Careful What You Find.

Making a Change

3 months had passed, and they were finally allowed back in, to reopen. Premises had been thoroughly cleaned and bleached, but this place still reeked of shocked agony. Kyle still couldn't look at that yellow bear. It had been months since the incident, but he still couldn't shake that sight. It wouldn't leave him alone. Thank the heavens that school had started, he didn't know how Cassidy would've felt. He knew the place had been tainted for her, but he didn't have a choice, they needed the money. He knew she missed Evan; they all did. Kyle hadn't seen Will since; he was working his best to give the man space. He joined the other staff members gathered at the middle for the morning address, seeing less faces than he thought he would've. He didn't blame the ones who'd left. "Ok guys, uh, welcome back," a man said, as he jogged to the middle. Kyle didn't recognize him at first. This guy had enough hair on his arms to be classified as a bear, and his thick glasses could be classified as windowpanes. He was a little rotund, and he wasn't tall, barely cracking Kyle shoulder. "Alright, I'm gonna be honest guys. We all know why we had to close, and to those of you who were there that day, I'm so sorry. But I just wanted to let you all know that that's not who we are. We are about fun and family, and above all else safety. My partner William and I are working on figuring out what failed on that particular suit, but rest assured, that suit has been taken out of the rotation." Kyle recognized the voice, it was Henry. He hadn't seen Henry in years, he was always cooped up in his office, on business trips, or managing somewhere else. It had been too long, Charlie and Cassidy had always been asking Kyle for sleepovers for years, but never got around to asking Henry. He was always too busy. "With that being said, we are still going to be using those suits for the foreseeable future, as they are still our best option moving forward. I have the utmost confidence in the suits and can reassure you that they are safe to use and wear. Now for positional assignments," the man said.

A murmur spread through the crowd. *They were still using springlocks? Who were they gonna cram into those things after that? Who would willingly get in one? "Craig, Wyatt, Sam, Dan, Kenly, and Cam you're all performing today," Henry said. Kyle prayed for them as he saw the concerned and shocked looks cross their faces. "Walt and Hank, you're in the back office. Stacy, Sophia, Zack, and Nate, you're my admissions team today. Libby, Axe and Ellie, you're my gift shop crew. Jeff, Alex, Molly and Patrick, you're gonna be my party team today. Kyle, I need to talk to you for a moment. Alright team, let's have a Faz-tastic day, and remember to smile!" Kyle sighed in relief. He got to talk to Henry, and he didn't have to go within 20 feet of those suits. He wasn't afraid of them, but they gave him an uneasy feeling. The eyes of Fredbear seemed to follow him, and while he had no proof, he thought Henry was lying, that one suit hadn't been disposed of, they had just replaced the faux fur. He walked up to Henry, who was much shorter than Kyle remembered he was, Kyle loomed over Henry, a solid foot and a half taller than him. "Hey Henry! How've you been?" Kyle asked. "Ah yes, Kyle Morrigan. It's been too long. How're you doing today?" Henry asked. "Well Hen, I'm doi-"Kyle was cut off. "That's wonderful Mr. Morrigan, however I do need to talk to you. Privately. This won't take long, I promise. Don't want to disturb the workflow."

Kyle looked around. Everyone was quietly getting ready for the day. "Yea, Henry," Kyle paused. "I'm taking over for William for some time," Henry blurted uncomfortably. "Please, Mr. Morrigan. Let's be quick about this. You're my manager today, my right-hand man, and I gotta update you about a few things before we open for the day." Henry hurried off, towards the office, the other office. Kyle was quick to follow, not wanting to upset his new boss. Henry gestured inside, and closed the door behind Kyle, flicking the lights on as Kyle took a seat. This office felt grungy. The walls covered in blueprints, and whiteboard that desperately needed a wipe down, it was more like a grayboard. Small robotic parts littered the desk and shelves behind the desk, a Fredbear suit stood in the corner, motionless in a wave that could not feel more threating if it tried. The room reeked of stale coffee and machining oil. The window shade was closed, and the room felt claustrophobic. "Kyle, I just wanted to go over a few new things with you to start. First, William and I wanted to extend our gratitude for what you did that day, thank you for getting Evan out of that suit, and doing what you could. Thank you for trying your best. William appreciated it," Henry awkwardly blurted, feeling less genuine and more corporate, like he was trying to get it out of the way. "Second order of business, we've made some changes to the suits and their protocol, I would like you to record some training audio to play for onboarding. We need it today; we have some new performers coming in tomorrow." What was that last bit? "Henry wait, you said today? I would love to, but I have to pick up my daughter at 3:15. I cant stay longer-" Henry interrupted Kyle again. "We need this done today Kyle. No exceptions. If you want to delay your break to pick her up, so be it. We need these tapes done today, and we can't delay. Get on it." Henry said in a tone Kyle couldn't help but take exception to.

"I'm sorry Henry but my daughter comes first, and you know that. I'm happy to make that presentation in person tomorrow, but I'm raising her by myself. It's on my file, as cleared by both William and yourself. I have special permission to leave at 3:15 during the school year to pick her up, and take her home, and get her settled before I return. If that can't be obliged, then I'm sorry Henry. I appear to be coming down with the Flu and shouldn't be here today." Kyle stood up and turned to leave, who did Henry think he was now? Was business changing him that much? Where was the old fun loving Henry who understood parenthood? "Kyle, wait," Henry said. "You can have 15 minutes tacked to your break to pick her up and bring her here. You'll still have to pay her in, but you can have 50%. Stay as long as you need tonight, I guarantee I'll be here after you so don't worry about lock up." It was better than nothing. He sighed and turned back to leave, muttered "That can work." She was going to hate it, he could tell. "Mr. Morrigan were not done. I have one other thing I want to address, this one does concern your daughter," Henry mentioned, and Kyle stopped dead and stood up straight, turning back around. "We have a new security system in place. You probably didn't even notice it on your way in, that's how it was designed. When you bring her in, make sure she receives a bracelet. I spent a lot of time figuring out to make sure what happened to Evan never happens again, I coded reusable bracelets. Any child gets too close to the stage? The animatronics shut down until the signal gets away. Any child in distress, or picks up crying? The system is activated to shoo away the bullies. As long as nothing heavy gets on top of the white box by the entrance, the system will be fine." Henry shoved some papers into Kyle's hands. "Please use these as guidelines for your recordings. Read them carefully. I need you to do this job right. Thank you. You are excused, and remember to smile," Henry said. Kyle left the office seething. He knew he had to take it, but who was Henry to talk to him like that. They hadn't seen each other for years, and Henry developed a superiority complex? He stormed off to the back office to check the restaurant was ready for the day, leaving the interaction with a bad taste in his mouth.