In Darkest Night

by 1upDawg

Working the night shift seemed like the perfect job for Odd Della Robbia- all he had to do was stay up late, check his cameras, and eat pizza, right? But when XANA strikes and things begin to go bump in the night, Odd's dream job turns into a nightmare for the entire Lyoko gang. A Code Lyoko/FNAF One-shot.

((Hey guys… So I thought I'd take a stab at writing something that wasn't Nintendo/WiR-related, and this was the result. I wrote this as a birthday gift for a friend of mine who's a huge fan of Code Lyoko. I don't know much about the show, so if I've made any continuity errors, let me know. Hope you enjoy it!))

((Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko or FNAF; that would be MoonScoop and Scott Cawthon respectively))

"Hey Ulrich."

Ulrich rolled over to face his roommate. "Yeah?"

"Could I ask you one tiiiiiny favor?" cooed Odd, making the most persuasive puppy-dog face he possibly could.

Ulrich groaned. "What is it, Odd?"

He didn't have to ask the question. He knew perfectly well where this was going.

Odd sat up, eyeing him. "Well, you see Galactic Battle II: Maximum Force just came out, and…"

"…You want me to lend you some money so you can buy it," finished Ulrich.

"Well… uh, yeah, let's go with that," said Odd. "But I swear I'll pay you back this time! I promise, I won't forget!"

Ulrich chuckled. "That's what you said last time, Odd."

"Yeah, I know…" Odd whimpered. "But look, this time's gonna be different, okay? See, I already started saving up! Look!" The blond shoved his hand in his pocket, and when he withdrew it, a note lay crumpled in his fist.

"Five dollars?!" asked Ulrich, eyeing the note. "You really think five dollars is enough to buy a new game?"

"I… guess not…" Odd said sheepishly. "…But it's a start, right?"

Ulrich sank back upon his bed in defeat. "Odd, we can't keep going on like this. You're always asking me for money, and then you never pay me back. You don't even work to try to pay me back. All you do is goof around and play video games." Ulrich sighed, the question forming beneath his lips, and he hesitated before finally letting it slip past them.

"Odd, haven't you ever considered getting… a job?"

Odd responded exactly how Ulrich had envisioned.

"A JOB?!" he exclaimed indignantly. "What, so I can sit around taking phone calls and living off minimum wage? No way, amigo! It's tough enough trying to balance out my schedule with school getting in the way as it is!"

That gave Ulrich an idea. "Well… what about a job that lets you work after school hours?" he suggested. "You could, uh… deliver pizza, or bag groceries, or… I dunno… work the night shift somewhere. You get the idea."

Odd bolted up. "Wait, what was that last one?"

"Uh, the night shift," Ulrich explained. "You know, sitting around, watching cameras, checking security. That kind of job."

A smile crept across Odd's face as he realized, in an instant, that this was exactly the kind of job made just for him.

"Wow!" he said to himself. "So not only do I get to stay up late and goof around, I get paid for it too?! That sounds great! That's it, first thing tomorrow I'm gonna get a job working the night shift somewhere. Then I'll have enough money for a new game in no time! Thanks Ulrich, you're the best!"

Ulrich didn't answer. Giving up, he rolled back onto his bed, away from Odd. He never learns, does he? He thought to himself.

…

The next morning Odd found himself bounding through the halls of Kadic Academy, overflowing with delight. His dream job was finally within his grasp, and he just had to let Ulrich know about it.

But when he rounded the corner and found himself staring into the room the pair split between them, Ulrich was nowhere to be found. Instinctively, Odd hurried up the stairs to the other place where he knew his roommate could always be found: his friend Jeremy's room.

Odd didn't even knock on the door before flinging it open. Sure enough, there was Ulrich, along with the other two members of their menagerie: Yumi and Aelita. All of them were crowded around Jeremy's computer, looking intently, and appeared to take no notice of Odd's arrival.

"As I was saying, I've been working on creating my own monster that can fight alongside us on Lyoko," Jeremy was saying. "I call it Marabounta. It's just a work in progress for now, but once I get it finished, XANA's goons won't stand a chance!"

But before the other Lyoko warriors could applaud him, they were interrupted. "Hi, guys!" Odd called out from behind them.

Jeremy wheeled around. "Hey, Odd. You just missed the demonstration of my latest project. Wanna see it?"

"Sorry Jeremy, but I think I'll pass for now," Odd said hastily. "Besides… Guess who just found his new dream job!"

With that, Odd triumphantly flung his want ad, clipped from out of the local newspaper, on the desk before Jeremy.

…

Freddy Fazbear's Pizza: HELP WANTED

Family pizzeria looking for security guard to work the nightshift, 12 A.M. to 6 A.M.

Monitor cameras, ensure safety of equipment and animatronic characters.

Not responsible for injury/dismemberment.

$120 a week.

To apply call 1-800-FAZ-FAZBEAR.

APPLY TODAY!

…

The ad was accompanied by a still of the restaurant's animatronic mascot, the titular Freddy Fazbear.

"This… is your dream job?" asked Aelita in disbelief.

"You're joking, right?" said Yumi, nonplussed.

Ulrich shook his head. "I can't believe he actually went and did it…"

"Why would you ever want to work at Freddy's?!" cried Jeremy. "Their pizza is about as lame as their animatronic characters!"

"Some dream job!" chuckled Yumi. "Look at this! The pay's four bucks an hour! You could make more money washing the dishes! You're even dumber than I thought, Odd."

"Oh yeah? Well, laugh it up now, 'cause you sure won't be laughing later!" Odd retorted. "One week of watching camers and Galactic Battle II is all mine! I might even have enough left over to pay you back for real," he grinned, elbowing Ulrich.

"Uh, that's great, Odd, but aren't you forgetting about your real job?" asked Jeremy, annoyed. "You know, fighting XANA's monsters and trying to materialize Aelita for good?"

"Realjob? Whaddaya mean, real job?!" Odd said indignantly. "Just because this job doesn't involve fighting XANA doesn't make it real? Well, news flash, Einstein, this real job of yours isn't exactly paying the bills, and besides, it's about time I actually started fending for myself for a change. So like it or not, I'm going for it!"

"Okay, so what happens when XANA attacks right when you're in the middle of your shift?" said Jeremy. "What then, Odd?"

"Well, then I guess you'll just have to carry on without me!" said Odd. "I kinda need to get away from Lyoko for a while anyway. Too many Laser Arrows at once really rattles my wrists!"

Jeremy sighed. "Okay, fine, Odd. Go for it. But don't say I didn't warn you!"

"Awesome! Thanks, Einstein!" yelled Odd. "High five!" Odd leapt at Jeremy to deliver the gesture, but missed, and instead landed face-first into Jeremy's keyboard. The other Lyoko warriors just looked on as their friend collapsed on the floor in a daze.

"Someone really ought to go with him on his first night," Ulrich suggested. "Y'know, to make sure he doesn't screw something up."

"I can go!" volunteered Aelita. "I've never even been to Freddy's before, let alone after hours."

"Tell you what- why don't we all go," said Yumi. "I've got a feeling Odd's gonna need all of us to be there for him this time. Especially if something goes wrong…"

…

It was 11:55 P.M., and Odd Della Robbia was settling in for the first night of his new job. He'd been provided with everything he could ever have hoped for- his very own office, a network of security cameras that kept watch over the myriad rooms of the pizzeria, and even a complimentary pizza from the staff- on the house.

Strangely, though, the one thing he hadn't been provided was any kind of power to speak of. Which was more than a little annoying- how was he supposed to recharge his Game Boy without a power source, let alone keep the room's hydraulic doors closed?

All things decided, though, he was right at home. Forget Kadic or Lyoko for now- this was where he belonged. Propping his feet up on his new desk, he leaned back on his swivel chair and let out a sigh of contentment- just as the clock on his desk struck 12 A.M.

For a few minutes, only darkness and silence. The only lights or sounds that resonated through the empty halls of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza were coming from Odd's Game Boy, as he played once again through the first Galactic Battle, for what he truly hoped would be the last time.

Then, at about fifteen minutes after twelve, a sound made its way to Odd's ears- one that could be heard even among the bleeps and bloops of his Game Boy. He couldn't tell what it was the first time, and initially shrugged it off. But the sound soon came creeping in again through the door on his right, and he heard it loud and clear.

It was the rustling of pots and pans close by. That could only mean one thing- someone was in the kitchen. Frantically, Odd pulled up the camera that tracked the kitchen, only to find it had been disabled. Odd's palms began to sweat. He wasn't alone in here, he thought. Someone- or something- has broken in.

Odd's fear was confirmed as the signature sound of footsteps was soon heard- coming in his direction. As the many thuds upon the carpet- there were multiple people, from the sound of it- grew ever louder, their forms ever closer, Odd knew he could take no more. He seized his Game Boy and held it out in front of him like a shield, and its light spilled out into the darkened hallway.

"W-Who's there?" he called out shakily.

Immediately the sound of footsteps halted, and in the light from his Game Boy, Odd was unable to make out a living form of any kind. He continued to stare into the hall for a moment, then swiveled away with a delusional chuckle.

"Now you're hearing things, Odd," he murmured to himself. "This is all just a bad dream, Odd. Either that or you're hearing things, and then you're gonna come back and tell everybody that you thought someone was coming to get you on your first night, and Yumi's gonna laugh at you so hard-"

But Odd was right about one thing- someone was coming to get him. And in a flash, right as he was finishing up his rant, that someone leapt into the office.

"BOO!"

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Odd toppled over backwards on his swivel chair, screaming, and his Game Boy was sent flying out of his hand. It landed at Ulrich's feet, illuminating his face as he erupted into a fit of hysterics.

"You should've seen the look on your face!" he chortled. "Priceless!"

Odd sat up, breathing heavily, collecting himself before he spoke. "Hey! Not cool, Ulrich!"

"He's right, Ulrich," Yumi's voice sounded from behind him. "You can be real harsh sometimes, you know that?"

"Aw, come on! I'm just trying to have some fun!" Ulrich protested.

"Well, bully for you!" snapped Odd, picking himself up. As he stood up, he could see the faces of Yumi, Aelita and Jeremy emerge in the light of his Game Boy. "How did you guys get in here?!"

"Through the back door in the kitchen," Aelita answered nonchalantly.

Odd took one last deep breath. "Okay… and more importantly, what are you all doing here?"

"We came for the free pizza," Jeremy snickered. "And to keep an eye on you."

"Oh-ho-ho no you don't!" sneered Odd. "I didn't sign on to have my paycheck split between all five of us! This is my job, and my office! So, good night to you all, and the door is that way! …Even though it doesn't work."

"It doesn't work?" asked Jeremy. "Where's all the power in this place, anyway?" Unzipping his backpack, he removed his laptop and set it on the desk, pushing aside the remains of Odd's complimentary pizza. "Here, I'll connect the power grid in this room to my laptop."

"Whoa!" exclaimed Odd. "…You can do that?"

"Of course!" Jeremy smiled. "Then you'll be able to shut us out of you office for good, Mr. Della Robbia."

"Well, don't get too comfortable in here!" Odd snapped. "Or else me and my three robot animal buddies-"

"Don't you mean two?" asked Aelita, her face glued to the security cameras.

"Two? No! There should be three of them!" replied Odd.

"Is that so? Well, then one's missing," she shrugged.

"Ha ha ha. Very funny, Aelita."

"See for yourself!" said Aelita, handing Odd the camera and pointing to the Show Stage. Freddy Fazbear and his friend Chica the chicken were both accounted for, but much to Odd's astonishment, Bonnie the bunny was indeed nowhere to be found.

"Wha-? …Where'd he go?!"

The panic rose in Odd again. Frantically he flipped cameras until, at last, he found the culprit: Bonnie was in the West hall. But something was wrong with him- not only was he moving, which he was pretty sure the animatronics weren't supposed to do after hours, but his head was eerily flickering on the camera screen.

"What's wrong with his head?" inquired Aelita.

"Yeah," agreed Odd. "Doesn't that sort of thing only happen whenever there's a XANA attack or something?"

Just as Odd spoke, the alarm on Jeremy's laptop went off. "Oh great. Sounds like I spoke too soon," he groaned.

Jeremy flipped his keyboard open and frantically entered commands into his keyboard- sure enough, XANA had indeed launched an attack. "I've picked up an activated tower in the Mountain Sector! Okay, gang, we need to get back to the supercomputer pronto!"

"How are we going to find our way out?" asked Ulrich. "It's so dark in here, I can't even see what I'm doing!"

"Not for long!" said Jeremy. "The connection's almost complete!"

A moment later, the restaurant's power grid was being displayed on Jeremy's computer. "Okay, lights on!" he said, hitting Enter.

In an instant, the room was illuminated- exposing the flickering face of Bonnie right at the office door. Odd screamed in horror.

"Close the door close the door CLOSE THE DOOR!" he shrieked.

Ulrich slammed his fist on the door button, and the hydraulic door came to life, shutting Bonnie out. For a moment, through the office windows, the robot could be seen lingering outside the closed door, before finally starting again down the hallway and disappearing into the darkness.

"This has to be a bad dream, Odd," the blond murmured to himself. "You just fell asleep working your shift. Don't worry, there's no killer robot bunny that's out to get you-"

"Bad news, Odd," said Yumi, rifling through the camera network. "It looks like his two friends decided to join the party too. All three of them are offstage."

The group froze in horror, as the reality of their situation dawned on them: they were trapped alone in a restaurant with three XANA-possessed robots.

"Okay, we gotta get out of here. Yumi, Aelita, get to the factory. I'll stay here and help the others keep XANA at bay," Jeremy instructed.

"Aye aye," said Yumi. "Come on, Aelita!" Yumi opened the door, and escorted Aelita into the west hallway. The pair continued down the hallway until they reached the main dining area. Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica were indeed nowhere to be found.

"Wow… it's just as creepy at night as it is during the day," snickered Yumi.

"Keep your guard up," warned Aelita. "Knowing XANA, those monsters could pop out at us right when we least expect it. You seeing or hearing anything?"

"So far, so good," Yumi answered.

Suddenly, an electrical surge erupted from the ceiling and snaked its way down the power lines along the wall- behind a curtain in the back corner of the room labeled Pirate Cove. In front of the curtain, a sign read "Sorry- Out of order".

"They've been keeping that fox behind those curtains for years," Yumi murmured. "Ever since some incident that happened back in 1987. That's what I've heard anyway."

"Well, I think XANA just changed all that."

No sooner had Aelita spoken then the curtains were flung open, exposing Freddy's oft-forgotten friend, Foxy the pirate; a gleam of malice shone in his animatronic eyes.

"Not good! Alright, we gotta move!" yelled Yumi, dragging Aelita along with her down the west hall, as Foxy started after them.

"Where are we going?! The exit's that way!"

"We have to get back to the office! It's the only safe place in here! Come on!"

…

From out of the office window, two figures could be seen emerging from the darkness.

"Uh-oh, Odd. Looks like your robot buddies are coming back to haunt you," Ulrich chuckled.

"Well, what are you waiting for, Mr. Sneaking-around-in-the-dark? Close the door!" yelled Odd.

Ulrich did so, and immediately after the door closed shut, the figures began banging on their newfound barrier.

"Yeah, you bang on that door all you want, you robot creeps!" Odd taunted. "You're not getting in here!"

Then a voice drifted through the door- Yumi's voice. "It's us, you cretin! Let us in already!"

Hurriedly, Ulrich slammed his hand on the door button, exposing Yumi and Aelita. But they weren't alone- Foxy was right on their tails.

"Uh, people, we got company! Close the door again!" yelled Odd.

The door closed shut, and banging sounds could be heard once more from the outside as Foxy reached the barrier. Just as soon as he had came, however, he was gone, and his footsteps down the hall were soon heard as he returned to whence he came.

"Well, that didn't work," Yumi grumbled. "We need to get back to the supercomputer, but we're stuck here!"

"We need to go back out the way we came," informed Jeremy. "Odd, take Aelita through the side door and out through the kitchen!"

"What? No way!" Odd protested. "I can't leave my post now! I'm on a roll here!"

"Would you rather have those robots barge in and kill all of us?" asked Ulrich.

"Ulrich's right," Jeremy agreed. "As long as some of us stay here and make sure things don't go out of hand, we'll be fine! Now go get to the supercomputer and deactivate that tower!"

"What about you guys?"

"Don't worry," Jeremy reassured Odd. "As long as my laptop doesn't run out of power, we ought to be safe in this room."

"So how much power is on your laptop?" asked Yumi.

Jeremy glanced at the computer screen and back at Yumi. "56 percent."

"56 percent?" cried Ulrich. "That's it?!"

"Hey, if I knew in advance I was going to need more power I'd have recharged this thing!" Jeremy grumbled. "There's no time to argue! Odd, you and Aelita need to get to Lyoko, quick! Yumi, is the path to the kitchen clear?"

Yumi glanced at the cameras and growled in frustration. "There's nothing out in the hall, but the camera in the kitchen's disabled! I can't see a thing!"

"Yeah, I guess I should've warned you about that… oh well, better late than never, right?" Odd chuckled.

"Very funny. Alright, get going, you two!" said Jeremy. "I'll call you in case something comes up!"

Odd gulped. "Believe me, Jeremy, I'd love to, but I… uh… twisted my ankle earlier. Yeah. So, uh… maybe someone else should-"

"Oh come on, Odd!" groaned Aelita, as she tugged Odd out of the security office. "There's really no reason to be afraid!"

"Oh yeah?" retorted Odd as the pair rounded the corner. "Then what's that sound coming from the kitchen?"

Aelita froze, listening intently, and to her horror the sound of someone rummaging through kitchenware could be heard within.

"Maybe it's nothing. Maybe Ulrich or Yumi are just trying to help us make our way out," Aelita surmised.

"Yeah, or maybe it's a XANA-fied animal robot just waiting to rip us to pieces!" whined Odd.

"Well, only one way to find out!" declared Aelita, and she stepped into the kitchen and flicked the lights on. Instantly, the rummaging sounds disappeared.

"Okay, Odd, the coast is clear!" announced Aelita.

"I don't like this…" Odd whimpered. "I wanna go home…"

"Oh for crying out loud, Odd, will you get a grip!" grumbled Aelita as she practically dragged the blond through the hallway and walked through the kitchen doors- and crashed headfirst into the towering figure of Chica the Chicken.

The mechanical monstrosity let out a terrifying screech as its robotic eyes sighted her. Aelita wanted to run, or scream, or do something, but found herself unable to move a muscle. Instead, she shut her eyes and braced herself for the inevitable.

As Chica lunged for her, however, she was cut off as a plate whizzed through the air, striking the back of her head. She wheeled around in a rage to find Odd standing behind her, clutching a stack of plates in his hands.

"Leave her alone, you overgrown ostrich!" yelled Odd.

With a cluck of rage, the robotic chicken charged the boy, only to be felled by a flurry of plates and collapse on the floor at his feet.

Aelita hurried to his side. "Thanks for the rescue, Odd."

"Nothing to be afraid of, you said," Odd replied snarkily. "No evil robots waiting to jump out at us, you said…"

"Whatever," she shrugged. "Come on, let's get to Lyoko!"

…

It didn't take long for the duo to reach the factory- even from the shopping complex where Freddy's stood, they knew the path by heart now. The moment she stepped out of the elevator, Aelita rushed to Jeremy's seat in front of the supercomputer.

"Where's the tower?" Odd asked.

"In the Mountain Sector, 39 degrees north and 73 degrees west," Aelita replied. "I'm starting up an auto-virtualization process. Hurry, get to the scanner!"

Odd ran for the elevator once more, and Aelita hurried after him. The pair descended into the ever-familiar depths of the factory, until the elevator came to rest at the scanner room. Hastily they each ran for a scanner.

"See you on the flip side, princess!" Odd called to Aelita as the metal doors sealed shut before him. Instantly, they found themselves virtualized, touching down in the Mountain Sector.

"You know, after having to deal with all of those killer robots, this sure is a nice change of pace!" said Odd.

Aelita was not so relieved. "Oh no- the others!" In a flash, she reached for her communicator. "Jeremy, we made it to Lyoko. How are things at the restaurant?"

"Not good," Jeremy's voice sounded through her earpiece. "Apparently keeping these doors closed takes up power too. We still have 37 percent left on the computer, so we'll be fine as long as you hurry up and deactivate the tower!"

"There it is!" said Odd, pointing to his left. The activated tower was in plain sight.

"Looks like this ought to be easy," remarked Aelita.

"Too easy," murmured Odd.

Sure enough, just as the pair started off for the tower, a trio of Hornets emerged from behind it, swarming them.

"Oh no!" yelled Aelita. "Hornets! Odd, hold them off while I head for the tower!"

"Roger!" Odd saluted, before rounding on the hornets, which began to attack en masse. "Laser Arrow!" he yelled, launching a flurry of his own projectiles at them. Two of the hornets dodged the attack, but the third was not so lucky, and collapsed to the ground, vanishing from existence.

"Heh, I still got it," he chuckled, before his eyes widened in fear. "Aelita! Ten o'clock!"

Horrified, Aelita watched as her greatest fear emerged from behind the tower, a fear greater than even the animatronics at Freddy's: the Scyphozoa. Instinct took over as she turned and ran, but she quickly found herself at the edge of the cliffs, with nowhere to run and nothing behind her but the depths of the Digital Sea.

Surrounded by the attacking hornets, Odd was powerless to watch as his friend was ensnared by the creature's tentacles, her memory slowly being drained away. Even worse, he was down to his final Laser Arrow. With no other choice, and no Jeremy there to reload him, he took careful aim, knowing full well that the fate of all his friends lay in this last shot.

Odd's arrow pierced the center of the Scyphozoa's eye, and the monster released Aelita, freewheeling in agony as it fled the scene. Odd only had time to breathe a sigh of relief before the Hornets resumed his attack, draining away the last of his life points.

"Aelita! Hurry and get to the tower! I'll check on Jeremy and company!" he called out to her as he was slowly devirtualized.

…

"We can't keep this door closed forever! If this keeps up we'll lose our power for sure!" yelled Ulrich.

"We don't have a choice," answered Jeremy. "Those robots are still out there, and as long as that tower's still activated we don't stand a chance against them! At least XANA hasn't made things worse than they already are…"

Jeremy spoke too soon- without warning, an electrical surge swept through the currents, engulfing his computer.

"Oh no! XANA blew the power grid!" Jeremy yelled. "The batteries on my laptop are being drained!"

"Hurry up, Aelita…" Yumi groaned.

Just then, a voice emerged from Jeremy's earpiece. "Hey, Einstein! You there?"

Jeremy threw the earpiece over his head in a flash. "Odd! What's going on over there?"

"We ran into a few hornets. I got devirtualized, but Aelita should be deactivating the tower any second now!"

"Well, tell her to hurry up! We're about to lose all our power!"

"Don't worry! As soon as the tower's deactivated, I'll launch a return to the past! …Just as soon as I remember how, that is."

Jeremy sighed. "I'll walk you through it, okay? First, open the time jump program!"

"Uh… which one is that?"

"The one labeled time jump program!" Jeremy yelled impatiently. "Come on, Odd, the power's almost out!"

Odd's voice was absent for a short while. "Okay, got it!" he answered at last.

"Great!" said Jeremy. "Now as soon as the tower is deactivated, just hold these three buttons: Control, Shift, and-"

Jeremy's words, however, were cut off along with the power. The sudden absence of light made the three of them jump. But it didn't last long, as the room was suddenly illuminated with the glowing eyes and signature, horrifying jingle of Freddy Fazbear.

"We're in trouble now," hissed Ulrich.

"Come on, Odd…" groaned Jeremy, as he and his friends braced themselves for the mechanized bear's attack.

…

Inside the tower, Aelita's name flashed briefly in the window of XANA's memory, before being replaced with the deactivation code: LYOKO. Data began to seep from the inner walls of the tower, ceasing to exist.

"Tower deactivated," announced Aelita. "Odd, did you prepare the return to the past?"

"Eh… working on it!" replied Odd, in a not-so-reassuring tone. "Okay, Control…" He entered the command on the keyboard. "Now Shift…" He had entered the first two inputs correctly, but Jeremy had never given him the third. "Control… Shift… What?" he mumbled into his headset.

"It's Control, Shift, then Enter, Odd!" yelled Aelita. "Hurry up and launch the program!"

Odd, apparently unaware he had been talking into his headset the entire time, asked himself why he hadn't thought to ask Aelita before their voyage to Lyoko. "Er, right- Control, Shift, Enter. Yeah! I totally knew that!" He entered the third command, and the return program appeared on the screen, ready for activation.

"Okay then!" announced Odd, hovering his finger over the Enter key. "Return to the past- NOW!"

An immense wall of light erupted from the supercomputer, swallowing everything in its path- the factory, the academy, and the shopping complex that contained Freddy's. It swallowed up Jeremy, Ulrich, Yumi, and the animatronic Freddy Fazbear, moments before the latter could attack the former.

Then everything faded away.

…

When the light was gone, Odd found himself sitting in Jeremy's room once again, surrounded by his circle of friends.

"Well, that was a nightmare," surmised Aelita.

"Yeah… some dream job, huh, Odd?" said Yumi, prodding him in the side.

"Are you kidding? That was awesome!" Odd exclaimed. "The way those robots came to life and tried to kill us? Forget Galactic Battle II, this job is just like a video game! I wish XANA would launch an attack every day while I'm at work!"

"Yeah," said Jeremy. "You know what I can't understand, though?"

"What's that, Einstein?" asked Odd.

"According to the data I collected from the supercomputer about the attack… it never had any influence on the material world!" Jeremy informed him. "XANA never attacked or possessed anyone or anything- all he did was cause my computer to lose power, that's it!"

"But… if XANA never possessed anyone…" began Ulrich, "then what made those robots try to kill us…?"

An uneasy silence fell over the group as they looked amongst one another, finding themselves all wondering the same thing.

Yumi broke the silence at last. "So, you still gonna apply for that job of yours, Odd?"

Odd glanced down and found himself still clutching the want ad from the newspaper in his hand.

"Er… you know, now that I think about it, I have a math test tomorrow- I better study for it first. Catch you guys later!"

As soon as he was out of Jeremy's room, Odd crumpled the ad into a ball and chucked it out the window, before rushing down the stairs to his room and slamming the door shut.

Perhaps by fate, or perhaps by coincidence, a cool breeze carried the ad to the sidewalk on the outskirts of the grounds, and it came to rest at the feet of one of the newest students at Kadic Academy- an American transfer student named Mike Schmidt.

With an air of curiosity, Mike picked up the crumpled ad and read it to himself. "$120 a week, huh?" he wondered aloud. "Hmmm… Sounds like the perfect way to make a little side money…"

THE END