William Afton, by default, was a cheerful person. Although, not many people knew this, of course, since the man was spotted fewer times than bigfoot. Even so, for the few who not only got to meet William but also interacted with him frequently, they'd all agree that it took a LOT for something or someone to affect his mood negatively. Unfortunately, today was one such day, where the usually cheery head of the Fazbear Family was sinisterly silent; the only noise coming from him was his tapping fingers which danced in rhythm on the door of the car he was riding in.
For in the time since William had left Mike to his duties, he returned to his company's main office, which was located in the same city, and began his investigation into the tampered video on the tablet. And in those few hours alone, he did NOT like what he found.
"How...How could some random person manage to hack my technology?..." He questioned, deep in thought, "Luckily, the security firewalls were unbreached. So our most valuable assets are safe. And we won't need to close any of the establishments for the patrons' safety in case this individual sought amusement by tampering with certain machines." He continued as his fingers began to tap slightly faster, "However, we can't allow this to go on for too long. It is greatly concerning that this person, whoever they are, managed to even get into ANY of our devices and programs in the first place. If left alone, the risk of them accessing anything of importance increases. Which I WILL not stand for." He asserted.
"Excuse me, mister Afton." A voice spoke, coming from the seat next to his.
Being brought back to reality by those words, William turned his head to look at the only other person in the vehicle with him. Sitting beside him was a VERY beautiful 6'2 woman, almost scarily so, for every single detail of her appearance was eye-catching. Her snow-white skin, her alluring pink eyes that held a comforting gaze, and the unusual yet gorgeous blue color of her hair that was neatly tied back into a bun. To most people, she'd seem like a princess from an animated movie made real.
However, her attire didn't match that description, as she was dressed in a traditional black business suit with a white undershirt. A stark contrast to William's ensemble.
"Is something wrong?" He inquired since his assistant only spoke to him when something was on her mind, or a business-related matter needed his attention.
"You've been tapping your fingers ever since we got into the car, sir." She replied, which caused him to stop.
"Does it bother you?" He asked.
"Forgive me. I've been misunderstood." She apologized, which was normal for her due to her overwhelmingly considerate and polite personality, "I pointed it out because I was worried. I've never seen you so frustrated." She explained.
"Ah, I see." He said as he moved his arm away from the door, "Then it is I who should be sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry about me, as you usually do." He told her.
"Please don't be, sir. It's my pleasure." She responded, seeing it as part of her duties, "And on that note, is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" She asked.
"The only thing that'll get rid of the building migraine in my head is when we find out who is trying to tamper with our work. Until then, I'm afraid I'll be frustrated without end." He answered.
"Your work, sir." She corrected.
"No. OUR work." He repeated, "Eventually, you're going to have to recognize that you ARE a valued member of the company, and you DO contribute as much as me." He told her.
"I'm afraid I must disagree with you, sir. Without you, the Fazbear Family wouldn't exist. Anything I do is incomparable." She insisted.
Breathing out a sigh from how stubborn his assistant was when it came to receiving even the smallest amount of praise or credit for something. William couldn't press the matter further as the car came to a stop, for they had reached their destination.
"We've arrived." She stated before opening her door and stepping out.
William would've done the same, but knowing his assistant, she was already halfway around the car coming to open his door for him.
"I can do this by myself, you know." He said to her when she, as predicted, opened the door.
"As mentioned before, it is my pleasure, sir." She replied as he stepped out of the vehicle.
Feeling the warmth of the morning sun hit him after an entire night at the main office, William felt some of the tension in his body relax.
"Aah..." He breathed out while his assistant closed the door behind him.
"Is everything alright, sir?" She inquired.
"Yes. Just enjoying the start of a new day." He responded.
"Do you think mister Schmidt is doing the same?" She asked as they began their approach towards the testing facility.
"I'll be impressed if the poor man's still awake and not sleeping in his office." He answered.
"You shouldn't encourage such behavior during work hours, sir." She commented, making him chuckle.
"Sweet with me yet strict with the staff, a bit unfair to our employees, don't you think?" He asked.
"They only work a certain number of hours. Whereas I have to do my best to make sure you don't worsen your health from overworking, sir." She answered.
"Hmph, true." He agreed since he knew that was completely accurate.
Walking up to the entrance, they waited for the door to unlock once the camera above it confirmed their identities. When it did, William and his assistant went inside, unsurprisingly discovering that everything was the same as when he'd left.
"So far, so good. Mister Schmidt hasn't caused any property damage." She noted.
"You assume every new hire is a vandal." He told her.
"Depending on how our internal investigation goes, my assumption may be correct if it turns out an employee is behind the hacking." She countered.
"I'm doubtful that'll prove true, but we'll see." He replied, "For now, let's focus on congratulating mister Schmidt on a job well done." He said before he started walking towards the security office.
The duo headed down the west hallway and quickly made it to where they were going...only to discover...that Mike wasn't there.
"He left before we arrived to relieve him of his position? That doesn't paint him in the best picture." She said.
"Oh, come now. I'm sure mister Schmidt's elsewhere in the building. Perhaps the restroom?" He suggested.
"We can check before we waste our time." She replied as she walked over to the desk and picked up the tablet.
"We didn't install cameras in the bathrooms." He mentioned.
"I'm well aware. But unless mister Schmidt prefers to relieve himself in darkness, he would've turned on the lights." She reasoned as she moved between the camera feeds.
Suddenly, his assistant's hands gripped the tablet more aggressively, and her expression changed to that of shock.
"Is something wrong?" He inquired.
"Yes, I've found mister Schmidt." She informed him before she showed him what was on the screen.
The camera she stopped on was in front of the prize counter, which showed that the door behind it was...slightly open.
"...Well...that is...interesting..." He said.
"Is that all you have to say about that, sir? This is a breach of trust!" She exclaimed, far more upset about this than him.
"Now, now, you're overreacting." He replied, "Think about it carefully. If what you're assuming has happened, which is mister Schmidt stealing what was inside that room, I'd like to remind you that if ANY of them left the premises, the cameras would have seen it and alerted us at the office." He told her, keeping a level head about this.
"Regardless of theft, him entering that room before he was instructed to do so doesn't reflect well on his ability to listen." She argued as she set down the tablet, "We need to go and confront him this instant." She decided.
"On that, we agree. However, I will take the lead since you seem to be on the warpath." He responded.
With their missing security guard located, William and his assistant made their way to the prize counter area. Yet when they got there, they didn't immediately enter the room behind it, as both noticed something strange.
"It appears that some of the prizes are missing." She spoke first, "Most notably, the spider rings." She added.
"Huh, they really are one of our most popular prizes." He joked, much to her displeasure.
"Sir, this is serious. Mister Schmidt IS a thief." She said.
"You haven't even met the man, and yet you'd have him arrested on suspicion of stealing mass-produced plastic jewelry." He replied, still finding the situation humorous.
"What other explanation is there?" She asked as she folded her arms over her chest.
"I can think of five." He answered before he moved behind the counter so he could stand in front of the door, "And if I'm correct, then mister Schmidt will have quite the story to tell us." He added as he pushed it open.
Beyond the mysterious door was a room unlike any other in the building, mainly because it was furnished, decorated, and overall made to resemble a very spacious children's bedroom. The only similarity it had to the rest of the rooms was the carpeted floor, but aside from that, everything else was unique. The ceiling, for starters, was painted blue to look like the sky and had white clouds as well, but with the lights off, as they were currently, it was pitch black as the night and illuminated by star decorations. As for the rest of the decor and furniture, there was no question that they were made for children.
It was a child's dream room. A plethora of toy boxes were present, and a large rug resembling a city sat in the middle of the space. A series of shelves filled with books and board games lined one of the walls. While a television on top of a cabinet, undoubtedly filled with various videos, was adjacent from them. And many other pieces of furniture served the space as well, such as a table that sat next to the door.
But then there was the final detail, across the room opposite the door were beds, but they weren't the kind you'd find in any store. The best way to describe them would be pods or capsules, and their main purpose was to recharge the energy reserves of the individuals meant to sleep in them. However, each bed/pod had been custom designed to the demand of its owner; this is why each one had a different appearance. From right to left, there was a pirate ship, a plane, a train, a spaceship, and the last one, surprisingly, hadn't been altered too much; it was merely painted gold with purple accents.
And inside of each of them slumbered their owners, curled up in blankets with their heads resting atop pillows. But...then there was the odd one out...a fully grown man sleeping on the floor in front of them all with a blanket put over him.
"Huh, I can safely say I wasn't expecting this." William spoke with a smile, but it couldn't be seen, "It appears that mister Schmidt may have been put to bed before they were." He said.
"Sleeping on the job. Another unflattering characteristic." His assistant noted.
"You just won't give the poor man a break, will you?" He asked.
"I'll consider changing my opinion, POSSIBLY, when we hear his explanation." She answered.
"Fine. Then let's hear it." He responded before he walked over to the sleeping security guard, "Mister Schmidt, wake up. It's six AM." He told him as he nudged the other with his foot.
For the first few seconds, Mike was in a daze, smacking his lips and blinking his eyes as he came to his senses. But when he did, and when he realized where he was, what had happened, and WHO had awoken him, Mike would swear by all the powers that be that his heart legitimately leaped into his throat.
"...Oh god no..." He muttered in horror as he sat up, his eyes wide and his face pale, "M-Mister Afton! I swear, sir, there is an explanation for this!" He exclaimed while hastily scrambling to his feet, throwing the blanket to the side.
"Easy there, mister Schmidt. Take a deep breath." William advised, "I want to tell you right now that you're not in trouble, which means that you're not fired. So get your heartbeat under control, and then we can discuss this calmly." He said.
"So...So you're not angry? And you don't want to have me arrested or sued?" Mike asked, NEEDING to be sure his butt wasn't in hot water right now.
"Not at all. I promise you are fine." He answered.
"Oh...Oh, thank god..." Mike sighed in relief as he put a hand over his chest and threw his head back, "Mister Afton...you really are as nice as people say..." He complimented.
"Sir, I feel as though you're being a bit too casual about the situation." William's assistant spoke up, startling Mike since he didn't notice her until now.
"Uh, who's that?" He asked.
"Oh, right. This is the first you're meeting. So proper introductions are in order." William realized before he gestured to her with his right hand, "Mister Schmidt, this is my assistant, Ballora. She is already familiar with you since we both looked over your application and checked your background." He explained.
"It's a pleasure to meet you." Mike greeted as he walked over and held out his hand, assuming she'd want a handshake.
"I can't say the same." She replied, completely cold and serious.
"...Are you sure I'm not in trouble?" He immediately asked his employer, for the difference in their tones was immense.
"I'm the boss. So what I say goes. You are not in trouble." William assured.
"That is pending." She interjected, her eyes focused on Mike's face, "First, we need to hear your reasoning for entering this room before you were told explicitly to do so. Then there is the matter of you waking the children." She said.
"Of which I am very curious to learn, I will admit." William told Mike, "I'm surprised you managed to figure out how their beds work. On top of how to wake the children once they were open." He confessed.
When Ballora and William finished speaking, Mike's expression suddenly changed to one of hesitation, which they noticed.
"Is something wrong, mister Schmidt?" William inquired.
"...Uh...yeah...and I'm a little scared of how you're going to react to this..." Mike began, bracing himself, "But...I didn't do anything...honest...I learned about the kids when I was in the arcade...and...well...Foxy sort of...ambushed me from behind...by jumping from the top of one of the games..." He informed.
"Mister Schmidt, lying won't do you any favors." Ballora said sternly, unamused by his attempt at deceiving him, "The children cannot wake themselves when they are in hibernation mode. It's so that if something tragic should occur, they won't become conscious as mister Afton works on them." She explained.
"It's the truth, I swear!" He insisted, "If you don't believe me, then we could check the cameras. Assuming that we can access the footage." He suggested.
"We can." William confirmed as he placed his hands behind his back like he did when they first met, "Ballora, I believe mister Schmidt is being honest. But if you require further evidence, then we should return to the security office and validate his claim." He told her.
"I have no issue with that." She replied.
They returned to the security office post-haste to verify Mike's recounting of events with everyone in agreement. Ballora took the lead this time, as she was the first inside, thus meaning she got to the tablet before him and William. And while the two men were only a few seconds behind her, meaning they should've seen Ballora interacting with the device to find the footage, she somehow already had it ready for them, a detail that went unnoticed by Mike.
"Alright, here is the prize counter. I sped up the recording to when mister Afton left, and you were in the office." She informed, "When would you say that the children left the room?" She asked.
"I have no idea. I went on my first patrol through the building at two. So, they were probably already out and about by that time." Mike answered.
With that information, Ballora let the footage play at normal speed on the off chance that the kids woke up almost immediately after mister Afton left. And well, it's a good thing no bets were placed because it took literal seconds for the door in the recording to be pulled open slightly, and about a minute later, the children left the room.
"Would you look at that?" William spoke up as they watched, "It appears mister Schmidt was indeed truthful." He said.
"I...don't believe it..." Ballora muttered, astounded that the children somehow accomplished this, "Forgive me, mister Schmidt. I grossly misjudged you." She sincerely apologized, her tone and expression towards him far gentler and warm.
"It's fine, really. I wouldn't have believed me either. You had every right to assume I was responsible." Mike assured, not offended by her suspicion.
"I promise, I will make up for the slander I cast on upon your person." She vowed before looking back at the tablet, "But for now, we need to figure out what happened here. Never before have the children been able to do this. So, how is it possible?" She questioned.
"Well, one explanation could simply be that I didn't put Freddy into hibernation mode correctly. Then, when he woke up, he proceeded to wake his siblings." William proposed.
"Sir, you NEVER make such errors. And even if this was the first time you did, the children only know how to get in and out of their beds. They don't know anything else regarding their operation." She refuted.
"...There IS another possibility..." Mike hesitantly said, "You know how before you left last night, mister Afton, I told you about how the video I watched mentioned movement?" He asked.
Mike didn't need to say anything else for both William and Ballora to know what he implied. And unfortunately, as he feared, William was not pleased by the notion if his suddenly clenched fists were to be seen as an indicator of that.
"...We thoroughly checked our security systems, so that can't be it." He stated, but in a low voice that held back a quickly rising anger. But it wasn't directed at Mike.
"Sir, I'm afraid mister Schmidt might be correct." Ballora said, "The children's beds were moved here the previous week as they were of the final items to be transported. In that same timeframe is when the video had been finished for him, which is when we suspect the tampering was carried out." She told him.
Silence, pure unnerving silence, came after Ballora finished speaking. The only sound she or Mike could hear was the material of William's gloves tightening as he clenched his fists more.
"Uh...mister Afton? Are you okay?" Mike asked, genuinely worried about his boss.
"...Could the two of you please step out of the office for a moment?" William requested, yet it sounded more like an order because of his tone.
"Mister Schmidt, please come with me," Ballora said, immediately grabbing onto the guard's wrist so she could walk him out.
After Mike and Ballora hurried into the east hallway, William closed not only the door they went through but the other one as well. And if that weren't shocking enough, he also turned off the bright ceiling light that illuminated the space, sending it into total darkness.
"Holy crap..." Mike muttered with widened eyes, "Does he do that whenever he gets angry?" He asked.
"Mister Afton, at most, is only ever frustrated or potentially annoyed in the rare moments' something bothers him." She answered as she looked at one of the windows with a worried expression, "But this...I've never seen him angry. Or rather, enraged. To be honest, it's...greatly concerning." She confessed.
Whoa, now THAT was scary to hear. If Ballora, of all people, had never seen mister Afton like this before, despite being his assistant, that meant whoever was screwing with him had managed to get underneath the man's skin, which WAS an actual first.
BAM
Both Mike and Ballora jumped backward, nearly pressing their backs to the wall, which was an understandable reaction to the thunder equivalent noise that just came from the security room. But before either could call out to mister Afton asking if he was alright, the door in front of them opened, revealing him on the other side.
"Thank you both for allowing me some time alone," William said as he stepped out, all of his anger seemingly gone.
"S-Sir! What was that?!" Mike asked.
"Hm? Oh, the noise. It was nothing. All I did was punch the other door." He answered.
"Y...You punched the door...the giant metal door...that's nearly five inches thick...that door?..." Mike questioned.
"Yes." He confirmed with a nod.
"And...your hand isn't...ya know...shattered into a million pieces?" Mike inquired.
"Not all. I might not be the biggest man around, but I'd like to believe I'm quite sturdy." He replied.
"Mister Afton!" Ballora exclaimed, "You CANNOT do such things! What if you hurt yourself?!" She scolded, furious that he'd be so reckless.
"I'm alright, Ballora. Punching one door isn't going to make me keel over." He said, "But now that I've gotten my anger settled. I think we should go and wake the kids. For now that they and Mike have met each other, we should sit down and discuss how things will be going forward." He decided before he walked away, treating the situation as if it were the most mundane thing in the world.
Ballora followed after him, of course, as she intended to reprimand him as much as she could. In contrast, Mike stayed behind because a curiosity formed in his mind that he needed to resolve before doing anything else. Stepping into the office's doorway, Mike felt around on the wall until he found one of the light switches, and when he did, he flipped it up. In an instant, the room was back to its former brightness, allowing Mike to see that the other door was still closed, and from the looks of it, it would remain that way for the foreseeable future.
Because right there, smack dab in the middle of it, was an impressively sized dent.