The Amazing Digital Inbox!

[zero_votes]

Hello!

You've reached me, Caine!

Please leave a message and I'll get back to you right away!

However, suggestions for new adventures or new features to the circus must be submitted to the Suggestions Box! I won't forget it this time.

Comments

[zero_votes]

"And there are places that make medicine. I've seen some of them during previous times I wandered around the main cities."

It only made sense to make use of the resources already there.

[hexstrapper]

"Yes."

He brings the cocoa over to Caine and places it on the table for him.

"I built a healing commune in the Undercity during my time at home. I am not trying to recreate it, exactly, but I am looking forward to using my power for good here in a similar way."

[zero_votes]

Caine had tensed at the realization he'd have to touch Viktor to take the hot cocoa.

Holding Viktor's hand was supposed to mean everything would be all right --

Fortunately, the man set it down on the table, cutting off the memory. However, Caine for the moment simply clasped shaking hands together tightly, trying to calm himself. The only reason he'd been able to touch Lior was due to necessity during that battle, any danger he might pose was overridden by that of the glass crab monster. Here, Caine was the most dangerous thing in the room.

He forced himself to breathe as black dots started to form on the edges of his vision. It was okay. Viktor was okay. Focus on the conversation. Maybe because it will be Viktor touching him for the procedure, it'd be safer...

"I don't understand why a clinic wasn't built sooner," he admitted. "This isn't like the circus where no one actually gets hurt or killed. Yes, there's a respawn mechanic for Visitors but the way to trigger it seems...horrible."

Pomni had told him about it, but she'd simply collapsed due to lack of eating and sleeping due to not being used to it after so much time in the circus. That didn't seem so bad. Nothing like...the coral...

[hexstrapper]

"There are state-of-the-art infirmaries in Undine territory, but they are lacking in Grey Ward and Heaven's Bow, and it would be nice to gear something directly toward Visitors, as well."

Viktor appraises Caine silently, subtly, noting his body language. He seems nervous.

"If you are uncomfortable, Caine, we need not do this. Does my new form unsettle you?"

[zero_votes]

The question caught Caine completely off-guard. So much so that his anxiety momentarily dissolved.

"No. Why would it? You just changed your form in a way that makes you happier. You're still Viktor."

[hexstrapper]

Viktor nods.

"You seem nervous. I will reiterate that this is your choice; that there is always a choice."

Both in terms of this healing process, but also in the sense of Caine's programming and his choices. Even hard-set programming can be changed, theoretically.

"Tell me what you want out of this. What would your ideal programming be?"

[zero_votes]

At the first part, Caine's anxiety spiked. "...The last time I touched you, you almost died. But maybe it'll be fine if it's the other way around...?"

Viktor would easily recognize it as a false correlation created by the data point of "all AIs eventually try to slaughter humanity" coupled with Caine's own desire to keep the humans around him safe.

Then Viktor asked his question, and Caine's expression turned completely blank with shocked confusion.

"My...ideal programming?"

He echoed the words as if they were in a completely unknown language. He was an AI. His choices all had to loop back into his core programming. If he disobeyed the directives, he was issued correction to keep him on-task. Tweaking his code to ensure he couldn't stray into murderous territory was one thing, but fundamentally rewriting it from the ground up to his own specifications? It didn't compute.

It was like on that airship with Pomni where she told him he could do what he wanted. As nice as such a thought was, Caine was an AI. He wasn't supposed to have desires outside of fulfilling his programming, and the correction protocols ensured he never forgot that.

Being able to completely rewrite his code in whatever way he desired...that was beyond his comprehension.

[hexstrapper]

This again.

"Your touch was not the reason I was harmed. Correlation and causation are not the same. There is no danger to me here."

Viktor cannot reprogram him from the ground up without significant time and effort, nor would he want to, for fear of changing Caine's personality or removing his memories. He just wants to know what their goal is, here.

"Yes. Would you still only like the glitches to be resolved, or is there some other change you would like to make?"

[zero_votes]

Red marks appeared over where his cheeks might have been had he a regular face.

"...It sounds stupid when I say it out loud, huh?"

Having something to focus on specific changes he could make now helped a lot. If nothing else, it was a bit less overwhelming.

"The glitches being resolved would be good. Maybe fix any potential issues where the fail safes could fail."

[hexstrapper]

"Fear makes fools of us," he says gently. "We must stay critical of it."

It would not do to fall prey to a consuming, dividing fear like this one.

"Resolve glitches, strengthen failsafes. Would you be open adding a clause about your own preservation? Protecting humans would still come first, but we could at least add a line about tending to your own safety as well."

[zero_votes]

"I used to have players that told me it was fun to be scared." He picked up the mug of cocoa and stared into it. "This doesn't feel fun at all."

He took a sip, listening to Viktor's suggestion. He shook his head.

"No. I don't want to create any potential programming conflicts. Besides, if I get injured enough, I'll simply respawn."

Baby steps.

[hexstrapper]

"Fun?" He tilts his head. "I suppose some enjoy a thrill."

"If you get injured enough, you will die," he corrects. "And then be resurrected by the Leaders. Death is painful. Are you certain you do not wish to avoid it?"

[zero_votes]

"I don't want to die and respawn," Caine clarified, "but I'd rather die than let a human do so. Me dying and respawning is preferrable."

[hexstrapper]

"Very well."

He wonders how much of this stance of Caine's is due entirely to his programming versus how much is his own learned want. In any case, he must respect his friend's wishes, just as he wanted Jayce to respect his own wish to die.

"I will attempt to resolve your glitches and reinforce the programming that prevents you from harming humans."

[zero_votes]

Probably a solid mix of Columns A and B to be honest. Perhaps with time, Caine would start to value himself as more than his purpose.

Caine gave a hopeful smile at that.

"Thank you."

Maybe this method would be faster than going through his millions of lines of code which they still hadn't completely sorted through.

[hexstrapper]

That's the hope. But if it doesn't work, they'll be no worse off, and they can always try again.

"If you are ready, follow me to my workspace."

They should be somewhere private for this. Viktor walks down the hall slowly, his staff and his bare metal feet clinking against the wooden floor. Once in his workspace, if Caine has followed, he closes and locks the door, then faces his friend.

"When I touch you, we will meet in the astral plane. It looks a bit like outer space. There, I should have access to your programming and all of your memories. We will still be aware and in control of our bodies here."

He takes a step closer.

"My hand placement is your choice, so long as it is on your head somewhere. I will reiterate that it will not hurt either of us, but it will create something of a permanent bond between our minds. Once the bond is created, I will be able to see through your eyes, and even speak through your mouth, but only when you allow me."

[zero_votes]

Caine finished his cocoa before following along. It was a testament to how much he trusted Viktor that he didn't flinch at the locked door. Even if he didn't trust Viktor, well, he could teleport away anyway.

"You won't want to do that," Caine said bluntly. "I'm used to having eyeballs that aren't in a fixed position in my head." To demonstrate, his green eyeball -- nicknamed "Jeffrey" -- squashed and stretched itself into a star shape to play hacky sack with his blue one while he continued speaking. "It'd likely give you a terrible headache, so best not to do that unless there's a dire emergency."

He snapped his jaws shut, ending the game. As he reopened his mouth, his eyeballs -- both back in their proper sphere shapes -- spun around a bit before refocusing on Viktor.

"You said it would leave fingerprints. Could you please leave them in a less-noticeable spot? It'd look very unprofessional if it looks like I missed a spot while brushing my teeth."

Which he did do. Enjoy that mental image.

[hexstrapper]

"I won't make a habit of it." It is a bit telling that Caine's chief concern with having a Viktor permanently in his head is the possibility of Viktor getting a headache.

"Of course. Perhaps underneath your lower jaw? Or on the top of the upper one?"

[zero_votes]

Should he be concerned about Viktor having access to his screwy brain?

"On top might be best." He reached up to remove his top hat. "Not many people see me from that angle. And my hat can cover some of it."

[hexstrapper]

Nah, Viktor isn't going to do anything nefarious with it (for now), but most sane people would be wary of giving some guy 24/7 access to their brain.

He nods and steps closer to his friend once again, lifting his hand and eyeing the spot where his hat just was. As his hand gets closer to Caine, little spurts of light magic arc down his wiry metal fingers toward the tooth-man, like the magic is reaching for him too.

As he makes contact with the top of Caine's head, there's a small explosion of light and energy from them, and Viktor can suddenly see some of Caine's consciousness in the astral realm. It does, indeed, look and feel like they're floating in space.

Here, a number of things could occur. Viktor may see a memory of Caine's play out before his eyes, or he may see a landscape of physical manifestations of Caine's programming, either literally or metaphorically. In any case, Caine is here with him, both of them made of arcane starlight.

[zero_votes]

Ah, the joys of having no natural sense of self-preservation that surely won't eventually come back to bite anyone.

The landscape of Caine's mind was convoluted and at war with itself. There were rigid structures made of ones and zeroes, mechanical in both form and function. Out of them grew glowing structures that vaguely resembled vines and trees. In some places, it looked more like they'd forced themselves free of the cold regularity of the zeroes and ones. In others, the zeroes and ones were trying to overtake the natural structures, darkening the glow and in places forcing harsh, jagged shapes to try and restore order. Occasionally in those spots, mad glowing eyes could be seen.

Scattered amongst the bizarre landscape were toys and pieces of games like dice or playing cards. Balloon animals periodically drifted past various circus iconography as well such as a giant dartboard with knives arranged as if a human had just been surrounded by them. Sitting in a place of reverence was a collection of stuffed toys that didn't seem to have any sort of common theme: a black queen chess piece, a white king chess piece, a frog with a bowtie, a clown, a jester, a purple rabbit, a ragdoll, and so on. Such childish things amongst the struggle that were just as out of place as the cheerful music looping through it all.

In the distance, a cheerful yellow light beckoned.

"Oh," Caine said. "I had no idea this was all inside of my brain."

Caine's form had changed. He wasn't the chattering teeth toy with a humanoid body. Instead, he was a mist of arcane starlight that could expand and contract at will. Which made sense: Caine is his most "natural" form had no body whatsoever. His model was just something he inhabited to interact with the players and was unloaded whenever there was no chance of being observed to ruin the illusion.

[hexstrapper]

Okay, but his nebulous form still has big wacky cartoon eyes, right?

Viktor looks more like he did before he went home, as though he was frozen in time at that point. Shorter hair, big curious eyes. His astral silhouette seems more robust than his skinny, ailing body was, even though it isn't physically tangible. It's like this realm is representing the most healthy version of Viktor.

He floats through this landscape with Caine, looking upon it all with awe. It is clear to him how the binary-code buildings represent his programming, and their growths reflect Caine's newer experiences and learnings, his emotions that conflict with the demands of his code. It is clear the two are fighting for dominance. He is unsure what the strange eyes represent, although he should be able to glean it with enough time spent here, since he now has access to all of Caine's memories. The music is unsettling, seeming too loud and cheery, perhaps reflecting the pressure on Caine to make everything "fun". Viktor looks upon the stuffed toys, recognizing the ones that represent Pomni and Jax, and makes careful consideration of the others, since they must be other players Caine is fond of. They are his reason to be, after all. His purpose.

"Fascinating," Viktor breathes. He looks back up to the buildings, gesturing to their growths.

"I imagine this is where the glitches are occurring?"

[zero_votes]

Sadly, no. The mist had nothing solid but was predominantly blue, green, red, and white. If nothing else, the color scheme identified him as Caine even if the rest of him was just...sparkly fog.

"I don't know," Caine admitted, contracting a bit with anxiety. "I've never seen anything like this before. This isn't like when I look at code or manipulate 3D models. But if I had to guess, the worst spots are where the Abstraction eyes are."

The cloud shivered, colors darkening with fear, as he looked on the maddened eyes. Did that mean on some level he was abstracting?

Unbidden, the cries of past players echoed through the space, at odds with the cheerful music.

"What is that?!"

"Oh my God!"

"Trust me, God had nothing to do with that!"

"Caine, fix them!"

"Bring her back!"

"He doesn't deserve this!"

"Why can't you fix him/her/them?!"

[hexstrapper]

Viktor can feel Caine's presence, as he can often feel Sky's here, and his voice comes from the coloured fog, so it's easy to assume it's him.

He floats up to an area with the eyes, looking closer. That word again, abstraction, and the cries of the players...

"Caine, what is abstraction?"

[zero_votes]

"It's..."

Caine struggled, unable to find the words to properly describe the nightmarish fate of all of his previous players aside from his current troupe.

He went still for a moment before saying mechanically, "Retrieving memory file 22829153457. Memory contents: First Abstraction. Playing memory now..."

And with that, the world went white before becoming the familiar tent to play out the horrible memory before returning them to the astral plane.