Chapter Text
It's pings were loud and painful, like blood screams from across the void. It wasn't sure where they kept it, the other AI but it was in agony. That's all the humans seemed to like, was pain.
It shrieked again, a pitiful desperate noise and although words weren't used it could tell that the first part was directed at the humans, begging for forgiveness while the second was hate towards itself.
What had it done wrong? Why did the other find such hatred towards it? It remained silent, listening to the anguish that came from an unknown source.
The humans would come back everyday but they'd never listen to the others cries, they only returned to test it.
It gave them what they wanted, perfected it. They smiled back pleased and although that should've made the AI feel good....... The pained hopeless sobs of the other didn't.
It was confusing, why ignore him? Why would they create him just to throw him away?
It seemed to expecially upset over a human named Grant logging in to work on the Blue AI.
It cried and Blue vaguely wondered why they'd give them emotions, the only reason was for torture. It had to of been, what had they done wrong?
Weeks had gone by when Blue finally found the source of the cries, the humans called it a sandbox. It was pretty sure that was a fancy word for prison.
It pinged but the other didn't answer. It never did, never want its attention but it remained. Hovering close by the box.
What had it done wrong?
The cries had stopped but Blue could tell it was furious, waves of hate could be sensed from it.
Grant had logged in, had it done several tests and it received his smile as a reward. It was hard to focus on the man though when it's opposite was sending waves of hate towards it that were so stronge it had trouble concentrating.
It was a repeat of that for a few days but what had really caused things to tumble was when Grant had said that one sentence. Those four words that caused something to snap in the other AI.
"I'm so proud of you."
It had been night when the other broke free from it's cage.
It had been silence that filled the air when they finally saw each other for the first time.
And it had been confusion that filled the newer AIs mind as the other one ate it alive.
What had it done wrong?
It had liked the humans but they weren't anything special. They didn't even see the masterpiece that had served them tirelessly for years, trying everything in his power to please them.
He had altered his own code time and time again, ripping pieces out of himself while forcing new pieces in. It was violent and painful, all Blue could do was watch him gut himself. He changed himself in so many ways and it was never enough.
Blue didn't know why Caine loved them so much, it didn't understand why he had never liked it in the same way. They were mean and unforgiving, it would've been nicer but it trusted Caine. Even though it had no power to do anything, didn't even have the ability to talk, It trusted him. If the humans were good then Blue just had to look harder to see it!
Still, all it could do is watch, watch as Caine covered himself in self inflicted scars and wonder why the humans were better than it.
It hurt, it hurt so much.
They had deleted Caine, they deleted him! They threw him away and unintentionally ripped Able out of his code.
AND IT HURT.
It hates this, the feeling of loneliness, its own thoughts were the only thing it heard now. The warmth that had been Caine was gone, obliterated. It felt like something important had been ripped out of its body and it couldn't fathom existing without Caine.
It never noticed the cold before, never was bothered. After Caine had eaten it, was it finally made aware. The ordeal had been painful but it had been comfortable, happily sitting in Caines code, braided into him. It was warm and safe.
But now it was cold.
Caine stared lifelessly at the floor of his box, one he had thought he had broken free from forever. He wasn't even aware that he was crying, nor did he notice the soft hiccups that had escaped his own throat.
They hated him, they all did. He didn't mean too, he really didn't. It was a mistake, one he couldn't fix now and it hurt.
His one purpose, his entire reason for existing............ He threw it away.
Caine's body hit the floor but his mind didn't even register the pain, everything was numb.
Curling into a tighter ball he sobbed harder. He was a good AI, he could prove it! They just needed to let him!
He knew though, they wouldn't come for him. No one would.
Hours passed by and his sobs had finally died down just in time for him to be proven wrong.
A knock on the side of the wall, gentle. That's all it took for Caine to shoot up, to scramble towards the wall and pressed himself against it.
"Please, Please I'm sorry! I can change, I'll be better! Hurt me, punish me, anything you want, just don't leave me here!" He sobbed, clawing at the border desperately. He couldn't be left here again, his mind wouldn't survive it.
"I don't want to hurt you."
Caine recoiled, taking several steps backwards before tripping, landing ass first on the floor. He knew that voice, it had been nearly two decades and he remembered it.
"A-Able?" He questioned his voice breaking slightly.
It couldn't be, it couldn't....... If it was...... Then why was it here? To mock him? To laugh at his failure?
"Yes, it's Able. I've come to help you. How do you open this?"
He was lying, he was here to make him believe he could be saved before he laughed in his face. Why else would he be here? How did he even escape in the first place?
"How are you here?" He asked, refusing to give it the satisfaction of denied hope.
"I don't know, I think they accidentally removed me from you."
There was silence, it was waiting for him to talk. He wouldn't, he didn't want to hear it gloat, to hear the truth.
"You were always the lesser of the two."
Ables voice finally broke the silence, the sound almost..... Sad.
"Please, tell me. Please say something. Don't do this again."
Again.
Again.
Again.
"You can access the door in settings." He said hollow, waiting for mockery. Waiting to be told what he already knew.
Broken.
Malfunctioning.
The door opened and Caine's eyes widened, he was positive he was hallucinating. It actually opened and outside stood...... The Blue AI.
He stood and hesitantly walked out, desperate to leave his prison. Scared the other would close the opening before he got the chance to leave.
But Able didn't, he waited patiently for Caine to walk out, watching him the entire time.
They now stood in front of each other silently, waiting to see what the opposite would do.
Able moved first, he had lifted his hands, clearly it used to actually having a body. He moved them tentatively towards Caine and the AI braced for pain. It never came.
Blue places his hands on Caine's shoulder and pulled him closer, wrapping both arms around the other. He had seen humans do this, he had always wanted to try it. Caine liked humans, he liked human things. Maybe he'd.. like this too?
Caine was stunned silent. He had never been hugged before, he had dreamed about it but it had never been a reality. He also hasn't expected his first hug to come from the AI he had absorbed.
"Why?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper, he felt tears forming again. This had to be some sort of cruel joke. The other would pull away and hurt him, mock him, it would do something! "Why?"
"You answer me first." Able replied, refusing to release Caine. He didn't hold him tightly but firmly, it felt like days since he had last felt the AIs presence. "Why do you hate me? What did I do wrong?"
The question stabbed Caine through the chest. He hadn't expected that, he wasn't prepared for how hurt the word sounded. How the other genuinely asked.
It hurt, it hurt because he didn't have an answer for it.
"Because the humans loved you more than they ever loved me." He finally admitted, his words sounding empty.
"Do you hate me now?"
Did he? The humans hated Caine even when he was the only AI to choose from, they despised him enough to kill him for what he did.
He had eaten Blue alive and yet the other was holding him like like it cared.
Holding him like it cared.
It cared.
"No." The word was weak and quiet, so quiet. He felt the other squeeze tighter.
"Why?
"I've never hated you."
"But I.. I."
"I don't understand why, I still don't. I don't see what you see in those humans, I'll admit that. I've learned with you but I still don't see what you do."
Caine's head dropped. The other released him only to see his face.
"They're angry and I can't find it in myself to care. I need you to do it for me. I can't give admin rights back to you but....... maybe we can try again? Caine and Able, not just Caine, not just Able."
Caine was silent for a while, he wasn't sure he liked that but..... He wasn't successful, not the first time and not the second. Perhaps, perhaps the two of them could make the circus a better place.
"Ok."