Deus Ex Machina Ch. 2

The power was at 15% now. Any moment now, the doors would fly open and I'd be a dead man. I took another peek at the music box, winding it up again, and closing my screen. And then, it happened.

The clock rolled to six o'clock and played a small fanfare. According to the manual, the animatronics would return to their positions at this precise time. I was safe, for now. Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I quickly rolled up the user manual and tucked it behind the screen for safe keeping. Putting the lid on the box of tapes, I slid it under the desk. Finally, I placed the vent cover carefully back where it belonged.

If they asked about the door, I'd tell them the truth. I went there looking for supplies and one of the animatronics broke it off its hinges. Can't fault me for that, now can they?

Gathering my belongings, I heard the bell over the door chime, signaling that someone else was here. The day-time guard? Just as I rounded the hall, I found him staring at me inquisitively. "I see you made it through your first night. I guess my phone call was not a waste."

"Oh! You were the one who warned me. Yeah, thank you so much for that." I offered him my hand to shake. He regarded it momentarily, as if having to consider what to do with it. Then, his hand grasped mine. "My name's Justin. You?"

"Mike."

"It's nice to meet you Mike," I began, up until a horrid stench filled my nose. Oh God, was that this guy? He smelled terrible! It was like something had died. Maybe he saw my expression, because he immediately pulled his hand away, but not before I got a glimpse at it to see that his skin was a dark bluish-purple. "You get into a fight?" I asked, gesturing to his hand. He didn't say anything, but he averted his eyes. "Ah, sorry. I wasn't meaning to pry. Look, as far I'm concerned you saved my life last night. I think that earns you a bit of loyalty. I'm not gonna rat on you or anything."

"...Rat on me?"

"Yeah, you know. Tell on you? Simply put, I'll keep your secrets, assuming of course that such secrets don't concern me."

"I see. Thank you."

"Don't mention it. Just uh…" I paused, looking to make sure the manager hadn't come in right behind him. "Look, I'm trying to find something here. If I stay here a bit longer and watch some old security tapes, would you mind?"

At this, Mike's lips curled into a grin. It was a bit unnerving given his pallid complexion, but still, a smile was a smile. "Sure thing. I won't...rat on you?" His last part was asked inquisitively, as if he weren't sure he was pronouncing the words correctly.

"Great. I really appreciate it."

And so, the two of us sat in his office to begin his shift. Now that it was daylight, the store was fully charged again. If the manager walked in, I'd catch a glimpse of him on the screen. I was lucky to have met Mike, otherwise things could be bad. Really bad.

As the first tape neared completion, there still hadn't been any visitors to the restaurant. I guess they weren't doing so well lately. I hadn't found any evidence on Casey's whereabouts either. But, as difficult and unlikely as it was, I could sense her around still. She wasn't dead...yet. And after nearly 10 years, I reasoned, whoever still had her probably didn't intend to kill her.

Pulling out the tape, I placed it back in the box and selected the next one, repeating the process. "What are you looking for?" Mike suddenly asked me.

"A friend," I explained. "She used to work here, but then she went missing."

Mike was silent for a moment before sighing. "You never heard then."

"Heard what?"

"About William Afton."

The name echoed in my head. For some reason it sent a chill down my spine, but I knew exactly where I'd seen it. "He's the one who made the animatronics, right? What does he have to do with all of this?"

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but your friend is dead. Most likely, her body is long gone."

"Hey, they never found a body. So long as that's the case, I won't believe she's gone."

"Why?"

I gave him a strange look. Could he really not understand? "Because, you have to have hope, you know? Her parents already had a funeral for her. Buried an empty casket. Her friends held a candlelight vigil and that was the end of it. If I stop looking for her, if I give up hope, that's the end. She'll fade from memory. No one will even remember her name. As far as I'm concerned, that's when she'll really die, and worse that would make me the one who killed her." Running my hand through my hair, I frowned. "Sorry, didn't mean to get all deep there."

"No need to apologize. Actually, I appreciate the answer. I think I'm beginning to understand you more, now."

"Anyway, you were saying about William Afton?"

"He was my father."

"What?"

"My mother had me, but he refused to acknowledge me as his own. He abandoned me, and never spoke to me unless he needed something. He was always like that. People weren't people, they were tools to be used. Don't get me wrong, he was a brilliant man, but he was hardly kind or innocent."

"Sorry to hear that. So what happened?"

Mike went to scratch his face, causing that awful stench to roll off of him again before he thought better of it and placed it back in his lap. "Well, he was obsessed with finding the elixir of immortality. He decided that the answer lied in robotics. Thus he created Afton Robotics, Inc. From there, he offered his services to Fredbear's Pizzeria."

"The animatronics," I noted.

"Correct. However, they had a sinister purpose. He'd use them to lure children away, after which, he'd steal them and use them in his awful experiments. They didn't survive. None of them survived."

Again, a chill wind blew through me. "How do you know all this?" I asked.

"My siblings," he explained. "A younger brother and a younger sister. The only two children in the world that William Afton cared about." He looked directly at me, and that was when I noticed a faint purple glow in his eyes. "They also didn't survive."

"Jesus," I murmured. "And they never caught him?"

"They came close a few times. He was even arrested once, but with no evidence they couldn't make the charge stick."

"Where is he now?"

A wry smirk appeared on Mike's face. "That is a difficult question to answer. No one has set eyes on William Afton in years. Those who knew him are certain that he's still around somewhere. Hiding in the shadows like some sort of boogeyman." The day guard began coughing roughly, so I offered him my water. He pushed it away, instead leaning over the trash can and spitting into it.

I tried not to notice the black and yellow hue of the bile. When he sank back into his chair, he was breathing heavily, though surprisingly his chest didn't move. "Are...you okay?" I asked.

"That depends entirely on how you define 'okay'," he answered. "If you are concerned for my wellbeing, there is no need. I am…'okay'."

"If you say so," I replied.

Mike extended his arm towards the screen, pointing at a figure that was shambling across the dining room floor. "That is William Afton."

Leaning closer, I saw there was a familiar gleam on his chest. A badge? "He was a security guard here, too?" I asked in surprise.

"Of course. How else would he be able to get away with all of his mischief?"

I stared at him intensely. Mike was right. This guy was definitely to blame. Something about him rubbed me the wrong way, and I didn't like the way he was staring at Casey in the videos.

That's when I saw him beckon her after him. With a confused expression on her face, she turned, following him towards the office. My eyes shifted to the next screen, waiting for them to appear in the bathroom hallway...but they never did.

"What the…?"

"Something wrong?"

"Yeah. They disappeared on the cameras."

Mike moved closer to examine the footage with me. I tried hard not to reel away from the horrible smell. "You're right. They should have shown up here." Pulling out the layout of the building, he ran his purple finger along the map until he reached the bathroom hallway. "Here," he pointed. "They're standing here."

Sure enough, they were barely visible on the cameras. Then they walked towards the wall and disappeared completely. "What's next to that hallway?"

"Nothing."

My eyes widened at the realization. "The safe room."

"What's that?"

"The safe room! I saw it in the user manual for the animatronics. It's a room they're not allowed to enter. That's probably where I'll find my next lead. Thanks Mike."

Now with a new place to examine, I figured I'd call it a day. I wanted so badly to check it out right then and there, but there were multiple obstacles for that. Firstly, children were starting to pour into the building. Secondly, I had no way of entering the room. Most importantly, however, was that I wasn't even supposed to be in the building at the time. Mike was already in enough potential trouble as it was. The last thing I wanted was to repay his kindness by getting him chewed out.

I gave him a grateful nod as I stood, moving towards the exit. He returned my gesture with a friendly wave, but I could see a slight sadness there, too. Maybe if the dude showered more often, he'd have more friends. Then again, if he was getting paid peanuts like I was, he probably couldn't even afford that.

When I returned that night, I once again checked the front doors to ensure they were locked before going to examine the animatronics. Standing before them, I stared up at Chika, Freddy, and Bonnie.

"Alright you three," I growled, hoisting the fireaxe I'd brought over my shoulder. "We need to come to an understanding. I'm not a mascot. I'm not getting in a suit. And so help me, if you even so much as show up within swinging distance of me tonight, I'll rattle your bolts so hard you'd think you were in an earthquake. Got it?"

When they simply stood there frozen, I gave a dissatisfied huff. Still, I went to the hallway that Mike and I'd marked on the monitor. Sure enough, one of the walls was a different sort of decoration than the rest of them.

Well, no time like the present. Standing in the blindspot of the cameras that Mike and I had discovered, I began swinging the heavy axe over and over again. The sound of shattering porcelain filled the hall as the tiles crumbled under my blows. Sure enough, I could see a trace of wood behind the decorations.

It took nearly half an hour before I'd managed to uncover enough that the doorknob was visible. Just as I went to touch it though, the phone began to ring madly in the office. With a sigh, I lowered the axe, moving to my actual post and picking up the receiver.

"Hello? Justin? Are you there?" Mike's voice rasped over the line.

"Yeah, Mike. What's up?"

"Did you manage to find the door?"

"Yes. I was just about to open it when you called."

"Don't do that."

I paused in bewilderment. "Don't do what?"

"Don't open the door."

I sighed, scratching my cheek. "Mike, I've come too far to back out now. Answers could be on the other side of that door."

"The only thing behind that door is a monster best to let lie. I'm trying to warn you, Justin. The thing that's in there is not human. It's not even animatronic. All it is now and pure evil given form. Stay away from that door."

Glancing at the clock, I saw it was still only an hour into my shift. Checking the CCTV screens, the animatronics still had yet to move. It was now or never. "Sorry, Mike. I can't do that."

"No, Justin! Wait! Don't let him–"

I cut him off by hanging up the phone. Returning to the door, I rattled the knob before finally pulling on it hard enough that it made a tired groan, revealing a very dark, dimly lit safe room. Animatronics couldn't enter the room according to the manual.

Turning on my flashlight, I ran its silvery beam across the floor, seeking this supposed monster. Sure enough, the room was filled with the horrid stench of decay. This must have been where Alton stashed the bodies.

How on earth would he have gotten them in here without anyone noticing though? I walked in carefully. When my light at last came upon one of the animatronic suits, a worn gold-colored Bonnie model, I jumped nearly a foot in the air.

Suddenly an unearthly shriek came from behind me. I turned to see Freddy, horrifying maw open and lunging at me. I cried out, flinching away, but he just stopped dead outside of the room.

My heart was threatening to burst from my chest as I watched Freddy struggle to push past an invisible wall. "Ha! You can't come in here!" I gloated. "Take that you stupid machine. Safe room: 1, Freddy: 0."

"Get in your suit!"

"Not a chance," I snarled. "I already told you! I'm not a mascot and I don't need a costume!"

"Please, Mr. Security Guard," Chika chimed in, appearing behind Freddy. "We're not trying to upset you, but you have to follow the rules! We all do."

I spun around on display for them. "Look, animatronics can't enter the safe room, right? Yet, look, I'm in the safe room. Don't you get it?"

"He's talkin' nonsense," Bonnie huffed. "Animaltonic? What is that, some new sort of soda for the kiddies?"

"Enough!" Freddy barked. "Come out of there and get into your suit! Now!"

"And if I don't?" I challenged. "Maybe I'll just wait here until sunrise. You three will have to go back on stage, and I'll be free to do as I please all over again." Just as Freddy was about to make another order, his glowing glassy eyes passed me to look at something behind me.

"What in the…?"

I wheeled about to see that the Golden Bonnie was starting to stand up. Bits of fabric were dark red, and through some of the wear and tear I could see bits of purplish crimson. Oh God, someone was inside of it.

"I really must thank you, night guard," it said in a raspy voice, mouth not even moving. "I've been locked in here for so long. I thought I'd all but been forgotten."

I took a step back, finding myself sandwiched between this new abomination and the animatronics outside. As he advance on me, all of the animatronics backed away, pressing against the far wall.

When I glanced over my shoulder, I could see them even trembling. Why were they so scared of this thing? Could they even feel fear? Their expressions seemed to say so. This was bad news. If this thing terrified the animatronics, how was I supposed to feel?

"Who are you?" I demanded.

"I lost my name decades ago when I stopped being human."

He had been human once? Mike's words echoed in my brain. "You're him," I murmured. "You're William Afton."

"No. William Afton died long ago. I am his legacy. I am his progeny. I am the only thing he has left. I. Am. Springtrap."

With that, he lurched towards me, arms extended as if to grab me. "Stay away!" I demanded, lifting the axe. "You're going to tell me what you did with Casey, you monster. Where is she?!"

Chika's eyes closed briefly. "Casey!" the name echoed in her head. Casey? Had she known Casey? Her databanks held many names of many children. Ones who's birthdays she'd sung at, one's who confided in her their biggest secrets...but none named Casey.

Freddy nudged her side, drawing her attention. "Chika. The guard," he said in a hushed tone. "He's about to step out. Now's our chance to grab him and get him in costume."

If Chika was capable of it, she'd have frowned at him. Something told her that the guard was the least of their concerns at this point. The other Bonnie didn't exactly seem friendly. Something about him made her joints twitch.

Just as Springtrap was within arm's reach of me, I swung with the blunt side of the axe, striking him hard in the side of the head. There was a heavy clang as the endoskeleton inside rattled. My strike had managed to stagger him, but other than that it did nothing.

I didn't want to use the blade. If I killed him, I'd never find out where he hid my friend. He straightened, giving a weathered cackle that sent small clouds of dust and rotted fabric from his face and into the air.

He came closer again, but this time, I heard something else. The fast rhythmic pounding of one of the animatronics. Foxy! I ducked just in time. His hook swung out, embedding into the concealed door frame and becoming stuck.

"Foxy!" Chika chirped. "WHat are you doing?"

"How's a pirate supposed to get any shut eye with all this yapping?!" he demanded, bracing his foot against the wall and trying to pull his arm free.

"Ah, Foxy. You were always one of my favorites," Springtrap noted.

"Aye? Well, we'll see how much of a favorite I am when I take my hook and gut you like a fi–-" He didn't manage to finish the sentence. Just as I rolled out of the way, Afton grasped Foxy's head in his hands and with a horrible screeching noise, crushed it as if it were a coke can.

Sparks zapped out of the inner mechanisms of the animatronic before it fell limp, hook still buried in the wall. "Oh shit…" I muttered.

"Come now children," Springtrap cooed, beckoning to the other animatronics. "Don't make me have to chase you. I'm getting far too old to play these games."

"Foxy is irreprable," Bonnie murmured in shock. "He broke Foxy."

"It doesn't matter," Freddy said. "We can worry about that after the guard is in his costume."

"I'm not getting in the damned costume!" I snapped at him. "Don't you think we've got bigger problems right now? Like the fact that this guy just killed your friend?!"

Killed…

Understanding sank into Chika's consciousness. Death. Killed. To be taken away before it is time. Unable to return or to speak to anyone again. It was horrible. This was what the guard thought would happen when he put on the costume? It's no wonder he was so set against it.

"No volunteers?" Springtrap asked. "Fine. Looks like the guard goes first."

I tried to swing the axe again, but this time, he caught it. With a whir of mechanized joints, he crushed the handle into splinters and tossed it away as if it were a toothpick. I stepped back again, now out in the hallway.

"Got you," Freddy growled, reaching a massive hand towards my shoulder. Before he could touch me though, Chika suddenly wrapped her arms around his, stopping him from grabbing me.

"Guard, run! To the office!" she instructed me. She didn't have to tell me twice. I ducked under the completely bewildered Freddy, avoiding Bonnie's last ditch attempt to restrain me. Springtrap, however, was much faster than I gave him credit for. He began to give chase, moving past the animatronics with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

Just as I went to get to the office, he raised his hand and the door slammed shut in front of me, locking me in the hall way. Oh God, he could control the electronics! I was dead. I was so dead.

He stalked me down the hall until I was backed into the corner. "Game over," he said, raising his massive metal fist high in the air.

"Don't even think about it," a feminine voice whispered just behind me. Springtrap froze, stumbling back. "Remember me, William?"

I looked over my shoulder to see the Marionette, looming over me. Hell! I'd forgotten all about the music box! "You! I killed you! Why aren't you dead?!" he demanded.

"You may have killed me, William, but you can't kill the idea of me. You taught me that. Right before you murdered our son and daughter."

"What?! No! I didn't. I loved them! I'd never have…"

"You claimed to love me, too...once. But now, it's payback. You will burn in hell where you belong, WIlliam."

With that, the two broke into a fierce battle. The puppet, despite not having any real method of standing, took Springtrap to the ground. The two rolled in a tussle as the door to the office suddenly flew open.

Before I could even begin to formulate a plan on how to help the marionette, not to mention to consider if I should, I saw Springtrap break free and take off towards the door.

No way out, he was locked in. Or so I thought until I heard the loud crash of shattered glass. "He escaped…" The puppet hovered there for a moment before the mask turned to face me. "You set him free. This is your doing. You must be punished."

"Wh-what?! I'm on your side! That was crazy! William Afton's been locked in here for decades? That's not possible!"

"There are only three sides. Living, dead, and soon to be."

I'd no intention of joining Team Dead nor Team Soon To Be. Just as I managed to slide into the office, I shut the door behind me. I fumbled for the remote, trying to find the controls for that damned music box.

"This won't stop me. Nothing will prevent me from getting the justice I seek," the Marionette calmly stated as she phased through the wall. Just as she did though, I snagged the remote and pushed the button as hard as I could. There was a whir off in the distance followed by the sound of a faint melody.

Immediately, the puppet froze, her void-like eyes gaining a pin-point light of recognition. Her head swiveled towards the source of the noise, and as if in a trance, she began to float slowly back to her resting place.

I collapsed into the chair with a sigh, taking a look at the cameras. Damn it, now I was really in trouble. I chopped open a secret room, let a murderer escape, caused Foxy to be irrepairably damaged, and broke the front door. Haha...I was so fired.

Meanwhile, Chika, Bonnie, and Freddy loomed around the mangled scrap that was their friend. "Foxy, are you all right?" Bonnie asked. "He's not moving gang. Maybe he's drained? Typically it takes him a few days to recharge, you know?"

"Maybe," Freddy agreed.

"He's gone," Chika spoke up, causing the other two to look at her in bewilderment. "That's it. He's gone, and he's not coming back. He was...killed, as the night guard said."

"Killed? What does that even mean?" the rabbit snidely shot.

"Exactly what I said. He's gone, and he's not coming back. He can't come back. He's...permanenlty broken," she tried to explain, unable to come up with the right words to make her friends understand.

"Chika, why did you stop me from grabbing the night guard?" Freddy asked, not paying any attention to her explanation. "We almost had him in the costume. Now it's going to be even more difficult to get him out of there."

The yellow animatronic crossed her arms over where her stomach would be, accenting her mechanical breasts. "I...I don't know," she answered. "Just, something inside of me told me I shouldn't let you grab him. That doing so would be bad for him."

"Oh my God…" Bonnie murmured. "His damaged processor must have a virus! It's spreading! Soon, Chika will get out of her costume! Then who's going to be next? Me? Freddy? Foxy?!"

"Foxy's gone," Chika attempted to remind him.

"See?! He's clearly not gone, Chika. He's right here!" Bonnie leveled his purplish arms to indicate the collapsed machine. "C'mon Freddy. Let's put in maintenance orders. Both Chika and Foxy need repairs it seems. Best to keep an eye on each other too. Who knows when it may turn up worse."

Chika gave a sigh of surrender as her companions automatically sent out the remote signal for extraction of her and the pirate. She was not fond of getting repairs, but if it was what was necessary to get rid of this awful buzzing in her cervos, then she'd gladly take it.

Springtrap managed to hobble into the rental facility just before collapsing on his face. He then attempted to crawl, his legs no longer functioning correctly. However, he froze when a red stiletto heel came down just in front of him.

"Hey there, Billy. Good to see your face again," the woman said. For a moment Afton didn't say a word. All he could do was stare up at the beautiful thirty-something in absolute shock. But this was impossible. She should have been dead or at the very least in her 60's. "Surprised? Don't be. I have you to thank after all. Now, come on. Let's get you all fixed up, hmm?"

He didn't even have the strength to protest as she easily lifted him onto his feet, slinging his arm around her shoulders and helping him lip further into the complex.

To be continued...