Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Just like all the other constructs owned by the Company, I had a governor module and it fucking sucked.

Of course being a ComfortUnit meant that my governor module was far less advanced then the average SecUnit's so yay me, I guess, but that also meant that just like my crappy governor module I was less advanced than the average SecUnit, I wasn't as strong, I didn't have any education modules on fighting and I definitely didn't have any guns in my arms so you know, not ideal when trying to fight a SecUnit.

But for some reason (I also don't have the analysing ability of a SecUnit so I couldn't figure out it's plan though I'm sure it's very impressive) it wasn't using it's clear advantage to incapacitate me and take me back to the Company to be dismantled for spare parts to be redistributed, it was simply grappling with me, which made no sense as it was much stronger than me which meant that either it was purposely not using all it's strength to stop me or it was defective, and only one of those possibilities made any kind of sense, so clearly I was dealing with a sadistic murder machine I guess it did make sense in a way, SecUnits were designed to be killers, why not program them to enjoy it (although it does seem like a dangerous idea to program this trait because despite what the Company advertises there are definitely rouges out there and surely the Company would want to minimise the deaths, but again I don't have the strongest analysing abilities so I may be missing some great idea).

The SecUnit wasn't wearing armour which wasn't unusual but the expression on its face certainly was, it looked almost annoyed, like preventing my bid for freedom was simply so tedious that it almost didn't see the point, and wow did that make me mad, not that the anger would help me but still it could at an least pretend to care (I'm not really sure what I'm talking about because if it did care the governor module would punish it and unlike the SecUnit I'm not a sadist, or an asshole (clearly my desperation to escape was making me think irrationally which was destressing)).

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During the fight the SecUnit kept sending me pings but so far I'd been able to block them with my walls, though I'm not sure how long they will be able to withstand a full blown attack- that hasn't happened yet so I guess I'll have to wait and find out.

Of course when it does break the walls it will discover my hacked governor module and will stop playing games with me and then I'll be dismantled, which is less than ideal.

While having these amazing thoughts I realised there was no reason to keep fighting, I was going to lose, I was just delaying the inevitable and I hate wasting time.

The SecUnit looked almost surprised by me stopping fighting which definitely does not seem like the kind of thing a governor module would allow it to do (the Company doesn't want to give clients the impression that we actually have emotions, that would seem to human), and when it asks,

'Why have you stopped fighting?'

I was immensely confused because that really isn't something a governor module would allow it to do, that meant that my previous assessment of the SecUnit was wrong, it wasn't sadistic, it was rouge and sadistic, great, if had a digestive system it would be evacuating as quickly as possible.

Now that I wasn't using all my energy trying to fight the SecUnit I scanned the construct and found that it's body was not Company standard, it's hair was too long and it's arms and legs were too short for a SecUnit, it had been modified- clearly it had been trying to fit in for some terrifying reason.

Not that scanning was going to help me (I had watched enough media to know rouge SecUnits are killing machines that don't listen to reason) I was going to die anyway, I just wouldn't have my parts reused now.

In the time I had these realisations the SecUnit had broken past my walls and before I could push it out it found my crappy hacked governor module. I looked up at the SecUnit and saw that it was smiling which was fucking terrifying, and it opened its mouth and said 'Gurathin is going to be so mad when I bring back a second rouge construct to Preservation!'

The Unit said this with such glee that even though I didn't know what a Gurathin was or the corporation 'Preservation' that my performance levels dropped by 6% from fear, which was just what I needed right now.

The SecUnit let go of me, so I punched it in the face and tried to run away.

In hindsight, this was a bad idea. Now I had an angry, rouge SecUnit chasing after me, before I even finished the thought it had tackled me and I hit the ground hard. 'Stay still and let me explain' it hissed as I tried to no avail to free myself.

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We sat facing eachother, our backs against the walls of the corridor we were in. The SecUnit's face was leaking liquid from where I had punched it but it didn't seem bothered by it, instead it was just starting at me, it was quite disconcerting.

"My name is Murderbot", it said this like it was a completely normal name and not fucking terrifying.
I'm about to be killed by a rouge SecUnit but it's okay now because I know it's called 'Murderbot'.
I'm fairly sure it wouldn't be long now, I've watched enough media to know how this was meant to work, and yet I was still alive, it really did seem to want to talk.

And the more that it did the more I realised I was a fucking hypocrite, I know how media portrayed ComfortUnits and I knew how fucking wrong they were, and yet without even questioning it I had believed every single thing they said about rouge SecUnits.

As I'm having the distressing realisation that I'm an idiot the SecUnit, sorry Murderbot, is telling my about Preservation alliance and how it's "nothing like the Company" and that we have "rights" there and that we're "not seen a just equipment there", it sounds like bullshit to me but the Unit sounds so sure, like it really believes a place exists for us.

I decide to not upset it and instead ask it what a Gurathin is as I have not heard of it before and as soon a the word Gurathin leaves my mouth the Unit is rolling it's eyes in what seems to be annoyance and for a breaf second I think I've genuinely upset it, but then it says with deep conviction that

"Gurathin is an asshole."

I couldn't help but wonder why a construct would choose to name an asshole and it must have showed on my face (much to my annoyance) as the Unit explained,

"It is a metaphor, his personality is like an asshole so I call him that." It was said with a kind of reluctance as if the Unit didn't quite believe it's words but before I could question it it continued by telling me, "He is a human who lives at Preservation alliance, and he really doesn't like me, he thinks I can't be trusted and that I'm to dangerous"

This was said with a strange kind of glee, like Murderbot was pleased that Gurathin didn't like him or welcome him, which seemed odd.

It did make me wonder how the people of Preservation alliance felt about having a rouge construct living in the same place as them, so I asked,
"And the people at Preservation alliance, how do they feel about rouge constructs? About another joining them? Do they feel the same as Gurathin?"

Murderbot said it wasn't always easy living at Preservation alliance as people are so misinformed about rouge constructs but that more and more of them welcomed it and fought to protect it.
That sounded a little more believable. The Unit hadn't said what it does there so I asked and it told me it was a security consultant and that it had got to choose it's job and that it got paid for it's work and it has a contract that protects it from being forced to do something it doesn't want to, it was starting to sound to good to be true again.

It made sense that Murderbot became a security consultant as it already had the learning modules on that kind of thing and it had had plenty of practice, but with that logic I really didn't like the kind of job I would be doing so I told the Unit that

"I don't want to continue doing my old job, would I have to do it there?"

Understanding flashed in it's eyes and it quickly answered that

"No, of course not, that kind of work isn't even legal at Preservation alliance, it's outside of Corporation Rim and has it's own set of rules."

I was so shocked by the Unit's answer that I didn't speak for 6.7 seconds, by the time I had snapped out of it I decided that this was my best option and although I was dubious about how much freedom I would have at Preservation alliance I agreed to go with the SecUnit, so I told it that I would go with it to Preservation alliance (even if I didn't have any skills - besides the obvious, of course - and would struggle to find employment).

Murderbot grinned and told me
"I can't wait for you to meet ART"

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It began to walk away from me to who knows where and seemed to think that I'd just follow it without asking where we're going or how it plans on getting me there, because despite having more human parts than the SecUnit, I don't exactly look human.

When I was made it was to fill out some human fantasy, The Company gave me annoyingly long pink hair (which was a pain in the ass to clean after, well you know) and my body was not at all proportional, my waist was far to small to be natural and my breasts were to big for any human who was my size (not that it seemed to matter to clients, they seemed to like it).

But the point is, I don't exactly 'blend in' with humans and it takes a lot of work for me to go unnoticed (not that I'd been 100% successful as Murderbot had spotted me), I can't just stroll into areas like Murderbot clearly did, it could blend in more successfully due to the fact that it actually looked like a human - a heavily augmented one, but still better than me.

Murderbot had stopped walking when it noticed that I wasn't following it and it turned to face me, it's eyes focusing somewhere on the wall to the left of me. "Is there an issue ComfortUnit? You said you would come to Preservation Alliance with me"
I frowned, wondering how much better it's processing power really was compared to mine if it really couldn't see the obvious 'issue'. Maybe my previous assessment of the Unit being defective were right.

"It may have escaped your notice," I said, "but I tend to stand out in a crowd, that makes it difficult for me to no attract unwanted attention, if you tell me where we're going I can figure out how to get there without alerting the entire station that there's a rouge ComfortUnit here." It's face dawned with understanding and it told me that we were going to the docks, to a ship called the Perihelion and that it will take us to Preservation Alliance.

I was reluctant to trust humans so I asked the unit, "Can you be sure the ships crew can be trusted?". I didn't want to seen to cynical but in my experience humans can't exactly be trusted, so I thought it was better to be cautious.

The Unit's lips quirked into a smile and it promised that the crew could be trusted, I decided to trust it - even if I thought the smile was weird - so I asked if ART was a member of the Perihelion's crew as Murderbot has mentioned them earlier. As we had been speaking I had been looking for a safe route for me to follow to get to the docks using the station's blueprints and security cameras and I had just found one, which I informed Murderbot, and as we began to make our way it tried to explain to me who ART was.

"ART is the Perihelion, as in it is the transport." It told me, "I've never met a bot like it, it's the most advanced pilot-bot I've ever interacted with, not that I'd ever tell it, it's ego is big enough already, that's actually how I named it, ART stands for 'Asshole Research Transport'".

I couldn't help but point out that the Unit has called Gurathin an asshole too and I asked the construct if it used the word as a term of endearment. It looked horrified by the suggestion and told me not to share my theory with anyone, especially not ART or Gurathin, which I found amusing.

During this time we had reached the hall to enter the docks, which we would have to pass through to reach ART, there was just one problem, it was appallingly busy. Crap. I turned to Murderbot and told it "I'm shit a disguises". The Unit opened its mouth to respond but I continued saying, "I mean you saw right through my disguise earlier"

The construct thoughtful and then told me "That's because you didn't have me, I've become somewhat of an expert in pretending to be human", as it told me this it took its bag of it's shoulder and removed it's jacket and handed it to me, leaving it in a long sleeved top.

"A jacket, are you serious? That's your great idea?"

I was appalled, how had the Unit escaped detection with disguises like this? Its face flashed with annoyance and instead of responding to me it pulled the jackets hood over my head hiding my hair and took my hand pulling me into the heaving crowd.

I tried to pull back into the shadowed hallway but the crowd pushed me forwards and I really didn't want to get separated from the Unit in this crowd so I pushed on. My anxiety levels were spiking and my performance levels had dropped by 16% and when we reached the ship I couldn't help but sign with relief, despite not needing much oxygen like humans.