Careful What You Find.

My Grandfather's Clock

It felt good to be back in a uniform. It was back to the collared shirt, this one was light blue though. It contrasted nicely against his navy pants. The shoulder pauldrons were a nice touch, they made him feel official and important. Kyle had fully embraced his new look, albeit cleaning it up. The rough and tumble blonde hair was gone, replaced with a longer well-kept brown short look he could spike up if he needed. He also opted to keep the stubble, growing it into a beard Kyle did his best to maintain. He felt like a different man, but he had the same mission. Kyle was going to find her, and this was the place to start. Kyle walked out the door, hanging a cigarette from his lip, lighting it as he grabbed the newspaper. He'd look at it later, Henry needed to show him the ropes and location today. The lukewarm March wind whipped across his face; an omen of a new era, Kyle hoped.

Kyle rolled into the parking lot, finding Henry had beaten him there for once. Grabbing his bag and newspaper, Kyle walked to the door to meet the man. Kyle hadn't even seen the place yet, but it gave him hope. He was going to find her, even if he had to do it the hard way. "Kyle! You ready to see this place for the first time?" Henry asked with more energy than Kyle had heard from the man in years. "Let's do it brother," Kyle said, hiding his excitement. This place did mean a lot to him. Henry unlocked the door and the 2 men stepped inside, the inside aesthetic nailing Kyle like a train. *This place is bittersweet, but amazing,* Kyle thought to himself. The new animatronics, the ones Henry called "Toys" stood limply on the stage, yet to be turned on. The arcade hummed with the sounds of dozens of games, just waiting to be played. He couldn't help but check the old 'Chica's party' game, only to see it was the same machine from Fredbears, where CTE held the High-score. *Charlie Turner Emily,* Kyle remembered, shuddering at the memory of her body on the ground as he moved on. The prize counter was stocked with plushies, candies, toys, games, and that all too familiar massive gift box. "Goddammit Henry, what is your obsession with that stupid puppet? You mortgage your house on it?" Kyle asked, not hiding his annoyance.

Henry's smile turned to a slight frown. "Kyle, it's just cost recovery. I thought you of all people would understand." Henry said. "You calling me poor, Henry?" Kyle half joked, taking some offense. "I wish I didn't have to keep it either, but it's a cheap way to add a cool thing kids might like," Henry replied, clearly bothered by Kyle's remarks. "It's just here to hand gifts to birthday kids. No more security programing beyond its facial recognition software," Henry promised Kyle. Henry then went over to the box and gave a big, hearty "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" The puppet sprung from the box, its hands offering Henry a cupcake and a new Bonnie plush. It still felt off to Kyle, he could feel its dark empty eyes staring at him. *Is it scanning me? Does it recognize me?* Kyle asked himself? Henry turned around as the puppet shrunk back into its box, the box now playing a hushed rendition of "My Grandfather's Clock," by Henry Clay Work. "The song keeps it in the box I've found. Gives it more of a surprise purpose too," Henry explained. Kyle backed away, choosing to explore more of the place.

The pair walked down the long hallway, Henry pointing out parts of the design and the necessary parts of the buildings. "Those are the bathrooms, shit in there not on the floor," Henry joked. Kyle laughed. Henry seemed more relaxed, like he was finally enjoying work again. "Kyle, you done the crossword yet?" Henry asked? "No man," Kyle replied, throwing the newspaper at Henry. "Have at it you nerd." Henry beelined for a big room with a desk in the middle and stacks of CRT TV's in the corners. "This, right here, is the security office. This is pretty much where you'll be staying, along with whoever our day guard ends up being. For the first week that'll probably be you, so look scary Kyle," Henry poked as he sat down at the desk and began to flip through the newspaper. "New camera system?" Kyle asked. "Yeah man. Remote control over the prize counter music box too. Keeps that puppet in the box..." Henrys voice trailed, and Kyle whipped around. Henry was staring intently at one specific headline as Kyle moved around the table to see himself.

"Circus Baby's Pizza World closed to gas leaks" was sprawled out across the head of the paper, and Kyle looked to Henry. *Why is he grinning ear to ear?* Kyle wondered. No time like the present to ask. "Hey Hen, what happened between you and Will?" Kyle asked, feeling out of line as soon as he said it. Henry took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "William isn't who I thought he was, not the man you know. He's changed, and not for the best man. Trust me when I say it was for the best we split," Henry put his glasses back on and took a deep breath. "The less you know, the better Kyle. I'm doing you a favor here. Just try to forget him." Kyle sensed he should drop the subject and give Henry some space. Kyle wandered off, wanting to explore more of this place anyways. He went back to the part room, tripping over a rotund boy with a sign and a balloon. He already didn't like the way its eyes followed him around. Kyle got up and looked at the show stage, admiring Henry's feat of engineering. *These new animatronics look awesome,* Kyle thought to himself. They looked so much more advanced than their predecessors. Gone was the faux fur of the past, these guys got plastic shells that felt futuristic. They felt more inviting. Bonnie was now a distinct blue and looked much more like a cartoon character, his guitar replaced with an amped rockstar guitar. Freddy was huge, easily clearing 7'2, and had a more inviting face. *He could stand to lose a few pounds* Kyle reasoned. Chica's new design caught Kyle off guard, he wasn't expecting the previously rotund chicken with a southern drawl to now be thin and curvy. He wasn't a big fan.

He was missing one. Where was Foxy? Kyle searched and glanced, eventually walking into a room labeled "Kids Cove." He smiled, but couldn't help but feel tangs of disappointment. He was face to face with the new version of Foxy, but it was completely different. Clearly drawing inspiration from that old show "Fredbear and Friends," Henry had based the character off the old 'Fun time Foxy' design. It was a shame Kyle didn't see Elizabeth more, she always loved that character. He made a mental note to ask about Elizabeth the next time he saw William, she was his Goddaughter after all. Kyle circled the robot, inspired by its design yet distastefully shook his head. The hook was gone, replaced by a hand puppet of the old foxy where its left hand should be. "Prefer the old ones?" Henry asked as he walked in. Kyle shook his head before he spoke. "You know me Henry, I don't like shocking change." Henry chuckled. "Yeah. I decided to base them off those old toys we used to sell for that old Fredbear show. Fits the narrative as them being the younger siblings too, just a tad of symbolism there for anyone who gives a shit. Cmon, I'll show you where we store the older models," Henry said wandering off.

Kyle followed Henry back down the hallway, going straight instead of turning. Henry swung open the door labelled "Parts and Service," and Kyle gingerly entered. Inside the 4 original robots lay, slumped over. It pained Kyle to even see them again, everything was a reminder Kyle, a reminder of why he had to stay here. He turned a corner into the splitting room to get away from the feeling, and immediately wished he hadn't. There they lay, the Fredbear suit that started it all, his trusty friend Spring Bonnie by his side. Kyle kicked it, the dilapidated suit's ear fell off in response. He felt bad, almost as if he had kicked someone's grandma. He wanted to take it back. A dark thick liquid began to pour from the suit's eye, and Kyle called for Henry. "Oh, that's probably just some old springlock oil," Henry assured Kyle. Henry didn't sound sure of himself, like he was trying to hide something. Henry pulled Kyle away from those 2 golden suits, and Kyle felt the Fredbear suit staring at him. He wanted to get away anyways. "We're just gonna use these guys for parts at this rate," Henry started, "We might try to reincorporate them, but that's a decision for a later day at this point." Henry gestured to the other room. "Those guys are there as trophies and for emergencies," Henry said sternly. "They are here as a reminder of how far we've come, and that's IT. Promise me that you'll never use them as suits unless you have NO other option, Kyle." Henry told him sternly. Kyle looked back at the suits. The oil hadn't stopped, and it looked red now. He swore he saw little puffs of red and blue fibers come from the body of the bear. Kyle shook the thought and chalked it up to the lighting. "Yes, Henry. I swear..."