Distorted Senses

Chapter 6

System Rebooting

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System Error. Memory Data storage requires reboot.

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Memory data storage? He frowned, staring at his laptop screen at the code that was in front of him. The boy glanced at the recharging animatronic. He had managed to repair his eye, replacing it along with patching up the huge clawed hole on the bunny's chest. That had taken him at least forty minutes. Wiping his forehead of sweat that was beginning to form, Garrett let out a breath. It seemed as though Bonnie had a memory data storage that was separate from his AI. There was Bonnie's memory storage for his songs, performances and profile but then there was another memory storage file. He should only have one!

Confusion creased onto Garrett's brow and his fingers danced across his keyboard. However, the more he tried to find a way to not reboot the memory data storage and just do a system reboot. But the error message continuously popped up.

Memory Data storage requires reboot.

Reboot memory data storage? Y or N

He sighed in annoyance. All he wanted was to boot Bonnie back online since he also fixed his battery charge! Garrett hit a button on his keyboard and heard the whir of his laptop as the memory data storage began to reboot, unsure of the results of it. He was hopeful that it wouldn't mess up Bonnie's memory even more but he had a second memory storage, which he had no idea what to expect. All he could do now was sit and wait.

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There was a muffled voice that echoed throughout his subconscious. He groaned, opening his eyes. "M....rt....G...r...t need...."

"Huh...?" Bonnie murmured as he tried to make out what the voice was saying. Darkness surrounded him and it felt like he was floating weightlessly. "I...can...wor..." Another voice mumbled back. He held a confused look. Who was talking? To his left, there was a faint light that was getting brighter and it looked like it was moving around. Bonnie strained to move closer to the light. The closer he got, the clearer the image became. It was a man in his early forties with sandy brown hair and brown eyes. He was talking to a woman around the same age. "Marty, you can't keep working on this. Didn't you say that they're not doing right by you? Why aren't you saying anything to the authorities?" the woman asked the man.

"Because if I do, they'll do everything in their power to make sure I suffer for it! I have to stop them from the inside." the man insisted, gently grabbing the woman's hands and squeezing them "You, Garrett and Marie won't be safe. That's why I have to make sure I do this and see it through." The woman looked upset yet sad simultaneously. She looked at the man.

A phone alarm beeped and the man slowly pulled away. He planted a kiss on the woman's lips. "I have to go to work." he told her and she wrapped her arms around him. "Ok..." she replied quietly. Suddenly the image began to blur and then fade. Bonnie gasped softly in surprise, watching as the picture changed to the same man with a young girl and a teen boy. This time, they were outside and it looked like they were having a party.

The man was smiling as the young girl tore open a wrapped gift. Her mouth parted and a look of joy crossed her face. She held up a polaroid camera. "Oh neat! You got her a camera?" the boy asked the man, who nodded. "Yep. She wouldn't stop using mine." he chuckled before he knelt beside the girl. 'Do you like it?' he signed to the girl with a gentle smile. Making a fist with her thumb on the outside, she moved it up and then down as she nodded her head as her brown hair bounced. 'I love it! Thanks, dad!' the girl signed in reply.

Bonnie felt a something in his chest watching the scene unfold. It was then that he realized something. That girl was Marie and the boy was Garrett. The man was Marty, who was ;arie and Garrett's father but the only thing that didn't make sense was why Bonnie had these memories. Before he could understand anything more, the images started to distort and blur as if they were being rewound and then unwound over again. System Error, System Reboot Required

"System reboot? Wha-"

Bonnie felt his entire body convulse.

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Garrett, who had been waiting anxiously by the bunny, winced as he watched the animatronic's painful seizure. He had never seen anything like it before. If he didn't know better, he would have thought Bonnie was dying. But he knew that wasn't possible. Bonnie was just an animatronic. A machine. A collection of wires and circuits. But even so, Garrett couldn't help but feel a pang of concern for his friend.

After a few moments, the convulsions stopped and Bonnie lay still. Garrett held his breath, waiting to see if anything would happen. Then, slowly, Bonnie's eyes opened. They were dark and unfocused at first, but then they slowly began to clear. Garrett let out a sigh of relief. "Bonnie?" he said softly. Bonnie blinked a few times and then looked up at Garrett. "Garrett?" he croaked. "Where am I?"

"We're still in the bowling alley." Garrett said. "I was working on you when you...uh...had a system error." Bonnie blinked and finally had the wherewithal to look around. Indeed, they were still in the bowling alley. Marie was still fast asleep on the ground with her head resting on her bag. He found himself sighing in relief seeing her so tranquil. Bonnie's sky blue paw touched his head as he frowned. His yellow eyes looked back at Garrett.

"A system error?" he asked. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure," Garrett said. "I was trying to fix your eye and patch up the hole in your chest, but when I rebooted your system, there was an error message that said the memory data storage needed to be rebooted as well."

"Memory data storage?" Bonnie repeated. "I only have one for Pizzaplex guest profiles and show performances..."

"Well, you do," Garrett said. "It's separate from your AI. I don't know why, but it seems like it's corrupted. I tried to find a way to fix it without rebooting the memory data storage, but I couldn't."

"So what does that mean?" Bonnie asked.

"I'm not sure," Garrett said with a shrug and frown. "But I think it means that your systems are trying to recall some of those memories since they've been locked away and they're just now accessed. Your system is so complex. I've never seen anything like it before." he tried to explain. Bonnie was quiet as he listened to what he was saying. "So are you saying that the memories that were locked are my own?" He asked Garrett.

"Maybe. I don't know. What did you see?" the older boy asked curiously and Bonnie opened his mouth to explain what he had seen but stopped. Were they his memories? That would be impossible!

.........

Wouldn't it?