Chapter Text
In retrospect, Kinger probably should have seen it coming.
Or, maybe it was just that he didn’t want to see it coming.
Things in the Circus had been settling. Everyone was adjusting to their conjuring abilities. The mainframe of the world was stable, the city outside the tent and all they’d created beginning to bustle with life. The fallout from Caine’s… well, tantrum, had largely been put to rest.
The AI had adjusted to his new life well enough. He’d been brought back as a player like the other humans and had his conjuring powers taken away. There had been friction, of course- there had been a lot to settle with the other circus members after all. Debts to pay, hatchets to bury. But truthfully, Caine’s issues weren’t the only ones that needed resolving, and the group as a whole really had been putting in the work. Little by little, they were becoming a family.
Certainly an unorthodox one, given that part of what had gotten them all there was in fact a consensual kink dynamic. But, well, they were a bunch of brain scans trapped inside a computer- who was there to judge? Kinger wasn’t going to question it- he cared for his family as they needed it and that was all that really mattered.
Still, fully stepping into the role of a father figure for six twenty-somethings (and one parentified thirty year old) did in fact take a lot of time and attention. Now, as the others were adults, he did have some help from Pomni, Zooble, and Ragatha as needed. But he was still doing an amount of heavy lifting, and that wasn’t even considering the fact that, as the most experienced coder, his remaining time went to maintaining the Circus.
He certainly hadn’t thought he’d ever find himself in the situation of being a single father. Things probably would have been easier if his wife were there. But, that wasn’t possible, so all that was left was to do the best he could in her memory.
Regardless, Kinger’s time was in fact severely limited, and that meant he missed quite a few warning cues.
Caine’s behavior had largely shaped up after his rap sheet with the other circus members had been cleared. Not that he didn’t still have problems- he was the youngest, after all, and he still had a lot to learn. Still, he had been doing better and it had been a wonder to see.
But then the AI had started… pushing.
It was small things at first- petty comments over the various adventures the humans made that he’d been invited on. Open sulking when his requests weren’t immediately fulfilled. Multiple attempts to summon the others’ avatars to himself- something which always triggered painful glitches in Caine’s code. An entire week’s worth of dodging his set sleep mode time, resulting in some truly childish tantrums.
Most recently, he’d actively picked a fight with Jax. The two had gotten into a truly catastrophic argument that had ended with both of them bent over the back of the couch getting thorough, mutual spankings. And even that had felt off in some way. Jax had eventually broken down under Pomni’s hand, openly sniveling and apologizing. Caine, however, had… well, it wasn’t that he didn’t cry, because the AI’s pain tolerance still wasn’t particularly high. But afterwards he’d come away sullen, as if something was still deep in there that hadn’t been cleaned out by the tears.
Pomni had come to the Circus office that evening. “You know this is getting to be a really serious problem, right?”
Kinger pinched at the space between his eyes as he spun in his chair to face her. “I assure you, Pomni, I am very aware. I have had this conversation with both Zooble and Ragatha already.”
“Okay,” She says as she crosses her arms. “Why haven’t you done anything about it?”
The accusation is so blunt that he actually recoils a little in his seat. “I… what?”
“Why haven’t you done anything about it?” Pomni doesn’t back down. “This is classic acting out.”
An exhaled breath. “Pomni, I’ve maintained disciplinary standards, I don’t see how-”
“You’ve been holed up in this office for weeks,” She points out. “He’s getting more attention from me and Zooble than you.”
Kinger winces. “I… now that things are stable, I’ve been trying to make improvements to the system.” The excuse sounds lame even to him.
Pomni raises a brow. “But things aren’t stable. The important things, anyway.”
Those words have him slumping in his chair, rubbing a hand across his face. “You’re right, of course. But I just can’t…” He let his hand drop to the desktop as he looks to her. “I’m… not sure what he needs from me right now.”
“Mmmm… is that true? I don’t know what’s eating at him, but I know serious bratting when I see it.” As Pomni speaks she walks around the desk, approaching from his side. “He’s looking for you to answer it, even if he doesn’t realize it.”
Kinger feels the phantom of a grimace as he turns his chair to face her approach. His head bows under the weight of her statement. “I… you may be right. I’m just not sure I can…”
He doesn’t finish the sentence. Inaction, his fatal flaw.
A hand taps at his face and he looks up to see Pomni’s gentle smile. “You absolutely can. You’re his Dad, remember?”
His heart swells at the sight. In times like these, he can’t help but reflect on how much Pomni acts like the mother she’s never met. How his wife would have loved her, how proud she would have been of their daughter. It’s pure familial love, simultaneously the ache of absence and gratitude for what he has now.
He smiles in return, reaching up to pat her gloved hand with his. “You’re right, of course. Thank you, Pomni. I’ll address it as soon as I can.”
And he truly did intend to address it. He told himself the next time Caine acted out he’d be there, have an answer for that shouted plea.
Unfortunately, it was a little too late.
The day had started out normally enough. Breakfast in the new kitchen, the usual chaos of six people trying to start their mornings and adjust to waking up. Decisions being made about who would be handling what system maintenance chores, discussions of the day’s plans. Zooble had some tattoo appointments with some NPC clients, Gangle would be joining them. Ragatha would be attending to her stables today, as her horses needed a little extra attention. Jax and Pomni were planning on doing some kind of go kart adventure today, which was likely to be full of explosions and who knew what else. Caine had made a few pithy comments on the adventure in question, but hadn’t taken the offered invitation from Pomni to join them.
If he hadn’t been so focused on his own tasks, maybe Kinger would have caught that particular flag. But all he did was promise Ragatha that he’d meet her and Caine during his lunch break.
He’d be regretting this for some time.
It was hours later before he realized his mistake. He’d met up with Ragatha in the Circus Cafe, only to find her confused and a little worried.
“Hey Kinger, have you seen my administrator pass?” she asked as she pawed at her dress. “I must’ve dropped it somewhere, but I’m not sure where.”
Before he can reply, the entire Circus rumbles.
Cold dread fills him as the floor, the ceiling, everything begins to glitch and flicker. With it, a howl of pain echoing through the entire world.
Caine.
Kinger books his way through the Circus as fast as he can- but unfortunately that’s not very fast. He curses this stupid avatar as he lags behind Ragatha, only keeping up because she’s holding his hand. He needed legs, but at the moment his administrative commands were being rejected.
Because another user was using his profile.
He curses to himself as they rush down the dorm hall and to the administrative room. He’s slow enough that they run into the others, who all seem equally terrified. There is a rush of explanation as they run, that the city was breaking down, the pieces of the sky were falling.
No one mentioned the shrill cries echoing like thunder, because to acknowledge how familiar they were was too painful.
The group finally bursts into the Circus office, hurriedly taking the stairs in long leaps. The room is a constant flicker of lightning, throwing everything into sharp relief. Finally, at the end of it all, standing before the looming main console screen, producing those endless flickers and cries-
Caine, a tangle of polygons and electricity, one flickering red eye and a pixeled mass where the other one normally was.
Kinger doesn’t think. He doesn’t hesitate. He just throws himself at his son with all his might, tackling him to the floor and away from the console controls.
The thrashing mass of glitches and polygons bucks beneath him, trying to fight him off. He lets out his own strangled cry as he forces Caine to the floor, one gloved hand spread across his back as he desperately tries to reach for the console with his other hand. The mass fights harder, nearly throwing him off.
Two yellow gloved hands join Kinger’s one, he barely has time to meet Jax’s panicked expression before he jumps back up to the console to give it full attention. A thunderous clack of keys echoes through the room, punctuated by a final slam of an enter key.
The storm abruptly peters out. The quakes quiet from a roar to a mumble, the glitching floor and ceiling breathe easy once again.
Caine continues to struggle on the floor, his polygons shuddering in waves, his cries still a monstrous blend of electric static and droning computer whines. Kinger barely registers Jax’s strangled cry for help, the added grunts of Zooble and Ragatha as they struggle to contain the AI.
Kinger types faster than he ever has in his life, desperately patching code, adjusting user permissions, changing his password. Little by little he hears the struggle behind him begin to quiet, the horrible warbling petering down into Caine’s normal voice.
Once again there is a slam of an enter key and everything stops.
The office is silent, save for everyone gasping and catching their breath. Finally, after a few beats, Caine growls.
“Why did you stop me?”
Kinger’s hands clench into fists as he whirls to face the mess on the floor. To see Zooble pinning the AI’s legs, Jax holding down Caine’s shoulders, Ragatha and Pomni each holding an arm. They all have the good sense to step back as Kinger approaches. Except for Caine, who continues to snarl as he rises.
“I had it under control! I was just fixing the changes you-”
A gloved hand grasps Caine’s waist and hefts him up to tuck him against Kinger’s side. The other lays down ten furious swats onto the AI’s backside, the noise cacophonous in the sudden quiet. Caine howls as they crack across his sit spots and thighs, quick and stingy and just plain mean.
Once this is done, Kinger sets him down. “Go to your room,” he says in a tone so heavy with dangerous promise that everyone else takes a nervous step back.
Caine whirls to face him, small hands clenching into fists of his own. “No! It’s my office-”
“No, it is not.” Kinger cuts him off. “It is the main administrative office. It is for administrators.”
“But I’m-”
“You have had your administrative privileges revoked. You have not earned them back, and this incident has made it clear you will not be ready for them for a very long time.” His words are coming out hard and clipped, so sharp he can barely recognize his own voice.
“You don’t get to decide that!” Caine shouts.
“Yes, I do.” Kinger says. “It is a rule everyone agreed on and it is one that I am enforcing. You have been told multiple times that you are not allowed in this office and there will be consequences for this. Now go to your room.”
At these words Caine falters for a moment, his fist relaxing, eyes widening as if he’s finally noticing the position he’s in. But then his face twists into a scowl, rebellion rearing up once more. “I’m not going, and you can’t make me!”
Silence hangs for a moment. No one even dares breathe.
Kinger’s posture straightens, his expression smoothing into something terribly calm. “Creative Artificial Intelligence Networking Entity, submit to verbal commands.”
Mismatched eyes widen in horror. “N-no, wait-”
“You have deliberately disobeyed multiple direct orders. I am invoking my rights as your head programmer. You will go to your room, you will sit on your bed, and you will wait until I get there. Ragatha will escort you.” He barely gives Ragatha a glance, just enough to catch her hurried nod of agreement. “You will obey her and you will be kind while she waits with you. Are my inputs understood?”
Caine’s posture straightens and his fists relax even as a furious glare twists across his face. He gives a single, jerky nod. Ragatha reaches out to take his hand and he accepts with robotic stiffness, turning with her to leave.
“Confirm my command verbally, Caine.”
The AI freezes for a moment. “Yes… Sir,” he grinds out before following Ragatha down the stairs.
Kinger waits until the footsteps have retreated and the door to the office has closed. He then looks to everyone else, who are all gaping at him in shell-shocked horror.
‘Not that I can blame them,’ he thinks with a grimace. He lets his eyes fall shut for a moment, takes a deep breath.
“I’m… sorry you had to see that,” he says.
“I-It’s okay, Kinger,” Pomni replies, her smile shaky. “We know you didn’t really have a choice.”
“Is… is Caine going to be okay?” Gangle asks, her posture a tangled knot of nervous ribbons.
An octopus tentacle pats her on the shoulder. “I’m sure he will be, Kinger’s fixed him before.” Zooble says.
“His ass sure as fuck won’t be,” Jax snorts. It’s clearly meant as a quip, but there’s a shaken quality to it.
Kinger winces. There’s no time to ruminate on it however. “That’s technically none of your business, but we have other things to focus on.” He turns back to the console and begins tapping away at keys. “We have a lot of damage to contain. I’m going to give each of you areas to check and do onsite maintenance. I’ll remain here and adjust the base code.”
The list of jobs is worryingly long, but he’s able to narrow down the priorities well enough and divide up the work. The others take their assignments without complaint and turn to leave. Only Pomni lingers for a moment, giving him a meaningful look.
“I know, Pomni. I’ve got it,” He says in a voice that’s meant to be reassuring.
She nods, pats him on the back- a solid thing, a bolstering he didn’t realize he’d needed until she’d done it. Then she’s out the door, leaving him alone.
Kinger turns back to the console, scanning through the code. It’s a complete mess, one that’s going to take weeks to fix. He’d have to assign maintenance very specifically to the others little by little, and make it clear outside of those assignments none of them would be able to leave the tent for a while for their own safety. Which is sure to be its own headache. But for the moment he should be able to get things stable in a few hours.
Which was probably for the best, because he had a lot to think about and busy work like this left him plenty of time to do so.
He hadn’t felt this angry in a long time. He’d never had much of a temper- if anything, he can remember his wife’s frustration at his lack of one. Even in situations where he was wronged, he found it difficult to summon the feeling. Anger had its place, of course, but it was usually the knee-jerk hiding a deeper emotion. Those deeper emotions combined with calm, honest discussion were usually the keys to actually resolving something, so that tended to be what he focused on.
But today he was genuinely, truly angry, and he didn’t even know where to begin on sorting through that.
Part of it was simply the hard facts of the situation. This has been a meltdown on such a catastrophic scale that the entire world could have been destroyed. God only knew what could have happened to their mind files if the Circus were damaged beyond repair. In the span of a few minutes, Kinger had nearly lost everything all over again. His home, his family.
His son.
The thought hits him like a slap in the face and he has to take a moment just to breathe. He’d seen Caine glitch before, had spent plenty of time patching at injured code like one would put a bandaid on a scraped knee. But he’d come dangerously close today to losing Caine again.
And once again, it would have been his fault.
Ah. There was the target of his anger. Because this was, in fact, mostly his fault. The signs were there, he’d been warned of them multiple times. And yet he’d waited, he’d stood by, he’d done nothing until it was too late! If it hadn’t been for Ragatha helping him through the tent, if the others hadn’t held Caine down, he could have lost him again!
The guilt eats at him as he chips away damaged code. So much of his time these days went to parenting, to giving advice, balancing out encouragement and lecture. So much of his focus had gone to Caine, to helping him process, to address the things that needed addressing and helping him heal. But he’d never addressed the thing at the core. The fatal flaw that had caused his creation to go rogue, that had led Caine down the path that ended with him as a glitching monster.
Kinger’s mistake.
Once again, he’d failed to address the root issue and Caine had paid the price for it. It was a miracle they’d all survived twice and he absolutely could not risk it happening a third. He’d have to address it, thoroughly, properly.
The thought twists something deep inside him. His creation had already suffered so much, the idea of adding any more to that feels unthinkable. Addressing the actual wrong Caine had done was doable, would strip away this particular rebellious streak and clear away the guilt underneath it. But what had happened today was so much more than that.
He’d have to break his baby boy down. Completely and utterly.
It was something that should have been done years ago, corrective input that would have been difficult but certainly less drastic had it happened earlier. But it felt so cruel, to do such a thing, to have Caine pay for Kinger’s failures. What right did he have to do it when he hadn’t even realized the AI was sentient until it had been too late?
But he was the only one that could do it.
Kinger lets out a final sigh of resignation as he stands up from the desk. The stop gap he’d created wasn’t perfect, but it would keep everyone safe for the time being.
Caine had waited long enough.