Returning to Rockstar Row was like a big relief. She waved politely to the animatronics as she passed by their rooms until she reached Freddy's room. He was still standing by the window waiting for her, he smiled and waved to her enthusiastically. She smiled at him as his excitement whenever he sees her was a privilege to her. She can't remember anyone ever being like that with her in her whole life. It really was nice and yet strange to her, but she definitely was not complaining. As she walked through his door, Freddy extended his arms to hug her, she walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his chest happily, feeling the warmth of his body around her and she felt herself relax.
"Looks like we have about an hour before I have to do a final sweep, unless you get called down to Parts and Service. Who is getting the maintenance done tonight anyway?" Saphira looked up at him curiously she assumed it was the same as last week.
"Bonnie, Foxy and Roxy get theirs tonight…although…" Freddy placed a hand on his stomach hatch and Saphira glanced at it slightly. "I had balloons in my stomach hatch today, they popped before I could give them to a child. I think some of it is stuck, I've asked Cliff for a maintenance check and he's agreed."
"Balloon pieces can be real nasty," Saphira said with a smile, patting his stomach gently and walked around him to take a seat on the couch. "Don't tell me it has been like that all day though."
"No, not all day. Half of the day it has, and when they popped, some of my parts haven't been moving as well as they should. At least, that is what it feels like to me." She was still amazed at how in tune they were with their own bodies. It was a good thing honestly, that way problems could be dealt with when found. "Other than that, the rest of my body feels good. I'd ask you to help right now, but after Roxy…it is best we do not try anything."
"I agree." She glanced at the seat beside her and smiled at him, she pats the space beside her. "Come and sit next to me. We should enjoy taking our feet off for the night."
"I'd like to, but sitting makes me uncomfortable right now. I tried sitting before, and the balloon pieces seemed to get tangled more. I'd rather stand for the time being. Sorry Saphira, I want to, but I just can't right now."
She was surprised the balloon pieces were causing this much of an issue for Freddy. But she knew those plastic pieces could be a big issue, so it was not really a surprise in a way. "It must be bad…well, I will definitely be helping with that so you're feeling as good as new."
"I know you will." Freddy smiled at her. He tilts his head slightly. "Huh…for some reason, my scanners detect you are broken." She blinked in surprise, she did not think he would pick that up. "Are they malfunctioning, or are you hurt?"
Saphira shrugged and curled her fingers a little to hide the redness in her palms. "It is nothing serious Freddy. I just tripped on some stairs that is all."
"Will you need the first aid station?"
She shakes her head at him. "No, first aid won't do anything now. I will be fine, don't worry Freddy."
Freddy was silent for a moment, he was thinking whether or not to believe her. "Did you injure yourself in the utility tunnels?"
"Uhhh…no, no," Saphira responded quickly. "Like I said, it is no big deal Freddy. It's just a bruise. It will go away within a couple days." She did not want to tell him she heard a clown in the utility tunnels and that was the reason why she was injured was because she ran out of the tunnels fearing she was being chased. "If I was not here and at the hospital instead, then it would be a bigger worry."
Freddy didn't know what a hospital was, he has heard the word a few times when guests were injured and needed to leave for further medical attention. But as far as he knew, a hospital was for very bad injuries and it didn't sound good to him. "I guess so. I would not be able to see you if you were somewhere else."
"Yeah. So don't worry. I am fine." She glanced at her watch as she heard an alert coming from the bathroom in the atrium. She hummed, checking the cameras and saw a cleaner bot laying on the ground, surrounded by water. "Oh…pfft…a staff bot has broken down again."
"Oh that was the alert. Huh, those bots break down way too much. They need someone like you to properly maintain them." With her access to the robotics area in Fazcade, she definitely could repair them if she wanted to. But it would probably get thrown out. "That is…if your fear of them isn't stopping you."
"It isn't. But, they are creepy the way they twitch when they damaged like that." Saphira figured she should let the technicians know, but she saw Cliff and Marian entering the bathroom. "Looks like they're done with their task in Parts and Service."
"You were spying on them?"
She looked at him as he sounded so surprised. "Freddy, it's my duty to keep the technicians in check too. If they are doing something wrong, I need to make sure to report it. That's what Darren told me. And looks like there's only three on tonight anyway."
"Yeah, the others went home earlier. Though usually, Dave does not. He usually is helping with the maintenance, but I assume he has something else to deal with." That is what Saphira thought, at least she didn't have to worry about him. "I think it will be good so he doesn't annoy you or Marian. I still remember seeing him covered in oil. That was hilarious."
"Yeah, that would have been really funny and satisfying to see. It feels a little less crowded since he's not here." Saphira watched Marian and Cliff through the cameras, they had deactivated the bot and were carrying it away from the bathroom. She assumed the bot would be thrown out. "Still…"
Her thoughts lingered on what happened in the utility tunnels. Someone was there. An actual person, not just a doll. They sang to her, laughed at her and they probably were right next to her and she could not see them. She changed the camera view to the utility tunnels to try and find the person, though she did not expect to find them. She was sure the person had already left there, and she was being paranoid.
"Everything will be okay super star. Tonight will be an easy night for you." If only he knew! Saphira wanted to tell him, but what good would it even do? "As you know already, Monday and Tuesday are quiet. You have less to do tonight than you did last week."
She smiled at him, appreciating that he was trying to keep it enthusiastic. "You are right Freddy. I definitely will enjoy tonight and tomorrow night, you will start hearing me complain about people on Wednesday night though. But that is perfectly normal. The weekend will always be the worst for annoying people."
"Indeed. Oh…" Freddy glanced away in surprise for a moment. "Cliff just messaged me, he wants me to head to Parts and Service now. Roxy, Foxy and Bonnie will be on their way too. Seems like they want to get started."
Damn! Saphira hoped for more time alone with Freddy. "Hmm…and we barely got ten minutes…"
"I know super star, but I have to go when he asks me too. You will see me down there soon." Freddy turned away to head to the back of his room. "Cliff may talk to you soon too Saphira, but he'll want to ensure you do your duties first."
"Yeah…alright, I guess I will see you down there Freddy." She smiled as he glanced back at her and gave her a wink. "If only the pizzaplex closed sooner, this would not be a problem."
Freddy chuckled at her and nodded. "I think if that was the case, you would say the same thing as you might have to start earlier. That is a very wishful thought."
It sure was. "You are right…I am happy with everything as it is."
The door of the back of Freddy's room closes, but that does not stop Freddy from talking through the Fazwatch. "Aside from the clowns of course. If they were not here, everything would be going very smoothly."
She chuckled softly. "Yeah…don't remind me…" She stood up from the chair to leave Freddy's room, she had no reason to linger there, although she sort of wanted to. "I think I am going to get another coffee while I wait for the time to pass. There isn't much else to do right now."
"Yeah, you literally flew through going through the pizzaplex, you know your way around now. That makes a big difference compared to last week. Or, you could spend time with one of the other animatronics. I am sure Chica would love that."
Saphira did consider that. She smiled at the idea. "Hmm, I might do that…I don't though. I know going into your room is pushing the boundaries too. So I might leave that for the moment."
"I doubt you will be in trouble Saphira, you would have already been told not to since you were in my room with me on your last shift. So I would not worry super star. Chica and Monty are the only ones in their room right now since they are not on the maintenance schedule." Speaking with Monty sounded like a good idea, but she did not know if she should given how he's still behaving towards her. "You still have sometime before you need to do a final sweep of the pizzaplex before it closes."
Saphira walked over to the door of Freddy's room and stepped out into Rockstar Row. She glanced towards the utility tunnel door, half expecting to see someone, but she was relieved when she did not see anything. She did think about spending time with Chica, after all, that animatronic was pretty much her best friend.
"I think I'll get a coffee first anyway Freddy, I'll go and bother Chica afterwards." She chuckled a little as she walked through the hallway. "I am sure she won't mind."
"She will be absolutely thrilled! Don't disappoint her and not show up. I am nearly at Parts and Service, so I might not be able to speak to you. I will make sure Cliff waits for you to do the maintenance for me." Saphira chuckled, she knew he could still speak with her if he wanted. But she understood he wanted to give his full attention to the maintenance of his friends. "Stay safe super star."
She placed a hand on her chest as she felt her heart fluttering, he was still worried about her despite that he thinks everything is okay. She did hear him cut the communication from the Fazwatch and she looked to Chica's window. She chuckled as she saw Chica shoving trach into her beak, the animatronic waved at her and focused on the trash. Now was probably not the time to go in and spend time with her, Saphira didn't really want to smell the trach from Chica's beak though she might still when she goes in a bit later. Saphira walked out into the atrium, humming the theme song to herself casually, glancing around for any sign of anything unusual. Nothing. Good…or semi-good. Saphira did not know if she was still being watched or not, but she did not get that feeling anyway. Not yet, she was sure she will at some point. Upon entering her office, everything appeared to be normal and she walked over to the coffee machine to make another mocha and took a seat at the desk, she looked through the monitors and stopped at Parts and Service. She saw that Cliff, Marian and Mason were simply preparing the cylinder, the endo that they were working on before was not there anymore so the animatronics probably never got to see it. She did wonder what was done with that cleaner bot though. She watched as Cliff points to Roxy and gestures for her to get into the cylinder. It seemed she was first for her maintenance. Saphira hoped she would not have any issues this week as she was sure that being locked in her room again would not be ideal for her at all.
Saphira soon smelt the aroma of coffee in her room and turned around, watching the machine fill the cup until it finished. She stood up and walked over to grab it and sit down at the desk to sip it. She lifts her wrist and pressed the buttons on the Fazwatch to reach out to Chica. She hoped that animatronic could clean herself quickly enough so when she returned that she won't smell. She didn't know if she should have hope for that or not.
"Hey Chica, you won't mind if I join you in your room for a little bit will you?" Saphira asked through the Fazwatch.
She waited for a response, she was surprised it was not an immediate response. "Saphira! Of course you can! I was just having a bite to eat! But you already knew that, he, he, but please come and join me in my room."
"Make sure to clean that beak and hands of yours Chica, it is garbage after all." She sipped her coffee again and stood up from her chair, holding the warm cup in her hands. "You know how I feel about it."
"Yeah, yeah, I promise to be clean when you get here. Don't worry, you my word!" Chica said enthusiastically. "This is going to be so much fun! I also will recharge before you arrive so I am fully functional."
That was a good idea too. Saphira smiled and walked out of the office to head back to Rockstar Row. She didn't really consider going back and forth to be boring or annoying, she liked the exercise. She did think on what Sun told her though. She knew she would have to read into exactly what he has told her. She also wondered if she should tell the animatronics. But there was a worry that they could be hurt to get to her too. Sun never warned her on that, but…there was a possibility. Especially given how close she was with Freddy now. She shuddered at the thought of him being hurt. Maybe that was why she checked on him in Parts and Service, she didn't trust anyone. Even Cliff. She wanted to trust him, but she was worried he would do something too. If they were harmed, Saphira hoped they would not blame her for it. Monty might, but as she did not expect to be targeted this way or give a reason for it, she hoped he would not be terribly angry at her. But she did not know if that was the case or not of course.
Saphira shakes those thoughts away once she entered Rockstar Row and made her way to Chica's room. She did glance towards Monty's room, but she saw the curtains were drawn closed right now and she shrugged. She glanced at the window and she did not see Chica in her room, but she was sure that the animatronic was in her recharge station. Saphira entered her room and grimaced as the smell of garbage odor was strong. She stepped out of the room briefly because she did not know if she could stand it. That room needed a really good clean up! Saphira felt bad because she wanted to spend time with Chica, but she also did not want to feel sick while spending time with her. She rubbed her arm while thinking of what to do when the door opened, she stepped back in shock at seeing the animatronic at the door.
"Are you okay Saphira?" Chica asked with concern before gasping. "Oh! My scanners detect you're broken! Oh no!"
She stepped forward to help her when Saphira raised her hands. "No, no! I am fine Chica! That is not necessary!" She smiled at her as the animatronic stopped and looked at her with a frown. "It's just a bruise, I'll be fine. Don't you worry. I already told Freddy that."
"Well…okay…as long as he let you go, I guess it is fine." Chica was not used to letting people who were injured go without making sure they had been to a first aid station. She smiled at her and clasped her hands together. "If you are feeling good, let's go in and have fun!"
"Yeah…about that…" Saphira glanced away from Chica, feeling bad about what she was about to say. "Your room stinks Chica. I am sorry to say, but that smell of garbage is just horrible! I don't want to make you feel bad about it, but it will really make it hard for me to enjoy being in the room with you."
Chica was surprised and glanced back in her room for a moment, looking at the garbage on the floor and turned to look at her. "I did not think it would cause such a big problem. I am sorry…I can't smell yet."
"I know, I am sorry." Saphira smiled at her. "And unfortunately cleaning your rooms must not be a cleaner bot job. So that is probably why it smells so much. But…" She thought about cleaning up the room, but she needed supplies for that and she did not know where the cleaning supplies were. "If I knew where the cleaning stuff was, we could clean your room and make it sparkle."
"It would also explain why kids wrinkle their noses when they greet me here…" Chica said, rubbing the base of her beak and smiled. "I guess I will just eat the rest and that will be clean! That is the best way right?"
She chuckled at the animatronic. "I suppose for now it would be. But it will still make you smell Chica. Honestly, I feel really bad about not wanting to get into your room. I know you want to have fun, but the last thing I need is to be sick again."
"I agree…well…I'll do my best with my room Saphira. Maybe you can go and bother Monty." She was surprised that Chica would suggest that, even though it was a good idea. "I hear he had a really good day performing at Monty Golf. I think you should go and talk to him about it. He might open up to that."
Maybe, but Saphira hesitated about that. "Very well, I'll talk with him." Saphira stepped back from the door, breathing in the cleaner, fresher air of the hallway. "We will see how that goes."
"Don't be like that, Monty is a good friend. I know he's still having trust issues, but he's a good person. You already know that." Chica extended her arm to place her hand on Saphira's shoulder. "I think it will do you both some good."
She nodded and turned away from Chica, walking around to the front of Monty's room. She looked up at it and glanced at Chica's room when she heard the door closing. She sighed deeply and she was about to walk around to the door of Monty's room when she paused by the glass. She heard something, she leaned her head closer to the glass to listen. It took her a moment to realize Monty was moaning. She blinked in surprise, feeling heat on her cheeks from embarrassment. But Bonnie wasn't there with him, he was down in Parts and Service.
Hang on a second…does that mean he's…well, how did he figure out how to do that?
Saphira knew she could not go into Monty's room right now, not while he's busy. She felt super awkward and embarrassed though. If he was touching himself right now, which she assumed he was, who taught him? Did he figure it out himself? Or did he and Bonnie figure it out together? She definitely wanted to know, but she also didn't want to know at the same time. It was embarrassing and she turned away from the window, scurrying to the door.
"Aren't you spending time with Monty?" Chica's voice came through on the Fazwatch, she had seen Saphira run out of Rockstar Row and didn't know why.
"Uhh…I can't…he's a bit busy right now. I might do that another time." Saphira didn't want to give away what she might have just heard.
But she didn't think all the animatronics knew about it. But if she heard that correctly, Monty had the right equipment. And Saphira found herself trying to picture Freddy and if he had the right equipment too. Her face was very red and she felt very hot thinking about it. She returned to her office very quickly and drank some more coffee, trying to get those thoughts from her head. But she found it rather hard to. She was tempted to look through the camera in Monty's room, but that was just as bad and she knew it.
Why, why did I have to hear that? That's why the curtains were closed! You idiot Saphira! You nearly walked in on him!
Saphira couldn't stay seated and got up to go to the bathroom to splash water on her face, feeling very hot and bothered, and the very idea of Freddy having the right equipment, she realized it made her excited. She squeezed her thighs together and cursed herself for such dirty thoughts. She was a virgin! She had zero experience with another human, let alone an animatronic.
Oh god! What the hell am I thinking?!
She couldn't help but begin to giggle to herself, she really put herself in a corner of awkwardness unintentionally. She found herself pacing in her office as well, not from paranoia or fear, but rather the sheer awkwardness she had just felt. She grabbed her shirt to wave to try cool herself down and get those thoughts out of her head. She had to ignore her own temptation to touch herself because she was on duty and it would be wrong.
"Hey Saphira!" Cliff's enthusiastic voice startled her and she sat down in her chair quickly like she was about to be caught herself. "How has your night been? Don't mind me, we just finished Roxy's maintenance, it was all clear tonight. Bonnie was going to be next, but he's insisted you help, so Foxy's next for the table."
"I have been good." She was shocked at the sound of her voice, it sounded awkward and she coughed a little to speak more clearly. "Sorry, my voice sounded a little weird."
"Yeah, it did…must have just been something caught in your throat. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know the results of the reboot last night." He wanted to tell her through the Fazwatch? Okay, if it was easier for him. "It was a very strange result."
"Strange how?" Saphira asked curiously.
"Well…the results came up there was a virus lingering in the system…but when I tried to figure out what it was, it seemed like the virus had left. Like it moved or something, like a living thing. That sounds weird I know." It did sound weird, but it also intrigued her. She glanced at the computer screen as she had a weird experience too. "Funny enough, this virus has been seen in different systems. Most noticably the lights, camera, security and bot system. We are not sure what it is, it has not caused detrimental damage, but it does seem to annoy us by doing little things here and there."
A virus that was alive? How was that possible? "I've never had to deal with something like that before. I think maybe it's just one of those viruses that stick around and not do anything."
"Yeah, but spread to an attraction system like that? Nah, that never happens."
Saphira felt a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach growing. She didn't know why, but Cliff telling her this…she worried that the virus would spread to the animatronics. "What about the animatronics?"
She hears Cliff sigh deeply. "The one time we found the virus in an animatronic system, it was in Foxette's system…" Foxette?! "Personally, I would rather not tell you the details on that, Foxy here hates it when we speak about it. After all, he was there when it happened."
That was bad! Really bad! She glanced at the computer as it suddenly turned black again with a cursor appearing on it. She widened her eyes as whoever had communicated before, was about to again. She frowned at it, waiting for it to type. And it did.
Step into the frying pan, and you will get fried!
What did that mean? Saphira was about to type when it disappeared and returned to normal, making her jump back from surprise. That bad feeling she felt only grew, and she realized something. What if the virus was the person Sun was talking about? That sounded impossible, but how would it do all the things it already has done to her. That made zero sense. And…Cliff had just said some damning things…she suddenly felt very worried for him. He's been here for a long time, surely he wouldn't become part of the disappeared. Or…he was telling her because he could and was part of it. She grumbled to herself, this was way too much for her to think about.
"Sorry, I know it is all very strange. I just thought you should know. Anyway, I am about to get into the cylinder with Foxy. I'll see you iiinnn…" He paused as he was checking the time. "Oh, it's only eleven! Alright, I'll see you in an hour."
Saphira looked at her Fazwatch for a moment, thinking on what Cliff had just said. She turned her eyes to the monitors in front of her and gasped, not only was there static on them, they had started to flicker and fade between white sound and normal. She started at the monitors and widened her eyes, she could see a shape of a figure as the monitors flicker. It was a rabbit costume, or that is what it looked like, with a big creepy smile and waving in a glitchy way. She stared at it silently in disbelief until it stops and the system returns to normal. Saphira nearly was tempted to run to Parts and Service right now, but as far as she knew, nothing else has really happened. Not yet. But she had a very bad feeling about all of this.
