The new look : a FNAF Roommates side story

*spoilers for the final chapters of Roommates by TGWeaver and Pokemaniacal*

Updated 02/02/2018

By RiPerils

The red LEDs on the clock change to twelve as midnight arrives in the dark.

Almost automatically you awaken with a groan and a stretch, locking your fingers together as you flex your arms high above your head, rolling your shoulders to work the stiffness from your joints. Kicking your feet to give them a quick shake out one at a time as your colleagues join in the wake up routine, readying for another night at work.

As if you had anywhere else to be.

All around you the pizzeria hall comes into a dim focus by the few night lights, there's no escaping the impression that this place has long since seen better days, the shoddy patch job repairs on the building reflecting in the cheap repairs on yourselves, the sluggish sensations brought on my cheap third-party parts hastily modified to fit yours chassis. Desperate attempts to keep you all running that won’t last forever.

The boss is the first to speak up “Another day successful day entertaining the children, let’s have another good night”

You grumble sluggishly “Ughhk, what kids? The restaurant was ghost town today” This earns a withering look from the bear.

“It was a Monday Bonnie. Mondays are always quiet, buck up your attitude” Freddy growls, trying to keep his patience.

Chica quickly comes in to mediate “You know why she’s antsy Freddy, she’ll get over it... but... today was unusually quiet” Even the positive party hen is sounding concerned at admitting this.

“We keep doing our jobs team, the slump will turn around. I’m sure” He still believes it, he has too.

You all want to believe Freddy is right even as its clear to see things haven’t been good, but what else is there to do? Where else is there to go?

The restaurant is dying on its feet and the strain is starting to tell on you all.

There’s no call to rush off the stage this early in the week, so you mill about, flexing and adjusting your limbs until various parts click into place, not perfectly but best as they can do in the circumstances, busying yourselves until the quiet start is broken.

Suspended from the ceiling a tell-tale red light blinked into life hushing the group to a standstill, motionless in the dim glow as the glass eye panned across you all and back with a gentle mechanical whir that rang out in the silence.

Someone was watching again.

“The cameras on, he's back!” You whisper excitedly.

“Bonnie, please don't get your hopes all up again, you'll just be disappointed” The hen says, uneasy around a topic she knows is touchy with you.

Freddy chiming in stern support of her “It won’t be him, the sooner you accept that the better things will be”

The three of you stand in motionless under the electronic eyes scrutiny before the red lamp blinks off, another red dot pricking the darkness across the room glinting faintly of the Pirates cove sign before flicking off.

The instant it’s gone Foxy sticks his head out from between the curtains “Blow me down crew, we got another guard on watch!”

Freddy straitens his black bow tie “Okay. You know your routines, Chica, inspect the kitchen, I’ll make the rounds of the backstage. Bonnie, go see if our new staff member is dressed in appropriate attire… not that they ever are” He gruffs.

“Sure thing boss, I’ll go get Mike all suited for work!”

“It wasn’t him last time, or the time before that, or even before that, just more half-baked rent-a-cops. Now, get to work” Freddy orders.

“He’ll come back. You’ll see” You hiss in quiet defiance.

Chica wrings her feathers, wanting to say something but she just shakes her head sadly and slips off stage with a clunk.

With a quick check on the camera lights you also descend the stage heavily to the main floor of the dining hall, making your way across the restaurant with Chica before she splits off to the kitchen, looking back at you with a worried smile, she's your friend and doesn’t want you to be disappointed, but she thinks you will. Still you stand beside the east corridor door, peeking around the corner.

The camera light was on, glaring down the hall in your direction but you’re too far away for it to register you here. It seems to take an eternity before it begins to blink erratically and goes out. Perfect! A camera failure this early in the night! Moving quickly, excitedly even through the door and down the long stretch of the east side corridor, hoping and simultaneously dreading what awaits you at the end.

You’ve been disappointed the last nights, new temporary staff in the security box, none of them in uniform of course 'Why does corporate never send anyone in proper uniform? It wastes so much of everyone’s time' you think with a simulated sigh. But tonight’s another night and he wouldn’t leave you?

The dim light from the security office window barely illuminated the hall but signalled someone was waiting for you in there, bringing the great swell of hope that it might be him. It just hadn’t been the same since Mike up and vanished on you guys, followed by a series of those temp guards whose disappointing quality made you realise how much you missed the game with him.

Still, in creeping to the tantalisingly open door there was some fun to be had, the thrill of the prowl.

You freeze as the door camera blinks into life, staring you down accusingly with its red glare. ‘CHANG!” The auto doors slam down with a vicious finality. A motion from inside as the figure within moves back from the door button to the centre of the room, yet the hall illumination lights still haven’t come on, leaving you in the relative dark to creep up to the glass and peek in, peering in at the figure posted at the desk.

Your program freezes a moment

Rocketing back against the wall with a heavy thump that must shake the other side, you bolt out of sight. Mind reeling you race to process to what you’ve just seen. Shakingly peering back through the glass, his attention is on the tablet computer held deftly in his big, strong hands, you silently thank whatever that he hasn't seen you all flustered like this. Why are you thinking like this?"

Someone lets out a shuddering “Oohhhh!” and your surprised to find it was yourself.

Ignoring the cameras, you bolt back down the hall to a screeching, skidding halt beyond the doorway and crashing backwards into the dining hall wall, gripping at grey plaster and your chest, eyes wide, upper body heaving in simulated hyperventilation.

Chica, having emerged from the kitchen as you tore in clatters over all concerned mother hen “Bonnie! What? What is it? What happening”

“He’s beautiful…” You utter weakly.

“Pardon?” She looks at you in worried confusion.

“It’s Mike… he’s back…” You try to say the next words but they mumble out in a sub vocal whisper.

The yellow hen looks at you sadly, slumping a little at the shoulders “Oh no? This again Bonnie? Well… lets go get that lazy bones in his uniform thenAHHK!”

She is squawks in surprise as you grip her by the shoulders and come nose to beak with the chicken “HE’S ALREADY IN HIS UNIFORM!” You blurt out much louder than you intended.

Chica gawks at you in a wide eyed disbelief that soon fades to an uneasy frown “Nawwwww, your funning with me bun-bun” She wags her index feather sternly, wriggling to slowly extricate herself from your grip.

“No I am not!” Your foot thumps rapidly on the floor before you break out into pacing back and forth; wildly gesticulating “It’s him! He’s in full uniform and he looks amazing! Go see for yourself!”

Looking at you appraisingly for a minute the hen wordlessly walks passed you and onwards into the hallway. Still calming down from your race of excitement you wring your hands nervously, uncertain what’s come over you, a sensation you hadn’t known before held you now and its grip was all consuming.

What if it wasn’t him? What if you imagined it? You don’t want your friend thinking you a fool or crazy, malfunction you could deal with, but not that.

From his cove, Foxy was leaning half out the curtain again watching you. Clearly he had been listening but he ducks back in as his curtain camera light comes on. It flicks off as there’s a sudden and distant clang of the auto doors down the hall. Another short stretch of time passes before the pirate peers back out from his curtained off cove.

Chica paces slowly back into the dining hall.

She stops past the frame and turns to look at you in mild surprise. The hen searching for the words with a few failing false starts before collecting herself, pointing to the maintenance hall entrance “I... um... I need to talk to Freddy” Over her shoulder you see Foxy make a dash out of his cove and vanish down the opposite hallway.

You watch as she moves purposefully across the hall to the backstage. Down the west hall you hear the clang and crash of the auto door closing and Foxy missing his chance, hitting the end of the passageway.

You are left alone with your racing thoughts for a few minutes before eventually Foxy himself returns to the dining area.

“By Neptune’s beard! Our old seadogs back and he’s finally flying his colours all shipshape and Bristol fashion! I wouldn’t have believed it lass if I hadn’t seen it with my own, true, one eye!”

“I know! Can you believe it!” You exalt, shaking your fists excitedly.

“I can’t” Interrupts Freddy, stomping across the dining hall, Chica at his heels “We’ve never gotten him to wear the appropriate attire before and then he suddenly vanishes only to return to us looking like a model employee, bah!” He dismisses.

“It’s him! I know that lunk anywhere! You have to see for yourself!” You plead.

“I told you Freddy… we’ve got a uniformed guard at last, corporate finally pulled through for us” Chica agrees.

Foxy backing you both up “The wenches be telling you no falsehoods captain, it be true”

Freddy finding himself surrounded by three collaborative statements seems to be adjusting his position on thing’s “Well, let’s go see then. If this is some sort of joke there’ll be reprimands for all of you” There is no trace of humour in that line as he gestures for you all to follow him in his clunking footsteps.

None of you can recall the last time this happened, if indeed it ever has, but all four of you make your way to the security office together, the hall camera is still out but the corridor lamp blinks on before you all approach, the new Mike is good!

Straightening his hat and tie Freddy leads your approach to the glass, the three of you squeezing up to get a view from behind him.

There he is, Mike at his desk again with his rugged, well machined face fixed on the tablet, his security uniform bolted into place.

Freddy doesn’t look in the least bit phased, instead only giving a pleased ‘Hpmh’ noise before the big man raps his knuckles against the re-enforced glass and coughs loudly "Ahem. Mr. Schmidt?” He asks authoritatively.

Rather than looking up immediately from the screen the door camera flicks on bathing you all in its red light, he must see you are all there because he leaves the opposite door open and places the tablet carefully on the mount. Standing up (Oh my! has he gotten taller? he seems taller and so much stronger looking too) He approaches the glass and gives and acknowledging nod.

Freddy tipping his hat “May we come in?” The three of you are surprised by this approach from Freddy, it’s not one he’s taken before but there hasn’t been an appropriately dressed guard before.

He shakes his head “No non-security staff in the booth. Company policy, I’m sure you understand.” Your endo-skeleton gives a quiet little shake in its chassis as you hear him speak, any trace of his previous nerves are gone, he’s now solidly sure of himself and it shows.

Freddy laughs a deep honest laugh at this “HA-HA! Good to see you’re working to the handbook at last, I didn’t think you ever would get up to speed with the rest of us”

You hang back, unsure what to say for a moment in the face of the Mike from your dreams, Foxy and Chica squeezing passed Freddy for a moment.

“Mike! It’s good to see you back! We missed you!” She chirps

“Aye! It’s a fair wind that sees you on our shores again matey!” Sing songs Foxy, his feet doing a little jig.

Freddy gently but firmly pushes them back aside “I agree, it’s good to see you back Mike, especially after we’ve spent too much time trying to get you fit for work”

Mike does not seem phased by this, rather flatly replying “Michael Schmidt was the main guard before me, I checked the employment records before the shift started this evening. I am Safety Schmidt”

None of you believe that, you know Mike when you see him, you’ve all had enough dealings in the past to recognize him and that’s Mike sat in that office, granted now somehow steely and suited in a mascot uniform but none the less definitely your Mike.

“Keep up the work and keep that uniform neat Mike, good to have someone in there finally up to code. Now this is reunion is nice and all but it’s getting nothing done. We have work to do, everybody back to your posts” Freddy insists.

“Agreed and again, it’s Safety” Mike replies.

Giving one last nod to Mike before he leaves, Freddy leads Foxy and Chica back down the corridor and away into the dining hall, the fox and the hen nattering a quiet, excited conversation as they walk away, Chica looking back at you quickly with a pleased smile.

You are left alone in the corridor. Mike looking back at you through the glass, your still struck by how handsome he looks now all suited and booted for work, work with you, you hope.

Neither of you say anything for a while before he turns back to his desk, taking his seat and picking back up the tablet to resume flicking between the cameras. The next time he looks up you’re at the window with your hands to the glass.

“Can I assist you with something?” he asks putting back down the tablet screen to look at you, oh there are SO many things he could assist you with.

“I know you’re in uniform and all now Mike, but why not let me in none the less” You purr, tracing a claw up and down the glass with a muted squeal.

“Not happening Bonnie, and its Safety, not Mike”

“Then why not come on out of that cooped up little box and join us”

“I’ve got a responsibility to keep this facility safe and secure, I do not intend to abandon my duties” Oh he’s so cute when he’s all serious.

You sigh and lean against the glass “I’m still going to get in there at some point, you might as well just open up and cut to the chase”

He picks back up the screen and resumes his attention to it “Not right now you’re not. I'm just lookin’ out for your safety, Miss” He replies with what maybe your imagination registers as the hint of a smile.

“Someday” You chime happily “See you again soon Mike” You purr stepping away and back down the hall.

The camera light blinks on behind you, feeling it watching you as you walk away, you smile and wrap your arms around your chassis squeezing yourself happily as you hear the rush of an opening auto door far behind you.

You know you’ll get to him some time, it’s a thought that puts a little spring in your step.

Oh, what nights lay ahead of you now!