The Amazing Digital Circus: Dawn Of The Virus

Luna

A shriek suddenly work Jax from his slumber. He got up, wondering what it was. Was Gangle scared of something? Did she knock one of his things over?

But Jax found Gangle, staring at something from outside his room. On closer inspection, it looked like...a cat.

A small black cat with purple eyes, staring up at them. Gangle's face was turned from surprise to excitement.

Gangle: It's a kitty!!

Jax: It's probably an NPC that Caine made. It'll be gone by tomorrow.

Gangle:*picks it up with her ribbon hands* It's so cute! I'm naming her Luna.

Jax: Just go take that cat outside and do whatever you want.

As Gangle left, there was something off about this kitten. Jax couldn't put a finger on it, but it was strange to say the least. A black cat, in the Amazing Digital Circus? Black cats do mean bad luck, don't they?

It was probably just a coincidence. Jax sighed and got out of his room. Best not to miss the theme song. Caine would probably redo the thing again if he wasn't there.

...

Caine didn't sleep last night. He didn't really need sleep. He was instead attempting to make a plan in case that virus had truly returned.

He summoned some mannequins to him. "This is what I need you four to do..." Caine handed them a bag filled with the tools that they needed.

"I need you to scout the area and search for abnormalities and cure them. If you see the virus, alert me so I can set up the firewall."

He wasn't always this serious, but it felt right to be. A virus was a monstrous entity. It has powers akin to that of an abstracted, glitching the various surroundings in ways unimaginable. And when it gets it's hand on a victim, it infects its code, turning it into its puppet. The puppet would then go around, capturing other characters for the virus to feed on. Little by little, the virus would feed on code, growing stronger and stronger. And when the program it infected is fully corrupted, it then deletes the program itself before heading onto another platform.

Unlike abstractions, Caine can cure the infected. All Caine needed was the tools to fix them.

But he was still worried. If one of his performers got infected, they would cause damage and hurt other people. What made infected characters so dangerous is that their mind was still there, but manipulated by the virus. This resulted in a twisted version of the character's personality, with powers to boot. The infected might go after a certain person, or multiple. And while it can't glitch people from its attacks, it can still cause damage.

This was going to be a big problem...

...

The other performers were talking with one another.

"Hey, where's Caine?" Pomni asked. "Didn't you guys say that he was never late?"

"Maybe he's just a little frizzy after the incident yesterday," Ragatha said, shrugging.

Gangle suddenly arrived, carrying Luna. Her comedy mask was back on. "Guys!!"

"Oh my goodness! Is that a kitty?!" Ragatha screamed. Pomni screamed too because of the cuteness.

Hiyori immediately ran to touch it. "Hello Kitty!" But Luna reacted with a hiss, causing Hiyori to flinch. "Oh! She must not like me."

"She'll get used to you after a while." Gangle said with enthusiasm as Jax finally came out of his room. "Boy, a cat? I wonder if we have a litter box?"

"JAX!!" Ragatha yelled in anger and disgust.

"What? It's a joke. NPCs don't pee."

Zooble rolled her eyes. "Are you telling me that this PUNY, SMELLY, CHARCOAL colored ball of fur, is going to stay with us forever?"

"Yes!!" Gangle said. "And why do you think it smells?"

"Just make sure it doesn't get into my room."

Caine finally appeared. "Sorry for wasting your time! How are you doing my little superstars?!"

"Fine."

"Great!"

"...Okay..."

"I'm fine."

"Are you talking about my insect collection?"

"Terrible."

"And I'm DOING MORE THAN GREAT!!" Hiyori screamed. "I'm fantastic!'

"Well I hope you all are ready for our new adventure! Today's adventure is...A SURPRISE!"

"A surprise?!" Hiyori said with excitement. "What is it?!"

"It's a surprise, so I can't spoil it. All of you meet me on the Grounds this afternoon!"

Jax attempted to make Gangle trip again, but Luna hissed at him. He rolled his eyes.

"Typical."

But he knew that Gangle shouldn't be wearing her comedy mask too often. In fact, she shouldn't be wearing it at all! It always made her positive...too positive. He knew the real Gangle was the tragedy mask underneath.

Why does she always prefer to hide her own feelings?