While her two remaining minions were searching for the boy, Vanny was in the cold, dark depths of Parts and Service. She was in a large room, with vanilla yellow brick walls, shiny, light gray concrete flooring, and a large, metal cylinder in the middle. The ventilation grates all around the floors and walls created a fog in some places in the room. This cylinder was mechanized to repair and construct the animatronics of the Pizzaplex, and had many programs designed with it. However, at the moment, it was being used not to repair an animatronic, but to dismember and imprison one. Specifically, Freddy Fazbear.
"Are you going to give me what I want? Or am I going to have to pry it out of you? As much FUN as it would be, I'm on a schedule," Vanny demanded coldly. She was standing outside the cylinder, looking through the window at Freddy's deconstructed form. The machinery had disconnected Freddy's head from his body, and his head was connected to electric wiring provided by the cylinder, meant to keep him functional.
"I will NEVER betray Gregory to you. I don't even know if he's still here!" Freddy replied defiantly. At the mention of Gregory, Freddy beamed with pride.
"Oh, he's here alright! He escaped me once, but eventually, Roxy will have him found. But that's not what I want to know. Wrong answer, pal," Vanny replied disappointingly. Then, she walked up to the programming computer hooked up to the cylinder, meant to choose the procedure being performed. She used it to administer an electric shock to Freddy. As the electricity cracked throughout the animatronic's head, he let out a yell of pain. Eventually, Vanny felt it was time to stop. She pressed the button again, and the surges ceased.
"Ah... If not about Gregory, I do not know what you want!" Freddy said impatiently.
"Don't worry! I'll let you know. You see, this isn't the first time we hunted down a child, and today is NOT Gregory's first night here. However, there's just one key detail that's bothering me- YOU. Why is it that you won't obey? Even if you have no memory, you were alongside your bandmates, leading the hunt for our prey! But things have changed. Freddy doesn't want to play anymore. Tsk tsk tsk..." Vanny sighed. She sounded disappointed rather than eager and demented, almost as if she ENJOYED being with Freddy. Freddy simply wasn't having it. She stared at the woman like she was insane (which she was).
"I don't know what you're taking about! I am protecting Gregory because of my PROGRAMMING. I am forbidden from harming a guest! I must ensure he is safe," Freddy exclaimed.
"LIES! Gregory isn't a guest, he snuck in! But you are helping him anyways. I know it has to do with your breakdown on stage tonight. And the elevator crash. There is something inside of you, Fazbear! I KNOW you're different than the others. I can see it in your EYES!" Vanny exclaimed.
"Er... there is nothing inside of me. I must be... malfunctioning!" Freddy lied nervously. Vanny scoffed. She walked up to the cylinder door and it opened for her. Inside the tube, Freddy was staring into her red eyes on her mask.
Vanny decided to run an experiment with the bear animatronic. She laid her hand on his head and try to tap into his system the way she did with the others, and control him. However, when she did this, she was blocked by an unknown entity. She growled with frustration.
"So... you REALLY don't want to play! It looks like He will have to help me!" Vanny roared. Internally, she called on her master to help hack into Freddy.
"Have your powers left you, child? Why can't you control the bear?" He demanded.
"I don't know! Trust me- you might want to see for yourself," Vanny answered honestly.
"Very well."
Vanny, feeling the powers of her Master in her hand, contacted Freddy's forehead once again. Suddenly, her hand stuck to the forehead. Vanny was shocked- this had NEVER happened to her before. Then, an energy she couldn't explain began to surge her body. Whatever it was, it was causing her immense pain. It felt like her soul was trying to break free of her.
"WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" Vanny screamed out of terror. Then, a blackness overcame her. This wasn't supposed to happen.
"What? I cannot believe it. My child, we are in. Let me see here..." Vanny's Master trailed off. Suddenly, everything was back to normal.
"What happened? What did you see?!" Vanny demanded.
"I cannot believe it. This is no ordinary animatronic. This is a ghost," He gasped in uncharacteristic shock.
"A... ghost?! How did this happen? We didn't tamper with the animatronics. What the heck happened?!" Vanny demanded.
"That, Vanny, is for you to find out."
~~~
After Vanny tried to tap into Freddy's mind, the presence inside of Freddy began to erupt like an explosion. Freddy underwent a huge surge of lost memories. Freddy began to recall previous nights he hunted down children for Vanny. However, the surges of memories didn't stop there.
Memories from before his own death began to come back, like of his family. He remembered every atrocity and every death by his father. He recalled the vengefulness and insanity of his sister, and the smallness of his brother as he died.
"NO. It failed. EVERYTHING failed!" Freddy yelled out in anguish. Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed Vanny still standing above him, trying to discover his secrets.
"What failed?" Vanny demanded. Her slightly playful, insane tone, was gone. That was replaced by impatience and true hatred.
"WHERE IS MY FATHER?!" Freddy demanded.
"Looking for your parents, little child? You're stuck in this body now, and you'll be here for the rest of your days," Vanny mocked, regaining her playful and mocking tone. Freddy growled with impatience and fury.
"You know who I'm talking about, Vanny. WHERE IS WILLIAM AFTON?" Freddy roared menacingly. At that name, all smugness, mockery, and impatience left Vanny's body. Slowly, she turned and stared at Freddy directly in the eyes.
"NO. You can't be..." Vanny whispered. Pure shock, overwhelming fear, and a sense of petrification overcame her. If what she was thinking was true, she realized she wouldn't be able to deal with this problem herself. She had the information she needed, and it wasn't good. But if she was going to succeed in her mission, she had to act. Gregory HAD to be found.
"I am going to find Gregory. You are going to stay here for the rest of your existence! Death be upon you!" Vanny exclaimed.
"You won't stop me," Freddy lowed. Vanny disregarded this and walked out of the cylinder. Then, she walked up a set of stairs to get to the service elevators that led to each animatronic's room. Freddy was left alone, but maybe he could contact Gregory and warn him. With his system, he concentrated on the FazWatch network, and was able to connect. Previously, he could not due to Vanny being in the room. But he was able to connect now.
"Gregory? Are you there?" Freddy asked.
"FREDDY?! I can't believe it!" Gregory exclaimed on the other end.
"Yes. I am still alive! Vanny did some, unscrupulous things to me, to say the least... but worry not! I am still alive. Where are you?" Freddy questioned.
"I'm still here! Officer Vanessa caught me and Vanny tried to come kill me, but I escaped her. What happened to you? I saw the elevator broke," Gregory replied.
"Oh! The elevator... I am not entirely sure. Something happened between me and Vanny that caused some kind of reaction," Freddy said uncertainly. He was lying. Freddy knew that his soul had to be reacting to Vanny, but he was not ready to let Gregory know of his secret.
"Well, whatever happened, I found Chica in your room at Rockstar Row! I rebooted her and believe it or not, she's helping me! She's damaged and will need repairs, but other than that she's okay," Gregory said.
"That is a relief! If Chica is healed from Vanny's control, perhaps we may help Roxy and Monty?" Freddy asked hopefully.
"Eh, I don't know. It seems pretty tough. They already deactivated Chica for me. If we want to save them we better do it ourselves!" Gregory pointed out.
"Perhaps, but you will have two animatronics on your side! IF, you can get me out," Freddy said optimistically.
"Okay, I'll be there soon!" Gregory promised.
"Good luck, Superstar! Be careful out there," Freddy warned. The connection severed, and Freddy was left alone once again. When Gregory got to him, they were going to have to take down the other animatronics and repair them. As for Vanny and her master, who was almost certainly William Afton, the ways of dealing with them would be a bit more unorthodox. How Afton survived the fire, Freddy would never know. But he was going to have to be COMPLETELY destroyed. Vanny, the person who Afton was controlling, was going to have to die. Freddy grimaced at the thought of killing someone who was probably being controlled against her own will.
But to save Gregory and to stop more children from dying, Freddy would do it again.
~~~
Gregory was at the very top balcony of the Atrium. Surprisingly, he had been able to get into contact with Freddy, and now he knew the bear animatronic was thankfully still alive. For now, he was in a small booth with white, tiled floors, a computer panel lining the end that overlooked the entire Atrium, and various machine components at the back.
"Okay, I see Chica from here and Monty is still at the floodlight, but where is Roxy?" Gregory said to himself. He had not seen a sign of the wolf animatronic for a long time. If Chica was still on the stage, he assumed that Roxy had not arrived yet. It wasn't long before Gregory found the disc insertion slot on the surface of the computer panel.
"There we are! We need to initiate showtime," Gregory said. He pulled the black disc out of his pocket and pushed it inside the hole on the panel. Then, the main theme of the Pizzaplex began to play. The guitar cover blared across the Atrium. That's when Chica contacted Gregory on the FazWatch.
"You did it! I see Monty on top of the structure. He knows something is wrong, so be careful coming down. I haven't seen Roxy yet. It's been about ten minutes since we got here. Make your way downstairs. I've got the lift ready," Chica instructed.
"I'll be down soon! Is Monty going up the escalator?" Gregory questioned.
"No. I think he's heading towards the STAGE. I need to hide," Chica said nervously. The call ended immediately after. Gregory scowled at the thought of losing another one of his helpers. But there was nothing he could do for now. All he could do is run back to the Stage and hope to get there in time. Gregory practically leaped down the escalator to the second floor of the Atrium. Then, he ran down the long balcony, hoping to make it down to the floor. Gregory's footsteps on the carpet were not loud enough to attract attention to him, but the silence of his footsteps made him able to listen to his own beating heart. Gregory was terrified.
The moment he made it down the second set of escalators, he could tell something was terribly wrong. Gregory heard Monty roaring by the stage and metallic tapping, like an animatronic was trying to run. He knew Chica had to have been found.
"CHICA! There you are!" the voice of Roxy shouted. Gregory's heart sunk to his stomach. Chica was in trouble. He made it to the Stage elevator and prepared to go down. There was a button on top of a short tower, which was tall enough for a person to press.
"Chica! Hurry up! I made it," Gregory exclaimed, hoping to attract the chicken animatronic.
"Just go! I'll find you later," Chica replied urgently. She was now at the middle of the Atrium floor, being cornered by Monty and Roxy, both of whom, turned their heads toward Gregory.
Without a second thought, Gregory slammed his fist onto the red bear-shaped button. The stage instantly shook, then slowly sunk down the shaft to Parts and Service.
"GREGORY!" Monty yelled out, anger evident in his tone. Thankfully, the elevator reached the bottom, and the boy began to survey his surroundings.
The hallway out of the lift were built up by white brick walls and the floor was a brownish-concrete. Yellowish lights on the walls illuminated the hallway, and at the end of the hall was a ramp directly in front of a set of red double doors. On either side of the doors were one long, rectangular window. The window exposed a walk-through room with another set of windows and double doors. Beyond THOSE was a big room Gregory couldn't tell what it was. Next to the doors was a red recharge station. As Gregory walked down the hall, halfway to Parts and Service, to Gregory's right was another hallway that led directly to a roll-up door. A sign above the door read, 'Parts and Service Warehouse.'
"Freddy should be here somewhere," Gregory said to himself. Then, Freddy called him on his FazWatch.
"Gregory? I heard the elevator lift. Are you there?" Freddy asked.
"Yes! I'm here. Chica distracted Roxy and Monty for me. We need to find her later. Where are you at?" Gregory replied.
"You see those red double doors at the end of the hall? I am beyond those doors. You will need a Level 4 Clearance to enter," Freddy informed.
Gregory reached into his left pockets and checked his cards. He groaned out of frustration- he only had a Level 3 pass!
"I only have Level 3! How am I gonna get in now?!" Gregory pouted.
"Fret not, young one. There is a security office down here where you may retrieve a Security Pass! However, there ARE Endoskeletons stored there, and they do get active. I would recommend simply breaking the windows to get in," Freddy suggested.
"Breaking a window?! That's going to damage the place!" Gregory noted.
"We have done enough damage as it is. Just do it!" Freddy demanded. Gregory was extremely confused. Freddy was the type to abide by the rules and keep others in line. Despite this, Gregory walked up to the doors, found a crowbar lying next to the recharge station, picked up the long piece of metal, and swung it at the window closest to the red tube. The window immediately shattered, glass flying across the air. Gregory did the same thing to the other window. Then, he stepped into Parts and Service, in search of Freddy. It wasn't long before he found the bear animatronic.
~~~
Freddy noticed Gregory breaking the window to get into Parts and Service. He sighed out of relief that his Superstar had already arrived.
"You made it?! Good job, Gregory! Now, I need your help. Vanny... took me apart..." Freddy requested.
"I've got you! Now, how do I do that exactly?" Gregory questioned, discouraged by Freddy's deconstructed form.
"On your right, do you see a computer on a tall table?" Freddy asked. Gregory glanced at the small monitor, then nodded in affirmation.
"Okay. On the computer, you need to activate the 'Reconstruction' protocol. There should be an option. Some procedures are automatic, others require manual work. I do not know which one that is," Freddy instructed.
"I see the button! It's automatic, so I'll let it work its thing," Gregory replied.
The tools hooking up Freddy's head to an electric source disconnected, opting to repair Freddy instead. They connected Freddy's wiring from his body to his head, then inserted metal parts into the clamping areas.
The repairs continued for a good twenty minutes, until Freddy's head was lowered onto his body, until a loud 'SNAP' was heard. Freddy could feel the rest of his body again. He tested his arms, legs, and chest compartment. A feeling of warmth flooded his body, as it was at his command again. The table that Freddy was laid down on rotated until it was standing up straight.
"I feel MUCH better. Thank you very much!" Freddy thanked. The door to the cylinder slid open and Freddy stomped out.
"Freddy! You're back," Gregory sighed out of relief.
"And thanks to you! Now come, we must keep moving. Maybe we can get you out," Freddy said, the tone of his voice losing happiness when he mentioned Gregory leaving.
"I'm staying. I have to," Gregory said determinedly.
"REALLY? That is a relief!" Freddy exclaimed. He now had an ally who, unknowingly, would help stop William Afton. But he wasn't ready to reveal his secrets yet.
"We need to stop Roxy and Monty somehow. I think we can save them the way we saved Chica! Is there anything we can use to neutralize them?" Gregory asked.
"Well, actually destroying them is going to be a, tough task. However, there are weaknesses. Bright lights in the eyes can cause us to freeze up for a moment. We can utilize a Fazer Blaster, laser gun toys from my attraction, and a camera they sell in Monty Golf. To keep it safe, we should go to my area," Freddy recommended.
"Let's go! We can't wait here much longer. Vanny might be back soon," Gregory urged. But before he could say another word, the lights suddenly turned off.
"Oh NO! I forgot about the recharge cycle. Quickly, get in my stomach hatch! We need to get to a recharge station," Freddy exclaimed. The lid that served as his belly flew open, exposing a small crawl space for Gregory to fit into. Freddy kneeled down so Gregory could climb in. Afterward, the bear animatronic ran away from the repair cylinder. He opened the double doors and rushed to the red charging tube. The door slid open, and the bear animatronic ran inside. For now, he was safe.
"Thank goodness! We managed to hide from the Moon," Freddy sighed. However, his relief was short-lived. It wasn't long before he heard the sound of metal being dragged.
"What was that?" Gregory whispered.
"I do not know. Wait for a second," Freddy urged. The sounds of metal grew louder and louder, until Freddy could see from the recharge station.
Moondrop was standing outside of Parts and Service, dragging a disabled Chica across the floor.
"You missed your bedtime, young one! Now, you will be punished..." the Daycare Attendant grouched happily. He was about to pull her through the doors, but the moon animatronic's interest was captured by a peculiar sight. He noticed the broken window that Gregory used to get into Parts and Service.
"What? What is this? Oh... Fazbear escaped..." Moondrop spat.
"He knows. He knows we're gone!" Freddy gasped.