Chapter Text
Left, up, right, and down, a turn back and you will find the exit. Gregory knows the place like the back of his hand as he had gone through the current 3 chapters hundreds of times, who would think he is now inside the game.
Even when everything looks real, Gregory noticed how some things went wrong, glitches to be exact. The biggest example would be how he never bled, even if he got a deadly cut, sadly he did feel the pain and that has caught the attention of the Playtime co. scientists who started using him as a lab rabbit.
Obviously, there was more to it like the fact that some textures didn't load.
Pushing employees and customers away, Gregory went to the factory lobby thinking he had escaped after 8 attempts in just 1 month, until an electric current coursed through his body.
"You almost made it Gregory; I should give you credit for that."
"Weird seeing you here, doctor." The Doctor just let out a small laugh and started carrying him around like sack of potatoes, excusing himself to the customers that he was his son and suffered from a mental capacity.
After a long walk-through tunnel, they came to a staff-only area where a few Smiling Critters stood.
Bubba, Hoppy and Catnap were the first and temporarily only Smiling Critters in their giant version. Gregory looked at them doubtfully before addressing the doctor with a tone of voice full of sarcasm.
"Are you going to use me for food? I have to warn you, my taste is not the most appealing."
"You keep running and sneaking through the sewers, of course your taste would be disgusting." Gregory rolled his eyes and sat away from everyone, holding a teddy bear he made himself with Freddy's name on it.
"So, what, don't tell me... I'll become one of those things?" He asked pointing at the giant toys, the three didn't react to this as it was already normal Gregory's behavior and strong talk.
The doctor laughed at that.
"Although it would be great to have control of you in that manner, we still need to find out more about you." Gregory and the 3 toys were silent, the atmosphere became tense and there was a battle of glances between the only humans until a female employee entered the place.
"Doctor, they're ready."
"Good, Gregory. Stay with them, I'll be busy." As they left the room, Gregory couldn't help but stick out his tongue to then mimic him, causing Hoppy to laugh at that, but second later Bubba interrupted.
"I'll keep filling out the questionnaire they gave us, Hoppy go organize the toys and Catnap... Organize the kids' beds and get your red gas checked-"
"I already did. I'll take care of the kid" Gregory stared at him with confusion, but decided not to say anything, Bubba for his part nodded his head and started to leave the place. Hoppy gave him a high five and left the place as well.
Now they were both alone. Catnap didn't look like his version from 12 years from now, he looked friendlier and much better looked after, but Gregory was still afraid of him. "One thing is the game version and then the real version..."
Catnap looked at him with confusion, but paid it no mind, laying back against a wall as he tried to wag his cat tail. Gregory just stared at him but decided how else to make him a little annoyance, what better way than to talk about 10-0-6.
"Catnap... The long metal hand thing didn't tell you anything? Guy... Kill them all, huehehehehe!" Gregory didn't wait for an answer as a female scientist entered the room like a hurricane, only upon seeing Gregory, she grabbed him by the arm and pulled him running out of the place.
After a few minutes and Catnap following him because technically it was orders, they arrived at the laboratories where thanks to a window they could see a red colored bear... Ah.
"Bobby? Ummm... What does this have to do with me?" Gregory looked at the scientist who just opened the door and rudely threw him inside. Catnap looked at the scientist with invisible anger thanks to his permanent smile but stayed close to the door in case something happened.
Bobby Bearhug had a somewhat annoying smell to Gregory, it was a good scent, but too suffocating. As he entered, Bobby looked at him for a moment then waved her hand. On one wall was what would be her information.
"Well, they used me as a guinea rabbit again... Umh let's see Elena? Lovely name" Gregory kept looking at the paper on the wall until he fell on the age, he forgot that they used mostly children for the experiments the only exception being Bubba who was an adult. The grimace of disgust did not go unnoticed by those present.
"This.... At least you're the best critter out there." Bobby reminded him of Freddy and any bear in the factory became his favorite. After a few seconds and Bobby being given instructions on how to relate to Gregory, Bobby's test began.
First was a presentation for the kids, something Bobby failed because of how nervous and confused she was. "Don't worry, it's okay. Try introducing yourself the way you introduce yourself at school, just changing Elena to Bobby."
"I'm Bobby...Bearhug? I'm 6 years old and I like to play dolls!"
"Just like that! But without saying your age." Bobby nodded and after practicing in his mind how to make his introduction he began to speak.
"I'm Bobby Bearhug, I like to play with dolls and I hope to be friends with all of you." Her voice had a hint of pride in it, she clasped her hands together and looked at Gregory waiting for his opinion.
Gregory clapped his hands together and nodded his head. "Uh huh, well done! Now what's next?"
The second part was to demonstrate their scent, all the Smiling Critters could release gas from their mouths with the smell of their unique scents, except Catnap who had Poppy's gas.
Bobby was having some difficulty trying to get his rose-scented gas out, he could barely release a few fumes, but nothing more. Gregory was happy as the smell of roses was suffocating him a bit but decided that would be Bubba's job.
Finally, it would be answers to certain questions, Gregory assumed it would be the same as with Hoppy (with Bubba and Catnap he didn't get the chance as he had a low profile at the time). The questions ranged from what he did in his spare time to his best friends. In Bobby's case it would be Crafty and Bubba.
"Umh... Who are your best friends? Of the smiling critters." Bobby looked at him doubtfully before turning to where the glass was, looking at the various scientists and the purple cat. She looked back at Gregory doubtfully.
Gregory sighed "If they ask you that, just say Crafty corn and Bubba Bubaphant."
Bobby nodded, with that the interview was pretty much smooth going as most of the questions were more to Bobby's personal experience. After a few final evaluations and a little adjustment to her rose gas, Bobby could now be officially introduced.
"Rest area, this is where we sleep." Catnap did the job of doing the tour of the playcare as Gregory was taken to do some experiments. Catnap gave Bobby a side eye and then left the place, not wanting to be in the cells any longer.
Bobby stopped him, looking at him nervously. "Where's Gregory?"
If Catnap were still human, he would be frowning. Even though he knew Bobby was also a little girl like him, the fact that every second she asked him something bothered him too much.
Catnap shook his head and decided to leave without answering the question. Bobby looked down. "Don't worry so much, he's NEVER been friendly with us. Nor Gregory."
Hoppy spoke as she patted Bobby's back who was looking a little sad. While the only girls were making a small talk, Bubba decided to talk to Catnap who was already settling down for bed, but sadly as he was lying down Bubba interrupted him by giving him a gentle pat on the head.
Catnap was alerted for an instant and hissed at him, even so, Catnap settled back to pay attention to Bubba.
"I don't want to repeat myself, but for God's sake, STOP being so grumpy. You can't even be nice to Gregory anymore."
"That kid is making fun of the prototype." Bubba stared at him for a few seconds, but it was more than obvious that if he were human, he would have a disappointed look on his face. Even with that, Bubba gave Catnap a little caress in a fatherly way and left not before saying goodnight.
Catnap stared at him until he was completely alone, after a few minutes of thinking his mind traveled to the conversation with Gregory.
"Kill them all."
His tail twitched slightly, and his ears bent down to touch his skull. Gregory had always annoyed him to the point that there are times he wanted to rip his throat out to shut him up, but what bothered him the most was the fact that he always seemed to know just about everything.
The prototype had already warned him about Gregory saying that he worked with the scientists (Something all the other experiments knew) and how Gregory's eyes were strange. Really strange.
"His eyes look like they're fake. First they're brown, then green, and very rarely violet."
"It's like he's not human. He doesn't bleed, his wounds look artificial."
Catnap wouldn't lie, remembering his hero's words about Gregory always gave him a strange feeling.
Fear.
The worst part of it was that those times the Prototype warned him about Gregory was when he was Theodore, months before he was Catnap. Besides, the Prototype always told him to never answer questions related to both, that made Catnap think. "Is Gregory planning on killing him off?"
.
.
.
"Come on, come on, come on." Gregory was desperately trying to take off the helmet he put on before he had entered the game, but instead, he started tearing at his face and gripping his hair tightly. If it wasn't for the fact that he wasn't bleeding, the whole place would be a mess by now.
Gregory looked at the mirror in front of him and noticed that his eyes were digital green, he remained static for a few seconds and then let out a scream that was heard in all the nearby offices. The scientists were silent for a moment and then went about their business.
After blinking several times his eyes returned to normal, this was bad. A heavy sigh left his mouth, and he rubbed his eyes, all this just so he could save Vanessa.
"I just hope Freddy is okay... Ugh." After doing what needed to be done in the bathroom, Gregory came out only to find the doctor signing various things and looking angry. Obviously, he wasn't going to waste that and decided to annoy him.
As he approached the computer, he noticed that there was an email from Leith Pierre and how he was demanding him to finish the Smiling Critters, but it was more of a threat. In the remaining Smiling Critters were the names of several children with the exception of Dogday and Picky Piggy because their fields were empty.
When he wanted to read a little more, the computer turned off, revealing on the black screen an angry face disguised with a smile. "Curiosity kills the cat."
Gregory stuck his tongue out at him, but didn't insist any further, he could find out the rest later. The doctor gently pushed him to a chair placed right next to him indicating for him to take a seat.
"Gregory, even if I love your little shenanigans, this time I'm going to have to put a stop to it. I need your help with something" His tone of voice was much more serious and not the teasing one he always uses with him; it made Gregory tense up. Since when was Poppy Playtime scary? I mean, yes it was scary, but the puzzles were more frustrating than anything.
Now that he thought about it, that would mean he would know all the lore before anyone else. Gregory let out a chuckle and turned to look at the doctor. "In exchange for you letting me go to the subterranean parts?"
"You are forbidden to interact with the prototype." The doctor looked at him for a few seconds and then smiled, from a briefcase he took out a few sheets of paper and showed them to him. Gregory stared at the title of the contents as his expression turned to one of annoyance. His fists clenched, holding back the urge to beat the shit out of him.
What a son of a bitch.
"Looking for candidates for Picky and that dog. I know" The doctor nodded and turned his attention back to the papers and computer, that was their last conversation of the day. Gregory went into his makeshift room that was right behind the doctor's back and lay down on his makeshift laying down.
His excitement about knowing the lore before anyone else faded away. What was the point if he was going to change history? He definitely hated it here, but Gregory decided to give up his fanaticism and hunger to know the lore and return to his original purpose.
Find the rabbit and destroy it.
He already knew that the rabbit was here as its eyes changing color was proof of it, he just needed to know its location. His main suspicion would be in the subway, but the prototype was captured there, so it would be difficult to go to him.
Them, rather.
How hard it was to save someone; Gregory would have preferred to escape with Freddy from the Pizzaplex and leave Vanessa behind.
"Find someone for the pig and the dog... I'll pick the first adults I see." He said with disinterest as he curled up, his somewhat bizarre Freddy stuffed animal lying against his chest. It was still early but Gregory decided to investigate in the early morning where most would be asleep.