"Henry?", Liara said over the phone.

"Liara?", Henry responded.

"How's it going? You and the wife doing okay?"

"Yeah, just fine."

"So listen", she explains, "Michael gave me this idea-"

Henry interrupted, "Michael?"

"Why yes, Michael. He was looked pretty young for his age! But I met him after the amusement park attraction burned down and you're getting me off-topic."

"Sorry, continue." 

"Thank you. So, I want your help reviving Fazbear Entertainment."

Henry waved his hand, "I'm done with that."

Liara pleaded, "Come on! I just need a few ideas from you and I can get everything started."

"Fine."

"Yes!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Henry would spend days at a time researching all the evidence he gathered from the company vacation house. It had been 30 years since then, but the data was extensive and allowed him to learn about all of William's remnant findings. He finally understood why Charlie died the way she did.

He'd also spend a lot of his time worrying about Charlotte. She'd contracted Alzheimer's a year ago, and sometimes it would get her into trouble. All the while, he still loved her the same. And he got her the best treatments available.

But Liara offered him a chance to open a franchise location. He knew this is how he would avenge all who perished or suffered at the hands of William.  

Henry began designing something to lure and encapsulate a mascot with the use of electricity.

His building would attract the remaining lost souls and he would free them from their prisons.

It would work. It had to.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few months after the fire, Liara offered Michael a job as a manager of a new franchise opening up.

"Are you sure you think I'm up for the job?", Michael asked.

"Yeah! I mean-", she said, "You were pretty competent as the guard of Fazbear Frights."

Michael shook his head, "I'm not sure I'm cut out for this."

"Sure you are! Just be confident."

"When do I start?"

"Well, sometime next month. I know the location popped up fast, but slow construction is a thing of the past now, Michael."

He chuckled, "You've always found a way to innovate, Liara. I'll take the job."

"Yes!", she exclaimed, "Don't come unprepared."

"I'll try not to."

True to his promise, Michael got himself immersed in the Fazbear Entertainment community as much as possible. He talked to a lot of the new leadership and management there, although he never got to meet the franchisee. He made a lot of good friends.

Then, it was time to open the franchise.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When the franchise opened, Michael went through the training process and was given resources to start running the business. He spent the first day completing menial tasks like checking inventory and routine maintenance, which could all be done from a computer. Then the interesting part began that night. 

Michael was supposed to complete a checklist created by the franchisee, but the weird request was checking the back alley for an animatronic. He shrugged and went to go check, only to find a mangled, broken mess of an animatronic with fragments of Funtime Freddy's head used as its mask. He shivered as he dragged it in slowly, hoping that it wouldn't activate in his sweaty hands.

He sat it on a wooden chair across his desk, almost like an interrogation. Then he played the tape left by the owner and was surprised to hear Henry's voice.

"Congratulations on completing your first day. However, your job isn't over just yet. There is another aspect to your end-of-day routine, and that is inspecting and salvaging any animatronics found in the alley outside the backdoor.

"Things are found here quite often, and while we aren't sure why, what we do know, is that they can be used for parts, which can mean a much-needed revenue boost before starting your next day.

"Before you is an animatronic found in the back alley. We are unsure of its origins. It is your job to complete the maintenance checklist before claiming it as salvage. Or, if you choose to, you can throw it back into the alley where you found it, and forfeit payment."

Michael sighed in disdain at Henry's words, but he chose to salvage it and flipped the tape.

Henry continued, "You have chosen to proceed with the maintenance checklist. Remember, use your company-issued taser to return the animatronic to a neutral state if you feel that it's becoming unstable or aggressive."

Michael's eyes grew wide.

"You can only use it three times before it begins to damage the animatronic and decrease its value. Begin audio prompt in three, two, one."

A horrible noise began to play and he had a hard time focusing on if the mascot moved or not.

"Document results", the tape said.

Michael marked the checklist and saw that the animatronic had moved, so he panicked and used his taser on it. It fell motionless again and he was able to complete the maintenance and salvage.

Once he removed all the necessary parts from the mascot, he sighed in relief as he moved it to the Part & Service room, deactivated. 

But this process continued again and again for the next 3 nights. He would retrieve a mascot from the alley and salvage it, with each one being more curious than the last. The second animatronic was a mutilated, junky version of Circus Baby, the third was a SpringBonnie costume, and the fourth was a blackened version of the new Rockstar Freddy mascot. Michael ignored it all the same and continued his work.

Each night the animatronics in the Parts & Service room would activate and attempt to attack him. Michael never saw them though. He only heard them speak in hushed voices and the horrible scraping along the vents.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the fifth day, Michael completed his shift, but something different happened.

As he was about to leave, he heard Baby's voice echo through the ventilation system.

"You played right into our hands. Did you really think that this job just fell out of the sky for you?"

He shook his head vehemently in fear, "No!"

 She continued, "No. This was a gift, for us.

"You gathered them all together in one place. Just like he asked you to. All of those little souls, in one place. Just for us. A gift.

"Now we can do what we were created to do, and be complete. I will make you proud, daddy. Watch. Listen, and be full."

Michael was about to ask her where she was but then he was interrupted.

"Connection terminated", Henry said over the loudspeaker.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, Elizabeth, if you still even remember that name. But I'm afraid you've been misinformed. You are not here to receive a gift, nor have you been called here by the individual you assume, although you have indeed been called." 

Intense banging could be heard in the vents.

"You have all been called here, into a labyrinth of sounds and smells, misdirection, and misfortune. A labyrinth with no exit, a maze with no prize. You don't even realize that you are trapped.

"Your lust for blood has driven you in endless circles, chasing the cries of children in some unseen chamber always seeming so near, yet somehow out of reach. But you will never find them, none of you will. This is where your story ends.

"And to you, my brave volunteer, who somehow found this job listing, not intended for you. Although there was a way out planned for you, I have a feeling that's not what you want. I have a feeling that you are right where you want to be. I am remaining as well. I am nearby.

"This place will not be remembered, and the memory of everything that started this can finally begin to fade away, as the agony of every tragedy should."

Michael realized Henry's intention as he noticed the temperature of the building rising.

"And to you monsters trapped in the corridors, be still, and give up your spirits. They don't belong to you. For most of you, I believe there is peace, and perhaps more, waiting for you after the smoke clears. Although for one of you, the darkest pit of hell has opened to swallow you whole, so don't keep the devil waiting, old friend."

The banging got louder as crunching was heard.

"My daughter, if you can hear me, I knew you would return as well. It's in your nature to protect the innocent. I'm sorry that on that day, the day you were shut out, and left to die, no one was there to lift you up into their arms, the way you lifted, others into yours. And then, what became of you.

"I should've known you wouldn't be content to disappear. Not my daughter. I couldn't save you then, so let me save you now. It's time to rest, for you, and for those you have carried in your arms. This ends, for all of us. 

"End communication."

The banging slowed, but Michael sighed peacefully as he sat on the cold floor, laid back, and closed his eyes.