Disclaimer: this will mostly be based off of Markiplier's gameplay.

Freddy Fazbear Pizzaplex
Ken's POV
I climbed back into Freddy's stomach hatch and it closed safely behind me. When the projection of Freddy's point of view lit up in front of my eyes, I saw Chica and Monty prowling exactly where I'd been just a second ago, looking confused.

Chica was still walking with her weird limp. I was really starting to worry about her.

"Go upstairs," Freddy's voice rang in the stomach hatch; I still couldn't tell if it was from Freddy himself or from the FazWatch. "And do not worry. They cannot find you while we are together."

He was right about that. I was literally inside Freddy, yet neither Chica nor Monty paid any attention to him. They just continued walking aimlessly around the outside of the Daycare, taking care to check every corner. When they were satisfied, they started towards the stairs that led to the second floor.

Freddy had told me to go upstairs. That implied that I could take control of his movements. I'd had a feeling that I could, but Freddy had never granted me access before now. I tried out the mechanics by pressing my feet into the "floor" of the hatch and making Freddy take a few tentative steps. It felt stable enough, so I tried my hand at climbing the stairs. I was doing pretty good and was feeling pretty proud of myself, then a familiar voice reached my ears, "I bet you don't even have friends."

I controlled Freddy's head to swing around to find where the hurtful comment came from. To my surprise, I caught sight of Roxanne Wolf leaving the hall through another exit.

You don't even know me, I wanted to tell her. Who are you to say I don't have any friends?

Me and Freddy were nearly at the top of the stairs, Monty uncomfortably close behind, when the lights went out. I didn't think much of it at first, but Freddy seemed worried. "We are almost out of time," He told me urgently. "We need to get to a Recharge Station immediately. Every hour, the power is diverted to the Recharge Stations. When that happens the lights go out, and when that happens the Daycare Attendant is free to roam the building. It will find you."

At first I thought he was talking about Sunny, and I was about to tell him that, even though Sunny is a stickler for rules, he could probably let us go. But then I realized that the lights were off and my mind recalled what I had just gone through in the Daycare.

Sunny became a completely different person when the lights were off.

Dread started creeping in. I slowly turned Freddy's head around to look back at the Daycare doors, hoping with all my heart that Freddy was wrong.

Just as slowly, like something straight out of a horror movie, the door to the Daycare creeped open. In the shadows, a dark hand wrapped around the edge of the door and a matching head peered out.

And it was hard to forget that nightcap on its round head.

I didn't wait to check if Moony saw us - I forced Freddy to whip his head back forward, and I charged us up the stairs. "I saw a Recharge Station on the way in here," I told him. "Right next to the entrance to the Daycare, I think."

"Correct!" Freddy commended me. "That is the closest Recharge Station. Let us hurry." Inside his stomach hatch, I was beaming; I was so proud of myself. I was starting to learn my way around the pizzeria!

We scaled the stairs and found ourselves on a second floor that seemed to be mostly party rooms; through windows, I saw long tables lined with pointy party hats. The waiting area where I'd entered the Daycare was on the opposite side of where we were and I guided Freddy to start in that direction, albeit at a brisk pace. Out of curiosity, I moved his head to peek over his shoulder to see if Moony was following us.

He was, and at an alarmingly close distance.

My heartbeat sped up a little; in turn, I sped up Freddy. His footsteps quickened in succession, though the sound was punctuated by the rapid following of footsteps too close for comfort.

Please, Moony, I mentally begged Sunny's meaner half. Please leave us alone.

We finally reached the large waiting area and entered through a side door. The large statues of Sunny and Moony became flashes of gold in Freddy's peripheral vision as we hurried to the roll-up door that made up the back wall - the way I'd came in. As we got closer, a notice popped into Freddy's sight that read OPEN DAYCARE DOOR? YES/NO. I hesitated one split second, then reached up my physical hand and pushed YES. Miraculously, the door started to roll up in front of us. I didn't bother wasting time to check if Moony was closing in - I could practically feel him breathing down Freddy's neck - before I ducked us under the door. Another notice that read CLOSE DAYCARE DOOR? YES/NO popped up, and I picked YES once more.

The sound of the door closing once more filled the dark hallway as we stood there, trying to gather our wits. I looked to our left and nearly cried in relief when I saw the Recharge Station. We raced over; the notice to open the cylinder appeared, and I pressed YES. After entering the bright interior of the Recharge Station, the notice to close the door came through and I picked that YES too.

I had a painful memory of the last time I'd been in a Recharge Station with Freddy, but luckily, we weren't the ones charging. Rather, we were starting the Recharge Cycle to recharge the pizzeria.

At least, I think that's how it works.

I was contemplating the concept when I realized that the edges of Freddy's vision was starting to glitch, warping the image like a fun house mirror. I worried that the Recharge Cycle had started on Freddy and braced myself for the onslaught of electricity. But then I saw something moving through the window of the Recharge Station - skipping, actually. Through the static, I watched as a shadowy figure with glowing red eyes skipped past the cylinder, seemingly unaware of me and Freddy inside. Two things on the top of its head that were too floppy to be actual hair moved up and down with each skip - it was most likely a bunny costume. Whoever it was looked like they were holding something pointy. I leaned forward in an attempt to get a better look.

And promptly jerked back, nearly adding the back of my head to my growing list of injuries. Great Spinjitzu Master. They were holding a knife.

I kept still and quiet in Freddy's stomach hatch, trying not to give the bunny person any reason to check the Recharge Station. They continued skipping through the hall until they vanished from Freddy's line of sight; after a few seconds, the glitching also disappeared from his vision. I waited a few seconds before I felt safe enough to ask, "WHAT WAS THAT?"

"That is a fountain," Freddy replied nonchalantly. "A fountain is a decorative reservoir used for dispensing water."

"Wait, wha?" I asked incredulously. How did he not see it? It had been right there! "Didn't you see the rabbit right in front of us?"

"No, I did not," Freddy replied, sounding apologetic. "There is no rabbit at the Mega Pizzaplex... not anymore."

That certainly made me pause. I vaguely recalled there being a rabbit mascot at the Pizzaplex before Monty, but I couldn't remember what its name was, let alone why it had been replaced. I kinda wanted to ask Freddy about it, but he'd sounded legitimately pained when he'd told me that there was no longer a rabbit animatronic. I decided to respect his privacy and not pry.

"Well, one thing I'm sure of is it wasn't an animatronic," I told him with full certainly. "It looked like a woman wearing a rabbit costume. And I'm also sure that she was carrying a knife..."

"A knife?" Freddy asked worriedly. "Why would she have a knife with her? Someone could get hurt if she is not careful with it."

Something told me that being "careful" was the farthest thing from the woman's mind. "She has to be the one who kidnapped me," I thought out loud. "Why else would she be wearing a costume and carrying a knife?"

"But why would she want to hurt you?" Freddy asked.

"I don't know the real reason..." I relented, scratching the back of my neck sheepishly. "All she told me when she brought me here was that it would be a bad look for the company if someone was caught sneaking around after hours."

"While that is true," Freddy admitted, also sounding sheepish. "I hardly think that implies murder is the best course of action. I am not aware of any of the S.T.A.F.F. who would do such a thing."

If Freddy didn't have any idea who the rabbit was, that meant we had to start from scratch. Get to know your enemy, as PIXAL would say.

"Whoever she is, she obviously has some major tech skills," I noted. "It can't be a coincidence that she was in this hallway - she must have access to the security system and saw either you, me, or both of us enter the Daycare. And you have no memory of seeing her, even though she was right in front of us; she must have some technology that allows her to hack into animatronics remotely." Another thought occurred to me, and I hated myself for not bringing it up sooner. "Not to mention, the lights went out when I grabbed the security badge in the Daycare - they were doing fine up until that point. Sunny told me afterwards that taking the security badge shouldn't cause the lights to go out; if it did, the Daycare would probably be out of business with Moony taking control on a regular basis."

Anger heated my senses as I stared in the direction the rabbit lady had gone. "She must have been watching the cameras and turned the lights off the second I grabbed the badge, knowing Sunny would have no choice but to follow the rules and ban me from the Daycare! That way, we couldn't use it as a home base." My blood boiled as I thought how Sunny, poor Sunny who only wanted to follow the rules, got used as a pawn in a sick lady's game.

Freddy didn't say anything to that, so I continued with my theory, "If she was able to track my every move, turn off the lights in the Daycare, and keep you from seeing her, who knows what else she's capable of? Who knows what else in this building is under her control?" Apprehension coiled in my gut as I stared at the walls of the pizzeria, now looking much more shadowed and menacing than before. "This is insane - this entire place could be hunting me!"

"I am not," Freddy said placatingly.

I was about to tell him that I knew he was helping me and I appreciated it, but something made me pause. "That's a good point," I said thoughtfully. "Why are you helping me?"

"I... do not know," Freddy responded, sounding surprised at his own chivalry. "I want to help you." His tone turned hopeful. "Maybe they want to help you, too."

"I don't think so," I rebutted. "You should have seen the way they chased me in the Maintenance Tunnels - they were like mechanical predators."

"Do not take it too personally," Freddy assured me, sounding slightly exasperated. "Monty is like that with everyone."

Oh goodie, I thought I was the only one, I groused dryly.

We had been inside the Recharge Station during our entire conversation, but now Freddy opened the door and took us back into the hall. "Good news," He told me excitedly. "The front doors will open in five hours."

"FIVE HOURS?!" I yelled incredulously. "It's tough enough trying to survive five minutes! I'll never make it 'til 6am..."

"Do not panic," Freddy said soothingly. "If we get separated again, you can always call me on your FazWatch." I was feeling a little more hopeful before he added, "As long as I have power... and I am able to reach you."

Hope was still there, but slightly diminished.

We were quiet the entire walk out of the Daycare. When we reached the main balcony, Freddy felt it was necessary to speak up, "We should get moving. You can access the main atrium with your new security badge."

In all the horror of seeing the rabbit lady, I'd forgotten all about the security badge I'd gotten from the Daycare; the one that had caused Sunny to have a breakdown. I grimaced at the memory as I took out the badge and held it out to the elevator. It didn't seem to do anything while I was in Freddy's stomach hatch, so I slipped out and went up to the large elevator doors - it was the only thing that looked like an entrance to an atrium.

As I held the badge up to the elevator panel, Freddy spoke up again, "Ken, I have identified two possible exit points."

"Two?" I asked as I turned back to face him; the hope was back full force. "That's two more than what we had before!"

"Yes," Freddy agreed, then proceeded to elaborate. "The main loading dock is located under the food court on the first floor. There is also a fire escape in the third floor Prize Counter. Check your FazWatch. I will mark both locations on your Faz Map." I waited for a few seconds before Freddy told me dejectedly, "It appears that you have no Faz Map. You should be able to obtain one from the greeter on the center balcony."

I blinked at him. "You mean the Faz Map isn't automatically included with the FazWatch?" I asked, tapping the device on my wrist inquisitively.

"Yes, unfortunately," Freddy confirmed sadly. "A clever marketing ploy that forces the guests to further explore the Pizzaplex."

Of course. What is a business without marketing ploys?

I turned back to the now open elevator doors. "We may need to split up," I told Freddy. "Just because you've identified the exit points doesn't mean they're accessible. If we go together and go to one of the exit points and it ends up being blocked, we'll just waste time going to the other one. It's probably better if we split up and go to either exit - that way, if one is open and the other is blocked, we can meet up at the unblocked one."

Freddy made a noise of assessment. "It seems like a good plan," He admitted. "But I must raise a pressing concern. What if you run into one of the others?"

That thought had crossed my mind as well. "Don't worry," I assured Freddy, stepping into the elevator; I turned around and gave him what I hoped was a reassuring smile. "I can take care of myself. If I run into them, I'll run - and if I can't run, I'll fight. I can land a few good hits." As the doors started to close, I called to him, "I'll take the first floor exit point, you take the third floor!"

Freddy called back, but the doors closed before I could catch what he said.

Only after the elevator started moving did I let my smile drop. I had made this decision by attempting to think calmly and rationally, like PIXAL tells us to do. But now I couldn't escape the creeping dread that I had made the wrong choice. Maybe it would have been smarter to stay with Freddy. I still don't fully know my way around the pizzeria, and at least he could sneak me past the other animatronics.

The walls of the elevator seemed to close around me as my breathing quickened and my heartbeat sped up, almost roaring in my ears. I vaguely realized that I was on the verge of a panic attack, and tried to calm myself down by holding my hands to my temples and breathing deeply; that just made me hyperventilate even more. I made the wrong choice I made the wrong choice I made the wrong choice...

Finally the sound of the elevator reaching its destination jarred me from my rabbit hole, and I slowly lifted my head to the doors as they opened. What I saw made my jaw drop.

Before, it hadn't occurred to me to take into account just how big the Mega Pizzaplex was - now it was staring me in the face. The elevators had opened into a large room that had to be at least the length and width of a football field, with several floors on either side looking onto the main space; the main space being a large circular stage that currently had giant holograms of the animatronic mascots slow-dancing above it. Everything was done in shades of neon and I felt my eyes strain in order to take it all in.

The size should have sent me further into despair - how was I supposed to navigate a building this size? - but instead, I felt strangely... invigorated. I felt the need to explore, to find, to know more. I didn't know if this weird new feeling was my natural instinct to hunt or the stupid courageous part of me taking over; either way, it gave me the second wind I needed. I could do this. I took a cautious step into the new room.

All of a sudden, a robot was right in front of me, staring into my soul, making me yelp and jerk back. It looked suspiciously like one of the security bots, so I prepared myself to run, but then I realized that it was wearing a tourist hat, what appeared to be glasses, and a tank top with the universal symbol for information printed on the front. Not a security bot, then - probably the greeter Freddy mentioned. "Hi," It greeted in a monotone, thrusting a folded paper map in front of my eyes. "Please take this map. Take a map."

I waited a few seconds to calm my racing heart, staring at the greeter. I moved from foot to foot in an attempt to dissuade it, but it simply followed my movements, shifting on its wheels to face me at every turn. It seemed adamant about giving me a map.

Freddy had said that I would need a "Faz Map", so I shakily took the paper map from its outstretched hand. "T-thank you," I told it, then added, "You are by far the scariest thing I've encountered in this place so far - congrats."

It pulled a 360 on its wheels, seeming almost pleased with itself. I watched its trek as it left, then cautiously checked the floor to see if there were anymore "surprises". Finding none, I unfolded the map to check my location. To my surprise and a little dismay, I discovered that the Pizzaplex had a lot more floors than I originally thought: a ground floor, at least three upper floors, and at most three lower levels. Who needs that many basements?

Freddy had said that the loading dock was somehow accessible through the food court on the first floor. According to the map, I was currently on the first floor, and the food courts were right below me. Just to be sure, I double checked my FazWatch, which had miraculously gained a map since the last time I'd checked - the paper map must have a microchip embedded somewhere that allows the digital copy to update whenever a new one is gained. Sure on my route, I took the stairs down to the main level of the stage, keeping an eye out for the other animatronics. I could have sworn I heard Chica rambling, but with no trace of her in sight, I could have just been paranoid.

Underneath the stairs was a line of food vendors, ranging from pizza to pasta. I didn't see anything that looked like a door to a lower floor, though - just an open vent next to a vendor named Salads and Sides. I went up to it and glanced inside. It looked impossibly dark and long - there were no fluorescent lighting in these vents. I had a feeling of trepidation about venturing into such a dark space, then I remembered that I had gotten a flashlight from the Daycare. I retrieved it from one of my pockets (which were starting to get heavy) and shone it into the deep expanse of the vent.

Not as dark as before, but still pretty long.

As I prepared to enter the ventilation system, Freddy came through on my FazWatch, "I must warn you: when you enter an area where you do not have a locator map signal, I will be unable to reach your location. You can update your mini map at a security office."

"Is there a security office at the end of this vent?" I asked him.

"Yes," He confirmed. "Be safe."

I stared into the shadows of the vent and grimaced. "I'll try."

With one hand holding up my flashlight, I got down onto my knees inside the vent and began my crawl. I passed through several filthy air ducts, each of them lined with concerning sparking outlets. I pressed my side against the opposite wall of the vent in an attempt to keep my hair from catching fire; the action further dirtied my coat until I was sure that it would take forever to get the stains out. The entire time, the shadows of the vent continued to stretch on and on, and I kept imagining that I heard scuttling far off.

Wait... if I'm imagining it, why is it getting louder? And why does it seem like it's coming from behind me? Curiosity bordering on dread, I angled the beam of my flashlight over my shoulder and peeked.

And nearly wet my pants.

Behind me was the stuff of nightmares. A small robot with large round black eyes stared at me from where it stood atop six spider-like legs. What might've been cymbals at one point were now dirty plates attached to its hands, which it hoisted menacingly. A wide oval mouth lined with cracked teeth gaped on its face - to my shock, the rows of teeth opened and closed with a haunting clicking noise. A small black top hat was perched on the top of its head, but it did nothing to permeate the frightening air the thing gave off as it seemed to rattle on its many feet.

WHAT THE HECK AM I EVEN LOOKING AT??!! My mind shrieked, though I didn't dare scream out loud.

One thing was sure - I did NOT want that thing touching me. I whipped around and continued through the vents, albeit at a much more frantic pace than what I was going before. I passed through several more openings and past numerous sparking outlets, miraculously without smelling smoke coming from my person. The whole time, I heard the tiny robot scrape along behind me. What do you want from me? I griped.

I soon came to a small dip in the ventilation system, which led to a steep decline that spiraled deeper into the pizzeria. I had mixed feelings about sliding down with no clue about where I would end up, but the sound of the robot getting closer quickly melded the feelings into one thought: GO.

So I forced my legs out from under me and pushed myself into the slide. It was nowhere near as colorful and smooth as the one in the Daycare, but it was fast, and I heard the sounds of the robot fade away behind me. I continued spiraling deeper and deeper into the pizzeria until I was finally spat out onto my backside on a hard concrete floor.

"Ouch," I whimpered, rubbing the scraped areas gently. "Where's a First Aid Station when you need one?"

I waited until the pain subsided somewhat, then forced myself to get to my feet and take in my surroundings. I was in a small rectangular room with walls of brown brick. There were a few lockers against the far wall, a few vending machines (one was labeled Dough for some reason), and there was a bathroom with a wide doorframe. Nothing really of interest  - besides the Freddy head flashlight charging station mounted on the wall. A little relieved, because I didn't have any idea how much battery was left, I opened the mouth and stuck my flashlight in. A top hat lined with blue lights on the top of the station showed the charging process - once all the lights were lit, I took the flashlight out.

I took a quick cautionary peek back into the vents. The robot didn't come sliding down after me, and the chute looked too steep to climb back up. There was no turning back, not that I wanted to with that thing running around up there. I vowed to keep away from the vents as much as I could.

There was a door in the far wall. Beyond it was a room that was nearly staggering in the space difference. I took in the space from atop a metal platform; it was lined as far as I could see with what appeared to be generators or furnaces. "This doesn't look like a security office," I thought out loud. Looking around, I saw another room that was accessible by a connecting platform. Just as I started heading over, though, I heard the worst possible thing: "Our friendly security staff can help."

Great First Spinjitzu Master, Chica is down here too!

I didn't stop to see where she was - I was off and running the second I recognized her voice. She obviously saw me, though, because I heard the telltale sound of something heavy running after me. I reached the room and yanked the door open; I briefly registered that this room did indeed resemble a security office, with numerous desks and computers, before dashing across the space and ducking beneath a desk.

I drew myself into a fetal position and held my breath, trying to make myself as small and as nonexistent as possible. The sounds of Chica making her way through the office reached my ears, and I curled into an even tighter ball. Chica made her way around the rows of desks, pausing in her advances every once in a while, seemingly assessing the room. "I'm just trying to help," She said, though I couldn't tell if she was addressing me or herself; like she was trying to assure herself of something.

Curious despite the odds, I risked a peek from underneath the desk where I was hiding. I caught sight of Chica a few rows away, staring blankly at the room. She really didn't look good. Her exterior was dirty (presumably from walking around the Maintenance Tunnels), her eyes kept twitching, and she almost appeared to be panting. She looked a far cry away from the perky chicken animatronic that several children had come to love.

Chica... what's wrong with you?

I had to pull my head back when Chica started to turn towards my hiding place. She did a quick sweep of the room, then turned around and left the way she came. I waited until her footsteps lessened, then slowly unwound myself from my fetal position and stood up. It was as good a time as any to check out the office, so I started inspecting the desks while keeping an eye on the door. I did a full sweep of the office, but I didn't find anything that resembled a security badge. I ran my hands through my hair and grit my teeth, thoroughly frustrated. Why would Freddy send me to the Kitchen Office if there was no security badge?

Unless... this wasn't the Kitchen Office.

I caught sight of another door opposite the entrance. Upon opening it, I found myself on another metal platform that led to another door. I followed the platform to the new door and discovered that it lead to a small hallway, which had another room that closely resembled the security office I'd been holed up in while being chased in the Maintenance Tunnels; only differences were that this computer screen didn't show snow, and the only door was the one I came in through.

There was also another one of those Freddy-head badge holders on the desk. I pressed the nose and the mouth opened, revealing a pristine security badge. Satisfied, I grabbed the badge and was prepared to head back out, but the sound of outraged chicken bucking and insistent pounding came from the security door. Oh no - Chica must have seen me go into the office! And there was only door - there was no back way out! I double checked that the office door was shut and locked before speaking into the FazWatch: "Freddy, are you there? I'm trapped! Chica found me, and there's only one security door!"

"How unfortunate," Freddy commented and I had to resist the urge to snort. Understatement of the year, buddy! "But I have good news: it looks like you can access the Fazbear online pizza delivery system through that console!"

I eyed the computer screen, which was lit up with the cartoon depiction of Helpy the bear holding a steaming pizza, standing next to a button that claimed ORDER NOW. "How is pizza going to help me get out of this?"

"Chica loves pizza," Freddy replied nonchalantly, like it was a fact everyone should know.

Seeing no other alternative, I decided to comply. There wasn't a keyboard below the screen, just another Freddy-head button. I pressed it and the cheerful announcer voice I'd been hearing all night filled the security office: "Welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pixzaplex Quick Delivery Virtual ordering system. Congratulations! You have qualified for a free Supreme upgrade. Additional charges may apply. Let's get started."

The screen changed to the inside of what seemed to be a large kitchen, and below the camera was holding a pile of dough. "You are now in one of our highly qualified pizza making S.T.A.F.F. bots," The announcer explained. "Follow the instructions on the left side of your screen to force the bot to make your perfect mouth-watering pizza."

Didn't know how I felt about forcing something to do my bidding, but I was running low on options. There was a diamond of arrows in the lower right hand corner of the screen; I positioned my fingers over them and waited for the first instructions.

"Yum. Delicious dough. This dough needs some sauce."

I waited for something more, like directions to the Sauce Station, but the monotone voice was silent after the first step. Realizing I had to find the station myself, I punched the arrows and guided the S.T.A.F.F. bot around the kitchen. Upon finding the Sauce Station, I stuck the dough under the dispenser and it automatically started up to cover the center of the dough with sticky red sauce.

"Your parents want you to follow me."

Chica. She must have heard the noise and came to investigate.

Man, this can't go fast enough.

"It is now time for some cheese. Yum," Came the next the step. Time to find the Cheese Station, then.

"Don't worry - you're safe with me!" Chica continued to ramble as the announcer took that moment to ask, "Would you like to take a short survey about your experience?"

I was so distracted by the onslaught of voices and my lookout for Chica that I nearly missed the Cheese Station and had to circle back. After dusting the pizza with a layer of yellow fuzz, the bot instructed, "Let's get some delicious meat." Meat Station - yes. Easy-peasy... except that there was both a Meat and a Not-Meat station, and I nearly made the mistake of mixing the two up. Luckily, I caught the difference between the signs and reversed back to the Meat Station. Why are these stations so far apart? I grouched inwardly.

"Let me take you to your parents."

"I highly doubt that you know my parents, Chica," I groaned loud - with all the stress, I had almost forgotten that I was still tucked away in the security office.

"Ken - are you speaking to yourself?" Freddy asked, sounding concerned for my well-being.

"It's how I deal with stress; don't judge me!" I told him defensively, though even I was judging my sanity by this point.

After the Meat Station, I moved onto the Not-Meat Station and doused the dough with some suspiciously colored ovals. "Time to bake," Droned the bot after the fact. "An oven would be ideal."

Finally - the pizza was ready! I raced the bot around the kitchen until I spotted the red-painted oven, then guided it over and popped the raw dough with fixings in. As it took the time to bake, I kept an eye out for Chica, swiveling the bot to look all around the kitchen. No sign of her yet besides all the rambling, but that could quickly change.

After what seemed like a thousand years, the oven opened and spat out my pizza, secure inside a white box. "Delicious!" The announcer commended. "To ensure a safe and timely delivery, our cutting-edge Pizza Tracker allows you to deliver the pizza to your own home or residence. Additional mileage charges may apply." Shaking my head, I guided the bot to take the pizza.

"Pizza?"

Gasping despite myself, I swiveled the bot around and took in the sight of Chica standing in the entrance to the kitchen. I may still be back in the security office, but I still felt like a kid that had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar under her twitching gaze. After a few seconds, she rushed forward and grabbed the bot, making the image shake. The last thing I saw was Chica delightedly screeching "Pizza!" before the screen went dark.

Back in the security office, the screen changed back to Helpy with his pizza and the announcer cheerily declared, "Your pizza has been delivered. How would you rate your service? Pick two that apply."

But I was thoroughly shaken by Chica. I had seen the sickly way she'd looked in the other office, and just now, it looked like she was starving when she attacked the bot.

I didn't know Chica personally, but I knew something was seriously wrong with her.

And if something was wrong with her... what does that mean for the others?

—————

5846 words.

Ken is starting to think smart.

Where will it get him?

Let's find out.