Unmade Chapter 40: Chapter 40: Late Night Talk(1)

Read chapter 40 of Unmade by churro on NovelPedia.

Vale stood in the warm wooden stillness of his new home, the floor faintly creaking under his boots as he tightened his grip on the eight-legged robot. The small metal creature writhed in his hands like a bundle of frantic wires. “Let me go!” it barked, voice buzzing through the quiet space with sharp, metallic panic. Vale couldn't help a short laugh, a soft exhale of disbelief. “Calm down, will you? I’m not going to hurt you.” The robot froze. Its thrashing dwindled into tiny, hesitant twitches. Vale felt its frame relax, bit by bit. That was… odd. Machines didn’t calm down at someone’s word. Not unless they understood fear..... or trust. Robots weren’t supposed to understand either. His brow furrowed. “Why are you suddenly struggling less?” Ember, now draped across Vale’s arm like a smug, sentient scarf, slid closer until his scaled nose almost touched the robot’s chrome shell. The little machine trembled. “You said you wouldn’t hurt me,” it answered. Vale’s head tilted in genuine curiosity. The words weren’t mechanical. They held… reasoning. Maybe even emotion. “You’re not remotely controlled, are you?” That possibility bothered him. If someone was controlling it, this behavior made no sense. No remote operator would bother simulating fear like this. The robot paused, its legs stiffening, then finally said, “…Something like that.” Vale narrowed his eyes. He hated vague answers, but something about this machine made pressing too hard felt wrong. “Well… want to have a talk?” he offered. The robot twitched, almost startled. “You’d do that?” Vale blinked. “Yes? Isn’t that normal?” It wasn’t normal, actually, but he realized that only after saying it. He didn’t know the culture here, the rules, the expectations. Maybe people didn’t treat strange robots kindly. Maybe this thing had only ever been studied, not spoken to. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Anyway, I can’t help but notice… your AI is incredibly advanced. Talking to you feels like talking to a person.” “…Something like that,” it repeated. Vale let out a slow, bemused breath. “You keep saying that.” The robot shifted its legs closer together, almost shrinking. “I’m sorry… Could you maybe put me on the bed? Talking is easier that way.” Vale shrugged. “Sure.” He walked across the room and placed the little creature gently on the duvet. The robot’s legs folded beneath it, posture oddly polite, like a tiny guest trying not to stain the furniture. Vale sat on the edge of the bed. “So,” he asked, “do you have a name?” The robot twitched. “My… name?” Its lights dimmed, brightened, dimmed again. Processing. Searching for something that it couldnt find there. “I don’t have one.” Vale nodded slowly. It wasn’t surprising, but something about hearing it aloud felt… lonely. Even Ember paused his sniffing, head tilting curiously. Vale tapped his chin. “Well then… how about I give you one?” The robot’s metal frame lit with a quick pulse of white, like a heartbeat flickering through steel. It lifted itself on its legs and dipped down in a tiny nod. “If you want to,” it said, “I would love a name.” Vale smiled. Something warm stirred in his chest. He studied the robot’s surface, chrome and polished yet gently scratched from use, reflective enough to catch the dim light from the lamps. “Chrome, then?” he said. The machine went utterly still. The quiet stretched until Vale wondered if he had somehow offended it. He leaned in. “You don’t like it?” The robot snapped back to life. “No, no! I like the name! I was just," its voice glitched, “celebrating in my core!” It shook with such unrestrained joy that Ember jumped back, puffing up indignantly before crawling back to Vale’s shoulder in protest. Vale snorted softly. “Well… nice to meet you, Chrome.” “You too, Vale,” the robot chirped. Vale blinked. “…How do you know my name?” Chrome froze again. Its legs tapped lightly against the sheets in a nervous rhythm. “I heard Miss Rosemary call you that,” it said quickly. Vale raised an eyebrow. Som