Pop Goes the Balloon

Image: https://www.deviantart.com/odaocer/art/Chicken-Run-1116455829

"You didn't drink any syrup did you?"

Before you could check your e-mail there was one thing in the office that was completely out of the norm. The 'elephant in the room', or 'chicken'. At the side of the office someone had lain a tarp down. On top of that tarp sat a completely destroyed animatronic, large parts rusted, some parts covered in what you guess was seaweed, some parts leaking oil and other parts completely smashed. It looked far worse than Bonnie did back then. With the head still partially in tact and a few paint chips present it was clear who it was.

Chica.

It smelled too, lightly of sewage. You make a mental note to get some air fresheners later. The animatronic was in a dismal state. Poking around inside it looked as if she had been stripped for parts too, many of the internal wires either gone or destroyed. While you knew you were going to have to deal with it, the model did not look repairable. Ignoring the fact you had to deal with a potential 'nother murder investigation you get to your laptop, quietly hoping this wasn't the Chica you had worked with.

They recently added a ticketing system to the plex, using it as a way to keep track of various upgrades and stuff. You got forwarded them all even if 99% of them didn't involve you.

During the day there were other technicians who did minor things on the animatronics from on-the-go fixes to 'microcode upgrades'. For big jobs that was on you. Though you had considered it your job from the onset you later found out the animatronics didn't want anyone else but you working on them, a rather flattering outcome.

When it was first introduced the system's sales rep enthusiastically explained that any time you did work on an animatronic you were supposed to log it in case you needed to refer to it sometime later.

It was quickly determined this was horribly inefficient and that wasting time logging the serial number of every single guide bot you fixed a wheel on ruined the time you could have spent fixing other things up. And you considered yourself a counselor to. Would giving Freddy advice on friendships constitute fixing him? What if you helped Sun and Moon clean up the daycare?

The way you saw it that system was more for executives and the software people. They spent most of their time in front of a computer anyways. And executives like their numbers.

You were officially exempt from having to fill in tickets with the exception of 'major upgrades', which the rep would end up just either sending you an e-mail or calling you directly to explain the problem. Most of your tickets contained barebones notes, deciding that management didn't need to know every screw you touched.

It was a lot more structured than you expected, especially after that first job.

The Rep, as you knew him was your boss and the person in charge of the plex. A mysterious person he seemed to have a deeper knowledge of the plex than he let on. You didn't even know his name, just referring to him as the Rep.

Now Playing...

Artist: Corker / Conboy

Song: In the Dust and Haze

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD84gonsUf0

He always knew more than everyone else. For one he knew fixing Bonnie would lead to the meltdown incident and he expected that outcome so much that prior to that night bought insurance in-case anything malfunctioned. The claim paid off all the fallout of that night.

With how mysterious he acted you wondered if he knew that it was Monty who killed Bonnie in the first place.

However, despite his distance and hands-off approach he never acted evil and whenever you asked would explain anything needed. He seemed to have an encyclopedic knowledge of not just the plex but Fazbear Entertainment as a whole.

Hell, when one Roxanne suddenly had a 'pirate revelation', he remarked that he was surprised she didn't dive into the aesthetic earlier.

While continuously deleting e-mails you started to wonder why things were so quiet. Not a single call yet. If there was one thing you learned about the plex was that quiet == bad. It meant things were brewing in the background, harsh schemes and grand plots. After all, it was that meltdown incident when the plex went into lockdown that everything was so quiet. Not a single e-mail relating to Chica's body being in your office either.

Getting to some e-mails that mattered you pick the most recent one.

FW: Chica's arm knocked loose in shipping accident.

Hello,

Chica's arm joint was damaged after a palette's edge fell on it while she was on the ground picking up fallen bread. We've used some bungie cords for a makeshift caste, but someone needs to screw her arm in better. She's unable to bake as efficient. Complains it hurts and it getting irate about it not getting fixed properly. Please work on asap.

~ Manager of Food and Drink

Just below it is another message from today, sent directly from Chica...?

HELP!

I was baking and spilled maple syrup on my arm! It's all sticky and I can't get it off and it's getting on my hands and stuff. Hurry up and get here I can't bake like this!!!!

Thoroughly confused it appeared that Chica was alive. At least, was alive at least one hour ago.

You struggled to think how exactly a palette would have fallen in such a way for it to directly smash her joint but shrug it off. Weirder things have happened.

One quick check of the Faz-watch indicated Chica was at her bakery, located on the main level, past the party hall. She was moving around, indicating she was alive. With a ping she answers immediately.

"W-wait! Hold on!" You could see from her watch she was fiddling with something. Blurry from the movement you just narrowly make out her throwing something. After some more fidgeting, what the hell was she doing? She finally faced you, beak taking up half the camera. You guess she wasn't consuming garbage, or at least wiped her beak prior.

"(Y/N)! You're back!" She said cheerily. "Finally!"

"Yes, how are ya?"

"Terrible! You know they broke my arm!? Last time I help them unload! And I got all this syrup on my other one!"

She held the watch down showing off her arm. The animatronics arms were build of three pieces: an upper piece, a lower arm and a spherical joint connecting the two. The joint was crumbled, cracked and pieces missing. Instead, a few bungee cables and hooks were jammed into the parts of the arm that ended. With how tightly they had formed the bungee cords, you could see cracks starting to form on the arm plate. You could imagine the hooks were probably interfering with internal wires too. Suffice to say, it didn't look comfortable.

"Geez."

They acted as a makeshift case and just barely allowed her to move her arm around. "Alright. Stay put I'll come by. Just a joint right? Those hooks affect any wiring?"

"I don't think so. It feels weird if I move my arm though."

Pack some wires, then. "Right then. I'll be there in a bit. Hang tight. One other thing Chica, what's this body doing in my office?"

"O-oh, yeah I found it while cleaning."

"W-what? How did you find a body, and where-"

"Look, I was just exploring my area, found a sewer area, found a discarded Chica shell thingy. Can you please just get here?! I'm so behind on my baking, planning, everything!" Chica declared anxiously before hanging up.

Looking at the destroyed Chica only rose more questions. Though, if Chica were murdered and replaced you would've known about it. Shoot, you knew that half the animatronics would've found a way to contact you regarding it. You realize one thing could prove the correct Chica. Checking the 'corpse' you look at the inside of the top chest piece, seeing a small serial number imprinted on it. Checking the numbers against the last time you helped Chica the serial numbers didn't match. This was likely another Chica, somehow. More investigation was needed. For now, you decide to go help the other Chica.

On both sides of your office were two large shelves. One side contained a combination of random reference material, guides and books regarding the plex. You never really read any of it, instead just letting it occupy some shelves. The opposing shelf contained what most of the animatronics referred to as the 'one-stop-shop'. While a large bookcase it contained no literature. It was heavily stocked with spare parts, wires, tools, gadgets and bric-a-brac. Though you had a second office in the plex's 'parts and services' department that now just contained more specific pieces. These pieces were the most commonly used.

Indeed, scanning the shelf you pick up a spare balljoint, some wires and a bonus arm plate (just in case those cables did some structural damage). Packing them all in your backpack, along with some tools you were off.

Before you depart you take one last look at your laptop. One thing you wished this ticket system did was sort by location, that way you'd be able to see what other jobs you have to do in the area. With a few increasingly annoying searches of keywords in that area you find one ticket.

"One of the control pipes for hot water to the bakery is on the fritz. Haven't had cold water for the last few days. Please investigate."

More likely meant for a repairman you decide to take it anyways. Close enough to the bakery you wouldn't have to travel all over. You assign it to yourself.

Strolling with no particular urgency you head back. Yours and a few other offices were situated in a hallway located above Roxanne's area. Each animatronic had their own thematic area based around some aspect of their character and fun things to do. Roxanne's contained a few things. The mainstay was the raceway though in more recent times an alien-themed exhibit and more recently, some pirate ships. Words never really did it justice, but the Plex was a gigantic place. Even despite the all the time you spent wandering many places were still unknown or changing.

Thick suspenders held the walkway in place. Initially designed for repairman to easily access light fixtures above the area it now led to a bunch of offices. At least the suspenders were thick. The walkway never wobbled let alone shook, the foundations of the plex simply not allowing it.

As you walk back you steal a glance below. Roxanne was nowhere to be found, the wolf probably knee-deep in motor oil somewhere. The walkway eventually gave way to a simple platform and staircase leading to the main lobby. It was in here that the plex showed its true colours. Three levels of escalators divided the lobby. You were at the top level a cafe and giant statue of Freddy below.

Despite the undead hour at which you were working the plex was still well lit, massive lights above you shining down. Lights were everywhere from fixtures in the floor and ground similar to movie theaters to ones above providing light in lonely corners. There was one time you were forced to venture the plex during a 'lockdown' and suffice to write it made the plex a dark and wilderness-like place. From the red walls to the purple carpeting to Fazbear-themed trashcans an amenities this little slice of floor could very well have fit in a retro arcade. A handful of lights remained off lowering the brightness just enough to notice. Though dark spots did exist you knew the place well enough to navigate through them. Plus, nothing was lurking out here currently.

The plex continued in all directions with one path meant to the Daycare, one to the main hall, one below to other attractions and one to your right.

The place on the right was a simple cafe just called the FazPad. Quite possibly the only thing not zany 80s-themed it was just a simple cafe. The thought crosses your mind to stop in there and grab a cup though you decide against it, continuing on. The FazPad was also one of the few 'attractions' not bound to any animatronic. It was just a place for people (read: parents) to take a break and energize while they're children poured over the 'faz-map' deciding where to go next.

Last you heard there were talks of Chica to take over it. It didn't help she declared herself the "Director of Food and Drink", deciding she was the ultimate tastemaker and sommelier of what the people wanted. The logistics of how exactly she could taste despite, well, being a robot were debatable though you knew the plausible reason.

Continuing on you entered the 'main hall'. When guardians and their ilk finished registering below, they would often enter the main hall. Separate from the lobby this was an even larger room. A massive, cathedral-like room it served as a sort of crossroads for the main attractions. To start off it served as a dining room, an inset area in the middle full of party tables, balloons at each, party hats sitting atop red plates and chairs with stars embedded into the backs. Towards the north a stage sat, neon lights luminating the edges as did the frame around it. This was the centre stage the Fazbear 5 would perform. All around the dining area were entrances to various attractions and locations. Each of the animatronics thematic areas were accessible here, giant signs and sculptures indicating what each pathway held. And despite it's sheer size a 2nd and 3rd floor both existed leading to other places.

A few bots skated around the place, checking table setups, looking for dust and generally cleaning up. A quick scan of the perimeter showed none of them needed any immediate servicing. Though the plex had plenty of human cleaners the bots main goal were to tidy any missed spots. Not to mention the Plex has always had a history of weird happenings at night. Never know when any needed to cleaned.

Across the spacious room the 'Cakery' stood. North of Monty's area and west of the stage this was one of the areas Chica ran.

Stepping into the area the nighttime really shone here. It was dark, no excessive lighting present. Still, with no clear threats there was no issue maneuvering in the dim.

Now Playing...

Artist: K. Yoshimatu

Song: Curios 6

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6obhBjEbeAY

The Cakery, while on paper a bakery, it took a bit to actually get into the bakery. A path of silver gradient triangles led the way on the ground, thankfully providing a bit more light. There were massive blue pipes built into the aesthetic almost forming a gate leading into the baked shoppe.

The bakery contained several parts within. A kitchen in the back, two enclosed counters where employees would bake live and serve treats out display cases behind a section for seating and an area of tables where kids could participate in baking workshops. The only food around were a small box of lollipops and cake pops left out on top of the counter, probably filled with so many preservatives they could stay there indefinitely.

The display cases were barren, any remaining treats either given to employees or sold earlier.

You weren't sure if there was an exact word to describe the aesthetic they went for. You once heard the term "Retro Memphis" though didn't know it further.

Chica wasn't around.

And that weird cupcake. An oversized statue of a cupcake with eyes and an all-around weird face. It just stood there, overlooking the entire bakery like a gargoyle perched atop the rooftop. Just as ominous too. You wouldn't have had a problem with it if not for the fact it's eyes were lit up. You didn't know if there were cameras in there but just having it there, starring into your soul always felt uneasy. It probably looked normal during the day but now it was downright creepy.

There were other 'cupcake'-themed items around too from trashcans to the pictures and cartoons of it on the logo and even some miniatures.

Despite the empty-ness of the bakery two things were readily apparent.

A 'security-guard' staff bot was rolling around, flashlight out looking for something. Though the plex had actual security guards the staff bots (often stylized as S.T.A.F.F.) would often be the first line of defense against intruders. It spotted your presence though did nothing but pause, doing a scan from afar and detecting your Fazwatch and identity.

The other readily apparent thing was the scent. Hints of a strong berry scent coupled with rising dough and sugar. Muffins, blueberry muffins...maybe with a hint of cinnamon. It was coming from within the back kitchen, presumably where Chica was working hard.

"Chica?! You around here?" You call out.

"In here (Y/N)!" Chica called back from within the kitchen.

With a nod and a shirk past the watchful gaze of that cupcake you pushed past the metal doors, entering the interior kitchen. Far larger and more industrial than the outside this one was covered in metal. No Fazbear-themed things except for a single cart for loose metal parts it was spick and span. Of course, most of that was assumptions as most of the lights were off. Chica, using her eyes as lights had no need for the ceiling fixtures, instead practically baking with a flashlight. You weren't sure if she could see in the dark, but she had no problem baking blindly.

With a flick of the switch beside you the ceiling comes alive.

Maybe it wasn't as clean as you initially guessed, the sink piling up with dishes, some spilled batter on the floor and a counter top teaming with ingredients...and just a bit of batter dripping from Chica's beak. She wiped it immediately, a guilty look flashing across her face.

"(Y/N)! Thanks for coming!" She said, quickly moving past the kitchen's situation before you could comment. The slamming of the oven door made that clear too.

She rose up, giving a partial view of her, a counter blocking the lower half.

The animatronics were always large, Chica no different. She towered over you, a mass of finely crafted metal, gears and wires. She was a chicken first and foremost though only her beak and simplified talons made that obvious. The tuft of metal hair that sprung out her head and bow attached to it could have been construed as chicken-like. White metal signified where white feathers would be. She had a yellow beak that parted in the centre showing off some fake teeth. At the end of the beak bits were a shiny purple piece of formed metal meant to signify lipstick.

There were streaks of pink on her cheeks, adding to her wild-like personality. She also wore green hoop earrings that hung on the side of her face furthering the old-school appearance. Aside from the large eyes and streaks of pink on her cheeks she did appear 'chicken-like' (though still very cartoony).

Deep blue eyes that had bright LEDs built into them, that even in the light shone brightly. Sure, the cupcake was creepy but the first time you saw one of the animatronics eyes staring from the darkness was certainly a...hair-raising experience.

The clothes she wore were metal and fitted to her core. She wore a leotard which formed around her body. Pink, the centre part was a deeper shade, matching with her shoulder guards. Part of her aesthetic was '80s inspired workout video instructor' which she nailed excellently.

Though she had been recently given the ability to change clothing she was rocking the classic look for now. Her full name could have been Chica Chicken (much like Roxanne Wolf), though you don't recall her ever being referred to as such.

Her palms were a metal coloured green and pink for each hand, meant to imply she was hearing fingerless gloves, possibly some 80s workout theme.

Though you couldn't see it currently you also knew she wore mismatched leg-warmers, one with a green cheetah-print pattern and one with a waves of black and a darker pink. They went up to her kneejoints down to the quasi-chicken feet she had.

In the Fazbear 5 she was a guitarist.

You walked around the side, taking a better look at her arm. "You feeling alright?"

"Not really! You gotta get this cord out! It hurts and I haven't been able to do anything. It's ruining everything. And there's all this syrup!"

She showed you her arms. It was a miracle she could bend her arm at all and no doubt doing so exerted great pain. The ball joint holding the arm together was in pieces, nothing but force holding the pieces together. Quite a few of the joint were gone, either destroyed in the impact or hiding somewhere inside her arm. A few bungee cords were hooked into the bottom upper part and upper lower part, using nothing but tension to force her arm together, cracking the arm plate.

Suffice to say, it was a sloppy repair job and probably did more damage than worth. You could even see the tension on the cables forcing the hooks to dig into her arm.

"Wow." You poke at the cable, tugging it a bit. "Hey! Don't do that. It hurts."

"Sorry about that. But I know I can fix this. Let's get to my office."

"Nope. No, I can't leave my muffins. I'm in the middle of baking. Can't we do it right here?"

Sure, a kitchen was meant to be a sanitary place, but you didn't want flour getting into her...though thinking on it now, you note that worse things have been inside her. Maybe you were thinking too medically but decide it can't be too bad. "Alright. Come over here. I don't have my diagnostics though so I can't put you under. You okay with that?"

Chica nodded. "Yes. Just make it fast." You lead Chica to a long metal table and had her kneel, resting her arm on the large counter as one would a slap of beef, though instead of a knife you wielded a screwdriver. Up close she smelt of cinnamon, another feature the animatronics had.

When you first started here, she was the first animatronic you who didn't outright threaten you. It was this action that led you to turn a blind-eye to her quirks. And though you weren't as close with her as you were Bonnie, you always retained a certain fondness for her. Even after the 'psychological torture' she underwent during the meltdown incident she still liked you too. Even occasionally ignoring her 'issues' and pretending you didn't see her haul some trash away. (If anything, it gave the day employees some work to clean her, thereby creating a reason for them to stick around).

The balljoint came loose as did her arm. You took care to remove the hooks as the bottom part of the arm came loose. With her arm resting on the counter, it didn't outright fall off. Chica winced a bit at it but otherwise said nothing, eyes watching focused on the oven from afar. Placing the cables aside you begun taking out any loose bits of the smashed joint. Rubber gloves on you took care to avoid electrocution.

To match the fit and energetic appearance, a perky and upbeat personality she had to match. The same kind of positive energy as the late exercise-at-home legend Richard Simmons, beaming positivity and self-betterment.

With the bits removed you got to work on disassembling the arm plates to replace with new ones. These ones were a bit damaged from the hooks and bent but not unsalvageable. It would take a banging or too to restraighten out the metal, deciding it would be better to try and fix these plates instead.

Course like all the animatronics here she had her 'quirks' as well. Disparagingly you called her an addict. Simply put she was a glutton. And not just regular food but her favourite was garbage. Plex management had gone through extensive work to make sure she could not easily access the garbage from sensors that lock up when she was near to telling all staff to keep watch for her. It made things doubly hard since she ran the bakery. From what you heard she at least kept herself in check during those hours.

Though when she ran baking classes, she would sample to her hearts content. Nobody dared stop her, less they disrupt the class. From what you heard she was recovering and eating garbage less. Still loved regular food, especially pizza.

With a hearty clasp the new arm plate was attached and so was the arm joint. Thankfully the joint had taken the brunt of the damage. Scanning the wires you don't notice any immediate damage done to them, choosing to leave them be for now.

You at first thought it a glitch in her programming though having now spent many days with the animatronics you knew it just apart of her personality. Nobody was perfect and this was her vice to bear. The only logical explanation you could think of was that she had the ability to taste somehow.

You hadn't gotten a chance to examine her beak, but you knew she surely wasn't eating for sustenance. She didn't even have a digestive system. Scanning through some of her old design docs you found they thought about giving her a compactor through scrapped that idea. Recently you modified her chest cavity so some of the food there would stay there and not spill over everywhere. It made her cleaners job a lot easier.

With the last piece re-attached you ask Chica to flex her arm and see how it feels.

"It feels a bit stiff."

"Should buff right out. You haven't used your arm properly for what, a few days? Just gotta get used to it."

Being that she had been in pain for the past few days you said nothing about the batter she had been consuming. It probably helped her cope with the pain.

"Now your other arm?"

Chica nodded and presented it. The amount of maple syrup shined under the light. Literally just thick liquid sugar, there was one easy way to clean it. Alcohol wipes, and a lot of them.

"You didn't any did you?"

"Hmph! I would never."

"I'm just playing." You knew she would never do something so stupid. Drinking something that sticky would damage her internals. Though she liked eating she at least knew what would be disastrous to consume. Plus, you didn't think she liked maple syrup. Using a bunch later and even temporarily taking the arm plate off to deal with the few drops that got in you fix her other arm, Chica ecstatically thanking you.

"So, what are you baking anyways?"

"Bonnie asked me to make him muffins styled after him. So, I'm going with an oat-blueberry muffin. I think he wants to give them to some of his fans. I didn't add food colouring this batch. The blueberries add enough colour."

It was that level of intelligence they had that set them apart from other 'machines'. And the primary reason you treated them as people and not just 'robots. Even if she learned that from somewhere else the very fact she could 'learn' was astounding.

You put the finishing touches on the arm as the last bolt pops into place, pocketing the extra bungee cord and putting the new spare parts in your bag.

She flexed her arms, immediately jumping into a hug. "Oh thankyouthankyou!" She said, easily lifting you off the ground into a hug that felt more like jaws of life gripping a car door. Despite being intelligent they also could easily have killed you. Even the 'smaller' animatronics like the daycare attendant could still pick you up like nothing. Even in your first days you were threatened and attacked by the various band members. It was a miracle you survived each encounter...especially against Monty.

For a few seconds you couldn't breathe. The smell of cinnamon overwhelming assailing your nostrils with a burning scent.

Breath still running out you tap Chica, the robotic chicken dropping you. "A-Anytime." You mutter.

One quirk of their personality + size meant barely understood their own size and strength, often acting as if you were as durable as them. You didn't know how the other employees handled them, but it was surprising there weren't more injuries. Freddy was the only one who understood his size.

"Oh, I know!" Chica shouted. "I got something for you." Lumbering quickly over to she ran to the nearby fridge grabbing something within. A plastic container and a plastic fork.

Handing it over, you get a regular size slice of birthday cake crammed into a plastic container. Typical birthday cake: white icing, vanilla cake, cream in the centre and a smidge of blue icing that once spelled someone's name on top.

It didn't look old.

"I was saving it for mysel-er-you! Yeah, I was gonna give it you when you returned. Here you go!"

Ignoring Chica's slip up you take it and the plastic fork. With the muffins done she returns to her station using her newfound arm. Despite the metal tray previously sitting at 175C she had no trouble just grabbing the tray with her bare hands, loudly inhaling the scent (could she even do that?).

She at least wore an apron, giving off some semblance of professionalism.

"Anything else happen while I was gone?" You ask in between bites. Though cold the cake was still fresh, albeit a bit sweet. The combo of the icing and cream pushed it over the edge. The kind of sweetness children can gorge themselves on.

"Hmmm. Not really. Roxanne's still building her new attraction, Bonnie's hard at work on his new area. Freddy's the same as always..." With a flick of a switch the oven lights turned off leaving you and Chica back under a neon glow. "Oh, Monty and the Attendant were acting weird."

Hoh, boy. If any animatronic acting 'weird' was worrying it was Monty. He was the only animatronics to successfully kill another. And though under mind control he still held the record for most mentally unstable, even if he was still trying to piece together his psyche.

"He's just acting off. Like he's confused or something." Chica added.

"Well, that does sound like Monty."

Chica shook her head. "No, the attendant is acting confused. Monty's just obsessed over some show. He won't stop talking about it."

"Oh." While Monty acting up wasn't out of the realm of normality, Sun and Moon acting up was cause for concern. You make a note to check out the daycare later.

"Nothing bad with Monty though, right?"

Chica shrugged. "I dunno. Seems fine." Her eyes lit up. "So, what are you gonna do now?" She was planning something. You knew that look.

Putting the container down you check your phone. "There's a burst pipe somewhere around here I gotta fix."

"A burst pipe? That sounds dangerous. You need help with that."

"Uh-huh." You just leave the container on the counter, hoping that cake didn't belong to someone else. "You wanna help?"

"Oh, no I can't. That's too dangerous for me. But if you're in distress and in need of a hero I'm sure one will come. Burst pipes can be very, uh, dangerous!" She said, almost as if she were reading off a script. "Well I gotta go! Roxanne needs, uh, help at the raceway!"

"But what about the muffin-"

Chica was gone before you could finish, her talons clanking loudly and getting quieter as she ran off, still wearing that apron. You really did want to try one of the muffins, steam rising off as they cooled. Man, they looked good.

The next chapter will be called Avenger.