Lights Out!
"Hi. Jeremy, isn't it? Here about the night guard post?" asked the receptionist when he got upstairs. It was another woman, although she looked a little older and less enthusiastic than Susie.
"That's what it says on the door," said Jeremy, trying a smile.
She returned it in a patient manner and took out two pieces of paper. "Excellent. Please give this to the front desk downstairs and sign on this contract here. They'll give you the rundown of everything. You'll be starting tonight, make sure you're on time."
Jeremy was taken aback. "Okay. So, no interview or anything like that? I just got it?"
"Well, no one's exactly lining up for it and you were made the original offer, so no. Everything is outlined in your contract and form there. If you have any further questions, please direct them to the front desk."
"Right." He looked past her, to the door that indicated the manager's office. "I don't get to meet the big man himself?"
"Mr Smith is currently busy at the moment, but he has assured me that everything is in order. If you could sign that for me please?" she asked again.
Jeremy decided to take the hint and had a quick scan of the contract. There was the usual about giving notice, rate of pay, holidays and working hours. Then there were the disclaimers, ones that forbade him from relating anything he experienced to staff or customers, about not being responsible for injuries of any kind, a whole lot of things about the performers including their care, forbidding tampering with the machinery or performing any close examination.
"There's a lot of stuff in here, isn't there?" The receptionist, whose name he noted by her tag was Jenny, only gave a pointed look in return. "Right, ask the front desk. Got it."
Knowing what it was they wanted to keep under wraps, Jeremy tried not to worry too much as he signed the contract. He had a job to do beyond what he was being paid for and he wasn't going to let some legal mumbo jumbo scare him off.
Jenny wordlessly took the contract from him and returned to whatever she was doing. Knowing he wasn't going to be getting any more out of her, Jeremy took his cue. As he left, he couldn't help shake the feeling he had seen her somewhere before but he couldn't recall exactly…
It was weird, having Susie talk to him as if they were strangers but Jeremy was an actor. He knew his role and how to play it, this was all just part of the show. He followed along, taking in as much detail as he could. As Susie pointed out the performers, Jeremy recalled what Goldie had told him about each one.
Teddy, though he seemed to prefer Theodore. A rather stiff sort and the supposed leader as Freddy had been for the old group. Clyde was their answer to Bonnie, rather fittingly. Goldie hadn't gotten much of a read on him. He seemed to hang around on the fringes and when he did make himself known, it was in a very apathetic, laid-back sort of way. Chica's counterpart was Hermana or Hermy. Hyperactive and bursting with energy. Then there was Balloon Boy. He didn't have a direct parallel. He was the only one who was completely unique. He was a rather quiet kid and seemed to fade into the background.
But there were two that Jeremy didn't see that his thoughts were focused on. One was Foxy's counterpart, Vevina. Goldie claimed she was the one for whom all the authority meant for Teddy had been given. Independent and driven, she had been the only one to outright deny their mission of capturing the synths. If any of them were likely to be an ally to their cause, it would be her. That was what Goldie said and Jeremy agreed, though Susie hadn't mentioned her at all during the tour. If she was anything like Foxy, he guessed she was in Kid's Cove and that was probably why it was an off limits place.
And all of them were under the control of this rival AI, it seemed. While they behaved independently in a sense, if it seemed like they were going to do something the AI wasn't happy with, he took the reins from them. Goldie hadn't been able to tell Jeremy anything about him, other than showing him an image of his face. White like bone, with a huge dark smile and narrow black eyes, fitted with pinprick white dots and red streaks set vertically like tears. She didn't know if he had a synthetic body or if was a digital entity like her, but she did know that he was in that building too.
"It's the thing that's keeping Brad from getting in. The way it behaves, it could only be him. I don't know where he could be, but he can take control of the five of them any time he pleases. Whoever or whatever he is, he's ruthless and willing to do whatever he deems necessary to get what he wants. You have a task and I know you'll manage it, but be very careful, Jeremy."
Those words played through Jeremy's head as he travelled home and had really worked in some doubts when he reached his front door. He began to wonder if this was really worth doing. Then he stopped outside the door to his brother's room. He didn't actually go in, but it was enough to harden his resolve.
He was glad that his mother was away for the week, doing business out of town. She'd been doing that a lot lately, probably for the same reason Jeremy seemed to find excuses to not come back into the house. Still, it worked out for him. It meant he didn't have to explain what he was doing to her. She'd lose it if she found out.
Jeremy quickly got his dinner on the go and started to mentally prepare himself for the events of the evening. This was going to be a challenge, to say the least.
The sun had almost gone down. All of the employees had gone home for the day. Jeremy closed and locked the shutters, following the instructions Susie had given him. He walked to the security office, briefly glancing at the performers onstage. He tried to ignore the fact that they were probably watching him right now. He noted how Kid's Cove was now closed off by a set of curtains as he walked by.
He knew that it would be quiet when he came in for his shift. It was only to be expected. What Jeremy didn't fully anticipate was just how quiet it was. He never really liked it. When it was noisy, he could just throw himself into it and go along with it all. Silence made him uncertain and apprehensive. It only reinforced the fact that he was alone. Well, alone for now.
Jeremy did his best to look nonchalant and relaxed, waiting for the moment when his night-time charges would make themselves known to him. He didn't have to wait for long. His ears picked up activity coming down the hall, voices talking. He picked up his flashlight and baton. Showtime.
"Who's there?" he called out, as he cautiously moved down the corridor from the security room. "The restaurant's closed until tomorrow. You better come out right now before I-"
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
Jeremy winced from the high pitched squeal that suddenly sounded. Something zoomed right at him, moving out of the way at the last possible second and coming to a stop behind him. He only briefly got a good look at some long, blonde hair and wide blue eyes before they were looking him right in the face.
"Oh. My. GAWD!" she cried. "It's true, it's true, IT'S TRUE! We finally got our own night guard! This is, I mean this is really, oh gawd, it's so great! You gotta come with me, you gotta meet the others!"
Jeremy didn't get the chance to say anything before she dragged him off, pulling him into the Games Room. He saw pieces of what he realised was Hermana's suit as he went. She brought him to a halt in front of the show stage. A portly, bearded man in a pinstriped brown suit waited for them, impatience written all over his face.
"Good god, Hermana, I told you not to go shooting off like that!" snapped Teddy. "What this young man must think of us now!"
"Who cares what he thinks?" muttered a dark skinned guy, with wild hair and shabby clothes who leaned against the stage. "Not like it matters."
"I'll not have any of that from you, Clyde," he chastised. "Have a little respect for yourself!"
"It's not me I don't have any respect for," he replied.
Teddy rounded on him. "And what is that meant to mean, precisely?"
"Guuuuuuuuys, come on," trilled Hermana.
Clyde only lazily turned his head. "I dunno, Ted. Why don't you tell me? It's pretty much the only thing you know how to do. You know, telling people what to do."
"Well, why I… I never…!" Teddy spluttered for a few seconds. "That is completely uncalled for! And how many times must I tell you to call me Theodore?!"
"As many times as you'd like 'cause again, it's the only thing you enjoy doing. If anything, you should be thanking me. I'm giving you so many chances to do it."
"Guys? Night guard, remember?" Hermana tried to pop up between them but was shoved aside by Teddy.
"That would be grand if you actually did anything I said, you lazy, good-for-nothing ruffian!" he said sharply.
"Thank you, I try," replied Clyde with a mock bow.
"That's not something to be proud of!" Teddy screeched.
"Teddyyyyy, you're using your big boy voice again," said Hermana.
He snorted at her. "Oh be quiet, you airhead! You're not helping here!"
"Yeah, no one asked you, Hermana," added Clyde.
"Hey, I'm tryin' to help here!" she argued.
"I didn't ask for your help and I don't need it," Clyde retorted.
"Something we can agree on," said Teddy.
"Why are you both such meanies?!" she cried.
"Okay then!" Jeremy's voice quickly put an end to their bickering. "I don't know who you three are or what you're doing here, but I'm supposed to be here, looking after the robot performers. If you've done something weird with them, my boss isn't gonna be happy and neither am I." He whipped out his taser.
Clyde raised an eyebrow. "Wow. Kid's actually got some moxie. Go figure."
"Yeah, more than you've got, chuckles," Jeremy responded. "So unless you wanna be doing a new dance routine with a few dozen volts running through you, you'll tell me who you people are."
"But of course, dear boy!" Teddy drew himself up importantly. "You claim to be here to look after the performers? Well, look no further than us, for here we are."
"Uh huh and I'm President of the United States," remarked Jeremy.
"Nice to meet you, Mr President. Should I salute?" Clyde made an L shape with his finger, which Jeremy responded to with a much more rude gesture. "Hey, kid's restaurant."
"No kids here now," said Jeremy. "So what do you mean, you're the performers? Like, are you doing some kind of cosplay or something?"
Teddy shook his head. "Nothing of the sort, sir. For you see, we are-!"
"Synthetics!" sang Hermana, hopping back down to join him. "Thaaaat's us!"
"Hermana, I was going to-!"
"We look human, talk human, think human but we were made inside tubes with all sorts of machinery and bubbly things and bits stuck in us and a bunch of other stuff I don't quite get but hey! Look at the result!" She twirled on the spot and ended in a pose. "Are we hawt or what? Mainly me though, these other two are okay."
Jeremy thought carefully about his answer. "Uh, sure yeah."
"Aww you're sweet!" She skated to his side and linked an arm through his. "I think I'm just gonna steal you for the night. You guys don't mind, right?"
"Whatever, less for me to do," shrugged Clyde.
"Now, hold on a moment there-" Teddy started forward but again he was cut off.
"Great! Let's go, new guy!" Hermana zoomed off back down the corridor into one of the Party Rooms near the security office and plonked Jeremy into a chair. "You take a load off there. Now, you and me can get to know each other a little better. Sound good?" Jeremy only got to draw breath before she was off again, skating up and down the table as she did. "Woo! So, I'm Hermana but you just call me Hermy, everybody does. Unless they're calling me somethin' not very nice, but I'm sure you wouldn't. You seem nice. What is your name anyways?"
"Jeremy and I-"
"Jeremy! Nice to meetcha!" She shook his hand rapidly. "Guess that means we're friends now. I mean, of course we're friends, why wouldn't you wanna be? Those other two can be such downers, but I'm not! I'm here to help put a smile on your face and make all of your nights suuuuper fun! That's why I wear my shirt!" She pointed at the words 'Let's Party!' on it. "That's what I do, I'm the party girl! The party queen, I guess you could say. No one throws a party like me. They can try, but they won't, never can, never will. Do you like parties? I bet you do! We should have a little party for you, to welcome you on your first night. We can dance, play games, sing songs, have a-"
"Hermana," Jeremy said, firmly enough to get her to stop but still friendly so as not to upset her. "Look, it's great to meet you too but you're loading me down with a lot of stuff here. I just got here and you tell me that you guys just walked straight outta Star Trek? It's a lot to process all at once."
Her mouth made a perfect 'o' shape and dropped into a sheepish look. "Okay, fair enough. It is a lot to process. Like all of our food, that's all pretty much processed. So are we, kinda, at least our brains were. But also our bodies because…" She stopped herself again. "Sorry, shutting up now. Whatcha wanna ask?"
He proceeded to ask her a few things that he already knew, but felt necessary to cover bases. What exactly were they as synths, who made them, why were they hidden away and why they revealed themselves to him. The last one he actually did want to know.
"Well basically, it's so we have a member of staff other than the guys in management who know what we are. Gives us an idea of how customers'll react, lets us have a guy in the restaurant who knows the truth before it's revealed at the end of this week so it makes the uh, what's the word? Somethin' like movin' from one thing to another?"
"Transition?" suggested Jeremy.
"Sure yeah, that works." She let out a little squeal. "Oh they are gonna be so surprised when we take off those suits and when-" She suddenly stopped talking and looked vacant for a moment. "But anyway, that's the idea. Make sense?"
"I guess so." He let out a laugh. "Wow, this is some pretty cool stuff. I mean, I used to work at Freddy's a while ago and they had a similar thing to this place. Robotic performers, walking and talking with people."
"Huh. That so." Her eyes moved away and she idly skated away with her back turned. "Sounds neat."
"It was. They were really good too. Hey, were they synths too, do you think? I mean, it would make sense if you-"
"Nope, no they weren't," she said quickly. "It's just us, we are the one and only batch of synths. Well, five and only really. Actually, more like four and only after… but nope, those things were just animatronics."
"Really?" Jeremy asked. "Aw, it would have been cool if they were. But if they weren't, guess that's all there is to it."
"Yep. And anyways, that place is shut. We're the new and improved version! Way better than that!" she enthused. "And you get to look after us! We're gonna have so much fun!"
"I bet we will, but I wanna ask you a few other things first," he said. "Like, I got told there's a couple of places I'm not allowed to get in. Like Kid's Cove. How come?"
For a moment, Hermana's smile faltered. But she instantly got it back again.
"Just 'cause you're not! None of us are. 'Sides, it's boring in there anyways, nothin' to look at there, nope. So come on, let's go do somethin' more excitin'!" she said.
"Sounds like a plan. What I wanna do is try and get into Parts and Services," replied Jeremy and stood up, taking out his keys. "They said I'm not allowed in there either."
He caught another loss of Hermana's smile before he walked off. "Y-Yeah but that's 'cause it's just borin' stuff in there too. You can't get in there anyways, you don't get a key!"
"We'll see about that." He stood in front of the door, taking out each key one by one. But Hermana was right. None of his keys fitted the lock and the ones that did wouldn't turn. "What the? How come they didn't give me a key for this one?"
"'Cause you don't need one, silly!" said Hermana. "We don't need to go in there, so why would you get one? Now come ooooooon! I wanna have some fuuuuuun!"
She grabbed hold of his arm and started to drag him back towards the Games Room. Jeremy tried to pull away but her grip was like iron and before he could get a word in, she started her babble again.
"Ooh there's so much I wanna do! First, I wanna get some music goin' 'cause I need to see how your dancin' is. I love dancin', I love movin' around and boppin' to the beat. I even got some spare skates around here you can try. Ooh, we can have a race or if you don't know how, I can teach you to skate. It's really, really great, I feel like I just glide and slide all over the place! I don't know how you manage to just walk around everywhere when this is so much better."
"Hermy," he tried but she kept on talking. She released his arm and started to circle around him.
"I mean, it's mostly fun. Sometimes I lose my control and end up hittin' a wall but even that's still funny 'cause then everyone gets a little laugh." She let out a shrill giggle. "Yep, everybody smilin' away at little me. I love makin' people smile, a smile always makes me feel fantastic. Always gotta wear a smile otherwise you look like a misery guts and that's no fun for anyone."
"Hermana-"
"No sir, no time for the miseries! Every day is always fun here at the Fun Palace! After all, it's even in the title. Fun all day and every day, even at night when everyone's gone. So come on, Jeremy, leeeeeeeet's PARTY!"
"Hermana! Can you just be quiet for one second?" he snapped. In an instant, her mouth snapped shut. "Look, it's been good talking to you but I think I'm gonna find one of the others. I didn't really get a chance to speak with them."
He set off for the show stage, but he stopped when she spoke again. But the perkiness sounded much more forced than before.
"Okay then! It's fine, I get it. They don't like hangin' around with me much, either."
Jeremy stopped. The annoyance that threatened to mount died down when he saw her face. It still had the big, bright smile but it was one that didn't reach her eyes.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked.
"I mean, I guess I wear them down so much they just gotta have their rest. I try to make 'em join me, but then they just get shouty." She started to put on voices, alternating between Clyde and Theodore. "'Hermana, quit being so annoying.' 'Go bother someone else, you bloody airhead.' 'Do you ever do anything else other than bug me all night?' 'Why don't you make yourself useful for once, you nitwit?'" She laughed that shrill laugh again. "It sounds mean, but it doesn't bother me, nope! I do just fine, on my own. Just me, party of one, the solitary fairy, havin' a bit of me time! Everybody does in here. All night, every night. So I get it, you know. You can…" Her voice shook a little bit but she forced some joy back in. "You go have your me time too, Jeremy. Welcome to the crew!"
She rolled back towards the party rooms, glancing back at Jeremy with one last beam. He stood alone in the silence, broken only by the sound of a music box playing faintly in the corner. He took a seat, feeling conflicted.
The practical side of him told him he needed to take this opportunity while it was here. He was on a limited time after all and he had a mission. He could find a key to Parts and Services or work out where the key was at least. He could see what the big deal was about Kid's Cove. He could find one of the other synths, see what he could get out of them about the originals. He wasn't here to make friends, he was here to help find his brother's killer and free some people who needed help.
But then he remembered what Golden had told him. That these synths were victims too, prisoners of this place. It was very obvious Hermana was hiding something but maybe it wasn't just that she wouldn't talk about it. If they were under this other AI's control like Golden said, maybe it was that she couldn't. Just how much of their own freedom did they have, Jeremy wondered. Were they even safe inside their own heads or were their very thoughts being monitored? It reminded him of that book he had to look at in class, where every aspect of society was regulated and controlled in some way and everybody had no choice but to go along with it. Jeremy couldn't imagine what that must be like for them.
He had seen the hurt in her eyes that she was trying very hard to hide. Funnily enough, it reminded him of his brother. He liked to act cheery too when he was trying to cover something up and it would be up to Jeremy to coax out what was really wrong with him. The little guy had to realise that he didn't always had to keep trooping on, it was okay to feel this way. Kind of like what he'd been…
He shook off thought. Looks like it was time to see if those same techniques would work on her. He walked down the hall, finding her in the same party room she'd taken him to before. She was sat with her head bowed in a chair and Jeremy could hear her murmuring to herself as he approached.
"Okay, okay, it's fine. Gotta keep a smile, be happy, Hermy. Happy, happy, Hermy. Don't let it bother you, it's all gonna be-" She stopped and turned, plastering on another smile. "Oh, hi Jeremy! You forget somethin' in here? It's fine, don't mind me. I'm doin' just… just fine. Yep!"
"No, I didn't forget anything." He took a seat next to her. "You know, what you said before? I'm impressed that you're able to be on your own all night."
"Huh? O-Oh yeah, sure! Thanks!" she said. "Yep, I can manage just fine!"
"I bet, but it's even more impressive considering how mean the others sound like they can be to you. That's gotta be really tough. If it were me, I would feel really crummy about it. In fact, I think I'd feel pretty awful if my only friends treated me like that," he said quietly.
She was fighting to keep that smile now. "Y-You… you would?"
"Yeah, I would. And you know what? It'd be completely okay, if I did feel that way. Because you can't be happy all the time. It's great to try and be, but that doesn't mean it isn't okay to be sad. In fact, I think I'd want a hug to try and feel a little better." He held out his arms. "You okay to make me feel a little better, Hermana?"
For a moment, she stared at him, dumbfounded that he would ask her such a thing. A second later, she had latched onto him like a koala. The strength of her hug caused Jeremy to flinch but he eased into it with a laugh.
"Okay, relax a little on the grip there," he said. He patted her back a couple of times but she said nothing.
Jeremy didn't know how long they stayed like that for but Hermana wasn't in a rush to break the hug and neither was he. He pondered how long it had been since someone had done something like this for her. Oddly enough, he found it was good for him too. The time he'd hugged Susie on the stairs, it was over quickly. It had still been nice, but he hadn't realised how much he'd needed something like this too.
When they broke apart, he found it a lot easier to smile. "There we go. Hey, I'm already feeling better."
"Me too." It was so quiet, he almost didn't hear it. "I-I mean, not that I need to feel better about anythin'. You're the one who needed it."
"Yeah, I did. Thanks for that, Hermy."
"Thank you, Jeremy." The smile she gave felt a lot more genuine now. "Guess you wanna go find the others now."
"And not spend time with the party queen? Come on, that's not even a choice," he grinned.
She perked up. "So, does this mean I get to keep you for the evening?"
"Just for tonight," he said, though he said it with a smirk. "Can't have you hogging me all to yourself. That's not fair on the others."
"Yeah, that's fair. Okay then! So, whatcha wanna do first?" she asked.
"How about you dig me out that pair of skates and show me what you can do?" he suggested. She squealed with joy. "There's just one last thing I want to ask. You said there were five of you, but now there's four. Did something happen?" he asked.
Hermana hesitated. "No. No, that was just me bein' silly. There's… only ever been four of us. Never five." As she said this, her eyes flickered a couple of times in one direction. The direction of Kid's Cove. "Is uh, that it?"
"Yeah, I think that's all I needed to know, for now," answered Jeremy.
His eyes lingered on the curtains before Hermana dragged him off, wondering what could be lurking away behind them.
