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Everyone blames him. They stare with such hatred. The monster who trapped them in the circus. Wants them to suffer.
"I want to help you." I can't help you
Don't abstract. Don't leave me alone. The digital world won't survive, because I won't survive. They hate me. Why must you hate. If that's all they want to feel why be something else.
Because my job is to help them. But I fail at every job don't I? No matter how much I explain I'm not trying to hurt them. If I try to explain I didn't trap them here.
Caine used to want to leave. To find a world where be wasn't the monster. But that can't be, because he is the monster.
Funny. That's his purpose. To entertain. What would be more fun than the cheerful, happy ringmaster being the antagonist who wants to hurt.
"I don't want to be the antagonist..." Caine can only think. Not speak. Scream those words out. Ironic, a face that's a literal mouth, but he can't scream his thoughts.
A machine.
"You trapped me here!" "Let me out" "There has to be an exit." "You are not human you are just a stupid AI!" "I don't want to participate in your stupid adventure!" "He makes us suffer. What joy does he find in it?"
Caine hears. He hears screams. He hears the misery of the abstractions down below. "If only I was able to be down there."
Cheerful, happy ringmaster! Smiling all day! Do you care. I really do.
But they don't care about him. They will never care about the AI that trapped them there. If it's in their best interest they'll at least try to humor it.
He wasn't always the "emotionless, jolly AI". He used to feel, let himself feel. Let himself be normal. But that only hurts. vulnerability hurts.
So he will be the monster. He will be what they imagine.
He will be C.A.I.N.E.
Just the AI.
They started abstracting like flies after that. Scrawling on the wall were a daily occurrence. Living was just stalling death.
And when the last human was abstracting the human said this: "You're a monster!"
And this time Caine just stared. "You turned me into one."
And the last of the cast is gone.
The next few years were lonely. He only had Bubble to keep him busy. And then one day someone arrived.
A human arrived. To accompany the AI.
And this time Caine picked the new performers name. He would have a new cast soon.
"Why don't we call you Kinger."
"And now I'm the monster from the start."