Where is that kid?
That was the thought of security officer Vanessa.
It was supposed to be a typical boring evening; just keep an eye on the animatronics, look around for any intruders, and just slack around if nothing else happens. It pays well, and she could make a decent enough living with it.
But this time, things were different.
It all started sometime after the failure of the show when Glamrock Freddy glitched out. She couldn't remember much of anything between then and now, but she was told by the dayshift guard before switching shifts that a child, a boy that looked no older than ten or twelve, was inside the building and needed to be found and taken to safety.
So, here she is: searching for the boy that still roams around the pizzaplex, always one step ahead of her.
"Little boy?! Where are you?!" she called out, not expecting much of a response.
She kept searching and searching until she arrived in an area known as Rockstar Row, where the green rooms of the animatronics reside in. She looked inside each of the rooms, seeing that all of the animatronics were inside their rooms: Chica was practicing her guitar solo, while Roxanne Wolf was talking to herself, saying stuff like,
"You are the best. Yes, you are! They loved you!"
Monty's room was covered, but everyone could hear the sound of thrashing and beatings coming from inside. Vanessa shook her head: she wondered why the people on top of the company bothered giving them personalities to this extent. They never had to before.
Lastly, she arrived at Freddy's green room. She noticed the animatronic standing on his little mini-stand. He was shut down while his systems were rebooting after today's accident. She hoped that Freddy would recover soon.
Suddenly, she was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of something coming from the other end of the Rockstar Row, where cardboards are standing. Curious, Vanessa walked towards the end. Shining her flashlight there, she scanned the area slowly yet thoroughly.
Then, as she approached one of the boards, she heard the sound again. It sounded like the cardboards sliding down. Vanessa shined her light in the direction.
There, trying to hold up one of the boards to prevent them from falling, was a twelve-year-old boy with brown hair, a cut on his cheek, and a blue shirt and short jeans.
"There you are, kid." Vanessa went. The boy, eyes widening in horror, pushed the cardboard aside and began to run. However, due to the cardboards getting him in the way, he had to slow down a bit. This was all Vanessa needed to catch him.
"Gotcha!" she went as she grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him towards her. The boy yelped in surprise and began to struggle against her.
"L-Let go of me!" he demanded. Vanessa, however, wasn't budging. Dropping her flashlight, she knelt and pulled the boy closer to her.
"Ngh! Relax, kid!" she ordered. The boy, however, did not relent. He continued to struggle while Vanessa held firm. Not even the boy's attempt to bite her hand stopped her.
"Kid, relax! Jeez! I just want to help!" Vanessa growled, growing a bit impatient.
"No! I don't-Agh! Just…" the boy persisted. Growing tired of this, Vanessa sat down and wrapped her legs around him to restrain him further.
After a while, the boy's struggle soon began to slacken, and before long, he just sat there, limp in Vanessa's arms. Vanessa sighed in relief.
"Phew. You put up quite a fight there, haven't you?" she asked, letting out a slight smile before stopping to feel the boy shivering in her grasp. She looked at him, and she saw that he was still tensed up, fear present on his face. THAT was when she noticed a cut on the boy's cheek. It looked concerning to her, with one or two small droplets of blood seeping.
"Oh my god…what happened to you?" she asked. The boy, shivering, shook his head.
"J-Just…let me go. I-I'll," he began before Vanessa gently placed a hand on his shoulder. It didn't ease him up, but it did make him look at her.
"Kid, don't worry. I'm not gonna hurt you." she said, a genuine look of concern on her face. The boy still looked tense, but he then looked at her. He could see the sincerity in her face, but a part of him still had doubts on his face. Vanessa then asked,
"I don't recall seeing your guest profile. Who are you?"
"I-I'm Gregory." the boy said, looking down.
"Gregory. Okay…well, I'm Vanessa, the security guard of this place. Now, what are you doing here, and who did that to you?" she asked, pointing to his cheek. Gregory frowned as he lifted his hand and placed it on the cut.
"I-It's her! This crazy lady wearing a rabbit costume had been chasing me for a long time, and she almost…almost got me! I-I had to hide in here so I would lose her." he explained. Vanessa looked at him in alarm.
"Are you for real?" she asked. Gregory nodded rapidly.
"Y-Yeah! I swear. I haven't seen her since I nearly got stabbed to death, so I dunno where she is now. B-But she's probably still in here." he replied. Vanessa hummed with a nod. Eyeing the cut and then at her watch, she stood up and approached him.
"We've still got some time before the pizzaplex closes down. If you come with me, we can get your cut patched up and get you out of here at the same time." she explained, reaching a hand out to him. Gregory looked at her, stepping back a bit.
"B-But I don't trust you. H-How do I know you won't take me to some room where you'll torture me or something?" he asked. Vanessa blinked in surprise.
"W-What? Why would I do any of that?" she asked. Gregory looked down.
"All the adults I've met before really wanted to hurt me, like that rabbit lady. And I don't really know you that well." he said, crossing his arms.
Vanessa frowned upon hearing this, wondering how the boy could find his way around without his parents or guardian. Putting those thoughts in the back of her mind, she told him,
"Really sorry to hear about all that, Gregory. But I can assure you; I would never do such a thing. Believe me when I say I understand how you feel."
"Y-You do?" asked Gregory.
"Yeah. My life was uh, pretty rough as well. So…yeah. Let me help you, Gregory. We can get you fixed up and out of here soon." she said, a small smile on her face as she extended her hand to him. Gregory looked at her, then at her hand. He still had a distrustful look, but he nodded, not taking the hand.
"Alright. Let's just head to…wherever you want to go." he said. Vanessa's smile faltered slightly, but she lowered her hand and nodded.
"Alright. Now, follow me! I know a shortcut." she said as she walked ahead. Gregory frowned a bit.
"I'm already feeling like I'm gonna regret this." he said as he followed after her.
The two walked through the utility tunnels and climbed down the stairs. Vanessa's flashlight helps to light the way. Gregory stayed close to her, but not too close.
Suddenly, as they went to one floor, there was a sound of something metallic climbing up the wall. It went by very fast, so Vanessa could not flash her light toward the source in time.
"Tell me I wasn't the only one who heard that." she said. Gregory nodded.
"I heard it too. What was that?" asked Gregory.
"I dunno. Something probably fell. Let's keep moving." Vanessa instructed before walking forward. Gregory looked skeptical, but he followed.
Soon, they arrived at the utility floors and walked through the tunnels. Gregory looked around, looking at the scenery around him.
"So this is the utility tunnels?" he asked. Vanessa nodded.
"Yep. Goes everywhere from Monty's Gator Golf to Roxy's Raceway to Bonnie Bowl, you get the idea. I take it you haven't been here yet?" she asked.
"N-Nope. Never liked dark spaces like thi- Woah." Gregory explained before stopping upon seeing a strange sight: on the other side of a chain-link were a group of S.T.A.F.F bots surrounding another, more damaged bot. Vanessa noticed too, and she placed a hand on his left shoulder.
"They're S.T.A.F.F. bots. I don't know what's going on here, but just stick close and they'll leave you alone." she said as she pushed him forward. Gregory moved his shoulder away from her and the two walked off.
Vanessa suddenly remembered something. She stopped and looked at him.
"Over there is a medical station. We can get your cut fixed up." she said.
"T-There's no time. I'll manage." Gregory protested, but Vanessa didn't give in an inch.
"Doesn't matter. I said we'd be patching it up, and we'll do it. Plus, I don't want that cut to get infected." she said as she took his hand and sped towards a nearby medical office. Gregory winced at her grip, but he didn't put up much of a resistance as she dragged him there.
When they arrived, Vanessa got to work. She placed some disinfection liquids on a cotton ball and moved toward Gregory.
"This may sting a bit." she reminded. Gregory nodded and closed his eyes, preparing for the pain. Vanessa slowly pressed it against the cut, and Gregory clenched his fist and teeth, wincing and whimpering at the sting. Vanessa winced as well, but she held firm.
"I know, I know. Sorry. But I gotta do this." she said apologetically.
"Agh! Be gentle!" Gregory said, wincing as she tapped it again. Vanessa gave a mirthless chuckle.
"I'm being as gentle as I can, kid!" she said.
Gregory wanted to say more, but he didn't want to risk provoking her anger. So he said nothing and just let her do her work.
That was when they heard footsteps coming in their direction. Vanessa and Gregory turned in the direction, and the latter grew tense. Vanessa, on the other hand, grew annoyed.
"It's probably one of the animatronics. Hold on, I've got this, Gregory." she assured as she stood up straight and turned in the direction of the noise again. The footsteps got closer until the source of the footsteps was revealed.
"Hello? Is everything alright here?" the warm voice of Glamrock Freddy came out as the bear walked into view. Gregory tensed up, but Vanessa merely raised a brow.
"Freddy. What are you doing here? You're supposed to be on lockdown." she asked. Freddy blinked.
"I woke up shortly after you walked past and my scanners detected a child in distress. I wanted to see if they're alright." Freddy said before looking past her to see Gregory, who shifted in unease at his gaze.
"Well, don't worry about it. He's safe with me. Just head back to your room. Parts and Service have you on reduced power for safety reasons." she said, shaking her head. Freddy's eyes grew a bit concerned.
"A-Are you sure? I can help." Freddy insisted. Vanessa, however, remained firm.
"Freddy. I said we're fine. Just head back, alright?" she snapped. Freddy frowned a bit before he straightened himself up.
"Alright, Officer Vanessa. See you soon." he said before looking at Gregory, eyes lighting up slightly.
"I hope you make it safely, little boy." he said with concern and hope in his voice before turning around and walking back in the opposite direction. Vanessa sighed as she shook her head and turned to look at him.
"See what I have to deal with almost every night?" she asked as she knelt back down and began to place a bandage on Gregory's cut.
"Who was that? Freddy?" he asked.
"Yup. Means well, but can be a bit insistent. Honestly, he's the more tolerable of the bunch." she replied.
"Really?"
"Yeah. Don't get me wrong; they're good guys, but…my goodness. Chica constantly eats from the trash and the staff has to constantly clean her from the inside out (Don't ask me why she eats since she doesn't have a stomach), Monty Gator and his breathtaking anger-managment issues, and Roxy…My goodness. 'I am the best. Nobody else is. If they say so, then they need to die.' Or something like that."
"Heh. Something tells me Roxy needs some dick or something."
Vanessa did a takeback before laughing at Gregory's remark. Gregory just looked at her, feeling a small smile creep up on his own joke.
"W-Woah there, kid! Where did you hear that?!" asked Vanessa, still laughing.
"The streets." replied Gregory. Vanessa, after laughing a bit, began to settle herself down.
"Phew. I'm so gonna steal that and use it next time Roxy pisses me off." she said before looking at her watch, seeing that the time is now 11:45 PM.
"Oh no. Come on, we should get moving. Fifteen minutes till closing time." Vanessa instructed as she took Gregory's hand again and began to walk off through the tunnels. Gregory, taking his hand back, followed after her.
The majority of the walk was relatively quiet, but it didn't stay that way for long.
As the two people walked through the tunnels, there was the sound of more footsteps approaching them. Upon feeling the heavy feeling of the steps, Gregory noticed and tugged at Vanessa's sleeves as he eyed the fence and the mist behind them.
"Hey, I think another animatronic is coming." he reminded. Vanessa looked at him in confusion before a rough voice called out,
"Hey. Little guy."
Gregory and Vanessa widened their eyes and flinched as something pressed up against the fence. It was Monty, staring at them, hands on the fence. The boy jumped as Monty slammed his hand against the fence rail.
"Monty? Monty, why are you down here? Get back to your room." Vanessa asked. Monty didn't reply. Instead, he stepped back and busted the fences open aggressively, shocking the two humans.
"W-What's he doing?!" asked Gregory. Vanessa, pulling Gregory close to her, replied,
"I have no idea. Monty, get a hold of yourself!"
Monty didn't answer again. He just stalks them as he eyes Gregory, like a lion stalking a gazelle. Then, he charges forward and swipes at them. Vanessa and Gregory shouted as they dodged it, consequently separating them. Vanessa looked on as Gregory found himself being backed up by Monty. Gasping in horror, she got up and rushed forward, getting herself in front of Gregory and pulling out her taser.
"Monty! Get back, now!" she said as she aimed her taser at the animatronic gator. Monty tilted his head as he got closer.
"I'm warning you, Monty!" she said as the robot got closer. Gregory, all the while, was clutching onto Vanessa's side, eyes wide with terror at Monty.
"Is he alway-" he asked before he was interrupted with,
"Are you lost?"
Turning around, Gregory could see Roxanne Wolf stalking towards them as well.
"Oh, come on! Not her too." Vanessa said as she looked to see Roxanne. That was when her taser was knocked out of her hand by Monty. Vanessa yelped as she pulled her hand closer to her. As the two of them got closer, she looked for an opening for Gregory. An idea formed in her head, and she leaned down to the boy.
"Gregory, listen to me. When I say run, you run. Got that?" she whispered. Gregory looked at her, confused.
"W-What do you mean? We're surrounded, in case you haven't noticed!" he said. Vanessa didn't retort. Instead, she grabbed her baton, and with a shout, she rushed forward and whacked Monty and Roxanne. The force, while not too damaging, did manage to stun them for a moment. Seizing the opportunity, Vanessa grabbed Gregory's hand again.
"Move! Run!" she said. Gregory did not think twice as he followed after her through the halls.
"That hurt, you jerks!" They heard Roxanne call out.
"Feisty ones? Now we're talkin'." Monty taunted. But the two didn't pay attention.
Then, there was another voice.
"Lost child here."
"And who's THAT?" Gregory asked, alarmed and exhausted.
"Chica! Oh, come on!" Vanessa growled as they rushed up the stairs, the three animatronics chasing them not far behind.
Soon, they arrived at a door leading into an office. Vanessa pushed Gregory inside just as Monty was closing in. Just before he could clamp his jaw onto Vanessa's arm, the guard slammed her hand on a button, and the door closed up, leaving the animatronics out.
The two of them gathered their breaths while Vanessa went towards the screens.
"That should hold them off for now. At least until the power to this room goes out." she muttered as she checked the computer. Gregory looked at her with alarm.
"Power?! How much do we have?!" he asked. Vanessa looked at a battery-looking machine, seeing around 5 bars were lit on.
"I would say around ten minutes." she said before typing in the computer. Gregory widened his eyes, but before he could say something, Vanessa then added in,
"But don't worry. I'm just checking the cameras to see if there's an opening."
The two stood there for some time, waiting as the animatronics tried to get inside, with Monty banging on the door ravenously.
Eventually, Vanessa found an opening when she found some cameras on the left side, with the hallway ahead not having animatronics, as Chica, who had been on the left side, had left to find another way inside.
"Okay, I think we're good on the left side. You know the drill, kid." she said as she turned off the screen and walked towards the left door. Having seen the screens, Gregory followed after her, hoping that she would be right.
The two snuck across the halls, hoping they would not run into any other trouble. But at last, they arrived at the lobby, where the main entrance was at. Gregory's face lit up.
"Yes!" he said before rushing ahead towards the entrance. Vanessa smiled a bit as he saw the boy rush towards the front door. Sure she was a bit ticked that she didn't get a "Thank you" after what happened, but at least he would be safe.
That feeling went away as soon as she heard a voice on the intercom say,
"Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex is now closing. Initiating nighttime protocol."
Before anyone could react, a metallic gate began to lower down, enveloping the front doors. Vanessa gasped and rushed forward, but just before Gregory could get to the door, the gate closed down, preventing him from getting to the doors and getting out.
They were stuck…
AN: Hey everyone. Superkoola here, but you know that already.
Well, here we are. A security breach story. Now, I haven't played the game itself by this point, so I can't comment on the game as a whole, but the story, I can comment, and I gotta say…I like it, but a LOT is missing. I won't go too much, as many people have commented on this better than I could, and at this point it's like beating a dead horse, but I wish it were more like how the trailers presented it.
That said, I like the idea behind it, and now, after some thinking, here we are! I'm sure I'm not the first one to write this story with Vanessa being an ally (for the meantime, because, Vanny), but I hope I can find a way to write this without it being too similar to the game itself.
So…that's all I have to say. Hope you enjoy it, criticism is appreciated, and I hope you stick around for more.
(FNAF is owned by Scott Cawthon and Steel Wool. Art cover is SeniorArtsy)