Mechanical Gods (lgbtq+)

Chapter Five: Sweet Home

     Tyler parked his car at the very corner of his apartment's garage below the building. Climbing out was challenging when his neighbor was a big pick-up truck.

     "The apartment is owned by Mr. Abassi. About forty-five families live here. We're on the ninth floor, the top floor," Tyler told Aiden, pressing the elevator button. The elevator opened and they entered. "Elevator's a bit slow."

     It took a couple of minutes for the elevator to reach the top floor. Its been two years since Tyler moved into the building, but he still couldn't get used to how slow it was. Once it opened, he gladly hopped out first and walked toward the last door on the right. There were six apartments per floor except on the second floor, which only had three where the tyrant, Mr. Abassi lived.

     Tyler fished out his phone and tapped on his digital keys. Mr. Abassi updated all the doorknobs in the building into a digital lock a year ago, and all the residents had to download a security app (courtesy of SynTech) to unlock their doors. He insisted it would be safer, though, Tyler heard a lot of horror stories. He had no choice but to agree. The small red light on the doorknob switched to green, and the door clicked unlock.

     He pushed the door open. The sun was setting in already, bathing his apartment in darkness. He switched the light on and cringed at the mess he made littered around his space. He was half-embarrassed showing his cluttered apartment to Aiden.

     "Home sweet home." Tyler let Aiden enter the apartment first and watched as the android studied his space and the clutter.

     Aiden turned to face him. "I've detected a ModGlobe nearby. I am now on set up mode. Please, do not shut off this model to avoid further issues. Stand by. ModGlobe STAR.ANATOMY23 has been detected. Please provide the necessary information on the datapad for me to stay connected to your hub," said Aiden.

     Tyler pulled out his datapad from his bedroom and downloaded the SynTech app on the store. He grabbed the manila envelope that Harry gave him earlier and followed the instructions on the manual.

     Username. Password. Router address. "Okay. I think we're good to go!"

     "I am connected to your Modular Globe House Network, Tyler," said Aiden, smiling. "I am now at one hundred percent service command."

     "Harry did say you need the WiFi to recharge."

     "My battery is still ninety-eight percent at full capacity. I will not shut down for the next four weeks, three days, and eleven hours."

     "Good to know. So, welcome home. As you can see, we're in the living room, and we face the streets below so it can get a little noisy. These windows aren't soundproof. The kitchen's to our right and my bedroom is just adjacent to the living room. If you want fresh air, you can use the small balcony outside the living room. There's only one bedroom and bathroom though so I don't know where you'll stay."

     "I do not require a bed nor do I need sleep. I can be placed into sleep mode anywhere. You can put me in sleep mode to save battery life if you wish, but with me connected to your ModGlobe, that wouldn't be necessary. I also do not need to use the toilet, but it is recommended per company guideline to clean this unit every once a week."

     "Wait, you require cleaning?"

     "I do. My skin is a mixture of silicone-based and 3-D bio-printed integument, texturized to look as realistic as possible. It is expected that dirt can stick and accumulate on the surface, just like human skin, and thus, I need cleaning."

     "So...uh, you want me to put you in the shower?"

     "Precisely."

     Tyler blushed. "Um, well, that's gonna be a little awkward."