddy's. Or that's what was believed. In actuality, there was a man in a rabbit suit who lured them away-." Marionette cut off his explanation when Freddy suddenly snapped to alert with a startled blink. "Do you know what I'm talking about? Do you remember?"
"No, I just got a security alert. From Chica, it seems. She is up in…" His eyes widened with a gasp, and he quickly looked between him and Mike. "She is in the Superstar-cade!"
"I'm assuming that's bad for us," Mike finally said.
"Yes! Charlie went to El Chip's to make a phone call, and the Superstar-cade is connected directly to it!"
"What?!" Mike jolted up from the office chair. "Why didn't you say anything?!"
"I told that young lady who was accompanying you, but I should have also told you. This is terrible! I thought Chica was still in her room!" Freddy seemed genuinely panicked, but not nearly as much as the two of them were.
Marionette gave a startled chime while Mike immediately ran out of the office without another word, with both animatronics quick to follow after him. It didn't take long to get back out to the main room, and they continued running along the solid flooring stretching down the wall towards the front. As they did, Mike called back across the room.
"Hey! Charlie's in trouble and we're going to go get her! All of you stay here, we've got it under control!" he yelled. Honestly, he just didn't want more people to get underfoot, though his request fell on deaf ears as the second they heard it, John and Carlton came running. Though they had a lot more distance to cover and nobody was waiting for them.
The three were just about to make it to the security door when there was a crackle over the radio, followed by the voice of Charlie herself.
"Mike, can you hear me? Jessica and I are up in the arcade and Chica's got us cornered."
Mike snatched up his radio and replied. "We hear you and we're already on our way!... Wait, Jessica is up there too-? Forget it, just lay low, hide somewhere, and we'll be there in two seconds. Three tops."
He wasn't expecting a third voice to suddenly chime back in.
"Chica's sent out a security alert, so it's not going to just be her for long. You've got to get out of there fast," Jake warned over the line. "I don't know where you are, but there's a tunnel that leads between the arcade and the Prize Counter. If you can get through there, you can probably hide out or take the elevator down into the lobby. Or take the fire escape. There's a roof access in there too. Anything's better than staying still."
"Jake's right. We're in a really bad hiding spot," Charlie confessed. "…Chica's still down by El Chip's. I think we can make a run for it."
"…Yeah, go for it. We'll find a way up," Mike almost reluctantly agreed. They just made it through the security door and were only a few steps in when Freddy suddenly sprinted past them.
"Follow me. There is an elevator in the lobby that leads directly up to the Prize Counter," he said. Mike didn't question it since Marionette had already started after him, apparently trusting him to lead the way.
The Over-the-Moon Bounce Park's entrance was down a hall that was connected with a hallway that led directly under El Chip's, only a little ways away from the assumed entrance to Chica's Cupcake Factory or Bakery. It led to a walkway that looked down on the Kid's Cove playground and the entrance to Monty's Golf and ended in another security door beside the escalators.
Freddy took a sharp left and started to lead back towards the lobby and had almost made it when he noticed the familiar thumping of footsteps nearby. Monty and Roxanne were down on the first floor, and he couldn't be sure which escalator they were going to take to come up. At the last moment he decided to take a sharp veer to the left. "This way!"
Marionette caught sight of Roxanne coming up one of the escalators behind them, so when Mike hesitated only for a moment, he gave him a firm shove and that sent him going again. Though it didn't take him long to remember that there was that second daycare entrance through the lobby. They were in through the security door and heading down the stairs before they could be noticed.
They tore through yet another security door and through the daycare lobby. Freddy took the long way around the fountain while Mike decided to take the shortcut and went straight through, stepping over the square platforms and splashing through the shallow water.
"Mike, that is a fountain!" Freddy cried.
"Oh hell, really?! I was wondering where all this water came from," he retorted sarcastically. He slipped slightly while coming out the other side but caught himself and continued running, now following Marionette who had taken the lead.
Marionette threw the doors open with his telekinesis and started to enter the lobby before suddenly looping around and coming right back. Mike barely skidding to a stop before running into him.
"The 'night guard' is down there," Marionette said tensely. Tensely in a warning more than of dread. Not that he would hurt Natalie, but more that he was about to blow their cover if they didn't figure out something fast.
That fast solution was none other than Freddy Fazbear who ran by with a, "Leave it to me!" and went straight down the stairs towards her.
Natalie was briskly walking around the fountain towards the other set of stairs when Freddy came racing down the other side.
"Did you get the alert too?" she asked.
"Yes, I did. That is what I came to tell you about," Freddy said as he jogged up. Much to her surprise and confusion, he suddenly walked up on her until he was practically standing on top of her.
"Whoa! A little too close, Big Guy," Natalie said. She took a step back only for him to step in close again.
"My apologies, but I must stand close so nobody else hears," he explained. "It is… of a sensitive nature."
"Oookay?" she said, half-asking. "What is it?"
"A few nights ago, I was in the lobby of Fazer Blast when I heard a peculiar noise coming from inside. I thought that, perhaps, it was a late-night technician. Technicians do occasionally stay late to test the attractions, but this was a very strange noise, so I alone decided to investigate. But I did not go unarmed. I took with me the golden Fazerblaster, the most rare and valuable Fazerblaster of them all, and entered into the arena. Much to my surprise, I found the entire arena swarming with Staff Bots. But they were not normal Staff Bots. They were fully painted green with large black eyes. The moment they saw me they all drew their own Fazerblasters! I was surrounded."
Mike and Marionette made their way down the wall before crossing to the elevator and pressing the button. It opened with a ding and almost instantly they were both hit with a foul odor. Mike ignored it and slipped inside, crouched down, and reached up to press the button before covering his mouth with his sleeve. Marionette knelt beside him as the doors closed and the elevator began to rise.
Natalie briefly started to lean to look past at the elevator, but Freddy smoothly leaned as well to block her vision. "Someone just went up the elevator," she said.
"It may have been Monty or Roxy. Or perhaps I triggered the elevator from walking by," Freddy suggested. "But as I was saying- I was surrounded by a crowd of alien Staff Bots. Thinking quickly, I ducked behind the nearest wall and pulled out my trusty golden Fazblaster! I knew that I was in for quite a battle-."
Meanwhile, Mike hadn't felt this nauseous in an elevator since the time he had almost bled out in one.
"This must be that rancid elevator that guy was going on about," he muttered into his sleeve. A sleeve that already smelled a little stuffy. "Oh yeah, this hoodie is going to be wrecked by time we get out of here."
He looked to Marionette to notice that he had a distressed look. His brow was furrowed and he had a discontent frown on his face. Taking sympathy, Mike reached for his hand.
"Hey, we're going to get to them. They could be up there waiting for us," he pointed out. That didn't seem to ease Marionette's mind. Not from the slow motion of him looking over, or the soft ticking beginning in his chest. Mike didn't like that look, nor the way it felt like it put an iron ball in his stomach. "…What?" he asked.
"…It smells like decomposition in here," Marionette whispered.
A rather gentle way to say it smelled like a rotting body. A rather subdued reaction when paired with a look that suggested anything but.
"Oh boy," Mike said, barely resisting the urge to say something much less clean. His own eyes widened, and he might've very well broke into another sweat as he noticed that foul, fruity odor in the air. "That's bad."
"I'm wrong I'm sure," Marionette said. He laid his free hand atop Mike's. "…Let's just worry about Charlie and Jessica. They need all of our attention."
Which inadvertently warned Mike that he was absolutely certain of the smell on the air. He felt even more sick at that, but now it was the familiar sourness of panic welling in his gut. Mike stubbornly swallowed it down, squeezed Marionette's hand, and focused on the job at hand. Then they could figure out the next step.
Even if that meant looking for something they really didn't want to find.
For once, he really, really hoped Marionette was wrong.
John and Carlton hadn't been nearly as lucky as Mike, Marionette, and Freddy had been. They had gotten into the atrium around the same time that Roxanne and Monty had started climbing the escalators and had to lay low in hiding until the two bots were up on the third floor. By then they had been totally left behind and only knew where the three had gone by being able to see over Kids Cove.
By time the two got down to the daycare lobby, the security door was open, and the Nanny Bot was waiting outside. They were planning to just blow past and continue towards the other door when the Nanny Bot started to flag after them, waving its arms and rolling after them while making a short alert noise. This got John to stop and Carlton to a moment afterwards.
The Nanny Bot waved them in before turning and rolling into the doorway and stopping there to keep the door open.
John considered it for a couple of seconds before deciding to follow.
"This seems like a great idea," Carlton muttered under his breath. Those complaints aside, he still begrudgingly followed him back into the daycare.
Even though he followed the Nanny Bot, John was still cautious as he walked back into the daycare. At least the lights were still on and there was no sign of the Daycare Attendant.
"Hey!" a voice called. John recognized it as the voice from the radio, Jake, and he followed it towards the slide.
Through the netting he could see that there was someone hiding in the balcony above the daycare with the curtain pulled around them. This would've been strange if Charlie hadn't informed them about his true nature.
"I have a plan and I need your help!" Jake continued
"If it's for Charlie and Jess, we're in. Where do you need us?" John called back. Carlton looked a little uneasy at being spontaneously volunteered but didn't disagree.
"First thing's first, we have to get the overhead lights on in the atrium."
Mable: This is the greatest plan~.