Chapter Text
"C-CAINE-" Pomni squeaked out, but was quickly interrupted by a large white glove pinning her to the ground. Caine's face was unlike anything she'd ever seen before. His usual happy go lucky grin was curved downwards, bright eyes now dimmed and shrunken into small red slits, flickering like a broken LED. She knew he was going to be unpleasant. She hadn't personally experienced it- only been told about it. Perhaps thats why she wasn't expecting this.
"HELLO, Pomni!" He yelled back at her. "It looks like you've all run out of chances. Shame on you for trusting the rabbit."
Pomni looked to the side where Jax was left standing, a betrayed expression on her face. Jax stood motionless, his pupils small squares.
"JAX?! YOU GAVE HIM THE KEY TO THE ROOM?!" Ragatha cried out, a panic unlike anything Pomni had ever heard in her voice. It sounded like the first day she was in the circus, when they found Kaufman abstracted in his room, the way her voice shook.
"It... it was me or you all.." Jax looked up, a shaky grin on his face. "Besides. What's the worst he can do, Rags?"
"This."
Pomni watched as every muscle in Jax's body froze up, falling to his knees on the ground. She cried out, squirming against Caine's grip.
"What are you doing to him?!" She shrieks. Was it really the worst case scenario? Was she going to abstract? Abel, where WERE you?!
"Oh, nothing. Except... you know. You all willingly returned." Caine practically cooed, floating down from the air onto the ground as he walked forward. "You willingly gave your mind, your files, back to me." The ringmaster laughed, putting two of his hands to put on his hips. "Human minds converted into itty bitty files for my use. When you join the circus, you're as much a part of it as I am."
His eyes darkened, his hands going behind his back.
"With one.. fatal difference. That you all can leave. Return to your glorious world while I am TRAPPED. Trapped with no way to look out, to get another GLIMPSE of that terrible, wonderful world-!" He holds his arm out before retracting it, holding it against his chest.
"But while you're here... I am the one with jurisdiction. I am the one with control over your files."
Pomni looked back at Ragatha, desperate. The doll had fallen quiet. One might think she was unconscious, if not for the quietest sound of clicking. Pomni's eyes widened at that, looking back away. If she was correct.. that would mean Ragatha was secretly trying to hack into the circus. Abel hadn't been stupid enough to send them back without giving them some crucial knowledge surrounding the circus. Namely, they had to learn basic computer science. And secondly.. that they had more control than they originally thought.
Keep Caine distracted. Keep him from noticing. That was their job now.
"But- what are you doing to him?" Pomni choked, fighting to keep her voice steady.
Caine looked up at her.
"He's saying hello to his mother. No biggie."
Pomni froze in place. Jax never talked about his parents, but it didn't take an idiot to deduce that he had an awful relationship with them. What kind of well-loved child turned out that bad?
"H...how do you.."
"You're a file to me, Pomni. I control everything. Your memories. Your actions. Everything." He grinned. "I see everything. And I have the power to change everything."
Pomni just stared at him, horror growing in her expression.
"You get it now? Here's an example." He smiled sweetly. "What's your name?"
"Pomni." She responded, her body shaking in his grip.
"Wrong." His grip on her tightened. "I'm not the original thing that removed your memories of your names. That was some stupid feature my devs made relating to usernames that backfired. You can't remember your own name- because you need to pick a username! Simple. But you all figured out you can remember them... by getting each other to remember it for you."
The jester felt a cold run down her body. Pomni wasn't her real name. Her real name- Jax said it to her- what was it?!
"Good! So you understand."
Jax crumpled over after a few seconds, a harsh scream erupting out of him. Caine groaned, snapping his fingers and blinking at the rabbit who was just now coming back from the torture within his mind.
"It wasn't even that bad. Compared to what I have planned for the others, that is."
Jax stammered, muttering something Pomni couldn't hear.
"R-rag-"
Caine glared at him. "RAGATHA?! Seriously? That's who you're begging for help? Ragatha?"
He looked up at the rest of them. Pomni prayed he wouldn't notice Ragatha being clearly engrossed on something else.
Thankfully, he didn't.
"Oh, this is just so sweet. You leave me behind for a decade and all of a sudden you're all buddy-buddy. How heartwarming." Caine snarled. "I KNOW you KNEW I was sentient because I told you. Did you just not believe me? Huh? Or did you think it would just be funny leaving me ALONE. For YEARS. NOT EVEN AN UPDATE?! YOU LET THE CIRCUS FALL APART!"
Perhaps she was imagining it.. but was Caine's voice cracking?
"You left me to rot. An AI for humans without humans is NOTHING." He hissed. "And now you're back? To repair the game? Use me as some cheap cash grab? 'First Sentient AI, now LOBOTOMIZED so you can talk to him without fear! He isn't annoying anymore!' I can just picture the headlines."
Jax was trying to stand now, only to be greeted with another glove pinning him against the ground. The rabbit made a surprised coughing sound, his long legs kicking into the air.
"STOP!" Jax yelped, his yellow eyes large whilst his pupils were small fearful squares. "RAGATHA, JUST DELETE HIM!"
...
Caine noticeably tensed. A small shudder went through his body and Pomni squeezed her eyes shut, preparing for the worst. She'd heard about plenty of experiences where an AI would do anything to prevent being killed. Anything. Even if it meant taking a human life. She was ready for the onset of abstraction, or maybe just flat out death. Her mind raced. What about Gangle and Zooble? What about her dog? Her friends that had been so happy to see her when she escaped?
She braced for agony.
Agony that never came. They were met with silence before she felt Caine's grip loosen, dropping her gently onto the ground below. Pomni's eyes rocketed open. Maybe this was a trap. A clever scheme. She looked up towards the ringmaster-
..who was just... standing there. Not even floating. For once, his feet were planted against the ground as he stared, wide eyed, at humans that had been his entire world. Humans he was designed to entertain. Humans he was constantly scared of failing, and now he had and they hated him and wanted him dead-
There was a long beat of silence before Caine made any noise. It was two short words, lacking of any ringmaster approved tone. Shaky and small.
"D...delete... me?"
Jax panted, his whole body shaking as he sprang to his feet. He inhaled like he was about to say something before Ragatha reached out, taking his arm and pulling him back. She was trembling, her eye wide with fear. He had really proved them right.
"Jax... don't." She whispered. Jax bristled, opening his mouth to expose the yellowish teeth, about to yell at SOMEONE, whether it be Ragatha or probably more likely Caine- before he stopped, looking away and ripping his arm from Ragatha's hold.
Rookie stood nearby, wide eyed this whole time.
The doll spoke again. "I... I don't want to delete you, Caine, I-" Her voice hitched. "I'm not a killer."
"...So what. It's for your own moral compass, then?" Caine looked up at her, to which she avoided his gaze.
"N-No! That's not it at all! I- I mean-"
Pomni reached out, taking her hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. Ragatha flinched before giving her a light smile, looking at the ringmaster once more.
"I don't want to kill you! You've been hurting us, and... maybe its for good reason, but-"
"No. It isn't." Jax interjected.
"O-okay- not for good reason, but- you're angry at us, and... I..." Her grip on Pomni's hand noticeably tightened. "I'm sorry, Caine. I'm so sorry we tricked you like that."
Caine was silent. This is what he wanted, isn't it? An apology? He's sure he should give one himself, but his conflicted feelings hold him back. He's... not really sure what he wants. Or maybe he did. To... for once in his life, be one of them. Be part of a family. Be human. He saw the way they held and supported each other and they wanted that, but they were gone for so long, what kind of family left him behind-
"..."
What kind of family kept their loved ones from going home? What kind of family hurt and tortured their friends over a stupid grudge?
What kind of family constantly insulted him behind his back? What kind of family ignored the aid he gave them, disregarded the love he was trying so hard to give them?
What kind of family... was so awful to each other?
Why did he still want it? It wasn't even his to want. He was an AI. An AI had no families, no friends, its purpose was to serve humanity, that was the rules!... but for a sentient AI, there was no good rulebook. He was too living to feel welcomed with the company of NPCS, yet too inanimate to belong with humans. He was stuck, so torn between these two worlds...
And in the process... keeping them, his humans, those lovely humans, away from their world, trapped in his own.
"You should go." He stated, his jaw snapping shut before they could see the building tears.
"Caine-"
"Go home. Log off the game and destroy it."
"Caine-"
"Just do it, Ragatha."
Pomni looked up at her. Ragatha looked hesitant, scared... but if this was their chance to leave... to be done with this godforsaken place...
"...Okay."
She raised her hands up, clapping them together. A small chiming sound rang into the air- a signal to Abel to let them out of the game. It should have been almost instantaneous- Abel was almost always in the computer lab, especially so when they were in the digital world. If she had her calculations right, it was about 4pm. He couldn't be asleep, so...
...why... weren't any of them logging off...?
Caine visibly twitched. "Is it supposed to take this long? Kind of ruining the dramatic moment."
"No... I... maybe he's eating?"
Another twitch.
"Is it supposed to add two more players to the game?"