Chapter 9: Another Gig Done

"Next time, try to find a simple 9-5 or anything that's not an overnight survivor."

"So... let me just recap to make sure I got everything," Adam started on the other end of the phone. "You're telling me the mascots are actually the women that went missing back at Goldie's Pizzeria?"

"That's correct," Jack answered.

"Right, and you discovered all of this in a secret room connected to the basement, which got burnt from the fire started by a machine you call The Defect. And this defect also murdered Braxton?"

"Look, I know it all sounds crazy. But I swear to God I'm telling the truth."

"O-Oh, don't get me wrong. I believe you."

"Wait, you do?"

"Of course!"

Jack stared ahead blankly. Something about Adam trusting him off the bat felt wrong. It wasn't like he didn't want Adam to believe him, but there wasn't even an ounce of skepticism in his voice. "That's... strange."

"Strange how?"

"Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you believe me and everything, but... you don't trust me when I tell you that Fredina bleeds, but this story seems legit to you?"

Adam laughed. "Well, I mean, assuming everything you say is true, it explains a few things—like my friends going missing all those years ago, the club being burnt to the ground, and why I felt the basement was off..." He paused. "Yeah, in hindsight, I guess I should've believed you on the whole Fredina bleeding thing. It's just... hard to believe all of this information was sitting right underneath my nose for years..."

Jack bit his tongue, refraining from saying he told him so. After all, he knew Fazclaire Entertainment was shady, but he didn't think they were this heinous.

"Enough about the club, though. What about you? Are you alright?"

Although Adam couldn't see, Jack nodded. "Yeah, surprisingly." If there was a higher power, they were most certainly looking out for Jack—as he was currently lying comfortably in a hospital bed.

Shortly after passing out, some good Samaritan stumbled upon Jack and brought him to the nearest hospital. At first, the story told to him didn't make sense, as the Samaritan found him naked, and there was no mention of Fexa. Luckily, a doctor was kind enough to lend him a phone, where he was able to get in touch with Adam. From there, he was able to fill in the blanks.

Apparently, sometime after Jack went unconscious and before the Samaritan discovered him, some bastard came across him and stole everything on him (aside from his glasses), his uniform included. After which, they dumped his body elsewhere and attempted to run off with Fexa. Unbeknownst to Jack, someone had reported the fire, and when the police and firefighters were en route, they unintentionally ran into the jackass.

From there, the dude tried to pretend he was the club's night guard. Of course, after it was confirmed he wasn't, they took him in for questioning. The poor fool will likely be blamed for the fire, as Jack isn't registered as an employee and was found nowhere near the club. The doctors and nurses had no idea he was involved in the fire and just assumed he was the victim of a mugging.

Jack found it odd that Adam never told the police who the actual night guard was. In fact, from what Adam told him, he claimed they had no night guard, only a day guard, who died in the fire shortly before his shift ended. As it stood, Adam was the only one to know he had ever worked at Fredina's Nightclub.

"The doctors said I pulled a few muscles and had maybe one or two fractures. But they assured me I'd make a full recovery." Jack explained, only to hear a sigh of relief come from Adam.

"Well, at least some good came from this."

Jack's gaze lowered. "Hey, Adam. I'm sorry, man."

"Sorry? What for?"

"For letting you down. You trusted me with this, and I blew it big time."

"Jack, if you think I care about some strip club with cheap booze more than your life, you're wrong. I'm just glad you made it out in one piece. Besides, what do you mean you blew it? You saved the crown jewels of this company! If anything, we should be making you CEO." Adam paused. "But I guess saying you had any involvement in the matter would be a bad idea now."

Jack laughed. "Guess you'll have to find another way to explain how the girls magically ended up outside."

"I'll find a way. I always do."

Jack laughed a little more. After a moment, his thoughts drifted to the girls. "Speaking of the girls..."

"Hm? Oh, right. That is another problem..." Adam sighed, probably unsure what to say.

Jack couldn't blame him for being speechless. Had he not stumbled upon the evidence himself, he would've never believed the animatronics were actual people. What sick bastard would even think about doing something like this? Stealing women from their lives and then stripping them of their identity, only to put them to work and profit off their bodies...

Honestly, at this point, Jack had a hard time believing Braxton was behind it, let alone playing any part in whatever was going on. He definitely knew, but that didn't mean he was involved.

Besides, Braxton didn't seem like the type to murder someone... Though, calling it murder wouldn't be right since the girls were still alive. They were just... different. Damn, what do you even call what happened to them? What kind of crime is that?

...Anyway, the point is, whoever the culprit was, they were the definition of evil.

"Are... Are you sure everything was burnt in that fire?" Adam asked uncertainly, suggesting Jack overlooked something.

"If you're referring to the evidence, yes."

"What about that machine—The Defect?"

"I... can only assume so. I wasn't exactly in a position to double-check, y'know."

Adam grumbled. "I was afraid of that."

"Why?"

"Well, Jacky, the story you're spinning me? Honestly, sounds made up."

"But it's—"

"I never it was. I just said it sounds made up. Like I said, I believe you, one-hundred percent. But if I were to go to the police with this? I'd sound like a madman to them."

"Well, you're high up in the company, right? Can't you do something?"

"I'm not that high in the ranks. Clearly not high enough if all of this was going on right underneath my station!"

"Can't you consult with your superiors, then?"

"Oh, sure. That's a splendid idea! Let me just tell the guys that I know how they're making the mascots. I'm sure nothing bad will come from that!"

Jack frowned. Adam was right. Whatever was going on ran much deeper than he initially thought; It was clearly a group effort. Doing anything hastily could result in Adam's termination... or worse. "Right, I get it. Bad idea. Your sarcasm wasn't needed, Adam."

"Oh, I'm allowed to pull your leg every once in a while, Jacky." Jack scoffed. "But, you're right. I should be a little more serious about this. I mean, if Triple B wouldn't dare speak up about it, then he probably knew something he shouldn't have. If they'll let me, I'll go back to the club and look around. Maybe I'll find something other than Triple B's ashes."

"Don't tell me you plan on sticking with Fazclaire Entertainment?"

"Are you kidding? Of course I do. Someone's gotta get to the bottom of this. Who better than myself?"

Jack opened his mouth to protest, but no words left him. Adam was right. As someone who's already been working with the company for an unknown amount of time, he had the best chance at uncovering this illegal operation and bringing it to light.

"Besides... I let my friends down once. I won't do it again. If nothing else, I will keep an eye on them. I may not be able to stop the company from exploiting them, but I can, at the very least, make sure they stay safe."

Jack smiled. Out of the two, Adam was always the more empathetic brother. "So, about the girls—what's gonna happen to them now?"

"Well, they're probably gonna be moved to one of our storage units in the city. Afterward, we'll open the palace."

"Open the what?"

"Oh, right. You don't know." Adam chuckled awkwardly. "The company decided to go a whole new direction with Fazclaire Entertainment, so we'll be opening a brand new establishment. We're calling it Fredina's Pleasure Palace! It's gonna be bigger, better, and much more exciting than the nightclub ever was." He paused, clearing his throat. "It's Fazclaire Entertainment's next big project."

Jack opened his mouth, about to blurt the first thought that came to mind. He paused, and after some careful consideration, spoke low. "Will there be more animatronics?"

"Ye—" Adam stopped mid-sentence, only catching Jack's disheartened tone after he spoke. An unexplainable noise came from his mouth, hinting at his confusion. "Oh." Adam sighed, now thinking on the same wavelength as Jack. "Yeah." He admitted, a lot less upbeat this time.

Assuming all animatronics were made from people... well, the implications of new animatronics being imployed was horrifying, to say the least.

"Those poor people..." Jack murmured, thinking about the future animatronics that would be made from the living victims.

Adam stuttered, sensing the sadness in Jack's voice. "Hey, chin up, Jacky. Maybe they won't be made from people!" He said optimistically.

"Why would you say that?" Jack wasn't angry, more so confused. Even though Adam hadn't seen the evidence, if he truly believed him, it was insane for him to say the murderer wouldn't continue turning people into animatronics, given how successful the first four were. Then again, Jack also knew his brother wouldn't say something like that without plausible reason.

"W-Well, Goldie wasn't a person! She was a full-on robot. At least, I'm pretty sure she was..." Adam stated, resulting in Jack's eyes to light up with hope.

He was right. Although Jack had never heard of Goldie's Pizzeria until a few nights ago, she was most certainly a robot. How did he know? Her missing joints.

With her joints missing, there were small gaps that Jack could peer inside of Goldie and see her... well, insides. From what he saw, there wasn't really anything. Definitely no flesh or guts. She was just a suit with a missing endoskeleton, most likely.

However, that begged the question: How was she able to move? More importantly, how was she able to affect his dreams? On second thought, maybe his subconscious was just stuck thinking about Goldie. Why, he didn't know. Either way, that didn't explain how she could move... Nor did it explain the killer's reasoning.

From how Adam regarded her, Goldie was better than Fredina and her whole gang combined. So, why turn innocent women into these mascots when a machine worked much better in the first place?

Jack couldn't understand, and his thoughts sent him spiraling. Luckily, Adam reeled him back in with a question. "Hey. Speaking of Goldie, what happened to her?"

Jack paused, recollecting his memories. "If I had to guess, she must've burned in the fire before I got to the basement." He responded.

"Ah..." Adam sounded saddened by his answer.

Sensing his brother's mood dropping, Jack steered the topic away from the golden she-bear. "So, hey. About that pleasure palace. How come I've never heard about it?" Jack was by no means actually interested in the new establishment. It's just with how big of a project that was, that's all the city would've talked about. Even against his wishes, he would've heard at least a little bit about it.

"That's because the company has been doing their damn best to keep it under wraps. I shouldn't be telling you this, but you're my brother, so I'm going to anyway." Jack couldn't help but chuckle at that. "The investigation was postponing its announcement. But, seeing as the club has been reduced to rubble, I expect that announcement to come real soon. If I had to guess, it'll probably open by the end of this year."

Adam paused again, but he wasn't catching his breath this time. Jack felt as though his brother wanted to say more. After a moment of hesitation, he did. "You know, when I said the palace would be bigger, I do mean bigger. It'll probably be larger than the Mega Pizzaplex! That means we'll need a larger workforce."

Jack immediately knew where this was going. "I'll have to pass."

"What? Really?"

"Yes, really."

"You sure you don't want to? Even after learning what you know?"

Jack stayed silent, staring out the hospital window. He thought about how he nearly died trying to do the right thing. He's only in his mid-twenties—he still has his whole life ahead of him! It's not his fault some maniac is out here doing god-awful things to random women. And as much as he hates to say it, it isn't his responsibility to step in, either.

"Adam, as much as I would like to get to the bottom of whatever the hell is going on, I would also like to live a normal life. And guess what? The stars have aligned to where I can back out of all of this. So that's what I intend to do." He shook his head, feeling a little guilty he wouldn't be doing anything to save those girls from their situation. However, he wouldn't dare let that guilt eat at him for long. "Besides, I trust you. If anyone can bring this company down and air out all its secrets, it's you. I feel like I'd only get in your way."

Adam laughed. "Get in my way? That couldn't be further from the truth." He sighed, exhaling whatever was left of his upbeat tone. "But, I understand. If you ever change your mind, I'll be sure there's a spot here for you."

"Mhm, sure, Adam. Just promise me you'll be alright, okay?"

"Puh! I lasted this long. I'm pretty sure I'll be alright." Adam's tongue clicked as if he suddenly remembered something. "There is that matter with you, though."

"What?"

"Your money. I did say I'd pay you, didn't I?"

Shit, he's right. So much had happened in the past five days that Jack completely forgot the reason he agreed to do any of this in the first place.

"Five hundred thousand was what we agreed on, right?"

"Mmm, yeah. But I changed my mind on that price tag. I'm figuring maybe two million fits the bill better."

Jack suddenly became light-headed. All the air in his lungs seemed to vanish the moment he heard the words 'two' and 'million.' He made an audible cartoonish gulp before responding. "A-Adam, stop playing with me, man. I almost thought you were serious."

"But I am," Adam said with finality.

"...I..." The words didn't come to Jack. He was left utterly speechless for a full minute. "Why?"

"Well, because I got you into this whole mess. I almost lost you, too." The faintest hint of regret seeped through Adam's tone. "Consider it me saying sorry."

"...I don't know what to say..."

"We can work on that."

A loud beeping noise blared through the phone, coming from Adam's end. "Shoot, gotta go! I'll send you the money sometime this weekend." Adam said hurriedly. It sounded like he was jogging now. "Keep me posted on your stay at the hospital. I'll talk to you later, Jacky!" Before Jack even had a chance to say goodbye, the call ended.

"Hm." He shrugged, guessing Adam had something important to do. It wasn't like him to brush off important tasks until the last minute, but then again, it was probably a real heart-stopper for him to learn Jack was in the hospital.

Whatever the case, the thought of receiving two million dollars quickly filled Jack's head. That was more money than he knew what to do with. Maybe he could finally buy a house or a car? Y'know what, why not both?

Jack took a deep breath as he stared out the window, letting the sun's rays coat his body in warmth. He could feel it—a new chapter of his life was about to begin. And with it, he'll leave behind the cursed memories he earned while working at Fazclaire Entertainment.

...Hopefully...

"You got the goods?" A skinny man with an annoyingly high-pitched voice stammered.

"Depends. You got the money?" A bigger, burlier man replied, cloaked in darkness with crossed arms.

Another day, another deal. That's how it went for some people. Admittedly, it was a bit too early for the dealer's liking. But that was nothing a dark alley couldn't fix.

The skinnier man frantically dug his malnourished fingers into his pockets, rummaging through it like a rat. He sniffled as he pulled out a wad of cash and handed it to the dealer.

The dealer took the stack of cash and ran his finger through each dollar bill. He paused, humming lowly. "You're short." He stated bluntly.

"Come on. That's all I got! Throw me a bone."

The dealer sighed, stuffing the cash in his pocket. "We've gone through this song and dance before, so let me skip to the end. You want your fix? Give me what it's worth."

The other man scowled. "Fine! I think I got some stashed nearby... Be back soon." He backed away, scampering down the alley.

The dealer gave a dry chuckle before pulling out a lighter and cigarette.

The man turned the corner, only to hear a faint noise come from behind. It sounded like a stifled scream. He assumed the dealer had said something. "What'd you say?" The man called out, looking over his shoulder. He expected to hear the dealer yell something like 'Be quick' or 'I haven't got all day.' Instead, all he heard was... nothing.

A foreboding sense of danger suddenly overcame the man, but his addiction bypassed his gut feeling.

He peeped around the corner, seeing the dealer was nowhere to be found. A shot of fear surged through the man, as without the dealer, he couldn't get his daily fix. Without it, he wasn't sure how he'd make it through the day.

"No, no, no, no!" He ran back to where the dealer was, searching all around for any indication of where he'd gone. The only thing left behind was a cigarette and a lighter.

It was unlike his supplier to just vanish—he needed the money almost as much as he needed his fix. Plus, since when could he move that fast?

"Depends. You got the money?" The dealer's voice came back, this time coming from directly behind the man. However, his voice sounded... wrong. He wasn't sure how—It just did. Regardless, the man turned, expecting to see the dealer.

He saw the dealer... lifeless.

A metallic claw drenched in the dealer's blood had pierced through his body and was now holding him up like some ventriloquist dummy. The thing holding him looked like a machine, but it was unlike anything the man had seen before. Its red eyes beamed down at the man like some wild predator, paralyzing him with fear.

After a short staredown, the machine raised its other claw. By the time the man realized what was happening, it was too late. He didn't even get a chance to scream before his head came clean off, followed by his body dropping to the ground.

The machine stared intently at the man's head, examining every feature. Like the dealer, the man wasn't who it was looking for.

Silence permeated through the alley for a long moment before the machine tossed the dealer's corpse on top of the headless body. After taking one last look at the two corpses, it turned and left the scene.

As it walked away, its voice box came to life once more, this time taking on a monotonous, glitchy version of the man's voice.

"Be back soon."