Machine Man (serial)

Page 185.

“Charlie?”

“Look!” said

I opened my eyes. No, I didn’t. I had no eyes. I was simply, abruptly aware. And I saw her: Lola. “It’sShe had one hand supporting her chin, her elbow on the benchtop. Her hair looked as if she had pulled it into a prosthetic arm. That’s for you.

“No, no.neat pony-tail, then walked through a blizzard. She wore a white collared shirt with what was possibly a grease stain on the cuff. She was here.

“Hey, you.” Her free hand reached out and rested on what felt like my head, but wasn’t. It was my camera. “There you are.”

Lola, I said. Oh Lola, it’s so good to see you and I don’t know what’s happened and can you hear me, Lola? I can’t talk, I can see you but I can’t talk.

Her eyes shone. “You are talking. Here. Let me…” She swiveled me around so that I could see the gray box with its attached monitor. It said: I CAN’T TALK I CAN SEE YOU BUT I CAN’T TALK. “See?” She moved closer, staying within camera range. “You’re talking. We’re talking, Charlie.”

AM I IN THERE IS MY BRAIN IN THERE

“No. Well, yes. But not your brain brain. You’re solid state.”

HOW AM I SOLID STATE

“It’s…” She shuffled closer. Her eyes were filled with excitement. “I’ve

“You’re intrigued, right? I’ve been dying to talk totell you about it, Charlie. It’s amazing.”amazing. Well. I have told you about it. Like about a thousand times. But you couldn’t hear me.”

I AM A ROBOT, wrote the screen. I AM A BOX BOX DEAD MACHINE BOX

“No.” She put her chin on her hands. “No,

“No, Charlie. You’re not a box. The box is your new body, that’s all.”

DO NOT WANT TO BE A BOX LOLA

“Well,” she said. “Let me tell you about the box. Because the box has ports. You can plug things into it.” She smiled. “I have this arm I’ve been working on, Charlie.

She stroked my camera a while. I don’t want to spoil the surprise, because I’ve been saving it up for three years, butcouldn’t feel it. But it is kind of special.”

YOU HAVE YOU HAVE THREE YEARS

“Yeah. It’s been a while,was comforting anyway. “They took you away from me, Charlie. ButAfter we made it.” She looked around. “My bed is over inkissed, and my heart fried everything, the corner there. I convinced themBetter Future people tried to let me bunk in here.” She looked back at me. “They wanteddrag you to give up on you, Charlie.their truck. They said there was nothing leftshifted you about ten feet, then they dropped you and tried to save.run away because the police were coming. I told them, there’s nothing left of his body.”

LOLA LOLA

“Take a peek.”could see you, Charlie, but I couldn’t reach you. The paramedics put me in an ambulance and I didn’t see you for four days.” She leaned forwardstraightened and pulled downunbuttoned her top.shirt. There was a white scar across her chest: thick, not a new one. She sat back.new. “I got your heart.made them give me the heart you made for me. I had to yell at a lot ofsome people. But I got it. You’ve been with me the whole time, Charlie. We haven’t been apart one minute.” She looked around. “My bed is in the corner there. That was another thing II’ve had to yell at them about.”

a lot of people over the last three years, Charlie, because they keep wanting to give up on you.”

THREE YEARS HOW IS IT THREE YEARS

“It feels like three days, all of a sudden,” said Lola. “You’re backsudden.” She smiled, and it’s like you were never gone. We’re talking, Charlie. We’re talking!”

“Soleaned close again. “So let me tell you about the box,” Lola said. Her eyes sparkled. “Becausebox. Because I get thatknow this is a big shock,lot to take in, but seriously, you are going to love this. The box has ports.”

PORTS

“Yes. Right. You can plug things into it.”

WHAT

THINGS WHAT THINGS

“Well,” she said, “that’s an interesting question, Charlie. That’s a very interesting question. And it’s probably the kind ofa question you want to put some serious thought into answering.yourself. But, well, while I’ve been waiting for you,waiting, I kind of went ahead and got started. I…”and…” She bit her lip. “I was going to surprise you. But now I can’t wait.wait! I’m just going to tell you.say it. I made you an arm. You can probably do better. Much better. But I wanted you to have something.give you something, for the heart. Something from me.”

YOU MADE ME AN ARM LOLA

“Yeah.” She grinned. “It’s

“Yeah. It’s pretty cool, Charlie. I mean, it can’t shoot bulletslift cars or anything. It’s just a prosthetic. But it’s a start.”

A START

“Yeah,” said Lola.

“Yeah.” She smiled. “That’s what this is, Charlie. A start.”

I looked at her. Itit is.”

It was odd, knowing I was seeing her through a camera lens. But not as odd as I would have thought. Maybe peoplePerhaps you could get used to anything. Now I thought about it, it was a littlekind of strange that people could feelfelt comfortable walking around in bodies that were almost entirely made ofmostly juice. That was pretty freaky, to be honest.bizarre.

CAN YOU SHOW ME THE ARM, I said.

THE END

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