Machine Man (serial)

“The Threes draw more power,” said Cassandra Cautery. “We had to replace the pocket reactor. Which, frankly, was not very well shielded. We were a little surprised you didn’t go Three Mile Island, what with all the leaping and kicking of cars.”

I ran my fingers down the the Contours. The calves were definitely slimmer. “What did you use?”

“A bigger reactor.” She wandered away. I exhaled. Having her hovering was making me tense.

“It doesn’t look bigger,” I said. “It looks—”

“Which we put in an abdomen unit.” I turned. She was standing beside a low shelf, on which sat a steel object about the size of vacuum cleaner. On one side was stamped the international warning symbol for radiation. “This baby provides juice not just for the legs but any other components you care to hook in.”

“But… but then the legs aren’t modular. They’re not self-sufficient.”

“I thought you’d be pleased,” she said. “Our people thought this was a real step forward.”

“No! It’s not!” I wasn’t sure why I was so outraged. This wasn’t a terrible design. It just felt wrong.

“Well, I don’t know what to tell you, Charlie. This is the direction the team took after you ran off.”

I chewed my lip. “So… to wear the legs I need the abdomen unit?”

“Right. Also, the abdomen requires a spine upgrade.”

“What?”

“It weighs like eight hundred kilograms. Without some spine work, it’d fall right out of you.”

I eyed the abdomen.

“And if we’re doing the spine… well…”

“What?”

“You can just do the spine. It’s just…” She shrugged. “Well, it’ll push on your internal organs some.”

“That doesn’t sound good.”

“I’m not sure it’s comfortable. But you can probably live with it. It’s totally your choice. I will say, though, that if you do replace the chest, it gives you a much better spread of arm options.”

I frowned. A lot about this didn’t feel right. And one of those things was that these were not my parts. I had not built them. They were deviations from my designs. It was like coming home to the woman I loved, only to find she had changed in—

The shutters rattled up. “Where’s Lola?”

“She’s coming.” Cassandra Cautery looked at the doorway, as if Lola might suddenly walk in. She didn’t. “Charlie, unfortunately, the clock is ticking. Do you want the parts? Or not?”

142.