A Strange Revival A Chance Encounter

Chapter 8: The Vague Details

Michael knew he probably felt as stiff as a statue. He tried to relax, tried to push the fear out of his mind as he let Freddy carefully unplug the charging cords from the back of his skull. While he was attempting to focus on relaxing, Freddy was explaining the proper maintenance procedures for his new parts.

Michael knew for a fact that he had missed many important details from Freddy, but from what he gathered, these new animatronics were able to Recharge themselves at the stations. This was more efficient and cost effective, then having to replace a bunch of batteries every day.

Freddy's hands stilled and he looked up for a moment. Gregory was splashing around in the large fountain in the middle of the atrium, keeping himself entertained. Freddy paused, as if to make sure Gregory was out of ear shot.

"The need to Recharge also prevents any animatronics from wandering outside of the building. It is a safety precaution." He said, sounding almost sad for a moment.

Michael understood his meaning, if he wanted to leave here in the morning, he would have to find another way to Recharge himself.

Freddy continued with his instructions as he closed the panels on Michael's head and back, "I would like to stress the importance of carefully removing your charging cords, Michael. Similar to ejecting a flash drive, it is important that they are not just pulled out willy-nilly, for the longevity of the intricate parts."

Michael wondered if his yanking out of the cords earlier and instigated such a violent system restart.

Freddy hoisted Michael up by the arm pits and set him gently on his feet. Michael gave all of his joints a few experimental stretches and bends. He seemed to be as good as new now.

Gregory must have tired of playing in the fountain, because now he was just sitting on the edge, fiddling with his watch. He looked up and bounded over to Freddy and Michael, seeing that they had finished.

"Are you fixed now?" He asked grinning up at Michael.

"I think so."

Gregory scrunched up his nose at Michael, "Still British though."

Michael released a heavy sigh, "That's not really something that I need to get fixed."

Gregory raised an eyebrow at him, clearly in disagreement.

"So, can I ask what exactly the situation is here?" Michael asked, hoping for some real answers.

Freddy and Gregory explained themselves, leaving out many key details that Michael felt were important. He learned that the other animatronics seemed to be possessed by an insatiable desire to hunt down this child, of course they were, but they didn't explain why Freddy wasn't. They explained that Gregory got locked in because of the nighttime protocols, but they didn't explain what he was doing there in the first place.

"You know," Michael said, "I've had lots of involvement with Fazbear Entertainment over the years, and in all that time, at every location, there is a security guard. Couldn't we just find them and ask them to let us out?"

"No!" Gregory shouted suddenly.

Both Michael and Freddy looked down at him in surprise. His face had turned bright red almost immediately, his eyes looked glossy, and his hands shook. There was a bit of an awkward pause, as Michael and Freddy both searched for something to say. Fortunately, they didn't have to, as the young boy shook himself off and forced himself to regain composure.

"She's been trying to get me all night." He said, clearing his throat.

"Our head security guard, Vanessa." Freddy clarified for Michael.

Michael was a little bit surprised by this. In his experience, the security guard had always been the good guy. Not that he considered himself to be a hero in any way, far from it in fact. But he knew his own intentions, and his had never been malicious. Maybe Gregory was mistaken? However, his earlier outburst made Michael more keen on believing the boy.

Michael decided to redirect the conversation.

"I'm just going to go ahead and assume that the doors unlock at 6 AM." He pointed this statement at Freddy.

"That is correct! The Nighttime Protocols deactivate at 6 AM!" Freddy said this in a congratulatory manner, like a teacher praising a child for answering an equation correctly.

"How'd you know that anyway?" Gregory asked quizzically.

"Lucky guess."