Chapter III
The Center
M.o.m and Jerry were reading the report Martin just sent to them about the animatronics. The readings were disturbing to say the least. 'Human parts inside the robots?' Dude these robots eat the kids? M.o.m just about puked, and Jerry whipped out a Bible and prayed for the dead kids. M.o.m came back from the bathroom with a determined look on her face: they may have been too late to save these kids, but they could still save others.
"Jerry, you need to focus. We can still save more kids from the same fate."
"*sigh* You're right. I'm sorry, it's just extremely sad to see such innocent kids taken from the world in such grizzly fashion. I should -"
*Beep*
The communicator went off. Neither of them were expecting anything for a while. Suspicious, M.o.m took the call.
"The Center. Please identify yourself and your purpose."
"Thank God! My name is Michael Afton, I'm calling about your current Mission. I can't say more in my current place, I'd like to meet you all in person secretly."
Jerry and m.o.m were now really suspicious. They know the Afton's own Fazbear Entertainment, and that Michael is the son of current owner William Afton. If he is calling the Center instead of the father, then something was dreadfully wrong.
"Very well. Meet us at Mel's in Salt Lake City. You'll say a code phrase: 'Did you hear about that bear?' You'll know it's us when we say 'Does it wear a monocle?' Center, out."
M.o.m cut the call off, then ordered a private VTOL prepped for Salt Lake City, grabbed her and Jerry's passports and paperwork, and in four hours 22 minutes, they went from Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport, Canada to Salt Lake City International Airport, USA.
12:00p.m. 5430 S 900 E, Murray, UT, 84107, Mel's Melts. Michael Afton, a brown haired man in his late twenties, walked into the small sandwich shop during the lunch hour at noon looking for two people: an older man starting to grey, and a raven haired woman in her mid 30's.
'Bit of an odd place to meet.'
He ordered a sub pastrami sandwich and decided to eat outside. Walking out to the outdoor tables, he noticed two figures looking at him: a raven haired woman in her mid 30's and an older man with his hair graying out.
'That must be them.'
"Good afternoon, people. Mind if I sit here?"
Michael was trying to be as casual as possible before using the code phrase.
"Sure, go ahead. The table was just cleaned."
Pulling up a chair, Mike sat down, brown hair and blue eyes turning toward the t.v. It was running on the local news channel: KUTV CBS channel 2.
"Say, have you guys heard the news story about that bear?" 'The moment of truth.'
"Does it wear a monocle?" The raven haired answered.
'Thank God!'
"Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice. I was half expecting you both to decline. I know it is unorthodox to ask both of you face to face, but this is important to the case."
"Michael Afton, we are happy to help, but we are short on time, every second we waste is a second closer to losing a kid. Please cut to the chase and explain what you know about your father's company." Jerry is normally known for patience, but when a mission reaches critical mass, he can be quite pushy. This particular mission is quite unusual in that it had reached critical the moment the green light was given.
"Of course, Mr. Lewis." After a deep breath, he began. "My father, William Afton is, as you all know, the co-founder of Fazbear Entertainment alongside Henry Emily. 1983, a great tragedy struck the restaurant."
M.o.m. knew where this was going. "The missing children incident. Are you saying your father had a hand in its occurence?"
"Worse. He caused it. He founded it as a front for his crimes. Henry never knew about it until it was too late. In fact, the very first victim of my father was Henry's own daughter, Charlie. Then came the missing children incident. Father went to build a second restaurant and a sister location. The same year was the Bite of '83. My little brother got his head bitten by one of the prototype animatronic suits, Fredbear." Michael looked forlorn as he said this. "All because of me."
Jerry did a double take. "You put your own brother's head in the mouth of that thing?!"
"Yeah. Now I have to live with that. That's why I'm revealing all this, to try and make up for my past actions. You see, what my father fails to understand, that I do, is that actions have consequences. Charlie's soul went on to possess an animatronic known as The Puppet. She herself helped kids possess the other animatronics: Freddy, Fredbear, Bonnie, Chica, Foxy. There were more in later years, but they were the originals. They want justice. All of them. I know this sounds crazy, and I know about innocence until proven guilty, so I'm giving both of you the keys to our house. Bring whoever you want with you. Also, if you want to send someone with me, I'm being transferred to the sister location, Circus Baby's rentals. I'd appreciate having some help."
M.o.m. and Jerry both looked considerate, then turned to him. "We accept, but I suspect you want something in return." M.o.m. answered, but it was clear she suspected that Michael wanted something in return for their help in bringing his father to justice.
"Thank you. And, yes, I suppose that is a possibility. *sigh* Circus Baby herself, a humanoid animatronic, was possessed by my little sister Elizabeth. I'd appreciate having help by my side if these animatronics are anything like the others."
M.o.m. took a device out of her pocket, it looked like a cellular phone, but it was more advanced than any android or iphone Michael ever saw. "Marvin, this M.o.m. I have a mission for you."
Beverly Hills High School, California, U.S.A.
'Dear Alex, How are you doing, girl? I don't know what it was about Martin that you saw in him, but maybe you can teach Clover some things about boys and how to keep them. She is still losing boyfriends!' A red haired green eyed young lady was writing a letter to Alex. Her name: fellow WOOHP Spy Samantha Simpson. When Alex announced she was transferring to be closer to Martin, Sam and Clover Ewing, the third spy, were both shocked. They all remember Martin from the mission in Switzerland where they found someone who turned themselves into a Yeti, and tried to turn them into Yetis as well.
"Hello, Sam! Where've you been and why?! Still thinking about Alex and her new nerd beau?" Clover, being a stereotypical blue eyed ditzy valley blonde, waltzed in, causing Sam, using a ballpoint pen, to jump and ruin her letter.
"Seriously Clover?! I was writing a letter when you surprised me! Now I have to start over!"
"Why are you even writing to her now? She won't get it for a few hours or days, different time zones and all that." Clover sat down onto the couch with a loud THWUMP.
"First of all, this couch is expensive, second, it's called being a pen pal. ThirRRRA-" Sam never finished her explanation as the couch opened under both of them, sending them careening to WOOHP HQ.
After the slide down into the office of Jerry, both were shocked to see Martin, Jerry and Alex with them, along with M.o.m. and five new faces, including one who resembled Martin somewhat.
"Morning ladies!"
"Jerry! Martin! ALEX!" Alex rushed to embrace her old teammates. "Clover, Sam! Glad to have you all back. You all remember Martin and m.o.m, this is Martin's step-sister Dianna, their friends Java and Billy, and another center agent named Marvin. And this is our new ally in this mission Michael Afton."
"Hey guys!" Billy squeaked.
"Now that everyone is gathered, we can begin. Clover, Sam, Alex has a head start over both of you simply due to being briefed by the Center and experiencing what is happening. Alex, care to begin the briefing?" Alex suddenly turned serious when volunteered by Jerry, and the look on her and Martin's faces told the others that whatever this mission will entail, they wish they can forget altogether.
"Sam, Clover, Marvin, Everyone. We have been roped into a mission to save children and stop a child serial killer in his tracks." Marvin, Clover, and Sam turned deathly pale upon the mention of those three words. "I know, and I wish I was joking. Sadly, it's the truth. In Utah, there is a competitor to Chuck Cheese called Fazbear Entertainment, which on the surface is 'family fun and friendly smiles.' In reality, it is a front for owner and founder William Afton to be an absolute monster."
M.o.m took over for Alex. The briefing lasted for another 20 minutes, leaving everyone in a mixed state of shock, horror, and disgust, with a hint of a much darker emotion, something none of them ever thought possible in this group: vengeance. With this new found fury in their hearts, a plan was set in motion: "Marvin, go with Clover, Sam, and Michael Afton to Circus Baby's Rentals. Me and Jerry will check out the Afton House. Martin, Alex, keep working at where you are now. Billy, You'll be working at Fazbear's Fright. Dianna, Java, you two will work at the chain in Provo Utah. Be careful everyone. If what Michael says about his father is true, William Afton is incredibly unstable and unhinged.
Circus Baby's Rentals, Utah, 11:50pm
Michael Afton and co found the entrance to the underground facility that was Circus Baby's Entertainment and Rentals at 8:00pm, and prepared to descend.
"Alright, people. We are going to go down to whatever this place is. I don't know what my father is doing here, but I do know there will be animatronics."
The elevator started to descend. It was 8:30pm when a mechanical voice was heard
"Welcome to the first day of your exciting new career! Whether you were approached at a job fair, read our ad at Screws, Bolts, and Hairpins, or if this is the result of a dare, we welcome you. I will be your personal guide to help you get started. I'm a model 5 of the Handyman's Robotics and Unit-Repair System, but you can call me Hand-Unit. Your new career promises challenge, intrigue and endless janitorial opportunities. Please enter your name as seen above the keypad. This cannot be changed later so please be careful." 'Mike' was the name above the screen, only the keyboard was not easy to use: the keyboard was glitching erratically, making typing excessively difficult.
Sam tried typing something, and so did Marvin and Clover. Michael even tried it. Everyone saw an error message.
Clover had a look of disappointment on her face. "What company allows their electronics to glitch and fail?"
"It seems that you had some trouble with the keypad. I see what you were trying to type, and I will auto-correct it for you. One moment. Welcome: Eggs Benedict."
Everyone laughed at the name. Clover even looked hungry at the mention. The elevator continued down to the ground floor, when a jingle was played. "You can now open the elevator using that bright, red and obvious button. Let's get to work!"
"Alright team! Let's get in there! What could possibly go-" Clover pressed the button, revealing a vent covered in danger tapes. "Wrong?"
Sam immediately had a look of worry. "Apparently a bunch of police tapes and an open vent cover." Marvin also looked wary. "I don't see any other way in, so I'm assuming they want us to go through."
Michael crawled in first, then Clover, then Marvin, then Sam. Marvin had to look down a lot because of the spy uniform of Clover. 'Sure doesn't leave much to the imagination, does it?'
"Allow me to fill this somewhat frightening silence with some lighthearted banter. Due to the massive success, and, even more so, the unfortunate closing of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, it was clear that the stage was set (no pun intended) for another contender in children's entertainment. Unlike most entertainment venues, our robotic entertainers are rented out for private parties during the day, and it's your job to get the robots back in proper working order before the following morning."
Coming out the other side, they were presented to a disturbing environment: the room they stood in was packed tightly, everyone brushing up against each other, much to Marvin's embarrassment. The decor was not much better: a clown mask, a laughing head, a clown clock, three heads that creepily blinked on their own continuously. Camera screens were on the ceiling. The windows outside were pitch black. The only movement they saw were two additional technicians cleaning the windows: a hawaiian-Asian man, and an African American man: Mark Fischbach, and Cory Kenshin.
"You are now in the primary Control Module; it's actually a crawl space between the two front showrooms. Now, let's get started with your daily tasks. View the window to your left. This is the Ballora Gallery: Party Room and Dance Studio, encouraging kids to get fit and enjoy pizza! Let's turn on the light and see if Ballora is onstage. Press the blue button on the elevated keypad to your left."
Sam was wringing her hands. "I don't know if we should do that with the technicians outside, especially if what Martin and Alex discovered was true." She noticed Mark was mouthing 'no no no!' From outside the window.
"I don't like doing it either, but we have to Sam." Michael pointed out. He then proceeded to slowly, hesitantly, reach for the blue light button. A light buzzed on, revealing an empty stage. Mark looked horrified seeing the stage empty, and knowing what was coming up, scrambled out of the room, signaling his partner Cory to get off his station as well.
"Uh oh! It looks like Ballora doesn't feel like dancing. Let's give her some motivation. Press the red button now to administer a controlled shock. Maybe that will put the spring back in her step."
Clover was aghast. "Wait WHAT?! Won't that make them mad?!"
It took Marvin to get the shock activated. A massive surge of electricity was seen and heard from Ballora Gallery. Sam swore that she saw some sparks. "I'm just glad that those technicians got out! That shock looked about twice that of a defibrillator, and those are 3000 volts!"
If the Hand Unit heard what they said or saw the technician's faces, he gave no indication of caring.
"Let's check the light again."
Michael reached out for the light button, and saw Ballora on her stage: A turquoise humanoid animatronic shaped into a woman's body, a tutu, and surrounded by three more, smaller animatronics. These other three also had tutus, but had tan colored frames, and no one could see what their faces looked like.
"Excellent. Ballora's feeling like her old self again and will be ready to perform again tomorrow. Now, view the window to your right. This is the Funtime Auditorium where Funtime Foxy encourages kids to play and share. Try the light! Let's see what Funtime Foxy is up to."
Now faced with an empty room - the technicians having left already - Michael and co. had less reservations about turning on the light since they no longer had to worry about putting bystanders in harm's way. Another empty stage.
"Looks like Funtime Foxy is taking the day off. Let's motivate Funtime Foxy with a controlled shock"
Michael was suspicious. "Anyone else feeling like they expected us?"
Marvin put his hand to his chin. "Now that you mention it, I felt that since we entered the facility."
"I enjoy a smoldering stare as much as the next girl, but this is just creepy." Clover admitted in her valley girl accent.
Sam however was skeptical. Not necessarily unbelieving, but less sure. "Well, we can figure that out if it comes to it. For now though, let's play along and see what happens." She pressed the shock button. An empty stage. "Uh, we might have a problem…"
"Let's try another controlled shock."
Clover, half expecting Foxy to be just outside the window staring at them, pressed the shock button, then the light button. Foxy was now on stage. "I swear we are going to regret this…"
"Looks like Funtime Foxy is in perfect working order. Great job! In front of you is another vent shaft. Crawl through it to reach the Circus Gallery Control Module."
Sure enough, a vent shaft was now open, and in the same order as before, the four crawled onwards, Marvin blushing in embarrassment the whole way from behind Clover.
They were halfway to the Circus Gallery Module when a new mechanical, feminine voice called out: "Motion triggered: Circus Gallery Vent." They stopped, looked for the source, then continued.
They came out to a room that looked reminiscent of a recording studio. There was a panel in the center of the room with dials, buttons, and levers. Dangling above this panel was a creepy looking doll with a pinstripe suit and hat.
"On the other side of the glass is Circus Baby's auditorium. Let's check the light and see what Baby is up to."
Mike didn't even hesitate to turn on the light, nothing.
"Looks like a few of the lights are out, but we can fix that later. Let's encourage Baby to cheer up with a controlled shock."
This time, no one hurried to use the shocker. "Okay, this is just wrong." Clover commented, clearly disgusted.
Sam also looked like she was going to vomit at the thought and the way the sentence was said. Encouraging a baby to cheer up by shocking her with 6,000 volts worth of electricity? Who on earth does that?
The shock was activated, and the light turned on. Nothing.
"Let's try another controlled shock."
As before, buttons were pressed. Nothing.
"Let's try another controlled shock."
Getting increasingly worried, a third round of activation was done. Nothing.
Clover looked ready to bolt. "All the other animatronics came out with the shock, why not Baby?"
The Hand Unit was unconcerned, and reported as if Baby was present.
"Great job, Circus Baby. We knew we could count on you! That concludes your duties for your first night on the job. We don't want you to leave overwhelmed; otherwise, you might not come back. Please leave using the vent behind you, and we'll see you again tomorrow."
Michael looked at them all, and they all nodded in agreement. This was creepy enough for one day.
As they were all leaving, Sam took this moment to break the silence. "Well, we got somewhere: first, that assistant is creepy, second, Baby didn-"
BANG!
Something was heard AND felt OUTSIDE THE VENT. Marvin yelled out in alarm. "What on Earth was that?!"
BANG! BANG!
"AHHH! GO GO GO!"
Scrambling for the exit, they all piled into the elevator and ascended.
Michael's house. 9:30 P.M.
The gang was taking a breather on Michael's couch.
"Wow. I thought we were all dead in that vent." Clover breathed.
"Same." Marvin replied, holding her to try and calm her down.
"I just don't understand what happened at the last minute." Sam was busy analyzing all the events that night in her mind.
"We won't find out today, but hopefully soon. Anyone want to watch some T.V.?" Michael offered, striding into the living room with popcorn.
Everyone said yes, and the T.V. was flipped on to The Immortal and The Restless.
Narrator: Another day, another dramatic entry in the lives of Vlad and his distressed mistress! Where will they go? What will they do? All of that and more happening now!
Vlad: Clara, I tell you, the baby isn't mine!
Clara: Count, I tell you that it is! You're the only vampire I've ever loved! And the baby turns his bottles into powdered milk.
Vlad: That doesn't mean anything.
Clara: He sleeps on the ceiling fan!
Vlad: Upright, or upside down?
Clara: What does it matter? You NEED to be part of your son's life!
Vlad: I'm an old man, Clara! I can't be a father!
Clara: Well, then, at least pay your child support, you deadbeat!
Narrator: Will Vlad and his distressed mistress find common ground? Tune in next time!
