Inside Job (FNAF: SB Rewrite)

Chapter 16 - The Man in the VHS Tapes

The trek to the security office was quiet. I was alone again, but I felt hopeful once more. I held one tape in each hand, joyfully swinging my arms as I walked. It was late at night, and while I was exhausted from the day, this feeling pulsed through giving me boosts of energy. I felt so relieved when Vanessa let me go. My suspicions of her evaporated. She really was just trying to do her job, and it isn't her fault that the animatronics were falling apart.

The office was the same as Roxy and I had left it. I turned on the monitor and slipped in one of the tapes, as if it were muscle memory.

The static on the screen dissipated and revealed the man's familiar face. Just like the rest, he was setting up the camera, and when he stepped back, the animatronic in the room with him was none other than Foxy. At least I thought it was Foxy. Its structure was similar to Roxy; it had a large snout and fluffy tail, but it was red and had an eye-patch on one of its eyes. Foxy stood to the left of the man, and there were two chairs to his right. Foxy grinned widely, watching the VHS guy intently.

"Foxy here is designed to be a great story teller, one that captivates both children and adults alike. He can make up stories on the spot, allowing for infinite tales and making him fun to revisit. Are you ready to test it out?" the man announced. Foxy nodded ecstatically.

"Alright, I'll be right back," he said. He walked out of frame, and I heard a door open. Foxy looked around the room with his one eye, eventually landing on the camera. He winked, I think. His head tilted as he closed his one visible eye, so I thought it was a wink. The door opened again, and the man walked in with a kid holding his hand. "Foxy!" he said. It must be the same kid from Chica's tape. He sounded around the same age, most likely four or five. He looked similar to his dad.

"Aye, matey!" Foxy replied, "You wanna hear one of my exciting tales?"

"Yes!" the kid yelled. His dad helped him sit on one of the chairs, and he sat on the other, notebook in hand.

"Alright, kiddo, listen and listen closely," Foxy said, bending down and waving his hook around, "for my tale is not to be taken lightly! It be a story of adventure and greed, a legend come to life!" His pirate accent was something straight out of a movie and then exaggerated even more. Even so, the kid's eyes widened in anticipation.

"I had snuck onto a ship, one that was rumored to be loaded with all kinds of treasures. I was caught by a crew member, and he alerted the ship. They were going to throw me overboard for sneaking on, but I proposed a game of blackjack; winners received the prize of a lifetime, while losers were to walk the plank into the blue ocean!" Foxy's movements were the most expressive of any of the animatronics I had seen on tape. These were early prototype versions of the cast, and so their movement was limited, while Foxy's whole appeal was his ability to dazzle the audience. Unlike Chica, Sun, and Moon, he was free to roam around, and he circled the VHS man and his son as he told his story.

"I was confident I'd win. Luck always be on my side! But I lost the rounds, the crew definitely cheating to win. I wasn't willing to admit defeat, and so I drew my sword and challenged the captain!" He mimed sword fighting an invisible figure. "We fought, all while the crew threw their weapons and aided their captain, when suddenly the water began to rise!"

The sound of crashing water played, most likely from inside Foxy. If I had to guess, he was installed with sound effects to match his stories. "A monster the size of Skull Island faced us, it's slimy tentacles wrapping around the boat and crushing it!" Foxy positioned himself close to the kid, his arms up as if he were haunting him. There was a thunderous roar, and the kid yelped in surprise. Foxy stepped back and his ear twitched. The VHS man started taking notes. He was probably writing about Foxy's reaction to his kid's emotions.