Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"How is it possible to get lost here if there are robot assistants at every step?" - that's what his friends answered him when Gregory asked them not to go far. The thought that he would have to communicate with scary bots did not calm him down. They tried to make these robots look very friendly. They tried. Red cheeks, painted smile - as a result, the company has a bunch of bald bots. He tried to distract himself from these thoughts and keep up with his friends, who were walking from side to side around the great hall, all the while arguing which attraction was more interesting and which of the animatoronics would be the best.

Gregory's friends were delighted. And no wonder. For many children, visiting Pizzaplex has become a dream. They spoke too often and loudly about this place, so they also made a very bright advertisement. All the children went crazy, did everything to get parental permission to buy expensive tickets. Someone cleaned up, someone did not play the computer, and someone, even despite the summer holidays, began to study. And Gregory knew that his friends had done a lot to get their parents' permission. He would never have went himself. He agreed because he was the youngest, and visitors with a child under 12 years old get a discount on all tickets. Gregory understood that he was being used, but he tried to see only the good.

He even played some slot machines, though nothing happened to win. Gregory realized that he had nothing to do here, and decided to tell the guys that he was leaving. But they dragged him to the stage, asking him to stay a little longer.

— The show will start soon!
— Let's see!
— You can't miss this!
— It's going to be cool!

And really. The most grandiose robot show is the reason that attracts children here. Gregory decided not to upset his friends and stay a little longer.

Before the show started, the guys came up to the stage to look at the huge gallograms of each gang member. It was possible to accurately see each of them, and especially the place of performance. A semicircular stage with glowing arches, with a staircase in the middle. Most likely, after the performance, you will be able to go up on stage and take pictures with animatronics.

— Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex! Very soon, Freddy and the gang will perform in the Festive Hall! Don't miss it! The start is in 15 minutes, — and so it was announced every five minutes. There is a large crowd at the stage. The guys were lucky to come much earlier than her, and take the best seats right at the fence.

And so the show began. The lights go out, fog appears, and they rise from under the floor onto the stage. At first glance, the four of them could give the impression of a cheerful group of animals singing songs and giving happy memories to children. But these are ordinary machines with a program embedded in them. It was obvious just by looking at them. Their movements were more precise and too dynamic; when singing, they simply opened their mouths and recorded words came out of the speaker; but the most creepy thing about them was their eyes — metal balls with painted highlights and glowing in the dark.

But apparently the crowd of children and adults did not notice these little things. They applauded to the beat, one of the teenagers whistled. If they knew the words of the song, they would definitely sing along. But Gregory was not well. He was standing at the fence right in front of the stage, and from behind he was pushed by restless teenagers who also claimed seats in the front row. Gregory tried to move to walk along the fence and get out of the crowd. But the children, believing that he was pushing, pushed back. And so Gregory was pushed too hard. He fell on one partition and fell with it to the floor.

All the children immediately moved away from the scene of the accident, pretending that none of them was to blame. Now all the spectators were looking at him. Gregory never liked being the center of attention. He was confused, but realized that he should get up from the floor. And as soon as he got to his feet, a robot assistant immediately drove up to him.

— Please go back to the audience area, — Gregory was very scared and backed away.
— Please go back to the audience area, — the robot repeated once more. Suddenly he pulled his hands towards the fallen fence, but Gregory, terrified that the robot wanted to catch the "intruder", rushed to run.

When he reached the Daycare, he hid in the game maze. He didn't run for long, but he managed to get out of breath. A child's fantasy imagined that robots were now prowling all over the building, trying to find the boy. And if he gets caught... well, Gregory didn't know what they would do to him, but something is definitely not good.

— Hello, kid, — Gregory jumped up, hearing a voice next to him. He looked in the direction of the noise and saw the yellow face of the robot with a wide smile. They found him! Gregory screamed and tried to crawl away. But in the maze for children, in which it is possible to move only by crawling, Gregory could not run far.

— Hey, hey, calm down. I didn't want to scare you, — the robot waved guiltily with his hands, on which the bells were hanging. — My name is Sunnydrop! And I want to be your friend, — he held out his hand to Gregory. But he did not dare.
— Come on, when you get acquainted, you need to shake hands. It's not difficult. That's it, — and the sunface showed the right handshake on his hands, and again offered his hand to the boy. Gregory laughed at his attempt to shake hands with himself, and realizing that the robot did not want to harm him, he shook hands in return.

— Hooray! We're friends now! Now I, as your friend, have to cheer you up! — the robot said enthusiastically, swaying in the dance with joy, making his bells on his hands ring merrily.
— Let's go!

The ringing of bells went deep into the maze. Gregory tried to keep up. He didn't really want to believe him, but if it was a choice between a friendly sun and a crowd of bald robots, then the choice was obvious.

— Hurry up here! — Sunnydrop called and disappeared around the bend. Turning around, Gregory found a tunnel leading down.
— Come down! — came from it. And Gregory decided to go. It turned out to be a slide leading to a pool with balls. The boy looked around carefully, but the Sunnydrop was nowhere to be found.

— Where are you? — Gregory asked. But he didn't hear an answer, only the ringing of bells. And he, knowing who was making it, went to the sound. When he reached the place, he lowered his hands into the abyss of balls. And suddenly, he was grabbed by the arms and spun above the ground.

— You found me, my friend! Good job! — the robot was spinning. Gregory suddenly had a lot of fun, and he laughed.
— You're so light! Like a cloud! — Sunnydrop circled a little more, scattering the balls around. Finally he stopped and put Gregory on a kind of island in the sea of balls. The boy continued to giggle.

Surprisingly, the robot was very thin. It's even amazing how he was able to lift the boy so easily. He had striped trousers with lace, bells were tied with ribbons and there is buttons on his chest. His appearance and manner of behavior were described simply as a clown. A very friendly robot clown. It was very different from all the previous robots that Gregory had seen before. But the boy was especially impressed by his white eyes. Even though they were colorless, they didn't look so frightening.

— I'm so glad! You're smiling! I'm so glad! — he shook his hands again, rattling the bells again.
— You were so sad. And now you're happy! Hooray!

Getting out of the pool, Gregory looked around. It was a domed hall made especially for the youngest visitors. Actually, that's why Gregory has never been here. His friends considered themselves old enough to have fun in the Daycare, and he did not want to argue with them.

Unlike all the previous rooms, it was very bright here. The ceiling is made in the form of a blue sky with clouds and gray stars. Most likely, they were turned off lamps. In the very center of the 'sky' a bright lamp was burning, replacing the sun. The hall itself was divided into two parts, in both of which there was a maze, and only a rope bridge connected them. Under the labyrinths on the floor there were children's tables with stools, there were large pillows and huge plush toys on which you could lie down. Even in the hall, the castle tower hung on the wall directly opposite the entrance.

— This is my house! — said the clown when he noticed where Gregory was looking.
— Come on! I'll show you! — and he danced off towards the castle. The robot was faster than Gregory, so he had to accelerate. Suddenly the robot stopped and turned sharply towards the boy, Gregory almost crashed into him.
— Now, my friend, stay here! — Gregory looked at the robot in disbelief, but remained standing in place. There was something strange and repulsive in his behavior, but at the same time the robot itself was very comedic.

Approaching the castle, Sunnydrop sat down and jumped sharply. He grabbed the sill of the window and, climbing with his feet like a clumsy cat, climbed inside the tower. And then his head peeked out and looked down at the lonely spectator.

— Are you still standing? — the nodding of the perplexed child suited him as an answer.
— Good! Now look! — the head went down, and puppets appeared in its place. Ordinary sock puppets. Looking closer, Gregory discerned Sunnydrop in one of them, but the second character was unfamiliar. Darker, dressed in blue pants and a hat. Interestingly, their faces are drawn quite identically.

— Moondrop! Tell me! Is the moon full today? — Sunnydrop's puppet asked.
— No, unlike you! — the puppet called Moondrop laughed. His voice sounded more hoarse.
— Maybe I'm fat, but I'm kinder than some! Hmpf! — the puppet folded little hands on its chest and turned away from interlocutor.

Suddenly, the dark puppet went down somewhere and took out a small bat. And it began to swing at the unsuspecting puppet of Sunnydrop. One swing, two, and-

— Watch out! — Gregory screamed and then covered his mouth, as if apologizing for the interrupted performance. But this is not the case. The puppet of Sunnydrop turned around and, seeing its dark double, began to take away it's bat. A real puppet battle broke out.

– Aha! — shouted the puppet's Sunnydrop, snatching a toy bat from someone else's hands.
— Now let's see how bright the stars are shining today! - and hit Moondrop on the head. At the same moment, small stars descended and taught to spin over the head of the beaten one. And so the curtains of the puppet theater closed. Gregory applauded.

Suddenly, the boy, hearing the only applause in complete silence, felt terribly lonely and forgotten. He looked around. And really, he was all alone.

— Did you like it? — suddenly, there was a sound from behind, and Gregory was scared. But immediately calmed down, recognizing the voice, and answered.
— Yes. That's the best thing I've seen today.

— Really? This is the nicest thing I've been told in my entire life! — Sunnydrop shouted admiringly. He jumped on the spot, from which the bells rattled without stopping.

— Yeah. Thanks for the show. But it's time for me to go home, — the boy said with annoyance.

— Oh. Well, if you think so. And now, I'll give you a gift! I'm your friend after all! Here you go! — he untied one of the bells and began to toss it from hand to hand very quickly, and then asked Gregory to choose one of the fists. The boy could not follow the juggling game of Sunnydrop, so he chose at random. To his surprise, there was no bell in his open hand, but there was a yellow candy.

— Thank you, — Gregory said.

— Anything for a friend! Come again!

Gregory said goodbye to Sunnydrop, and the he, happily jumping, waved back. When the boy left the hall, the feeling of anxiety returned to him. He carefully walked along the corridors, along which he ran away from the stage and the bald robot. And so, he returned to the Festive Hall. But surprisingly, there were no bloodhound robots or people here. The festive tables in the center of the hall, the booth for photos, slot machines and the stage were empty. Even the music stopped playing. What happened?

Chapter Text

Gregory looked around in fright, looking for at least someone. But apart from the robot assistants standing at the stage, there was no one. The boy still remembered what had happened and decided not to approach them.

Suddenly, the administrator's loud voice rang out: "Ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for visiting and we hope you enjoyed the show. Freddy and the gang are pretty tired, but they'll be back again next week after a few days of scheduled maintenance. Please make your way to the front of the building, where you will be given novelty glasses, a vouncher for one free soda refill, and where you will sign a legal disclaimer revealing..."

Gregory was no longer listening. He ran as fast as he could to the exit. It was already late in the evening, since the Pizza Complex is closing. How long he had been sitting in the Children's Hall. How long have his friends been gone? Maybe they're still waiting for him at the exit? What if it doesn't? Had he been abandoned here, in a huge building, all alone, along with scary robots? He ran faster.

And then Gregory crashed into something that suddenly appeared around the corner and fell to the floor. He rubbed the bruised place and looked at the cause of the fall. A white rabbit got up from the floor in front of him and looked at the boy. Well, it looked like a rabbit, because of the ears on a very scary mask. Huge red eyes that squinted to the side, then pierced through the soul. A wide smile stretched all the way to its ears. And the rest of the suit was no better, it was as if it had been sewn from rags.

— Why are you still here, kid? — a woman's voice sounded from under the mask. It was affectedly cheerful, just like Sunnydrop. But it wasn't an animatronic, it was a human. Gregory was taken aback. He had never seen such a character on posters, or in children's drawings, or in any attraction. Nowhere. The rabbit gave her hand to the boy. He shook it suspiciously.

The rabbit clearly did not understand his actions and tilted her head in bewilderment. Gregory, not understanding what he had done wrong, tried to remove his hand, but the white rabbit did not let him do it. She squeezed his hand sharply and pulled the boy up. Gregory cried out in surprise, but when he found that he was on his feet and his arm was now free, he calmed down. He only noticed that one of the rabbit's hands was hidden behind her back, and he became alert. He remembered what his parents had told him: "don't go with strangers," especially those dressed in scary masks and suspiciously hiding something behind their backs.

— Are you lost? — the rabbit asked the second question. Gregory shifted his gaze back to the red eyes and hesitated on the spot.

— I was running to the exit, — the voice sounded dry. He was out of breath. Gregory coughed, and began to look in the direction where the exit was, so that, if anything, he could rush there with all his legs.

— To the exit? But it's already closed, — said the rabbit with a feigned note of annoyance. Hearing such terrible news, Gregory looked at her in confusion.
— But there is another way out, — she immediately answered at the frightened look of the child.

— Really? — his eyes lit up with hope, but the boy immediately took hold of his head. Gregory hadn't heard about the second exit. At least his friends didn't tell him. Gregory has regretted many times that he ran away from them during the performance. And here is the result - he is alone, closed here, with scary robots and a rabbit.

— Yes! And since we met so well, I'll be happy to take you to it, — she held out her hand to him. Now Gregory already understood what she was offering him, but he was in no hurry.

— And if that exit is closed? — in the hope of something, Gregory was stalling for time, looking at the woman's hidden hand. The situation was extremely unpleasant. He was ready at any moment to run towards the Guest Hall, to freedom, to friends. But if it's really closed there, then where should he go?

— In that case, I'll open it, — woman said with some pride and took her hand out from behind her back. On a surprise, she was twisting some keys marked with different colors on her finger. Now Gregory understood, it's the employee of the Pizzaplex. After all, this was the only way to explain why a person in this form is in a Pizzaplex when it is already closed. And how he hadn't realized it before.

She gave her hand to Gregory more insistently. But it still seemed to him that something was wrong. He was trying to find a catch. A woman in a rabbit costume, keys, lights off, mini-rides in the hallway. Then he looked back towards the Guest Hall. But he found nothing wrong that would allow him to continue to doubt. Therefore, Gregory decided to trust the kind worker and humbly gave his hand.

— Tell me, kid, what is your name? — asked the rabbit, lightly squeezing his palm.

— Gregory, — as they walked to the exit, he realized that the robot assistants were not paying any attention to him, and that all this time he was afraid of his fantasies. It made him feel better, even though he was angry at himself for being such a coward. How would his friends react? They had a good imagination too, but it didn't work like Gregory's. Sometimes it seemed to him that he could imagine nothing but terrible things. He often worried about this, but tried to distract himself from the next bad thoughts.

— Gregory! Very good, — said the rabbit contentedly, without distracting herself from the road. The boy looked around in search of that most cherished way out. But they passed by the entertainment rooms and attractions and went into some corridors. It seemed to Gregory that there should be no visitors here. But he had already decided to trust his guide.

They turned into several more corridors and stopped in front of a wide metal door. Without thinking twice, woman pressed the button next to her. Gregory realized that it was an elevator, and judging by the inscription "Entrance for staff only" there was definitely no exit behind it. Gregory was scared. What's happening? Why there? Having already thought of the worst, he began to carefully back away. But his bad attempt to escape was noticed.

— Come on, let's go, Gregory. Your friends are waiting for you, — the rabbit persuaded the boy.

Gregory looked at her in disbelief.
— My friends?

— Yes. They got lost too. And I took them to this exit, — the elevator arrived, and the doors opened. Woman, without waiting for an answer, pulled the boy into it and quickly pressed the button down.

This can't be happening! His friends would never get lost. They always stick together and know that outsiders cannot be trusted — neither adults nor children. The rules of their little gang. Moreover, how does she know his friends? No! Something is definitely wrong here and now. And Gregory already knew that. He needs to run away from this woman urgently.

The cab rocked, a horn sounded, and the doors opened smoothly. Cold air immediately hit Gregory out of the darkness. He clenched his teeth and clenched his fists in surprise. But it did not immediately help to get used to the sudden change in temperature. The rabbit squeezed his hand harder and stepped forward, but Gregory decided to act bolder. With all his strength, he pulled his arm back, not allowing him to be pulled out of the elevator. He didn't know what was out there in the dark, but he definitely didn't want to check.

— It's very cold there! Let's not go, — Gregory looked at the back of the big-eared mask, waiting for an answer to the request. But it did not sound.
— Please. Let's go back. I don't want to go there, — Gregory barely restrained his fear, and the cold air, as if out of spite, became even colder.

But the rabbit didn't react. She froze in place and only tightened her grip on his hand. Gregory hissed in pain. He tried to unclench her fingers, but it didn't worked at all, on the contrary, they squeezed harder. Tears of pain and despair filled his eyes. The boy was completely confused.

— You are an extremely naughty boy, — a voice suddenly rang out. It sounded with interference, as if from a faulty radio, and several people were talking from it at once. Gregory looked at the woman in fright.
— I don't like naughty children! — she pushed the boy sharply against the wall, grabbing him by the neck.

Gregory tried to get out with his only free hand, but it didn't work. The grip was too strong. And when his eyes began to darken, he hit the mask with all his remaining strength. It slid sideways, and the crazy rabbit had to let go of the boy's hand to fix her head. But Gregory realized faster — leaning with both hands against the wall of the elevator, he abruptly pushed his opponent with his feet in the stomach. The rabbit fell out of the booth into the darkness, and Gregory closed the elevator doors.

Slowly, the woman got up from the floor, rubbing her stomach. The boy is cheeky. Woman looked at the elevator. She has nowhere to hurry. He's already trapped and there's no way he can get out of it. She'll catch him. He will definitely get a boy.

Now she need to take care of something else. Arrange a small glitch in the system for a greater guarantee of success. She walked through the darkness to the right compartment. So the keys came in handy. The rabbit went inside and began typing something quickly on the keyboard. Last click. Now let's get to the main thing. After digging well into the district and working with the wires, there was only one thing left - to turn on the machine. Now it's up to Him. From her it remains only to bring some child. Although, the choice is obvious.

Gregory got out of the maze of corridors, in the center of which there was an elevator, and ran to the exit. He tried not to look back, afraid to see a white rabbit behind him. Panting and occasionally stumbling, the boy ran to the ill-fated corridor. He prayed that no one would come around the corner. And this prayer was heard.

Gregory tried to climb the huge staircase as quickly as possible. He had already seen the exit. But he completely forgot about the turnstiles. Gregory barely managed to find the ticket in his pocket and pushed the door with all his might.

— Freddy Fazbear's Mega PizzaPlex is now closed. Initiating night-time protocols, — an emotionless administrative voice sounded.

— No! No! Wait! I'm still here! — Gregory shouted. He was already at the very doors, but the protective blinds were lowered on them.

He was late.

Chapter Text

Gregory sat in front of the closed exit in complete confusion. He still didn't believe what had happened. His fists ached from hard blows on the impenetrable blinds. What should he do now? Where should he go? The ticket was used, he couldn't get back to the Pizzaplex. Although, he didn't really want to go back to the crazy rabbit. The thought of being locked up with an aggressive maniac weighed on him even more. All his thoughts converged to the fact that he should look for help. After all, it can't be that there are no people staying here at night.

Gregory got up from the cold floor. He remembered about the security post — in the morning he carefully examined the Guest Room and found it next to the passage from the parking lot. He went in its direction, but in a moment he was running there. The silence of the night Pizzaplex was unbearable. It, along with every step of the boy on the tiled floor, touched him again, reminding him of loneliness and, literally, a hopeless situation.

When he reached the post, Gregory started knocking on the door. His fists still hurt, but it didn't matter anymore. Now kind people will open and help him. But the hope was not fulfilled, no one answered his knocks. Then, with hands trembling with pain and fatigue, Gregory took the handle and pulled it. The door gave way. There was no one inside the office. At least a lot of panels with buttons spoke about some kind of presence of people. Several of them burned in different colors. And the monitors above them were turned on, but they showed only white screen.

Gregory went into the office. Now his knees were shaking too. The boy could not stand it, closed the door, climbed under one of the panels and began to cry. He had never felt so alone and abandoned. Fantasy began to play with his nerves again. The boy imagined how the white rabbit walked and looked for him in all the halls, corridors and stairs. That the big-eared monster was waiting for him right outside the door. Gregory pressed himself against the ice wall. It might be cold, but that way he was as far away from the door as possible.

He wanted to eat and sleep, but he stubbornly resisted these feelings and tried to think of something good. But apart from the cold elevator and the red eyes, nothing came to mind. The floor felt colder, and his back ached. Gregory decided to change his position. While he was tossing and turning on the spot, unexpectedly for himself, he felt something in his pocket. It was a little candy in a yellow wrapper. The memories of the only good moment in the Pizzaplex struck a chord again. But the boy restrained the rising waves of tears again and unwrapped the wrapper.

Surprisingly, after eating the candy, I wanted to sleep less. Gregory began to think what if he reached the Children's Hall to Sunnydrop. After all, he will be able to protect him, call for help or even drive away the white rabbit. But the fear was stronger, was more real than these fantasies. So Gregory decided not to take any chances.

Suddenly there was a sound. Gregory immediately held his breath and listened, checking if he had imagined it. But the sound was repeated. The boy quickly began to look around the room in search of a more reliable place to hide. But the view from under the panel was terrible, so Gregory decided to stay put. Listening more closely, Gregory heard a sound coming from the other side of the room, similar to the vibration of the phone. And then Gregory jumped up and began to search. With the help of the phone, he will be able to contact the outside world. And even if his parents told him that it was not good to take other people's things, but in such a situation he was ready to disobey them.

The sound came from a small table littered with documents. Gregory would have liked to move them carefully, but he was still weak. The stack he took immediately fell from his hands to the floor. Well, since it happened, Gregory brushed away the remaining papers and found it.

But the boy was in a hurry. It wasn't a phone, it was a wristwatch. There was a blue zipper on the strap, and ears and a top hat were attached around the display, like Freddy's. Most likely a souvenir watch of Pizzplex. If the phone had any value, then the toy watch did not at all. Meanwhile, they continued to vibrate in the boy's hand. Gregory decided to click on the display. At the same moment, the screen lit up, and a message about some kind of error was displayed on it. Gregory was embarrassed. Even the watch of this company broke down.

The boy was already getting angry. At first, the white rabbit tried to drive him into the basement, then the gate closed at the very nose, there was not a single night guard at the guard post, and now he was fooled by some kind of watch. Gregory threw it with all his might, and it bounced with a crash against the far wall.

The boy was immediately frightened. He didn't want to make too much noise. Glancing back at the door, checking if it was closed, he went to pick up the clock. Surprisingly, they were intact. Only now the display had one crumpled ear. Gregory poked at the screen, and, indeed, they work. A new message was already displayed on it: "Establish a connection?".

Gregory, feeling some guilt in front of the watch for the broken ear, pressed consent as an apology. He understood how stupid it was of him to be angry at the watch. It is not at all to blame for the fact that the boy is too naive; for being stuck here; and for not being able to control his emotions. And it was also very stupid to feel guilty in front of it. But it was important to Gregory. It, for some reason, gave him hope.

Gripping the watch tightly, Gregory crawled back under the panel. And just as he managed to get comfortable against the wall, the watch vibrated again. Gregory did not expect such baseness from them and was frightened. The display read: "Answer the call?" Gregory, after thinking for a couple of seconds, hesitantly agreed.

— Hello?! — a woman's voice sounded so unexpectedly, Gregory almost dropped his watch.
— This is a security guard of the Pizzaplex. Who are you, and how did you get access to the security communications facility?

A security guard? But how? Did he manage to contact her by a stupid watch? Although, if you think about it, it didn't matter anymore. Gregory couldn't believe there was anyone who could help him. From the excitement and strict intonation of the woman, the boy's voice trembled.
— H-hello?

— Who is this? — irritably asked on the other side of the device.

— I'm... I'm, — Gregory didn't know where to start at all.
— Can you help me? — he asked, confused but hopeful.

— Answer the question. Who are you and where did you get the communication device from? — an angry woman ignored the request. Gregory decided that it was better to do as an adult tells him.

— I'm Gregory. I was locked up here. I can't get out, — unconsciously, tears flowed from the boy, and his voice trembled even more.
— I... I want to go h-home.

— If this is some kind of prank, — a woman wanted to express her dissatisfaction, but when she heard the crying of the child, she was confused.
— Wait. Wait a minute. Are you locked up?

— Yes, — Gregory said, sobbing.

For a while, only silence could be heard from the other end. A woman was worried, but tried to collect her thoughts.
— So, Gregory, right? It is very important to me that you calm down now and tell me where you are and who you are with, — a woman asked without malice.

— I'm alone in the security office. Where is the parking lot, — Gregory, hearing the softened speech, wiped his tears and answered the request.
— I didn't have time to get out. I really tried very hard-

— And your parents? Where were they? — a woman asked impatiently, interrupting the boy.

— I was with friends, — Gregory said, trying to stop a new wave of tears from unpleasant memories.
— Will you help me?

— Eh? Well, I.. I — a woman tried to find the words.
— Gregory, I... I need some help myself, and... I'm afraid I can't help you, — a woman stammered, trying to calm herself or the child. But her words didn't work. She heard the boy cry harder.
— But we can keep in touch. My name is Vanessa. You can call me that, - a security guard said a little more cheerfully, but still confused.

She realized that in such a state it would be difficult for the child to make contact with her, and took another attempt to calm the boy down.

— Gregory, please don't cry. I'll get out somehow and I'll definitely come to you. I'll help you! — a woman said, not believing her own words. It was hard for her to reassure the child in hysterics. Obviously, it was difficult for her to talk to children. But it seems to have worked.

— Can you open the exit? — Gregory asked, barely able to pronounce the words through tears and a clogged nose.

— I'm sorry, I'm not in that position right now. And in the place where I was stuck, I think, there is a very bad connection, — a woman justified herself. But she was telling the truth — there was no connection, as well as other employees in the building. Therefore, for her, Gregory's call was a huge success. She was not happy that a child contacted her, but being stuck alone all night without the opportunity to call for help was even worse.
— You'll have to sit still. The main thing is to stay in the office, okay? — a security guard asked sternly, but kindly, as if she was giving parental guidance. Gregory wasn't the only one with a lot of problems on his shoulders.

— What should I do if a white rabbit comes? — Gregory asked in a whisper, looking at the door.

— A white rabbit? What kind of rabbit? — to the concern in her voice was added bewilderment. It will be very problematic for a security guard if the boy has an imaginary friend. But she jumped to conclusions very quickly.

— It's a woman in a suit. She took me to the elevator and... — Gregory hesitated to tell her. He touched his throat, it was still slightly sore. Vanessa was wary. She knew how many elevators there were in the building, but only one was in the safe zone for children.

— To the elevator opposite Freddy's Fountain? — a security guard asked with naive hope.

— No. That elevator was square. And on it we went down to the bottom. It was cold there, — now the tears were impossible to stop. The boy tried his best to be quieter, but he couldn't stand it anymore.

Vanessa was silent again, she needed to think and put the puzzles at least into something whole. As a result, it seemed that a certain intruder, pretending to be an employee of the Pizzaplex, was trying to take the boy to the basement. Or worse... maybe because of this criminal, the connection in the Pizzaplex was broken, and Vanessa could not call for help in any way? But why commit such complexity? Because of one child? There was little information. But she wasn't going to interrogate the boy while he was in such a state. Nevertheless, she needed to do something.

— Gregory? Can you hear me? — there was desperation in her voice, but she tried not to betray it.
— We can help each other, — Gregory calmed down a little after hearing this.

— You see, I'm stuck in an unpleasant place, and I need help to get out of here, — she had an unwillingness to tell the child about it in her head, but there is no other choice.

— Do you want me to help you out? — Gregory asked, wiping away his tears.

— I hate to ask you this, but you're the only one who can help me, — Vanessa said sadly. The words made Gregory's chest tingle.
— All you need is to turn on one thing. But it is located in the Historical Hall. You know where it is, right?

But then Gregory was taken aback. He didn't want to leave a safe place at all, but he didn't want to let Vanessa down either.
— I.. I want to help you. But I'm very scared, — the boy said honestly.

— I understand. But there is a place in the Historical Hall where you can hide. I will also be in touch and help you if there are any problems. Okay? — she desperately tried to persuade the boy. However, her conscience weighed on her. Forcing a child to take risks is terrible. But on the other hand, if he succeeds, then Vanessa will be released faster and will come to his aid faster.

— Okay, — Gregory agreed.

— Thank you, — Vanessa replied very gratefully.
— First, get to the Hall, okay? Then contact me and I'll tell you what to do next.

Gregory looked back at the door, plotting a route in his head. And then he realized.
— Vanessa, how will I get through? My ticket has already been used. And it's very dark there.

— Oh, yes. That wristwatch you used to contact me. This is a special security device. With it you can pass the turnstiles. And the flashlight? There should be a lot of flashlights in the office, — she explained, blaming herself for forgetting.

Gregory stood up cautiously, looking at the door. He began to look around the room. His gaze returned to the table. Rummaging through the documents more carefully, the boy found a flashlight under another stack of paper. Pressed the button - it works.

— I found a flashlight, — Gregory told the watch.

— Well done. Now hurry up to the Hall. And be careful, — she added at the end and broke the connection.

Gregory decided to put the watch on his hand because the flashlight was too big and heavy. It was clearly not intended for children. At least he was glad that the trembling in his hands stopped. After placing his things comfortably, Gregory went to the door. After briefly hypnotizing her, as if trying to see through her, he took hold of the handle and pushed.

Opening a crack, Gregory tried to study the area for the presence of a rabbit. Finding no one, he went out into the Guest Room. The entrance to this part of the building was free, but it was of particular value only for those who needed a quick snack. There were also turnstiles in it that did not allow further access to the Pizzaplex, ticket counters, a wardrobe for visitors' clothes (it was closed for the summer) and the main entrance - a closed exit.

The boy ran to the turnstiles, the echo of his running resounded throughout the hall. Finally, when he was in front of one of them, he brought his watch hand to the terminal. The doors opened and Gregory hurried into the Main Hall. There were stairs with escalators, a capsule elevator, which Vanessa mistakenly thought about, and souvenir shops in the walls of the rounded hall. But what attracted attention most of all was a huge golden statue of Freddie in the very center of the hall, also a fountain.

The boy ran his eyes around the hall in search of danger. Finding nothing of the sort, he moved cautiously towards the stairs. He was afraid that an evil rabbit could jump out of any corner, and at every step he was waiting for a trick. It was comforting to think that the Historical Hall was directly opposite the stairs, and all Gregory needed to do was go upstairs and contact Vanessa.

Halfway up the stairs, Gregory heard some banging. Measured and quiet. It was coming from the turnstiles and getting louder and louder. And then Gregory realized it was footsteps. Suddenly he saw a figure not far behind the turnstiles. It wasn't a rabbit, its head was too shaggy. Gregory didn't remember Vanessa telling him about the other night guards at the Pizzaplex. This means that something wandering in the Guest Hall is not his companion.

The boy, trying not to lose sight of the monster, continued to climb the stairs. Although it was far away and behind the turnstiles, Gregory did not want to attract its attention at all. But luck was not on his side. This creature headed towards the Main Hall. It very simply jumped over the electronic doors and, as if for evil, turned in the direction of the stairs that Gregory was climbing.

The monster approached the souvenir window and began to stare at something in it. Gregory was not happy about the situation. It is enough for the monster to turn his head towards the stairs, as it could immediately notice the little boy. Gregory did not stop and continued to crawl up, hoping that this would not happen.

And so, he finally climbed the stairs. Crawling away from the steps, he got to his feet. But Gregory was horrified to discover that the passage to the Historic Hall was closed by the familiar protective blinds. The boy did not have time to do anything, as the watch vibrated on his hand. Gregory jumped up. Periodically looking back at the stairs, the boy quickly tried to turn them off, but instead accidentally answered the call.

— Hello? Gregory? — Vanessa called out too loudly, as it seemed to the boy. At the same moment, familiar footsteps began to be heard from the direction of the stairs. Gregory began to panic. Each step grew louder, and the monster got closer.
— Have you reached the Hall yet?

Gregory covered his watch with his hand, hoping that such noise insulation would be enough; and as quickly and noiselessly as possible hid behind the administration desk.

The monster has already climbed the stairs. After standing for a while, looking at the area, he went to the reception, which stood opposite the closed entrance to the Historical Hall. The heavy limbs stopped right next to Gregory. He was able to see them - metal gray paws with sharp claws, above there was a kind of shin, dressed in striped black and pink leggings.

Gregory was confused by his thought and decided to test it carefully, slightly peeking out from under the table. He was right. It was Roxanne Wolf from Freddy's gang. She stood swaying slightly, looking somewhere into the void, not noticing the boy under her feet. Suddenly she made an unpleasant growling sound.

The terrified boy immediately climbed back in, held his breath and squeezed his eyes tightly shut. He felt as if something big and cold, standing above him, was descending downwards. He could hear the machinery creaking in the iron body. It seemed that the robot had already leaned towards him and opened its mouth with white metal teeth. The wolf is about to grab a little boy with her jaws and drag him into a dark, cold basement.

But he jumped to conclusions. Heavy footsteps began to go somewhere to the right of his hiding place, becoming quieter and quieter, until they completely subsided. Then Gregory dared to open his eyes. Not finding a mouth in front of him, he exhaled loudly and carefully got out from under the table.

— Gregory?! What happened? Why didn't you answer me? Are you all right? Where are you now? — a security guard overwhelmed the boy with questions.

Gregory was taken aback. He didn't know how to explain what had happened, or what question to answer. His thoughts were jumbled in his head. He was silent for a long time, trying to find a word.

— Gregory, answer me, — a woman was already begging. This brought the boy out of his thoughts.

— I'm at the round table where the Historical Hall is, - Gregory said the first thing that came to his mind. Vanessa calmed down after hearing his voice, and exhaled with relief.

— Good. You made it. Well done, — she tried to calm herself. She has experienced too much stress now, thinking up a bad things.
— Don't scare me like that anymore. Okay?

The boy wanted to tell her about the wolf, but Vanessa beat him to it.

— Gregory, there is a computer on this round table. The passage to the Historical Hall is closed, but you can open it. You will need to enter the code that I will tell you. Do you understand me?
Gregory again fell into a stupor and began to look at the table, then in the direction where the wolf had gone.
— Gregory, please don't be silent. I'm worry.

— Yes, — he answered quickly to Vanessa.

— Good boy, — a security guard said gratefully. Gregory had nothing else to do. He examined the desk and found a computer with a burning blue screen.
— Did you find it? — Vanessa was not patient. And having received an affirmative answer, she continued.
— Now you need to enter the code.

Vanessa very diligently explained to the boy about the different files. Gregory obediently followed her instructions. At some point, he began to like this activity, he felt like a real adult working at a computer. Finally, the right panel appeared, and Vanessa dictated the password. Gregory pressed the start button, and the blinds began to rise. The boy looked around and ran to the aisle. He had no idea what was waiting for him in the Historical Hall.

Chapter Text

In fact, Gregory did not understand at all what was going on in the Historical Hall. It was a kind of museum. There were rows of glass cases with all sorts of different things that once belonged to the popular Freddy Fazbear's Pizzerias from the eighties. Old yellowed posters, guitars and microphones of some characters, masks and plush toys are boring junk.

But in addition to the exhibits, four more rooms were made in the large wall opposite the entrance, each of which belonged to one of the characters of the modern gang. During the day, Gregory and his friends came here, but not finding animatronics in their rooms, they quickly left the hall in search of something more interesting. So, we can say that Gregory was here for the first time.

After going into the Hall, the boy looked back at the passage with blinds, hoping that the wolf would not come to their noise. He considered it lucky that Roxanne didn't notice him. Of course, it's unclear what her intentions were, but Gregory didn't want to check. The presence of a wandering animatronic bothered him. It would be logical to assume that since one robot from the singing four is awake, then the remaining three could. But Gregory was focused on another thought - to tell Vanessa about the wolf. She is an adult, and adults are smart - they always find explanations and solutions.

— So. Now you need to find rooms, — a security guard had a slightly exhausted voice. Explaining to a child how to work with a computer turned out to be more difficult than she thought.

— Vanessa... — as soon as Gregory called, he was immediately interrupted.

— When you get to the rooms, tell me, — she needed rest, but she didn't turn off the call, she was still worried about the boy. Vanessa was scared when she didn't get an answer from him. But then the fear turned to irritation after Gregory's antics. A woman understood that being angry at a frightened child is a useless thing, and even vice versa, it can aggravate the situation. So she decided to take a little break. The boy is still in no danger, and very soon he will be completely safe.

Gregory wanted to try calling Vanessa again, but changed his mind. He had never seen that adults did not know something or were wrong. In any critical situation, they became even more serious, even stricter than they were before, and quickly found a solution. But now Vanessa did not have a strict intonation, which means that there is no problem. Gregory assumed that Vanessa already knows about the wolf, so she doesn't panic. Unlike him.

For a second, the boy felt very ashamed. She helps him, and he thinks so low about his savior. Drawing a conclusion from his thoughts, Gregory once again looked at the passage to the Hall that had already opened and went to the rooms, as Vanessa had told him.

After going around the exhibits and being not far from the first room, Gregory slowed down and cautiously looked inside. It was a completely pink room — pink walls, pink furniture, pink curtains at the small stage. There were posters and balloons on the walls, and one wall was with a picture of a Chica. This was exactly her room. But the animatronic himself was not there.

The boy slowly turned his gaze towards the remaining rooms. He didn't even know what was best for him - that the robots were in their places or not. Having finished with the first room, Gregory moved to the next. A faint green light fell from it on the floor. This room turned out to be exactly the same as the last one. Only its main color was green, and there was a picture of a crocodile with a guitar on the wall, Gregory could not remember his name. In fact, for the boy he was the scariest of the four, because he had the biggest mouth, which means even more sharp teeth.

— Gregory? — the boy was startled by the unexpected voice of woman. Vanessa did not turn off the call, but she could only hear some rustling, most likely the boy himself did not notice how he blocked the microphone. But when the rustling stopped, a woman could not stand it and called the boy.
— Gregory? Are you here?

— Y-yes. I've already reached it, — the boy became nervous. He was too focused on exploring the rooms that he completely forgot about Vanessa.

— Good, - a woman said with relief.
— Now, find a stage in any room. There should be a metal door behind its curtains. You can open it with a watch. Behind it will be...

Gregory wasn't listening to Vanessa, but to the familiar footsteps approaching. He saw a shaggy mane rising above the glass boxes, and with each loud stomp its owner was getting closer and closer to the pink room. Gregory backed away and wanted to hide in the next room, away from the metal predator, but to his horror he discovered who it belonged to. On the purple wall was an image of a grinning wolf. The terrified boy quickly rushed to the last fourth room, hoping to have time to hide. Roxanne, coming out of the exhibits, saw a deserted part of the hall. She growled something under her breath and went to check Chica's room.

Terrified, Gregory tried to catch his breath to hear the monster better. He was not eager to take a chance and look around the corner. And when he heard a roar from the wolf, he decided to move away from the entrance to the room. The loud noise was like the creaking of metal, as if something heavy was being pulled. Suddenly - a crash. Gregory distinctly heard the wolf's loud growl of displeasure.

— Do you understand everything? — a security guard distracted the boy from the hearing, and he looked at his watch in bewilderment.

— I? I wasn't listening, — he replied guiltily to Vanessa.

— Ugh. Of course, — she said to herself, disappointed and quietly. But Gregory heard. He felt ashamed, but the next second he was frightened by the footsteps approaching his room.

— I'm sorry. I will listen. Tell me what to do, — Gregory pleaded in a whisper. Heavy footsteps faded behind the wall, in the next room, but in their place came a disgruntled growl.

— Calm down. It's okay. Don't react so violently. Look, you need to find a scene in any room, — Vanessa began to pronounce each word clearly, emphasizing the main thing, but with this she began to speak more slowly.
— Curtains are hanging near the stage. There's a door behind them.

Gregory turned into the room. The red curtains were lowered on the stage. Without thinking twice, the boy rushed to them. But it looks like his neighbors heard him running around. Gregory somehow managed to push aside the fabric and found the cherished door.

— There's a panel next to it, — Vanessa continued explaining. At the same time, the footsteps were getting louder and louder. Gregory stared in panic in their direction, pressing into the door more and more.
— Attach a watch to it and there...

Without waiting for the end of Vanessa's words, Gregory put the watch in the right place, and the door opened. The boy immediately fell right into the opening passage. He quickly got up to close the door, but immediately petrified with horror. The wolf, frozen, looked straight at him with bright red eyes. Gregory involuntarily remembered about the rabbit, about the basement, about the sore throat and could not move. Vanessa's voice began to blur into something incomprehensible. Everything is mixed up. Time seemed to have stopped.

The wolf slowly opened her mouth, showing sharp white fangs. She staggered and, stretching her paws forward, moved towards the boy. With one jerk, she crossed the entire room and already reached the stage. She had very little time left to grab the boy, but the metal door closed right in her face.

Gregory himself did not understand how he closed it. The boy staggered back, but immediately fell on the cold tile. His legs couldn't hold him, they were shaking a lot. The beast howled, trying to break down the door, but it wouldn't budge in any way. Gregory crawled away from it all the way to the wall. He was shaking with the realization of what had happened. For a second, he imagined what would happen to him if he slowed down even for a second. And now he and the wild robot are separated only by a metal door. Gregory didn't know how long he sat in a lost state, but the knocking on the door stopped.

The deafening silence finally awakened the boy. Or almost silence. Gregory heard some sobbing. Having oriented himself, the boy realized where they were from.

— Vanessa? — Gregory cautiously asked the question in the watch. There was a rustle and a heavy exhalation on the other side.

— Gregory... — a woman's voice was unrecognizable. It sounded hysterical. Vanessa was terribly angry that the boy did not respond to her desperate calls. But at the same time, a woman was frightened when she heard heavy metal blows and someone's animal screams.
— Are you okay? — that's all she could ask.

— I'm... yes, — the boy answered briefly, examining himself.

— Did you walk in the door? — a security guard asked quietly with hope in a trembling voice. The boy looked up and found a closed door in front of him.

— Yes.

— Okay. You're safe, — with these words, they both felt better. Gregory stared at the door for a while, digesting what had happened. But then he tried to get up.

The room was dark, only dim lamps burned on the ceiling in some purple color. Along the wall were large boxes and metal racks with tools. To Gregory's surprise, the wall he had been pressing against all this time turned out to be not a wall at all. It was exactly the same metal door with a panel. But the strangest thing that was here was a translucent curtain covering the second part of the room.

— Gregory? Can you hear me? — now Vanessa had a tired, but kind intonation. It took her a long time to gather her thoughts so that she could finally speak to the boy.
— Remember when I said we could help each other? I do not know what just happened... I understand that it's scary for you to talk about it. But please, believe me, there's not much left. You'll be perfectly safe now. It is only necessary... to make one last push. And first, describe the place where you are. Please.

Gregory had been listening intently to Vanessa all this time. And after the request, the boy described the room.

— So the fourth one, — a woman muttered to herself.
— Gregory. Do you remember when I told you that you would need to turn on something? It's behind the tarp.
The boy cautiously approached the translucent curtain. He tried to see something through it, but apart from the silhouette of a large closet, nothing was visible. Then Gregory had already decided to open the veil.
— Just don't be scared, okay?

After these words, the boy lost his determination, but there is nothing else to do. Gregory pulled back the curtains and could not believe his eyes.

It wasn't a closet behind the curtain at all. A tall humanoid metal body towered over the boy. Gregory knew who it was, and he didn't want to be in the same room with him, much less repeat recent events. He could only hope that Freddy wouldn't attack him right now.

Chapter Text

Gregory moved as far away from the tarp as possible. He was absolutely terrified. In front of him stood one of the terrible singing four. The formidable machine seemed to be asleep, but Gregory wasn't going to believe it. The boy hoped that the animatronic would not rush at him right now, and he breathed faster out of fear. He began to back away towards the metal door leading in an unknown direction.

— Gregory, is everything okay? — Vanessa asked the boy, hearing his heavy breathing.

— No... this is... — the boy tried to answer, but his voice was trembling from fear, and his thoughts were focused on the door.

— Don't be afraid. It's Freddy, your friend, — Vanessa tried to calm down Gregory. But she did not understand the extent of the fear that the boy was experiencing. The whole picture in Gregory's eyes looked anything but friendly. A dirty room, dim light, scattered tools and a dead metal body that sang funny songs only in the afternoon. It all looked like footage from a scary movie that Gregory had always disliked.

— He's scary... I can't... — Gregory was ready to lean the watch against the panel and run away from this room, but Vanessa beat him to it.

— Gregory, have I ever lied to you? — and then the boy thought. But really, Vanessa didn't do anything wrong to him. Yes, she raised her tone at him, but that's what all adults do. Moreover, she is a security guard — an example to follow. She certainly won't do him any harm.

— I don't wish you harm and I want to protect you. This robot may look creepy, but please trust me, he won't hurt you. All this is for your own safety, — Vanessa tried to be as soft as possible. But she was on the verge of patience, so she quickly got down to business.
— All you have to do is turn him on, — the boy's stomach tightened at these words.

Turn on the huge evil animatronic? What if he turns out to be even worse than Roxanne? The experience suggested that he need to stay away from metal beasts. But Vanessa spoke differently, as if she didn't even know about the danger that they could pose. But it was stupid. Adults always know everything and will never put children in danger. More accurately, good adults.

— To turn him on, you need to press the button on his back. Then you should stay by his side until I come, — Vanessa explained impatiently. But Gregory was in no hurry. He looked at the metal door again, hoping that it would give a hint on how to do the right thing.
— And be sure to let me know if there are difficulties. Do you understand me? — but without waiting for its help, Gregory agreed with the night guard, and she left the boy alone with the metal bear.

Gregory hesitated on the spot. What if he doesn't turn on the robot and tells Vanessa that it's broken? No. Lying is bad. What if Vanessa is right and Freddy is friendly? The boy has not yet met the rest of the gang members. In general, it is likely that they and Freddy can be friendly. And as for Roxanne... she's just hungry. Adults are also angry when they are hungry. True, they do not have sharp fangs and claws, and their eyes do not glow in the dark. In general, Gregory managed to convince himself of the "kindness of animatronics" and decided to act.

The boy began to slowly approach the animatronic. Gregory tried not to get too close, and kept the animatronic so that it was possible to run from him to the door in the shortest way. It wasn't that he didn't trust Vanessa, just in case. When Gregory got close enough, he saw that the robot's eyes were closed. This calmed him even more. Not red - already good.

It was only now that Gregory realized how tall the robot was. The boy couldn't reach its back. He looked around, but found nothing like a chair, only a small cabinet on wheels designed for tools. And Gregory decided to use it.

The cart was heavier than he had thought, and it rattled when it tripped over the tile floor with creaking wheels. Surprisingly, the animatronic didn't care to the noise behind it. Finally, Gregory managed to take it and place it more comfortably.

And here he stands in front of the robot's broad back. When Gregory looked at the button, he felt slightly dizzy from the height. The boy looked at the door again, peeking out from behind Freddy. For a second, doubts and a desire to run away from the room appeared in his head again. But Gregory quickly shook them out of his head and, exhaling bitterly, climbed onto the table.

By himself, the boy didn't weigh much, but he was still a bit heavy for a pedestal. It was reeling from every movement of the child. At one point, Gregory almost fell, but he abruptly leaned on Freddy's cold back. The boy froze immediately. The robot staggered from the unexpected jolt, but, to Gregory's surprise, remained motionless in its place.

The boy pulled his hand to the button. That's just, he didn't reach out to her just a little. Then Gregory get up on his toes. The table shook even more violently under him. The boy tried not to make sudden movements in order to stand straight. But the button didn't even seem to come close to his hand. Unsuccessfully trying to get the button again, he made a desperate attempt. With all his strength, he pushed off with his feet from the pedestal and hit the button with his palm. At the same moment, the table moved away from under the boy's feet. Gregory immediately fell to the floor, hitting it. The boy's cry and the crash from the fallen pedestal spread throughout the room.

— Gregory?! What was that noise? — Vanessa reacted to the loud sounds from the watch.

The boy tried to get up, but an unexpected strong ache in his arm prevented him. Gregory immediately curled up, hugging the limb to somehow reduce the pain. Tears welled up in his eyes.

— Gregory, what happened?! — a security guard did not stop talking.

The pain began to subside slowly. Then the boy tried to examine his hand. In fact, there was nothing serious with it. He just hit the elbow nerve on the edge of the table. But for the boy, such pain was new. It seemed to him that he had broken his arm, and now it would have to be cut off and replaced with a metal prosthesis. He had already seen this in comics, and the part with cutting off a limb scared him very much. What was his joy when he was able to move his brush, and then his whole arm.

— Gregory?! — Vanessa called anxiously.

— I'm here, — the boy replied, pleased with the integrity of his hand.

— What was that? — a security guard asked an obvious question.

— I fell, — Gregory only noticed the cart lying next to him. Its wheels were still spinning in the air, creating an unpleasant quiet creak.

— Are you okay? Are you hurt? — Vanessa asked anxiously.

— I hit my hand. But it doesn't hurt anymore, — Gregory finally got to his feet. And looked at the cause of the fall. The robot was still standing there, not making the slightest movement.

— Just hit it? Nothing serious? — Vanessa asked insistently.

— Nothing, — Gregory exhaled after answering. In truth, he was very glad that the beast hadn't woken up. Only, what should he do now? And how will Vanessa react to this?

— Good, — she said with relief. And asked a counter question.
— Did you turn him on?

— He didn't turn on, — the boy answered honestly with a note of joy. He was sure Vanessa would figure out how to protect him without the help of singing robots. Gregory had already walked around Freddy, and after making sure that his eyes were still closed, he headed for the door.

— What? — but Vanessa clearly wasn't going to leave it that easy.
— Are you sure you turned him on? Like, you checked him?

Gregory didn't even want to turn around to the animatronic, let alone repeat the trick with the table. Therefore, despite his good manners, he decided to lie.

— Yes... — he was bad at it. Although in his whole life it was, maybe the fourth time, when he told a lie.

— But... how so? — Vanessa fell into a stupor. Obviously, she was counting heavily on the robot, and now that it's not there, the situation may become more complicated. Gregory heard the night guard begin to talk nervously out loud. But it was difficult to hear what exactly, because of the microphone located far away and the faint buzzing.

Buzzing?

Realizing where it was coming from, Gregory slowly turned around. Freddy was still standing there, only now he was rattling like an engine. Did Gregory really succeed? Freddy turned on?

The boy immediately felt uneasy. He walked away to the familiar metal shelves. His legs were shaking with fear again. Suddenly, the animatronic straightened up in his back. His arms began to bend and straighten at the elbows. Then the hands joined them. The ears also went up and down. It looks like there was a check of the system's mobility. From each movement of the robot, Gregory pressed himself into the shelves more and more, ignoring their cold.

And then Freddy stopped. Gregory froze with him. The boy stared at the resurrected robot, unable to blink. There seemed to be complete silence. It had already stunned the boy. But he kept waiting. True, Gregory did not understand what exactly, but he was sure that with the slightest rustle or movement he would immediately run to the door.

And then the animatronic opened his eyes. Bright red. Gregory couldn't stand it and screamed. The boy rushed to the door. He had already regretted a hundred times that he had not opened it in advance. The robot, which had been staring into the void, turned its head in the direction of the fear-stricken child. Gregory couldn't take his eyes off the iron monster and nervously tried to feel the panel with his nearest hand.

Noticing the child, Freddy moved towards him. But his legs wouldn't obey him. The animatronic began to stagger from side to side, which scared poor Gregory even more. Abruptly, the robot bent in its back and crashed down, hitting tables with tools and a fallen cart.

Finally, Gregory reached for the panel with a trembling hand. The door opened and the boy ran out of the room into a dark narrow corridor. He raced forward, without looking back, all the way to the wall.

But the boy did not have time to stop. Unexpectedly, the wall turned out to be another tarp, from under which Gregory immediately fell to the floor. Only now the boy began to look around. He found himself in a Festive Hall on a stage where animatronics were performing. This place was no better, because the incident with the robot assistant happened here.

Remembering everything that had happened here, Gregory rushed off the stage. There is still a place where he can hide. He still has someone to rely on.

Chapter Text

Gregory raced to the Daycare without looking back. He was sure that no one would touch him there for sure. The boy turned into the right corridor, and, quickly overcoming it, immediately went blind. The lights in the Hall were burning as brightly as during the day. Is it really not turned off at night? It didn't matter though. Gregory, getting used to the bright light, ran into the maze. He had already been hiding there, so he knew that this place was safe. Despite the fact that no one was looking for him then.

Having reached a secluded place where no robot could reach him, Gregory was finally able to regain his breath. But, unfortunately, his rest was not long. All this time Vanessa was calling him. When she heard the heart-rending cry of the boy, she was terribly frightened. Panic overtook her. Therefore, Vanessa desperately called Gregory, shouting his name and pleading for an answer in her watch.

But the boy didn't want to answer her. He didn't even want to hear her. Freddy turned out to be the same as Roxanne - a terrible monster. Deep down, he knew that this would happen. It was just that the boy needed someone to trust, someone adult, intelligent and confident. But Vanessa brought Gregory right into the clutches of a scary animatronic.

— Gregory?! Please! Answer me! — a hysterical voice called. Vanessa seemed to be crying. But the boy wasn't going to believe her anymore.

— You're a liar! — he couldn't stand it. Gregory himself did not expect this from himself, but he was not going to apologize for rudeness.
— You promised that you would help. But you took me to him, — Gregory began to cry.

— Gregory, — a confused security guard called. The knowledge that the boy was alive pleased her. But she also need to calm down a frightened child.
— Please calm down.

— I told you that he was scary. You knew it. You knew everything! And about him, and about the rest of the evil robots. So why? — there was so much resentment in this cry, but with it a desperate plea for help. Gregory felt a familiar lump of pain in his chest-betrayal and loneliness. The same as after the meeting with the rabbit.

— What kind of robots? They're all turned off at night. Now the rabbit is a great dan-

— You're lying! — Gregory couldn't take it anymore. To believe Vanessa means not to trust your own eyes, which is already stupid. He knows the truth. He saw her. He could almost feel her when Roxanne was rushing at him with her mouth open, and almost grabbed him; when Freddy pierced him with a terrible look.

— Gregory! Take it easy! We must... — but a security guard's words were ignored. The boy was tired, he was angry, and did not want to hear Vanessa. His watch flew through the green grid of the maze down somewhere. And so Gregory was left alone, alone with his thoughts.

It took him a while to calm down and stop the tears. Only then did the boy begin to think soberly. And did he do the right thing? Was it necessary to throw away the watch? What should he do now? At least he could answer one question. After sitting a little longer, finally convincing himself of the correctness of his actions, he decided to go in search of Sunnydrop.

After rolling down one of the slides, Gregory thought he heard someone humming something. The voice was familiar, but it wasn't Sunnydrop. Then Gregory came out of the pool with the balloons and looked around. Attention was attracted by a small castle belonging to his friend. Strange rhymes came from there. Cautiously approaching closer Gregory was able to hear one of them:

"One, two, three, four, five,
Gotta get the Sunny bright~
Six, seven, eight, nine,
Sun's asleep. It's time to night~
It's not safe here, anymore,
Let's play later out the door~"

The words sounded hoarse, and the intonation was fake playful. But Gregory heard a familiar friendly voice echoing briefly.

— Sunnydrop? — the boy dared to ask. The humming stopped, and a familiar face looked out of the window.

— Is that you, m̸y̶ ̶f̷r̸i̷e̶n̸d̸? — a second of joy from the meeting was immediately replaced by bewilderment. Did Gregory hear it, or did the last word really sound somehow glitched?

— What's the matter with you? — Gregory asked at once.

— I̴d̶o̶n̵'̴t̸k̵n̸o̸w̵w̷h̵a̴t̶y̸o̵u̶'̶r̵e̴t̷a̶l̶k̸i̶n̸g̷a̶b̷o̴u̵t̶. By the way, do you want some candy? I have a lota̸ ̵l̷o̸t̶a̸ ̵l̷o̸t̶a̸ ̵l̷o̸t̶ of them, — Sunnydrop offered, in a distorted voice. In his metal hand were several candies in a blue package.

— N-no, — Gregory replied worriedly. Something had obviously happened to Sunnydrop. Maybe he ate too much of these candy's? After all, all adults say: "Don't eat too many candy's. You'll get sick." Although Gregory has never seen robots eat anything. Casually, he remembered about his candy. Remembered where he ate it. And he remembered about the night guard, about her betrayal.
— Vanessa said that the robots should be turned off. But you're still working.

— So. I'm Not. T̷h̶e̴ ̶o̷n̴l̴y̶ ̸o̷n̴e̴? — suddenly he started to sound like a cheap translator.

— No, not the only. But the rest are scary... — the boy wanted to tell about everything he had already experienced, but he was interrupted.

— Good~, — a hoarse voice sounded, not letting the boy finish.
— Shut up! — and Sunnydrop's voice interrupted them all sharply.

— Wh... what? — Gregory looked up at Sunnydrop, startled. He didn't hear the first word, but he definitely heard the rudeness. The boy did not expect this from a friend at all. Admittedly, he has not yet moved away from Vanessa's offense, and if Sunnydrop goes downhill, then Gregory will fall into complete despair.

— No, no, no. Not you. But him, — the translator tried to explain.

Gregory was completely confused and scared. What's going on?

— You've become weird... — and then an obvious thought came to Gregory.
— Maybe you're tired? You should rest. Do you want to sleep? — Gregory didn't want his friend to go to sleep, leaving him alone. But for his own sake, he was willing to take the risk and hide in the maze for the rest of the night. After all, friends help each other.

— NO! I don't have to sleep! The lights must be on. If the lights were off.... i̵t̴w̵o̶u̵l̴d̷b̸e̴b̴a̵d̵, — Sunnydrop said in a frightened voice. Gregory was at a loss and wanted to ask what these words meant, but sunface spoke again.

— Do you know who's hiding in the dark?~

— N-no...? - somehow the boy was able to answer, not expecting a sharp change of speech.

— And we know~. Who's there. Waiting. Biding~, — it sounded like a phrase from some scary movie. After that, Gregory became alarmed.

"They're all turned off at night," he recalled the words of the traitor. If she lied, and the robots have to wander at night, then Sunnydrop too. But he's sitting here saying strange things. Maybe he broke down? Gregory felt sad at the suggestion. Maybe all robots were scary, but Sunnydrop is Gregory's friend. And if he needs help, he will help.

— Sunnydrop, I want to help you. But I do not know how. Tell me, what do I need to do to make you feel better? — the boy was sure of his desire, but he was not at all sure of its realization.

— You're very kind, m̶y̷ ̶f̸r̶i̸e̵n̵d̸. But I don't need any h̸e̵l̶p̴. I feel g̴r̷e̷a̷t̵. Ready to play from morning till late at n̶i̴g̸h̶t̵! — Sunnydrop said in his kind and friendly tone. But glitches gave away the presence of problems.

— But it's night now... — Gregory said what seemed to be a well-known thing.

— N̶O̷N̶O̷N̶O̷N̶O̷. It's a dayd̷a̸y̶d̷a̸y̶d̷a̸y̶. After all, the lights is on. If the lights were off.... i̷t̴w̴o̶u̴l̴d̷b̸e̴b̶a̸d̸... — the robot repeated his recently said phrase.

The lights? Is it all because of the lights? Now that Gregory has realized this, he will act confidently.

— Sunnydrop, I need to know where the lights go off.

— Why would you do t̵h̴a̸t̷? — he asked in surprise.

— This.... this is to scare away evil robots from it out of the dark, — the boy said the first thing that came to mind, in the form of an excuse. It was, of course, unpleasant to deceive his friend, but it's for his good. Right?

— Oh! How nice of you, m̵y̸ ̷f̷r̷i̶e̷n̵d̵! Come on! Hurry up! — suddenly the robot became very cheerful. He jumped down from his castle and walked with long strides somewhere beyond the labyrinths. Gregory tried to keep up with him.

This place was darker because it was in the shadow of the maze. The soft, fall-safe floor ended here, and the white tile began. There was a door in the wall. It was painted to match the color of the wall, as if they were trying to hide it. But it was still given out by the familiar sign "Entrance to staff only".

Sunnydrop opened the door and walked forward. Gregory slipped in behind him. They went up the stairs and entered another metal door. It was a surveillance room. It had very high windows, from floor to ceiling, through which you could see the entire Children's Hall. Gregory would have thought it was a spacious elevator if it weren't for the standing desks with computers. The boy examined them carefully, but did not find any button.

— Do you happen to know what this button looks like? - Gregory asked unobtrusively.

— N̶o̸. But I'm sure it's h̴e̷r̸e̸, — Sunnydrop said with his cheerful intonation.

There's nothing to do, he'll have to look for himself. After looking at the computers, he decided that he could check them as well. Gregory already had a little experience with files, but even that was enough for the boy to consider himself a real programmer.

All this time, Sunnydrop was rustling something behind the boy. Gregory wouldn't have paid any attention to it, if it hadn't been for the crash. The boy immediately screamed in fright and looked in the direction of the noise.

— There's not enough light. And I decided to let it in here, — he broke the glass. Sharp fragments lay on the floor. They were very thick. It looks like the glass was strong. It was... and this is despite the fact that there was no sense in this action. The glasses are transparent and not tinted. Gregory felt uneasy. He decided to quickly sort out the files to calm his friend down.

Finally he found something. The file "Automation of lighting control". It was the only thing that had anything to do with light from all the files. Clicking on it, a small window with a message appeared: "Restore manually?". Gregory clicked yes, and after making many more mouse clicks, he finally clicked on the "Manual on/off" section. After looking at Sunnydrop again — he had already climbed onto one of the tables — Gregory decided not to delay any longer.

With the click of the mouse, the large disk that replaced the sun went out, and then the stars lit up. "It worked!" Gregory thought happily. There was nothing else to be seen behind the windows. Only darkness. He had to turn on the flashlight.

— Lights! Where is the lights?! — Sunnydrop panicked. He began to rush around the table looking for at least something bright in the windows.

— I turned them off. You'll feel better now, — Gregory tried to explain. But it didn't help. Sunnydrop grabbed his shoulders and rushed around the room even more, crouching at the windows and trying to find help in something. But then he took hold of his head.

— Lights on! Lights on! — he yelled, being too close to the broken window. Gregory, guessing what might happen, wanted to somehow detain Sunnydrop, but did not have time.
— I warned you... I WARNED YOU! — with these words, the robot tipped over a small side and fell into the darkness.

The boy froze. It all happened so fast. He didn't know how to react to what had happened. At some point, tears appeared in his eyes. He realized that he was mistaken. He both wanted and was afraid to go to the broken window. Is Sunnydrop really...

But then his hand appeared on the edge, then the second. Then a head appeared from behind the side.

— Naughty boy~

Chapter Text

Gregory stared at the head that appeared in utter horror. Half of the face turned black, and the other acquired a distinct silhouette of the half moon. The triangular rays were gone, and now a cap was put on his head. But the worst thing is the red eyes.

— Naughty boy~, — a familiar hoarse voice seemed to sing. The robot pulled itself up and climbed into the room. He looked like Sunnydrop, just as tall and thin, but was paler and dressed in blue.

— Who are you? You're not Sunnydrop, — the boy began to back away towards the door.

— I am Moondrop, your friend~, — the robot purred.
— I'm so glad you turned off the sun. Now we can play together~, — Moondrop began to come closer to the boy. And when he guessed about his desire to escape, he moved towards the only exit.

— I don't want to play with you, — Gregory said desperately. He had nowhere to go.

— Yeah?~ And with whom do you want? With her? — suddenly, Moondrop took out a watch from somewhere that Gregory had recently thrown away. How could he find it? How did he even know about it?
— She's a traitor. A liar. The villain. Is she better than me?~

— I really, really don't want to play. Not with any of you, — the boy stumbled upon a table with a computer "hacked" by him. He had already realized his mistake and wanted to correct it.

But as soon as he turned to the computer, Moondrop jumped on him. Seeing the swinging arm of the robot, the boy tried to dodge, but did not have time. He immediately fell to the floor. His cheek burned with a stinging pain.

— Gregory~, — he froze. It was the first time the robot had said his name. So creepy. So scary.
— I don't want our meeting to end so quickly~, — the robot squatted down to maintain eye contact.
— I suggest a game. How do you feel about catch up?~

The boy stared into the robot's red eyes, afraid to move. The unknown scared him. It seemed that any movement could be the last, but it was impossible to restrain the trembling and approaching tears.

— Since we're good friends, I'll give you a head start~, — the robot continued, ignoring the boy's condition.
— Five~

Gregory was still lying on the floor. His thoughts were confused in his head. Also, the cheek began to pinch harder.

— Four~

He tried to focus on the robot's words. Fear and pain greatly interfered.

— Three~

Suddenly the boy understood and jumped up.

— Two~

He jumped out of the metal door and ran down the stairs, forgetting about the flashlight.

— One.

Gregory tried to run as fast as possible. But he was not good at navigating in complete darkness. Periodically, he stumbled over scattered pillows and toys. Strangely, even when it was light, the hall was in complete order. Somehow Gregory reached the exit of the Daycare.

— Not so fast, Gregory~ I don't have time~, — a hoarse voice came from behind.

The boy, unable to catch his breath, ran again. This time he didn't know where. He couldn't see where. He was just trying to escape, to hide, as far away from this nightmare as possible.

— Maybe I should call your friend, have fun with us? The three of us will have even more fun~ HAHAHA, — but Moondrop was much faster and kept up with the boy.

Gregory was panting. Tears made it difficult to see. The forces were not enough. But his legs did not stop, and carried him wherever they could. Without noticing it, Gregory found himself in wide corridors with lockers and shower stalls.

Turning into a dead end, Gregory shrank into the far corner of the room. He hoped that Moondrop had fallen behind, but he still didn't want to make unnecessary sounds. The boy was breathing heavily and hoarsely, his throat hurt even more with each breath. He wanted to clear my throat, but the fear of being discovered was stronger. Through the frantic rhythm of his heart, he tried to listen.

— The moon rises~, — suddenly a terrifying hoarse chant rang out from around the corner.
— Takes a knife~, — familiar red eyes lit up in the dark.
— I'll be slashing left and right~, — the robot crawled towards Gregory on all fours.
— Now it's your turn to run and hide~, — and stopped a meter away from the boy trembling in the corner.
— I caught you.

The robot reached out with a skinny hand to the boy. Gregory squeezed his eyes shut, expecting the worst. There was a bang.

— No! You? You shouldn't be here! — a hoarse voice sounded in despair, followed by another metallic bang.

— Ugh! — Moondrop was grabbed and thrown into crates against the far wall. He blacked out for a moment, but immediately regained consciousness, and, hissing furiously, crawled away into the ventilation.

Gregory was terribly scared, hearing a terrible noise, but still he risked opening his eyes. In front of him towered a familiar back that belonged to one of the animatronics, only now there were marks and scratches on it. Freddy turned to the boy. His eyes were blue now. But Gregory was not at all reassured by this.

— I'm sorry, I scared you, — a low voice sounded from the robot's speaker. Gregory shrank deeper into the corner from surprise.
— I'm sorry I had to be so rude.

Quite recently, strange and terrible things happened to this animatronic. And what is happening now? Did he send Moondrop away? And asks for forgiveness? It didn't fit in the boy's head.

— But you're evil... — Gregory managed to squeeze out.

— Really? - the robot asked in kind surprise. Gregory fell into a stupor. This robot must be evil! All animatronics are like that. But then why hasn't he attacked yet?

— This is probably yours, — Freddy carefully picked up the watch from the floor and, kneeling down, handed it to the boy. Looks like Moondrop dropped it when he was attacked.

Gregory hesitantly stretched out a trembling hand and with one sharp movement took away the communication device. The robot's behavior defied explanation. He's not doing anything wrong now, but Gregory was afraid anyway. He stared at his watch, but didn't look at it, just wanted to look anywhere but at the robot. He, in turn, silently waited for the boy's first actions. From his gaze, Gregory shrank into a ball even more.

— This watch. Did someone give them to you? — Freddy decided to break the silence. Gregory trembled at the unexpected voice. It seemed not a difficult question, but the boy could not give an answer to it. The unknown scared him too much. Moreover, he has not yet moved away from the "game" with Moondrop.

— ...I found... — somehow the boy mumbled under his nose and turned away to the wall. Gregory hoped that this answer would suit the bear, and he would leave him alone.

— You're very lucky! With its help, you can contact the security guard, — Freddy said happily, hoping that the boy would also be happy with this news. But Gregory had a lump of unpleasant feelings in his chest.

— She's a traitor, — he said softly.

— Who is the traitor? — Freddy asked.

— A security guard, — Gregory replied, confused. It's strange — Moondrop knew about the watch, about the security guard and about her offense. Doesn't Freddy know? And indeed, at the boy's answer, the bear raised his ears in surprise, but immediately lowered them.

— Tell me, what's your name? I'm Freddy Fazbear, — Freddy realized that the boy was not very talkative, so he completely took the initiative into his own hands.

— I k-know who you are, — the boy replied, and added uncertainly:
— I'm... G-Gregory.

— Gregory, I'm glad I found you. Do not be afraid. I'm on your side, — he said very amiably.
— Tell me, why is security guard a traitor? Did she hurt you?

This is a scary huge robot. With big paws, claws and teeth. He almost attacked Gregory once. But why did he want to trust him so much?

— She said I'd be fine, — his voice was shaking and Gregory was choking on the tears coming.
— She said I'd be safe when I turned you on. But you were very scary... — Gregory succumbed to emotions, and tears appeared in his eyes.

— Is that so? And am I still scary? — Freddy asked with a kind sneer.

— I... I don't know... — the boy tried to fight the tears, but they kept flowing and flowing, and did not even think to stop.

There's too much on Gregory right now. He was deceived, he was betrayed, he was attacked. After that, Gregory just wanted one thing - to be safe, in someone's safe hands that could protect him. But it was too scary to believe someone again, especially a metal bear. Gregory rubbed his eyes with his hands, at the same time trying to hide his red face.

— Gregory, — the robot called softly to the boy.
— I want to help. I can help. Please don't be afraid of me anymore.

The boy looked with his wet eyes straight into the bright blue ones. They seemed more alive now than during the day. Looking into them, Gregory had a flash of hope in his chest.

— We can figure it out together. How about contacting the security guard? We can find her and find out everything.

But Gregory shook his head. It looks like Freddy really turned out to be kind, but the rest of the robots... she's a liar anyway!

— Hm. What has she done that you don't trust her? — Freddy asked.

— She lied. She said that all robots are turned off at night. But Sunnydrop and Roxanne... they, after all... — Gregory gasped from the newly arrived tears. The familiar feeling of betrayal reappeared in his chest.

— It turns out she was wrong, — the robot said with annoyance.

Freddy didn't like this news. If the security guard do not know about the unplanned activation of animatronics, then most likely it was a program error, or even worse. But the most terrible thing is that the boy has already come face to face with a faulty Moondrop and... Roxanne?! Whatever happened earlier, Freddy has to take care of his safety.

— But this can't be! Adults are smart. They never make mistakes, — the indignant boy interrupted the bear's thoughts. His ears went up again from such a claim.

— Well, adults understand some things much better than children. But that doesn't mean they can't make mistakes, — Freddy explained the seemingly obvious thing. But Gregory couldn't get it into his head.

All his life he lived by the knowledge he received from adults. They always told him how to do the right thing, what to do and what not to do. But now, when he thought deeply, there was a feeling of doubt and anxiety.

Vanessa was hot-tempered and serious, and generally behaved like most adults. Therefore, the boy respected her, and was even afraid of her, but Gregory couldn't not trust her.

But Freddy's position was not clear. He was tall like an adult; he had a voice like an adult, but he didn't behave like that. Looking at the bear, Gregory's typical patterns of ideal adults, whom he used to listen to, whom he used to follow, collapsed. The boy was confused.

— Listen, Gregory, how about I help you figure it out? — suggested the bear noticing the thoughtful and confused face of the boy.
— With the help of the watch, we will contact the security guard and find out from her the whole truth — she is a traitor or just made a mistake.

Gregory didn't even know which was better. But it was stupid to argue. The boy wiped the remaining tears from his eyes and quietly nodded at Freddy's suggestion. He had already pressed the watch, but it did not turn on. He tried several more times, but it did not react in any way. Then the boy panicked. What should he do now? What's going to happen now? Will Freddy scold him for a broken thing?

— Is everything okay? — Freddy asked excitedly when he saw the boy tremble with fear.

— It's broken... — he looked up at the robot with a kind of pleading. What Gregory certainly didn't want was for the bear to get mad at him.

— How unfortunate, — he said bitterly, to the boy's surprise. But for a moment he happily announced his idea:
— Then we need to get to the main security office. We'll definitely be able to contact her from there. Do not be afraid. I'll be right there and take you there without incident.

Gregory's heart began to beat faster at these words. He had heard it from Vanessa before, but not in that tone. It was like the speech of a super hero from cartoons, when he comes to the rescue at a time when there is no hope at all. And, of course, Gregory, after such an association, decided to believe the robot and nodded to him.

Freddy, having received the consent from the boy, seemed to glow with joy. He got up from his knee and was about to offer Gregory a hand so that he, too, would finally get up from the cold floor, but the robot abruptly heard something in the corridor. Listening, Gregory also heard the familiar heavy footsteps.

Chapter Text

Gregory immediately jumped up and began to look around the dark room for a place to hide. The lockers were too small, the benches were low, and the ventilation was on the ceiling. And then Gregory was not particularly eager to climb after the terrible Moondrop. Freddy noticed his rebelliousness. It seemed that even he was nervous, but did not lose his head and decided to act.

— I have an idea, — with these words, the robot straightened up, and his stomach opened.
— Hurry up. They won't notice you that way, — but the boy was dumbfounded. He could not imagine that robots could do this. And, of course, it was a terrible sight for a child. Climb right in there?!

— Gregory, I promise, everything will be fine, — vowed the bear, seeing that the boy did not dare. Meanwhile, the footsteps were getting louder. Gregory remembered the last meeting with Roxanne, and bitterly realized that there was nothing more to do.

The boy hurriedly but cautiously climbed inside. Freddy leaned over to him, trying to make it easier. When Gregory got comfortable, the doors closed. Now, being in total darkness, it seemed to the boy as if he was separated from the whole world. There was complete silence. Even the footsteps in the corridor stopped. And only uneven breathing was heard now.

Suddenly Freddy started moving. Every step he took made Gregory uneasy. Everything inside the robot was creaking and knocking, and it was also very shaky from side to side. The only plus was a small crack, which the boy discovered when Freddy lit up a small area with his glowing eyes. It was difficult to see anything in it, but when Gregory tried, he saw something white and tall. Passing by this, Freddy quickened his pace, and this something was left behind.

Finally they reached a safe place, and Freddy opened the belly compartment. Gregory carefully got out of it and quickly looked around. There were no animatronics anywhere, and no footsteps could be heard. Freddy was right - the boy was not noticed. From the realization that the bear did not deceive and helped, Gregory's chest lit up with hope. The boy looked at the honest robot, but he didn't look particularly happy. The ears were lowered down, and the robot itself was looking at the door behind with some kind of anxiety.

— F-Freddy? — Gregory's little joy was replaced by concern. The bear immediately came out of the pseudo-trance and looked at the boy calling him.

— I'm sorry. I got distracted. You're safe here. No one will come here, — Freddy said, confident in his words. And then he saw the boy's red cheek.
— Gregory, do you have a scratch?

Remembering Moondrop's attack, the boy touched the wound site, and it immediately stung. Gregory jerked his hand away and squeezed his eyes shut from the pain.

— We need to treat the wound before the infection gets there, — Freddy began to scan the room, as if he was looking for something. It was a small warehouse with metal shelves. They had small boxes with someone's keys, wallets and even eyeglass cases, various toys, bags with backpacks, even pieces of clothing lying around. All these were lost things. Gregory could only wonder which of all this junk could help.

Suddenly Freddy stopped his gaze on one of the shelves. He walked up to it and took out a red briefcase from its depths. He opened the metal box and, after making sure of its contents, returned to the boy.

— Gregory, if you don't mind, I'll treat the wound. Okay? — the robot got down on one knee in front of the confused child. It turned out that there were some plates, cotton wool and small bottles in the box. Gregory always disliked treatment because of the terrible doctors who poked needles, and constant pain, and it was because of it that he had to do different injections. And now, when Gregory also had a huge robot bear in front of him with all the scary medical stuff, he felt completely uneasy.
— Gregory, I'm not going to hurt you. I want to help. Can I?

Feeling some guilt before the savior, Gregory agreed, and there was nowhere to go. Then Freddy started digging in the box. He opened one of the bottles and one band-aid. After pouring the liquid on him, Freddy reached for the boy's cheek. Gregory squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the cold touch.

— Well, that's it, — said the robot and closed the box. Gregory opened his eyes. He felt absolutely nothing. Touching his cheek, he found a band-aid stuck on it.

— How are you feeling? Does it sting? — Freddy asked. Gregory nodded weakly. Now the boy felt confused. He would like to thank the robot, but for some reason he was shy.

— Why are you like this? — unexpectedly for himself, the boy asked.

— Like what? — the bear asked in perplexity.

— Not evil, — Gregory looked at Freddy expectantly. The robot's ears lifted, and the glowing blue eyes opened wider. He seemed surprised by the question.

— Well, I have to be like that. That's how I was programmed. In various emergency situations, I should be able to help both adults and children, — the robot explained. But it seems that Gregory did not fit this answer.

— But... but the others? Why are they?... Roxanne and Sunnydrop?... — Gregory stuttered from terrible memories.

— They are... — Freddy shifted his gaze from the boy who was waiting for an answer, then to the closed door. He was trying to find the words to somehow explain to the child what was happening with the rest of the animatronics.
— It could be some kind of virus.

— Are they sick? - the boy asked in surprise.

— Yeah. Most likely, yeah, — Freddy agreed, even if he didn't mean it by "virus infection".

— I knew Sunnydrop ate too much candy, — Gregory said resentfully.

If Freddy could move his eyebrows, they would be very high now. But instead, the bear opened his eyes wide and raised his ears. "Where does this inference come from, Gregory?". But the bear did not question the boy.

— Why didn't you get infected? — Gregory asked a logical question. But Freddy himself did not know the answer to it. He activated at most ten minutes ago, and just found out about a possible malfunction in the system from the rest of his gang members.

— Well, maybe it's because I spent all the time in the repair room in the off state, — suggested the robot uncertainly.

— So now that you're here and not there, you can get infected from them? — Gregory was frightened.

— No, not at all. Our diseases are similar to those of humans, but our infection does not occur at all like that of humans, — Freddy reassured the boy.
— It's something like... mail. Yes, mail! If you receive an envelope with a virus, then in order to avoid infection, you simply do not need to open it. But with all this, you can safely hold it in your hands. Very simple, isn't it?

Gregory nodded. For the boy, this explanation turned out to be simple and logical. Now he will never write letters to Santa again.

— Well, the main office is not far from here. But if you need a rest, we can sit here a little longer, — Freddy offered the boy. But he shook his head.

— No. I'm ready to go, — Gregory said bravely. But in fact, he was counting on Freddy to let him into his stomach again. That's right, Freddy straightened up in his back again and opened the compartment. The boy happily climbed inside.

The second time the trip was not as scary and stressful as the first, but it lasted longer. The office might be nearby, but it was hard for Freddy to move around with a child inside. Still, the boy was much heavier than a birthday cake. From time to time Freddy slowed down to carefully turn in the right direction. He did not know at all how Gregory felt while inside, and often asked him about his well-being.

— How are you, Gregory? — Freddy asked again.

— It's okay. There are no wires and sharp parts here. I am well, — Gregory reassured again, embarrassed by such concern.

— Okay. We are already in the office corridors. Be patient, there's just a little bit left, — it's not clear who he said it to — himself or Gregory.

It was dark in the corridors, but Freddy, thanks to his glowing eyes, could see everything perfectly, which could not be said about Gregory. Childish curiosity took over, all the way the boy looked through the crack trying to see the terrain. But the eternal staggering prevented him from doing this, and when they reached the offices, he was completely blind.

As they walked, the echo of loud footsteps pursued them. It bounced smartly off the empty walls and went deep into the darkness. Gregory curled up, suddenly there was very cold. Unexpectedly Freddy stopped.

— Freddy? — the boy called in bewilderment.

— Be quiet, — the robot whispered.
— There is someone here besides us.

Gregory immediately held his breath and looked through the crack. Nothing was visible except the walls, which caught the light from Freddy's eyes. And then the lamps in the corridor lit up. Gregory sighed in surprise, but did not look away from the crack. He became very scared. All the walls, floor, doors turned red from the lighting, you could see the end of the corridor and the doorway located there.

Suddenly a head popped out of it. Gregory froze in horror. Those same ears, that same grin and those terrible red eyes. The rabbit went out into the corridor and, putting her finger to the chin of her mask, stared at the animatronic. Freddy stood motionless. The most important thing for him now is not to give the boy away, because who knows what might happen.

A woman, swaying, began to approach the robot, and standing right next to him, looked into his eyes.

— A lonely bear? Are you lost? — she asked playfully. But there was no response. Freddy didn't move, he didn't even look at the rabbit.
— You're silent. What? Have you swallowed your tongue? Maybe I should get it then? — suddenly she took out a knife and brought the tip to the robot's mouth. But even so, Freddy didn't flinch.

Then the rabbit burst out laughing, covering her mouth with her palm and bending down in her back, it seemed too much for a healthy person.

— I feel like it's going to be fun, — she said and hopped down the corridor.

When her footsteps faid away in the distance, Freddy moved and quickly slipped into the same doorway of the main office and closed the thick metal door behind him.

Chapter Text

The main office is a place that connected all the small posts: security posts, firefighters posts, first aid posts, including the animatronics repair bay. Thanks to him, it was possible to contact the police directly, call firefighters or an ambulance. All employee reports, CCTV recordings, employee shift schedules and animatronics technical reports were stored in the Main Computer located here.

Therefore, the protection of these important data was taken care of properly. If you can say so. It was distinguished from the rest of the offices by a strange location - the room was through. Two doorways led to corridors with office offices. They could be closed with thick iron doors. But, unfortunately, these doors worked only from the inside, at the push of a button. Therefore, only the person in the Main Office could decide whether to open the door or close it. And if the doors break down? In general, it was not the most thoughtful security system.

But as much as you would like, this place was very important for the work of the whole building. So when Freddy came in here, he was very confused. He had never seen such a mess in his life.

On the shelves of a small cabinet, all the folders were rummaged through. There was a table opposite, also in terrible condition: dirty plastic cups, half-eaten pizza, some souvenir junk of the Pizzaplex, even the monitors of small computers were stained with something. The floor was also not spared. It was covered in dirty spots, there was a pile of empty food boxes, regular cups, crumpled paper and folders that were unlucky enough to fall off the shelf of the closet.

Freddy didn't even know what he was more worried about right now. A strange woman in a suit and with a knife or the irresponsibility of the employees of such an important place.

Without wasting time, the robot hurried to close both doors of the through office, just in case if a woman with the knife returned.

— Gregory, — after closing the thick doors, the robot opened the belly compartment.
— You can come out.

But the boy did not came out.

— Gregory? — instead of answering, Freddy received a quiet sob.
— Oh, kid. Don't be afraid, she's gone. You're safe now.

— She'll come back for me, — the boy cried.

— I've closed all the doors. She won't get through here in any way, — Freddy tried to convince the boy.
— Even if she comes back, I won't let you get hurt.

The bear put his hand to his open stomach, offering help to get out. The boy had subsided, but he was still breathing heavily.

— Come on, kid, look — we're in the main office. We managed to get here! — Freddy lured the child. Although, of course, the robot did not want the boy to see all the beauty of the terrible mess.

Oh, if only Freddy could see Gregory: it would be easier for him to calm him down. But the robot did it so well anyway. The boy leaned on a large metal arm, and carefully got out of his stomach. He leaned against Freddy's leg, hugging her with one arm and wiping away the remaining tears with the other.

— Well, you see, it's okay, — Freddy said happily and stroked the boy's head to calm him down completely.
— Now we can contact the security guard. We just need to find a new watch.

With these words, Freddy began to slowly circle the office with his scanner. Of course, since this is the main office, there should be a lot of watches of employees here. But surprisingly, he found nothing on the table or on the shelves. "Maybe it's all because of this terrible mess?" — Freddy suggested and decided to rummage around on the table on his own.

Gregory, seeing how the robot was keen on searching, also decided not to stay away, and look in the closet, but only on its lower shelves. The boy was not so tall that he could reach the top. Opening one of the cabinet doors, Gregory looked at its contents. Some cardboard boxes. They contained several pens, newspapers, magazines, but absolutely nothing like a watch.

But in the next door the boy came across something interesting. A small silver case. Gregory saw a similar case in one movie, with people in black suits and sunglasses, although he did not remember at all what was inside. He was bursting with curiosity. Gregory would have liked to get out the case and finally open it, but he overestimated his strength. The case turned out to be very heavy for him. Somehow, he managed to pull the case off the shelf, and it crashed to the dirty floor.

— Gregory? — Freddy was distracted from digging in the trash and looked in the direction of the noise.
— What are you doing?

— I? I found it, — the boy began to justify, as if he had been caught for some kind of prank.

Freddy raised his ears and squinted his eyes. He walked over to the child and sat on his lap. What is strange: his scanner did not detect this case, so the bear was confused. He took the case in his hand, so simply, as if it weighed nothing at all, and scanned it again. But the result remained the same.

— I can't see what's inside, — the bear was embarrassed. Is this a mistake? Is his scanner broken? But he found a first aid kit. And it was only recently, he could not fail so quickly. Or maybe it's all this case? What if people made it unreadable on purpose? But why? All because of its contents? These thoughts caused Freddy anxiety. A metal case that is unreadable for a scanner cannot be stored in the Main Office just like that.

— But we can open it, can't we? — the boy asked hopefully, looking at the bear with eyes full of curiosity. Gregory didn't look like a kid in a terrible mess right now. More like a boy who couldn't wait to open his Christmas present.

— Well, I don't even know, — doubt joined the alarm. But Freddy absolutely could not refuse Gregory, not when he looked at him like that.
— Just let me do it, — Freddy said.

Freddy carefully opened two latches and slowly lifted the lid. He scanned the contents again. How fortunate! In the paralon pillow lay the familiar Pizzaplex watch, brand new, with a more comfortable strap and a thinner screen. But there was another empty space next to it. It clearly didn't belong to a watch, it was too deep and elongated.

Gregory tried to get up as unobtrusively as possible and finally see what was inside. Freddy, coming out of his thoughts and seeing a curious child, put the case on the floor in front of the boy. There is nothing terrible in the case, so he can show it to a child. He happily looked at the contents in anticipation and was even more pleased to find a familiar thing.

— It's a watch! — Gregory exclaimed, taking the new watch in his hands and examining it. Now he will be very careful with it.

— Yes, it is. You found them. Well done! — Freddy tried to hide anxiety behind the joy. But with the boy's joy that came, his curiosity still had nowhere to go.

— And what is this place for? — he asked, pointing to an empty cell next to it.

— This? To be honest, I do not know, — Freddy was programmed not to lie, but he could make assumptions, and in certain situations he could present incomplete information if his system deemed it optional. Just like now. He told the truth — he didn't know what was lying next to a watch. But there were a lot of guesses about what kind of thing it was and who could have taken it.

— By the way, did you know that with the help of this watch I can also keep in touch with you? — Freddy interested the boy to distract him from the case.

— Really? — Gregory cheered up.

— Yeah. In different situations, by such watches, I have to notify the security guards about incidents. Or take orders from them, — Freddy said with considerable pride.
— But I can't do it now, — he said less cheerfully.

— Why? — the boy drooped.

— Because of my security protocol, — Freddy was looked at in disbelief.
— It's like a list of rules that I shouldn't break. It says that I have restricted access to some files and functions.

— Why? — Gregory asked again.

— During activation, my system gave an error, and I had to reboot urgently. Apparently, that's when the security protocol was activated, — he looked at the boy. It was clear from his face that he didn't understand anything, but he tried very hard to understand.
— But if we manage to call the security guard, she can give me back access. So what? Are you ready to call her? — Freddy changed the subject again.

— I'm a little scared, — Gregory admitted.
— She swore a lot last time...

Freddy was surprised. Of course, the security guard is not a babysitter, they have other duties, but this does not allow them to be rude to children. What does this woman allow herself?!

— Don't worry, I'll be there. And if something happens, I can calm her down and help you, — of course he will help, that's his program.

Gregory believed Freddy, so without hesitation, he began to rummage in the watch. Surprisingly, it was easy to find the right icon for the call and the only available caller. The call started.

— Hello? — a woman's voice rang out. Freddy immediately tried to scan it, but without access, this function was closed to him.

— Vanessa?.. — the boy's speech has changed. His joy and curiosity in his eyes had evaporated, and now he was more scared.

— Gregory?! It's you? — surprised asked on the other end.

— Yes. I, — but she didn't let him say anything more.

— Do you have any idea how stupid and irresponsible you acted!? — Vanessa started screaming. She was very angry and did not stand on ceremony with the boy.
— I've called you a hundred times! But you didn't answer. And then you wasn't available at all. I was really scared! This is terrible behavior, Gregory!

— Just like you, — Freddy suddenly interjected.

The boy looked at the bear with wet eyes, he did not expect this from him. Freddy crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the clock with a dissatisfied look. He had never looked so serious before.

— What? Who is it? — Vanessa asked, unsure if she had heard it or not.

— It's Freddy, — Gregory said. He was also confused.

— Freddy?! — Vanessa was in complete shock.
— B-but... you said he didn't turn on. And- what did he just say to me? — a woman was very indignant and even seemed to be scared.

— I told you to calm down, — Freddy said sternly.
— Your screams don't make it better and frighten Gregory. Now he's already in a difficult situation, and you're also reproaching him.

— Me!? But I... — Vanessa was confused.

— Don't you think you need to talk about what happened before you scream? And apologize to each other, — the bear said more amiably, realizing that a woman had reached a dead end. Gregory listened to the bear and decided to take the first step.

— Vanessa. I'm sorry that I didn't listen to you then, — the boy began to apologize.
— And threw away the watch, — he added.

— Threw away?! — a woman tried to interrupt.

— Now it's broken because of me. I'm sorry. But I'll be very careful with the new one. I promise! — his words sounded very sincere.

— Now it's your turn, Officer, — Freddy said and nodded to the boy as a sign of praise.

Vanessa hasn't fully recovered from the shock yet. She was in complete confusion, but tried to fit into this situation: Gregory is safe, Freddy is working, the watch is broken, but it looks like they found a replacement. There were still so many questions, so Vanessa reluctantly agreed. She felt humiliated. She is being scolded like a child.

— I'm sorry I yelled at you, Gregory. Just... — she wanted to say something else, but exhaled and changed the subject.
— We need to think about your safety. Since Freddy is working, I think he knows what the situation is at the moment, — she said to the robot in a demanding tone.

— Yes, ma'am, — Freddy recognized the order and began to read the report of the current situation.
— Animatronics have been activated. Reason: unknown. Behavior: aggressive. At the moment, three animatronics are dangerous: Roxanne Wolf, Glamrock Chica and Daycare Attendant from the Daycare. Nothing is known about Montgomery Gator and robot assistants, as they have not been seen before.

Vanessa quieted down, listening attentively to the countdown, thinking about what was said at the same time. Gregory looked at the bear as if he had seen it for the first time, but the boy did not hide his curiosity burning in his eyes at all. Freddy continued.

— An intruder was spotted: a woman dressed in a white suit with a rabbit mask. Armed with cold steel. We should inform the police, — here the robot looked up from reading and looked at the boy. There was a little fear in Gregory's eyes. He pressed himself against the robot's leg. It looks like talking about the rabbit scared him. Freddy gently stroked the boy's head, calming him down, and continued his report in a less serious tone.
— As for Gregory's condition, there is nothing serious. Specialist assistance is not required. Consultation is desirable.

— The rabbit is... armed? — Vanessa asked with some pretension.
— Where did you see her?

— We met her in the hallway to the Main Office. She was coming out of there...

— We?! Did you bring Gregory right to her? — Vanessa flared up again.

— Gregory was not noticed... — the bear tried to explain himself.

— What was she doing in the Main Office? — Vanessa continued.
— She... she could have hacked the system! Or worse.

— Officer, please remain calm while execution, — Freddy reminded the security guard, trying not to scare the boy himself with his tone.

— Okay! Okay. All right, — Vanessa tried to calm down. She had a mess in her head. There were even more questions. But now she need to focus on the main thing.
— First, I need to get out of here. Then I can check the system and get Gregory out from here. Freddy, track the signal of my watch and plot a short route. I need to know how long it will take you to get to me.

— I'm afraid it's a restricted feature right now, — Freddy said sadly, guessing that this conversation wouldn't end well.

— What? — Vanessa's question sounded viciously, as if through her teeth. Although why should she be surprised. During this hour, so many interesting things happened as never happened in her whole life.

— Let me explain, — Freddy asked, hoping that after this phrase he would not be interrupted.
— When activated, my system glitched, and now I am limited in actions.

— What do you mean by "glitched"? — it looks like Vanessa herself was tired of being angry all the time, now she was just annoyed.

— I do not know what the reason was. But I will send a complaint to the repair team as soon as I can. And now, in order to be able to track you by the watch, you need to open access for me, — Freddy darted his gaze at the computers standing on the table.

Gregory noticed his gaze and looked at them too. The boy already knew something about computers. Even though the last "hack" ended badly, he wanted to offer his help if Vanessa needed it. And then Gregory realized: now Freddy will be able to contact him by the watch. It's so cool!

— No. No, no, no, no, — with this answer, she could literally be heard shaking her head negatively.

— Why? — Freddy asked. Gregory looked at his watch in disappointment, hoping that Vanessa would change her mind. But she wasn't going to.

— Think about it. All animatronics suddenly turned on, behave aggressively, and even this big-eared lady visited the Main Security Office. And then you "suddenly" glitched, — with each claim, she pressed the robot more and more, as if blaming him for all these troubles.
— I'm not taking any chances.

— Do you suspect me? — Freddy was surprised. His program did not take into account such an outcome.

— Freddy is good! — Gregory was indignant. But unfortunately, his voice didn't carry much weight in the conflict between the two adults.

— I'm not arguing that he helped you, Gregory. But I do not intend to give him access, much less connect him to the system. If he really obeys his security program, then he will definitely be able to find a way to cope in such conditions. I'll send my coordinates to Gregory's watch, — after waiting for a short pause, Vanessa continued.
— If there are no more questions, I suggest we start acting. End of communication, — the call was over.

Gregory looked sadly at the bear. Freddy burned through the clock with a dissatisfied squint. But putting everything together, he had to agree with the security guard and lower his ears in defeat.

— Freddy? — Gregory called to the saddened bear. The robot immediately caught himself and tried to take a cheerful attitude.

— Well, kid? Ready to take another ride?

— Are you mad at her? — Gregory asked suddenly. There was anxiety and desperate hope in his big brown eyes. Strangely, the boy was not at all surprised by their conflict, he was shackled and saddened that he could not do anything.

— Not really... — this question was difficult for Freddy, because he need to answer it honestly and without upsetting the child.
— Listen. Sometimes it happens that someone quarrels. In such situations, each side considers itself right. Resentment and anger arise. But, you know, I can understand her concern.

— That is... you can, too... — suddenly tears appeared in the boy's eyes, and he himself trembled slightly moving away from the bear.

— What?... — Freddy asked in bewilderment, but immediately realized what the boy wanted to ask.
— Gregory, kiddo, are you really?.. No! I would never hurt you, — the robot pulled his hands towards the boy, trying to gently hug him. And the boy succumbed to his embrace.
— I'm-I'm not like them.

— Yeah. You're very nice, — Gregory said, offended by Vanessa.

— And you're just incredible, — Freddy surrounded the boy with hugs.

Surprisingly, the robot's body was warm, as if something was warming it from the inside. Gregory didn't even want to interrupt such a warm embrace and pressed even closer to the robot.

Freddy wouldn't have let the boy go for a long time if it hadn't been for the noise in the corridors. Gregory didn't seem to have heard them yet, but the robot had better hearing. Heavy footsteps were moving towards the Main Office.

— Freddy? — the boy looked at the robot timidly.

— We need to leave, — with these words, he opened his stomach, letting the boy inside. It looks like Gregory also managed to hear the familiar scary footsteps, so obediently climbed inside. Unexpectedly, it was stuffy inside, but the boy did not pay much attention to it.

Freddy closed his stomach and got to his feet. Quickly circling the premises with a careful look, he pressed the button, opening the thick door of the office.

— Be still, — Freddy said, and stepped into the dark corridor.

In the distance, a familiar white figure, Chica, was staggering towards him. Noticing the bear, she stopped and stared at him with wide-open eyes. Even her beak fell off. But Freddy ignored her and kept going on. Chica turned her head after him, it seemed that she would even turn it 180 degrees, but she lost interest in the bear and continued walking to the office.

Freddy heard her movements and quickened his pace. I had to hurry up and get to Vanessa as soon as possible. But the way was blocked by a wolf, who suddenly appeared from around the corner. The robot had to stop abruptly to avoid crashing into her. Roxanne burned the bear with hungry red eyes and growled.

— Outta my way, you brat, — she seemed to be grinning at him.

Freddy didn't want to get involved in an unnecessary conflict, so he humbly obeyed. The bear pressed his back against the wall so as not to interfere with Roxanne anymore. She snarled under her breath, walked past and followed Chica to the Main Office. Freddy looked after her with emotion and continued on his way, hoping that he would not meet Monty further.

But Freddy was lucky. Finally he came out of the offices. "Pizza!" — Chica's voice was heard far behind. It looks like she has already reached the office and the garbage in it. But it's not time to stop yet.

— Gregory, you have the coordinates in your watch. Tell them to me.

Chapter Text

Freddy started down the landing. It seemed that with every step in the bear's chest, the engine rattled louder, and the air became hotter. Gregory had to breathe through his mouth, but at some point it stopped helping. His head was spinning, and the boy started knocking on the door, asking to let him out.

Animatronic had already passed the stairs, and, hearing the knocks, quickly went into the nearest room — the pantry. The belly compartment opened, and Gregory immediately began to greedily inhale the cool air.

— I'm sorry, Gregory, — Freddy apologized, sinking down to the child.
— I didn't calculate that I could overheat so much. How are you?

— I'm fine, — Gregory said, more or less catching his breath.
— What happened? Are you broken? Did they infect you with the virus?

— No, no. It's just a little overload in my battery, — the bear tried to explain, but the frightened child immediately interrupted him.

— Is it because of me?! Did I break something in you?! — he almost cried.

— Gregory, there's nothing scary with overloading. Right now I just need to... cool down... — the robot reassured the boy, somehow squeezing out a positive.

Gregory believed Freddy, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not calm his anxiety. Memories of Sunnydrop hit his head: how kind and friendly he was at the beginning, and then the strangeness began, in the end he was completely replaced by terrible Moondrop. Gregory could not deny that this was also his fault. What if the same thing happens to his new friend, what can he do?

— Freddy, we're not that far from where Vanessa is, are we? — Gregory asked softly, hesitating.

— That's right, — the robot confirmed, checking the marked point on the building plan in his head.

— Maybe I can walk like this? — Gregory was afraid of his own idea. Who knows, maybe Chica and Roxanne went after them, and are already waiting outside the door.

Freddy thought about it and squinted at the door. He raised his ears, listening to the silence of the corridor.

— I think we can do it, — Freddy said after a miscalculation, and then added affectionately:
— Gregory, you are a very brave boy.

"Brave" — no one has called Gregory that yet. Such praise from a friend gave the boy the determination to act.

Freddy had already opened the door and stepped out into the safe corridor. The terrible darkness and icy air were waiting for the little boy. But he had just been called brave. No! Gregory had already made up his mind and was not going to back down. Taking a deep breath with his chest, he stepped out of the door.

It turned out that it was not just a corridor, but a whole tunnel lit by dim lamps, at the end of which nothing but darkness could be seen. Another thoughts made Gregory cast a desperate glance at the safe pantry, but the boy shook his head, quickly discarding them.

I'm brave! Brave! Brave!

Suddenly, a bright white light appeared above his head. Gregory jumped in surprise and turned to the robot.

— I set the maximum value in the brightness of the eyes. This will not affect the battery in any way, and you need to see where to go. You might stumble, — the bear explained, and Gregory immediately calmed down.

"This is Freddy's new ability!" he was delighted.
"Maybe he has laser eyes too?" But Gregory did not dare to ask this.

The echo of animatronic's footsteps went far into the tunnel. With each step, the circles of light from his eyes twitched, but even so, they coped with their task. During the journey, there were rarely closed doors with various signs nearby, there were a lot of wires and Pizzaplex logos on the walls.

— What is this place? — Gregory finally decided to find out.

— This is the first basement level. Most of the warehouses are located here; equipment for repair and cleaning is stored in the rooms; also at this level they take delivery of all products and spare parts that we need in the Pizzaplex, — the bear explained.

Basement level? Gregory, of course, had never been to basements, but he imagined them more scary, wet and cold. And this place was more like an empty school hallway. Only without windows, normal lighting and heating... although who was he trying to convince and what? This place was still creepy.

Gregory slowed his pace. He was already beginning to regret that he hadn't stayed to sit and wait until Freddy cooled down in that pantry.

I'm brave! Very... brave.

They didn't walk through the tunnel for a long time, passing by doors and large boxes left on the way. At some point they reached one well-lit area.

— We're here, — Freddy turned down the brightness of his eyes.
— According to the coordinates, Officer Vanessa should be here.

But security guard wasn't here. Exactly the same part of the tunnel as what they went through: wires running along the wall, a lamp, a large box and a pile of some garbage stuck to the wall.

Gregory's attention was attracted by another yellow sign, part of which was blocked by a huge box. Coming closer Gregory read: "The entrance is only...", and the other half was not visible.

— Gregory? — Freddy was distracted from scanning another pile of garbage.
— Please don't get too far away from me.

— Freddy, there's a sign here, — Gregory said, justifying himself.

— Yeah, I see, — Freddy came closer, instantly scanning the object.

— How strange. But it's true, there should be a door here, — the bear pointed out, consulting his map.
— Gregory, step aside.

The next moment, a large robot was clearing the rubble against the wall. Curious Gregory watched from the side as Freddie easily rearranges bulky objects. It came down to the biggest box. Having managed to push it aside a little, the bear finally saw the hidden door.

— "Electrical switchboard room," — Freddy read the inscription on it.
— Officer Vanessa? Are you here?

There was silence for a moment after the question, but then footsteps were heard outside the door.

— Finally. Why it took you so long? — a familiar female voice rang out.

— Sorry, Officer. We couldn't avoid unpleasant encounters on the way, — Freddy explained.

— Well, since you're finally here, please free me, — Vanessa was angry either at the bear, or at the blocked door.

— The passage is blocked by things. I'll clear the way for you. Wait a little longer.

The big box turned out to be the heaviest of all, and Freddy had to strain harder with it. Gregory could hear his hull creaking and his motor humming aggressively, which scared the boy. But Freddy either didn't notice, or tried to ignore the internal dissonance and continued to push the huge box.

Finally, the unpleasant sound of friction subsided, and the passage was opened. Gregory immediately went behind the bear, startled by the abruptly opened door.

A woman dressed in a gray service uniform got out of it. There was a badge on her chest: "Security Guard". On her head is a cap with the same inscription, and a tail of blond hair pushed through it.
— Finally, — she muttered to herself.

Freddy immediately started checking a woman.

— Don't scan me. It makes me terribly uncomfortable.

— I'll just check you for injuries, — Freddy interrupted.

— I wasn't beaten, just locked up. Therefore: put aside useless checks, — security guard ordered.

Freddy was indignant, but did not go against the order.

— So, the plan is this: now we are going back to the main office. We need to check the integrity of the system, and then call for... help, — only now security guard noticed a child hiding behind the animatronic's leg.
— You brought him here?!

— Well, yeah. I shouldn't have left him alone, — Freddy explained.

— Did you go out in the open with him like that? What if they had seen him? — Vanessa glared at the robot with a displeased look. It was obvious who security guard meant by "they".

— I was hiding in stomach, — Gregory defended his friend.

— Where again? — asked Vanessa.

— In the stomach hatch reserved for birthday cakes, - Freddy reported.

— For cakes? It's absolutely not safe for the boy or for you! Ugh, okay, — she waved it off.
— Since Gregory is here, I'll take him to the nearest exit right away.

She took the hand of the confused child and led him deeper into the corridor.

— But Officer, isn't it right to call for help first? — Freddy tried to slow down a fast woman.

— As soon as we leave the building, I'll call right away, — a woman announced, continuing to walk.

— According to the instructions, you should first report violations, so that help would come faster.

— I know, Freddy. But it's too dangerous to go to the main office, making your way through inadequate animatronics, and then also wait for help, staying in a dangerous place with Gregory on the arms, — a woman announced her position.

As much as Freddy didn't want to go against protocol, he had to agree with security guard and follow her.

— So how did it happen that you ended up in the Switchboard room? — Freddy suddenly asked.

Security guard gave animatronic a suspicious look.

— I will need to write about this in my report, as well as when applying to the police, — the robot explained.

Vanessa sighed heavily.

— The cameras are out of order. And I went to check the voltage, — Vanessa breathed out with displeasure.

— Wait, why the voltage? The main reason for the breakdown of cameras is often an unregulated signal frequency, — Freddy was surprised.

— The last six cases of their failure were associated with overstrain. Why would I think for the seventh time that that's not the problem? — Vanessa tried to keep her tone calm.

— But security guards have instructions written in the protocol.

— Yeah, yeah, yeah, — Vanessa immediately interrupted the bear.
— First we check the network signal, and then the electricity. And I realized my mistake! But the sudden blockage of the door is not my fault, — Vanessa threw a furious look at Freddy.

— Who do you think could have locked you in there? — Freddy continued the interrogation.

— I have no idea, — a woman replied. She sighed heavily and continued seriously:
— It was definitely not an animatronic. I didn't hear any footsteps. It's just that at some point the door closed behind me, and there was a crash behind it. And that's it. Silence.

— I'm afraid that no one besides the animatronic could have done this. That big box was heavy, it was difficult to move it even for me, — Freddy was surprised.

— It was a huge box, — Gregory confirmed, looking at Vanessa for an answer.

— Then I'll assume that this robot has wings, since it has learned to walk so silently.

— They can do that? — the boy asked cautiously, but with curiosity.

— No, I'm saying... It-It doesn't matter anymore. The exit is here.

Security guard led them to the end of the corridor, where the evacuation exit was located. But the metal door wouldn't budge.

— What? — a woman did not believe it, and pressed the handle a few more times.

— We can look for another exit, — Freddy suggested, seeing Vanessa's desperate attempts to open the locked door.

— It's pointless to run all over the building, looking for that very open passage, — finally she moved away from the handle and just burned a closed exit with a dissatisfied look. So dissatisfied that Gregory thought the doors should open on their own, otherwise it would be worse.

— Then what should we do, Officer?

— We need to find out where an open exit is, — a woman concluded and again took Gregory by the hand.

— If you had given me access to the system, I would already know where we should go, — Freddy remarked.

Vanessa looked angrily at animatronic.

— I already know where we should go.

— Where to? — Freddy asked with restraint.

— Follow me, — Vanessa replied sternly.

They walked the next route in silence. It was obvious how much Vanessa did not like the loud stomp of animatronic behind her. And even when Freddy lagged behind two people, it seemed a woman was not going to slow down and wait for him.

Gregory was certainly glad that Vanessa was finally with them and she was helping him, but now the atmosphere seemed too tense.

Security guard stopped abruptly in front of another door. "Fire Safety room," the sign read. In the next moment, Vanessa uses her watch to open the door and leads Gregory inside.

Posters explaining how to act in case of fire or use a fire extinguisher hung on the walls, boxes full of signs with little men and arrows stood on the floor, a tower of many chairs stood in the corner, and a white board with incomprehensible notes hung on one of the walls. This room reminded Gregory even more strongly of school.

Freddy had to bend over to come through the doorway. Vanessa, ignoring his inconveniences, sat down at the computer and started typing something quickly.

When Gregory saw her working, he immediately came over to look at it. It seems he has never seen people push buttons so fast in his life.

— What are you doing? — asked the fascinated boy.

— I look in the reports of the employees responsible for fire safety, which exit is not closed, — Vanessa answered to the curious child.

Gregory was now looking at the computer screen. Familiar icons, in which there was still little that was clear.

— Yes! — Vanessa was delighted with her find.
— So, there should be three exits open. Two in the building and one... on the lower basement level?..

Glancing at Gregory, who was clearly not pleased with the last option, a woman hurried to calm the boy in advance.

— But we don't need to go there, since there are two exits open from above.

Security guard loaded the data into her watch and left the table.

— Come on, let's get you out of here, — Vanessa offered the boy her hand, and Gregory took it.

Freddy was standing nearby all the time, trying to cool down his motor and at the same time keep an eye on Vanessa.