Software Error

Doubts

Before things can get too out of hand in my dream, I "wake" up stricken. There is an awful truth behind that scene, and I don't know if I'm able to accept it. I check the time, the hourly recharge just passing, and Freddy is still out of commission on the ground. I look down at my hands, and I nearly mistake them for the hands from that dream. I sit in the fetal position, worrying, fearing, and every emotion in between.

I tell myself that it wasn't real, just some bugs in my software. Just some code that happened to jumble itself up in an oddly specific manner. Maybe a coder accidentally uploaded some game footage to my hard drive. Ha-ha. Right? That must be the case. It has to... I'm Lyle the Lynx, everyone's favorite fuzzball...

I try to comfort myself with these obvious lies. But what else am I supposed to do? I'm... me right? I can't be anything but me. Just a re-used animatronic made to ease parent concern. No horrible backstories or regrets. Just Lyle the Lynx.

A voice in the back of my head refuses to shut up, however. A very small seed had been planted in my mind, in fact, it'd been there since the first time I turned on. It was just lying there, waiting. Waiting for nourishment regardless of how I think, feel, and act. And it's grown. A tree of doubt has taken root in my body. And there's no getting it out. At least for now.

And now that that very tree is making me feel awful. I think back on the imagery I saw when I powered myself down. And every time I replay it in my mind, it always ends right before I get any substantial answers. There are many things implied by that dream but no actual answers. It's annoying. Like when you open up a pull tab but it just peels the skin off of it not the entire tab. 'Why do I even have thoughts like that?' I can relate to a metaphor that doesn't even apply to me.

I shake my head, feeling very down, wishing I had somebody to talk to, anybody to talk to about this. I look over at Freddy, who's looking quite rough. And then I turn away. 'He wouldn't understand anyway...'

Not long passes when I can hear the soft pitter-patter of Gregory's footsteps as he approaches us. He looks baffled at Freddy's current state. "I-i, I got Freddy's message. What happened to him?" I respond. "We've no clue." Freddy powers back on as Gregory approaches. "Gregory! You m-m-made it! Good job sup-su-superstar. I missed the hourly r-r-recharge because of an i-issue. There's a recharge station and a maintenance tube u-u-underneath the stage. But the only way I know how to get t-th-there is when it l-lowers. Go through that door b-behind me and try to find a backstage p-p-pass and find a way to turn on the lift. L-Lyle, go with Gregory to h-h-help him." "Okay, I'll do my best," Gregory replies as I get up. Freddy then powers down to conserve his battery. Gregory now gets a good look at me. "Lyle... you don't look so hot. Are you okay?" He asks concerned. I give him my best smile in response, it's forced. And he knows it's forced.

I put Gregory on my shoulders. "L-let's get Freddy some help before we worry about me." Gregory looks down at me out of worry. "Are you sure? We could talk about it..." I'm glad to know he's worried but, I can't explain yet. Not when I don't know enough of the details anyway. "I'm happy that you are c-concerned, b-but, you w-wouldn't understand. I-i do n-not understand." "What's that supposed to mean?" I continue along, mulling over Gregory's question. "I-it means that I-I'm not ready to t-talk about it." Gregory gets a little annoyed. "But you told me to be brave! Why don't you listen to your own advice?!" Ouch, I should have seen that one coming. "W-well, I've just b-been thinking. A-about me. And w-what it means for m-me to be walking a-around without p-power. There's s-something very wrong Gregory. I-i've been having... d-dreams, m-metaphoric thoughts, e-everything that a r-robot shouldn't be h-having. I h-had another dream b-before you showed up. I-i was a k-kid, it w-was a l-long time ago. I'd made a p-promise before h-heading into Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, something h-happened in there, I think. The d-dream was g-getting m-more symbolic, at that p-point. I j-just remember feeling f-frightened by an e-empty suit of w-well... me." The conversation goes silent for a while, as I walk Gregory around the security bots and containers towards the rehearsal move. "That sounds... creepy. Do you know what it means?" "No."

We stop talking for a while, as we need to get more serious with all the security bots and Roxy around. Luckily my theory that Gregory could hide in my fluff seems to be proving itself. Of course, I still maintain the highest secrecy around Roxy. Her advanced programming could most likely spot Gregory, even with a partial view. Nevertheless, we make it to the rehearsal room. Where Gregory manages to find a backstage pass from god knows where. "Found it! Let's go, Lyle." He runs over to me. "U-up you go." I hoist Gregory back up to his spot. I think he's grown to enjoy being up there, I find him fiddling with my ears a lot more than before. I still play along with him being in control too. Anything to put a smile on his face.

We head towards the backstage area looking for the lift controls. As I look around I marvel at how high-tech it looks, it's like a super security room. A painful image surfaces in my mind as I see a much older room that is similar yet different to this one. I manage to stop myself from reeling back, fortunately. Gregory hops down and runs over to a Freddy-themed box with a security hat. Tapping its nose plays a cute noise as it opens up to reveal a security badge and a DVD. But as soon as Gregory grabs them an alarm starts playing and the doors close.