Sometimes Dead is Better

Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, Hurricane, Utah

Wednesday 26th June 1985 14:27 PM

It took everything little Susie had not to break down in tears at the slightest thing.

You're okay, she would remind herself and perhaps at some point she would believe it. Yet flashes would stick in her mind, a reminder of a scar so deep she would wonder if it could ever heal.

Streaks of red that lined the road, the one her mom told her never to play near. Running around, eyes red as she was crying, not knowing her whole world was about to come crashing down upon her. When she ran from her backyard's gate, trying to find where he'd gone.

She'd thought it was paint, at first. Like someone had taken a brush and smeared it on the road. She'd thought that…up until the point where she saw the yellow furry creature on the road.

It had been just a moment; she'd opened the sliding door just for a second because she'd seen a rabbit and wanted to say hi. Just a moment and her doggy had come running out, darting out between her legs and knocking her off her feet. It had hurt, of course, but that hadn't been her first thought.

In that moment, her heartbreaking thought had been how mad her mom would be if she found out that the dog had gotten outside. So, in tears, she had run after it and she would never have been prepared for what she would see.

Absently, she toyed at the arcade machine, needing to reach up for it to be able to use the controls. It was some sort of maze game, but she paid no attention to the name of it, simply wanting a moment where she would not be thinking of her dog.

When it didn't work, she stepped away from the arcade machine and just stood there, biting at her lip. Her fight against her own tears failed and she felt her cheeks tingle as they dripped down. Shaking, it took everything she had not to sob right there.

That was when the shadow descended upon her.

"Why, hello, my dear girl!" A voice, soft and light, spoke to her and she turned her head, eyes red, to see the tall bunny rabbit standing over her. It almost looked he he was smiling. "Why are there tears in your eyes, in a place where fantasy and fun comes to life?"

"I'm…" Susie nearly whispered, "I lost my doggy…"

"Ah." The rabbit nodded, nearly sympathetically, "I see. You must be Susie Morgan…am I correct?"

That made her fall silent for a moment. "How…how did you know…?"

"Oh, my dear girl, everyone knows your name. Truly sad, what happened…to be separated from a friend, at such a young age."

"Yeah…" Susie mumbled, feeling tears in her eyes again.

"Would you like to see him again?"

Blinking, the young girl gazed at the rabbit, "But…but mommy said he's gone. He's in heaven."

With a smile in his voice, the rabbit shook his head. "Nonsense. He's not really dead. He is over here. Follow me."

Gesturing with his hand, the rabbit turned to leave. After a moment, Susie followed him. Back into the main room of Freddy's, where some other kids and a couple adults were eating and watching the animals on stage perform. They turned a corner into a small hallway which led to the toilets.

Then they stopped in front of a big metal door. Opening it, the rabbit took a quick, nervous glance down the hallway, before relaxing. "Just in here, my dear Susie."

Without a second thought, Susie entered the room and felt a little worried when she saw how unclean and clustered it was. Behind her, the rabbit shut the big metal door.

"Where is he?" Susie spoke so quietly it was nearly a whisper, "Can I see him?"

"Of course." The rabbit assured her, locking the door. Then he stepped past her and shuffled around some objects until he found what he was looking for. He came back with a little cupcake that was made of plastic, two eyes peering back at her. The eyes blinked.

Susie was confused. "What is it?"

"Why, it is your dog."

"What?" Susie looked up at him, "I don't…"

"I made him whole again."

Blinking again, the cupcake stared at her.

"I don't…" A deep, unknowable fear grew in her chest.

"Would you like to know how I made him whole again?"

Her voice came out shaky, "I have to go. My friends coming." Turning around, she went for the door and reached up for the handle. When it didn't budge, that fear grew tenfold.

"Would you like me to show you how, Susie?"

When she couldn't hold it in any more, Susie began rattling at the handle, fresh tears growing.

"Susie…" The rabbit nearly whispered, "Would you like me to make you whole?"

"Mom…" Susie at first couldn't get the words out loud, but her voice grew louder as she desperately pulled at the handle of the door. "Mommy!"

"Oh, Susie. There's no point screaming, now. Nobody will hear you." Reaching back for the box, the rabbit withdrew a big kitchen knife.

"Fritz!" Susie screamed regardless, "Cassie! Jeremy! Someone!"

Yet the only one who came to her was the rabbit with his big kitchen knife. Grabbing her by the collar, the rabbit heaved her up and banged her against the wall.

All she could utter out as the air left her lungs was one last plea. "Gabriel!"

Then she could say no more other than give a little gasp as the rabbit plunged the knife into her chest. Darkness engulfed her, the last thing she would see being the gleeful eyes of the rabbit as he drove the knife deeper.

The Pit, Washington County, Utah

Friday 30th June 2017 17:35 PM

Tyler led from the front, a decision he made without a moment of consideration. Though true that he really only held care for two of the individuals in the group and another one by proxy, it didn't change the fact that they were all under his protection.

Nearly pitch black were the tunnels they ventured down, a situation that was fortunately far from unfamiliar to him. Trick is not to forgot what's in front of you while you're checking your corners, he mused.

Close behind him was Henry, armed with his shotgun. He whispered, "Careful, whatever's down here will probably know the tunnels better than we do."

"Aye, I got that." Tyler grunted a little louder.

"Might want to keep your voice down…"

"Relax; whatever's down here will hear us either way. Especially with bruiser over there stomping like he's doing…"

At that, whether offended or not, John attempted to walk a little quieter. Behind him, Henry scowled at Tyler. "Go a little easy on him, would ya?"

"This is an operation." Tyler retorted, "Not kindergarten. If I can't trust the guy behind me not to fall apart at the slightest pressure, then he has no business being here."

"He's an ally, Mr. Caine."

With a scoff, Tyler said, "Ally? You really want to talk about allies? I know what your type of allies are, Emily. Dutch Lawson? Really?"

Henry didn't respond.

"He near enough killed both my brother and Mike here, a couple decades ago." Tyler spat, "Before that, he's murdered countless numbers of people. Men, women, children. That's your type of allies."

With a loud, unyielding voice, Henry argued back, "I didn't have much of a choice. I had Fazbear Entertainment closing the walls around me and your brother's old friends hiring people to have me and any other figure in the company killed."

"Oh, well, that justifies it, then, I guess?"

"Yeah, it does." Henry immediately replied, which Tyler had to admit he didn't expect. "You know what William Afton took from me. Hell, he nearly took someone away from you. If your life was ripped asunder and everything you held dear that still existed was threatened with the same, then you would consider everything permitted. Don't lie to me."

Pausing, Tyler tried to think of a response. It never came. He's got me there.

After venturing deep into the tunnels, they came into a large open chasm. Light emerging from top of the chasm spilled down on the floor in front of them. One by one they entered, standing side by side.

"This, I would imagine," Henry spoke up, "was where the Toy Animatronics lived. After they were dumped here."

Murmuring, Tyler nodded, "Tom wrote about them…they apparently weren't all that bad, in the end."

"From my intel, they went with Mike to help out the other animatronics." Henry explained, a little sadly, "They were destroyed in the ruins of their old home."

Stepping a little forward, Charlie scanned the room. "I can't imagine living down in this sort of place. It must've been horrible-"

Tyler spotted it first and he darted for her, grasping her by the shoulder and practically tossing her to the side as the crab-like claw swung for her neck. She fell into John's arms, stricken, as Tyler backed up after to rejoin them, aiming straight for the metal monster.

It was a terrifying sight, the robot that stood before them, flexing its claw hand as it eagerly closed in. Scowling, Tyler aimed for it and prepared to fire.

"Don't." Henry warned him and before he questioned it, Tyler saw what the others had already noticed. With a groan, Ella joined his side, aiming at the two other shapes emerging from the shadows at the opposite ends of the cavern. The first was a tangle of wires and metal which lurched across the ground, cracked pieces of plastic and glass stuck together on its head to resemble a mask.

The other was a little more put together, a bear that was black. One of its eyes, the same one Tyler had shot just a few days prior, was rolled in the back of its head. Both of these new arrivals peered at the group as they noticed their exits were now cut off.

"Well, then." Tyler growled, "Looks like quite the party going on here."

"You shouldn't have come here." The animatronics who had gone for Charlie, the one who resembled a clown from a nightmare, spoke unnaturally softly. "You should have stayed away."

Glancing at her, Henry warned, "You didn't give us much of a choice, Elizabeth."

"Elizabeth?" The clown girl spoke with a frown in her voice, "That's not my name."

Narrowing his eyes as he held a protective arm in front of Charlie, John demanded, "That's Elizabeth? Mike's sister?"

"Aye, and I'm guessing that," Tyler pointed out the tangle of metal, "is the amalgamation. Frankenschmidt."

In response, the amalgamation uttered a crazed laugh.

"That thing killed Mike?" Charlie asked quietly, "Jen, too?"

It was the clown girl who responded. "We did. For what it is worth…we didn't have a choice. It had to be done-"

"Whatever." Tyler interrupted, having no desire to hear the excuses. "Thought you lot had a falling out. Bit strange that you're all living under the same roof again…so to speak."

"A temporary arrangement." The clown girl spoke and it was clear by her tone that she had no love for her former friends, "Until we can find our way."

"Your way?" Henry demanded, "Your way where?"

The voice boomed through the tunnels, the heavy steps following. "That, my old friend…is the least of your worries."

Surrounded by the three Remnants in the room with them, they could do nothing but guard and watch as the fourth approached from the darkness. Grimacing as he saw the yellow of the suit, the missing arm, and the cracked mask, Tyler knew immediately what he was seeing.

With a clenched fist, Afton emerged from the darkness and looked between each one of them. "In another moment down went Alice after it…never once considering how in the world she was to get out again."

Tyler grumbled in annoyance as Henry, shaking in fury, responded. "You shouldn't have come back."

"Said the pot to the kettle, Henry." Afton glanced between each of them, "Hm…some familiar faces, others…less so. Nevertheless, it all will lead the same way. I have to admit, however, that I have waited for this moment for a long time, old friend. The taste of sweet, sweet vengeance."

That seemed to enrage Henry more. "True, it was sweet enough seeing you twitching and bleeding in that room. I only wish I'd cemented the room, not just the doorway. I just buried the problem…when I should've ended it permanently."

It was nearly disturbing to have Afton laugh at that. "I'll remember that…after all, it would seem that you six have chosen your own graves for me. A pity."

"I'm bored." Tyler spoke aloud, taking aim, "Unless the two of you old boys got any other biting insults to send each other's way, how about we get this party started?"

Afton appraised him for a moment. "Hm. Thought for a moment that you were just some hired gun Henry brought along. We've dealt with quite a few of them recently. But no…you're different. Aren't you?"

"Aye, I've got armor-piercing rounds, cottontail."

"No…it's more than that. You…you're a natural born killer. A man of initiative. I could have used someone like you. But well…perhaps in a better time. We won't know for sure."

Tyler scoffed, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I've heard it all before. This is the part where you say we're not so different, you and I. Had you walked a day in me shoes, experienced this and that, yada yada, but the thing is, Billy boy, we're not the same. There's rules to this sort of game."

"Oh?" Afton nearly smirked in annoyance, "And what's that, my loud and obnoxious friend?"

"Kids are off limits, arsehole." Tyler pulled the trigger.

It was a quick burst, a spark that hit Afton straight in the chest. The clown girl went to engage, but the rabbit lifted a hand to halt her. Cracking his neck, Afton glared at him.

"That's all you have? A pity."

"Aye." Tyler took out the magazine and put one from his left holster's pack in the rifle. "That's where the armor piercing comes in."

"Hm. Well, in case you haven't noticed," Afton gestured, "there's four of us…"

"Three." Charlie butted in.

Turning his head to look at her, a gaze both full of anger and confusion, Afton demanded, "Can't you count, girl?"

"I can." She answered back, "And by my count, there's only three of you."

Staring at her, Afton scoffed and looked around, as if doubting himself. That was when he saw that the black bear had turned its back on them and was walking away back down one of the tunnels.

"Where are you going?!" Afton screamed at it, but it seemingly had no interest. Then he turned around and growled at them, "You're still greatly outmatched."

"And you're outgunned." Tyler smirked back before firing again. Like a spider, the amalgamation crawled across the floor, heading straight for them. It leapt towards Tyler, who had to roll out the way to evade its outstretched tentacles.

The clown girl snapped her claw as she closed in on Jack and Ella, who aimed at it with fire burning in their eyes. All the while, Afton closed in on Henry. By his side, Charlie and John joined his side.

"Charlie, get back." John warned her, "We're better off back in the tunnels!"

Pausing, Afton stared at her. "Charlie?"

"I'm not leaving my dad here!" Charlie insisted.

Afton tilted his head as he examined her, "So…how did you come back to life, then?"

If Charlie had the time to register what he had just said, she didn't get the chance to ask any further. Screaming in rage, Henry fired at his old partner and the shock of the shotgun shell made Afton stumble, losing his feet.

Crouched down, Tyler rolled, grabbed the grenade on his holster, and pulled the pin as he jammed it into the carapace of the amalgamation before darting away. Sensing the danger, the amalgamation pulled at the grenade like it was a hot potato and tossed it to the side.

The grenade exploded, blasting one of the rocky pillars at the back of the cavern, and the cavern shook in response.

All of their struggles slowly died down as they felt the cave around them shudder. Parts of the ceiling above them fell down.

"Ah, crap." Tyler cursed.

Glancing between each of the individuals in the room, a voice unlike the crazed one spoke up from the amalgamation. "Well, it would seem a tactical retreat is in order!"

Then another voice, this one of a woman, responded. "I agree."

Chattering with laughter, the amalgamation sped along the floor, towards one of the tunnels, fading into the darkness.

"Get back here, you cowards!" Afton roared, but his own resolution was shaken when a part of the ceiling fell down where he'd been standing seconds before.

"You know what?" Tyler yelled out, "I agree with the toaster! Fall back!"

As he said that, it distracted Ella for a moment as she reassessed. Sensing the opportunity, the clown girl lunged and went to claw her. Jack pushed her out of the way and the claw clamped down on his arm, making him scream.

Without a moment of hesitation, Tyler shot a barrage of rounds into the clown girl's body and head as Ella withdrew her combat knife, stabbing it into the claw arm. The clown girl released her hold and buckled under the bullets, falling to the floor. Jack stumbled with her and Ella caught him. It didn't take Tyler long to see that the man had fainted.

"Get him out of here!" Tyler yelled out and she followed that command quickly, heaving Jack up and heading down the tunnel they'd entered through. Aiming at Afton, Tyler shot him in the legs and the rabbit monster howled as he lost his footing again. "All of you! Now!"

Following that order, Henry urged John and Charlie to join Ella before holding the way for Tyler. Tyler ran for the tunnel, passing by Afton who gave a weak swing of his arm at him, before Henry rushed through the tunnel after his daughter. Before Tyler entered, he saw Afton stand and make his way towards them.

Before he made it, however, the clown girl gave a plea, "Daddy! Help me…my leg!"

Seeing the tattered mess of her leg from the gunfire and falling debris, Afton gave a helpless gesture to her. "Those who fall behind get left behind, my dear girl." Then he continued the chase as Tyler ran up the tunnel.

"Daddy!" The clown girl wept as Afton left her behind, the cavern behind him slowly collapsing.

As Tyler ran through the tunnels, desperately trying to catch up with the others as the rabbit pursued him, he could feel the cave falling to pieces. He saw Henry heading up one passage, offering a hopeful look back towards the man at the back.

A look which turned to horror as the tunnel collapsed between them.

"Caine!" Henry roared out, but there was nothing they could do. Before Tyler could clear the gap, the tunnel collapsed, cutting him off.

Coughing as he gasped for air with the tunnel filling up with dirt, Tyler yelled out, "Get to the surface! I'll figure something out!"

That was something he had to do quickly, as he saw the rabbit closing in. Dashing into a side tunnel, he rushed blindly, his flashlight the only thing guiding his way. More and more tunnels collapsed, limiting his way.

Then he entered another cavern, this one much larger. A huge pile of scrap and garbage covered the centre of the room in a pile. High above, an opening with an old rope bridge that had long since snapped in half.

Any hope he had of using that seemed pointless, until he saw the figure up above, gazing down.

"He's down there!" The voice shouted to someone and Tyler recognised it to be John. "Get me a rope!"

Turning, Tyler fired at the approaching Afton, shredding more pieces of his costume off. After many painful seconds, he heard the snap of the rope as it fell from the opening, hitting the ground nearby. Running out of ammo, Tyler threw the rifle away, fired a couple more shots with his pistol, then grabbed at the rope and began to heave himself up.

When he felt the rope grow taut, he grimaced and climbed up a little faster.

"Quick, he's following you!" John yelled out.

Tyler shouted back, "Yeah, I got that!"

He made it up the opening, gripping at the rope bridge and clambering out. Once he was sure he was secure, he nodded to John, who immediately grabbed the knife from his belt and cut at the rope he'd secured. It collapsed and fell into the opening, back down into the cavern.

Tyler's laugh was cut off when he looked behind him and saw Afton clinging onto the rope bridge. "Oh, come on!" He hurried faster, trying to make it up. When he was perhaps a few more desperate leaps up, John gripped the post of the rope bridge and leant down, giving an outstretched hand towards him.

Taking it, Tyler let John help him up a few seconds faster, which was exactly what they needed. Scowling in gratitude, Tyler said to him, "Cut the posts, quick!"

Without hesitating, John did so for the right post as Tyler went for the left. Buckling as John cut his side, the bridge's remains collapsed further, Afton desperately clinging onto it. He stared up at them.

In response, Tyler shrugged at him. "This is the part where you fall."

Afton screamed in rage as the man above cut the other post and the rest of the bridge fell back down into the gaping chasm. Turning, Tyler and John both ran from the pit as it further collapsed into the depths.

The Crucible US Headquarters, South Dakota

Saturday 1st July 2017 16:56 PM

In his regal robes, a man Mike knew could be none other than Nate Donovan, High Overseer of the Crucible, made his way to the stage. The crowd noise grew as they showed their discontent.

Donovan began to make a speech, citing caution in these times of doubt, which Mike couldn't help but scoff at. "I see he's still an egotistical mong."

"He's getting desperate." Caine murmured, "It's clear that the Crucible is crumbling from the inside. I reckon he's worried more people are going to start jumping ship."

"Would that be so bad?"

Thomas mumbled something. "A confident idiot and a desperate idiot are two sides of the same coin. Truth be told, however, he's not got that many tools to use against us. To that end…I think we should get this thing underway."

Taking out his notepad from his pocket, Caine scribbled something down before giving it to Mike. The latter read through it and nodded. "Got it. Will this thing definitely be in Shadow Department?"

"Most likely. This is where we split up, Mike." Turning to the balcony, Caine approached it, looked around, then climbed over it onto an outer ledge.

Blinking, Mike asked, "Whoa. Are you sure that's…?"

"Fastest way there, mate." Caine answered, "Remember, necessity is the mother of invention. Don't worry, I'll be fine. You forget: Before I was a detective, I was a thief. A damned good one, too."

With that, Caine began shimmying his way across the ledge, using the footholds and grips to his advantage. All Mike and the souls could do was watch on in awe.

"I have to say, Michael," Charlie murmured, "you sure do know how to choose your friends. I certainly can't doubt their courage."

That made Mike smile as he looked down at her. "Can't argue with that…present company included. Come on, we've got a heist to pull."

Though he somewhat recalled the way to Shadow Department, that had been when they had been able to use the metro system. It was to his chagrin that he needed to eyeball it trying to find it using instead the utility corridors. Fortunately, whenever he missed a detail such as a direction on a sign, he had someone to point it out.

"North from here." Cassidy pointed and Mike nodded gratefully before stirring back onto the right path. Every time they had made eye contact, he had detected a flicker of suspicion and discontent. Not like I haven't come to expect it, he mused.

Yet there was something more. Something he couldn't quite decipher. Perhaps once he had some time to think about it, he could figure it out.

Gabriel appeared all of a sudden, walking alongside him, "I think we're close by. A couple flights of stairs down, then we'll need to go through the main lobby."

That's going to be the most difficult part, Mike knew. From what he recalled from the lobby, it had been packed with bureaucrats, agents, and security. True though that he still had his mask on, he also had no real idea where he was allowed to go.

A fear that came true as he passed by some of the bureaucrats inside and was stopped by a man wearing a black security outfit. "Apologies sir, what's your reason for being here?"

Sound assertive and like you own the place, Mike told himself. "Security check. High Overseer's requiring a quick look around."

The man narrowed his eyes. "And he sent an Order Department Peacekeeper to do it?"

Mike shrugged, "Situation's dicey at the moment."

"Fine." The guard sighed, seemingly not wanting to argue the point further, "Can I have your credentials, at least?"

Mike nodded, but his mind came up blank. Looking up at him, Dave pointed, "I think he wants that thing around your neck?"

My ID badge, Mike surmised, nearly embarrassed how long it took him to figure that out. Showing the badge, the guard read it before nodding. "Okay, then. Go on ahead."

Graciously, Mike stepped by the guard and continued towards the offices. Once he was sure that nobody was watching him, he slid into the Overseer's one and sagged in relief when he saw it was empty.

And a complete mess, Mike mused sadly. The current overseer clearly didn't have a knack for cleanliness. He highly doubted that old Andrew St. Clair would be too happy seeing the state of his office since he died.

Charlie cleared her throat politely when she saw him in a little trance. "So…what is Mr. Caine needing us to find?"

"Right." Mike shook himself out of his stupor, taking out that note the detective gave him. "Here we go…The Leviathan Files, Operation Firewall. It was apparently written back in…1979. Christ…it's gonna take a while to dig it out."

She raised an eyebrow at that. "Perhaps if you were searching on your own. But, well…you know what they say about idle hands."

"Right." Gabriel smiled, before pointing around, "Same as before, peeps; myself and Jer will take the top part of the room. Susie and Fritz, can you take the area near the door? I'll need you to also keep an eye out for anyone coming."

Fritz saluted him, half serious. "Aye aye, captain." Then he and Susie, who gave a sheepish shrug, did their part.

"Dave and Cass," Gabriel continued, "can you two take that side?"

"Huh." Cassidy gave him a look, "You gave us the tall shelves?"

"Well, I certainly won't be of any use with them." Gabriel gave a coy smirk, "You two always had a knack for coming up with unique solutions."

That made Cassidy laugh, a sound which both enlightened and frightened Mike. "True. C'mon, Dave; we've got some books to read."

"Oh, good." Dave smiled, "It's been a while."

As they set out, Mike watched them all with bemusement. How quickly and organised they were for this sort of situation. How on earth Jeremy Fitzgerald had successfully defended himself from this merry band was a mystery he would never solve.

That didn't end his worry, however, as he muttered to Charlie. "I'm a bit concerned about the noise this will make…and leaving things behind."

That made Cassidy call back, "I mean, look at this place…doubt it'll make much of a difference. Dave, gimme a hand."

Dave snorted. "Back to brass tactics?"

"Hey, if it works, it works."

Seeing them all getting to work, Mike and Charlie shared a look, the latter giving a grin. "I guess I'll work on the shelves here."

"I'll help." Charlie offered, which he took gratefully. After a few minutes of disregarding some of the books, she curiously pulled out one of them. "Hm…Agent Dossiers. I wonder if Mr. Caine has one?"

He does, Mike knew. He wasn't sure how to tell her what likely lay within. Instead, he bided his time by looking for one of his own. He found it under a different section of the area Charlie was looking into, but she found hers first.

"Here we go." She said cheerfully, looking through it. "Hm…Agent Name, Thomas David Caine."

Dave's voice came across from the room; he was in the process of lifting Cassidy up onto his shoulders. "David? Mr. Caine and I share a name?"

"Yep. Born…seventh of November, 1970. Status…Decommissioned. A lovely way to describe how they treated him." She sounded disgusted, "Induction year, 1989. Inductor, John Lamarck. Year decommissioned, 2007. I just…eighteen years he spent with them, and that's how they treat him?"

"Abhorrent, I know." Mike agreed. His anxiety was growing as he fumbled for the one he was looking for; not knowing how she would react as she read further. When he looked over her shoulder and saw that she had found the Psychological Profile, it worried him further.

"Sociopathic tendencies?" She mumbled, "That…doesn't sound like our Thomas at all."

"We've all had a difficult past." Mike pointed out, recalling his first time properly seeing Caine at his worst. "Honestly, from what I've seen…I think his time with you guys in the Sanctuary did him a world of good, mentally."

"I hope so. He's a good man."

"Maybe one day he'll believe that." Finding what he was looking for, Mike read through it. Lawson's own status was still described as Decommissioned, but there were added sections that brought him much concern. "I guess that answers that…it seems that the Crucible have suspicions that old Dutch is still around."

"It's strange," Gabriel called out, "I don't remember us ever meeting this Dutch Lawson. How bad was he?"

"Bad." Mike explained, grim. "He tried to kill me twice…second time just a couple years ago, it was only because my old man was wandering around that I got out alive. I have a bad feeling, though…I don't really have a clue the full extent of how dangerous he is."

"Hm." Charlie was scowling at the book she was reading, "I like this Donovan less and less. Some of the things he's written about Thomas…look, he's described him as a misinformed, troubled individual who cared more about his ego then the mission of the Crucible he had aligned himself with. That's just…mean."

"I know, kid." Mike assured her, "Thing is, history's written by the victors and Donovan thought he'd won that little fight. I'd love to see the look on his face in three days time…"

That was when Jeremy yelled out, "I think I've got it! Leviathan Files!"

"Is Operation Firewall there?" Mike asked him.

"Just checking through now…" After a moment, Jeremy nodded, "Yep, got it here!"

With an underarm throw, Jeremy tossed it over to Mike, who caught it. He quickly gave a skim read to the section he was looking for, but as he further explored it, he could feel the effect of the words growing.

Dave helped Cassidy off his shoulders and saw the wary look on his brother's face, frowning. "What does it say?"

"It's…" Mike considered how best to describe it, "Vague. But problematic. I'm hoping that whatever Thomas is looking for will put the pieces together-"

"We've got company!" Fritz called out and Mike gritted his teeth. "Put things back where ya found 'em!"

While they all started doing so, Mike's main concern was figuring out just how he was going to get out of here unspotted. Sensing his worry, Charlie quickly packed her own books away and looked around. "Did anyone see a vent or a passage?"

Susie waved to them, "Over here!"

Scrambling, Mike darted for the vent; it was a floor grate, which he quickly worked on unscrewing. As he did so, Fritz warned, "Hurry Mikey, they're coming this way!"

Damn it, Mike thought as Charlie ran over with the files in hand. He finished unscrewing the cover, opened it, and climbed in. Charlie handed him the files and Mike shut the grate, seconds before the door of the office opened.

Carefully manoeuvring his way through the passage, Mike heard the alarmed voices demanding to know where the security officer had gone. It was only when he no longer heard the voices that Mike felt confident in hurrying it up.

When he finally saw an empty room, he opened the cover of the vent and entered. "Okay…" He spoke quietly, "You all with me?"

"All the way." Dave reassured him as they all appeared again.

"Good. Let's get back to Shield Department." With that, he left the room and made his way back to where he'd last seen Caine, then back towards the hallway. For some time, he honestly thought that the worst was now behind them.

Then the alarm started to ring and the sprinklers opened.

Cries of alarm came from the people nearby and Mike steadied himself, knowing that he had to remain calm. Once he was sure that nobody was paying attention to him rather than the signal of doom, he continued his way, sneaking back past the barriers of Shield Department.

Then he descended down the staircase, the wail of the alarms behind him. Any possible resolve he had wore thin when he saw he was alone there.

"Okay," Mike spoke up, trying to reassure himself more than anything, "he's delayed. That's all it is."

Seconds turned to minutes and he saw no sign of anything changing. Groaning, Cassidy asked the question. "If he doesn't come…"

"He'll come." Mike said bluntly.

"If he doesn't…what's the plan?"

Glancing between the faces of the souls, all of them anxious, Mike knew he couldn't lie. Couldn't pretend that he would act any other way in a different circumstance.

"Whatever it is, Mike…" Susie reached for his hand, "We'll support you. You know we will."

Taking a moment, Mike nodded and gave his answer. "I already left him behind once. Not again. We both walk out of here…or neither of us do."

He saw them all stand resolute with him and just as he was about to start walking back into the depths of the Crucible, he heard the footsteps emerging from the staircase. Once he saw the detective's face, tired but not quite out yet, he deflated in relief.

"Christ alive, dude." Mike sighed, but smiled, "Thought I was gonna have to drag you out."

"Aye, sorry I cut it close."

They both walked out and Caine activated a trigger behind a small metallic structure, causing the passage behind them to close.

Caine asked Mike, "Did you get it?"

"I did." Mike nodded, then tilted his head, "How about you? Did you get yours?"

In response, Caine reached for his pocket and withdrew the small wrapped package; a hilt of a Ruby-encrusted dagger.

"I got it." Caine answered.

The end of the second act is fast approaching. Unfortunately, the last chapter of the act is already shaping up to be an accidental mega-chapter, so it may take a little longer to get it done.

TU4QU0I53T4IAN6L3: The Tyler and crew going after the Remnants story arc was something I felt smoothed some of the issues from the last act, that being how I think it would've been best if the Remnants had been focused on more. Having Tyler get his chance to go face-to-face with them shows how it may very well have gone the same way, but he might've been invaluable back at Fazbear Frights. Then you have Mike arguing in defence of Cassidy, something very few expected including the angry girl herself, and that little connection between Fritz' clear loyalty and love for Cassidy in the past in contrast to his hatred of her in the present was not planned, but I loved it when it formed as it did. Then you have Caine and Mike executing their heist and it actually working...but of course, it would not have been pulled off had it not been for the souls and the complete level of trust the two men have for each other. Overall, it could've ended a lot worse. They're not quite done yet, though.