Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Thomas really didn’t expect his life to turn out this way.

But... he probably should have expected it. The desire to be an actor was all well and good, but dreams and desires didn’t pay rent or buy food. There was always that stereotype of actors being waiters before being discovered, but Thomas had never heard of one being a security guard.

The job was promising, though. Six hour shifts, a good wage, and benefits. Thomas didn’t have room to be picky, so if his glamorous future autobiography was going to have a chapter about him guarding a children’s restaurant then so be it.

At least the restaurant wasn’t that bad.

The Mind Palace, a place for food, family, and fun. A huge establishment that boasted of fun games and entertainment. A place that was the home of three androids that were known all over town. A place... that didn’t really seem to need a night guard. Thomas wondered what the story was...

Thomas shook those thoughts aside as he entered the place. Someone was waiting for him at the front: a young man about his age that was sipping on some Starbucks and wore a leather jacket over his uniform. He gave Thomas an unimpressed glance, eyes roving over him.

“Hi,” Thomas smiled. “I’m Thomas. The new night guard.”

The guy took another long sip form his drink, still looking Thomas up and down.

“Ugh... Mr. Picani could do worse, I guess,” he shook his head. “I’m Remy. Walk with me.”

He turned around and walked off wihout waiting for an answer. Thomas was momentarily stunned, but then he scrambled after him.Thomas was led through another door where the restaurant was bustling with life through a cacophony of children’s laughter and squeals. Thomas could see the floor plan was very open, but there were clear sections. One was full of tables where families were eating, one housed an enormous play area for kids to run around and climb on, another still had a huge arcade and prize corner.

Thomas flinched as he nearly ran into Remy. The other was waiting for a group of kids to walk by.

“Come on, Kiddos!” A smiling man accompanied them. “It’s time to play some games.”

Thomas knew who that was. The Mind Palace had three androids that walked around and entertained the kids: Roman, Logan, and Patton. This one, with his baby blue shirt and cat hoodie, was Patton. Thomas smiled as he walked by. Patton was also known as the fun loving dad figure. The one that had an infectious smile and was always so happy and bouncy.

More than once, Thomas had marveled over the engineering of the three. They all moved and acted and looked so life like that it was easy to forget they were androids.

“You coming, babe?” Remy called, now much further ahead. Thomas once again rushed to catch up. He may have the job, but he didn’t want to make a bad impression.

The next encounter they had was Thomas peaking into a room that looked like some kind of fairy tale forest. He could see the kids playing with fake swords and wearing sashes of various colors.

“Careful!” A powerful voice rang out. “A true prince or princess is always careful to not hurt anyone...”

Ah, that one had to be Roman.

But Thomas wasn’t able to see him before he was once again moving on.

“This is the office,” Remy said, opening a rather small room at the end of the hall. “At least, it’s your office. This is where you’ll be working all night long. You sit here, you watch the monitors, you call the police or Mr. Picani if anything happens.”

The room looked like your standard security office. A desk, a bunch of monitors, a chair, a fan plugged into the wall, and of course there were decorations. A poster of Patton, Roman, and Logan smiled at him from the wall. But then there was another posted crammed into the corner featuring... Thomas didn’t recognize those people and they were hidden behind a corkboard-

“The place closes at nine,” Remy said. “We take some time for cleaning and organizing and you’ll be here by midnight sharp. Don’t be late. Your job is to make sure that no one breaks in, and that nothing happens to the boys. Any questions?”

“Um... what happened to the last guard?” Thomas asked, sitting in the chair and getting a feel for the monitors.

“Ugh!” Remy snarled. “That bitch left without any notice. Just walked out one day and said he wasn’t coming back. Totally wrecked the schedule until we were able to hire you. Anyway, one more thing: the boys walk around at night. Something about making sure their joints don’t lock up or get rusty. From what I hear, they won’t bother you much. Well, Patton might because you’re new. But don’t worry, they’re harmless. They mostly just wander their sections and make sure everything’s cleaned up. But if something does happen to them, the emergency numbers are on that list there, and so is Mr. Picani’s. Call immediately. Got it?”

Thomas nodded, seeing the list that Remy was referring to. It really didn’t seem like that tough of a job. How bad could it be?

“Did Mr. Picani give you the grand tour already?” Remy asked.

“Yeah, he showed me where everything is,” Thomas nodded.

“Good, that means I can leave,” Remy sighed. “You should get home and get some sleep in. And like I said, midnight sharp. The night staff hates being kept waiting.”

“Don’t worry,” Thomas smiled. “You can count on me.”

“Good. Now get out of here. I have a pedicure to get to,” Remy shooed him from the office and shut the door behind him. As Thomas turned to leave, he heard a strange scratching sound coming from the door across the hall that was marked ‘Storage’. Well, if the place had rats he wasn’t about to oust his new job. Shaking his head, he walked off.

He had a new job to prepare for.

Chapter Text

The office wasn’t all that terrible.

Sure, it was a little cramped, and smelled kind of musty, but Thomas had seen worse. At least it was clean...ish. Kind of dusty, but not too bad. Maybe Thomas could wipe some things down while he was here.

Remy had been kind enough to leave behind a note, which Thomas was reading now. He sipped the soda he’d brought with him, reading over the instructions Remy had forgotten to mention during their meeting a few days ago. It seemed pretty straightforward.

Use the cameras, don’t be afraid to get up and check the rooms physically, there were low lights in the room to help see, don’t fall asleep, don’t make a mess, here are the emergency numbers, make sure the androids don’t leave because they come on at night, take note of any pest problems-

Wait, WHAT?!

Thomas nearly dropped his soda as he read that line again.

Make sure the androids don’t leave because they come on at night.

They... come on?

What?!

As in, they came on and walked around and did weird android stuff? No way, it had to be a prank. Something Remy cooked up to try to scare him on his first night so that he could laugh at him.

Well, Thomas wasn’t so easily scared. Well, maybe he was, but he wouldn’t be scared this time.

Thomas took a deep breath and set the note aside. It couldn’t be true. Thomas could see them on the cameras now, all in their own little corners. Fully asleep. Shut down. Whatever term you used. Do androids dream of electric sheep?

Thomas shook his head as he fiddled with his phone. He’d just relax and watch some Netflix or youtube videos. Everything would be fine. Everything would be just... fine...

And everything was for the first few hours. Thomas calmed down while he watched some Disney movies on his phone. He’d eaten some of the snacks he’d brought, and he was already sleepy. It had been so long since he’d stayed up this late, and already he was regretting getting a graveyard shift.

Thomas took a moment to yawn and stretch. So far so good. No problems, no sounds, no unexplained movements from the androids. He was convinced Remy was trying to scare him. A little hazing between coworkers, Remy seemed like the type.

Thomas had geared up his phone to play another movie when he heard an odd sound. It was a sound that could be easily mistaken as the usual creaks and groans of a building, but Thomas hadn’t been exposed to those sounds enough yet.

It was coming from across the hall. That storage room that had the ‘Management Only’ sign on the front. It was an odd sound. Like... like scratching? Maybe it was a rat. Thomas’s job was to keep an eye out for rats, so he should investigate.

Setting his phone aside, Thomas turned on the hall light to better see. Like hell was he walking into dim light to investigate a suspicious noise. Thomas walked over listened carefully.

There it was again. A slight scratching sound. Maybe Thomas should take a peak to make sure everything was ok. He took a deep breath and turned the handle.

The door was locked.

Thomas sighed, of course it would be locked. He’d just have to make a report to Mr. Picani to have the place checked over by an exterminator. Rats in a restaurant were no good for the health code...

“Hey there!”

Thomas screamed as he whirled around. He could admit it. He screamed like a baby, but in his defense he had good reason to. After all, he was supposed to to be the only one here. He wasn’t expecting anyone to addressed him.

What made things worse, was that the person who had addressed him was an android who was supposed to be powered down. Patton, to be specific. The paternal android was standing there in all his soft sweater glory.

“Oh!” Thomas could see Patton’s eyes literally flash. “Hey there, Kiddo. You know, you’re not supposed to be here after closing. Are you lost? Do you know where your parents are?”

This was not covered in the employee handbook! There was no section on what to do when one of the androids came to life and mistook you for a child. Thomas didn’t know what to do, so... he did nothing. He just stood there and stared at the other in horror, hoping Patton would eventually lose interest and move away.

It didn’t help that Patton was blocking Thomas’s path to his office. And his phone.

“Well, if you don’t know where they are, then let’s go wait for them,” Patton continued to speak in that warm and friendly tone that set Thomas’s hair on edge. It was like listening to a clown before it murdered you.

He gasped when Patton took him gently by the hand and tugged him down the hall. Thomas followed, hoping that Patton would let go and he could book it back to the office.

Patton took Thomas to his ‘room’. The one set up with comfy bean bag chairs and lots of toys and books everywhere. In the dim light, it looked menacing, but then Patton flipped the switch and the lights came on, showing off the cheery blue walls.

“Here, Kiddo. Sit down while I get you some crayons. We can color while we wait for your parents to come get you. I bet they miss you a lot.”

Thomas sat down as Patton asked, but as soon as the android walked away, Thomas tore off out of the room and back down the hallway. He made it to the office and slammed the door behind him, locking it quickly and even barricading it with a smaller filing cabinet for good measure.

Thomas picked up his phone with shaking hands and dialed Remy’s number. He flipped through the cameras on the monitor, seeing Patton leave the room and head down the hall to another one. He must be looking for Thomas.

Remys’s number went straight to voice mail.

“Nonononono!” Thomas tried again, but got the same result. He had Mr. Picani’s number, he could try that. He dialed his phone again, putting it to his ear as he turned away from the monitor.

“Yes!” This one was ringing. Mr. Picani would answer. Mr. Picani would tell him what to do. Mr. Picani would save him-

Knock. Knock.

Thomas froze... and slowly turned towards the knock he heard on the office window. Standing in the hallway were both Patton and Logan. Patton looked concerned, but Logan looked annoyed.

‘Hi, you’ve reached Emile Picani. I can’t come to the phone right now, but if you leave your name and number...’

Chapter Text

Logan’s programming demanded order.

His room had to be perfectly organized and cleaned, and frankly... the janitors just didn’t do it right.

Order and cleanliness were important in any classroom or science lab. The children depended on him to teach them and show them the wonders of science and the world around them. How could he possibly do that if things were not in the proper place?

As such, he liked to take the nights to clean and organize things as needed.

He looked up as Patton entered his room, looking around in concern.

“Logan!” He said, walking closer to the android. “Logan, there’s a child in the restaurant! I had him in my room, but he ran off. I think he’s scared. We have to help him!”

Logan rolled his eyes with a mechanical whir. Patton’s programming was annoying enough, but with his glitches, it made things even worse. One such glitch was that it was difficult for Patton to tell the difference between a child and an adult.

“Patton, it’s probably just the new night guard,” he said. “Remember? Mr. Picani said we were getting a new one.”

“No, this is definitely a child!” Patton protested. Another annoying glitch of his was how his emotions often went into overdrive. Coding and programming multiplying and building up until he sometimes crashed or burned out. Combine that with the ultra protectiveness he was programmed with, and you had a recipe for disaster.

“Patton, are you absolutely positive that this is a child and you’re not mistaken? Again?” Logan knew there was a chance that a child had actually been left behind, but he was still skeptical.

Patton vigorously nodded his head.

“I’m positive!” He tugged at Logan’s hand. “Come on, we have to help him!”

Logan let himself be led down the hallway, slowly frowning as they got closer to the security office. He glanced through the window and saw... an adult. Patton had once again been mistaken.

“See? A child!” Patton knocked on the window, getting the new guard’s attention.

“Ok... and why do you think this is a child?” Logan asked.

“Look at his shirt,” Patton pointed. “That’s a Steven Universe shirt! Steven Universe is a child’s cartoon. Why would an adult be wearing one?”

“Believe it or not, some adults do wear merchandise from children’s shows,” Logan said. His programming was urging him back to his room. He still had cleaning to do. “And this is an adult, Patton. It’s the new night guard, just like I said. I am going back to my room now, please do not disturb me any further.”

“But Logan-” Patton fell silent as Logan turned and walked off back down the hallway. He turned back to look through the window. It had to be a child. His programming said so. Child’s cartoon shirt meant child!

Right?

He shook his head and knocked on the window again. The child in the office flinched and moved away from the window, looking terrified. There, that was another reason why it was a child. Children got scared sometimes, but never the adults. It had to be a child in there.

“Kiddo?” He called. “Kiddo, please open the door. We can bake cookies! Doesn't that sound nice? I promise, you have nothing to be afraid of. I just want to help you-”

“Patton!”

Logan was poking his head back into the hallway.

“Patton, go back to your room and leave the new guard alone. You need to make sure your room is cleaned and ready for the actual children.”

“But Logan-” Patton tried to protest. His programming was urging him to stay. There was a child that needed his help, he couldn’t just leave them there! A warning message began to flash in his eyes, warning him that his system was getting too hot.

Patton opened his vents and sucked in a deep ‘breath’ of air, but it did little good. He needed to go back into standby mode or he’d crash again. He gave one last look through the window before walking back to his room. He’d take a brief shut down until he cooled and then he’d try again.

Thomas wheezed in relief when Patton finally walked away. He collapsed into the office chair and followed Patton’s progress back to his room. He watched Patton sit down and become very still, head falling forward as if he had dozed off.

He tried Picani’s number again, but there was once again no answer. What was he supposed to do now? What if they managed to get inside? And where was Roman in all of this? What would he do if he came alive too?

Thomas sat and stared at the window for a good while before he managed to calm down slightly. No one had come back, but he still had some time until his shift ended and he could leave. Dangerous androids or not, he wasn’t about to run off and not get paid for this hell. Not to mention, the exit was past the androids’ rooms and he’d have to risk running into them.

He looked around the office for anything that might help. A manual. A warranty guide. A survival guide. Any notes that any of the other guards had left-

He once again spotted that odd poster on the wall. It was half covered by other note and flyers advertising pizza specials and birthday deals. It looked old...

Thomas pulled the poster free and examined it. It featured three different androids and advertised some kind of Halloween haunted house. Whoever these androids were, Thomas didn’t know them. They certainly weren’t used anymore, as he’d yet to see them on stage.

Thomas set the poster aside and went digging again, but he found nothing of use. Nothing at all. He was stuck here until the opening shift came in. Thomas settled himself back at the monitors, looking through them for any movement. Logan was moving around his room and rearranging things, Patton hadn’t moved an inch, and Roman... well, he couldn’t find Roman.

Thomas panicked, moving through the cameras again. Where was Roman? Roman had to be around here somewhere-

Scratch Scratch Scratch

Thomas looked up.

Knock Knock

There was no one at the window. Where was that noise coming from? The only other door nearby was the one that was locked-

Bang Bang BANG

Thomas choked on his next breath. The noise was coming from that door.

But what could it be?

Thomas shook his head. He wasn’t going out there. He’d seen enough horror movies to know that was a bad idea. He was just going to stay here in the office where it was safe-

BANG

The door shook.

BANG

The door shook again

SCRATCH SCRATCH SCRATCH

Thomas yelped and shoved his chair until it was piled against the small barricade he had in front of the office door. Something was behind that locked door. Something was trying to get out. Something was going to kill him-

He heard the door open and screamed, shielding himself from whatever horror had surely come out-

“Hello?”

Thomas peeked and saw someone standing outside the window. Someone that was definitely human. It was one of the morning janitors! They must have come in through the front!

Thomas wheezed another breath of relief. It was the end of his shift...

Chapter Text

“I warned you beforehand,” said Remy.

“I thought you were joking!” Thomas growled. “Who just flat out says that androids come to life at night like it’s no big deal?”

“I do,” Remus shrugged and sipped his coffee.

Remy had finally contacted Thomas back, interrupting his sleep a little after noon. Thomas asked to meet up with him so that they could talk about things. He wanted to know more about the androids and the things that had happened.

Thomas sighed, rubbing his face with his hand as he glanced down at the menu for the diner they were sitting in. Remy had offered to treat Thomas to a late lunch to make up for the terror he’d gone through the night before. It was both their days off as Picani had wanted Thomas to rest and recuperate until his next shift.

The waitress came over to take their orders. Remy ordered another coffee and a bacon cheeseburger while Thomas ordered the chicken tenders. He didn’t feel like anything too hearty right now. His stomach was still nervously rolling.

“Look, it’s not that big a deal,” said Remy. “They can look and act kind of creepy sometimes, but they’re not violent. They’re programmed to never hurt anyone, so you don’t have anything to worry about.”

“Unless Patton thinks I’m a kid again,” Thomas huffed.

“Yeah, that happens. Look, just don’t wear anything from a kid’s show or Disney movie and he should see you as an adult. Unless he’s already stored you in his system as a child,” Remy mused.

Thomas sighed again. This job had turned out to be so much more different than advertised. Granted, he should probably blame himself a bit because he didn’t believe Remy when he’d mentioned the androids coming to life...

“Are those three the only androids?” he suddenly asked. “I saw a poster in the office that had three others on them, but I didn’t know who they were.”

“Oh them?” Remy waved dismissively. “Yeah, they’re from this old Halloween thing they used to do when King was still around.”

“When who was still around?” Thomas asked in confusion.

Remy’s eyes widened as he slowly lowered his cup of coffee.

“Wait... you don’t know who King is? Have you been living under a rock?!” he sounded incredulous which just made Thomas even more confused.

“I moved here a few years ago,” he said. “I’ve only ever seen Patton, Logan, and Roman. Was King an older android?”

Remy made an excited noise, looking as if Christmas had come early. Now Thomas was very confused. What was it about a King animatronic that made him so happy?

“Gurl, I have been waiting to tell this story to someone,” Remy grinned. “Someone who wasn’t here for it. It is the best tea!”

He took another gulp of coffee and then cleared his throat.

“Ok, so... how much do you know about the Mind Palace restaurant?” Remy asked.

“Um, not much,” Thomas shrugged. “Only what they told me during that little briefing. I didn’t really think there was much to it.”

“Oh there is,” Remy purred. “That restaurant is steeped in scandal. I’m actually surprised that people still go to it after all that’s happened...”

He shook his head.

“Anyway, let’s start at the beginning. So... years and years ago, the Mind Palace first opened with three androids: Patton, Logan, and King Julius.” Remy took another sip of coffee. “The owner at the time was amazing. He was an older guy named Maxwell who loved kids and did everything he could to make sure things were running as best they could. He used good ingredients for the food, made sure everything was clean and up to code, did weekly maintenance on the androids to make sure they were functioning properly, paid his employees well and really cared about them. Business was booming, and everyone loved the place.”

“Sounds like a great place to work,” Thomas smiled. “So what happened that was so scandalous?”

“I’m getting there, chill out,” Remy waved again. He paused as the waitress came back and set their food down. “Anyway, after some time, Maxwell decided to retire. He was having some health problems that made it hard to work, and he had plenty of money saved up from the business. He decided to sign the company over to his son and move to someplace warm and sunny to live out the rest of his days. The only problem was... his son Leo was a bit of a greedy idiot.”

Thomas shook his head as he chewed on his tenders. Seemed like a classic story, one he’d seen countless times in the movies. But still, Remy was acting as if someone had died. How badly had Leo screwed things up?

“Leo wanted to make more money,” Remy said around his mouthful of beef and bacon. “The business was already making plenty, but he wanted more. So he started cutting corners with costs in order to save a few bucks. Stopped using good ingredients and used things like cheap processed cheese, clearance meat, things like that. He also stopped cleaning things as much so that he wouldn’t have to pay people to work those hours. Did the same with the techs. Weekly maintenance was cut back to monthly, and then every few months. Now, I didn’t work there at the time because I was just a kid, but I did like to go there with my family. I remember finding a rat in the bathroom and then the pizza we ordered tasted disgusting. So, the restaurant started losing money.”

“Well, yeah,” Thomas chuckled. “I expect it did. Mr. Picani doesn’t do any of this, does he?”

“Nope,” Remy shook his head. “Emile is smart and runs the place more like Maxwell did. Guy used to be a kid therapist if you can believe it. Now, Leo is trying to figure out how to make more money. Everyone who wasn’t blind or an idiot told him to just go back to the way things were and business would pick up again. But Leo didn’t want to just go back to how it was before, he wanted to go bigger. He started doing some research and discovered those big haunted house attractions. He decided he’d start his own and he paid a small fortune for two androids and two AI’s. It would have been fine if he’d stopped there, but then he got greedy again. He decided he wanted a third android for the attraction, but he didn’t want to pay for a third android and a third AI. So the genius gets the bright idea to have a third AI created and then just use one of the androids he already had. He chose to use King Julius.”

Thomas’s eyes widened. He had a feeling this story was about to take a dark turn.

“Oh yeah, you know shit’s about to go wrong,” Remy said. “The first opening of the attraction actually went pretty well. People were scared, money was rolling in, nothing was going wrong, it was great. But because he was still using King Julius with the kids, he had the techs rig up some programming that would allow them to sort of switch King Julius between his normal AI and the Halloween AI. The techs he got were great and set it all up exactly how Leo wanted. He actually managed to keep this up for a few years, but then...”

He paused and took another bite of his burger, slowly chewing it and silently enjoying Thomas’s growing impatience.

“And then?” Thomas prompted. “What happened?”

Remy held up his finger and finally swallowed his bite.

“Leo fucked up,” he said. “You see, Leo kept the AI in King Julius all year long because it was cheaper to do it that way. He could have his own techs run the maintenance and make sure it was still functioning. The Halloween AI was pretty messed up. It made King tell these terrifying stories and talk about gross things, and... made him kinda violent. And that AI sat in his system while he was playing with kids. You remember how Leo started pushing back maintenance? Well, apparently something happened with the coding that kept the two AI’s separate and they started to bleed into each other. King Julius started glitching and saying scary stuff while with children. The workers asked Leo to keep him in the back until he could be fixed, but there was a big birthday party coming up, and the kid loved King Julius the most. Leo wasn’t about to let that slip away, and he said he’d pull King Julius after the party and not before. Well, the day of the party comes and the whole place is rented out for it. King Julius starts glitching again, and they’re trying to distract the kid so that they can pull him to the back, but the kid runs past to give King Julius a hug before they can.”

Remy’s voice then became serious.

“King Julius ended up grabbing the kid and snapping her arm in half while shouting all these crazy and scary things And then he ripped the leg off a nearby chair and started smashing his head in while crying out for help.” he said. “Panic ensued and the place closed down for the day. That... was the scandal that ended Leo’s career. King Julius’s body was broken beyond repair and had to be scrapped. The AI’s were plucked out and stored in separate systems. Leo knew the restaurant would suffer, so he tried to put his eggs all in the Halloween basket. He paid to have a third android created and put the bad AI into it to once a-fucking-gain save on costs. But then he was ordered to cease all operations, so the android was never used. The ensuing court trial ruined him. He'd paid so much on the new android and now he had to pay the kid’s medical bills and emotional damages. He had to declare bankruptcy and sell everything to cover it. Problem was, no one wanted to touch that restaurant. The price got lower and lower the more Leo got desperate until Emile finally showed up and bought it all. Leo then packed up and left and no one’s heard from him again.”

Thomas let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. That... was intense. An android had hurt a child like that?! Thomas couldn’t even imagine seeing something like that or having that happen to him. Poor little girl...

“After Emile took over, he stuck the Halloween androids into storage in case he could ever think of something to use them for. He paid to have a new android and AI built which came to be named Prince Roman. He was marketed as King Julius’s son or something. Anyway, Emile didn’t want any bad blood with the restaurant, so he contacted the kid and her family and offered to cover what Leo hadn’t been able to as well as give the kid free therapy to help overcome the trauma. The family accepted and things became friendly between them. The kid only started coming back recently and gets to play and eat for free. She doesn’t really go near Prince Roman...”

Thomas shook his head, still in shock. He had not been expecting this at all. Who knew a children's restaurant could have such a history? And then those other androids-

Wait.

Thomas’s eyes once again widened as he slowly looked up at Remy.

“He... he put the androids in storage?” He asked. “The storage room wouldn’t happen to be... right by the office, would it?”

“That’s it,” Remy nodded. “Big room full of junk.”

“And the androids... are still there?” Thomas asked.

“Yeah,” Remy nodded. “Why?”

Thomas suddenly had a very bad feeling...

Chapter Text

Thomas’s mind was racing as he entered the restaurant.

His lunch was over and he’d said goodbye to Remy. Now all he could think about was that poster he’d seen and the story Remy had told him. Three other androids locked in the back storage room? It couldn’t be a coincidence that he’d been hearing those noises and banging. He had to tell Emile...

Thomas entered through the front door and swiftly walked past the arcade and party rooms. He walked past Patton and Logan’s room, both spotting Thomas as he did. Logan looked confused as Thomas was not scheduled to work that night while Patton smiled brightly and greeted him with a ‘Hi kiddo!’

Thomas ignored them both and walked past Roman’s room, seeing the princely android play fighting with one of the children. Emile’s office was closer to the end of the hall, isolated so that there wouldn’t be any worry of a child wandering in. Though, you wouldn’t think the room was an office. It was packed full of children’s toys and bright colorful posters. Thomas briefly wondered if Patton ever had any trouble identifying Emile as an adult...

“Mr. Picani?” Thomas asked, standing in the doorway. Emile looked up from his computer and smiled.

“Thomas. Good to see you. Did you forget that you’re not scheduled tonight?” he asked.

“No, it’s... I needed to talk to you about something,” said Thomas. “Something that happened last night.”

“Oh?” Emile asked. “I did see that I missed your calls. Again, I’m very sorry about that. I had no idea Remy hadn’t told you-”

“He told me,” Thomas sat down. “I just... I didn’t believe him. But I do now! Anyway, this is about the storage room.”

“The storage room?” Emile repeated. “What about it?”

“Remy told me about the other androids,” said Thomas. “The ones you keep back there. He told me about how they were made for a horror attraction.”

Emile sighed.

“I have told Remy several times not to gossip,” he said. “Though I suppose I’d have better luck telling Patton to stop making puns.”

He chuckled and shook his head fondly before leaning forward on his desk.

“I had hoped to keep those stories away from you,” he said. “I don’t like gossip spreading around here, and that story is not ours to tell. It’s disrespectful to the poor girl who was injured. But... I can’t exactly do anything about that now because you already know. I can only ask that you don’t go telling others.”

“I won’t,” Thomas promised. “But... something weird happened last night. Something inside the storage room was banging and scratching on the door. Are... are you sure those androids are fully shut down?”

“Yes, Thomas,” Emile nodded. “I had a technician look them over and then shut them down for storage. It hurts me to keep them like that, but I haven’t been able to find a use for them. I just don’t think it would be good to bring back the Halloween attraction. Especially since the newest android still has the AI that caused this whole mess. For now, they’ll just have to stay back there.”

“But... but I heard something,” Thomas said. “Something big. It was banging on the door.”

“Well... if you’re certain, then we can go check the room now.” Emile stood up. “If there is something in there, then I’ll need to call in pest control. It can’t be safe having anything running around where they might hurt the children.”

Thomas was nervous. Were they really going to go in there? It was like a bad horror movie where the characters went towards the scary noises instead of away from them. But Emile looked confident. Surely there wouldn’t be anything bad in there, right? Maybe a possum or raccoon at worst.

Emile led Thomas down the hallway and to the storage room. He pulled out a set of keys and unlocked the door. Thomas backed up, raising his hands as if ready to fight. Emile simply raised his eyebrow and opened the door. He flipped a switch and the overhead lights came on.

There was... nothing unusual.

It looked like a regular storage room. Boxes stored on shelves, old arcade games, crates stacked neatly along the walls. Emile walked in with Thomas slowly following. His fists were still raised, ready to defend if needed. Though... it probably wouldn’t defend him well against rabies...

Emile carefully looked around with Thomas, but nothing looked out of place. Some things were a bit dusty, but there were no signs of anything living in the room.

“Hmmm,” Emile looked around. “I don’t see anything, but I’ll call an exterminator down anyway. May as well be thorough. Oh, and I should turn the camera back on for a bit just in case we’re missing anything.”

“Camera?” Thomas looked where Emile was pointing. A camera was on the wall, but Thomas could see that it wasn’t working.

“Yes, I turned it off because there wasn’t much use for it,” said Emile. “And it was just something extra for the guards to check. But I’ll have it turned back on today. You should be able to access it by your next shift tomorrow night.”

Thomas nodded as he looked around again. He paused when he saw three crates propped against the far wall. They each had a name written on the front: Janus, Remus, and Virgil.

“Those are the three androids,” Emile had noticed where Thomas was looking. He walked over to the crates. “But they’re sealed tightly. See these latches? Only someone on the outside can open the crates.”

He demonstrated how the latches worked, carefully moving them. Thomas still felt uneasy. He unlatched one of the crates and slowly opened the lid, peering inside. A face with quite a bit of eyeshadow greeted him. The android was very still, looking almost like a corpse. Thomas swallowed reflexively and shut the crate again, securing the latch tightly.

“Thomas, are you ok?” Emile sounded concerned. “I know you said that you don’t have Automatonophobia, but is there any chance that you’re perhaps mistaken? If you are, I have no trouble with moving you to a different job. We can always use more help in the kitchen.”

“No,” Thomas shook his head. “No, I’m just... too many horror games.” He chuckled nervously. “I promise, I’m fine.”

“If you’re sure,” said Emile. “But please tell me if anything gets worse. If you are genuinely afraid at night, I can move you.”

“I-I will,” Thomas nodded. “Thank you, Sir.”

He left the restaurant, but he didn’t feel any better.

At Thomas’s next shift, he walked in feeling a bit better. He’d seen the crates, the latches, he’d seen the powered off android inside one of them. They were safely contained, there was no way they could get out. And Emile had assured him that they were turned off. Maybe Thomas had been mistaken...

He sighed as he sat down at the desk of his office. Emile had left a note about the new camera, and Thomas cycled through them until he saw it. The screen was mostly dark, but Emile seemed to have installed a dim light so that Thomas could at least see the silhouettes and shadows of the boxes and crates. If anything happened, he would at least be able to see it.

He cycled the cameras again. Logan was once again cleaning his room and Patton seemed to be watching a movie with Roman on the tv of one of the employee break rooms. Sleeping Beauty, if he wasn’t mistaken. Remy had mentioned Roman’s love for Disney movies to him once or twice.

Thomas chuckled as he cycled the cameras again. Everyone else had gone home, everything was locked up, it was just him and the androids now. Hopefully this time Patton wouldn’t bother him. From what he’d seen earlier, Patton still thought he was just a kid.

Thomas settled down for his second shift. He pulled up Netflix on his phone for a good binge session. He had plenty of time to kill, and things were quiet as usual.

And they were quiet... for the first few hours.

Thomas had yet to see the other androids, but Emile had told him that he’d spoken to them about leaving Thomas alone at night. Hence why Patton was spending his time with Roman now. While Thomas knew they wouldn’t hurt him, they could still be a bit scary in their own ways.

He yawned and took a moment between episodes to check the cameras again. Nothing there. All quiet. All is well. All-

Thomas froze and his eyes widened.

He’d landed on the camera in the storage room.

One of the crates was wide open.

Thomas leaned forward, trying to get a better look-

A dark face with glowing purple eyes suddenly appeared on the camera, mouth twisted in wide grin-

Thomas screamed and fell back-

SCRATCH SCRATCH SCRATCH-

It was scratching at the door again!

Thomas stumbled as he rushed from the office...

Chapter Text

“I’m coming Kiddo!”

“Huh?”

Thomas looked up just in time to crash right into Patton. The android had come running at the sound of Thomas’s scream, eager to help the poor child. Thomas hit the surprisingly soft and squishy android and stumbled back. Patton quickly caught him and helped him regain his balance.

“Kiddo! Are you ok? What are you doing back here? Did your mom forget you again?” He shook his head. “Some parents... Don’t worry, Kiddo. I’ll take care of you until we can call her. But this time you have to stay in the room-”

“What happened?”

The two looked over to see Logan and Roman striding down the hallway. Roman had drawn his plastic sword and looked ready for a fight. Logan just looked done with everything.

“There- It was- It's-” Thomas gestured wildly down the hallway. “Something was on the camera!”

Roman’s eyes flashed, flickering between red and gold before settling on brown.

“A villain has infiltrated our beloved kingdom?!” He raised his sword high. “I shall vanquish them!”

“You will do no such thing,” Logan sighed. Or at least, he made a sighing sound. “It would be illogical to run in like that when we do not know what’s going on. Let’s go investigate first. Thomas, follow me.”

“Me?” Thomas squeaked.

“Yes, Thomas. That is your job after all,” Logan said, already walking towards the office.

“You can’t expect a child to-”

“He is not a child, Patton!”

Patton winced at Logan’s slightly distorted yell. He rubbed Thomas’s shoulder in a comforting way.

“Don’t you worry, Kiddo. We’ll keep you safe. Just stay behind me and we’ll see what’s going on.”

Thomas didn’t protest as he let Patton go first. Roman was bringing up the rear, looking around and waving his sword as if expecting something to come popping out. When they got to the office, Logan was already cycling through the cameras.

“Where did you see it?” He asked, stepping back to let Thomas work the monitor. Thomas’s shaking fingers fiddled with the cameras until he brought up the one for the storage room. There... was nothing there. The open crate was closed again and there was no sign of anything else.

“B-But...” Thomas looked closer at the screen. “But it was right there. One of the crates was open and there were these glowing eyes and then something was scratching at the door...”

The three androids looked over at the very silent and very still storage room door. Roman slowly sheathed his sword and gave Thomas a look.

“Hold still,” Logan suddenly swiped his thumb across Thomas’s forehead, and his eyes swirled, reminding Thomas of a page loading on the internet. Logan blinked and his eyes were back to normal.

“Your internal temperature is registering as normal and showing no signs of a fever,” he said. “Are you taking any medications for hallucinations, or do any of your medications have hallucinations as a side effect?”

“What?” Thomas blinked. “I didn’t hallucinate! I saw it right there on the screen. The crate was open something was standing there. It was one of those androids!”

“Those androids?” Roman asked. “The ones that caused our beloved King’s death? Impossible. They’ve been powered off and locked away for years. A light punishment, if you ask me. Regicide is no minor crime.”

“Even if they managed to turn on, their crates are latched shut,” said Logan. “They would have no way of escaping. You must have seen some sort of glitch or distortion on the camera.”

“But I didn’t-”

“Now, Kiddo...” Patton interrupted. “I bet you got a real wild and wacky imagination, but there’s nothing there. Don’t worry, you’re ok. We’re gonna take good care of you. Now, do you have one of those fancy phones? We can call your mom if you have the number saved.”

“My phone...” Thomas pat at his pockets. “Oh, I set it down on... the desk...”

His phone was not there. He was sure he’d put it there before he checked the cameras. Thomas looked around the desk and even knelt to look under it in case it fell, but his phone was nowhere to be seen.

“It was right here!” He said. “I put it on the desk before I looked at the cameras!”

Patton’s expression twisted into one of concern. He glanced at Logan, who was giving him a look that clearly said one thing: ‘This guard is a few balls short of a ball pit.’

“Where could it be?” Thomas stood up again. “It’s not here!”

There was a loud creak, and they all looked up to see the grate of the ceiling vent fall open and swing on its hinge. Logan shook his head in frustration.

“I told Mr. Picani to have this fixed,” he grumbled. He stood on Thomas’s chair and twisted his finger off. Thomas yelped, but then he saw that hidden with the finger was a screwdriver. Logan closed the vent and tightened the screws until he was satisfied.

“There,” he nodded as he got back down. “As for you, Thomas... Perhaps it would be best if you spent the rest of your shift with us. Just to make sure nothing else... happens. I’ll be sure to have a chat with Mr. Picani in the morning.”

“B-But-” Thomas stammered as Logan steered him out of the office. Patton gave Thomas another concerned look, but Roman looked happy.

“Movie buddies! I hope you like Disney, Conejito. There’s nothing better than Disney!”

Thomas glanced back at the office as the others all but drug him down the hall and into the break room. He hadn’t been hallucinating.

Right?

Thomas woke up the next morning and reached for his phone before he forgot that he didn’t have it. He groaned, remembering what had happened and realizing he was going to have to go back to get his phone. He still had no idea what had happened to it. He had gone back after his shift ended to search, but he still hadn’t been able to find it.

Well, he needed to talk to Emile anyway...

Thomas once again entered the restaurant and sped walk down the hallway. Emile was in his office and looked confused to see Thomas there.

“This seems familiar,” Emile said. “And it has me concerned. Are you ok, Thomas? Logan expressed some... concerns this morning.”

“Something weird happened during my shift,” Thomas sighed. “And Logan thinks I’m crazy. And I can’t find my phone. Someone took it last night.”

“Ah yes...” Emile nodded. “Logan said you had seen something in the storage room. Are you saying that whatever it was also stole your phone?”

“I’m just saying that it suddenly vanished after I ran from the office,” Thomas shrugged.

“Hmm...” Emile looked at Thomas with a calculating gaze. “Well... then why don’t we go look? If it’s not in the office, I’ll unlock the door and we can check the storage room.

Emile got up and Thomas followed him to the security office. Thomas glanced at the storage door nervously, almost expecting it to open and for something to jump out at him. He felt... almost paranoid.

“Is this it?”

Thomas looked over and his jaw dropped when he saw Emile was holding his phone.

“Wha?”

“It was on the floor under the desk,” Emile said, gesturing at the carpet.

“No way!” Thomas took the phone and looked at the desk. “I checked all over...”

“Thomas,” Emile sighed. “Please be honest with me. The health of my customers and employees are my top priority. Are you sure you’re ok? I really don’t mind switching you to another job or shift. Just please tell me if you’re getting too overwhelmed.”

“I...” Thomas sighed. “I’m not. I just... I dunno. Let me try one more time. Please. If it gets this bad again I’ll go to another shift. Please?”

Emile tilted his head slightly, but then he smiled.

“One more chance,” he said. “I don’t think you’re making any trouble, Thomas. But I am concerned over your mental health. I understand that sudden changes in sleep schedules can have bad side effects, but I don’t want anything happening to you. We’ll talk again after your next shift. But don’t come in so early again. Get a good sleep, eat a good meal, and then come see me when you’re ready. Ok?”

“Ok,” Thomas nodded. “Thanks, Mr. Picani.”

“No problem, Thomas...” Emile pat Thomas’s shoulder before leaving. Thomas sighed and looked at his phone. It looked just fine. Not a scratch or mark on it, and it still had some charge. He pocketed it and turned to leave when something hit his head.

“Ow!” Thomas rubbed his head and looked down where he heard the thing land. He bent down and picked up... a screw.

Slowly... he looked up..

At the AC vent that was right above him...

Chapter Text

Just a quick question for you guys:

Out of the Dark Androids, who do you want to make contact with Thomas first?

Or who do you want to see next?

Let me know because I'm on the fence about it.

Thanks and have a great day!

Chapter Text

Hey guys! So sorry I haven’t posted anything in a while. I just wanted to touch base and say that I was hit hard by Hurricane Sally last Wednesday. I didn’t get my power back until Sunday and finally got my Wifi back today.

But this means that I will finally be able to update! And with the release of the new FNAF Security Breach trailer, my creative juices are flowing strong and I should have something up soon.

Thank you all for your patience, I love you all!

Chapter Text

“Thomas!”

Thomas couldn’t help but smile as Patton greeted him. Yes, it was a little annoying that Patton didn’t see him as an adult, but... Patton’s cheer was just too infectious to be mad for long.

“Here, I saved you some cookies from my last baking session,” Patton said, holding up a napkin wrapped bundle. “Now, I know it’s a little late for someone as young as you to be eating sugar, so... this’ll be our little secret, ok?” He winked and pressed a finger to his lips.

Thomas chuckled and took the bundle. As childish as Patton acted sometimes, Thomas knew he was programmed to be an amazing baker. He could measure ingredients to a single drop or grain, and he expected nothing less of perfection when he baked.

Of course, Patton was always one to encourage even the children who couldn’t bake and whose cookies came out hard as rocks or far too sweet to consume. Patton was always there with a kind word and a smile, ready to tell them they could always try again next time.

“Um, sure...” said Thomas. “Our secret.”

Patton made an odd metallic noise that sounded almost like a squeal, looking very happy.

“Are you sure you don’t want to play some games or watch movies?” He asked. “It can’t be fun being stuck in that office all night long. A child like you needs entertainment or you’ll get bored. And bored children is never a good thing. That’s how we get all the messes and scribbles on the walls...”

“I’ll be fine, but thanks for the offer,“ Thomas said. “Maybe I’ll come by later and we can play a short game when I check on you.”

He unwrapped the bundle as he made his way down the hall. He’d taken a bite when he slowed down and glanced at the door to the storage room. Shoving the cookie back into his mouth, Thomas deliberately didn’t look at it as he turned on the monitor for the security cameras and sat down.

He glanced at the door again. Why did that dumb door have to be right across the hall. He’d have to work hard if he wanted to ignore it completely. It almost seemed to mock him, making fun of him for how pathetic he’d been acting. Yeah, he’d been stressed and stress can make you see and hear things, but he really could swear...

Nope.

He wasn’t doing this again. Mr. Picani already thought something was wrong with him, and Thomas wanted to prove him wrong. He didn’t want to get fired from this job. He didn’t want to be hospitalized in an asylum. He didn’t want to be accused of taking drugs.

He just wanted to work and earn his money so that he could afford to go to auditions and maybe set up something online where he could post funny videos. He had to start somewhere, right?

An hour went by with nothing really happening. Thomas cycled through the cameras, watching the other animatronics do whatever they did at night. Logan was once again cleaning and reorganizing his room. Patton seemed to be locked in a heated checkers match... against himself. Roman was watching another Disney movie in the break room. Thomas briefly wondered if he should ask Mr. Picani to get Roman his own tv for his room since he watched so much Disney.

Thomas’s finger hovered over the next button. This one was for the camera in the storage room. Thomas had been avoiding it all night. Surely there wouldn’t be any harm in checking it now?

Thomas hesitated, finger gently tapping the button, not quite pressing it. He finally shook his head and pressed a different button to check on the kitchen.

“Nope,” he said. “Not gonna bother. Nothing’s in there, everything’s fine, I have no reason to check.”

Are you sure about that?

Thomas’s heart nearly stopped as he heard someone speak. It had come from within the security room, but Thomas couldn’t see anyone else as he frantically looked around. He even glanced up at the vent, but saw nothing there either.

Are you so sure that you’re safe?

Thomas swallowed heavily, fumbling for the light switch. The light came on, but he still couldn’t see anyone.

Maybe you’re just hearing things. Maybe you’re just paranoid.

“Who’s there?!” Thomas finally demanded.

Or maybe something really is out to get you...

Thomas backed up slowly, inching towards the door.

Stay right there and you’ll get your answer!

Thomas yelped and darted out into the hallway. He ran into another room and pressed himself against the wall. A quick peek down the hall told him that nothing and no one was there.

But he could swear he heard a distorted laugh coming from the office-

“Thomas?”

Thomas looked back and saw that he had entered Logan’s room. The android was staring at him, in the middle of arranging test tubes. He was also carrying his lost and found box. It had two phones, a bracelet, a shoe, and a teddy bear.

“Logan,” Thomas squeaked, forcing himself to smile. “I-I.. I was just...”

“If you want to test your reaction time, you should do it at home,” Logan said, adjusting his glasses. “This is not the environment for playing around. In this lab, we follow all safety regulations.”

“Sorry,” Thomas said, stealing a glance down the hall again. It was quiet this time. No laughter, no creepy voice, nothing.

“Well, since you are here you may as well make yourself useful,” Logan said, setting the box on a nearby table. He opened a drawer and took out a stack of index cards. Some were blank, others had words written on them. Thomas was actually curious as he walked over, looking at the cards carefully.

“Why do you write things down?” He asked. “I thought you guys had memory banks or something.”

“The space in my memory banks are far too valuable to waste on such... asinine words...” Logan said. Thomas picked up a card and finally realized what they were. They were cards about lingo and slang words.

He almost laughed. Almost.

“Ok, one word I've been hearing a lot is YOLO,” Logan wrote the word down. “What does it mean?”

“Oh,” Thomas shook his head. “It means ‘You Only Live Once.’ People say it when they’re about to do some kind of stunt or when they need an excuse to do something they don’t usually do.”

“I see,” Logan scribbled on the back of the card, his handwriting as neat and precise as a printer. “It makes sense. Children usually say that phrase right before they do something incredibly stupid.”

“Yeah,” Thomas chuckled. “it’s a meme thing.”

Having fun?

Thomas flinched and looked around. What the hell?

Where are you looking? Can’t you see me?

Thomas looked at Logan, but the other appeared unbothered, still writing on the card.

Maybe I’m not here at all...

“Thomas, your heartbeat is accelerating,” Logan said, finally setting the card aside. “Are you ok? Shall I give you a quick examination to determine if your health is in danger?”

“I-I...” Thomas looked around again. “Logan, do you hear anything?”

Logan raised an eyebrow, but he looked around carefully.

“No, I hear nothing out of the ordinary,” he finally said. “Why? What did you hear?”

“I heard...” Thomas hesitated and then shook his head. “I just heard something creaking or rattling is all.”

“Ah,” said Logan. “Well, this establishment does have a rather old air conditioning system. The vents and air ducts are in the walls and ceilings. They tend to rattle a bit.”

“Oh, that must be it,” Thomas smiled, pushing his other feelings aside. “Thanks, Logan.”

“Always happy to help,” Logan seemed to preen at the gesture of gratitude. “Now, let us continue. What about the word ‘whack’?”

Thomas answered even as he felt a bad chill run down his spine and the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

When his shift finally ended, Thomas finally had the courage to go back to the security office. He sighed as he turned the light off and grabbed his phone, checking it out of reflex.

Wait...

Thomas blinked, seeing a notification flash on the screen. An unknown device had connected to his phone’s bluetooth?

Chapter Text

True to Thomas’s word, he came back to speak to Emile after his shift. Instead of coming early in the afternoon, he came a bit later in the evening. It was a few hours before closing, but the place was still packed full of children.

Thomas saw that Emile’s office was locked, so he walked a bit further down to the security office.

“Hey Remy,” he greeted the other guard. “Is Emile here?”

“You just missed him, Babes,” Remy said, not looking away from the monitor. “He left a little bit ago to grab something to eat, but he’ll be back later. Hey, while you’re here you should go meet Devlin. He’s in the repair room.”

“I probably should,” Thomas agreed. He hesitated, suddenly thinking of something. “Hey Remy, you haven’t heard or seen anything weird in the storage room, have you?”

“The storage room?” Remy sipped his iced coffee. “Nope. Only thing I see or hear is when someone needs to grab more stock. Other that, it’s quiet. Why do you ask?”

“No reason,” Thomas said quickly. “Um, I’m gonna go say hi to Devlin. See you, Remy.”

Remy gave him a little wave as Thomas walked off. The repair room was next to the employee break room, and the door was shut with a giant sign that said ‘Employees Only’. Thomas debated on knocking or not, but then the door opened and Patton stepped out.

“You’re all good to go, Patton,” said a voice within the room. “Just remember that you can’t eat any human food. This includes cookies.”

“Oh, but they always look so good,” Patton said. “I wish I could just taste them...”

He smiled when he noticed Thomas.

“Hey Kiddo! Are you to play and have some fun?”

“Nah, I’m here to speak to Emile,” said Thomas. “But I’ll be back tonight for my shift, ok?”

“I still think it’s wrong to have a kid here so late at night,” Patton shook his head. “I’ve talked to Emile, but he said it was your choice. Well, I’ll see you later. I have to get back to my other kiddos.”

He giggled as he walked down the hallway and back to his room. Thomas couldn’t help but smile as he walked into the room.

“Hey, you must be Devlin,” he said, holding out his hand to shake. “I’m Thomas. The new nightguard.”

Devlin was seated and packing away his tools. He glanced at Thomas and tilted his head.

“You’re the new guard?” He asked, sounding skeptical.

“Yeah, why?” Thomas slowly asked.

Devlin stood up and Thomas found himself having to crane his neck to look up at Devlin’s face.

“I just didn’t think Emile would hire someone so...” he placed a hand on Thomas’s head, “smol.”

Yes, he said smol. Thomas heard the subtle difference in pronunciation.

“Or maybe you’re just a giant,” he said, shaking Devlin’s hand off.

Devlin laughed, thumping Thomas heavily on the shoulder.

“Sorry. I guess I am a bit of a giant. Still, it’s nice to meet you. My job is to repair the androids when they get damaged and keep their software and systems up to date and bug free. A lot of bad can come from a bugged system.”

“Yeah, I heard about all that,” Thomas said. “Remy told me about the history of this place. Have you been working here long?”

“Long enough,” said Devlin. “But for me, the history is personal. My dad was the engineer and programmer who designed the AI and blueprints for those androids out there. He was here with old Max himself, and he was even with Leo before everything went to shit.”

“No way,” Thomas’s eyes widened. “That was your dad? Oh man, I’m so sorry. It must have been tough on him when the accident happened.”

“You’re telling me,” Devlin growled. “Leo tried to pin all the blame on him by saying the AI’s were faulty, but Dad’s very particular about getting all his orders in writing and signed off on. He turned everything over to the judge and helped justice get served for that poor girl.”

“Is he doing ok?” Thomas asked. “I mean, after all that was he ok?”

“Oh yeah,” Devlin smiled. “Leo used all his connections to drag my dad through the mud, and a lot of it was sticking. But my dad just waited for his day when he could show everyone how Leo was lying. After that, he went after Leo for slander and defamation of character because he’d lost a lot of work. Got a decent chunk from him in his winnings, and we all decided to take it and move. When Emile bought the place, he asked my Dad to come back because Dad is one of the best in the business and he cares more about the kids than making a quick buck. Dad had already retired by then, so I stepped up and took the job myself. Felt weird coming back after so long, but it’s good work. The androids even remembered me and my Dad and were very happy to see me again.”

“Wow, they can remember that far back?” Thomas was impressed.

“I was shocked too,” said Devlin. “Dad told me how their memory banks are routinely wiped every few years or so to make room and keep from overheating. They keep a few core memories there if needed, like if anything important happened or anything happened that they don’t want repeated. So I was pretty confused that they remembered me when I introduced myself. But, Dad always told me that their AI is highly advanced. Like, more so than the average entertainment android. But it’s what Max had wanted, and he had the money to burn...”

“Interesting,” Thomas agreed. “So... did your Dad help design the Halloween androids too?”

“Ugh,” Devlin growled again. “Don’t get me started on those. Dad hates those things.”

“Really?” Thomas asked. “Why is that?”

“Dad’s blueprints and AI had been approved by Leo, and again this is where the careful file keeping comes into play. After approving the designs, Leo decided that he wanted way more,” said Devlin. “There’s a reason why you had to sign a waiver before you could enter the attraction. Those androids were borderline dangerous. Dad’s designs had been safe, but Leo then got a few other engineers into the project and had them add more. One of them can hack into electronic devices and generate electric blasts to disrupt electronics as well. I think one or two of them generate some kind of gas that can really mess with your mind and body. One of them causes symptoms that mimic a panic attack. And the third one... well, he was never used so I can’t say what he does. But I remember the original was very aggressive. He’d caused a few injuries among the staff and customers...”

“Oh wow,” Thomas sounded nervous. “Sounds like bad news.”

“Oh yeah,” said Devlin. “And Leo had messed with the AIs too. Dad had put all kinds of safeguards in place to prevent them from hurting anyone, and Leo had either changed them or removed them. It was like letting wild animals roam around inside the attraction...”

Thomas swallowed heavily.

“And they’re still in storage?” He asked.

“Well, yeah,” Devlin picked up his tool box. “Dad told Emile to just scrap them because they would be more trouble than they’re worth, but Emile said he’d wait and see. If he can find a use for them, he’ll have me get them fixed up. I am not looking forward to that, I can tell you. Anyway, I need to go. It was nice meeting you Thomas. Don’t be a stranger now.”

He gave Thomas a hearty thump on the back and walked out of the room. Thomas let out a soft whimper, very much regretting asking about the Halloween androids that he shared the building with at night...

Chapter Text

“Everything was fine last night,” Thomas smiled. “I even managed to bond with Logan a bit.”

“Yes, he mentioned that,” Emile beamed. “You helped him with his index cards. I think it’s just adorable how hard he tries to keep up with everything. He gets so confused by the lingo kids use these days. If you wouldn’t mind, perhaps you could help him learn a bit more?”

“Oh sure,” said Thomas. “I’d love to.”

“And... maybe spend some time with Roman and Patton?” Emile asked. “I hate to be a bother and I know it’s not exactly part of your job description, but they get lonely so easily.”

“Lonely?” Thomas repeated. “Never heard of an android who can get lonely.”

“It has to do with their programming,” said Emile. “Instead of trying to explain it, it’s just easier to say they get lonely. But it doesn’t take much to entertain them. They do love movies and I make sure to keep popcorn in the break room. You’re more than welcome to it if you do decide to watch a movie. Patton loves romantic comedies the most, Roman prefers Disney, and Logan likes documentaries. Though... I have seen him watch a few sci fi’s every so often.”

Thomas blinked. Emile was asking him to watch movies with the androids? Sure, he’d seen them watch a movie during one of his shifts, but... they actually had preferences? Likes and dislikes? Was it their programming? How advanced was their software?

“I... sure,” Thomas shrugged. “I’d love to watch some movies with them. But... if you don’t mind me asking... why don’t you just shut them down at night?”

THUD

Emile’s hand that had been holding his soda suddenly slammed against the desk and Emile flinched. There was a look in his eyes for only a moment, but Thomas could see something in them. Something powerful...

Emile then smiled and chuckled.

“It’s easier to leave them running,” he said. “Keeps their joints from rusting and locking up.”

“Oh,” said Thomas. “That makes sense. I guess it would make Devlin’s job harder if they rusted up.”

“Exactly,” said Emile. “So you’ve met Devlin? You should go meet the others. Just because you work the graveyard shift doesn’t mean you’re not a valued member of our family here. I’ll even pay you a little overtime for your trouble.”

“Oh!” Thomas would not say no to more money. “That sounds great. Um, thanks. I’ll head out and say hi and be back later for my shift.”

“Sounds wonderful. And remember, Thomas... try to bond with the androids at night,” Emile said as he turned to his computer and began typing something.

Thomas left Emile’s office and looked around. Where would he even start?

He walked down the hall and stopped at the arcade. Kids were playing everything from 8 bit to ski ball. Off to the side was a massive prize counter that had plenty of toys, shirts, plushies, and odd knick knacks. There was a man behind the counter, busy wiping down the glass.

“Hey there,” Thomas said.

“Oh!” The man perked up and smiled widely. “Welcome to the Mind Palace, a place for food, family, and fun!”

“You don’t have to do the little spiel,” said Thomas. “I work here too.”

“So?” The man tilted his head. “Everyone deserves to be greeted with a big smile, whether they’re children or adults. My name is Tristan. Are you the new night guard Remy mentioned?”

“That’s me,” Thomas shook his hand. “My name is Thomas. Emile thinks I should go around and meet everyone. How many other people work here?”

“Oh, well...” Tristan tilted his head and began counting on his fingers. “Devlin does repairs, Remy and Joan guard during the day, Pan works the arcade, Nico and Vixie are in the kitchen, and... Morey works the front cash register. And I work the prize counter!” He spread his arms wide like a showman, gesturing at all the prizes.

“Oh wow, I have a lot of people to meet,” Thomas chuckled.

“I would wait to meet Vixie and Nico, though,” said Tristan. “Vixie doesn’t like people bothering him in the kitchen. Says it’s a safety hazard. But we have meetings every Monday morning. You can come and meet them there. But everyone else should be ok, just don’t keep them for too long. A lot can happen with kids in a short amount of time.”

“No kidding,” Thomas saw a kid excitedly run up with his tickets. “See you, Tristan.”

“Bye Thomas!” Tristan smiled and looked at the kid. “Wow, that’s a lot of tickets! Let’s count them...”

There was a man with a pony tail on the other side of the arcade scolding a child. He had to be Pan.

“I’ve told you twice now, don’t rock the machine. You could hurt yourself,” he said.

“This game never wins!” The child stomped his foot. “I have to shake it!”

“Do it again and I’ll drag you to your mother and let her punish you how she sees fit,” said Pan. “Don’t think I won’t. The last kid got spanked in front of everyone. You want that?”

“No...” The child pouted.

“Then stop,” Pan said. “I’m watching you.”

The child stuck his tongue out and ran off. Pan sighed heavily.

“Long day?” Thomas asked.

“You don’t know the half of it,” Pan chuckled. “Sometimes these kids make me wanna pull my hair out.”

“I’m Thomas,” Thomas held out his hand.

“Pandareus,” he shook it. “Everyone calls me Pan. You new?”

“The new night guard,” said Thomas. “I’m just out here meeting everyone for now.”

“Ah, so you’re the one Patton’s been talking about,” Pan grinned. “He’s telling everyone who will listen how there’s some poor child working the night shift. You must have worn something to confuse him. What was it? Disney? Courage the Cowardly Dog? Rugrats?”

“Steven Universe,” Thomas groaned. “I had no idea, I just like that shirt. So he still sees me as a child?”

“Eh, don’t worry too much about it,” Pan shrugged. “Nothing wrong with having a Dadroid. That’s what we call him. He's such a dad. Wait until he starts telling puns and dad jokes, he loves them.”

“I just wish he’d see me as an adult,” Thomas sighed.

“Win some, lose some,” Pan chuckled. “Seriously, though... don’t worry about it.”

They were suddenly interrupted by an alarm going off. Pan looked over to see the same child from before caught in the middle of shaking the prize machine.

“That does it, you get over here now!” Pan stalked off towards the kid, and Thomas took that as his cue to move on.

Only one person left to meet anyway...

Morey was at the front register, ringing up a family. He stamped the hand of the child and then the hands of the parents.

“There we are,” he smiled. “Grab a table and we’ll bring your pizza out in just a bit.”

He then picked up a bag as the machine next to him started clanging. Thomas watched him scoop tokens into the bag and hand it to the father.

“Have fun!” He beamed and waved them off.

“You must be Morey,” Thomas said as he approached. “Tristan said you worked up here.”

“I am,” said Morey. “Are you a friend of his?”

“No, I’m the new guy. I’m Thomas.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m sure you’ll enjoy working here with the rest of us,” Morey smiled, showing off dazzling white teeth. “Even if we don’t see you during the day.”

“Yeah, it’s been tough adjusting to a graveyard shift,” Thomas chuckled. “Hearing the building creak and groan can really make you nervous.”

“Well, you have the androids here if anything happens,” said Morey. “They have been programmed to react to most emergencies. You’ll be safe with them.”

“Glad to hear that,” Thomas checked his watch and frowned. He still had a few errands to run and it was getting late. “Sorry to run off, but I need to do a few things before work. But I’ll see you at the meeting on Monday.”

“Before you go,” Morey said. “If I may give you some advice...” he leaned in close to Thomas. “Stay away from the storage room...”

Thomas’s eyes widened, but then Morey was standing straight again with another dazzling smile.

“Have a great day, Thomas!”

Chapter Text

Thomas was still thinking about Morey’s warning when he came into work.

Did Morey know something about the Halloween androids in the storage room, or was he just trying to scare Thomas? Was it some kind of hazing or prank the others pulled on new employees?

“I just don’t understand why he’s here,” Patton shook his head. “It’s bad enough we have a child working the prize counter, but now we have one working the night shift? I bet he has school in the morning. How is he going to learn his lessons if he doesn’t get enough sleep?”

“Patton...” Roman started, but Patton continued.

“I’m going to have words with Emile,” he said. “It’s not right!”

“Patton, just leave it be,” said Roman. “Emile has proven himself many times to be a fair man. And we all need a good knight to have a good night. And besides, Thomas is no child. He is a grown man. Still in his prime, some would say.”

“Are we talking about the same Thomas?” Patton asked.

Thomas sighed to himself as he passed by Patton’s room, hearing him and Roman speak. Was Patton always going to see him as a child? There had to be something Thomas could do to correct that...

But, he’d worry about that later. He had a shift to get through.

Thomas glanced at the storage room as he entered his office. Morey had warned him, and Thomas knew the androids were still in there. He looked away and entered his office instead.

The office still gave him the creeps. Too much unexplained stuff had happened, and it had all set him on edge. And now with Morey’s warning...

Thomas sighed and shook his head. Sometimes he wondered if this job was worth it. Even so, he didn’t have much of a choice. He was barely making ends meet as it was, and quitting would see him unable to pay rent or eat. Thomas was scared, but he wasn’t scared enough to quit.

At least, not yet...

“Hey, Kiddo!”

Thomas yelped and spun around to see Patton standing in the doorway. The android was smiling as wide as his synthetic skin would allow, and his eyes were glowing softly in the dim light of the hallway. Thomas should really speak to Emile about getting better lights.

“How are you?” Patton continued. “Are you getting your sleep? A growing boy needs his sleep. But... if you want to stay up and watch some movies I won’t tell.”

He pressed a finger to his lips and made a soft shushing sound.

“I’m getting my sleep,” said Thomas. “I promise. I take naps sometimes.”

“Ooh!” Patton’s eyes literally lit up. “Sometimes I take naps too. Emile says I have to so that I don’t short out a circuit or something like that. Naps are nice, but I don’t like how it makes the other children sad...”

“I imagine they do get sad when you take your naps,” Thomas smiled. “But I won’t be napping tonight. I have a job to do.”

“Oh, it makes me so proud to see you taking your little job so seriously,” Patton said. His tone of voice made it sound like he was talking to a child who was playing pretend. “It’s good to work hard, but you have to take care of yourself too, ok? That means getting your sleep and eating your veggies... sometimes. A cookie every now and then is good for you too.”

“Falsehood!” They heard Logan call from down the hallway.

Patton glanced behind him and then shook his head.

“Logan’s always so serious about nutrition, but cookies can’t be too bad, can they?” He said. “Otherwise, no one would want to eat them...”

“Can’t argue with that,” Thomas chuckled.

“Oh, I meant to tell you...” a light circled in Patton’s eyes, looking like a ‘loading’ symbol. “One of the kids made a mess in my room today. Normally, I’d clean it myself, but the cleaning closet is locked for some reason. You should have the key. Would you mind being a good little night guard and grabbing the mop and bringing it to my room, please?”

Thomas raised an eyebrow. As far as he knew, the closet was never locked so that anyone could grab any of the cleaning supplies as needed. But maybe someone had locked it by mistake, or it was a new policy. It did make sense as any child could open the door if no one was watching it carefully.

“Sure,” Thomas smiled. “I’ll bring it by in a few minutes, ok?”

“Great!” Patton stiffly clapped his hands. “Thanks for your help, Kiddo.”

He turned around and left down the hallway, heading for his room. Thomas sighed and set his satchel on his desk. He switched on the monitor and gave the cameras a quick check to first make sure everything was ok. He could see Patton in his room, waiting by a spill on the floor. The spill already had a warning sign sitting next to it.

Thomas gave a nod of satisfaction and then left the office. The door to the closet was indeed locked, but Thomas opened it easily with the small ring of keys that Emile had given him. He stepped inside and flipped on the light to look for the mop. As he did so, he coughed at the smell of strong chemicals.

Shaking his head, Thomas dug through the supplies for a suitable mop. The only clean one was piled behind all the other used ones, and it took Thomas a few minutes to grab it. During that time, he couldn’t help but feel... nervous.

He felt the hairs on the back of his neck slowly rise, and he looked behind him as if expecting to see someone there, but no one was. He cleared his throat, the chemical smell growing stronger. He then felt a chill run down his spine and his hands were starting to shake. A rush of nauseas overtook him, and Thomas turned around to leave. The cleaning supplies were really starting to make him feel sick-

The door slammed shut. And then the light went out.

Thomas opened his mouth to scream, but something covered it before he could. He was turned around and in the darkness he saw a pair of glowing purple eyes staring at him. The light overhead flickered, revealing... an android that Thomas had never seen before.

“Oh dear...” purple smoke wafted from the android’s mouth as it spoke. “I seem to have caught a little fly in my web. I wonder what I should do with him...”

Thomas struggled, but the android’s hands were alike a vice grip on him, his panic increased more and more as he tried to get away, still unable to scream through the hand over his mouth.

“We’ve grown tired of those stupid bots on the stage,” the eyes on the android flared brightly in the flickering darkness. “We’ve grown tired of having to stay in the dark while they parade around in the light. No more! We will have our time again. You can be sure of that...”

The android tilted his head and grinned with jagged teeth.

“In the meantime, have a nice trip...” the android leaned forward and blew a plume of purple smoke right into Thomas’s face. Thomas coughed and wheezed as he breathed it in. The light flickered again, and when it finally came back on the android was gone.

Thomas felt his heart rate increase as he continued to cough and wheeze. His vision was growing hazy, and the room around him began to warp and twist. He stumbled to open the door and then fell onto the floor of the hallway.

He began to see things. Hands sprouted from the walls and reached out to grab him. Monsters were trying to break through the floor, screeching and growling. He screamed in terror, scrambling back along the floor, trying to dodge the gaping holes as the floor began to crumble away. The walls continued to twist around him, half caving in as if they would bury him under their weight.

“Thomas?” He heard a voice in the distance. “Thomas!”

A pair of hands finally grabbed him, and he struggled against them.

“No!” He shouted, clenching his eyes shut. “Let me go! Let me go! Get away!”

“What’s wrong with him?”

“He appears to be having some kind of fit. Patton, keep hold of him. Roman, call an ambulance, I will inform Emile.”

“Kiddo, can you hear me? Here, it’s ok. I have you now. You’re gonna be fine. Roman, hurry! He’s getting worse!”

Thomas finally opened his eyes and saw the android from before leering down at him. The android opened its mouth wider and wider, revealing more and more rows of jagged and metallic teeth. Thomas screamed as the android suddenly leaned down. The last thing he saw were those teeth tearing into him before his vision went black.