Wednesday, February 8, 1995
Over the course of three days, William learned more about Remnant than he had in the past ten years. He had long suspected that Mangle had unusually stable Remnant bound to her circuits, but he had failed to consider the full implications of this. Not only was her Remnant stable, but its intensity and frequency were almost identical to that of a living human. Moreover, while other Remnant-infused animatronics had their Remnant "bleed out" until it permeated their bodies, and sometimes even contaminating their surroundings, Mangle's Remnant was almost entirely contained within her original circuitry. However, he also found that it was beginning to spread into the circuits of the daughterboard Evan had installed into her when she got her new body, and it was doing so in a manner that looked surprisingly organic.
Given that Mangle's Remnant essentially functioned as her brain, William speculated that by connecting the daughterboard to her mainboard, Evan had unknowingly expanded her "brain capacity". If this was true, then William couldn't help but wonder if there were any limits—or drawbacks, for that matter—to this kind of expansion.
More importantly, studying Mangle like this had revealed the fundamental difference between her and other Remnant-infused animatronics—her Remnant was seemingly native to her system as it was perfectly adapted to it, whereas the Remnant William had bonded with his animatronics had arisen within human beings, whose complex brains where wholly unlike the circuitry of his machines. As such, the problem William faced was one of compatibility. If he wished to bring back those he had lost, he first had to develop a whole new computer architecture that was analogous enough to a human brain to host human Remnant without issue. While he knew that was something Evan could potentially help him with, he figured that it would be better to let the boy focus on the science fairs for the time being.
Naturally, William made sure not to damage Mangle in any way as he studied her. He told himself it was because he knew how important she was to Evan, but the truth was that he himself had started to take a liking to her. Whenever he interacted with her, he couldn't help but wonder if Elizabeth would've turned out like her had she never died.
Every session, he would bring her to his lab in the basement, switch her off, take her apart, study her, put her back together good as new, and then reactivate her, making sure to leave her in the dark when it came to the true nature of his work. While she didn't mind, Evan was not at all happy about it. He respected that Mangle allowed William to study her like this, but he always made it a point to perform maintenance on her right after to make sure that his father hadn't messed anything up.
True to his word, William not only helped Mangle practice her interpersonal skills, but actively coached her on them to the best of his abilities. While he was a strict teacher, the vixen found his help to be invaluable, and as time passed, both Evan and Michael noticed that the way she carried herself began to change ever so slightly.
It was almost 5:30 AM when Mangle snuck into the barn. After spending yet another night reading in the living room, she had returned so that she could snuggle and sleep next to Evan for a little while before they both had to get up.
As she closed the door, she smiled to herself as she gazed upon Evan, who was fast asleep in their bed. He always looked so peaceful when he was sleeping.
Moving carefully so as to not wake him, Mangle snuck over to the bed and slipped under the covers. She then gently wrapped her arms around the sixteen-year-old as she snuggled up to him.
Still asleep, Evan murmured and shifted his position so that his head rested against hers.
Mangle let out a contented sigh. She loved getting into bed with him. It always felt so nice and cozy, and it gave her a sense of safety and familiarity.
She closed her eyes and began to drift off to sleep.
It was then that the alarm went off.
The vixen opened her eyes and watched as Evan reached towards the clock and shut off the alarm.
She forgot they had to get up extra early today.
The sixteen-year-old rubbed his eyes and let out a yawn before he turned to Mangle.
Smiling groggily at her, he asked, "Ready for the big day?"
As annoyed as she was that she didn't get any sleep, the vixen smiled back at him and replied, "As ready as I'll ever be."
They both got out of bed, with Evan turning on the ceiling lights before the two went to the opposite ends of the barn to change out of their nightwear.
Smiling to herself, Mangle browsed through her clothes rack until she found the pink strapless leotard with a rose-colored sash and golden frills around its waist—the first piece of clothing she had ever worn. She removed it from the rack to get a better look at it, and as she did, she began to reminisce about her first night in her current body, when Evan brought her to a cliff overlooking the city.
It was a memory she would cherish for the rest of her life.
However, her smile then slowly turned into a frown as something dawned on her.
As beautiful as this outfit was, it was ultimately only suitable for an animatronic performer or a child dressing up as a fairytale princess.
Mangle knew that if she wanted the respect she rightfully deserved, then she had to dress the part.
She returned the pink leotard to the clothes rack and regarded it with a nostalgic smile. Perhaps it was better never to wear it ever again. That way, it would always serve as the perfect memento of one of the happiest days of her life.
The vixen then went to work putting together a new outfit for herself consisting of a pink off-the-shoulders sweater, a black blazer, white leggings, a rose-colored scarf tied around her neck, and golden hoop earrings. And to top it off, she put her hair in a low ponytail.
As she was finishing up and looking herself over in the full-length mirror, Mangle noticed that Evan was watching her, and he was doing so with a somewhat surprised look on his face.
Turning around to face him, she asked, "What do you think?"
"I think you look very professional," the sixteen-year-old replied and gave her an encouraging smile. "It suits you."
"Thanks," she replied with a giggle. She then asked in a playful manner, "But do I still look 'stunning'?"
Evan huffed a laugh at that. "More so than ever, I'd say."
This elicited another giggle from Mangle.
After a brief shower and getting themselves ready, Evan and Mangle enjoyed a good breakfast in the dining room. Then, after collecting everything they needed for the day, Mr. Rivera came and picked them up in his car at 7:00 AM sharp. As the vixen and the sixteen-year-old got into the backseat, the teacher watched the former through the rearview mirror.
"I like the new look," he said with an encouraging smile.
"Thanks!" Mangle replied with a smile as she set her book bag down next to her.
Once Evan and Mangle had closed the doors, Mr. Rivera turned on the ignition and then drove his car out of the driveway.
As they drove towards school, the teacher glanced at them through the rearview mirror and asked, "Are any of you nervous?"
"Despite all of my preparation, I have to admit that I'm still a bit nervous," the vixen replied.
"So am I," Evan admitted with an empathetic smile.
"Don't worry, the hardest part is behind you now," Mr. Rivera reassured both of them. "The fairs are at this point just a series of victory laps, so just do your best and have fun."
Before long, they reached their destination and as the teacher parked his car on the school parking lot, Mangle closed her eyes and meditated on everything William, Nietzsche, and Machiavelli had taught her. This time she would get it right.
The three of them exited the car. Mangle slung her book bag over her shoulder, and while Evan was collecting his things, she turned towards the school and noticed a number of students looking in her direction—staring at her in awe.
It made sense, of course. Whenever she and Evan were normally out and about, people viewed her as a curiosity at best and an intrusive element at worst. But this time it was… different.
It was then that Mangle realized that within the context of the science fair, she was seen not as a curiosity, but as the product of Evan's genius and hard work. When the students looked upon her, they knew that he was going to win, and so in a way she was victory incarnate.
Mangle held onto that thought and drew strength from it, using it to give herself a much-needed boost to her confidence.
She was victory incarnate.
As they made their way towards the gym, the vixen held her head high with an enigmatic smirk on her face as they approached the onlookers.
Passing the students, Mangle overheard various comments they made about her.
"Holy shit, look at that thing!" One student exclaimed.
"I heard his dad is a robotics genius," remarked another. "He must've helped him make it. There's no way he made that thing on his own."
"Why did he make it look like that?" Asked a third.
Mangle side-eyed that last one, looking at him as if he was some insect that had momentarily annoyed her—as if he was nothing—and he seemed quite unnerved by this.
Entering the gym, Evan, Mangle, and Mr. Rivera walked over to the check-in desk, which was manned by a man and a woman, both of whom looked middle aged. Upon spotting Mangle, their eyes went wide.
"You made that in a year?" Asked the woman incredulously.
"No, I made her in ten and a half months," Evan replied smugly as he pulled out the abstract summarizing his work and handed it to her.
"And I can personally attest to that," Mr. Rivera added with a grin.
"Jesus," the man said as he eyed the vixen. He then turned to the woman and said, "Well, at least we still get to look forward to seeing who wins second and third place."
Evan and Mangle looked at each other with knowing smiles. Their victory being such a foregone conclusion did wonders for their confidence.
Despite them having arrived early, there were already a few students setting up their displays throughout the gym, and yet more gradually entered the building. Practically all of them occasionally glanced over at Mangle with looks of wonder, disbelief, and in some cases even jealousy.
Having checked in, Evan and Mangle went to set up their display, while Mr. Rivera left to join the rest of the faculty. Claiming a spot towards the back of the gym, the vixen set her book bag down under the table, while the sixteen-year-old unfolded his display board and placed it on top of the table along with his project data book.
The display board was titled 'Creating a Highly Mobile, Articulate, and Autonomous Robot' and contained schematics of Mangle's new body, along with numerous charts detailing its various capabilities, as well as text describing the project as a whole.
Once Evan and Mangle had gotten everything ready, they watched as all of the other participants set up their own displays.
Finally, the woman who had been manning the check-in desk spoke up through the speakers. "Okay, everyone, the opening ceremony is about to begin, so please make your way to the auditorium."
Evan gave Mangle a rueful smile. "Seems it's time to go. Will you be alright here on your own?"
The vixen hated that she had to be left behind as if she was just another science project instead of her own person. Nevertheless, she made an attempt to smile and replied, "Yeah… I'll just stand here and read until you get back."
"Alright," the sixteen-year-old said with an apologetic look on his face. He hugged her and added, "I'll be back in about forty minutes."
Mangle hummed in response and then watched him leave along with everyone else in the gym. Before long, she was all alone.
Letting out a sigh, the vixen turned to the table, crouched down, and opened her book bag. She browsed the small handful of books she had brought as she considered which one she wanted to read. Finally, she settled on 'Thinking Strategically: The Competitive Edge in Business, Politics, and Everyday Life' by Avinash Dixit and Barry Nalebuff. She pulled out the book, got back up, and began to read.
However, only five minutes into the book, Mangle's attention was drawn to the entrance of the gym upon hearing the door unlock and open. She then heard the voices of three teenage boys, and she recognized them immediately.
Ned, Timmy, and Garry—the ones who had humiliated and degraded her during her first outing, the ones who had bullied Evan all his life, and two of whom nearly tortured her to death for a cheap laugh way back when she was at Freddy's. She furrowed her brow as she recalled their cruel laughter as they tried to tear out her circuits, and the fear she felt back then.
Given how they had treated her during her first outing in her new body, Mangle knew that they were here to do something to her in an attempt to ruin Evan's project. She just knew it!
However, something then occurred to her. There was no one else here, and there was no surveillance system whatsoever that she could see.
She smirked to herself.
As unfortunate as this situation was, it did present her with a very unique opportunity.
Before the three teens could spot her, Mangle put her book away. Then, standing up straight and facing forward, she stopped moving all together, and remained perfectly motionless as if she had been switched off.
It wasn't long before she could hear them approaching.
"Oh man, this is going to be so good!" Laughed Ned.
"I still can't believe that that dweeb actually made a fucking sexbot for his science project," Garry cackled.
"I know!" Agreed Timmy. "He's such a pathetic loser!"
They then came into view, each one of them carrying a can of spray paint.
Garry turned to Timmy and asked, "Should we just spray it like this or…?"
"Nah, let's take off its clothes first!" Timmy replied with a cruel smile. "That way, everyone can see what a perverted dweeb he is and the paint is going to be even harder to remove!"
"Oh yeah, good thinking!" Garry said.
All three of them then stepped closer to her and reached out to take her clothes.
Their eyes then grew wide as Mangle suddenly came to life and grabbed Ned and Timmy by their throats. As for Garry, he fell on his ass and watched on in horror as the vixen effortlessly lifted his friends into the air.
Held aloft, the two teens choked and gagged, desperately trying to pry the vixen's fingers away from their necks.
Mangle regarded Ned and Timmy with a sadistic smirk. She thought back to when they tormented her back at Freddy's—she had been so afraid thinking that she was going to die. Looking into their eyes, she knew they now felt exactly as she did back then.
The feeling of power she felt in this moment was absolutely intoxicating.
"Hmmm, I wonder…" Mangle mused in a playful tone as she choked Ned and Timmy. "If I squeeze your necks hard enough, will it eventually make your heads pop, or will it simply crush your necks?"
"P-p-p-please don't hurt them!" Garry pleaded, still frozen in fear.
"Oh? Why not?" She asked mischievously. She looked into Timmy's eyes as if to burn her next words into his memory. "After all, all you do is hurt and destroy things for your own amusement, so why shouldn't I?"
Garry let out a gasp as the vixen made it seem like she was about to crush the necks of his friends.
She then pretended to hesitate. "Then again… I wouldn't want to ruin the science fair for Evan." She looked at Ned and Timmy as she loosened her grip around their throats. "Tell you what, I'll let you go this time. However, if you ever bother Evan or I ever again, I won't be as merciful." She grinned sadistically, showing off her sharp teeth. "Understood?"
"Y-y-yes!" Garry replied as his friends nodded along. "N-Now please let them go!"
"Very well," Mangle said dismissively as she released her grip on Ned and Timmy, causing them both to fall to the ground with a thud. "Now, get out of here before I change my mind!"
The three teens immediately scrambled to get up and run to the exit, and the vixen couldn't help but to laugh as she watched them.
Having finally put them in their place felt good! Really good!
She knew that she would get away with it, of course. After all, Evan had told her numerous times that these three were notorious troublemakers and habitual liars, so they were unlikely to be believed if they ever told anyone about what had just happened.
With a satisfied smirk, Mangle went back to reading.
When students and faculty members finally returned to the gym, Evan was first among them.
He strode over to the vixen with a regretful smile. "My apologies for that, Mangle. Are you alright?"
"Oh, I'm fine," Mangle replied with a playful smile as she put away her book.
"Glad to hear it," Evan said, looking quite relieved. "I take it that you kept yourself occupied reading?"
"I did," the vixen replied as her tail swished from side to side. "Though, I did get a bit interrupted when Ned, Timmy, and Garry broke in here."
Evan furrowed his brow. "What?!"
"Don't worry, I dealt with them," Mangle said nonchalantly.
The sixteen-year-old looked a bit taken aback by that. "Dealt with them how?"
"Oh, you know, I gave them a little scare and threatened to kill them if they ever bothered us again," the vixen revealed with a playful and very satisfied grin.
Evan blinked in shock. However, an amused smile then spread across his face and he huffed a laugh. "Are you serious?"
"Yeah, I am," Mangle laughed. "You should've seen the look on their faces! It was incredible!"
"Oh, I can only imagine," the sixteen-year-old laughed along. "Serves them right for everything they've done. I only wish I could've been here to see it for myself."
"I'd be more than happy to tell you all about it. Though, uh…" She eyed approaching students who were returning to their displays. "... for now we should probably keep quiet and focus on the fair."
Evan turned to look at the other students. "Yeah, I concur."
The two spent the rest of the morning presenting Evan's science project for the various judges. The sixteen-year-old provided the lion's share of the oral presentation, with the vixen occasionally jumping in to provide further details. Mangle also showcased the physical capabilities of her new body by doing stretches, dance moves, by writing personalized notes, and by drawing simple doodles.
Suffice it to say that the judges were absolutely blown away by this.
Then, by noon, students and the faculty left to eat lunch, with Mangle being left on her own in the gym once again. However, it wasn't all that bad as it gave her the opportunity to try Lunchables for the first time as she had brought a pack in her book bag. While she preferred real food over it, she found herself enjoying her Lunchable quite a bit.
After lunch, the science fair was opened for the general public, and before long the gym was filled with parents who ranged from curious to indifferent, as well as genuinely interested adults. As could be expected, most of them took a great interest in Mangle.
Then, at 1:00 PM, the principal spoke up, drawing everyone's attention. "Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to declare the winners of the Hurricane High School Science Fair!" He paused for dramatic tension and then continued, "The third place award winner is… Walt Tyson!"
A teenage boy, who looked to be a junior student, and whose science project was titled 'The Impact of Water Conservation Techniques on Plant Growth', walked up to the principal, who handed him a ribbon and shook his hand.
As the junior student returned to his display, the principal announced, "And in second place, we have… Adelle Hobbs!"
The teenage girl, who seemed to be in her senior year, and whose science project was titled 'Solar Energy Efficiency in Desert Climates', walked up to the principal and was similarly awarded with a ribbon and a handshake.
Finally, the principal announced, "And the first place award winner of the Hurricane High School Science Fair is… Evan Afton!"
Evan smiled at Mangle, who smiled back at him with her tail wagging behind her. With a smug expression on his face, he strolled up to the principal and was given a trophy. However, the sixteen-year-old only reluctantly shook his hand.
And with that, the science fair was officially over.
Smiling ear-to-ear, the sixteen-year-old returned to Mangle with the trophy in hand. Seeing the expression on his face, the vixen's tail began to wag even faster.
"We did it!" Mangle cheered.
"I mean, there wasn't much of any risk of us not coming in first," Evan replied, but he was practically beaming with joy. "That said, it does feel quite nice winning a competition for once."
Mangle giggled. "Couldn't agree more."
Then, much to her surprise, the vixen spotted a reporter and cameraman approaching them.
"Um… Evan?" The vixen said and eyed the reporter.
The sixteen-year-old turned around to see what Mangle was looking at, and he was almost startled upon seeing the reporter walk up to him.
"Hi! Everett Baxter from Hurricane News!" The reporter practically blurted out with an entirely artificial sense of familiarity. "We heard you just won the Hurricane High School Science Fair! Is this true?"
Baxter then shoved his microphone in Evan's face, making the sixteen-year-old recoil slightly away from it. "Uh… Yeah?"
"And your name is?" Baxter asked.
Slowly regaining his composure, the sixteen-year-old replied, "Evan Afton."
"Afton? As in 'Afton Robotics'?"
Evan nodded. "Yes, that's right. My father is the owner of Afton Robotics."
"And could you tell us about your project?" Baxter asked as the cameraman panned over to Mangle and the display board behind her.
"Certainly," Evan replied and gestured towards the display board. "I made a robot that is able to perform all of the complex kinds of movements humans are capable of—dancing, stretching, climbing, sewing, writing, drawing—you name it."
He turned to Mangle, prompting the vixen to grab a pen and notepad. She quickly scribbled something on it and then showed it to the camera.
It said 'You got this!' with a heart drawn next to it. Seeing this, Evan couldn't help but to blush.
The cameraman panned back to Evan, who continued, "Of course, a robot with these kinds of capabilities requires a multitude of intricate, moving components, all of which need to work in conjunction with one another. As such, in order for the robot to function as intended, it required a highly advanced, self-learning artificial intelligence. Thankfully, I had such an AI at hand," Evan explained and gestured to Mangle. "Mangle here was first created as an animatronic similar to those you'll see at Freddy's or Circus Baby's. My father built her with an experimental AI to serve as a companion for me when I was eight. I incorporated her hardware and software into my new robot, resulting in what you see before you now."
"Fascinating!" Baxter remarked. "And now that you've finished your project, will she be joining the roster of characters in Circus Baby's Entertainment and Rental?"
Mangle felt as if she had just been slapped in the face. She knew Evan had no intention of reducing her to just another animatronic performer, but the fact that the reporter assumed so hurt her deeply.
"No," Evan replied dismissively as if it had been the stupidest question in the world. "Given her advanced AI and current capabilities, it would be a waste to deploy her as just another animatronic entertainer."
"Then what are your plans for her?"
"She's going to come with me to college," Evan replied.
Baxter chuckled, seeming more than a little amused. "What? Is she going to study at college too?"
"Why not?" Evan countered with a hint of annoyance. "As I mentioned before—she has a highly advanced, self-learning AI—so she most certainly could study at college if she was permitted to do so. And even if she's not, just being there at college with me is going to give her access to a wealth of materials and lectures that she can study on her own."
Mangle couldn't help but to smile. Not only was it comforting and reassuring to see Evan defend her like this, but seeing him talk about her so passionately made her circuits fizzle.
"But what is the purpose of that?" Baxter pressed.
"So she can run Afton Robotics," Evan replied.
To say that Mangle was taken aback upon hearing that was an understatement. She knew there had been talks about her one day helping to manage the company, but to actually run it?
Baxter shot him a questioning look. "You want to put a robot in charge of your father's company?"
"I don't see why not," Evan replied with a shrug. "I mean, I cannot overstate how driven, passionate, and absolutely brilliant she is! She spends the entirety of every night reading, sometimes reading two to three books a day! And just the other day, we stayed up for hours because she wanted to discuss game theory with me! So I have the utmost confidence that when my father finally passes on the reins of Afton Robotics, she's going to be by far the most qualified person to run it!"
The feelings of pride, ecstasy, and love Mangle felt upon hearing that was almost enough to overload her system. No one would ever talk about her like that. No one but him.
"Well, we will definitely be following your career with great interest," Baxter said with an affable smile. "Thank you for your time!"
At this point, Mangle wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around Evan and spend the rest of the day snuggling with him. Of course, it wasn't very appropriate to do that right now with all of the people around, and so she distracted herself by starting to pack up the display board and the various materials they had brought. However, her tail betrayed her true feelings, as it was wagging so fast that it made her butt wiggle.
"Here, let me help you with that," Evan said as he joined her.
They had packed up most of the display materials when Mr. Rivera approached them. "Congratulations, you two! You just qualified to compete in the regional fair!"
"Thanks," they both replied in unison.
"And to be honest, I'm quite looking forward to it," Evan said. "It'll be a nice change of pace to go somewhere where everyone is properly invested in science."
"And it's going to be a lot of fun going somewhere new and exciting!" Mangle exclaimed.
"Speaking of which—Evan, have you considered getting a driver's license?" Mr. Rivera asked.
The sixteen-year-old blinked. "To be honest, I hadn't even thought about it. I've just been so preoccupied with working on Mangle's body and, more recently, on the VANN architecture."
"Well, you should look into it," Mr. Rivera suggested. "There are lots of fun or interesting places to go within a reasonable driving distance—the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Las Vegas, to name a few."
"I'm pretty sure we're a little too young to go to Las Vegas, Ramón," Evan replied with an amused look on his face.
"Vegas doesn't just cater to adults," Mr. Rivera noted. "There's a lot you could do there at your age. For example, if you drive there early in the morning, you could spend the whole day seeing the sights, riding roller coasters, going to museums, enjoying some live music, and eating some good food."
"God, that sounds so wonderful," Mangle said with a wistful sigh.
"I mean, if you're going to go study at an Ivy League school after graduating, then you might as well take the opportunity to see the sights here in the Southwest while you still can," Mr. Rivera suggested.
Evan glanced at the vixen and then replied somewhat reluctantly, "Well… I suppose I could start taking some driving lessons."
"Yes!" Mangle burst into a joyful giggle and pulled the sixteen-year-old into a hug. "Thank you! Thank you!"
"Anything for you, Mangle," Evan laughed.
The vixen nuzzled his cheek passionately. So much so, that she had to resist the urge to kiss him or even nibble on his ear. "I love you," she whispered from the bottom of her non-existent heart.
Evan smiled and replied with great fondness, "I love you too, Mangle."