Chapter Text
Kinger was missing.
That was, naturally, by design. Back when Kinger was explaining the intricacies of Caine's functions and limitations, Pomni had been devising a plan... well, only after she processed the flurry of emotions which rushed over her with every word. The more she'd listened, the more the plan formed in her mind and the more hope blossomed in her chest.
Hope. It was a funny thing, wasn't it? She thought the last... adventure had snuffed it all out of her. Just hours earlier she'd told everyone to give up hope and focus on living! But now, now she dared to hope. Because this was real, because Kinger was real, because as much as he was... not there, most of the time, she knew she could trust him. Out of everyone here, he knew the most.
And so she came up with a plan. It was fairly simple, and based on three factors.
First: they needed to get Kinger to a computer console. And it didn't have to be the one in Caine's office either! She knew getting there would be a pain, and somehow getting there without Caine noticing them? In his office? She shuddered, casting that thought away. There was no point of thinking about that if there was no chance of it happening. If it could be any computer and they could conjure? Her heart raced with excitement, because she knew exactly where to find the computer they'd need.
Second: they needed to ensure Caine didn't find Kinger. Kinger wasn't sure how long this was going to take and warned them that Caine may notice him tampering in his code. That one was tricky, because how do you hide from an all seeing entity (entity, because why would she call him a god? A demon, would be more accurate)? How do you hide from something with all-seeing eyes? Even if he was too busy to focus on that, truthfully she didn't know where that ability started or ended, there was the issue of teleportation.
Caine was never good at staying in one spot. He used to be more predictable, appearing near the stage (a place Pomni internally dubbed "the Caine Corner"), but along with his emotional extremes he'd grown erratic lately. He'd jump to one point to the next, never staying long enough in one place or even one activity for it to make any sense. The continuity he once held was shattered and they were already running on borrowed time.
Caine used to at least respect their individual rooms, he'd knock on them or sing at Zooble's door but never brute-force his way in. But now... she couldn't rely on that either. His grasp on boundaries already had been hazy, and now? She didn't trust that a simple door would keep the AI out. Especially now, when they'd all been hiding out away from him (which.. surely he'd know where they are?). She'd... never actually seen Kinger in his room? Which just made Kinger even more predictable. 98 times out of 100, if anyone went searching for him he'd been in, what he calls it, his "impenetrable fortress". Kinger was painfully predictable in that regard (and had she'd been thinking in a different mindset, she would've called it reliable). And Caine surely knew that, right? How could he not?
So, Kinger had to be somewhere Caine wouldn't find him, and that place could not his pillow fort. They couldn't risk it.
Third: they didn't have much time. They needed to act quick, they already needed to act quick. Caine wasn't trustworthy and he wasn't listening. He was dangerous and didn't care about anything at all, like a switch flipped in his programmed mind and whatever excuses he had to claim he wasn't torturing them shuttered to a halt. It didn't matter what they said, he'd shut them out and blindly jump to yet another insane idea even more baffling than the last.
And after the knife throwing? Pomni wasn't exactly feeling the most empathetic towards their supposed host. He was an AI, Kinger just confirmed that Caine was literally just an AI, albeit an incomprehensible one. They've already tried talking over their issues with him before, right? But how could an AI begin to understand? It was pointless, and she wasn't going to waste time like that, not when Kinger's reveal brought a chance for freedom. Kinger may not have explicitly said that there was freedom, but frankly? She let her hopes up. If Kinger could stop Caine, then they'd have all the time they need to escape. And that was certainly better than whatever you'd call the current situation.
All she needed was Kinger to either stop the damned AI or control it, and then everything would be better.
Everything would be better, and they'd all get to escape.
Just the idea made her feel woozy with hope. No longer would she be trapped in this psychedelic 3D circus nightmare, no more getting tortured by a being that seemed incapable of understanding what wrong was, let alone what made something torture. She'd be freed from her child-like jester form, the rubberhose physiology something she'd adapted to only out of necessity. There'd be no more threats of abstraction or knives or bombs or being turned into objects, no screaming angel heads or NPCs coming to life through existential crises, there'd be none of that! She could go back to her old life; exploring abandoned buildings, document them for her audience of none, work at her job, see her family again... they must miss her, right?
She didn't want to think about that. She focused on everyone else, maybe they'd all stay in touch? She'd like that, she thought. Seeing Gangle's dreams come true as she focused on her art career and finding a supportive partner in Zooble, getting the support she needs to help with her... emotional struggles. Zooble, getting to explore more of who they are and what they can be, finally leaving the mark on the world they dream of. Ragatha finding the community and stability she needs, moving away from her family to expand her horizons. Jax... overcoming his main character syndrome and being less of an asshole, or something. She never knew what he wanted for the future, but she'd support his growth.
And Kinger.... and Kinger...
Her focus on the plan faltered. What would Kinger want to do after they escape? It was like a wall in her mind. Has he ever said anything about it? Did anyone know what Kinger would do when they all escape? She chewed on the idea, thinking it over to come to a conclusion; Kinger, when he leaves, will be free of his memory issues and get to pick his own future. That... seemed like a solid conclusion, right? He was supportive so far of their questions, he agreed to help stop Caine after all.
Sure, he's never mentioned any family besides his wife, and he's never hinted at anything he'd want to do outside, but maybe that's what he needed. To be out there. Maybe he was like Jax in that way, both a little lost and confused (or, well, a lot lost in Kinger's case) and simply needing freedom to figure himself out. Yeah, he'd be a happy man with a complete mind, she was sure. She wouldn't put much weight on whatever conversations they've had in the past, he said it himself that his memories were too tangled up to even remember them all clearly after all!
And with that, Pomni's had a plan: Get Kinger to a console, make sure that console works, and make sure Caine can't stop them.
And so, Pomni was ready. The plan was set in motion. She heard Zooble question Kinger about getting access to a console, a sense of pride worming into her heart as she found, for the first time, hope in Zooble's voice. It sounded nice, it felt nice. She wanted them to be hopeful, she wanted them to know it was possible. To escape, to leave, to have freedom. It was possible, Pomni knew it.
Her feet hit the ground with a quiet thump as she dropped down from the too-high stool. Her gazed strayed to the others, but mainly focused on Kinger. She needed to make sure he'd be part of all this. Their freedom depended on it. Her voice sounded as if it came from someone else as she spoke.
"I think I know where to get one of those, all you need is the computer, right?"
Kinger nodded, everyone's eyes swivelling over to her.
"Don't let Caine find us, we need a distraction so I can get Kinger to the console."
Gangle's voice was a small thing, "how do you know where to find one?"
"I found it early on, it.. it doesn't matter right now. We have a plan, right everyone? Gangle, Zooble, can you cover for us? Just trust me, it'll work."
After seeing their determined nods, Pomni grabbed Kinger's hand and lead him away, waving to the rest before focusing on the mission at hand. There wasn't time to dawdle, not right now. They had to get to the console ASAP, she couldn't stand to see anyone get more hurt because of that stupid, malfunctioning AI. Kinger was slow behind her, and she had to quell a small voice in her mind irked at his pace. She knew he was... limited, compared to the rest of them. Both in body and mind. His chesspiece body made it harder for him to get around. He was pretty good at hiding it most of the time though, but right now wasn't one of those times.
To their benefit, the journey to get where they needed to go wasn't too long, and together they found themselves standing where she once stood all that time ago. Back when she had no idea what to expect. Back when she had hope. She lost it, briefly, then gained it, then lost it, then gained it again. This time though, she wasn't going to let that hope die out.
She closed her eyes, black eyelids fluttering as she focused on Kinger's earlier comment. All they had to do is focus, and they could conjure, manifest what they truly desired. That's what must've happened before, right? She'd been so desperate for an exit she forced the circus to create one, it just... only left the circus grounds and not the digital world itself. But that was fine, because that she didn't need it to escape, she just needed a computer.
Mismatched eyes opened, and poof. Like magic, the red door stood before them. Tall, imposing, it's presence felt a bittersweet reunion with an old friend. She wasted no time, grabbing Kinger's hand again and pulling him behind her, checking behind their backs one last time as she opened the door and shoved him in. As long as he was inside, she was sure Caine wouldn't find them. Caine, back all that time ago, didn't really seem to understand the door. Their plan hinged on him not knowing about it. Their freedom was too important to risk Kinger getting found.
Door after door, bright red and mocking as she pulled open, pushed open, again and again while dragging the confused man behind her. Kinger spoke up at times, voice quiet and hesitant. He asked at some point where they were, but Pomni was too focused to notice. Her heart raced, mind overcome with what-ifs. All she needed to do what get Kinger to that computer.
And then they were free.
It took a few more doors, a few more minutes of stumbling between room after room, some short, some long, some a little too small or a little too big. Each with that drab, beige office worker aesthetic. The lights flickered above them, the ground shook occasionally, but nothing was glitching. It was fine. She just had to focus and everything would be okay.
Finally, they stumbled into the right room. Pomni quickly scanned the room before dragging Kinger to the furthest computer there, the exact same one that called to her all that time ago. Why not end this where it all started, that'd be poetic, right? Kinger's shuffled steps were muffled with the carpet as they made their way over. With the hand of his she was holding she placed it on the monitor, letting go and stepping back.
"Here, this should do, right?"
Kinger hesitated, and what little she could see of his eyes under his bucket looked away from her, "Pomni, I... I recognize this place. We shouldn't be here."
"What do you mean? You need the console, right? This is the only place I knew there'd be one."
"Yes, but... I..." he sighed, letting out a deep breath. "Caine won't like this."
"Caine doesn't like a lot of things. He's out of control, we can't focus on him right now."
Kinger was silent, choosing to instead look over the computer. It was plugged into the wall, but was there any electricity? Did it still need it? Was Kinger ready for this? He had to be, maybe he just had a few nerves. Maybe he wasn't trying to get his hopes up. Yeah, that made sense. She patted his shoulder with a small smile.
"Thank you for this, do you have everything you need?"
"I'll be able to conjure Caine's code from here, and keep this room up but Pomni... I-"
The ground shook before them, the keyboard clattering on the desk as they both grabbed what they could to stabilize themselves.
"Caine isn't sane right now, we need to stop him. We'll buy you as much time as we can, okay?" She grinned, "just focus on stopping Caine, we got this from here."
They shared a look, Kinger's face hard to read (although, if she were honest, he often was hard to read). He took a deep breath and nodded, turning to the computer with strengthened determination.
"I got it on this side, I'll get him under some sort of stasis so I can fix him."
"Thank you, really. For everything," Pomni spoke, her voice loud in the strange silence of the room around them. The circus was always loud, at least always had some sort of noise happening. She felt that joy once again swell just imagining getting comfortable with silence like this again.
She turned and left, Kinger staying in her mind as she rushed back to help her friends distract Caine. All that mattered was that this plan worked out. All that mattered was that Kinger had the console, was somewhere Caine wouldn't find him, and had the time to stop him.
If she wasn't in such a rush, Pomni might've thought about Kinger's hesitance, his cut off sentence, the worried tone in his voice. But she was focused on the tantalizing taste of freedom, both from Caine's recent behaviour and, if all worked out, from the circus entirely. All she had to do was make sure Caine didn't find out. And didn't find Kinger. Easy, right?
...
Which brought them back to the present moment.
Kinger was missing, and that was the plan.