HOME | DD

Description
body div#devskin0 hr { }

Power On

Be grateful, Schmidt. - Management

Mike stared at the four words written on the card, still trying to wrap his mind around just what they meant. For once, management had actually come through. It had taken two weeks of almost nonstop pestering on Mike's part, starting from his very first day on the job, but he'd finally managed to make it happen.

The guard lowered the card and stared proudly down at the yellow and black machine that rested on the ground before him. Ladies and gentlemen, Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria now owned... a portable electric generator. Mike was on cloud nine – gone were his days of sweating coldly in his office, eyes flitting back and forth from door to laptop to door to laptop while his heart jackhammered in his chest so hard as to practically bust through his ribcage. He was safe, safe from the unholy nightmare that he'd been stuck in for the past two...

...Mike's train of thought derailed, killing dozens, before rerailing itself onto an entirely different track. Now that he thought about it, he didn't really need the generator anymore. It would have been useful back when the animatronics were hunting him, but now that they were his friends Mike couldn't help but realize that the generator was kinda useless.

Briefly stopping to consider whether this was cruel irony or the management's idea of a joke (he decided on the former), Mike sighed and tossed the note in a nearby trash can before turning back to face the generator. He'd still use it, of course – he wasn't about to just trash it after spending that much time and effort to get it in the first place, but what would he use it for?

It would've been nice if the pizzeria had an arcade of some sort. Most pizzerias like Freddy's did nowadays, especially the more new-fashioned ones, and although Mike hadn't frequented too many of them since he was kid he'd seen enough to know that they looked pretty fun. He and the animatronics could turn on Pac-Man or Street Fighter and play the night away without fear of running out of power. Getting to play with his new friends like that would be fun. But alas, Freddy Fazbear's was a pretty small place, and from what Mike had learned of the place its budget was pretty much shoestring, so that was out of the question.

So what would he do?

…

Well, no use wasting time on the problem when he hadn't even set the generator up. Glad that he'd been wearing a coat to work recently, Mike gripped the generator by the handle and wheeled it out of the booth.

For the first time, he'd be taking his shift outside.

------------

“Leaving so soon? You just got here.” Mike turned to see Chica leaning against the wall, watching him. For a moment he thought she was accusing him of something, but she didn't sound angry, at least not to Mike.

The guard shook his head. “Nah, management finally pulled through on that generator I've been begging them for. I have to go outside to set it up.”

Chica looked at the machine with piqued interest. “Generator? What's it do?”

“It's kinda hard to explain in detail,” Mike began. “But basically, it generates electricity. If I can hook it up outside – and I know I can, I've checked – then ideally it'll keep the pizzeria running so that we don't have to worry about using up all of our power.” Chica nodded in understanding. Mike had wound up letting the power run out a couple of times back when the animatronics were still hunting him, and it was quite the nuisance. How was she supposed to cook without her ovens?

“Hey, you, uh, wanna come along?” Mike asked suddenly, and even he was surprised at the suggestion.

Chica hesitated, but ultimately shook her head. “Nah, Freddy'd blow up at us if we tried to leave. We've talked about it with him in the past, and he always brings his foot down pretty hard on us. But good luck anyway.” Chica turned and left Mike alone with the generator, but the guard didn't stick around for long. Lugging the generator behind him, he carefully unlocked the front door and stepped out into the frigid midnight air. He had a job to do.

------------

“Alright, that looks like everything,” Mike mumbled to himself. With the generator all set up, Mike picked up the tarp that had been lying against the restaurant's outer wall and draped it gently over the generator, covering it nicely. Stepping back to admire his work, the guard became aware of the chilly air causing him to shiver. He couldn't help but think that this November had been especially chilly compared to the last few. And to think that December was just around the corner. And by the end of the year... Freddy Fazbear's would be out of business.

Mike's heart sank. It was strange to think that this place would be closing soon. After all, it had been around for over thirty years, and in those thirty years Mike was certain that the restaurant had brought a smile to countless children and created so many happy memories. All of the scandals in the world couldn't cover up the joy the robots had brought to the children, and they certainly wouldn't cover up the joy they brought him. That thought ignited a strange determination within Mike, and without wasting another second he strode back through the front doors of the restaurant.

Relocking the doors behind him, Mike strode through the empty hallways – apparently, Chica had relocated – and into the dining hall, weaving around tables and chairs to reach the door leading backstage. The guard raised his flashlight as he stepped into the dark room, and a cursory sweep of the place revealed that the main breaker was attached to the wall right to his left. Mike walked over and flipped it open, scanning the switches carefully. It looked like all of those engineering courses he'd taken in college would be put to good use once again.

Spotting the utility main and generator main switches, Mike carefully flicked the former off before switching the latter on. All that was left was to turn on the loads. Mike eagerly but cautiously parsed the loads to determine what they powered, and one by one he flipped them on, making sure to pause for a couple of minutes between each one, just in case. After flipping the last switch Mike swung the breaker's cover shut, grinning triumphantly. So what if he didn't, strictly speaking, need the generator anymore? He could think of some other way to utilize the power. Maybe he'd be able to do something with the animatronics that he couldn't do before, like watch a movie or play games with them.

And so what if this place was closing down soon? He'd make that time count.

“Hey, guys!” Mike hollered out the backstage door and into the restaurant. “I've got a surprise for you!”