Again, swears in this one.
Cooper couldn't sleep that night. Morning actually. He tossed and turned under his cover to no avail. He couldn't stop thinking about what happened that night. So many questions. Not enough answers, and not enough time as he'd soon find out.
It was around 1pm when he woke up. Whether that be because of the previous nights happenings, the condition of his hot, stuffy bedroom or the notifications from his phone was yet to be determined. His sheets were drenched in sweat as he almost recoiled out of his bed from the moisture to reach the sanctuary that was his shower. Cleanliness was heavily important to Cooper's morning routine. He exited the warm downpour, and equipped a towel as he dried himself.
He got changed and went to his kitchen to serve himself a humble bowl of cereal. he sat down and began munching whilst he checked his phone. He wasn't exactly surprised when he saw several missed calls and texts from Henry. "What happened!? The place is shut today thanks to you!" One text read. He read another. "Why was their a boy in the pizza Plex?" The blood ran to Cooper's face as he realised he'd been caught. "Why is Roxy damaged? Why is there a kart damaged?"
He read on, despite not wanting to. He was asked to come in as soon as he could. He clenched his teeth as he began to reply. "I'm on my way now. Look at the security footage before you jump to conclusions." Cooper was sure Henry had it all wrong. Was there wrongdoing? Sure, but it wasn't malicious. He got ready for early work. He replaced the Band-Aids and bandage that had fallen off from last night, and put on a singlet to hide his his flesh through the ripped uniform he wore. It wasn't looking good for him.
With butterflies in his stomach and a pounding steam engine in his chest, he walked in, ready for the worst. He had thrown optimism out the window. He didn't think he'd be fired, just maybe demoted or another warning. In the back of his mind he thought everything would be fine. The only thing he probably couldn't explain was the presence of Gregory.
Excuse, excuse, excuse, uhhhh... I'll just say... ummm... I found him abandoned in the daycare... No, they have cameras... ummm... Oh god I'm in trouble. He gave up thinking of an excuse when he realised all his stories could be debunked just by checking the cameras of the previous nights. He braced for the worst as he parked his car in the unusually empty carpark and walked up to the mall. Oh, how intimidating it looked as it towered over and dwarfed the small man.
As he entered his phone buzzed. "Come to parts and service." He did exactly that. He took the long way down and met face to face with Henry, them making the most awkward eye contract possible. The thick, hairy eyebrows of Henry only amplifying his hybrid look of dissapointment and anger. He was in for it now. There were also a couple technicians looking at the old, 80's style computer. They were typing away, not concerned at the guard's arrival. He also noticed Monty inside of the protective cylinder, appearing to be around asleep. Roxy lay just left of the cylinder sitting down motionless, appearing to have been waiting to be fixed.
Henry motioned for him to come towards him. He obeyed. Henry then walked into a secluded room that Cooper had no idea existed. It was a small, confession ro- conference room. It housed a small broken, wooden desk, two chairs and a bunch of lockers. It smelled metallic in a odd way, despite having had the walls plastered and a concrete floor.
Henry sat down first with Cooper following suit. A small light bulb in the center of the room illuminated it dully with a faint yellow glow. Before he sat down, Cooper looked at his seat. It had red patches on it. He didn't want to know what they were. He sat down anyways and a tense conversation commenced.
Henry began. "So, I've had a look at the footage... And..." Cooper held his breath.
"You're fired."
"WHAT?" The reaction was instinctual. A burning rage ignited inside the usually calm and composed man. He felt his knees weaken, despite not having to use them right now. His emotions had taken control of him by now, and had gagged his logical side until it surrendered. The unmoved and uninterested look on Henry's face was the straw that broke the camel's back. Almost.
"You heard me. This is non-negotiable." His response was monotone like a robot, but not any robot Cooper knew. Cooper clenched his fists and attempted to maintain composure. There was only so much he could control in a state like this though.
"Fucking... How?" He probably shouldn't have sworn at the guy who he wanted to see show mercy but... hindsight is a beautiful thing. In the heat of the moment it slipped. "What happened to the three warnings?"
"Well let's see here..." He pulled out a short document. "You've smuggled a child into the pizza Plex..."
I let him stay out of the kindness of my own heart... But no... Continue with all of my sins. All my evils. After all. I am the villain in this situation aren't I?
"You've let company property get damaged..." He went on.
If you're referring to Roxy... I let a go kart hit me in order to protect her. If you are referring to the tiny little black mark on her stomach... From the company issued tasers may I add, then so help me.
It seemed as though Fazbear entertainment had adopted the ignorance is bliss mentality when it came to self defence claims. More money for them Cooper supposed.
"Ummm... More company property damage... And just... look at the state of you and your uniform. Unprofessional."
I wasn't even driving the go kart.
"And everything has just generally gone wrong with you in the night guard position. First we have a Bunny attack, with suspiciously deleted cam footage, and now this? No other night guard had faced stuff that serious in the span of years, you've dealt with it in like 3 months! You're a bad omen! We're letting you go."
So they fire people because of coincidences and hunches? Huh. That's good to know. If anything, this showed that I'm capable of dealing with shit like Bunny attacks and out of control robots. This should be a promotion not a demotion to customer! What the fuck?
"Just demote me! Why are you firing me if night shift is the issue?" Even though it's not. There is no issue. You're just a fucking idiot. There was no holding back in the battle field that was the mind.
"It's cheaper. You have... 1 week notice until you're gone. Good chat and good luck." Henry got up to leave, after placing a pink slip on the broken wooden desk in front of him.
"Wait!"
Henry stopped and looked at him, one eyebrow raised.
"What are you doing with Gregory? He has no family... No one to turn to... He's a lost soul without this place, and Freddy."
"He's going to be put up for adoption." Henry left the room, completely contempt. completely soulless. After all, morals are subjective.
Everything was moving too fast for Cooper. Everything he had built up and worked on, all the friends he made, all the fun he had, all the memories he made, all the adventures he had been on, the unlikely relationship he'd formed... All ripped away from him in an instant. Was that who he was? Replaceable? Forgettable? Even worse, a placeholder? Just another grain of sand at the beach. It was like he never even made an impact. His mind began to race, and tears began to form. He guessed in the corporate world, everything is replaceable, except money.
He stared wondering how the animatronics would react to the unfortunate news. He knew Roxy wouldn't be happy that was for sure.
Once he regained the mental and physical strength to walk again, he exited the room glumly, and defeated. The technicians were still typing away on the keyboard, which had somehow not broken yet. One of them turned to meet the broken, moist eyes that belonged to the man with a new found hole in his heart. Paying no attention to the physical appearance of Cooper, the man asked a question.
"How'd it go?" It was a simple question, but something about it broke Cooper. His pupils became as small as the stars in the night sky and he began screaming inside. Again, though rather poorly, he maintained composure.
"I got fired." He barely found the words to make a property sentence.
"Ohhhhhhhh... Sorry for asking..." He shared an awkward smile and returned back to his work.
Before leaving, Cooper took one last look at the immobile Roxy that laid stationary, waiting to be repaired. He shed another tear and stormed out aggressively. The one sentence turned him into an emotional rollercoaster. You're fired.
He didn't know what to do now. He didn't know where his life was headed without that simple job. Before he was a night guard, he had very little. His Father had died in hospital from an infection when he was at a very young age. His mother wasn't exactly kind to him. Come to think of it, it wasn't too different to the way Vanessa treated Roxy. Like dirt. He was an only child, and he had little extended family. The ones he did have lived overseas.
At school he was lonely, he could never fit in anywhere. He was the one jigsaw piece that was always left aside for another chance. Last one picked for the dodgeball team. He was a juvenile delinquent, causing trouble wherever he went. He didn't care about the rules. He didn't care about anything, to himself and everyone around him, he was a lost cause. He had talent though. He was creative. Remarkably creative. Although he could never express it given his life circumstances. As he grew older, he grew wiser. And he realised that in order to achieve anything, he'd need to be polite. Baby steps.
His mother was neglectful and ignorant. Blaming all problems that she had and caused for herself on others. Often times on Cooper. She did the bare minimum for him, and expected to be treated like a goddess when she got him a phone. Very nice, yes, but it was expected for children to have phones. When Cooper eventually took in for granted it enraged her.
He dropped out and began looking for a job. Eventually he found one, at Freddy fazbear's mega pizza Plex. The pay was enough to last, and it was a chance to revisit the childhood he never had. After some time he saved up for an apartment for himself, and even a cheap, second hand car. He was eager to leave his home dwellings and the wicked witch that lived within them. Eventually he was promoted to night shift where he made some new friends. His only friends. Then he was fired. And here we are.
He began to look at the bright side. He had made the most of a bad situation before, He could certainly do it again. But it would take time, strength, and determination, most of which Cooper lacked right now. He supposed his first priority would be looking for a new job. He would save that until the week was over though. For now, he would rest. He had a night of explaining ahead of him.
