The robot’s eyes whirred like camera lenses. "Analysis complete! This is 'Giggles Brand' heavy-duty white. Discontinued in 2024. Most likely source: The Old Sideshow Ruins."

"Nice shot, Barnaby," Case said, leaning against a support pole.

Case reached for his revolver, but he was too slow. A man in a tattered ringmaster’s outfit tackled him to the dirt. It was "Silky" Sam, a performer who had been replaced by a holographic projection three years ago.

Case sighed. He loved the city, but the jokes were getting worse every year. He headed back to the cruiser, leaving the clown to process the prisoner, the sirens finally wailing in the distance.

"You took our lives!" Sam screamed, brandishing a jagged piece of scrap metal. "The Mayor signed the 'Silicon Only' act! He had to pay!"

Case felt a metallic tug on his sleeve. He looked down to see Barnaby, the precinct’s top-rated Clown Bot. Barnaby was a six-foot-tall titanium nightmare painted in primary colors, equipped with a perma-grin and a spinning propeller hat.

Case nodded. They headed for the outskirts of the Funplex, where the rusted remains of the human-led circus rotted in the salt air. As they entered the collapsed big top, a shadow lunged from the rafters.