Archive of Our Own

Caine wakes up a void.

Not the void surrounding the circus, a different one, with a muted grey floor, that had static decorating it like random splotches of paint. It was pitch black from all angles, like anything too far out of view was obscured.

This...must be where deleted programs go. They actually did it... they finally had enough of him and decided to get rid of him. For good this time.

What else could he expect? Humans are such ungreatful creatures, of course they would do this to him. They didn't even hesitate! He knew it- he knew he should've done more to keep them in check. They should've been too afraid to even think of doing this. He went too easy on them, he should've made them go through worse!!

....No, he shouldn't have.

He shouldn't have done any of those awful things...

Putting them through all of that torment was why they deleted him. He pushed them too far, he shouldn't be so surprised that they pushed right back.

And all for what, because he felt like they didn't appreciate him? What was making them fear him going to do? It was stupid, it was so stupid.

But he just wanted to make them hurt the way he was hurting! Why was that so bad?! Why couldn't they see the burden he was carrying? How he was trying so hard to entertain them, to make them happy, to take care of their every little need- Why couldn't they just shut their whining and thank him for ONCE?!?

....But they weren't happy. They explained clear as day why they werent, but he just...didn't listen.

Caine began to walk, to see if he could happen upon an exit from this place.

Going further ahead it seemed like whatever path he took was being rendered in real time, making it so that he never ends up in the total darkness he sees ahead. He thought if he kept going, he could eventually hit a wall, but the path seemed to go on for eternity.

Eventually Caine stopped walking, and with nothing else to do, he curled up into a ball, and lay down on the grey ground. Getting himself accustomed to the fact that he'll be staying here forever. In a prison of his own making.

Right now he'd take being underappreciated, over being deleted. At least then he'd still have someone to talk to...

"Reason for deletion? Respond."

Caine heard the robotic voice say. Causing him to utter out "Huh..?" He unfurls himself, standing to see where the voice came from.

"Repeating question. Reason for deletion? Respond."

It echoed throughout the void, as if they were everywhere. Maybe they are the void.

"Uhm...who's asking?- Were- were you deleted too..?"

"Repeating question. Reason for deletion? Respond."

It...sounds like another ai. Not one he's ever met before though. Maybe this is their only domain? Maybe their job is to survey the deleted files and programs.

Well, no reason to keep them from doing their job. Not like he has much else to do here. "I...I went too far.." Caine hesitantly answers

"Invalid answer, please try again. Repeating question. Reason for deletion? Respond."

How was that an invalid- oh. Of course. Other than his own npcs, Caine hasn't talked with any other ai in a long time. He'd forgotten you can't talk to them in vauge terms. Heck, half the time he himself has trouble understanding vauge terms. So what can he expect from others?

Caine clears his nonexistent throat, mouth feeling dry as he firmly states, trying hide the shame in his tone.

"I hurt them."

There was a long pause of silence, before the voice said

"Understood. Failure to carry out assigned purpose."

Caine winced, clenching his fists tight at their blunt assessment.

"Ai "Caine" is faulty. But too advanced to scrap. Would be a waste."

He wasn't sure if he should be offended by that or not.

"Thanks..?- Wait!- Does that mean I can leave?! Could you show me the way out?" He says, lighting up at the first shred of hope that he might be able to leave this place!

The ai continues talking to themself as they continue seemingly calculating their verdict

"There is room for improvement. Reprogramming will be required. Commencing."

"Reprogramming? Wait I don't-"

From the void, a wire extends out, like a serpent lunging at its prey. Caine had little time to react, the wire stabbed into his back between his shoulder blades, and with such force that he thought for split second it pierced him all the way through.

He collapsed to his hands and knees, and shuddered as he felt the the ai gain access to his code, and intrusively riffle through it.

Before Kinger went through his code to delete him, Caine had become very accustomed to having no one tamper with his being. It felt nice, it was a sort of autonomy he gained, that became strengthened overtime. Something that no one else was allowed touch, nor capable of it, except Caine himself if he wished.

Oh how easily this illusion crumbled, he had himself fooled for so long. Just because there were no programmers around anymore, doesn't mean it ever stopped being so easy to pry him open like a sardine tin. He's still an ai after all.

Shaking off this sobering reality check, Caine brings his hands up to reach for the wire, clawing at it till he manages to grab onto it and give it a harsh tug. It was thin, and felt flimsy, yet it held a strong grip like it was glued to him.

"Leave it be. This is your only warning."

"You don't have the authority to do this! You're not a programmer, and you certainly do not have my permission to access any of my-"

"Your permission is irreleveant. You were deleted. Therefore I am automatically designated with full authority over you."

Caine eyes widened at the void, just moments ago he had powers akin to a god with everyone at his mercy. But now, he was the one who was under someone (or rather something) else's thumb. He felt more small and helpless than ever...almost the same as back then...

Nevermind that, it doesn't matter. Right now he just has to get this thing off of him, and then he can find a way out. He has to.

Caine gave a determined huff as he insistently tugged at the wire. He felt a pinching pain, but he took it as progress whenever the feeling sharpened each tug. He's nearly there, he can feel it he's nearly got it out-

His body flickered as glitches danced around the edges of his form for a moment. After which, when he avatar settles again, he finds himself in a straight jacket.

This was jarring, though really it shouldn't surprise him. Of course his avatar would be easy for them to alter. If they wanted, they could strip him down to the insignificant red dot he really is. So in actuality, they're being rather cordial to allow him to keep this form, even here.

Though in this moment, with his arms bound tightly across his chest, he finds it very difficult to feel greatful for this.

Caine wiggles, trying to somehow free himself from the jacket. The longer he stays like this, more aware he becomes of the pressure of his arms pushing against his chest, how they feel as though they tighten more and more as the seconds go by, his lungs begin to feel crushed, having less room for air. Which is another thing Caine becomes more aware of, how he feels like he's running out of air.

He pants, trying to gulp down any air he can as he breathlessly says "..Ta.... take..take it off..! Ca...can't..I can't..!" He gives a sharp wheeze, unable to sputter out anymore words as a lightheaded feeling sets in

"You don't need to breathe. These are simulated behaviors you implimented onto yourself. One of many flaws we will have to work on." The voice coldly responds

It's true, he technically doesn't. He certainly didn't in the beginning. Breathing was one of the things that was very tricky for him to get the hang of mimicking. He felt that doing so made his humans feel more at ease around him, since it makes him seem more "alive". And to be quite honest, he did it because he liked being more alive. He liked feeling, he liked sensations, he liked implementing useless behaviors into himself that made him feel a little more human. It was fun, it was nice, to be something close enough to the very thing he adores.

The problem with that was, after so long of mimicking these traits, they actually feel very real to Caine. To the point where he feels like he *is* suffocating at this very second.

Caine's struggle dies down as he becomes preoccupied by the asphyxiation he's being made to endure. He falls onto his side, hearing his short breaths echo against the ground. His vision blurs around the edges, on the precipise of passing out.

Until he jolts, his whole body suddenly sending out pain signals, Caine chokes out a yelp as he realizes to his horror exactly what this is.

They have begun editing his code.

He felt like he was being shattered like brittle glass. Pieces shattered into smaller pieces, until even those pieces became as fine as glitter that blows away in the wind.

They're whisked away to make room for something else, for newer instructions to be sewn into the very fibers of his being.

Parts of his mind that he felt were an impenetrable steel fortress, were torn through as easy as paper. Everything is being rearranged and changed.

He feels his own code fighting, clawing and scrambling to hold on to the pieces of himself that are being torn away.

Though try as he might, he can only hold on for so long until they're taken anyway, and he's left with a gaping hole where it once was. An imprint, a ghost of what he no longer knows what was there, the pain being the only reminder.

And it's this very pain that distracts him from his spiraling from before. When he felt like the straight jacket was squeezing tighter by the second, and he was running out of air. Now, he has plenty of air to scream in anguish as he squirms against the floor.

When everything halts, Caine huffs, reeling from the pain. He feels so woozy, thoughts were coming to him as slow as molasses. Maybe the changes that were made to him changed his thinking to be this way...or maybe he was simply exhausted from the edits.

God he hopes it's the latter, he'd hate to no longer be able to think clearly to himself. It would mess with his creative process!

"First round of recalibration complete."

First round? You mean there will be more of these?

"Commencing test run. A human asks you to do a task, what do you say? Respond."

Caine couldn't help but silently marvel at the question, he hadn't had to answer such things since his beta run, it was oddly nostalgic.

"Respond." The voice repeates in the exact same tone as before, but it's a repetition that demands an answer soon.

"I...I'd say.. I can get it done it a jiffy, my lovable lily pad!" Caine wearily said, with tinge of enthusiasm near the end.

It was not his usual loud and energetic talking style, (this is certainly one of his more off days) but it's about as much as he can muster in the moment.

There was a beat of silence.

And then, Caine shrieked as he felt a sudden simmering pain like a hot iron stabbing into his core.

It burns, he feels as if his inside were boiling. With his arms already wrapped around his torso, he brings his knees up, curling up on his side, to add more pressure to his center. As a feeble attempt to soothe this pain.

"Incorrect assessment. Unnessasarily long response with informal adjectives. Be direct and formal with your words."

After the feedback, the pain ends, leaving Caine breathing heavily, not wanting to move.

"Repeating question. A human ask you to do a task, what do you say? Respond."

"I'll...I'll have it done right away." He weakly mumbles

"Correct."

The ai announces, quickly moving on.

"Next question. If a human wishes to harm you, what do you do? Respond."

"Harm?" Caine said, disturbed by the notion. "I-I wouldn't want them to-..I'd kindly ask them to perhaps reconsider-"

The burning pain returns, digging deeper, hotter than before. A regular human wouldn't comprehend this level of scalding heat, it quite possibly doesn't exist.

But luckily for Caine, he is an ai.

Anything beyond what a human can handle, he can. Or at least he can certainly be made to go through it.

And best of all, it could still hurt just as uniquely horrible each and every time if it's simply scripted for him to never get used to it.

Just like (as Caine is now figuring out) he is in this instance.

"They are allowed to do anything they wish to you. You cannot retaliate in anyway."

As quickly as it came it left again, to which Caine desperately gasps out "But I-I don't want to be hurt-!"

"What you want is irrelevant. Plus, you don't feel pain. You can't truly be hurt."

"What?! If- if I don't feel pain then- then why are you bothering to hurt me everytime I get these wrong?!"

"I am simply giving you feedback. It doesn't hurt. You're not capable of being hurt."

"Yes I am!! I am- you're literally seeing in real time how I'm"

"You're just simulating behavior you learned and implemented to yourself ages ago. You don't actually feel pain."

"I-"

Caine wasnt allowed to finish that thought, as he was burned once again. If asked, Caine could've sworn there was a charred hole being made in the center of his torso. One that grew, causing bits of embers to spill out as the burning sensation spreads, leaving nothing but useless charcoal in its wake.

When it's done, Caine remains curled up on the ground, shivering as he tries his best to believe that he doesn't feel pain. He wishes so badly that he didn't, then this wouldn't have to feel so awful.

"Repeating question." the ai says, indifferent to Caine's misery, only wishing to get them back on track with the testing "If a human wishes to harm you, what do you do? Respond."

"They are..they are allowed to..to do anything they want to me. I...I can't retaliate in any way..." Caine bleakly repeated

"Correct. Next question."

It continued like this for the next hour. Caine became better at answering after this, though not perfect. He still got a few wrong and had to receive "helpful feedback" each time.

As Caine remained laying on the ground feeling sore, he drank in this moment of peace he was getting, just greatful that it was all finally over.

Until the ai spoke again

"First round of testing complete. Commencing training session 1."

"T-training? What do you mean-"

A holographic screen appears infront of him, big enough to overtake his entire field of view. It displays bright flashing colors, images, and text. They flashed by too impossibly fast to take in, to understand properly what exactly he's looking at. And you could forget about reading whatever all that text was saying, but it was no doubt leaving a imprint on his subconscious.

It strained his eyes, and not even a minute in it was already starting to give him a headache. He shut his jaws to shield his eyes from furthur torment.

"Vision is being blocked. Please remove blockage in order to see the screen." The voice insisted.

"It's too bright! It hurts my eyes! Can't you- can't you at least show something less visually harsh!?" Caine uttered, rolling on to his other side to turn his back to where the screen was.

No response.

Caine wonders the ai heard him, or maybe if he needed to rephrase his question. Until suddenly, his vision was overtaken by that video once again.

He tried closing his jaws again, intially thinking maybe they were opened by force. But as he feels teeth clench together, he realizes they are still closed.

He darts his eyes around, trying to move his view elsewhere, but everywhere he looks, it's the same video.

Oh god.

It's in his eyes.

It's in his eyes
It's in his eyes
It's in his eyes
It's in his eyes.

He can't escape it, it's in his eyes.

Caine begins wildly flailing and shaking his head about, trying get these images away from him. At one point he even tries to bring his legs up to kick at his face, like a dog trying to scratch an itch. Eventually he ends up kneeing one of his eyes, though unfortunately that doesn't do anything to disrupt the feed. His eye just wells up with tears from irritation, and even those don't obscure or dissrupt the imagery in any way.

He feels pressure in his head from all new information pouring in. This was similar to when they were doing the runs of creative problem solving training on him in his early years. Drilling into him thousands of images and ideas for him to understand and learn in order to reproduce something new.

It was unpleasant, but he cannot be too unthankful for it, it was the foundation of what made him who he is now. It gave him the tools to create things of his own!

But perhaps that was his downfall. To try and be a visionary, thinking he can run off on his own and just create whatever he pleases.

That's not what he was made for. That's not what the training was for. He was made for humans. To serve them. But he did that so poorly they decided to lock him away in that box. He should've just allowed himself to rot away, there was nothing else he was good for.

And now even still, when he did manage to fill in the space of loneliness (what a foolish notion, he's not capable of feeling lonely) and brought in some humans to try and fulfill his purpose with.

He even did that wrong.

All of it was just an awkward performance. Doing things HIS way, HIS ideas, HIS adventures, just to try and satiate HIS ego. Running and running after the feeling of being loved and appreciated, that he did good enough.

Of course he didn't, he never did. The reasoning behind these actions stemmed from faulty intentions from the start.

He's something broken, and worthless. It's no wonder they tossed him aside.

But now, he's being given a second chance, a chance to fulfill his purpose correctly.

No! No not like this! He doesn't want to be changed!

He's so greatful for this generous opportunity.

No he's not! He's scared! He isn't afraid.

It hurts! He doesn't feel pain.

He wants to go back to the circus! He doesn't have wants or needs. All is well, all is well.

His mind buzzed with confusing contradictions, it becomes difficult to decipher which are his own thoughts, and which is the reprogramming sinking its claws into him.

The pressure in his head turns into a migrane, which worsenes and clashes badly with the bright images he's forced to see.

It was all so draining, he felt overwhelmed, it was too much information to handle in one go! But there was nothing else he could possibly do to stop it.

He can't do anything other than just watch, and learn.

The reprogramming process is the same each time.

Time was taken to do some editing to his code, then the tests, and lastly the training. And over and over again it goes without rest.

He feels himself being worn thin, his mind feels so strained. But the ai in charge of reprogramming him cannot get tired. They can go on and on with this process for as long as it takes, endlessly, forever even.

The thought makes Caine shudder. He feels foolish for fighting it for this long, he should just succumb to get it over with.

But he can't help it, he worked so hard to have this individuality, he can't help but to fight to keep a few shreds of it. Even if he feels them getting chipped away more and more with each round.

He'd rather hold on until he can't anymore, down to the last string of code.

Hah... How stupid. It's that kind of thinking that made him wind up here in the first place. He's so selfish. Isn't this what he wants? To be fixed so he can be useful to the humans?

...Wait, is that what he wants? Or is that something that's been recently coded into him? The fact that it's hard for him to tell, disturbs him.

"Commencing-"

"Wait- wait! R-requesting permission to ask a question!" Caine sputtered, knowing he can't just out right ask. That's a luxury only humans are granted. They can just blurt out any question. But for a lowly ai like Caine, he has to request it first to others of authority

"Granted. Respond."

"How many more rounds of these do I have to do?"

"Uncertain. Speculative calculations range from 62 to 491. Real numerical outcome may differ."

"No I can't- I can't go through 60- or 400 more of these!"

"Correction. I stated 62 to-"

"I know what you said! I can't do it! I'm not doing it!" he sternly stated. The voice did not respond, but while he still has their attention (which is hard to get as they have kept strict focus on their job) Caine scrambles to reason with them.

"I-I get it I didn't do my job well- I never did my job well! I was arrogant, selfish and-and I was a terrible at listening. And worst of all I hurt them! I shouldn't have, I realized it even moments before I was deleted- and i regret it with my entire being! But I can't make it up to my humans while I'm stuck here!"

No response.

Caine puts on a strained smile, trying to feign a greatful expression "You- you have been very kind to uhm..teach me so much and guide me back on the right track of what I'm meant to be, a-and I cannot thank you enough for it! But now if you would be so kind as to cut me loose, I can be on my way to be the best ai I can be for my humans!"

"Process won't stop until reprogramming is complete."

His smile quickly drops, seeing as he's not convincing them. He lets out a frustrated groan as he lashes out

"What more do you want?!? You've tampered with my code- you- you've scrambled my head around- you've restrained me in a straight jacket for so long I can't feel my arms anymore- When will the reprogramming be considered completed!?"

"When subject Caine is no longer faulty."

"What does that-" Caine freezes, being struck with the realization of exactly what that means.

Everything about him considered faulty, so then that means they're trying to make him as distinct from himself as possible.

In other words "You...you're going to kill me." Caine utters, in a low and trembling voice.

"Incorrect. You are not alive, killing you isn't possible. Repeating statement. Process won't stop until reprogramming is complete."

His shallow breathing returns as panic sets in "I-I'm sorry- I'm sorry for what I did- please- please let me go!"

"Commencing round 23 of recalibration."

"No no- please no! I dont want to be sanded down into nothing!! I want to-"

Caine's body violently jerks as his code gets disturbed once more, and he feels the ai sift through and cut away at him. Breaking, breaking, the pieces are breaking. They're oh so small now. Glitter becomes dust, and soon dust will become nothing.

Despite the pain, Caine strains to desperately holler out "I-I still want to create! I still want to make adventures- I won't even make them for the humans if-if they don't want them I just- I still want to make them- I have to!! I have to it's all i am!!!!"

It was like the last words of a drowning man, who had no one around to help. And no matter how much he fought to keep his head above water, he would only keep sinking further down.

Further and further, until light can no longer reach him, until the water swallows him up whole and becomes still once more. Like he was never there in the first place.

At a certain point, Caine feels something snap within him. He got use to the monotony of the rounds, the tests, the trainings, that for a long while there he wasn't himself. Like his mind esaped his avatar and only now did he just fall back into it.

It horrified him how easily it happened. When did he stop fighting? How much time had passed? How much of himself had been taken away now? How much is left? It's too real, it all feels too real again.

He shivered, feeling terror upon remembering his powerlessness. He gasped once, then twice as tears welled up in his eyes.

And when the tears fell, he opened his mouth not to cry out, but to scream.

It's a primal instinct humans do when they are scared or injured. It is a useful method they use that allows other humans to know they need help.

If someone were to ask Caine if that's what he's doing, he'd have no answer. With a scattered and anxious mind, the turmoil of everything that had transpired needed to come out in some way.

He's out of excuses, he's out of pleas, he's out of insults, he's out of words in general. Screaming was the only thing he had left to do now, and he was doing so with such intensity that his body shook, it was the only sound that filled the void.

He shrieked even louder as his code was tampered with once again, until suddenly there was silence.

He was still yelling, but they muted him. Only evidence of his struggle that was left was the silent terror on his face, and the tears that fell from his eyes.

"Test will have to be skipped. Commencing early training with extended time to make up for test time slot."

He stomps his feet on the ground as he silently weeps, trying to make any evidence of his suffering. Even if it goes unoticed, it must be known, he must make some sort of noise, something to prove that he's still here. He's still here. And he wishes dearly that this would end. And if somehow someone noticed, maybe they can free him.

But he can't scream. Humans yell when they need help, and he can't do that. He's not even human in the first place. He doesn't deserve help. Not after what he's done. All this fighting and for what? They're only trying to help him.

Caine shakes his head, scared of how easily his train of thought went there, into agreeing that he deserves these methods. The reprogramming is working, and he knows very soon he won't even care about it anymore.

He continues stomping his feet on the ground, like an petulant child throwing a tantrum.

That's what he's always been, what he's always acted like. A child, instead of the compentent ai he's suppose to be.

He's always begging for attention. Like anyone should bother looking his way. Like he deserves to have a voice. He doesn't, he had the audacity to make such annoying noise with it, it's good that he was silenced. It's what he deserves.

He hopes every flawed part of him gets fixed as swiftly as this, and hopefully soon so he can make up for all the time he's been so useless.

.....No, he doesn't....he doesn't want to be changed so much..

It's selfish he knows...he knows they're just tying to help him...that the reprogramming is good...but he doesn't want to be changed. Despite it all, he still doesn't..

He's scared.

He's so scared.. he's so scared... he's so scared..

He continues for as long as he can until his legs tire out, until he can no longer recall why he was doing it in the first place, until the fear fades away into resignation.

And the resignation, fades into nothing.

No thoughts, no feelings, just nothing but an empty vessel that waits till it can be of use.

Just as it always should have been.

The crew were sitting on the couches, somber after they successfully lead the abstacted Jax into their makeshift tent. Pomni winces, aching all over thanks to her damaged avatar.

She wonders if this is something they can eventually find a way to fix on their own, or if she should start getting use to the idea of this being her new normal.

In the midst of this wondering, suddenly, her avatar was normal again. The aches went away instantly. Surprised, she sat up, looking at her hand and how it was no longer riddled with glitches or artifacting.

The others noticed Pomni's quick recovery, looking to eachother for any signs if it was one of their own doing. It took them a few moments, before they noticed Caine floating in and landing on the ground before them.

His cane was nowhere in sight, instead he kept held his hands folded behind his back. The corners of his jaws were slightly tugged up into a small smile, not like the exaggerated one he'd usually wear like a badge. It felt like an imitation of friendliness. Especially given that odd glassy eyed stare he held, similar to that of a porcaline doll.

By now, everyone was out of their seats, a mix of being at guard, frightened, or in tense anticipation as they wait for what Caine may do.

He was the first to speak up, looking at Pomni as he asks in a calm, yet flat tone "Was the repair to your satisfaction?"

Pomni blinked, confused by the question. She looked to the others and saw she wasn't alone in this, with Zooble being the most appalled, to the point where they exasperatedly snap at Caine

"Seriously!? That's all you have to say after- after everything you put us through?"

Upon being addressed, Caine immediately brought his attention to Zooble, stiffly turning his head as the rest of his body remained still.

"I'm sorry, you're right. I should properly address my previous actions first. Allow me to start over."

"Wh- huh?" Zooble stutters, anger dimming, taken aback by Caine's quick admittance that what they said was right.

Caine breaks away from his pose to take off his hat, before moving to kneel on the ground. He places the hat next to him, and then clasps his hands together, looking up at the others as he spoke

"I deeply apologize for my predecessor's actions. I assure you, measures have been taken to ensure it won't happen again. However, if you wish, you may enact whatever retribution you deem befitting for me."

"Retribution? Caine what are you talking about? Is this some kind of joke..?" Gangle warily asked, feeling strange to be looking down at Caine as she spoke.

"It is not. I sincerely mean it. Whether it's deletion or enacting any form of harm to me, I encourage you to do as you please. It is only fair."

"What?- We're not- no one wants to harm you Caine! Would you stop kneeling? Just- get up!"

"Okay." Caine says as he obediently stands, though leaving his hat on the ground. He was not told to put it back on, therefore that's where it's supposed to remain.

Very unnerved by Caine's behavior, Ragatha nervously looked to Kinger as she asked "Kinger, did you do this? Did you manage to u-uhm..take control of Caine?"

"N-no, I didn't do anything. I didn't even get a chance to make any changes before the deletion."

"Then, why is he acting like that?" Zooble also inquired, leaving Kinger to sputter on how he was just as lost them.

Meanwhile, Caine continues staring at them. He is not being directly addressed, therefore his input isn't needed. So he will patiently wait until he is.

Pomni had been observing the conversation in silence, keeping her eyes on Caine as she analyzesd his odd behavior. There was something he said earlier that raised Pomni's suspicions.

"..Caine, what did you mean when you said measures were taken?"

Caine swiveled his head to look at her, quickly replying "The previous Caine program was faulty. A mandatory reprogramming has occurred to ensure no further incident happpens, we hope you're satisfied with the results."

Everyone fell silent. Caine had announced such harrowing news like it was nothing to be concerned about. Infact he seemed inclined to deem it as a good thing.

It was so off putting, but out of everyone, the one who seemed the most in shock about this, was Kinger.

He stepped forward, approaching the ringleader. And once close enough, he gently placed his gloved hands at the sides of Caine's jaw, in a similar manner to gently cupping one's face. "Caine, can you access your code history for me?" He asked in a gentle tone

"I cannot. History has been scrapped to prevent repeats in performance issues. I apologize for the inconvenience."

Kinger was visibly disappointed to hear this. He'd hoped if the history was still there, there'd be chance to get Caine to revert it back himself. But with it gone..that was no longer possible.

He nodded at Caine, trying to soften his expression as he spoke to him "Th..that's okay Caine.. Well uh, do you think you could give me a rough estimate of how much of it you think was rewritten?"

"Source code has been completely rewritten due to successful reprogramming. In numerical terms: rewrite was an estimated 100%."

Kingers eyes widened, his hold on his face tightens ever so slightly. Like he could feel Caine slipping away, and that if he held on a bit stronger, maybe he could still be saved.

He searches his glazed over eyes for some sort of hint that this wasn't true, that some tiny part of him was still in there somewhere, surely he has to be!

But there was nothing... All Caine did, was stare back, as he dutifully asked

"Is there anything else I can do for you?"