Day 5Ax4 - Freddy's Partner in Crime

"I can't talk now; s-she might be listening."

---------

"Hold on."

The two objects on the ground were a flashlight and a smartphone. The flashlight was still on though the glass lenses had shattered. Like it had been dropped. The smartphone was in similar condition though glass only cracked in one spot. The phone case had protected it. They were lying just outside your office. You pocket the phone.

He notices the discarded objects too. "Oh you should return those to lost and found. I know the-" Bonnie stops upon seeing your worried expression.

The unusualness of the scene set off warning bells within you. It had sparked your anxiety.

"What's going on?" Bonnie asked loud enough to hear across the area. He had noticed your sudden change in posture.

"Shhh." You shush him.

The office lights were off and just lightly touching the handle you could tell it was locked. You grab the tazer and carefully unlock the door. If there was something waiting in there for you, you were going to be ready.

"I-is everything alright?" Bonnie asked, quieter this time.

"I'm not sure. On the count of 3 we're both going to enter. Alright?" Bonnie nods.

1.

You unlock the door.

2.

The door handle turns ever slightly.

3.

You burst open the door using the flashlight to illuminate everything. The room was empty.

"So what was that about?" Bonnie asks confused. You turn on the lights.

"I thought someone was in here." You shrug. You close the door and lock it behind you.

"This is where it all started." You show Bonnie the room.

"Wow."

"Check those boxes; they'd left stuff in there for you." You motion over to Bonnie. He happily complies and starts digging through.

With him distracted you turn your attention to where the phone and flashlight came from. You check the phone. With a click of the power button the lock screen comes up. There was a photo of a spaceship as the wallpaper. There were also several missed calls and text messages that were unanswered.

The contact name of the missed caller read in plain text.

Gregory. It had to be that Gregory. Freddy's partner in crime.

Oh no.

This had to have been Vanessa's phone. You start to wonder, fear rising as to what happened that she randomly dropped her phone.

"Ooooh is this all for me?" Bonnie says as he dove into the boxes.

You were now seriously worried about what happened to Vanessa. She hadn't answered earlier. What if something went down? Before you could formulate a plan the phone receives another text. It lights up the screen and you can see it.

FROM: GREGORY

MESSAGE: almost there

Wait, did he mean here? Something was going on. You didn't know Vanessa's phone code but you did have a phone. Gregory's number was visible on the text. Maybe Vanessa's in trouble?

Out of the corner of your eye you see Bonnie putting various pieces of clothing and merch onto the working table, ogling them all.

"Hold on a sec Bonnie. I just gotta call someone."

"Okay!" He said cheerily. He was too invested in the spare parts and all the materials the rep had left. You notice he was trying on a purple button-up shirt, the same one you'd seen in the pictures in his bowling alley.

Her phone displayed Gregory's number. Using your phone you dial it, adding a new contact for Gregory.

It dials. Almost instantly you see the screen light up, Gregory answering.

"H-hello? V-vanessa? Is that y-you?" It sounded like Gregory, worry in his voice.

"Sorry, I don't know where she is. I just found her phone outside my office. I saw your texts. What's going on?"

You realize it made it sound like you were snooping on her phone. You hoped he wouldn't say anything.

"Ohno, no, nonono. That can't be." He sounded even more worried now.

"There's no way. It's im-" Gregory continued.

"Hey? Stay with me okay? Tell me what is going on." You interrupted him. You hear him clear his throat as he continues.

"Who is this?"

"(Y/N), I'm one of the new technicians at the plex."

"Y-you were the one talking to Freddy the other day." Gregory sniffled.

"Yeah, I remember you. You're Vanessa's cousin or something right?" You didn't want to let on how much you knew, just in case.

"Yes-yes. Okay, please listen. Are you sure you haven't seen Vanessa anywhere?"

"No, not since the start of my shift."

"W-was there anything else around her phone?"

"Her flashlight was there too." You say. You click the light off, better to save power.

Gregory groaned. "Oh no...."

"Gregory, what's going on? Is Vanessa alright?" You were starting to get worried too.

Bonnie put on the fedora then tossed it aside. He liked it, but decided not to wear it right now.

"I-You-You need to go somewhere safe. A-are you with any of the animatronics right now?"

His tone changed from worry to seriousness. Bonnie was supposed to be a secret right? You didn't want to tell him yet.

"No. I'm just in my office. All alone."

"Hey, what abo-" Bonnie starts to say but you shush him.

"You need to find Freddy. He'll know what to do. D-do you have a Fazwatch? His number is-"

"I already called Freddy a few minutes ago. No answer."

"Ohnnonoon. Thatcan'tbe. A-a-are you sure? Dial him again." You were starting to get concerned now. Gregory did know more about the animatronics than you. He was starting to panic.

"W-w-what about the others? Roxanne? Chica?"

"Sorry kid. Nothing from either. Can you tell me what's going on?"

"Ohhhhh..." Gregory trailed off. His mind was racing.

"Calm down. Tell me what you think is going on." You say slowly. "I've been here for a few hours now and nothing's happened. I've spoken to Roxanne and Monty today earlier. They were fine." The possibility of the animatronics surprising you with a party was still lingering. It would explain why none had been answering you.

You hear Gregory sigh. "M-maybe it's just Vanessa. (Y/N), have you seen any rabbits around?" You were confused. That was way too specific of a question, he couldn't know about Bonnie. Unless Freddy told him?

"Like bunnies, rabbits, furry looking things with big red eyes. Do you see any?" He repeated.

You catch a glimpse of Bonnie finding the spray bottle of lavender and spraying himself all over. Could the animatronics even smell? You didn't think so.

"W-what if I do?"

"You need to run and get away! Get somewhere safe, I'm going to be there soon. You have to trust me. Please."

"Slow down. What's going on? Can't you just tell me right now?"

"I-I'll explain when I get there. I can't talk now, s-she might be listening."

"Who? Who's listening?"

"Just-just get somewhere safe please. You have no idea what she's capable of. When she last got like this, you-you can't stop them!" Gregory was distraught. You were just confused, he was spouting nonsense.

"I-Ican'tbelieveitshappeningagain." It sounded like he was on the verge of a breakdown. There didn't seem to be any reasoning with him. If he was concerned about the plex being dangerous then why come? And where was Vanessa? Too many questions. You resigned to just take his advice and see if you could calm him down later.

"Alright, alright. Let me know when you're close. I'll message you from my phone."

"If you can, find Freddy. He'll know what to do." He still sounded worried.

"Alright, okay. Bye." You hang up.

You sigh, wondering what that was about. Still though, he was worried about a rabbit? In a sudden realization you figure that Gregory must have been referring to SB-9 when he said 'it was happening again'. Which then meant the rabbit he was worried about was....Bonnie. But it didn't make sense. Bonnie had been fine. A bit traumatized at first but he seemed normal now.

"Who was that?" Bonnie asks. He was deep into some boxes, looking for parts and knick-knacks.

"Just, uh, a friend of the plex I guess. It's a long story. He was freaking out about something."

"Well, I hope he can figure that out."

"Hey Bonnie?"

"Yes?" He asks. He lifts his head out of a box, only for it to stay on his head.

"Are you feeling alright?"

"Why of course!" He said cheerily. He took the box off revealing him wearing one of the Bonnie head shell models you were sent. It laid on top of his head, looking quite awkward.

"How do I look?"

"Dumb." You say, chuckling. You clear your throat.

"So you feel fine, no issues, nothing feeling off?"

He shook his head, flinging the dummy head off. "No, I feel perfect. What's wrong?"

"Uh, nothing." You found yourself even more confused by Gregory's words. What was he talking about? Maybe this was all a bit between him, Vanessa and the band.

Now that you thought about it. The flashlight, the phone, Gregory's incomprehensible and contradictory statements, and nobody answering calls, it had to be a bit. Maybe they wanted to test you now that Bonnie was back.

Before you could make a plan you nearly jump from banging on the door. It got Bonnie's attention too.

Now Playing...

Artist: Nocturnal Hotline

Song: Fear of Tomorrow

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCVS8A2a7zc

"Mazzbztp. MAazzzzzppt." The door was shaking with the banging. It sounded like that map bot but the voice was distorted.

You look to Bonnie, he just shrugs. It continues banging, shouting distorted versions of map.

A wrench was lying around that you grab. With your free hand you open the door slightly. The map bot bursts in. You're ready to fight but flinch when you see its face. There was seriously something wrong with this one. You drop the wrench.

It had a huge smile on its face and its eyes with glowing white and hollow. It looked like the paint from the eyes had leaked and there were two black streaks on its face. The bot grabs you by your collab. It was then you notice it was holding a screwdriver.

It proceeds to try and jam the screwdriver in your eye but you catch the arm. "Shit!" You spit as you hold the bot back. You try to use your now free hand to grab your tazer. As you meddle with the holder, Bonnie springs into action.

You hear a guttural scream from behind you as a purple blur flashes past you knocking the robot from you and slamming into a wall. You barely register Bonnie eviscerating the robot to a mass of twitching parts and electric sparks.

You catch your breath. Bonnie rises up and quickly goes to console you. He pats your head. "Are you alright?" He asks, extremely worried. His tone had done a complete 180 and he was sounding far more serious than before.

You notice his eyes flashed a bright shade of red before turning back to normal. "Are you okay?" He asks again, concerned.

Could Bonnie really have been the animatronic Monty saw? You were starting to fear for your own safety.

"Yeah I'm fine, that was just...unexpected." You start to think your assessment of Gregory was wrong. This couldn't have been some kind of prank.

Bonnie gives you a hug.

"Good." He lets you go.

"What was that?" Bonnie asks, staring at the destroyed map bot.

"I'm not sure yet." You pause, hearing whirring in the distance. You peer out of the office to see a bunch of worker bots at the end of the area. Like the map bot they had the same twisted smiles. They were also all carrying objects. They hadn't noticed you yet but were rolling in your direction. You close the door and lock it.

"Be quiet." You say to Bonnie. He nods, seeing how serious you were.

You shut the lights off and place your eye upon the keyhole. The bots roll by completely oblivious to your presence. Once you stopped hearing the whirring you turn the lights back on.

You let out a sigh of relief. You didn't want to fight right now. But it was looking like that map bot wasn't alone.

"We need to get somewhere safe." Between none of that scene, the attack and Vanessa going AWOL you were starting to worry. You hoped Vanessa wasn't attacked and that she was hiding somewhere.

You're mind was also still processing Bonnie's sudden shift of attitude. You had no idea how safe you were with him, but he did defend you. Maybe the conditions are different this time.

"Oooh. I know a place!" Bonnie said, immediately dropping his serious tone. "Back then, me and Freddy planned to hide from everyone the whole night. We figured out the daycare would be the best spot since the guards and bots never come there. Plus, there's only two small entrances. We planned to have the attendant watch them and warn us."

"Huh, well, that works. I'm sure Sun would want to see you too."

"Oh, have you met the daycare attendant? He's so nice."

"I've met him, it's just that..actually, lemme call him first." If the worker bots were acting up, who was to say that the attendant wouldn't be as well?

Predictably, there was no response. It did say he was in the daycare. Thinking on Bonnie's proposal, it did look like the Daycare would be the best defended spot. You could wait for Gregory there.

"He didn't pick up?" Bonnie said with a pout. "That's not like him."

But if the attendant had gone awry, it would have meant you'd have to fight him. Remembering what you thought yesterday you determine you and Bonnie could defeat him if need be. You probably had the best shot against him versus any of the animatronics.

You shake your head. You were getting too far ahead of yourself. There was no proof that Sun was messed up. After all, Sun's class of animatronic were far more advanced than the worker bots. He could probably just be fine.

No. While there wasn't any proof he wasn't fine, there was none to show if he was. You decide to assume the worst for now. Only upon speaking to Sun would you decide he was okay.

So far Bonnie was the only 'functional' one you'd seen since he turned on.

Of course there was also the possibility of you being completely paranoid but you weren't going to take any chances. Especially after the several times you scraped death in the past few days. In the past few days you've learned when dealing with these bots it would be best to be ready for anything.

"We'll go to the daycare then." You agree with Bonnie.

There was no point in finding Freddy. That he hadn't been answering was warning enough for you to stay away. It was uncharacteristic of him.

For now the plan would be to reach the daycare and figure out the situation when Gregory arrives. He obviously knew more about what was going on.

"Is..everything alright?" Bonnie asked. Your long pauses in-between thought had him unsure.

You sigh, may as well let him in on your thoughts.

"That bot wasn't the only one that's lost it tonight. If I'm right then we can assume all the bots have gone crazy."

Bonnie looked at you in disbelief. "But-but I'm fine though." He said. "You may be an exception. Look, that phone and flashlight were the security guards. She's gone MIA, none of the animatronics have answered their calls tonight, the killer bot tried and a bunch more just rolled by. I'm sure they were looking for us."

Bonnie looked shocked.

"I have a....an animatronic caretaker coming. But until then we're going to go to the daycare and wait." You weren't sure how to explain Gregory. You'd fill him in later. He was like a caretaker, right?

Bonnie nods, it was a lot for him to process. He remains silent. He couldn't reach the network, which alone made him believe you.

"Of course, I could be wrong, but let's see first." You shrug. "Sorry this had to happen to you on your first day back."

"W-well it could be like a game. Like a really cool hide and seek across the whole plex!" Bonnie said, his optimism creeping back in.

"Yeah, let's treat it like that. If we get to the daycare and Sun has, well lost it. Do you think you could restrain him?"

"He's a nice guy, but if you want, of course! I used to give them piggyback rides. They loved being tickled too...well Sun did. Moon didn't really like it."

"Good. Hopefully he's fine but we'll see." You look to the map bot, or rather what was left of it.

"Oh, I'm sorry for that! I-I just wasn't thinking." He started to get apologetic.

"It's alright, it's alright. It's just a map bot. Just. Just don't do it to Sun."

"Aye, aye captain!" He said, giving you a salute. Even though you were still anxious from the attack, Bonnie's upbeat personality was helping to remedy it.

"You got everything you need?" You ask Bonnie.

"You betcha!" He said cheerily.

You make sure you have everything you need. Tazer, maps, you even grab the wrench and screwdrivers and put them into the tool belt. You also grab the tazer extension cord just in case you needed to supercharge it. With that the two of you leave the office. You don't even bother locking it and leave the key on the table. There's nothing more important in there.

Thinking quickly you decide the best route would be the long way, take the elevator to above the raceway and walk the route in the ceiling. You hoped that nobody was walking it. An image of your first fight we Monty plays in your head, causing you to shudder.

Before you start walking in the direction of the elevator Bonnie stops you, placing a hand on your shoulders.

"It would be faster to go through Rockstar Row. We could even surprise Freddy!" His cheeriness knew no bounds.

You sigh. "Much as I'd like to, we don't know if it's safe right now. Something's going on here."

"Ah, I guess you're right." He said in disappointment.

"Y'know, Freddy was the one asking about you the most when they found out I was fixing you."

"Really?"

"Yep, he still goes bowling in your alley too."

"Ah..." Bonnie said, happiness returning.

You take a brief look in the direction of the Row. Assuming the animatronics were all berserk you knew not to go to Rockstar Row. If anything that was just begging for a confrontation.

Then it hits you.

'Berserk animatronics', the return of the kid that nearly destroyed the plex and people disappearing. It was eerily similar to the SB-9 case.

You stop yourself. You were getting way too ahead here. You still didn't have any proof all the animatronics were berserk. Just a few worker bots confirmed. Though between Gregory freaking out and none of the band answering it didn't help your confidence. Maybe it was because you had just read the report. It was still fresh in your mind. Whatever the reason, you needed to get somewhere safe.

Gregory was the kid who beat the plex. If anyone knew what was going on it was him. You wonder how he even knew to come tonight but figure he'll explain that later. Maybe Vanessa had warned him?

There didn't seem to be any bots around other than Bonnie. He followed closely, his stomps echoing throughout the empty repair department. You keep your tazer out, yourself fully in fight mode. You both reach the elevator and it dings open. As you press the button to go up you spot two security bots at a distance. Though far away they notice you. They're saying something but it's all distorted. They charge the door.

Bonnie gets ready to lunge at them.

You hold out your hand to block Bonnie from running after them. Using your free hand you mash the close door button and it closes before the bots could enter.

To think, it was only a few days ago you had done this exact trick to Monty, and earlier to Freddy.

You see their corrupted faces, similar to the map bot as the doors close. The bots slam into the door but it does nothing to affect the elevator.

You notice Bonnie who for the first time seems concerned, the realization that the one bot wasn't just a one-off.

"Did this happen to Freddy too?" Bonnie asked, almost whispering. "I don't know exactly. But I have someone coming who can hopefully figure out what went wrong."

"About a year ago, before I started working here there was some major incident in the plex. Most of the animatronics went crazy then too."

Bonnie was listening attentively.

"Long story short there was a massive fire and a lot of animatronics were destroyed. Based on what's happened tonight it's looking eerily similar to that."

"The animatronics were destroyed?!" Bonnie stopped you. "What-what do you mean?" He seemed concerned.

"Everyone's okay now, it just took a bit of fixing. I'll explain the whole thing later. I have someone from that incident coming, he'll know what to do."

Bonnie nods. "Wow. A lot of stuff happened while I was gone." He said solemnly.

He kept a hand on your shoulder as the two of you waited. He was slightly worried about the plex too. He was trying his best to hide it.

"This has never happened before." He said quietly.

While waiting you text Gregory.

(Y/N): making my way to the daycare, gonna hold out there

text when you are in

Gregory: be careful of the attendant

(Y/N): ill be fine, i have a way to deal with him

Gregory: ok, have you found freddy

you: not yet

The doors open and you're greeted with an empty area. There were thankfully no security or maintenance bots around.

"The plex is currently in lockdown, code DREAD-1092. Please seek shelter immediately or restart the facility. To resume operations do so from the console in the security room. To conserve power the P.A. system will be shut off." The announcer voice said. It clearly projected over the intercom.

"This has been the final warning." It says before shutting off.

Who was talking? Was there someone else in the plex? No, couldn't be.

"Who was that?"

"That was the DREAD Unit. Direct Robotic...I forgot the rest." Bonnie shrugged.

You weren't aware the plex had an announcer. Obviously there was a P.A. system but you figured it would just be someone speaking.

"What's code 1092?" Bonnie asks.

You shrug. "I don't know. Don't you know the codes?"

Bonnie shook his head. "I don't know this one. I've never heard of a 1092."

The both of you enter the walkway above the raceway. Your eyes widen as you see the state it was in. Instead of the usual dimly lit sunset lights and ambience the lights were red, purple and black.

Walking quietly along the walkway you could see a lot of the video screens were not working with the logo of the plex or error warnings displayed on them. It made it harder to see but you just needed time for your eyes to adjust.

The plex was clearly on lockdown.

You weren't sure what happened to trigger this event but Gregory and your paranoia were right. There was something terribly wrong.

As quiet as you can you continue on the walkway. Looking down you catch a glimpse of bots below. It was some security bots. They were twitching slightly. They had not noticed your presence. Like the others they had the distorted appearance.

Their walk cycle looked more erratic than the usual patterns they rolled in. It was unpredictable.

"I-I hope the others aren't like this." Bonnie said, focused on the bots below.

"When that incident happened a year ago a few of the animatronics weren't affected. We won't know for sure until later."

"You weren't there, how do you know so much about this?"

"I read the case files." You smile at Bonnie.

Bonnie sighed, worry trickling through the sound he made.

"We'll figure it out in the daycare."

You both reached the top of the lobby. You hide behind a wall and peer over just to make sure. Bonnie looks over you, checking as well. Next to you was the Fazpad Café.

There were 2 security bots circling the Freddy statue below, wandering around aimlessly. Just next to where you were standing you could hear movement from behind the wall. Though you couldn't see in you guessed there were also bots there too. The cafe was pitch black inside

"Do you think we can fix them?" Bonnie asked.

"Probably. Let's just get to the daycare first, then we can talk strategy."

"I see two bots." Bonnie said.

"Aye, keep quiet. Let's hang by the wall. Daycare should be just down there." Thankfully you didn't have to go down the stairs. Hugging the wall the two of you skirt by the stairs.

The next chapter will be called Solar Eclipse.