Chapter Eight: A Crushing Defeat

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Chica's Cupcake Factory was on the second floor. The stairs weren't extremely close to Bonnie's Bowling, but there was one measly security bot patrolling there and Gregory managed to get by on foot. The walkway was long and fairly barren with just a few electronic stands and a couple of kiddie rocket rides and advertisements filling the place. He walked through a set of shutters. A couple of S.T.A.F.F. security bots roamed the shiny tile floor of the dining area around the kitchen building. Beyond that, through a door, was the factory itself with a giant cupcake and conveyor belts.

Gregory slipped into the kitchen. Nine inactive kitchen bots stood around. Near the door was a list of random stuff, and then a website for online ordering of cupcakes. That sort of sounded like the online pizza delivery, didn't it? He looked over the list more closely and found plenty of phrases referring to delivery, in-factory baking, personalized ingredients, and controlling the bots. On the right wall was a large oven set on the counter itself with a cupcake icon. The thing could fit Gregory! Which, it wasn't going to do that. Beside it was a box connected to the front of a vat beside the cupcake machine. "SECRET INGREDIENT" was printed on the box. Gregory looked down at the Monty Mystery Mix he now held. He opened the box, stuck it inside, and shut it.

Nice.

Well, considering he didn't want to get killed by the chicken, here was probably not the best place to be standing. Although there were computers everywhere, the only place that came to mind with pizza delivery was the security room by the basement kitchen next to the Loading Docks.

Gregory, repeating in his head what he needed to do and the website to go to in his head, left the factory and then down to the first floor. He walked through Salads and Sides and used the elevator there to go to the power control room. He needed to take power away from "EDUCATION MAZE" and redirected it to "CUPCAKE FACTORY".

Okay, so, go to the office and then have the cupcake made and delivered. He'd need a distraction so that Chica didn't attack him in the office. Maybe leading Chica to the factory would be a good idea? He'd have the cupcake baked and then be transported back by the time she got there, hopefully. Then she'd come back and get jumped by Gregory–literally. Or he could just stay quiet. After all, she wasn't here right now.

He left the power room and crossed through the kitchen and a short hall and to the security room. He loitered for just a moment, indecisive, before turning to the security office.

Gregory set Bonnie on the desk, opened the pizza delivery app, and typed in a code. The screen flashed from one of pizza to "Chica's Cupcake Factory." He grinned and scrolled through the app until he found "Build Your Own Cupcake!"

The familiar robot voice stated, "Congratulations! You have enough credits for a free Chica Factory Cupcake. Additional charges may apply. Let's get started." He winced. Well, there goes "being quiet".

The screen became that of a kitchen littered with S.T.A.F.F. bots. As soon as the screen, now flanked by blue with an objective marker at the top left, turned on, all of the inactive bots turned on and drove to their stations. At the bottom of his screen, he could see a large bowl, like he was holding one in front of himself.

"You are now in control of one of our highly trained baking S.T.A.F.F. bots. Follow the instructions on the left side of the screen to force the bot to make your perfect cupcake. If your bot is unable to get to another part of the kitchen, switch to another bot using one of the arrows on either side of the screen."

Gregory glanced at the top left of the screen. Helpy's head with a little chef's hat sat snugly on the top left. "Gather Batter Ingredients" stayed beside it. On the top right were the numbers 9/9.

The baker bot stated in a voice that warbled on occasion, "Let us first prepare the cupcake batter. We will need: Egg. Flour. Sugar. Butter. Milk."

He commanded the baker bot to go to the fridge first.

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