Remnants of the Past

The Sanctuary

Tuesday 22nd November 2016, 15:24 PM

Mike rested his head against the solid oak tree behind him and looked upon the town square. It's quiet for an afternoon. Usually, he would've seen all of the other souls in this town. To be fair, he had talked to Freddy—or Gabriel, as he was still reminding himself to refer to him as—who had shared concern for him.

Seems that my mood's going around, Mike mused when he saw the Marionette approaching him. She wore her mask, as did the others; from what they had told him, years of wearing the masks of the animatronics had made them feel uncomfortable without.

"Hello, Michael." She said, sharing him a worried look, "I was told you seemed…a little down."

Mike responded with a shrug. "Eh, you know…suppose it's just the death blues."

"Do you mind if I join you?"

"Sure, kid."

She sat down cross-legged next to him; having been roommates for the first few weeks of Mike's time here, they'd gotten used to being around each other. Yet, to Mike's surprise as he realised it, he still didn't know her name.

"How is your search for your brother going?" She asked him kindly.

As if his own breath had sucked the life from him, Mike deflated. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing…I don't even know if Goldie even told him, or if she's even seen him. If he has popped by recently, he could be avoiding me."

"David makes himself quite busy." She offered, "It could be that he is focused on something."

"I know. It's just…if he's avoiding me, I can't say I'd blame him. I think at this point, the best thing I can do is just wait it out. Hope he approaches me."

The Marionette smiled at that. "A wise decision. Of course, I know you too well, Michael. You and your brother, you are much alike in that you won't simply sit and wait. The question is, what are you thinking about doing?"

She's too observant. "Well…there's something I've been thinking about. When I first arrived here, during my induction…you said that for some of us who come here, we're kept from moving on, not by choice."

"I remember."

"What did you mean by that, exactly? You said that you're not being held prisoner here."

"We can leave the Sanctuary whenever we want." She clarified, "It's just that the only place for us to go is back into the Void, as David does when he goes looking for any lost souls."

"So…is there something more?"

"We believe so. Some, when they find that peace they've been seeking, have been able to leave without going back into the Void. We cannot find any trace of them afterwards. This has caused some conversation, as we truly have no idea if where they've gone is even better."

Mike nodded in understanding. "So it's about faith."

"For some, that's all it takes. Then…there are us less fortunate. Those who were kept in the mortal realm and weighed down. It seems that no matter how close we are to being at peace, we cannot ascend."

Deep in thought, Mike considered those words with every single bit of knowledge he had. "All of you were always connected to something. Possessing the animatronics…how did that even work?"

"We cannot say. It's possible that our souls…our emotions, our very being…left something within the vessels we used."

"So what if those vessels were destroyed?"

At that, she hesitated. "To be honest? I cannot say. It may be enough to free us, but we have no definitive proof of that."

As Mike pondered that point, he thought about every possibility that could lay in wait. "You know…I was never able to work out what happened to the endoskeletons. After he destroyed them. There were the suit parts, sure, but best as I can tell, they went down with Fazbear Frights."

"The Purple Man may have taken them." The Marionette admitted, "He struck night after night and had plenty of time before Goldie…before Cassidy…led the others in dooming him."

"Either that, or Fazbear Entertainment took them away." Mike admitted, "They might be in some warehouse, for all we know. Honestly…I'm not sure what happened to your own one, or Golden Freddy, for that matter."

Taking a moment, she nodded, "My own body was able to escape the inferno…Cassie was never really there. I would imagine her own endoskeleton was still at Freddy's."

"Great." Mike mumbled, then felt that familiar anger in his chest, "So basically, even if we knew where they were…what can we even do? How do you destroy them for good? What if we just end up damning the lot of you?"

"I don't know, Michael." She admitted.

"So," He gritted his teeth, "as per usual, there's no actual good I can do. Great. Just great."

"I understand your frustration…"

"It's…" He sighed, "It's not frustration. It's…I mean, really, what good am I to you? I'm useless here. I can't save you…any more than I could save Dave. I shoved him into that thing's mouth myself…"

"Michael." She warned.

He nearly laughed, "I killed my own brother."

"You were just a child."

"Yeah, and a damned stupid one."

"You tried to save him."

"Yeah, but-" When the thought came to him, he froze and stared at her, "How did you know that?"

A spark of fear was in her eyes. "I…I didn't want to tell you like this."

"How did you know that?" He demanded, "How do you know me? From the start…you knew something. How?"

"Because…because I was there, Michael. My dad…he brought me there, just like yours did."

When those words fell onto him, it cut him like a thousand knives. "No."

"In a way…" Her anguished eyes betrayed her smile, "We were like family."

"No." He shook his head and stood up, "No."

She took her mask off and he was barely able to look. Those eyes…that nose, her hair…she couldn't be anyone else. "It's me, Michael." Her voice came soft and quiet, "It's Charlie."

"No." He repeated, over and over. Yet he knew she could be nobody else. Tears fell from his eyes and he felt his world collapse in on itself once more, "Oh, no, no. No!"

Even as he fell to the floor, his heart torn asunder, he tried to deny it. It can't be, he told himself, I've seen her. She's alive, it can't be!

"No!" He cried out, pain wracking his chest.

Yet when he'd finally looked into those eyes, eyes that were now in tears at his own pain, eyes that he'd first looked into at the age of six when she had been born, he knew. In a way, she had been his first sister, a cousin.

"I'm sorry." She wept and he couldn't help the broken wail that burst from his chest.

The Bunker, Utah

Sunday 25th June 2017 11:38 AM

"How are we doing with our Red Flag?" Sam asked as she looked over the map.

Pointing to an area on the map, Lincoln explained himself. "Unless you've got a better idea, I reckon the Moon Lake Lodge up in the Ashley Mountains. It's a long drive, less than six hours away, but it's isolated enough that we would have the advantage."

"That's near the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, correct?"

"That's right. We've had friendly relationships with them in the past. I don't think we should risk putting them in the crossfire if it comes down to it…"

She agreed. "They know the mountains, at least. If we need a guide, they may be willing to offer it."

Taking a breath, Lincoln crossed his arms, "So…is the Moon Lake Lodge our bet?"

"Do you have any better options?" She asked him sincerely.

"To be honest? No."

"Then Moon Lake, it is."

With that done, Sam found herself returning to the notes she had been covering before the world around them had torn asunder. Six months spent tracking Mike, always one step behind. Now, so close to finding him…and it was all for nothing.

Spencer noticed her looking through the notes and detected the sullen feeling in her. "We're close, mom."

"No." She shook her head sadly, "We're not. It's over, honey. I'm sorry for dragging the two of you around the country…it was all for nothing."

He raised an eyebrow, "Is it? Because we know he's in the state. Just a day or two…that's all it would take."

"We can't risk it. Not with all of this going on. The last thing we need is for people to go running off on their own cases when the barbarians are at the gates."

"I disagree." Spencer said honestly, "Our boys here, they can hold the fort for now. If the three of us go now, we can catch up with him by the end of the day and be back here before morning."

She sighed, "Spencer…your brother and sister are coming soon."

"I know."

"I cannot…I will not leave them here alone."

"They won't be alone."

"If something happens…and I'm not here…" She knew she had made the decision. They are more important. "I won't do that to them."

They maintained eye contact for a few moments, before Spencer sighed warily. "Mom…it's your call, but you know that if we don't go now…we won't find him before someone else does."

Before she could argue back, Tyler stepped into the room. "Hey, they've arrived. Just heading up, now."

Sighing in relief, Sam got up from the desk and hurried to the Bunker's entrance. Not even needing the command, Lincoln started to unlock the door and she climbed up the staircase into the light.

As she reached the surface, Sam spotted the group on the horizon heading to them, on the path. Three imposing figures surrounding two smaller ones, heading in their direction. The smallest one gave a big wave, followed by a more subdued wave from the second smallest one.

Thank you, she breathed as she waved back. They both carried backpacks she knew were filled with the bare essentials. It was doubtful that they had been given too much time to pack. The smallest figure ran up to her, barely evading the outstretched hand of his sister, whilst the three other figures watched on, bemused.

"Hi, mom." The boy said brightly and she reached down to embrace him.

"Oh, I am so happy to see you two." She mumbled into his ear as he squirmed in her grasp. Releasing him, she smiled as her daughter reached them. "Both of you. How was the ride?"

"A bit bumpy." Her teenage daughter admitted with a shrug, "Squirt's been going on and on all morning."

He frowned. "I have not!"

She snorted. "Sure."

Samantha scowled, "Harry, you haven't been giving your sister trouble, have you?"

"No!" He insisted, though seemed unsure of himself.

With a good natured scowl, Sam turned to smile at her daughter. "Thanks, Katie. I know that this was short-notice."

Kaitlyn nodded, hesitant. "Mum…what is this all about?"

Before she could think of an answer, she heard her son yell, "Uncle Tyler!"

Tyler laughed as he fistbumped his nephew, "Hey, little man. You haven't given your sis trouble now, have you?"

"No!" Harry insisted again, "Why does everyone keep asking that?"

Spencer's voice came from the entrance as he reached the top of the staircase. "Probably because you always give her trouble, bro."

"I do not!" He scowled, though couldn't keep the smile from breaking through at the sight of his elder brother.

"Right. My mistake, dude." Spencer turned his glance to his mother and Tyler, "I'll get them settled."

"Thanks, Spencer." Sam watched as he led his siblings down into the Bunker and waited until they were out of earshot. "He thinks we should go after Mike."

"Yep." With his hands on his hips, Tyler knocked on the arm of one of the guards in gratitude as they descended too, "I heard. I agree with him."

That surprised her. "Why? Do you know what we'd be risking-"

"Sam, we've never gained anything by sitting on our arses waiting for something to happen. We've got a lead, a good one. Having this Mike situation sorted before we deal with the main event would be better than the alternative."

Now she was absolutely conflicted. A part of her knew she was right in that the risk was too much. Yet if even he was arguing for it…

"It's your call." Tyler clarified with a nod, "But if you want my opinion, we go now while the iron is hot."

All she could do was hesitate, deep in thought.

Washington County, Utah

Sunday 25th June 2017 08:15 AM

"So," Henry grunted as he sat down at his dining table, offering Mike a seat, "tell me, how does a dead man find himself driving in the desert so early in the morning, looking for me?"

As he took the seat, Mike chose his answer carefully. "I don't know; how exactly does a dead man find another dead man out in the desert, still looking very much alive?"

Henry nearly laughed at that, "Touche, my friend. I suppose it is a little odd. How about this: If I answer one of your questions, you answer one of mine. Deal?"

"Deal." Without any hesitation, Mike affirmed his choice.

"Very well. Do I take it that your first question is how exactly I am here talking to you?"

"For a start."

"Well, I suppose it starts with a…I apologise for this, a depraved individual known by some as Bill."

"Doesn't it all start with that." Cassidy sniffed, shaking her head with a grimace, "I swear, it seems that every bad thing starts with that Afton family…"

Dave looked at her blankly and her eyes widened.

"No, not you!" She quickly clarified, reaching out to him with both hands and clasping his shoulders, "Not you, you're fine!"

Stopping himself from smirking at the sight, Mike focused back onto Henry. "You don't need to dodge around it. I know who…what…my father is."

"Oh, I know." Henry nodded, nearly a look of respect in his eyes. "From what I've heard, you ran into him a couple of years ago."

Mike gave a shrug, "Guess you could say that. I'd say he'd looked better, but since he looked much like I do these days…well. So anyway, how does that lead to you coming back from the dead yourself?"

Growing a little more mournful, Henry sat back in his seat. "It was after what most in the state remember as The Missing Children's Incident. I'm sure you know by now what happened that week. Your father, dressed in the same costume that would kill him, lured five children into the back room of Freddy's and killed them."

Mike could sense the mood in Cassidy shift as she seemed to grow subdued. Sensing it too was Dave, who bit his lip in concern and reached a hand out to hold her own. Slowly and unsure, she took it.

Readying himself, Mike spoke the names dully that continued to stay in his every thought. "Susie. Fritz. Gabriel. Jeremy." Then his eyes fell onto the little girl who he knew hated him so much. "Cassidy."

"So you're familiar with them." Henry observed Mike for a moment, nearly smiling, "Remember those names and remember them well. They may only be one of many crimes your father is responsible for, but that doesn't make them any less significant."

"I agree."

"After he committed that sacrilege…in the very building we built for our franchise…after he got away with it, all on a technicality, a simple lack of proof…I knew that there was only one way I could strike him. From the shadows."

"So you faked your death." Mike concluded, "I suppose you were the one manipulating things from behind the scenes?"

"Indeed. When William Afton set out on his own project in the form of Circus Baby's Pizza World, I roadblocked him. When he responded by using his creations to capture and kill more children, I got his project cancelled under the guise of repurposing. He responded by murdering five more children in 1987."

That explains a few things, Mike mused. "So it was like a game of cat and mouse. How long did it go on?"

Henry sighed. "I thought it had ended one wet March morning, just over twenty years ago. He'd broken down the wall built over the back room, had taken his mask back…and had gotten himself killed inside it. It was perfect, perhaps too perfect. I wanted him buried and forgotten. That was why I had that wall built once more."

"Huh."

"I believe that it's my turn, now." Leaning back, Henry raised an eyebrow, "What happened last year? We met, we talked, we decided to work together, I let you in…and then you betrayed me, schemed, then rotted in front of half the town."

"Because I was dead." Mike stated bluntly, "That night after you sent those two engineers to save me? I went back, walked into a trap, and never got out alive."

"Ah." Henry sighed, "I suppose that explains it. All of my intel about you told me you could be trusted, that you would have very similar goals to my own. That was why we started Project Rebirth together. Before I knew it, you had frozen me out and sent our advanced security team, Blackwood, after myself and even my daughter.

Though Mike wanted nothing more than to discuss that little detail further, he knew it wasn't the right time. "They killed me, removed half my body, then replaced what they took with their own. I don't know which was worse. After they left, they had to leave parts behind. Just enough to allow me to keep moving."

"Then I suppose," Henry asked him sincerely, "would you perhaps be interested in starting our partnership properly?"

Though Mike knew his answer, he still wanted to ask. "It's just…why? Why me? You would have every reason to hate, or at the very least distrust me."

But Henry just snorted. "I am not a believer in the sins of the father pass onto the son, Michael. Though I will admit to some hesitation, considering your own past."

So there it is. "You're talking about what I did to David."

"Indeed. My fear was that, with your own hands being stained in blood, you would be not unlike him. You even looked like he did."

Mike could feel Dave shuffle uncomfortably next to him as he considered his answer. To her credit, it seemed that Cassidy had chosen to not comment on it, though he could tell that she agreed.

Finally, Mike decided how he would answer and he sat back. "You're right. You were right to mistrust me. I won't deny it. My father may be responsible for many crimes, but my brother's death…that was on me. I have been trying for many years to redeem myself."

At first, he didn't know how Henry would respond to that. When Henry seemed to relax, he knew it had been the right one. "Good. That's something he lacked; accountability. Every mistake he made, he would always place the blame on somebody else. I suspect that's why he killed…"

When he trailed off, Mike didn't need to inquire what he was hinting at; it had been something on Mike's mind for months. "I don't think I need to tell you that he's still out there. I'm not sure where he's gone…that was what led me here."

"And what are your intentions? When you do find him?"

For a brief moment, Mike glanced at Cassidy and remembered. "Find a bigger hole to stick him in."

Henry nearly smiled. "That would be the day. So, with all this in mind, what is your target?"

"That, unfortunately, is something I'm still working on." Mike leaned forward, thinking about all the variables of this crusade of theirs. "There's my father, of course, but he's not the only one. There's also the amalgamation which killed me; that's all the animatronics my father built for Circus Baby's. I also believe that the Marionette may still be active."

Nodding in recognition for each of them—a little more sombre for the last name given—Henry continued, "I have all three of those on files. I am sorry to say, for a lack of a better term, the rabbit hole is much deeper."

"How deep?"

"I believe it would be easier to show you the full picture." Standing up, Henry walked into one of the other rooms and Mike joined him soon afterwards. As he joined him, he heard Dave and Cassidy conversing behind him as they followed.

"How many more of them do you think there are?" Cassidy asked her friend, who clearly was pondering that same thought.

"I don't know." He admitted, "I mean, how many did…did my dad…kill?"

She nodded at that, "It's always been us eleven, as far as we can tell. Then there's your sister. There could be more."

Dave grew quiet at that and Mike knew why. The idea that they had merely scratched the surface of the Purple Man's crimes wasn't a new one. To be exploring the concept, however, was something that Mike knew would never not disturb him.

Leading them into the study, Henry turned the light on and Mike was greeted by the sight of pinboards filled to the brim with newspaper clippings, maps, and photographs. Stalling at seeing them, Mike gave himself a moment to appreciate the depth of information on them.

"You've been busy." Mike mused as he looked around.

Shrugging in response, Henry leaned against a table with a map of the entirety of Utah on it. "This is a good couple decades of work, here. I've had a lot of time to put things together."

"Do you mind if I have a look?"

"Help yourself."

Carefully, Mike studied each of the pinboards one by one. Some of the newspapers and photographs seemed years old, depicting familiar animatronics. He couldn't help but sadly gaze at some of these familiar images, such as the ones of the Fazgang.

Then he came across a more recent photograph showing an old, faulty animatronic in the shape of a rabbit. One arm was missing from it. Scowling at the sight of it, Mike moved on and saw another of a figure that looked too similar to the Marionette to be anything but.

The final one he came across was one of a mass of wiry tentacles. For a moment, he stared at it. Though he felt a mixture of emotions—rage and dread intertwined—he knew that there was something off about it.

Pointing to the photo, he asked, "What is that thing crawling away?"

"Best I can tell?" Henry answered, "A difference of opinion. I believe you've already met?"

"You could say that."

"Whatever this amalgamation is, it seems that it decided to eject one of their own. I believe I've got a tape somewhere around here…it was caught on CCTV…"

Mike frowned. "Why?"

"Perhaps they were a liability. Perhaps it was a pushy leader."

Accepting that, he crossed his arms, deep in thought. "Might be the latter. It's barely fragments, but…I could tell that my sister was not exactly a beloved leader. Where do you think the other souls in that thing came from?"

"That's just it." Henry spoke grimly, "I'm not entirely sure they are souls."

"No?"

"These Remnants…there may be two or more types. Those possessed and those a little more…artificial. Your father was experimenting. To what extent, I'm still trying to work out. That might have been why he went after Freddy and the others twenty years ago."

That makes sense, Mike decided. "But do we have any idea which ones are which?"

"No. They show different levels of sentience. Some may lose or even gain sanity as time goes by. Most probably don't even remember what they are…who they are."

"So we go after them all." Nodding, Mike stared deeply between the three pictures, "Do you have any leads?"

"Perhaps one." Henry admitted, "Though you're not going to like it…"

The Void

Friday 13th March 2015, 07:11 AM

There was nothing but darkness.

Well, Thomas thought to himself with some humor, I guess it's better than the alternative. Thought I was going somewhere a little hotter.

How long had he been here? Perhaps a few hours, at most. Yet he had the strong feeling that it was a little more permanent than he'd like. For some time, he found himself pondering on the events that would lead him to this point.

It had all started with that decision, back in Switzerland. Had he made a mistake, by not taking his team with him? At the time, he had justified it due to the irrationality of spending valuable assets on what was essentially a wild goose chase.

You know what they say about hindsight, he mused. How could he have known that the very same trip would not only involve Dutch Lawson's comeback, but also the start of a war with his old employers? Then again, how could he not?

For a few moments, he found himself considering how events would have gone had he brought along even one other person. Perhaps Tyler or Brim. Going up against Dutch by himself had been a hairbrained decision and he should have counted his lucky blessings that he hadn't been killed sooner.

Once he was done mulling over that, he found a little peace in his chest. At least, when he reached one simple understanding: It didn't matter if he had done things differently. He didn't have that luxury. Never did. Had he brought others with him, it might have been someone else in his shoes. That idea was something he could accept even less.

If there had been one thing I wish I'd have done more than anything else, Thomas realised, I wish I'd gone to San Francisco first. I didn't go to speak with Spencer. When was the last time we talked?

Worst still, the knowledge that he had left Samantha crippled with grief was something that tore his heart asunder.

Enough, he decided. There was no point in giving in to his self pity. He had put himself in this position. The question was, what else was there? Just this eternal darkness?

So he wandered. That had been something he'd always been good at. Wandering through life, through the valley of death. Whilst others around him withered and died, Thomas would continue to wander.

Some things never change.

Yet as the minutes grew to hours with no end in sight, his doubts grew with them. That darkness continued and he found each step to be a little more painful than the one before. More so when he considered one horrible thought.

What happened after he had died? To his family? To his friends? Were they all doomed to follow him here?

Just as he was about to allow himself to truly feel despair, he heard it. Stopping in his tracks, Thomas listened out carefully.

Voices.

Had he still possessed eyes, he might have scowled. Searching into the darkness, he tried to find the voices, wherever they were coming from. All with one thought in his head: Friend or foe?

Then he saw the group, nearly shimmering. Heading in his direction. He kept himself low and ready, though he doubted that he could even fight back should their intentions be anything but benevolent. Especially not when he was outnumbered by them.

So when he heard the soft voice from the group call out, it simply confused him more.

"Hello?" A voice, that of a girl, asked, "Is there someone there?"

Thomas didn't respond; not when he didn't know their intentions.

Another figure stepped forward and this was a male, perhaps just a young boy. "We don't mean you any harm. Are you lost?"

Shaking his head, Caine knew he wasn't getting out of this. He responded, "Aye, guess you could say that."

The first voice responded to that after a moment. "Detective? Is that Detective Caine?"

They know who I am, he bitterly grimaced, damn it. "I was, I suppose. Not sure what I am, now."

A third figure stepped past the other two and carefully approached him. "I assure you that you're still you. It is…a strange experience, I know."

Thomas shrugged; as much as he could, anyway. "I'm supposing you know me? I apologise, I can't say for definite."

"We…" The figure answered, "...had a rocky relationship, let's just say."

"I'm afraid you're going to have to narrow that down. You'd be surprised by how many rocky relationships I've had."

"I don't suppose the name Michael Schmidt would help?"

It didn't take long for Caine to understand, yet when it did, it tightened his chest. More so when he considered the fact that all the figures were smaller than him. "Freddy?"

"Hello, Detective." Freddy said warmly, but hesitated for a moment, "I…understand that you may not be entirely happy to see us."

"Oh. Right. You mean…" Caine shook his head, "Listen, I'm not saying that to help myself out here, but that was sort of water under the bridge."

Freddy seemed to relax at that. "That is good to hear."

"So…" Looking between the other figures, Caine tried to make them out. They were still simply glowing blurs to him, however. "Guessing the whole gang's here? Fazgang and Fazcrew?"

"Hi, Detective!" One of the other voices called out.

"I'm a little hazy…" Caine mumbled, "But I'm counting…twelve? So…the Marionette…"

"It's good to see you, Detective." The first voice which had spoken to him said kindly.

"I have to say, the feeling's mutual." He hesitated, "It's just…"

"Yep." Another voice said, "I'm here, too."

"Ah. Hello, Golden Freddy."

"I get it." She, as Caine quickly worked out from her voice, responded, "You're probably not happy to see me."

"A little surprised, I will admit. Though it's not unpleasant."

She sniffed in response.

"And…" Caine's eyes fell onto the second one who had spoken to him, "Apologies, I'm not sure…"

"He's a friend." The Marionette explained, "A good friend, one who is leading us to a safe place."

"Well, alright, then."

"Would you like to come with us?"

"Nah, this darkness is very inviting."

"Uh…oh. Um, are you sure?"

Oh, the innocence of youth, Caine mused with a smile. "I'm being sarcastic, my friend. Lead the way."

See, I pulled a sneaky on you. Bet you weren't expecting a Friday upload, huh?