Error
Title: Error
Author: kaylynnkie
Disclaimer: Not mine
Pairing: Neal/Peter
Summary: cyberpunk AU about NEAL, Agent Burke and his wife El
Word Count: 1,855
Warnings/Rating: R
Notes: Written for nevcolleil 's prompt over at comment_fic ; “ White Collar, Peter/Neal, whoever created N.E.A.L. - they did it to get back at the Bureau, and few people understand why Agent Burke won't simply have "its" neural network wiped and re-wired ”
Diana was working with the OPR people on audits, and Agent Fowler looked particularly annoyed about a case that Agent Burke was being “unreasonable about.” She, for one, didn't see the point in either man's stubbornness.
“The NEAL unit needs to be reset. It can be a perfectly useful agent. It's a smart and dependable AI.”
“Agent Fowler, I'm not Agent Burke's superior.”
He sighed. “I just need someone to talk some sense in to him. Getting attached to that thing could ruin his career.”
“I also don't know what the hell you're talking about because I just got transferred.”
He motioned to the case file. “I don't have room for that in my briefcase today, so I'll come pick it up tomorrow morning.”
Her eyebrow arched. This secret super confidential file? Right here on her desk? What was she to do? She barely restrained her eye roll as she led him out of the office. When she started gathering her own things to go home, though, she found her eyes straying to the file. Despite her curiosity, she didn't want to disrespect Peter. He wasn't just her boss, he was her friend.
*
NEAL was not what Peter expected when he finally caught up to him at the old run down electronics specialty shop, Moreau's. The FBI had planted the story about her being there in the workshop downstairs because Peter had thought that Neal was her lover. He almost didn't realize when those sharp blue eyes turned on him, and he watched everything slot itself into place in Neal's mind. But it was there. The strange hue of the iris, not quite black and a little too shiny, gave him away as not entirely human.
“Neal, it's over.”
He smiled. “Hi, Peter.” He extended his hand, and Peter gripped it firmly in his own and there was nothing unfamiliar about Neal's touch. “I knew it would be you.”
The trial had to be canceled because androids were not allowed to be heard in court. In fact, they were not recognized as living, so they could not be held in prisons. It was Peter who suggested that they use NEAL as a consultant. Hughes had disagreed.
“Peter, this isn't a conman. It's a rogue machine!”
“But he can learn! I can teach him, and if we wipe him clean, then we'll have nothing. None of his expertise or experience. We can learn from that, Sir.”
It had taken an engineer and a psychologist to agree with Peter before Hughes have him the go ahead. “Keep him off the streets, Peter. He's your responsibility now.”
El found him endlessly fascinating, and the first night he had slept over, she had kept him up until midnight asking questions.
“How old were you when you were born?”
“Three.”
“How were you able to disobey the law not to commit a crime?”
“Paradox loop syntax theorem implanted in my CPU.”
“Do you like eggs?”
“Yes.”
“Who named you?”
“My creator. Kate.”
“Why?”
“It means Not Exactly Andrew eLlis.”
Peter, who had been reclining on the sofa, sat up at this. “Sara Elis's brother?”
NEAL didn't look happy at the mention, but Peter was the one keeping him from being Reset.
“Kate and she were...involved. When her brother died, Sara wasn't happy. I was created to look like him.”
“What happened?”
He smiled sadly. “Not exactly, remember?”
*
Their first case together proved to Hughes that NEAL could do it. The other agents loved his sense of humor and fun. His rapport was witty and quick, but he offered the FBI connections and ability that they simply didn't have anywhere else. Still, though, with the evolution of technology progressing faster and faster, Hughes knew that NEAL's time was ending.
“Androids are becoming obsolete and dangerous, Peter,” he said about a year after they had recovered NEAL. “There are reports coming in of androids attacking families, their owners.”
“Neal -”
“Their lovers.” Their eyes met, and Peter looked down. “I'm not trying to come between you two, and I'm not saying that there is something wrong with what you're doing.” He sighed, “I don't want to have to scrape you off your ceiling because your android malfunctioned. He isn't human, Peter.”
“I know that, Sir, but I'm not letting him go without a fight.”
“I know.”
The first time he shared his body with Neal had been after Neal was held at gunpoint in an old warehouse that was a base for forging twenties and tens. El had been away at an event until early the next morning, but she had already given Peter her permission. She knew that it was inevitable.
“Peter? We don't have to do this.” Neal had taken off his shirt but was hanging back by the door while Peter stared down at his marriage bed.
“I want to,” he murmured, and Neal wrapped his arms around the man's torso from behind. It always soothed him to feel Neal's warmth and life pulsing as his blood pumped and he breathed in air. “I just don't know what you want.”
“You. Just you.” He kissed Peter's mouth softly as if he were something fragile. “I love you.”
Laying down and frantically loving each other on the bed seemed like the natural progression. El, like she did with everything else in their lives, found where she fit between them and made herself comfortable. Neal loved her, too.
*
El noticed it first. Neal was carrying the groceries, while El double checked her lists, when they passed by a card shop. She was almost at the end of the sidewalk when she realized he wasn't following her.
“Neal, come on. We have to-” She noticed he was staring at a duplicate of the Mona Lisa in the window. “I don't have time for this right now. Don't mope like that. We can go to the museum on Sunday like we planned.”
“Elizabeth, who painted this? It's a very interesting piece.”
She froze trying to pick out the joke in Neal's words. She couldn't.
“It's the Mona Lisa.” He turned to look at her blankly. “You know this one.”
“I'm sorry?”
“Da Vinci. Leonardo Da Vinci.”
“I'll look him up when we get home!” he said cheerily.
They were lucky it happened the next time at the office and not in the field. Lauren was working then, and she had been talking to Neal when he stopped listening and stared fixedly away. Frightened, she shook his shoulder.
“Neal, are you okay?”
He shoved her away, and her body smashed against a chair that she fell on top of. She was lucky not to be hurt beyond a few bruises. When he looked at her, Neal froze.
“Why would you try to hurt me like that?” he asked in a small voice. “Can't you tell them I tried!”
He hid under the desk screaming, begging them all to explain away some wrong he'd done that he couldn't tell them until Peter came. He recognized Peter, and they went home.
There were times when Neal was himself, sweet and funny. A devastatingly charming creature, who danced with El in the kitchen and made love to Peter on the sofa. This Neal knew what was happening, and he begged them to Reset him.
“Find me after,” he whispered. “Fall in love with me again.” He'd cry against Peter's chest and plead with El to take him away. “I'll know you - in my soul. I'll love you after, too.
He couldn't bear the thought of hurting anyone because when he was Neal, he remembered. He remembered hurting Lauren and making her feel fear. He remembered standing in the middle of a busy street, trying to figure out how to walk forward. He remembered holding Peter down in bed while he slept, trying to kill the man he loved.
“If you love me, don't let me hurt anyone!”
Peter knew better though, they weren't Resetting androids anymore. They were dangerous - something in their bioware was breaking down, reacting to atmospheric changes. No one knew why. The orders were to shut them down and destroy them. They always said they would, then Neal would smile and sleep. It felt like they were reliving the same hellish nightmare every day.
*
Diana called Christie to hear her voicemail message and held back tears. She couldn't go home yet. There was something she had to do.
“Hi, El.”
“Diana, it's good to see you, but it's eleven at night.”
The Burke household was dark. Peter was on a stakeout and El had been asleep until Diana woke her up. They sat at the table, and Diana told her the truth. It was hard not to. She finally understood why Peter couldn't lie to her.
“He can't keep going. He's dying inside, and you need to stop his pain.”
El was becoming emotional, her voice thick with tears when she spoke, “We love him.”
“Then you need to do what's best for him.”
“Elizabeth? Is Peter home?”
NEAL looked beautiful even rumpled from sleep and confused. She extended her hand.
“I'm Agent-”
He smiled at her. Dazzling. “Diana! You must be Diana. Peter talks about you all the time!” He shook her hand. “You're beautiful.” He looked confused. “I'm sorry. I'm usually better than that. It is late.” His face changed. “Is Peter okay? He's not hurt is he?”
“Shh. Neal, it's alright. She just came to visit.”
He chuckled nervously. “Oh. Well that's good. El is there any tea left?” He was looking at their cooling cups of chai.
“I'll get you some.”
He sat across from Diana. “Peter's recommending you for a promotion.”
She couldn't help it. She blushed. “He's a good boss.”
“He is,” he smiled. When El returned with his tea, he drew her onto his lap.
She stayed until midnight listening to them talk and reminisce. It was hard to leave because she hadn't done what she came to do and she didn't want to do it anymore. Neal walked her to the door and helped her put on her coat. He drew her close in a hug.
“I'm sorry you had to come here.”
She started, and he looked sadly at her.
“Hughes and Agent Fowler couldn't either. I mean, if Peter can't, then they don't stand a chance. I'm really sorry, Diana”
Nodding, she walked through the door and was almost at the end of the block when her right hand went to her holster. It was a habit from working in the field. Always check so it's never too late. Empty. She slammed on the breaks, the tires screeching and pulled up in time to hear the gunshots and El's screams.
Author: kaylynnkie
Disclaimer: Not mine
Pairing: Neal/Peter
Summary: cyberpunk AU about NEAL, Agent Burke and his wife El
Word Count: 1,855
Warnings/Rating: R
Notes: Written for nevcolleil 's prompt over at comment_fic ; “ White Collar, Peter/Neal, whoever created N.E.A.L. - they did it to get back at the Bureau, and few people understand why Agent Burke won't simply have "its" neural network wiped and re-wired ”
Diana was working with the OPR people on audits, and Agent Fowler looked particularly annoyed about a case that Agent Burke was being “unreasonable about.” She, for one, didn't see the point in either man's stubbornness.
“The NEAL unit needs to be reset. It can be a perfectly useful agent. It's a smart and dependable AI.”
“Agent Fowler, I'm not Agent Burke's superior.”
He sighed. “I just need someone to talk some sense in to him. Getting attached to that thing could ruin his career.”
“I also don't know what the hell you're talking about because I just got transferred.”
He motioned to the case file. “I don't have room for that in my briefcase today, so I'll come pick it up tomorrow morning.”
Her eyebrow arched. This secret super confidential file? Right here on her desk? What was she to do? She barely restrained her eye roll as she led him out of the office. When she started gathering her own things to go home, though, she found her eyes straying to the file. Despite her curiosity, she didn't want to disrespect Peter. He wasn't just her boss, he was her friend.
*
NEAL was not what Peter expected when he finally caught up to him at the old run down electronics specialty shop, Moreau's. The FBI had planted the story about her being there in the workshop downstairs because Peter had thought that Neal was her lover. He almost didn't realize when those sharp blue eyes turned on him, and he watched everything slot itself into place in Neal's mind. But it was there. The strange hue of the iris, not quite black and a little too shiny, gave him away as not entirely human.
“Neal, it's over.”
He smiled. “Hi, Peter.” He extended his hand, and Peter gripped it firmly in his own and there was nothing unfamiliar about Neal's touch. “I knew it would be you.”
The trial had to be canceled because androids were not allowed to be heard in court. In fact, they were not recognized as living, so they could not be held in prisons. It was Peter who suggested that they use NEAL as a consultant. Hughes had disagreed.
“Peter, this isn't a conman. It's a rogue machine!”
“But he can learn! I can teach him, and if we wipe him clean, then we'll have nothing. None of his expertise or experience. We can learn from that, Sir.”
It had taken an engineer and a psychologist to agree with Peter before Hughes have him the go ahead. “Keep him off the streets, Peter. He's your responsibility now.”
El found him endlessly fascinating, and the first night he had slept over, she had kept him up until midnight asking questions.
“How old were you when you were born?”
“Three.”
“How were you able to disobey the law not to commit a crime?”
“Paradox loop syntax theorem implanted in my CPU.”
“Do you like eggs?”
“Yes.”
“Who named you?”
“My creator. Kate.”
“Why?”
“It means Not Exactly Andrew eLlis.”
Peter, who had been reclining on the sofa, sat up at this. “Sara Elis's brother?”
NEAL didn't look happy at the mention, but Peter was the one keeping him from being Reset.
“Kate and she were...involved. When her brother died, Sara wasn't happy. I was created to look like him.”
“What happened?”
He smiled sadly. “Not exactly, remember?”
*
Their first case together proved to Hughes that NEAL could do it. The other agents loved his sense of humor and fun. His rapport was witty and quick, but he offered the FBI connections and ability that they simply didn't have anywhere else. Still, though, with the evolution of technology progressing faster and faster, Hughes knew that NEAL's time was ending.
“Androids are becoming obsolete and dangerous, Peter,” he said about a year after they had recovered NEAL. “There are reports coming in of androids attacking families, their owners.”
“Neal -”
“Their lovers.” Their eyes met, and Peter looked down. “I'm not trying to come between you two, and I'm not saying that there is something wrong with what you're doing.” He sighed, “I don't want to have to scrape you off your ceiling because your android malfunctioned. He isn't human, Peter.”
“I know that, Sir, but I'm not letting him go without a fight.”
“I know.”
The first time he shared his body with Neal had been after Neal was held at gunpoint in an old warehouse that was a base for forging twenties and tens. El had been away at an event until early the next morning, but she had already given Peter her permission. She knew that it was inevitable.
“Peter? We don't have to do this.” Neal had taken off his shirt but was hanging back by the door while Peter stared down at his marriage bed.
“I want to,” he murmured, and Neal wrapped his arms around the man's torso from behind. It always soothed him to feel Neal's warmth and life pulsing as his blood pumped and he breathed in air. “I just don't know what you want.”
“You. Just you.” He kissed Peter's mouth softly as if he were something fragile. “I love you.”
Laying down and frantically loving each other on the bed seemed like the natural progression. El, like she did with everything else in their lives, found where she fit between them and made herself comfortable. Neal loved her, too.
*
El noticed it first. Neal was carrying the groceries, while El double checked her lists, when they passed by a card shop. She was almost at the end of the sidewalk when she realized he wasn't following her.
“Neal, come on. We have to-” She noticed he was staring at a duplicate of the Mona Lisa in the window. “I don't have time for this right now. Don't mope like that. We can go to the museum on Sunday like we planned.”
“Elizabeth, who painted this? It's a very interesting piece.”
She froze trying to pick out the joke in Neal's words. She couldn't.
“It's the Mona Lisa.” He turned to look at her blankly. “You know this one.”
“I'm sorry?”
“Da Vinci. Leonardo Da Vinci.”
“I'll look him up when we get home!” he said cheerily.
They were lucky it happened the next time at the office and not in the field. Lauren was working then, and she had been talking to Neal when he stopped listening and stared fixedly away. Frightened, she shook his shoulder.
“Neal, are you okay?”
He shoved her away, and her body smashed against a chair that she fell on top of. She was lucky not to be hurt beyond a few bruises. When he looked at her, Neal froze.
“Why would you try to hurt me like that?” he asked in a small voice. “Can't you tell them I tried!”
He hid under the desk screaming, begging them all to explain away some wrong he'd done that he couldn't tell them until Peter came. He recognized Peter, and they went home.
There were times when Neal was himself, sweet and funny. A devastatingly charming creature, who danced with El in the kitchen and made love to Peter on the sofa. This Neal knew what was happening, and he begged them to Reset him.
“Find me after,” he whispered. “Fall in love with me again.” He'd cry against Peter's chest and plead with El to take him away. “I'll know you - in my soul. I'll love you after, too.
He couldn't bear the thought of hurting anyone because when he was Neal, he remembered. He remembered hurting Lauren and making her feel fear. He remembered standing in the middle of a busy street, trying to figure out how to walk forward. He remembered holding Peter down in bed while he slept, trying to kill the man he loved.
“If you love me, don't let me hurt anyone!”
Peter knew better though, they weren't Resetting androids anymore. They were dangerous - something in their bioware was breaking down, reacting to atmospheric changes. No one knew why. The orders were to shut them down and destroy them. They always said they would, then Neal would smile and sleep. It felt like they were reliving the same hellish nightmare every day.
*
Diana called Christie to hear her voicemail message and held back tears. She couldn't go home yet. There was something she had to do.
“Hi, El.”
“Diana, it's good to see you, but it's eleven at night.”
The Burke household was dark. Peter was on a stakeout and El had been asleep until Diana woke her up. They sat at the table, and Diana told her the truth. It was hard not to. She finally understood why Peter couldn't lie to her.
“He can't keep going. He's dying inside, and you need to stop his pain.”
El was becoming emotional, her voice thick with tears when she spoke, “We love him.”
“Then you need to do what's best for him.”
“Elizabeth? Is Peter home?”
NEAL looked beautiful even rumpled from sleep and confused. She extended her hand.
“I'm Agent-”
He smiled at her. Dazzling. “Diana! You must be Diana. Peter talks about you all the time!” He shook her hand. “You're beautiful.” He looked confused. “I'm sorry. I'm usually better than that. It is late.” His face changed. “Is Peter okay? He's not hurt is he?”
“Shh. Neal, it's alright. She just came to visit.”
He chuckled nervously. “Oh. Well that's good. El is there any tea left?” He was looking at their cooling cups of chai.
“I'll get you some.”
He sat across from Diana. “Peter's recommending you for a promotion.”
She couldn't help it. She blushed. “He's a good boss.”
“He is,” he smiled. When El returned with his tea, he drew her onto his lap.
She stayed until midnight listening to them talk and reminisce. It was hard to leave because she hadn't done what she came to do and she didn't want to do it anymore. Neal walked her to the door and helped her put on her coat. He drew her close in a hug.
“I'm sorry you had to come here.”
She started, and he looked sadly at her.
“Hughes and Agent Fowler couldn't either. I mean, if Peter can't, then they don't stand a chance. I'm really sorry, Diana”
Nodding, she walked through the door and was almost at the end of the block when her right hand went to her holster. It was a habit from working in the field. Always check so it's never too late. Empty. She slammed on the breaks, the tires screeching and pulled up in time to hear the gunshots and El's screams.