Boogeymen Gaiden: In The Dead Of Night
Writer's Note: To those new readers wandering in because you like Teen Titans and/or Five Nights At Freddy's, this takes place in a fanon Teen Titans universe fairly different from the source material. I'll try not to make it too impermeable (I do reference another story of mine, Badlands, a few times though), but just in case here's who is who, as I jump back and forth between names.
Canon Characters
Robin: Tim Drake. Yes, I am aware the cartoon's version of Robin is Dick Grayson. I started this universe in the cartoon's early days, when things were less clear, so this is Tim Drake instead. It's an alternate universe, run with it.
Cyborg: Victor Stone
Beast Boy: Garfield "Gar" Logan
Starfire: Kory Anders (English take on Koriand'r)
Raven: Has no real name (sometimes uses Rachel Roth)
Terra: Tara Markov. Never left the team in this fanon universe because of fanon character, see below.
Fanon Characters
Savior: Noel Collins. Joined team between Season 1 and 2, greatly changing canon though several events still happened.
Gauntlet: Robert Candide. Also joined between Season 1 and 2. Stopped Terra from leaving and running into Slade's arms, so she's on the team.
Metatron (Met): Adam Matthews. Kind of joined before Noel, but due to a bunch of craziness and time warping he also didn't. Sort of a pseudo-Titan due to his complicated nature. Think of him as a demon cat crossed with some Larry.
Ryce: Her actual name. Daughter of a shinigami, has a screwed up family. Technically the Titans' maid, but she has a robotic arm due to events and it has weapons.
Scalpel: Nigel Hastings, and
Morgue: Sophie Mathews (not related to Adam). An alien and a shape shifting undertaker. Technically appear in the story but just by being mentioned and in the group, and have no lines.
What bothered Ryce the most was the pictures.
She could live with the dim lighting, the cramped work space, the scattered bits of trash and mess that suggested the kind of disorganization that was cared about enough to be kept out of the public eye, but not cared about enough to prevent completely. She could even deal with the cornucopia of faint, but still existing odors; dust, sweat, food…and maybe something worse.
But the collection of crayon-penned pictures that took up part of her office wall, that was pushing it. From the conditions of the back, from what little she'd seen of the front, the innocent unawareness of the truths behind the fun times they represented almost seemed offensive, like they were waving it in her face and daring her to do something about it. Why were these pictures in the security office? Why not out in the actual facility? Maybe an older employee had liked them?
Of course, it didn't help that no one had shown her this office. She had arrived at the restaurant to find it already abandoned, a note pinned to the door telling her where to go. The fact that the door had locked behind her was suddenly becoming a lot more worrisome.
Fortunately, she wasn't alone, as the small device in her ear buzzed.
"Testing. Can you hear me, Ryce?" Raven said.
"Crayon drawin's shouldn't be this unsettling. Hell, MY crayon drawin's weren't this unsettling'."
"I suspect, where you are, they'd be bothersome whether they were done with crayons or fine oils." Noel said. "Everything's up and running, Ryce. The witching hour approaches. Any questions?"
"M'still not sure what you expect me to do here. I mean, sniff around for death? That sounds insane. M'not a bloody bloodhound."
"Since you'll probably say it yourself when I tell you, I'll level with you. You're live bait."
"…so we're not tellin' Met about this, I take it?"
"No. This is one time where I don't trust him to not run off half-cocked and wreck things." Raven said.
"We wouldn't put you in this position without the utmost caution and consideration, Ryce. For this, we needed someone…well, for lack of a better term, weak."
"Goin' jus' forgo my faux outrage in the interest of time. What do you need me to be 'weak' FOR exactly? It smells like stale pizza oil and...bodily fluids in here and s'puttin' me on edge."
"Hey, Ryce. I can answer that. You remember that job ad Adam was laughing about, about a week ago?" Victor cut in. "The one with the terrible wages?"
"Robin didn't see the ad. And he reads the morning paper carefully. You never know when one of our more creative, or old-fashioned, enemies is going to try and stick a coded message in it." Raven said.
"Thing is…I didn't see it either. And I machine read the morning papers. I don't miss ANYTHING. But when Met was laughing about the ad, I scanned my memory banks to recall it…and it wasn't there."
"I couldn't find it either." Noel said.
"I needed a spell. The only reason Met saw it, I suspect, is because of his unique nature. So we have an ad for a terribly paying job that not everyone can see."
"...so...only my eldritch horror husband can see this ad. M'not comforted." Ryce said. "How long m'I in the room that smells like blood, terror sweat, and pizza?"
"Until sunrise. Six AM." Raven said. "Ryce, we picked you for another reason. Do you remember…"
A phone in Ryce's room rang. Oddly, she could not see the phone at all. It seemed to have been concealed in the desk. Ryce didn't have to worry about answering it, as the phone seemingly came with an answering machine.
"Hello, hello? Uh, I wanted to record a message for you to help you get settled in on your first night. Um, I actually worked in that office before you. I'm finishing up my last week now, as a matter of fact. So, I know it can be a bit overwhelming…"
"Gettin' my arm cut off at the shoulder was overwhelmin'" Ryce wrinkled her nose and breathed through her mouth, "This is just revoltin' and makin' me rethink my confidence in my stomach virus from last week bein' gone."
"…But I'm here to tell you there's nothing to worry about. Uh, you'll do fine. So, let's just focus on getting you through your first week. Okay? Uh, let's see, first there's an introductory greeting from the company that I'm supposed to read. Uh, it's kind of a legal thing, you know. Um, "Welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. A magical place for kids and grown-ups alike, where fantasy and fun come to life. Fazbear Entertainment is not responsible for damage to property or person. Upon discovering that damage or death has occurred, a missing person report will be filed within 90 days, or as soon as property and premises have been thoroughly cleaned and bleached, and the carpets have been replaced…"
"Goodie, we're comin' to the unmitigated horror...and here I was thinkin' I'd just find out on my own!"
"Blah blah blah, now that might sound bad, I know, but there's really nothing to worry about. Uh, the animatronic characters here do get a bit quirky at night, but do I blame them? No. If I were forced to sing those same stupid songs for twenty years and I never got a bath? I'd probably be a bit irritable at night too. So, remember, these characters hold a special place in the hearts of children and we need to show them a little respect, right? Okay. So, just be aware, the characters do tend to wander a bit. Uh, they're left in some kind of free roaming mode at night. Uh...Something about their servos locking up if they get turned off for too long. Uh, they used to be allowed to walk around during the day too. But then there was The Bite of '87. Yeah. I-It's amazing that the human body can live without the frontal lobe, you know? Uh, now concerning your safety, the only real risk to you as a night watchman here, if any, is the fact that these characters, uh, if they happen to see you after hours probably won't recognize you as a person. They'll p-most likely see you as a metal endo-skeleton without its costume on. Now since that's against the rules here at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, they'll probably try to...forcefully stuff you inside a Freddy Fazbear suit. Um, now, that wouldn't be so bad if the suits themselves weren't filled with crossbeams, wires, and animatronic devices, especially around the facial area. So, you could imagine how having your head forcefully pressed inside one of those could cause a bit of discomfort...and death. Uh, the only parts of you that would likely see the light of day again would be your eyeballs and teeth when they pop out the front of the mask, heh."
Ryce blinked. Then one of her eyes glowed, and both doors leading to her room slammed shut.
"Y-Yeah, they don't tell you these things when you sign up. But hey, first day should be a breeze. I'll chat with you tomorrow. Uh, check those cameras, and remember to close the doors only if absolutely necessary. Gotta conserve power. Alright, good night."
With that, the phone call ended.
"I'd listen to him, Ryce. That place is a mess of hacked-together wiring…somehow the building's running on a battery system. If it runs out, then the whole building loses power. You keep those doors closed you'll run out in ten minutes, tops." Victor said. "Raven, you have an escape route, right?"
"Two. For emergencies. Ryce, before you start freaking out, we didn't pick you just because you agree to anything when you're distracted." Raven said.
"But that was one of the reasons. S'unfair to take advantage of me. I never manipulate you people." Ryce said, reluctantly opening the doors again.
There was dead silence on her earpiece. Which was broken by a cough from Noel.
"Yeah, even I didn't feel good about tryin' that one."
"The main reason was your experience in that swamp, Ryce. Remember that? I think this is the same situation. It would explain a job ad that can't be seen, and a terribly crappy job at that. You're making $120 for five nights' work. I think it's illegal to pay people that low nowadays. Yet this place exists, it hasn't been shut down, and…well, you heard that phone call. This place sounds like it should have been closed years ago. Yet…it's here, and like last time, Raven could find no information about it in our traditional sources. We had to actually go to the town it's in to find out anything, and we didn't hear anything about 'Bites' and whatnot." Noel said. "You were told to watch the cameras, how many cameras are there?"
"Don't have a monitor bank. I got some sort of laptop thing…" Ryce said, having found it waiting in the chair she was sitting in when she'd found the security office. Opening it up, she began to poke through the mechanism's functions. "It lets me cycle through the cameras."
"…Unconventional. Wonder if that's part of the same system that puts the building on a battery." Noel said. "Where are these animatronics?"
Ryce found them after a bit. On a camera marked '1A'. A bear, a rabbit, and a bird of some kind, a chicken or duck.
How in the hell these things entertained children utterly baffled Ryce. They weren't friendly looking, or cuddly, or charming. They were TERRIFYING. Disney World, this wasn't. You'd have to try to design better-child scaring devices. Ryce suspected it wouldn't be much better in the light and in a happy, party situation rather than a shadowy dark building, if at all.
Oh, and they were staring at the camera. All of them. Ryce's mouth suddenly seemed a lot drier.
"…they know m'here." Ryce said. She was aware of a faint growling, and only realized after a few seconds it was her.
"They know SOMEONE'S here. Lower the cameras. We don't want them to clue in that you're aware of anything…unusual."
"They might just be machines, too." Cyborg said. Ryce fought to not let out a crazy laugh.
"This is why you were picked for the first night, Ryce. You probably seem vulnerable. Now…the trick is to keep that impression without testing it." Raven said. "If you are attacked, we're pulling you out. Even if it ruins it."
"It?"
"We don't jump through hoops without a reason, Ryce. Nor do we put our maid in harm's way. We could have normally just gone in…but whatever's there…" Noel said.
"I don't know with the information I have if we'd stop it for good, or just make it go dormant. To wake up again, ten, twenty, fifty years down the line, when we've forgotten about it. We need more…complicated measures. Which is where you come in. Check the cameras."
Ryce discovered, much to her displeasure, that the rabbit robot was no longer on the stage.
"Rabbit's gone." Ryce said, as she began cycling through the cameras. "What are the backup plans if things go south? Not a fact M'particularily psyched about, but things have been quiet since February, and I've been a bit lax…put bluntly, I've put on a wee few pounds and I wasn't exactly a speed demon BEFORE that, so hopin' runnin' isn't part of it."
"Something goes wrong, we pull you out via portal. Something goes REALLY wrong, we contact and tell Adam." Raven said.
"He's goin' to be furious…still not seein' bunny rabbit…"
"Ryce, do you have some way of determining your power output?" Cyborg said.
"There's s'battery icon…damn I'm…there he is." The rabbit robot was now in the dining area, as still as a statue. "I miss the inbred mutant with the belt sander."
"Ryce, power?" Cyborg said.
"Oh…shit, used nearly half of it!" Ryce said, as she shut down the computer.
"Cyborg, can you get her any more power?" Noel said.
"Already looked into it…its connection to the grid is a mess. And if I tried to sneak in a generator or something, well, pretty sure it would screw up whatever Raven's planning." Cyborg said.
"Likely. This is a very specific circumstance, set up to lure hapless victims and go unnoticed by normal people. Just like that situation with the inbred mutant and the swamp." Raven said. "I need to find the source of this to properly…fix it, I guess are the right words. And to start, Ryce, we need you."
"What else do you have there, Ryce?" Noel said.
"Uh…two doors…four switches…two of said switches close the doors…the other two turn on lights outside the do-"
Ryce turned on the light outside the left door to discover the rabbit now standing there. Blank faced. Waiting. Ryce choked out a gasp and reared back, before lashing out a hand to smash the door button and slam it shut.
"How do I make it go away!" Ryce said, wheezing a bit.
"He did fail to mention a way to do that." Noel said.
"Watch your power, Ryce. You're already half done because of the doors earlier." Cyborg said.
"Door, door…window…light." Ryce said, old unpleasant instincts kicking in. There was a window next to each door, allowing her to see into the hallway if she activated the light. Doing so, she quickly assessed the rabbit was still there, via its shadow.
"…outside of ruining it, Ryce, I don't think you can do anything to make it go away save it choosing to."
"It does have the action pattern…mostly…of a malfunctioning machine. It won't do anything smart, or tactical…probably." Cyborg said.
Ryce turned the light on again.
No shadow.
"Heh heh…" Ryce said, her laugh a touch shy of manic as she opened the door. "Haven't been this freaked out since I was 10 just 'cause I was alone…in dark…small space…things hunting me…"
"We're here, Ryce." Raven said.
"We'll be here all night." Cyborg said.
"The second communication is cut, we'll storm the place. IF that happens." Noel said. "Just relax…you're in as good as hands as possible. Check the cameras."
The rabbit was back in the dining room. In the EXACT same position he'd been in the first time Ryce had found him there. Breathing slowly, through her nose and out her mouth, trying to turn the stomach turning smells of the room to her benefit and calm her panic, even if through nausea, she eventually managed to get her emotions under control. Calm as she had any hope of being, she scowled through the rooms again, checking the stationary machines…and pausing at a camera focused on nothing other than a curtain.
"What's the purpose of the Pirate Cove Camera? Nothin's there."
"The guy didn't mention that one…" Noel said.
"…Ryce, what time is it?"
"…4 AM. Time flies when you're regressin'…not that fast though. Wha's with the timey wimey?"
"Time distortion…I'll be honest with you Ryce, that's not good. It's not even twelve-thirty here." Noel said.
"The wound is deep." Raven said.
"Can you two stop talking in spooky nonsense riddles! How can it be 4 AM there and just after midnight here? Besides time zones, which doesn't apply here." Cyborg said.
"You think rot of this degree just affects the physical, Cyborg?" Raven said.
"Explains how she burned through the battery so fast. How much power left, Ryce?" Noel said.
"30 percent…" Ryce said, and then flicked the light on outside her right door. Nothing.
The rabbit, on the other hand, was back behind the left door. Ryce could swear she heard some sort of dramatic musical sting, somewhere, as he was revealed by the light once more.
Ryce, fortunately, had a much better handle on things, this time reaching over to shut the door, never breaking eye contact.
"My friend is back. He has a soundtrack now. How much energy does it take to close the door, Cy?" Ryce said, keeping her focus on the battery and the room's flickering shadows.
"Hard to say from here, especially with the interference…if I was trying to talk to you without Raven backing me up, I don't think I could." Cyborg said.
'S'weird. Times goes funky between here and home too…my home that is…with my siblings…and dad." Ryce trailed off, continuing to watch the shadows.
"Closing the door definitely uses more power…uh, Ryce? It IS just the rabbit, right?"
Ryce flicked on the right light.
The bird was there, further back down the hallway, its face seemingly locked into a screaming rictus as it stared at Ryce through the window. A moment later, the right door also slammed shut.
"Firing up the rescue process, Ryce. We're on tenterhooks." Noel said. "Battery?"
"Fifteen percent and dropping."
"Guests?"
"Still there." Ryce said, flicking on the lights.
"…Check again."
Ryce flicked on the lights, and discovered both robots were gone. Opening the doors confirmed it.
"…what if I lose power?" Ryce said, checking the cameras. The rabbit was further down the hallway that led to her office, while the bird was gone completely, though as Ryce discovered, the camera in the kitchen didn't work, at least visually. Audibly, there was the sound of loud bumps and crashes, as SOMETHING fumbled in the dark.
"…probably nothing good."
Seven percent power.
"I become hamburger meat." Ryce said.
"No, you get rescued, and-" Noel said.
IT'S ME.
So were the words that flashed on Ryce's screen.
"…S'communicatin' with me." Ryce said, as she checked the time. 5 AM…and the damn clocks only showed the hours.
"How?"
Ryce checked the cameras…and when she next looked at the clock, it was 6 AM.
She felt it, like a crushing presence was lifted off of her. A moment later, some extra lights flickered on, allowing greater visibility.
"Ryce?" Noel said.
"S'me."
"What?"
"It said 'S'me'. I want my husband."
"Did something happen?" Raven said.
"S'over, 6 AM. I can't do this again…feel sick…" Ryce said, her nausea starting to peak.
"…Okay Ryce, get out of there. If anything happens, you have my full permission to shoot it in the face." Raven said.
Nothing happened. There were more lights…and the three machines were up on the stage. They didn't look at Ryce. They gave no indication they were anything other than machines. Ryce didn't even feel like they were acting. Whatever had been there just…wasn't, now that the sun had come up.
What WAS a surprise was finding the whole Titan team outside the restaurant. And they seemed just as surprised to see her just walk out the door.
"How long was I…?" Ryce said.
"In there? It's 6 AM, Tuesday morning." Robin said, also giving the correct date. "The thing was that when Vic and Noel went to go get you when you said you were leaving, it was barely 1 AM."
"We went anyway. Place was abandoned. No sign of you." Noel said.
"Or the animatronics." Cyborg said. "Scanned the whole place, brought in the others, searched just short of tearing the place apart…the place was completely empty. So we all checked in, on the off chance that when 6 AM rolled around, you didn't show up. Which, thankfully, you did."
"Should we check the place again?" Tara said.
"No point." Raven said. "We won't find anything…we might even tip whatever's here off, if we haven't already."
"Where's Adam?" Ryce said. Noel didn't say anything, instead producing a watch. He'd become wise to what happened when that sentence was spoken.
Not six seconds later, Adam "Metatron" Matthews strolled up, like he knew he had to be here.
"Why is my wife seven seconds from puking into the gutter at six in the morning outside an abandoned building?" He said, his tone pleasant as always. "And who's getting punched in the throat for it?"
"This is a-"
Ryce picked this moment to be sick. Raven and Sophie went to her, checking on the woman's health.
"Bad time, Adam. We're trying to save lives." Noel said. "Can you just take it out on some villain?"
"Is there one within arm's reach you can point me to?" Adam said, his tone as reasonable as his step was quick, as he moved over to Ryce. "Perhaps Raven or Tara are doing their walk on the dark side thing again? They'll do. Hi, Rae." Adam said, smiling as he pulled Ryce's hair back. Terra looked incredibly sour.
"Dude, that didn't happen. We know it happened in other time phases or whatever, don't bring it up." Gar Logan said, his tone as sour as Tara's expression.
"If you're going to insist on punching someone, punch me." Noel said.
"Just last week she called my wife fat."
"Still irrelevant. Both issues." Noel said.
"Why are you avoiding answering me?"
"We have a corruption spilling out and infecting this location that requires a roundabout solution, so we needed to send Ryce in first to put the scent of weakness in the nostrils of…"
"Stop." Adam said, raising a hand.
"No murder." Ryce said.
"So there's a supernatural presence at work here you're trying to draw out through weak, unsuspecting bait, and your idea of said bait is my wife." Met said, staring at Noel, "A woman whose birthright is to govern the supernatural and judge presences into the ever-after. Instead of, say, Sophie, a kind-hearted, seemingly unthreatening amicable woman with no such birthright to speak of and a cuddly appearances that further seems to indicate weakness."
"Who also doesn't have any legit supernatural power, buried or otherwise. That was the last key. It didn't spit Ryce right back out. It fell for it, her being 'weak'. We needed to know how alert it was. We never do anything without a damn good reason, Adam."
"Can we just fight later after you all get me breakfast?" Ryce said.
"The key is the presence of supernatural power? Ugh, this is about that ad in the paper isn't it?" Adam said.
"This is not breakfast, this is a water bottle." Ryce said.
"Specifically if it would detect it. No, we're not sending you, Adam. You're TOO off."
"BREAKFAST. I d'care if I just threw up all over the curb."
Robin coughed loudly.
"Let's stop arguing in the street and work out who's going in next."
"And breakfast."
"And breakfast. Probably other big meals, I certainly don't want to eat here." Robin said.
Night 2.
"Report." Robin said. Small ironies: he may not have wanted anything to do with Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria as an eatery, but as he and the group had determined, he was best suited for this new night. Now he sat where Ryce had been.
Same situation. No one there, a note on the door, which opened and then locked behind him. It figured, of course. Rob had gone in minor disguise to the actual job interview, and no one had noticed that it wasn't him who showed up for work. Robin had been tempted to inspect the place more once he got in, but he resisted the urge. Not because he was afraid. Just so he wouldn't screw anything up. As much as part of him wanted to go into this mission in full costume, semi-casual clothes and maskless seemed better in the long run. Not that he wasn't armed. Just not as well as he would have liked to been. Then again, being armed was counterproductive here, and Robin suspected he wouldn't feel secure even if he'd somehow managed to cram the Titans' entire arsenal into his utility belt.
So all he had was the computer, and the voices in his ear.
"Raven standing by."
"Noel standing by."
"Kory standing by, Robin!"
"And I'm still at the IHOPS." Adam said.
"Adam, unless you have something to contribute, get off our network. We need to collaborate." Noel said.
"I believe he can provide support of the moral variety, Noel."
"Cameras are clear…" Robin said, ignoring the mild argument. The phone rang. "Ryce, that answered itself didn't it…oh yes, she's not on line."
The phone, thankfully, picked itself up again.
"Uhh, hello? Hello? Uh, well, if you're hearing this and you made it to day two, uh, congrats! I-I won't talk quite as long this time since Freddy and his friends tend to become more active as the week progresses. Uhh, it might be a good idea to peek at those cameras while I talk just to make sure everyone's in their proper place…."
"Way ahead of you." Robin said, flicking through the cameras in rapid fire motion. "Still on the stage. They're not looking at me."
"You know...Uh... Interestingly enough, Freddy himself doesn't come off stage very often. I heard he becomes a lot more active in the dark though, so, hey, I guess that's one more reason not to run out of power, right?"
"Interesting thing about that…" Robin said, before he got cut off.
"I-I also want to emphasize the importance of using your door lights. There are blind spots in your camera views, and those blind spots happen to be right outside of your doors. So if-if you can't find something, or someone, on your cameras, be sure to check the door lights. Uh, you might only have a few seconds to react... Uh, not that you would be in any danger, of course. I'm not implying that. Also, check on the curtain in Pirate Cove from time to time. The character in there seems unique in that he becomes more active if the cameras remain off for long periods of time. I guess he doesn't like being watched…"
"Wasn't that the one Ryce was asking about?" Noel said.
"I see a fox peeking through a curtain." Robin said, having immediately switched cameras. "Met, Ryce is still there, right?"
"I don't know. Anyway, I'm sure you have everything under control! Uh, talk to you soon." The voice on the phone said, and hung up.
"No. M'home…eavesdroppin' from my room. Adam…pumpkin waffles and you can come back no-"
"Quiet." Robin said, as he checked the lights, promptly revealing the bird in the right hallway. He immediately closed the door. "Bird's already here."
"I believe, Robin, their names are…"
"Don't really care." Robin said, staring at the bird. "It doesn't seem to recognize me or that I'm not the same person from last night…at least if it does, I can't…"
Robin flicked through the cameras. The rabbit was back in the dining room.
"Tell." Robin said.
"The rabbit and bird were the two keepin' me company last night. Didn't see a fox, though." Ryce said.
"So, these things are malevolent. I assume you're not storming the castle and wrecking them to find out who's pulling the strings. Any progress on that, Rae?" Noel said.
"Not as much as I'd like."
"I'm almost certain this is related to that swamp issue we had. Ubelgeist, Oldest and Fatherless…same issue. Would explain the concealing news ad and the weird time distortions. Can't say why it explains the complete lack of proper…" Noel said.
"Hold that thought." Robin said, looking at the cameras…and finding Pirate Cove empty. "Fox is go-"
Robin switched from 1C to 2A just in time to see the shadowed form dashing rapidly down the hall.
"CRR-RAP!"
Robin slammed his fist against the door button, the door slamming down half a second before something slammed into it.
"…That drained the battery." Robin noted, as cool as a cucumber.
"I want so desperately to make a 'What did the fox say' joke." Ryce said.
"It said nothing, it merely charged Robin like a berserker. Worrisome." Starfire said.
"It's gone now." Robin said, checking through the cameras again. "So, noted. That thing at least has the capability to run."
"I never liked those kind of zombie films." Noel said.
"Why don't we take a more aggressive stance now that someone's on the inside? They can try to run away now, but that'll do them no good when we're in the building." Adam said.
"Because it might just be a temporary fix, Adam. Cutting down the weed and leaving the roots." Raven said. "This is a very deep seated problem."
"He hasn't paid any bills." Robin said. "The owner. This place is run down, to put it kindly."
The bird was gone. Robin assessed that the rabbit was still in the dining room and resumed speaking.
"It should have closed years, decades ago. ESPECIALLY with a…what was that story, The Bite Of '87?"
"That's the one. You find anything on that, Tim?" Noel said.
"Completely nothing. The same way this place doesn't show up on property records, power usage records, supply records…it's like it's a great big void. Like all the people who should notice this just forget about the place and don't notice the fact there's a restaurant here acquiring stuff from them."
"If the location pays no monies for its items, then why is Robin struggling with a limited power system?" Kory said.
"…The same reason, I suspect, why the ad was invisible, and the rest." Raven said.
"Hey Tim? Any physical affects on bein' in the office? Nausea? Dread?' Ryce said.
"A shade. More the latter. Eep." Robin said, as he found the rabbit now outside his left door. It slammed closed. "Raven, I am fairly certain this rabbit can teleport."
"At the very least, it contains them to a fixed location." Adam said, seemingly only partly paying attention.
"So to speak. The perception-filtering ad suggests that it works as a lure. It might even be a hypnotic one. Only seeable by a certain type. Alone and desperate, most likely. Would explain why it's offering such a low wage. It hasn't had to update itself in decades. You see it, you're called in by it." Raven said.
"And the company allows this to happen." Starfire said, her voice uncharacteristically sour.
"The point being, those things might be stuck here, but with that ad, they don't have to go anywhere. It custom delivers victims to them. If that guy on the phone is so blasé about certain details like filing missing persons' reports, who knows how many people have died? Like I said. Oldest and Fatherless. A nexus of bad things that scours away the memories of anyone who isn't smart or aware enough to block it." Noel said.
"Or the guy in charge could be in on it. A business with virtually no expenses, that makes nothing but profit, however small? I've met enough businessmen to buy the idea that someone like that's running the place…" Robin said, before he discovered the bird was back and closed the other door. "They're not leaving and both doors really drains the battery."
"Anyone consider the fact that maybe the people in charge here think they're containin' it?" Ryce said. "Sacrifice a few to keep it from going for more."
"Cabin In The Woods?" Met chuckled. "Could be. Either way, that brings us back to tackling the mortal, bureaucratic redtape side of things. Look, if you don't want me going in there 'cause of what I am, I could be handling that side. Businessmen LOVE me."
"You already have a job." Ryce said.
"The waffles ARE on the way, you know." Adam said.
"I'd point you in a direction, Adam, except there's no direction to point. Like I said. I found NOTHING on this business in the records. It's not even in the phone book. Or it is, and I couldn't see it." Robin said, finally opening the doors (after confirming the animatronics were gone) and flicking through the cameras. "The fox is back in Pirate Cove. Hopefully he'll STAY there. He was damn fast, and when he rammed into the door he drained the battery."
"Why is that one so aggressive? The other two menace, but they seem to lurk outside the doors when they can clearly see Tim, and Ryce. They allow the doors to be closed in their faces. Why is the foxy one literally sprinting to kill Tim?" Kory said.
"That's a very good question." Noel said.
"Anythin' else different 'bout it?" Ryce said.
"Dilapidated. The rabbit and bird are worn down, but that fox looked halfway to falling apart. I think its entire lower half might have been endoskeleton." Tim said.
"You can see that on the camera?" Noel said.
"Not really, but I got a quarter second look on the camera when it was running at me."
"Batman scion, everyone. Sometimes it's terrifying." Noel said.
"Getting back to the point. There's other directions we can check. How did we even GET this job?" Tim said.
"We sent Rob to do the actual interview. Small disguise, not really needed, he does the white bread act pretty well. Run down office that…Raven you said you were going to check it today."
"I did. It was abandoned."
"Great. Rob could have been interviewed by a malignant predator entity and he didn't even notice."
"Noel, is now really the time?" Raven said.
"That was actually a comment on its disguise ability and not Rob's lack of observational skill. Rob's a lot of things, but blind to that degree is NOT one of them."
"Just remember, I got 5 bucks on this being Mother Mae-Eye and Brother Blood teaming up!" Rob said, the Titan abruptly breaking into the radio conversation.
"Your bet is noted. Get off the line please, Rob." Noel said.
"Roger. I'm gonna be busy eating free pizza anyway."
"I guess if need be, you could burn through the felt, and anything they've told you is true, they'll turn on each other and try and shove themselves into their own metal-wirey death." Adam said.
"Was jus' 'bout to say…maybe that's why the fox moves quick, so the others dun' kill him?" Ryce said. "Not allowed to be out of costume…and his is shredded."
"It's as good a theory as any…" Robin said. "Battery's at 20 percent, clock's at 4 AM. This could be a problem."
"At what point do you want to scrub the mission, Raven?" Noel said.
"I do not think Tim is in any actual physical danger…well, compared to most." Kory said.
"The problem here isn't whether Robin can fight back or not. The problem is fighting back potentially tips off the forces behind this, and they hide, or go dormant, and come back to plague others later." Raven said. "Same with hiding. Don't take this the wrong way, Ryce, but I'm beginning to wonder if Robin's greater competence…that's the wrong word, greater PRACTICE is already making them suspicious."
"But they did not react when they saw Robin in the room!" Starfire said.
"Might not mean anything." Noel said.
"Why does Rob get free pizza? Rob, bring me pizza…" Ryce said.
There was an awkward pause.
"Uh…what time s'it for you Tim?" Ryce said.
"Still 4. Power's at 14 percent." Robin said. "I should have brought a stopwatch…figured out the dilation ratio…"
"Robin, we have other resources. Don't put yourself in any unnecessary risk." Raven said.
"As I was saying…" Robin said, before he flicked through the cameras and discovered Pirate Cove was empty again. "SHIT!"
Robin didn't bother flicking through the cameras: he went for the button.
The door slammed shut.
"Robin?"
The thud against it was louder than the last time, loud enough for the Titans to hear.
"…That took nearly half my remaining battery. He rammed it harder, or something. You need to check him more than I did, he clearly felt bold." Robin said.
"I'm thinking, tomorrow, two should go in." Adam said. "It doesn't notice the change between a short, sexy blonde maid to a full grown man in tights. I doubt it'll notice an extra person, and this only helps you lot, you know, not die…I have every confidence in your ability to survive, Tim."
"Has anyone been keepin' track on if the time difference between us and Tim to see if it was the same for me? Also…ETA on either my pizza or pumpkin waffl-"
There was a sudden low droning noise in the radio feed, Tim's voice nearly being lost in it.
"Power's gone."
"…Met, Ryce, get off the line." Noel said.
"How much time, Tim?" Ryce said, ignoring Noel.
"Don't know. Place still has a dim bit of light…everything has stopped working…I am using the fact my radio picks up my vocal vibrations to speak beneath a whisper…"
Music. Cheery music.
"…Is that the Toreador March from Carmen?" Ryce said.
"Yes. Yes it is." Noel said.
"There is a flashing face in the left doorway…flashing in time with the theme…it's the bear." Robin said. "I cannot see anything else…I do not know where anything else is…"
Silence, save for the song.
"…Raven, get him out of there."
"He's still playing…" Robin said.
The song stopped.
"…it is now utterly black."
Further silence.
"…Robin?" Kory said.
Silence still.
"…lights have turned on. Different ones. It's 6 AM according to the clock on the wall. I think I just dodged a bullet." Robin said, his voice never changing. "That was close. I was two seconds away from fighting back."
"…so no one is going to comment on the fact that it wasn't Noel who had the random trivia knowledge needed to name the song this time?" Adam said.
"Robin, we'll check the location anyway, if we get the same result as last time, we'll meet you at 6 AM." Raven said. "We're going to need to figure out what to do, and who to send, next."
"Send two people!"
"I'm gonna comment that you have an awful lot of time to chat for someone who hasn't brought me my food."
Night 3
"Why did I agree to do this?" Beast Boy complained.
"For one, you have much better reflexes than you give yourself credit for, Gar. You switch animal forms instantly. I honestly think they might be better than Tim's. He just has them trained more. If anyone can close doors fast, it's you." Raven said.
"Plus after Robin…we need someone who's scared. Sorry, BB, but out of the rest of us, you're the best candidate there." Cyborg said.
"I don't like this place." Beast Boy said, as he tried to figure out the laptop monitor that had been awaiting him in the chair. Every single extra hair on his body felt like it was standing up.
"I think it's been established that no one sane would. Even IF there wasn't any cursed animatronic animals." Raven said.
"They're still on the stage. Not looking at me at least." Beast Boy said.
"When does he get that phone call?' Tara said. Unlike Victor and Raven, she couldn't help out here, but she was there for moral support.
"Any second now."
Silence.
"…Gar, I've been working out some general repeating factors. I don't think the bunny or the bird can alter their approaches. They'll always come at you from the same doors." Raven said. "As for the fox, his room is next to the left hallway, and if what we theorized is true about his decayed state and why he runs, he'll never come from the right."
"What about the bear? You know, the one that…"
The phone rang.
"…hopefully is not calling me." Beast Boy said, as the answering machine picked up.
"Hello, hello? Hey you're doing great! Most people don't last this long. I mean, you know, they usually move on to other things by now. I'm not implying that they died. Th-th-that's not what I meant."
"Great comfort. Don't quit your day job." Beast Boy said. "Actually, since you work here, maybe you should."
"Uh, anyway I better not take up too much of your time. Things start getting real tonight. Uh... Hey, listen, I had an idea: if you happen to get caught and want to avoid getting stuffed into a Freddy suit, uhh, try playing dead! You know, go limp. Then there's a chance that, uh, maybe they'll think that you're an empty costume instead. Then again if they think you're an empty costume, they might try to... stuff a metal skeleton into you. I wonder how that would work. Yeah, never mind, scratch that. It's best just not to get caught. Um... Ok, I'll leave you to it. See you on the flip side."
The phone hung up. Beast Boy let out a low whine and checked the stage, and whined again when he discovered the bunny and bird were already gone, though the lights did not reveal them outside his doors.
"Who's MAKING those calls?" Tara said.
"The same issue that keeps me from giving you guys more power is also snarling my efforts to track them." Cyborg said.
"That's what Robin is trying to do." Raven said. "The place might be abandoned and cursed at night, and not appearing on records and whatnot…but people still WORK there, and eat there. Then again…"
"What do you mean then-Ack!" Beast Boy said, as he found the rabbit watching him, closing the door. It thankfully left swiftly.
"If we're dealing with a location that can literally make itself vanish like this, those that work here might very well be doing so in a fugue. If we ask direct questions, we'll get the same answers as if we asked a random person on a street. So we'll need Indirect questions." Raven said.
"…that doesn't make any sense." Tara said.
"Robin's doing it. Don't worry, he'll make sense of it."
"I still say we should just level the place."
"Yes Tara, you've made that view extremely clear. Believe me, if I figure out that's the best course of action, I'll let you take first crack at it." Raven said.
"Thanks. Ah, it's nice to not have Noel lecturing me."
"He's too busy doing research. How's the fox, Gar?" Raven said.
"I've checked him a few times. Seems to be staying put." Beast Boy said. "But…"
Lights revealed Bonnie Bunny's equal parts inhuman and blank features. Beast Boy closed the door.
"Haven't seen the bird yet."
A swift check through.
"Bear's still on the stage."
"Maybe he only leaves if you run out of power." Cyborg said.
"I'm doing pretty well there." Beast Boy said. "What was that song he played?"
"Votre Toast, Je Peux Voics Le Rendre. Better known as the 'Toreador Song', or March. Toreador is an old Spanish term for bullfighter. It's from the opera Carmen, and it's about a bullfighter pondering about the cheers of the crowd and the glory of victory in the bullfighting area." Raven said.
"Why is he playing THAT?" Tara said.
"It's in the public domain?" Beast Boy tried to joke.
"Might be just because of that, yes." Raven said.
"…OR?" Beast Boy said, now knowing his teammate quite well.
"It's a song about bull fighting. You know, where an animal is released into a ring and slowly tortured to the point of death, before being killed with a single sword thrust?"
"I get the allergy." Beast Boy said.
"I don't think that's the right word, B." Ryce said, her voice abruptly cutting into the conversation.
"Ryce, you're not exactly BANNED from talking on this, but we can't clutter, especially since it seems every night-" Cyborg said.
"BIRD!" Beast Boy said, closing the door.
"…gets worse. So yeah, looks like it was a good thing we sent you in on the first night." Cyborg said.
"What are the odds this will be the LAST night?" Beast Boy said.
"Last night for us or just you?" Ryce said. "…I mean, don't worry…m'sure you'll be fine."
Beast Boy whined again.
"Ryce, maybe you'd be better off doing maid things. Or, I don't know, finding a new way to make us look foolish in the eyes of the public." Cyborg said.
"Hey, Vic, Teen Titans Go is hilarious." Tara said.
"Yes, I've noticed that the members of this group who find it hilarious are the same ones who escaped being on it all the time because Ryce sold the rights to our first team incarnation only."
"One, the writers said there were too many of you, and two, my father cut me off financially and I need a steady stream of income. I make no apologies. Also Nigel banned me from maid things after I, uh…threw up in the washin' machine." Ryce said.
Silence.
"I fixed it."
"…guys, did…ACK!" Beast Boy said, as he closed the left door after discovering Pirate Cove was empty. The thud confirmed this was the right choice. "I tried to AVOID that!"
"How much battery, Gar?"
"About…half I think? The bird and rabbit aren't hanging around, at least. They're definitely bothering me more than they did Ryce, though."
"Do you think they've clued in we're not normal employees?" Tara said.
"I think if they did, they'd either stop playing games or stop bothering us altogether." Raven said. "This really does read to me as a…"
The laughter came suddenly, echoing from deep within the darkness of the restaurant. Low, hollow, mocking.
"…That's new." Cyborg said.
"I don't like new!" Beast Boy said, flicking through the cameras. "Bear's gone! The lights are still on, I still have power…it's only 3 darn it! Wait, there he is…he's in the damn restrooms. I think. All I can see are some glowing eyes-CRAP!" Beast Boy said, as he checked the left door and found the rabbit there.
"Watch the fox, B." Cyborg said.
"He's back in his cove…rabbit's-AHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Gar?"
"He's in the backstage area STARING RIGHT IN THE CAMERA!"
"What about the bird, B?" Ryce said.
"Kitchen. Can hear noises."
Laughter echoed again.
"Now the bear's in the kitchen too." Gar said.
"Time, power?" Cyborg said.
"4 AM, 24 percent!"
"Gar, can you just like…turn into a fly or something? Hide?" Tara said.
"I think if he does that, the jig will be pretty much up." Raven said.
"I DON'T CARE HOW MANY DANCES IT DOES IN WHAT DIRECTION!"
"Tara, calm. Gar, check the fox." Raven said.
"Still there…wait what's that?" Beast Boy said.
"What's what?"
"The cameras on the left hallway…the picture on the wall's changed, it's like a-GYYYAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"B? B! B, COME IN!" Cyborg said. The shriek had been one of mortal terror.
"I'm pulling him out." Raven said. "Azero-"
"I…I'm okay. I'm okay." Beast Boy's breathless voice said.
"What happened?"
"I put down the screen and…there was the bear in the room."
"Freddy?'
"I dunno, it was different, weird…yellow-ish…I freaked out and yanked up the monitor as a shield…then I blinked, and it was gone."
"Gone?'
"Yeah…the bear's still in the kitchen, or the other bear, I don't know…rabbit's back in the dining room…can't find the bird, lemme check…"
The clicking noise was very low, but the Titans heard it anyway.
"…lights won't work."
The sound of futile clicking echoed in the Titans' earpieces as Beast Boy pressed buttons repeatedly.
"Right door and lights won't work."
"Get out of there, Gar." Terra said.
"I dunno…I think…"
"What about the left door?" Ryce said.
"Yeah, that still works…so do the left lights." Beast Boy said, testing it. "Crud…5 AM, I don't know how long I have!"
"…Beast Boy, I'm going to ask you to take a gamble. Stop moving. Be still." Raven said.
"Even stop closing the left door?'
"Yes. Please…trust me."
"I do…but damn…" Beast Boy said, sounding all the more like a whipped dog. The irony was as thick as tar: in a conventional situation Beast Boy could have torn anything that menaced him apart, and yet…
"B, I am almost certain I have it. You just have to hold out for…twenty-seven more seconds." Cyborg said.
"I swear any liquid you see on my costume will be sweat." Beast Boy said.
"…gonna be lettin' you do your own laundry tomorrow, B." Ryce said.
"Ha ha." Beast Boy said. His voice was matched and echoed by the cruel, deep laughter. "Ho boy…our father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come…"
Silence.
"…thy will be done…?"
Silence again. Then Beast Boy sighed in relief.
"It's 6. Other lights came on. Nothing else in here…except a bad smell that I don't think is me." Beast Boy said. "…Well, at least I did better than Robin!"
"We'll meet you outside, Gar. And don't worry…if we have to send someone else in, it won't be you."
"I do not volunteer as tribute. Not goin' back for reasons. So don't ask." Ryce said, her tone tense and defensive.
"Agreed, Ryce. I know who we're sending."
Night 4.
The phone rang, as it always did. And answered itself, as it always did.
"Hello, hello? Hey! Hey, wow, Day 4. I knew you could do it!" The Voice On The Phone said. "Uh, hey, listen…I may not be around to send you a message tomorrow…"
The sound of banging suddenly occurred. Not in the actual restaurant, but in the background of the phone call.
"It's…it's been a bad night for me here. Um, I-I'm kinda glad that I recorded my messages for you…when I did. Uh, hey, do me a favor…"
The banging continued. Consistent and insistent. Something was trying to get in in the phone call.
"Maybe sometime, uh…you could check inside those suits in the back room?"
The banging was getting louder.
"I'm gonna try to hold out until someone checks. Maybe it won't be so bad."
Banging. Like the tolling of a bell.
"Uh…I-I-I-I always wondered what was in all those empty heads back there…"
The banging stopped.
Music began. A very familiar tune. The song of a predator as it closed in to kill more prey. The Toreador song.
"You know…"
The moan was brief and agonized.
"Oh no…"
A bang. Then the briefing of shrieking roars.
Then static. The phone hung up, the dial tone filling the room.
"…Well. That explains a lot." Noel said, as he sat in the security office chair. The laughter echoed in the background. "And he's already on the move, it seems."
"He's probably in the bird, you know." Ryce said.
"What? Oh, the guy on the phone. What makes you say that?" Noel said, as he quickly checked the Cove and then flicked the lights on and off.
"The second set of teeth in the back of its throat…and it smells like a decayin' body. I forgot what that smell is…don't deal with that since I moved in with you lot."
"It may have been more beneficial to mention this at an earlier point, Ryce." Noel said.
"I doubt it. Robin inspected the animatronics once his time period was done. And the restaurant. He didn't find anything. Based on what's happened…those phone calls might be years old. Decades." Raven said. "Plenty of people could have heard those messages and not lived to talk about it."
"Or they forgot. The same way getting any information about this place is like pulling teeth. I do not like you, Sam I Am…" Noel said. "Even with Robin finding a few inklings, none of it helps us…"
Cove, lights. He found both hallways occupied and swiftly closed the doors.
"If the owners aren't explicitly doing this instead of taking advantage of it. We know this place is screwed up, but we don't know WHY." Noel said, flicking the right lights on. "You're right, Ryce, I DO see a second set of teeth down that damn bird's gullet."
"That part I just blocked out in the moment…living with you all has made emotional and soft. I don't like it."
"I love it. How are you doing, Noel?" Met said, his voice cutting in. Noel didn't bother chastising the odd Titan. He came and went as he pleased in matters like this.
"I worked out a pattern. Check the Cove, check the lights, and that's it. Everything else just wastes power because the rabbit and bird don't come in right away, they always just lurk outside…"Noel said. He flicked on the left light, allowing him to see the shadow, and for a moment, he flicked to the B camera in the West Hall.
"…Okay…the rabbit's having a seizure."
"What?" Raven said.
"It's head is all spazzing around. Maybe it's mad. Maybe that's a good thing."
"Because mad psychotic schizophrenics are always a picnic." Met said.
"…tell me, has anything 'new' resulted in good times in this place?" Ryce said.
"Beast Boy triggered that… ghost? Whatever it was, somehow. So at least we know it's there. If that's what it was." Cyborg said.
"If I knew if that was only there that night or if it could have been triggered before would have been helpful…" Raven said.
More laughter. The rabbit had left, at least. Noel opened the door.
"The bear laughs when he moves…and he's in the east hallway." Noel said, closing the right door. "…Okay. So. Here's a question. Who kills using ritual? Answer: not inhuman demonic forces. They tend to just be interested in the kill. This game playing, this ramping up of aggression…this is human."
"Childish." Raven said.
"Too organized to be exclusively childish though. Children get bored, especially…well, if a bunch of angry ghost kids are here I think they would have lost patience by now. This is serial killer-ish." Noel said. "That Bite of '87 story…we've come up with nothing about that, right? Local or otherwise?"
"We have about as much information as any urban legend." Cyborg said. "There was a bite, and someone lost their frontal lobe. And lived."
That damn laugh again.
"Sounds like a kids' story to me. The frontal lobe is a whole quarter of the brain. Yes, you could in theory live without it, but losing it to a bite? That degree of shock and traumaaaaaa…!" Noel said, as he found the Cove empty, cursing as the fox slammed into his door once he closed it. "I think the fox is starting to hate all of us. Anyway, someone living through that would be in medical journals. There'd be more than a STORY. Unless it was made up, And it sure sounds like something a kid would think up."
"A particularly messed up in the head kid." Ryce said.
"This is still the domain of unnatural forces though, Noel. The way it hides itself, lures people, blots memories, that's far more supernatural than natural." Raven said.
"Unless it's both…" Noel said. "How confident are you if you had to try and do something tonight, Raven?"
"Not very. There's still a crucial piece missing that links things together. Even if I made something workable, it's a temporary fix. Which is why we're going through all this nonsense to begin with."
"Says the armchair nonsense quarterback." Ryce said.
"Ryce, you know I would not make you or anyone do anything I am not willing to do myself." Raven said.
"Can we not fight, please?" Noel said, having closed the door to lock out the bird, very briefly checking the camera outside in the right hallway. "The chicken's also freaking out now, like the rabbit was."
Laughter.
"…Bear's in the dining room. I can't see him, like B reported, just his damn eyes. Fox is back in the cove. Fifty percent power, 3 AM." Noel said. His voice had the slightest edge to it that Robin's did not; despite his best efforts, Noel had never quite mastered the unflappable attitude that the Batman-trained Titan leader could bring to bear.
"Sorry…no more bickerin'." The fact that Ryce apologized spoke volumes about the situation, semi-artificial as it was. "Hey Rae…want me to call home and see if I can get any info from that side of things about this?"
"…So, this place has a history of child murders. How many bots again?" Adam said, cutting in again and dropping the information bombshell like he was discussing a change in the weather.
"Wait, WHAT?" Noel, Raven, and Cyborg all said, basically at the same time. The laugh echoed again.
"…that's…weird. Something like this would have definitely been on my to do list when I was working for dad…" Ryce said.
"Five kids were killed here. Years ago, lured by a man wearing one of the animal costumes. How many bots do you have again?" Adam said.
"Dude, did you just spontaneously remember this?" Cyborg said.
"Adam, you can't see the cameras, right? You don't have some sort of mystic second sight you failed to mention right until now, right?" Noel said.
"No, why?"
"I just did a quick look through all the cameras…" Which he shouldn't have done, indicating Met's sudden bomb of an announcement had thrown him off. "There's a newspaper article on the wall in the right hallway and I'm pretty sure it wasn't there before, and it talks about EXACTLY that."
"Noel, careful." Raven said.
"I'm a very quick reader. Kids vanish at local pizzeria bodies not found two local children were reportedly lured into a back room during the late hours of operation at Freddy Fazbair's Pizza on the night of June 26th while video surveillance identified the man responsible and led to his capture the following morning the children themselves were never found and are presumed police think the suspect dressed as a mascot to earn the children's trust." Noel said in a breathless, run on sentence, before he rapidly checked the lights and the Cove. "Damn…forty percent and it's still 3 AM."
"That's just two though, in that article. How many animatronics do we have?"
"Four. Five if you count that weird golden bear Beast Boy saw…let me double check…"
"Noel, careful-!"
"…article's changed."
"Changed? As in, a different one?"
"Five children now reported missing, suspect convicted, five children are now linked to the incident at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza where a man dressed as a cartoon mascot lured them into a back room while the suspect has been charged the bodies themselves were never found Freddy Fazbear's Pizza has been fighting an uphill battle ever since to convince families to return to the pizzeria." Noel rapidly read off, before rapidly checking again and finding the rabbit having come to say hello once more. He closed the door. "…Robin didn't find anything like this."
"That's because of me." Adam said.
"What? How? Why?" Noel said.
"I time-hopped when you guys were talking a minute ago. Turns out it was me. I went and checked it out, and he fled to the pizza place after I found him in police custody. I chased him down. That's why Ryce doesn't know about him. Or the kids."
Silence. Then laughter. That dark, cruel laughter.
"…You need to find a way to fix that in the next few months." Ryce said.
"Met, have I mentioned lately what an unfathomable pain in the ass your dimension unstuck timey-wimey ball chaos nature world bunny hopping is?" Noel said, before he checked the cameras. "Rabbit's hanging around. Bird's gone, bear's back in the washrooms…and the article's changed again. Local pizzeria threatened with shutdown over sanitation, local pizzeria Freddy Fazbear's Pizza has been threatened again with shutdown by the health department over reports of foul odor coming from the much loved animal mascots, police were contact when parents reportedly noticed what appeared to be blood and mucus around the eyes and mouths of the mascots, one parent alikened them to…reanimated carcasses…"
Laughter.
"That's why I was the only one who could see the ad." Met said. Having noticed a trend, Noel closed the monitor and immediately opened it again. Just as he thought, the article had changed.
"…Local pizzeria said to close by year's end." Noel read. "After a long struggle to stay in business after the tragedy that struck there many years ago, Freddy Fazbear's Pizza has announced that it will close by year's end. Despite a year long search for a buyer, companies seem unwilling to be associated with the company…"
"Does this article have a date, Noel?" Cyborg said.
Laughter.
"It's…not recent." Noel said, when he finally found the date.
"…Year's end." Cyborg said. Except that hadn't worked out as planned, had it?"
"…The location's issues does mirror Adam's talents. The forgetting, the non-noticing…what did you DO, Adam?" Raven said.
"Well, it turns out child murder is not an activity one pencils in between second breakfast and elevensies." Adam said. 'He was building up to something. I dealt with it and him and left."
"The rabbit isn't leaving." Noel said.
"I'm pretty sure he wasn't done when I finished it though, because he'd still be around. Still, incomplete rituals don't necessarily fizzle out. I also bled all over the place, in fact…"
A low groan and a sizzling sound followed Met's sentence. Noel knew that noise. Cauterizing flesh.
"Adam?!" Ryce said.
"Noel, pay attention to the place! You're still in there and you still have time to run out!" Cyborg said.
"It's why there's five bots, if we count the gold one. They're the kids, Noel." Adam said. "He's still controlling them. And I may have kind of made the issue worse."
Laughter.
"Damn it, DAMN!" Noel cursed, finding the bird at the right door and the rabbit still lurking outside the left. He slammed the other door shut.
"…Adam, what did you DO?" Raven said.
"OH FU-!"
The howling scream echoed through the Titans' ears. The same one on the phone.
Then Noel's communicator went dead.
Night 5.
How could there be another hunt so soon?
What did it matter? The victims came, called by the spell, and they died. One after another. Trapped like rats, marinated in fear, then cut down. Alas, the ritual ensured this latest prey would have no idea what was going on before he was claimed, as he would step into the full grip of the hunt, the nature of the process preventing them from going back to the start. No matter. More would come after him.
The blind left, ever unseeing the charnel house they walked.
The new soul entered, and the hunting ground bloomed. The fox was eager beyond belief, and ran even as the message was played over the phone, as it had been so many times, a nightmare drone of nonsense that spoke of horror and doom and a terrible reckoning…
It took some time before he realized the fox had not been turned back and returned to its hole to re-gather its energies.
The fox had not returned at all.
It was enough for him to change the ways they had always done it, for the very few that made it this far. They never escaped, once they entered the hunting grounds. They would return against all sense, enthralled as all the others were, playing their role for the crowd, whatever the crowd was. Hell, perhaps. So for the first time he changed their behaviour, sent them out.
…and neither returned.
It was impossible. It was not how things played out. It was this way, always! It did not CHANGE!
So he went himself.
The office was empty.
Of his slaves, cast in their roles of killers, there was no trace.
The voice came from everywhere.
"Hello, Freddy. Except that's not your name, is it?"
No! No one could change his game, his hunt! NO ONE!
"Some tiny, dark part of me wants to congratulate you. I think you broke the meter on measurable vileness. Being a child killer is bad enough, but this? Staying behind and victimizing them all over again, turning them into monsters against their will, claiming more lives, having a need to do harm so strong you turned your unexpected death to your advantage instead of going into the abyss you earned? I spoke of inhuman evil, but human evil…you're always surprising me on how deep it can go."
The darkness he lurked in was no longer his. It was closing in on him.
"You thrive on fear so much…well, I am afraid." Raven said. "I AM AFRAID THAT A RECKONING IS HERE. YOURS."
Screams.
Endless, endless screams.
Day 6.
"Knock it off, Adam." Noel said, as the oddball Titan poked at the sling Noel's arm was in. "Bad enough Raven needed to save her energies and couldn't fix this."
Met poked one of the bandages on Noel's head instead.
"Please stop."
"Yes, please do, Adam." Robin said, the Titans all sitting around and waiting inside the otherwise-abandoned pizzeria. Some employees had shown up, but they'd been swiftly shooed away. They were waiting for someone specific. Someone who'd been very hard to track down.
"You could just b'happy you're alive." Ryce said.
"Just because I have energy line superpowers that let me shove wires and cross-electronics and a bunch of other junk out of the way enough so I could survive being crammed in a suit as to not wreck Raven's progress by fighting back doesn't mean I have to be happy about it." Noel groused. The injuries weren't the worst part really, nor was the fear that by letting himself be dragged and stuffed he was putting his life at risk when it had happened, that night. It had been the smell, the sense he was being crammed into a mass grave. He would have taken injuries twice, three times as severe as the wounds he had if he hadn't had to experience that. Thank the gods the monstrous force behind the killings was so caught up in the ritual recreation of events that they were incapable of noticing deviances from it. Like someone actually surviving it and wrecking the suit in the process.
Indeed, the nature of the beast was so they wouldn't notice changes unless you shoved it in their face. Which Raven had done. She'd finally had all the pieces, and when she had gone in, there had been no games. She'd burned the curse out by the roots, and enacted justice long delayed.
"Fair 'nuff." Ryce said, grabbing Met's hand before he could poke again. "It would make you know who very happy if you stopped that." Whatever that meant.
"Okay." Adam said, squeezing her hand and hugging her.
"Also, you're not allowed to complain about being sent in the first night any more." Noel said.
"I second that motion." Beast Boy said.
"Don't look at me, I'm not going to complain." Robin said, when the two other male Titans glanced at him.
"I have EVERY right to complain considerin' what I found out after." Ryce said, glaring.
"Save it everyone. Here he comes." Cyborg said.
On the surface, Georges Escamillo looked every inch the young power-suited yuppie go-getter. It took a closer second look to see the tightness of plastic surgery that tried to hide his years, the ever slight creases that spoke of a very old suit constantly reused. Despite this fact, he still looked as pissed as he was surprised.
"The hell are you people?"
"Georges Escamillo?" Robin said, standing up.
"Yes, what the hell-!?"
"Despite what you sided with, I'm pretty sure you own this place. You're under arrest." Robin said.
"WHAT?! FOR WHAT?!"
"Hostile work environment." Beast Boy said.
"God knows how many safety and health code violations." Cyborg said.
"Aiding and abetting numerous murders." Raven said.
"ARE YOU PEOPLE CRAZY?!"
"You have a whole superhero team waiting for you, Georges. You tell me…actually, don't." Robin said, as he produced handcuffs.
Georges stared in outrage for several seconds, and when it was clear they weren't going to buy his protests or respond to his threats, it was like a switch was flipped.
Noel felt, more than saw, Raven shudder. She was an empath, and when Georges' true face came out, she likely felt its cold emptiness in her soul.
"And what precisely are you going to present as evidence? There's nothing. People don't even remember, and I didn't see any news report of a bunch of murders being spontaneously recalled."
"…you knew." Robin said.
"No one else wanted the place. I thought it was a complete loss when I bought it. But oh no…it was special, as I found out. Small but special. All I had to do was look away and it was a small, steady rock of cash without any downsides. Well, for me." Georges said. Noel ground his teeth. It figured. Like called to like. Victims called to victims. Victimizers called to victimizers. And the nature of business to attract sociopaths was well studied.
"Met, no." Robin said, pointing as the Titan started to get up. "Not this time. The last time you went off half-cocked, it just made a giant mess."
"I'll clean it up if it does." Ryce said, her voice flat and dead.
"Oh please. Don't bother. Your threats have no teeth. You're the GOOD GUYS. You don't have the stomach for such things." Georges said.
"…You're right." Cyborg said. "But you seem to think that means something."
Night 1.
"…what…no! LET ME GO! LET ME GO RIGHT NOW!"
The yells echoed through the hallways, Georges finding himself in a familiar dark security office with a laptop in his lap. And his legs manacled to the chair.
The phone rang, and answered itself.
"Hello? Hello? I wanted to leave you this message...help you get nice and settled for first night. I worked there for the first night and wanted to make sure you didn't get too overwhelmed before the fun started." Ryce said. "S'a bit cluttered and dark in there so we made sure you were strapped in tight...wouldn't want to to trip and hit your head! I think you're going to do just fine...and if not that s'okay too. You can just come see daddy and me...got somethin' special for you and some lads and lasses who are jus' dyin' to meet you."
Georges thrashed and screamed and yelled. The darkness swallowed it all.
"Don't worry I won't bore you with safety tips. You're an expert by now right? Just gotta keep those eyes peeled and that battery up! Oh there s'one new bit...someone went and fixed the fox's jaw so s'not hanging off. Funny the damage piercin' a child's skull can do to delicate mechanics. Don't you worry though...s'right back up in order and stronger than ever. Dum de dum...As always...use your doors and light...don't want to get caught out of costume right!? Hahahaha. Seriously do try not to get caught...s'really hard to get the softer bits out of the gears and s'really inconsiderate. Either way made sure the chair was placed myself so you'll have NO problem reaching those buttons."
As Georges discovered, this was not entirely true. His fingertips could JUST reach the buttons to compress them…somewhat. It was very much a leaning job. And he couldn't lean in both directions at once.
"Least I think I did...m'bad with numbers. Oh well." Ryce said, before her tone went as black as the shadows. "You really have...no idea what you perpetuated. What cycles you broke. 5 children who have gone decades being perverted and denied judgement. A beast that...shouldn't be. You embraced it all...for money. I hope you lose...I hope you come to me. I'll leave you to it then...
"Le cirque est plein de sang...On se sauve, on franchit les grilles...C'et ton tour maintenant. Allons.
"Vous hurlerez."
"…So…how long are we going to leave him in that?" Noel said, watching with the rest of the Titans, several manning the 'animatronics screens' to control their copies of the animals as Georges Escamillo writhed in the VR chair he had been locked in. "Until we get a confession? Until we figure out how that confession isn't going to be thrown out of court after being acquired under duress? Until Raven's mind whammy wears off and he realizes he's in a video game? Until we get bored?"
"Night's young." Raven said.
The End