Prologue

Her name was Sarah, and she was a robot. More specifically, she was a gynoid, constructed in the shape of a Siberian husky with white and brown fur, her creator having been both a furry and partial to canines. Her creator had worked for years on her, trying his hardest to create the world's first true A.I. He never truly succeeded, sadly, as what finally brought her to life was not a breakthrough in programming, but a lightning strike hitting his house and overloading every system she was hooked up to, like Frankenstein's monster of legend.

That had been six years ago, and since then she had been learning what it meant to be alive, how the world worked, and how to interact with it. She and her "father" had never been hurting for money; between his grant money, interview fees, and some smart investments, the two led fairly comfortable lives. However, the day after her sixth birthday, the scientist sat the girl down.

"Sarah, I think I want you to find a job. I'm not saying I want you to support yourself, but I want you to have the experience of it. Look through the paper, see if you can't find something that you think you'd like to do."

So it was that the mechanical canine scanned over the Help Wanted section, muttering to herself as she went through countless requests for short-order cooks and landscapers. Finally, something caught her eye; a picture of an animatronic bear in a top hat and bow tie, holding a microphone.

"HELP WANTED", proclaimed the ad. "Family pizzeria looking for security guard to work the nightshift. 12 am to 6 am. Monitor cameras, ensure safety of equipment and animatronic characters."

She smiled, picking up her phone and dialing the number listed. A nighttime security guard? That sounded like it would be a fun experience for her.

"Well, I'd have to say you're the most unusual applicant I've ever had. Most of the robots I've got in my employ are owned by the company, not their own persons."

The middle-aged, slightly overweight man in front of her smiled and scratched his head. He was Mr. Fazio, the owner of the restaurant. When she had said she wanted to apply, he took special interest, and insisted on interviewing her himself. He took a drink from his large cup of coffee, then smiled across the desk at the canine.

"Still, you seem pretty keen to join the company, so you're hired. Welcome to the Fazbear family!"

He stood up, sticking his hand across the desk to her. She took it eagerly, shaking it with a smile.

"Thanks so much, Mr. Fazio. I'll be here at 11:30!"

The office was cramped and stuffy, lit by just a single hanging bulb with a cheap shade and cooled by a little desk fan. There were empty drink cups and food wrappers strewn about the office, likely from its previous occupant. As the robotic dog settled down into the chair, she sighed. This wasn't looking like it would be as fun as she thought. Suddenly, the phone rang.

"Uh, hello?" it intoned, the speakerphone kicking in as the recording started. "Uh, I wanted to record a message for you, to help you get settled in on your first night. Uhm, I actually worked in that office before you...I'm finishing up my last week now, as a matter of fact, so, I know it can be a bit overwhelming, but I'm here to tell you there's nothing to worry about. You'll be fine!"

She leaned forward, taking a sip of the bottle of coolant her father had mixed for her as she listened to the message intently.

"So, let's just focus on getting you through your first week, okay?"

The message continued playing, the newly-minted guard hanging on to every word, but not really registering the parts of it a normal, experienced person might take issue with. It was simple enough, she thought. Just watch the cameras, conserve the power, and...what was that?

She switched between cameras, finally settling on the camera pointed down the west hall. There, silhouetted by the light behind him, stood Bonnie, the flickering light occasionally letting her see his face...and he was staring RIGHT into the camera.

The rest of the night was tense, the husky frantically switching between the cameras to keep tabs on Bonnie, as well as Chica, once she had decided to get in on the fun. The night hit a crescendo when Sarah looked around, realizing that she had lost track of Chica. Looking over to her side slowly, she reached out and hit the button for the door light.

The perpetually-grinning face of the chicken looked back at her, and in a panic, she practically threw herself at the wall, pounding the button to close the steel door. She got to her feet, looking out the window at the yellow robot. As the two met each other's gaze, Chica's expression turned curious, seeming to study the artificial woman in the office. She opened her mechanical beak as if to say something, but just then, an alarm sounded from the security tablet, drawing both their attentions. The familiar tune of Westminster Quarters echoed through the halls, proclaiming the time to be 6 am.

Sarah looked up, seeing that Chica had left. She hit the button for the door once more, gathering her drink and walking out of the office. The animatronics were all standing back on the stage, just as they had been when she came in at the start of her shift. As she unlocked the door for the day manager, she forced herself to smile and greet him pleasantly, heading out to the parking lot to wait for her father to pick her up.

She grimaced as she recalled the fright of the losing track of Bonnie and Chica, of flipping from camera to camera trying to find them...but what she remembered most was the way Chica had stared at her, as if she hadn't been expecting to see her there.