Masked Souls

Gregory's plan was clear: to reach a secure network terminal capable of decoding the chip's secrets, they'd have to traverse the maze-like expanse of the Mega PizzaPlex—a journey fraught with danger and unexpected encounters.

They left the control center behind and emerged into the sprawling atrium, its neon glow guiding them toward the public areas. Gregory led Billy first into Monty's Golf Attraction—a whimsical, yet eerie mini golf course with synthetic grass, playful obstacles, and hidden animatronic mascots. The gentle buzz of arcade games and the sound of trickling water from decorative fountains filled the air. Here, Gregory kept a wary eye out; roaming patrols of erratic animatronics occasionally strayed into the fairytale landscape. Their path was lit by colorful, shifting lights that danced across the walls, masking the simmering tension beneath.

Then, suddenly, Montgomery's voice rang out, and before they could react, Billy started moving toward Monty. Without warning, Monty challenged him.

"Rock n' Roll!" Monty bellowed, his claw-like hands lashing out. Monty's impact struck Billy's face, and though Billy's head jerked with the force, no visible damage appeared. In a swift, fluid motion, Billy grabbed Monty's clawed hand.

"... You rocked enough... It's time for you to roll down!" Billy declared, his tone coldly decisive.

Billy unleashed a relentless flurry of blows. At first, Monty managed to block and absorb the punches, but soon the tide turned. As the assault intensified, a blinding beacon of light burst from Billy's eyes, gradually overwhelming Monty's vision. In that disorienting moment—through a haze of searing brightness—Monty's perspective fractured into surreal, haunting fragments: he saw, as if in a flash, the eerie outline of the Puppet's mask, accompanied by the echo of a little girl's laugh that resonated like a distant, ghostly melody. Then, in one final, crushing blow, Monty's world slowed as he witnessed himself crumple to the ground, his senses fading into darkness.

Without missing a beat, Billy knelt beside Monty, seized his head, and with a swift, brutal move, ripped it clean off. He analyzed the shattered remains before retrieving a chunk of hardware from Monty's dismembered head. Clutching his prize, he rejoined Gregory to continue their perilous journey. Yet, in the dim periphery, a shadow began to stalk them.

Soon, the corridor narrowed and twisted, depositing them near the back of the attraction—a service area adjoining the old kitchen. The scent of stale grease and the low hum of industrial fans filled the air. In this dim, claustrophobic passage, Glamrock Chica prowled, her mechanical figure rummaging through discarded trays and piles of overstuffed garbage bins. Gregory motioned for Billy to duck into a side passage, their footsteps barely audible on the worn tiles. Yet Billy, ever nonchalant, proceeded confidently through the kitchen. Gregory watched as Glamrock Chica turned her head to regard Billy, her gaze lingering before she continued her silent patrol.

Billy continued until he found himself face-to-face with Glamrock Chica, their eyes locking in a moment of curious, almost human exchange.

"Do you have any pizza I can eat?" Billy asked, his tone casual despite the tension.

Glamrock Chica gave a slow nod, glancing around at the scattered ingredients. "Oohhh... Don't worry, we just need to find a recipe," she replied softly.

Billy shook his head. "No, it's fine—I know how to cook and prepare pizza myself. I used to create special dishes with unique ingredients. I know how to handle this."

With surprising speed and precision, Billy set to work. He prepared a pepperoni pizza with the efficiency of a master chef. Though his culinary skills might not have been the most graceful, his knowledge was sharp. Soon, the pizza was ready, and Billy carefully cut it in half—one portion for him and the other for Glamrock Chica. As they shared the meal, Gregory remained hidden, his mind racing.

"So... Why do you act more calm than Freddy, and the green lizard?" Billy inquired, his tone edged with curiosity.

"You mean Monty?" Glamrock Chica replied, her voice softening. "Well... I just want food."

"But aren't you infected with some sort of virus, Chica?" Billy pressed.

For a long moment, Glamrock Chica hesitated before tears welled in her mechanical eyes. Billy's pupils shifted from blue to green as he gently caressed her back with his left hand.

"Come on, come on... What's the matter, Chica?" Billy urged.

"I... I have a virus, and it forces me to attack everyone..." she admitted in a trembling voice.

"... Well, don't worry. You aren't attacking me," Billy soothed.

"But I don't know why... Every time I see someone, I can't think; I feel driven to attack—except with Freddy, Monty, and Roxanne. And now, with you too... I just want to understand what's happening to me and my friends," Chica confessed, her tone a mixture of sorrow and desperation.

"Well... From what I know, the virus is forcing you to behave this way. But don't worry—I'm going to dig deep into this rabbit hole and get to the carrot of this virus," Billy replied with determined resolve.

"R-really? Thank you... For the half of this pizza, and for your help," Chica whispered.

"Don't worry, Chica. And sorry for killing Freddy and Monty," Billy added, showing her the hardware he had salvaged.

"This is the hardware from Monty—I also got the hardware of Freddy," Billy explained.

Glamrock Chica shook her head gently. "Don't worry. This CPU seems perfectly fine. Monty and Freddy can be fixed; once we place their CPUs, they'll be as good as new."

"That was a good moment well spent. Thanks, Chica, for telling me a little more about the virus and your friends. I'm Billy—Billy the Rabbit," he introduced himself.

"I'm Glamrock Chica. But what type of Glamrock are you?" she asked, her tone filled with admiration.

"I'm not a Glamrock—I'm SpringBonnie, one of the very old springlock animatronics. I started in 1988 and was one of the main attractions in Fredbear's PizzaWorld," Billy explained.

"In 1988? You're one of the originals? I thought the originals were with Freddy Fazbear, as Freddy admires—but I didn't know there was something before them!" Chica marveled.

"Yeah, I'm one of the two originals. I only met Freddy Fazbear's gang," Billy replied, a nostalgic note in his voice.

"It's an honor to meet one of the originals in person! You look like you're brand new, but you're much older than I expected. Could you give me your sign? I want to give it to Freddy as a gift when he's fixed," Chica requested.

"Of course, but I don't think there's anything I can sign here—we're in a kitchen," Billy countered.

"Don't worry—no physical, digital. I can transform it into a physical sign anytime," Chica assured, her voice brightening with enthusiasm.

"Alright, can you teach me how to sign digitally, Chica?" Billy inquired.

With a proud nod, Chica spent a while teaching Billy the art of digital signing, and in the process, secured a digital mark that became a part of Billy's identity.

"Well, I have to continue my path. Bye, Chica," Billy said, then walked back toward Gregory and knelt in front of him.

"Let's go, Gregory," Billy urged, gently taking Gregory's hand. As they began to move, the moment was shattered when Glamrock Chica, spotting Gregory, let out a shrill, security-like yell reminiscent of Glamrock Freddy's. Instantly, Glamrock Chica charged toward them. Billy quickly scooped Gregory up in his right arm and restrained Glamrock Chica with his left, murmuring, "Sorry, Chica... I hope you don't take this personal..." He deftly pushed her aside, dodging her frantic advances until she fell to the floor. Then, without hesitation, Billy ran out of the kitchen, closing the doors behind them before gently setting Gregory down.

They soon emerged at the threshold of the bowling alley—a spacious area dedicated to the Glamrock Bonnie experience. The clatter of pins and intermittent cheers from a long-silent crowd echoed off the walls. Automated bowling lanes, once alive with high-energy family fun, now lay eerily quiet, interrupted only by sporadic malfunctions. Gregory's eyes darted around; even in this zone, the presence of animatronics was inescapable.

Gregory led Billy swiftly through the bowling alley, while Billy took in every detail. Gregory, however, knew that time was precious, so he quickened his pace.

Their final obstacle lay in Roxanne's Car Race area—a high-octane section of the PizzaPlex where animatronic vehicles raced along neon-lit tracks, their engines roaring and tires screeching in a perpetual display of kinetic chaos. The environment was a cacophony of metallic clamor and flashing billboards, with racing cars that seemed to have minds of their own. Gregory guided Billy along a narrow service corridor that skirted the track's edge, where the roar of engines and sudden bursts of light made every step a gamble.

Then, in a flash, brilliant lights bathed them both. They turned to see Roxanne, riding her sleek vehicle and speeding straight toward them. Instantly, Billy shifted, gently nudging Gregory behind him. In a split second of calculated grace, Billy leaped forward. Despite a brief struggle that nearly knocked him back, Billy managed to seize control of the racing car's controls, twisting and flipping the vehicle with an agility that belied his mechanical nature. Roxanne was thrown aside, crashing to the ground.

Roxanne quickly recovered, but by then Billy had already swept Gregory away, disappearing into the labyrinth without a trace.

At last, after this harrowing journey through interconnected realms of entertainment and decay, they reached a hidden network terminal tucked away in a secured maintenance hub. This room—an archive of forgotten servers and vintage control panels—was the ideal place for Gregory to attempt his hack, a place where the old and new coexisted in dusty harmony.

Throughout the journey, Gregory's mind whirled with calculations and uncertainties. Every anomaly in Billy's design, every unusual behavior that set him apart from the other animatronics, was meticulously noted. As they navigated the labyrinthine depths of the Mega PizzaPlex, Gregory's resolve hardened. He was determined to unlock Billy's secrets, even if it meant delving into dangerous, uncharted digital territory.

Only here, in the dim glow of that hidden maintenance hub, would the answers finally begin to unfold—answers that Gregory believed could change everything.

Billy carefully handed over the salvaged hardware from Monty to Gregory. With deliberate precision, Gregory connected the component—along with the one he'd extracted from Glamrock Freddy—to a rugged terminal in the secluded maintenance hub. As the cables snapped into place, the monitor flickered to life, and lines of intricate code began scrolling across the screen. The combined programming of both Monty and Glamrock Freddy emerged before Gregory's eyes—a digital tapestry of algorithms, override protocols, and legacy routines that told the story of their former glory and subsequent corruption.

Gregory leaned in, his analytical mind racing as he parsed through the streams of data. Every symbol and sequence revealed layers of information: snippets of Monty's original control commands intermingled with the chaotic remnants of the virus, and the elegant, if tainted, protocols that powered Glamrock Freddy. He muttered quietly to himself, marveling at the wealth of secrets now laid bare. 

As Gregory worked, his eyes darted to Billy, who stood silently nearby. Billy's expression was a curious blend of pride and melancholy—a quiet guardian of mysteries. Gregory recalled every word Billy had spoken, every subtle hint in his tone, as if the animatronic itself was trying to convey more than just technical data. The memory of Billy's journey, his encounters, and the fragments of his own enigmatic programming fueled Gregory's determination. 

In that dim, dusty room, Gregory's thoughts churned. He was not merely recovering old code; he was piecing together a puzzle that could redefine everything he knew about the Mega PizzaPlex. Each keystroke and every line of revealed programming deepened his resolve. He began cross-referencing the recovered data with other hidden segments of the network, his mind calculating possibilities and vulnerabilities that might finally unlock Billy's true nature.

Gregory's inner monologue was a relentless mix of scientific curiosity and a growing, almost obsessive, need to understand this anomaly. He noted the discrepancies between the expected routines of standard Glamrock animatronics and the unique signatures Billy carried. Every piece of data brought him closer to deciphering the virus's insidious impact on the system, and every word from Billy echoed in his mind as both a guide and a warning.

Even as the terminal's screen illuminated the forgotten legacy of Monty and Freddy, Gregory knew that the journey ahead was far from over. The answers hidden within this cascade of code were only the beginning. The secrets Billy embodied—and the mysteries of his own origins—beckoned Gregory to venture further into the uncharted digital depths of the Mega PizzaPlex. And with each flicker of the monitor, the promise of revelations grew ever more tantalizing.