"What do you mean, another one?!"

"I'm not kidding—Customer Service had it reported a while ago—we already dispatched the staff bots and—"

"And what?! The police? What's next? The federacy?! The president?!"

"N-no, sir, just the local police department--"

"You should've asked me before doing any of that! The Pizzaplex cannot handle anymore blows on its rep—ugh! For goodness sake—security had ONE job! And it's only what, ten in the morning!?"

"S-sorry, sir, I'll keep things coordinated--"

"Coordinated?! you fool! What are you standing around for?! Be useful for once and check with security! Not loiter around like some idiot!"

"Y-yes sir!"

Footsteps of various pairs soundlessly thumped against carpets, the long pathway covered by people in various uniforms, navy blue, black, white—and the staff of the building itself.

There were customers in the vicinity, most with children—families alike, teens on their phones, and mothers scolding their children from trying to run off before they even purchased a complementary pass. But despite the atmosphere of joy and glee from the buzzling morning in the Pizzaplex—they were left unknown of the turmoil which shook the staff in the early morning.

"Excuse me—please—coming through!" the voice of the young assistant rang out, pushing through the line of customers who were lining up in the turnstiles, holding out their complementary passes just to get to the Main Atrium itself.

It was too early in the morning, but the endless bustling seems to be on full speed ahead—there wasn't an ounce of time idle for clients eager to play, have fun, and bond with friends and family in this colorful establishment.

And yet... no one knew....

"Excuse me—! Coming through—ARGH!" air was knocked out of the young personnel as he collided with someone else, unceremoniously landing on his behind in a painful thud against the carpets. The sounds emitting from the environment dulled out what grunt of pain he could utter, just who in the—

"Oh fuck—I'm so sorry—" your own voice rang out, after having bumped into a frantically running employee, collecting yourself hastily to get up on your feet—your hand stretched out to politely grab onto the other employee's hand, to help him up as well. "I didn't see you there, why the rush?"

Today, you were taking the morning shift, all because you spent the rest of the night shift dozing off on a random couch in the top floor planetarium-like attraction. To compensate for your rest and noncompletion of work, you took up the day shift.

But for some reason, you arrived to see the Pizzaplex in a buzz—not only due to the swarm of customers received by the Pizzaplex on a daily basis, but due to the awry and panicked looks of a few staff—including this guy whom you oh, so conveniently bumped into.

Rest in peace, breakfast fries, the scatter of freshly fried potato cuts scattered at the carpet a mere reminder of your lost breakfast--- you could get another, free of charge, but weaving through the sea of people is too much effort as it is!

Considering the buzz of erratic behaviors displayed by some employees, this one could at least compensate for your pitiful waste of fries, right? A quench for curiosity, as it seems.

"—You're a security guard, right? I need to talk to you—" he cut you off before you tried to speak after helping him up, the shimmering yet rusty security badge you wore on your uniform and the iconic security cap laid rested on your form speaks volumes of who you are.

"Ah? Well, I was about to ask you—hey!" suddenly, the personnel caught your arm and dragged you through the endless sea of people, muttering soft excuses and apologies on the way.

Reluctantly, like any other person in the same situation, you just allowed this guy to drag you around and about, deciding to just let it be and see where this leads.

Eventually, the dragging and pulling ceased when you arrived in one of the many security offices in the facility, this one overseeing the Main Lobby cameras. The space was not that big, it was cramped, with old boxes littered the area, covered in thin sheets of dust and grime. Tiny spiders forming webs on the corners of the room, and the faint hum of the monitors active, displaying various feeds of cameras angling in certain directions, showing how large the traffic down in the Main Lobby, just for customers to get in the facility.

Isn't it too early? A little? A lot? Or was it because its nearing lunch? In the end, there is not a single day where the Pizzaplex was empty, or at least considered "less crowded".

The dim lights overhead was ominous, and the atmosphere quiet. You raised your gaze to look at the young personnel—you recognized him to be from the administration division, the youngster with the duty to either run errands for the higher ups or to get coffee for the same higher ups there is, all arounder.

"Right, um... I don't know if you've heard, I already told the chief of Security about this, but..." he trailed off, a hand rubbing the back of his neck, a small mannerism that irks you to the realm of impatience.

With the time ticking in the background, you knew you were needed elsewhere—right, the Daycare, your assignment for the day, hang out in the Daycare and make sure no kid visits the clinic for obviously unconventional reasons.

"But...?" Come on, spit it, get on with it already! "What's going on?" you pressed further, resisting the urge to show your sass which you knew you shouldn't showcase as of late.

But you really have to get back to work, because once the manager finds out that the security guard stationed at Superstar Daycare is missing—well, that's one more demerit for you.

Plus, Christmas is around the corner, that Christmas bonus is waiving.

"It happened earlier this morning, the Pizzaplex opened quite early, around seven in the morning than the usual eight. There were several customers already and—"

"Sorry, but can you cut to the chase? I really have to get back to work." You cut him off, trying to be as respectful as you can, you seriously can and WILL get in trouble for not being in that Daycare.

"Okay, sorry. Um.... We have another case." He trailed off suddenly, actions fidgety, brows sweaty—those were the details you probably shouldn't focus on at all, but unfortunately, it was laid bare right in front of you. "Another... missing child case."

... what?

"Excuse me, what? A child—"

"Yeah, around five years old, blonde pigtails, about this height—" The youngster raised a hand just below his hips to emphasize the height of the person characterized. "and pink dress, she went missing this morning around eight, then so many customers suddenly flooded in—as of 10:30, she's still missing."

"Haven't you alerted the other security staff? Surely the kid just got separated—"

"Yeah, I already did, I had the staff bots deployed even, but the kid simply like—vanished! I don't know what to do, should I alert the police or—"

"Sooner or later, you might end up calling a news anchor." You mused humorlessly, crossing your arms and shaking your head as you cut him off. Another child missing? Wait...

Another? Another?! It happened before?!

For some reasons... it surprised you, yet at the same time.... It doesn't.... why does this felt like... like déjà vu...?

"I'll see what I can do and search around, you should go find Vanessa, she knows this place more." You replied after some time, earning a nod from the younger.

Both you and the staff separated ways, with you mindlessly brushing past the sea of customers to get back to the Main Lobby.

Missing child, missing child... pigtails, pink dress.... Huh? Why does this sound familiar? Like.... you knew but... at the same time, you just... don't.

Does Freddy and the others already know? Well, there SHOULD be a report made at the main office, and the news should've been broadcasted to the animatronics already. So that should they find the child first, then, they can return the child to customer service and reunite with the parents, right? That's how the protocol works, as far as you're concerned.

Wait... how did you know the animatronic protocol? You never asked Freddy about it, nor did you question—Gah! Nevermind.

In the end, you decided to shake your head and brush the thoughts away, you really need to get back to work.

Swerving past the customers swarming the still-congested area, you headed forth and up the flight of stairs, passing by the chatters of customers who were left unassuming, unknown of the issue at hand. You wondered where the parents were now? Are they going Karen in Customer Service? Technically, they should've looked after their child more keenly, otherwise, this wouldn't have happened, children are normally petulant and curious, they should've kept a further eye on them.

So, with hurried steps, you walked into the open double doors of the Superstar Daycare, seeing parents and their kids signing up for daycare services, and some kids being too excited to ride the slide into the daycare arena. Teens hanging out, or maybe leaving their siblings before loitering and about. Evidently, you made your way down the flight of stairs, the tap of your heels against the carpets audible, and so were footsteps from other customers and staffs. By the time you arrived at the first floor of the daycare where security bots lingered, it was lively down here.

Several teens and children alike were also hanging out at Pirate's cove, and several parents—some glued to their phones, were doing the bare minimum they call as "babysitting".

The doors to the first floor of the Daycare itself was open, with parents freely going to and fro, and yet...

Are you seriously the only security guard in this area? Aren't there supposed to be roaming security guards or at least one guarding the door at this moment? Or are they loitering elsewhere? Wait, is this even fair?!

But then again, who are you to complain? It's better than to have the regular daytime staff watch your every move and mock you in the event of a mistake. Besides, you weren't that of a fan for large crowds...

Claustrophobic? Not much but....

You always hated being confined to tight spaces, even if...

"~~~~~~~~"

"What's... going on...?" you whispered to yourself and tried to press the button on the elevator, but nothing, the elevator did not give any signs of moving. The panic in you increases as the audio ceased to exist, the lights flickered and finally, they gave out, leaving you in dead silence and utter darkness.

You collapsed, sitting in a corner of the small elevator as your body trembled and shook; the dark is something you never liked, the dark is something you never wanted to be alone with. The darkness, it scares you.

You shakily took your phone, seeing if you can call for help but not an ounce of signal was here, not even the tiniest bit could help you reach help. But still, you dialed your Boss' number even though the action could get you fired.

"Sorry, you are in a no service zone, please try again later." The automatic voice of your phone rang in your ears, making you even more unsettled as you tried to redial, but the same response was what you got.

You nearly wanted to cry; being alone, in small spaces, in dead silence, in the dark of all places—it's something you despise the most.

They... bring back unwanted... memories.

"~~~~~~~~"

Whoa... what was that?

You ended up remaining standing in front of the entrance to the Daycare.... Was that... a memory?

Images and voices flashed your mind—your own voice, the scenery of an elevator, the sound of your own heartbeat—did... that happen? What the....

Did you just... recover a memory? How.... Why...?

When?

The phenomena of recalling memories of the past—it happens in odd times, places—but for the entire year since you've lose your memories, you still... couldn't remember.... So... why now?

It doesn't mean anything much, other than proving your great claustrophobic experience in elevators—

Great, now you don't want to use elevators anymore.

Shaking your head, you finally made your way into the daycare itself. The jolly paintings, the blocks and toys that littered the play space, the cheers of children playing and shouting at each other in playful glee, and the parents talking to the daycare staff concerning their children.

With a nod from a nearby staff, you headed straight inside the play area itself, and just in time, at the center right a few steps from the big play structure. Children sitting cross-legged in a semi-circle, and in front of that semi-circle, was the daycare attendant.

With rays of sunshine framing with that permanent smile, a crayon on one hand, and a piece of paper in the other, with intricate doodles mimicking those of a child with an intellect of more.

You didn't dare interrupt him, but you were aware, he noticed you, sent a subtle wave, and continued in his duties in entertaining the children.

"See? The sun is colored yellow, like me!" Sunny exclaimed, scraping the smooth end of the yellow crayon against the paper, coloring the outline of what was deemed to be the sun. "Such a warm color, don't you all like the sun very much? It means there is plenty of time to play!"

You couldn't help but stifle a giggle at how the daycare activities plays out. You could guess, half of the children wants to climb on top of Sunny's rays, while some are doodling on their own respective papers.

Maybe, you could have a word with Sunny after the activity? Yeah, you could spend time actually doing your job, guarding.

Sitting on one of the cylindrical plush seats in the Daycare, your eyes casted upon the youth, the giggles and cheers, it all made you remember the events of earlier.

Right, the... child disappearances...

You couldn't help it, whenever you see the kids—you couldn't help but wonder. That missing child, how were they?

Were they scared...? Were they alone? Were they calling for their parents? Were they hurt?

Were they.... Still okay?

Chills went up your spine at the thought of the state the pitiful child was at... and if that staff said "another", then what about... the other children? What about.... Them?

They must be scared now...

What if.... They—

"---llo? Earth to (Y/N), hello?" your train of thought ceased when suddenly, a yellow hand was waived repeatedly in front of you, causing you to blink as your senses finally caught up to the present.

"...ah?" that was all you could utter when you snapped back to reality, in front of you was a hand, Sunny's hand, and Sunny himself partially crouched in front of you, probably to compensate for the height he possess. "Sunny-"

"Thank heavens, you look like a cat high on catnip." The slender metallic hand of Sunny landed on your shoulder, metal, but gentle. "You okay?"

"...yeah, I'm fine." You shrugged, pushing the thoughts at the back of your head for the time being. Right now, you need to work, keeping an eye on the kids and make sure no one vanishes out of thin air.

Hopefully, the kid might be found somewhere, and he'll be home in a jiffy, and that whatever case there is out there, the kid is fine and safe. Whatever case there was years ago, hopefully, its resolved.

"You sure? You look like you have a LOT on your mind now." The animatronic stood upright and gestured a slender arm towards the plush cylindrical cushions stacked neatly on the playmat, letting the children to form around their parents and the staff for snack time, a break for the Daycare Attendant. "I'd say, penny for your thoughts? But I realistically don't have pennies, do you accept fazcoins?" he humored, although he knew that you'll eventually open up.

Besides... Sunny has been... keen on keeping tabs on you from time to time. He said its because he is overprotective in nature, being around kids and all, but it felt like there was something else. Either way, you and Sunny became good friends since your return, and hanging out even during the night, Moon was warm and inviting. Contrary to his image, his voice, and his mannerisms, he was just a misunderstood soul with good and friendly intentions. If only they made his design a little more... inviting, like those of Sunny's.

Perhaps, patience and time is the pragmatic approach for the likes of animatronics, and friendliness.

Plopping down on one of the cushions, while Sunny sat beside you with his legs crossed. Your eyes still trained on what was happening in the environment, but you can speak freely to Sunny without anyone eavesdropping over the holler of children needing sustenance. "It's just... I don't know, Sun—it happened just a few hours ago, a child went missing." You began, expressing your thoughts on the matter with great regard that rivaled your sense of calmness, if any.

Sunny would not his head, taking in each and every detail which his servos could process. "I heard too, its posted on the main network. Pigtails, little girl, blonde. I'm keeping an eye out for her and report internally to H.Q. if ever." Taking a second to glance in the environment, his mechanical eyes looking around to see if any of the kids were going in places they shouldn't, or illegally climbing the outer wall of the play structure, and things like that. Satisfied that the kids were attended by parents and the staff, Sunny glanced back to you. "Why? Do you know who the kid is?" he inquired, curious of why you were interested to begin with.

With a shake of the head, you rested your elbows on your knees, using the moment to check on the kids as well. "No, it's just... the admin staff earlier said "another"... so... it means that this isn't the first, isn't it?" you inquired anyways, almost rarely to never do you keep anything from Sunny. Other than Freddy, Sunny is the second whom you'd love to hang out with.

Seeing how lonely Sunny and Moon were during after hours, you found yourself interacting with the animatronic more often than not, and it blossomed to a friendship that felt so familiar.

Déjà vu? Again? Or maybe you and Sunny were friends before the whole memory loss fiasco? Considering you've worked here before, and Sunny was so worried about you when you returned after the hospital vacation you had.

Maybe you're overthinking things, but...

"no... its not, unfortunately," Sunny tilted his head back, glancing up at the play structures to ensure that no kid is gonna attempt to jump off the slide for hype. The clinic may not appreciate another case of play-related injuries. And certainly, no more negligence-related lawsuits.

Fazbear Entertainment does not, in any case, appreciate so.

"During that time... well... it was during your time here in the Pizzaplex." Sunny admitted, albeit, gauging your reaction to somehow look into your thoughts. "Did you... remember something?" he added, being careful with his words. As much as it'll be enlightening for you to remember what you long thought to have forgotten—there are risks.

Risks of remembering the entire fiasco, the betrayal, the pain—

And risk of that same event reoccurring.

You were happy being oblivious to what happened years back, he didn't want to ruin it, nor did he want to lead you down that path that almost led to your death.

"Well... I admit it did sound familiar... was that case ever solved?" you inquired, wanting to know as much details as possible. Surely, Freddy and the others will shrug you off and claim they don't remember anything—well, truthfully, they don't. Nobody remembers, as they were factory reset during that time, and neither you nor Vanessa even recalled a little.

At least, as far as you're concerned.

However, unknown to you, or maybe known to you, Sunny wasn't connected to the network that time. Hell, he was almost decommissioned for an undisclosed reason, luckily, he was repaired. But if so, does Sunny remember? And if so, how much does he know? Would he be willing to even let you know to begin with?

"...no, sadly. At least, not according to my systems. But hey—cheer up, maybe the kid was found, and the records were not updated?" Sunny tried to cheer you up, considering how your expression turned sullen at the idea of the child never being found.

In truth... he really didn't know either. But a quick search says otherwise—the kid was never found, and it's been more than a year. The court found no justifiable cause to have the establishment sued, since technically, it wasn't an accident, but rather, parental negligence, that led to the child's disappearance. Or so they thought, up to date.

"I wish... but... its happening again, what are the chances that the child is out there, trapped, or maybe.... even..." You couldn't even bring yourself to say it. For heaven's sake, please no.

Don't let it be that way...

"(Y/N), don't think too hard about it. We can't just worry about things that we wont be able to control or do anything about. Just hope for the best, m'kay?" Sunny gently patted your shoulder as a means to comfort you, to get your mind off of things that you wouldn't even be able to control.

"What do you think caused it?" a sudden thought dawned to you, who do you think caused it? But you didn't want to make it seemed accusatory.

Besides, what does an animatronic know? Surely, their knowledge is also limited to what is told to them, and what is written in their systems. Whatever judgement they make—it might deter and impact your way of thinking as well.

"The cause..." Sunny thought for a moment, humming as I placed his fingers under his chin. He took a moment to look around and ensure that there was nothing wrong going on, ensuring the kids were being attended to in his 'break time'. Then, he responded. "Well, if its just another minor case, then the child could be trapped somewhere, waiting for rescue of some sort. On the other hand, they may have gone missing outside the Pizzaplex, meaning, its an external case that doesn't hold the Pizzaplex liable."

Then he paused, another thought probably entered his programming trail. "Or maybe... they were abducted by someone." He lowered his voice intentionally, not wanting to alarm or let any child overhear things they shouldn't.

"Abducted... but... shouldn't there be traces if so?" you inquired in return. Sure, since your thoughts clashed earlier, it was part of your thought process to put into consideration the possibility of an abduction occurring, or even murder. But... still, it should leave at least a miniscule of evidence, a struggle or a camera footage. There is no perfect crime, after all. There is bound to be at least one evidence left behind by the perpetrator.

Sunny looked at you for a moment, contemplating on what to say. His emotions prominent in his voice, despite the permanent smile etched on his features. "They'll leave traces, but its not about whether the trace is left to be found, but how the perpetrator is able to manipulate the world into thinking that the miniscule trace is insignificant enough to ignore."

He was right, a trace wont be considered a trace if it didn't look like a trace to begin with. Mostly, the perpetrator who orchestrated the crime, will most likely return to clean up the mess, and turn the traces into something people will ignore. To how the person does it, its upon their experience, skill, and knowledge to commit such heinous crime.

That person... should be capable, or a master of manipulation. Otherwise, how else would the traces be buried under foot? There's only one way, and that's through manipulation. Most perpetrators who excel in this kind of crime making are often working alone, where traces were cleaned up mostly by the perpetrators themselves.

Even so....

Your thoughts drifted onto Vanessa. That woman suddenly acted way off than usual, it worries you, heck, it suddenly dawned upon you of her behavior. She... wasn't acting like her usual self, at least, as far as you've noticed.

Does she know about the child disappearances currently occurring? Does she think the same thoughts as you?

But then again, the perpetrator... should be within the Pizzaplex too if the traces were well cleaned, unhindered with whatever external forces out there that colludes to this occurrence. The person most fitting should be someone who knows the Pizzaplex well enough as well as the security systems implemented to bypass all that....

Then... it could be a security guard.... With Vanessa acting all avoiding and distantly suspicious, then does that warrant you the right to presume that... what if... Vanessa has something to do with all of this? Does.... She know anything?

Days ago, she mentioned about hearing whispers... dreams... was that a sign of conscience attacking? Guilt speaking?

Everything was a wreak of the head; everything is just so—confusing.

So concerning.

But with all details laid out, suspicions arise, and doubts surface... maybe, just maybe...

She knows something, but what?

Any normal person would seek opinions and support from entities like the government or the cops but... you weren't normal by default.

You just oughta find out yourself.