Glitch Generations one shots

A Glitch in the Code

The guard sat in his office, watching the monitor's grainy footage carefully. Each little box displayed a small area of the pizzeria. But two had his unwavering attention. The cameras pointed towards the two stages. On the main stage stood three, seven feet tall, mechanical performers. They were humanoid in appearance, but with bright colors, strangely shaped accessories, rather rock star style. As the hour reach one in the morning the first animatronic came to life. His neon pink eyes shone brightly as his mechanical body whirled and creaked. He hopped off the stage, stretching his mechanical limbs as the LEDs in his metal outfit glowed a soft pink. And so the hunt was on. The drummer would creep around, lurking in the blind spots, trying to sneak into the guards office. But every time he tried the guard would shut the doors on him, as if he were used to this routine already.

The hour chimes once more, it's officially two am. The second animatronic comes to life. The only female of the group, the background singer and fashionista. She steps off stage, looking towards the outside windows. If machines could freely express emotions you might just be able to make out a look of longing and sadness on her metallic face.

Now with two animatronics roaming around the night guard had to step up his game. The first half of his shift hasn't even ended and he was already down 20 percent power. The old generator was working hard to supply power to the large pizzeria alone, but with the guard constantly using the doors and the monitors, It was only going to last so long. Another hour came and gone trying to keep the two band members out. But when the next hour chimed and that laugh echoed down the dark hallways, a chill ran down the guards spine. He glanced to the right, down the dark hallway, only partially illuminated by a flickering light. Sunflower yellow glowed prominently, accompanied by stripes of electric blue orbs waiting in the shadows. The hallway light flickered once, revealing the metallic figure. The only animatronic who had a separate stand. The story teller and back up mechanic. The dim, flickering light just barely reflected off of the wrench clasped tightly in the humanoid's hand. The guard stood rigid, his blood running cold, his breath caught in his throat. This one, this one metallic creation was dangerous, more dangerous than the others.

The stillness of the moment was broken in the blink of an eye. One moment the animatronic was standing stock still at the end of the hallway, the next it was running. Quickly closing the gap, bringing the wrench up, winding up. But when he swung he hit empty air. The guard had turned on his heels and slammed the button, bringing the big heavy metal door down. The guard's breath came short, his shoulders shaking. He knew that one was fast, but he couldn't imagine it would be that fast.

The guard spent the entirety of the 4th hour of his shift trying to keep all three animatronics away. But with the drummer's silent persistence, the female's unpredictable wandering, and the speedy mechanic constantly running down the hallways it was a battle against the odds. The more he used the doors, and the monitors the more the generator's power drained. Only an hour and a half left but he was down to 25% power. Hardly any left, and yet the guard seemed hopeful.

The night stretched on, and it seemed like the animatronics were not giving up until his shift ended. 19% left, and it just hit 5 am, just one last hour and he'd be free. The guard was starting to understand their patterns, timing the door right, conserving as much power as possible. It felt as though time stretched on for an eternity, each second passing by painfully slow. Thirty minutes passed, the night guard could practically taste freedom. He was filled with such hope and that he didn't notice the last animatronic had left the stage. The mechanic made another dash, aiming to slide through the right door. The guard saw him and slammed the door shut, the animatronic banged on the door trying to break in. The guard let out a dry chuckle, a brief moment of victorious glee. But his joy was cut short as the lights flickered off.