CML - Custom Made Lover [Slow Updates]

CML - Custom Made Lover, Chapter 9

The door to the apartment slid out of the way with a soft hum as Caleb walked in, still holding the box close to his side. There had been a few people giving him odd glances as he had hovered over it like a protective mother hen, trying to make sure no-one sat on it by accident. He had ignored them.

For most of his life he had been a model citizen and not gotten in anyone's way; he figured he could afford to be an oddball for the duration of the trip. If there was such a thing as building up social credibility he had credits to spare.

Ignoring them also saved him from having to explain exactly why he was shielding the object so; if he had to tell them about the contents not many people would understand. As he had seen earlier, save for the eyes, it was hard to tell it wasn't an actual human head. Caleb had no doubt that this could spark all manner of 'interesting conversations' but he would have none of it.

Moving through the hall and in to the lounge he set the box down carefully on a table so he had his hands free to quickly remove his coat. Tossing said article of clothing on to a near by chair he once again turned his attention to the simple, cardboard box as it sat, waiting. He slowed down his movement as though approaching some object of reverence, an altar of sorts. He was momentarily distracted by the thought that it was all rather a lot like finally finding physical evidence of a dream he'd been having for nearly twenty years. In a sense this observation was correct; the person in question had only been virtual pixels and imaginations thus far. The item inside the box was the first 'real' thing connected to his dream of having the perfect partner one day.

Would he dare to touch it and possibly shatter the illusion? Would reality cast such a harsh light on his fantasies that it would leave him wishing he had stuck to dreaming?

After a moment's hesitation he stuck out a single hand intent on opening the container and affirming this was still what he wanted, had been waiting for all these years.

"Hello again...", came Dave's sleepy voice from somewhere off to his side. Caleb almost jumped but managed to contain his surprise; he should have known there was someone else there as he had brought him here himself. Smiling to cover up the awkward moment he turned to face his house guest.

"Oh hello, there. I see you've had a nap?", Caleb replied, trying to draw the focus off of the box on the table. He now realized that unboxing the model of his future CML might prove traumatic to one who only just escaped Numan. Wondering how to put it gently to the former escapee that he was partly to blame for keeping the very same business alive who put him in such a predicament Caleb decided to wait a while with taking the head and giving it a central location in the lounge. They would have to talk about it first.

Dave gave him a slow smile and nodded, repressing a yawn. He had found one of Caleb's old sweaters; the garment was much too roomy for him as the sleeves fell partly over his hands. Something about this made Caleb want to walk over and give him a hug. He decided against it for the time being, remembering the young man's inclination, and instead turned his thoughts to food; it was nearly dinner time.

"Well, I hope you're hungry because I'm about to start cooking. You wouldn't happen to have a favorite food, would you?", he said while gesturing toward the kitchen door, suggesting they both go there next. Dave tilted his head in thought.

"Strawberry ice cream!", he stated, excitedly. Then, as an afterthought, he tilted his head back the other way and added; "...Though I don't know what it is... What is strawberry ice cream?"

Must be an imprint, Caleb thought, regarding the young man with a curious expression. Most likely Derrick had asked the people at Numan to hard-wire this preference for the frozen treat. The option had come up earlier today when Caleb and the technician had been discussing Nathan's 'programming'. Wanting Nathan to discovered what he liked and disliked on his own Caleb had declined to fill out these questions.

"Ah...", he tried, "...Well it's milk that's mixed with a lot of sugar and some strawberry flavored...syrup, I suppose, and then frozen. I've never actually made some but we could run out and get ice cream later, if you'd like."

He smiled reassuringly at Dave who seemed to have mistaken his momentary silence as some kind of disapproval. The promise of getting to actually taste his 'favorite' food cheered him up considerably.

"Sure!", Dave cried cheerfully. Now that his question had been answered he practically skipped over and in to the kitchen, closely followed by Caleb. Once inside the room Dave stopped and looked about; he hadn't seen most of this equipment before so he stood back and waited to see what Caleb would do with it all.

They, in turn, moved past Dave and walked up to a large, white, metal box. Pulling it open to reveal different types of food stuffs, Caleb picked up this and that, sorting through some things while setting others aside.

"So, let's see what we've got to work with here. I think we could make an oven dish with broccoli and a creamy sauce for a center, covered with a layer of mashed potatoes and topped off with some grated cheese sprinkled with some ground pepper. Does that sound good to you?", Caleb summed up, already pulling out said ingredients. Beside him Dave nodded his approval. He wasn't sure what some of the items were but he knew what potatoes were and he liked those; the rest must be equally tasty.

"Very well. Then what I'll need you to do is get the cheese grated while I wash and cut the broccoli. You think you can handle that?", Caleb asked in a semi-serious manner as he reached for the grate which was suspended from a stainless steel bar hanging on one of the walls above the kitchen counter. Removing it from the hook, placing it in a bowl and putting said bowl on the counter directly in front of Dave. He gave him yet another comforting smile as he produced the cheese from the fridge and handed it to the young man.

Dave looked at the cheese and the strange object with the sharp little openings all along its sides. Caleb took the cheese back and gave a short demonstration on how to use the grate, then handed both the cheese and the grate back to Dave. Now understanding what was to be done Dave set out to perform his cooking duty with great enthusiasm.

While Caleb turned back to his own task at hand he considered all of the things he would have to teach the young CML and how he would have to repeat the process with Nathan not too long from now; it was a good thing he had recently retired.