Machine Man (serial)

The Hummer came at me and I kicked it. You know that expression, When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail? Well, I had a hammer. I had a double-action titanium hammer, and I was starting to see a lot of nails.

The Hummer went up on two wheels. The other two passed over my head. The car went a good ten yards, teetering on the brink of tipping over, as if it were in the circus. It sailed toward the Better Future building and I realized that the driver faced two mutually exclusive objectives: to bring the car down onto four wheels and to not ram a ground-floor meeting room. This was really an either-or decision, but the driver tried valiantly to accomplish both. The Hummer hit the building at a thirty degree angle and disappeared halfway inside.

From one perspective, I can’t take much credit for this. It wasn’t like I had anything much to do with that kick: my input was limited to cowering and being very sure that I did not want to be run over. The Contours took care of the rest: the bracing of one leg against the ground, the timing of the swing of the other, the delivery of the correct amount of force. But then, that was my code. I had written it weeks earlier, sure, without this particular situation in mind, but the fact remained they were acting on my instructions. So from this perspective, I was as responsible for my legs as anyone. And I had just kicked a goddamn car into a building. I felt a tidal wave of pride, and new confidence. I looked up, located Lola’s balcony, and jumped.

96.