Fredrica's ch5 pt8

You had never seen Mama in such a state. Even her expression was one totally unlike hers. Whatever had attacked her… You were frankly terrified to imagine what it was. “Who… Who did this…?”

The shebear speaks, her voice trying to steady itself, but a small quiver remains in it. “Like a ghost. Back from the dead.”

Carla speaks up, “Mike…,” She sighs, “I lied. That guy… Renaldo. He wasn’t after our sauce recipe.” You weren’t surprised, but you try to look like it for the mini-bot’s sake.

Daddy clears his throat and Carla stops, “Let me be the one to come clean,” He says. “I’ve made a lot of poor career choices in my time,” He looks exasperated, trying to find the right place to start. “I didn’t always have money. In fact, I was a lot like you. It… It all started when I was in college, I was poor and needed to take any job I could to stay alive. I… I took a night watch job at a little pizza place in San Jose. Freddy’s… Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. I thought it was a prank at the time but… Late at night the robots would move and… Someone had programmed them wrong. They thought anyone in the building after midnight was to be… eliminated. It was a terrifying experience, but I couldn’t quit. With each night I became more and more fascinated by them, while sometimes barely making it out by the skin of my teeth. Eventually, I changed my major to robotics, just so I could learn enough to defend myself better. I… Well, I became obsessed. I got up the courage to finally reprogram the robots myself, and, they fired me for tampering. But I saw those poor shells as something that could be more. Those bundles of wires and metal crossbeams, they deserved to be more. But I was a poor kid with no hopes of getting a loan or anything of that nature… I had been friends with Gary for a long time and, when he heard my plight, his family took me in. They didn’t operate on the most legal of terms, but it was money, and lots of it. With his help, and our inspiration, we created robotic life, and we created this place.” He gestures appropriately.

“But… Things changed. About 3 years ago, Gary’s father passed away. The ‘business’ was without a leader. Renaldo, Gary’s brother, was put in charge. He didn’t like… Anything we did. He thought robots were cold, unfeeling, trying to replace humans. He cut our ‘funding’. So, we took what we had left, and became his competition. The old man had made his millions off of food imports from Europe, so we did just that. We got a decent amount of money, but with our national distribution deal, and… Randolfo, it was only a matter of time before he retaliated again to try to flex his power…”

“Randolfo..?” you ask, “The last guy with my job…?”

Daddy confirms with a nod. “Renaldo’s deadbeat of a son. We gave him the job with the hope it would bring his father around, but… it ended very badly.” He quickly tacks on a little more information, “But that was justified. What his goons did last year was… It’s a bit too much like what happened tonight.” He searches his mind, looking for another good spot to begin. “We had another dancer, Fredrica’s sister. Her name was Goldilocks. She… She was very sweet. She wanted to believe there was good in everyone… We had made a big deal with an olive oil farm in Italy, but, it was one that had worked with the old family for over 100 years. Rey didn’t like us stepping on his toes and… Goldie disappeared. A week later…. One of her arms showed up in the mail… Ripped off. I tried to bargain with him, but more parts started showing up. Eventually I gave up the deal with the farm, just to have her back. He sent me a check instead, for what he had had her appraised for in… scrap metal…”

You stop him right there, “Then WHY would you let him back in here?!”

“Gary. Gary always said after that incident that he would keep his brother in check, and, aside from his son, Gary was true to his word. He’s my best friend after all. And it’s not like we could throw the most powerful man in town out … Now… I don’t even know where Gary is. But… Now we know what happened to her…”

“Goldie?”

“Yes… We saw her… Tonight. Mama fought through his men, but… She couldn’t fight her off. They’ve reprogrammed her. She looks like a reanimated corpse of her former beauty… She took Bonnie.”

You clench your fists. “Then why are we sitting around here??” You get to your feet. “I might not be the smartest guy, but… Do you want Bonnie to become a mafia zombie too?? We have to save her! Someone has to take that guy out once and for all!”

“And that’s exactly what we’re gonna do!” You turn to the door and there’s Chica, grinning with a large rifle in her arms, standing in the doorway. Foxy is beside her, brandishing a sword in her good hand. Mama stands up as well. Though damaged, it’s only cosmetic. The sadness in her eyes has been replaced with anger. Daddy smiles, almost devilishly. “We tried playing nice with him, but now, we just wanted to make sure the whole family was on board with a new plan of action.”