Trust Me

March 7, 1976 - Circus Baby World - 9:35 P.M. (Present Time)

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Ah, back at it again, thought William, as he waited for the elevator to bring him down to his workplace. My God, I hope I find out what's causing those animatronics to glitch out soon, because if the rest of this job is going to play out like the past week did, I don't want any part of it, even with the promotion and the raise up for grabs. Getting kidnapped, stuffed inside a suit, and nearly getting murdered is not what I want with a job.

This better be some raise, Mr. Cunningham. There is no way I'm putting up with this shit every week without getting a decent payment. That's for sure. I mean, I would quit if there any other decent paying jobs available, but this paycheck better be worth everything I've experienced this past week. He brought up the Hand-Unit to give his instructions for tonight.

"Welcome back to your last day on the job. That is, the last day of your first week. So congratulations on making it this far! We hope you've gotten the hang of things so far. Some of the most valued qualities that we like to see in our new employees are determination, fearlessness in the face of death, and a genuine disregard for instinctive self-preservation, and clearly, you've got all of those qualities."

Disregard for self-preservation? Ugh, why is it that I'm only realizing this now? Well, at least it's giving me a few compliments, too.

"You've earned your one week bonus which will be given to you in the form of a delightful gift basket, the cost of which will be taken out of your next paycheck. We have gift baskets containing fruit, nuts, flowers, and of course, the ever-popular cash basket. Using the keypad below, please enter the first few letters of the gift basket you would like to receive."

This better not be costing me much. Well, which one should I get? What happens if I get the cash-basket? Do I still have to pay for it out of my next paycheck? He was curious to find out, so he tried typing in cash, but, yet again, the Hand-Unit glitched out.

"It seems you had some trouble with the keypad. I see what you were trying to type, and I will autocorrect it for you. Thank you for selecting: Exotic Pizza!"

William was in a state of confusion, as if something was clearly not right here, but he wasn't sure what...

"I've detected a small error in that autocorrection, and I am sorry for putting it wrong. I now see what you were trying to type in, and I have just re-corrected that autocorrection for you. Thank you for selecting: Exotic Butters!"

He let out a huge sigh. Well, at least it's better than the basket of flowers, thought William. And I wonder how these butters would taste with some popcorn...

"Please be aware that there are still two technicians on site today. Try to avoid interfering with their work, if possible. Also, feel free to ask them why they are still there, and encourage them to go home."

Wait, why do I have to tell them to go home? Didn't you just say they were doing work? He was also wondering if these were the same technicians from yesterday who saved, which in this case, William was more than grateful for that. As the elevator reached a stop, William pressed the red button and exited the elevator, and once again went through the entrance vent-way.

He crawled through the vent way and into the primary control module, where he was waiting for the next set of instructions from his Hand-Unit. As he looked around the room, he noticed that there was clearly something not right. The security camera seemed to have its wires cut, and the clown mask that was hanging on the wall in the back of the room had gone missing. Not to mention the place seemed like it was a bit messy, too. What happened to the camera? The Hand-Unit continued giving instructions.

"Let's check on Ballora, and make sure she's on her stage."

William walked over to the left touchpad, and pressed the light button. As the lights came on in the Ballora gallery, however, what William saw next would make his stomach sick. There was a dead body, hanging on a rope around the neck in the middle of Ballora's stage. His head seemed to be absolutely covered in blood, with seemingly strange bite-marks on his forehead that William could barely see.

He couldn't see too much from where he was standing, but he recognized this man. This was one of the men that saved him from the springlock suit just the other night ago. Did he commit suicide? Wait a minute...did that guy in the mask do this? But why would he hang him from the ceiling? And how did this man get all of those bite-marks? I really have no clue on what the actual hell is going on here. The Hand-Unit didn't seem to be aware of anything, and just went on like it was a normal day.

"Great. Now, let's check on Funtime Foxy."

William was scared to check the Funtime Auditorium, as he thought that the other technician the Hand-Unit spoke of was also hanging dead on the stage. Anxiously, he pressed the light button on the Funtime touchpad. Just like on Ballora Gallery, there was another dead technician, hanging by the neck on a rope in the middle of the stage, but this one didn't have nearly as much blood on him. William could see a lot more dried blood around the neck-area of this technician. He could recognize this man, too: he also helped William escape the springlock suit, and the thought that both of these men who tried to save him died tonight gave shivers down William's back.

There is clearly someone else down here with me, and whoever it is, they must've killed those two technicians. But why them? Why would anyone do this? Those poor guys. I'll make sure their deaths won't go unavenged. This I swear. The Hand-Unit continued, completely oblivious.

"Great. It looks like everything is as it should be in Funtime Auditorium. Your task today will involve more maintenance work. Circus Baby had a rough day, and is in need of repair. You will be required to reach the Parts & Service room by once again sneaking through Funtime Auditorium. As always, please proceed with caution, and use your flash beacon sparingly."

This Hand-Unit clearly isn't designed for situations like this. I mean, I was already sure of that three nights ago, but now it's just ridiculous. Mr. Cunningham needs to get this thing fixed sooner or later. And, once again, William made sure to get out his little flash beacon in his back pocket. After what happened two nights ago, I'm keeping my eyes sharp. I don't need Funtime Foxy or that man trying to get at me a second time. He pulled out the flash beacon and made sure it and his flashlight were working, just in case that man came back, and crawled through the vent way into Funtime Auditorium.

He activated the flash beacon to get a good look at his surroundings, and he didn't see any sign of Funtime Foxy or the man anywhere so far. Just seemed like a safe shot to the parts and service room across the tables here. He could also briefly see one of the two technicians still hanging from the Funtime stage. I am so sorry for what happened to you. I just need to make sure that doesn't happen to me.

While he kept walking slowly through the pitch black room, he couldn't hear anything else other than the sound of his footsteps and the air conditioning. Nothing at all. Don't take this for granted, William. Remember, this is exactly like what happened two nights ago. I'm not taking any chances. He used the flash beacon again to try and see if anyone was still there, but there was no one. Just some decorated tables and some leftover pizza. Is no one really here? Did Funtime Foxy escape somehow? Or is this some kind of trap?

There didn't seem to be any signs of anyone in the room. Or at least any signs he could see. I feel like this is some kind of trap, I just know it. None of this seems right. He used the flash beacon again to see how far away the door to parts and service was, and there was still nothing else to be heard. Luckily, the door was just up ahead. He made sure to be extra careful now, just in case something was going to strike at him the moment he got too close to the door. Still nothing. It's way too quiet. Something isn't right.

He used the flash beacon one more time, and found that the door was right in front of him. Alright, so far nothing has come at me yet. But I'm not taking any chances. He carefully twisted the handle, unsure if something was waiting there for him, but when he took a peak, there was no one. He slowly entered the parts and service room, and turned the Hand-Unit back on to gain his next set of instructions.

"Great job on reaching Parts & Service. Circus Baby has been deactivated for an unknown reason. It's your job to make sure she's structurally stable and secured to the conveyor. Our technicians will take it from there-"

Strangely enough, the Hand-Unit violently screamed out in static at the very end, like something was interrupting it. Then, it shut off, and seemed to let out a tiny spark. Something is seriously wrong here, William thought. First it was the dead technicians hanging from the stages, then there wasn't any sign of Funtime Foxy, and now these people don't even know why Circus Baby's been deactivated. I could've sworn that it mentioned something about her having a bad day before.

Not to mention that the Hand-Unit just cutting off like that without glitching out made him feel uncomfortable, too. Most of the time it usually just glitched out, even mixing up the voice sometimes, but it was never cut off like this. Yeah, this thing is definitely busted. He pulled out his flashlight to take a look around, and found that Circus Baby was right in front of him, on some kind of conveyor system. He checked her metal plating for any signs of damage, leaks, or a malfunction, but there didn't seem to be anything particularly wrong with her. Other than the fact that her eye-sockets seemed to be empty, not showing her green eyes. She was also completely still. Then, she started speaking.

"Can you hear me? I know there's a bright light flashing around here. Wait, is that you, William? I can't see too well right now."

"Yes, Baby, it's me. I can hear you loud and clear."

"Strange. I didn't expect to see you here tonight. Oh, and not because of you getting stuffed in a springlock suit, no."

"Why is that? And what happened to you?"

"I'm pretending. Remember last night when I said I could pretend? Well, the cameras are watching us. I must be careful not to move too much. They will know if there's anything wrong. Something bad happened today. Something bad always happens around here. I don't want it to happen ever again."

"Are you talking about those dead technicians I saw earlier, or was this something else?"

"Dead technicians? You mean the ones that were trying to send me to the scooper?Hmm...that does sound weird. I was wondering why they left me here and didn't come back. It was taking a long time, I knew that. But I didn't think they were dead."

"Why do they want to send you to the scooper, anyway? I don't see anything wrong with you."

"They found something bad...inside of me! I think I'm broken. They said I just can't be fixed. I was going to be taken to the scooping room soon, so they could try to repair me, but I know that's not going to fix what's wrong with me. What is bad is always left behind, one way or another. But maybe if we act fast enough, I won't have to get scooped out. Will you help me, William? Please?"

William thought about this for a moment. He remembered that Mr. Cunningham and Dave mentioned that there was something wrong with these animatronics, but there was never a definite answer on why they were malfunctioning. If he did choose to help Baby now, he could perhaps find out what exactly it was that was making these machines malfunction. It might be just that! Not to mention Baby had already saved his ass several times before, and now it seemed to be time to help return the favor. Besides, she was the only animatronic that seemed to connect with him on a deeper level, and, in a way, he started caring about her. He couldn't just abandon her when she needed help most.

"Yes, of course I'll help you."

"Thank you, William. I knew you had it in you. I want you to help me save what is good, so the rest can be destroyed and never recovered. But you must be careful. Ballora is outside, lurking around the Funtime Auditorium. She is waiting for you. Ballora will not return to her stage. Ballora will not return to her body. You must be careful. You must remain calm, and listen to my voice."

"Wait, what?! I didn't even notice anyone was in the Funtime Auditorium! And what do you mean by 'not return to her body'?"

"Remember last night when you saw her get scooped? Well, her metal plating was removed, but her endoskeleton inside escaped, and she's still as dangerous as before. Now there's nothing holding her back."

There seemed to be something off with Baby today. She seemed a bit more mysterious than before, and for some reason, William wasn't trusting everything Baby told him. Yes, she didn't sound as terrifying as last night, but there was just something in the back of his mind that told him not to trust everything she was saying.

"So what am I supposed to do?"

"There is a button located on my cheek. You must find it, and press it."

William looked around Baby's face, trying to search Baby's cheeks for any sign of the button she was referring to. Eventually, he came across a small button, right underneath Baby's left eye, and pressed it. As soon as he did, a small part of Baby's metal plating came off, near her left eye, and opened up to reveal some sort of combination lock inside, behind her ear.

"There is a passcode that you must enter before you can retrieve me. Enter this code in carefully. Press each number as I go along. Seven. One. Seven. Four. Four. Five. Seven. Two. Nine. Three."

William did his best to press each tiny button on the pad in the correct order.

"Good. A hatch should have opened one my right side. Take the little card that you find inside. We're going to need it."

William looked around Baby, and found on the right side of her face, a hatchet was already opened, dropping what seemed to be a tiny, green electronic card on the ground. He bent over and carefully picked it up, not sure of what to do with it.

"Now you must turn back. I will guide you through Funtime Auditorium so you can reach the scooping room safely. When you are there, I want you to destroy this body. Don't worry, my endoskeleton will be fine. I just need them to think that I have been broken down. Besides, I've got a much better suit than this piece of garbage, anyways. Make sure to put the card into your Hand-Unit, and I can continue to speak to you. It works like a… what's it called, oh yeah, a walkie-talkie, I think. Now, press the square green button to your left. This will send me to the scooping room."

William was skeptical of this. He did not like this plan at all, considering his moment of terror last night being trapped in the scoop room in a springlock suit. He didn't even know how to work the scooper, much less how he was going to help fix Baby. So, he decided it was best that if his gut thought that anything seemed off, he would listen to it. He then proceeded to press the green button on the wall, underneath Baby's left arm. As he did this, Baby was carried away by the conveyer that took Ballora yesterday, slowly and creepily, inside of the scoop room, vanishing from William's sight. It made the same mechanical whirring noise as it did last night.

"Ok. Testing, testing. William, if you can hear this, just make sure to follow my lead. If not, I'll try seeing what I can do to help."

He pulled out his Hand-Unit so he could hear her better.

"You must follow my instructions in Funtime Auditorium. Ballora is going to follow you the moment you leave the room. She will try to kill you. I will help you avoid that. She will not follow you inside the scooping room; she is afraid after what happened last night. Now, go back."

He exited the parts and service room and re-entered the Funtime Auditorium. As he did this, something odd crossed his mind: how did Ballora even escape from the scooper room and get inside of the Funtime Auditorium in the first place? Did she kill those technicans somehow? Or was the backdoor left open by accident? It didn't make sense to him at all, and his gut was telling him that something was definitely not right here. But he could hear some banging inside of the room.

It wasn't any kind of footstep banging, though. It sounded a lot more like someone banging on a door. The noise was coming from the right far side of the room, but he thought it was best to avoid that and move on. I don't know what that was and I'm pretty sure I don't want to. He could hear Baby giving him some more instructions.

"Whatever you do, don't use your flash beacon. That might work on Funtime Foxy, but Ballora's eyes aren't sensitive to light. If anything, using it would only help her find you. Now go forward... stop. Go forward and left... Keep going..."

William continued to follow Baby's instructions through the Hand-Unit, trying to still be aware of his surroundings.

"Stop. Be silent."

He waited for a few moments and did as Baby said, just to make sure.

"Okay. Go forward and left... Stop. Go forward. You are almost there..."

He continued obeying Baby's instructions until it came to the last point.

"Stop. She is standing right in front of you. Don't move."

He was standing so incredibly still that he might as well be paralyzed. How the hell could she have snuck up on me so quietly?! I didn't even hear a peep out of her! He waited for a few moments...still keeping still. Now, he could hear Baby trying to reason with Ballora through the Hand-Unit.

"He is here to help, Ballora. He is not here to hurt us. Ballora, he's different than the others. He wants to help us. Well, I doubt that worked. Go forward again. Ballora is behind you. She is afraid of the scooping room; she will not follow you."

None of this makes any sense, thought William. Ballora was in front of me a few moments ago and now she's behind me all of a sudden? Why didn't she just kill me instantly? I know she has incredibly good hearing, so I would think that she could at least hear me breathing. And how does Baby even know she's here-

It was right here and now that, after connecting the dots, that he realized Baby was lying. Unless she had access to the security cameras, which I doubt she does, she wouldn't even know where Ballora is. How could I have been so stupid?! I think I need to test this for myself. He decided to use his flashlight to see if Ballora was in the auditorium with him. But what if Baby's not lying and she's actually here? She'll probably kill me if I do that. But I know something is wrong. I need to listen to my instincts.

When he turned the flashlight on, he couldn't see any sign of Ballora in the auditorium, anywhere. He checked for around three times just to be sure, and he still couldn't see her. Nor any sign of anyone else. Yep. Baby is definitely lying to me. But why? What does she want? He couldn't think of too many reasons why she would lie to him like this, but he wasn't just going to blindly trust Baby and do whatever it was that she wanted him to do.

So, he did the sensible thing and looked around the Funtime Auditorium with his flashlight to see if there were any other rooms nearby, hoping to find a place to hide before Baby caught up with it. He didn't want to leave just yet because he still wanted to figure out what killed the two technicians. I'm not getting out of here until I know for sure what's going on here. Hell, I've made it this far already, so why not?

He found a doorway not too far away from the door to the scooper. William wasn't keen on waiting for too long, so he thought it was best to enter this room, and hoped that Baby didn't notice. As he tried to enter this room, the Hand-Unit started acting up again.

"Where are you, William? I told you, Ballora won't follow you into the scooping room, it's safe to go now."

William disobeyed Baby and decided to explore the new room he found instead. He could still hear Baby talking to him over the Hand-Unit.

"I feel like you are not trusting me enough. Do you not trust me, William? Haven't I gotten you this far already? Wasn't I the one who helped you survive the past couple of nights? Did you forget that I helped you when no one else down here did? Why should you not put your faith in me now?"

William was starting to get cold feet, so he decided to deactivate the Hand-Unit momentarily. As he did this, he also took out his flashlight and explored the new room he was in, trying to find a light switch since it was dark in there. He was luckily able to find one on the left side of the room near the corner, and flipped the switch. The lights instantly came on, revealing the inside of this mysterious room.

As he looked around, one question filled his mind: What the hell is all of this stuff?