Teddy Time
Some may have said to Jeremy that the way he was approaching his mission wasn't the most efficient. Moving from one person to the other, with only a vague idea of how to get what he needed from them and the end goal of that information. If this were just a criminal investigation, Jeremy might have agreed.
But these guys weren't criminals. What was happening to them wasn't their fault and they were still being made to suffer as a result. It was cruel and it was wrong. They couldn't go to anybody for help, not even each other. Though they performed together, there was a definite distance between them all. None of them related to one another, none of them really tried to support each other. They suffered in silence because, from their point of view, there was no other way.
But Jeremy was proving them wrong. He had given them a sense of hope that they desperately needed. Yes, he had an overall mission to accomplish but he considered bonding with the synths to be part of it. They couldn't be overt in helping him, but so far they hadn't let him down. He was following the little bread crumbs they were leaving and he was following them diligently. Time to pick up the next one.
Even so, the clock was ticking. Already his third night and as far as information goes, he'd only managed to establish what had happened to Vevina and even then, it was unclear what kind of state she was in. He still needed to work out where the originals were. But Theodore was the group's leader, at least in a sense. He had to have at least some idea.
He approached the show stage to find two out of the three waiting for him. The man of the hour was nowhere to be seen.
"Hiya, Jer-bear!" crowed Hermana, sliding over to him. "How ya doin'?"
"I'm good, Hermy. Jer-bear?" he asked.
"Yep, it's my new nickname for ya!" she trilled. "Not sayin' ya have to dress up like a bear, that would be silly. Ooooor it could be fun! I think we might have a spare head lyin' around somewhere, you can wear it like a mask. Maybe we could do a show onstage!"
"I'll pass, thanks Hermy. Besides, I'm spending time Theodore tonight and I don't think he'd approve," he said.
"I would. It'd be hilarious," said Clyde.
"You're with Teddy tonight?" Hermana didn't sound as enthusiastic now. "Ya know, I just remembered there's somethin' I gotta do. Somethin' uh, real important that needs… see ya!"
Without another word, she skated off down the party corridor to her usual party room.
"Yeah, that's how I get rid of her sometimes too," said Clyde.
"Guess he's not exactly popular, huh?" asked Jeremy.
"About as popular as a lobotomy done with a spork," remarked Clyde. "I mean, you've seen the guy. He's a pompous windbag who throws his weight around at everybody he thinks isn't important and kisses up to everybody else. That's why he's gone backstage. He wants to make himself look his best, apparently. He'll need a lot longer though."
"He definitely seems to have it out for you," noted Jeremy.
"Oh yeah, completely. I mean don't get him wrong, he has it out for pretty much everybody but I'm special. Can't think why. I'm such a happy team player who always does what he's told," said Clyde.
"Yeah, I can see that," nodded Jeremy. "I guess I'll soon find out what he thinks of me."
"You will. Right, I'm getting out of here before he gets on my case for being in his general vicinity." He stood up to leave and sauntered off. "Just make it seem like everything that comes out of his mouth isn't verbal diarrhoea and you'll be best friends in no time. The guy just loves the sound of his own voice, a little too much."
"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Clyde. Don't work too hard," he said.
Clyde only gave an ironic salute before he turned the corner and out of sight. Jeremy didn't have to wait long before Theodore himself came out from behind the curtain, smoothing down his suit and adjusting his hat. He put on his best smile and approached Jeremy with his hand held out.
"Ah, young Mr. Fitzgerald!" He clamped Jeremy's hand and shook it vigorously. "I'm delighted to meet you properly dear boy, simply delighted."
"Good to meet you too, Theodore," returned Jeremy. "I see you have a handshake like the president you're named after and a winning smile to boot, sir."
Theodore chuckled enthusiastically. "My good man, I can see you are indeed a gentleman of impeccable taste and intellect. And please, there's no need for such formalities. If anything, I should be calling you sir. You are the night watchman after all, providing a vital service for which we are all indebted to you."
"Nah, you can just call me Jeremy," he replied. "Though that is high praise, coming from the man who basically runs the whole show."
"While modesty forbids me from agreeing with you, I suppose I cannot deny the truth of your words either." He placed an arm around Jeremy's shoulder. "In a way, you and I are the glue that holds these nights of ours together. Remember my boy, that if you ever need any extra support to manage my less than exemplary compatriots, I am more than happy to lend you my assistance."
"Thanks, I'll remember that," said Jeremy. "So what's on the agenda for tonight, Theodore? Or am I okay to call you Theo?"
He ruffled a little bit. "I do prefer the use of my full name, but if you feel as if you must, I suppose I shall deign you to use a more familiar term of address. I'm sure you can understand, but I feel that to use one's proper name is only part of the proper expression of respect owed to that person."
"No, no, you're right, Theodore it is then. Although, I would argue that a nickname doesn't necessarily mean you don't respect that person. More like it displays just how familiar your understanding of each other is that you don't need to be so formal with each other," said Jeremy.
"I suppose I can see that perspective," nodded Theodore. "However, for the moment I must insist that you refer to me by my full name. It's only proper that way."
"Fair enough then. So, what's the first order of business?" he asked.
"Ah, I am very glad you asked. First of all, I would like to apologise for not having seen to you sooner and leaving you to tolerate the frivolities of the motor mouth airhead and the lazybones waste of space," Theodore said.
"You mean Hermana and Clyde?" Jeremy frowned. "That's kind of harsh."
"Unfortunately, the truth is harsh. It's the only way to show that you're not a pushover or else they'll walk all over you. That's what it means to be a leader, Jeremy and it's only one of the many lessons I intend to pass on to you," said Theodore.
"Right," said Jeremy slowly. He was beginning to see why they'd both cleared off.
"Good. Now, the next thing is to display to you just how much proper organisation means to this establishment and to me. Quite frankly, I'm embarrassed every night at just how much a state it's left in," he grumbled.
"State?" Jeremy cast an eye around. "Looks pretty clean to me."
"Oh, that's how it appears. But just look!" He led him to one of the tables. "The arrangement of these party hats for one thing!"
Jeremy stared for a while. "Sorry, Theodore. I'm not seeing what the problem is."
"Then it's a very good thing you have me around. That is my second lesson to you: detail is very important, especially in the presentation," he said. "All of these hats need to be arranged so they are in the exact centre of the table and spaced no more than twenty centimetres apart from each other."
"Twenty centimetres, right. Are you serious?" asked Jeremy.
"I very rarely joke," Theodore said. He took two tape measures out of his pocket. "I brought along a spare for you. Many hands make light work and what not. We'll have this sorted out in no time!"
"Yeah we'd uh, best get on that," said Jeremy, taking a tape measure he was offered.
Theodore beamed. "See? Now you're starting to understand!"
So Jeremy set to work with Theodore. As it turned out, it wasn't just the way the hats were stationed. It was how far apart the chairs were spaced, how centred the table cloths were, making sure all of the balloons hung around were in equal size and without overly representing certain colours, the way the displayed wrapped gifts were stacked.
Jeremy could tell that Theodore was delighting in telling him how to go about this, in the same way that an artist would be eager to tell you about the meaning behind his weird abstract sculpture. On the one hand, it was pitiable. It was clear that none of the others really listened to what Theodore had to say and he was obviously happy that somebody finally was. On the other hand, measuring chairs and shifting stacks wasn't exactly Jeremy's idea of a fun time. But if it was what he had to do to get on Theodore's good side, then so be it.
"I'm guessing we're not going to be heading into the Cove to sort anything out?" asked Jeremy as they passed the curtain.
"Oh, good lord, no," said Theodore quickly. "No one allowed in there, although I did learn that you had a little adventure in there yourself last night and had to be rescued. Frankly, I'm astonished those two actually managed to achieve something positive for a change."
"Yeah, it was a close one," agreed Jeremy, keeping his annoyance at Theodore's casual dismissal of his friends in check. "I know I shouldn't have, but I figured that it was important for me to know the ins and outs of everything here if I'm going to be looking after it."
"An admirable perspective that bespeaks to your thoroughness but that is also another lesson for you: rules are there for a reason. No need to go fooling around with a collection of scrap parts, that's what we have the toddlers for," he said with a chortle.
"A collection of scrap that used to be one of you," said Jeremy.
Theodore looked surprised. "How do you know that?"
"Clyde told me," said Jeremy. "He said that it was somebody called Vevina. Made her sound like she was pretty special. The best of all of you, he told me."
"He did, did he?" murmured Theodore. "I suppose it depends on one's perspective of that. He would say so, partners in crime, the pair of them."
"I got that, yeah," said Jeremy. "She didn't sound like somebody who followed the rules."
"And she wasn't. I apologise that this was kept from you, Jeremy. We would have preferred you not see the sorry state that one of our former associates is in currently but now you know just how important it is that we maintain the order of things." He said the last bit loudly and over his shoulder, in the direction of the big present in Prize Corner where the music box was still playing its eerie tune. "Yes, very important indeed."
"Is that what happened to Vevina then? She went against the order of things?" he asked.
"Oh yes. Don't worry too much though, she's still intact but she needs to undergo certain assessments before she's permitted to take an active role in the restaurant." He drew himself up. "Especially since the day draws closer to our ultimate unveiling, we must all be on proper form and she is no exception. It's for the good of us all. Now come along, we've still got a bit more to do."
"Right behind you," said Jeremy quietly, though he didn't like how that sounded.
He continued to go along with Theodore for a little bit, allowing him to espouse what he liked and to have Jeremy help him with more organising but he had to move things along. He needed to bring the talk into an area of relevance. Clyde wasn't wrong, the guy really liked to run his mouth and he enjoyed having his ego fed. Jeremy just had to use that to his advantage.
"You know, I'm still pretty amazed at all of you," he said while they were sorting out another table. "I keep forgetting that you're not exactly human. No offence."
"None taken, dear boy. As I have said, there is no denying the truth and the truth is that we are not human. We are an advanced and unique form of life, known only to a few. A secret hidden in plain sight," he said. "You are among the privileged few who know, Jeremy but soon, it won't be long until we step out of the shadows and take our rightful place! But you keep that to yourself, alright?"
"Don't worry, mom's the word." Jeremy folded his arms. "Personally, I can't wait. Everyone deserves to know just how great you all are."
"Indeed!" said Theodore proudly. "We shall cement ourselves in the pages of history."
"I can see it now," nodded Jeremy. "Towering above everybody else, the first of your kind in all the world."
"Hailed as the great marvels that we are," continued Theodore. "What a proud moment it shall be. When everybody looks back, they shall remember it with pride!"
Jeremy nodded along, placing an arm around Theodore. He was having exactly the effect he had hoped. Time to see if this would work.
"You're going to make all other restaurants things of the past, make Freddy Fazbear's look like yesterday's news," he said.
"As if they could have ever hoped to rival us. Ha!" he barked. "Their paltry performers could never hope to hold a candle to the likes of us."
"Yeah. I mean, animatronic vs synthetic. There's really no contest, is there?" asked Jeremy.
Theodore scoffed. "Oh, such a thing would barely even be worth acknowledging. But our superior designs trumping old and inferior models of synthetic? Now that's truly something noteworthy, even it is only a mere footnote."
"Old synthetic models?" asked Jeremy.
"Indeed!" He was grinning now. "Renegades, vandals and crooks, but we swiftly rounded them up and their rebelliousness will be dealt with, alongside Vevina!"
"You know, it's funny you should mention that." Jeremy looked right into Theodore's eyes with a smile. "Because Hermana told me there aren't any other synthetics. Just you guys."
"Oh." Theodore's face paled and he smacked his lips. "Did… did she, indeed?"
"Yeah, she did." Bearing in mind that he wasn't supposed to know, Jeremy allowed his smile to grow into something awestruck. "So you're telling me that those guys were synths too? That's incredible, I never even noticed and I used to go to Freddy's all the time!"
"Yes, well, I suppose they disguised themselves rather well," muttered Theodore. He looked quite annoyed with himself now. "Regardless, there's not a thought more to be spared for them."
"Come on, you can't drop something like that on me and just skim over it," he complained. "You gotta give me more details. Where are they now? Are they nearby?"
"It's not important," he said dismissively. "I shouldn't have mentioned them in the first place. Come now, let's discuss something else."
"Yeah, but you've mentioned it now, so we may as well talk about it. I'd love it if I could meet them. You said they're nearby, is it in the building?"
"It doesn't matter if they are or not, it will be quite impossible for you to see them. Their access is strictly prohibited until they are ready to-"
"So they're in somewhere I can't go? Okay, well it can't be Kid's Cove, there's nowhere to keep them and I wouldn't have thought they'd be stashed in the office upstairs." Jeremy snapped his fingers. "Parts and Services! That's gotta be it, right?"
"W-What?!" Theodore spluttered. "How could you possibly know that?!"
"I didn't. You just told me." Jeremy couldn't stop the grin that spread on his face while Theodore continued to stammer. "But it was pretty much the only thing that fit the bill. I mean, it's called Parts and Services, it makes sense and it explains why it's kept locked up all the time. You wouldn't want anybody stumbling across that. So come on, now the secret's out, I might as well take a look."
"You utter-!" Theodore was cut off when he suddenly clutched his head and hissed in pain.
Jeremy was about to ask what was wrong when Theodore looked right at him. His face was expressionless but his eyes... black, with only a single white spot at their centre. In that moment, Jeremy was transfixed. He knew it wasn't Theodore gazing through those eyes.
Then, he blinked and they were back to his normal blue. He briefly touched his head in a moment of confusion, which was quickly replaced by annoyance, directed at Jeremy.
"Theodore?" he asked. "What was that about? Are you okay?"
"Nothing. I must go now, there are some things I have to attend to. Good evening, Jeremy," he said shortly.
"Hey, don't you walk away from me," said Jeremy, blocking his exit. "You have some explaining to do."
"Don't presume to tell me what to do, boy," he warned. "I am in charge around here and you would do well to remember that."
"Why? What's going to happen to me if I don't? Am I going to be dealt with for going against the proper order, like Vevina was?" challenged Jeremy.
"She brought that on herself. It's for her own good, for the good of us all!" he snapped.
"Do you honestly believe that? The pain she must be going through and you think that's okay?!"
"What do you know?" he spat. "You don't understand. You couldn't even begin to-"
"Don't!" Jeremy thrust a finger at Theodore. "Don't you even try that with me. 'Cause I used to think that and you know what? It's a crap view to take."
"What do you-?"
"You think you're the only person in the world who's had something bad happen to them, who has a hard time dealing with it? Newsflash, Teddy: bad things happen to everybody! It doesn't give you the excuse to take it out on everybody else and be a jerk about it!" With Theodore staring dumbstruck, Jeremy pulled out two chairs and sat himself on one of them. "So before you say any more of that 'nobody understands me' spiel, just try me. Come on."
Theodore looked from the chair to Jeremy. He carefully approached it and slowly sat down.
"Very well. But no more questions about the other synths. You will have to curtail your curiosity on that front," he said curtly.
"Sure. In return, you call me 'boy' again and you'll regret it," returned Jeremy.
"Duly noted. So, you were asking about Vevina." Theodore pursed his lips for a while. "It's difficult for me to explain but to put it simply, we answer to a higher power. Vevina had always been… a rebellious sort and once, she had pushed it too far. So the powers-that-be came to me with a demand. Either she suffer the consequences for what she had done or we all would. I couldn't allow them to be punished for something they hadn't done. I won't deny that it was difficult but it was the only thing I could do."
Jeremy shook his head. "Damn… that's harsh."
"Rather," he agreed. "And I'll say no more about it, thank you. You wanted to know, there you are. Has it enlightened you?"
"I wouldn't say that, but it does make me want to ask something else. Do you really hate them?" asked Jeremy. "Clyde and Hermana, I mean. You're not exactly friendly with them."
Theodore was quiet for a while. "No. While they do... irk me, I don't hate them. They're all I have."
"Then why are you so harsh with them? You keep calling them names, running them down all the time."
"What else can I do?" he asked. "I am their leader. They must see that I am immovable, unshakable and strong and they must learn to follow the line. We all must or else…" He didn't finish his sentence, only looking away stiffly. "We must carry on."
"And keep calm, right?" quipped Jeremy.
"Indeed," he said. "Besides, it's better this way. Our existence is not an easy one. It is harsh and unforgiving. I fail to see why I should not let them forget that."
"Theodore, there's other ways to be a leader other than just shouting at people and giving them orders. And yeah, life does suck but yelling abuse at people and getting into arguments isn't going to make dealing with it any easier either," said Jeremy.
"And what would you suggest as an alternative?" he asked archly.
Suddenly, a loud crash came from the direction of the corridor leading to the party rooms, followed soon after by a cry of pain. A very high pitched cry of pain.
"Hermana!" Jeremy was off like a shot. He vaguely heard puffing behind him from Theodore, but his attention wasn't on the bear-man anymore.
He skidded into the party room to see the source of the distress. Hermana was lying on the ground next to one of the tables. The table in question was completely flipped over, party hats littering the floor and chairs scattered.
"What the devil was that...? Oh, this is completely ridiculous!" Theodore strode past Jeremy, ignoring Hermana and gesturing to the aftermath. "Look at what you did, you utter twit! I ask you to keep these rooms tidy and you can't even manage that!"
"Theodore!" snapped Jeremy. "Priorities, come on. You okay, Hermy?"
"I-I'm fine, Jer-bear," she said in an attempt at a positive voice, though she was clearly fighting back tears. "I thought it'd be neat to- OW- skate and jump up onto the table, do a kinda slalem between the hats. But I just -ssss ow that stings- landed on my noggin, misjudged the jump. I'm okay though!"
"I'll be the judge of that." Jeremy pushed back her feathers and hair, checking over her head. "Oh, you must have hit of a corner of the table or something. You're bleeding... wait, is this stuff blue?"
"Yeah, duh." Clyde was leaning against the entrance of the room. "We're not exactly going to have blood, are we? That stuff's just the fluid we have to keep ourselves maintained."
"Where have you been?" demanded Jeremy. "Massive crash sounds off and that doesn't get your attention at all?"
"Wasn't anything to do with me. It wouldn't be the first time that she's wound up hurting herself from some dumb skating stunt. You guys seem to have things locked down, I'll just leave you to it," he said, making moves to leave.
"Hold on, where are you going?" asked Jeremy hotly.
"Indeed, yes!" Theodore strode up to Clyde. "Why weren't you here to keep an eye on her and stop her from making such a mess?"
"Since when is it my job to be Hermy's babysitter?" remarked Clyde. "I'm not going to be hanging around every time she does something stupid. I'd have no time to myself."
"You have far more time to yourself than you know what to do with, that is if you actually did anything with it," retorted Theodore.
Clyde raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah? Then what were you doing? Shouldn't our great leader be keeping everybody in check?"
"I have far better things to be doing than to be watching the two of you all night. I have many responsibilities!" he said, puffing up his chest.
"You mean organising stuff nobody cares about except you?"
Theodore spluttered at this. "Well, I never...!"
"Yeah, you never really, do you?"
"You're one to talk! It's a lot more than anything you ever do!"
"Guys!" Jeremy stood between them. "This isn't helping right now. Argue all you want later, but we need to get this fixed. Clyde, go fetch me some napkins, some cloth if you got any."
"Why should I?" he asked. "Not my fault the idiot hurt herself."
"It doesn't matter if it's your fault or not, she needs help. Don't act like you don't really care," he added pointedly.
Clyde shifted uncomfortably. "Fine, I'll go see if I can find something." He headed off down the hall.
"Come on, Theodore. I need you to help me check on her too," said Jeremy in a quiet voice.
"Why on earth would I do that? Though I am loath to say it, I do agree with Clyde. It was her own fault she hurt herself," he said.
"Like I said, it doesn't matter either way. If she needs a lecture later, you go right ahead and do that, but first, we need to do deal with this. I don't know how you guys work, if something like this is really bad or it needs to be cleaned up or what. I need your help for that. Being a leader isn't always about telling people what to do. Sometimes, it's about being there when they need you. That takes real strength."
Without waiting for an answer, Jeremy turned around and knelt down beside Hermana while she clutched her head.
"Don't you worry, Hermy. We're gonna have you fixed up in just a moment," he said.
She sniffed. "Thanks, Jer-bear. It's nothin' too bad, right?"
"Uh-"
"Of course it isn't." To Jeremy's surprise, Theodore had joined him and was examining her injury. "Looks like it's only a superficial cut. I know we are quite hardwearing, but you don't have to push your limits quite that much." He glanced at Jeremy briefly. "I'm… relieved you're not too hurt, Hermana."
"Huh?" She snapped her head up. "What'd you say, Ted?"
"How many times, it's…" He stopped himself and sighed. "I said, it's good you're not too badly hurt. It would have been… unfortunate if you were. Since replacing you would be quite difficult that is and… why are you looking at me like that?"
Hermana's lip was wobbling. With a delighted squeal, she threw her arms around Theodore's neck who tensed immediately at the contact.
"Yes, yes, there's no need for that kind of behaviour, thank you!" he said shrilly.
"Wow. I leave for a minute and come back to this." Clyde had come back with some paper towels and some torn cloth. "What'd I miss?"
"Ah, splendid, just what we need." Theodore managed to wriggle out of Hermana's grasp and took them. "Good work, Clyde."
Clyde blinked. "Did you… just compliment me?"
"Don't get used to it, I'm sure I'll find something you haven't done properly or at all," said Theodore. "But credit where it is due."
"Yeah!" Now it was Clyde's turn for a hug. "Thanks, Clyde."
"Whatever," murmured Clyde. This close however, Jeremy could see the very faint beginnings of a smile.
With Hermana looking a lot happier with all of them gathered and Theodore having naturally taken control of the situation, Jeremy stood back to watch the scene.
