Chapter Text
To some, working the night shift for anything is a terrible idea to have. It completely goes against the natural sleeping cycle of the normal human being. These people, objectively speaking, are what we call 'right'.
That wasn't to say there wasn't a point to night shifts, though. Back in the days before technology, or even houses, it was always a smart idea to have someone stay up at night to tend the fire, and warn of oncoming predators. There was sound logic behind it.
Back then, at least. Nowadays, the logic didn't quite hold up as much to the unassuming bystander. Unfortunately, while society didn't have to worry about keeping someone awake in case of wild beasts getting into the camp site, there was still the threat of other humans wanting things that didn't belong to them.
This was a truth in any city, of any country, of any dimension. That included Gamindustri, a land where blah-blah-blah, yadda yadda. If you're here, you probably already know about Gamindustri. Four nations, Planeptune, Lastation, Leanbox, Lowee. Ruled by CPUs, which are something akin to Goddesses. And, on top of that, there are numerous parallel versions of Gamindustri that are all slightly different in their own way. WE KNOW THIS, and the author really shouldn't have to go over it every damn time he decides to write a story for this series.
(Hey)
Throughout history, eat-in entertainment has always been a big staple in society. From jazz bands in bars to blues singers in bistros, meals have always been enjoyed best with some form of entertainment to accompany it.
Which brings us... to the 'animatronic pizzeria'.
The pizzeria restaurant concept dates back as far as pizza and arcades have shared their existences. Animatronics came into the picture when one person had the idea of stuffing a robot into a fur-suit, and it was off to the races from there.
Many groups the multiverse over tried to replicate this phenomena again. Some succeeded, some didn't, some became the centre of mass murder, the list goes on infinitely, because that's just how the multiverse works.
In Gamindustri, while the animatronic pizzeria restaurant didn't exactly break the bank, it wasn't a complete failure. There were a few here and there that managed to, to this day, stay in business.
Which, finally, brings us to the starting point of our story.
The time was 11:30PM. A young man of 20 stood outside the pizzeria with a key in hand.
This was his first night on the job. His first night as a security guard for 4GO-P.
Now, what was 4GO-P? It stood for 4 Goddesses Online Pizzeria. It was, as the name implies, a pizzeria themed after the hit MMORPG 4 Goddesses Online. To answer the inevitable question of 'why'... because the license made it more likely to pull in customers, I guess? I dunno, I'm just the narrator.
4GO-P was quite unorthodox, even by animatronic pizzeria standards. It got enough customers and revenue to stay afloat, obviously, but that didn't change the fact that the building itself looks like it had seen better days.
But, for now, let's focus more on the young man that was currently unlocking the padlock that barred entry.
This man, with short grey hair and eyes, was unimaginatively named Grey. His parents were lacking a bit in the creativity department.
Grey was like many people his age. Right out of high school, he went straight into University (or College, depending on your part of the world), and studied full time, until he achieved his bachelors degree. Academically, he was a high achiever.
Unfortunately, in this day and age, employers don't want academics they have to pay adult wages. Thus, for a long time, he was desperately looking for somewhere, anywhere, to get employment.
That's when he landed this gig; the night watch at one of the few pizzeria's still around. The pay wasn't outstanding, and the hours sucked serious ass, but it was something to get his foot in the door.
Plus, Grey would admit, he had some nostalgic bias towards pizzeria's. They had been an important part of his childhood, even if some of the animatronics looked as ungodly as the Deity of Sin herself.
The padlock came undone, and Grey let himself through the door.
The place stank of pizza and still water. How this was still 'the premiere pizzeria', Grey had no idea. That brand name must be pulling a whole lot of weight.
Taking the flashlight from his belt, Grey turned it on, and shone it around the entrance. Loose bits of paper littered the ground. A few arcade machines stood by, dull and lifeless. During the day, this place probably looked a whole lot more welcoming.
Briefly, Grey's torch stopped on one machine. “Oh, sweet,” he said quietly to himself. “They've got Polybius here.”
It wasn't often you saw a game cabinet so retro, it bordered on the occult. That one alone probably made up a good chunk of this place's income.
Well, he wasn't here to ogle arcade machines. He had a job to do. Maybe if he has some free time, he'll try to boot it up. It is the night shift, after all.
As he made his way further inside, Grey finally found the breaker he was looking for, and flipped the switch. There was a slight hum of electricity, as all the lights flickered on.
It looked, in as few words a possible, like any other pizzeria. If you've seen one pizzeria, then you've seen this one. Table-sheets made of paper with red and white checker-board patterns on them, the odd party hat here and there, paper plate to and fro, it was the textbook definition of 'pizzeria'.
But, that only meant that the 'main attraction', the thing hidden behind the curtains on the stage, was just that good, if 'average' was all 4GO-P needed for anything else.
Moving to the side of the stage, Grey pushed a button, and the curtains were drawn.
The sight that greeted him was more than Grey could have ever hoped to describe. Four animatronics stood at attention, but one would be hard press to call them 'simply' animatronics. They were built in the perfect likeness of the four CPUs of Gamindustri, to the point where the only real clue that one could see, even at the distance Grey stood at, that they weren't the real deal, was the fact that they didn't seem to breath. Every join, where you'd expect to see some sort of exposed robotics or wiring, looked like a perfectly normal, completely human joint.
It truly looked as if Purple Heart, Black Heart, Green Heart, and White Heart, were all standing on stage right this moment, having stepped both right out of the game 4GO, and out of the actual Basilicoms.
Grey felt his breath hitch slightly. The only word he could use to describe the person who made these things was 'artisan'. Well, okay, maybe he'd also use 'creepy', because of just how beautifully detailed they were, but those words often went hand in hand.
Snapping out of the awe, Grey decided now that he should really get to his post. It wouldn't be right to clock in late on his first day... or rather, night, he supposed.
As he left through the staff door, Grey was unaware that someone or something was watching him.
Grey had an office all to himself. Given that he was the only human in the building right now, this was no surprise. More to the point, however, was that this office was specifically for the night watch.
There were six CRT TVs stacked on the desk, monitoring the major areas of the pizzeria. One of them even focused on the animatronic Goddesses. Even with how low res a CRT was compared to the monitors you could by for cheep these days, Grey couldn't help but marvel at just how jaw-droppingly beautiful they were, in those angelic armours they wore in the game.
Grey wouldn't deny that he preferred the white and gold look of the 4GO armour to the HDD Processor Units the real CPUs used. So he had tastes; sue him.
There was also, strangely enough, a cassette player on the desk, and a cassette labelled 'Initiation' next to that. This must have counted as his training, then.
On one of the walls, there was the single most advanced piece of technology in the room; the terminal for clocking on and off. As Grey was made aware when he got the email saying he had landed this job, these machines worked by utilising the NFC chips in a persons phone like a punch card. A very conveniently designed system.
Tapping his phone on the panel, a ding was heard, signalling that he was officially 'on the clock'. Sitting down at the desk, he took the cassette tape, placed it in the player, and hit play.
[H-Hello? Hello, can you hear me?] a voice said. He sounded rather young. [I'm just going to assume you can. The thing says it's recording. Anyway, welcome to your first night as a security guard for 4 Goddesses Online Pizza and Party! Or just, y'know, 4GO-P. Not everyone has the time of day to say the whole name, and it's not like you'll be facing customers or anything.] Grey was getting the feeling he was going to like this guy.
[Now, your job is actually really simple,] he continued. [Just keep a watchful eye over the pizzeria, and make sure nothing is stolen or broken. Especially our star animatronics. Other than that, we also ask that you tidy up any mess that the evening shift missed; there's a brush and dustpan you can use in the utilities closet. But, outside of those things, you're your own boss for the night. Lucky you!]
“I like this guy,” Grey mumbled. “He really sounds like he couldn't give less of a shit.”
[Now, there are a few things to warn you about,] the man in the cassette said. [Namely, in regards to our state-of-the-art animatronics. Now, during the day, they work on a set path, like rudimentary AI in video games. However, during night, especially between 12AM and 7AM, when you're working, they get a little... unusual.] Oh, that was worrying. [See, there's this slight oversight in their coding, since they were originally programmed to be completely free-roaming, which causes them to switch from their routine functions to seemingly complete freedom. They can't leave the building on their own, don't worry! But, if you notice them moving around, or in areas they weren't before, that's why.]
Suddenly feeling very much not alone, Grey glanced at the CTRs, and saw, to his shock... that White Heart was no longer there. A new degree of fear working its way through his veins, Grey grabbed his flashlight, and shone it on the door. Nothing was there. Carefully, he crept towards it, and looked out. Nothing outside.
[Now, generally, you'll have nothing to worry about,] the voice continued. [The animatronics are, if anything, playful. More often than not, they'll probably just play a prank of some kind on you. Buuuut... they do have a rudimentary security program installed, and if they deem you a threat, well... they are capable of crushing bones, so your best bet is to either prove you're security, or assume a subservient position, and pray you don't make the morning news.]
“Oh, fan-fucking-tastic,” Grey cursed. “So not only am I guarding rogue bots, but they can kill me with a thought. And they can pretty much think for themselves, at that.”
[That's... pretty much all I have to say for you tonight, buddy,] the man on the cassette continued. [Oh, just so you know; this tape will self destruct when it's done.]
“WHAT?!”
[Ha! Bet that got ya!] the man laughed. [I'm just fucking with ya; the boss doesn't check these things. I'll leave another one for ya tomorrow, just to keep ya updated on things. Ciao!]
The tape player clicked, signalling it's end. “... I like that guy,” Grey decided. “He's a dick.”
Then, Grey focused back on the problem at hand; the on-the-loose White Heart. Grey glanced back at the camera feed, and was relieved to see that nothing else had changed.
That did, however, leave only one option left for him.
He'd have to go out there and find it.
It didn't take much to confirm that White Heart wasn't in the main areas of the pizzeria, which only left the labyrinth that was the employee halls.
Why were these halls so long? Surely the building wasn't that big?
Grey rounded one corner after another, until he was absolutely convinced that he was going in circles. In fact, he knew for certain that he'd seen that poster on his left before.
A bit further down, however, he finally noticed that a door was slightly open. Walking carefully, she shone his light on the sign on it, but couldn't make out what it read. Curious, he opened the door a bit more, and peered through.
There, at the other end of the room, stood the animatronic he was looking for. It stood completely motionlessly, staring at a barred off door. It made no attempt to remove the wooden planks that prevented it from entering.
Grey shone his flashlight on it, and almost immediately, White Heart looked his way, its head turning at a speed that would have broken a normal neck.
Grey flinched, but held his ground, believing that running right now would only be a sign of hostility. White Heart marched up to him, stopping just short of two paces away, and looked him dead in the eyes.
Despite what their status as being practically Gods might imply, everybody in Gamindustri has had something of a 'Near CPU Experience'. More than just sitting at desks writing paperwork, the CPUs were the sorts of leaders who were, more often than not, the 'boots on the ground' type, going places and solving problems themselves, often in the form of defeating giant monsters. Grey had one such experience with the real White Heart years ago, so he could safely say... that if you dressed them up the same, and asked the real White Heart to stand completely still, there'd be no telling them apart.
Really, it was only the cold stare that gave it away at the moment, even if the eyes had that titular glow that came with a CPUs HDD.
“S-sorry,” Grey stuttered out in fear. “I'm... the new night guard. Noticed you wandered off... Everything alright?” What the heck was he doing? Why was he treating this robot as if it were a lost child?
The White Heart stared at him blankly, no doubt sizing him up, to see if he was really a threat. Then, its eyes fixed blankly on the words 'Security Guard' on his shirt. After a moment which felt like an eternity, it stepped around Grey, and walked off down the hall.
Grey watched as the false White Heart disappeared down the hall, and let out a sigh. That had been, in hindsight, needlessly ballsy of him. He probably could have just waited it all out. Hopefully, that was the last of it.
Calmly, Grey turned around, and was suddenly face-to-face with the fake Purple Heart.
“Fuck!” he cursed in surprise, dropping his torch as he took several steps back.
Purple Heart stood there, unmoving, in all her mature and voluptuous beauty, and... smirked? Was it... happy that it got a reaction out of him?
Carefully, while keeping it in full sight, Grey crouched down, and picked up his torch. From where he was though, he couldn't help but take in even finer details about the animatronic, from how the skin seemed to bulge where the fabrics grip ended, such as the edge of those white leggings, or how the fabric that covered the torso was ever so slightly transparent in placed, just as they had been in 4GO.
Grey quickly expelled the thoughts from his head, reminding himself that he was ogling a damn robot. A very well made, very attractive robot, sure, but still a robot.
Seemingly content with the reaction, Purple Heart turned around, and walked away in that stiff way that only a robot could.
Taking a cautious look behind himself, Grey decided to return to the office.
Hours passed with, thankfully, nothing major happening.
Every so often, one of the animatronics would look at the camera (giving Grey a little startle), or move somewhere else in the building.
Sometimes, they would just stand in a different room and stare at the camera. Sometimes, they would be staring at something else in the room, like how right now, Green Heart was staring at the arcade cabinets. That made a bit of sense, considering the real deal was notorious for being an avid gamer.
Still, it was so strange. Why were they like this? So... life-like?
Grey glanced at the door, and flinched slightly when he saw Black Heart looking at him through the window.
The CPUs all had this sort of glow to their eyes. For the real ones, it was a sign of power, and fittingly looked like the power icon used by many electronic devices (which, curiously enough, was the same icon inside a Share Crystal). These animatronics had that same thing replicated nearly perfectly, as was evident by the slight glow on the window. A real CPU's eyes shone, but seemed not to emit light, contrarily enough.
With the fake Black Heart just standing there, it was hard for Grey not to let his eyes wander, even just a bit. Out of all the Goddesses as they appeared in 4GO, Black Heart was the one who showed the most skin. Even compared to the more voluptuous Green Heart.
Maybe the character designers for 4GO did it because, as far as sizes went, Lady Black Heart was in the middle, just barely behind Purple Heart in all aspects, without being quite as extreme as White Heart or Green Heart were.
Carefully, Grey waved at the fake Black Heart. After a moment, Black Heart turned and left. So, so weird, this place was.
Grey glanced at the clock, and saw that it was now 6:30AM.
So close to finishing.
The clock finally chimed 7AM. The animatronics were back in their place.
Grey let out a sigh of relief, as he tapped his phone on the terminal, officially clocking off.
What a... weird night that was. People did this for a living?
Still, something small bugged Grey. A simple question of what this place was like during the day.
So, Grey devised a plan. He'd go home, get a few hours sleep, and then come back during day hours.
Right now, he really, really wanted to see the other side of this coin.
Grey woke back up at just before 3PM, and made his way back to 4GO-P. Normally, it would be hard to imagine anyone going back to their place of work 7 hours after their shift ended, and 9 before it began again, but Grey was an inquisitive man.
Wearing a simple grey tracksuit (because ha ha, very funny), Grey stepped into the pizzeria, and looked around in the light of day.
A song played through the air, one Grey recognised as 'Ryuusei no Bifrost'. A classic by Gamindustri standards.
The main dining area was filled sparcingly with mainly young men around Grey's age, standing as close as they were allowed to the stage, where the fake Purple Heart, Green Heart, and Black Heart were performing the song. Frankly, it was impossible to tell whether they were actually 'singing' or just projecting the lyrics through a sound card of some kind, while moving their lips in sync.
At the very least, though, they were actually playing the instruments. That alone was impressive.
“Move it, jerk-face!” a voice shouted. Grey quickly moved to the side, as, to his surprise, White Heart jogged past, carrying several plates of pizza in her arms.
And, for a brief moment, Grey thought he saw White Heart's red eyes look back at him.
No, surely not. He wasn't in uniform. There's no way she could have recognised...
At that moment, Grey realised he was referring to the animatronic with gendered language.
He wondered if that was going to be a problem or not. Many people refer to things like cars with gendered pronouns, so was there really anything wrong with doing the same for robots that looked nearly identical to humans- er, Gods?
Surely not.
Still, it was odd, seeing just how... more real the animatronics were when they were on their set paths, doing their jobs. They looked so much more... well, more.
Content with what he was seeing and learning, Grey saw himself out.
When he got home, Grey headed straight to his computer, and opened up his go-to search engine.
The computer was an oldish gaming laptop. Well, it was only counted as 'oldish' because it was at least 5 years old, with a somewhat decent graphics card built in. It was powerful enough to run the games he cared about at decent settings, and newer games at the lowest settings, and that was good enough for him.
Besides, he was Loweean by birth. He was more at home with a controller in his hand and a console hooked up to a TV than with a keyboard and mouse.
But, he wasn't here to search up gaming news.
With deft key strokes, Grey had pulled up a few browser pages on 4GO-P, as well as their animatronics. The pizzeria also, somehow, had its own Neppit page.
How did the building manage to look so run down, yet have its own Neppit page?
“Okay, let's see...” Grey mumbled, as he began scrolling through each page. “Founded in 1970GC by a 'Mx Anon' and 'Mr B'. Originally named 'Godly Pizza & Parties', until 1995GC, where the new owner, 'Ms Magi', replaced the then animal-style animatronics with the new Goddess-themed ones, as well as landing a licensing deal with the developers of the newly released '4 Goddesses' RPG game. In 2010GC ownership of the business changed hands once more, and now, nobody is certain who runs the business, only that they re-branded to '4 Goddesses Online Pizzeria' around the time the first instalment of the MMO came out. Nobody knows who created the Goddess-themed animatronics,” he read out loud, as if that was going to help him make sense of it all. “Well, that was unhelpful. Maybe the Neppit page has something...”
It barely did. Most of the posts were, for lack of a better word, people being absolutely horny for the animatronics. Which, to be fair, was the closest they'd be allowed to be that way, considering if the real CPUs were to hear or see that sort of thing, they'd be pretty disgusted.
One post stood out, though. It was a question about where the animatronic CPUs came from. Among all the comments of this now years old threat, one stood out as unique.
[They're obviously domesticated Fake Hearts.]
Fake Hearts. A unique breed of monster, ranked among the most dangerous of them all, for the simple fact that they were near-perfect copies of the CPUs. Nobody was certain just how those sorts of monsters first came into being; some theorised that they were creations of the Deity of Sin, others say they are a reflection of the darkness created from the light that is Shares. All sound theories, but with no substantial proof.
A small part of Grey's mind believed it for a moment, but quickly dismissed it for the simple fact that the guy on the cassette (whom he'll now be calling Cassette-Bro until further notice) mentioned programming. Monsters aren't so easily trained, and anyone who'd managed to train a Fake Heart, yet alone four, would have made the news. The idea that someone could have done this in secret is absurd at best, and terrifying at worst.
And now, the thought of such dangerous monsters just... working as entertainment in a pizzeria, was in his mind, and he didn't know what to make of it.
“... Talk about stupid,” Grey decided. “Fake Hearts act as entertainment. Yeah right.” It was an absurd notion. Dare he use a word as fancy as... asinine?
Domesticating Fake Hearts. What a joke.
Another post read; 'So, just how anatomically accurate are these?'
… Of course someone went there. Why wouldn't they? Grey couldn't deny his own curiosity, but still.
One comment read [One of my friends got drunk enough one evening and checked. Managed to cop a good feel of the Black Heart before they broke both his arms and left him in the hospital for months on end. According to him, they felt 100% like a real person, down to feeling like there was bone under the skin, rather than a metal endo-skeleton.] Another reply to that was [What a madlad, LOL.]
Yet, that only gave more credence to the Fake Heart theory. Though, 1% likely to 5% likely wasn't much of a leap.
Maybe the person who made them just had that much attention to detail. Who knows?
Grey closed down the browser, and turned off the computer. That was more than enough diving down the rabbit hole for one day.
He still had a few hours before his shift began, so Grey decided to lie down and get a little extra sleep.
It was going to be another long night, after all.