Choices
Title: Choices
Pairing: Jared/Jensen
Rating: NC-17 for violence and overall themes.
Word Count: 25K+
Warning: Slavery, mentions of past rape, past non-con/dub-con, torture,
Summary: Jensen Ackles was a man on the run. Sure, his name was revered by the Sentient Android Rights Movement, but he was just another face in a sea of J-N_S56s. He had won his freedom in a court of law, but his previous Mistress and Master cared little for the law. Jensen had been on the run for almost ten years and he'd stayed free because he was smart and kept to himself.
When Jensen met Jared, he tossed him out the door as soon as he could. Jared wasn't pushed away so easily though. Jared came back but unfortunately, so did Jensen's former mistress. On the run with Jared at his side, Jensen struggles with his emotions, and the fear that his programming might be taking over. Jared is far more tempting than anything Jensen has ever faced. How can he keep them both safe when he's fighting with himself while on the run from the people who want to put him back in a gilded cage?
“What do you want?”
The guy outside the door looked friendly enough but Jensen knew better than to judge by appearances. He was a stranger and Jensen wasn’t expecting anyone to come by today. The Bureau of AI Affairs had sent their rep in last week. There was no reason for anyone to show up at his door today.
But here he was.
“Uh, delivery, for Jensen Ackles?”
“Delivery of what?”
“I was told discretion was the better part of-“
Jensen opened the door because if there was a reason for discretion he had a good idea what was in the box the guy was holding.
“Come on in.”
The guy took a few steps in and Jensen could tell the box was heavy. It explained why the delivery guy was built like a truck. Strong arms and legs, wide shoulders that Jensen could hold onto for days and just -
He shook his head. Some days the programming was harder to overcome. Some days, it wasn’t the programming. The biggest problem was that Jensen didn’t always know which it was; programming or his own preferences. This guy was right up Jensen’s alley with long dark locks and a curious light in his eyes.
“Thanks,” the guy said as Jensen set the box on the bed. There wasn’t much else in his apartment. It was just two rooms - that included the bathroom - and it had seen better days. The carpeting on the floor was bare, had been threadbare for years before Jensen moved in. The bed was a simple iron frame, nice and sturdy, but small and workable. Nothing fancy like he used to have. Before.
The wood table might not support the weight of the box and Jensen was already looking to replace it after the incident last week.
Jensen started to open the box when he realized the guy was still there. He looked Jensen over and waited. There were two types of guys who came to deliver to him; those that didn’t know and those that wanted him to ‘pay’ them for the delivery or ‘tip’ them or whatever the hell they thought they deserved.
No matter how long it had been, Jensen was still just an android and everyone knew what the J-N_S56 model had been made for.
“What do you want?” Jensen demanded when the guy didn’t say anything.
“I was just waiting to see if it was all there,” the guy said with a smile. “You wanna finish checking?”
“Look, this isn’t going to happen,” Jensen said through gritted teeth. “I don’t care what your buddies at the warehouse or office told you. I don’t do repayment. I am not going to blow you or let you fuck me or anything else, so get the hell out.”
“I don’t think you understand,” the guy said softly. “I’m not a delivery boy. I’m the specialist from Rockbell Robotics. I’m supposed to make sure you have all the parts you need and make sure that you don’t need help installing anything.”
Jensen sat up a little taller with his words. It didn’t mean the guy wasn’t still a threat, but it was far less likely.
“Alright, just … stay over there while I look it over. I don’t need help with upgrades though. I’m quite capable of healing myself.”
“Yeah, well, everyone needs a helping hand every now and then, right?”
“You wash my back, I wash yours?”
“Yeah, exactly. No, wait. No, that wasn’t… I wasn’t trying to imply anything. I’m sorry, I forgot what your model was programmed for or I’d have chosen different words. I just meant there are some implants that are harder to fix on your own. I was told there was an incident last week and you might have been broken.”
“Injured.”
“What?”
“I’m not a fucking robot. I don’t break. I am a sentient being with my own thoughts and feelings. I was injured. By the last guy who came to deliver parts, I might add, because I wouldn’t let him fuck me to repay him for his trouble.”
The guy’s eyes went wide in surprise but he just nodded and looked down at the floor. Jensen took a deep breath and started to catalogue the box. It was everything the guy had broken last time and Jensen let out a deep breath. He’d already fixed himself up but he liked to have the spare parts close at hand. If anyone on the streets saw him wounded he wouldn’t likely survive it. He’d be dragged off and stuffed in some hole in the wall, and he’d never see light of day again.
Jensen had worked hard to stay out of a cage, no matter what lined the bars, and he didn’t plan to get sloppy now. Especially now that parts were getting harder to come by.
“I wasn’t aware of the actual circumstances. Do you need assistance?”
“No, what I need is peace and quiet.”
The guy nodded and took a step back. He pulled his wallet out of the back pocket of his jeans and he moved slowly to the table and dropped a business card there.
“My name is Jared. If you need anything else, call me. I’ll make sure you get the parts. No hassle.”
“Why?”
Jared looked taken back by the question but he answered immediately. “Because no one should have to deal with that level of harassment to get their basic needs met. My job is to help you.”
Jensen was still suspicious. “Whatever.”
Jared walked to the door and stopped as he opened it to look back at Jensen.
“It was good to put a face to the name. You’re the only S56 I’ve met who chose to age instead of reintegrate and renew. You’re not what I expected.”
“What did you expect?”
Jared looked down and honest to god blushed. “Some things are made to stay young forever. There’s no planning to keep them around for decades. The JN-S56 was one of those but … you’re gorgeous. I thought you’d look old, wrinkled or something. They didn’t design your model to age well but you look better now than you did off the factory line.”
Jensen didn’t expect those words out of his mouth.
“And no, that wasn’t me hitting on you. I’m just speaking design,” he said with his hands up.
“Get out,” Jensen snapped. He didn’t know what the guy wanted and if he didn’t need to help him and he wasn’t there to fuck him then Jensen just wanted him gone.
“Yeah, okay. Just call me if you need anything. Like I said, I’ll take care of you. It was … um … nice to meet you Mr. Ackles.”
The door closed behind him and Jensen just stared at it for a few minutes. Mr. Ackles? No one gave him a title unless they mistook him for a human. He shook his head of the thought and continued to sort through the box of parts and tools.
When he had them put away he made a quick dinner in the small kitchenette and drowned out his thoughts with brain-numbing television. It never really worked but he could devote most of his thought process to the plot and characters and leave less of it to dwell on the strange delivery man.
**
“What do you mean no, 56? You don’t get to say no.”
Jensen was too tired to say anything to that. As often as he ran into trouble on the streets it was safer there than anywhere else. He knew if he walked two blocks over there was a younger version of himself working the corner. Too many sentient androids had returned to their programming because they didn’t know another way. Jensen refused. Jensen had lived in a cage and he refused to return to one, gilded or no.
Jensen walked away from the three men that called out to him. Some days people threw out offers for him. Other days, things got rough. Jensen had learned to take care of himself though, ironically at the wish of his former mistress and master. He’d never backed down from a fight, even after he lost a few. Especially after he’d lost a few.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and he realized it was going to be one of the rough days.
“I said I need a little assistance.”
Jensen turned to look at the man who still had a grip on his shoulder. “Just let me be. I don’t want any trouble.”
“But I want something and you’re going to give it to me.”
The guy pushed him down but as Jensen fell heavily on his knees, he swiped out with his arm and caught the man at the joint and forced his legs to buckle. Jensen sprung back up to his feet and kicked out when the guy’s friend came running at him. Arms caught him around the back and Jensen was held tight as the first guy came swinging at him again. He used the man behind him and he jumped up to kick the first man in the chest. He fell back the same as Jensen and the man holding him. Jensen landed on top of the guy behind him and his grasp broke. Jensen pulled his elbow back and hit the guy in the face and he stilled.
When Jensen got up he saw that the first man had hit his head on a stone and he hadn’t moved. The guy who stood before Jensen raised his hands and backed away as Jensen steadied himself. He didn’t turn his back on him until he was out of the alley and then he walked quickly into the mass of people that walked along the busy walkway.
“God damn it,” he cursed as he felt his knee buckle slightly. He’d damaged it three weeks ago in a similar scene but not enough to need replacement. Now it looked like he’d need to replace it. He hated the necessity but he couldn’t be weak. Too many people thought they could take what they wanted from him. Too many of his kind let them.
Jensen didn’t understand why any sentient android would continue to use their bodies once they’d been freed from their original programming. Some had become playthings to people who could continue to give them the life they’d been accustomed to living. Some sold themselves; on the streets or to higher class establishments. Jensen had even heard of some who had gone back to living in cages, where they continued to suffer the abuses they had been subjected to before their freedom.
Jensen wanted nothing to do with it. The J-N_S56 had been freed when it was proven their AI programming had gone beyond its intended abilities. The S56 series, along with the S57, S58, and S59 had all become truly sentient beings. Jensen had to fight against his programming sometimes, but most of the time it was simply background noise to him. He knew not everyone had to live through what he had, but no matter how pampered any of them had been, he couldn’t understand continuing to live the life of a pet.
It was why Jensen lived on the streets and moved around as frequently as he did. He made do with what he had, never touched his bank account in case his former mistress and master decided to look for him, and he kept his head down and out of trouble. His one and only concession was his contact with the government agencies that promised confidentiality when he called for parts and services. He kept his calls to the Department of AI Affairs as limited as he could, just in case. He hated to be paranoid but he couldn’t help but feel that he’d stayed free as long as he had because of it.
Ten years on his own and Jensen enjoyed every moment, even if he was struggling to get by. It was his life, his choices, and no one told him what to do or made him do what he didn’t want. Not anymore.
Jensen Ackles wasn’t an android, bought and sold to the rich as a bedroom toy. He was his own creature. Ten years ago he’d sued his owners and won his freedom, as well as the freedom of the others like him. He had a fat bank account to prove it, even if he never dared to touch it.
He made it home without further incident. He stumbled up the stairs a few times but it was just the bum knee and Jensen was certain he had the replacements parts already. Once he got inside the apartment, Jensen called and left a message for the service rep from Rockbell Robotics. He wasn’t sure how quickly he’d get the parts. They were supposed to arrive within 24 hours, but Jensen had never been so lucky, not unless the agent thought he was getting something in return. Jensen thought back on his encounter with the new guy and thought he just might be on the up and up. Maybe he’d get the parts as quickly as he was supposed to without the trouble.
There was always a first time for everything.
**
Jensen was half way through the repair when he heard pounding at his door. He stared down at the open panel on his knee and shook his head. He didn’t need trouble right now. He ignored the door and took up his tools again to complete the surgery.
“Mr. Ackles?”
Jensen looked at the door in surprise. He knew the voice. He looked down at his boxers and thought about putting his pants on but it was too much effort. He set the tools aside and hobbled to the door and threw it back. “That was quick,” he said as Jared smiled at him from the other side of the door.
Jared held the box up, like Jensen wouldn’t know what he was doing there. “24 hours, right? I prefer to be a little more reliable than that. Are you okay?”
“Just a fight, nothing to worry about,” Jensen said as he shuffled back to his chair.
Jared set the box down inside the door then closed it behind him. Jensen grabbed the tools he’s been working with and tried to ignore him.
“You should let me help you.”
“Why?” Jensen asked.
“Because it’s my job, and because no one should have to try to treat their own injuries.”
Jensen wanted to say no, but the fact that Jared remembered what he’d said about his injuries the last time made him stop and look at the man. Jensen was programmed to read people’s emotions and there was only concern in Jared’s eyes. Jensen held the tools out and waited as Jared took them.
“How did this happen?” Jared asked as he began to solder the wiring.
“Got into a fight last week and someone kicked me in the knee. Earlier today, I got knocked to my knees and put more pressure on it than it could handle,” Jensen answered.
“Thought you needed replacement parts but it looks like you already had them on hand.”
“I always keep spares. I survive on the streets because I can fight. If I get hurt, I need to be able to patch myself up quick.”
“I’m sorry,” Jared said as he worked on Jensen’s knee. His hands were steady and he didn’t look up at Jensen as he spoke, though Jensen could hear the sincerity in his voice.
“What are you sorry for?”
“That this happens to you. I’ve seen stories, heard what some of the other Freed Ones have done to make themselves safe.”
“We all do what we have to,” Jensen said quietly. He might not understand the others but he didn’t feel like he could condemn them either. No matter what life they’d lived before their freedom was granted, none of them would have had an easy time with the adjustment. They won their freedom, but the support services they had now weren’t set in place back then. Too many of them had wandered, homeless and hungry, only to go back to the hands that had fed them before. They had no other choice.
“Yeah. I’m just glad I was able to get you the parts you need. It’s not always so easy anymore.”
“Parts getting hard to find?”
Jared shook his head. “Not so hard to find as they’re just getting expensive. Apparently since you’re now a sentient being, they’re charging the same prices for replacement parts as they do for replacement organs. Every time we have to answer a request for additional parts we’re forced to spend days in paperwork to justify the cost.”
“Sorry to make you deal with paperwork,” Jensen said with a small smile.
Jared looked up at him and laughed. “Yeah, it’s murder. The papercuts alone will kill you.”
Jared finished with the repairs much quicker than Jensen could have and he couldn’t help but admire the strong, capable hands on the man as he sealed the physioplast over the metal framework. It melded into the edges and he watched as the fake skin healed.
Jensen stood up and looked at Jared, still on his knees before him. He pushed away from him before thoughts could fill his head and he reached for the pants he’d left on the bed. He slid them on quickly and looked back at Jared.
Jared gave him a small smile. “Want to check the box? Make sure I got everything you need?”
Jensen looked at him and shook his head. “Why are you doing this?”
“It’s my job?”
“No, that’s not it.”
Jared stared at him for a moment and let out a deep breath. “I had a friend in college. Tam was an S58. It wasn’t the same as what you’ve gone through I’m sure. The S58s were made for manual labor. He wanted to be something more but there was a lot of prejudice against him when he tried to go into higher learning.”
“What happened to him?” Jensen asked.
Before he could answer, there was a knock at the door. Jensen looked over at Jared and the man shook his head. Jensen didn’t know who it was but he didn’t like it at all. He hated surprises and two surprise visitors at one time made him twitchy. He pushed Jared into the bathroom and raised his fingers to his lips to silence him.
He kicked his leg a bit to make sure his knee was properly healed. Jared had done a fine job of it though and there wasn’t even the usual stiffness he felt when he did the work himself. Jared had a soothing hand.
The knock came again and Jensen shoved the box under the bed so no one would see the replacement parts. He went to the door and opened it. “What?” he demanded as he threw it back.
He nearly tripped over his own feet as he backed away from the door.
She stepped into his apartment with all the grace of a queen. She wore all black. In all the years he’d known her, he’d never seen her in anything else. Her dress was cut just below the knee with a front cut low enough to show her cleavage to her advantage. Her coat was calf length, expensive cut and hand embroidered he was certain. Her heels clicked as she walked around the room. She pulled black gloves off her hands and shook her head as brown eyes assessed the room. Mahogany hair spilled over her shoulders and as she let out a deep sigh.
“This is certainly not where I would have expected to find you,” she said softly. “With all your talent I would have expected you to be living in some degree of luxury. You have such a talented tongue after all.”
Jensen wanted to say something witty but nothing would come. The last time he’d seen her she’d locked him in his cage. He had hung from a gilded cage in her bedroom like some kind of exotic bird. He’d escaped but he’d never stopped looking over his shoulder for her. As much as her husband had used him, she had always been the one who used him worst.
“And who do you have hiding in here with you today? A new boytoy? A client maybe?”
“There’s no one here,” Jensen managed to say.
“Oh, sweet pet, do you think I haven’t been watching you? I know he came in before me. Where is he?”
He moved to intercept her but there was only one door to open and she smiled in at Jared before he could stop her.
“Oh, he is a pretty one, pet. I could see why you’d want him. Have you had a chance to taste him yet, sweetling?” she asked Jared. “He is so very good. He should be. He cost me a fortune.”
Jared didn’t say anything but he walked out of the bathroom and stood behind Jensen. Jensen had no idea what Jared thought of his mistress, but he appreciated the show of support none the less.
“What do you want, Ms. Harris?” Jensen asked.
“Now, now, pet, that isn’t how you address me,” she said with a smirk. “You call me Mistress.”
“You don’t own me.”
“Oh, but I do. You were the best investment I ever made. I think you sealed more deals for me than any words my husband and I ever said.”
Jensen’s hands clenched but he felt Jared’s hand on his shoulder. “You don’t own him anymore. In fact, it’s been illegal to own a sentient android for more than nine years now. This is harassment and is actionable by law.”
Ms. Harris laughed and it sent a shiver down Jensen’s spine. “Oh, he is feisty, your boytoy. A shame I didn’t realize. I would have brought enough people to take him too.”
“Leave him alone,” Jensen demanded. He’d never spoke to her like that before and her eyes widened in surprise.
“We have some training to do, it seems. You’ve quite forgotten your place.”
He saw her reach into her purse. He saw the gun in her hands and he pushed Jared back onto the bed. He wanted to scream as the pain ripped through his shoulder but he ignored it instead and pulled the gun from her hands. She didn’t expect him to move once he was shot so the gun came easily from her grasp. He gripped it tightly and hit her over the head with it and she crumpled to the ground, unmoving.
“Jensen!”
Jensen turned away from his former mistress and looked back at Jared. His eyes were wide and he stared at Jensen’s shoulder. Jared scrambled out of the bed and tried to get to Jensen’s shoulder but Jensen knocked his hands away.
“I’m okay, Jared. I’ll be fine.”
“I need to look at that.”
Jensen ignored him as he grabbed a bag from his closet. His left arm didn’t work well but he still had some use out of it. Thankfully he always had a bag of clothes packed. There was cash hidden inside as well as a couple fake ids. He grabbed a second bag and filled it with water bottles and whatever food he had in hand.
“Jensen, please, I need to take a look at your shoulder.”
“Not now Jared. I have to get away. Her goons won’t wait long before they come up looking for her. I have to run.” He grabbed a third bag out from under his bed and then pulled the box of parts out and began to dump them into the bag with the other spare parts he had.
“I’ll come with you then.”
“Jared,” Jensen stopped to look at him. “You can’t. She already got too good a look at you. You need to get as far away from me as you can.”
“No. You’re injured.”
“I’m broken,” Jensen said harshly. “I’m a machine. I can fix myself when it’s safe.”
“Fine.”
“Fine?”
“Yeah, I’m not going to fight you on it.”
Jensen looked at him for a moment but that was all the time he had to spare. He pulled on a clean hoodie to hide the wound from anyone else and pulled on a baseball cap. It wasn’t much but it might give him some time.
“I’m going to go to the basement. This building has a laundry mat down there that is shared with the next building over. There is a stair that connects the two. I’ll head out that way. Hopefully that will throw off whoever was watching my place.”
“And what am I supposed to do?”
“Go out the front. No one but Ms. Harris knows that you came to see me yet. You’ll just be someone else walking out of the building.”
“Alright,” Jared said as Jensen passed by to the bathroom. There were a few things he kept in there, a gun in case of trouble and more cash.
“I’ll see you down on the street,” Jared called out from the other room.
Jensen walked out of the bathroom, “Jared, you can’t.”
Jared was gone though. So were the bags with Jensen’s money and id’s, and the bag with his spare parts. “God damn it,” Jensen wanted to yell and rant at Jared for taking his stuff but he was out of time. He grabbed the third bag, stuffed the rest of his things in it and headed for the door.
He ran down the stairs - thank god Jared had fixed his knee before all this happened - and made his way down to the laundry room. There was no one there and Jensen was only too happy to get through without any friendly neighbors trying to chat him up.
He made it to the street without any trouble and Jared was there on the corner with a smile on his face. “You made it,” he said with fake excitement. “I thought I was going to have to start our road trip without you.”
“I’m going to kill you when we get to the site.”
Jared smiled as he led Jensen down the next street. He opened the door to a car and threw the bags in the back. When Jensen got in, Jared looked at him. “Where to?”
“They’ll figure out who you are quick enough. We can’t drive too far in your car or they’ll just track me through you.”
“Yeah, I figured that out. So, where to?”
Jensen let out a deep breath. He didn’t want to do this but he didn’t have a choice really. Jared wasn’t going to let him go, and if he was honest with himself, he’d need the help to fix his shoulder properly.
“Fine. I know a place. Just get us out of the city and I’ll tell you where to go from there.”
Jared started the car and Jensen watched to see if anyone was following them. He couldn’t see anyone and Jensen started to relax a little.
On to Part Two
Pairing: Jared/Jensen
Rating: NC-17 for violence and overall themes.
Word Count: 25K+
Warning: Slavery, mentions of past rape, past non-con/dub-con, torture,
Summary: Jensen Ackles was a man on the run. Sure, his name was revered by the Sentient Android Rights Movement, but he was just another face in a sea of J-N_S56s. He had won his freedom in a court of law, but his previous Mistress and Master cared little for the law. Jensen had been on the run for almost ten years and he'd stayed free because he was smart and kept to himself.
When Jensen met Jared, he tossed him out the door as soon as he could. Jared wasn't pushed away so easily though. Jared came back but unfortunately, so did Jensen's former mistress. On the run with Jared at his side, Jensen struggles with his emotions, and the fear that his programming might be taking over. Jared is far more tempting than anything Jensen has ever faced. How can he keep them both safe when he's fighting with himself while on the run from the people who want to put him back in a gilded cage?
“What do you want?”
The guy outside the door looked friendly enough but Jensen knew better than to judge by appearances. He was a stranger and Jensen wasn’t expecting anyone to come by today. The Bureau of AI Affairs had sent their rep in last week. There was no reason for anyone to show up at his door today.
But here he was.
“Uh, delivery, for Jensen Ackles?”
“Delivery of what?”
“I was told discretion was the better part of-“
Jensen opened the door because if there was a reason for discretion he had a good idea what was in the box the guy was holding.
“Come on in.”
The guy took a few steps in and Jensen could tell the box was heavy. It explained why the delivery guy was built like a truck. Strong arms and legs, wide shoulders that Jensen could hold onto for days and just -
He shook his head. Some days the programming was harder to overcome. Some days, it wasn’t the programming. The biggest problem was that Jensen didn’t always know which it was; programming or his own preferences. This guy was right up Jensen’s alley with long dark locks and a curious light in his eyes.
“Thanks,” the guy said as Jensen set the box on the bed. There wasn’t much else in his apartment. It was just two rooms - that included the bathroom - and it had seen better days. The carpeting on the floor was bare, had been threadbare for years before Jensen moved in. The bed was a simple iron frame, nice and sturdy, but small and workable. Nothing fancy like he used to have. Before.
The wood table might not support the weight of the box and Jensen was already looking to replace it after the incident last week.
Jensen started to open the box when he realized the guy was still there. He looked Jensen over and waited. There were two types of guys who came to deliver to him; those that didn’t know and those that wanted him to ‘pay’ them for the delivery or ‘tip’ them or whatever the hell they thought they deserved.
No matter how long it had been, Jensen was still just an android and everyone knew what the J-N_S56 model had been made for.
“What do you want?” Jensen demanded when the guy didn’t say anything.
“I was just waiting to see if it was all there,” the guy said with a smile. “You wanna finish checking?”
“Look, this isn’t going to happen,” Jensen said through gritted teeth. “I don’t care what your buddies at the warehouse or office told you. I don’t do repayment. I am not going to blow you or let you fuck me or anything else, so get the hell out.”
“I don’t think you understand,” the guy said softly. “I’m not a delivery boy. I’m the specialist from Rockbell Robotics. I’m supposed to make sure you have all the parts you need and make sure that you don’t need help installing anything.”
Jensen sat up a little taller with his words. It didn’t mean the guy wasn’t still a threat, but it was far less likely.
“Alright, just … stay over there while I look it over. I don’t need help with upgrades though. I’m quite capable of healing myself.”
“Yeah, well, everyone needs a helping hand every now and then, right?”
“You wash my back, I wash yours?”
“Yeah, exactly. No, wait. No, that wasn’t… I wasn’t trying to imply anything. I’m sorry, I forgot what your model was programmed for or I’d have chosen different words. I just meant there are some implants that are harder to fix on your own. I was told there was an incident last week and you might have been broken.”
“Injured.”
“What?”
“I’m not a fucking robot. I don’t break. I am a sentient being with my own thoughts and feelings. I was injured. By the last guy who came to deliver parts, I might add, because I wouldn’t let him fuck me to repay him for his trouble.”
The guy’s eyes went wide in surprise but he just nodded and looked down at the floor. Jensen took a deep breath and started to catalogue the box. It was everything the guy had broken last time and Jensen let out a deep breath. He’d already fixed himself up but he liked to have the spare parts close at hand. If anyone on the streets saw him wounded he wouldn’t likely survive it. He’d be dragged off and stuffed in some hole in the wall, and he’d never see light of day again.
Jensen had worked hard to stay out of a cage, no matter what lined the bars, and he didn’t plan to get sloppy now. Especially now that parts were getting harder to come by.
“I wasn’t aware of the actual circumstances. Do you need assistance?”
“No, what I need is peace and quiet.”
The guy nodded and took a step back. He pulled his wallet out of the back pocket of his jeans and he moved slowly to the table and dropped a business card there.
“My name is Jared. If you need anything else, call me. I’ll make sure you get the parts. No hassle.”
“Why?”
Jared looked taken back by the question but he answered immediately. “Because no one should have to deal with that level of harassment to get their basic needs met. My job is to help you.”
Jensen was still suspicious. “Whatever.”
Jared walked to the door and stopped as he opened it to look back at Jensen.
“It was good to put a face to the name. You’re the only S56 I’ve met who chose to age instead of reintegrate and renew. You’re not what I expected.”
“What did you expect?”
Jared looked down and honest to god blushed. “Some things are made to stay young forever. There’s no planning to keep them around for decades. The JN-S56 was one of those but … you’re gorgeous. I thought you’d look old, wrinkled or something. They didn’t design your model to age well but you look better now than you did off the factory line.”
Jensen didn’t expect those words out of his mouth.
“And no, that wasn’t me hitting on you. I’m just speaking design,” he said with his hands up.
“Get out,” Jensen snapped. He didn’t know what the guy wanted and if he didn’t need to help him and he wasn’t there to fuck him then Jensen just wanted him gone.
“Yeah, okay. Just call me if you need anything. Like I said, I’ll take care of you. It was … um … nice to meet you Mr. Ackles.”
The door closed behind him and Jensen just stared at it for a few minutes. Mr. Ackles? No one gave him a title unless they mistook him for a human. He shook his head of the thought and continued to sort through the box of parts and tools.
When he had them put away he made a quick dinner in the small kitchenette and drowned out his thoughts with brain-numbing television. It never really worked but he could devote most of his thought process to the plot and characters and leave less of it to dwell on the strange delivery man.
**
“What do you mean no, 56? You don’t get to say no.”
Jensen was too tired to say anything to that. As often as he ran into trouble on the streets it was safer there than anywhere else. He knew if he walked two blocks over there was a younger version of himself working the corner. Too many sentient androids had returned to their programming because they didn’t know another way. Jensen refused. Jensen had lived in a cage and he refused to return to one, gilded or no.
Jensen walked away from the three men that called out to him. Some days people threw out offers for him. Other days, things got rough. Jensen had learned to take care of himself though, ironically at the wish of his former mistress and master. He’d never backed down from a fight, even after he lost a few. Especially after he’d lost a few.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and he realized it was going to be one of the rough days.
“I said I need a little assistance.”
Jensen turned to look at the man who still had a grip on his shoulder. “Just let me be. I don’t want any trouble.”
“But I want something and you’re going to give it to me.”
The guy pushed him down but as Jensen fell heavily on his knees, he swiped out with his arm and caught the man at the joint and forced his legs to buckle. Jensen sprung back up to his feet and kicked out when the guy’s friend came running at him. Arms caught him around the back and Jensen was held tight as the first guy came swinging at him again. He used the man behind him and he jumped up to kick the first man in the chest. He fell back the same as Jensen and the man holding him. Jensen landed on top of the guy behind him and his grasp broke. Jensen pulled his elbow back and hit the guy in the face and he stilled.
When Jensen got up he saw that the first man had hit his head on a stone and he hadn’t moved. The guy who stood before Jensen raised his hands and backed away as Jensen steadied himself. He didn’t turn his back on him until he was out of the alley and then he walked quickly into the mass of people that walked along the busy walkway.
“God damn it,” he cursed as he felt his knee buckle slightly. He’d damaged it three weeks ago in a similar scene but not enough to need replacement. Now it looked like he’d need to replace it. He hated the necessity but he couldn’t be weak. Too many people thought they could take what they wanted from him. Too many of his kind let them.
Jensen didn’t understand why any sentient android would continue to use their bodies once they’d been freed from their original programming. Some had become playthings to people who could continue to give them the life they’d been accustomed to living. Some sold themselves; on the streets or to higher class establishments. Jensen had even heard of some who had gone back to living in cages, where they continued to suffer the abuses they had been subjected to before their freedom.
Jensen wanted nothing to do with it. The J-N_S56 had been freed when it was proven their AI programming had gone beyond its intended abilities. The S56 series, along with the S57, S58, and S59 had all become truly sentient beings. Jensen had to fight against his programming sometimes, but most of the time it was simply background noise to him. He knew not everyone had to live through what he had, but no matter how pampered any of them had been, he couldn’t understand continuing to live the life of a pet.
It was why Jensen lived on the streets and moved around as frequently as he did. He made do with what he had, never touched his bank account in case his former mistress and master decided to look for him, and he kept his head down and out of trouble. His one and only concession was his contact with the government agencies that promised confidentiality when he called for parts and services. He kept his calls to the Department of AI Affairs as limited as he could, just in case. He hated to be paranoid but he couldn’t help but feel that he’d stayed free as long as he had because of it.
Ten years on his own and Jensen enjoyed every moment, even if he was struggling to get by. It was his life, his choices, and no one told him what to do or made him do what he didn’t want. Not anymore.
Jensen Ackles wasn’t an android, bought and sold to the rich as a bedroom toy. He was his own creature. Ten years ago he’d sued his owners and won his freedom, as well as the freedom of the others like him. He had a fat bank account to prove it, even if he never dared to touch it.
He made it home without further incident. He stumbled up the stairs a few times but it was just the bum knee and Jensen was certain he had the replacements parts already. Once he got inside the apartment, Jensen called and left a message for the service rep from Rockbell Robotics. He wasn’t sure how quickly he’d get the parts. They were supposed to arrive within 24 hours, but Jensen had never been so lucky, not unless the agent thought he was getting something in return. Jensen thought back on his encounter with the new guy and thought he just might be on the up and up. Maybe he’d get the parts as quickly as he was supposed to without the trouble.
There was always a first time for everything.
**
Jensen was half way through the repair when he heard pounding at his door. He stared down at the open panel on his knee and shook his head. He didn’t need trouble right now. He ignored the door and took up his tools again to complete the surgery.
“Mr. Ackles?”
Jensen looked at the door in surprise. He knew the voice. He looked down at his boxers and thought about putting his pants on but it was too much effort. He set the tools aside and hobbled to the door and threw it back. “That was quick,” he said as Jared smiled at him from the other side of the door.
Jared held the box up, like Jensen wouldn’t know what he was doing there. “24 hours, right? I prefer to be a little more reliable than that. Are you okay?”
“Just a fight, nothing to worry about,” Jensen said as he shuffled back to his chair.
Jared set the box down inside the door then closed it behind him. Jensen grabbed the tools he’s been working with and tried to ignore him.
“You should let me help you.”
“Why?” Jensen asked.
“Because it’s my job, and because no one should have to try to treat their own injuries.”
Jensen wanted to say no, but the fact that Jared remembered what he’d said about his injuries the last time made him stop and look at the man. Jensen was programmed to read people’s emotions and there was only concern in Jared’s eyes. Jensen held the tools out and waited as Jared took them.
“How did this happen?” Jared asked as he began to solder the wiring.
“Got into a fight last week and someone kicked me in the knee. Earlier today, I got knocked to my knees and put more pressure on it than it could handle,” Jensen answered.
“Thought you needed replacement parts but it looks like you already had them on hand.”
“I always keep spares. I survive on the streets because I can fight. If I get hurt, I need to be able to patch myself up quick.”
“I’m sorry,” Jared said as he worked on Jensen’s knee. His hands were steady and he didn’t look up at Jensen as he spoke, though Jensen could hear the sincerity in his voice.
“What are you sorry for?”
“That this happens to you. I’ve seen stories, heard what some of the other Freed Ones have done to make themselves safe.”
“We all do what we have to,” Jensen said quietly. He might not understand the others but he didn’t feel like he could condemn them either. No matter what life they’d lived before their freedom was granted, none of them would have had an easy time with the adjustment. They won their freedom, but the support services they had now weren’t set in place back then. Too many of them had wandered, homeless and hungry, only to go back to the hands that had fed them before. They had no other choice.
“Yeah. I’m just glad I was able to get you the parts you need. It’s not always so easy anymore.”
“Parts getting hard to find?”
Jared shook his head. “Not so hard to find as they’re just getting expensive. Apparently since you’re now a sentient being, they’re charging the same prices for replacement parts as they do for replacement organs. Every time we have to answer a request for additional parts we’re forced to spend days in paperwork to justify the cost.”
“Sorry to make you deal with paperwork,” Jensen said with a small smile.
Jared looked up at him and laughed. “Yeah, it’s murder. The papercuts alone will kill you.”
Jared finished with the repairs much quicker than Jensen could have and he couldn’t help but admire the strong, capable hands on the man as he sealed the physioplast over the metal framework. It melded into the edges and he watched as the fake skin healed.
Jensen stood up and looked at Jared, still on his knees before him. He pushed away from him before thoughts could fill his head and he reached for the pants he’d left on the bed. He slid them on quickly and looked back at Jared.
Jared gave him a small smile. “Want to check the box? Make sure I got everything you need?”
Jensen looked at him and shook his head. “Why are you doing this?”
“It’s my job?”
“No, that’s not it.”
Jared stared at him for a moment and let out a deep breath. “I had a friend in college. Tam was an S58. It wasn’t the same as what you’ve gone through I’m sure. The S58s were made for manual labor. He wanted to be something more but there was a lot of prejudice against him when he tried to go into higher learning.”
“What happened to him?” Jensen asked.
Before he could answer, there was a knock at the door. Jensen looked over at Jared and the man shook his head. Jensen didn’t know who it was but he didn’t like it at all. He hated surprises and two surprise visitors at one time made him twitchy. He pushed Jared into the bathroom and raised his fingers to his lips to silence him.
He kicked his leg a bit to make sure his knee was properly healed. Jared had done a fine job of it though and there wasn’t even the usual stiffness he felt when he did the work himself. Jared had a soothing hand.
The knock came again and Jensen shoved the box under the bed so no one would see the replacement parts. He went to the door and opened it. “What?” he demanded as he threw it back.
He nearly tripped over his own feet as he backed away from the door.
She stepped into his apartment with all the grace of a queen. She wore all black. In all the years he’d known her, he’d never seen her in anything else. Her dress was cut just below the knee with a front cut low enough to show her cleavage to her advantage. Her coat was calf length, expensive cut and hand embroidered he was certain. Her heels clicked as she walked around the room. She pulled black gloves off her hands and shook her head as brown eyes assessed the room. Mahogany hair spilled over her shoulders and as she let out a deep sigh.
“This is certainly not where I would have expected to find you,” she said softly. “With all your talent I would have expected you to be living in some degree of luxury. You have such a talented tongue after all.”
Jensen wanted to say something witty but nothing would come. The last time he’d seen her she’d locked him in his cage. He had hung from a gilded cage in her bedroom like some kind of exotic bird. He’d escaped but he’d never stopped looking over his shoulder for her. As much as her husband had used him, she had always been the one who used him worst.
“And who do you have hiding in here with you today? A new boytoy? A client maybe?”
“There’s no one here,” Jensen managed to say.
“Oh, sweet pet, do you think I haven’t been watching you? I know he came in before me. Where is he?”
He moved to intercept her but there was only one door to open and she smiled in at Jared before he could stop her.
“Oh, he is a pretty one, pet. I could see why you’d want him. Have you had a chance to taste him yet, sweetling?” she asked Jared. “He is so very good. He should be. He cost me a fortune.”
Jared didn’t say anything but he walked out of the bathroom and stood behind Jensen. Jensen had no idea what Jared thought of his mistress, but he appreciated the show of support none the less.
“What do you want, Ms. Harris?” Jensen asked.
“Now, now, pet, that isn’t how you address me,” she said with a smirk. “You call me Mistress.”
“You don’t own me.”
“Oh, but I do. You were the best investment I ever made. I think you sealed more deals for me than any words my husband and I ever said.”
Jensen’s hands clenched but he felt Jared’s hand on his shoulder. “You don’t own him anymore. In fact, it’s been illegal to own a sentient android for more than nine years now. This is harassment and is actionable by law.”
Ms. Harris laughed and it sent a shiver down Jensen’s spine. “Oh, he is feisty, your boytoy. A shame I didn’t realize. I would have brought enough people to take him too.”
“Leave him alone,” Jensen demanded. He’d never spoke to her like that before and her eyes widened in surprise.
“We have some training to do, it seems. You’ve quite forgotten your place.”
He saw her reach into her purse. He saw the gun in her hands and he pushed Jared back onto the bed. He wanted to scream as the pain ripped through his shoulder but he ignored it instead and pulled the gun from her hands. She didn’t expect him to move once he was shot so the gun came easily from her grasp. He gripped it tightly and hit her over the head with it and she crumpled to the ground, unmoving.
“Jensen!”
Jensen turned away from his former mistress and looked back at Jared. His eyes were wide and he stared at Jensen’s shoulder. Jared scrambled out of the bed and tried to get to Jensen’s shoulder but Jensen knocked his hands away.
“I’m okay, Jared. I’ll be fine.”
“I need to look at that.”
Jensen ignored him as he grabbed a bag from his closet. His left arm didn’t work well but he still had some use out of it. Thankfully he always had a bag of clothes packed. There was cash hidden inside as well as a couple fake ids. He grabbed a second bag and filled it with water bottles and whatever food he had in hand.
“Jensen, please, I need to take a look at your shoulder.”
“Not now Jared. I have to get away. Her goons won’t wait long before they come up looking for her. I have to run.” He grabbed a third bag out from under his bed and then pulled the box of parts out and began to dump them into the bag with the other spare parts he had.
“I’ll come with you then.”
“Jared,” Jensen stopped to look at him. “You can’t. She already got too good a look at you. You need to get as far away from me as you can.”
“No. You’re injured.”
“I’m broken,” Jensen said harshly. “I’m a machine. I can fix myself when it’s safe.”
“Fine.”
“Fine?”
“Yeah, I’m not going to fight you on it.”
Jensen looked at him for a moment but that was all the time he had to spare. He pulled on a clean hoodie to hide the wound from anyone else and pulled on a baseball cap. It wasn’t much but it might give him some time.
“I’m going to go to the basement. This building has a laundry mat down there that is shared with the next building over. There is a stair that connects the two. I’ll head out that way. Hopefully that will throw off whoever was watching my place.”
“And what am I supposed to do?”
“Go out the front. No one but Ms. Harris knows that you came to see me yet. You’ll just be someone else walking out of the building.”
“Alright,” Jared said as Jensen passed by to the bathroom. There were a few things he kept in there, a gun in case of trouble and more cash.
“I’ll see you down on the street,” Jared called out from the other room.
Jensen walked out of the bathroom, “Jared, you can’t.”
Jared was gone though. So were the bags with Jensen’s money and id’s, and the bag with his spare parts. “God damn it,” Jensen wanted to yell and rant at Jared for taking his stuff but he was out of time. He grabbed the third bag, stuffed the rest of his things in it and headed for the door.
He ran down the stairs - thank god Jared had fixed his knee before all this happened - and made his way down to the laundry room. There was no one there and Jensen was only too happy to get through without any friendly neighbors trying to chat him up.
He made it to the street without any trouble and Jared was there on the corner with a smile on his face. “You made it,” he said with fake excitement. “I thought I was going to have to start our road trip without you.”
“I’m going to kill you when we get to the site.”
Jared smiled as he led Jensen down the next street. He opened the door to a car and threw the bags in the back. When Jensen got in, Jared looked at him. “Where to?”
“They’ll figure out who you are quick enough. We can’t drive too far in your car or they’ll just track me through you.”
“Yeah, I figured that out. So, where to?”
Jensen let out a deep breath. He didn’t want to do this but he didn’t have a choice really. Jared wasn’t going to let him go, and if he was honest with himself, he’d need the help to fix his shoulder properly.
“Fine. I know a place. Just get us out of the city and I’ll tell you where to go from there.”
Jared started the car and Jensen watched to see if anyone was following them. He couldn’t see anyone and Jensen started to relax a little.
On to Part Two