A few years ago…
"What?! Another abstract? Who is it this time?"
Kinger shifted nervously. Caine said abstracts had been running around recently, people Jax had seen ever since he got stuck in the digital circus, but never got to really meet them. They didn't affect him since he had no feelings for their insanity, but it made him worry a lot, wondering if he could be next in line to lose his mind. "I haven't seen Queenie for a while now…Jax, what if it's her?!" Kinger instantly looked worried and Jax even saw small tears prick his eyes.
This took Jax aback. How much did Kinger like Queenie? Now that he was thinking about it, Queenie was with Kinger most of the time, maybe…were they more than just friends?
Jax was a little surprised at himself for not seeing it earlier, but he still hadn't gotten over the trauma of being captured into the digital circus, he guessed he hadn't had any time to realize. There was so much Jax hadn't done in life, and what was he going to do here? Certainly not waste his breath, that's for sure. It was a little boring here, but it was also lonely. So many others had abstracted long before Jax found himself here…he didn't know how it felt to lose someone, but Kinger looked as if he wanted to die.
"I-I heard her talking about the exit earlier…I calmed her down, but…"
Jax didn't have much feeling for the people here, they were fine, he wasn't. He should face his own problems, no one would care about them. But seeing Kinger like this, looking so broken…it made Jax feel broken, too? What was this? Feeling someone else's problems and feelings?! There must be something wrong with him.
"Look, Kinger, I'm sure Queenie's fine. Come on. Let's find Caine and try not to be seen by the abstract." Jax hoped that helped both Kinger and himself from feeling any worry.***
After a while of walking around, Jax was fed up. They still hadn't found Caine yet. "Where is Caine when you need him?! The guy's probably having the time of his life while we're trying to survive out here!"
"J-Jax, don't be so loud…the abstract might hear us!"
But Jax was fuming. He couldn't even think anymore. "Caine is the keeper and protector of everything in the digital circus, right? Well, he is really bad at his job!" "I can't believe we have to go to this jerk and ask that he helps us when he can't even do his job right! Don't you think it's weird that there's this ringmaster here, that's in control of everything, but was dumb enough not to create an exit to this stupid place?! Why can't we be in control of what happens here instead of being captives?!"
A massive growl was suddenly heard near them. Jax froze, then slowly turned around. The abstract had found them!
"I-I tried to tell you…but y-you wouldn't listen!" Kinger whispered, cowering behind him.
Jax didn't speak, he stared at the massive, chaotic-looking abstract in front of them. He'd never seen one before, this was his first one. He hated himself at that moment.
"Why did I have to complain about Cain so loud?! Why couldn't I listen to Kinger?! Why am I so stupid?!"
Suddenly the abstract roared loudly, snapping Jax out of his trance enough for him to run as fast as he could away from the abstract, and it followed quickly.
"Run, Kinger!" Jax yelled.
At first when he took off, he hadn't noticed he had run in another direction, or that Kinger just was left there, quivering in fear. "Good. Serves me right for not paying attention to his warning." He could leave Kinger safe, distracting the abstract away from him. Maybe on the way he could even find Caine, or Bubble, who could tell him where Caine was…Jax noticed he was starting to get tired.
"What?! No! Not already!" He silently begged his legs to go faster, but it was no use. He could hear the abstract gaining with every breath Jax let loose.
"No no no no no no-" WHAM.
Suddenly Jax was knocked to the ground violently by the abstract, rolling away, escape now impossible. He started to glitch near his side. His breathing came in gulps, it hurt so much…this was what it felt like to glitch?
"I won't be coming back anytime soon, your service is terrible, thank you very much." Jax groaned in pain.
The abstract was coming closer. "Whatever. If I have to die, then make me die, then! I'm sick of this place, anyway! Even if there was a chance out of here, I'd probably never make the cut anyway!" Jax thought, fiercely. He grinned teasingly at the abstract and stuck out his tongue.
"T-that's right! Come and g-get me!" He said as strongly as he could despite the pain and glitching. He braced himself as the abstract prepared to launch itself at him and then…
"No! Queenie, stop!"
Jax opened his eyes. Kinger was in front of him, shaking, but he spoke firmly to the monster in front of him. "Don't you recognize me? It's me, Kinger! And that's Jax! I know you're probably freaking out right now, and scared, but I want to tell you, I'll always be here for you, even if you're an abstr-" WHOOM!
Jax flinched as the abstract threw Kinger into a wall and kept hitting him hard, again, again, and again. Jax couldn't look, nor could he bear the screams of Kinger, who just spoke such a moving speech to his own (supposedly) wife, and now that she was attacking him, completely shattered…Jax just…couldn't take it.
"Please stop it. Just stop it. Please…" He prayed, over and over.
Suddenly, Caine popped out of nowhere. "What the buzookle is going on?!" He said in surprise. "Is…is that Queenie?!"
"A-apparently so." Jax said, still glitching a little.
Caine snapped his fingers and levitated the abstract into "the hole", and Jax and Kinger stopped glitching. There was an awkward silence.
"Thanks, Caine. That glitching really sucked." Jax said.
"No problem. You guys looked like you needed help anyway…"
"Y-yeah, Cain. Thanks…" Kinger said, sadly. Jax turned away, unable to meet gazes with his broken "friend".
But so did Caine, for he heard Jax's angry rant about him, and decided he would stay away from Jax most of the time.
Nobody bothered to look back at Jax, or his wound, that glitched once, then stopped instantly, never noticed.