Chapter Text
I’m writing a thing the FNAF Joeyverse because of this. And because I can.
Here’s Robot Freckle
Also featuring @halfusek‘s Joey briefly because he is the Purple Man.
Rachel had had an uncle once. Well, she had an uncle already on her father’s side, but she’d had an uncle on her mother’s side too. Her mother had a picture of him holding her and Isaac. In the picture, Rachel was perched on her uncle’s knee while he held Isaac in the crook of his arm. Isaac had been nearly a year old at the time, while Rachel was about three. He’d disappeared two years later, a few weeks before her fifth birthday. Most people just assumed Joey had run off. Rachel heard them whispering when her mother’s back was turned.
“He always was a bad apple that one.”
“I’ll bet he stole Esther’s money and ran.”
“Poor Esther. Having a brother like that must have been a nightmare.”
Joey had never really fit in. Everyone in Rachel’s family had said it at one point or another. But his family had always loved him. Rachel had loved him. She didn’t remember all that much about him, but she knew she’d loved him. And he’d loved all of them. He’d loved her. He wouldn’t just leave without saying anything. Her strongest memory of him was finding him awake on the couch one night.
She’d gotten up to get a drink of water. She was a big independent girl and she could get her own water! As she crossed the hallway to the bathroom, she noticed the light was on in the living room. She frowned. No one else should be up this late. She had to investigate! She crept over, peering around the corner. The lamp was on, illuminating her uncle’s head.
“Uncle Joey?” She asked. The figure on the couch stiffened, turning sheepishly around to reveal the face of her uncle.
“Rachel, what are you doing up so late?” He asked.
“I got thirsty.” She said, walking over. “What are you doing up so late?”
“I…couldn’t sleep.” He replied slowly.
“Do you want me to read you a story?” Rachel walked around to sit down on the couch with him. “Whenever I can’t sleep, Mom reads me a story.”
“That’s very sweet of you, Rachel, thank you.” Joey smiled softly, patting her head.
“Well? Do you?” Rachel folded her arms. “You didn’t answer my question!”
“You don’t need to read me a story. It’s alright.” Joey laughed.
“Okay.” Rachel kept watching him, kicking her feet against the couch. “D’ya want a song? Mom taught me some songs.”
“No, thank you.” Joey shook his head. “You don’t need to do anything, dear.”
“Okay…” Rachel frowned, going back to kicking the couch. She didn’t like seeing her uncle sad like this. He deserved to be happy too.
“You deserve to be happy,” she said, putting a hand on his arm. “You’re the best!” Her uncle looked down at her, his eyes widening for a moment. Then his expression softened and he pulled her into a hug.
“Thank you, Rachel.” He whispered. She almost didn’t notice the way his voice caught.
She always remembered the way his face had looked at that moment. The unshed tears glittering in his eyes, his weary smile. He wouldn’t have left them. She was sure of it.
Because of her unshaking belief in her uncle, she’d gotten into quite a lot of fights when she heard people badmouthing him.
“Rachel, you have to stop doing this.” Her mother told her after she had to pick her up from the principal’s office for the umpteenth time.
“But they were saying bad things about Uncle Joey!” Rachel insisted, stamping her foot.
“That doesn’t mean you can just beat up people who disagree with you,” Esther sighed.
“But didn’t you do the same thing when people were mean to Uncle Joey when you were little?”
Her grandparents loved telling stories about how protective Esther had been over Joey when they’d been kids. Rachel and Isaac had heard dozens of stories of their mother beating up their uncle’s bullies.
“I did, and that’s why I don’t want you to do it,” Esther said. “I got into a lot of trouble for what I did. If I hadn’t stopped, I might have been suspended or worse.” All the fight left Rachel at the word ‘suspended’. It was a word she lived in fear of. She didn’t want to be the sort of kid who got suspended.
“…Okay.” She hung her head, getting into the car with her mother. Esther’s expression softened at Rachel’s dejection, and she reached over to pat her head.
“Joey would appreciate you standing up for him.” She gave Rachel a soft smile. “I know he would.” Rachel went very quiet at this. She turned her attention to the window of the car, watching the scenery as they pulled out of the school parking lot.
The car was silent on their journey back to the house. Rachel was ashamed enough not to want to say anything and Esther was tired. She’d been pulling some late nights for a case at her firm.
“He…wouldn’t just leave us, would he?” Rachel eventually asked.
“Hm?”
“Uncle Joey wouldn’t just leave us, would he?” Rachel repeated, looking at her mother. “I know what people say, but…” Her lips twisted. “He wouldn’t leave us. I know he wouldn’t.”
Esther was silent for a moment or two. Her lips twisted as well, although from what Rachel wasn’t sure.
“Rachel, I…I think something might have happened to your uncle.” She finally said, after what seemed to Rachel like an eternity of wrestling with herself.
“Like…He got kidnapped or something?” Rachel’s eyes widened. She’d known her Uncle Joey might have been involved in some shady stuff, but getting kidnapped?!
“Not kidnapped. Not exactly, I don’t think.” Esther shook her head. “Do you remember when you were six and you went to Circus Baby’s Pizza World for your classmate’s birthday?”
“Yeah. You said we had to leave early, but you didn’t tell me why. And then I wasn’t allowed to go back there ever again.” Rachel hadn’t particularly liked Circus Baby’s Pizza World, so she hadn’t minded being forced to leave. What she had minded was being separated from her friends. Not to mention, it had been pretty jarring when her mother had grabbed her arm and yanked her out of the restaurant.
“When I was there…I saw a robot that looked an awful lot like your uncle Joey.” A chill went down Esther’s spine at the memory. It hadn’t been a carbon copy of Joey, but she knew her brother. It had been Joey. Without a doubt, it had been him.
“A robot that…looked like him.” Rachel echoed. The wheels were already turning in her head. She had to go there. She had to see that robot. She had to see for herself if that had been her uncle’s fate.
“It might not have been him,” Esther admitted. “It was a robot. Maybe I was just overthinking things. I never liked his boss. It’s possible I was simply biased.” She’d told him not to accept the security job at that place. She’d told him the owner had given her a bad feeling. Joey hadn’t listened, though.
“It’s the first job offer I’ve had in months, Essie!” He’d said. “Who knows when I’ll get another one. I don’t want to live off your charity forever. I need to start paying you back.” She’d always thought he was too proud for his own good.
“Mm-hm.” Rachel nodded, no longer listening. She had to find some way to get into Circus Baby’s Pizza World. Maybe she could sneak in during business hours, blend in with the crowds of kids. 14 was a bit old for that place, but everyone always assumed she was younger than she actually was due to her small stature and braids.
“Rachel. Don’t.” Esther looked over at her. She knew that look. She’d seen it time and time again in Joey’s eyes.
“I’m not going to do anything,” Rachel said, but they both knew she was lying.
“Don’t go there. Please.” Esther begged.
“I won’t.” Rachel rolled her eyes.
Esther sighed heavily. She just hoped nothing bad would happen to her daughter in that place. That man was a dangerous one. She was sure of it.
.
It was a week before Rachel managed to get away to sneak into Circus Baby’s Pizza World. She wore her cutest blouse and skirt combination, tied her braids off with ribbons, and put a big bow in her hair. She looked absolutely adorable and far younger than her 14 years of age. It was perfect. No one gave her a second glance when she walked into the restaurant. She wandered around, looking for any sign of the robot her mother had seen. But he wasn’t there. There was a clown, a fox, a bear with a little bunny puppet. But no ballerino.
“Um…where’s the ballet guy?” She asked, wandering up to one of the security guards.
“The ballet guy?” The guard asked. He was young, maybe in his 20′s, with messy orange hair and freckles all over his soft face.
“Yeah, the ballet guy.” She repeated, rocking back and forth on her heels. “He was here last time. He’s my favorite!”
“Oh, uh…” The guard started to fidget a bit. His nametag said Wally. “He’s having some maintenance done right now.”
“When’s he gonna be back?” She demanded, folding her arms like a petulant child.
“I, uh, I dunno kiddo,” Wally said, laughing nervously. “I’d have to ask the boss about that.”
“Okay, fine,” she huffed, storming off. Despite her outward displeasure, she was delighted. Because now she had an answer. She would find her uncle wherever they did maintenance. That would require some looking to find.
It did take some work, but she managed to find what was likely the maintenance elevator. She’d never been so happy to be small. It was only due to her small stature that she could slip away, and that she could fit into the elevator.
“Alright, Uncle Joey. I’m coming,” she whispered, pressing the down button.
Her heart pounded as the elevator rumbled downward. She couldn’t help but feel a bit claustrophobic in the small space. The elevator was downright tiny. Rachel only fit inside due to being so small. Posters were plastered on the walls for Circus Baby and a ballet dancer animatronic.
“That’s him!” Rachel ran over to get a better look. The elevator was dark and the poster was grainy, so she couldn’t make out too many details. She could make out a red jacket, white pants, rosy cheeks. Then the elevator went pitch black and stopped.
“I…I guess we’re here,” Rachel said. She pressed the red button beside the doors and they slid open. Her heart began to pound again. This was it. She was going to find her uncle. Taking a deep breath, she hunkered down and crawled through the vent.
It was dusty and dark in the vent, and she kept having to stop to cough from all the dust in the vent. It would have been a tight fit for an adult. But Rachel was not an adult.
“Gotta keep going,” she muttered after she’d stopped to cough for the umpteenth time. She was almost there. She could see the light.
“I’m coming, Uncle Joey,” she said, dragging herself forward again.
To her right was an empty room with a stage. Probably for one of the other animatronics that was performing. To her left…The room was occupied. Occupied by a robot that she knew.
The robot was massive, bigger than anything she’d ever seen in her life. It was modeled after a male ballet dancer, perhaps the human form of the Nutcracker. And it looked…So much like her Uncle Joey. One could dismiss this, given it lacked his distinctive freckles and wild cloud of dark hair. But Rachel was sure that this was her uncle. She just felt it.
She clambered to the door, wrenching it open and running inside. The robot turned to face her, its eyes closed and smile unchanging.
“Hello, little girl.” Her uncle’s voice echoed from the robot, tinged with static and decidedly mechanical. “You shouldn’t be down here. It’s quite dangerous.”
“Uncle Joey,” she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes.
“My name isn’t Joey,” the robot said, gliding toward her on pointed toes. “My name is Ballora.” It moved with a grace her uncle had never possessed.
“Uncle Joey, it’s me!” Rachel started to cry. “It’s Rachel!”
Ballora’s graceful movement halted abruptly, just in front of Rachel.
“You didn’t leave us, right?” Rachel said. “You’re not here because you want to be, right? Someone did this to you. Someone took you away!” Her voice was rising as her pent up emotions began to pour out.
Ballora said nothing, standing there still as a statue.
“Uncle Joey, please say something,” Rachel begged.
Ballora’s lids clicked open, revealing glassy brown eyes.
“Ra…chel…?” The voice that came out the robot was still staticky, but it sounded much more like the one she remembered.
“Uncle Joey!” She launched herself onto the robot, wrapping her arms around its legs.
“Oh…Rachel…” The robot that had previously been her uncle reached down, resting one hand on her head.
“I missed you so much, Uncle Joey!” She hugged him tighter.
“You shouldn’t be here,” her uncle said, trying gently to remove her from his legs. “You shouldn’t be here, Rachel. It’s dangerous. He’s going to kill you. He’s going to do to you what he did to me.”
“I knew you wouldn’t just leave!” Rachel was crying harder, out of joy this time. “I knew wouldn’t leave us!”
“Rachel, you need to leave!” Her uncle’s voice went staticky again, distorting as he got increasingly agitated. “I don’t want you to get hurt! You’ll get hurt if you stay!”
“Uncle Joey?” Rachel looked up. Her uncle pushed her back, his body beginning to jerk and spark.
“Hȩ'̸ll h̕u͠rt y̛o̴u̧!” Her uncle’s voice was a shriek. “H̛͡Ȩ͞'̧LL͢ ̸K͡Į̶L͝L̷͘ ̨̕Y͝O͝U͢!͏̵͢ T̨͏͘H̡̕E ͢҉PU̕R͘PLE҉͠ ̴͞MA̵N͝͞͞!”
Rachel stumbled back, watching in horror as the robot screamed. It jerked and sparked, like some marionette dancing on strings. Then it all stopped and the robot was still.
“U-Uncle Joey?” Rachel took a step forward. The robot didn’t respond. Its eyes had closed again.
“I’ll come back for you,” she said. “I’ll find a way to get you out of here.” She turned away, exiting the room. She had to tell her mother. If she told her mother, her mother would be able to figure out how to help her Uncle Joey.
She started back toward the elevator.
“My dear girl, what are you doing down here?” Rachel froze, turning around very slowly. A man stood at the end of the hallway. He was tall, taller than anyone she’d ever seen before, and very thin. His smile was wide, taking up most of his face. His hair looked a lot like her uncle’s but much shorter. She immediately didn’t like him. He gave her a bad feeling.
“I, um…” Rachel swallowed, her mouth feeling dry. “I’m-I’m looking for something.”
“I don’t think you’ll find what you’re looking for down here.” The man laughed. His smile didn’t reach his eyes. Those eyes were cold and unfeeling, like that of a dead man. They were so unnaturally green.
“Oh, uh, yeah.” Rachel laughed nervously, taking a few steps back. “I gue-guess I took a wrong turn.”
“Who are you looking for?” The tall man leaned down.
“My…My uncle.” She squeaked. “He wor-works here.” The tall man tilted his head to the side, still smiling.
“You look familiar.” His voice dropped to a low murmur.
“I don’t think we’ve met.” She took another step back. The tall man narrowed his eyes in thought. Then his eyes went unnaturally wide. Combined with his smile, he looked deranged.
“Oh! You must be Freckle’s niece! I’ve heard so much about you!” The way he said that made Rachel’s stomach drop. Freckle. Her uncle’s nickname.
“Does he work with you?” She couldn’t back up anymore. Her back was against the elevator shaft. She couldn’t escape. Not with him so close. It had been a struggle getting into the elevator to come down here, and that had been when she’d been alone. It would probably be near impossible if the tall man tried grabbing her. She wouldn’t even make it in.
“He works for me.” The tall man calmly corrected her. Rachel’s heart sank again. Her mother had never spoken kindly of the man who’d been her uncle’s boss. He was also called Joey Drew, but her uncle had called him by a different name.
Magenta.
“So, you-you’re his boss.” She tried to force herself to smile.
“I was.” Magenta replied, his face falling. “It was such a shame when he disappeared. I liked him.” She wasn’t sure if he was faking his sadness. He did look sad.
“It must be hard for your mother,” he said. “They were close, weren’t they?” Rachel nodded, trying to swallow the sobs rising up.
“You’re not going to find him here.” Magenta continued, smiling apologetically. “I’m sorry.”
Rachel lowered her head, biting her lip to keep back the sobs. ‘I’m sorry’. That was all she’d heard since she was five. Everyone was always so sorry. Sorry wasn’t going to make it better. Sorry wasn’t going to bring her uncle back.
“Why don’t I get you back to your parents?” When she looked back up, Magenta was kneeling in front of her. His smile was soft, gentle. “It’s dangerous for a kid down here.”
“Okay.” She rubbed furiously at her eyes, allowing Magenta to lead her out of the underground shelter and back into the restaurant. He had Wally call her mother and take her home.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Drew,” Esther said when she arrived. “She didn’t cause any trouble, did she?” Her posture was stiff, her tone overly formal.
“Oh no, not at all,” Magenta assured her. “But you probably want to keep a better eye on her. She could get into all sorts of trouble unsupervised.” Esther didn’t like the look in his eyes when he said that.
“Come on, Rachel.” Esther took her daughter’s hand. “Let’s go.” Rachel let her mother drag her out of the restaurant. She wasn’t even really listening as Esther began to lecture her about charging into things head-on.
“He’s there, Mom,” Rachel finally said when they were in the car.
“Who’s there?” Esther asked, despite knowing full well what Rachel was talking about.
“Uncle Joey. He’s in that place,” Rachel said, staring straight ahead. Esther bit her lip, looking down at her lap.
“We’ve gotta get him out,” Rachel looked at her mother. “We’ve gotta save him!”
“I know,” Esther whispered. She just wasn’t sure how.