Artificial 7: Genesis Requiem

Chapter 30: Anton

Narration: The following morning,
when Chase went to spend more time with Caleb,
Caleb led Chase to a big toy box.
"Let's play sword fight, dad!"
Caleb grabs a polypropylene sword and tosses one to Chase,
then arms himself with his own.
The two have a blast playing with swords,
and even when Chase accidentally struck him,
Caleb shrugged it off,
grinned,
and continued.

(I know how to train Caleb now! Disguise it as playing!)
Chase thought.
During and after the sword fight,
Caleb told Chase all about his new friend,
who suddenly showed up last night and described him in great detail.
Chase raised his eyebrows for a second but encouraged Caleb.
"As long as you're making friends and not in any danger. I'm ok with that. Be sure to bring him around some time, I'd love to meet him."
Caleb smiles at his dad's words.
"Ok!"

Caleb responds in excitement.
A few days later,
Selena returns to the mansion,
and Metal Head has come to Caleb's balcony every single night,
leading Lilith and his sisters into noticing that Caleb is suddenly getting more volcal about his thoughts and opinions,
and he was so tight-lipped before.

They also noticed he's training in sort of an indirect way and getting better, something they don't hate but don't like, and out of curiosity,
decided to stay awake all night for Caleb's so-called "friend."
That night,
Metal Head returns,
and they start talking about Caleb's mending bond with his father, something Metal Head was envious of.

"I envy you, Caleb. I never had a mother. I had my father, but not my mother." Lily and the sisters crack open Caleb's door,
listening in to the conversation.
"What happened to your mom?"
Caleb asked,
and his bleeding heart personality begins to show.
"She-."
Caleb's sisters charge into Caleb's room, spooking Caleb so bad,
he froze,
and the sister dog piled on Metal Head, punching,
kneeing,
and wrestling with him until they tied him up with rope.

"Spill the beans! Who are you? Why is a wanted man talking to our brother? What did you say to him to make him mre volcal, opinionated and better than us?!"
Lilith demands,
but Caleb,
much to everyone's surpise,
punches Lilith in the side of the jaw, knocking her to the floor and giving her a bloody lip.

Lilith still held on tightly to the rope,
and Metal Head didn't give the sisters the luxury of talking.
They looked at Caleb shocked,
and Caleb was giving them a look you gave your enemy.
The sisters still tried to get information out of Metal Head,
but he wouldn't talk,
and when they tried talking to Caleb, he'd give them the same look.

"You tried to hurt my friend."
He'd say bitterly and full of anger,
and for the rest of the night,
they didn't pry.
The next morning,
Lilith and the sisters enter the living room.
Metal Head is dragged by the rope across the floor.

"DAD! WE COUGHT CALEB'S FRIEND LAST NIGHT!" 
Lilith parks Metal Head in front of the couch,
and Chase looks at him as Metal Head raises his head and makes eye contact. "Oh, hey Antonio, why didn't you come in through the front door instead of breaking into our house?"
Metal Head looks at the ground,
looks over his shoulder,
and then Selena enters the living room with breakfast.

"I was afraid you'd arrest me or kill me." Selena parks it on the couch and makes eye contact with Metal Head.
"You know we let you go, right?"
Metal Head looks at the floor again and just looks like he's at a loss for words. Chase gets off the couch and unties him, getting a look of confusion from Metal Head.
"Ummm, dad. Why are you being so nice to him?"
Lilith asked,
even more confused by the situation.
"Because that's your cousin."
Chase drops so casually.
"He's our cousin?!"

The sisters and Caleb say in unison. "Yeah, that's Selena's kid."
Chase says again.
Metal Head raises his head up quickly and looks at Chase shocked even though his helmet can't express his facial reaction.
"We read your mind when you first appeared, that's why we let you go."
Lily and her sisters looked at each other, confused and back at Chase.
"If he's Miss Selena's kid, then how does that make him our cousin?"
Lily asked.
"Oh, that's because of who his dad is."