This chapter is currently about halfway caught-up to the chapter I'm actually currently writing. ...That won't last long. I write more than I post instead of posting as I finish each chapter lol. It's because you would get them way too soon back-to-back if I did. Though some people might like that. The story rough draft is nearly complete. My friend and I come up with things by sort of... roleplaying? Whatever we throw out there and like is what I write down for later. As I write the actual chapters, sometimes I add stuff. He gets to read them all long before they get here. His favorite character is Chica.
When Lea got to work that night, she did not encounter Abby on the way in like she usually did. She messaged her but got no response. None of the four Glamrocks were in their green rooms either. She used her Fazwatch to contact Freddy, who informed her that they were all in the west arcade. Wanting to tell Abby about Mrs. Westin, Lea made her way over there and found them all on the DJ's dancefloor.
Abby had apparently decided to hook up her phone to DJ Music Man so she could listen to her own playlist loudly through the stage speakers. Lea would not have minded, if not for the fact that Abby liked to listen to inappropriate music. "Abby! What the heck are you doing!?"
"Whaaat? What's the problem?"
"The problem is your taste in music."
"Hey, you like this song!"
"It's still not appropriate to play around robots designed to perform for children," Lea scolded.
"Pfft! They may perform for kids, but they are not kids. Chica already knew this song, and Roxy doesn't seem to mind."
The two girls were laughing and dancing together. Lea sighed.
"I will admit," Freddy said. "The lyrics are…scandalous. But the music is catchy."
"Hey Lea!" Abby said. "Come dance with me!"
"No. I don't dance."
"That's a lie!" She looked at Foxy, who was sitting on the edge of the stage. "Give her a couple of margaritas and she'll dance." He laughed.
"I'm not in the mood for this tonight," Lea said.
"Aw, someone's grumpy. Come onnnn. Have some fun. You've been so serious lately."
"I have plenty of reason to be serious, Abby."
"You're starting to sound like your sister."
Lea winced. She was right.
"I know what'll cheer you up. Hey, DJ! Skip this next one and go straight to Livin' la Vida Loca! Lea loves that song!"
"Abby…"
"Yeah! This is my jam!" Abby started to sing along to the song and dance.
"Abby. Seriously." Lea grumbled as Abby grabbed her by her wrists.
"You're not gonna dance with me?"
"No. I told you, I –"
"Fine. Go dance with your alligator then." Abby suddenly pulled her close and turned, twirling Lea around once and causing her to bump into Monty.
"Oof! Abby!"
"Whoa!" Monty caught her. "Uh, hey."
She sighed. "Hey, Monty." Abby stuck her tongue out at Lea before going to dance with Freddy.
"Are you okay?" Monty asked Lea.
"Yeah. I'm fine."
"Oh, good." He took a step back. "Are you…having a bad day?"
"Something like that. There's just… a lot going on."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"Well, I need to talk to Abby, specifically, but…" She glanced back at Abby dancing. "I guess I'll wait for her to settle down a little. She never listens once she starts playing her favorite songs."
"Oh." He tapped his claws together and stared off to the side, debating something. "So, do you usually dance to this song?"
Lea was a little embarrassed by that question. "Sometimes…"
"Do you…want to now?"
Lea looked up at him. Was he asking her to dance with him? She felt the corner of her mouth twitch and she could not help but smirk. "Ah. All right. Why not?"
"Really? I'm a pretty good dancer."
This time, she really did smile. "Oh yeah?" She stepped closer and grabbed his hands. "Let's see it then."
"Aw, you're gonna dance with him and not me!?" Abby mocked offense. "Betrayal!"
Lea laughed a little at her as she danced with Monty. "You left me behind first!"
"Because you shot me down! It's not fair!"
"Haha!"
After two more songs, Abby had stopped to sit down on the stage with Foxy and had the DJ lower the music as the song ended. Lea glanced over at her, but before she went to talk to her, she smiled up at Monty.
"Hey. Thanks for cheering me up."
"Oh! Yeah!" He grinned. "It was fun!"
"Yeah."
Abby looked at her as she came over. "So, what's got you all in a twist?"
"Mrs. Westin passed away," Lea said bluntly, placing her hands on her hips.
Abby looked surprised. "Oh shit. Uh, I'm sorry."
"We all knew it was going to happen soon. But take a look at this." She pulled a folded paper out from her back pocket and handed it to her. "It's a copy of her will."
Abby furrowed her brows, confused as to why Lea wanted her to look at it. She unfolded the paper and instantly noticed the name. "Whoa! Is this her maiden name!? She was an Afton!?"
The others had been attracted by Abby's exclaiming and went over to investigate. Chica looked the most intrigued. "Did you say Afton? As in, one of the original founders?"
Lea nodded. "Turns out that Mrs. Westin was William Afton's aunt. And she knew what he had been doing all along."
"Why didn't she do anything to stop him then!?" Abby looked angry.
"She tried, but he wouldn't listen. No one would believe her, either." She pulled the little red notebook out of her pocket. "This is a journal of sorts that she kept over the years. It explains some things."
Chica took the book from her and flipped quickly through the pages, scanning it. "Oh? Lea, you wanted a pet alligator when you were little?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I did."
She giggled. "How…interesting."
"What? Why is that interesting?" She noticed her give Monty a quick glance. "Monty's not a pet."
"Huh?" Monty flinched.
"I know. I just think it's funny."
"Why?"
"Oh, no reason."
Monty snorted as if he was annoyed about something, causing Chica to giggle again.
Lea made a face. "Whatever Chica.
"Holy!" Abby nearly choked on her own breath. "Lea! Did you check to make sure this number is correct? That's a lot of zeros!"
"What is?" Roxy asked, trying to look.
"Her inheritance!"
"Yeah, I checked," Lea replied. "That's only half, too. Alex got the other half."
"Half!?"
Foxy peered over Abby's shoulder at the paper. "Is that a real number?" he asked. "Lass, yer…"
"Loaded," Roxy finished for him.
"Goodness!" Freddy exclaimed. "Leanne! You and your sister may be two of the wealthiest people in the state now! Oh! And, um, I am sorry for your loss."
Roxy brushed her hair over her shoulder. "Wow. If I didn't know what you were really doing here, I'd say you should just retire now."
"I still have a lot to do before that," Lea told her. She held her hand out and Abby returned the paper; Chica handed her the red notebook.
…
A few days had passed without anything particularly interesting happening. That is, until Lea had gotten a phone call from Mr. Stanley at 2:24 in the afternoon, waking her up. She groaned; she was not pleased to be woken up, but when she saw the caller ID she was instantly more awake. "Hello?"
"Ah, Leanne! So sorry to bother you, but we have a serious situation right now! It's Monty."
"Monty? What happened?" she asked quickly. Her first thought was that perhaps he had attacked a guest in one of his virus-fueled fits of rage.
"He didn't show up for the main stage performance. This happens every so often, and we always find him on the catwalks above Gator Golf. Ah." Stanley sounded impatient. "But this time is a disaster!"
"Mr. Stanley, what happened?"
"Someone hit the hole in one and the hurricane bucket knocked him down over the railing. Both legs are broken. He has severe damage, but he won't let anyone near him! He's acting like a wild animal!"
Lea felt a knot in her stomach. "Okay, I'm on my way." She swiftly got dressed and grabbed a pack of peanut butter crackers to force herself to eat along the way. Four grams of protein was better than nothing for now.
When she arrived at the Pizzaplex, she did not bother to clock in and instead made her way straight over to Gator Golf. There were several groups of confused or irritated guests in the waiting area where the elevator was located. Two workers and a S.T.A.F.F. bot were blocking the elevator and informing guests that the attraction was temporarily closed. When Lea approached, she flashed her work ID and they moved to let her into the elevator. As the doors opened and she stepped out into the swamp-themed golf course, she encountered Mr. Stanley waiting for her.
"Leanne! Good, you're here! We had to evacuate the entire attraction so that no guests would see. Though a few of them might have… We tried to get him to Parts and Service, but he won't let me or anyone else close without slashing or biting at us. Nearly caught my arm. He's completely out of it! You're my last hope."
"I'll do my best. Where is he?"
Stanley pointed. "He had originally fallen onto the stage over there, but he's since dragged himself over by the hologram tunnel that way. I'm going to stay out of his sight and let you try your hand at it, but just shout if you need me. Seriously, be careful Leanne. This is the worst he's ever behaved."
She nodded and began to make her way down along the course. Her nerves were shot. These animatronics could feel…everything. Pain included. Just how severe was the damage? The pain, combined with errant behavior caused by the virus, was causing him to act in a feral manner. Would he even listen to her? Finally, she reached one end of the tunnel filled with holograms to look like water and fish moving through it. She peered into it and stepped through the mist at the entrance, passing through until she reached the other side where she found him.
Monty was laying on the ground, trying to drag himself forward with his hands and claws. His legs and tail dragged behind, and Lea could already see that the endoskeleton was broken at the hip. The legs had been snapped and severed from the hip and were only still attached due to the straining wires holding them together. Normally, when the animatronics moved, mechanical sounds could be heard such as a quiet whirring and the turning of gears and belts. Currently, though, Lea could noticeably make out the sound of mechanical grinding as he struggled to pull himself forward. The exposed wiring between the waist and legs had gotten caught on a prop on the course, keeping him in place. There were tears in the floor where he kept digging his claws in an attempt to pull himself free. Each time he pulled, the grinding sound rose in volume, the wires tugged and stretched, and he let out a growling sound of mixed pain and irritation.
"Monty," Lea said without thinking.
He snapped his head around to look at her and snarled loudly. The casing on the right side of his face was broken, leaving a jagged hole in it. He tried to lunge at her, but the stuck wires kept him in place. Still, the loud sound of his jaws snapping together caused her to flinch. He was behaving very much like a real wild alligator that was trying to defend itself.
"Monty. It's me, Lea." She tried to take a step forward but he snarled louder, causing her to halt. She studied him quickly. His lower half was still stuck via the wires on the prop, but he had turned himself to face her. Currently, he was hissing and growling at her with an open pair of jaws ready to bite her if she got too close. Although she greatly liked and cared about him, she had no intention of getting bit again. How bold was she willing to be with him? Every time she made the slightest movement, he hissed or snarled at her. It did not seem like he recognized her right now. Perhaps the virus was currently affecting him?
Unsure of what to do and a little frustrated, she suddenly sat down, ignoring the loud hiss he made in response. She wanted to help him. She wanted to let him know that it was okay. But how could she do that when he behaving so wildly? She glanced at the stuck wires being strained and tugged as he tried to move and wondered how much it hurt. She could now hear the compressed air of the pneumatics leaking out as something ruptured in the torso.
"Monty…" Lea suddenly recalled something. It was something she had not thought about in years. A lullaby her father would sing to her and her sister when they were hurt, sick, or just scared. Though she was not entirely sure why, she began to quietly sing, remembering his voice as she did. "It's all right. You're okay. I'm right here by your side… Close your eyes. Don't be afraid. There's no reason to be scared to-night…"
Monty slowly closed his jaws as his snarling quieted.
"I know the dark… Might block your eyes. Sometimes pain causes us a fright… But it's all right. You're okay. I won't leave you here alone to-night…" She noticed him calming down and carefully scooted closer. "It's all right. You're okay. I love you and I'll hold you tight…" She reached her hand over and stroked his head, brushing through the red mohawk. With half-closed eyes, he rumbled with a quiet and contented bellow as he steadily lowered his head onto her lap. "That's it," she said softly. "You're okay, Monty… No matter what. In my mind, in my heart you're right. There with me. Every night. I'll never ever leave your side… Quietly. I'll sing to you. My favorite little lull-a-by… Cause it's all right. You're okay. Yes it's all right. You're okay. I love you every day and night."
She carefully opened the back of the skull housing while continuing to soothe him with gentle strokes and humming. After plugging in her Fazwrench, she turned it with a click, flipped a small switch, then turned it back and removed it. She listened to the sound of him powering down as his eyes closed and a last puff of synthetic breath left his nostrils. She hated to have to power any of them off. They did not like it, because it frightened them. But Lea would not drag Monty all the way to Parts and Service or perform such heavy maintenance while he was able to feel all of it. It was just far too much to put him through.
"Mr. Stanley," Lea called, trying to make sure she did not sound like she was in trouble.
Shortly after her call, he appeared from the tunnel and approached her in awestruck surprise. "Leanne! Did you…?"
She nodded. "I powered him off."
"I knew you'd be the one!" He smiled. "Right! Let's get him over to Parts and Service. We'll take the maintenance tunnels so we can avoid guests. You're not hurt, are you?"
"No. I'm fine."
"Good, good. You really are something, Leanne. Let's go then."
With the help of two S.T.A.F.F. bots, they managed to carry Monty all the way to Parts and Service and placed him on the table-like chair in the protective cylinder. While Lea got to work on him, Mr. Stanley left to go tend to the golf attraction and confused guests. For the first time since she began work there, Lea was going to have to accept the help of the protective cylinder's automated system. It was not designed to perform such critical maintenance, so she would be doing most of the work anyway. However, it was very helpful when it came to moving or lifting Monty. It was also able to reattach wires and pieces of metal that she would not be able to on her own without a specialized tool.
As she removed parts of the endoskeleton that were unsalvageable, the claw-tipped arms of the cylinder would take them from her and toss them away into a chute while it handed her new parts at the same time. While idly waiting, sometimes it would turn or click its claws together as it watched her through a camera directly above her. It could see everything she was doing, allowing it to react quickly and efficiently without her needing to say anything to it. At first, Lea had been unnerved by the claws and tools looming over her, but she had quickly adjusted to their presence and learned the machine's behavior. Much to her relief, it would never reach down with its arms while she was still in the way, and instead patiently waited for her to allow it access.
Finally, Lea had finished removing and replacing all of the damaged pieces and wires. Now it was time to move on to the exterior. Lea stepped out of the cylinder to gather up the exterior pieces she would need, stopping along the way to examine a twitching endoskeleton locked up in a cage like an animal. It did not seem to pay her any mind or even notice her as she passed. When she returned into the cylinder, it eagerly took the parts from her and began to replace the broken ones. In no time at all, it had completed its task and retracted its arms with a "Good job." Lea snorted in amusement. "Good job yourself," she replied.
Lea knew that the cylinder was not programmed to paint, so she gathered up the brushes and paints she needed and set to work. After making sure everything looked as it should, she stepped back and began pressing buttons and typing on the keypad the cylinder had produced for her. Diagnostics showed that everything was functional inside and out. With a sigh of both relief and exhaustion, she exited the cylinder and went over to the terminal to complete everything.
"Okay," Lea said, turning to the two S.T.A.F.F. bots that had remained with her in Parts and Service. "Help me get him to the charging station behind his room."
They rolled forward to assist, beeping and chattering in their own language that they used when not addressing guests or workers. They often used this form of communication even with Lea after having realized that she had learned to understand most of it. It was very similar to the sounds that Helpy used. As they carried Monty through the hall and into the lift, Lea thought about how she would soon have to run diagnostics on Helpy. Normally, the little bear was asleep at night, after helping to direct guests all day. Lea always thought it funny how computers had sleep modes. The animatronics had something similar, but they actually acted sleepy or groggy when their battery power was low. They could stand on a charge pad and gather up a quick charge to keep going, but when they stayed to charge up fully, they would settle down and sleep. Lea also sometimes found them snoozing when they were not on a charger. She assumed this was just something they did to save power when they were not doing anything for a while.
Before the S.T.A.F.F. bots placed Monty in the charging station, Lea used the Fazwrench to reboot him. After closing him up, they placed him inside, said something to her, and returned to the elevator after she thanked them. Lea left in the opposite direction, making her way through the door into Monty's room. She flicked on the light, unsurprised to see the state of the room. The last S.T.A.F.F. bot victims had been removed, but the room was still a mess with gashes in the walls. She sent a message to Mr. Stanley, telling him that she had finished fixing up Monty and that he was currently asleep in his charging station.
The time was currently 4:51. She was impressed by the efficiency of the cylinder's automated system. After checking the reply from Mr. Stanley, Lea decided to lay down on the sofa in Monty's room for a rest. The room was darker than the other animatronic's green rooms, even with the lights on, due to the deep green color of the walls and floor; the closed thick curtains added to this. It was also quiet and cool in the room, the sounds of guests outside were faint and muffled. She had not intended to stay there for long, but she ended up slipping into sleep anyway.
…
Monty awoke to find himself in a charging station, which was odd considering the last thing he remembered was walking into Gator Golf. He opened the door to the station and stepped out, looking around at the familiar area. He spotted the door to one side and walked over to it, tapping the digital handle and causing the door to slide open. It was his room. He checked the time in his internal clock and wondered if it was correct. 5:47 p.m. The next show was at 8:00. He suddenly realized that the lights were on in his room and spotted someone on the sofa. Curious, he walked over to look and realized that it was Lea. Why was she there? He moved around the short table to where her head lay and leaned down to listen. She was asleep. Now realizing that his sunglasses were missing, he sat down on the floor next to her and tilted his head, trying to remember what had happened.
He remembered going into Gator Golf, but he had taken the route up to the catwalks. But why? All he could remember after that were short moments in and out where he recalled moving along the catwalks, feeling angry and confused, and stopping from time to time to shake his head due to a foggy pressure he had felt. He groaned quietly. This was usually what he remembered after times when the virus would make him act up. But why was Lea here? Did something happen? Did he hurt someone? He tried to remember, but all he could recall now was the loud sound of the hurricane buzzer and a sharp pain in his head and midsection. He considered it for a while and eventually concluded that he must have gotten damaged by the hurricane bucket or something. Lea must have been called in to fix him.
Monty looked at her sleeping on the sofa. He felt bad that she had to be called in because of him. Her sleep schedule was erratic enough already. He looked over what he could see of her and found no injuries. Good, he thought. I didn't hurt her. As he watched her sleeping silently, he began to wonder what Lea might dream about. He and the others never had dreams. Not like that. Did she have good dreams? Bad dreams? Did she dream at all? Monty leaned closer to her until their faces were just inches apart. He hesitated, then very gently pressed his nose to her cheek and tilted his head as he slowly rubbed his face against her, breathing in her scent. A quiet little growl rose in his throat like the purr of a cat as he felt her warmth. She was soft. He suddenly felt warm inside and almost like he wanted to cry. He wanted to hold her so badly but stopped himself as he reached a hand over her side. He should not behave this way. He should not feel this way. Despite not wanting to, he pulled away from her and turned to face the other way.
…
Lea woke up about twenty minutes before seven. With a sharp inhale through her nose, she turned over onto her back and rubbed her eyes. "Mm…"
"Lea?"
"Hm?" She turned to see Monty sitting on the floor next to her. He was looking at her curiously. "Monty… How are you feeling?"
He tilted his head a little. "I feel okay. What happened?"
"You got knocked over the catwalks and broke your legs. Mr. Stanley called me because you were acting feral and wouldn't let anyone near you."
"Oh… I… don't remember that… Did I hurt anyone?"
"No." She turned over onto her side and held her arm out in a welcoming way.
After a brief hesitation, Monty moved closer and laid his head on the sofa. She wrapped her arm around his neck and pulled him up against her, tilting her head down. Her lips were pressed against his nose and the warm feeling from earlier returned to him. She closed her eyes, and he wondered if she was going to go back to sleep. His tail twitched and he decided to let himself indulge in her presence. He suddenly pushed forward, lifting himself, and climbed onto the couch with her, lying beside her.
Lea found herself pressed against him with her back against the back of the sofa. She had been momentarily caught off-guard by his sudden action, but said nothing and allowed him to wrap his arms around her. He was surprisingly warm. She listened to the quiet whirring coming from within him, finding it strangely relaxing. It reminded her of the times when she would fall asleep to the sounds of her father working on something in the garage. Another sound began to rumble softly inside of him. It was like a soft growl.
Monty was surprised that she was letting him do this. Maybe she was still sleepy? He was surprised with himself, too. He could feel her breathing. He could feel her heart beating. It was fascinating, exciting, and soothing all at once. "…You have to go to work soon," he said quietly.
"Hm?" She sounded sleepy. "Oh… No. I'm off tonight…"
"Oh. Then, you'll need to go home."
"Mm." She buried her face against him. "Too tired to drive. I'll go later."
"Oh, okay." He was secretly glad that she was staying. He had just gotten a message about the rest of the shows that night being canceled. Though he felt bad about that, he was too interested in Lea's presence in his room – in his arms – to care enough about it. Monty would stay right there for next few hours, clinging onto her and listening to her steady breathing, feeling her calm heartbeat against his chest, and wondering to himself why he felt the way he did about her.
When Lea woke up once more, she had nearly forgotten where she was. She listened to the quiet whirring coming from inside something pressed against her forehead. As she examined it from where she lay, she recognized it as Monty. Now she remembered. She had been so tired that she decided to take a nap on the couch located in his room. She only vaguely remembered him cuddling up with her. What time was it? Had he stayed with her the whole time? Lea wanted to check the time, but a part of her did not feel like moving yet. She was surprisingly comfortable where she was between Montgomery and the sofa. What a surprisingly cuddly robot, she thought.
"Monty…" she said after a long time.
"Hm? Lea?"
So, he was awake… "What time is it?"
"9:14 at night," he replied.
"Oh." Neither of them moved. "…How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine. I dunno where my glasses are though."
"Have you looked for them?"
"No."
She snorted a little. "Silly gator."
After several more minutes, Lea began to stir. Monty let go of her and stood up from the sofa. Lea sat up and stretched. After, she got up and grabbed her bag. Monty followed her through the back halls only accessible by workers and animatronics until they reached a side exit near the employee parking. He stopped. He could not leave the building even if he wanted to. A special safety protocol would not allow it. Though he understood that she had to go home, he really did not want her to leave.
Lea stopped at the door and turned to look at Monty. Thinking about it for a moment, she walked over to him and held her hands out. When he placed his head in her hands, she pulled him closer so that she could nuzzle her face against him. "Goodnight, Monty. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Lea…" He pushed into her, returning the sign of affection. "…Goodnight."
To be continued…