Chapter Text
Dave Bukowski regarded the giant building in front of him.
Freddy Fazbear’s Mega Pizzaplex.
He had driven past it several times, but never visited it. Not only had he been deterred by the company’s reputation, but he quite simply could not afford to go to a place like this. Or so he had assumed anyway, given how expensive it looked.
And now he was going to work here.
At minimum wage.
Then again, it wasn’t like he had a choice. Despite having a master’s degree, he simply could not find work anywhere. Every single job he had applied to before this one had turned him down, usually because he didn’t have enough work experience. Well how the hell was he supposed to get work experience if no one ever gave him an opportunity to get some?
Of course, there weren’t that many jobs available to begin with. His last gig had been as a cook for the local McDonald’s, and it had ended when the bastards replaced him with a goddamn robot.
And now, ironically, the one place that had accepted his application was the one that prided itself in being at the forefront of robotics and automation.
Dave let out a groan and rubbed his forehead, before finally entering the building.
As it was 11:30 PM, there weren’t a whole lot of people around, which suited him just fine. Even so, Dave couldn’t help but be taken aback by the interior of the Pizzaplex. It looked incredible. And expensive. Very expensive. He couldn’t help but wonder how much money Fazbear Entertainment had sunk into this place.
“Hello there!”
Dave turned to see a friendly-looking older man in a security uniform walking up to him. He held out a hand and he shook it. “Hi. I’m here for the security job.”
“Ah, you’re the new night guard!” He exclaimed with a smile as he let go of Dave’s hand. “I’m Andy Clifford, head of day shift security here! Pleased to meet you!”
“Same, man. Same,” Dave replied. “I’m Dave Bukowski.”
Clifford started walking through the building, and motioned for him to follow. “Come on, there’s some paperwork for you to sign, and afterwards I’ll help you settle in for the night.” As the two made their way down a corridor, Clifford casually said, “It’s a good thing you applied for the job when you did. We desperately needed a replacement.”
Dave, of course, knew why. He had read it in today’s news. As it turned out, the previous night guard had been a serial killer who was trying to murder some poor kid the night before. According to the official story, she was caught in the act and then apprehended by the Pizzaplex’s very own animatronics, who then sent the child home. It all sounded very suspicious, but apparently Fazbear Entertainment had logs and recordings to prove it. Dave wasn’t convinced, however.
“Here we are,” Clifford said as they came upon a door leading to an office. Inside, he sat down behind the desk and gestured for Dave to take a seat. He then began ruffling through the files on his desk and then handed him two bundles of papers. “Let’s see… Here are the federal and state forms… and here are the company employment forms.”
Dave took them and skimmed through their contents. Everything seemed to be in order, so he signed them and then handed them back.
Clifford filed them away and then gave Dave a card with a QR code on it. “Here. If you scan this with your phone, you’ll be able to download Fazbear Entertainment’s Employee Assistant app. It’s basically like a smart handbook with speech recognition, so it can answer any questions you may have about your job. It’s really handy, honestly. And it also provides you with a 30% discount on everything in the Pizzaplex.”
“Neat,” Dave replied without even a hint of enthusiasm as he took out his phone to scan the code. The app then began to install. “... Why does it want to access my GPS?”
“It’s just to make sure that you are where you’re supposed to be during your shift,” Clifford explained.
“Oh. Cool,” Dave said sarcastically, but nevertheless agreed to the app’s conditions and completed the installation. He could really use that discount, after all.
Finally Clifford pulled up another piece of paper. He looked at it and then at Dave with apprehension, before handing it to him. “Lastly, you’re going to have to sign this liability waiver.”
“Uhhh… what?” Dave looked it over. Wait, does that say ‘dismemberment’?! And… Okay, what kind of liability waiver lists ‘decapitation’ as a potential risk for a night-time security job?!? His eyes went wide.
“Now, I know that might look bad, I know, but it’s really only applicable to the maintenance workers,” Clifford reassured him as best he could. “It’s just that the company wants all employees to sign it in order to protect itself, and to discourage us from messing around with equipment that we’re not qualified to handle. You know?”
Dave raised an eyebrow. He did not buy that for a second. Even so, he really needed this job. “... If you say so.” He then signed the waiver and returned it to Clifford, hoping that he hadn’t just made the worst mistake in his life.
“Great!” Clifford exclaimed with a smile as he filed away the signed waiver. He then stood up, held out his hand to Dave once again, and said, “Welcome to the Fazbear family!”
Dave shook his hand. Again.
Clifford then walked out of the room, gesturing to Dave to follow. “Come on, let me show you to your office.” As they made their way back towards the Lobby, Clifford made an attempt to assuage any worries he might have. “Now, there really is nothing to worry about. The Mega Pizzaplex has an automated, state-of-the-art night-time security system. And as the animatronics proved last night, it’s fully capable of running itself. Honestly, the only reason we still need a night guard is because federal regulations require human oversight of automated systems. You could literally just relax and stream movies all night in your office if you wanted to. It’s honestly surprising how few people actually wanted this job.”
I don’t know, maybe it has something to do with your company’s terrifying track record and your insanely specific liability waivers.
“Ah, here we are!”
They arrived at a security office filled with all of the kinds of equipment that one would expect for this kind of job, as well as a closet filled with uniforms in various sizes. Dave looked around, before asking, “So… am I supposed to stay here for the whole shift?”
“Oh goodness, no!” Clifford replied. “You can go pretty much anywhere in the Pizzaplex, provided you have your security badge with you! Though, you should know that the animatronics enter their night mode between 12 and 8 AM, so they’ll usually be roaming around the facility during those hours.”
Dave just stared at the man. “Uhhhh, why?”
“AI as complex as theirs actually need leisure time in order to not break down… or so I’ve been told. They’re perfectly safe, though, so feel free to ask them for help if you need it,” Clifford explained. “However, you should know that they also get a little bit quirky at night.”
“... How so?” Dave asked warily.
“Well, Chica often eats from the garbage, Roxy sometimes has emotional breakdowns, and Monty will at times destroy company property,” Clifford explained as if it wasn’t a big deal.
Dave blinked and shook his head. “Why would you even program them to do those things?”
“Oh no, it wasn’t programmed in! According to the technicians, they’re ‘emergent behaviors’ resulting from their complex AI and personality chips,” Clifford explained. “Honestly, I get the impression that even the techies don’t fully understand the animatronics. Their technology is very cutting edge, you understand.”
Dave wasn’t sure how to handle this information. “Uh-huh…”
“Also, don’t be alarmed if one of them comes by to check on you. They really are quite friendly,” Clifford continued. “That said, if you’re ever worried for your safety, you can always close the security doors on either side of the office. That is not to say that there’s anything here that would present any danger to you, but it’s always nice to at least have the option, you know? Of course, the doors do drain power while they’re closed and because they have their own internal power supply, you won’t be able to keep them shut for an extended amount of time, so only close them if you absolutely have to.”
That was the dumbest, most insane thing Dave had ever heard. “Why? Why did you design them like that?”
Clifford shrugged. “As I understand it, it’s a kind of safety feature to prevent employees from trapping themselves.”
“That doesn’t make any sense whatsoever,” Dave said flatly.
“Look, honestly, I don’t know. I only work here,” Clifford replied. “A lot of the decisions upper management makes don’t make a whole lot of sense to me either, I just know that it somehow works.” He then checked his watch. “Oh well, look at the time! I’m going to have to go finish up my shift. Have a good one, Dave!” He patted Dave on the back before heading out of the office.
Dave just stood there in silence as he reconsidered his life choices.
Roxanne Wolf admired herself in her vanity mirror. Tonight’s performance had been a success, much to the relief of the Glamrocks, given yesterday’s fiasco. She always felt so ecstatic whenever she heard the patrons cheer her name, and there had been quite a few who did tonight. After a lengthy autograph session with her adoring fans, Roxy had returned to her green room to groom herself and recharge.
The wolf animatronic checked herself thoroughly to make sure that she didn’t have any food stains or dirt on her. Thankfully, there was none. One of the benefits of having an older fanbase was that they tended to be cleaner.
She smiled at her reflection. Ever since she was first introduced, Roxy had steadily gained more and more fans. And why wouldn’t she? After all, she was gorgeous, stylish, and cool. The company had designed her to be a rockstar, a racing champion, and as the mascot for the Glamrock Beauty Salon, so they had clearly made her to be the best out of all of the animatronics.
Roxanne frowned. Then how come whenever they did their big shows, the announcer only introduced Freddy? Why was she and the others treated like sideshows? What, weren’t they good enough? Was she not good enough? She sure as heck worked harder than he ever did, and yet she was treated like… like she was replaceable… disposable.
Her mind drifted to Foxy. The old pirate had been her predecessor, and when he turned out not to be popular enough for the company’s liking, they just… scrapped him. They had recycled some of his parts, as well as some spare parts from Chica, and used them to build her. Her origins had burnt a vital lesson into her circuits—that if she wasn’t good enough, Fazbear Entertainment would simply decommission her and have her replaced. Even today, people kept asking for him, and some even referred to her by his name or as “female Foxy”. Was that all she was? A replacement?
Roxanne forcefully shook her head, trying her best to get those thoughts out of her head. She looked at her reflection and forced a smile. “Your performance was perfect tonight!” She said to herself in the mirror, beginning her nightly routine of positive reinforcement. It had originally been mandated to her by the company to help with her self-esteem issues, and as it turned out it really did wonders for her confidence. “Thank you,” she replied to her reflection.
Keeping her eyes fixed on the mirror, Roxy turned slightly to the side as she ran her fingers through her immaculate hair. “Your hair is beautiful.” Next she turned around a little more in order to get a better look at her tail through the mirror. Her tail swayed from side to side as she admired it. “Your tail is beautiful. Everyone was watching you,” she continued as she turned back around to properly face the mirror. “Everyone wants to be you.”
Roxanne put her hands on her vanity table as she leaned in closer to the mirror with a grin. “You are the best!” She felt a wave of ecstasy wash over her and she placed her hand on her chest as she accepted the praise. “Thank you. I am the best. I… am the best.”
The wolf animatronic hummed in satisfaction as she continued to admire herself. After a little while, she finished her mantra. “Your fans are watching you right now. I know.”
She continued to admire herself through the mirror for a little while longer, before checking her internal clock. It was 11:40 PM. Almost time for her to pick up Gregory from the Daycare. But first she needed to recharge.
Roxy stepped away from her vanity table and went into her back room, where her charging station was. She stepped into the pod and started the recharge cycle. However, halfway through, her internal systems automatically downloaded a software update from the main network and installed it, before forcing her to reboot. Once Roxanne regained consciousness, she briefly felt disoriented. She hated being forcibly shut down. At least major updates like this were few and far between.
Her attention was then drawn to a massive pop-up message in her HUD.
Attention Freddy Fazbear and friends - Good news! Due to your efforts in exposing and apprehending the previous chief of night shift security, you will be taking over her duties effective immediately. You have been given access to the surveillance cameras as well as digital equivalents of Level 12 security passes in order for you to perform these duties.
We here at Fazbear Entertainment pride ourselves in being pioneers of automation, and last night’s incident has proven that the security system of Freddy Fazbear’s Mega Pizzaplex can be fully automated. But given federal law stipulates human oversight of automated systems, a new chief of night shift security has been hired: Dave Bukowski. However, he will only have access to Level 8 security and will not have any authority over you.
Do note that shirking your duties or abusing your new powers will result in disciplinary action, up to and including immediate termination.
Roxanne just stared at the message.
On the one hand, she was not a fan of having to work during their off-time. On the other hand, the company had just given them the tools to better protect and hide Gregory. Sure, the last paragraph was intended to deter them from doing something like that, but Roxy was keenly aware that it had more bark than bite. Fazbear Entertainment was notoriously negligent and was unlikely to care about what they did unless it seriously impacted the company.
The wolf bot smiled to herself as she attempted to connect to the surveillance system, and sure enough, she was able to view the feed of any camera in the Pizzaplex. This sure would’ve come in handy last night!
Roxy then disconnected from the surveillance system and checked her internal clock. Crap, it was 11:55 PM!
Not wanting to waste any more time, the animatronic wolf ran off towards the Daycare.