Mable: Sorry this one was a half-hour late, but I needed to finish up a little at the end. ^_^ Enjoy!
Going Home in a Box
Chapter Six
It Mike felt bad looking at it from the outside, he felt downright awful once he got a look at the inside.
The place was a glorious nightmare of limitless budget and untampered ideals, all with an oversaturated gloss of neon. It was hard on the eyes, both in what it was and what it stood for.
The front room was absolutely massive compared to even a mall structure. Hued a gaudy purple and illuminated with so many fluorescents that it hurt the eyes to stare too long. Further ahead were turnstiles- like the place was an amusement park more than whatever this was supposed to be. Fritz looked startled, Mike just looked sick, and Jeremy was somewhere between the two literally and figuratively.
There were a few small groups of people standing around the foyer and lobby for the open house. The only one who looked like he could've worked there was a nicely dressed man in a grey suit who was speaking with a boisterous voice. He had brown, curly hair that was slightly receding on the forehead and a neatly trimmed short beard and mustache. His eyes lit up when he turned and noticed them and hastily hurried over.
He must've recognized them from Foxy's. Of course he did, anyone with half a braincell would've noticed the way they were dressed. Fritz was fine in a flannel long sleeved shirt and jeans. Mike was wearing his Foxy's Pirate's Cove branded security jacket and a black cap with the same logo while Natalie was in black calf-length pants and a 'Mari and Lottie' t-shirt.
Then there was Jeremy. Jeremy was wearing a Foxy face t-shirt, Foxy head hat, Foxy wristbands, Foxy face patterned socks, Foxy branded pirate pendant- he was about two or three Foxy items short of looking like a complete fanatic.
This was likely the man who had spoken to Fritz on the phone and yet the moment he turned to face him, he flinched uncomfortably. He could only silently stare as the space was closed between them.
"Sam? Sam Fritz?" he asked. Fritz simply nodded. "Ah, fantastic! I'm James Wight- I'm sure you recognize my voice from our conversation on the phone," he introduced himself. He clasped Fritz's hand in an eager shake as he leaned in and lowered his voice. "I'll have you know that I've already greeted four men thinking they were you. We weren't expecting such a turnout."
"Yeah, it's… it's something." Fritz cleared his throat as he pulled his arm back and started gesturing to the others. "These are my business partners, Mike Schmidt and Jeremy Fitzgerald, and my, uh, my fiancé, Natalie."
Mike side glanced at that but didn't correct him. Instead, he kept a poker face of disinterest as he put out his hand and shook James'. Jeremy and Natalie took turns after him.
"Now then, before we get into business," James began, clasping his hands together eagerly. "Why don't we begin the grand tour?"
"Sure. Sounds good," Fritz agreed.
"Wonderful! Just a moment." James hustled back to the group and wrapped up things with them quickly. As soon as he walked away, Natalie reached forward and grabbed Fritz by the shoulder.
"Fritz, we have a problem," she whispered. Her eyes were wide and her tone tense. As on edge as he was, he immediately returned the look. Until Natalie suddenly held up her other hand. "My engagement ring has magically disappeared!"
That shock dropped into disbelief as Natalie's mouth twitch into a smile. "Don't give me an opening if you don't want me to pounce."
"Hey, I thought it sounded classier than live-in girlfriend," Fritz said with a matter-of-fact smile. Natalie clicked her tongue in disapproval.
That was when James returned and eagerly began to lead them into the Pizzaplex. Mike kept a closer eye than any of the others. James was suspicious, though not in the traditional sense. He got the impression that he was really into this show he was putting on- which was a problem, because that show portrayed a concerning amount of confidence. They passed the turnstile and headed further in.
The lobby was circular in shape with a massive golden painted Freddy statue in the center. Except it wasn't the Freddy that Mike remembered, but a new version entirely. Outside he had seen the cartoon version of Freddy and imagined a stout bear with glitzy face paint, but the shape of Freddy portrayed in this statue was weirdly muscular. It reminded him of something Afton Robotics would build, he could already see where there might be segmented plates.
There was a store to the right with a 'Glamrock Gifts' sign above it, probably a gift shop. To the left it looked like the entrance to a restaurant or something. Behind the statue and square fountain it sat upon, were stairs and escalators leading up towards the second floor. There were advertisements screens darted around but they were showing a blue default logo instead of anything significant.
"This is our gift shop on the right. Self-explanatory, I know. Our own little prize corner," James said, then gave a warm laugh like it was a good joke. Natalie and Fritz managed chuckles while Mike was absolutely deadpan. "Now on this other side, we have our fabulous Faz-Pad café. Not for the children, of course, but for the parents to decompress and give their kids a little freedom."
"Nothing settles my nerves like a cup of coffee," Mike said sardonically. Though in hindsight, coffee did seem to take the edge off for him, but that was probably his budding caffeine addiction. "Where's the animatronics?"
"Still in their rooms, unfortunately. Still working out the last kinks- or shall we say, working out those last-minute jitters. Once we open, they'll be right out on stage! Though not for long. Our animatronics are highly advanced- as are yours- and are fully capable of walking the establishment, greeting children, getting involved in all the fun. We haven't turned on their pathfinding yet, but we have gone through plenty of tests and is shaping up to be a rather impressive system!" James explained. "Of course, our main staff are also automated."
"What do you mean by that?" Fritz asked with a tinge of dread in his voice. "Like, fully optimized vending machines automation or actual automated staff?"
"Instead of employees, we are implementing Staff bots to take over the menial labor tasks," James explained. Fritz's eyes popped open, and Mike felt himself clench inwardly. It didn't get any better as James continued. "Our server and staff bots can deliver food, clean up spills, exchange tickets for prizes, and so on and so forth. It is a life saver- because of this, we've been able to cut down on human workers dramatically. Which is a relief, as we've already had problems."
"Problems?" Fritz asked. The growing sinking feeling was evident in his voice. "Like what?"
"Well, for starters. Both our foreman and our lead technician left without warning, we have had two pipes burst and flood the sewers on two separate occasions, and we've already had to recycle a bot from the playground area."
"What was it doing?" Mike asked. Unease and concern settled in his gut for an animatronic he didn't know anything about. Though when he said playground area it immediately made him think of Marionette, made him protective.
"Oh, it wasn't doing much of anything. Someone came in after hours- more than once, mind you- and vandalized it! It got to the point where we repaired the thing… six or seven times! It finally got to the point where the repair team was saying it was a lost cause. But mark my words, we will find whoever did this! He owes me a sun!"
Mike and Fritz exchanged another concerned look, Mike of disbelief and Fritz teeth clenched. A creeping fear fell over Jeremy who noticed how familiar that sounded. Natalie was looking at him in concern, standing beside him in the back and noticing his look, so he leaned in and simply whispered, "Mangle." She understood right away and gave a sympathetic hiss.
James continued the tour unaffected. He stepped up onto the purple carpeted steps behind the Freddy statue. "Now if we take these stairs, we'll be led to the lobby hall that connects with the daycare-."
"Hey, don't take anyone in the elevator! There's a funky smell in there and we're not sure it's not a gas leak!"
James was cut off to dead silence with his arm still poised out as though in explanation. Up on the second floor, right outside the café area, was a man in what looked like a technician jumpsuit with a Freddy face logo on his hat. He looked somewhere in his thirties with fuzzy, fluffy, almost wolfman styled brunette beard and sideburns. Looked a bit stocky, was probably shorter than most of them.
As soon he appeared, he was gone, and Mike looked from him and back to James and got a slight smirk at the look on his face. He could tell that this was the closest James had ever gotten to wanting to die.
Eventually he managed a smile and nod and looked back at Mike, giving a quiet, "That's Chaz, our current most experienced technician."
"Sounds about right," Mike answered. He gestured ahead and James gave a defeated sort of nod and continued on.
"Now far to the right are the doors to our Superstar Daycare. Where the younger tots can have just as much fun as their older siblings, and their parents get a break from them," James lightly joked. "Do any of you have any kids?"
"Not yet, but we're thinking about it," Fritz said, reaching to put an arm around Natalie. It looked casual, but she could tell that his nerves were frayed. "Someday."
"You know, once we get married," Natalie said, sending Fritz a playing glint and shaking her left hand out. Fritz got an equally amused and unamused look.
"What about you two?"
"Sort of. My boyfriend's sister lives with us," Mike said with no inflection. He looked at James' face, daring him to make a comment, but he didn't really react. He gestured to Jeremy, "Jeremy has a small army."
"I, uh, I adopted a lot of… siblings from a bad home," Jeremy fumbled to explain. He then elbowed Mike in the side when he was sure James wasn't looking.
"That is wonderful, it really is. In fact, you should bring them by sometime! I'll give you a free daycare pass and you just come by whenever you feel like it- once we're open, of course," James offered.
"Great. Sure, why not?" Jeremy vaguely answered, trying to sound appreciative. This seemed like enough for James who proceeded to lead them into an elevator where they took a short trip upwards. One that was painfully quiet.
There were posters on the wall. Fazer Blaster, probably some sort of shooting game, Mazercise, looked like a gym or something, Monty's Gator Golf, the only thing Mike felt any real intimidation from, and one for Kids Cove. Something that Mike almost leapt on until he remembered that Kids Cove was technically originally a Freddy's term. Not something he was going to dispute.
Besides, he had bigger problems. Or he did once the elevator doors opened, and he found himself staring out at something much worse.
"And here we are at the main atrium! The heart of Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex!"
The atrium was huge, beyond even the front room in size. Large walkways looked down upon a sizable dining hall made to branch out into various other locations. Neon advertisements and idle screens were everywhere, bathing the room in an overly bright glow- which didn't contrast well with the sunlight coming through the windows high above. There was a stage on the far side, but it was hard to see it between the lights and distance.
It was a dizzying display, enough to make anyone lightheaded. If the height was the cause instead of the rushing panic of seeing all this room and realizing how many bodies could fit into this tight space.
"Wow," Natalie said. Her mouth had actually dropped open. "How did you afford all this?"
"Ah, well… Barely," James admitted with a chuckle. "But it's set to pay for itself, so budget isn't an issue."
Mike was losing track of the conversation. The massive room narrowed in, and a dull numbness crept up onto his shoulders. His face started to feel tingly, and he forced a deep breath. Though it still didn't feel like enough.
"I'm about to have a panic attack. I'm standing in the world's largest Freddy's and I'm about to have a panic attack. I'm letting Freddy's work me into a panic attack, I'm not even working here, that's so pathetic," Mike's thoughts began to race. "Fritz's going to notice. I've got to get my act together or he's going to see. If I start sweating and they see me sweating in a children's establishment while I'm wearing purple- I bet they're all thinking I'm Michael Afton. If they know who he is."
He had to get this under control. He reached into his jacket and yanked out his cellphone and, before he could get put on the spot, he made up an excuse on the fly.
"I've got to tell Charlie about this. She's never going to believe this place," Mike said. Then he speedily walked a good ways away to a quiet area by the escalator. That seemed to do the trick. James wasn't suspicious, at least. Everyone else noticed it was a little brisk, but they went along with it. Probably assuming he was trying to hold in a surge of unbridled rage.
Mike quickly dialed the pizzeria's number before leaning forward on the railing, clasping his free hand over his face to try and rub away the stress. He kept his eyes clamped shut and listened to the faux-soothing mall music baring down on him.
After a few short rings a bubbly voice answered the phone. "Foxy's Pirate Cove! How can I help you?" It was Louise.
"Hey, it's Mike. Is Mari there? I need to talk to him," he asked.
"He's a little tied up at the moment. Why? Everything okay?"
Paranoia crept in and rather than risk her figuring out something was up, Mike decided to back out quickly. "No, it's fine. Just tell him to call me when he's got a chance."
"Mmm-kay! Can do, Boss," Louise playfully said. She got a slightly more reserved tone and might've cupped the receiver with her palm as she added, "How's it looking over there?"
"It's a disaster."
"Thank goodness!"
"No. I mean for us," Mike corrected. He could hear her hope deflate in the following 'oh'. "I have to go. Pray for me."
He hung up the phone and stood there a moment longer. He didn't exactly feel any better, but it helped him get a grip. Though it was hard to keep that grip when he had to eventually peel back his hand and stare at the atrium beneath. He forced a deep breath and returned to the others.
"When you said a place in the cafeteria, I didn't know you meant you were actually opening an El Chip's in the building," Fritz was in the middle of saying. It was something that James, again, seemed overly delighted by.
"It was Glenn's idea, I swear! The man's got ambition and seems to be having more than a little trouble getting in a steady stream of business where he is," Glenn said. Then, noticing Mike had returned, immediately pounced. "Oh good, you're back! Now then, let's continue the tour."
There went that feeling of cooling off. Mike managed to keep a stoic face as they rode the escalator down to the first floor. He found himself falling behind as they were led towards the front stage.
"Now I'm sure you saw some of our posters hanging around, but we tout a slew of exciting activities for both kids and adults. We have laser tag, miniature golf, bowling, and even a go-kart racetrack! All themed after our new band of Glamrock animatronics, who I won't be able to introduce you to in person just yet. Perhaps if you come to our opening day ceremony!"
It continued on like this for a majority of the tour, with James narrating every grandiose nail in the coffin known as an attraction. Most of what they saw was just the entryways, having to sit through an elevator ride for most of them, but even that little glimpse was enough to get them spooked.
The one they got the best look at being the minigolf course. It was themed like a swamp or jungle and even with the overhead lights all on had a surprisingly on-point atmosphere. Fake trees and vines, sand pits made from ball pits, and a mossy green color scheme stretching from the walls to the carpet. Just seeing it was enough to get the point across that they weren't sparing any expense. They didn't spend long there.
Mike was used to running and still was feeling an uncomfortable burn in his calf muscles as they hiked nearly a mile just to see glimpses of what would eventually be. The place definitely didn't seem ready for opening, but James was insistent that it was just around the corner. At least he didn't have to see any more than he wanted to, which was honestly none of it.
They didn't head up to see the bowling alley, but he noticed a peculiar sign mounted on the wall for it with a calico-colored cartoon rabbit and the words "Bunny Bowl" beside it. Mike nudged Fritz and pointed it out and both decided without words that it was probably a cheap replacement for something Bonnie related.
One of the last places James showed them was Rockstar Row, a hallway set up almost like a little museum. Some replications of old Freddy memorabilia were trapped in glass cases and there were a few cut-outs of the band, but they weren't the most important thing. There were four singled out rooms, each with a large window that was blocked by a curtain and a few character-specific maintenance posters, and each with a little entryway. James was happy to explain.
"This would be Rockstar Row, and these are the green rooms. Freddy and his band each have one where you can see them between shows and even get an exclusive photo with your favorite character! Isn't that charming? That was Nel's idea. I think the children will love it."
"That is pretty neat. Why are the curtains shut?" Natalie asked.
"Maintenance reasons. Specifically, we're going to make absolutely sure the band's to-." James was cutoff mid-sentence by Mike's phone ringing. The man raised a finger in dismissal and fell back behind Jeremy and Natalie to answer. The man waved him off and continued on, "That the band's totally ready for showtime. We don't want any more surprises. Especially none that possible investors might see." He raised his brows knowingly at Fritz who nodded.
Now back out of hearing range, and with James taking off on another tangent, Mike answered his phone. "Hello?"
"Hello, my love,~" Marionette's melodic voice trilled through the phone. "How are you holding up?"
Mike barely withheld a relieved exhale. "You better keep whispering sweet nothings in my ear, because I'm about to lose my shhh-." Mike noticed Natalie look back at him and realized he was being a little too loud. "Shhhoes…" he finished. Then after a second, quietly tacked on, "Right up Freddy's ass."
Jeremy choked on a snicker.
"Oh dear. That bad?"
"Pretty much." Mike almost said more before holding back. "I don't want to stress you out when you're about to perform for a birthday."
"Don't worry about it! The party wrapped up a while ago. Now it's just Chrissy and I, and she's getting in a few rounds of Fruity Maze. I'm in the office so nobody will notice," Marionette assured. He could tell that Mike was bothered more than he let on, so he continued to encourage him. Half curious and half aware that Mike wouldn't have called for nothing. "Tell me about it."
With a slow sigh, Mike gave in. "Well, for starters, they're keeping their animatronics in glass enclosures."
"Do you mean like tanks or that they have glass around the stage?"
"Like animatronic-sized fish tanks. Down to them being on full display for kids to come by and tap on the glass."
"Huh… That is a bit odd." Concerning was a better word, but he decided not to say it even though they both knew he was thinking it. "Have you seen them?"
"Only on posters. For an open house, they're sure holding back on the goods," Mike muttered suspiciously. He sent a narrowed glance at the back of James' head. "That's not all. They've already scrapped an animatronic. Apparently, someone kept coming it and vandalizing it after hours."
That was a major red flag. Mike could literally hear that flag popping up with a startled chime, but once again the puppet was able to compose himself. "Do you think it might've been self-inflicted?"
"The thought crossed my mind. At this point anything's possible," he mumbled again. He couldn't take the distaste and paranoia out of his voice. Something about James was starting to rub him the wrong way; maybe how phony his act was.
"…But that's enough of that. Tell me about the pizzeria itself. Paint me an exciting picture!" Marionette said, steering the conversation in a hopefully lighter direction. Though Mike found himself even more hesitant to go down that path. He could hear the office chair squeak as Marionette leaned forward onto the desk.
"I don't know if that's a good idea. Just know it's not looking great for us," Mike vaguely answered.
"How bad is it looking?"
"Let's put it this way: Foxy's in its entirety could fit inside the atrium alone and they would still have room for the bowling alley,"
"…There's a bowling alley?! Imagine: if you got a job as a night guard, we could sneak in and bowl as much as we wanted!" Marionette chirped playfully. "…Though it might be hard trying to bowl over my dead body."
Mike scoffed at the idea and listened to the light chime through the speaker. Marionette was, as usually, more than a little comforting, but it was hard to shake that foreboding feeling. Suddenly he regretted calling him. Not because it didn't help, it did, but because he didn't want to work him into worry. He had been mercifully accepting of this whole thing and whether that was denial, or a fiercely unwavering optimism was yet to be seen.
"If there's one thing in our favor, it's that this place is a lot more like an amusement park than any kind of pizzeria. I'm betting it costs a fortune to get in. You'd blow your kid's college fund paying for a birthday package… So, maybe it's not going to sink us. It's not going to help our numbers, we're going to take a hit either way, but we could still be looking at enough business to stay afloat."
Marionette gave a positive chime, though Mike noticed it was a little more subdued than a real joyous chirp. Not enough, he decided. He got an idea and a slow smile appeared.
"But the one thing that'll save us is the animatronics. Ours look a lot better, a lot more friendly, downright adorable. Especially that one we've got hung up over in the prize corner," he said quiet enough that none of the other would hear. He could hear the trill on the other side. "…And don't get me started on the fox. Real hot stuff, he could batten down me hatches any day."
"This would be an excellent time to tell you Foxy's in here," Marionette said coyly. Mike's mouth instantly snapped shut. "…He's not, by the way. You dodged quite a bullet."
"You've got to warn me before you joke like that. Almost gave me a heart attack in front of the competition. Any sign of weakness and they'll swarm me like a flock of vultures," Mike retorted. Marionette gave a short, chiming laugh. "My point is that if we have to become budget Freddy's to stay afloat, I'm willing to do that. I've worked at Freddy's; I have no dignity."
"I caught a slice of pizza top down today and still haven't gotten the grease off my hand. Dignity, what's that?" Marionette mused playfully.
"It's keeping your head held high as you peel the cheese off your first-degree burns."
Mike was actually starting to feel better. Which was saying a lot as they had walked back into the atrium and were heading towards the front. Here he was facing all this again, but this time he was backed away from Wight's shlock and instead listening to Marionette's soothing assurances. It couldn't erase what he was looking at or what they would no doubt go through in the coming months, but for the moment he was composed.
"We'll head right up this escalator and be back at the elevators to the lobby. Just a hop, skip, and a jump now," he heard James say. This meant yet another elevator ride and after a moment of consideration, he decided he had to end the call.
"Sorry to cut you off but it sounds like we're heading back to the lobby. I'll have to call you back," Mike forewarned.
"That's alright. We can talk more as soon as you get back to Foxy's. Unless you need me before then!"
"Sure," Mike said with an amused smile. "…If it's still open by time I get there."
"Don't be so melodramatic... And Mike?"
"Yes, Mari?"
"It's going to be okay. We always pull through; this is no different. Freddy's is far from perfect; you just have to keep an eye out for the cracks."
It was almost jarring how quickly Marionette could go from lighthearted to that gentle seriousness, but it was appreciated. Mike took a quick look around at his surrounding, at the unfinished attractions, at the missing animatronics.
"I think I'm already seeing them," he agreed. "Alright, got to go. Love you."
Marionette gave a warbling reply in return and the call was ended. He still took a minute before he caught up with everyone else, putting his hands in his jacket pockets and looking around at the atrium. It was still just as intimidating, but there was something wrong. He just knew something was off about this place- though maybe it was just wishful thinking.
After yet another elevator ride- there was a crack in and of itself- the tour looped back out into the main lobby, the one with the fountain and the large Freddy statue.
"And here we are back to the beginning," James said as they reached the bottom of the steps. He spun around to face the group with his hands eagerly clasped together. "Now then, what did you think?"
"Your overhead must be massive," Mike bluntly stated. This got a laugh out of James and he looked to Fritz, beckoning him to say something.
"It's really something. Its bigger than any Freddy's I've ever heard of," Fritz offered. "And from what you've said and what we've seen, at least on posters and statues, the animatronics look pretty advanced. That's always a plus."
"Not really approachable for kids, but they look good at a distance," Mike quipped. The insult flew right over James' head. "Of course we didn't SEE them."
"Wonderful, wonderful," he said. He clasped his hands and looked between them. "Then what do you say we get down to business?" Fritz could feel the hairs stand up on the back of his neck at the suggestion.
"Is your giftshop open?" Jeremy suddenly piped up. All three men looked to him and he got a half smile. "It- I thought it looked open and I thought I'd get something for the kids."
Actually no, this was something they discussed before coming in about seeing if one of them could get into the gift shop and get a look at the stuff inside, to see if any characters were 'accidentally' not shown to them. James didn't even bat an eye at the suggestion.
"Go right ahead! The automated systems aren't up yet, but we do have someone in there just in case anyone wanted to take a piece of Freddy's home with them already," James announced proudly. Jeremy thanked him and started walking off, only to get stopped by Mike catching his arm.
"Hey, wait," he whispered. Not removing his gaze from James, he stealthily shoved his hand in his pocket and grabbed his wallet. He pulled out a couple of fives and put them in Jeremy's hand. "Grab Mari something?" he asked. Jeremy gave him a thumbs up and continued on his way.
"I'll go with him. Make sure he doesn't get lost," Natalie joked. She kissed Fritz on the cheek and followed off towards the gift shop, leaving Mike and Fritz with James.
"Now we'll still be able to discuss matters without Mister…?" James trailed off. Making a hand rolling gesture like he was trying to remember Jeremy's name.
"Fitzgerald, and yeah, it's fine. We're the ones who handle more of the business decisions. Not saying Jeremy doesn't have an equal say, but he's… You've met him. He's quiet," Fritz tried to explain. Mike raised a brow at him, and he ignored it.
"Perfect. Let's step into the café. Whatever you want, consider it my treat."
Next thing Mike knew, he, Fritz, and James were all seated at a booth in the Faz-Pad. Like with the gift shop, there was a human employee stationed there, but he didn't seem to be doing much. Instead sitting at a different table working on a crossword book, waiting for eventual customers to show up. By then, the three had already been given coffee. "On the house" as James had insisted.
The coffee was alright. Mike had to dump some cream and sugar into it to give it some taste, but the fact that it wasn't some kind of spectacular blend that they were touting was enough to make up how flavorless it was.
"Now it may be close to opening, but I am willing to offer you the same deal we offered El Chip's. We can make room for a full Foxy's here in Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex," James eagerly offered.
"That's not happening," Mike immediately shot down. Fritz was startled by and unsurprised by his bluntness and tried to smooth it over.
"We're not looking to open a second location right now. We're doing fine, we're turning a great profit, but managing a second Foxy's isn't on the agenda."
"Why are you so interested in getting Foxy's in here anyways? Half of your first floor is dedicated to selling pizza and other than Kids Cove, there's no ocean or sailing themes anywhere that I saw," Mike pointed out. "You've already got El Chip's and from what you've said, this amazing band of high-tech, brand-new animatronics. Why want Foxy's? This can't just be about PR."
"…As a matter of fact, it really is," James admitted. His voice fell, probably more with embarrassment than anything resembling empathy or guilt. "We have been having difficulty getting the public interested in the new Freddy's. Even though we truly are high-tech and brand-new ourselves. It doesn't help that when we chose this location, we weren't aware of the… incident that occurred nearby."
"…You weren't aware that five Freddys' opened and closed suspiciously around the time when numerous children and employees miraculously 'disappeared'?" Mike asked in blunt disbelief.
"No, no, not that! Not those… Not whatever that was, no. I'm talking about the more recent incident at that theater and arcade that was down here on the highway. When that maniac killed a woman and took children hostage. Not only is it terribly bad timing to put a location here when that's still fresh on the mind, but that young woman was the daughter of Henry Johnson, one of the original founders of Freddy's."
"I know," Mike said soberly.
"He really knows. He was the 'local hero' who found the kids and brought her home," Fritz said matter-of-factly. Mike's eyes flicked up from his coffee to judge James' reaction. He looked startled; perhaps he really hadn't known.
"I… Did not know that. How are you holding up?"
"I'm alive. There's that."
"Ah, I see… I'm terribly sorry for what you must've gone through," James said. He did sound sincere, but Mike couldn't help but think cynically. That the only reason he felt bad for him was because he was a possible partner. He probably didn't think twice about those kids. Or the ones they glossed over when they built this place in spite of all the death surrounding Freddy's.
At least Foxy's was being run by some of those victims, getting their blessings while working towards being an actual, safe, functioning business for children. The thought of Foxy's going back on that to help Freddy's- who were possibly already mistreating their animatronics- was straight up sickening. Mike wasn't even going to pretend he was considering it now.
"Look, we really appreciate the offer, but I don't foresee us ever agreeing to any sort of deal between Foxy's and Freddy's. Foxy's deviated from Freddy's for a reason and going back on those principles would be us selling out. Sorry, but no," Mike swiftly and firmly declined. He left no room for negotiation. That was his final word, and he didn't care how much it upset Wight. He was lucky he was being as civil as he was.
But unfortunately, just like before, Fritz decided to chime up.
"But that doesn't mean that we won't maybe be up to other offers in the future. We're just not looking to open a second Foxy's," Fritz clarified.
"We're also not looking to get the rights to Foxy tangled up, so chances of us spontaneously deciding to put Foxy memorabilia in Freddy's will probably never see the light of day," Mike retorted. "That would cover any other offer."
"Unless we would be able to hold full rights and, I don't know, full revenue from whatever it was. Like if we had a, uh… Foxy merch kart somewhere down in the atrium wherever," Fritz suggested.
Mike knew what he was doing but this time wasn't nearly on board. James already got a smile back, like he was already calculating his next sales pitch in the back of his head. Mike needed to shut that down now, but he couldn't when Fritz kept coming up behind him and talking about future scenarios that were never going to happen. This guy was already the type who was willing to keep bartering through a no, Fritz wasn't helping.
Thankfully, before they could devolve any further, James must've gotten the picture and raised his hands.
"I understand. How about we just keep the lines of communication open and leave it on a "maybe". Who knows? Perhaps you will come see the Pizzaplex when it's opened and if you like what you see, we can work out an arrangement," James offered. His tone hadn't changed much from earlier. Obviously, he was under the impression that he could still get what he wanted, which was absolutely not the impression Mike wanted to leave him with.
If Mike had been keeping his cool earlier, he was downright chilly after that. The frost icing the edge of every word, and Fritz could feel them aimed in his direction. He grinned and bear-ed it, just glad they were remaining civil.
Elsewhere, things were going a little better for Natalie and Jeremy.
The Glamrock Giftshop was something but wasn't as glorious as either Jeremy or Natalie was expecting. It was certainly bigger than Foxy's moderate sized prize corner, but it didn't look very full or seem to have too much variety. There were plushies and stylized drinking glasses, a few shirts, and sweaters on the back wall, but nothing like even what Jeremy was wearing.
"Weird. I expected more than this," Natalie said, matching his thoughts exactly.
"I know. Maybe they're not done setting it up?" Jeremy offered. She shrugged and nodded, and then they headed further inside.
There was a woman standing behind the check-out counter. She had a pale complexion and shoulder length wavy brown hair and was wearing a blue shirt with a Pizzaplex logo. Obviously one of the staff members. Natalie acknowledged her with a smile before looking over the shelves of plush toys. Freddy, Chica, the alligator, and the wolf all had toys lined up here. She found this a little strange, expecting there to be more than this.
Jeremy was the first to spot an outlier. There were a couple of jester-looking dolls propped on a higher self, one yellow with a sun shaped face and one blue with a moon one.
"This must be that sun he was talking about," Jeremy said. He picked it up and looked it over. "It's kind of cute. What do you think?"
"Aww, he is," Natalie said. She then spotted the moon and picked it up. "Look at this little guy. He's precious," she said. Though then she furrowed her brows and quietly asked, "Wait, so he said the sun was scrapped. Does this mean they're still selling the merchandise with no sun?"
"Huh," was all Jeremy answered with. Though if that was true, that was kind of sad for the lonely moon. Assuming it was alive, which he really hoped not.
"A-Actually, there's not a sun and moon. The sun and moon is the same animatronic, it just flips back from one to the other. The toys are kind of deceiving," a voice chimed up. Natalie looked back to see the woman edging around the counter. She had a mousy smile and took the look as an invitation to come over. "It's over in the daycare. In fact, that's technically its name, the 'Daycare Attendant'. Which is kinda weird. I mean, I would've named them after the candy at least."
"There's candy?" Jeremy asked. She nodded and pointed towards the counter, and he leaned sideways to see past Natalie and spotted the display of candy he missed on the way in. It didn't take him long to spot the little wrapped yellow and blue candies in tubs at the bottom. The Bidybabs would love those; he wondered if they sold them by the tubs. Though he recognized the name on one of them. "I didn't know Freddy's owned Moondrop candy."
"They don't. Or they didn't. I don't really know. I think they came from, uh… Lally's Lollies? Something like that," the woman said. She fluffed at her hair while watching Jeremy slide by to get some, but then her eyes caught a closer look at his shirt and she followed him, peeking over his attire. She got a tiny, amused smile. "Big fan of Foxy's?"
"Sort of. Partial owner," Jeremy admitted. She popped back in surprise.
"Oh! Oh wow, I just thought you were really into them," she said. She seemed both in awe and slightly intimidated by it, but her smile returned. "I think Foxy's is great. How it has that sort of old Freddy feel. All of this is kind of… a lot. It misses that feel, that down-home diner feel, and the old characters were just so great," she chattered before catching herself. "Sorry, I just- I don't really get a chance to talk about the old Freddy's."
"Don't be sorry! We take that as a compliment," Natalie reassured her in a friendly tone. She offered her hand. "I'm Natalie and this is Jeremy. We both work at Foxy's."
"It's nice to meet you!" Her smile seemed to regain its luster as she took her hand and shook it. "I'm Ness."
She shook Jeremy's too before Natalie took the liberty of both bluntly and quietly asking, "Okay, so what's wrong with the wolf and gator guy?"
"It's not exactly them. I don't really think they're great, but they're okay enough, I guess. No Foxy and Bonnie. It's what they did to Freddy and Chica- well, I guess Freddy's okay enough. The old Freddy had that sweet teddy bear look and this one's just a little… Not… And it's worse with Chica." She glanced at the doors to make sure nobody was listening. Probably didn't want James to hear her.
"What did they do to Chica?" Jeremy asked curiously.
"Okay, so, don't tell anyone, because I probably shouldn't be saying this…" Ness mumbled under her breath. "But I hate the new Chica."
"Huh. Really? I saw they changed her up a little. Did they change her personality too?"
"YES, so much. It's like- she used to give off this mom feel. This, how do I say it? Downhome cooking, baking in the kitchen with mom feel. Now she's just another rocker. She doesn't even cook anymore. She just, I don't know, eats?"
"That's a pretty impressive talent though. I don't know a lot of people who eat," Jeremy joked. This got a crooked smile from ness and rolled eyes from Natalie. "But I get it. Chica used to the sweet one of the group, cupcake included."
"That's really a shame. Chica used to be one of my favorites," Natalie sympathized.
"Mine's Bonnie. He's not doing much better…" Ness added in. She looked at Jeremy's shirt again and smiled again. "But it looks like Foxy's doing pretty good for himself."
Jeremy wasn't sure why his face filled with heat at that. There was no way she could know the hidden contest in those words, so it was all him. Made only worse that he was effectively drenched in his merchandise. "That's the plan!"
They came over to the counter so they could be checked out. She rung up both sun and moon dolls and a handful of each kind of candy, tapped a few buttons, and announced, "That'll be twenty-nine dollars twenty cents."
Jeremy's jaw almost dropped at the price. He looked down at the toys and candy for a long second, eyes sliding between them, and then, expression still shocked and befuddled, got out his wallet and silently pulled out the allotted amount. He counted it out and handed it over to Ness and only then, expression now defeated, turned to Natalie.
"Remind me to get a couple more bucks from Mike." Natalie didn't know whether to be sympathetic or amused, so she was both. Then bought herself a moon too.
The two sat down on the edge of the Freddy fountain as they waited for the others. The moment they sat down, Jeremy started scanning the receipt and Natalie made a little 'hmph' noise at seeing it. Then looked past him to make sure Ness wasn't looking out of the gift shop to see it, or how they were just sitting here doing nothing. Thankfully, it seemed that she stayed in the back of the store.
"She was nice," Natalie said, attempting to make small talk. "…What's that short for, Agnes?"
"That or Vanessa," Jeremy offered. Now crumpling up the receipt and shoving it in his pocket, then unravelling a piece of the yellow candy. Saying, "Give me some of that sweet, sweet pep," under his breath.
"Oh right! Yeah, that makes a lot more sense. It's way more modern," Natalie added. Jeremy finally peeled the wrapper open and popped a creamy orange candy in his mouth. Then he offered one to her. "Are you sure? They weren't cheap," she reminded, but he nodded unbothered, and she accepted it.
They fell into a comfortable silent that lasted for a while until they heard the sound of footsteps approaching. They looked over to see Mike and Fritz walking side by side with James following up behind them. Mike with an annoyed look and Fritz with a sheepish or defeated one. Both could tell that something must've gone wrong but didn't ask with James looming over their shoulders.
Before they could leave the lobby, James stepped into a room beneath the café and returned with four free day passes and a daycare pass. The day passes carrying the Freddy logo while the daycare pass had cartoon sun and moon faces on it. These were, as they would be, one last incentive to butter them up before he wished them a rather friendly goodbye and went to greet another small group who wasn't there before.
Mike picked up speed once they got outside and it was more apparent that he was upset. Natalie also quickened her pace to catch up with Fritz and raise her brows questioningly. He gave a guilty smile and she put an arm around him for assurance until they got into the car. Mike was in his seat with the door closed before most of them got in.
That was when a doll dropped into his lap from over his shoulder. He looked down to see the moon staring up at him and picked it up.
"Huh," he said. He turned it over in his hand, looking at the details, and then asked, "Was there a Sun?" Which was answered by Jeremy sticking it out between the seats. "…Someone must've missed the memo on the sun's untimely passing."
Jeremy gave a little scoffing sort of chuckle before noticing Natalie waving for his attention.
"What about the two bucks?" she mouthed. Jeremy's smile tightened and he gave a quick shake of his head. She got the message and dropped it.
Fritz got in and got the keys in the ignition before sitting back in the seat. He sat there for a long moment before quietly asking, "Are we going to talk about it?"
Mike sent him a flat look. "Your disappearing backbone? Sure! By the way, what happened back there? I gave us three or four outs and every time you dragged us back in."
"Not that. About how much Wight looks like Fredrick," Fritz said through his teeth.
This took Mike off-guard, and he actually paused to consider it, only to come to an alarming revelation once he thought about it. Something about the facial hair, the facial structure, the teeth.
"…You're right," he admitted. Frustration melted away into a sort of shock mixed with the slightest edge of dread. As though it couldn't get worse. "But that's just a coincidence."
"I think so. Has to be," Fritz said. His uneased look said differently, but his words sounded confident. "I've met a lot of people who've looked like Fredrick. It's just easier to connect dots that aren't there when it's in a place like this."
"He was trying to blend in. Trying to look as inconspicuous as he could," Mike reminded, to which Fritz nodded. Though after a moment he glanced over and asked, "He ever mention any living relatives?"
"Uh, none that I know of. Scott might know… Should we ask Scott?" Fritz asked. Mike got an unsure look. "Right, best we didn't. We don't want him getting worked up over nothing." There was a long, uncomfortable pause before he sighed and added, "I'm sorry I was pandering to him, but I got spooked. I just know that Freddy's used to be cutthroat, and if we keep him thinking we might cave then he won't try anything… Rash. We'll say rash."
"I know, but I don't want him getting the idea that we can get bought. Or start thinking that we're not on the same page, because then he'll start trying to play us against each other."
"Let's see how well that works out," Fritz said with a slight scoff. It was the first time he had a real smile since they got there, and he took that as a cue to start up the car. When he didn't get a response, he glanced over at Mike while turning around to back out. "Right?" he asked. The other man hummed, and he stopped midway to look back at him with surprise. "Mike, you don't actually think I'd-?"
"No," Mike quickly interjected. "No, I don't. I just… I don't know, I don't trust him. Especially not now that he's Fredrick. Come to find out this is yet another long-lost business partner or something," he muttered.
Fritz wasn't entirely satisfied by this answer, but he looked back to continue backing up. Briefly exchanging looks with Jeremy and Natalie as he did so. That weird silence lingered in the car until they were back on the highway.
Finally, Jeremy spoke up, "So, basically you good cop bad cop'd him," Jeremy remarked from the backseat.
Mike opened his mouth before slowly closing it, deciding he had a point. Fritz filling in with a, "Well, yeah."
The silence returned once again. Now Mike had a moment to think and suddenly it made a little more sense why Fritz had lost his nerve. Noticing something like that would've thrown him off too, if he had noticed it, which he somehow didn't. It was easier to see something when you were looking for it, and when it came to Freddy's they were expecting someone two-faced and sleazy to be leading the way.
"Okay, I'm just going to come out and say it," Natalie volunteered, deciding to clear the air. "…What elevator was Chaz talking about, because they both smelled fine to me?"
"Whichever one leads to the room where they're storing the bodies," Mike chimed up. Natalie wrinkled her nose and gave an unamused glint. Fritz caught them both by surprise with a stifled laugh. "Not the response I was expecting, but sure."
"No, I just-." Fritz flashed him a mischievous smile. "So, I thought you were talking about the Sun and I was trying to figure out what they did to make it smell so bad, and the first thing that came to mind was-."
"Don't finish that or we're getting a divorce," Natalie mock threatened. Fritz paused for about five seconds before adding on.
"You know, there used to be this rule at the old Freddy's…"
"And don't try to slip one past me. I already know about Rule Number Four, from you," Natalie said. That clammed him up, didn't wipe the smile off his face though.
"I mean if you think about it, the Sun's in a daycare, so there's a good chance its already got some on it," Jeremy nonchalantly volunteered. Natalie turned her gaze on him.
"You're not helping," she said flatly. She then looked towards the passenger's seat. "Whatever you're about to say, Mike. Don't."
Mike, who wasn't preparing to say anything, considered it for a moment before chiming in, "Forget the Sun, let's just assume there was a gas leak of some kind in the elevator." Then he sent Natalie a cheeky smile that she didn't appreciate.
Tension dissipating, it was starting to feel easier to breathe in the car. Maybe it was just putting distance between them and the Pizzaplex, or maybe it was just the good company. Mike appreciated them both with how strung-out he was feeling and was glad to feel the knot in his stomach begin to soften up.
Only to tighten right back up when he realized their next stop was breaking the news to Foxy.