‘I’ve discovered an enormous positive to hosting a clone,’ Kim reported when she came downstairs twenty minutes later. ‘Xavier has endless patience with the girls. Once I’d shown him the rules of the game online, he played several rounds of hide and seek with them. Now he’s developing extra complexity, evolving it into some sort of a game of Sardines which involves them hiding in the spare wardrobe and dressing up in the clothes they found in there.’
‘Just so long as he doesn’t start stripping off again…’
‘I talked to him about that and he knows not to take any clothes off either himself or the girls - they all look like Michelin men now, they’ve got so many layers on.’ She giggled. ‘What did Jean-Claude say?’
‘He mentioned Section 2.3 and went on at length about that refer and defer thing I read to you. He’s also going to send a direct signal to Xavier’s circuitry, reinforcing obedience and the ‘no harm to humans’ protocol.
‘Sounds good. What did he say about giving him a phone?
‘He rather dodged that question,’ said Joe.
‘Did he? I wonder why? Anyway, I should probably go and see what’s going on upstairs. Xavier’ll be exhausted.’
* * *
After lunch, she gave the girls the orange drinks and chocolate biscuits provided by their mother. They insisted on sharing with Xavier. The fizz gave them all hiccoughs and for the first time, she saw Xavier smile.
‘I think you might have grasped the concept of enjoyment,’ she said.
He nodded, hiccoughing softly and licking smears of chocolate from his fingers.
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