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

Freddy Fazbear Pizzaplex
Ken's POV
Project Reboot. The words blared at me from the top of the paper, burning into the back of my eyes with self-importance. They seemed to scream Read me! I can help you!

But I had no idea what it was.

"Hey, Freddy," I addressed him, looking up at him for the first time since my heated outburst. His normally shiny exterior was dull and dirty in the light from the overhead fixtures, a great contrast against his glowing eyes. "Do you know anything about a 'Project Reboot'?" I pulled the first sheet of paper fully out of the manila envelope and flipped it around to show him.

Freddy leaned forward to study the sheet. His bulbous hands didn't reach out to take the flimsy paper, though I heard the whirring sound of him scanning and processing the contents. "I am afraid I am not familiar with anything titled 'Project Reboot'," He informed me when he finished, leaning back to his original position. "But it says that the head researcher was Luis Palmgreen - he was a Security Guard at the Pizzaplex along with Vanessa."

I flipped the paper back around so that I could see the front. Under the title of the project was a slot titled HEAD RESEARCHER; between the two words, someone had scrawled an arrow and had cheerfully written (and only!) above it. LUIS PALMGREEN was the established researcher.

"Looks like he was working on this all by himself," I noted. I briefly skimmed through the contents on the front and back of the paper - it looked to be an experiment log - though I immediately had to pull away; the margins were a sea of numbers and abbreviations that I had no clue how to decipher. "You said that this Luis guy was a Security Guard?" I asked Freddy in surprise. "This seems pretty high tech for someone that supposedly just walked around the Pizzaplex with a flashlight."

"Luis initially wanted to be a maintenance programmer, but he unfortunately did not meet the job requirements," Freddy explained. "So he settled for daytime Security Guard instead. As I recall, he often got in trouble with his superiors for sneaking down to Parts and Service during his breaks and fiddling with one piece of machinery or another."

I tilted my head at him; I felt my sweaty hair stick and unstick along the wall at the movement. "You talk about him using past tense," I told him. "So he doesn't work here anymore?"

Freddy looked off to the side and looked almost sad. "Unfortunately, yes," He admitted. "A few weeks ago, he didn't show up for his shift. I've overheard some of the maintenance workers talking about how he'd been relocated to a different branch of Fazbear Entertainment. Either that, or he simply moved." His eyes took on a thoughtful expression. "Well... I suppose one scenario would have to cause the other, in any case."

Something didn't sound right about that. "So he just... up and left?" I asked hesitantly. "He didn't tell anyone where he was going? And all anyone knows is that he-" I shifted the paper in my hand so I could make air quotes. "'Moved'?"

Freddy nodded, apparently not seeing the problem. "It was the official reason for his departure, at least," He said simply.

"Official reason. Right..." I muttered disdainfully, glancing back down at the manila envelope. "There seem to be a lot of 'official' reasons around here."

Luckily the first log was in terms I understood. It was written haphazardly in pencil while the project title and Luis's name above it was in formal pen, as if he'd started writing the logs before he'd officially decided on the name. I started reading it out loud for Freddy's sake.

"Entry #1: First off, I'm not writing the dates for this experiment. It's better if anyone who comes across these notes doesn't know how long I've known this. For the same reason, I'm sticking to paper notes instead of logging it down in a computer somewhere. The less paper trail I leave, the better.

"Something is going on here - I'm getting less hours than usual. Normally I would be happy about that, but it's getting to the fact that I'm lucky to get even six hours of work a week - and that's on minimum wage! A girl I work with is having the same problem. And where security is lacking, cleaning bots are taking over. I once saw an entire fleet of them scrubbing away in the stairwell and they wouldn't let me through - I didn't even know we cleaned down there.

"If that wasn't weird enough, the animatronics are acting even weirder. I eavesdropped on some of the programmers, and it turns out that Freddy and the gang are experiencing large memory blackouts, mainly during the night hours when everyone's gone home. That wouldn't raise much concern before, as the Recharge Stations are usually responsible for things like that, but I've been seeing dried red spots in the crevices of their shells. The maintenance guys joke that they've probably been getting into the leftover pizza and that's what's causing the blackouts, but I don't know. It always looks like dried blood to me."

"'Freddy and the gang'?" Freddy broke in, sounding alarmed. "Does that mean..." His voice trailed off, but I understood what he was getting at. We both wanted answers, so I continued.

"The only animatronics that don't seem to be having this problem are the Daycare Attendants. Not sure why, because I personally think they're the most violent of the bunch, but I digress.

"I hope I'm wrong about this, but I can't let this continue without getting a second opinion. And if there's a cover-up in the works, I can't risk these notes falling into the wrong hands. I'll hide this and then go find the head programmer - see if I can get him to run a system check on the animatronics tomorrow."

Luis's explanation for his experiment took up three log boxes; I had to flip over the paper to find the next entry.

"Entry #2: A few days ago, I was able to convince the programming team to run a system check on each of the animatronics. Each test came up empty - officially, there was nothing wrong with them. To be on the safe side, I asked maintenance to check their endos to see if there was anything on the INSIDE that was making them malfunction. Nothing there, either. So I thought I was just being paranoid and let the matter slide.

"Then today when I came in for my shift, I saw a small bloody handprint on a wall in Roxy's room. When I asked her about it, she claimed to not know how it got there and called for a cleaning bot. I went back later and the handprint was gone, no doubt scrubbed away by the cleaner bots. Doesn't matter - I saw it IN ROXY'S ROOM, and she has no idea where it came from, even when she was supposedly in her room all night. Something is definitely going on here.

"I'm not sure exactly what's happening, but my theory is that it's some kind of malware virus that's causing their memory banks to malfunction and their main systems to go haywire. They're probably hurting people during these blackouts, and no one is saying anything about it because it would be a bad look for the company if the main band was discovered breaking down and attacking everyone in sight.

"The virus is probably designed to blend in with the animatronics' general programming, so it doesn't show up on any system scans. There's gotta be something we can do to stop this. I'll bring the matter up with Parts and Service tomorrow."

Entry #2 was as long as Entry #1, and Luis had apparently gone back to scribble equations in the margins. I didn't even try to decipher all of the numbers and instead fished the next sheet of paper out of the envelope.

"Entry #3: I brought up the issue with Parts and Service, trying to play it off as some kind of extra precaution for the animatronics, and they straight up LAUGHED in my face. Said that if age was determined by imagination I'd be with the Daycare kiddies, that I should leave the maintenance work to the actual professionals, yada yada ya.

"Fine. If they won't do anything about this virus, I will."

It was the shortest of the three logs, but the rest of the logs on the front of the page delved into technical mumbo-jumbo that looked like word soup to me. A peek at the back of the page showed three more logs with the same number-savvy language. I took out the next sheet of paper, but both front and back were just lined with numbers. The next paper showed the same thing. It wasn't until I got to the end of the fourth piece of paper that I saw words that I understood.

"Entry #20: I think I've done it. This chip, when plugged into the system of a light-emitting device and aimed into the ocular devices of an animatronic, will send a wireless signal to activate the Reboot system. It will also update the main system in the process so that it will erase all viruses past and present. I didn't use the programming maintenance uses, so hopefully that will ensure that the main virus is eliminated.

"All that's left is testing it out on one of the animatronics.

"On a related note, I've decided to name this little hobby of mine PROJECT REBOOT."

I reached into the envelope to acquire the next set of logs, but something else clattered onto the floor when I pulled out the paper. I set the sheet down in my lap so I could retrieve the new item. It was a thin metal cube that easily fit in the palm of my hand. A small crease around its edges let me know that it was a box. Using my fingernails, I was able to separate the top from the bottom and peer inside at the contents.

There, fitted inside a hollow square of metal, was a computer chip with green circuitry. Along its sides were ports so it could be attached to its predetermined system. It was small, but the way it had been packaged and hidden from wandering eyes told me that it was anything but worthless.

"I'm guessing this is Project Reboot," I told Freddy in amazement, holding up the box so he could see the chip.

He took the opportunity to kneel and made the whirring sound again as his eyes scanned the tech. "Yes," He said almost breathlessly. "And I presume that it is also the item he kept sneaking down here to work on." I nodded and picked up the sheet of paper to continue.

"Entry #21: Tested Project Reboot on its first animatronic. Captain Foxy was one of the many I found with dried blood in his crevices, AND he works with the smaller kids all day. He could get dangerous if one of his blackouts happen in the middle of the day, so I decided to test it on him first. I went to Kid's Cove at the beginning of my shift to see him with Project Reboot in my hand (for convenience sake, I used a FazerBlaster). After using it on him, he shut down and it was a good minute and a half before he started up again. He still didn't seem to remember anything that happened during his blackouts, so no clue if it worked in that aspect. I'll give it a few days, see if anything changes in the pattern."

The log finished there and I was confused by the end of it. I had never heard of a fox-themed animatronic - as long as the Pizzaplex had been open, it had always been Freddy, Roxy, Monty, Chica, and an obscure rabbit mascot that I had forgotten the name of. I took the time to look up at Freddy and ask, "Who's Captain Foxy?"

His eyes looked almost sick. "F-Foxy was one of the more obscure animatronics. He was in charge of Kid's Cove - an attraction right next to Gator Golf. He was programmed to have the demeanor of a pirate, and said things like 'matey' and 'walk the plank' all the time." He trailed off after that, lost in memories of his friend.

"I hear a 'but' coming," I prodded.

Freddy nodded slowly. "But Foxy was also the first of us to be decommissioned. Maintenance pulled us all aside one day to let us know that he'd had an incident with a child and that he'd no longer be in service at the Pizzaplex."

"'Official reason', again?" I asked drily. When he confirmed it, I growled lowly. "Two things could have happened: either Foxy had a blackout and hurt a child, or Project Reboot worked and he didn't get into the kind of trouble they wanted." With that, I bent forward to read the next few logs.

"Entry #22: Captain Foxy was announced for decommissioning today. The official reason is he got in trouble with one of the kids, though if there IS a cover-up happening, I wonder if that's true. I guess I'll never find out if Project Reboot worked on him. To be sure, I'll keep the programming the same and test it on another animatronic.

"Entry #23: Project Reboot got its second test run today. Superstar Bonnie is one of the more liked animatronics, but he has access to large and heavy bowling balls in his Bonnie Bowl attraction - he could be just as dangerous as Captain Foxy during one of his blackouts. I was able to catch him a corner of the bowling alley and use Project Reboot. He had the same reaction as Captain Foxy and was back on his feet in no time at all. When asked, he also claimed to have no memory of what happened during his blackouts. Hopefully HE remains in commission long enough for me to know whether or not Project Reboot actually worked."

"He tested BONNIE, too?!" Freddy suddenly yelled, making me jump and almost drop the computer chip.

I stared at him in shock at his outburst, clutching the contents of Project Reboot to my chest, before realizing something. "Bonnie - was that the name of the previous rabbit mascot?" I asked cautiously.

"Yes!" Freddy told me. "He was the animatronic in charge of Bonnie Bowl, though he was also the bassist of the main band before Monty. He was decommissioned shortly after Foxy. Come to think of it-" The thoughtful expression was back. "Maintenance never gave us a straight answer as to why he was decommissioned. All they would tell us is that he got into an accident and could no longer function properly."

"And that can mean several things," I muttered, taking out the next paper. It was the first long log since Entry #2:

"Entry #24: I can't believe it. It actually worked - I got a solid confirmation that something is happening after hours! I shouldn't be happy about that, but STILL.

"Superstar Bonnie came to find me at the beginning of my shift before the place got really busy. He said he needed to talk to me in private - looked pretty serious, as animatronics go, and he kept looking over his shoulder. When we were alone, he told me that he thought I was right about the animatronics being hacked. Last night, he was in his room practicing for the show the next day, and then he heard something in the hall. He'd gone to his window, looked out, and saw Montgomery Gator dragging what appeared to be an unconscious child into the Maintenance Tunnels. Earlier in the morning, he'd gone to Gator Golf and asked Montgomery Gator what he'd been doing last night, to which the angry alligator had replied - read SHOUTED - that he didn't remember.

"To quote Superstar Bonnie, 'It's ironic that HE doesn't remember doing it, because it's a sight that I'LL never forget'.

"He then went on to ask me what I thought about the whole thing. To be honest, I didn't really think that I'd make it this far and didn't have a plan in place. We both agreed that it was better to use Project Reboot on the other animatronics as soon as possible. I told Superstar Bonnie to try to talk Freddy Fazbear into seeing me - as leader of the band, he could have considerable influence over the others and convince them to also see me.

"Also, my first real project was a success - how AWESOME is that?!"

I looked up at Freddy inquisitively. He appeared physically drained as he stooped forward and refused to meet my eyes. "I... do not think you need to read the next few logs out loud," He said lowly. "I think I know what happened next."

So I obliged for his sake and read the next few logs on my own. On the other side of the paper, Luis went on to talk about how Bonnie had told him Freddy could meet him in his room after the show. He'd stayed on the premises after his shift ended, then headed to Freddy's room an hour before closing. He'd used Project Reboot on him then, but then had been called away for an emergency before the system had finished restarting - he'd never gotten the chance to explain to Freddy why he'd done it.

The emergency Luis had been called away for was the "incident" Freddy had never gotten a straight answer for: Bonnie had been found in one the ponds in Gator Golf (ponds in an indoor golf course?), battered and broken beyond repair. Maintenance workers that had been called to the scene took one look at what was one of the more beloved mascots and simply said, "Nope, no hope - he's too damaged for any chance of repairs. Might as well scrap him." Yet for all of their knowledge on metal and repairs, they claimed that they had no idea what had caused so much destruction to an animatronic.

Looking back up at Freddy, I debated telling him what had "really" happened to his friend. He still didn't really know after all this time and the answer was right in my hands. But it wasn't the whole story, only a secondhand account - it most likely wasn't even the truth.

Plus, I'd seen how upset he'd gotten when he found out that Luis had also tested Project Reboot on Bonnie. The rabbit animatronic probably meant more to him than he was comfortable saying. If he knew what "really" happened, who knew what he would do? It was probably better if he remained in the dark.

Until we knew the full story, at least.

I knew I couldn't keep him in the dark forever.

I continued reading. Bonnie was officially announced for decommissioning the following day, and the Pizzaplex higher-ups initiated "Bonnie Block Protocol" - in other words, all signs of the rabbit mascot had to be removed from the premises. Luis's tone throughout the log showed desperation. So far, all of the animatronics he'd used Project Reboot on had been in terrible accidents and scrapped, with Freddy being the one exception. Did someone know? If so, were they going to go after Freddy next? Or were they going to go after Luis himself?

There was only one paper left in the envelope. Taking it out, I found that only one of the log entries had been filled, and it looked like Luis had scribbled it in a rush. "It looks like this was the last one Luis wrote before he left," I informed Freddy; I figured this one, he would want to know.

"Entry #27: I've been called down to the main office. I don't know what I did. I haven't been down to Parts and Service since the Superstar Bonnie incident, and that was the only reason why I ever got in trouble. I've been super careful - I haven't even approached Freddy since that day in case they're keeping an eye on him. Is this it? Does whoever is behind the shady stuff happening after hours know what I've been doing? Am I about to join Captain Foxy and Superstar Bonnie in the scrap heap?

"I don't know, but I don't have a choice. It's either risk losing my LIFE or risk losing my JOB. In the meantime, I'll hide this project behind Monty's door. He hardly ever uses it to get to Parts and Service, and Maintenance is too scared to use it as access to his room.

"If this is my last entry, whoever finds these notes, please - use Project Reboot on the animatronics and wipe out the virus! It's the only way to stop all of this!"

The log ended there. A quick peek at the back revealed no other logs. I looked up at Freddy solemnly. "And he was never seen or heard from again," I said ominously.

Freddy nodded and glanced down at the box with the computer chip in my hand. "What Luis wrote is true," He admitted softly. "I do have large gaps in my memory, and Maintenance often calls me down so they can clean the gaps in my shell." He held up his claws and stared at them, frantically scanning them again and again as if he didn't recognize them. "Does that mean... this has happened before? Other children have been brought to the Pizzaplex after hours? And I... was a part of this?" His voice rose an octave. "I HELPED TO HUNT CHILDREN?!"

I transitioned from sitting to kneeling, letting the last written word of Luis Palmgreen drift from my lap and spill haphazardly all over the floor. "Freddy, shush!" I said frantically, waving my hands in front of him in an attempt to calm him down - Vanessa might still be right above us. "It's okay!"

"No it is not!" Freddy exclaimed, getting back to his feet and staring down at me like I was crazy. "I am Freddy Fazbear - I'm supposed to entertain children, not hunt them!" His thick hands were starting to shake in front of him. "How much blood is on my hands? How many children looked to me for comfort, only to discover that I would be the last thing they ever saw?"

"Freddy, STOP IT!" I yelled, stopping him in his tracks. During his emotional tirade, I'd also gotten to my feet, sending Luis's experimental logs further along the floor. I put my hands in his and stared into his glowing eyes; my own eyes started to burn from the light, but I couldn't bring myself to look away. "It's. Oh. Kay. Whatever you did, it's in the past now - and whatever it was you did, you weren't yourself. No one can blame you for that."

"But it doesn't change the fact that I hurt children," Freddy protested thickly, though he continued looking at me.

"Maybe you did," I said, trying to pass as nonchalant. "But you're fine now. Project Reboot obviously worked on you, otherwise you'd be hunting me along with the others. And now that we at least have an idea of what's going on here, we know how to stop it." I held up the metal box holding the green computer chip; I hadn't put it down once. "With this, we can put an end to the deaths - and we can free the others in the process!"

"But I-" Freddy tried to protest, but I cut him off again.

"Freddy, whatever you did, whoever you helped... you can make up for it now." I leaned forward and wrapped him in a hug. "Help me get out of here - help me free your friends... please."

Freddy was quiet and stiff in my arms; it was an extra few minutes before he became comfortable enough to return my embrace. He obviously had experience hugging much more fragile humans, as his arms didn't crush me in the least.

At the beginning of the night, it seemed like he was the one comforting me. Now it seemed like we were both doing a little comforting for the other.

"Alright," Freddy finally whispered after what felt like an eternity. "Let's do it."

I pulled back and gave him what I hoped was a bright smile - it was some time in the morning, I hadn't had a nap yet, and I was running on fumes at this point. "Thanks, Freddy," I told him gratefully. I stepped away and crouched to gather Luis's notes, along with the top of the Project Reboot box. "Now that we have this, we can't risk it getting broken or stolen," I explained as I stuffed the papers back into the envelope. "So I'll take the chip and we'll re-hide the logs under Monty's door."

"Why keep the logs, though?" Freddy inquired as I replaced the top of the box. "The more logical solution would be to destroy them, correct?"

I looked down at the envelope and sighed. "We both know that there's a good chance that Luis is dead," I told Freddy heavily. "These logs are the last thing he did, the last thing he put his very soul into doing. I think we owe it to him to keep them."

Freddy had nothing to say to that, so I slipped the envelope under Monty's door with the full intention of coming back for them later. I was about to place the metal box in my pocket, but I realized that my pockets were already full to bursting from the items I'd been gathering all night. I told Freddy to wait on the landing, then went back down to the main floor of Parts and Service to look for an empty table.

When I found one, I deposited the unnecessary contents of my pockets on top: the Photo Pass I'd used to release Freddy from his room, the Complimentary Entry Pass I'd gotten in order to enter the Lobby, the Level 1 Security Badge I'd gotten from the Superstar Daycare, the two paper maps I'd gotten from the Map Bot, the Level 2 Security Badge I'd gotten from the Kitchen Security Office, and the Level 3 Security Badge from the Security Office next to the hallway I now knew was called Rockstar Row. I kept the Level 4 Security Badge and my flashlight. My jacket instantly felt lighter without the extra weight, and I easily slipped Project Reboot into the new room.

Done with my cleaning, I rejoined Freddy next to the doors that led to Rockstar Row. "Well... where to now?" He asked, then added hurriedly, "Since our plans appear to have changed."

I gave it some thought, hand to my chin, before deciding. "From what I gathered from Luis's notes, Project Reboot only works with light-emitting devices," I said slowly. "I could plug it into my flashlight, but I think it would only slow us down if you go through the Reboot cycle every time I use it to find you. Our best bet, then, would probably be to stick with our original plan and look for either a FazerBlaster or FazCam. Whichever we find first, I'm okay with."

Freddy nodded. "Shall we be on our way, then?"

I smiled at the animatronic bear that had hunted and possibly killed children, yet had been helped and was now willing to help me. "Let's go help your friends."

—————

Somewhere in Downtown Japan
No One's POV
After about half an hour, the gang gathered again in the alleyway. Their hopes were still low, though they lifted substantially as they fingered the edges of newly acquired camera memory drives.

"How was it on your end?" PIXAL asked Night, who was considerably more awake than she'd been when she'd first been called to the scene.

"All right for the most part," The Mommy Shark replied simply.

"One man said that he reserved the right to refuse 'unreasonable' service to a weird woman and a bunch of kids," Jin provided in a monotone from where he was parked beneath his adoptive mother's arm.

"To which I reached over the counter and showed him exactly why he should serve a protective mother and her children," Night added, giving her son a squeeze. "Don't worry, I promised to give it back when we were done!"

The opposite group shot each other looks before glancing back at her. "You didn't hurt him... did you?" Boa asked cautiously.

"Nah," Daigo piped up, his arms crossed behind his head. "She just reached over the counter and grabbed the front of the guy's shirt, then threatened to - and I quote - 'whoop him where the Sun doesn't shine' unless he gave us the memory drive to the security cameras."

"It was actually pretty entertaining to watch," Lui added with a sly grin. Night's bright smile didn't change as they discussed her interrogation methods.

PIXAL raised her eyes, though decided not to comment. "We had a similar experience on our side," She revealed. "But I simply explained to the woman behind the counter that if she didn't give us the camera memory drive, we could get the police involved, which is something no one wants. She handed it over in the blink of an eye."

Night stared at her through slightly slitted eyes before shrugging. "Well, to each his own, I guess," She replied.

The group pooled the memory drives they'd gathered and then gave them to PIXAL. She plugged each of them into her mainframe via a port in her temple and projected the contents onto the brick walls around them, playing the videos frame by frame. The boys gathered around the images and studied them intently, looking for the smallest swish of green fabric or the slightest hint of a colorful puppet. Searching for any trace of Ken.

It wasn't until PIXAL plugged in the third memory drive that Ren Wu finally cried out, "STOP!" Everyone crowded around him to see what he was pointing at: a small sliver of green and black at the corner of a camera feed that had been pointed towards the front window of a business.

Invigorated, PIXAL plugged in the next memory drive and they watched the video with greater fascination. Nothing of Ken there - it must've been taken from the other end of the alley. The next memory drive was also pointed towards the front window, though at a steeper angle - they got a shot of Ken's shoes and some of his pants.

Next one, thankfully, they hit the jackpot. The camera had been pointed at the front window like the others, though it had been located near the back of the shop, giving it a much broader view of the front of the business. Ken, albeit out of focus, was clearly seen walking by the window.

And behind him, trailing ominously, was a black van.

"Jeez, could they have been more obvious?" Yugo asked disdainfully. "I'm surprised someone else didn't call the cops."

"Well, we have a black van now - that's more than what we had before," Valt said. His head whipped towards PIXAL anxiously. "That's gotta mean something!"

"Indeed it does," Naoki spoke up, wiping out his trusty tablet from within his science coat. "That one small detail narrows our search down to..." He typed madly away on the screen until he got his answer; his face turned pale at the result.

Cuza, who had been standing next to him, read the screen and blanched. "1,200 licensed black vans in downtown Japan alone?" He exclaimed. Looking to the sky, he threw up his arms and screeched as loudly as his pet bird Carl, "WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE TRYING TO HIDE?!"

The rest of the boys groaned. They'd narrowed down the search, but not by much. They might as well still be at Square 1.

"Alright, alright," PIXAL took charge, waving her hands at their falling faces. "Look, all this means is that we know what to look for! We know Ken was taken by someone in a black van - we should continue our search there!"

"Do you really have a way to search 1,200 black vans?" Night asked the Nindroid skeptically.

PIXAL stared at her for a second before moving her line of sight behind her and smiling. "As a matter of fact, Miss Night, I do," She replied cheerily. The others followed her gaze: at the other end of the alleyway, where the black van had most likely exited with Ken, was a streetlight.

A streetlight with a camera below its lightbulb.

Honcho groaned. "If Ken doesn't die tonight, something tells me we will."

—————

5483 words.

I fully believe that Ken would never do anything to harm the animatronics.

Especially if there was another choice.

As for the others, they now have a clue as to who took him.

But is it enough?