Chapter Thirteen

What Is This Place?

One of the grand double doors opened to show a frazzled lady. Her dull eyes flicked from John to Sun. Her eyes brightened and she looked back at the head engineer. "Is this the new bot?"

"Yes. This is Sun. He'll be the Daycare Attendant."

"Great! Yeah, you need me to show you the place or want to just go off?"

John answered, "Eh, I think it would be good to get a bit of a tour."

"Oh." Her voice fell a little before going back up. "Well, sure! Come in. That's the security desk. Kids aren't allowed there." She waved to the desk covered in technology next to the door.

Sun walked in last. He forced himself to look at the lady rather than around at the huge play place lest he get too distracted.

The lady kept walking. "On the left is a small play area for whatever reason. There are some walls so you can put the little, little ones in there to play with themselves. Bigger kids can climb over the walls. Kids can climb up these jungle gyms, by the way, which they aren't allowed to do. So, keep an eye on that. The ball pit's over there at the end. On the other side of this gym is some disinfecting and snack supplies."

She led them around the smaller gym and to the wall. A cabinet sat next to a fridge attached to a soda fountain beside a play stove. She tapped her card on the cabinet and opened it. "There are some cleaning supplies on the top, here." She gestured to the shelves as she spoke. "If you run out, just ask the janitorial staff. Here are the coloring supplies. Papers, coloring books, crayons, stickers, glitter glue, stuff like that. There's a power generator here because the company hates us. It hooks up to the lights around the place." She gestured from the small, humming generator with a green light to one of the spotlights on the closer play structure. "That right there is for shoes." She gestured to the large square cabinet full of squares without doors. "The button by the entrance doors is for lights. You shouldn't really need to use it, considering the lights inside the naptime room also work in the Daycare. Oh, right. The naptime room. It's on the other side of the Daycare, by Time-Out and the doors."

She led them around to the other corner behind the larger play structure. A small pen labeled "TIME-OUT" sat in the corner. A door with "NAPTIME" written on dark blue paint with stars stamped above the door stayed on the wall. She tapped the door with her security card and opened the door. "This place is covered in security to keep the kids safe. It's absolutely insane. If you don't have proper clearance, you're really not getting anywhere in here."

She led them inside the room. Although the lights were on, the navy-blue walls and dark floors and ceilings ate the light. Plenty of beds in long, neat rows filled most of the space. Many of the beds were twin-sized, but there were also cribs. The opposite wall had a long counter-cabinet with blankets and pillows and some toys on it. The left side of the room had two doors–one that said "EMPLOYEES ONLY" and one with Freddy and Chica's symbols on it.

"That left one is the power control room. Well, it's probably also used for other stuff, but I'm not important enough to know what. All I know is that it controls the power. If the lights ever shut off, the generators are in there." She led them into said room as she talked. "There are four in here. The one in the cabinet outside is the last one you'll need. I don't know what the hell most of this tech does, so you won't actually need it, either. Don't let any children in here. This is strictly off-limits. A kid could be killed if they try to eat one of the wires or something."

Sun nodded and wrung his hands. "Um, if this is so dangerous, why is it here?"

"Like I'd know," she scoffed with a mild shrug. "Anyway, that's it. That door over there–" She walked out into the naptime room and pointed to the only other aside from the exit. "–is the restroom. There's a real toilet, a kid potty, a baby changing shelf, a sink, and a small shower. You'll find spare blankets, sheets, diapers, big-kid diapers, baby changing stuff, and clothes inside of those cabinets in case someone has an accident or something. That laundry basket over there is for dirty laundry. But if a kid wets the bed, hide those blankets under the others in there to keep the smell out. Don't let kids sleep in dirty beds. That's how you spread illness and get bad Yelp reviews and warnings." She rolled her eyes at the last word. "As if it's my fault some bitch brought in her brat infested with chicken pocks," she mumbled to herself.

She led them outside and asked, "Any questions?"

John looked at Sun "You got that?"

"Yes!" Sun answered and repeated everything she told them. "Oh. But, where is the room? And the cord?"

The lady gave him a puzzled look. John said, "I can take care of this. Sun, you see that stage? That leads to your room."

Everyone followed his gaze to the stage between the sun and moon.

The lady asked, "'His room?' He gets a room? I was never allowed up there!"

John looked back at her. "You didn't really miss much. It has a charging station and a few other maintenance things. You would not have been able to reach it, anyway."

She sighed. "Ugh. I knew they were hiding something from me. I could've used a hiding place. My shift's over. Good night." With that, the lady left.

John said, "Anyway, you have a loop on your back. You can connect the cord to your back and move it up and down. You can get to your room or the top of the play structures. You could climb up the play structures, too, technically, but not to your room. There are also other places throughout the entire Mega Pizzaplex where you could summon a cord attached to the ceiling. That will help you, Moon, during your patrol. So, their uses are fairly limited. Now, how about we go and look around the place some more, huh? Looks like the cleaning staff might need some help, too."

"Okay!" Sun skipped–truly skipped standing tall with huge strides–across the Daycare to where some toys and upturned chairs scattered. John and Dennis didn't follow.

The janitorial staff avoided Sun. That was, until Sun asked, "How do you do that?"

The janitor he asked–an old man with a rag and spray bottle–said, "Just spray down whatever you're cleaning and wipe it down. Want to try?"

Sun nodded eagerly and took the objects given to him. He listened to the janitor's instructions as he worked. Sun needed a few reminders now and then, but he didn't seem to aggravate the janitor. In fact, he got quite a bit of praise, especially as Sun was able to climb up and reach places inside and outside of the play structures the janitor couldn't reach.

"What about the ball pit? They are not touching that."

Sun threw a glance at the ball pit. He parroted Moon's question.

"Ball pit?" The man glanced at it and shrugged. "There's no way we're cleaning that. Too much work. I can't bend over for that long. Look, if you want to try digging at it, you can clean off the balls with the same cleaner you'll be using on the tables, chairs, and bars."

"Okay!" Sun ran up to the ball pit and started taking out the balls.

"…Christ. Rick, you almost done?"

The other janitor, who just finished cleaning an area of the closest pane of glass making up three-quarters of the Daycare walls, called back, "Yeah! You?"

"Yep. See you, Sun. Have fun." With that, the janitors left, wheeling their supplies with them. All but some that they had given Sun.

Sun watched them go but quickly went back to emptying the ball pit.

The task took some time to complete, but goodness was Sun glad he did it. Bodily fluids, dust, and food substances smeared over the bottom of the ball pit and many of the balls.

Then, the lights turned out.

Sun dropped his cleaning supplies. Moon looked up at the dark ceiling spattered with stars and then back at John and Dennis, who sat at the security desk. As neither of the men had even flinched at the change in lighting, Moon went back to their job scrubbing out the ball pit.

"Do you think they ever cleaned this out?"

I highly doubt that.

"I wonder why."

This is tedious work. Most humans would dislike this.

"Do you like it?"

I… have no feelings on the subject.

"Okay! What do you want to do after this?"

I would like to practice using the cord.

When the janitor said it would take time to clean the ball pit, he did not exaggerate. After the base was done, they had to go back to the balls. But many of the balls were very dirty. So, they had to clean those. After Moon cleaned a ball, he'd throw it over the castle wall into the empty pit.

The lights turned on again.

Sun continued their work seamlessly.

Eventually, as they neared the end of their task, John and Dennis approached them.

Dennis whistled as he looked over their task.

John chuckled and stopped with his hands on his hips. "Well, Briana isn't going to believe this. If anything could convince them that they need you, it's this. You've been doing a very good job, you two!"

Sun tossed the ball he finished and buzzed in his place. "Thank you! After this, we're going to practice with the cord!"

John leveled his hand with a weird expression on his face. "Eeeh, actually, it's almost time we leave. The Daycare opens in a few hours, but it's kind of past midnight and we're supposed to be off shift, now. Or, at least, in a few minutes. So, please finish this and we'll need to go back. We'll get back here again soon, don't you worry, and we can practice with the cord then!"

"Oh. Okay. Well, I'll hurry." Sun went back to concentrating on the plastic balls. Thankfully, they were near the end of it.

Once they were done, they followed John and Dennis back through the atrium, Freddy's green room, that horrifying cement basement, and to their room.

The door shut.

Sun walked around their room. "…I liked that place."

"As did I."

Sun chuckled. "I can't wait to go back. We'll get to see the kids there, too! Then we'll be able to play more games and run around and have fun. And the naptime room looks really good!"

"Yes. I believe it will be easier for them to sleep in beds than on the floor."

"Oh, and we're going to practice with the cord next and we'll get to fly. Imagine that!" He threw his arms into the air. His fingertips got close to touching the ceiling. "All that room to move around in! And the room we haven't seen, yet. Oh, this is going to be so fun!"

"Absolutely."

Briana did not visit them the next day. Instead, John and Dennis did. They beaconed him to follow and Sun obeyed. The lady met them briefly, as did the janitorial staff before all three moved on.

The cord John talked about clung to the ceiling. But after Sun was given permission to use it, he was able to summon it. The thick cord ended in a metal clip. He attached it to his back and then looked at John.

John said, "You should be able to move around! Now, that cord is a little slow, so it'll be faster to just walk from one side of the room to the other. But if you need to get up somewhere, that will help you out."

Sun nodded and tugged at the cord a little. "This… will hold us, right?"

"It should hold two of you at the same time! It won't break on you."

Sun nodded. "Okay." He let go of the cord.

…

Moon? Do you want to go first?

"It is still light, Sun. You try first."

Sun shifted his feet. "Okay! Yeah, let me just… yeah!"

After another moment of psyching himself up, Sun hopped off the ground and fell back to it as he went nowhere. He tried again, this time jumping higher.

"You need to command the cord to move, too."

Oh, right.

The third time Sun jumped, the cord tightened and brought him further up. Sun immediately landed on one of the play structures and climbed back down. He hopped away and threw his arms up. "Yay! Yeah, that was fast!"

Dennis gave him the thumbs up. John announced, "Great! We'll meet you in there!" He gestured to Sun and Moon's new room.

The doors shut behind John and Dennis.

Sun puffed and let his arms drop. He looked back. "Is there a way to climb up there?"

"No. Are you afraid to go up there?"

"No! No, no, no. Definitely not. I'll just go up there. Now. It's fine."

Sun skipped up to the ball pit, which they had yet to clean, and leaped over it. The cord dragged him up so he could land on the stage. Sun unclipped the cord, which reeled itself back up to the ceiling.

Sun climbed in through the curtains and into a small, desolate room. A few boxes sat around near the lifted portion of the floor he stood upon. He stood upon a raised portion of the floor, currently. He hopped down so he was in the plain part. A circle cut into the same wall the door occupied to the left of the stage. Sun poked his head into the plain, empty room he would barely be able to fit into.

Sun retreated and looked around his plain, gray surroundings. Hmm. This was not acceptable. They would need to change this.

Footsteps.

Sun looked to the empty doorway into the thin hall where John and Dennis emerged.

"Sun!" John greeted. "Now, it's a little plain in here. But that's because this belongs to you, now. You can decorate it however you like. Now, this metal square over here?" He gestured to the metal square on the floor against the wall with another piece running up the wall for a few feet. "That's your charging station. Considering you have a much longer battery life than the other animatronics, you will not use it as often. To use it, you'll need to sit down with both hands on the metal and your back against the wall. Understand?"

"Yes."

"Good. How is your battery level right now?"

"Twenty-four percent."

"Hmm… okay. Well, after this you'll need to be charged again. We will let you explore this place further. Play around, clean up, get used to your surroundings. Some other engineers will pick you up and bring you back to your room, okay?"

Sun answered cheerfully, "Okay! Thank you, John! Once it becomes dark again, Moon will learn to use the cord. Oh, um, also… how will we clean ourselves?"

John waved his hand. "Anything minor, you can just clean yourself off with some of the supplies. On occasion, some staff will need to come in to clean off anything sticky or tough you might have picked up and to wash off the cloth parts of your outfit."

"Okay! Sounds fun!" Sun grinned, clapping his hands together and ringing the bells.

John chuckled.

"Why do the other engineers not bring us here?"

I dunno. Sun repeated Moon's question.

John leveled his hand. "Eh, well, I made you. So, it's only appropriate."

Dennis chimed in, "Says you."

"You're here," John countered quickly.

"I've always been here," Dennis agreed.

Sun looked between them. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Sun could feel Moon's apprehension.

Sun hunched his shoulders. "I-I don't get it. What's happening?"

John shook his head. "Nothing's happening, Sun. You're okay. …it's Moon, isn't it? Does Moon want to talk?"

"No. You talk."

You're the one with questions, apparently!

John said, "That's okay, Sun. If Moon wants to talk, you could always turn off the lights. These ones technically aren't remotely commanded like the ones in your room. But I believe they're voice commanded."

"Sun, don't."

Why not?

"I do not wish to talk."

Moony, it's John, he won't bite! Plus, I'm not asking every question for you.

"…okay."

Sun said, "Cut the lights."

John stated, "Computer, lights off."

The lights within the room flicked off immediately.

Sun turned to Moon.

John, a flashlight in hand and pointed at the ground, asked, "Did you have a question?"

Moon, hunched over and shifting its weight from foot to foot, played with the bells on its wrists. "Er… yes. Briana claimed she… er… you could remake us."

John scowled. "She's mistaken. Well, not technically. I could. No matter what happens, I could repair you. But no one could make another one like you."

"You called Sun dumb."

John jolted. "What? When?"

"When we were first created," Moon elaborated, concentrating on the golden bells and red ribbons tied to his wrists. "You showed frustration when Sun did not immediately function properly. Did you have to remake us?"

John didn't immediately answer. Instead, he narrowed his eyes in thought. When Dennis finally opened his mouth to speak, John said, "Don't worry about that. You're one of a kind Moon, Sun. You're irreplaceable. Sun isn't dumb. He never was. Neither of you are. It was wrong of me to lash out at either of you, especially so early in your development."

Moon nodded. "I understand. Sun tries very hard. He is a smart bot."

"He certainly is. Smart and… enthusiastic. Very enthusiastic. You are, too, Moon. Don't discredit yourself." John's smile fell. "It's very important that you remember you are just that: irreplaceable. You both need to work together. You were made to change and switch between forms and jobs. Never keep the lights on or off for too long. Even a bot needs his rest."

"What?! Why would that happen? We'd never let that happen!"

Moon jolted at the sudden outburst. It asked, "Why would that happen?"

John shrugged. "I don't know. I can't think of an instance where you two would do that to each other. But just like when Sun tried refusing to take his turn when the light was on, it's a dangerous thing that could theoretically happen. And everyone has their falling outs. You two are very different, so you'll have your arguments. Just be ready to handle it like adults."

Moon nodded. "I understand. We will." Then, he raised his head. "Why did you design me as you did?"

John blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Briana claimed I was scary. Mary was uneasy around me."

John shook his head. "I really wish that b… that witch wasn't in charge." He took a deep breath. "Moon, you can't blame every child's reaction to you on you. Mary is a very sensitive, young girl. Before she could walk, she wouldn't let anyone but her mother or I hold her. She wouldn't talk to strangers. Hell, not even Dennis, at first. She was just as scared of Sun as she was of you because she's scared of everyone, at least at first. That's part of why I wanted her there. I wanted to see how you two would react to a shy little girl in the same bunch as a ruffian gremlin. It has nothing to do with you. Some kids are going to be scared of both of you. Some kids are going to be scared of the dark. Some kids aren't going to like Sun's enthusiasm. It's just the way life is. Don't take Briana's word to heart, alright? She doesn't like it when people aren't scared of her."

Moon nodded. "I understand." It looked up. "Computer: turn on the lights."

The lights blinked on.

Sun took over for Moon.

Sun stood up straight. "I get that. Kids can be shy. But that doesn't mean we won't have fun! Doesn't mean… won't… Does mean… we will. Right!"

John laughed. "Double negatives. You let the little ones know what good grammar is."

Dennis held up his wrist for John to see.

John's laughter faded. "Right. Well, you have fun Sun, Moon. We'll see you tomorrow."

"See you!" Sun waved as they left. They waved back.

I wonder what's wrong?

"Maybe he is sad we are leaving."

That's silly. We'll still be here. John can come here. He brought us here, right?

"That is true. Maybe there is… well, he must know something we do not."

Sun clapped his hands. "Welp! Let's go see about the rest of this daycare. We haven't explored the structures yet! Oh, and it's still kinda dirty." Sun hopped up onto the raised platform and strutted up onto the stage through the curtains. He twirled and threw his hands out with barely contained laughter.

Up here, they could see the entire daycare–every bit of it. They could see some of the hallways, too. They were free, weren't they? This is what it felt like to be free. To have their own kingdom.

Sun looked down into the ball pit, clapped his hands together, and dove.