Choices (Part Two)
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?
**
It was past midnight when Jensen ordered Jared to pull into a motel. They’d stopped twice during the day; once to take a car from a long term parking lot and the second at a gas station to fuel up and so that Jared could take a look at Jensen’s shoulder. The guy wouldn’t stop asking about it and Jensen realized he wouldn’t until he’d gotten a good look himself. He wasn’t happy to leave it damaged but Jensen had been adamant. He had to get them further away before they stopped for long enough to replace the parts.
Jared had been silent as they drove and Jensen wanted nothing more than to trust the man and fall asleep in the passenger seat but he hadn’t been able to get rid of the fear thatHarris would find them again. I’d been years since she’d last had him in a cage but he knew she’d never stop looking for him. She might get bored with the hunt for a little while and let it slide, but she’d always come back to it in the end.
As Jared pulled into the parking lot Jensen let out a relieved sigh. They were in the middle of nowhere. Jensen didn’t even know the name of the town. There was no way Harris could track him there.
“I’ll go get us a room,” Jared said as he started to get out of the car.
Jensen grabbed his wrist and stopped him. “Don’t use a credit card. They’ll track your cards once they find out who you are.”
“You seem pretty certain she’ll remember me well enough to do that. Or that she has the resources for it.”
Jensen nodded. “She has the memory and the resources. Here,” Jensen grabbed one of the packs and pulled cash from it. “This looks like the sort of place that will take cash without questions.”
Jared nodded once before he left the car and headed to the office. Jensen was too tired to worry about Jared. Part of his knew that he should be concerned about what Jared wanted from him. Was it just a coincidence that his mistress had come at the same time Jared had? He couldn’t help but be suspicious but every instinct he had, every bit of programming, told him that Jared was an honest guy. That he was a good guy.
Jared came back a few minutes later. He didn’t say anything but he gave Jensen the keys as he put the car in gear and drove them around to the back of the motel. It kept the car hidden and Jensen didn’t know if Jared did it on purpose or if the room just happened to be at the back, but Jensen was grateful either way.
“Come on. I need to look at your shoulder,” Jared said as he got out of the car. He popped the trunk and grabbed all three of the bags. Jensen wanted to complain but his shoulder ached so instead he got out and found their motel room. He opened the door and flipped the light on as Jared came in and dropped the bags on the full bed closest to the door.
“Alright, no more stalling. Take your jacket and shirt off.”
“Knew you just wanted to see me naked,” Jensen said as he struggled out of his hoodie. Jared was quiet and when Jensen looked up there was a strange look on his face. Horror maybe? “I’m just kidding Jared,” he said, surprised at the other man’s reaction. Maybe he really had befriended one of the Freed Ones after all. “I know you’re not … no one would go through all this just to fuck me. No matter how good I am in bed.”
Jared nodded but he walked into the bathroom while Jensen took his shirt off. He kicked off his shoes and pulled his jeans and socks off as well. Just in case the repair got messy, Jensen didn’t want his clothes stained with it. He had plenty of cash to get new clothes but he wasn’t sure when he’d have access to funds again and he preferred to keep what he had.
“Jensen, I think we should do it in here,” Jared called from the bathroom. “The light is better.”
Jensen grabbed the bag with the spare parts and walked into the brightly lit room. Jensen dropped it on the cold tile floor and sat down on the toilet.
Jared rummaged through the bag until he came out with the tools he needed and some of the parts. “You really are pretty well stocked,” he said as he looked at Jensen.
“Better safe than sorry,’ Jensen replied.
“Okay, so let’s take care of this. Are you able to turn off your pain receptors?”
“Only the deeper ones. My mistress bought a masochistic toy. I can turn off pain for deeper repairs but not for the surface level pain.”
“I don’t want to hurt you,” Jared said, uncertain.
Jensen smiled. “There’s a bottle in there. Give it to me.”
It was whiskey. Jensen couldn’t get drunk per say, but his body was programmed to respond to alcohol content the way a human did. He could turn it off if he needed to but tonight he was grateful for that adaptation. It would dull the pain at least.
He took two long swigs from the bottle before he set it on the ground at his feet.
“You done a shoulder repair like this before?” Jensen asked.
Jared let out a deep breath as he probed at Jensen’s shoulder. “I’ve done shoulder replacements before, but never from a gunshot wound.”
“First time for everything, right?” Jensen asked.
Jared gave him a small smile. “Guess so. Are you okay? Do you need anything before I get started?”
“Just give me a few more minutes while the alcohol kicks in,” Jensen said as he reached down and took another swig from the bottle. “I didn’t get a chance to say thank you. For helping me get away.”
“You shouldn’t have to deal with this.”
“I know. When I was younger I thought that since I’d taken them to court it would mean I was safe. I thought the notoriety of it would keep me safe from all the nastiness, and it did, for a few years. I’m so fucking tired of being on the run.”
Jensen realized the alcohol had probably kicked in. “Come on, let’s get this done. I could use a good night’s sleep.”
Jared nodded as he set to work. It hurt, but Jensen was able to keep his body still as Jared began to cut open the physioplast and peel it back to reveal the mechanics underneath. Jared gently pulled tissue away from the gears and metalwork and Jensen closed his eyes at the feel of his competent hands.
Jared spoke softly as he worked, a comment here or there about what he was doing as he pulled parts out of Jensen’s shoulder and began to work newer parts in. It took an hour and thirteen minutes before Jared finished.
The physioplast melded together to complete the look of unblemished skin and Jared let out a deep breath as he stood up and dropped the tools into the sink. They were covered in fluid. Not blood, but it was his lifeblood anyway. Jensen looked away from the sink and shook his head.
“I’ll get this cleaned up,” Jared said softly. “It’s a thing. I need to be able to clean my own tools once I finish working.”
They were Jensen’s tools but he didn’t want to argue with the guy who’d spent more than an hour patching him up so he nodded. “There was a restaurant across the street. How about I get us something to eat?”
“Are you okay to go out already?”
Jensen smiled as he twirled his arm around. “Feel just like new doc.”
**
The food was good but the conversation was stinted as Jensen and Jared ate. Jensen appreciated the fact that Jared didn’t ask if he needed to eat but he would have liked something to break the silence as well. Jensen was well versed in how to be a pleasant companion but his programming fell short on how to talk to the man across from him. Most of his attempts were met with single word answers and Jensen took the hint.
When they were finished, Jensen cleared the table of their trash and settled onto the bed with his bags on it. When Jared finished in the bathroom he came out and sat on the other bed. He was quiet for a few minutes before he looked at Jensen.
“I can’t go home right now, can I?”
“I’m sorry. You seem like a really nice guy and I hate that you got pulled into this.”
“You really think she’ll have figured out who I am?”
“She probably had people working on it as soon as you stepped in my building. Ms. Harris has a lot of connections and her husband has even more. She’ll get bored of chasing me after a while and the intensity of the search will die down, but she’ll be back again. If she finds you, she won’t believe you just helped me because you were being nice. She’ll assume there is something more and she won’t stop until she hears what she wants. Or until I’m back in her cage again.”
“A cage?”
Jensen let out a deep breath. “Yeah. I’m just … can we talk more tomorrow? It’s been a long day and I’m tired.”
“Yeah, of course.”
“We’ll stop somewhere tomorrow and pick you up some clothes. I can lend you a shirt but there is no way those long legs are going to fit into my jeans,” Jensen said with a small smile.
Jared let out a short laugh but it made Jensen smile for real. “Then what?”
“We run. We take off and find a good place to lay low. Once I know she isn’t tracking us here we can make plans.”
“How many times have you done this Jensen?”
“Done what?”
“Had to run from her?”
“Over the last ten years, she’s found me five times. One of the times, she caught me, the others I managed to get away.”
“Jesus, Jensen, that’s insane.”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t know how you live like this, always looking over your shoulder.”
“You get used to it,” Jensen said quietly. He turned off the lamp beside the bed to signal an end to the conversation. “Good night, Jared.”
He watched Jared strip out of his jeans and tee shirt and slide beneath the covers in just his boxers. When Jared turned off the other light, Jensen let out a sigh of relief that Jared hadn’t tried to join him in bed. “Good night, Jensen.”
**
Breakfast was take-out again. Jensen didn’t want to be seen in public again so Jared ran across the street and picked up food. Jensen had a stack of pancakes with sausage while Jared put away an omelet and both their sides of toast. The room had a coffee pot and Jared had hit the convenient store to grab coffee as well so Jensen was happy to let the caffeine hit his system as the taste lulled him into the false safety of comfort.
“So,” Jared broke the silence. “You want to tell me about these people that are after us?”
Jensen let out a deep sigh. “Danneel Harris and Jeff Morgan. I don’t know what all they’re into but I know for certain that they run drugs and have their fingers in human trafficking.”
“Jesus,” Jared stared at him, wide eyed.
“Yeah.” Jensen didn’t know what else to say but he felt like he owned Jared. He didn’t like the feeling. “They used to bring people into the house. Danneel would offer my services to help them wind down from the road or whatever else she came up with.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah, well, I was just an android then. No one cared that I was being raped. I was just something they owned. I heard more than they wanted me to but as long as I was on their leash it didn’t matter. When I sued for my freedom they realized how much I knew.”
“Wait. You sued for freedom? You’re the one?”
Jensen shrugged his shoulders.
“That was … this is insane. You’re one of the most revered figures in the Sentient Android Rights Movement. How can you be on the run like this?”
Jensen smirked. “I won my freedom and a lot of other AIs were freed at the same time, but that doesn’t mean people didn’t try to put us back in our place. I’d like to think that if I didn’t know what I did that my Mistress would have let me go, but I know better. She spent a fortune to get a cage made for me. It hung from her bedroom ceiling. It was large enough for a bed if she wanted to come into the cage with me. When she was angry, she’d throw me into the basement and keep me there without food or water.”
“As an android you can’t starve though.”
“No, but I feel hunger and my body uses food to create energy the same way a human’s does. It was torture because we both knew I couldn’t die from it.”
“That’s horrific.”
“Well, I didn’t sue for my freedom because they were good to me.”
“How did you get away from them?”
Jensen took a sip of his coffee. “One of my Master’s henchmen had a soft spot for me. I convinced him to help me escape. I told him I’d spend my life with him if I could get free. He was killed when I escaped.”
“I’m sorry that you lost him.”
Jensen shook his head. “You mistake my intent. A 56 can lie as easily as a human. He wanted to believe I’d run off with him but I had no intention of staying with him. When he died I got to the police and told them some of what I knew. Before they could try to use me, some lawyer who wanted to make a name for himself came in and made me an offer. If I sued for freedom he’d keep me safe until the trial was over. I think Sheppard knew there would be trouble once the trial was over but I was naïve enough to think I could get away once I legally had my freedom.”
Jensen didn’t like to talk about his past but Jared deserved to know what he’d gotten himself into. “When it first happened, they sent me offers. A lot of money to come back to them. I refused. They stopped being nice about it and began their attempts to kidnap me. I got away three times. The fourth time she found me, I was caught. It took me seven months to escape. Since then, I keep to myself and I don’t let others get too close either. There’s too much of a chance that she’ll find out.”
Jensen didn’t say anything else and it looked like Jared had enough to think about. Jensen closed his eyes and enjoyed the taste of his coffee. He tried to ignore the clean scent of Jared that filled his nose. He was more than his programming and he pushed it to the back of his mind.
“So… what do we do now?” Jared broke the silence.
Jensen sighed. “I wish I knew. I’ve been running for so long. I don’t know how to do anything else. I don’t want you to have to live like this though. It’s not fair to you. You just wanted to help someone and now you’re stuck.”
“Yeah,” Jared said with a sigh. “Look, I was thinking about this while I was driving. I don’t know if it’s something you’d be interested in, but I know a guy. A cop. I think he can help us.”
“I don’t have much faith in cops, Jared.”
“Yeah, I figured that. Look, when I first started at Rockbell Robotics, I started to notice some of the Freed Ones didn’t come in for replacement parts. When I got in touch with the people at the Department of AI affairs, they were the same Sentient Androids who missed their yearly meetings with their case workers. I went to the cops because I was worried about them. I thought they might be in trouble.”
“I bet that went well,” Jensen interrupted.
“Yeah,” Jared admitted. “I was laughed out of the place. One of the guys followed me out though. He gave me his card and said to call him and he’d see if he could help me. He’d met a K-T_S59 on the streets not long before and he’d tried to look out for her. She called herself Katie. It didn’t end well so he was willing to help me. We helped a lot of Freed Ones who hadn’t made the adjustment.”
“How many did you lose?”
Jared shook his head as he looked down into his own mug of coffee. “Too many. How the hell people thought they could just set everyone free but not give any support that was needed to make the break is beyond me. Even now I see Sentient Androids who don’t know how to get past their programming.”
Jensen nodded. “You really think this guy can help you?”
“He’ll help us. I won’t give him any information about where we are, but he could look into your situation. Maybe he could find some way to get you off the streets.”
“It’d be nice. You know, I lived in a cage but it was a gilded one. When my Mistress was in a good mood, when her husband was, I had everything anyone could ever want. When I sued for my freedom I was awarded enough reparations to keep me in the lap of luxury my whole life. I can’t use it though. They found a way to monitor the account. It’d be nice to finally use that money and set myself up.”
“A mansion?” Jared asked.
“Nah. It’s not my style. A little house somewhere, big enough for two, with an ocean side view. Yard for a dog or two. Nothing fancy, but a place of my own.”
“Big enough for two?”
“I’m not so different from everyone else. I spent most of my life being touched. Now, I just want to find someone I could want. Someone that doesn’t care I used to be an android or that I’ll age slower than them. That I need replacement parts instead of doctor visits. It’s not a lot, but I’ve mostly given up on it. It’s not something I think I’ll ever find.”
“No?”
“It’s a nice dream,” Jensen said softly. “Why don’t you call that friend of yours?”
“You believe that he can help?”
“I don’t know if he can help me, Jared, but maybe he can find a way to help you.”
**
Jensen wanted to give Jared the benefit of the doubt but there was only so much leeway he could give. He’d lived on the streets too long, survived on his own too long to trust someone else completely. So instead of finding a way to ignore the words Jared spoke into the phone, Jensen turned his back but turned all his attention to his hearing.
The other end of the phone line picked up and a man’s voice answered. “Jared, how are you?”
“Jim, I need help.”
“What kind of trouble did you get yourself into now?”
“Uh, a lot. Actually, I was just doing my job and I ran into some trouble.”
“What the devil did you do, boy?”
Jensen could hear the concern in the man’s voice and he wanted to trust in that too but it was too soon. Jensen turned around and Jared stared at him for a moment before he answered.
“The kind that has me on the run. I was on a house call.”
“Jared, I’ve warned you about that. You can’t just go in with that big dopey smile of yours and expect-“
“No, Jim, not like that,” Jared lowered his eyes and looked away from Jensen then. Jensen wanted to know what the man was talking about. What sort of trouble had Jared had in the past while he was on the job?
“I was with a patient,” there was a snort at the other end of the line but Jared kept going, “and he was attacked. His former owner showed up. She’s been harassing him for the past 10 years and she found him while I was there.”
“Jesus, Jared. What did you get yourself mess up with?”
“I want to email you some information. Can you look into it for me? We’re safe for now, but we need to find a way to stop them.”
“Alright. Tell me this guy’s name and I can start to look into his background.”
Jensen was impressed that the guy, Jim, didn’t talk like he was a thing. It made him think more highly of the man. Jared looked back at him with a question in his eyes. He obviously knew Jensen could hear both ends of the conversation. Jensen gave him a tight smile and nodded.
“Jensen Ackles.”
“The original S56 who sued for freedom? Jared, you can’t be serious. He was involved with some very nasty people.”
“Yeah I met one. Danneel Harris.”
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Jared, this is beyond crazy. The criminal record on the Morgan-Harris family is a fucking tome. If you’re caught up in something-“
“I am, and you’re the only one I trust to get me out of this.”
Jim let out a deep breath and Jensen watched as Jared’s head dropped and his shoulders sagged.
“Give me a few days, Jared. It’s going to take some time to pull information without alerting anyone to what I’m doing. You don’t happen to know the name of the lawyer that represented Ackles, do you? He might have some insight.”
“Mark Sheppard,” Jensen answered. “He knows what happened to me before I was free. He doesn’t know anything else though.”
Jared repeated it. After being reassured that Jared was safe and would remain so, Jim and Jared said their good-byes.
“Well, that went over better than I thought,” Jared said with a nervous laugh.
Jensen knew he was lying but he didn’t say anything about that. “I think we should hit the road again. I have any idea of a place we can hide out for a while. It’s not fancy but it’s off the grid.”
“I trust you, Jensen. I know you’ll keep us safe.”
“Be careful, Jared. You say ‘us’ a lot.”
Jared’s face paled but he grabbed Jensen by the wrist. “We are in this together. You said they’d come after me if I went home, so that means we are going to take care of each other. When I say us and we, I mean it. I’m not going to leave you high and dry and I know you won’t do that to me either.”
“How do you know that, Jared? Huh? I wasn’t built for this. I was made to be superficial. How do you know I won’t leave you behind and turn my ass over to the first person who acts like they could take care of me better?”
“Because if you were going to leave me behind, you already would have. You don’t need me now. I helped you with your shoulder and now I’m just dead weight. But you aren’t leaving me and you won’t.”
Jensen stared at Jared for a long minute before he wrenched his arm out of Jared’s grasp and left the motel room.
**
He didn’t go far. He couldn’t. Jared was right. He wouldn’t leave Jared behind, no matter that it would be better for him in the long run. Maybe Jared’s friend could help him out, but Jensen had little faith in that. Since he couldn’t run, he took the car to the gas station and filled up the tank. He grabbed snacks for the road so they wouldn’t have to stop for a while.
When he got back, Jared looked up from the bed and smiled at him. He stood and Jensen noticed their packed bags at the floor beside Jared’s feet. “All ready to go?”
Jensen shook his head and sighed. “Yeah. Let’s get some miles between us and them.”
Jared’s smiled brightened as he grabbed two of the bags and walked towards the door. He stopped as he reached Jensen. “Better watch out, Jensen. You just said us.”
Jensen closed his eyes against the desire that sparked through him at the words but Jared had already walked away. This was going to be bad on so many levels, but Jensen vowed to keep his programming down. He just might be able to trust Jared. Jensen wasn’t stupid enough to throw himself at the first person he’d ever been able to trust to take care of him. No matter how much he wanted.
**
It took two days to get to the first part of their destination. They drove the first day and slept in the car on the side of the road when they were both too tired to keep going. Jensen might be an android but his body needed time to recharge the same as any human did. Jared didn’t ask him about it and Jensen was grateful for that. Jared treated him like a human and he never acted like Jensen might be different. It was the illusion of humanity that Jared gave him and for the first time in years, Jensen felt accepted. Maybe the first time ever.
When they woke the next day Jensen drove them on. When evening hit, Jensen had Jared go to the grocery store and get them everything they’d need to hold up for a long while. Jared didn’t like it but Jensen told him they needed to get our quickly. He could see that Jared wanted to argue again but Jensen gave him a sincere smile. “You were right, Jared. I’m not going to leave you. That means I need to trust you. I’m going to get us another transport. I need you to get everything we need, food, plates, hell, bath towels.”
“What’s going on Jensen? Where are we going?”
“I know a place we can hide out but there won’t be anything supplied. Stock us up and meet me out at the nature reserve we saw on the other side of town.”
“You’ll be okay?”
Jensen smiled. “I’ve got this Jared. Grab us some clothes too. The superstore should have everything you need.” He handed Jared the cash he’d brought. “Meet me at the park in two hours.”
Jensen walked away from Jared before he could protest. He’d been here before. It had been years ago, but he knew this small town. It had been a good hiding place until he’d become paranoid and moved on. No one had found him there though. No one could connect him with it. And no one would know about the place Jensen planned to take Jared because he’d only stumbled upon it by accident himself.
He just needed to get them something a little roomier than the small car they’d picked up.
On to Part Three
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?
**
It was past midnight when Jensen ordered Jared to pull into a motel. They’d stopped twice during the day; once to take a car from a long term parking lot and the second at a gas station to fuel up and so that Jared could take a look at Jensen’s shoulder. The guy wouldn’t stop asking about it and Jensen realized he wouldn’t until he’d gotten a good look himself. He wasn’t happy to leave it damaged but Jensen had been adamant. He had to get them further away before they stopped for long enough to replace the parts.
Jared had been silent as they drove and Jensen wanted nothing more than to trust the man and fall asleep in the passenger seat but he hadn’t been able to get rid of the fear thatHarris would find them again. I’d been years since she’d last had him in a cage but he knew she’d never stop looking for him. She might get bored with the hunt for a little while and let it slide, but she’d always come back to it in the end.
As Jared pulled into the parking lot Jensen let out a relieved sigh. They were in the middle of nowhere. Jensen didn’t even know the name of the town. There was no way Harris could track him there.
“I’ll go get us a room,” Jared said as he started to get out of the car.
Jensen grabbed his wrist and stopped him. “Don’t use a credit card. They’ll track your cards once they find out who you are.”
“You seem pretty certain she’ll remember me well enough to do that. Or that she has the resources for it.”
Jensen nodded. “She has the memory and the resources. Here,” Jensen grabbed one of the packs and pulled cash from it. “This looks like the sort of place that will take cash without questions.”
Jared nodded once before he left the car and headed to the office. Jensen was too tired to worry about Jared. Part of his knew that he should be concerned about what Jared wanted from him. Was it just a coincidence that his mistress had come at the same time Jared had? He couldn’t help but be suspicious but every instinct he had, every bit of programming, told him that Jared was an honest guy. That he was a good guy.
Jared came back a few minutes later. He didn’t say anything but he gave Jensen the keys as he put the car in gear and drove them around to the back of the motel. It kept the car hidden and Jensen didn’t know if Jared did it on purpose or if the room just happened to be at the back, but Jensen was grateful either way.
“Come on. I need to look at your shoulder,” Jared said as he got out of the car. He popped the trunk and grabbed all three of the bags. Jensen wanted to complain but his shoulder ached so instead he got out and found their motel room. He opened the door and flipped the light on as Jared came in and dropped the bags on the full bed closest to the door.
“Alright, no more stalling. Take your jacket and shirt off.”
“Knew you just wanted to see me naked,” Jensen said as he struggled out of his hoodie. Jared was quiet and when Jensen looked up there was a strange look on his face. Horror maybe? “I’m just kidding Jared,” he said, surprised at the other man’s reaction. Maybe he really had befriended one of the Freed Ones after all. “I know you’re not … no one would go through all this just to fuck me. No matter how good I am in bed.”
Jared nodded but he walked into the bathroom while Jensen took his shirt off. He kicked off his shoes and pulled his jeans and socks off as well. Just in case the repair got messy, Jensen didn’t want his clothes stained with it. He had plenty of cash to get new clothes but he wasn’t sure when he’d have access to funds again and he preferred to keep what he had.
“Jensen, I think we should do it in here,” Jared called from the bathroom. “The light is better.”
Jensen grabbed the bag with the spare parts and walked into the brightly lit room. Jensen dropped it on the cold tile floor and sat down on the toilet.
Jared rummaged through the bag until he came out with the tools he needed and some of the parts. “You really are pretty well stocked,” he said as he looked at Jensen.
“Better safe than sorry,’ Jensen replied.
“Okay, so let’s take care of this. Are you able to turn off your pain receptors?”
“Only the deeper ones. My mistress bought a masochistic toy. I can turn off pain for deeper repairs but not for the surface level pain.”
“I don’t want to hurt you,” Jared said, uncertain.
Jensen smiled. “There’s a bottle in there. Give it to me.”
It was whiskey. Jensen couldn’t get drunk per say, but his body was programmed to respond to alcohol content the way a human did. He could turn it off if he needed to but tonight he was grateful for that adaptation. It would dull the pain at least.
He took two long swigs from the bottle before he set it on the ground at his feet.
“You done a shoulder repair like this before?” Jensen asked.
Jared let out a deep breath as he probed at Jensen’s shoulder. “I’ve done shoulder replacements before, but never from a gunshot wound.”
“First time for everything, right?” Jensen asked.
Jared gave him a small smile. “Guess so. Are you okay? Do you need anything before I get started?”
“Just give me a few more minutes while the alcohol kicks in,” Jensen said as he reached down and took another swig from the bottle. “I didn’t get a chance to say thank you. For helping me get away.”
“You shouldn’t have to deal with this.”
“I know. When I was younger I thought that since I’d taken them to court it would mean I was safe. I thought the notoriety of it would keep me safe from all the nastiness, and it did, for a few years. I’m so fucking tired of being on the run.”
Jensen realized the alcohol had probably kicked in. “Come on, let’s get this done. I could use a good night’s sleep.”
Jared nodded as he set to work. It hurt, but Jensen was able to keep his body still as Jared began to cut open the physioplast and peel it back to reveal the mechanics underneath. Jared gently pulled tissue away from the gears and metalwork and Jensen closed his eyes at the feel of his competent hands.
Jared spoke softly as he worked, a comment here or there about what he was doing as he pulled parts out of Jensen’s shoulder and began to work newer parts in. It took an hour and thirteen minutes before Jared finished.
The physioplast melded together to complete the look of unblemished skin and Jared let out a deep breath as he stood up and dropped the tools into the sink. They were covered in fluid. Not blood, but it was his lifeblood anyway. Jensen looked away from the sink and shook his head.
“I’ll get this cleaned up,” Jared said softly. “It’s a thing. I need to be able to clean my own tools once I finish working.”
They were Jensen’s tools but he didn’t want to argue with the guy who’d spent more than an hour patching him up so he nodded. “There was a restaurant across the street. How about I get us something to eat?”
“Are you okay to go out already?”
Jensen smiled as he twirled his arm around. “Feel just like new doc.”
**
The food was good but the conversation was stinted as Jensen and Jared ate. Jensen appreciated the fact that Jared didn’t ask if he needed to eat but he would have liked something to break the silence as well. Jensen was well versed in how to be a pleasant companion but his programming fell short on how to talk to the man across from him. Most of his attempts were met with single word answers and Jensen took the hint.
When they were finished, Jensen cleared the table of their trash and settled onto the bed with his bags on it. When Jared finished in the bathroom he came out and sat on the other bed. He was quiet for a few minutes before he looked at Jensen.
“I can’t go home right now, can I?”
“I’m sorry. You seem like a really nice guy and I hate that you got pulled into this.”
“You really think she’ll have figured out who I am?”
“She probably had people working on it as soon as you stepped in my building. Ms. Harris has a lot of connections and her husband has even more. She’ll get bored of chasing me after a while and the intensity of the search will die down, but she’ll be back again. If she finds you, she won’t believe you just helped me because you were being nice. She’ll assume there is something more and she won’t stop until she hears what she wants. Or until I’m back in her cage again.”
“A cage?”
Jensen let out a deep breath. “Yeah. I’m just … can we talk more tomorrow? It’s been a long day and I’m tired.”
“Yeah, of course.”
“We’ll stop somewhere tomorrow and pick you up some clothes. I can lend you a shirt but there is no way those long legs are going to fit into my jeans,” Jensen said with a small smile.
Jared let out a short laugh but it made Jensen smile for real. “Then what?”
“We run. We take off and find a good place to lay low. Once I know she isn’t tracking us here we can make plans.”
“How many times have you done this Jensen?”
“Done what?”
“Had to run from her?”
“Over the last ten years, she’s found me five times. One of the times, she caught me, the others I managed to get away.”
“Jesus, Jensen, that’s insane.”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t know how you live like this, always looking over your shoulder.”
“You get used to it,” Jensen said quietly. He turned off the lamp beside the bed to signal an end to the conversation. “Good night, Jared.”
He watched Jared strip out of his jeans and tee shirt and slide beneath the covers in just his boxers. When Jared turned off the other light, Jensen let out a sigh of relief that Jared hadn’t tried to join him in bed. “Good night, Jensen.”
**
Breakfast was take-out again. Jensen didn’t want to be seen in public again so Jared ran across the street and picked up food. Jensen had a stack of pancakes with sausage while Jared put away an omelet and both their sides of toast. The room had a coffee pot and Jared had hit the convenient store to grab coffee as well so Jensen was happy to let the caffeine hit his system as the taste lulled him into the false safety of comfort.
“So,” Jared broke the silence. “You want to tell me about these people that are after us?”
Jensen let out a deep sigh. “Danneel Harris and Jeff Morgan. I don’t know what all they’re into but I know for certain that they run drugs and have their fingers in human trafficking.”
“Jesus,” Jared stared at him, wide eyed.
“Yeah.” Jensen didn’t know what else to say but he felt like he owned Jared. He didn’t like the feeling. “They used to bring people into the house. Danneel would offer my services to help them wind down from the road or whatever else she came up with.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah, well, I was just an android then. No one cared that I was being raped. I was just something they owned. I heard more than they wanted me to but as long as I was on their leash it didn’t matter. When I sued for my freedom they realized how much I knew.”
“Wait. You sued for freedom? You’re the one?”
Jensen shrugged his shoulders.
“That was … this is insane. You’re one of the most revered figures in the Sentient Android Rights Movement. How can you be on the run like this?”
Jensen smirked. “I won my freedom and a lot of other AIs were freed at the same time, but that doesn’t mean people didn’t try to put us back in our place. I’d like to think that if I didn’t know what I did that my Mistress would have let me go, but I know better. She spent a fortune to get a cage made for me. It hung from her bedroom ceiling. It was large enough for a bed if she wanted to come into the cage with me. When she was angry, she’d throw me into the basement and keep me there without food or water.”
“As an android you can’t starve though.”
“No, but I feel hunger and my body uses food to create energy the same way a human’s does. It was torture because we both knew I couldn’t die from it.”
“That’s horrific.”
“Well, I didn’t sue for my freedom because they were good to me.”
“How did you get away from them?”
Jensen took a sip of his coffee. “One of my Master’s henchmen had a soft spot for me. I convinced him to help me escape. I told him I’d spend my life with him if I could get free. He was killed when I escaped.”
“I’m sorry that you lost him.”
Jensen shook his head. “You mistake my intent. A 56 can lie as easily as a human. He wanted to believe I’d run off with him but I had no intention of staying with him. When he died I got to the police and told them some of what I knew. Before they could try to use me, some lawyer who wanted to make a name for himself came in and made me an offer. If I sued for freedom he’d keep me safe until the trial was over. I think Sheppard knew there would be trouble once the trial was over but I was naïve enough to think I could get away once I legally had my freedom.”
Jensen didn’t like to talk about his past but Jared deserved to know what he’d gotten himself into. “When it first happened, they sent me offers. A lot of money to come back to them. I refused. They stopped being nice about it and began their attempts to kidnap me. I got away three times. The fourth time she found me, I was caught. It took me seven months to escape. Since then, I keep to myself and I don’t let others get too close either. There’s too much of a chance that she’ll find out.”
Jensen didn’t say anything else and it looked like Jared had enough to think about. Jensen closed his eyes and enjoyed the taste of his coffee. He tried to ignore the clean scent of Jared that filled his nose. He was more than his programming and he pushed it to the back of his mind.
“So… what do we do now?” Jared broke the silence.
Jensen sighed. “I wish I knew. I’ve been running for so long. I don’t know how to do anything else. I don’t want you to have to live like this though. It’s not fair to you. You just wanted to help someone and now you’re stuck.”
“Yeah,” Jared said with a sigh. “Look, I was thinking about this while I was driving. I don’t know if it’s something you’d be interested in, but I know a guy. A cop. I think he can help us.”
“I don’t have much faith in cops, Jared.”
“Yeah, I figured that. Look, when I first started at Rockbell Robotics, I started to notice some of the Freed Ones didn’t come in for replacement parts. When I got in touch with the people at the Department of AI affairs, they were the same Sentient Androids who missed their yearly meetings with their case workers. I went to the cops because I was worried about them. I thought they might be in trouble.”
“I bet that went well,” Jensen interrupted.
“Yeah,” Jared admitted. “I was laughed out of the place. One of the guys followed me out though. He gave me his card and said to call him and he’d see if he could help me. He’d met a K-T_S59 on the streets not long before and he’d tried to look out for her. She called herself Katie. It didn’t end well so he was willing to help me. We helped a lot of Freed Ones who hadn’t made the adjustment.”
“How many did you lose?”
Jared shook his head as he looked down into his own mug of coffee. “Too many. How the hell people thought they could just set everyone free but not give any support that was needed to make the break is beyond me. Even now I see Sentient Androids who don’t know how to get past their programming.”
Jensen nodded. “You really think this guy can help you?”
“He’ll help us. I won’t give him any information about where we are, but he could look into your situation. Maybe he could find some way to get you off the streets.”
“It’d be nice. You know, I lived in a cage but it was a gilded one. When my Mistress was in a good mood, when her husband was, I had everything anyone could ever want. When I sued for my freedom I was awarded enough reparations to keep me in the lap of luxury my whole life. I can’t use it though. They found a way to monitor the account. It’d be nice to finally use that money and set myself up.”
“A mansion?” Jared asked.
“Nah. It’s not my style. A little house somewhere, big enough for two, with an ocean side view. Yard for a dog or two. Nothing fancy, but a place of my own.”
“Big enough for two?”
“I’m not so different from everyone else. I spent most of my life being touched. Now, I just want to find someone I could want. Someone that doesn’t care I used to be an android or that I’ll age slower than them. That I need replacement parts instead of doctor visits. It’s not a lot, but I’ve mostly given up on it. It’s not something I think I’ll ever find.”
“No?”
“It’s a nice dream,” Jensen said softly. “Why don’t you call that friend of yours?”
“You believe that he can help?”
“I don’t know if he can help me, Jared, but maybe he can find a way to help you.”
**
Jensen wanted to give Jared the benefit of the doubt but there was only so much leeway he could give. He’d lived on the streets too long, survived on his own too long to trust someone else completely. So instead of finding a way to ignore the words Jared spoke into the phone, Jensen turned his back but turned all his attention to his hearing.
The other end of the phone line picked up and a man’s voice answered. “Jared, how are you?”
“Jim, I need help.”
“What kind of trouble did you get yourself into now?”
“Uh, a lot. Actually, I was just doing my job and I ran into some trouble.”
“What the devil did you do, boy?”
Jensen could hear the concern in the man’s voice and he wanted to trust in that too but it was too soon. Jensen turned around and Jared stared at him for a moment before he answered.
“The kind that has me on the run. I was on a house call.”
“Jared, I’ve warned you about that. You can’t just go in with that big dopey smile of yours and expect-“
“No, Jim, not like that,” Jared lowered his eyes and looked away from Jensen then. Jensen wanted to know what the man was talking about. What sort of trouble had Jared had in the past while he was on the job?
“I was with a patient,” there was a snort at the other end of the line but Jared kept going, “and he was attacked. His former owner showed up. She’s been harassing him for the past 10 years and she found him while I was there.”
“Jesus, Jared. What did you get yourself mess up with?”
“I want to email you some information. Can you look into it for me? We’re safe for now, but we need to find a way to stop them.”
“Alright. Tell me this guy’s name and I can start to look into his background.”
Jensen was impressed that the guy, Jim, didn’t talk like he was a thing. It made him think more highly of the man. Jared looked back at him with a question in his eyes. He obviously knew Jensen could hear both ends of the conversation. Jensen gave him a tight smile and nodded.
“Jensen Ackles.”
“The original S56 who sued for freedom? Jared, you can’t be serious. He was involved with some very nasty people.”
“Yeah I met one. Danneel Harris.”
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Jared, this is beyond crazy. The criminal record on the Morgan-Harris family is a fucking tome. If you’re caught up in something-“
“I am, and you’re the only one I trust to get me out of this.”
Jim let out a deep breath and Jensen watched as Jared’s head dropped and his shoulders sagged.
“Give me a few days, Jared. It’s going to take some time to pull information without alerting anyone to what I’m doing. You don’t happen to know the name of the lawyer that represented Ackles, do you? He might have some insight.”
“Mark Sheppard,” Jensen answered. “He knows what happened to me before I was free. He doesn’t know anything else though.”
Jared repeated it. After being reassured that Jared was safe and would remain so, Jim and Jared said their good-byes.
“Well, that went over better than I thought,” Jared said with a nervous laugh.
Jensen knew he was lying but he didn’t say anything about that. “I think we should hit the road again. I have any idea of a place we can hide out for a while. It’s not fancy but it’s off the grid.”
“I trust you, Jensen. I know you’ll keep us safe.”
“Be careful, Jared. You say ‘us’ a lot.”
Jared’s face paled but he grabbed Jensen by the wrist. “We are in this together. You said they’d come after me if I went home, so that means we are going to take care of each other. When I say us and we, I mean it. I’m not going to leave you high and dry and I know you won’t do that to me either.”
“How do you know that, Jared? Huh? I wasn’t built for this. I was made to be superficial. How do you know I won’t leave you behind and turn my ass over to the first person who acts like they could take care of me better?”
“Because if you were going to leave me behind, you already would have. You don’t need me now. I helped you with your shoulder and now I’m just dead weight. But you aren’t leaving me and you won’t.”
Jensen stared at Jared for a long minute before he wrenched his arm out of Jared’s grasp and left the motel room.
**
He didn’t go far. He couldn’t. Jared was right. He wouldn’t leave Jared behind, no matter that it would be better for him in the long run. Maybe Jared’s friend could help him out, but Jensen had little faith in that. Since he couldn’t run, he took the car to the gas station and filled up the tank. He grabbed snacks for the road so they wouldn’t have to stop for a while.
When he got back, Jared looked up from the bed and smiled at him. He stood and Jensen noticed their packed bags at the floor beside Jared’s feet. “All ready to go?”
Jensen shook his head and sighed. “Yeah. Let’s get some miles between us and them.”
Jared’s smiled brightened as he grabbed two of the bags and walked towards the door. He stopped as he reached Jensen. “Better watch out, Jensen. You just said us.”
Jensen closed his eyes against the desire that sparked through him at the words but Jared had already walked away. This was going to be bad on so many levels, but Jensen vowed to keep his programming down. He just might be able to trust Jared. Jensen wasn’t stupid enough to throw himself at the first person he’d ever been able to trust to take care of him. No matter how much he wanted.
**
It took two days to get to the first part of their destination. They drove the first day and slept in the car on the side of the road when they were both too tired to keep going. Jensen might be an android but his body needed time to recharge the same as any human did. Jared didn’t ask him about it and Jensen was grateful for that. Jared treated him like a human and he never acted like Jensen might be different. It was the illusion of humanity that Jared gave him and for the first time in years, Jensen felt accepted. Maybe the first time ever.
When they woke the next day Jensen drove them on. When evening hit, Jensen had Jared go to the grocery store and get them everything they’d need to hold up for a long while. Jared didn’t like it but Jensen told him they needed to get our quickly. He could see that Jared wanted to argue again but Jensen gave him a sincere smile. “You were right, Jared. I’m not going to leave you. That means I need to trust you. I’m going to get us another transport. I need you to get everything we need, food, plates, hell, bath towels.”
“What’s going on Jensen? Where are we going?”
“I know a place we can hide out but there won’t be anything supplied. Stock us up and meet me out at the nature reserve we saw on the other side of town.”
“You’ll be okay?”
Jensen smiled. “I’ve got this Jared. Grab us some clothes too. The superstore should have everything you need.” He handed Jared the cash he’d brought. “Meet me at the park in two hours.”
Jensen walked away from Jared before he could protest. He’d been here before. It had been years ago, but he knew this small town. It had been a good hiding place until he’d become paranoid and moved on. No one had found him there though. No one could connect him with it. And no one would know about the place Jensen planned to take Jared because he’d only stumbled upon it by accident himself.
He just needed to get them something a little roomier than the small car they’d picked up.
On to Part Three