ECLIPSE
They made it to the main lobby.
It had been a major pain to get there, and it took longer than anticipated- even though they've managed to find themselves at the atrium and bee-lined it straight towards the front of the building. This took well over half an hour already- what with the amount of debris they had to clear in order to get through and them trying to get out of the utility tunnels in relative silence (as to not try and disturb the resident giant many-headed beast). Once they got to the elevator shaft separating the atrium from the entrance, the four bots had to climb down it and pry open a maintenance door in the elevator's ceiling itself in order to get through. True to form and as Gregory and Cassie said, they got to the lobby and took in the amount of ways the Mimic and the thing can escape from:
Its only the two ways, but its two too many already. As Gregory said, they had to seal the elevator back behind them and took in the sight of the destroyed lobby; aureate rays of sunlight shining into the PizzaPlex from the newspaper laden entryway. It gave the place a strange, spectral, almost quaintly warm glow. Despite all the darkness and dreary lighting located throughout the rest of their former home, this place felt almost... peaceful, in comparison. Welcoming.
Freddy had been here with Vanessa and Gregory when they first arrived just a while ago, but even he was taking in just how strange this place felt in at this time of day. It seemed too removed from the rest of the PizzaPlex; and besides human trespassers coming in sometimes to graffiti everywhere, this area was remarkably different in terms of tone compared to the rest of the ruins. They assumed its because of the windows- as it seems this area of the PizzaPlex is the ONLY place with such a feature. A strange design choice that's made the rest of their home feel more prison than anything; but its sadly paid off in this instance.
Chica meanwhile has never really seen her own home in such complexity- she, Roxanne or Eclipse. So the other 3 bots somewhat meandered around in place as if lost amidst their reverie. Eclipse was the one who stepped out into the beams of sunlight and stretched out his hands first- as if he could touch the light itself. He was quiet for a long moment; simply flexing his fingers and watching the play of light on his body. After a minute like this, he stepped fully out into it and looked up-
A way out.
Sun's memory came back to him; unbidden. The times the jester would stop to watch as the patrons left with the kids; the times he's stared out into the wild world with Bonnie in contemplative comradery. To see and truly absorb the spectral, almost ethereal beauty of the tantalizing realm beyond the looking glass- Yes, these were Sun's memories, but Eclipse can recall them just as well.
The glass only a few meters above had a hole in it big enough for all of them to comfortably fit through; and a ladder stretching up right there- as if to tease them with how easy it was to stroll on out. To see such a plainly visible means of escape and not take it now was frustrating, but it showed that they can indeed leave if ever they wanted. The idea was dizzying; as if all the power in the world was being offered to them.
Eclipse meanwhile actually took a moment to sit. He didn't seem concerned with any dangers; nothing weighed on him as he reflected on the sensation of sunlight hitting his body and the weird, pervasive sense of warmth that followed it. He relished it; sighed, and played with its gnarled shadows for that blissful moment. The smell of fresh air coming in from the lazy breeze beyond was so alien. Yes, they had things to do and dangers to face, but this moment felt like its one to savor.
At length, he turned to look at the other bots; the group joining his side and watching the real sun from beyond the partially-covered glass panels. To actually see it and be blinded by its glaring magnificence was another feeling entirely. Freddy was used to it, but he took that moment to savor it with his friends beside him. The bear was smiling gently, watching his friends each play with the rays.
Finally, someone spoke up.
"You... you lived out in this? For a little while?" Roxy questioned the bear. Her tone was enigmatically cryptic and distant; as if not sure how to feel.
Freddy nodded vaguely, "Its nice... But I felt like I could not really enjoy it up until now. Even in a nice, cozy home and placid quietude, I felt incomplete without having you all at my side." He stretched out his paw and flexed it; watching as his fingers casted long-boned shadows across the marred floor. His tone lowered considerably; the sound mournful and vulnerable as he admitted, "I spent many nights sequestered in a room or two at the new house; with my mind forcibly arrested upon how you all were and what you are doing. I could not get a true respite knowing I was out there by myself and you remain locked away. I even, after a while, began to feel ashamed for my continued existence."
His head hung, and Eclipse can see the moment when his spat with Bonnie earlier was hitting him anew. The bear balled up his paw briefly before flexing it back open; his fangs gritted. "I love Gregory and Vanessa; as surprising as that may come off to you all. Vanessa and the cub did everything they could to make me feel not so... cut off, from my own emotions. To help me dream again. To help me realize that having a dream isn't something to be ashamed of. Once we get Monty and Bonnie here too-" He turned to look them all in the eye in-turn. His tone became whimsical, reverent, "-I'll count this little aspiration as one that's come true in its entirety. And then, I will have many more to share with you all!"
Chica passed him a wary glance, tugging on her constantly busy fingers as if unsure of what to do with them. "Weren't you saying not so long that we'll still need another vehicle? Like, so we can leave together?" She frowned and looked away, "I still don't know if... if maybe, we can go at ALL. I don't want to start believing in that, just for it to be taken away. I don't think I can stand that..."
"Nor I," Roxy admitted next to her.
Freddy's next expression, though a tad odd on his slightly marred visage, was just as warming as the god-rays shining into the plex. He passed them all -yes, Eclipse too- a reassuring smile. "We will get out of here, I swear on that. And even if we cannot, I will not go without you. I will not do so again. I've told Vanessa this much-" His expression grew leaden there, "And while she did not like it, I meant it: I refuse to take one more step into the future if it means everything I love has to remain in the past."
Chica hummed noncommittally; looking less and less like the hen Eclipse (or rather, his alters) have previously known. Even the jester knew that hen used to be confident and loud- but this person in front of him? She and Roxy both couldn't be more a far cry from the bots they used to be.
"As to this van-" The bear returned to the prior topic, his tone strengthening. He also produced a gusty exhalation; his motor and compressor whirring slightly more loudly as a response to that, "-We will need an additional one, yes. The loading docks are not far away from here. I believe we can take the chance to check them out after we get done with this. Once we do that, we will be home free."
Freedom. It is within our grasp, thought the former attendant.
Eclipse blinked; standing slowly to his feet and frenetically pulling his wrists. The temptation to just run outside now was there, but they had an endo to catch and friends to help. He sighed, then turned to the bear, "When we get out... what would we do with ourselves?"
"Anything," Freddy replied so easily that it seemed the most obvious answer in the world. "You can do whatever you want, within lawful reasoning of course! You can try new paints, for one. I know you like painting, and I know the stuff in the daycare has always been limited in terms of scope and use." He waved at the attendant there, "-But imagine having an oil paint set and drawing whatever you desire! Or doing 1000 piece puzzles instead of the 100 piece I know you had to deal with."
Freddy touched the jester on the shoulder, surprising the lankier bot somewhat, "-You are not limited to what you have here anymore. We do not need to be bogged down by it neither. While it may be possible our level of functionality is still limited once we do leave, at least know that freedom you experience once you set foot outside of here will still truly be yours. No one can take that away from you, nor can they do so ever again."
"Could I drive a real car?" Roxy blurted out super fast, suddenly looking as bouncy as Chica in the kitchens during its busiest hours. Her tail tip was wiggling so fast it was batting the hen in the shins. She was suddenly in Freddy's face; practically nose-to-nose with him. "I wanna go fast. Can I do that? Can I drive the karts or a car for once?"
"I do not see why not! As long as you don't... hit anyone," Freddy sheepishly reciprocated- no doubt remembering her penchant to run down the S.T.A.F.F bots.
"I wouldn't!" Roxy asserted. "I just- I'm so tired of being told I'm too big to drive in my own track! I mean, I never let that stop me from taking the karts out, but... I had to sneak around to do that. I did it after hours..." She growled. "Cromwell kept telling me how I should behave and to stop doing that. I wasn't allowed do more than work on the karts and watch other winners drive by while he told me to sit on the sidelines..."
She paused, blinked several times fast, and her tone lowered, "I always felt like I was the one finishing in last place every time a child crosses my path with a kart with my face on it. I mean, I'm a mascot of my own race track but couldn't participate in my own attraction? Why the heck not? They gave me the eyes so I can win! And yet I was programmed to so strongly desire racing and NOT be a part of it? Its so STUPID." She sounded truly lost at the end there, her tone ponderous and warbling as it tapered off.
Chica watched the exchange, then looked down as if ashamed of something. Freddy went over to her and lifted her chin, gently taking her beak into his paw and elevating it so he can look her directly into her lavender gaze, "What's wrong? Have you no idea of what you want to do?"
"I... I just, I never..." She blinked, her expression helpless as she considered. "I never even thought about much more than our shows or the food. I don't even know what I'd do or... what I can see. Or touch. I feel like an idiot." Her tone took on a more reserved and shame-filled note, gently removing her beak from his grip. She meandered around in place, shyly pulling at her own fingers, "Is it bad that I just want to play my guitar as I've always done? Could I even do more than what I was built to do? To just be allowed to sit and sing?"
"That's not bad at all! In fact, it'd be nice to get you to sing again," Freddy encouraged. "Before your upgrade, I always loved listening to you. I was sad I could not hear you anymore after a point. Bonnie told me the same, and he's lamented not liking how sharp his hearing is and how your upgrade shuts him down. On that note, maybe that's something we can do together? Sing again! With the right tuning and time, of course! If fact-" He reached back out to her, placed a paw on her shoulder, and said, "I'm already looking forward to sitting in front of a warm fire with you; playing or singing on whatever instrument we could want!"
Chica fidgeted for another minute, nodding her head as if settling on it. There was a soft, dreamy-like lilt to her voice there, "Yeah... I'd like that."
"But of course! And think about it: Maybe you can play a better guitar than the one you had? Pick whatever one you want," Freddy continued. "Personally, I wouldn't mind playing some instruments myself and giving them a try at some point. I always got the role of the lead singer for us, but I wouldn't mind letting you or Bonnie or Roxy stand out in front of me and woo the crowd with your own voices more often! You have beautiful singing voices, all of you."
"Not gonna lie, but I got tired of not being allowed to sing," Chica shrugged one shoulder, looking a bit more hopeful- though cautiously so, the former attendant noticed.
"I wager Vanessa can help us route out a new voice box for you somewhere out there too," Freddy offered. "I imagine with the amount of these establishments Fazbear Entertainment has opened, there may be places out there where we could find some more parts for us and get some replacement boxes and doo-dads! So some spare parts, new instruments... the works!"
Eclipse rapped his fingertips together, his gaze arrested on the sunlight again. He ended up blurting out, "I want a telescope. A real one- not just some plastic prop. I want to star gaze and watch the sunset and sunrise- And I think Moon does too? And Sun wants to finger paint a real ocean." He turned to the others, "I always keep being told oceans are blue, but... are they not other colors as well?"
"They are," Freddy assured. "I've never seen one in person... but I've seen pictures. Vanessa tells me she's seen it in person once, visiting the beach as a child. They are a plethora of colors! Black, green, sometimes red, gold, and foam-tipped like a fazaccino! And every shade in-between-" He waved his arms as a showman would pointing out a vast panorama. "And it'd have flocks of these white birds -seagulls, I think?- hovering over it; with other larger, more fantastic creatures bursting out of obsidian waves hoping to touch the skies as if they could sprout wings too!"
The attendant nodded, looking cautiously more optimistic while already imaging the painting he and Sun would want to attempt. "Painting a nice night sky over a bleeding red-gold sea... with a telescope next to me-"
"That's a wonderful and beautiful dream!" Freddy jovially encouraged, his teeth showing in the widest smile ever. "Keep at that, and let it inspire you and carry you as we wrap up here. In the meantime, we might as well quickly do this and meet back up with the others. All this talk is making me giddy!" He was bouncing on his over-sized paws and waggling his arms like a child at that. And while he looked silly, Freddy couldn't care less. He was just over the moon picturing it.
There was nods and noticeable shifts in expressions, soft and shy grins shared across all faces present. Freddy patted the shoulders of Eclipse and Chica, then turned away with Roxy, "We shall close up the hole in the meantime. I do not think it will take long. But, considering the nature of the endos-" the bear winced, "Do not be afraid to call us for assistance. We can be right there to help."
"I think we got it," Chica assuaged. "Let's see what Bonnie has to say. I bet he and the M.X.E.S have them trimmed down by now."
"He's been quiet..." Roxy muttered.
"Likely busy," Freddy offered, but then the bear put a claw to the side of his head in the impression of tapping an ear piece (not that he had one). "Bonnie? Do you hear me?"
"I read you. What's up?"
"How's the daycare looking?"
"M.X.E.S and I has had plenty of time to trim the fat since you left. You won't have any issues, and I ain't that worried. But, I still have to warn you, since I got you on the horn," the rabbit went on. "-The remaining endos are... super agitated. Kinda hard to get through. I think the virus realized we were hacking them and adapted. Annoying, but we're working on it now. You can likely take 'em on with no issues. Just... don't let them get access to your circuit boards. Obviously."
Freddy smiled at Chica and Eclipse, who were seen smirking at each other, "That's great news! And how're the others?"
"I haven't checked in on them- Vanessa's a light sleeper and any attempts to go near to see them has her jump-starting like a deer." There was a noticeably more reserved note in his tenor there. "Been trying to salvage Monty and work on the endos from here- and locate the Mimic. Haven't found it by the way-" he said just as Freddy opened his mouth. "I think the Mimic is hiding from the cameras on purpose. Probably knows that M.X.E.S is back online by now and is keeping a super low-profile."
Freddy frowned there, "That's troubling... well, can you check on the children and Vanessa when you get a second?"
"I will, but yunno Vanessa's only been back there for half an hour, right?"
"I know," Freddy looked sheepish, but it wasn't like Bonnie could see it. "I just wanted to check on them anyways. I asked Gregory when uh, when we lived together at the house, to sometimes carry me to her room? To check on her. Vanessa is a bit of an insomniac. So if she's asleep in any capacity, its a blessing. She gets sleep scares as it is and has never slept well to begin with."
"Oh goody... now I'm just another reason why she'll get them," Bonnie bit somewhat rhetorically, and more or less to himself.
Freddy winced at the bitter commentary and went on with, "Er... well, anyways, I tend worry she neglects her health more than any of us think- after being Vanny and all." Freddy placed a contemplative claw to his mug, "Granted, if you went stomping over to check her for me she may just jerk awake. I swear she can hear things almost as well as you can! She's pretty twitchy."
"So, its an actual condition?"
"Yes, and its more like bad habits or something? She's seeing some professionals for a few things, and her sleeping was one such reason," Freddy recalled with a slight sag to his ears. "Again, thank the whole Vanny-thing for that."
There was a contemplative grunt. Then, "I dunno if I should walk in on her then... I ain't exactly quiet, yunno. And frankly, my clomping around from earlier no doubt made an impression when I was chasing her earlier."
Freddy shrugged, "Just stay away from the door and listen for them. At any rate, the endos-?"
"Just checked the daycare feeds. You shouldn't have more than a handful to deal with. I tried hacking one to see if I can walk it out of the daycare but it doesn't work." Bonnie was heard clanging on something on the other end of the line. "I believe the virus has given the endos enough of a mind of their own to resist whatever I was doing. There should be a couple endos nearer to the theater you guys can snag... M.X.E.S and I disabled and turned them off. I don't want to direct these two endos right in front of their feral friends and lose them too. Two or three should do the trick and outfit all of us comfortably."
"Roxy and I will finish the hole then and grab one as well," Freddy offered, watching the wolf as he said this. "I wager the extra parts will hold us over a while until we find alternatives outside this place."
"They will. Anyways, don't get yourselves caught up in anything I wouldn't do," the rabbit advised.
"Look whose talking!" Freddy chortled before letting him go. Bonnie was heard producing a sarcastic grunt himself before they severed connection.
The four nodded, and split up from there. Roxy and Freddy jumped right into the hole nearby (seeing as it's right there), and started snuffling around in its crevasse for ways to barricade it.
Eclipse and Chica meanwhile headed back up to the second level and opened the doors to the daycare's lobby; which took some prying to do. The doors have been barricaded with chains and wooden boards- something that had Eclipse raising a metaphorical brow. He hummed, then yanked the chains off with he and Chica's combined strength.
Once inside the daycare's lobby, the former attendant and the hen glanced around: No more vending machines nearby, and the bathrooms were boarded up too. The fountain wasn't running; and the smell it exhumed had both bots wincing. Aside from the stagnant water and the sewer smell it gave off, nothing was amiss. The charging station located here wasn't running either; though the blue acid seeping from it gave the room a dim, almost ethereal glow.
They continued on towards the daycare's main entrance; Chica pushing the roll-up door manually. It jammed part of the way, so they both had to duck under it in order to get in. Eclipse hadn't used this door when he left here earlier to find Cassie, instead having taken the same obscured route she did nearer to the theater as well. So coming in through here and seeing how it was sealed had the attendant ponder anew just how little they meant to everyone.
They've obviously locked the daycare's main entrance with the intention to seal Moon in; not bothering to come in after a point to disable him. No, they instead left the attendant to run amok in a sealed off crypt; slowly and consciously rotting away with time. And while Eclipse understood that Moon was volatile and reasonably dangerous, there was only so much level of cruelty one can withstand before it turns into something even more sinister than how it began. Couldn't they have found a way to remotely disable the unstable attendant instead of leaving him to rot in a waking nightmare?
And now, after having travelled with Cassie and the others, Eclipse can see just how this place truly felt like a prison and less like a home.
"I hate this place," Chica said aloud, as if reading his mind.
He blinked and looked up at her in surprise. The hen was eyeing him with a level of intensity unheard of before... her gaze narrowed and fists balled and shaking at her sides. She blinked, the manner was deliberate and slow as if she truly weighing everything around her for the very first time in her life. One optic even twitched.
"I guess," She started again, her tone halting. "-What I mean is... I don't want to be here anymore. I don't remember much, but whatever little I do recall of the last few months, I can't say was good in ANY capacity. I was wandering around the place for so long feeling lost and beaten and..." She trailed off for a second there, her tone ponderous. "-I dunno. I just didn't feel like I belonged anywhere after a point. I was so distraught when Bonnie disappeared. And then, we had that security alert and Freddy left too-"
She closed her eyes for a second, then opened them to arrest them onto a scrap endo piece nearby- not the one they saw get maimed on Vanessa's computer, but still no less a difficult sight.
"-And... and then... in the months after the security alert and the PizzPlex closed, I think one of the few other things I recall beyond flopping around here was how I felt about Freddy-? Like, I felt so mad at him. I wanted to scream, but there's no one around to hear it. Not that I COULD scream, but... yunno. I just don't want to repeat what I felt for the last few months. To just wander around aimlessly and hope I bump into something that isn't made of mold and roach crap. Yunno? To enjoy being with my friends again. To not feel abandoned by them."
"You felt like Freddy left you?" Eclipse queried.
She nodded, then passed the attendant a shadowed twist of expressions. "Please don't tell him I said that. But, I know Freddy was defending that kid from us after a point that night- not that he shouldn't do that! We're supposed to defend children from abnormalities, and WE were acting a little more than just abnormal. But still-" Her gaze twisted further, as if the hen truly didn't know what expression to wear, "-You heard Bonnie's spiel earlier. Freddy left with them! Got to enjoy the sun for a while without us. I don't know how I feel right now, if I had to be honest. I want to be mad, but... I just feel kinda... left behind, even now. Like sad- if sadness was made of thousands of acid-tipped needles and was stabbing you repeatedly in all the wrong ports."
She kicked the endo piece, the part rolling along and hitting a bit of wall nearby. "I felt like Freddy left me behind completely. I can't say I don't feel hurt still... and I know Roxy's my friend, and she is! But, Bonnie and Freddy are like..." She shut her eyes, "I love them. I love them so much it aches. I think I was programmed to care about them to that extent... but, I'd also love them regardless of the fact I was built to. So when Bonnie disappeared, I felt my tiny world get a lot darker and and meaningless. My eating habits worsened, and I started to get worse. And then, Freddy left after we had that security alert... I felt like the sun went out and there wasn't a world left to live in."
Her tone had shifted; and Eclipse had no doubt he was listening to her tears now.
"I didn't want to live anymore. I was just waiting to die," she hoarsely continued, her voice cracking into a fragile, intimate whisper that was almost completely devoured by the low humming of the building's glitchy power grid around them; fighting to put power into the lights that have long since burnt out. "I think after a while... I was glad I became senseless. It didn't hurt so much anymore after a point."
The hen fell silent after that; her hands moving to her porphyrous crystalline optics as if to wipe away tears. She shakily puffed in static; her voice box warbling as it fought to incorporate how she really felt into something audible.
Eclipse reached over and grasped one of her shoulders, squeezing gently and taking one of her hands as well, "I don't know Freddy like you do. But... if I had to be honest, I don't think he'd ever leave you behind. Any of you. You didn't see how he reacted when he first saw you in the cylinder... when I first met up with him, Gregory and Vanessa." He finally took the hand he had and rubbed where her knuckles should be; one of his other spidery digits making it to a pulse point to gently massage into it. It usually helped calm children down, in Sun's experience.
Eclipse shook his head, then said, "Cassie was telling us you could be fixed. But Freddy... I've never thought I'd see him in such a state. He rushed to your body and... he held you and cried. Never heard a sound like it. He just sat there, and when Cassie told us she can help repair you- he spits out in this tone I've never heard before, 'I want MY Chica. Not a new Chica'. He threw back his head and he adds, 'What's a Freddy without a Chica or Bonnie? If I have to leave this place again without them, I'd rather not leave at all'."
He made sure to meet the hen's eyes more levelly here as he said, "I don't think at any point, Chica, he intended on staying away for so long. Personally, I don't think he had any control over it either. He loves you deeply, in which I have no doubt. I know it doesn't seem like it now, but believe me: There is nothing in this world that can compare to how he feels towards you. I know he cares about the boy too... but Freddy isn't someone who can characteristically pick favorites. If I had to put money on it, I wager you and Bonnie are his entire world, at the end of the day. I don't think he'd leave the PizzaPlex again, even if Vanessa and Gregory asked him to."
He eventually let go and stepped away, watching her carefully, "Its okay to feel doubtful. But from where I'm standing, I cannot help but think on just how much he loves you. You heard him earlier: He refuses to leave this place without all his friends in tow this time. And if something happened to any of you and if you all became defunct again, he'll happily stay behind and rot with you. He'd likely find peace in that."
Chica sniffled, but she didn't contradict him.
Eclipse gesticulated, "Now come on. I think we have something to do?"
The hen nodded, moving her hands across her face like she was still trying to remove evidence of tears she hadn't produced. It was clear she's been weighing this for a little while but she hadn't shown it in any capacity. Eclipse was left to wonder what else Chica just didn't exhibit. Freddy and Bonnie knew her best and even they hadn't noticed she was suffering on the inside- A scary observation that certainly warranted further attention from the attendant.
Just before they could get too far in though, both bots got an emergency ping. Chica blinked, she and Eclipse sharing looks as Bonnie's voice came online. The ping was no doubt being shared with Freddy and Roxanne too, by the nature of it.
And the words he gave couldn't have been worse:
"Cassie's GONE! SHE'S FUCKING GONE! I can't find her!"
"What-" Eclipse started.
"SHE ISN'T IN PARTS & SERVICE! I'VE LOOKED EVERYWHERE! I got Vanessa up- she's trying help find her, but- CARROTS!"
Roxy's voice was the next one to be heard, "I thought you should be watching them you buck-toothed pea brain?!"
"ITS ONLY BEEN AN HOUR SINCE THEY'VE GONE TO BED, ROX! How the hell was I supposed to- NEVERMIND. Suspend all operations! Spread out and find her!"
Chica and Eclipse passed each horrified glances, but then, the chicken's gaze swapped to a region over his shoulder-
Eclipse turned around just in time to realize that they'd been surrounded by the feral endos, and they hadn't even noticed. There wasn't many, just as Bonnie said: but the fact that they've had the time to surround them in such an intelligent and creepy manner couldn't have thrown them more.
Eclipse felt himself vanish; his head rotating as Moon took over as they sized up the threat level. "Hrrssh. Naughty! Shouldn't you all be tucked in?" He sneered.
Chica gakeled uncertainly next to him. Then said, "Moon, maybe let me get them with a screech?" She hissed when the endos started clambering down the debris and slowly walked towards them. "I don't want to catch you in it."
The attendant didn't look at her, only flexed his gnarly fingers. "Save Cassie," he said aloud, as if to convince himself. "We must save her."
"I agree," Chica mumbled, though her tone was steely.
Both braced themselves; Moon slowly slipping into a leaping position and Chica parting her beak-
And the endos charged.
GREGORY
Gregory didn't think he'd be hitch-hiking inside of Bonnie B. Bunny personally today- not after his behavior as of just earlier this evening.
But here he was; inside of Bonnie's chest cavity while Vanessa was being piggy-backed by him. No way in hell Bonnie was going to leave them alone to fend for themselves in the repair ward while he and the others went to search for Cassie (not that Vanessa and Gregory would stand idly by regardless). So strange, but it seemed when it came to Cassie, Bonnie and her can find common ground. That worked just fine for the boy, and at least the rabbit was making due on his word.
It still didn't mean Gregory can forgive him for the injury he inflicted though. Not yet.
The trio had taken a path out of Parts & Service through the use of a utility tunnel emptying out into the raceway; following what Gregory recalled of the ventilation system. The only way Cassie could've gotten out of the area without Bonnie's notice was through the winding duct network. And frankly, Bonnie couldn't properly catch the girl if she's slipped away like that anyways, whether or not he found she was escaping regardless. Gregory knew the vents fairly well though, and he knew where it was going to lead: Back up a floor or two and out of the raceway- eventually leading back out into the atrium.
So now the trio was on the second floor of the atrium, just coming out of the raceway; with Gregory slipping out of Bonnie's damaged chest cavity. He'd been able to peak outside through the giant hole in his breast plate, pointing out where to go and bracing himself against the rabbit's skeleton despite the heat its generating. It wasn't super bad until the lapine bot started running; and it's something Gregory didn't intend on repeating too often whenever Bonnie ran M.X.E.S. Bonnie had to temporarily suspend M.X.E.S in order to carry him.
Side note, the sensation of being safely secured inside the chest cavity wasn't something Gregory shared with Bonnie; having only ever found this comfort with Freddy. It wasn't like the two were built differently however; not in the least. In fact, once can say they're built TOO similarly in some aspects, even in terms of space inside the bot. But, the fact Bonnie ran so hot and how he even walked with an anxious, fast-paced gait made Gregory feel uneasy.
Meanwhile, the boy watched the rabbit warily; noticing the giant lagomorph's ears swiveling in every possible direction. The bot was frowning, and it looked strange with him missing half his face. It gave him an incomplete, almost sinister quality. In the darkness of this place, his left optic looked like it wasn't even anchored to his endoskeleton; just floating amidst a tenebrous crevasse where half his face used to be.
He moves less like a bot and more like a tired, scared animal, he observed with some sympathy. Definitely different from Freddy's slightly stiffer but more calm movement.
Vanessa had clambered carefully and uncertainly off of the rabbit all the while, her beryl gaze constantly flitting to his strangely discolored claws. Gregory noticed Bonnie hadn't bothered to really clean the blood off them; not to mention whatever other material was stuck on them. The woman was witnessed vigorously dusting off the evidence of the buck's touch as she found her footing. She was no doubt nervous about him still, but at least he wasn't attempting to gut her this time.
"I smelled her just now, if a little," Bonnie suddenly added while pinching a claw tip to demonstrate what he meant by 'a little'. His gaze was arrested on the path before them, his eyes following some sort of imaginary length across the debris-covered atrium. "Her scent's died out a lot though since she's come here... rolling around in sewer water and old food will do that. What little of it I can find lead out into the raceway and here for a bit, like she was resting her leg. Give me a second to parse it out-"
On that note, he got to one knee and touched the floor with an errant claw. He bent his head closer to it; snuffling in a manner most like an actual rabbit- Gregory had to fight the absurd giggle that rose up inside him unbidden at the sight of it. The way Bonnie's tiny nose bounced would've no doubt been a source of joy for small kids younger than Gregory; the illusion further cemented with the way one ear flopped backward and forward again. The image he cast right now was so different from the rabbit that nearly killed Vanessa earlier.
After a minute, he breathed out and sat up; eyes arrested towards the Fazcade. "Weird... No signs of a struggle. Not much limping. You woulda thought she got up to use a bathroom or something? But her scent-" He shut his eyes too; likely checking the cameras again through his Hud. He grimaced, "I have cameras out here though... so you'd think I woulda saw her! How come she didn't show up on camera? I see us just fine, and yet I smell a bit of her here-?"
Vanessa folded her arms, one hand slipping to her mouth to chew on the tips of her fingers. Gregory pulled on her arm to make her stop it; as it was a habit her current therapist Miss Howler had also discouraged (a therapist Gregory was happy to say was actually helping her out). She no doubt felt responsible for Cassie's disappearance and she definitely still felt nervous being around Bonnie despite being piggy-backed here. The woman shook her head and gazed in the direction of where she knew there was a camera, then back at the rabbit.
"I wonder if she found the mask again... seeing as she went through the utility tunnel she initially lost it in at some point," Vanessa added after a minute like this. "If she did, the mask will keep her invisible to the live feeds while helping to dull down pain. It does something to your brain that helps it release adrenaline more readily, and it makes bearing pain at its worst noticeably easier- its why I was able to run from you the times Vanny and you clashed. The mask is a bit... over-powered, in its abilities."
She'd been sure to make Vanny sound more like her own person than a part of herself; disassociating with the masked mad-woman in a way Gregory found sometimes troubling but also gratifying. The further Vanessa distanced herself from Vanny, the better he'd figure they'd all feel-
But apparently Bonnie still didn't think them too separate from the other as he produced a sardonic chuff. "A bit," He scathingly spat in retort. "Just a BIT over-powered, she says."
Vanessa winced at his words.
Gregory glared at him and gritted his teeth, not that he noticed. Bonnie himself meanwhile meandered forward and lifted his head, groaning audibly again and pacing in place. He truly looked like a tortured animal wanting to bolt into its hole.
His expression softened at a passing. And then he said in a noticeably softer, more nuanced tenor, "Cassie... she only freed me because she had that mask. I don't want to say it, but that same stupid thing is why I'm here now. Its kept her alive, and its helped lead us back together. I thought the mask, beyond that point, didn't do anything else... but then Freddy mentioned the chip-" His head hung, his expression pained. "Fuck. I shoulda guessed Vanny have such a convenient feature installed in that thing. She ain't lacking in tricks, that's for sure."
"I should've destroyed it- not leave it on the ground," Vanessa mumbled, one hand slapping over her face and staying. "I'm the one who fucked up."
He didn't reply there.
Vanessa went on with a notably dejected tone, "Cassie's hurt, so she shouldn't have gotten too far in the few minutes it would've taken her to get away from Parts & Service. Still, the mask has the ability to dull down pain a little ways. I can't explain it properly, but with the way it controls chemical signals to the brain beyond encouraging it to release adrenaline, it helps distance oneself from any localized damage. She won't be far but she'll get far enough. You sure you can't smell which direction she's gone-?"
"Explains how you kept running from me even when I injured you," Bonnie muttered, then he glanced around. "And no, not too well. Cassie usually has this coconut smell? I think its from her shampoo. She started using Roxy-themed shampoo too- so I can usually pick up a grape smell on occasion. I can't smell any of that right now though since she's been taking a dunk in the nastier, water-logged sections of this place. It REEKS in here, and its effectively covered her scent after this spot. Worse, I've never had Roxy or Freddy's noses to begin with. THEY have a better sense of smell than me."
Vanessa hummed, then added on, "The mask also distorts screens and filters false images over what's actually being seen... and it makes its user usually invisible to the bot's eyes. Its possible Vanny could maybe render Cassie completely invisible to you and the security network as a whole-"
"It can do that?" Bonnie sounded incredulous. "And for fuck's sake, you're talking about Vanny like she's actually... yunno. Still in the equation?"
There was a special kind of grim on Vanessa's face there, leaving Gregory to feel the pit falls taking his stomach by storm. Suddenly, he felt like throwing up his sandwiches from earlier.
Vanny. Controlling Cassie... NO. No way!
Vanessa reached out there, taking Gregory's hand and holding it gently. The boy snapped his suddenly semi-frantic gaze to her, and squeezed uncertainly back.
The woman eventually added on with, "Yeah... see, there's one other curious aspect about the mask it does kinda automatically: Its kinda like taking a snapshot and tapes it over the lens so that's all the camera sees? It takes a still image from the environment and edits it over what's actually happening. Simple hacking trick but incredibly easy," Vanessa rubbed her own arms too, looking more and more like she wanted to worm out of her own skin. "Its not enough to trip M.X.E.S and get his notice either- otherwise, surely you would've seen her by now and gotten a security-related ping."
Gregory turned to Vanessa, "So... you think this was Vanny that's taken control of her now? Seriously?"
Bonnie shook his head rapidly as if in disbelief of the whole thing. He reached up and scratched at his broken collar; a bad habit Gregory quickly observed. His claws were tugging and inflicting more indentations at the damage already there. "So," he cut in. "You mean to tell me... that Vanny exists within the MASK itself? Not just... controls her through the chip-?"
The former security guard huffed, "Yeah... kinda gives her some utility. I uh... never fully understood how she kinda just manifests herself in the way she does. There's still too little we understand about her."
"...Fuck," Bonnie muttered eventually.
Gregory then asked, "So, what do you think she'd try to get Cassie to do? Not like Cassie can get far in the condition she's in... right? Besides her leg, she's got the issue with her ribs-"
Vanessa eventually let go of Gregory's hand and walked past Bonnie; stopping where he'd been sniffing for a moment. She bent over as if she could hope to smell what he caught. She didn't sniff though; instead touching the ground gently and watching the path ahead as if it could yield its secrets with just a glance. She carefully moved over and emulated Cassie's wobbling gait, clambering over the chunks of ceiling before them. Bonnie followed her, sniffing along behind her. Gregory brought up their flank.
Finally, Vanessa continued, "If this is truly Vanny... she would've killed Gregory or me upon awakening, given she had any weapons handy beyond the taser. Running the taser into either of us makes noise though, and it would've woke up the other person she wasn't killing. Probably why we're both not dead right now." She stared at Gregory grimly, the boy shivering at the idea of the fact Cassie could've very easily killed either or during their nap.
Vanessa started to look more sickly as she stated this, her tone ever-so flat. "She's spiteful, and hates losing. She lost to all three of us at least once-" She gestured amongst themselves, "So she'll no doubt be trying to find a nasty way to off us first. We can't separate for that reason. And while Cassie isn't strong... that still doesn't mean Vanny won't try to hurt us regardless. She'll try to use another indirect method of attacking us... She'll be out for blood."
Bonnie growled, the sound making Vanessa shrink. He wasn't directing it at her though- no doubt its more along the lines of his own impotence. His ears swiveled again, then he slowly craned his head towards the way they came from. "So, she'd want resources, yes? Weapons, a way to control the faculties here? She fights dirty, last I checked. Loves her little drones; no matter if they're S.T.A.F.F bots or... us."
"Yeah," Vanessa asserted, her green gaze hovering over the cameras and no doubt trying to picture herself in Cassie's shoes right now. She continued very slowly forward, frowning at the somewhat cluttered path beyond. It was a lot for a tiny girl with a fractured leg though, but the fact Bonnie still couldn't smell her trajectory despite her passing by recently was no less frustrating.
"Bonnie! Do you read me?"
The rabbit jerked, then said, "Go ahead, Chica. You okay, sweetie?"
"We just dispatched the endos! We tried to disengage once you told us about Cassie, but... they were intelligent. Wouldn't let us go until we took care of the remaining ones. We got a couple of bodies... but-" There was a beat there. "But the remaining endos... they retreated after a point. Just vanished. They could be ANYWHERE in the building!"
Bonnie swore so profoundly, Vanessa had to cover Greg's ears for it. The boy tried pushing Vanessa off but she had a good hold of his ears; with him catching some of Bonnie's swear starting in 'carrot' and ending in something being lodged up a place it shouldn't be.
At length, the rabbit turned to the former security guard, "You reckon Vanny will try to control the remaining bots?"
"Oh, for sure. But she'd need a device in which to use. Some sort of control or remote- OH!" Vanessa's eyes widened, "That's what she's looking for! A way to take control of the PizzaPlex's last faculties! Maybe hijack the system too-"
Gregory folded his arms and raised a brow, "But, Bonnie and us have control of the systems right now. She can't do anything, right?"
"She shouldn't, no. But she'll find some way to try and liberate its control from us," Vanessa asserted.
Bonnie paused and shut his eyes again. There was a brief pause. He inhaled, held, and steam puffed from the open crevice in his breast plate as well as his nose. He said at length, "M.X.E.S hadn't found any new or suspicious security trips, but I let him know to keep an eye on power rooms and security rooms- and I updated his data in regards to possible filtered camera footage. And to have a jamming signal ready. He will know if Cassie's wearing the mask too. Looks like if she wears it too long and she shows up in the AR world, he catches it. She'd have to be in the AR world long enough for him to look for her adequately though- which is the drawback. And considering that amount of time that's passed, I'm gonna hazard she's taken it off for a bit."
"On that note, she may try to jam your use of M.X.E.S too," Gregory also added. "With that program in place, finding her would be too easy, and Vanny won't want that."
"...Shit. She just might try to kill you again for that very reason," Vanessa supplied. "So besides finding a remote or device in which to control bots with, stopping your use of M.X.E.S will come up as priority too. She's gonna try to find a weapon on top of all that."
"She can damn well try," Bonnie snorted confidently. He returned his attention to Chica again, tapping a claw to his good side, "I think, since you guys got the endos we need, you should bring them back to Parts & Service anyways and protect them. And when you do, LOCK THEM UP. Vanny's loose and controlling Cassie, and she'll try to seize control of all remaining tech and disable each of us- including the endos you just nabbed. So stay on alert."
Freddy spoke this time, and Gregory could hear it not just on the rabbit but his fazwatch, "Vanny's... controlling... Cassie? What- HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?"
"No time to explain, just stay together and keep an eye out for her," Bonnie relayed. "Don't let Vanny take those last endos. She'll use them to finish us off, or dismantle them out of spite! Any remaining or existing ones you see, take them apart. If you can't salvage them, trash 'em. We can't let her take control of anything!"
"Dully noted," Chica warbled. "Will we meet back at at Parts & Service in emergencies?"
"Yes. Keep your comms open. I'm going to let M.X.E.S update all your security software too so you can see Vanny." Bonnie had in the past been able to update himself in order to see her, and likely he just recalled this fact as he considered his friends wouldn't catch her even if she paraded around right in front of them. "Let M.X.E.S have permissions, and don't be surprised if he starts rearranging your tasks. I do this to myself on a regular basis. Its alright- just be aware of the chances of your motors running hot."
Bonnie broke their connection after that, then paced around as he attempted to sniff out Cassie again. Steam started to puff from his chest in increased intervals; and no doubt it got hot enough because he had to sit down another moment later. He growled, definitely frustrated by the sudden surge in activity from the program. His mouth opened too, simulating panting.
Gregory sputtered a swear, prompting Vanessa to glare at him but it didn't remain. "What the heck can we do now? Where do we go?" He asked his adoptive guardian.
Vanessa folded her limbs and rapped her fingers on her upper arms. Bonnie watched her studiously as she said, "We could try Fazerblast- check out her old digs. There's a lot of salvaging material there she can likely use. That or... hm. Bonnie, did you lock the security offices?"
"Only the ones with power being fed to them... those electro-magnetic doors are real pains in my cottontail though. I can't account for all the offices in the building and keep all of them shut without tripping up the already weak grid and causing a surge or short-circuit somewhere else," He groaned. "Worse yet, the ones with no power being fed to them will be wide open. Cassie or... Vanny, will no doubt have access to their contents."
"Which ones have no power?" Vanessa probed.
"The one backstage, and all the ones around basement level. And..." He inhaled, his compressor fighting to cool him off. "Hm... there's one near the syrup vats too. Although I can't imagine she'd want to go there regardless... the vats are a biohazard issue. One burst open at some point and that sugary, mold-riddled mess has laden the entire room. The office there isn't accessible to organics due to the high concentrations of toxicity saturating the air and seeping into it. If Vanny tried bringing Cassie there, she'd kill the girl by asphyxiation of the fumes."
Gregory winced, recalling his visit to the vat room. He knew they'd been filled with fizzy faz ingredients but didn't imagine it'd be that bad.
"Okay, good. So that narrows down her choices. At least for a little while, we're ahead of the game. But it won't be long until she finds something she can use," Vanessa lowered her arms, looking helplessly across the atrium like she was hoping to see Vanny for herself. She huffed frustratedly, then started to walk over to the unmoving escalator. Bonnie and Gregory followed.
They clambered down; having not chose to ride Bonnie again while the rabbit was running M.X.E.S at nearly max memory. Bonnie was producing far too much heat to be touching again anyways- with Vanessa staring at the rabbit once or twice as they descended. She raised a brow when she briefly caught his maroon eye.
"You good there? I mean... I knew giving you the program was a fine idea, but... you're making a lot of steam. Is your coolant level okay?"
"Its fine. Sitting for a minute helped a tiny bit. But now I can't do anything but walk while M.X.E.S is messing with everyone else's priorities," he grumbled. "I should stay sitting down but there's no way I'm gonna do that when I know Vanny would try to whack me when I'm immobile. Staying with ya'll is better in my case." He frowned at her, "Dammit, Vanessa. Not gonna lie, you look straight awful."
"I slept all of... 20-ish minutes. Of course I look like shit. I also had work today," She grumbled back. "And Greg was SUPPOSED to be in school. But by from the looks of things, we'll be here another day. So that's more work I'm missing and less school for Greg."
"Woohoo! No school!" Gregory chirped.
"NOT 'woohoo'," She bit at him. "I don't want you in MORE trouble for attendance after that fight you had! You're still not ungrounded by the way."
With all the action they've had and the Cassie issue, Gregory was rightfully flabbergasted. He gaped openly at Vanessa and passed her a petulant frown thereafter. "Seriously? You're KIDDING? We're here in the mega PizzaPlex, trying to rescue Cassie, and I'm still grounded?"
"You almost got expelled!" Vanessa chastised. "You can't be pulling that shit and expecting to get away with it! I don't care if you're saving the president from an assassination- that still won't fix it. You do the crime, you do the time, MISTER!"
Bonnie blinked between them and would've leveled a raised brow, could he do so. For one second, he looked genuinely bemused- but it was gone so fast Gregory couldn't catch it.
Gregory meanwhile spat and grumbled under breath as they made it to the ground level and turned towards the Fazerblast lobby for the second time that day. Vanessa wrinkled her nose as they meandered in; the woman staying close to Gregory despite her earlier words. Bonnie himself was taking the time to look around; groaning sadly at the pathetic clutter in the arena. He flexed his ears too; levelling them towards the loft above.
"I don't hear anything, yet," he told them. "I'll jump up and check it out."
"You sure you can do that?" Vanessa queried.
"Got no choice," he shrugged at her casually.
He took several steps from them and squat down; then he leapt straight up and landed upon a catwalk. It groaned under his weight warningly, but held. Gregory and Vanessa watched the rabbit pause for a moment; his ears moving towards Vanny's hideout. He crept up to where it was situated, but was heard groaning at the lack of activity. The rabbit jumped back down not one moment later and shook his head.
"Alright, I'm gonna hazard she may be trying an office. But if I may ask..." he frowned, "Where could she go to find some sort of control device? Just the offices?"
"She may attempt to jury-rig one," Vanessa continued. "Vanny being a master hacker is one thing... but Cassie being a bit of a tech wizard on top of that is problematic. Vanny will hinge on Cassie's knowledge and might be making one as we speak. God knows WHERE she could be doing that though..."
Gregory fidgeted, feeling more like a prop at this point. He glanced uncertainly between the bot and adult, then removed his hazel gaze from them to favor looking around. He attempted to scratch up a mental image of the PizzaPlex he remembered against what he knew now; and then measured the path Cassie could've taken. He frowned, then walked up and tugged on Bonnie.
"Hey... wasn't there like, another repair ward somewhere? Beyond the one in Parts & Services."
"...The one at the Fazcade," Bonnie tilted his head. "Why? Whatcha thinkin', kid?"
"She knows we haunt the Parts & Services area... and if she needed the tools for this repair and for the making of this device, she'd need to go AWAY from your ears and somewhere private..." Gregory started, his eyes moving to the ground, "And... now that I'm thinking about it, the head repair dispenser near the janitorial services at the Fazcade could be it, right?"
"...SHIT!" Bonnie slapped a hand to his head, Vanessa jumping when he did.
Suddenly, the rabbit was stomping flat-footedly passed them; the pair following his brisk pace. He led the way out of Fazerblast, his ears swiveling as they proceeded back to an unmoving escalator. Bonnie jumped from there; leaving Vanessa and Gregory to climb up after him as he speed away towards the Fazcade.
"Man he's fast!" Gregory puffed as he and Vanessa reached the second level again.
She said nothing; the woman grabbing Gregory's hand and tracking the direction the giant rabbit went. They found Bonnie moving debris out of the way of its entrance; steam clouds escaping every orifice in his chest region. Vanessa looked like she wanted to comment but refrained from doing so. She and Gregory stayed out of his way; carefully watching as he threw ceiling chunks and cement boulders aside so they can get to the Fazcade elevator shaft.
From there, Bonnie pulled the doors apart by force; slipping his head in and glancing upwards through the shaft. No elevator in place, leaving the group to freely step into the space beyond and start climbing the utility ladder. Bonnie had to shine his LED eyes for them to see with; letting Vanessa and Gregory go first so they can see what they were grabbing. While they had their own flashlights they needed their hands free to climb the ladder at all; seeing as it was mysteriously slick.
Gregory grunted in disgust and wiped his hands on his pants; Vanessa shivering like she just walked through a slime bath and doing the same beside him. Bonnie was the last to make up the ladder, but the first to head into the Fazcade. The two humans followed while brandishing their own lights, their eyes cautiously taking in the sight of the large and now broken golden statue before them.
Freddy's likeness was on the floor and in pieces; while the others seemed in slightly better shape around the base. However, Monty's heavy head had fallen off at some point and Roxy was missing her tail. Chica's arms and guitar were also on the floor nearer to the fallen Freddy statue. Beyond them, more wreckage from fallen portions of the Fazcade blocked some of the numerous holes the DJ and army of Music Men tend to use. The entrances in which were lit... neon light blinking around these apertures gently changing color in a sweeping manner in the gloom. Power was being fed to this place, apparently.
The group walked fully into the dance floor, noticing no DJ either. Bonnie hissed at the sight of that, "Shit... I didn't consider it, but would she try and reactivate him?"
"Maybe... but he's also offline and there's no telling what state he's in," Vanessa answered. "I wonder if he went into any of these holes and just never crawled back out-?"
Gregory shivered anew, certainly remembering his own time here. And from the look on Bonnie's face, he seemed to be recalling something similar.
In which it was confirmed as the rabbit said, "She might be looking for DJ while trying to make this device. I can see Vanny trying to use DJ on me again... for the giggles. She almost won that time she invited me to 'dance with her'. Damn near crushed me while I was bugging out from that awful dancing program! Real underhanded." He snorted loudly and raised the chassis off his teeth in a snarl of remembrance.
Gregory peered up into the rabbit's broken visage, "You seriously gotta tell me about the time you dealt with her, and how you met that thing- the tangly thingy. I'm still interested in hearing that."
"Tell ya what, rockstar: You tell me your story, and I'll share mine," Bonnie offered. "I mean, I watched your progress but I didn't see all of it. Once you went into the pizzeria below ground, I lost sight of you. Obviously."
"Sure!"
"In the meantime-" Bonnie started forward, shining his eye lights into the arcade area, "I'll update our friends and let them know where we are and why. Ya'll stay quiet so I can listen."
Bonnie took that chance to sit down so to attempt to control his core temperature. While he did that, he breathed loudly but evenly to help circulate air into his motor. His ears slowly moved to every little nuance; one appendage focusing on the upper levels while the other very meticulously scanned the floor they sat on. Vanessa and Gregory watched him but also shined their lights around as if they expected to find Cassie immediately.
Bonnie didn't keep them waiting, "Upper level. I heard something!"
He was getting up so fast the two barely had enough time to follow. His clipped gait was swift; with Gregory having to nearly run to keep up. Vanessa briskly jogged, her own beryl gaze arrested on the stairs leading to the upper levels. They were devouring the stairs though; climbing at a speed that had Gregory slipping once on their smooth surfaces. Bonnie caught him on occasion and kept pressing on.
He stopped on the upper arcade level; one ear swiveling around and his head following. He frowned, then his expression gradually graduated into faint concern. And then, just out of the blue-
Music.
Lights flicked on everywhere; all the holes that could function lit up; arcade cabinets blinked on- or attempted to. Whatever ones weren't damaged started advertising their designated game while others merely blinked and flickered feebly. A thrumming sensation rippled throughout the floor; so powerful it can be felt more than heard. A powerful bass, thrumming as if they were standing inside of a giant rib cage with a beating heart pounding around them.
Vanessa's jaw dropped, watching as poor Bonnie started twitching funny. "Hey... are you okay-?" She trailed off just as his arm shot out-
And he started dancing.
"Oh no- NOT AGAIN!" He cried out, truly sounding distressed. "No no no no no not this fucking crap AGAIN- ARG! I can't stop!" Gregory jumped out of the way when his leg shot out, "You guys, seriously, you need to go back to the lower level towards DJ's station and turn it off! I'll shut down at this rate if I go into cooling stasis! And if I do, M.X.E.S does as well!"
The two nodded, turning to head back down the way they came-
Only for a huge gloved hand to shoot out of the darkness and swat Vanessa into a guard rail; the woman nearly falling from the second story of the arcade. She grunted; slumping slowly to the floor and folding into a ball while holding her back like something had broken.
Gregory fell onto his butt from the wind of the strike, whimpering once he realized what just happened. Shivering, he turned to look down the abyssal darkness in which the offending limb had emerged-
Only to find a glittering set of glowing piano teeth and a broken mask of deathly white staring back at him. Eyes blacker than Hell's coals seemed to focus on him; the mighty jaws slamming together as if pensively. It lurched forward; growing larger all the time. Its outstretched limb began to descend on him-
Bonnie danced his way over; having used the momentum of the song itself to do so. Showing a resilience Gregory would have to later credit him for, the rabbit batted the boy out of the way with a fairly strong shove; catching the DJ's hand as it landed atop him. Bonnie snarled, snapping his own muzzle and attempting to fight back- but his body was in righteous mutiny. He couldn't hold it for long.
"TURN THE MUSIC OFF!" He screamed at Gregory. "HURRY!"
The boy nodded rapidly, getting up to do so-
But from another tunnel came a storm of many legs. Rapid clicking thrummed along, and cymbals clashed. Tinier versions of the DJ jumped out and blocked Gregory's path, backing the boy towards Bonnie and the ginormous spider bot.
And then, on a speaker above them, they all hear, "Are we having fun yet?"