Machine Man (serial)

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Carl looked different. At first I couldn’t put my finger on it. I was distracted by other thoughts, like why was he even here. Cassandra Cautery had said she’d fired him. In fact, I’d got the impression she’d maybe disposed of him permanently. But Carl was not disposed of. He was right here, filling the doorway, blocking the only exit to Lola’s suite that didn’t require falling eighty feet.

“Hi, Carl.” The light from the hallway behind him made it hard to see his face. “How are you?”

Carl didn’t move. Lola peeked around me. “Carl?”

Still nothing. He was wearing his security uniform, although something about that looked different, too. “Kind of a crazy day, huh?” I said. “I mean… I don’t know how up you are on current events, but…”

Carl stepped into the room. Suddenly what was different about him became obvious. I hadn’t clicked earlier because Carl had always been a big guy. But not this big. Not so big he had to turn sideways to fit through a door.

His arms were concealed by what must have been a custom-tailored uniform, but his hands protruded from his sleeves: thick blocks of gray metal. They looked like sledgehammers. I had not designed these.

“Miss Banks,” Carl said. “You were always very kind to me.”

I felt a rush of relief. I opened my mouth to express this, but Carl’s eyes flicked at me, and I shut up again. It was clear to me in that moment that Carl knew I had tried to get him fired.

“In appreciation of that,” he said, “I’ll give you a head start.”

99.