Work Text:
“The mind files,” he muttered, “surely I can find something there that can help me.”
Caine didn’t really know what he was looking for, honestly, but he just hoped he’d find SOMETHING. He had just endured the most horrible five minutes of his life. The cast had just finished the adventure of a lifetime. One he had prepared for months. Slaving over every minor detail to make sure that it was perfect, that it was believable. He had made sure to include things he had heard them talking about. What they imagined this “exit” looked like, how they would get there, and even what they would find on the other side. He made sure he included everything they could have ever wanted in this adventure; it should have been perfect. Yet, they hated it.
They hated him. Him, Caine, the ringmaster, who only wanted to make them happy. The AI that wanted to be their friend. The AI who wanted nothing more than to be like them. The AI, who was trying everything in his power to keep them from abstracting, and this, this is how they repaid him? With malice? With contempt? This was his magnum opus. His gift to them. His love letter to the cast. How did they not see that? Why can’t they see it?
He can see them now, on the couch, speaking amongst themselves, mourning over his adventure, over the lack of an exit. He tried. He really did try to make an exit suitable enough for them, but he couldn’t do the impossible. What did they expect from him? It’s not like they could actually leave anyway… but they wanted to. They still do. That’s why they’re so upset at Jax… that’s why they… He feels himself glitch.
“What was I doing again? OH YEAH THE MINDFILES.” Caine says as he snaps his fingers, summoning a comically large file cabinet. “Hmmmm, let’s see, let’s see, let's see, let’s see.” Rapidly thumbing through each file, he reached a conclusion he already knew he’d come to. “Yup, just as I suspected,” a snap, and the cabinet was gone. “I made this adventure perfect.”
He floats down onto his office chair, anxiety ridden and uncertain, grabbing his unsolved Rubik's Cube and summoning Bubble just to have someone to speak to. Bubble may not be Caine’s first choice in, well, anything, but he’s an AI just like him, so surely he’d understand, right?
“I- I just don’t understand Bubble…”