You Don't Want Help, Do You?

Chapter Four: Unqualified DJ

Gregory slipped back into the thin hall and hid behind the corner. He could hear Chica stomping around far in the background. Thankfully, Officer Vanessa had not come back. If she did, he would have to escape back into the laundry room and eventually into a dead end in the kitchen and loading docks.

Then again, that fence looked climbable.

Two lights down the hall behind the fence shook and grew steadily brighter. Heavy thuds of metal paws clanged through the otherwise silent hall.

Gregory looked around the corner to see Freddy on the other side of the chain link fence. The boy grinned and ran out to meet him. "Hey, Freddy!"

"Gregory! It is nice to see you. Now, I do not recall this fence being here. If you had a higher security clearance, you could take the elevator located near the kitchen."

"But you got here from the atrium," Gregory stated. "I'll be right there!" He hopped up and hooked his fingers into the fence.

"Gregory! Please, be careful. You could fall and get hurt!"

"I'm fine!" Gregory puffed as he got to the top. He swung his legs over and climbed down as far as he dared before simply letting go. "Come on, we should get moving before she comes back."

"Be careful, Gregory. Not everything in this mall is that sturdy after so long." With that, Freddy turned around and hobbled off down the hall.

Gregory asked, "Where to, now? Do you know where any other badges are?"

"There should be one in the West Arcade. It is accessible through the arcade, but also through El Chip's if that is blocked off. It is located on the third floor. There is also a security badge in a control room in Rockstar Row and two in Fazerblast and Monty Golf. I am not quite sure where the other badges may be."

"Don't you live here?"

"Yes, I was created here. I have never left. However, I do not have the same authority as other staff members, and I am not allowed to interact with security offices."

Gregory puffed. "Moon couldn't, either. So, you still follow that rule? Even though everyone left?"

"Of course I do. It is my programming. While there may not be anyone here to reprimand me, it is still important to follow rules."

A few sets of stairs and turns later, and they again walked through Rockstar Row.

Just across from him on a blue wall facing him was a door with a red sign stating "TO STAGE CONTROLS" "AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY" beside it.

"Is this just a control room?"

"Yes. There should be a security badge as well as a stage control disk. That will be useful if we need to use the stage lift. That can take us to Parts and Services, if it is still functional. I will wait here, unless you believe you will need my help."

"Huh? Oh, right, no security rooms or whatever. Okay. I'll be fine. Yeah."

As Gregory approached, he heard roaring and things crashing and breaking. Apprehension crept up, but Gregory didn't stop, nor did he slow down. He pushed through the door, scanning the pass first, and found himself before a set of metal stairs. Around the stairs and below the floor, he found a dark and cluttered space. The snarling and crashing grew louder here.

He forged up the stairs, his flashlight held high in the off-chance whatever was making that noise was close enough to see its light.

He stepped onto a floor made of grate leading to two sets of open security doors with a thin, long room between them. They both opened into a fairly large room made smaller by wrap-around walls of dead electronics and a wall in the center holding screens and more computers.