Natalie seemed out of place in Jason’s house. She was beautiful, a warm milk chocolate complexion that glowed even with the dreary overcast day. Her hair was  shaved, but no less feminine. None of that put her out of place though. She seemed sharp and clinical in her immaculate outfit, like she belonged in a New York skyscraper and not here on the Oregon coast with the threat of a storm on the way.

From the corner of his eye he noticed her looking over her shoulder towards the huge bay window that looked towards the beach. The waters were dark and angry today, a moody navy blue cut with grey.  Just how he liked it. Cold crisp salt air that bent and bowed the trees into twisted shapes. He swore he could breathe better with a storm rolling in.

Breathing, that’s what he could have been doing, he’d been so distracted by Natalie and well, all of what was happening he hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath. Taking in a sharp breath his lungs protested a bit, catching and causing a few rattling coughs.

Natalie was instantly on her feet the click of her heels on the hardwood floor sharp in the quiet house. “Are you alright?” she asked looking ready to dash to his side.

Still coughing into the crook of his elbow, Jason merely waved her off before a final throat clearing.  “I’m fine,  thank you. Just a tickle in my throat.”

A few shaky lungfuls of air he turned back to the matter at hand. The Catalog as she’d called it sat on the coffee table between the two of them.  It was a massive three ring binder that could have doubled as a weapon in the right hands. Either that or a step stool for changing a light bulb.

Looking over the top of his glasses at her, his brows raised in a bit of sheepish look, a nervous laugh leaving him before he sighed. “I honestly don’t know where to start.”

A kind, knowing smile flashed across her face. Scooting closer to the edge of the couch, she sat on she leaned forwards flipping to the front of the binder. “It’s a lot to take in. A few of my colleagues like to call this the ‘Playing God’ or ‘Character Creation’ part of the process. As part of the training we all have to sit down and ‘mock up’ one. It never goes into production but we get to see a render just like the render we’ll show you.”

“And how did yours look?”

Her eyes dropped to the floor, she squirmed a bit, readjusting herself, she looked a little embarrassed. “I think I did good.”

“Male? Female? Neither?”

Her cheeks flushed, worrying her lip a little before she finally looked back up. “Female. I called her Lola.” Clearing her own throat she seemed to center herself again and turn her attention back to the Catalog. “Why don’t we start there? Let’s decide on gender. As I’m sure you’re aware we have more than just conventional male and female to choose from.”

Nodding Jason leaned forwards staring at the neat and hyper designed pages before him. Elbows on knees his hands were laced together his chin resting on them.  He felt a little uncomfortable, even a bit dirty staring at a binder of naked bodies in front of a complete stranger.

“I know it’s kind of an awkward and uncomfortable decision but it’s the first and you get it out of the way and everything else is smooth sailing.”

Silence stretched out between the out of them before he dropped a hand and tapped. “I think, I think female.” he said with a final nod.

“Okay, now that last awkward question, anatomical or not?”

Jason had been mulling over that question since the moment he’d called HOPE. It was part of the reason why the company had so much controversy and publicity surrounding it. HOPE was a company that offered disabled, handicapped, terminally ill, and dying customers a fully customizable android. The company had been under persecution from day one for numerous reasons but one point that was often brought up was their production of anatomical androids which were called nothing more than ‘sex bot being peddled as caregivers.’

Sighing he rubbed at his hand, starting a sentence about a half dozen times before he just took off his glasses and pinched his bridge. “What would you do? I mean was...was Lola, y’know?”

Natalie just smiled. “She wasn’t but we weren’t given that option. I just want you to know you’re under no pressure to choose one over the other. Whatever you choose is your choice and yours alone.”

It was Jason’s turn to chew at his lip as he looked over each option his eyes flicking back and forth. The silence between the two of them grew longer and longer. Natalie shifted and fidgeted again in her seat before he cleared her throat, Jason’s blue eyes snapping up to her with a curious look.  

“I, I don’t want to sound too forward when I ask this, but you did state that you were single?”

HIs brows knitting together he nodded not quite sure where she was going with this. “Yes, I am. I never found, that one you know? And well when I got diagnosed I, I didn’t want to put anyone through this.”

Natalie nodded emphatically. “I understand.That’s, that’s why I’d like to talk to you about a new feature we’ve just begun to implement. For the most part the caregivers we provide are assistants, helpers to friends and family members of the client. But we’ve noticed a few clients, such as yourself who live alone. They either have no family or they-they-”

“Choose to die alone?” he finished for her.

Again with a gentle smile she nodded. “We’ve been designing a caregiver that is also a companion. They have extremely advanced and highly experimental hardware  within that allows for bonding imprinting, and emotional responses from the caregiver. It is our most lifelike model we’ve produced. Your order would have to go under an additional review if you wanted to opt into the program.”

While he listened he tapped his finger against his lips his gaze falling back to The Catalog. Slowly taking in a breath he held it for a moment before he tapped the page. “All right I’d like to apply for that and I want the anatomical.”

With a final nod Natalie seemed to relax as if she’d been holding her breath as well. “All right the hardest part is done. Everything else is a piece of cake.”

Over the next two hours, a few cups of tea and coffee Jason came to the last page. The word name struck him, making him straighten up. “Name.”

“She’ll have her name programmed into her. We’ll proload her with as much information as we can so she’ll be able to assist you the moment she arrives.”

“I thought you said all the hard parts were over. Naming is the hardest by far.”

Chuckling she had a tablet in her lap furiously tapping the screen with her fingers. “Well I tell you what, I have a rough render here based on what you entered. Why don’t you look at it and tell me what name comes to mind? I have to admit, you have a good eye Jason.” With a final tap Natalie passed the tablet over to him.

Taking it, his eyes went wide. “She’s beautiful.” he breathed

“Told you, you had a good eye.”

He stared long and hard into the eyes staring back at him on the screen, names running through his head before one just slipped out without even thinking. “Chloe.” he said before shaking his head as if he’d been in a trance. “What do you think?”

“It’s a great name. I think she’s most definitely a Chloe.”

Glancing up at her he wet his lips before looking back down, a thumb brushing over her cheek. “Hi Chloe.”