A desk, with a metal fan. Screens perched upon the table displayed a grainy camera feed. An airvent on the wall in front of him, and two doors, one on either side.
Michael almost smiled. It looked different, sure; harsh blue light cast unpleasant shadows across the room, while metal conduits snaked up and down the walls. It was far more cold than the last time.
But he knew this place. He knew exactly what to do. It had been ten years since then. He was older now, and far more experienced. He would survive the night.
Michael flipped up his camera monitor straight away, scanning the feeds for any sign of that robotic monstrosity that had surely followed him here. Eventually, he caught a glimpse of the thing. Cables slithered to and fro, the creature's body seeming to morph with every step it took. It stopped in its tracks, and slowly turned to face its head towards the camera.
It was familiar with this game as well, of course. Michael could tell. For a second, he swore he could almost see a smile in the monster's artificial, toothy visage.
There was a moment of quiet tension, before the creature sprang to life, making a dash for the right doorway. Shrill squeaking and clicking echoed through the hallways, sparks illuminating the darkened corridor as the metallic cables scraped against the tile floor. Michael slammed the door shut right before the thing was able to get inside. He held it shut for a while, before he heard the sounds of the creature skulking away. He opened the door, and checked the power meter on his desk.
92%.
Oh my god.
How was that possible? It wasn't even 1AM yet.
Michael was not panicked, not yet, but still deeply concerned. He had survived by the skin of his teeth in the past, but it was never as bad as this.
The creature interrupted his thoughts, its voice echoing through the building.
"Why didn't you trust me?"
Michael sat in silence, waiting for the thing's next movement, checking the cameras sparingly. Every so often it would return, banging on the door that Michael always closed just in time.
Left, right, left, through the vent, back to the right now. Power kept draining.
2AM. Then, 3. The creature kept talking to Michael, trying to convince him to let it inside the room, bargaining with him to let it win. Michael remained silent, fully focused. Sweat lined his forehead.
There was 36% power remaining when the clock struck 4AM.
Despite this, the power went out.
Michael's eyes widened, his breath grew shallow and quick. He listened intently for any sounds approaching the office, any sign that the creature was near. His heart raced.
He heard nothing. He did not know where the amalgamation was. He waited with bated breath for something to happen.
Suddenly, red lights flickered to life above him. The power meter on his desk flashed:
"EMERGENCY POWER: 100%"
Distantly, he heard metallic banging and scraping, and what sounded like a collection of voices crying out in frustration, distorted and warped. He had not heard that sound from the monster before. It sounded angrier.
He quickly checked the cameras. There it was, emerging from a darkened hallway off the view of the camera. Dim red lights emphasized every single cable of the thing's body. One, singular blue eye glowed brightly from its left eye socket.
The thing had tried to disconnect the power. It must have found the generator room and turned it off. Michael did not have time to process this, as in an instant, the creature dashed to the left doorway. Michael just barely managed to close the door in time.
It was definitely angrier now.