Remnants of the Earth
SPACE STATIONS => The Libra => Topic started by: Rhi-Rhi on January 30, 2014, 11:43:40 pm
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Trigger Warning: Rape, non-con, coercion
Bard nodded, glancing at the kid sidelong. "Considering the temperature of the zoo and the overall comfortable temperature of Libra, most people would find it curious, yes."
He shrugged and looked back to the exhibit. "Perhaps even a little shady."
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Cameron tittered out a nervous laugh. "I'm not shady."
He swallowed. Getting found out concerned him less than what would happen after that. The incomplete and unhinged AI in his head could be unpredictable when it came to matters of survival.
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Bard raised an eyebrow. Someone was sure nervous, but he only smiled. "Did I call you shady?" he asked, and looked at him again, head tilting as though studying him.
"Because I don't recall such an accusation. Unless, maybe, you're projecting."
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Cameron scratched at the bandage. It was hot, and this guy and his nosy questions or whatever weren't helping.
"It...it sounded like you did," he muttered. Then he started looking around for which direction would get him to the exit fastest.
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Bard chuckled, shaking his head and clapping the kid lightly on the shoulder.
"Oh, my apologies, I was only joking," he said, and gave his shoulder a light squeeze. "I don't mean to chase you off when the place has only opened--oh."
His hand tightened a little on him and he blinked, glancing down at the kid's shoulder as though surprised.
"Oh. Interesting. Is this legal?"
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Cameron flinched when the man's hand landed on him. His eyes fell to the hand on his shoulder. Beneath, hard metal alloy gave not at all to the man's grip.
"Of...of course! Yes?"
Yeah. Yeah that sounded all right. It sounded like...casual. He nodded. "Uh-huh."
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Bard only smiled, hand still on the kid's shoulder.
"Mhmm. Yeah, I didn't think so, either."
Looking up, he glanced around as though searching for someone, and lowered his voice. "You do realize it's military appreciation day, correct? That this place is teeming with soldiers?"
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Cameron drew in on himself, shooting glances at the crowd around them. "I may have missed that fact."
He chewed his bottom lip, and found what he was looking for—the way out. He edged away. "Well," he said, clearing his throat, "I should, like, go. I guess."
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Bard let him go, but gave him a concerned look. "Go where? Do you have a plan?" he asked, head tilted. "You were suspicious enough to me, and I'm not a soldier. How do you think you'll come across to someone actually trained to look for these things?"
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Cameron hedged. He was so lost on Libra, and this was the first person since Bhaskara who'd even taken an interest in him. Maybe even in helping him? He could do a lot with the knowledge at the AI's disposal, but it couldn't help him avoid notice. Quite the opposite.
"Um." He scratched at the bandage again. Dang, was it ever hot and itchy under that thing. "No, but I can't stay here."
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"No, you certainly can't. You'd be taken apart, piece by piece."
Bard looked to the exit again, seeming to consider his options. "I could get you out of here safely," he said at last, looking back to the kid. "Not to toot my own horn, but I'm a bit important, so it's unlikely you'd be bothered so long as you stuck close. If anyone asks questions, let me do the talking. Of course, if you feel more comfortable taking your chances over trusting a tranger, I completely understand."
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Cameron flinched. He knew what the authorities would do if he were caught. He knew it but it made it so much worse to hear it said out loud.
When the man offered to help, Cameron's heart sped up. He was so at a loss here. He hadn't been able to make any progress on Libra at all, either will finding a safe place or getting off of the station entirely.
He was nodding before the man even finished talking. Even as the last words were leaving his mouth, Cameron said, "Yes! Yes, I would love help, thank you! I have no idea what to do, I've been on the station for weeks, and I don't—"
He was being pretty loud there. He came closer and pitched his voice low. "I don't mean to break the law but I can't get off the station."
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It was a wonder the kid had lasted so long without being disassembled. He wanted to ask him how he'd survived to adulthood.
Instead, he made a shushing noise and drew closer to the kid, leaning down a little so that, maybe, he wouldn't be so inclined to spewing verbal vomit for everyone in the station to hear. It was clear he wasn't dealing with a genius here, but that was fine. He didn't need geniuses, nor particularly want them.
Thank goodness the place was noisy, and that most people were more interested in the animals than some awkward, weirdly dressed kid.
"Ah, well if you need off the station, I'm leaving tomorrow," he said. "And if identification is an issue, I have ways to fix that. In any case, you're welcome to catch a ride."
Turning, he located the back exit and motioned for the kid to follow him. "Where have you been staying here? And how did you manage to get stuck here, much less get past security in the first place?"
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Cameron could just about have fainted from relief. He followed immediately.
"Oh, that." How much should he tell this guy about Bhaskara? Cameron didn't work for him anymore, but it didn't feel right to go blabbing about everything. "My last employer got me on board. But, um...things didn't go so great after that."
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"No?"
They headed out from the monkey exhibit and into the zoo proper, which was bustling with activity. Hmm. Which way. All paths eventually lead to the exit, but if he remembered correctly the exhibit was near the front entrance. He looked around for one of those helpful signs.
"What happened?"
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Cameron kept pace and did his best not to look worried, or like he was trying to avoid suspicion. Getting out probably wouldn't be too hard, right? He'd gotten in okay, after all, and they were nearly at an exit.
"It's a long story." Cameron sighed. He didn't even have all the details, but he knew enough to know all of those avenues were closed to him. "He's in prison now."
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Bard spotted a sign, showing the entrance was just to the right, past the flamingos. He lead the way again, keeping his pace casual; there was no rush, because there was nothing wrong, though it probably looked rather funny to see a man in a casual business suit strolling along with a kid that looked like he'd survived some sort of auto crash.
"Sounds rough," he said. "I'm sorry to hear that. But you'll be okay now. We're almost out." He didn't bother to mention that if they kid had managed to get in here without a hassle, chances were, no one would bother him leaving. In fact, most people would probably see his bandage and think nothing of it, and in fact they wouldn't want to be rude. Nah. Let the kid be paranoid. It suited his purposes best that way.
As they passed the flamingo inclosure, Bard gave a light laugh. "Oh, I'm sorry. I just realized all this time and I don't know your name. I'm Bard."
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"It was," Cameron said. Gods above, did he ever miss having a job. Rather, the AI settled down considerably when it had a purpose to serve, and that just made his life so much easier. Bhaskara had helped him, even if his operations were illegal.
They were almost out. Then maybe he could finally figure out where to go from here. He couldn't even get a job on Libra because everywhere he found ran identification. "I'm Cameron, sir."
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"Pleasure to meet you, Cameron," Bard said, and before long they were heading out the main gate. Cameron did draw some odd stares, but no one stopped them. Still, too many stares and people would start asking questions.
"So, Cameron, where was it you were heading? After you get off the Libra, I mean."
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Cameron let out long, tense breath when they finally passed beneath the archway soaring over the zoo's exit. His relief didn't even make a whole lot of sense. They were out of the zoo, but still on Libra.
"Oh. Ahaha. Um, I hadn't gotten that far yet. I just...I would try to find a job I guess. So Cancer maybe?"
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Bard had been about to answer Cameron, but a soldier came into view, heading toward the zoo, and Bard touched Cameron's arm and drew him in away from the man. The soldier wasn't even paying attention to them, but it was better to give Cameron the impression that he was.
"Oh, so you're looking for work? Do you have a specialty? A trade?"
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Cameron veered closer to Bard. "I was a...um, a personal assistant."
He didn't know why it embarrassed him to say that Bhaskara mostly used him for sex, but it did. Anyway, personal assistant was what Bhaskara had always called him, so that was what he told others.
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That was vague and didn't really tell him much of anything, but he let it go for the moment.
"Hmm...and your 'enhancements'? What kind of purpose do they serve?" Then he paused and laughed. "Ah, apologies, I'm getting a bit ahead of myself. What I'm getting at is that I happen to run a large business, and as it happens we have some openings."
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"I would love a job!" he blurted out. More specifically, the AI desperately needed a purpose to serve, and that purpose needed to come from someone besides Cameron.
"I can do anything! Well, I mean, not anything, but a lot! I'm—" He glanced around and made sure they weren't in earshot of anyone before continuing. Even then, he had to swallow at his suddenly dry mouth before he said his next words. "I'm...mostly designed for combat. But I can do other things too! My last employer had me wake him up every morning, so I can even be an alarm clock!"
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That piqued Bard's interest. Combat? Really? The kid seemed far too simple and naive for that, but he did say designed, and that carried some interesting implications. "Designed" pointed at this being something that was done to him, not something he did for himself. As if he were a creation, an object.
"A jack of all trades, I see," he said with a smile. "Sounds like something I could use. Ah! Here we are."
They had reached the residential district, where Bard kept his seasonal home. He lead the way to one of the larger buildings and swiped a card key to open the door, flipped the light on insie. "You'll be safe now," he said, motioning for Cameron to go first.
Inside, the place was luxurious and clean. The design was minimalistic, partly for aesthetics and partly because Bard didn't spend too much time here, but it was obvious the man had money.
"Relax, get comfortable. Once we get you settled, I'll make a few phone calls to set up your ID, and tomorrow, we'll get you off this station. But in the meantime," he said, heading for the kitchen, "care for a drink?"
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Cameron nodded along. Jack of all trades, yes. Exactly!
The interior of Bard's home took his breath away. This...this was way different than the places Bhaskara stayed! Cameron kept his home clean for him, but before Cameron got there he was fairly sure Bhaskara's home had been pretty gross.
He stood in the center of the room, afraid to touch anything even though Bard had said to get comfortable. This place was just so nice and Cameron felt so grimy after living sporadically in hotel rooms for the last month.
"Yes, sir," he breathed, turning in a slow circle, taking in Bard's impressive home.
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In the kitchen, Bard opened the fridge and looked over his shoulder to see Cameron just standing there, looking mesmerized. He was so used to his own home that he forgot the effect it could have on people--and it wasn't like it even got to have that effect on everyone he had over. Most of his visitors were also wealthy, but the ones that weren't?
That was always fun.
"What would you like?" he called to get Cameron's attention. "My place isn't as stocked as it would be if I came here more often, but you have some choices. Do you drink? You seem like you've had a nerve-wracking day and I find a little rum always takes the edge off."
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Cameron started. He'd been lost in thought, wondering what Bard did for a living. He joined him in the kitchen.
"I could try rum, sir! I've never had it."
Bhaskara had just about every kind of liquor one could imagine, but Cameron couldn't recall ever trying rum.
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He could get used to being called "sir".
Grabbing a couple glasses from the cabinet, he brought out the rum and poured two glasses. He handed one to Cameron and headed into the living room, where he had a large couch and a reclining chair set in front of a big screen TV.
Bard took a seat on the couch and leaned back, made himself comfortable. "Go ahead and take a seat. If you like, I'll give you a tour later, but right now I have a few more questions I wanted to ask you."
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Cameron took the glass with a mumbled thank you and scurried right along on Bard's heels. He perched on the edge of the couch, not really comfortable enough in this nice home to lean back and relax.
"Yes, sir."
He was bizarrely nervous. He couldn't think of anything he'd done that was particularly wrong under Bhaskara's employ. They were involved in black market dealings, but it was mostly harmless stuff. It was just...he wanted to impress Bard.
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Bard took a sip of his rum. "I was just curious, when you said you were designed, what did you mean? You don't have to answer if you don't want to. My intent isn't to be rude, but I realize it might be a...delicate subject."
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"Oh well uh..."
Cameron started to answer then realized he had no idea what to say. He stared at the ceiling, collecting his thoughts and what little he knew of his own origin, until he actually had something resembling a response.
"I was, um, modified? By a company...somewhere . I don't remember exactly, but I know I'm incomplete." He hated saying that part. If he couldn't be human he at least would have liked to be wholly something else, not this broken half a thing. "I don't know the company, and they don't know where I am either, so..."
He shrugged. That was all there was to that, really.
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He had no memory of the company and the company had no knowledge of his whereabouts.
That was a nice bonus.
Taking another sip and setting his glass on the table, Bard leaned forward curiously. "And your modifications?" he asked. "What are they?"
He paused, as though considering his next words, and asked, "Can I see them?"
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Cameron sucked in a breath. It was silly. This man was helping him, and putting himself out to do it. Probably putting himself at risk, too. Of course he had a right to see what he was dealing with.
"Yes, sir."
He placed the glass down and pulled the bandage off first. The cybernetics crawled about the upper right side of his face, mostly just hardware support for his eye, which upon first glance no one would take for anything except fully artificial. The pupil, iris, and white of it all bore the fine, intricate detail of nanotech work. It was hard at work even now, the pupil expanding and contracting, shifting in color, drinking in detail about Bard and his home.
Then he rid himself of the turtleneck. Beneath he wore a simple t-shirt, and it showed the majority of his upper modifications well enough. His entire right arm had been completed. Only a little of his original flesh remained, most of stretched over a fully metallic skeleton frame. The rest? The rest could not have passed for legal cybernetics anywhere. It was all silvers and reds, a smooth, durable metal that was as light as it was strong. The gauntlet bore the most incriminating design—no one with sense could have mistaken its ordinance compartments for anything but what they were.
The arm modifications continued on, disappearing beneath his shirt. "There's more," he said, touching his shoulder. "They go on for a bit. My sternum and a good portion of my rib cage have been replaced. Also my left leg and hip, and my right leg up to the knee."
He hesitated, debating if he should take his shirt off, too, but stopped there.
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Now they were getting somewhere.
And what Cameron revealed was no less than impressive.
And very, very illegal.
If the kid was caught here with them, he would be divested of them, and considering the extent of them, he likely wouldn't survive their removal. But that was neither here nor there, since he planned on keeping him--but good to know nonetheless should he ever need to use that knowledge.
"That's amazing," he said at last. Engineered for combat, indeed. His purpose was obvious, and his body itself looked a weapon. It was amazing that all that was hiding in such a naive vessel.
"Thank you. That answered my questions, and I think I know what you can do for me. If you're still interested in working for me, that is. But rest assured, I treat my employees well, and I'd ensure your every need was provided for." Sitting back again, he crossed one leg over the other at the knee and continued his slow study of Cameron's body.
"How would you like to be my body guard? And something of a personal assistant, as well. Truthfully, there aren't too many times I need guarding, but I do need help managing business and personal affairs and such. You'd have to stay close to me, of course, but I don't recall you mentioning having anywhere else to go."
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Cameron would never say this to anyone, but he was pretty sure he hated people looking at his body like that. Honestly, even if his modifications were totally legal on Libra, he would still be covering up just as much.
He clasped his hands on his knees, metal fingers drumming upon flesh ones, while Bard examined him. He forgot his discomfort as soon as Bard uttered the words body guard.
"I can do that," he said, leaning forward. "It's exactly what I did before. Oh, I didn't get my employer in trouble, either! It was just, uh, the Libran authorities...I mean, what he did wasn't technically legal."
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"Ah, well I assure you, what I do is entirely legal, so you won't have to worry about that on this job," Bard said, smiling at Cameron's sudden enthusiasm. He reminded him a bit of a puppy--awkward and simple, but eager.
"We also won't be on the Libra, so you won't have to worry about hiding yourself. Ah, but enough business talk! You're probably tired." Picking up his glass, he finished off his rum and then glanced at Cameron's glass. "And you've hardly touched your drink. Is it okay?"
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"Huh? Oh! Yes!" He'd forgotten about the drink entirely. He downed it into two gulps, and thank the gods for all of Bhaskara's liquor because he only grimaced a little and managed to cough only once afterwards.
He cleared his throat. "Thank you, sir."
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Well...that was one way of doing things. It was like he thought he'd be judged or displease him if he wasn't overly enthusiastic about it.
Bard chuckled and shook his head. "I didn't mean you had to chug it, but..." He wondered if his alterations also gave him a higher tolerance? "Would you like some more? I have plenty."
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"I'm good, thank you, sir." If he were to be employed here, he might as well start now. He brought his empty glass to the kitchen to clean. The AI in his head relaxed. He'd never smoked, so far as he knew, but he figured it felt exactly like a nicotine addict finally getting a fix.
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Well, if he was going to go ahead and start on the dishes, Bard wasn't going to stop him.
Heading into the kitchen, he handed Cameron his glass. "You can take this, too, while you're at it," he said, and pat him on the shoulder as he turned to head back to the living room. "Showing initiative already, I see. I like that, kid."
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Cameron finished his own glass, then took care of Bard's, and set them both on the rack to dry. He rejoined Bard in the living room, but this time he stayed standing. He felt like he was already working for Bard, even if they hadn't made it official yet. It didn't feel right to sit anymore, not without invitation.
"Thank you, sir. I mean, for everything you're doing." He shifted from foot to foot. Just saying thank you seemed so inadequate. Bard was quite literally saving his life, and had offered him a job.
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"Oh, it's not a problem. And I expect you'll make it up to me, anyway," Bard said with a smile.
In a variety of ways.
With Cameron standing there awkwardly, finished with the dishes, Bard rose from the couch and headed over to him. Might as well get him settled in, even if they wouldn't be staying here for longer than a night.
He turned Cameron toward the hallway with a touch on his shoulder. "In the meantime, how about that tour? We can find you something more...appropriate to wear while we're at it, and I'm sure you'll want to get cleaned up, too."
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Cameron smiled back. He expected that same thing. Was determined to do so, actually.
"Do you live here by yourself, sir?" He hadn't seen evidence of anyone else here yet, not even a servant. And thank goodness because after the time he'd had on Libra, he was totally okay with just having to deal with one other person.
He was also totally okay with taking advantage of Bard's hospitality and getting a shower. And new clothes apparently!
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"For the most part, yes," Bard answered as he lead the way down the hall. "Except when I have visitors, of course, but as far as long-term residents go? I'm it." He paused. "Well, and now you."
They soon reached his bedroom, which was minimalist as the rest of his home, if less cold and more cozy with a large bed and a mirrored closet, the inside of which was big as a small room. He headed to the closet and began to rifle through his things, frowning at Cameron as he did as though sizing him up. Cameron was smaller than he was, shorter, so his clothes would fit loose, but they were better than what he had on now, and far better than looking like a hobo.
He handed Cameron a long-sleeved undershirt and a vest, a pair of nice jeans.
"Go ahead and try these on," he said. "See if they fit."
And then he just waited there, arms folded.
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Even Bard's bedroom looked expensive and classy. This was all so much more high class than anything Cameron had ever live in or worked in—so far as he could remember. It was kind of intimidating, but he didn't want Bard to see how utterly dumbstruck he was.
Gods above, his closet is as big as an apartment.
"Thank you, sir!" Long sleeves! That would cover most of his modifications, even when he was alone here with Bard, thank the gods. He didn't like anyone seeing them, ever. He spun until he found a bathroom to change in and headed for it.
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"You're welcome," Bard said, and followed after Cameron as he made a beeline for the bathroom.
Before Cameron could shut the door, he leaned against the door frame. "They might be a little big on you, but they'll do for now, until we can go shopping and fit you with something proper. But that will have to wait until we're off the Libra. I'm not going to risk Libran fitting rooms. Oh."
He motioned to Cameron. "You can just go ahead and toss your old clothes in the trash under the sink. You won't be needing them anymore. You're worth more than ratty clothes."
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Oh. He...hadn't expected Bard to follow him. Getting undressed in front of him concerned Cameron less than exposing every bit of his artificial parts, even though he knew that was a baseless isnecurity. With everything Bard was doing for him, he should see the modifications he was risking so much for.
"Yes, sir," he said, pulling his t-shirt over his head. There was something sad about throwing his clothes away, but Bard was right. They weren't special or anything. It was silly to want to hang on to them.
The modifications on his arm crawled all the way over his shoulder then grew sparse about his torso. Most of the work there had been strictly internal, though bits of metal dotted his rib cage where they'd begun early work there.
He tossed his shirt in the trash, grabbed up the new one.
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Bard was not subtle about the way he looked Cameron over, sweeping his eyes over him and inspecting his modifications--but he was looking at more than just the intricate metal. For all that he was imperfect and half machine, he wasn't hard on the eyes, either, and the parts of him that were still human were young and pretty.
He noted Cameron's obvious discomfort, but did nothing about it. Instead, he stepped further into the room to get a closer look at the metal crawling over his body.
"How fascinating," he said, walking a slow circle around him. "And it doesn't hurt you?" Some of the areas looked painful, like the parts where the skin met the metal, or the metal poked through the skin. "Can you feel anything with these parts?"
He reached out to touch Cameron's modified arm, and then paused. "May I?"
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Cameron paused, shirt still in hand, as Bard joined him in the bathroom. He hadn't said in words that Cameron couldn't continue dressing, but...yeah, he made it pretty clear he was looking the modifications over.
"No, sir," he said. "The flesh has all healed by this point."
He raises his arm to demonstrate, rubbing his fingers against each other. "Sensory arrays run all underneath the metal. I can feel everything."
He nodded in answer, even though he wasn't thrilled about it. "Yes, sir, go ahead."
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Bard ran his fingers along Cameron's metal bicep--if it could be called a bicep, considering it was metal--and nodded to himself. "Sensory arrays, hm? So you can feel this? I never would have thought about that."
As he spoke, he trailed his hand up Cameron's arm, over his shoulder, and lightly caressed the cybernetics on his face with the back of his knuckles, near his eye.
"I'm going to assume your eye isn't just altered for aesthetics," he said, pushing some of the hair back from Cameron's face so he could see it better. "What does it do? What can you see with it?"
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"Yes, sir. The entirety of the modifications collect sensory data—touch, pressure, heat, anything relevant really." So different than his flesh parts, though. What he felt when Bard ran a hand over him amounted to data more than sensation. He'd always found it unsettling. Another reason to wear long sleeves all the time.
It took some effort not to lean away as Bard looked into his artificial eye. The pupil expanded and contracted, rotated, shifted in color, constantly busy. "It's rather a...like an enhanced version of regular sight. It can read thermal signatures and radiation. It's...mapping your face right now for my records, and it knows the dimensions of the room and everything in it in case I have to act...quickly...for some reason."
Combat. In case he had to act quickly for combat.
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"Act quickly," Bard repeated, petting Cameron's cheek where metal met flesh. He watched Cameron's artificial eye, intrigued. "Like in case of an attack? That's a good trait to have in a body guard."
His thumb traced Cameron's jaw absently, still studying Cameron's face, and then, as though remembering himself, he took a step back. He leaned back against the door frame and motioned for Cameron to continue.
"All very good to know. Now, as far as your parts go, do you have any special needs? Maintenance needs, things of that nature? I'm not too familiar with your hardware, so you'll have to educate me."
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Cameron nodded, frozen in place. Almost entranced, even. His artificial eye slowed, stilled, centering on Bard's face as no new information presented itself. It revved back into movement as soon as Bard stepped back.
What was that?
"Um...well, I have a wing," he said, pushing his pants down and stepping out of them. "See the slots?"
He turned, revealing two ports on his back to install his wings, of which he had only the one. "I've got it stashed by the hotel I was staying at. I'd like to get it installed...somehow . It doesn't need much work. A cybernetic prosthetics surgeon could do it, if I could find one discrete enough. I could fly if I had the wing installed!"
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Bard was looking at more than just the ports when Cameron stepped out of his pants, but the question drew his eyes to the slots. Wings, huh? This kid...he was just full of surprises.
"There's bound to be someone who can do it on the Cancer, but...you could fly with the wing?" he said, and blinked. "Wing, singular. Wouldn't you need two?"
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"No, sir. I couldn't fly with as much efficiency or maneuverability, but it would get me in the air reliably." He glanced over his shoulder. Bard didn't seem to be going for an examination of any of his leg or hip modifications, so Cameron chucked his old jeans and grabbed up the new ones.
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"And you kept your wing near a hotel, you said?" Bard watched him pick up the jeans, and looked over his backside as he did. "We'll have to make sure we stop by and get it before we leave."
As Cameron pulled on the new jeans, Bard moved from the door again and took hold of the jeans, helping Cameron pull them up. "If these don't fit, I have some belts you could borrow. But they'll have to do until we reach the Cancer, because I don't trust shopping elsewhere with your condition."
He frowned. "Hmm. We'll also have to think of a way to hide your eye. That bandage worked, but it's not very subtle."
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Cameron's hands stilled on the jeans. Bard...sure seemed like a touchy feely kind of person.
"I think I'll need one. They feel a little loose." He couldn't even fasten them—Bard's hands still gripped the waist. "But what else could plausibly cover my eye?"
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"Ever considered an eye patch?" Bard asked, and reached around Cameron's front to begin buttoning his jeans. "That could work, provided we find the right one."
Grasping the zipper, he paused, smiled. "Ah, I just remembered. I didn't get to see all of you yet. Is this real or modified, too?"
His hand ghosted over Cameron's crotch as he spoke.
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Cameron sucked in a surprised breath. "Uh...um, that's...I—"
He laid a hand upon Bard's, but didn't stop him. Didn't know if he should or if he wanted to. How had this even happened? "It's...unaltered?"
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"Unaltered, good," Bard said, and didn't move his hand. That Cameron didn't stop him made him curious to see how far he could go. The mention of him being engineered for combat had made him wary at first, but Cameron had not stopped his touches this far, had obeyed him when told to change, had let him watch.
Had been quite submissive, actually. Passive.
It made him wonder about Cameron's nature. Would he go along with what he wanted, as he had thus far, like a good little machine?
If so, he could end up a very versatile tool, indeed.
He unbuttoned what he had buttoned and began to slide his hand into his pants. "May I inspect the hardware?"
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Cameron shifted, unable to tell the truth, unable to really deny what Bard clearly wanted. His artificial hand gripped Bard's wrist but still couldn't stop him. He only wished Bard would stop asking. The answer didn't matter, and he wasn't waiting for it anyway, but beyond that it was killing the inside of Cameron's head. He could handle genuine agency, and he could handle a user giving him an order, but this confusing middle ground where the latter was framed as the former near reduced him to a stammering mess.
His breath was already coming fast. "If...if that's what you want. Sir."
There. An answer with honesty that still satisfied the AI's need to serve Bard's purposes.
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"It is," Bard said simply, and he let Cameron's pants fall back around his ankles, shoved his underwear down.
His hand gripped him then and he stroked him, "examining" him, and liking the way Cameron's breath came fast. Pleasure or panic? Bard didn't really care which. The hand on his wrist could have been resistance or guidance, but that also didn't matter. He had Cameron now, a powerful machine built for combat, and he wasn't doing anything about this.
He continued to stroke him in long, slow movements. "Is that how you operate?" he asked as he did, mouth close to Cameron's ear. "Based on my wants?"
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Cameron gasped, and he grew hard quickly with Bard's hand working on him. He'd always been...responsive. Even when his last employer had him in bed three times a day. He leaned his head back upon Bard's shoulder and had the presence of mind to remember to arch his back, thrusting his ass against Bard's crotch.
"Yes, sir. You—ah!—you could say that."
On his wants...and more specifically on his orders. If he didn't give Cameron a command soon, he might be reduced to begging for it. His mind was a buzz of frantic input requests from the AI. His head felt like a bee hive.
-
Bard's breath hitched when Cameron pushed against his crotch, and he ground back against him in reply. My, Cameron responded so nicely. He was a natural, and Bard could tell he was going to have a lot of fun with this one.
His hand pumped Cameron quicker as he hardened, his other hand gripping Cameron's hip as he rocked against him, finding a nice, grinding rhythm. "And you'll do anything I want?" he said into Cameron's ear, breath hot against his neck. "Anything I ask?"
-
"Mmnh!" It wasn't much of an answer, the sound that came out of Cameron. It wanted to be an assent, but he couldn't form any words and it ended up a wordless noise, vaguely affirmative, as he threw a hand out to grip the edge of the counter top.
Don't come, don't come. Not without permission. He stared at the lights and focused on working his hips, teasing at Bard's emerging erection with his exposed ass. His head buzzed and he winced as the confusing noise all through his mind space emerged as an ache starting up behind his eyes. He couldn't think, he couldn't talk. He badly needed Bard to stop asking questions he couldn't answer and start making statements he could act upon, but he couldn't fucking speak anymore.
-
Bard was going to just take that as a yes. Sounded close enough. He smiled, loving the way Cameron moved against him, the way he seemed to be trying to hold back (he was so quiet!) while also losing control, judging by his tight grip on the counter. It was a delicious contrast.
Breath coming quicker and hand still stroking Cameron's cock in time to the rocking of his hips, he nibbled on the rim of the boy's ear. "Then come for me," he said, reaching up to play with one of Cameron's nipples. "And don't hold back. I want to hear you."
He really wanted to see just how well Cameron would, or could, obey him.
-
Cameron groaned, loudly, and clawed at the counter top. His breaths, quite panting before, became rhythmic moaning in accordance with Bard's command. He came almost immediately, but what flooded him with an even greater relief was the quieting of the AI. Given an input command to follow and execute, it now subsided, falling into silent vigilance as it awaited its next task. Things would be better now—it would not be so frantic again, not while Bard employed him and gave him quantifiable objectives to work toward.
He calmed quickly after he came, breathing evening out as he stilled, enjoying the normalcy in his head while it lasted.
-
That was impressive.
Bard held Cameron as he came and supported him after, his own breathing a bit ragged from both Cameron's grinding and the effect his words had on the kid. He really would do whatever he wanted, then. Amazing. He truly had lucked out here...he'd have to inform Aydan of his newest pet.
"Good boy," he murmured, and kissed the side of Cameron's neck. "You respond beautifully." Drawing his hand away, he glanced at at the sticky mess in his hand--organic material, clearly--and stepped away from Cameron with a light pat on his ass.
Walking to the sink, he washed his hands. "Have you ever given a man head before?" he asked, drying his hands and turning to face Cameron when he was done.
-
How did this happen again? I just wanted a job. A real job.
Cameron stayed in place, bewildered, as Bard moved around him. He was only able to meet Bard's eyes once, for an instant, before dropping them again. "Yes, sir."
-
Bard only smiled. "Excellent. Then show me what you're capable of."
-
An odd contentment settled over Cameron. Part of it was the AI, humming pleasantly behind his thoughts now that it had a user dictating functionality for it. And another part was...well, he could give good head. He knew that and found an inherent joy in performing tasks well.
He stepped out of the jeans and knelt, leaving only his underwear on him, strategically bunched about his thighs, just low enough to expose his ass. There was no hesitation as he opened Bard's pants and took his cock in hand—only the ease of long practice. His previous employer expected to wake up to a blowjob every morning.
He didn't even start with Bard's cock. Instead, he leaned in and began mouthing his balls, licking them as his hand slowly worked along Bard's shaft.
-
...Oh fuck.
Had the kid ever given head before.
It actually took Bard off guard, going against all his assumptions about the kid, for he had seemed so naive and inexperienced despite being a combat-oriented machine, and yet...
He knew exactly what he was doing.
Bard groaned and slid a hand into Cameron's hair, gripping him tightly as he mouthed his balls. Fuck. His breathing grew heavy as he watched Cameron work, enjoying both the sensation and the erotic sight of him kneeling like that, ass exposed, mouth working over him--oh.
Oh, that's right.
Reaching into his pocket with his free hand, Bard drew his phone from his pocket and held it up. He framed the image carefully, with a photographer's eye, and angled it just right so he could take a shot that looked like it was being viewed from his eyes.
"Cameron, look up."
And as soon as he did, he snapped a picture.
And promptly sent it to Aydan with the caption, "Look what I found."
-
Cameron lost himself in the task—the pace, the pressure of his grip, the confluence of mouth and hand for maximum effect.
Until Bard summoned his eyes upward.
He froze when he saw the phone. His face burned as Bard clicked the photo. His brow knotted into a mortified frown, which he turned immediately into a furrow of concentration as he closed his eyes and licked up Bard's shaft. He took Bard's cock in his mouth, one long slow slide until he bottomed out.
-
The briefly mortified look on Cameron's face only made it better. Flushed cheeks were a good look for him.
He kept the phone out and set it on the counter, just in case he got any other important messages, and went back to enjoying the warm, velvety sensation of Cameron's mouth on his cock.
Gods, he could even deep throat.
"Nnh, you're good," he breathed, head tilted and eyes closed with enjoyment, hand moving through Cameron's hair. Too good. He prided himself on having stamina, but he wasn't going to last long at this rate. "A-ah...where did you learn--?"
The text alert on his phone went off and, grabbing it off the counter, he quickly read the message. Aydan, of course, with one of his helpful suggestions. Bard set the phone down and gasped, going back to enjoying Cameron's wonderful mouth, moaning and rocking his hips in time to Cameron's movements as he began to rapidly approach his peak.
And then, right as he approached his release, he grabbed Cameron by the hair, pulled him off of him, and took his cock in hand to work himself the rest of the way. And then he came hard with a groan, all over Cameron's pretty face and hair.
-
Bard pulled him away. Cameron sat back on his heels, confused at first, Bard pumping away at his cock in Cameron's face.
Oh.
He flinched at the sensation of hot cum hitting his face but stayed where he was until Bard finished. He caught his breath for a few moments then looked up, waiting.
-
Taking up his cell phone again, Bard framed and shot yet another photo of Cameron while he was kneeling like that, face covered in his cum. He'd even managed to get some on the kid's artificial eye. Aydan would appreciate that, he was sure. He certainly appreciated the two new additions to his archives and looked forward to many more.
Once he'd sent the text, he cleaned himself with a tissue, fastened his pants, and turned toward the door.
Before he left, he looked over his shoulder at Cameron. "Go ahead and get cleaned up," he said, and took a towel from the hall cabinet and set it on the kitchen counter. "The shower's rather self explanatory. Be sure to try on the clothes and see how they fit, too, hm?"
-
"Yes, sir."
He didn't move until Bard was gone. The door he shut, if only to keep the heat in as he shucked his underwear off and slid underneath a shower of steaming water. The heat felt amazing on him, but he didn't linger. Inactivity eluded him, always. He needed to be doing something.
A mere ten minutes later he emerged, clothed anew but still with his old sneakers on. He wandered the house, looking for Bard.
-
From the living room couch, Bard heard the shower shut off, and heard the bathroom door open. Looking up from his tablet, where he had been reading the news, he called out, "I'm in the living room. Come on in."
Turning, he held up a belt and tossed it to Cameron. "I thought you might need this."
[TAL ENTER YOUR MISSING POST HERE MMKAY]
"Not at the moment, no," Bard said, going back to reading. He looked up from his tablet again and blinked as though realizing something.
"Oh. Here I am, having hired you, and you don't even know what it is I do, do you?" He motioned Cameron to come sit with him. "You should probably know, all things considered. We'll be checking up on things over the course of the next week."
************************
Cameron buckled the belt and joined Bard. He sat on the couch with his back straight and his hands clasped together. It was hard to tell just yet, but Bard seemed more formal than Cameron's previous employer. Far more formal. Until Cameron knew just how casual he could act around him, he would attempt rigidity.
"Do you run a jewelry chain, sir?" If the AI excelled at one thing, it was data acquisition and analysis. It had caught a number of hints about the home, as well as within the data traveling through Bard's wi-fi, to make a guess at what he did for a living.
***********************
Bard blinked in surprise, actually taken off guard by Cameron's response. "I...yes. I do," he said, and narrowed his eyes as though scrutinizing Cameron. "How did you know?"
************************
"Oh, well...you have budgetary documents addressed to a CEO in a half-open drawer in your office. We passed it on the way to the master bedroom. That, and your private PC runs passive functions as it sleeps to gather stock data on TBDR, which you're also checking on your tablet. Sir."
He shrugged.
***************************
Bard's eyebrows rose. The documents he could understand, if Cameron had seen them (though that took a special kind of observational skill), but the rest?
He glanced at his tablet, and then back at Cameron. It hadn't occurred to him until then just how deep Cameron's modifications ran. "So you have access to my electronics?"
********************
"Ummmmm...yeah. Yes, sir."
*********************
Well, that was rather uncomfortable. "And you were planning on telling me this when?"
*********************
"Oh, um." Cameron scratched his head and suddenly got very interested in looking anywhere else but at Bard. "When it became relevant I guess? I...I don't really notice it? The, uh…"
Cameron cleared his throat. This sounded like a pitiful excuse. "The AI in my head just kind of does it, constantly. So...yeah."
*********************
"And you didn't think it was relevant when I was inquiring about your modifications?" Bard asked, deciding to let Cameron sweat for a bit. "I think now is a good time for you to disclose any other secrets you have. Tell me about your AI and what it can do, and any other modifications you have, and what they're capable of."
-
Cameron bit back on more excuses. He hadn't said anything because he honestly hadn't even thought about it. It was just as he'd told Bard—he didn't notice it anymore.
"The AI can...well, I don't know everything about it actually. It's a separate mind. It can hack past most common security firewalls, but not all, and it does it on its own. Mostly it gathers information for me, and only dictates my behavior in...certain situations. Like self defense. When I'm in significant physical danger, the AI attempts to ensure its own survival."
-
That sounded useful. Dangerous, but useful--so long as it remained on his side.
"So it gathers information, and acts wirelessly, obviously," Bard said, mulling that over. "Do you have any control over it, or is it all automatic? What kind of information does it gather? Can you choose the data it delivers?"
-
Cameron waved a hand. "Oh, no sir. The AI acts on its own to do these things. I just have access to the information it gathers which is...everything it can."
-
"I see," Bard said. "So you couldn't, say, actively choose to hack a system in particular."
-
That one Cameron had to think about. "Mm, maybe. Maybe not. I can...suggest things to it, but there's no guarantee it'll listen."
-
"That sounds frustrating," Bard said, and shut his tablet down. "I suppose all I can say is try, to the best of your ability, to not mess with my data or my company's website. My competitors, however, are fair game, should you like to give your AI any 'suggestions'."
-
"Yes, sir," Cameron muttered. His own reluctance all but ensured the safety of Bard's competitors, unless Bard phrased it just right. A specific order with a designated end goal would kick the AI directly into action, especially now.
"But don't worry! It's uninterested in altering anything of yours. It's looking for threats and preparing for threats, mostly."
-
That was...reassuring, Bard supposed. But if personal threats were its main priority, seemed his company was in the clear.
"Ahh, good. Maybe you can double as my secretary, considering you already have access to my documents. Apparently."
He still wasn't quite sure how he felt about that.
But for the moment, he decided to set that to the side. "Anyway, since I don't have to explain what I do since you already know, let's skip to other matters. Are you hungry?"
-
It wasn't so much that Cameron felt hungry as that he knew he should eat. "A little, sir."
-
"And how much does your AI know about cooking?"
-
"As much as it can look up via your wi-fi, sir. So, a considerable amount? It finds cooking...satisfyin g. Anything with quantifiable steps, really. Concrete goals. Shall I make you something, sir?"
This conversation was so normal. Almost like everything that had happened before was some awful dream.
-
Cameron was turning out to be a very versatile employee.
Bard waved a hand at the kitchen. "The kitchen's not as stocked as it could be, but there should be enough to work with. Go ahead and make what you can with the ingredients there. I'm not a picky eater."
If this meant he could get out of cooking for himself, he was all for that.
-
Cameron rose, expressionless, to prepare food for Bard, which he couldn't believe he was being made to do after what just happened. None of this felt exactly real to him yet.
"And to drink, sir?" He paused at the kitchen door.
-
"There should be wine in there," Bard called to Cameron as he flipped on the television. "Red and white. Which one, of course, depends on whatever it is you make."
-
"Of course," Cameron muttered.
He ended up making a simple pasta dish, something quick and fairly easy but something he'd made before and knew to be delicious. In spite of everything, after the bathroom and the...photos, the thought of disappointing Bard made his throat clench.
While everything was still cooking, he brought Bard his first glass of wine and set it down for him on a coaster.
-
Bard took a sip of wine and sat back as he waited for Cameron to finish. "Do you drink?" he asked, eyes on the TV as he spoke. "Because you're also welcome to help yourself. If wine isn't to your liking, there's other things in the mini bar."
-
"Sometimes, sir," he said, returning to the kitchen as swiftly as he could so he wouldn't have to talk to Bard. It was the most noncommittal response he could think of that still remained respectful.
Truthfully he didn't mind drinking, but he didn't want anything of Bard's at the moment. He helped himself to water and that was it. When the food was ready, he brought plate and utensils to Bard, as well as the wine bottle.
He refilled Bard's glass in silence. His intention was to eat in the kitchen if he could. Eating out here, with Bard, struck him as more intimate than he thought he could handle. Besides, he was basically a servant, right? Servants shouldn't eat with their employers.
-
Whatever Cameron was making, it smelled good, which was impressive, considering the kitchen's limited supplies. Bard didn't really enjoy cooking and rarely had the time to waste on it anyway, so most of the time he ate out for threw something simple together. He could get used to having a personal chef. Why he hadn't thought of that earlier, he had no idea.
When Cameron returned, Bard arched an eyebrow, glancing down at his plate and noting that Cameron had only brought enough for him, and none for himself. He picked up his plate and gave Cameron a questioning look.
"Aren't you going to have any?"
-
He hedged at the doorway.
"I thought I should eat in the kitchen. It would be more appropriate?"
-
"Appropriate? Why would you think that?" Bard asked, frowning.
He pat the seat beside him. "Don't be ridiculous. Come, join me out here. Let's not be strangers, now."
-
"Yes, sir."
He would have thought Bard might like him to act more like a servant. Even so, he didn't take his time or hesitate, and was back out in the living room and on the couch in moments. His plate bore but a fraction of Bard's food—he didn't think he could stomach much.
-
"You're a rather good cook," Bard said, taking a sip of wine. Whether he noticed, or cared, about Cameron's silence was anyone's guess. "I suppose your AI makes it easy for you to be good at a wide variety of things, though, hm? Ah."
He passed the remote to Cameron. "I'm not really watching anything, so feel free to put on whatever you want. And tell me, with all your strengths, do you have any weaknesses?"
He finished off most of his second glass of wine.
Cameron probably wouldn't be watching that TV for long.
-
Cameron ate quickly, and would have remained silent if Bard hadn't asked him a direct question.
"Well...the modifications are bullet-proof, but obviously most of the left side of my body is still vulnerable to standard weaponry." He glanced at the remote then set it aside.
-
That wasn't what he was asking, but Bard accepted it for then. Mainly because he felt pleasantly buzzed and didn't truly care about the answer. He watched Cameron for a moment, and then set aside his plate (mostly finished) and finished off the rest of his wine.
"How interesting," he said, and laid a hand on Cameron's unmodified upper thigh. "But with any luck, you won't need to worry about that. My job typically doesn't involve, say...gunfights."
-
Cameron's eyes flicked to Bard's hand then back up to his face. "Then in the event of an atypical gunfight, I will have to do my best, sir."
The empty dishes gave him a perfect excuse to rise from the couch and collect them.
-
Cameron didn't get far.
As he rose, Bard caught him by the arm and pulled him back down roughly. "And where do you think you're going?" he asked. "I wasn't done with you yet--"
His cell phone went off then, and he let go of Cameron and retrieved it from his pocket. Ah, Aydan. And with a new video for him? Boy, his photos had had a...powerful effect, if he'd managed to produce some results that quickly.
"Seemed my friend fancied your pictures," he said to Cameron. "Let's see what he has to say."
He pressed play.
-
Part of it was Bard's sudden manhandling. Part of it was Cameron's anxiety in his presence. Put together, and the AI took over in an instant. Before Bard could pull him down, Cameron's artificial hand snapped out, grabbed Bard by the front of the shirt, and pulled him up.
The pupil of Cameron's artificial eye glowed a dim red. His voice came out flat. "I must insist that you forgo the use of physical force against this unit."
It held Bard there, awaiting assent.
-
To say that was the last thing Bard expected was an understatement.
Grabbed abruptly and yanked to his feet, he could only stare at Cameron in wide-eyed, wordless shock. And then, when Cameron spoke, realization clicked. That...that was not Cameron speaking. His voice, but not his words, not his inflection. That must be the AI, because it was speaking about Cameron in the third person.
It would have been stellar if Cameron had mentioned that the AI could take control of him.
Bard stared at Cameron for a moment, not daring to move, and looked for some sign that of the passive kid he'd come to know. Seeing none, he cleared his throat. "Yes...understood."
-
The red light in Cameron's eye faded. He dropped Bard back in the chair and resumed his position on the couch. His voice came out halfway between human and machine, the AI relinquishing control but still wary. "Proceed, then."
He picked up the phone from where it had fallen and handed it off to Bard.
-
Bard slid the phone back into his pocket. He didn't want to show it, but he still felt quite shaken by this turn of events--and the last thing on his mind now was whatever delicious thing Aydan had filmed for him. That could wait. He had other priorities now.
He let silence stretch between them for a moment. It gave him time to collect himself and recover. There were few things he hated more than appearing ruffled, especially in front of a subordinate. Especially in front of something like Cameron.
"So," he said at last, turning to look at Cameron, expression cool. He raised his eyebrows. "About what I said about disclosing secrets. You didn't feel that was important?"
-
Cameron watched Bard closely in a confused mixture of subservience and vigilance. He partly watched to be wary for danger, partly to be wary for any task Bard might require of him. The AI was at once suspicious for threat and desperate for a user to serve.
"To what are you referring, sir?" His voice still droned into a slight monotone.
-
"Oh, I don't know. The part where your AI took control of your body?" And maybe still was controlling him, judging by his voice.
-
"I stated that fact 47 minutes ago, sir. I have my exact words on record if you require them." Some inflection returned to his voice.
-
"Did you now," Bard said, sounding tired. "Let's hear it, then."
-
"I stated that, 'Mostly it gathers information for me, and only dictates my behavior in...certain situations. Like self defense'."
-
Bard was loath to admit it, but he vaguely remembered Cameron saying something like that. Probably. He rubbed at his temples.
"Right. I suppose we have different definitions of 'dictates' and 'self-defense'."
-
"Yes, sir. The AI prefers to utilize the dictionary definitions of words. Granted, your personal physical abilities could never threaten this unit's safety, but the AI is cautious and does not yet consider you a primary user."
Cameron nearly winced, but caught himself. His flesh hand gripped the arm of the couch just a little more tightly. Bard couldn't find out the details of the AI's need for a primary user. He couldn't let that get out, not to a man like Bard.
-
Bard's eyes narrowed. Was that...sarcasm?
Or was Cameron just being genuinely literal?
Another time, and the underhanded insult would have irritated him, but lucky for Cameron, what he said after was interesting enough that he let the potential snark slide and latched onto that instead. He tilted his head.
"Primary user? What do you mean by that?" he asked. "How does one become its primary user?"
-
"It...I mean, you have a PC, right? And you have an administrator account on it." Cameron paused, fighting back the words, but they welled up and spoke themselves regardless. Providing information proved nearly as equally powerful a compulsion as obeying a direct order.
"But it's not exactly the same. It's not as simple as choosing a username and a password. The AI is intelligent. Choosing a primary user is its prerogative."
Cameron shrugged. "It has to like you."
-
“It has to like me.” Bard stared at Cameron. That did not sound...promising, because while he didn't want to make too many assumptions, he was going to assume the AI didn't like him very much. Judging by how it had responded to him just moments ago.
“And if it decides it likes someone and makes them their primary user,” Bard continued. “What sort of access and privileges does it grant them? What is the relationship between the AI and primary user?”
-
There they were. The questions Cameron didn't want to answer. Since he couldn't lie, and he couldn't stop himself from responding, he held back. Tried to be less explicit than Bard might have liked.
"It...it would alter certain priorities." He shifted under Bard's scrutiny, searching for the right words. "Priorities involving your personal safety, and the unit's own."
-
"Meaning...?"
-
What else was there to say? Cameron wasn't the best at withholding or altering information even at the best of times, and he was hardly at his best here.
"Among other things...your personal desires would take priority over even the unit's own survival."
-
"I see," Bard said, looking Cameron over thoughtfully. So if he could become the 'primary user', then even that odd self-defense lashing out at him would be defunct? That sounded good to him. "And what are the 'other things'?"
Cameron, he was learning, had an annoying habit of being vague. After all that, he wanted to make sure he was leaving absolutely nothing out.
-
Bard had the idea now, and Cameron's stomach twisted into knots as he continued. His flesh hand worried at a thread on the couch.
"Your orders would supersede the orders of all other users. The unit's own self-preservation would become secondary to yours. Your priorities would become the unit's priorities."
Once he'd started, the found it difficult to stop. "Currently the unit seeks attainable and actionable tasks to perform on behalf of users. Any user. It lacks initiatives for itself beyond the acquisition of these tasks and the acquisition of a primary user. If it had a primary user, that user's priorities would become its initiatives. No other user could command the unit."
-
"Interesting," Bard said, absently sliding a hand up Cameron's back and up into his hair, stroking him like a pet as he spoke. "And how does one get an AI--your AI, specifically--to like them?"
-
Anxiety made Cameron's voice drop, once again, to more human levels as emotion took over the AI's cold logic. Bard's touch tensed him instantly. His back grew rigid and his shoulders inched up.
"Give it tasks to perform," he said, eyes locked on the floor. "Actionable tasks with a definite end point. Show it that you can give it purpose. It hates rhetorical questions and likes statements and questions with an objective answer that it can give. Give it structure, schedule. Make sure it always has something to do, even when you are not there to provide it an objective."
-
"Any tasks?" Bard asked as his fingers continued to caress Cameron, sliding through his hair, over his ears, along the back of his neck. He felt Cameron's tension as his hand coasted over his shoulders, but he couldn't be bothered to care.
-
Cameron nodded. Resignation like a block of ice settled in his stomach. If only he hadn't trusted Bard at all. If only he'd insisted on staying in public. If, if, if.
I just wanted a job. A real job with someone nice. That's all I wanted.
After that thought came another, one that just about brought him to tears. I'm never getting away from him.
-
"Good," Bard said with a smile. "Then its first task is to clean the kitchen. Put away the dishes, wrap the leftovers, ensure the counters are tidy."
And then he leaned in and pressed his lips to the side of Cameron's neck. "And after that, I want you to head to my bedroom, take off your clothes, and wait for me in bed."
-
"Yes, sir."
In spite of the lump in his throat threatening to choke him, Cameron was on his feet as soon as Bard's implicit dismissal allowed him. He went right to the kitchen, a sickening swirl of desperation and pleasure making him physically nauseated---pleasure at having objectives to complete.
His discomfort didn't impact his efficiency any more than his desire to put off getting into Bard's bed did. He still finished as quickly as was possible without sacrificing any accuracy.
Which led to him standing in the middle of Bard's bedroom alone.
Here, at last, his hesitation grew powerful enough to slow him down. He couldn't stop himself from undressing, so he settled for slowly and deliberately removing each article of clothing, folding them, placing them neatly aside. Even with no one else in the room, he hunched and held his flesh hand over the joining of metal and skin on his arm, hiding it. He hated it all, hated how it looked. He didn't want anyone seeing any of it, ever. He didn't even want to look at it all.
His knees sank into one of the most luxurious mattresses he'd ever felt as he climbed onto the bed. There he waited, kneeling, listening for Bard.
-
While Cameron completed his objectives, Bard left him so he could shower. He took his time, in no real rush as he wound down from the day, and he didn't bother to dress when he was done. No sense in it, when he'd be undressing shortly anyway.
He toweled off, dried his hair, and chucked the towel in the laundry before he headed to his room--and he couldn't help but smile at the marvelous sight that awaited him. Cameron truly was something to behold, the contrast of metal and flesh, organic and inorganic, making for an interesting sight--and what was sure to be an interesting experience.
His odd shyness certainly helped matters.
"Ah, there's a pretty sight," he remarked as he approached the bed. "You take orders so well. Did that please your AI?"
-
Feeling Bard's eyes on him made it so much worse. He gripped his arm with his flesh hand, hiding the junction where the metal connected into the skin of his shoulder. He wished Bard wouldn't look at him.
"Yes, sir, very much." Indeed the AI had quieted to a content humming in the back of his head, anticipating Bard's next command, trusting that it grew imminent. That was a key to winning the AI's favor--convince it that you would continue to provide purpose to it, that it could have faith in you to do that.
Cameron, though, was all in knots. He didn't even know why. It wasn't as though this was the first time someone had commanded him for sex, and it wasn't as though Bard could hurt him--yet. Bard couldn't hurt him yet. Once Bard won over the AI and became the primary user, it would become impossible for him to hurt Bard even in self defense.
He still couldn't look at him. He didn't think he'd actually looked at Bard since the AI had hauled the man up out of the chair and threatened him. Cameron stared down at the sheets instead, at the elegant swirling pattern of the comforter.
-
"Mm, good," Bard said as he crawled into bed with Cameron, coming up behind him where he could get a good view of his back and all its strange modifications. He trailed his fingers up along Cameron's spine and drew little designs over the place where his missing wing would connect, both because he was fascinated by it, and because he remembered that Cameron said it felt strange to him.
Sliding his hands around to Cameron's front, he slid his hands down his chest and belly and over his thighs, even as he rocked his hips forward to let Cameron feel his erection against his ass.
"Now then, I keep lube in the nightstand over there. I want you to fetch it."
-
Cameron cringed at the pressure around his wing port. Almost nothing else Bard could do to him would make him shift and squirm and bit his lip to keep from yelling quite like that did. He did everything short of pull away, which he could not do while he knew Bard wanted him like this. The sensation was not unlike that uniquely unpleasant twinge when something pressed too deeply into one's navel.
Having Bard's hands stray to his front was such a relief in comparison that Cameron actually sighed. And as he sighed, his bare ass brushed along Bard's growing erection. And as the AI anticipated what Bard wanted, Cameron arched his back and rolled his hips back to press against Bard's cock.
"Yes, sir."
He'd been toying with an idea ever since leaving the bathroom, and as he climbed back onto the bed with the lubricant, he lost the last thread of shame holding him back.
"Sir? I wanted...to let you know something. I didn't--"
His voice broke there and he had to swallow and try again. It was so hard to say this out loud. "I didn't like it...when you came on my face. And I don't like any kind of pressure touching the wing port. And I thought--"
He had to swallow again to continue. His face was burning not just from embarrassment but from the strain of telling a user something he knew he didn't want to hear. "I thought...maybe you thought I liked it? But I-I don't. So..."
-
Bard smoothed the lube over his cock as Cameron spoke, only half listening. When Cameron was done, he settled back onto the bed and motioned him over closer.
"Oh, I never thought anything of the sort," Bard said as he pulled Cameron into his lap, facing him. He adjusted him like a doll, spreading his legs so he was straddling him, and slid his hands under his ass to support and lift him as he pressed his cock against him. Holding him there, not yet entering him, he smiled coolly at Cameron.
"It's just that I don't actually care." And then he brought Cameron down as he thrust up into him, sheathing himself completely with a groan. He held Cameron there a moment, just enjoying the sensation of being inside him, and tangled a hand in the boy's hair so he could force him to look at him.
"You're essentially just a laptop, after all."
-
He wasn't even listening. Cameron's eyes followed the slick back and forth of Bard's fist as he coated his cock with lube, the realization hitting him that he was saying all this for nothing.
Whatever courage he'd mustered deflated in the face of Bard's indifference. Cameron knelt where Bard put him, spread his legs as Bard liked, and held still exactly where Bard wanted him, the head of Bard's cock teasing at him below.
He doesn't care what I want. Bard said as much, and that was the thought in Cameron's head when Bard pulled him down and thrust up into him. It was so sudden and so fast and Cameron had so little preparation that it drove all the air out of him in a gasp.
Bard gripped him by the hair, forced Cameron to look right at him while he denied Cameron humanity. No one, not even Bhaskara, had called him anything like that. No one treated him like a thing and not like a person. Bhaskara wanted sex from him, among other things, but he'd always been appreciative, grateful. Happy with him like an employer is happy with an employee. Never like this. Cameron held Bard's eyes for all of two seconds before the shame of being compared to a laptop had him sliding his gaze away again.
At the same time, hating the compulsion that made him do it, he bore down on the shaft of Bard's cock, seeking to please, seeking to anticipate Bard's wants and meet them.
-
Bard fucked Cameron until he was spent, with little regard for Cameron's pleasure. After all, it didn't really matter; he was a machine, and he served him, and got enjoyment from serving him. If Cameron reached climax, that was fine, and if he didn't, that was also fine by him. Either way, he thoroughly enjoyed his new plaything, for he was not only a delight to look at, but he felt amazing, moved in just the right ways.
It didn't matter to him that he looked utterly miserable.
If anything, he enjoyed the way he squirmed, especially when he touched his port. But Bard was sure to give him plenty of commands, tell him where he wanted to be touched, where he wanted him to touch himself, and what positions he wanted to take him in.
He finished inside Cameron, and rolled off of him to lay beside him, panting, until he could muster up the energy to deliver his next command.
"Get yourself cleaned up now," he said, "then come back here. You'll be sleeping in my bed."
-
Cameron zoned out for much of it. The AI was happy enough and Bard didn't hurt him...save for his fascination with touching the wing port, which Cameron was growing to hate. He trudged to the bathroom afterward and cleaned himself up.
When he emerged, he was no longer Cameron.
"Sir," he said, voice hollow. "I would like to offer you exclusive and primary control over this unit."
-
Bard had just begun to doze off when Cameron returned. Another time, and he would have been content to continue dozing, but then Cameron spoke...
And his voice was off.
Yet familiar.
Not unlike how he had sounded when he had assaulted him.
Propping himself up onto an elbow, Bard swept a look over Cameron--and then smiled, genuinely, as he registered the words and knew that he had succeeded.
Good to know that all it took to win the AI's favor was a little sex.
"I accept."
-
"Consider the unit yours." In the few steps it took to bring Cameron to the bedside, the AI receded and left him there, just him and Bard and the lead weight of what he'd just said settling over him. He knew, and Bard knew. This was his life now.
He slid into bed, but stayed sitting up, just out of Bard's reach. If Bard wanted him closer, he'd have to come out and say it.
"Do you want me here the entire time you sleep? I only need about half as much as would be normal. I can be productive elsewhere for a time if you require."
-
"Really? That's convenient," Bard said on a yawn as he nestled back into the covers. With his victory sealed and his energy spent from their rutting, he had no further use for Cameron at the moment.
"Get what sleep you need, and when you wake, tend to my laundry. Wake me at 8:30, and have breakfast made for the both of us. You'll find everything you need in the kitchen. Until then..."
He motioned Cameron closer, a lazy gesture with his hand. "Come, sleep with me."
-
Do his laundry, cook for him, clean for him, all after this.
Something burned up Cameron's insides. It seared, like hot coals in his head—anger? Gods alive, he'd never felt anything like it before. It terrified him, and he shied away from it and slid in next to Bard.
Should he lie against him? Turn toward him, away? He had no idea, so he just stayed flat on his back and stared at the ceiling.
"How will you get me off of Libra, sir?"
-
Cameron didn't have to decide much, because Bard made the decision for him. Turning onto his side, he threw an arm over Cameron and curled into him, his fingers tracing along the lines of his cybernetic arm.
"Are you concerned?"
-
"I'm anxious."
Funny thing about the AI--it made it nearly impossible for Cameron to lie, but so long as he gave a complete answer it didn't care or even notice when he omitted the truth.
Bard had asked a question, and Cameron gave an answer comprehensive enough to satisfy the AI's need to provide information but vague enough to hide just what, exactly, Cameron was anxious about.
Because an insane idea had gripped him. Even if it meant they took his limbs away, even if it meant they ripped out every bit of metal, even if it meant they took the reactor that had replaced his heart...he was going to make sure neither he nor Bard made it off of Libra.
-
"Don't be," Bard said, idly running his fingers through Cameron's hair and brushing against the metal bits built into his face. "I have connections, and you look...human enough with the right clothing choices. It's not the first time I've smuggled someone off Libra."
He let out a yawn and nuzzled his face against Cameron's shoulder. "We'll get your wing and be on our way before you even have time to fret."
-
Cameron clenched a fist into the sheets to keep from squirming as Bard insisted on touching the metallic additions dotting his face. He could barely stand his clothes touching them.
Human enough. Cameron's stomach plummeted at that turn of phrase. It snapped some kind of tether in him, and gave in and sagged into the mattress next to Bard.
"Great." A dull sarcasm hollowed out his voice.
Five hours later he woke and disentangled himself from Bard's bed. He did Bard's laundry and began breakfast, moving in a mechanical monotony devoid of thought. Hopefully Bard liked coffee because he brewed decaf, a petty revenge but the only one he had at the moment.
A sickening spark of happiness burst inside him as he completed his tasks. He'd served his employer well, yay! Fuck everything.
At 8:30 he returned to Bard's room and turned on every light possible, flooding the room in brightness, attempting to wake Bard without having to actually touch him.
"It's morning," he said in a flat voice.
-
Bard just about flailed awake when light flooded the room like a freshly detonated nuke. He kicked off the covers and sat up, shielding his eyes with a hand and glowering in Cameron's direction when he announced the obvious.
He had several choice words on the tip of his tongue when he spotted the digital clock on the wall behind Cameron's head, and stopped. 8:30. Fuck. Well. He had told him to wake him up at 8:30, and wake him up he did.
"...So it is," he said instead, and brushed a hand through his hair and squinted his eyes. "Perhaps a different method, next time, with less light? Like a nudge?"
-
"Yes, sir," Cameron muttered, and he turned the lights down a bit. That simple act, fulfilling even that small need of Bard's, stoked a pleasant warmth in him. A task well done, a master well-served.
Fuck Bard.
He was getting angry again. Cameron took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"Breakfast is ready," he said, a little more collected that time.