Mechanical Gods (lgbtq+)

Chapter Twelve: The North

     Stamford, Connecticut was a quaint medium-sized town that embraced around a hundred thousand people.

     Its maze of narrow winding streets, mason-bricked buildings around downtown three or four-stories high, and a large dock that overlooked a pristine bay, it was a haven for seafood lovers and those that seek the balance between the bustle of a city and the stillness of a small town. Narrow cobbled side streets flanked by coffee shops, antique shops, and florists filled by tourists trying to escape the city noise.

     Tyler had lived all his life in Stamford for the past eighteen years before he moved to a university in upstate New York, and then moving again into the metropolitan city of ten million. For the past twenty-four years of his life, the strands he had made took him places he never imagined he would ever look back again. He made a promise that one eventful night two years ago, one where he held his mother's hand as he sang their favorite David Bowie song under the pattering of rain outside her hospital room's window. 

     With his vehicle still in custody with the police, Eileen gave hers instead for the weekend. Tyler reminded himself that he owed her one. To start off, he paid for her gas.

     The North estate was a mile outside the city of Stamford, surrounded by a giant wall protecting a vast plot of land that stretched close to around two hundred acres. Ivy and ferns sprouted out through the crevices and around the walls connected to a large gate waiting ahead of the looming white and blue three-story mansion in the middle of a meadow. Rows of skeletal trees flanked a graveled path, leading to a looping driveway shaped like a U toward the large front porch. By the gates, Tyler scanned his identification card on a monitor, opening the entrance. 

     Hannah Daniels waited at the front steps at the end of the graveled driveway. She had blonde hair like Tyler's, long and messy and pulled up into a bun, smiling radiantly as her blue eyes landed on him climbing out of the passenger door. Once Tyler reached her up the marble porch, Hannah brought him into a tight embrace.

     "Glad you could make it!"

     "Dad didn't bother to greet me?" asked Tyler jokingly.

     "He's trying to impress Mr. Reese with his new toy. He's up with him out on the bay, fishing, along with Carson and Paul."

     Tyler pursed his lips and pouted. "And he also never bothered to wait for me to join in. Great."

     Hannah squeezed his arm gently. "He's excited you're here."

     "He has a funny way of showing it."

     Peeking behind her legs was Erica. For a nine-year-old, she had grown quite a bit since the last time he saw her. Her face was narrow with her hair as blonde and messy as her mother's, but instead of putting it up on a bun, Erica let her hair down along her shoulders; her bangs covered her right eye. Hannah's eyes landed on Aiden.

     "Ty, you didn't tell me you bought an Android!"

     Tyler forced a smile. "Trying to ride in with the times, I guess."

     "He's beautiful," mumbled Erica. "Like Superman."

     Tyler, this time, smiled genuinely. Instead of Disney princesses and castles, Erica was fascinated by comic books, both a passion she and Tyler shared when she was still little and was obsessed day and night since she was four. Tyler remembered that Erica's favorite superheroes were Superman, Spider-Man, and Captain Marvel.

     "This is Aiden, my personal Android."

     Erica gaped and ran up to Aiden and hugged him. Aiden was hesitant at first, but he relaxed and hugged her back. From the corner of Tyler's eyes, Hannah cringed a little when Tyler mentioned that Aiden was a personal assistant. He gave her a look that said it wasn't what she was thinking, though, it was understandable why she would feel that way. Tyler's father had over six personal android assistants, which translated into six bedmates.