Behind the Curtain

Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, Hurricane, Utah

Wednesday 26th June 1985 15:12 PM

Fritz scowled at the curtain as he sat there in the darkness, upset. After only ten minutes of walking around aimlessly upon not finding his friend there, suddenly the sounds of other kids running around screaming drove him up the wall.

Where is she? He seethed, She was meant to be here…

There were a few adults there, but he shared the same interest in talking to them as he did with those other kids. True, he preferred to be alone, but there weren't many places in Freddy's you could be.

But there were some.

When he'd seen the little curtained stage off to the side and recognised it to be none other than Pirate's Cove, he'd looked around carefully to make sure nobody was watching him and then dashed for it. His excited dread upon seeing the big pirate fox standing there, unmoving, had slowly waned when he understood he was still very much alone in there.

A thought which both relieved him, but also made him more upset.

She was supposed to be here, Fritz reminded himself again. Instead, he was stuck here with Foxy. Truth be told, he shared some kinship with the weird robot.

Maybe I should just go, Fritz considered. Either sneak back home or maybe even go to the skate park. Anything to get away from the crippling loneliness he was feeling. Though he entertained the thought, it was never really a serious consideration. Being lonely in here or being lonely out there wasn't exactly a positive change.

Cass wouldn't let me hear the end of it, Fritz also mused. It was her birthday today, after all; that was why he came. He and all of his friends were supposed to meet up, have some pizza and cake, and have some fun. As bitter a young heart Fritz was, he wouldn't betray a friend's trust like that.

Especially with how she'd practically set up his own birthday party; not that she ever admitted it. Cassie always liked to do things without letting anyone know. Worse still, he'd never thanked her for it, which he still regretted.

With his mind made up, Fritz knew he couldn't leave. Even if I have to sit here until they close, I will make it up to her.

Besides, the idea of getting that stern, critical glare from Gabriel if he no-showed the party was just as indigestible. How on earth someone who spent most of his time looking up at people could still be so authoritative was a mystery-

The sudden light behind him made Fritz freeze and he looked over his shoulder, still scowling. Even as his eyes met those of the gigantic figure by the curtain, it didn't leave his face. Adjusting his eyes, Fritz spied the figure with its big bunny rabbit ears and yellow fur.

"Why, hello!" The rabbit chortled in a singsong voice that annoyed him. "And what are you doing here, young man?"

Fritz shrugged, unamused. "Nothing."

"You know," With a hand to his chin, the rabbit remarked, "kids are not allowed on the stage…"

All Fritz offered at that was a shrug, then he went to stand up. As moody as he was, he wasn't about to get in trouble over something so stupid. And that rabbit is creeping me out, he had to admit.

It seemed that the rabbit didn't get the message, however, when Fritz sidestepped him and left the stage. "Oh, my dear boy, do not fret! I'm not here to get you in trouble. Why, I was wondering how you would like to be invited to a special party happening right now?"

"I'm good." Fritz scowled.

"Oh, but young Susie has been wanting some friends to be there! Are you sure?"

Hearing that name, Fritz froze and turned to glare at the rabbit. "Susie? She's there?"

"Of course! Would you like to see her?"

Gritting his teeth, Fritz could feel his concern burning in his tiny chest. No matter his own misery, he could not let the baby of their little group be on her own. Gabe would never forgive him if she got hurt. "Fine. Where is she?"

"Why, just follow me!" As the rabbit led him towards the hallway, bypassing the other children running around and the couple of adults in sight, he continued to chatter. "So, what is your name?"

"Fritz." The boy replied; he had no desire to play this game.

"Ah, hello, Fritz! A good, strong name. I'm sure we will get along just fine!"

Not likely, creepo, Fritz snorted. His only intention was to figure out where the hell Susie was and drag her out. Yet as the rabbit led him closer and closer to that big metal door, he could feel his feet growing heavy.

Opening the door, the rabbit stretched a hand out to guide him inside, smiling. Not returning it, Fritz just stepped closer to the doorway and spoke up, "Susie? Where are you? C'mon, get out here-"

All the while not seeing the nervous glance the rabbit gave. When he checked that the coast was clear, the rabbit suddenly placed a hand on Fritz' back and pushed him inside, the young boy yelling out "Hey!" as he fell onto the floor.

His demeanor changing, the rabbit slammed the door shut and locked it, before turning to face Fritz. "Oh, why my dear Fritz; you shouldn't have raised your voice…"

"Screw you," Fritz cursed, "you bag of turds! Where's Susie?"

"Oh," The rabbit gave a light laugh, "she's around…but first, you must learn your manners…"

As the rabbit reached for something on the table, he turned, grinning, the big axe in hand. At that, Fritz faltered. Backing away, he felt a chilling fear in his chest. Without a second to lose, he darted, trying to get past the rabbit.

But the rabbit's aim was true as he swung the axe; in a second, Fritz felt his vision in his right eye disappear and his body stopped involuntarily. Then, with a rip, the rabbit pulled the axe away from its mark and Fritz fell to the floor, foggy, distant thoughts in his head before his vision darkened completely.

Washington County, Utah

Friday 30th June 2017 15:55 PM

Grunting, Henry slowed the car down to a halt next to the decrepit warehouse. "Okay…here we are."

Tyler shifted in the seat next to him, feeling naked without his rifle. Following him out as the older man left the car, Tyler gave a respectful fist bump to Ella as she and Jack left the seats in the SUV's boot. Though he nodded to Charlie as she exited from the back seat, he ignored the look John gave him.

We're not friends, pal, Tyler bitterly thought. Heading to the front of the pack, Tyler signalled to Ella and Jack to take the rear. At the very least, he knew he could depend on those two. Perhaps Henry carried himself with experience, but it was a far cry away from these sort of tactical operations.

"A lot of regrets here." Henry gave a sigh as they headed closer to the abandoned building's door. "We didn't start out with a restaurant, you know. Had to start in a garage…eventually, had a warehouse to put together our creations."

Tyler didn't acknowledge him; truth be told, he cared little for depressing backstories. It wasn't for his benefit anyway, that much he knew. Staring at him, Charlie listened to his every word.

"What happened, dad?" Charlie asked him quietly.

"It was…" Taking a moment, Henry explained, "just a step in a partnership I never should have started. At the time, we were just a couple of young men with a dream…or so I thought."

With eyes watching for any sign that they were not alone, the six of them entered the warehouse. Even by those few moments he had to take in the scene, he could tell that the place had been less than abandoned for years. In the centre of the room lay workshops and piles of material.

There were floodlights, barebones utilities, though Tyler couldn't help but note that not a single object of comfort lay anywhere. Not a chair in sight. Scowling, he looked around more closely. "Someone was building something…"

"What do you think?" Ella asked him, straining her eyes against the darkness, "Weapons? Bombs?"

"Robotics…" Henry answered, having a good look around what had been left behind. "Metallic scraps, for the most part. Hm…looks like someone was trying to build an arm."

Raising an eyebrow, John scanned the scrap. "Is it just me…or does it look like there were two different things being built?"

"I believe so, yes." Henry said, concerned. "There's multiple Remnants active and as best as I can tell, several of them are still in the state. Mike ran into at least three just a few days ago."

Without taking his eyes off the darkness, Tyler mused. "Aye, I don't know robotics, but I know maintenance. Whatever was here and however many there were, they were using scrap to fix something."

"I agree." With a grumble, Henry rubbed his bearded chin, thoughtful. "It doesn't help us with where they've gone, though…"

That was when Jack spoke up. "Maybe it does. This looks unfinished. Maybe they're still looking for something?"

"Right," Charlie agreed, "like more materials. Is there a scrapyard around here?"

John snorted, "It's Utah. There must be old mines, pits, and dumps all over. We'd be looking for a needle in a haystack."

"No." Henry stated without any doubt, "If the Remnant who's been here is who I think it is, they'd be heading somewhere familiar. Or at least…significant."

As they had talked, Tyler could feel that shimmer of recognition in him. Like it was on the tip of his tongue. "I think I might know a place…but it's just not clicking…"

"Where did you hear of this place?" Ella asked.

"Hmm…" Tyler groomed at his beard, irritated. "Y'know that whole thing with Mike heading back to New Harmony? His files he added to Tommo's referenced that underground facility…in his notes, he brought up some sort of history with…well, underground holes."

Jack narrowed his eyes. "Right, right, yeah; I think Mike once talked about how he and Thomas found this old hole where some animatronics were dumped. It was when that crazy guy Lawson tried killing them."

Clicking his fingers, Tyler nodded, "Right, that's the one! It was back in '94, I think."

"The Toy Animatronics." Henry murmured, then raised his voice back to normal. "After I made sure that the board pulled Afton's funding during that twisted Circus Baby's project, I had to justify it to the board by ensuring that their investment would be repaid. We reused Bill's technology for the Toy Animatronics."

Charlie frowned. "I think…I think I remember that…weren't they the ones that caused the Bite?"

"And those other murders up in St. George." John agreed.

"Sounds like a lovely bunch…" Tyler grumbled, "Well, we have our heading. Remnants ain't gonna hunt themselves, people."

Within minutes, they were back on the road, heading further out into the outskirts of Hurricane. This time, Tyler was in the driver's seat as Henry worked away on something he'd taken from the warehouse.

As the older man gritted his teeth and worked at the thing, Tyler raised an eyebrow. "Don't pop a vein, old man."

Henry mumbled something. "Damn thing is just not working…"

"What even is it?" Tyler asked, genuinely curious, "Looks like some radio."

"It's a black box…or at least, similar enough to one. All the animatronics had them; it was a design attribute that just never faded. Had other uses, of course…it allowed us to track down any of our property in case it ever went missing…or stolen."

With a grimace, Tyler understood where he was going. "So if this one was left there, it was removed on purpose."

"Exactly. I'd imagine that the Remnant who possessed it realised how I was tracking them." With a scowl, Henry gave an irritated noise, "It might be of some use, still, but I just don't get why…"

Charlie cleared her throat, "Let me have a look, dad."

"I'm…" There was some hesitation in Henry, "...not sure…"

It was John who interjected. "Trust me, Mr. Emily; I've seen your daughter with tech. She's a whiz."

He thought about that for a moment before accepting it. Reaching behind him, Henry passed the device to his daughter, who took it gratefully. In the rear view mirror, Tyler could see Charlie nearly sticking her tongue out in concentration as she examined and prodded at the box.

Then, with a jolt, the box came to life.

Mouth wide open, Henry looked at her. "How on Earth…?"

"Like I told you, sir," John smiled, "she's a whiz."

With both pride and perhaps a little mortification, Henry sat back in his seat. He then saw the look on Tyler's face and glared. "Don't."

"I didn't say anything." Tyler smirked.

"Don't say it."

"Not like you just got shown up by your millennial daughter who's half your age."

"Stop."

"I'm Gen X, actually." Charlie said matter-of-fact like and it was Tyler's time to submit. Fiddling with the box for a few moments, she finally seemed satisfied. "Here we go. I think there's still something on its banks…"

With a buzz of static, noise came from the box. "You are crowding us."

"Whoa." Tyler frowned, "What is that?"

Another voice came from the box, this one of a soft-spoken but critical woman. "Be quiet."

But a third voice spoke up. "You can't tell us what to do anymore."

"Yes, I can." The second voice seethed, "You will do everything that I tell you to."

Glancing at the rear view mirror, Tyler could see the growth of disturbed expressions in the car. Yet none of them spoke over the conversation going on in that box. "We outnumber you."

The second voice spat, "That doesn't matter, dummy."

With that, the first voice which had spoken spoke the harsh point. "We found a way to eject you."

"You would be lost without me."

Then a surge of ear-piercing metallic sounds came, like a machine being put into a grinder. When it was finally over, an insane voice laughed, "Ha, ha! Say goodbye to our friend!"

Heavy footsteps preceded the woman's voice, now small and weak, calling out, "I can put myself back together."

Then the static returned until all intelligible audio in the black box fizzled out. For at least a minute, nobody spoke a word in the car. When that silence was broken, it was Henry's weary voice.

"That was Elizabeth."

Narrowing his eyes, Tyler glanced at him. "Who?"

"Elizabeth." Henry repeated dully, "Bill's daughter. Mike's little sister. She was the voice arguing with the others."

"Then that means…" Clenching his jaw, Tyler remembered his own experience last year. "That was Frankenschmidt?"

Henry hesitated at the name, "Yes. The amalgamation which killed Mike, replaced him, and set Blackwood upon myself and Charlie. I retrieved CCTV footage of that incident in the black box, but never had the audio. Until now…"

"Not just you." Tyler growled, "That bloody thing betrayed us, too. It led me into a trap and near enough murdered Samantha."

"I know. The question is…which one does the black box belong to?"

John snorted. "Does it matter? Whichever one it is, aren't we heading their way to put them down?"

"It's the danger that worries me." Henry countered that. "Elizabeth is smart, but if it's this amalgamation we're facing…it has at least four minds in one."

"How dangerous are they?" Charlie asked him.

"Each one possesses the strength of ten men." Candidly, Henry explained just what they were coming up against, "Their attitude towards human life ranges anywhere between apathy and bloodlust. They don't tire and they can go up to anywhere between two weeks to a month without maintenance. Some are trapped in inflexible forms and others dwell within material that can shift and change."

As they listened to his words without interruption, it was Ella who spoke her opinion. "And we have no idea how many there will be?"

"Unfortunately." Henry acknowledged.

"Alright, then." Turning, Tyler said to the two in the back, "Might wanna make sure those guns are ready."

It was perhaps an hour drive before they saw the scrapyard in the middle of the savannah. Parking up, Tyler eyed the horizon and saw the hill in the distance, surrounded by trees. Recalling the files that his brother had put together, he scowled. Ol' Dutch must've used that hill. I would've.

"Okay." Ella grunted as she took out the weapons that she had already prepared. Our office quartermaster, Tyler mused. "We might not have the proverbial goldmine of munitions that we have back at the lodge, but it should be enough that we shouldn't run out of ammo before we're done."

"Good." Tyler nodded, then shook his head as Jack went to pass him his rifle. "Nah mate, if it's gonna be close quarters in there, that's going to be useless."

After some hesitation, Jack agreed. "Right. So…the shotty?"

"More your kinda thing. Give me one of the ARs; I'll be on point."

Once they were all armed and ready, Tyler led them to the front of the scrapyard and inside. It was abandoned, though he knew that there was a labyrinth of caverns right under their feet. They reached a gaping chasm that once held a rope bridge, but it had not been replaced after all these years.

Aiming his flashlight downwards, Tyler strained his eyes. "Can't see a bloody thing…"

"I think that there might be other entrances around here." Ella offered, "Maybe we should try one of them."

Tyler nodded, "Aye, I don't have any intention of dropping down into some pit."

Leading the way back out of the scrapyard and alongside the outskirts, the group searched for the path that would take them into the bowels in which their target dwelled.

Mount Rushmore, South Dakota

Saturday 1st July 2017 15:02 PM

They set up camp just off the treeline, in cover enough that they wouldn't be spotted by any passing tourist. "We won't be here long," Caine had explained, "just until we've been in and out."

Once they were at the lookout point, Mike and Caine used the couple pairs of binoculars they'd taken from the armoury. There was a stretch of road they were keeping an eye on, one that ran through the outskirts of the memorial into the dense centre of the forest.

"So what's the plan, here?" Mike asked his close friend.

Nodding, Caine explained himself. "Supply vehicles heading into the Crucible came from one of five roads. The schedule would always be changed and diverted to ensure that nobody would notice. But no matter which road they come from, no matter what they're carrying, they'd always need to go through that pass."

For a moment, he digested that. "So you're saying we infiltrate one of those trucks in transit…"

"...and let the Crucible hand us the key, aye."

But Mike wasn't convinced. "Surely they've got security measures?"

"Every transport," Caine answered, "is checked before the contents are rolled in. That, I'm afraid, is where things get difficult. We're talking X-Rays, metal detectors, and thermal imaging. Near enough every shipment is checked; food, weapons, materials."

Giving the detective a look, Mike remarked, "I'd say that you're not really selling me on this, but we've been through this before, haven't we?"

"Aye. Then again," Caine gave him a wry smile, "can't be any more difficult than all the rest of the insanity we've survived. I have to ask, by the way…did you really kill Midnight?"

"I did." Mike said, "It was a group effort, though."

"He was no weak daisy." Caine mused, a little sadly, "He was a warrior, one with honor. I hate that Donovan sent him on a path of his own hubris that got him killed."

Mike knew he agreed. "I think it was peaceful for him, in the end. It was his only way out."

"As was such for the life of a Nightingale." Narrowing his eyes, Caine returned his focus onto the road, "As for the task ahead…I have a few ideas. I'm sorry to say, my friend, but they all revolve around you and our friends here."

"You know we'll help in any way we can." Charlie promised.

Caine smiled, "I appreciate that. So, my idea is, these security checks have one fatal flaw: They were always segmented. So, if timed correctly…"

"...we could potentially disrupt each check." Mike understood, but then shot a look towards his group of souls in which this plan relied upon. "Do you think you guys could do that?"

They all shared some uncertain glances between themselves before Gabriel answered. "We're not sure. It's awfully complicated…"

"It is." Caine confirmed.

Rubbing his face wearily, Mike asked the question. "What other options do we have? You must've had some more ideas…" When the detective didn't answer, Mike scowled, "Right? I mean, you weren't planning from the start us coming with you?"

"No. I wasn't."

"Then how were you planning on getting inside without us?"

"I'll be honest, Mike," Caine sighed, "I was hoping it would dawn on me on the way here. Only way I'm sure we have a chance is through that supply route, but that's assuming they haven't changed the system in the last ten years."

This is not ideal at all, Mike knew deep down. In his mind, he could feel every single situation this all went wrong. Every possible slip up or poor judgement choice that would bring the entire plan crashing down around them.

This is not ideal, Mike told himself again, but we didn't come all this way just to give up now.

"Do you mind keeping an eye on the road?" Mike asked Caine, "We just need a quick powwow."

Understanding him, Caine nodded before returning his focus onto the road. With that, Mike stood and made some steps away, enough so that he knew Caine would hear what they were discussing. No point keeping this a secret.

Once he was sure he was ready, Mike stopped, hands in his pockets, sighed, and said, "I know what you need to say. So please…say it."

While Cassidy had her arms folded and looked annoyed, the others all looked just as uncomfortable. Looking up at him, Charlie tried to give Mike a reassuring smile. "I can speak to them, Mike. Please don't worry…"

"I know." Mike gratefully nodded, "But…it's better coming from me. I understand…Gabe, Jer, Susie, Fritz…I know, that you didn't know. About me. About what I did. More than that, I get why you have been looking at me differently-"

"No!" Gabriel insisted, "No, no, Mike, we're sorry, we didn't-"

"Gabe." Mike stopped him, "It's okay."

"No, it isn't! Mike, we still-"

"Believe in me, I know. That doesn't change what I've done."

Biting her lip, Susie spoke quietly, "We just didn't know that…you know…"

"That my past would include my hand in my brother's death?" With an offer, Mike inclined his head, "How could you?"

With a faint nod, Gabriel looked towards Dave. "Is that why…you were avoiding him in the Sanctuary? Why you said you forgave him, at the lake?"

"It was." Dave confirmed, "Listen…all of our pasts are less than ideal. We have all made mistakes. And…if this journey we're taking means anything…it is time to put it aside."

Taking a deep breath, Gabriel gave him a nod that showed his high regard for Mike's little brother. "Michael, we are family. I consider you just as I consider the others with me as such. I would say you have more than earnt that."

Jeremy, Susie, and Fritz all beamed at Mike, showing that they agreed.

"I appreciate that, Gabe," Mike nodded, "but…that's not what we're talking about. Because a point was made and I think it's time to resolve it. What we're facing today means that we cannot afford old grudges."

At that, Cassidy, who had been looking increasingly angered at the show of forgiveness they had showed her most hated person, was knocked off guard. Dave gave her a smile. He knew what I was thinking, Mike knew. Charlie, too.

"I screwed up, thirty years ago." Mike continued, "And I've made some really bad decisions since then. Under my watch, I have hurt, neglected, and been the arbiter of misery to those I care about. In spite of that, my brother forgave me. Charlie…she has always seen the best in me. And you four…" Mike nearly laughed, "You four have stood by my side, through the worst of it."

"And that is why, I'm asking you…" Mike took a moment to let it sink in, before pointing, "You need to give her the same benefit."

All four of their eyes fell onto Cassidy as Mike pointed to her. When he saw those ranges of expressions flicker on their faces, he knew it wouldn't be so easy.

"This won't be a problem." Gabriel insisted, "We promise."

But Mike wasn't convinced. "You need to let it go."

"Mike, it's…a little more difficult than-"

"Is it?" Mike spoke kindly, "I was there at the family dinner. Play nice, but keep at arms length? I know she hurt you…but so did I. More than once."

"It's not the same."

"Why not?"

"Because…" Gabe grimaced as he tried to word his argument, "Because…"

"Because," Fritz spat, "she betrayed us. She hurt our friends."

Jaw clenched, Cassidy didn't seem to trust herself to speak. On her behalf, Dave held her hand and defended her. "She is your friend, Fritz. She was one of you. I don't-"

"You weren't there!" Fritz jabbed an angry finger at him, "You didn't see it, like we did! All those night guards we killed…she murdered Alanna, right in front of me, and what she put your brother through-"

"Pales in comparison with what I put my brother through." Mike coldly interjected. "Fritz, I'm not denying that she screwed up. Any more than I'm denying I did. But we need to put all that stuff aside, guys. We need unity."

Knowing that he had no more words to say, Mike watched them all carefully. At the hopeful glances Dave was giving. At the wide-eyed expectant expression in Charlie's eyes that made clear to Mike that she agreed whole-heartedly. At the unsure, guilty, or resentful exchanges that the four he needed to convince gave each other.

Then Susie, forcing herself to, said the words. "I think you're right."

At that, the others were shocked.

"I'm just saying…" Susie continued, "We're family. We've been for so long. And I think…it's time we moved on."

Fritz was incredulous. "You're kidding me."

But by the painful look in Jeremy's eyes, Mike knew he was of a similar opinion. "I hate to say it, but it's been, what, twenty, twenty-five years?"

"That doesn't change anything." Fritz seethed.

As he heard the opinions of the others, Gabriel looked down at the ground and closed his eyes.

"Gabe!" Fritz insisted, "C'mon, you're not buying this bull-" But he stopped at the harsh look from Charlie.

With a sigh, Gabriel raised his eyes to Cassidy. "I just wish…we'd talked. That you'd just…been honest with us. About how much you were hurting. And all the rest of it."

Despite herself, Cassidy shivered in regret. "If it means anything…I do, too."

"And if I know anything," Gabriel inclined his head acknowledgement, "we always worked best when we were on the same page."

"We did." Cassidy nodded.

"So…no more lone wolf stuff. Complete honesty. And that's not just for you; we're all in the same boat. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

But by the clenched hands, Mike knew that Fritz was still on the pier as the others climbed aboard. "No. No. No way."

Gabriel frowned. "Fritz…"

"I'm not letting her back in. Not again."

With a stern look, Gabriel didn't back down. "Fritz. It's done."

"No way," Fritz spat out, full of rage, "in hell am I-"

"Mike!" Caine yelled out, "It's happening! We need to get to point B!"

Mike softly cursed. "Damn it. Guys, we need to go."

They both ran to the car parked nearby, retrieving the kit Caine had prepared. Not even asking, Mike hoisted the bag onto his back before the detective could and then headed down the hill towards the road.

Once they were there, Mike retrieved the strips from the bag and they laid them out onto the road. Then they both took cover.

"Okay," Caine took a deep breath, "the moment it stops, we've got approximately three minutes max before someone will notice. There should be no more than two people, one for each of us. We take them out, make sure they aren't going to start raising hell until we're long gone."

Mike raised an eyebrow; or at least, he thought he did. "Non-lethally?"

"Aye, it's a burden."

Moments passed before they could hear the rumble of the truck heading closer. Staying in cover, all the while knowing that he had to be ready for action immediately, Mike accepted the rifle that Caine passed to him.

Then, the sound of screeching rubber came and Mike made his move, heading around the front while keeping tight to the foliage. One of the doors in the front cab opened and a man stepped outside, looking angry.

"God damn it…" The man muttered. He got out, started wandering to check the drivers, and shook his head in dismay.

Dismay which grew into despair when he heard the click behind him and turned. His face turned to horror as he saw Mike standing there, his rifle aimed right at him.

"Settle down." Mike warned him calmly, "I'll only ask once."

Nearby, the voice of Caine told the other guy still in the cab, "I can shoot a lot faster than you can press that pedal, mate. Out. Now."

After a few moments, the front door opened and the driver got out, arms in the air. As the detective led the man at gunpoint off to the side, Mike did the same with his. She looked extremely uncomfortable with what they were doing, but Charlie assured Mike, "We'll keep an eye out."

Mike muttered, "Thanks, kid."

Once they were out and on the side of the road, tying the two men to a tree, Caine inclined his head down to them. "Now, doubt you two good men want to die for a paycheck. I'm supposing you're both agency workers?"

A little miffed, the driver shrugged, "Sure."

"Alright, then. I'd reckon it will take you both about five to ten minutes to get out of those ropes." Reaching into his pocket, which made the men recoil, Caine withdrew a bundle of cash, perhaps a couple hundred dollars. "But they won't know much difference if it takes an extra five minutes, aye?"

"I suppose not…"

"Good." Turning away, Caine strolled for the truck, Mike following him. They got in the truck and began driving.

There was a crackle over the radio. "Sierra-Five-Eight, we sensed a two minute delay. What's your status, over?"

Clearing his throat, Caine grabbed at the radio while driving and called back, "All good, command. Had a fallen tree on the road. Should be there in t-minus four minutes, over."

"Ten-four, Sierra-Five-Eight. We'll be waiting for you. Out."

"Okay," Sighing in relief, Caine turned his attention back onto Mike, "You've got a couple minutes to sneak yourself into one of the supply crates in the carriage."

With a nod, Mike asked, "Any suggestions?"

"Weapons crate will be better."

With that, Mike twisted himself around the seat and opened the cabin door. There were several crates in there; taking quick but careful glances at the labels on the crate, his distress grew as he was repeatedly denied.

"Not seeing any weapons here, Tom!" Mike called out.

He replied from the driver's seat, "What are they?"

"I think we stole the food truck!"

Caine groaned, "Figures we stole the bloody apple shipment…we're gonna have to make it work, mate."

Knowing he was right, Mike scowled at the crates. "What do you guys think?"

"Well," Gabriel rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "we've got a lot of fruit and vegetables here."

Lightly, Charlie scanned the crates herself, crouching down. "Hm…how about this one?"

They all leaned in and read the label. Cassidy snorted, "Really?"

"Think about it," Charlie pointed out, "what's the one someone would least like to start digging their hands into?"

All of them thought about that for a moment. Finally, Mike nodded. "Yep. This one will work."

Once he'd cracked the crate open, Mike began to climb in. "Tom, we're ready. You good with nailing it shut behind me?"

A few moments later, Caine pulled up and headed into the back. His grin turned sour when he covered his face. "Oh, bloody hell, really?"

Mike shrugged as he was neck-deep in onions. "Would you want to dig through these?"

He sighed at that. "Guess not. Alright…" Grabbing the nail gun, Caine gave Mike a nod before he shut the crate again. "You remember where to go?"

"I do." Mike answered, then smiled, "Guess I'll see you on the flipside?"

"Seems that way." Caine gave a nod of respect, "Good luck, Mike."

Then he shut the crate and a few moments later, had nailed it back up. The truck rumbled once more as it continued down the path. Left in darkness, Mike forced himself to relax, all the while knowing that he was never alone. His eyes saw better than they had a lifetime ago and he could see Charlie's head and eyes sticking out of the onion pile's surface.

"We're keeping an eye on things." Charlie assured him, keeping her voice quiet unnecessarily, as if she was worried someone would hear.

The truck slowed down, then descended an incline. A few minutes passed and the muffled voices from outside the truck became louder as the cabin door was opened. Footsteps entered the truck and Mike heard the boxes around him being transported.

When he heard the shuffling descend onto his own box, Charlie whispered to him, "They're moving you now."

Getting himself a little lower until he was fully submerged in the onions, Mike felt his box get shifted out of the truck. Before it was set onto a conveyor belt, he heard a seven-note knock on the side of the box.

"That was Mr. Caine." Charlie explained, "I think that's him leaving. We're on our own, now."

Perhaps he would have felt a pit in his stomach as the conveyor belt groaned and he started moving once more. Small victories, I guess. As it rumbled, he would occasionally see the head of one of his companions phase through the box to give an update.

"Okay," Gabriel said, "looks like the security system's up ahead. Um…remind me, what did Caine tell you about them?"

It was Charlie who answered. "There's three of them: Heat, X-Ray, and Metal Detection. Heat's red, X-Ray's blue, and Metal Detection's green."

"Nice that they colour-coded them." Gabriel mused, "Okay…Jeremy's said that he sees one of them. Wait…"

Gabriel disappeared again and moments later returned, his face gaunt. "Jeremy said the first one's got no colours. It's…pretty big, too. Like, a lot bigger than you'd expect for a detector."

Freezing up, Mike found himself murmuring, "Get a better look. See what information you can find."

When Gabriel returned a third time, he was looking even frailer. "Mike…I think the detectors aren't segmented."

Charlie narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"We think that the detectors are all in one."

Resting his head against the side of the box, Mike despaired. "Damn it…"

"This isn't good." Gabriel continued, "We thought we could take them down one at a time. But with the monitors and the alarms, and all of them together…"

"We can do this." All of a sudden, Cassidy was there with Dave, both looking certain. "One of us for each thing. All at the same time."

But Gabriel wasn't convinced, "Cass, we're talking about something big, here…"

"We've only got maybe fifteen seconds before we hit it." Dave warned.

Scowling with confidence, Cassidy insisted, "We can do this. Three groups of two, Charlie directs."

When Charlie didn't argue this and gave a nod of approval, Gabriel sagged. "Myself and Jer will take the Metal. Susie and Fritz, you two take the Heat. Cass, can you and Dave take the X-Ray?"

"We'll do it!" Dave nodded.

With that, they were all gone, leaving Mike alone in the box. Clutching himself tightly, Mike anxiously awaited the moment the conveyor belt stopped, or alarms started blaring.

Seconds became a minute and nothing happened. Finally, Charlie returned. "I think…I think we did it."

Gasping out, Mike tried not to let his voice betray how rocked he was. "Guys…good job, all of you. Really, really good job."

Both Charlie and Dave beamed at him and in the split second Mike saw the moody look on Cassidy's face, he could see the pride in her eyes. Eventually, the rumbling of the conveyor belt stopped and Mike soon felt the box be lifted up and moved again.

When the time came that the box stopped moving and he could hear no sounds, Charlie returned. "I think we've made it."

Nodding faintly, Mike asked her, "Is there anyone out there?"

"No. We're alone."

Gritting his teeth, Mike hoisted himself up and pried at the box's lid. When it didn't work, he kicked at the wall, again and again, until he heard it buckle. After a few kicks, it finally opened, then he kicked it one final time and the box collapsed in on itself, forcing him out sliding in the onions.

After he came to a complete stop, he got up and looked around. He appeared to be in some sort of pantry. Okay, he thought to himself, we've come this far.

Gazing around, he saw two entrances and decided against them. When he instead saw the vent opening, large enough for him to crawl through without the extra weight of a human body, he knew what his heading was. Heading to the vent opening, Mike pried it open as the souls watched on.

Chewing at her lip, Charlie asked, "Don't you get claustrophobic?"

"Honestly?" Mike mused, "Not anymore." Then he got to his stomach and began to crawl. Slowly and steadily, deeper into the vent, bending around the inclines and corners that this maze he'd leapt into was taking him.

One hand, Mike kept telling himself as he feared the notion of the vent growing tighter, then another. It was good, not having the fat and muscle weighing him down, though it did nary much to improve his mood. There's not much difference between a bloated corpse and a skeleton when it's trapped in a coffin.

That mood grew worse when his outstretched hand landed on the grate; in a moment, he heard a snap and felt his world around him spin. He was weightless for perhaps a second before hitting the ground hard. Seizing up on the floor, he expected to hear cries of alarm.

When they didn't come, he looked around and saw darkness. The room he had landed in was empty and to his relief, he didn't hear anyone coming marching in to investigate the noise.

Appearing to his side, Dave looked down at his brother, concerned. "Are you okay?"

Mike grunted as he got himself to his feet. "Another happy landing. Guess it could've been worse…least I didn't fall into the cafeteria…"

"Yeah." Dave agreed, a little unsure. "But…where are we?"

"I don't know," With a raised eyebrow as she gazed around, Cassidy remarked, "but whoever owns it likes their guns."

"And not their cleanliness." Charlie agreed.

"An armory, then." Mike concluded as he saw the firearms and lockers scattered around the room. "Hm…I'm wondering…"

With a knowing look, Charlie asked him, "What are you looking for? I hope you're not planning on shooting your way out."

"Not quite." Mike smirked as he stepped towards the lockers, "But the thing about an armory? There's guns, sure…"

Opening the lockers one by one, he eyed them carefully until he found what he was looking for; thrilled, he placed his hands on his hips as the three of them came closer, staring at the contents.

"There's also apparel." Mike finished, before grabbing at the armor inside. Once he was sure that it was his size, he began to dress, making sure to put on the underlayers first. When she saw that he was stripping off his hoodie, Cassidy pouted. "Oh great, we're gonna have to see Mike in his tighty whities."

Then she winced as Charlie lightly slapped her on the shoulder. "Privacy, Cassie!"

Once he was dressed up in the gear, armor and all, Mike then put on the balaclava and helmet. Turning, he gestured with raised arms. "So? How do I look?"

"Like a Stormtrooper." Dave offered, smiling.

It shamed Mike that it took him aback. "You remember that, bud?"

"We watched them back in, like, '86." Jeremy answered, "The night guard at the time had them on VHS."

"Huh." Shaking himself back into the present, Mike spotted the ID tag that had been left on a desk and swiped it. Then he followed on by bagging up some more gear in preparation for his partner. "Well, let's go let Tom in."

Walk around like you own the place had been a saying taught to Mike early and it was one he embraced as he stepped out into the hallway. For a moment, he considered bringing one of the rifles with him, but decided against it. So, with the black balaclava and goggled helmet hiding his face, he made his way to where Caine had pointed him to during the planning phase.

Though the hallways weren't too packed and he saw perhaps one or two people each thirty seconds, he still felt exposed. He considered acting cordial, perhaps shooting a nod or acknowledgement, but decided against it.

Don't take the metro, Caine had warned him. They're monitored and it's best we leave as little a trail as possible.

"Already failing miserably at that so far…" Mike whispered to himself. Instead, he took the side hallways and utility corridors until he reached the corded off opening. Giving a glance over his shoulder, Mike bypassed the barricades and entered.

The part of the Crucible he was in was abandoned, yet familiar. As Caine had told him, "It's a little piece of once was home for me." Entering the office in the back he had once sat in, Mike looked around and spotted the three points he had been told about.

Tilt a book, he thought as he ritually triggered the points, turn the radio to to FM one hundred and seventeen…and then wind the Grandfather clock to Thirty seven minutes past one…and flip the moon ornament on it to sun-

As soon as he spun that moon to the sun, the back wall rumbled. Then, it opened, revealing a staircase heading downwards. With a backwards reassuring smile to the souls watching on in tension, Mike headed downwards into the utility corridor.

It eventually took him to a wall with a lever. Readying himself, Mike gripped at the lever, pulled it down, and watched as the solid metal wall split. As it opened, it revealed another room, this one barren, with one very happy detective standing inside.

"Took ya long enough." Caine smirked.

Shrugging, Mike rubbed the back of his head. "Had a few slip ups, nothing major. Sorry if you thought something had gone wrong."

"Mike," Caine said as he stepped inside, pounding him on the shoulder, "if I've learnt anything during our time, it's not to bet against you. Any of you. Because honestly, who'd expect Mike Schmidt and his merry band of souls to sneak in to the most secure place in the country?"

"When you put it like that…" Charlie gave a cheeky, uncharacteristic grin.

Together, they headed inside, with Mike handing him the bag. By the nod he received, he could tell that no explanation was required. They left him alone whilst he got dressed, standing outside the office awkwardly. He came out similarly dressed as Mike.

"Strange being back?" Mike asked him.

With a little shrug, Caine agreed. "Last time I stood here, it was ten years ago and I was explaining my intentions to my staff. Telling them that I was going to resign during that hearing to explain myself and make sure everyone knew my feelings towards the High Overseer and his cronies. It was…a scary and dark time."

"Any regrets?"

"Honestly? No. I thought about it since and I can't figure out any other way I could've handled it. Although…" Caine gazed around the abandoned department that he once called his own, "Seeing what this place has been reduced to…"

Mike inclined his head in sympathy. "I get it."

"We thought we had the chance to save the world. Truth was, for every win, five losses replaced it. Hm, some things never change, I suppose."

Politely, Cassidy cleared her throat. "Hey, we're on the clock here."

"Right." Caine nodded, "Right, let's get going."

They marched together out of the cordoned off area that was once Shield Department and made their way towards the centre of the Crucible. Despite the time the detective had spent away, his sure movements guiding the both of them made it seem like it had only been yesterday he'd left.

"So," Mike spoke quietly enough not to be overheard, "what was with that secret passage?"

"No idea." Caine admitted, "It was there when I first joined. As far as I can tell, you're one of only three people still alive who knows about it. Lamarck used it to get out of the Crucible when there were certain operations needed to be done and they weren't quite…sanctioned. I followed that tradition."

I feel almost honored, Mike smiled. "You said that there was something else you'd like to check out here. What are we looking for?"

"Two sets of files," Turning the corner, Caine went silent as they passed a couple agents, "both related to the dagger. I need them both to make the connections I'm starting to see. Only issue is, only one of those files would be with the dagger."

Recalling the way how the Crucible liked to store their files, Mike asked, "Let me guess: The other's in Shadow Department?"

"Aye, precisely."

After utilising an elevator, Caine took them to a balcony area that overlooked a large room. Once Mike's eyes had adjusted, he could see the platform in front of a walkway, four thrones without anyone sitting on them. On the walkway, a crowd was forming.

"Ah." Mike muttered, "I remember this place."

With a nod, Caine responded, "Aye, the Judgement Hall."

That made Cassidy scoff. "Really? That's so…"

"On the nose?" Caine glanced back to her and Mike could hear the smile in his voice.

"That's one way of putting it…"

Their attention was grabbed when they saw the man walk up the staircase behind the throne platform, raising his arms up as the speakers surrounding the hall lit up.

"Order!" The man yelled out, "Order!"

There was clamoring in the crowd and Mike had enough experience to know that they were not happy.

"The High Overseer will answer any questions soon!" The man carried on, fighting back fury.

"That's Lancaster." Caine pointed out and Mike recalled seeing that stonefaced enforcer next to Donovan when he'd been here last. "Hm…it seems that the Overseers are all still here. That's not ideal."

Sensing the detective's dread, Mike gazed at him. "I suppose stealing from right under Donovan's nose isn't going to cut it?"

"No, it won't. It's too risky." Sighing, Caine rubbed his face, "Son of a bitch…"

In an instant, Charlie scolded him. "Mr. Caine, watch your profanity."

"Right, sorry." Clearing his throat, Caine looked at them. "Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans…"

"...and first contact with the enemy." Mike finished for him. "So…divide and conquer?"

"So it seems." Caine agreed. "So it seems…"

The word count is getting bigger and bigger. I have a bad feeling my 125,000 word limit isn't going to cut it.

TU4QU0I53T4IAN6L3: No worries mate, right on time! Without a doubt, one of the things I wanted to establish with Cassidy is that she was a victim of circumstance. Being essentially the first true villain of the series, it felt important that she was, in the end, just another victim and not inheritantly evil. Worse still when you also realise that while Afton was the first person she well and truly hatred, Mike was the first hated person she had an actual name for. It was great fun writing that chapter and it's something I'm looking forward to delving a little more into the early years going forward. A lot of things went down between 1985 and 2015 when they all reunited, both good and bad. I feel that I seriously neglected the MCI early on and I know for a fact that I neglected the DCI, so that's something I want to expand more on.