Machine Man (serial)

“Oh,” someone said. “Terrific. Look at that.”

“That’s… what is that, second-stage?”

“No, no, it’s…” Several people inhaled. There was clapping, a whoop, and laughter.

“Online,” said the someone. The word sounded heavy, the way you might say: We made it. “Online.”

I tried to blink. This didn’t work. I could see, though. I could see a vase. The vase contained three yellow flowers. Daffodils? Yes. It sat on a plain white surface, behind which were a wall and a painting. It seemed to me this white surface was a bedside table, so I tried to turn my head to see the rest of the room. This didn’t work, either.

A face appeared beside the vase. It was a friendly face, a woman’s. Almond eyes shone at me from behind brown-rimmed glasses. “Charles Neumann?”

I swallowed, or tried to. I said: What..?

The woman’s eyes flicked at someone or something behind me. She was a little close for comfort, this woman. I was glad to be awake and hopefully safe but I wished she would back up a little out of my personal space. When her eyes returned to mine, they shone even more brightly than before. For a second I thought we were about to kiss. She turned to the people I couldn’t see. “A response. A clear response.”

Where am I? I tried to say, but made no sound. I felt panic, because when no part of your body is doing what you tell it, not a single muscle, that’s worrisome. But it didn’t seem to matter to the woman: she nodded as if she understood me anyway.

“You’re in a research and development facility. You came here as part of the asset diversification process that occurred following the hearings into the Better Future corporation. We’re a private-public joint venture between a consortium of private and government interests, and you…” She glanced behind her. “Should I..?”

“Go ahead,” someone said.

Her eyes settled on me, steady and unblinking. “When the paramedics found you, you’d already lost consciousness. They couldn’t move you. They could only keep you alive until a larger medical team arrived, with more specialized equipment. I wasn’t there, but you can appreciate their challenge: you had no human heart they could compress, little in the way of functional major organs. But they did it. During the ensuring weeks, you came very close to death. But each time, a way was found to save you. Until…” She looked around. “I’m not sure we want to…” She nodded, turned back. “Charles, this next part will come as a shock. There’s no way to break this to you gently.

“The battle to save you required sacrifices. Several times the medical team had to abandon part of your body in order to save the remainder. And… well, it became clear that you had no chance of a meaningful recovery. Of regaining any kind of quality of life. At that point, it was decided that no further measures should be taken to sustain you. However, others… others did not share that view. A compromise was reached. As part of that compromise, you were brought here. At that point, you essentially became a research project. What I mean is…” She hesitated. “It’s probably best if I show you.”

She reached out and turned my head with one hand, her thumb and fingers a couple inches apart, with no sign of exertion. The room span by. Then I was looking at a gray box. At first I thought it was a piece of medical equipment. It sported a few buttons, a green power light, and about a hundred black wires, one of which snaked toward me. Next to this box sat a flatscreen monitor. I thought: What is that? and letters spilled across the screen: WHAT IS THAT.

In the screen’s reflection, I saw daffodils. Beside them, sitting on the white benchtop, was a tiny black cylinder mounted on a block of plastic. The cylinder had a dark lens at the front and a wire coming out the back. I realized I was looking at myself.

“Whoa,” someone said. “He’s spiking.”

“Dampen that. There’s a—”

“We’ve got a lot of runaway processes. Core is locking.”

“Shut him down. Shut him down!”

Darkness, again.

183.