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angelofrainfrogs · 1 year ago

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Spend the Night: Ch. 5

~Coauthored by @zeitghest~

Fandom(s): Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach

Description: The familiar melody of Grandfather’s Clock chimes through the echoing halls of the Pizzaplex…

Charlie wakes up in her Puppet’s vessel yet again with one goal in mind: to stop William Afton’s reign of terror for good. She enlists the help of Glamrock Freddy, the emphatic leader of the newest iteration of the Fazbear Band. But there seems to be more to this bear than meets the eye—and the same goes for the mysteriously familiar kid the duo find tinkering with animatronics down in Parts & Service.

With some help from friends new and old, Charlie’s journey into the bowels of the Pizzaplex will unravel mysteries none of them ever expected.

Rating: T

Lights flicker, and the shadows crawl

I wear the face of my enemy as I

Hide behind the mask, hide behind the mask

Wait for the demons to travel by Just don't breathe and tremble as I

Pray behind the mask, pray behind the mask

~Behind the Mask by SlyphStorm, TIFWhitney~

Freddy stared ahead, blinking rapidly as he scanned his map for the location of the nearest security office. After a moment, he gave a little nod and refocused on the pair next to him.

“I have identified two paths that should get us to security offices which will give us higher access badges,” Freddy said. “One is down by the kitchens, near the loading dock on the first floor. The other is by the third floor Prize Counter. Hmm... I suggest we go to the Prize Counter first.”

Just from a quick look, it seemed like this route would be the best one that all three of them could travel through with their Level 1 access card. The last thing Freddy wanted was to get separated from Gregory and Charlie... What if a door was locked and they had to crawl through a place he couldn't fit through, like a—

“Stop... no vents. Don't even THINK about vents.”

Freddy swore he sensed the voice shivering, only adding to his concern that this entity was something quite different than he’d initially imagined. The bear flinched, resisting the urge to tell it to be quiet—he didn't want Charlie and Gregory to worry about him malfunctioning, too.

“Good thinking,” Charlie agreed, flopping to the ground besides the door.

Who needed three whole floors of this place, anyway? Charlie wondered, though she welcomed the opportunity for a change of scenery. She was already sick of the first floor.

At Freddy’s visible flinching he caught a deep, knowing stare from Puppet, her gaze lingering before she scooted closer to Gregory. She was wary of the way he was acting, but didn’t say anything yet. It would be something to speak on while Gregory was safe and out of earshot.

“I bet we could find all sort of neat things at the prize counter!” she remarked cheerfully, needing a subject change.

“Oh, yes!” Freddy replied just as brightly. That stare from Charlie said it all—she knew something was up. Freddy was just thankful she didn’t want to bring it up in front of Gregory either; the boy had enough worries.

“They have dozens and dozens of rewards to choose from,” Freddy continued. “And plushies of every character from the Fazbear Entertainment franchise you can imagine!” He turned his smile on the boy, ruffling his hair again. “Perhaps you can pick one out before we leave, Gregory.”

A plushie wasn’t much compensation for all the terror the poor kid was experiencing that night, but maybe it would help ease his nerves a little bit to have something to hold onto besides an animatronic.

“Yeah,” Gregory agreed, finally relaxing with his back against the elevator walls. With all the tussling of his hair, he was surprised it wasn’t standing straight up. If anything, Gregory would get another Freddy—even if he knew it wouldn’t protect him like the real Freddy or Puppet did. “They better have an extra Freddy plush at the counter...”

Charlie rested besides Gregory, hands folded in her lap as the smooth lift took them to their destination. “There’s going to be lots of toys and snacks, don’t you worry.”

The bear’s smile softened. Regardless of the circumstances, it always warmed his mechanical heart when he was a child’s preferred animatronic.

“Yes, some food and water would be good as well,” he added, nodding gratefully at Puppet for her suggestion. Who knew the last time Gregory had eaten something? Honestly, Freddy was surprised the kid hadn’t run out of energy already—it was surely way after his bedtime, after all.

Soon the elevator doors opened on the third floor, right in front of the massive Prize Counter. Freddy poked his head out, looking around cautiously, and upon seeing no Glamrocks ushered the pair out into the main atrium.

“Be careful of the security bots,” Freddy murmured, pointing to one such robot wandering in a set pattern. “I do not know if they are infected with this virus, but it would be best to stay out of their way. Now—oh no…”

The bear groaned as he tried to open the metal gates to the Prize Counter, only to find them shut tight. He used a bit more strength, but unfortunately the doors held strong. He looked around for a moment, trying to find another route, and to his relief he spotted one garage door that hadn’t been fully closed before night shift. He looked down at Gregory and Charlie, giving a reassuring smile. “The main entrance to the Prize Counter is locked from the inside. However, there is another way to get in through El Chips and the East Arcade.”

Charlie and Gregory stood side by side as they took in their shared surroundings. Near the closed-off Prize Counter, the bright, neon greens and yellows of El Chips Fiesta Buffet shined over them all.

“Arcade?” Gregory perked up, mindful of any wandering security bots as he beheld the behemoth gaming spot—a place any preteen boy would gladly live inside of for the rest of their lives if given the chance.

“Remember, Gregory—” Charlie reminded him. “—we’re here to get the access passes. We can play video games later.”

“We can, however, get some food—we will need to walk through a restaurant anyway,” Freddy pointed out. “Come on; let us go.”

He gestured for the pair to follow him to El Chips. Luckily, this partially-cracked door was easy to raise up enough for Freddy to fit through with a bit of finagling. There was one lone bot mopping the floor, which Freddy ignored as he took the Gregory and Charlie to a fridge filled with prepackaged sandwiches and drinks for guests that didn’t feel like partaking in the usual Mexican fare El Chips had to offer.

“Here, superstar—what would you like?” Freddy asked, gently lifting Gregory up under the shoulders so he could clearly see all the options in the fridge. “We can grab something and take it to the security office to eat.”

Gregory’s mouth watered at the prospect of food, totally unbothered now with being toted everywhere by these strong robots. The grilled chicken sandwich stuck out and he silently reached for it. He didn’t stop there, since towards the bottom shelf were desserts—individually packaged cupcakes, the classic pink frosting with candy eyes were practically begging for Gregory to eat it. He snatched one up fast, as if someone was going to steal it from him.

Unaware of Gregory’s concerning hunger, Charlie dug into a retail cooler.

“Do you want a Fizzy Faz?” she asked, grasping for the popular Monty flavor.

“Fizzy Faz?” The soft British voice spoke in a scathing manner, startling Freddy with its reappearance. However, the only outward reaction the bear showed was a slight widening of his eyes. “They even have their own brand of soda now? God, what doesn’t this company make?”

“Yes, let us get a drink, too,” Freddy replied aloud, setting Gregory back down once he gathered everything he wanted from the fridge. He'd noticed the speed at which Gregory snatched the food, but he couldn't afford to dwell on this now—surely he was just super hungry from running around. Freddy then grabbed a few plastic takeout bags from a shelf, stacking them within the other to provide extra protection from the condensation. The reason for this was clear when the bear gathered up all the food and drink and placed it in the bags, which he then set in his chest cavity with a grin.

“There; now everything will be safe and out of the way until we get to the office.” He wanted to make sure they had all limbs free in order to grab Gregory or fight off pursuing animatronics if needed. Seeing Freddy fill his chest as their new snack cabinet, Charlie let out an approving exclamation.

“Ooh, good idea! Man, I wished they had these at the diner.” Charlie sighed as she turned one of the cans over in her lanky hands. What she’d give to taste a grape soda again… Still, she recalled the fountain drinks and milkshakes well enough to be satisfied through memory.

Gregory really wished he could eat that chicken sandwich right that second… But he’d waited about a week to eat something other than pizza. He could wait a few more minutes. His mind was so consumed with food, he jumped a little as Charlie asked him a question.

“Ready to head for the arcade, Gregory?”

“Ready!” He returned back to the protective robots’ sides eagerly. Even if they didn’t have time to play, it was nice to peruse the games and see if there were any new ones.

“Keep an eye out,” Freddy warned. “The arcades usually have a number of security bots on patrol because they are so huge. If one spots you, hide—they will lose interest within a few seconds of an 'intruder' being out of sight.”

Usually the bots connected directly to the security guards to alert them to trespassers, but since the network was down Freddy had little fear of them actually alerting Vanessa. Even if Gregory was spotted, he doubted anyone would be summoned to catch him.

True to his word, as soon as they stepped into the arcade they could see quite a few bots roaming around. Even though it was closed for the night, the ambient sounds and lights from the game consoles meant that the room still felt like it was bustling with life. Unfortunately, the downside to this was that the chaotic, clashing noises interfered with Freddy's advanced robotic hearing. At least his vision wasn't affected, so he could still keep watch for danger. Their goal was on the complete other end of the arcade, so Freddy cautiously began to make his way towards that direction, on the lookout for anything amiss.

Charlie walked alongside Gregory, glancing around. Perhaps both she and Freddy worked on navigating the room too much—as their sight turned from Gregory, the kid had been distracted easily by the bright lights and midi sounds around them. One game caught his eye in particular.

As the animatronics paused and waited for a security bot to pass, Gregory absently backtracked for the arcade machine. Before him in the dark corner where no security trailed sat a video game called Princess Quest. Gregory reached into his pocket, gaze fixed on the untouched and rather dusty console as he fished out a quarter. Not just any quarter, though—this special quarter had been drilled into at one side. A thin strand of fishing lure with a sturdy knot at its end tied the coin to Gregory’s finger. Perfect to trick the machine into thinking he had deposited its credits. Without hesitation Gregory began to play, so entranced by the game it was as if he’d momentarily forgotten the danger around him.

***

The walk through the arcade was going surprisingly well. They hadn't been spotted by any security bots, nor could Freddy see any wayward animatronics coming after them. For once, things seemed to be going as planned! Maybe they'd even make it before—

“...Where's the kid?” the voice cut into Freddy's reverie, a slight hint of panic in its tone. “Oh, for fuck's sake—ugh, I still can't move this thing! Freddy, turn your damn head around and LOOK! Where. Is. Gregory?!”

“Where is...?” Freddy actually responded aloud, doing as the voice said. His head swiveled rapidly, trying to spot the boy who'd been by his side moments before. “Oh no—Charlie, do you see Gregory?!”

“He’s right here—” Charlie went to soothe, reaching for the boy’s hand… only for her fingers to grasp nothing but air. Raising her arms and touching the back of her head in panic, she spun around and searched the visible parts of the room.

“Gregory?! Gregory!” she called fervently, spinning in place once, twice. After a second, she pointed to the opposite end of the arcade. “You look that way, I’ll check over here! He couldn’t have gone far…”

Freddy nodded, retracing their path and paying no mind to the security bots as he went. One actually ran into his side, but Freddy simply pushed it away with barely any acknowledgement and it returned to its preset path an instant later.

***

This game was weird.

It felt broken—glitchy even. Gregory’s character, the titular Princess, was bopping around the little puzzle rooms sometimes as if it were trying to escape the game itself while avoiding the weird purple junk. Gregory could see why it was hardly touched. While charming, the game was very broken.

Still, he was almost done, and wanted to see how it ended.

***

“You seriously let him get away here, of all places?!” the voice chided as Freddy walked. “An arcade? Do you know how easily distracted kids get?! What if he's wrapped up in a game and something—”

“Will you stop talking?!” Freddy hissed, finally able to speak directly to the voice now that no one but the security bots were around to hear him. The bear gave a frustrated huff, trying to keep focused. “This false anxiety is not helping! Or... whatever this is.”

He trailed off, not wanting to lose his concentration at the task at hand. This virus in his head was certainly a weird one—why it simulated feelings of panic, Freddy had no idea. Right now, all he wanted it to do was be quiet.

“...Sorry,” the voice mumbled after a moment. “This is weird for me, too—trust me.”

“There is no 'you'—you are simply a piece of errant coding that I will be very happy to get rid of soon!” Freddy snapped back, not in the mood for whatever mind games this thing was designed to play. He was about to lecture some more when he spotted a distinct flash of blue fabric nearly hidden in a dark corner of the arcade. Freddy turned and made a beeline for the boy, calling out to him. “Gregory!”

How could the game just end like that? Does she never escape the tower? That purple, inky drip simply catches up to her?

And that scream at the end… It sent chills up Gregory’s spine. That wasn’t a regular midi file—that was a legit shrieking girl.

At the sound of Freddy’s concerned call, Gregory turned and waved to his bear protector.

“Freddy! Look, I beat Princess Quest!” he mentioned excitedly, even if just to forget the morbid ending. Gregory felt like it didn’t send the best message to kids—that they’ll always be trapped, no matter how hard they try to escape.

Within seconds Gregory was picked up yet again, cradled in Freddy's arms as the bear held him tightly. Freddy didn't want to admit it, but whatever this thing in his head was that simulated panic was starting to get to him. Something about the thought of losing Gregory was just... incomprehensible.

“Please do not ever run off like that again without telling Charlie or me, alright?” Freddy said, pulling back to look him in the face.

“God—he looks so much like him...” There was a definite catch in the voice this time, as if it were fighting back a sudden wave of tears. To Freddy's horror, even though he couldn't cry he swore he felt the sensation of wanting to. The bear shook his head, chasing away the feeling and refocusing on Gregory.

“Do you understand?” he asked again, needing the boy to realize the severity of the situation they were in.

Oh… Gregory knew that look. That was the shame-filled disappointment and fear-fueled glare of a caretaker who’d been worried for no good reason. Gregory must've put Freddy under high duress to be given a stare like that. Wiping under his nose, Gregory got the point.

“Sorry, Freddy… I just never noticed that game before. I should’ve told you I wanted to check it out,” he apologized.

Freddy simply stared at him for a moment, taking in Gregory's guilty expression before letting out a small sigh and pulling him in for another hug. This embrace was much less desperate and far more comforting.

“I am not upset with you; I was just worried,” he explained, giving the boy a soft smile. He glanced around the arcade, realizing that Charlie must be at the complete opposite end. Indeed, if he squinted Freddy could see a long, thin shape scaling the Prize Counter itself. In the high netting near the ceiling among various large-scale plushies and toys, she was scanning for their wayward friend. Freddy began walking towards her, Gregory now settled against his hip.

This time, Gregory even hugged him back. It was a tight squeeze that encompassed one of Freddy’s shoulder pads and right around his neck joint. Being carried around was turning out to be a major plus for the kid—while he was fast, standing for too long was starting to make him dizzy from the lack of regular meals this past week.

“So you beat a game you have never played before? Good job, superstar!” Freddy praised as they walked. He tilted his head curiously, recalling the name Gregory mentioned. “I have never heard of Princess Quest, either; it is not registered in my databank of arcade consoles at the Pizzaplex. Perhaps it was recently installed and my system has not been upgraded with that information.”

“Yeah!” the kid bragged as they weaved through the bulky arcade boxes. “It was so weird. You play this little yellow princess, and I think she dies at the end? Or gets trapped in a castle forever… I’m not sure. These little shadowy bunnies try to bite you throughout the game, too—”

“Hey!” Charlie hissed in relieved surprise as the pair approached. “Where the heck did you go, Gregory?” Charlie plucked a small Glamrock Freddy plush from its top shelf perch, holding onto it as she descended before Gregory and the aforementioned bear.

“There’s a new video game I had to play…,” Gregory explained for a second, equally shameful time.

Freddy was... strangely quiet. He wasn't quite frozen, although his eyes were definitely delayed as they tracked Charlie crawling down to ground level. He felt like his consciousness was being sort of pulled away, the increasingly-familiar feeling of dread rising like a wave. Freddy knew it was because of that voice, which was currently murmuring a string of unintelligible curses in his ear with increasing alarm.

“Stop...,” the bear whispered, so quietly it was barely audible. He couldn't bring himself to move, though he wanted to set Gregory down. He didn't feel like he was going to hurt the boy—he'd never do that—but his lack of control over his own body scared him. Nothing happened for a few agonizing seconds, until the voice finally responded.

“Oh shit, sorry, I... I don't know why I'm freaking out, um...” The voice took an audible breath, as if trying to calm itself. “I, uh... I don't like shadow bunnies. Or... bunnies in general, really. Haven't thought about them in a while, so I was... taken off-guard. Sorry. I-I'll try and relax.”

“Thank you,” Freddy responded. Then his eyes widened as he realized he'd said that aloud, which to Gregory and Charlie seemed completely unprompted. Quickly, he tried to cover up his slip. “Ah, thank you, Charlie, for helping search! And for the plushie—look, Gregory, it is just the one you wanted, right?”

“Right on! This is exactly what I wanted!” Gregory rejoiced as he squeezed the high-quality prize in his arms. Charlie in the meantime scanned over Freddy’s face, scratching her mask.

Gregory may have been easily tricked, but Charlie wouldn’t be fooled by such a clear fumble. She was fine handing off the plush to the boy, who easily snatched it up and cuddled it in his arms. Despite Charlie’s worry for Freddy, the last thing she expected from the kind-hearted bear was violence. No, she suspected something very different was going on—and unfortunately, something also very familiar.

“No problem, really… You’re okay, right, Freddy?” Charlie asked. No accusations in her tone of voice, only honest concern for a friend.

“Perfectly fine,” Freddy replied, surprised at how easily the lie slipped off his tongue. Maybe that was the work of the virus, too...

Charlie accepted his answer. Freddy hadn’t lied to her before—she didn’t think he could lie, actually. Something was clearly wrong, but maybe Freddy he didn’t even know it yet? It never ended well if she pushed such things, anyway. For now, Charlie would keep an eye on him and wait.

“Now, the security office should be just through that door over there.” Freddy inclined his head towards said door, which was behind the Prize Counter. According to his map, it led to a set of back passageways that would take them directly to the office. Shifting Gregory to one arm so he had a limb free, Freddy moved to the door and turned the knob.

...Well, he tried to. And then he tried again. And again. To his utter frustration, this door was locked as well.

“We must find another way in—I cannot get through.” The bear gave a heavy sigh, looking around for any other path they could use.

And then he saw it—down by the floor, a metal grate with questionable stability marking the opening.

The vents.

“Oh, Gregory and I can enter the air duct! Then we’ll let you in, Freddy,” Charlie suggested, following the bear's line of sight. Gregory would be safe with her. Not that she was suspicious of Freddy’s intentions, she was just worried the supernatural “glitches” may slow his decision-making skills. She reached for Gregory who stretched his hands out towards her, moving almost on instinct by this point as he was transferred from one caretaker to the next.

“No!”

The shout that came out of Freddy was sudden and very, very wrong. The bear's eyes widened and he pressed a paw over his mouth while his other hand gripped onto Gregory tightly. So much for “relaxing”—the virus had actually managed to take over his voice box in its sudden ferocity to communicate. And to Freddy's dismay, it was still trying to do so.

What happened next would be almost comical if the situation surrounding it wasn't so frightening: Freddy began arguing with himself, speaking in two distinct voices, the second one sounding quite strange to be coming out of the normally mild-tempered robot.

“Don't go in the vent—!”

“No, that is a very logical plan. Charlie, please, take Gregory and—”

“Charlie, do NOT, I swear to god—”

“Yes, go!” Freddy clenched his teeth, doing his best to regain control. “Just go and get Gregory to the office—come back for me once he is safe, and I—”

“You don't know what's in there!” The voice was frantic, panic actually showing on Freddy's face now, his usually-friendly expression twisted into one of abject terror for his friends. If one looked closely, there was a hint of something real and terrified behind the animatronic's bright, blue eyes. “Please—you... you don't know what could happen...”

Gregory suddenly wasn’t very comfortable being in Freddy’s arms… But moving wasn’t a great idea as long as whatever was fighting to gain control inside of him waged war within Freddy’s mind.

What was trying to use Freddy to speak? Was it worth listening to? The boy certainly hadn’t the faintest idea.

But that voice? Charlie knew that voice. Wordlessly, she stood tall and watched Freddy argue before the so-called “virus” took command of the vessel to plead with them.

“No way… Michael?!” she asked, soft with pure disbelief. She reached forward, long fingers brushing the sides of Freddy’s head as she analyzed his face, those pinprick, silver dots in her mask staring deep into the soul underneath the metallic mask.

After a moment, Charlie let out a gentle laugh. “What took you so long, buddy?”

***

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Looking for more? Check out the Chapter Masterlist on Tumblr! Or check out the entire Wires that Bind Us Series on ao3!

#fnaf #five nights at freddy's #fnaf sb #fnaf security breach #fnaf au #glamrock freddy #charlie emily #marionette fnaf #puppet fnaf #gregory #michael afton #fanfic #fanfiction #ao3 #angelofrainfrogs #zeitghest #spend the night #the wires that bind us au

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