Machine Man (serial)

CHAPTER TWO

One morning I woke to find a short woman sitting at the foot of my hospital bed. She wore a green suit with large buttons. A thick black folder lay in her lap. Her hair was neat and straight and corporate. She was a lawyer.

“Hey, you.” She smiled sympathetically. “Feeling better?”

“Uh… yes.” I noticed a tiny black box in her hand, with a blinking red light.

“I’m recording our conversation, remember?”

“I just woke up.”

“You were awake when I notified you, I’m sure. It was right before you said you felt on the path to a full recovery.”

I sat up. “Are you from the company?”

“Yes. I’m Cassandra Cautery.” She smiled. Her teeth were like needles. Or maybe that was the painkillers. I was on a lot of drugs. “I’m here to help.”

“I’m not going to sue.”

She glanced at her black box. “You just confirmed that you decline to take legal action against Better Future, is that correct?”

“Wait.” My brain was beginning to work. “Now I’m not sure.”

Cassandra Cautery rose from the bed. Her face was blank and terrible. She came closer until her face blotted out the world and her hair dangled above my cheek. Her breath smelled of cinnamon and betrayal. “Are you trying to threaten me?”

“What? No.”

“Hinting at legal action following a commitment to desist from same is actionable. Did you know that?”

I didn’t even know what that meant. “No.”

“Who’s advising you? Seddon?”

“I don’t know any Seddon.”

She exhaled. It was like a summer breeze, from somewhere evil. “This isn’t over.” She tucked her folder under her arm and walked out. Her skirt was very snug.

I realized I was holding my breath. I felt shaky and close to tears. I had never been in love before.

4.