Saphira was glad that the additional tasks that Mike he left her were ready to do. When she started to use Mike's computer in order to complete the tasks, she quickly realized that she had been worried for no reason. Or at least, nothing has shown up for now. She did try to go through the files to see if there was anything of interest, but it appeared that there was not anything she needed to be worried about. That did not make her feel much better since Mike likely deleted them, or moved the files to some other place that she could not open. Though she didn't try looking for strange files after the first day that Mike had been gone. She didn't want to go looking for trouble.
But with her elbow still sore, she had made very slow progress on modifying the car at home. She had been able to get some pieces of wiring, and a motherboard to use to store programs and codes on, but it was really slow progress. Saphira had been feeling impatient about it, and she wanted to see what Afton was hiding at his property. She wanted to see if his lab was here at the property, though Saphira suspected it was not the only place that he would have a lab at. But she only had one other way of doing that.
And that is what Saphira planned to do on this Monday night. With the sun down early in the afternoon, Saphira got up earlier than she has. She made sure to dress in black, putting the clothes over her work clothes to ensure that she could pull them off without having to actually get changed. She made sure that she could be fully covered on this. She didn't know if Afton would even suspect her if he caught her. But he was hard to fool, so he would likely recognize her if he saw her.
And this could be a very bad idea tonight, or I will somehow pull it off. Ugh…if I wasn't so invested in this mystery, I wouldn't be doing this. At least I might see how the animatronics are created…at least, living animatronics.
Saphira was glad her parents and sister weren't home currently. They had apparently gone out to see a movie, but it was a movie aimed at really young kids, so Saphira would not be interested in seeing it anyway. But it meant she could go and not worry about her parents suspecting anything different happening today. That would be an awkward conversation, plus she knew they might kick her out of this home, so she didn't want them to come to that decision sooner than she would hope.
She put her hair into a bun instead of a ponytail this time before she put her hoodie on. She smiled at herself in the mirror, feeling a little warm due to the extra layers on her body, but she knew it was only temporary. Plus, with the cooling temperatures, Saphira would not feel too hot when she gets out of the car. And as Afton's property seemed to be on an acreage anyway, the wind would likely blow through the space and keep her from being too hot. She actually might feel chilly, especially when she going to his property.
Nervous, but feeling ready as well, Saphira grabbed her bag before leaving the house to go to her car. She was not sure what the end of the night was going to look like. She had several hours before the start of her shift, and as Afton's property was on the other side of the city, it would take an hour to get there anyway. At least she should be able to get back to this side of the city to get to the pizzeria and remove her extra layers before she would clock in. But she wasn't opposed to turning up early either. Being a Monday, it would be quiet.
Saphira drove through the city with many thoughts running through her mind. She was asking herself why she was doing this, wondering what she would find and if she would be caught. She didn't even know what would happen if she was caught, so that was another thing to think of. She was certain Afton would kill her, or maybe, keep her in his lab to torture her. That very thought made her shudder, and she hoped her family would not be targeted either. After all, she felt like a stranger in their house more than a daughter at this point.
She knew that she was only working herself up by thinking of the negative thoughts in her mind. But she couldn't help but think about many of these things. Though the one thing was for certain, she could not tell any of the animatronics about what she was planning to do tonight. Afton would hear, and she knew they would likely be very unhappy that she had chosen to put herself in danger just to get answers. Even if the answers were something she wanted to know, not that it would help her against Afton.
Saphira didn't even put music on to entertain herself as she drove through the city. She had checked earlier to see if the tracker was still in the same place. It was. She didn't know yet if Afton found it, but it didn't matter. He could easily have left it so it would draw her in and take the bait. But she had wanted to take a lot at Afton's place. If it was not his place, but Mike's, it might make things even more awkward if he caught her. She could only hope that it would go well.
When she eventually turned onto the street of the property, Saphira parked her car underneath the shade of several trees and turned her headlights off. She looked over at the house, knowing it would be a bit of a walk into the property itself before she would reach the house. She was glad this was a quiet stretch of road, so she hoped no one would notice her walking into the property. And the fact she would be wearing all black would automatically make people think she had I'll intent.
The first thing she needed to do was to make sure that the front gate was not bugged. The gate itself was wide open, so anyone could easily walk inside, and that itself felt a lot like a trap. Saphira did think that Afton had animatronics with him. She didn't know if there animatronics that he has chosen to keep, but there was no evidence that she knew of that would prove that fact. But the blueprints for animatronics that weren't at the pizzeria probably was here at his house.
She made sure to cover her face with the head scarf, and pulled the hood over her head before grabbing her binoculars to look closely at the gate. She eyed it carefully. She wanted to see if there was anything on the posts of the gate that would indicate a trap. Or at least, an alert for Afton. It took a little bit of concentration before she spotting a tiny shimmer of light flickering from the post. She made sure to see it flicker more than one so that she knew that she was not seeing things.
She then checked the fence. If Afton rigged the gate, he would rig the fence. But it was hard to tell. There were no cameras that she could see right away either, so they were either hidden. Saphira looked around for more than a few minutes as her hesitation on wanting to go onto the property was keeping her from acting on what she knew she needed to do. However, she knew that the longer she sat there, she would not get to work on time and that would cause suspicion.
Biting the bullet, Saphira got out of the car, making sure she had her phone and binoculars to use. She looked around for any cars and saw it was clear before she ran across the road. She looked to the gate before walking to the end of the fence. She got on her tiptoes to peer over the railing, and she did not see anything that might suggest there was a sensor. She hoped that was the case as she grabbed the railing and pulled herself up over to the other side.
She did not drop to the ground, she carefully slid onto the ground and crouched, mostly in case someone drove by. Pulling up her binoculars again, she looked around for other cameras. There were a few trees leading up to the house and the sheds by the house, so she wanted to try and spot the reflection of a camera lens. The moon was out at the moment, so the light would definitely reflect from the lenses if there were cameras among the trees. So far, nothing.
Saphira sighed as she could feel her heart was beating quickly within her chest. She knew that this could be stupid, but it was too late to turn back. She heard a car driving by, and she remained crouched until the person passed by. She glanced over her shoulder as the car drove down the street and she remained crouched as she walked over to the first tree quickly. She inspected it quickly, but she saw no camera. She sighed a little, even though she did not feel relaxed.
Afton seems like a man who would have security. But maybe he prefers the game of it.
She wouldn't be surprised. She tiptoed to the next tree, and there was no camera on it either. She pulled up her binoculars again to take a look at the house. She could see the truck that was used to transport the animatronics parked just down a slope from the house. It was backed up, but she could not see where exactly it was backed up to. Saphira would need to get closer.
The house itself had no lights on. The RAM was parked by the house though, so Afton could be here. HBe just might not be in the actual house. Saphira could see the roof of the building beside the house down the slope. She turned her head to get a closer look at the building for any cameras. She could not see any from where she was, so she moved to the next tree, and she still could not see anything. But she could see the truck clearly. She sighed as she knew she was getting really close, but she still could not see cameras.
I would be surprised if he has not cameras around the building. That would seem quite unusual for someone like Afton. I guess he's confident, or he has no cameras in case the police come knocking. That actually would make sense.
Saphira had no more trees to use as cover. She glanced at the house, checking the windows that were dark from no light inside. It was in case she could see any movement, or a shadow at the windows of the house. Nothing. She sighed and took a deep breath, knowing she was about to get closer to the house of a mad man. She couldn't believe she was here right now, but here she was. She put the binoculars away for the time being and grabbed out her phone to prepare to use the camera to take pictures and record anything she might see.
She took another deep breath and kept herself crouched as she ran over to the side of the truck. She saw that it was back right inside the door of the building. There was a gap to slip inside, but Saphira was rather reluctant to do that. At least for the moment. She stood by the truck and crouched by the tyre, reaching into the rim and feeling the tracker still attached. She smiled a little before grimacing. Strange smells were coming from the open door of the building. Dim lights were on inside, and she couldn't hear any kind of voice inside. But there were strange sounds coming inside. And they were mechanical, and she could faintly hear multiple heart monitors.
She definitely felt tempted to slip into the door, but she knew better. She walked away from the truck to the side of the building, peering around it to make sure there were no cameras. None. But she saw the dim light filtering through a window. And as there was a slope both sides of the building, she could move up the slope to peer into the window. Even though it was surprisingly low for something that was meant to be kept a secret from the world. So she didn't have to climb to high up the slope to even look inside. She walked by the window and kept her distance in case there was someone inside.
As she looked inside, the first thing she saw in front of the window was a large counter. It was covered in empty vials and bottles that once held liquid within them. There were all gathered neatly together for cleaning or refilling. There was a laminated list on the counter, though Saphira could not quite see as she was not close enough. There was a sink by the window as well, so this is where the dirty vials and bottles were place.
Looking over the counter, there were two island counters in the middle of the room that she could see. The island counter on her right held large jars full of organic material. Saphira widened her eyes though as these containers held human foetuses, chimpanzee foetuses and there also seemed to be preserved frogs and actually human limbs and spines. Saphira felt her stomach twist as she saw this. She guessed this is what was used to harvest certain cells, as it would be the easiest way for him to collect it to use to create the living animatronics.
On the island counter on her left there appeared to be fridges underneath the countertops. She did not know what was within them, but on the countertops, there was a centrifuge for blood samples, test tubes, microscopes, a computer and numerous other tools. She leaned a little to try and see some more, but she could not before she began to take photos. She could not see anything significant just yet, so she would need to go inside.
I think just standing outside this building is a bad idea…
Saphira finished taking photos that she wanted and glanced around for a moment in case Afton happened to be standing beside her. She was relieved to see he wasn't near her, and she relaxed a little. She looked back at the window and glanced inside to locate any potential security cameras. She couldn't see the whole room, so she would not know until she actually went inside. She walked back around to the truck and stared at the door for a moment and glanced around again cautiously. She still could not hear any voices or movements around her, so she decided to peer inside at least.
She squeezed past the end of the truck, glancing into the trailer to see it was empty. The ramp was down, which meant it was left this way to be used later. She looked inside, and she could only see cabinets at first, and she still did not see any kind of camera. She slipped further inside, and she saw the two islands she had seen before. There was a third island closer to her that was holding numerous machines. These machines were used to keep organs, such as hearts, alive. She was shocked, as that island counter was not the only one. The counter across from it also had these machines, and she could see hearts being kept alive by special machines, along with lungs and livers. She shivered as she hated to see that.
She took pictures of them as she stepped closer while glancing around nervously. She jumped as she looked to her right to see numerous fridges. These fridges were meant to contain organic samples of various things, and there was also a blood bag fridge. She had no idea what kind of blood was in there as there as no label. She guessed the smells she could smell was a mix of chemical and blood, but she was not sure.
She walked further, making sure she would not touch anything, as she walked alongside the island counters to the end where she would find a computer, and some strange device. This computer had a visual representation of the brain, and inside the device it was connected to was a large cylinder filled with many different tools. And inside the cylinder, sitting on a small stand, was a brain. It wasn't an organic brain, but the material used to make this seemed to be of copper and other materials. It was blue, and had similar curves and wrinkles all brains have. And it had various cords attached to it by suction cups.
So this is what their brains look like. It's actually much smaller than I imagined. It…it's definitely smaller than their heads…but size usually doesn't matter for a brain, just the cells, neurons and so on. But it is at least half the size of their heads…though I don't really know what they look like without their outer shell.
This was true. The brain she was seeing was at least half the size of the heads of the animatronics. But she guessed this was not finished. And this was going to be put into another animatronic. She did not know which animatronic, but as she turned away, she looked towards the sound of the heart monitors. She widened her eyes as she saw five, large tubes. Tubes that were connected by pipes and wires with monitors on both sides of the tubes. These tubes were as big as a sedan, and only three appeared to be occupied. They were filled with liquid, and she could see something floating in each of them.
New animatronics? I wasn't told…unless these aren't meant for the pizzeria…
She began to record on her phone as she walked closer to one of the tubes. Inside the tubes there were organic lines connected to the fleshy body, including a large cord that mimicked an umbilical cord. She peered inside, and seeing this animatronic without their shell, was so strange. It felt strange as she was seeing the fleshy layer of the body. The skin of the animatronic was a strange, pale, pearl color. It was like an actual white pearl color, and the texture looked extremely smooth and fragile.
The body was large, and it seemed to have a tail. She looked over the body to see it was somewhat lean, it already had claws on the fingers of the left hand that would eventually be covered by the metal coverings and…Saphira could see this animatronic was a male. She was shocked, though while she knew the animatronics had reproductive organs, she had no it what she had been expecting. She felt embarrassed that she saw this animatronic naked. She looked away quickly and noticed the right arm of the animatronic had no hand. But Saphira could see that this was not a completed animatronic. She could actually see the scars on the body of the various surgeries needed for this animatronic. There was even a line supplying it blood.
However, she looked at the face as the shape of it was weird to see without the protective coverings. It was the shape of a fox. This was clearly going to be another Foxy animatronic. She did not know what exactly. The ears were quite smaller than expected. The ears were still shaped like Foxy's ears, but clearly were small so they could fit within the metal covering that protected the ears. And as for the eyes, they were closed. She had once thought their eyes were not organic. Though that might still be the case, given their eyes did not bear any fluid or flesh.
And the jaw was a little smaller too, but not my much. The animatronic had small teeth within the mouth that were sharp, though clearly, when the animatronic received the outer covering the teeth from that would be doing the work of ripping meat. She had not expected a second row of teeth, though maybe it was meant to be expected. Especially as they needed to chew most likely, though she hasn't really seen their second row of teeth. At least, not with Springtrap…though their mouths were big enough for her to not notice.
It really was strange. She could not help but check the other two tubes, and she saw that the other two animatronics appeared to be a Bonnie and Chica animatronic. She had no idea what they would be named, but as there were three, it was interesting to her. She was surprised that there was no Freddy, but maybe Afton had not made the Freddy yet. It would make sense, given the brain she had seen before. But she could only speculate.
She turned away as there seemed to be nothing more to see, but she spotted a set of elevator doors by the empty tubes. She was surprised as she had not expected that. She was curious about what was down below, but she quickly pushed those thoughts aside. She did not want to take a chance of getting trapped down below the house if she could help it. She glanced around and jumped as she noticed a strange table as the last part of looking through the lab. It was near the tubes, and it was not a usual table.
The table had a glass covering with holes that could be opened for anyone to reach inside. The table was very large, and had a computer connected, along with wires. She frowned before realizing this was likely used to build the animatronics. She thought that the tubes was where they were made. Maybe it was an end stage, but she could not be sure of the process. Saphira shuddered as the thought of Springtrap laying here a long time ago crossed her mind. And now that she knew what they looked like underneath their exteriors, Saphira was not going to forget that in a hurry.
She decided she had enough, and she quickly made her way out of the lab and crouched by the truck. She peered around it, and there was no one. She was relieved and made her way over to the nearest tree, only to sprint for a moment as she heard a car. She remained close to the shadow of the tree, and she was alarmed as the headlights turned through the gate. It was a black SUV. She crouched behind the tree while she watched as the car approached the house. Her heart was racing as she knew this was likely Mike and Afton right now.
And she was right as the car came to a stop in front of the house. Afton was still wearing a hood over his body. It honestly made her think of Palpatine, and the cloak he wore in Star Wars. It bothered her deeply, but she had a feeling it was due to him hiding something. She watched Mike walked to the back of the SUV as the trunk was opened and he pulled out a large box. She could not see what was inside the box, but she jumped as Afton suddenly hissed. And it wasn't a human hiss. It sounded…different.
"Be careful with that, Mike!" Afton warned the man, making Mike flinch from the impatience in Afton's voice. "You know those are delicate. We cannot have the animatronics ready by Halloween if you drop that."
Mike nodded in understanding. "I know, sir…I will be careful." Saphira had not seen the man cower before. He walked down towards the building and opened a side door. "Are you even sure we should be doing this? Saphira is still alive…"
"You already know she has to stay alive long enough to get what I want," Afton interrupts the man bluntly. "You already know that…I am curious about how this will play out. I have already achieved what I want, but now I want to see…what my experiments can now do moving forward. And maybe we won't have to make animatronics like this anymore."
Mike frowned at the man as he did not seem to understand. "I still don't know what you are talking about. I wish you would tell me." He sighed before he walked through the door. "And you love the process of creating them. I don't see why you would stop now."
Afton just let out a chuckle and followed Mike into the building. Saphira waited until the door had closed, and she was absolutely sure they both were inside. She thought about going back to the window, but she decided to just leave. She had the chance, and she had to take it. She glanced at the time, and she saw she had an hour and a half to get to the pizzeria right now. So she had to leave right away to make it there in time.
Saphira ran from the tree, and used the other trees as cover until she ran began towards the fence. She shivered as the cold air was no longer the only thing keeping her cold. She also felt sick, and needed to let it out. But she would likely hold it in for the time being until she got to the pizzeria. Or at least, she would try. That way she would feel a little better for the rest of the night. She hoped to not let it plague her mind though, as the animatronics will definitely know something is up with her.
As she climbed over to the other side of the fence, she yelped as she felt someone grabbing her right wrist, and pulling her closer, hitting her sore elbow on the wooden railing. She turned and gasped as she saw it was Afton. And she saw his hand too. "Ugh! Damn! Not again…" Afton grumbled. Saphira stared at his hand as it looked like his skin seemed to tear, and she could actually see his bones inside, and the blood was seeping out. But she also saw…metal? That was impossible. Afton huffed and she could see his cold eyes looking at her. "Keep playing the game, Saphira. You can't fool me. Your scent is all over the laboratory. I hope you remember it."
She widened her eyes as she had not expected him to recognize her, but she was wrong. She yanked her arm away from him with no word and ran over to her car. She looked at her arm to see cuts, it seemed the man's nails were very sharp. She ran to the driver side door, turned on the car before closing the door and sped away quickly, turning on the headlights. She saw Afton did not move, he was watching her, and she swore he was smirking. She pulled off the hood and head scarf, taking deep breaths as she now had no idea what was going to happen tonight.
Just great…I think I've screwed myself for the rest of the night…
Disclaimer: Hey readers, so I am due to start a new job very shortly in the coming days. Because of that, posting new chapters may reduce a little bit. It is why I ended up finishing Heart of a Prime so quickly. I will ensure I get the current stories finished before moving onto any new stories I want to write, including sequels. Thank you for your understanding. Happy reading!
I had hoped to get this story finished before the movie. It might not. But I am about halfway done with this story, and I look forward to writing the sequel when I get to it. Thanks for enjoying my stories so far.