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Page 14.
Machine Man (serial)
CHAPTER FOUR

In my second week out of the hospital, Lola Banks, the prosthetic specialist, visited me at work. It had to be at work; I hadn’t gone home. I told my boss that my leg made the commute too hard, but to be honest, I’d been hoping to do this for years. The company had showers, a 24-hour kitchen, and private rooms with bunks. Why wouldn’t you live here? There was everything you needed.

“Whoa,” said Lola Banks. “What is that thing?”

I looked down. “Oh. An office chair. Well, parts of it.”

“Who did this?” She dropped to her knees and began to run her hands over the metal. I felt a little uncomfortable, because we were in the lobby, which was the size of a small cathedral, and a few people glanced at us.

“I did.”

“You strapped half an office chair to your leg? Why would you do that?”

“Well,” I said. “I can sit in this. If you think about it, isn’t it better for people to take their own seating with them, rather than scatter chairs everywhere anyone might possibly want one?”

“Not if you want to go up stairs,” Lola Banks said. “Or move faster than a child. Or not make that dragging sound.”

“This is just temporary. While I design something better.”

She stood. “Like what?”

I considered. Lola Banks was not cleared for deeper access. But that was fixable. “I’ll show you.”

14.

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Comments

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Machine Man subscriber Russell (#3897)

Location: USA
Quote: "O Lord, Protect us from those to whom you speak directly"
Posted: 5470 days ago

I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jamie (#111)

Location: Auckland
Quote: "Anyone still spelling "internet" with a capital "I" is probably struggling with the complexities of their new-fangled electric typewriter."
Posted: 5470 days ago

I like that Charlie is using Lola Banks' whole name; and not just because I needed reminding about who she was :)

Machine Man subscriber Impotent Verse (#3907)

Location: Cambridge, UK
Quote: "On the internet, nobody knows you're a dog"
Posted: 5469 days ago

I just thought "Lola Banks, that sounds familiar" and I just googled it. OMG! OMG! DON'T DO THIS AT WORK!

Max, you naughty chimp - Lola Banks is a Pr0n *!

I am seriously looking forward to Charlie and Lola's relationship dynamic. No wonder she is an expert with 'prosthetics', fnar, fnar!

Machine Man subscriber Ian Manka (#3916)

Location: Los Angeles, California (school) | Akron, Ohio (home)
Quote: "Though I am not naturally honest, I am so sometimes by chance."
Posted: 5469 days ago

"Lola Banks was not cleared for deeper access. But that was fixable."

Cue dirty pr0n music.

Machine Man subscriber Impotent Verse (#3907)

Location: Cambridge, UK
Quote: "On the internet, nobody knows you're a dog"
Posted: 5469 days ago

@Ian - Just snorted coffee out my nose and across my keyboard. Thanks!

Machine Man subscriber Toby O (#2900)

Location: Sydney
Quote: "vote with your wallet"
Posted: 5469 days ago

I got excited about the semicolon.

Maybe it's because I read some Superman recently, but I'm hearing a parallel between 'Lola Banks' and 'Lois Lane.'

And, now that Charles IV (or c4 to his friends) is living there, does the chair recline, since you never know when the chance for a cat nap will hit?

Machine Man subscriber Russell (#3897)

Location: USA
Quote: "O Lord, Protect us from those to whom you speak directly"
Posted: 5469 days ago

Is his name Charles? I can't seem to recall any mention of his name anywhere so far. Maybe i'll have to look closer.

Some fan I am...

Machine Man subscriber Russell (#3897)

Location: USA
Quote: "O Lord, Protect us from those to whom you speak directly"
Posted: 5469 days ago

yep, found it *facepalm*

Machine Man subscriber gstein42 (#585)

Location: 127.0.0.1
Quote: "That's not change! That's more of the same!"
Posted: 5469 days ago

@Zard: i have a hard enough times remembering people's names when i meet them, i'm useless when it comes to reading fiction (even CSI gets me confused)

but thanks max, now i'm very intrigued

Machine Man subscriber SilverKnight (#2210)

Location: St. Louis
Posted: 5469 days ago

@Pev: Thanks, saved me from what killed the cat (no pun intended).

@Max: This is great, because reading the comments puts my own in perspective; I had planned to merely say something like "I'm really liking this now, it's picking up speed", but now I wanna mess with you and say what I'm REALLY thinking which is "Holy crap, this guy even writes good stuff in his first-drafts! I'm buying shares in his publishing companies now!" just to make you nervous. Curious now to see if it will and end up with some ridiculous pages... doubt it though. So far so amazing! :D

Machine Man subscriber Mapuche (#1184)

Location: Darwin, Australia
Quote: "Inconceivable!"
Posted: 5469 days ago

"Charlie and Lola" -> Max has been watching too much ABC Kids!

Kristen (#1157)

Location: Jersey
Quote: "Insert quotation here."
Posted: 5469 days ago

I love the phrase "not cleared for deeper access," and am apparently not alone. :P

Machine Man subscriber Mapuche (#1184)

Location: Darwin, Australia
Quote: "Inconceivable!"
Posted: 5469 days ago

I like that Lola Banks' imdb page shows her having a 53% increase in popularity this week... What have you done Max?

Katy (#2345)

Location: Los Angeles
Posted: 5468 days ago

"Lola Banks, the prosthetic specialist"
"Carl the security guard"
"Cassandra Cautery, the pint-sized lawyer who had grilled me at the hospital"

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you...

Machine Man subscriber Max

Location: Melbourne, Australia
Quote: "I'm my number one fan!"
Posted: 5467 days ago

Whoa. That Lola Banks thing is totally unintentional. I wonder if I'd heard of her before. I probably did, and forgot.

Damn... all the good names are taken... by porn stars!

Machine Man subscriber Hyper (#4612)

Location: Texas, USA
Quote: ""A person who won't read has no advantage over one who can't read. " --Mark Twain"
Posted: 5223 days ago

I am trying to decide which is worse/better, that you used a porn star's name for your character with references to "deeper access", or that you seem to have done that unintentionally...

stanley becker (#5283)

Location: black hole
Quote: "DON"T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER!!"
Posted: 4755 days ago

yeh - I like non-linear - made me laugh

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