Author's Notes: Thanks again to Ghost and Panda for helping with these chapters. Hope you all enjoy!
Chapter 183
It's Always Been There
Neither girl said a word even when they got to the control room.
Ruby unlocked the door and gestured for Hedy to go in before she followed, the silence of the hallway broken by overlapping voices of some fairly peeved engineers.
"What the hell is wrong with you—" Alex grabbed Hedy by the shoulders and lightly shook her.
"Ms. Ruby, Ms. Fitzgerald, we really need to discuss a plan before any of us split from the group!" Afton was saying. He sounded scared and guilty, like he regretted not following Ruby before. But he likely was just too stunned by whatever happened in Baby's room to process what was happening until Ruby and Hedy were already gone.
"Honestly Mr. Afton, I have to express my concern of why you continue to let these girls–"
"These girls?! Take your fucking foot out of your mouth and shove it up your–" Alex let go of Hedy, all her attention now on Andre while Afton tried to placate both of them just enough to lower their voices.
"Language, please," Will interrupted, a little more stern for once. "I'm sure they had good reasons for conducting themselves as they did…" He shot Hedy and Ruby a glance, but shoved down the hint of irritation before it got to his mouth. "Whether or not some of us like it."
Neither Hedy nor Ruby really heard any of it, too busy staring out into the darkness they just left, that eerie feeling worse.
Ruby took one more step back into the control room and started closing the door.
A voice faintly echoed from well-hidden vents that even Ruby wouldn't have seen unless she knew exactly where to look. There were no words, just a faint tune, sounding like multiple voices humming in eerie, unnatural sync.
Ruby paused while closing the door, staring out into the darkness for a long moment and completely deaf to the argument behind her. She hummed softly as she locked the door, catching Hedy's attention sharply.
Well, it was a bit of a red flag when the teen started humming nursery rhymes.
'Ring around the rosies' set off more than a few alarms for the mechanic.
"And they all fall down," Hedy murmured, heart sinking as Ruby just stared at her.
She broke from her dark thoughts when the others continued to express their displeasure over the girls running off on their own.
Alex was seething, but her attention was on Andre and not Hedy for some odd reason. She didn't really want to engage with Hedy, even if she was worried. The others probably didn't notice.
The conversation/argument that was growing in the small room finally trickled through the girls' focus.
Did Andre just threaten to call Child Protective Services?
Ruby spun around to snap at him, worked up over what might have been a dangerously close call. The fact she couldn't be sure made it so much worse. He was the closest easy target for her frustration and he'd just painted a bright red target on himself with that comment.
Hedy rolled closer to the locked door, still barely paying attention to the others in the room. She lifted a hand to lightly touch the metal, wondering if she was imagining the feeling that someone was on the other side, doing the same thing. Leaning in. Listening.
Was it just her imagination? Just… paranoia?
She jerked back when something hit the other side, the thud too soft for the others to hear over the argument. She didn't even hear it. She felt it through her hand which then balled into a fist as her eyes narrowed.
Forget paranoia. She was being fucking taunted. Whoever it was—or whatever—had been watching her the first time. When she was alone, or thought she was.
It was playing games with them.
Well, Hedy had learned a few things from Ruby the last few months. She'd also done things she'd never imagined she could, starting from the warehouse and running through everything until Ruby's coma.
Hedy didn't play games.
Not Ruby's games.
The BANG shot through the small room, shutting the men and her friends up and rattling the thick windows, slightly.
Afton looked like he jumped out of his skin, or maybe had a heart attack.
Hedy calmly slipped the hammer back into her bag, the metal door now sporting a sizable dent. She looked unamused.
"We disabled the shocks. Hand-Unit is kicking us out for the night again," she said.
Alex frowned, confused. Maybe a little frightened. Hedy was…pissed. She opened her mouth to ask what the hell was that, but Hedy's sharp gaze cut into her before they both looked away.
"Let's get moving," Ruby spoke up, tone sharp enough to make the others obey without even realising it. "I'll walk Hedy out. You guys go on ahead."
"This conversation isn't done!" Andre tried but Afton cut in, with a concerned and confused glance at Ruby and Hedy.
"Mr. Gibson, it would do well for your continued employment if we exit the premises before continuing our discussion on just what is my business and what is yours."
Instead of backing down, Andre stared at Afton for a moment before wordlessly stooping to crawl to the elevator.
Alex crossed her arms as Afton followed the other man. For a moment, it looked like she was going to demand some answers. But something shook her resolve, and she turned to leave without another word.
When they were alone in the room, Ruby turned back to Hedy. Before she could say anything though, Timmy suddenly grabbed for Hedy's hands. She looked down at the boy in shock to find him staring at her fearfully.
"It's still there. It's always been there and I- I just didn't notice. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
"Timmy?" Ruby crouched down next to them to comfort the boy. Or try at least.
"It's still there," he whispered. "It's listening, and it's watching. It…I-I think it…likes to watch."
Hedy wondered if he was speaking so softly because he didn't want to risk being heard by whatever it was.
"It's always been there Hedy," he stared up at her with frightened eyes. "From the beginning. This whole time."
"The building?" she asked softly.
He just stared at her, his hands shaking and his grip tightening. "No."
They flinched when the sharp sound of metal on metal scraped down the door behind Hedy. Like fingernails on a chalkboard.
Timmy fell backwards away from the door in terror, falling against Ruby who barely caught him. He looked…shocked. Startled. Not just scared. He covered his mouth to keep from screaming.
Ruby quickly scooped him up, letting him tuck his cold face against her neck. She threw a dark glance at the door but moved to unlock the exit door. She was more focused on trying to calm the little boy than figure out what was freaking him out so much.
"That! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I should have noticed it!" he stammered, staring at the door. "What is it?! D-did you see—I'm sorry, Hedy! I-I should have gone with you!"
"Shhh. It's okay Timmy. It's okay. I'm okay," Hedy assured softly.
"It could have gotten you….when Ruby and I couldn't help. I'm so sorry," he was sobbing now, terrified at the possibility Hedy might have been attacked by something.
Something.
And it would have been his fault she got hurt! He couldn't save her if something happened. He would need to get Ruby and even a minute of Hedy alone could have been bad…
There was another thud, and he gasped, gripping Ruby tightly. "What is it?" he asked in terror, staring at the door.
"It's not one of the bots," Hedy said. She was sure of it. Faint taps hit the door behind her in a discordant tune. Wait… not behind her. From the vent to Ballora's room. How did it move there so quickly?
It was quiet for a moment.
"It's not….it's not a ghost," Timmy stammered, just as sure as Hedy even if his voice shook. "I can't…I can tell when there's a—" He shot the both of them a guilty glance.
Hedy tracked a faint skittering in the ceiling above them. Had those sounds always been there? Had they just… not noticed? A tap here. A quiet scrape there.
Ruby paused as she stared at the exit door. Could it get there too? Had it watched Hedy travel down there already?
"Records show a discrepancy in the number of employees leavi—"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Hedy snapped at the ceiling. She was too irritated and freaked out to really process that it did indeed stop talking. Granted the audio fizzled out like a bad speaker but it happened. Was that really the Hand-Unit just then?
Ruby glanced back at her. There was an uneasiness to her expression that Hedy didn't like.
"Was it Baby who spoke to me earlier?" she asked softly.
Hedy's gaze snapped to her at the unpleasant thought. "Was it Ballora earlier? We never saw her until the end. She didn't speak then."
The girls stared at each other for a long moment, the sudden silence in the room suffocating.
"The only bots we've actually seen speak are Bon Bon and Fredbear," Ruby dropped her voice.
Timmy let out a quiet whimper, hiding fully in her arms. "It's not a ghost," he said again. "It…it's different. It's…it's wrong…"
"But you can sense something?" Hedy prompted.
Timmy shakily nodded, refusing to blink as he tried to track the noise. He dragged his eyes away long enough to glance at the other two. "Can you?" he asked, whispering as if scared whatever that thing was could hear him.
Ruby frowned and looked at Hedy. "You're better at the 'feeling' stuff."
Hedy pursed her lips. "I haven't been trying to sense anything. The Building isn't here." She looked up. "I think…" It was unsettling how unsure she suddenly seemed.
Timmy and Hedy jumped at the sound of something scratching at the vent cover to Funtime Foxy's room. Ruby focused on that side, Betty sliding into a full-swing grip by her side.
For a moment, Hedy worried that she'd fall for the taunt this obviously was. If the teen decided to start a proper game, she'd find a way to do it. A game of cat and mouse in the vents was right up her alley.
But that wasn't why they were here and it wasn't what the bots here needed from them.
The noise stopped and the three of them didn't make a sound as they listened intently. Hedy and Ruby didn't even breathe for a few seconds.
"We need to meet up with the others," Hedy said. She didn't like the idea of Alex and the others out of her sight. And she didn't want whatever it was out there pushing Ruby a little too far. It would be all too easy to lose the teenager in this place.
Ruby nodded sharply, eyeing every corner of the room and clocking entrances. She had to force her focus on the exit door and shifted through the too-full key ring for the right one.
Timmy squirmed out of her hold while she was busy.
"Wait!" he demanded, standing between them and the door. "L-let me go first. I'll make sure it's…" he swallowed. "I'll make sure it's safe."
"Timmy you don't have to–" Hedy started.
"I do!" Timmy snapped at her, then recoiled, looking away.
Ruby and Hedy let him gather himself as he hugged himself in a self-soothing attempt and stared at the floor.
"I'm scared," he whispered. "I…I don't know what it is and that scares me…but…but I'm already dead." There was the despair that leached into his voice every time he had to admit it or remind himself. "Whatever…it…is, it can't hurt me."
No one said anything even though they wanted to. They couldn't be sure of that after all. Ruby could manhandle Michael and salt was a problem for all the ghosts. There were things that could hurt him...
"Ruby…you…you stay with Hedy." He turned and ran through the door before he could change his mind. Or before they could stop him.
Hedy shared a tense glance with Ruby. It was unsettling to see Timmy so rattled. Ruby folded her arms over her chest, falling still in that way that always made Hedy uneasy. The teen just stared at the door and waited, intense green eyes boring a hole into the metal.
Timmy stayed invisible, his gaze taking in the decrepit corridor as much as possible. The second elevator was so far away. Was it always this far?
Ghosts could see unnaturally well in the dark. It wasn't exactly like night vision. The world just looked slightly misty and greyer. Walls almost seemed to glow, but not really. It was always like that, the darker things really were, the mistier they appeared, but he (and the other ghosts he supposed) could always still see fairly well. Timmy just never mentioned it to the humans or bots because the pizzeria was usually lit just enough. It was probably the same for the other kids.
Timmy shook his head and focused on making his presence as small as possible. He was good at hiding.
Goldy never noticed him for twenty years, despite the both of them haunting the same place. He was good at hiding. But making his presence unnoticeable had the downside of limiting his own senses. He had a choice. Did he hide but remain blind to something he could use a warning for? Or did he reach out and risk giving himself away? He could still sense…whatever that wrongness was. He just couldn't pinpoint it. He couldn't read distinct thoughts or even feelings. It was unfamiliar. It wasn't a ghost.
It wasn't a bot.
It wasn't a ghost.
What was it?
Wrong. That was all he knew so far. Wrong and dangerous.
He wiped his eyes.
It could have attacked Hedy. It could have killed her. And no one would have known in time because…because he wanted to be near his dad when that wouldn't do anything useful.
Dad didn't even know he was there.
He wiped his eyes more furiously. Why did he have to be such a crybaby? That was one thing Michael got right. He was such a crybaby.
He stiffened a bit and turned his head. That wrongness was behind him now. It wasn't following him, but could it follow Ruby and Hedy if they came this way?
Timmy swallowed his fear and looked around for something. He didn't have enough energy to touch something, and the hallway was bare of objects to play poltergeist with, anyway. He hadn't really been able to do that in years, not without Ruby or even Hedy's help. But electrical things were a different matter.
He studied the controls for the "customer" elevator. It was far less complicated, technologically, than the elevator the technicians were supposed to use. Less moving parts that he could sense. He could feel the swirling electricity around the thing, but he was careful not to open up too much. He still didn't want to be noticed. If he just manipulated a bit of energy to the button…
He bit back a triumphant whoop as the elevator door opened with a ding. He didn't want to send the elevator away with Ruby and Hedy still needing to get out. He just listened, sensing as carefully as he could without opening too much.
He heard slithering. It was faint and hard to hear over the elevator doors opening and closing as he messed with the button.
It was behind the walls. Maybe it was in some kind of crawlspace behind the walls?
There were no vents he could see or any other openings in the metal around him.
He was suddenly sure that it didn't know he was here. It might not be a ghost, but with it crawling so close he got the same feeling from it that he'd felt from everyone at the pizzeria for years. Obliviousness. He'd worked hard for many years to make sure he never popped that bubble around any of the bots and especially not around Goldy. People who didn't know he was there always seemed vaguely "shielded."
It was how he'd known that Ruby was different. She never had that bubble but her aura had always freaked him out, if he was honest. Spiky and angry. She always seemed to turn in his direction no matter how well he was hiding. She'd always known when Goldy was around.
She'd been uneasy out in that hallway too but… had she just not been alone with this thing yet? Would she realise it was there if it was watching her? Or could it hide from her too?
That was a frightening thought.
Timmy pulled deeper into the darkness, falling back on the habits that had kept him hidden for decades. This thing didn't know he was here. It was looking for Ruby and Hedy.
He fought down the panic at that thought. He just had to make sure it wasn't able to ambush them.
He stopped messing with the button and the elevator doors closed. He waited in silence as the slithering and scraping sounds echoed from above him. They seemed so loud now that he was aware of them. There was a pause as whatever it was waited, listening for a hint of life. Eventually, there was a quiet bang, maybe lashing out in frustration. Then the slithering got softer and further away. He still waited a full two minutes to make sure before returning to the girls.
He should have gone through the wall and followed it. Then he could see what it was they were dealing with. But… he couldn't. He was a coward. He shoved down the guilt before he was close enough for the girls to sense it. He wasn't sure what he'd do if either of them suggested he follow it the next night.
Timmy cringed when he turned his attention back to them. Hedy was giving off waves of concern and worry. Ruby's aura was coiled tightly in on itself, though, and that was usually a sign that someone was about to get hit. He should stop her from running off after that thing. As much as he believed that Ruby could probably handle just about everything by now, (she'd survived Nightmare after all) he didn't really want her putting herself in danger when they barely knew anything yet.
Which was why he latched onto her shirt when he materialised back into the room. She looked down at him with narrowed eyes, well aware of what he was doing, but the sad, pleading eyes always worked on her so she huffed out a sigh and relaxed a little.
"It's gone for now," Timmy whispered, closing his eyes and leaning his forehead on her arm in relief.
Ruby nodded sharply, glancing back at Hedy as she unlocked the door.
Hedy pursed her lips and went through, knowing Ruby wanted to take up the back to protect her. It was necessary, but Timmy could tell Hedy was still upset that she as an adult had to let Ruby be the protector. It wasn't how the world was supposed to be, but it's how their world ended up. Hedy wouldn't say any of that, though. She knew Ruby would wrongly assume Hedy didn't trust her if she said that.
Timmy held on to Ruby but was invisible again as the three of them headed to the elevator. He didn't want to forget when they got to the surface. Accidentally revealing himself to the humans would be horrible…
Timmy tensed as the elevator started moving and he noticed when that…wrongness turned its attention to the noise again.
But even if the elevator felt agonisingly slow, they were soon out of range. They were safe. Hedy and Ruby were safe.
Hedy glanced in his direction as he shakily wheezed out a fake breath when he didn't feel the presence anymore.
"Five bucks that they're going to start yelling the moment the doors open," Ruby muttered.
"I'm not taking that bet," Hedy grumbled.
They both braced themselves when the doors opened, only to find the three still arguing. Actually, it was more Andre still arguing, Alex fuming, and Afton looking annoyed and upset as the man kept complaining about how unprofessional this all was.
"This is ridiculous, Mr. Afton," Andre stressed. "We haven't even done anything besides stand around."
Afton opened his mouth.
"How is that any of our fault?" Alex asked, grimacing as she realised she'd interrupted Afton.
Will was standing still but twisted the end of his tie around a finger as he stared at Andre. He seemed…annoyed. But he wasn't yelling.
Andre didn't give him a chance to speak and ignored Alex. "When you called, it at least sounded like you knew what we were supposed to be doing but it became abundantly clear you're either as clueless as we are or you're keeping something from us. You implied this would have some kind of risk, but do you even know what that is?"
That seemed to hit a nerve as Afton froze his fussing. "I made it clear from the beginning that I was worried about what was going on here, but that I didn't really know the details." He paused. "Perhaps I wasn't clear…Whatever I said, I knew there might be risk. I just didn't know what those risks were. I came to find out what was wrong with my animatronics and fix the issue."
"We aren't fixing anything," Andre snapped. "We aren't doing anything unless that voice says so. Why on earth haven't you told the company to just shut it off or give us admin access while we are here?"
Afton pursed his lips. "It's a bit more complicated than that. The company didn't seem to know anything about the Hand-Unit when I asked. They said it was part of the building design."
"Then contact the architect!"
"I wasn't able to reach him," Afton retorted, his tone getting slightly snappish.
"Unprofessional!" Andre snapped. Apparently he didn't care about being fired any more. "All of this! A project where you don't even know what you're doing and on top of that you bring in students and a goddamn child!"
"Mr. Gibson," Afton cut in even before Ruby could jump at Andre. "Do you wish to quit?"
It was quiet for a moment.
Hedy was shocked Ruby didn't break the pause.
"...No…" Andre glanced at Hedy, Ruby, and Alex.
Hedy blinked. Why the fuck not? Andre was clearly bothered by the lack of answers and weirdness.
Afton looked actually surprised at the answer. The two men stared at each other for a moment, each completely serious and hanging some sort of dare between them.
"If he says one more condescending thing about any of us again, I'm punching him," Ruby warned Hedy, loudly. "I've gone from being annoyed to insulted. I don't know if it's just because he's a jerk or if he's also sexist. He's got no problem treating you and Alex as if you're clueless little girls who need protection."
She sneered at Andre in disgust. "Imply that I need you to 'protect' me or 'keep me safe' one more time, asshole. And I'll show you exactly why that is the stupidest thing anyone has ever said to me. And quit insulting Hedy and Alex by constantly calling them 'students'. It's demeaning. You know nothing about any of us but you've already made quite a few assumptions."
Andre glared at her but seemed to have given up arguing with what he thought was an irresponsible teen.
She turned to go, but paused. "Also, if you do decide to follow through and call child protection services, ask for Lisa. She's got my file and it'll save a lot of people the hassle. I hope she laughs in your face when you claim little Ruby needs 'protection'."
With that, Ruby stalked off into the darkness. It made Hedy wince. Ruby dealt with people calling her a child often and it had always annoyed her. But she seemed to be downright pissed that Andre was doing something similar to her and Alex.
Andre side-eyed Afton. "You're still going to let her walk off like that? Alone in the dark?" He was pissed with the older man, some hint of sarcasm dipping in his voice.
Alex almost thought the man looked about to stalk off to walk with the teen himself.
Will huffed and glanced at Hedy. "I trust Ms. Fitzgerald's confidence." He said it unwaveringly, but he still seemed uncomfortable. Andre had a point. A weak one, but it was there.
Andre shifted and grit his teeth, glancing in Ruby's assumed direction again. "If she were my daughter, I'd be horrified at your blaise attitude toward a minor's basic safety."
There was something like guilt that flashed behind Will's eyes and he couldn't help but glance away from the other man's accusing stare.
"If you're so worried, follow her yourself!" Alex snapped, throwing her arm to the night. "See what happens!"
"After she attacked me?!" Andre wasn't that stupid, although he seemed to actually consider it."But I haven't heard one good reason why I shouldn't just call the police!"
"Oh my gosh, shut the fuck up," Hedy suddenly cut in. "What the hell is this? Care? Ruby works nights. She walks home all the time and after she knocked you on your ass I would have thought it was obvious she'd be fine. Call the fucking police if you want. My brother is a detective from a few cities over. All you're going to do is waste our time and piss Ruby off more. So shut the hell up and let me handle her safety." She narrowed her eyes at the man. "I am not a child, Andre. I'm twenty-fucking-one. I'm her guardian this week. Not Mr. Afton. And sure as hell not you!"
"That's enough from everyone," Will interrupted. "No more arguing and I'd appreciate a more civil tongue from all of you the rest of the night. I have a lot to think about…given what happened tonight. Mr. Gibson, would you join me for breakfast after we all have some time to cool down?"
Andre hesitated before nodding sharply.
Will huffed out a breath of relief as Andre headed toward Alex's car. It was her turn to drive that night.
Alex looked at Hedy for a moment as if she was about to say something else but just turned and followed.
Will lingered back with Hedy for a moment.
She eyed him, sensing he needed to say something else. She wasn't really in the mood for any more conversation though.
"Thank you…" he said.
Hedy blinked and looked at him straight on. He didn't meet her eyes though, staring off to the side at the door he just exited.
"Things are turning out a little more…complicated than I expected, Ms. Fitzgerald," he said eventually. "I…I need some time to…sort out my thoughts, but you and Ms. Ruby may be pleased to hear you might be going home very soon."
Hedy stiffened in alarm and not a bit of anger. "What?"
Was he trying to fire them? That would not go over well…
As if they'd just leave at this point.
He looked confused at her anger. "I thought…" He shook his head. "I'm sorry…I assumed you might be happy with the idea. I'm considering whether it's wise to continue this…project. I'll pay everyone in full, but I'm considering releasing the lot of you from your contracts. I may just have to come back…" He swallowed but tried to hide it. "On my own, that is."
Hedy could feel Timmy's panic. Apparently he was staying with her this time instead of following Ruby.
"I'm not scared off, Mr. Afton," Hedy said sternly. "I did my job and Ruby and I are fine. The controlled shocks are off. Granted we won't know until the Hand-Unit attempts to shock the bots without us tomorrow, but I'm confident."
"Nothing…worrying happened with Ballora?"
"No," Hedy lied a little too readily. "It was like playing Marco Polo."
He looked relieved. Maybe a little hopeful. Afton didn't say anything for a moment and still wasn't looking at her. "Thank you…f-for taking care of the shocks…"
Hedy stared at him. She tilted her head slightly, not used to that kind of genuine gratitude from anyone.
He glanced at her and suddenly laughed, almost choking on the sharp intake of air.
"What?"
"My apologies, Ms. Fitzgerald," he coughed. "I'm sorry if I made you self conscious, I was just surprised."
He shook his head sharply. "It's nothing…you just…" he chuckled. "You tilted your head a moment ago. You reminded me of one of my…" he stumbled over his words for a moment. "O-one of–a couple of my…er…my children… When they were young…"
His voice cracked. He cleared it and gestured toward the car. "Shall we?"
Hedy nodded. Self-conscious about the head tilt anyway despite his words. Goldy loved teasing her or Ruby when they subconsciously did it, fully convinced they picked it up from Foxy and possibly Mangle as little girls. Mangle likely picked it up from the older fox anyway, either from exposure when she was young or directly from Foxy's code.
Hedy was distracted by a fleeting thought. She wondered if Funtime Foxy did the confused head tilt thing.
At the car, Alex was standing by the door, knowing she was going to have to help Hedy get her chair in the boot. She might be mad at her friend, but she wouldn't be an ass like that.
William Afton couldn't sleep so he just waited in the hotel bar staring at nothing as the sky got gradually lighter and the nearby lobby more busy. He spun his glass around his finger, balancing it on the bottom edge. The bartender had left for a moment, not so subtly letting his only customer that morning know that the bar had cameras. He was friendly about it at least.
Will idly considered the temptation but didn't act on it. A drink was seeming more and more like a good idea, but he reminded himself why he was in this situation. He needed a clear head for that night.
As clear as he could manage.
He wasn't sure what happened last night. He needed to speak to his bots. He needed to understand. He tried, with Baby. But he could barely get his voice above a whisper, like a coward.
He didn't know what he expected when he decided to come here. He had his suspicions lined with guilt about what was happening but he just…didn't know at this point. He was so sure they would be okay when he…sent them away.
Maybe that was a lie. Maybe he only thought he was being thorough but subconsciously rushed the…debugging. He didn't want to call it that. It was such a weak and clinical word for that horror. He hadn't even been able to finish, his friends having to do it for him despite how he fought them.
He closed his eyes and pressed the cool glass to his forehead.
Maybe he was eager to send them away and just lied to himself. To them. He lied to all of them, whether he meant to or not. He promised to visit.
He really did mean to visit.
What a monster he was. How could he do that to them?
He knew why. He knew he was a broken man by then, walking around like a ghost in his own skin. He felt like he was asleep, moving through a dream as he slipped further and further away from those that needed him until it was too late and everything snowballed until the entire family just…couldn't keep their heads above water.
Clara had needed him. His boys, Goldy, and Chica had needed him, along with him dealing with the Funtimes. His thoughts stuttered at the heartache.
He couldn't think of the others yet. He would spiral into a panic, terrified of what else might have happened while he let the world spin on without him. He needed to focus on the Funtimes first. Once they were safe, it wouldn't matter if they hated him. They would be safe and then he could focus on finding the others. Making sure they were okay like he assumed. He didn't trust the assumption anymore. He didn't trust his sources anymore. After all, he hadn't been told about…this. Whatever this was.
"It's a little early, isn't it?"
Will jerked out of his thoughts, his already stressed heart racing.
Andre raised an eyebrow. "Sorry Afton." He hesitated and corrected himself. "Mr. Afton."
"Just William is fine," he replied.
The two of them stared as the awkward moment stretched. It wasn't easy to forget the tension from earlier.
Andre pulled off his coat and dropped it on another barstool before sitting down. He ordered a beer from the bartender. Will hadn't noticed him return.
"What are you drinking?"
Will didn't answer, studying his empty glass, not remembering for a moment. "Ginger ale."
Andre coughed a little in surprise. "Why did you just let me get a beer by myself at 10 am?" he chuckled.
Will glanced at the man in confusion before realising it was a joke. He cracked a weak smile.
"You're going to let me drink alone?"' Andre said, staring ahead. "Is this a ploy?"
"Surely not," Will assured. "I just don't drink anymore."
Andre frowned, realising. "Sorry, I didn't mean…"
Will waved him off.
He waited until he got a club soda from the bartender and the hotel worker had wandered away again before speaking. "I understand your concerns, Mr. Gibson."
"Andre."
"Andre. I do, but you overstepped this morning."
Andre narrowed his eyes at the bottles along the bartender's wall and didn't respond.
William continued. "I understand you're uncomfortable with Ms. Ruby's presence but it's out of both our hands. Ms. Fitzgerald is her—"
"That's bullshit."
"...pardon?"
"This," Andre gestured at him. "It's an excuse. Are you going to claim you washed your hands when that kid gets hurt running into those vents? I'm sure that will go over well. You're responsible for everything that happens. You're our boss."
"I'm aware. But I have no say over Ms. Ruby," William said. "Ms. Fitzgerald had me sign a contractor's agreement."
Andre scoffed, finally looking at the older man. "And I suppose you just signed it. No questions. Are you a father, Mr. Afton?"
Somehow, the formality stung underneath the blunt question that made him flinch.
Andre looked at him with a bit of confusion when William hesitated. The older man looked at the bubbles in his glass.
It was supposed to be a yes or no type of question.
"It's complicated."
The other man turned to him fully, his lips pursed. "That's what you say about an on again off again girlfriend. Not children."
"I'm aware," Will said calmly. Quietly.
Andre stared at him distrustfully. He hadn't touched his drink. "I'm going to be straightforward, William. I don't know what the hell is going on in that hell-hole of yours, but I'll tell you something right now. If I learned one of my kids got a job like this, I would sue you to Timbuktu for reckless endangerment. Not to mention negligence." He pointed an accusing finger at William. "I'm not an idiot. You looked scared when you came out of that room after the little doll robot went back." He frowned but glossed over the brief look of panic on Will's face at the reminder of the small bots. "You don't have a clue what's going on, do you?"
"Not details," Will said.
Andre looked a little annoyed he hadn't rattled Will much. He turned back and took a sip of his beer, probably more as an excuse not to look at the man.
Will fidgeted. He hadn't exactly made a plan for this conversation. "Mister…Andre. When I told you about the robots here, I'm sure I slipped in a mention of them being alive. What exactly did you think I meant?"
"Artificial intelligence. I assumed–and I'm still assuming—" He glanced at Will. "-That you were being poetic."
"I was not," Will said, looking the man in the eye, unwaveringly.
Andre snorted with very little actual amusement. "...You're actually insane." There was mild horror in his tone. "But I figured there was something off about you when you crawled out of a tiny vent looking like drug dealer Mr. Peanut." He was completely serious. And pissed.
Will hummed thoughtfully, wondering why he was more insulted at the comment about his dress than being called insane. It was a word overused and thrown around, but he had a feeling Andre wasn't being facetious with the description.
"Then why exactly haven't you quit?" he asked. "I'm clearly a terrible employer and you're not wanting for employment. I recall you did inform me of a contract you had lined up in the spring."
"And leave three girls in some funhouse from hell at the bottom of a hole with a man who thinks his robots can feel?"
Afton quickly sorted his thoughts. Did he tackle the man's dismissal of his bots or the "girls" statement. He hadn't really eased into the topic of his animatronics yet.
Will finally glared at him and it was enough of a shocking change from the almost too-calm attitude Afton had throughout the conversation that Andre shut his mouth and tensed.
"Say what you want about me, but Ms. Isaacs and Ms. Fitzgerald are not girls. Not in the way you group them with Ms. Ruby as if belittling their age and experience. Both are highly accomplished young women who have all but graduated with equivalent degrees that both of us completed at one point."
"That doesn't mean they—"
"Please let me finish. They were each recommended by faculty and what they lack in experience, they make up for with more up-to-date academic instruction and a certain open mindedness and enthusiasm that I appreciate." He stared, half expecting Andre to rebut with some asinine comeback. He was too old to put up with this. Maybe his little speech was a bit forced but it held the regret of his university years. There were not many women in his class all those years ago and if he didn't bother to remember them beyond a passing thought of whether they were pretty or not, that was his fault.
"As for Ms. Ruby," he said. "Yes she's a girl. A teenager. But she is not a toddler as you almost seemed to think. She has proven to be capable…"
"She thinks this is Disney Land!" Andre interrupted. "She's running off toward your animatronics which you admit may be malfunctioning! And you're letting her. You're not even telling her to stop. She's a kid, Mr. Afton. Maybe she's playing tough, but I look at her and I'm picturing my kid in a few years!"
They dropped into uneasy silence for a few minutes.
William suspected the bartender was staying away on purpose. Eventually he sighed. "How old are your children?"
"My son is eight. His little sister just turned three." Andre couldn't help the small smile before going back to forcing a stern look at Afton.
Will stared at nothing for a really long time.
Andre huffed, figuring the conversation was over. Maybe he should just quit with a note and a call to the police. Or the labour board at least.
"My son was eight when he died." Andre froze, too stunned to even process the words for a few seconds. He looked back over his shoulder but Afton didn't look at him anymore.
Afton was looking down at his glass now, moving it this way and that so the bubbles in the soda and the glass caught the light in different ways.
"I lost my first daughter a few years before him," he said. "She was eleven. We had not even recovered from her death when there was an incident between Timmy, my eldest son, and one of their other sisters."
Andre stood completely still, unsure exactly how the hell he was supposed to respond. "I'm so sorry to hear…"
"I have a point, Mr. Gibson," William interrupted, still not looking away from his glass. He sounded so tired.
"Things had been difficult for a while even before my daughter died. The daughter of a family friend had been…had passed away two years prior and my bots didn't understand what death was at the time. They didn't for a while. It took months before Mar—" Will paused. "My eldest animatronic. He didn't understand where his friend had gone or why she wasn't moving when he found her." Will glanced at Andre who just stared.
Andre shifted back to the barstool, staring at Will with an unreadable expression.
William didn't bother trying to decipher the other man's expressions for too long. "He was so young. He was brilliant. Highly intelligent. A miracle I could never fully explain nor hope to control, like any child. He could think faster than any human a dozen times his age and yet he had a toddler's curiosity about the world." Will's voice cracked as he laughed.
He swallowed, lost in a painful memory. "But…it's hard enough explaining the concept of death to a human child. It took him 6 months to grasp the concept that the little girl who was his best friend in the whole world had been taken away and he could never see her again." His voice cracked again and there was no chance he'd risk looking at Andre. "I found him one night. I found him wailing in my wife's garden because the frost had killed her roses. He had been desperately reading gardening books for days, researching how to fix them when my wife knew they were long gone and had just been waiting for me to help her cut them down. Nothing my son did could save the roses and I think he finally understood what had happened to his friend. His older brother couldn't stand the sobbing and nothing I did could help. My eldest ran out into the backyard and they screamed terrible things at each other until my eldest human child's voice was hoarse and my eldest animatronic had blown out his voicebox. I had to pull them apart. It had been my daughter Lizzy yelling out her bedroom window that got them to calm down. I still don't entirely know how she did it."
"Why are you telling me this…" Andre asked, cautiously.
Will blinked and looked at him. "Because I need you to understand that my animatronics are alive. Does this story sound like the fantasy of a man seeing the responses of an AI as patterns that may not be there, or does this sound like a devastated child?"
Andre frowned. It sounded like William was delusional. However, it was a strange story with oddly strong details if that was the case. "It's a convincing tale…" he settled on.
"I have hundreds like that. Not all so terrible."
"And why not share this level of confidence with the rest of us?"
William stared at him for a while. "I made others, as should be evident. Something…terrible happened when I was near finished with the Funtimes. I don't know how it happened. There was an accident. My daughter…" he trailed off and paled. He looked a little ill. "It wasn't Baby's fault. She didn't even know what happened. No one did."
Andre fought down his alarm. "What happened?"
William shook his head. "I don't tell this story because it's too dangerous. The world does not see my animatronics as people. I fought for so many years to scratch out protection for them in a world that sees them as objects. Assets. Things. If anyone outside the family knew Baby had killed Elizabeth, someone might have taken away all of my animatronics and destroyed them. No one ever believed they were sentient and sapient until they met face to face. They were just too extraordinary. I wasn't going to risk them being taken away by someone like you."
The note of accusation at the end was strong enough to dry up the words Andre wanted to say. William looked up with a different, determined expression now.
"I've lost too many children," he said, voice hard now. "And you might not see those animatronics as alive, but they are. And…and I will not allow you to become a danger to them. I'm telling you this story as a warning. Don't take this job lightly if you wish to continue it. But remember that you have signed a non-disclosure agreement if you choose to leave. I'm not willing to lose any more of my children, Andre. If you don't feel comfortable with the situation, then leave." He paused, the energy to get through his little speech suddenly sapping his strength.
He sounded tired again. "You can even share your concerns with the others and convince them to leave with you. But I'd appreciate it if you'd stop threatening to call someone since my lawyers are far more aggressive than I am and I pay them well."
He stood up, leaving money on the counter to pay for his drinks.
"I would stop with your condescending attitude towards the others though," he suggested quietly. "I've found that women are only willing to take so much disrespect before they lose their temper. Rightfully so as well."
With that, he left. He wasn't sure if Andre would quit, but he needed to be clear that he would protect his children regardless of what happened. He couldn't fail them again. He just couldn't.