Machine Man
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Page 6.
Machine Man (serial)

In my third week at the hospital I was visited by the prosthetics specialist. She walked into my room with a bunch of artificial legs under each arm, like some kind of Hindu goddess. “Hi, Charlie.” She dumped the legs onto my bed and pushed her glasses up her nose. Her hair was brown and frizzy and dragged into a merciless pony-tail. Her white shirt was at least two sizes too big. There was no longer any danger of confusing her with a deity. “I hear you got a transfemoral. May I?” Before I could respond, she lifted up my sheet. “Oh, yeah. That’s a nice stump. Can I touch?”

“Uh…”

Her fingers probed my blighted flesh. “Oh. Yes. Yes.” She dropped the sheet. “I have to confess, Charlie, I do prefer a transfemoral. We get a lot of transtibials—that’s below the knee—and, no offense to those people, but it’s like fitting shoes. There’s no art to it. This…” She patted my leg, the part I had left. “This gives us options.”

“I like options,” I said.

She smiled. “You and me, Charlie. We’re going to be friends.”

6.

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Thomas (#1221)

Location: Germany
Quote: "One more, and I'm going to consider you my penpal."
Posted: 5482 days ago

So many weird characters, it's just lovely. :)

Still loving the format.

Machine Man subscriber Joe M. (#3183)

Location: Texas
Quote: "Grooviness is essential"
Posted: 5482 days ago

hahaha. This is getting better and better.

Mark (#2176)

Location: Ohio, USA
Posted: 5482 days ago

Maybe she will provide some "side' benefits

Noble Brown (#2407)

Location: Washington , DC
Quote: "Those that can't criticize"
Posted: 5482 days ago

Two words...fleshy and exposed!

Jarrod (#3845)

Location: Texas
Quote: "The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule."
Posted: 5482 days ago

This is so wacky. It's great.

Machine Man subscriber gstein42 (#585)

Location: 127.0.0.1
Quote: "That's not change! That's more of the same!"
Posted: 5482 days ago

this is getting weirder and weirder.
max, where the hell are you going with this?

Machine Man subscriber Adam (#24)

Location: Morristown, Indiana
Quote: "Why do I blog? Simple, because Max Barry blogs."
Posted: 5482 days ago

I wonder what would happen if every day I tried to predict what will happen on the next page. I feel like it would really screw with Max as a writer.

Tomorrow, page 7...

The main character will not see or talk to this girl, but she will pass through his thought at one point in time. Maybe he'll wheel around the hospital in his wheelchair.(I'm assuming he has one since he has most of one leg gone)

-adam speicher

nick (#3850)

Location: Melbourne
Quote: "Pick me, pick me, I'm ever so smart!"
Posted: 5482 days ago

This kinda reminds me of Dexter.

I imagine tomorrow she'll be painting his toenails.

This character also reminds me of Elizabeth from Company - I wonder if she'll turn off him once she's fitted his new leg?

Machine Man subscriber Chyna Trople (#2393)

Location: Portland, OR
Quote: "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his job depends on not understanding it. --Upton Sinclair"
Posted: 5377 days ago

The merciless ponytail loses me. Does it hurt her head or does it hurt you to look at. What about tying the merciless ponytail to the two sizes two big shirt? Like the merciless thing is that someone would let that scraggly, tortured hair linger against something so white, pure, and oversized.

Machine Man subscriber Neville (#4168)

Location: malta
Quote: "Happy Christmas"
Posted: 5300 days ago

Loving the transtibial comment

Machine Man subscriber Jason Wallwork (#4608)

Location: Peterborough, ON, Canada
Quote: "Soylent Green is people."
Posted: 5225 days ago

You know, after reading two of your books and this, I just realized something. Your writing reminds me of Douglas Adams. I love it.

Drew (#4904)

Posted: 5025 days ago

this reminds me of the stranger

stanley becker (#5283)

Location: black hole
Quote: "DON"T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER!!"
Posted: 4768 days ago

above the knee or below the knee - with nanotechnology it'll make no difference where you regrow it from - or is it a question of the phantom leg - growing it back so that the mind has the complete image - mind over matter - also if there was no gravity you wouldn't need a leg at all - the answer - emigrate to Mars

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