Chapter Text
Ever since the Incident, they've had trouble with keeping any human employees on the premises past closing.
Some went missing, while others - others quit, or ended up unfit for employment. While measures were eventually taken to minimize the amount of human employees at the Pizzaplex, and keeping them out before closing, it didn't really solve the problem of the security guard.
The turnover rate for security guards - especially for the graveyard shift - is incredibly high, with the shortest record being a mere five days. The last one they'd had was a little over a year ago, and many of the animatronics and employees alike began to assume that Fazbear Entertainment had given up on even having a human security guard.
Then, in early fall, this changed.
The new security guard is announced with little fanfare. All the animatronics are notified of this news via a footnote in their daily directives.
Some report it as a bug, while others ignore the news altogether. Only a few are interested, even if they hardly believe it themselves.
Monty thinks it's the company's way of saving face. "They probably made some dumb bot to act like a guard," he grumbles. "Let the parents think they're getting more for their money or something."
But then again, none of the others think much more highly of the company, not even the good-natured Freddy.
"Perhaps they meant to say they are now hiring?" he says, in response to the topic.
At this, Roxy scoffs. "More likely, it's just a glitch. The damn things have been more common lately. I reported it the second I got it."
Chica sighed. "I've been getting a lot of glitches too," she says. "For example, I was supposed to give a kid a slice of pizza, but the second I picked it up, I ate it! I played it off but the mother wasn't too happy..."
"Don't even worry about it," Monty said. "She was a jerk anyway."
They all laugh at that, and the topic is forgotten.
The animatronics have gotten closer since the Incident, as well. Freddy told them tales of a little gremlin child who managed to escape what was, according to him, a rather frightening situation.
The other three wouldn't have believed him had they not seen the security tapes. Despite the things that happened - "My eyes, Freddy, really?" - they ended up bonding over the shared feeling of being alive and emotional, things they kept far, far away from the eyes of the upper management.
"We should go," Chica says cheerfully, patting Monty on the back. "After all, the music won't play itself, right?"
She stands and strides over to the door of the break room - a room that, unlike the others, had no window, making it feel less like a facade than any of their 'personal' rooms - and throws it open with her customary enthusiasm.
The other three follow suit slowly, standing and groaning as they were wont to do.
Until they notice Chica still standing there, unmoving.
"Chica?"
She startles. "Oh, I'm sorry - hello, sweetie!" she says to an unknown person. "I wasn't expecting to see you there!" She giggles awkwardly, and the other three crowd around her to see who she's talking to.
It's a young man sitting on a chair just outside the door, legs crossed. Upon seeing them all gather, he stands, a rather nonchalant look on his face as he approaches the four band members.
"Hey there," he says, tucking his hands into his pockets. "I'm the new security guard. Figured I'd swing by, let you know what I look like."
"Oh, hello!" Freddy says warmly. "We didn't know you'd be here today, otherwise we would have prepared something."
The young man barks out a laugh. "Not a birthday party, I hope."
"Oh, no, we wouldn't - we don't even know your birthday," Freddy says.
Monty cuts in. "Hey brat, don't be so rude. You're gonna have to see a lot of me, after all, so you'd better keep things civil."
The security guard raises an eyebrow. "Bite me," he says, laughing.
Roxy crosses her arms. It was a poor choice of words, considering the franchise's history - but maybe that was on purpose. The four as whole were starting to sense that this new employee wasn't going to make things easy.
"Well, if that's all, get out of the way," Roxy snaps. "We've got a show to perform."
The security guard - now long scanned, verified, and stored in each of their personal memory files - gives them a mock salute. "Break a leg."
As he walks away, the four animatronics stare after him.
A long moment of silence passes before Monty, voice full of disbelief, asks, "Hey... Is his name listed as Eggs Benedict?"
They check three times, but it is.
The thought of the security guard won't leave any of their minds throughout the day. It doesn't help when they spot him in the crowds, there one moment, gone the next. As befitting of a security guard doing his rounds, of course, but most security guards don't act like such troublemakers, at least not those who apply to work at the Pizzaplex.
In addition, his guest profile - the blanket term for any info pertaining to a human on the premises - is startlingly blank, with only a name (Eggs Benedict), his security clearance (very, very high), and his age (23) listed in the system.
What makes it stranger is that, technically, they don't really need a security guard. In the past, the human security was more of a glorified janitor, and although they had authority in case of emergency, most didn't bother to use it. There were STAFF bots everywhere, and each animatronic had some measures available against intruders. There were some mishaps here and there, but in general, the animatronics were rightfully surprised.
And then, in between shows, Roxy mutters, "Maybe he's here to watch us, not the Pizzaplex."
It's not a totally unfounded assumption. As the number of human employees went down, the animatronics were able to act more freely. Although they didn't mind playing their roles for the visitors, it did give them a chance to learn how to express themselves and bond with one another. If the higher-ups have somehow caught wind of that, they may not take kindly to their obedient robots having a will of their own.
"That can't be true," Chica said. "Far worse has happened than us learning how to feel emotions! They didn't care at all then!"
Monty clicked his tongue in disgust. "Maybe that's 'cause those events didn't pose a danger to their investments," he says, practically spitting the words. "It was just stuff they had to cover up is all."
No one can think of anything to refute that, and though it doesn't show in their performance - it's an automatic program at this point - the four are somber by closing time.
"Hey, Freddy," Roxy says as the stage lowers, and the crowds disappear from view, "I've been thinking."
"What is it, Roxy?"
"There's something weird about that kid." She frowns, her eyes glittering. "All day, he's been patrolling, right? Well, not once has he looked at a map or taken a wrong turn."
"Perhaps he's been here before?" Chica suggests.
"I don't remember seeing him before," Roxy says.
"Maybe he consulted a map before he got here," Freddy says. "It is only proper to learn how to do one's job before doing it, after all."
Roxy looks dissatisfied, but she lets it go.
Still, as they go their separate ways - the speaker system announcing the time, and advising visitors to sign their waivers before leaving - she can't quite forget how steadily the young man had walked through the Pizzaplex. Not one wrong turn. Could consulting a map really let you walk through a place as big as this with such ease?
She supposed it wasn't impossible. But she sensed it was something more, and she wanted to find out what it was.
Even if it meant tracking down the security guard and stalking him for answers.
Roxanne Wolf was, like any other animatronic in the Pizzaplex, large and loud. People noticed her wherever she went, some envying her appearance while others admired her confidence. Whatever the case, she attracted attention, and she loved it. It was quite literally what she was made for.
However, she could be stealthy when she wanted to be. After all, seeing through walls gave her the ability to follow someone from several halls away, even - if she was feeling lazy - from the comfort of her room. She felt like being out and about this time, though, so she meandered through the halls, greeting STAFF bots and keeping an eye on the patrolling security guard.
Strangely, he wouldn't stop moving, walking from one end of the Pizzaplex to the other, ducking into gift shops and the attractions without pause.
It wasn't like he hadn't had all day to look at things. Was he just checking the place out without the crowds in the way?
However, she got her answer when the guard went back to the office and sat at the computer. It was just an hourly patrol like always. Only, he'd somehow gone to literally every part of the Pizzaplex in a few minutes.
She considered it for a moment, then remembered the utility tunnels. She didn't like them much, because they were dark and generally dusty, but that would explain how he'd gotten everywhere so quickly.
Roxanne glanced at what the kid - because until a human showed wrinkles, they were all kids to her - was doing on the computer, then groaned.
It was homework. He really was a kid! What was he, a freshman in college? Maybe a junior. Not that she paid much attention to humans to know the specifics - she just heard the older teens talk about such things, complaining to anyone who would listen.
It looked so boring that she wanted to rip her hair out just watching him.
"Forget this," she muttered, turning her attention back to her normal routine - prep, practice, and whatever else she felt like doing. "What's he going to do, anyway? We're better than some dumb human."