The Bureau Files: Series 3
ooOoo
A/N: Happy New Year and a belated Merry Christmas! Here's to hoping 2016 is your best year yet.
ooOoo
Episode 9: The Fifth Night (Part 1)
"Uh, now concerning your safety, the only real risk to you as a night watchman here, if any, is the fact that these characters, uh, if they happen to see you after hours probably won't recognize you as a person. They'll p-most likely see you as a metal endoskeleton without its costume on. Now since that's against the rules here at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, they'll probably try to... forcefully stuff you inside a Freddy Fazbear suit. Um, now, that wouldn't be so bad if the suits themselves weren't filled with crossbeams, wires, and animatronic devices, especially around the facial area. So, you could imagine how having your head forcefully pressed inside one of those could cause a bit of discomfort... and death. Uh, the only parts of you that would likely see the light of day again would be your eyeballs and teeth when they pop out the front of the mask, heh.
"Y-Yeah, they don't tell you these things when you sign up. But hey, first day should be a breeze. I'll chat with you tomorrow. Uh, check those cameras, and remember to close the doors only if absolutely necessary. Gotta conserve power. Alright, good night."
With the first of the recorded messages coming to a close, Chief Inspector Martin Brody removed the cassette tape and began to rummage through the aged box for the next tape in the series. There were five, he had been told. Five recorded messages for five nights.
Of course, the place had rumours; it was nigh on thirty years since there had been stories of the animatronics moving in the night… Nigh on thirty years since children had gone missing and the animatronics had allegedly turned on the night guards.
Things had changed since then. Mostly for the better.
Until several weeks back when the stories started up again and a night guard went missing…
He glanced up to the monitor – all three animatronics were still in place.
Brody muttered something about paranoia and the stupidity of taking up the job, and continued to search through the box. Old remains of spare parts and broken animatronics littered it and he began to doubt there were five tapes at all.
Finally, he found another cassette. He turned it over in his hands. "Fifth Night" was scrawled across the front.
It was better than nothing, at least.
He dropped it into the tape player and waited for more of the cryptic, uneasy warning of the mysterious phone man. Not that it had helped the previous guard. As always, it started with the ringing of the phone – why it was included in the recording, Brody hadn't worked out – and this time the ringing rang on for longer than usual.
When the ringing eventually stopped, there was silence.
Brody groaned and moved to turn the tape off – evidently some idiot had seen fit to record over it – but then there came a rumbling. He paused, his fingers flickering over the buttons.
The rumbling grew and then broke into a deep, distorted voice. The audio was too garbled to make out anything except for the demonic garble that surely couldn't have been attained through ordinary means. If the inspector strained his ears, he could almost make out words among the monstrosity.
A shiver ran down his spine and he switched it off.
He glanced back up to the monitor. Again.
All animatronics were still in place.
And yet it was still only half an hour into the shift. He still had five and a half hours left to go. Five and a half hours with only him, the animatronics, and the restaurant. With these thoughts running rampant, his eyes strayed to the mobile phone by his side. No signal, of course. He leant back into his seat and tried moving the phone to pick up even a glimmer of signal.
A single bar blipped into place.
The sigh he released was audible, and he couldn't stop the weak smile from slipping into place. The smile died when he looked back to the monitor watching over the three animatronics.
Where now there were only two.
ooOoo
In the familiarity of the Bureau, Haru and Baron sat; Baron in one of the armchairs and Haru on the sofa. The low coffee table was secured between them, and atop it lay an empty box and a single golden ring.
"So are we going to talk about who sent those lilies?" she asked. "We'll have to, eventually."
Baron shook his head. "It's of no importance."
"No importance? Baron, someone out there wanted you hurt. Do you really think I can just ignore something like that? Someone sent those lilies, Baron, and we have to find out who."
"And yet, their plan failed," Baron calmly assured.
"Do you really think they'll just give up like that? There has to be a way we can track them down, stop them before they do anything like this again–"
"Haru…" Baron leant forward and covered Haru's stressful hands with his own. "It's alright. Please, don't go looking for trouble."
"I'm not looking for trouble. Trouble found us and dragged you across worlds," Haru retorted. "And now I'm just trying to protect those I care about."
"As am I."
Across the Bureau, the old gramophone wheezed into abrupt life, cutting off whatever more Haru had to say on the subject. Of its own accord, the needle dropped itself onto the record and danced its way across the vinyl.
"Gardner! Answer, dammit! Gardner, I need you to pick up the phone and bring backup! The stories were true – the animatronics really do come to life and I need you and the rest of the squad here now! Dammit, just pick up the phone!" There was a knocking sound that sent the man's voice dropping into a whisper. "I can't get out of here – as soon as I leave they'll come for me… Gardner, just pick up the phone! Please…"
The message – whispered voice, knocking, and all – curtly ended. The needle continued its course along the vinyl record, and now the notes of a bright violin solo picked up from where the record carried on playing. Haru frowned. Baron usually remembered to place blank vinyl records in the gramophone for just such occasions – it seemed he had forgotten this time around and now the record was permanently scarred with the SOS.
She was the first to rise to her feet, moving over to the machine to lift the needle up. The melody halted mid-flow.
"I recognise that voice…"
"Chief Inspector Martin Brody," Baron said, almost absent-mindedly.
"Who? Wait – he was the one who needed help with the giant shark…" Haru smiled weakly at the somewhat nightmarish memory. "That… I think that was the first official case you let me help you on."
"You were almost killed in the process."
"To be fair, that was mostly my own fault. Well, it sounds like he needs help." Upon stating this, Haru turned back to the Creation with a ready smile, but found a sincere lack of response from the feline. Her eyes dimmed a little. Of course it wouldn't be that easy. "You know… we probably should see if he needs our assistance."
"Of course," he said, although it was clear his heart wasn't in his words. He was merely parroting the response he knew he should be giving. Haru wasn't fooled. She turned to the desk and began rummaging through the contents of the drawers with more energy than usual.
"I know we should have at least one empty portal crystal here somewhere… Natoru finally sent a box through, although it's taken him long enough." Her words continued to come, as if she could talk Baron back into his old self. As if, if she sounded cheerful enough, he would revert to normal. "So all we need to do is set up an intraworld portal, right? But… Brody didn't leave us with coordinates, did he? So how are we meant to – oh, for goodness sake!" The drawer abruptly fell out of the desk and Haru fumbled for it. She missed it entirely and the contents emptied themselves across the floor. "Aw, rats! Sorry, Baron…"
She dropped down to start scooping it all back into the drawer, and as she was returning a second handful, she paused.
Usually by now, when such accidents occurred, Baron would have already stepped in to lend a hand.
She looked up to the Creation. He stood by his chair, but had otherwise been unmoved. His eyes were clouded as he watched her clear up the mess. She wished she could say that his mind was clearly battling against an inner turmoil, but there wasn't even that there. His eyes appeared to be simply… blank. As if his mind had ground to a halt.
"Baron…"
He blinked, and the moment passed. The cogs in his mind began to whirr again. He smiled, but the smile was empty. "Of course, Miss Haru. May I assist you with that?"
The claim that she was managing fine almost rose to her lips instinctively, but she pushed it aside. Small steps, after all. His time with CAP had taught him that his help was unneeded. Dangerous, even. "Yes, please."
The smile remained unwaveringly in place as he knelt down beside her. His movements were careful and measured, applying only the necessary actions required to help.
Small steps.
She finally found the box containing the empty portal crystals and drew them out. A single sheet of paper slipped away with it.
It was slightly dust-encrusted, with smudges round the edge where desperate fingers had torn it from a pocket, with a familiar symbol etched into the centre.
Baron's imperfect spell for achieving humanity.
She felt Baron's gaze shift to her as she (very carefully) held the edges of the page. After a doubtful moment, she pocketed it.
"There's really no need for that…" Baron began.
"Who knows when it might come in handy," she rebuffed. "After all, I wouldn't be here if you hadn't used this to help you dig me out of the old shrine well. I would be six feet under. Literally."
"You wouldn't have been in any such danger at all had we not dragged you into such circumstances–"
Haru snorted. "You did not 'drag' me into anything, Baron. I came of my own accord, and stayed of it too. Not to mention the fact that I've saved you as many times as you've saved me." She paused, and attempted to calculate a quick sum. Then, after a dubious moment, added, "Probably." She found the lapis lazuli also the in process and held it over to the Creation. "Can this take more magic, do you think?"
"I believe so."
She glanced back down the stone, shrugged, and then stowed it away in her bag. "Who knows what we might be facing," she said. "Brody mentioned something about animatronics coming to life, right? So perhaps it's more of the Creation magic floating about. You know, bringing things to life and stuff."
"Perhaps."
She waited for him to add more, but, for once, he was silent. A strange, sad smile settled over her lips and she gently leant against him. He froze, but did not move away. "Just for the record," she murmured, "I don't believe the Sanctuary would have picked up that distress signal unless it thought Brody really needed us. Come on – I'm going to need your help in finding a way to get there."
She took his hands in hers and dragged them both back to their feet.
"I… I had a tracking crystal that I used to aid us in last helping Darcy and Dawson. If I use the SOS and reverse the signal to backtrack to its origin..." Baron haltingly suggested. As soon as the offer of help passed his lips, a shadow passed over his eyes and he abruptly shook his head. "No, that is a reckless idea. The crystal only works between worlds; it will not be specific enough to travel across this world alone."
"We'll never know if we don't try. Come on – you can set up the crystal while I track down our missing Bureau members. Where are they anyway?"
"Muta said he would be at the Crossroads," Baron said. "Toto is out on a flight."
"Well, I can certainly bring back Muta then. Not so sure about Toto," Haru laughed, "but I guess he'll return in his own time." She started to release Baron's hand but then, on impulse, she abruptly drew him into a hug. Her cheeks reddened as she tightened her arms around him and buried her head into his shoulder. "Please… believe in yourself, Baron. I miss you."
"I'm right here, Miss Haru."
"No. You're not." She inhaled the familiar scent of tea and mint, but even that did not heal the loss. The voice was right, but the words and tone all wrong. Even his response to her impromptu embrace was empty. She closed her eyes. "You're not here. Not really. Please come back."
She waited for a reply and, when there was none, she loosened her grip. She began to step away, but, at the last moment, Baron's arms rose to circle her. Hesitantly, he hugged her back. "I'm sorry, Haru. I'm trying."
"That's all I need to hear," she whispered. Impulsively, she hugged him again and then released him. She smiled that same sad smile, and turned to leave the Bureau behind her. The further she walked from the Sanctuary, the greater the gravity of the situation sank into her. Now without Baron to hide her grief from, tears began to well up in her eyes. She wiped them away with her wrist, earning a few strange looks from passers-by as she went. Eventually, she came to the little café where Muta would often rest at and, sure enough, there was the familiar fat cat sleeping on a chair.
She knelt down to his eye level and scratched him behind the ear. He groaned as he woke up, and then began to purr. "Heya, Chicky."
"Heya, Muta," she replied. "We need to go back to the Bureau. I think we have a new case."
"Oh goody. Just what Baron needs." He stretched and gave a slow yawn. "Not even being sarcastic. So who's in trouble this time?"
"Martin Brody. You remember him, right?"
"Eh. The guy with the fish problem?"
"That'd… probably be him."
"Alright, I'm coming." Muta stretched again and ungainly dropped down to the cobbled street of the Crossroads. He started to trot back in the direction of the Bureau, with Haru close on his heels. As they came to a quieter road, Muta asked, "So, how's Baron doing?"
"Still shaken. It's worse than the time with the kitsune," Haru admitted.
"That kid really did a number on him, didn't it?"
"You can say that again." Unbidden, the memory of seeing Baron caught in CAP's world rose to her mind, and a flurry of words teetered at the edge of her thoughts. Tired would be a kind word. Broken would be the reality. "He'll get better, won't he?"
Muta grunted and upped his pace.
"Muta…?"
"I don't know."
"Oh." Haru began to slow and the thought that this was their new Baron – a Baron whose purpose in life had been scraped away to leave nothing but a hollow shell – eventually stopped her in her tracks. Pain heaved at her heart as she tried to keep back the sobs. Even so, tears splattered down onto the pavement at her feet. "We… We should have got there sooner," she whispered. "We shouldn't have let it get so bad. He would never have let the same happen to us."
Muta halted and turned back to look to the brunette. "Hey, Chicky…"
"It's just… I don't know how to help. I don't know what to do, Muta. And I can't help thinking that… that it's my fault for not getting to him sooner. Sticking his nose in other's business is what he does. It's who he is. And now… He's hurting, Muta, and I don't know how to fix it."
Muta padded back over to her and rubbed up against Haru's legs. "Hey, it ain't your fault. Sometimes things go wrong and there's nothing you can do about it." He butted his head lightly against her leg. "Come on, Chicky; let's get back to the Bureau. He'll get better, you'll see. There ain't nothing that can keep our Baron down for long."
Haru attempted a smile, for Muta's sake. "Yeah. You're right. He's strong, after all."
"Good. Then let's go." He wove past her and continued along the little alleyway. Haru gave one last resolved sigh and started after him. The route they took was a simple one, for neither individual felt up to their more elaborate courses to the Sanctuary. They trotted along until they reached the archway that marked their little side-world, where they could see Toto landing back on his column.
"Hello, Toto."
"Hello, Haru. Fatso."
"Why don't you come down here and say that to my face?!"
"Has Baron told you about the distress call we just received?" Haru called over to the crow Creation. As always, she shrank down to size upon stepping across the Sanctuary's threshold.
Toto tilted his head curiously to one side. "Is he in?"
"In? Of course he's in – or, at least, he was when I…" She trailed off as an uneasy thought hit her. "No… He wouldn't…"
"Wouldn't what, Chicky?"
She was already running to the Bureau doors. She slammed them open and sprinted inside to see the very scenario she had feared. An empty Bureau. "No…"
"Don't tell me he's been kidnapped again."
Toto flew to the Bureau's balcony windows and dropped down onto the railings. "Are you a moron – wait, stupid question. Should've known a puddingbrain such as yourself wouldn't be able to pick up simple portal magic–"
"He's gone," Haru whispered. "He's gone without us."
"Eh? Say again, Chicky?"
"Are you deaf? She said he's gone–"
"I heard that, chickenwings! Baron wouldn't just take off like that–"
"He would if he was afraid for us," Haru said.
"Yeah, but I'm sure we've tackled much more dangerous stuff in the past. This ain't like it's the first time we've gone running head-first into something that wants to murder us. Hey, just look at what happened in the art gallery – and that ain't even the worst of it–"
"It's not us he doesn't trust. It's himself. He's worried he won't be able to protect us; that his attempts to help will only be dangerous for us."
Muta scoffed and padded into the room. "Nah, you've got to have got it wrong. Baron wouldn't do that."
Haru trailed behind him, stopping at Baron's desk. "You didn't see him in that world, Muta," she murmured. "Every time he tried to help… he only made matters worse. He doesn't want us to get caught up in it. Look…" She trailed her fingers over the remains of the vinyl record; once it had held the distress call that he must have used with the tracking crystal to get to Brody, but now it lay shattered over the desk. "He doesn't want us following him."
"Perhaps we should stand back then," Toto suggested. "If this is what he wants, what he feels like he must do–"
"No."
"Oh, ruddy hell," Muta muttered. "Here we go again. Look, Chicky; Baron's made it quite clear–"
"Don't you see? He was afraid, and he still went. He's still gone to help Brody, even after everything CAP put him through… How can we just leave him now?"
"Yeah, but how exactly are we gonna get to him? It ain't as if he's just left a trail of breadcrumbs for us to follow. Do we even know where he is?"
Haru ran her hands through her hair. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, Muta had a point. The portal crystals were made for travelling between other worlds, not for travel within their own. Her gaze swept across the Bureau for signs of something Baron might have left that would grant them passage… and then her eyes stopped on Absolem's ring.
"Muta, Toto, I'm going to need you two to get over here."
"This sounds like some sort of crazy plan, kid–"
"I guess it sort of is," Haru admitted. "Now get over here. I think we should all travel together if we keep contact. And if we don't… well, I'll have to come back and figure out a way instead. Muta, get over here."
Muta grumbled, but shuffled over to the brunette. Toto jumped down from the balcony and landed on the sofa. "So now what, Haru?"
"I'm going to need you and Muta to grab each other's wing or paw or whatever – just keep hold and don't let go – and try not to be too confused when we get there. Okay. Ready?" She gave them no time to answer for, as soon as she saw they were keeping contact, she grabbed Muta's free paw and dropped her other hand down onto the ring.
ooOoo
Haru's second trip into the Wood Between Worlds was substantially more disorientating than before. She stumbled out of the pond and collapsed down onto soft grass with a relieved sigh. After several moments, she glanced to her side and saw a cat and a crow wandering along the dappled woodland. They were hurdling insults at each other and, for some reason, a talking cat and crow seemed quite normal.
If she could just lie back in this beautiful woodland forever…
Wait.
No, she couldn't.
There was something she had to do. Something urgent. Something about someone very important. She had come here for a reason, hadn't she?
"Yeah? Well go fry yourself, ya big chicken!"
"Can't you tell the difference between a chicken and a crow, you idiot?"
Bright green eyes floated through her mind and she latched on to the thought. She needed to do something…
Slowly, her memories began to filter back to her. Baron. The Bureau. The distress call. And Baron again.
She groaned and pushed herself up. She shook the peaceful, forgetful atmosphere out of her head with a faint scowl; she'd had enough of memory-manipulation magic to last her a lifetime. Was this going to happen every time? Perhaps Absolem's memory smoke had buffered the worst of the effects last time. Unsteadily rising to her feet, she padded over to the cat and crow – Muta and Toto, she corrected herself – and grabbed the scruff of both their necks. She held them up, far enough apart to keep them out of the other's reach.
"Trust you to come to a world where you're made to forget everything and the air practically oozes peace, and yet you're still trying to rip each other's throat out," she admonished. "Can't you ever work together?"
"Hey, butt out of this, lady!"
Haru hoisted Muta further up so she was staring straight into his small, dark eyes. "Renaldo Moon, get off your high horse and bring your mind back to reality. Baron? The Bureau? Important case? Is any of this ringing any bells?"
"H… Haru?" Toto gasped.
"Well, I see at least one of you remembers. How about you, Muta?"
The cat blinked, and stopped trying to pry himself loose. "Chicky?"
"Halleluiah, they're back. Now, if I put you back down, are you going to stop fighting long enough so we can find Baron?"
"Sure, sure. Just lettgo already."
She shrugged and released both animals.
"Ya didn't need to drop me!"
"And you could have asked nicely."
Toto snickered and landed on Haru's shoulder. "Where are we, Haru?"
"I think this place is called the Wood Between Worlds," Haru said.
"Did Baron tell ya that?"
"No. Actually I'm just guessing, but I found mention of this place in a child's story." She dropped a hand into her pocket and drew out the golden ring. "The pools, the ring, and now the temporary memory loss… It all fits."
"So how do we get to Baron?"
The brunette pointed to a pond where a patch of grass had been cut short before it to reveal a line of red soil. "That should lead us to the Human World." After a moment's hesitation, she pointed to a much smaller pond flanking its side. How had she not spotted it before? "I think that leads back to the Sanctuary – it is a separate little world of its own, after all. The golden ring brings us into this world, and my portal magic should allow us to travel back through any of the ponds."
Muta waddled over to the Human World pond and dipped a dubious paw into its depths. "So… if the golden ring gets ya here, then how does everyone else get out? 'Cause I doubt everyone else has someone like you with them."
"The story mentioned a green ring that you had to wear while jumping into the ponds, but Absolem said something about the other rings being long lost." She safely pocketed the ring and knelt down to inspect the pond before them.
"Haru, there's no guarantee that the pond will drop us at the right place," Toto warned. "We could end up anywhere."
"We could," Haru admitted, "but I have an idea. I think… I think that I could focus in on Baron's magic signature and use that to land us somewhere near him."
"And what makes you so sure?" Muta demanded. "I don't wanna end up in the middle of the ocean or something!"
"Okay, so it's just a theory. But… Baron was created by my father, right?" A hand drifted up to the necklace about her neck. "And when there was the disaster with the size-changing enchantment, he gave me some of his magic, didn't he? So… I'm hoping that there should be enough connection between us for me to follow that link."
"That seems like an awful lot of ifs and maybes."
"I didn't say either even once, Muta." She dragged him over to her before he could start slinking off. "Anyway, we can't stay around here all day. Ready?"
"You asked that last time, Chicky, and you didn't even–"
Haru dropped a hand down into the ponds waters and felt the portal magic instantly respond to her touch. It drew her down into its depths, bringing Toto and Muta along with her. It was as if she trod water while the world swam before her in glorious, dizzying multicolour. She tried to search for the same strain of magic that lay within her, and suddenly it was as if she stood on the tightrope between two sheer drops. Along these lines, a different choice lay on each side.
To her left lay a dark, unlit restaurant. To the right swirled glass cabinets filled with fantastical creatures, all still and silent. Both sides dangled that strain of Baron's magic that she was searching for, but surely only one was the real Baron. She lingered between the two landscapes, and the scenes began to dissolve.
"Quick, Haru! Go before the portal collapses!"
Toto's cry reminded her that she was dangling between worlds – somewhere where mortals were never meant to stay – but she was still torn. Which way was the right one? To the right, the museum-like environment continued to spin through, until it passed by a creature with a human face and dusty, tattered wings rising from its back. As the images spun by it, it twisted its head to reveal vampire-worthy fangs. It lunged through the air, its chest ripping free from its lower torso as it sprung–
Haru stumbled back and the world to her left - the dark but quiet restaurant - drew her in.
The light and colour of the portal dimension shattered and suddenly Haru was standing alone in the corner of a dimly-lit room. The only lights were the eerie safety lights that emitted a weak glow that rendered the room before her into monochrome shades. The place was silent and still, with table set out for customers the next morning and an empty stage where a band would presumably play.
A staggering pain rippled through Haru and she dropped the floor. She leant against the corner, hands stuffed over her mouth to hold back the screech as agony tore through her. Tears – how many tears had she shed today? – sprung up to her closed eyes and a whimper escaped past her lips.
She had pushed herself too far. She had lingered between worlds carrying both Toto and Muta with her. Opening portals was one thing; suspending herself and passengers in the dimension between worlds was another thing entirely. The strain left her magic shaky and her stomach fit to empty itself.
With time, the worst of the pain began to recede and her ears took in the whirring of clockwork. Her eyes eased themselves open and took stock of the shadow looming over her.
Slowly, she lifted her head up.
An animatronic bear stood before her.
It hummed with electronic life, its eyes and teeth startlingly white in the dim light, and held a (possibly fake) microphone in one oversized paw. A top hat sat, forever fixed, between its rounded ears.
It tilted its head to one side, staring down at the human. Haru's breath caught in her throat. She could see the metal endoskeleton jutting out at the elbow, the neck, and even the insides of its mouth, all startling reminders that this should be nothing more than a… a programmed toy.
And still, it stared down at her with an empty gaze that somehow seemed to focus intently on her. The electronics continued to whirr, breaking the heavy silence of the restaurant. And then, very, very slowly, it began to reach out.
Haru jolted back against the wall, shaking the tears free from her cheeks in the process.
The bear paused.
Suddenly, battle cries erupted from the far side of the room. The bear snapped away from her and disappeared down a corridor, leaving Haru frozen in the corner.
Toto and Muta swept over to her.
"Yeah! Get going, ya freak!" Muta snarled. He misjudged the distance and slammed into Haru. "What the hell was that, Chicky?"
Haru swallowed and then slowly dropped her hands away from her mouth. "I think… I think that was one of the animatronics Brody mentioned," she whispered. "Guess we are in the right place after all."
"Haru, are you okay? You look a little pale."
"I think I overstretched myself on bringing both of you along and then dawdling between worlds," she said. "I've never had to ask so much of my magic before. Usually it's just opening the portal and jumping through…" A pang of revulsion rolled through her and the remnant sickness from her over-exertion threatened to induce fresh vomiting.
"Eh, look out – she's gonna hurl!"
"I'm fine."
"Ya sound like you're about to croak, Chicky."
"I just need… a moment…" She closed her eyes and, as her breathing slowed, the disorientation began to fade. "Toto, did that… that thing have Creation magic?"
"I believe so. It looks like we're encountering another consequence of the released magic from your friend."
"If we had known it was going to create this much trouble, we should have just used the lapis lazuli in the first place," Haru noted weakly. "I guess hindsight really is 20-20." She groaned and unsteadily pushed herself up onto her feet.
"Are you ready to continue, Haru?"
"Continue where?" Muta demanded. "Where the heck are we even?"
"Our first goal should be to find Brody – and/or Baron," Haru said.
"That's all fine and dandy, but how are we meant to do that?"
Haru pointed to a black box that was secured up against the wall. The little security camera's red light bleeped as it focused on a set of purple curtains with an "out of order" sign rooted before them. "Well, there's probably someone watching the cameras, right? So if we find them, perhaps they'll be able to tell us whether Baron or Brody are around."
"If they're on security, there's probably a back room or something alike for just such purposes," Toto said. "Although, there is a good chance that this is an automated system."
"Automated or not, the security office would be a prime place to investigate," Haru replied. "Hey, Toto… what are you doing?"
"The light has stopped flashing," the crow said. He flew over to the camera and landed on top of it. He leant down and examined the machine's lens. "Do you think something might have gone wrong?"
The camera blinked back into life and there was a scream from elsewhere in the building as, whoever was keeping watch, suddenly caught sight of nothing but Toto's beady eye on their screen.
"Guess there is someone watching the cameras after all," Haru said with a guilty laugh.
"Yeah, and birdbrain's just managed to scare them witless. Going going, moron."
"It was an honest mistake, lardball."
"It sounded like the scream came from that way," Haru prompted, quickly attempting to bring the budding argument under wraps. She pointed loosely down the corridor behind them. It was dark – no surprise there – save for the flash of the safety light. What little they could see of the scene was of tiled floors and old children's drawings pinned to the walls. It was probably cute, in a manner of speaking, during the day.
"Geez, I just hate creepy dark passages."
Haru started to tiptoe down the corridor, fetching a torch from her bag as she went. The newfound light yielded no breakthroughs on their situation, except for a clearer look at the children's drawings.
"You'd have thought you'd be sick of kid's stuff by now, Chicky. What with Mary and Cap and all that."
Haru shone the torch over the colourful sketches. "All these show the same… four animals," she noted, taking stock of the repeated motifs. Her light hovered over one of a bear with a top hat and a microphone. "Animatronics," she muttered.
"What?"
"Brody said the animatronics really do come to life," she repeated. "Plural. So where… are the rest?"
There was a creak of something moving in the restaurant section they'd left behind them, and Muta gave a despairing groan. "I hate it when you ask questions like that."
Haru abruptly swung her torchlight across the corridor, where it came to rest on a sturdy – if slightly dented – door. "That looks like a good place to put a security room," she said, heading towards it. She shifted her light and shone it onto another security camera resting above them. The little security light blipped.
"They can see us," Toto noted.
"Yeah… So why," she asked as she tugged on the metal handle of the door, "won't they let us in?"
The movement from the main room shuffled again, and this time there was the unmistakable tap-tap-tap of heavy feet running down towards them. Towards the guard room. But mostly towards them.
"Hey! Let us in!" Muta began pounding his paws against the door. "I don't wanna become bear food!"
From inside there was the muffled shouts of an argument – one from someone Haru hadn't heard in two years, and the other from an irate Baron. She couldn't make out the words – only the furious, desperate tones from each. She hammered her hand against the door for good measure as whatever was running towards them began closing in.
"Come on, open up," she hissed. "Any time now would be great!"
Her torchlight shone down the corridor, and so caught full site of the creature veering towards them.
Its origins were definitely that of a fox, but Haru had little time to dwell on that. Instead her eyes went to the hook it had in place of a hand and the pseudo-canine teeth fitted into its mouth. Her grip on her torch began to shake and, in the process, she caught the switch.
Their world dropped into darkness but the pounding footsteps were still coming.
She fumbled to turn it back on and, in the moment that she found the switch, the creature seemed to pause. Just barely. Just enough to see. But, perhaps, just enough to grant them a few seconds more.
"Cover your eyes, guys," she warned, and she began to flick the torch's switch with pure abandon.
The rapid fluctuation in light appeared to baffle the fox. It slowed.
Suddenly the door behind them opened and Muta fell back. Haru felt someone grab her collar and hoist her inside – instinctively she grabbed Toto and dragged him in with her. Then, just as abruptly as they had been saved, the door was slammed shut.
Haru was released and she collapsed down onto the ground. Something was banging on the door – presumably the fox – but it wasn't getting in any time soon. She groaned, looked over to the man who had just saved her, and scowled. "Took you long enough."
ooOoo
A/N: Yes, this is borrowing the characters of Five Nights at Freddy's; no, I am not trying to account for all of the lore and, no, it won't be strictly accurate to canon. When I first started on this idea, only the first FNAF had been released and so, while there may be references to the sequels, this is mostly based on the storyline of the original game.
ooOoo
Teaser: "And… what exactly do they do when they attack?" "They stuff you inside an unused animatronic." "That doesn't sound so bad." / The rabbit's face was so close to the camera that, had it had breath, it would have fogged up the glass. Half-lidded, unblinking eyes stared into the screen. / He activated the spell and landed onto the floor, now half a head taller than Haru and still half-feline. That, and also shirtless. / "Miss Haru… I'm afraid I haven't been entirely honest with you. I've been selfish."