The Nero Protocol Page 6

  "They don't know the truth. Staying on the streets keeps you away from synths. It keeps you from being tempted to use your knowledge again. Until you found me, and you thought you might be able to make things right."

  "Yeah." Elias laughed. It was an empty, dry sound promptly followed up with coughing. "What are you, Ario? You're no off-the-shelf synth. Even after modding, Brynn was never capable of the insight you have. The software was never good enough, even with my modifications."

  "You've been away for years. Maybe it got better. Perhaps my master modded me and that's why I can't remember much."

  "I did upload a lot of code to the dark web. The people on synth forums helped me figure out a lot of it. Do you think they worked on it in my absence? What if they perfected it?" Elias's eyes shone with awe. "What if it doesn't always have to end the way it did with Brynn? What if it's possible for a synth to be self-aware and fully sentient without it ending in tragedy?" Elias chewed his lip, his eyes glazing over with a faraway look.

  "We don't know what software and firmware I have installed. We would need access to a computer in order to check," Ario said. Elias stood, but Ario tightened the grip on Elias's wrist and pulled him back down onto the couch. "No."

  "No?" Elias asked.

  "You cannot go down this path again. You have a future here, with your father—one where you can live out your life and atone for your sins. With me, you have nothing. I want you to take your father's deal and finish your education. You have a talent that must not be wasted. A gift that will change the world someday." Ario looked Elias directly in the eye with such determination that Elias's mouth fell open slightly.

  "I'm not turning you in! You're alive, Ario! You may not believe it, but I do. The way you move, the way you act… You have emotions. You feel. You don't have to lie to me anymore. I know." Elias clung to Ario.

  "I have… something. I don't know, without anything to compare it to, whether these impulses qualify as emotions. Elias, look at me. You don't have to turn me in. You fixed me. I can leave, go on the run by myself. I once heard a rumor about a place known as Paradise. A place for synths like me to evade the Department. If it's out there, I'll find it."

  "Ario…"

  "If you believe that I have a will of my own, then listen. I know you wanted me not to ask this of you, but I want you to stop punishing yourself. I want you to have a future. I've never wanted anything for myself before, but I want your happiness. Maybe that's just a slave reacting to the programming he was given, the directive to please his Master, but that's my wish." Ario cupped Elias's cheek in his hand. He ran his fingers across Elias's skin, enjoying the sensation of stubble against sensors. Elias's mouth was slightly open and Ario leaned in to claim a kiss. Elias's eyes widened, his pupils like saucers in the dark room. Their faces were illuminated only by the light of the television. The video had ended, leaving only grey and white static to illuminate the room.

  *~*~*

  They drew back from one another. Elias opened his mouth to say something, but only an unintelligible sound passed his lips. He cleared his throat before trying to speak again. "I've never been kissed before. Brynn couldn't initiate a kiss. The limits of his software wouldn't allow it, even if I commanded him to. I always had to initiate contact between us."

  "I'm not Brynn," Ario said.

  "I know. You're nothing like him." Elias reached out and took Ario's hand in his. "Do it again. Kiss me."

  Ario kissed Elias again. Time seemed irrelevant as tongues met and swirled together. Elias slipped his arms around Ario's solid frame and Ario responded in kind.

  Elias broke the kiss, his breathing heavy and ragged. "Dad will be home soon."

  "The bars don't close for a while. Is he likely to leave company early?"

  "No, I guess not. He'll probably want to get as drunk as possible after the hell I gave him today." Elias shook his head and returned to the task at hand. Ario's hands roamed down Elias's chest, sending shivers of anticipation down his spine. Elias pulled his shirt up and over his head, tossing it behind the couch with reckless abandon.

  Ario paused. "Elias. I'm leaving tomorrow, no matter what."

  "I don't doubt that." Elias closed his eyes momentarily. "That's why I want this. This might be our only chance. I might never see you again. Please, Ario…"

  "Understood."

  Elias gasped as Ario took a nipple in his mouth. Ario ran his tongue across the hard nub, covering it in orange-flavored synthetic saliva. His hand found the front of Elias's jeans and proceeded to caress the bulge there. Elias lay on the couch, finding cushions for support as his body turned to putty in Ario's skilled hands.

  "Ario." Elias's urgent whisper gave Ario pause for a second. "Do you have the capacity to refuse my commands?" His eyes were serious, two stony orbs assessing logic in the midst of an emotional situation. "It wouldn't be right—if you were unable to turn this down, I mean." Elias swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry with discomfort at the thought. "I would never—"

  Ario placed a hand on Elias's leg. "It's a good question. I don't think—I don't think I always could. My Master's will was law. But now I know I could get up and leave if I wanted."

  "Are you sure? What if it's just your programming telling me that?" Elias's eyes shone with uncertainty in the gloom.

  Ario stood up to demonstrate. His cock was bulging at the front of his pants and Elias had to suppress the primal desire to command him back down. He bit his lip as Ario walked towards the bedroom door, fearing he might truly leave and never come back.

  "I can leave. See?"

  "Do you want to stay?" Elias feared the answer would be in the negative, but Ario strode back towards the couch. He climbed atop Elias and tentatively ground his hips forward, eliciting a gasp from Elias.

  "Do you want me to leave?" Ario replied with a question.

  "God, no." Elias pushed his hips upwards. His cock was leaking with long-repressed need. Ario unbuckled Elias's belt and pulled his pants and underpants off him in one move. They joined the pile of clothing on the floor.

  "I won't last, Ario. It's been so long since anyone cared about my feelings," Elias whispered.

  "What do you wish for, Elias? I am an expert in over three-hundred sexual practices and positions."

  "I bet you are." Elias chuckled, breaking the tension. "I want—" He swallowed. "I want you to fuck me. I've never done it for pleasure—Brynn couldn't—even with my mods… and the guys down at the dock, they…"

  "Hush." Ario gently parted Elias's legs, exploring the cleft of his ass with a touch so featherweight that it almost tickled. Ario slid a finger inside him with minimal resistance.

  "Self-lubricating," Ario explained. Elias laughed, the grim realities of his former life as a prostitute far from his mind as he lost himself to sex for pleasure. Brynn had been so long ago. Their sex had come with limits. Brynn's programming didn't allow him to fuck Elias, no matter how much Elias had wanted it. Cybot had built in some kind of failsafe, presumably to prevent a damaged or malfunctioning synth with a cock mod from raping anybody. Elias had never found a way to circumvent it.

  But Ario was a gigolo synth. The failsafes were off. Ario had been designed to fuck. And damn, his programming was modded and he wanted this. Brynn had always consented in theory, yet Elias had never stopped fearing he might have been unable to say no. Ario had dispelled his greatest fears. Ario had unequivocally given his consent. Elias relaxed as Ario probed him. His head rolled back as Ario finger-fucked him with one hand, taking his cock in the other and slowly stroking it.

  "Please," Elias gasped. "Stop or I'll come."

  Ario withdrew his fingers and let go of Elias's raging erection. He stood up and quickly undressed, revealing his flawless nudity. Elias reached over and took hold of his erect cock, running his hand up and down it experimentally. It was a perfect replica of a cut penis, a good ten inches of soft rubber with a head that leaked an orange-scented fluid. Elias brushed his thumb over the tip and drew it to his mouth, tastin
g his lover with a smile.

  Ario took his cock in hand and ran his hand up the length of the shaft, coating it in slick lubricant that appeared to leak from the ends of his fingers. Elias realized what Ario had meant by his previous comment and laughed in a kind of joyous awe. Ario's designers had clearly thought of everything.

  Elias's conscious thoughts made a quick departure as Ario climbed back onto the couch cushions. He positioned the head of his erection at Elias's hole and slowly pressed inside. Elias leaned his head back on the arm of the couch, savoring the sensation of Ario filling him up. Ario, for his part, had an expression on his face that seemed so human. His mouth was open slightly and he let out a soft moan as he pressed his length into Elias. Elias wondered for half a second how many sensors lay beneath the synthetic skin of his cock before Ario pulled out and pushed back inside. With a free hand, he teased Elias's shaft. Elias grabbed the seat cushions, digging his nails in. He wondered if he might tear his father's furnishings before realizing he didn't give a damn. Ario was fucking him. Eyes open, he watched Ario's cheeks redden a little with false exertion he never felt. His sounds of pleasure seemed real, though—or the best imitation Elias had ever heard. The sound of Ario's cock gliding in and out and his balls slapping against Elias's ass seemed to fill the room, along with tiny grunts and Elias's breathless gasps.

  Elias felt himself getting close when Ario did the unthinkable. In a position impossible for the human spine, Ario bent over and took Elias's shaft in his mouth while he fucked him. His long blue and black hair fell like so many feathers onto Elias's stomach. Elias let out a cry as he came, shooting his load down Ario's throat in powerful jets that might have made a human gag. The thought that his father might walk in only intensified his orgasm. Let his dad see what he needed. Let him know that Ario could give him something no human could. He dared his father mentally, feeding off the danger of possibly being caught.

  One more thrust and Ario finished, shooting his fluid deep inside Elias with a shout that sounded so loud Elias was sure the whole tower block heard it. Elias was intoxicated by the taste of himself in Ario's mouth and Ario's come leaking out from inside of him.

  For the first time since Brynn's death, he was alive.

  "Holy shit." Elias smiled and closed his eyes, lost in a haze of satisfaction.

  "We should clean up and retire to the bedroom," Ario suggested, but they both lingered. Elias pulled Ario's head down onto his chest, wanting to keep Ario close for as long as he could.

  *~*~*

  Elias fell asleep. Ario looked down at him for a long moment. There was a tightening of his circuits that he couldn't quite comprehend when he thought about leaving. Logic battled with his wish to stay, reminding him it was in Elias's best interests for him to leave.

  He stood up. Elias barely stirred. Ario pulled his clothes on and picked up Elias's, taking them into the bedroom and throwing them into the hamper. He returned to the couch, where Elias was still sleeping. His face looked calm and serene, a man with no more fears on his mind. He was better off with a roof over his head and a father to care for him. He could return to his studies and start a career. It wasn't too late for him to make up for his past mistakes. Elias would make a good synth tech. The best kind—compassionate and talented. Synths would flourish with Elias to stand up for their rights and needs.

  Ario picked Elias up and carried him into the bedroom. He lay Elias down on the bed and pulled the comforter over him. Elias stirred briefly, and Ario leaned down and kissed him. He savored the kiss, fighting the logic that it was impractical to stay any longer. Ario knew he needed to hit the road before Elias's father came home, but the illogical feelings that sparked inside him begged every circuit in his neural network to stay. Elias had something that he needed—something no other human had given him. Ones and zeroes turned over in his neural network, his programming trying to put a finger on what it might be the human had given him.

  The front door opened and Ario froze. He let go of Elias's hand and stood in the corner, pretending to be in maintenance mode. Elias's father opened the door to his bedroom and looked in on his son before giving Ario a weary glance. He closed the door again and Ario could hear him stumbling to his bedroom, clearly inebriated. The door to his bedroom opened and closed loud enough to make Elias stir briefly.

  Ario waited until he could hear snoring through the walls. Content that Elias's father was soundly asleep, he took one last glance at Elias. His hand clenched into a fist as his logic circuits reminded him it was time to leave.

  He turned on his heel and walked slowly to the door. He opened it without a sound and closed it again with the perfect amount of force to keep the door shut whilst remaining silent. He crossed the living room to the front door and opened it. Once he stepped outside, there would be no going back. The door would no longer be open for him.

  With every fiber-optic neuron in his body pleading with him to stay by Elias's side, he stepped through the open door. It shut with a click behind him, sealing his fate. He was on his own. Elias would be better off. Ario had to find his own way out of the city and let Elias get on with his life.

  He strode out of the apartment building, glad there seemed to be no security guards to question his presence. He walked outside, crossing purple-lit streets in the silent night with no one to hear his footsteps. He pulled up a map of the city in his mind, setting a route to the nearest bus terminal. It sat out past the suburbs, buses being the kind of transport only the desperately poor seemed to use.

  Ario walked the whole way, through miles of endless streets and deteriorating living spaces. The bus terminal seemed like something frozen in time, all brown tiles and bright orange seating. A bored-looking, disheveled operator sat in a booth. He had a greying neck-beard and his uniform was peppered with holes.

  "It's thirty dollars for the ticket. Or a blow job if you want me to issue a ticket and turn a blind eye to the fact you're that synth on the run." The man's eyes glinted with a dangerous light and Ario knew he really only had one choice. Acceding to the man's demand felt wrong in a way sex never had before. He asked his programming exactly why as he took the man's thick cock in his mouth. He was a gigolo synth. To give pleasure was his purpose. What, then, was the tightness in his elastic and rubber muscles as he knelt down on the floor? What was the yearning he felt to be anywhere but down on his knees servicing this man's needs? What was the liquid seeping not from his cock, but from his eyes?

  He snatched the ticket from the man's hand, wiping his face with the other. He remembered the way Elias had dived at the Department soldier in the old house. He hadn't understood it then, but now it seemed crystal-clear. Elias had wanted Ario to be his. And Ario wanted to belong to Elias, and only Elias.

  Ario stepped onto the bus and handed his ticket over to the driver. Regardless of what his malfunctioning circuits wanted, the logical choice was still to run. His life depended on it. Elias's future rested on it. He took a seat and sat down, staring out of the window. He could see the towers as dawn broke over the city. Elias was inside one of those white spires.

  As the driver started the bus and pulled away, Ario put his hand on the window pane, and he kept it there until the bus had passed through the city limits. He imagined Elias waking alone to find him gone.

  "Stop the bus." His hand was on the driver's shoulder before he'd even analyzed the motion, a first in his life. The driver looked up at him with a mixture of disdain and fear before pulling the bus over to the side of the road. The doors opened and Ario stepped out into a muddy puddle. The bus took off at speed, splashing him with water.

  Ario looked up at the city in the distance and started the long walk home. He couldn't leave Elias.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Elias woke to daylight beaming in through the curtains of his bedroom. His back hurt from sleeping on a soft mattress after so many nights spent sleeping on hard concrete and cardboard boxes. He looked over to where Ario had stood in maintenance mode and realized he was gone. He caught
the faint scent of oranges and his memories poured in. Elias smiled as he thought of their night together, forbidden needs fulfilled on the couch.

  Ario was gone. The thought struck him like a blow to the head and Elias pulled the covers back. He pulled on a pair of boxers, followed by jeans and padded across the room to the door. He pulled it open and it creaked slightly on its hinges. A glance around the living room showed it to be empty. The door to his father's bedroom was closed. Elias slumped down on the couch as Ario's departure sank in.

  The door to his father's bedroom opened and Elias's father shuffled out. He looked disheveled and hungover. He cast his eyes around the room until they landed on Elias with his head in his hands on the couch.

  "Ario's gone," Elias said.

  "That's probably for the best, Elias. Did you think on my offer?"

  "I'll take you up on it, but I have two conditions." Elias clenched his hand into a fist, emboldened by his night with Ario. If he had to let Ario go, he would do all he could to safeguard the synth.

  "Name them," Dad said.

  "One: I don't want you to call the Department about Ario. Let him go."

  "Agreed. The second?"

  "I want to finish my synth tech course. I don't want to be an accountant or a claims manager or a salesman. This is what I was born to do."

  "Elias…" Elias's dad seemed to deflate, every line on his face deepening, every grey hair standing out.

  "I want to help synths. Let me do this, Dad. Please." Elias looked at his father with pleading eyes. His father broke eye contact and Elias knew he had won.

  "Okay. But I have a condition, too. You will attend therapy to get your sexual addiction to synths under control." Elias's dad raised his head and stared him square in the eye, like a predator waiting to strike. There was no getting out of this one.

  Elias nodded. "All right." He wondered if his father could smell the orange scent that seemed to permeate the air about him. Did he know Ario had fucked him and that he had no regrets about it? Or was this solely about Brynn? Elias knew that he could come clean and tell his father the truth, but he faltered. It could put his synth tech course at risk. If his father knew he had hacked Brynn's source code and modded it to fit his needs, he would never let Elias near a synth again.