This was definitely supposed to be a much longer chapter, but I had to shorten it a bit. The rest of this story will be in the next chapter.
Enjoy!
Night 20
In Your Shadow
''Maybe I'm a broken man, or maybe I can barely stand. But the two of us are trapped in here again. I know that it's so bittersweet, fitting now, but it's still me. It's something beautiful, and it's back from the dead. Maybe you'll come around, maybe you'll burn it down before we make a decision. Maybe we'll see eye to eye or maybe I'll come alive before we make a way in.''
– Always Come Back by NateWantsToBattle (Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach)
xXxXxXx
''Honestly, from what you had told me, the Pizzaplex actually sounds like an exciting place,'' Emma said, surprising both Sam and Springtrap, who exchanged confused looks.
It was Saturday morning, with Sam and Springtrap having told Emma what had happened at the Pizzaplex, with Sam having made an earlier decision to keep her mother informed about what was going on with her investigation. Despite clearly outlining the possible problems they might face at the Pizzaplex, Emma's response was quite nonchalant.
''Don't misunderstand me, I know that this is quite a serious situation, but in comparison to what you have dealt before, this is still tame,'' Emma elaborated, leaning back on the couch. ''So far, there are no missing people, no murders… just the possibility of malfunctioning animatronics.''
''I agree with that sentiment. So far, there is really nothing that we can do until something happens, which is probably going to be when the Pizzaplex opens to the public,'' Springtrap replied, his arms folded across his chest, sitting across Emma on the other side of the couch.
Sam, who was sitting in-between her mother and her father figure, her legs crossed and leaning on her knees, just turned her head from one to the other as they held the conversation, before sighing, ''That doesn't mean that Will and I won't have anything to do. I'm stuck with the training for at least two weeks, and Mr. Crane had told me that I would have to go to the Pizzaplex every Saturday for some additional briefing.''
''You do remember that I have told you that you didn't have to agree to this job, right?'' Emma told her. Sam's eyes narrowed.
''Of course I do,'' she said in a firm tone. ''But I refuse to give up on it. I finally got access to the Pizzaplex and its animatronics, and if there is a way for me to prevent further tragedies from happening, I will do everything I can to make sure more people don't get hurt.''
Emma rose an eyebrow at that statement, but then sighed in resignation. ''You know what, I'm not even going to comment on that. We had already talked about it, and it is very nice of you that you care about other people, but at least stay safe whenever you try to prevent some 'tragedy' from happening.'' She then gave Sam a pointed look. ''Not to mention, I don't believe that you will be able to 'prevent' anything. No offense, Sam, but you won't be always present for anything that happens at the Pizzaplex.''
''Emma is right,'' Springtrap said, turning to Sam. ''Realistically, we cannot do anything unless we find ourselves in the right situation.''
''I know…'' Sam muttered, only to suddenly look back at the two, rising an eyebrow. ''Wait, since when did you two start to agree on something?''
Emma and Springtrap exchanged glances, with Springtrap casually replying, ''It helps that Emma's arguments make quite a lot of sense.''
Emma rolled her eyes, responding in a snarky tone, ''Really? I thought it was because you had finally some sense knocked into you.''
Springtrap shot her a glare, with Emma smirking in response. However, instead of continuing the argument, he just suggested, ''Maybe we both got some sense knocked into us.''
Emma shot him a dubious look, but then shrugged it off. ''Perhaps you're right.''
Sam just gave the two a confused look, wondering what the hell was going on here. Usually, her mother and Springtrap would keep bickering until something or someone made them shut up. So, seeing them cut off whatever argument was about to start felt quite jarring. Oh, sure, there was still a lot of snark between them, but they were certainly more amicable than before.
''What is up with you two today?'' Sam asked in a blunt tone, with both Emma and Springtrap giving her a confused look.
''What do you mean?'' Emma asked.
''As I said before, you two are getting along. It just feels weird,'' Sam replied, narrowing her eyes. ''I mean, I'm not saying that I wasn't sick and tired of you arguing, but still…'' When neither Emma nor Springtrap responded beyond a simple shrug, she got up. ''Anyways, I still need to do some homework before I go to work.''
Emma and Springtrap observed her as she went upstairs, with Springtrap glancing at Emma, his eye-lids lowered. ''Sam is right. The two of us getting along does feel weird.''
''I agree with that sentiment, but let's be honest, we both agree that this is a complex situation with no clear solution,'' Emma replied. ''I am glad that you decided to keep me in the loop, even if I can't do much.''
''I'm more amazed that you're willing to just go along with everything we had just told you,'' Springtrap replied. ''Any normal person would protest against this.''
''Right, but considering everything I had experienced in the past few months, my opinion has changed, and I realized that this is probably what Sam exactly needs,'' Emma replied, with Springtrap giving her a curious look. ''Seriously, this is the most enthusiastic I have seen her for a while now. It almost makes me wonder…''
''What is it?'' Springtrap asked.
''There is one thing that has been keeping me occupied, that being Sam's future,'' Emma replied, her response surprising Springtrap. ''While she still has more than a year and a half of high school left, she has absolutely no clue what future career she might take.''
''Really?'' Springtrap tried to recall whether Sam had ever told him what her plans for the future, but all he remembered was how she talked about her problems in the present.
''Yeah. As a matter of fact, I remember her getting an assignment to write an essay about her future career, and she basically wrote that she either wants to work for me at my second-hand store or take on video game development just like Aaron. However, when Aaron and I had asked her about whether she wants us to teach her more about our work, she didn't really show any interest,'' Emma explained. ''Not to mention, we both asked her whether she ever thought of what she wanted to do after high school and she would just shrug and say that she'd get a college degree in something. Obviously, Aaron and I had told her that we would support her in whatever she decided to do, but we also were well aware that she still has no clue what she actually wants to do.''
''Fine, but why are you telling me this?'' Springtrap asked.
''I'm telling you this because I am genuinely amazed that Sam has shown so much interest in her job as a technician at Freddy's,'' Emma replied. ''At first, I had thought that she was just working there because she got caught by the manager and because you two were investigating what was going on at both Freddy's and Ricky's, but even after that whole ordeal had ended, she continued with her work there. I had told her several times that she didn't have to continue working there, and I had learned that even the manager suggested hiring someone else because she was still in high school, but Sam refused to budge.''
''I suppose that this was just her way of dealing with what happened. Some people just tend to bury themselves in work so they don't have to think about their problems,'' Springtrap told her, having quite a lot of experience with the latter.
''Maybe, but nevertheless, could you talk to her whether she would be interested in getting a degree in engineering?'' Emma asked, much to Springtrap's surprise.
''No offense Emma, but why don't you ask her that?'' he asked.
''I'm telling you to ask her because I know next to nothing about engineering, while you have a lot of experience and can explain to her everything way better than I can,'' Emma explained, frowning at him. ''I'm not saying that you should convince her to take it up as her future career path, but to consider it as a possibility.''
''You know, that's actually not a bad idea,'' Springtrap said, now quite interested in the idea. While he had taught Sam about how animatronics work, he did it more because she was curious and asked him to teach her about it. He noted that, in hindsight, it was a good idea, as this was what ended up allowing her to work at Freddy's, and when he had accepted that he would perish alongside Connor, he also made sure that Sam would be able to maintain the animatronics on her own. However, he never really considered making her his protégé in the field of robotics. ''Sam is quite smart and a quick learner. She has shown a lot of understanding when it comes to the basics of robotics and she knows how to detect an issue in the animatronic behavior or a broken part, and quickly find a way to repair it. She might not be able to build her own animatronic, yet, but with some training, she might even be able to do that.'' Springtrap was quickly growing more and more fond of the idea of training Sam as his successor, not noticing that Emma's expression fell and she was now glaring at him. He gave her a confused look. ''Is something wrong?''
Emma sighed, muttering, ''What have I done?''
Springtrap stared at her for a moment, only to realize that Emma was starting to regret her earlier suggestion due to how enthusiastic he got about that idea. He smirked, finding her regret amusing, and he was about to respond, when the two suddenly heard steps, with Sam running down the stairs, dressed in her uniform and carrying a backpack.
''Sam, slow down! Why are you in such hurry?'' Emma got up from the couch, looking at her daughter in surprise.
''Anthelm had called me and asked me to come in earlier because they have an emergency,'' Sam answered, putting on her sneakers.
''What kind of emergency?'' Springtrap, who also got up, asked. Sam gave him a frustrated look.
''Two idiots decided to ambush Chica and force a batch of pizza they had ordered down her throat, and now she's malfunctioning,'' she told him, her voice laced with anger. ''Anthelm said that they had turned her off and that no one wants to touch her because they're afraid they might do something to break her further.''
''So, the manager called out outside your working hours to deal with it instead of waiting?'' Emma asked.
''Even if she hadn't asked me to come earlier, I still would've gone there. Chica may be an animatronic, but she is also my friend and I'm certain that she's freaked out over this whole situation,'' Sam replied, grabbing the car keys. ''I'll be borrowing the car, if that's okay.'' Emma nodded in acknowledgement, with Sam turning to Springtrap. ''You'll be coming along, right?''
''Sure, I'll be right behind you,'' Springtrap replied, with Sam walking out. The bunny animatronic then briefly turned to Emma, a knowing smile on his expression. ''I believe that you have just witnessed one of her main motivations for wanting to keep her job – she cares about these animatronics, and they also care about her.''
''Yeah, that is undeniable,'' Emma replied. ''I hope you two will manage to fix Chica.''
''I'm certain that we will,'' Springtrap replied, walking out of the house.
xXx
To say that Sam was frustrated about what had happened was an understatement. However, she wasn't the only one, as she had found two teenagers standing in front of the manager's office, with the security guard and Anthelm keeping them on spot and looking just as furious.
''I came as soon as possible. Where is Chica?'' Sam asked Anthelm, whose expression softened when she saw her.
''I had told Freddy and Bonnie to bring her to the back room. I hope that you can fix her,'' Anthelm replied, then glared at the two teenagers. ''As for you two, do you even know how much damage you have caused? You are lucky I didn't call the cops on you!''
Sam turned her attention to the two teenage boys, vaguely recognizing them from somewhere, only to realize that she probably saw them at her school. She just shook her head, shooting them a glare, and from what she heard during Anthelm's ranting, it appeared that she forced the two teenagers to call their parents so they could settle the damage costs for the damaged animatronic. While the animatronics could break down from time to time and needed parts to be either replaced or to fixed, this one was a deliberate attempt at damaging them and there would be punishment.
Sam walked over to the back of the building, where she found Freddy and Bonnie keeping watch over Chica, who was lying on the table motionlessly, her eyes closed. Springtrap was already with them, looking over her and assessing the damage. Sam could already see that it would take her a while to return Chica to a proper state, as her beak was broken and then inside of her mouth, the fake feathers and her dress were stained with splotches of pizza remains. She knew that she would have to remove the dress to check the endoskeleton and she was not looking forward to it.
''How bad is it?'' Freddy asked.
''Well, there is a broken beak and from what I could see, the endoskeleton will need proper cleaning. The one thing I'm worried about is whether the wiring and the hydraulics suffered from any damage. That would take much longer to fix,'' Springtrap explained expertly. Freddy and Bonnie exchanged glances, feeling sorry for Chica's poor state.
''Don't worry, we'll take care of her,'' Sam replied. ''Although, I don't doubt that she will be out of commission for the rest of the day.''
''We should go back to Foxy,'' Freddy told Bonnie, understanding the situation. ''He has been covering for us for long enough.''
''Yeah, you're right,'' Bonnie said, with the two walking back to the main area. Sam glanced at Chica, sighing in frustration.
''I can't believe what they have done to her,'' she grumbled, the volume in her voice slowly growing louder. ''Like, how stupid or thoughtless do you have to be to think that it would be good to jam a pizza down an animatronic's throat?!''
''I assume that this is your first encounter with this kind of damage,'' Springtrap said, watching Sam as she took down the tool box from the nearby shelf. She gave him a confused look.
''Wait, you also had to deal with this kind of situation?'' she asked.
''Well, it wasn't pizza, but part of someone's head…'' Springtrap trailed off, with Sam realizing what he was talking about.
''I… I'm sorry…'' She didn't really know what to say, only for Springtrap to shake his head.
''Do you need help with the repairs?'' he asked. Sam paused for a moment, only to quickly nod.
''Yeah, could you prop her up so I can remove the dress? There is a zipper on the back,'' she told him. Springtrap nodded, leaning Chica's limp body over so Sam could remove the dress and outer casing to get to the endoskeleton. Once all was done, they realized that the wiring was ripped out and there was ketchup, cheese and salami all over the metallic parts. Sam groaned. ''This is a nightmare.''
Springtrap didn't say anything, instead watching her as she started to work on Chica's endoskeleton, cleaning up the food remains and replacing the damaged wiring, as well as making sure the the hydraulics were working properly. He wondered if he should help her out, but decided against it, preferring instead to just observe her as she was doing her job with surprising precision. He still remembered how she had started out, asking questions and worrying about making mistakes, but now she was fully focused on her work, barely even noticing his presence aside from asking him to help her move Chica to a certain position.
''You really improved in the past few months,'' Springtrap suddenly said, with Sam looking at him with a surprised look on her expression. She then turned back to Chica.
''Well, it helps that I have had a good mentor and that I had been working on the Showtimes for long enough to know how they work,'' Sam replied.
''Have you ever thought of pursuing a career in robotics?'' Springtrap asked, causing Sam to once again give him a look of surprise. She paused for a moment.
''Honestly, I've never really given it much thought,'' she admitted. ''I guess it I could try it. Why are you asking?''
''Emma had told me that you don't really know what you want to do after you graduate from high school, so she asked me to talk to you about getting a degree in engineering,'' Springtrap explained. Sam rose an eyebrow.
''Wait, Mum asked you that?'' she said, quite baffled that Emma would make such a request.
''She quickly regretted it once I started considering making you my successor,'' Springtrap added with an amused look on his expression. Sam snorted.
''Yeah, that sounds right,'' she said, keeping quiet for a bit as she continued her work. ''I will admit that I never really knew what kind of job I would work. I suppose I could've tried to start a YouTube career, doing podcasts on the supernatural or true crime or do video game playthroughs, since that's stuff I like, but I never felt like I could become popular enough to make money.'' She took a deep breath, feeling a bit light as she exhaled. ''I guess I could actually go for that engineering degree, especially if I'm going to continue working at Freddy's. Fazbear Entertainment is back, and I would need a way to keep tabs on them from the inside, and this job is perfect.''
''Especially if they plan on staying around for much longer than before. We don't really know what their plans are, but if they're making something like the Pizzaplex, then they are confident that it will be a success,'' Springtrap replied.
''That makes sense,'' Sam replied. ''Also, you could continue mentoring me. I'm sure there are still a lot of stuff about the animatronics that you didn't tell me.''
''You're right, although that was mainly about what kind of features one could add to an animatronic that shouldn't really be there,'' Springtrap admittedly sheepishly.
''You mean, like a giant claw?'' Sam asked in a snarky tone.
''Admittedly, that was part of the ice-cream dispenser system. It was perfectly functional under normal circumstances,'' Springtrap said.
''Yeah, under normal circumstances,'' Sam replied, rolling her eyes. Springtrap just gave her a sheepish smile.
xXx
Vanessa furrowed a brow as she checked her e-mails, having been waiting for a response for a few days now. It was a simple formality, a proper welcome to her new workplace after she requested a transfer from her current job as a senior member of the Fazbear Entertainment tech support. It was certainly better than her former job as a beta tester as it gave her access to important information, in this case the Fazbear Funtime Service plan or, as she called it, project Special Delivery.
For some reason unknown to her, Fazbear Entertainment created a service that would send mass-produced animatronics based on the previous generations to people's homes, providing an unlimited amount of fun an excitement. The whole service was still in the early stages, but there were people who already ordered an animatronic to visit their home, mainly those who had been longtime fans of the Fazbear Franchise.
Unfortunately for them and the company, the animatronics got infected by a virus, not too different from the one affecting the Showtime Animatronics, and Vanessa had been asked to purge the virus out of the system. She complied, asking for full access to it, and she managed to isolate the virus. Of course, the virus proved a bit… too resilient.
''Urgent: unknown command''
To: Anna Kwemto, Mark Cho, Daniel Rocha, Steven Wilson
From: Raha Salib
An unknown user just sent a command. Somebody's using our system to give commands to active animatronics.
Vanessa didn't particularly care for what happened afterwards. She took care of the system and the animatronics, and decided to abandon everything. She knew that this would have a huge domino effect on that particular sector of the company, but she couldn't care less. She was done with her work and instead of having an office job, she applied for a security job at the soon-to-be-opened Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex close to Hurricane. She knew that her application would be accepted, so all she needed to do was to wait.
Feeling impatient, Vanessa then pulled up another file, one titled ''S.B.''. Inside it was an image and a document, which she then opened and started reading. It was an employee file of one of the recent employees at the smaller sister location, Freddy Fazbear's Pizza; something Vanessa had no issue finding as Fazbear Entertainment wasn't too bothered to properly secure the information about their employees as long as there was no harm to the company. Vanessa had already read the file many times, feeling a bit frustrated by the lack of detail.
All it told her was the full name of the employee, information like her address, e-mail and phone number, her position and work experience, as well as the recommendation for training at the Pizzaplex, specifically with the Glamrock Animatronics. Vanessa had to commend the teenager for coming so far, especially when she basically stumbled into this job, but she had learned that it was out of necessity on the company's part rather than her own.
Nevertheless, this made things only easier for Vanessa. She was stunned to learn that this teenager was her former co-worker's daughter, back when she still worked as a beta tester, leading to the two sending each other e-mails in regards to Five Nights at Freddy's VR: Help Wanted, but after Vanessa sent her the Halloween DLC, any communication between them stopped. It was weird, as she had expected the girl to immediately ask her questions about the video game and its contents, but there was nothing beyond a simple 'Thanks'.
''Did something happen that I didn't account for?'' Vanessa muttered under her breath, leaning back on her chair and stretching her arms. She turned her gaze to the bunny mask beside her, wondering whether she should use it. Would he even know what is going on? Vanessa then sighed, shaking her head. It is ridiculous that I even have to keep track of Aaron's daughter. What is so important about her that makes all of this necessary? Why is she so special?
Vanessa felt the temperature suddenly drop, a cold sensation passing through her body and a strange feeling as if someone was placing their hands on her shoulder. She looked around, feeling her heart race, but she was clearly alone in her room. She then turned to the bunny mask on the desk and picked it up, revealing the electronic parts inside it. She then put it on.
Then, she saw him. He looked like a person wearing a golden-yellow rabbit costume, with a deranged smile spread across the mask. He was wearing a purple star-speckled vest, a purple bow tie, and two black buttons near the top of his chest. His eyes were vivid purple, staring straight into her soul. She felt a sense of dread as she stared at this person, someone she had believed to be just a figment of her imagination at first, until he made it clear that he was very real and that she would be working for him from now on. Vanessa only knew this entity as The Anomaly, a nickname given by Tape Girl, but recently, he had told her to call him by a different name.
''You don't have to worry about whether she is important,'' Glitchtrap told her in a pleasant tone, only for it to change into a more threatening tone, ''Your one job is to keep an eye on her, and do as I say.''
''That's two jobs,'' Vanessa pointed out. Glitchtrap glared at her, leaving her unsettled.
Vanessa then observed the yellow rabbit as he slowly started pacing in her room. She was still uncertain in regards to who or what this rabbit anomaly actually was, but the moment he had appeared, he had taken over her mind and life, forcing her to do things she wasn't even aware she was capable of. She wasn't sure what the rabbit's true goal was, but she had followed his orders, learning in the process that, if she didn't do as he said, she would be punished with having hallucinations that would cause her to black out for long periods of time and sometimes she wouldn't remember what she had done. Sometimes, she would and it wasn't pleasant. She eventually fashioned the rabbit costume and the mask, which served as a method of proper communication between them. It certainly made things easier for both of them.
''Sam is very special to me,'' Glitchtrap continued. ''She and her companion will be needed for my little project.''
''Her companion?'' Vanessa was confused, clearly having no idea who this addition to their plans was.
''You will know when you see him,'' Glitchtrap replied in a dry tone. Sometimes, he forgot that Vanessa didn't have the access to the same information as he did. ''There is no doubt about them being at the Pizzaplex.''
''I… I see…'' Vanessa muttered, only to be alerted by a notification on her e-mail. She turned towards the monitor, a smile spreading across her lips when she saw that her application had been accepted. However, a cold shiver ran down her spine when Glitchtrap leaned over her shoulder.
''This is excellent,'' he said, sounding quite delighted. ''It is time to finally start the real show, don't you think the same?''
''Y-Yeah…'' Vanessa muttered, averting her gaze from the rabbit anomaly.
xXx
''Oi, Springtrap!'' Springtrap was just done telling another story, one focusing on a doll stalking a woman and always waking her up at 1:35 AM, to a group of teenagers when Foxy suddenly approached him. ''Do you have any news on Chica's condition?''
''Last time I saw her, Sam was still cleaning her endoskeleton because she found more pizza remains,'' Springtrap replied. ''However, I have no doubt that she will manage to repair her.''
''That's good to hear,'' Foxy replied. ''The kiddos have been askin' for her and I had to tell them that she was feeling sick and couldn't interact with them. Freddy and Bonnie are also busy keeping everyone happy, and had told me to go on a break.''
''I suppose the culprits have been punished for what they have done,'' Springtrap said.
''Aye, I saw their parents pickin' them up and they were furious. These scurvy dogs looked like they were about to be put into Davy Jones' Locker,'' Foxy replied. Springtrap snorted.
''I suppose that you won't have to worry about them anymore,'' he replied. Foxy nodded, but in that moment, Springtrap couldn't see him anymore. Suddenly, his vision was covered in static and he looked around, sensing a strange presence. His eyes narrowed and his vision cleared, yet it felt as if everything around him went dark.
Then, he spotted him. He was standing in a dark corner, hiding in the shadows like the predator he was. He was waving at Springtrap, before placing his finger on his lips, slinking back into the darkness and vanishing from his vision.
Glitchtrap.
Springtrap was filled by a sudden sense of complete rage towards his other self; whether it was just a hallucination or the real deal, he had no idea. Still, he wished nothing but the desire to be the cause of this entity's demise, his eyes now glowing purple. As if drawn to the entity, he was about to move, only for someone to step before him.
''Springtrap, what are yer doing?!''
Springtrap suddenly snapped out of his state, his surroundings turning bright again and the background noises filling his ears. He looked at Foxy, not understanding what had just happened besides the fact that the fox animatronic was giving him an upset and bewildered look. As a matter of fact, it appeared that Foxy was genuinely afraid of him.
''What is it?'' he asked. Foxy stared at him for a moment, before grabbing his arm and dragging him behind Pirate Cove.
''I dunno what you have just done, but you just sent shivers down me spine, mate!'' Foxy hissed, looking quite alarmed.
''I… I don't understand, what are you talking about?'' Springtrap asked.
''Whatever you have done, you just spread dread and fear,'' Foxy explained. Springtrap gave him a questioning look, wondering whether the fox animatronic was just messing with him, but he realized that he was completely serious. ''As a matter of fact, ye looked like ye were about to commit murder.''
This left Springtrap wondering, as all that happened to him was that he saw a glimpse of Glitchtrap and felt an unexplainable sense of rage towards the later, and he had to agree with Foxy, he wanted to commit murder, if only to finally get rid off his other self. However, there was also something familiar about this sensation. Something he believed to have experienced before.
''You told me that you felt a sudden sensation of dread and fear just a moment ago, right?'' he asked. Foxy nodded. Springtrap folded his arms across his chest and closed his eyes, humming in thought as he contemplated the situation.
''I don't like the look yer giving me, mate,'' Foxy stated in a dry tone when Springtrap opened his eyes, his pupils briefly flashing purple, as if he came to some kind of conclusion.
''Then you won't like what I'm about to do.''