Here I am again, ready for another chapter of The Misadventures of Mike Schmidt~
Mike had managed to suck up enough to his boss at his day job that he was no longer in danger of losing that job. Thus, today had not been as rough a day and yesterday had. He now stood outside Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, watching the doors. It was 11:15. After a moment of thought, he stepped inside. He had 45 minutes to kill, but he needed to think. Of course, before he headed to his office, he approached the Show Stage, looking at all the animatronics present, but focusing mainly on Freddy.
He had stupidly believed their desire for peace the night before because he was so exhausted that he couldn't think straight. Now that he was nice and rested, he realized that it had to be some kind of trap. After all, how was it possible for these animatronics, who had been trying to kill him for almost a month, suddenly have a 'change of heart' (metaphorically speaking)?
"I don't know what you're up to," he told the bear, "but I'm going to find out. You can't get me that easily." And with that, he headed to his office to think, not bothering to take a trip to Pirate's Cove.
X
If Foxy could have moved, his head would have perked up when he heard familiar footsteps enter the pizzeria. He heard what was unmistakably Mike's voice saying something to Freddy, though he couldn't hear what it was. He waited with excitement for the night guard to come into Pirate's Cove, but the footsteps passed right by the room, not even pausing.
But he always comes visit… the pirate thought sadly. Maybe Mike was still scared of him. That just depressed him even more…
X
Mike leaned back in his chair, propping his feet up on the desk and the tablet lay in his lap. He didn't need it yet, as the power would still be fully operational for another ten minutes, but it was nice to have it now, so that he didn't have to scramble in the dim lighting for it as soon as the animatronics started up. They'd probably think his guard was down and come really early. Well, he'd be ready for them.
What the hell was going through those mechanical minds of theirs? Did they really think he was that stupid? Okay, last night, he had started to fall for it, but he was still mostly asleep, and very much in shock. He glanced at the flashlight on his desk. The paint on it was scratched, no doubt by Foxy's metal hand, proving that last night had really happened. He had really been dragged out of his office by the animatronics after passing out, and not shoved in a suit.
Of course, it was curious, though. They were programmed to stuff all 'naked endoskeletons' in suits, so why would they do this? Wouldn't waiting go against their programming, since to them, they would be breaking the rules by letting him 'stay out of his suit' any longer? He got the feeling he was going to need an aspirin or five after this…
It was right after the power had gone out that Mike grabbed the tablet and began searching, focusing first on Pirate's Cove. He groaned when he saw Foxy already peeking out of his curtain. Despite the fact that the animatronic would not be able to see him, Mike shook his head. "There's no way in hell you're getting me tonight," he said, closing the door as soon as Foxy was out. "Not this time."
X
Foxy ran excitedly down the hall, really wanting to know why Mike had skipped visiting him. Ever since the end of his first week, Mike came in, even if it was just to tell him to back off. It was still better than being left in solitude. But when he reached the end of the hall…
The door was shut.
Foxy's shoulders slumped after he stopped, keeping himself from slamming into the door. His ears went back as they had twice the previous night before he turned around and trudged to the Show Stage, where Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica were all looking at each other.
"Why'd Mike shut th' door?" the fox asked.
"I don't think he believes us," the bear replied. "Michael most likely believes this is all an elaborate trap to get him to put his guard down."
"And he thinks we'll strike when he lets us in," Chica guessed. "So, now what do we do? If we keep draining the power like last time, the pizzas will thaw, for one thing, and he'll probably think we're trying too hard."
"And that could just make it all worse," Bonnie reported.
"So, I'll say it again: what do we do now?" Chica repeated.
"We should leave him alone," Freddy suggested. "Show Michael that he has nothing to fear from us."
"Good idea, Freddy," Bonnie said with a nod.
"And that's why ye be th' leader," Foxy added.
Chica headed for one of the corners of the Dining Area, near the East Hall.
"Where are you going?" Freddy asked.
"Peace offering," Chica said simply, entering the kitchen and closing the door behind her, indicating that she was not to be disturbed.
X
It was 2:30, and after Foxy's initial rush, none of the animatronics had come after him. Foxy was still with Freddy and Bonnie, sitting on the edge of the Show Stage and swinging his bare legs, though Chica had moved to the kitchen. Of course, the kitchen was the on place the animatronics went that wasn't monitored by the cameras, so every once in a while, he had to check the others cameras to make sure she hadn't left.
The smell of fresh pizza wafted down the East Hall, and Mike checked the camera monitoring it. There was Chica, holding a large plate on which was a freshly baked pizza, steam still rising. And down the hall she was moving.
Mike immediately closed the right door, and Chica stopped in front of the closed door. She shrugged at him through the window before bending down, standing back up, and walking away. After she was back in the Dining Area, he opened the door and glanced down at the floor. She had left the pizza for him. He stared down at it for a minute before realizing the possible implications of his position. Here we was, leaning outside the door, perfect prey if Chica or Freddy decided to come his way. Not to mention the open left door, or the tablet that was laying on his desk, instead of in his hand. Making a quick decision, he grabbed the pizza before rolling his chair back to the desk and checking every room on the left side that Bonnie could be in. But he wasn't in any, so he checked the Show Stage again. And there he was, having not moved from his spot.
Mike visibly relaxed before his eyes drifted toward the pizza that had been brought to him. There was a good chance that it was poisoned. But, then again… The only reason they were trying to kill him was because they thought he was a naked endoskeleton, and he would have died from the crossbeams and such inside the suit. So why would they put poison in his food?
Wait. If they thought he was an endoskeleton, why bring him food at all? Endoskeletons couldn't eat…
Very hesitantly, he reached toward the pizza, picking up a slice. It smelled incredible, and he couldn't help but wonder if it tasted the same.
Mere moments later, he found out that it did, indeed.
"I'll say one thing about Chica," Mike muttered, not noticing the chicken animatronic in the window, hidden in the shadows, "She makes a damn good pizza."
X
Chica was beaming as she practically skipped back to the Dining Area where the others were waiting. Foxy was still sitting and swinging his legs on the Show Stage, Bonnie was leaning against it, and Freddy had taken a seat in one of the chairs.
"What's up with you?" Bonnie asked.
"Mike likes my pizza," she reported in a sing-song voice.
"I'm quite surprised he took your pizza," Freddy said, genuinely shocked.
"Aye," Foxy replied. "He doesn' trust us yet."
"But maybe it might have helped," the yellow animatronic said hopefully.
"Only time will tell," Freddy commented.
X
Mike had eaten three slices of pizza, which was all he could at the moment. He'd noticed that none of the animatronics had bothered him while he was eating. It was odd, but maybe…
Going against his better judgment, Mike grabbed his flashlight and looked down the East Hall. No one was in sight until he would reach the Dining Area, so after taking a deep breath and squaring his shoulders, he gathered he courage and stepped outside the office. It was the first time he'd been outside the office of his own free will during his shift, and quite frankly, the hallway was quite eerie. Most of the lights down the hall were out, so what little light there was came from the Dining Area, which wasn't all that well lit, and the window in the Security Office. The middle of the hallway, however, was practically pitch black.
Mike quickly turned on the flashlight, making his way down the hall, jumping at every little noise and then mentally kicking himself for being such a scaredy-cat. Honestly, he'd worked this job this long, how was it that noises in the dark still scared him? Finally, though, he'd reached the Dining Area, where four pairs of eyes locked on him. He stared in silence, suddenly wondering if this had been a good idea.
"So…" Chica began after several moments of complete silence. "How was it?"
"Uh, good," Mike said, still stunned that he was speaking with the animatronics instead of being stuffed by them. "Thanks." Chica replied by beaming, though how she did it, between being a robot and having a beak, Mike had no clue.
"I see you've decided to trust us, then, Michael?" Freddy asked.
"Maybe not 'trust'," Mike began, holding his position in the doorway. "But put up with, I guess."
"Good enough for me," Bonnie said with a shrug. He, along with the other two, gave Foxy a look as his face lit up.
The pirate caught the looks and sagged a little. He'd been hoping to be able to get along more with Mike tonight, but it seemed like they still weren't at that stage yet. But he did have one question. "Why'd ye skip Pirate's Cove today?" he asked.
Mike sighed. "Honestly? I still wasn't sure about you guys and the whole stuffing thing. You were a little too excited for my liking last night. I didn't want to encourage you."
"Oh," Foxy replied, unable to truthfully deny his overexcitement the previous night. "Sorry 'bout that, Mike."
Mike found himself unable to say that it was okay, because it really wasn't, but he didn't bring that part up, either. "So… you guys aren't just robots that follow programming, then?"
"Well, in a sense, we are," Freddy informed him. "But our programming was created for us to learn and adjust accordingly. Such as when we realized that you were human, for example. Putting you in a suit was no longer necessary, nor was it much of a good idea. After all, you could get severely hurt." Mike decided not to mention all the other security guards that had been stuffed.
"I don't get it, though," Mike said. "If you can think like this, and interact with people intelligently, then why do they lock up your Free Roam mode every day?"
"The Bite of '87 happened," Chica responded. "They thought we were too dangerous to walk around anymore, so they made it so we couldn't."
"But our servos lock up and shut down completely if they leave us off for too long, which is why we get between 12:00 and 6:00 every night."
"If we lock up completely, we wouldn't even be able to perform our preprogrammed shows," Freddy finished.
"Oh," the human commented. "So, I've been wondering… What was the Bite of '87?"
Foxy turned his head away, and Freddy said softly, "Perhaps another time, Michael."
"Alright," Mike replied slowly, noticing that it seemed to be a sensitive subject for Foxy… which was a weird thought. He'd wait until later, probably if he talked to Freddy alone again. Bonnie hadn't done anything to him besides scare the pants off him the previous night, and Chica had made him pizza. Foxy had gotten his flashlight for him the previous night, but Freddy, at the moment, at least, seemed to be the only one Mike was willing to put almost full trust in. Perhaps it was the bear's mannerisms, or the way he spoke, but he seemed the most human to him. Not to mention that Freddy was the leader of the group, so if one of the others got a bit… ahem… antsy, they should listen to Freddy if he told them to stop.
Then again, if he pissed off Freddy…
"Can we ask you a few questions?" Chica asked.
"Um, I guess?" the human said tentatively.
"What's the outside world like?" Bonnie asked immediately.
And so Mike spent the rest of the night, answering various questions of the world outside from the animatronics until the clock struck six and the machines went back to their rightful places.
"Alright, guys," Mike said as their servos began to lock up. "See you again tomorrow night."
And there you have it. Mike actually is starting to trust them more, though mostly Freddy. And next time, we'll find out the context of the Bite of '87! (Also, keep in mind, this fic takes place as though FNaF 2 and 3 never came out, so I'm working with only the information we had then, so please don't give the "But Mangle was behind the Bite!" I know that. But for the sake of the fic… Well, you'll see.)