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English
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Part 2 of T's JayTim week 2020
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Published:
2020-06-05
Updated:
2020-06-08
Words:
1,352
Chapters:
2/3
Comments:
13
Kudos:
96
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9
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710

Partner Fundamentals

Summary:

Even though there's been some success with recommissioned "almost human," androids, Tim is apprehensive about being assigned one for a partner. Jason is.... nothing like what he expected.
Maybe they can make this work?

My fill for days 4,5, and 6 of JayTim week. One chapter a day!

Notes:

a multi chaptered fic taking place in the universe of a tv series that wasn't even that popular? Ye. It's self indulgent at best~

Day 4: FREE DAY

Day 5: Casefic/Detective Tim or Detective Jason OR Office Romance AU

Day 6: Space OR Cyberpunk/Android/Robotic

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

The success of recommissioned DRN units in the police force has led to an upsurge in the usage of old “almost human,” android models. With budget cuts and an overall positive public attitude towards androids that mimic emotion better than the MX series currently being used by most police departments, it has become increasingly common for a department to have multiple series of androids on call. It also makes the system less vulnerable to single frequency attack and makes accounting very happy with fewer new androids being commissioned. 

Still, Tim finds himself a little apprehensive of his new partner assignment with a non-MX android. Barbara is fiddling with some programming, leaving Tim to stare down at his new partner, one of the last remaining J-series synths left in GCPD’s storage. The J-series androids were a small line, special made for the GCPD, each android designed to be a slightly different variant of one of several base models. One of the only lines with a “child,” model, the JY, targeted out of existence by the Joker’s gang because of its use in infiltration. The J-series also included the JR, one of the largest models of humanoid synth ever made, used for crowd control before being co-opted by the criminal underworld. By far the most notable is the JA, a limited run stealth specialized synth with enough morality subroutines to function independently in a communications blackout.

Tim appears to have been assigned one of the last JA-5 models in existence. As he stares down at the android on the table with its motionless face and currently colorless, wide open eyes, he feels a knot start to form in his stomach. This is an android designed for raids, for dirty work, not the detective work it will be doing with Tim. Tim who is one of the youngest detectives on the GCPD and despite his sterling record, definitely not the right choice to partner with an android that needs, in the words of the last officer partnered with a J-series, “a firm hand.” J-series synths are independent, designed for situations where they may have to operate without a partner. Less emotionally volatile than the DRN series, but far more likely to act in extrajudicial ways. Whoever got Tim this assignment is looking to sabotage him.

“Okay Tim, he’s ready to wake up.” Barbara’s voice breaks through Tim’s thoughts.

“And we’re sure it’s safe?”

“Tim,” Barbara sighs. “You’re one of my favorite detectives. Would I give you a faulty synth?”

“Sorry, it’s just that JA’s have a bit of a reputation.”

“Don’t worry about it. Even if most of that wasn’t fear mongering, I knocked down the physical aggression protocols and dialed up his empathy levels. The J-series has increased emotional awareness, but I patched through a new bit of code that reroutes that data from the risk management analysis subroutines to the performative emotion subroutines.”

“That must have taken forever. Thank you Babs.”

“Not really,” she says, pulling out a case of tools. “The J-series was designed to be custom. Each individual had variation or places to add it. That’s part of what made them so volatile. Each J had its own bugs that not every tech knew how to deal with, so they just tried to overwrite or reset without taking into account their adaptivity.”

“Reassuring.” Tim takes the magna-key she hands him.

“Shush you. I liked the J-series. They’re sweet. Especially the JY’s. They acted like real kids. Practically were.”

Real enough so that Captain Wayne’s JY model screamed and cried when the Joker tortured him on public television. Enough so that after that, JY’s got picked off one by one when creeps figured out that property damage was the only charge they could be pinned with. They were real enough that any officer who had a JY partner included them in their family photos. Memorial photos now. Real enough that they stopped development on any further almost human lines with child models. 

“Alright,” she continues. “Time to wake him up. I think you and JA-50 will get along. Tap the mag key here?”

As soon as the key makes contact, the androids eyes fill with the distinct blue green of all J-series synths. He sits bolt upright, almost crashing his forehead into Tim’s nose. 

“Hello Detective Drake. I am JA-50, please call me Jason. Your record precedes you. I am looking forward to the chance to return to work with such a capable partner” Jason’s low voice is caught between the flat affect of an MX and the conversational tone of a DRN. It makes him sound sarcastic.

“Just Tim is fine.”

“Of course. Just Tim.”

Tim gives a sideways glance to Babs.

“Don’t worry,” she calls after him as he leaves the lab “He’ll get less stiff the more you talk to him. J-series droids are adaptive and he’s just had a full wipe. He just needs time to boot fully before his personality chip kicks in.”

Chapter 2

Notes:

Me, post a chapter late? ~Frequently~

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

When Tim shows up to work with a JA, there is immediately talk in the bullpen. His fellow detectives, like Tim, assume this means someone higher up has got it out for Tim. J-series bots have a reputation for a reason. Jason in particular seems to be working to earn that reputation. After his chip kicked in, he took to speaking in the distinctive drawl of the people born and raised in Old Gotham and immediately decided to adopt the harsh sarcasm to go with it. 

“New synth Timmy?” asks Steph when he passes her desk. He’s just opening his mouth to respond when Jason cuts in.

“Nah, I’m the new fax machine.”

“Awfully chatty for a fax machine.”

“One of my many talents.”

While they chat back and forth, Tim wanders over to the coffee machine in hopes of getting caffeine to soothe his incipient migraine. Detective Montoya is over there getting her own coffee already, but she graciously makes room for Tim next to the machine.

“Morning Tim.” She waits for Tim’s noncommittal grunt of response before continuing. “Who’d you piss off to get stuck with the J-series?”

“Probably God.”

“That bad already? Well,” she says, clapping Tim on the shoulder. “At least he’s better conversation than an MX.”

“Low bar,” Tim mutters to himself on his way over to the desk.

----

Two B and E calls later, Tim is ready to crawl out of his own skin. Jason is very different from an MX. Tim is used to a nearly silent android partner who simply gives relevant facts when necessary. Jason is conversational and actually interrupts Tim while he rambles to himself in the car. Tim isn’t one of those cops who hates having an android for a partner, but he’s never been their biggest fan. Now though, he’s starting to understand why so many of the older detectives seem to have a grudge against the MX units. The conversation is kind of nice when it’s not mildly insulting, but Tim is so used to being practically alone that unexpectedly getting a response is making him jumpy and uncomfortable. 

--- 

The rest of the week consists of Tim getting used to Jason. It’s … interesting to have a partner. Jason is so human in a way the MX units just aren’t. He’s got that little bit of imperfection that the new units lack, the ones that make him almost human. Jason has a crooked smile and could swear the sky blue with the mouth he has on him. He’s oppositional and extremely obnoxious in his opinions about classical literature. Opinions which Tim is pretty sure no MX could ever dream of having. 

-

By the end of the month, Tim is pretty sure they’re friends. 

-

By the end of month 2, Tim is positive that Captain Wayne is avoiding Jason.

-

Three months in, Tim finds out the J-series synths were made in sets. One of each model designed off the same base aged appropriately depending on the model. Jason shares a base appearance model with Bruce Wayne’s JY unit. Looking at Jason would be the equivalent of seeing a dead child all grown up.

Notes:

If you wanna see more of what I do or send in a prompt, head over to my tumblr<3
and talk to me!
As always, thank you so much for reading!

Notes:

If you wanna see more of what I do or send in a prompt, head over to my tumblr<3
and talk to me!
As always, thank you so much for reading!

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