Xenomorph

Waiting for Gavin - Waiting

Tiny clicked softly as he sat on the kitchen counter watching Chloe work. She'd decided to make a steak and mushroom pie, one of Gavin's favourites, to celebrate his first day back at work. She was currently rolling the puff pastry lid as she giggled at Tiny's disgruntled form. He was not sulking! He was a sophisticated machine. One of the most advanced androids ever created. He did not sulk. He was simply anticipating Gavin's return. Chloe hummed, unconvinced, as she gave Tiny a small ball of the pastry cuttings to play with. She suggested making Gavin a small jam pocket with it and showed Tiny as she made one for Elijah. She started with a square and put a small spoon of jam in the middle before egg washing the edges and folding it into a triangle. Tiny did his best to copy, and Chloe helped neaten the edges. She painted some egg on the top and pricked a small hole in the middle before putting them in the oven with the pie.

"We'll take those out in about ten minutes and put some caster sugar on top while they cool." Tiny chittered his agreement as he sat on the edge of the counter across from the oven so that he could watch as Chloe set a timer. He zoomed in with his small eyes, analysing the rising temperature and its effect on the pastry. The damp triangles began to shrink and harden, shrivelling slightly before they started to rise. He chittered softly, blinking as Chloe stroked his hair on the way by. She was taking the cup of beaten egg and brush to wash in the sink.

Tiny looked up curiously as she stiffened to a halt a foot from the sink. Her blue eyes shot wide as her LED span yellow. Tiny clicked in question as she remained frozen. A small gasp fled her stunned lips as the cup fell from her hand and shattered on the tiles. Tiny chittered in concern as he hopped down to examine the fragments surrounding her bare feet, skittering out of the way as she leapt into action. It seemed she didn't even have time to answer his clicks as she ran through the long hall to the entrance hall. Tiny skittered after her, screeching his concern all the way.

"Oh my God-oh-my-God...I have to get to go! I have to find Elijah! Tiny, stay here and take care of things!" Tiny had never seen her like this before. She was frantic. Terrified. Her LED was a burning ring of red, stress levels in the low nineties. Tiny screeched again, but she was already out the door. She hadn't even put on shoes. Tiny sat in the entryway and stared at the door questioningly. She'd said she had to find Elijah. Did that mean he was lost? Had something happened to him? Or had she meant that she needed to meet Elijah? Why? What happened? What was so important? Why hadn't she told him? It wasn't like Chloe to leave him uninformed. Had it been intentional or a by-product of her high stress level?

Tiny screeched in distress as he heard the beeping of the timer in the kitchen. Skittering his way back at top speed, he launched himself up at the door handle. He wasn't tall enough to reach the tray from the floor, but his weight was enough to lower the door until his feet touched the tiles. He was too small to reach the dials to turn the oven off. Hot air billowed out as he kept the door in a tight grip. Tiny closed his eyes and returned to his extraction model. It was the only way he'd be able to remove the tray.

The extraction model opened his eyes and unfurled himself from the pile of pillows and blankets. He was in the central vent just below the ground floor. It didn't take him long to traverse his way to the kitchen vent and open it, dropping right above the doorway and walking over on two legs. Since his black casing was such a durable material, he didn't need oven gloves to remove the tray and put it on the counter. He analysed the golden pastry. The two small tarts were done, but the pie itself required a little more time. He placed the two pastries on a small plate before returning the tray to the oven and closing the door, after he'd removed his reconnaissance model from the handle. He left the small body by the sink while he searched for the caster sugar in the higher cupboards. Chloe had told him to take care of things, so that's what he would do. He would take care of things and wait for Gavin to return.