Excerpt: Nuts and Bolts

"Where is my leg?"

I was still groggy from the sedatives, but I knew my leg was missing. The sedatives had no effect on my memory. My leg didn't feel right and I distinctly remembered what's his face tearing it off at the knee.

"Yer leg is fine, ma'am. Good as new. Better than what them fancy pants military shits call cybernetics. This here setup will last you 'til your natural body is dead and gone. Shouldn't need much more than routine maintenance checks." Rod maneuvered the toothpick in his mouth so that he could bend over and get a closer look at the joints. His graying whiskers took on a life of their own while he chewed his lip in concentration. "Just need to make a 'justment on this here wiring and..."

Sparks flew. Rod swore. I shut my eyes and let out a woosh of air. Mechanical shifts clicked in my side, and I realized they'd replaced my missing ribs, too. How many scars did I have now? I'd have to remember to buy a year's supply of scar repair cream. It would take that much just to get rid of whatever pretty pattern was around my torso now. Or should I buy body paint and make them more obvious for intimidation? Now there was an idea.

"Clive! Hey! Git yer ass down here. This don't look right."

"I'm sure it works fine, Rod," I said.

"It ain't right, I'm tellin' ya. CLIVE!"

"Can I get up now? I've been lying here for like three days. I need to stretch."

"Stretchin' ain't a good idea, ma'am. Yer skin needs to heal first or you'll rip it open and we'll have to stitch you again. It's already tore once 'cause of yer nightmares. I had to turn yer higher cognitive functions off for a while just so ya wouldn't kick in yer sleep while I was workin on this blasted leg."

"You turned my brain off?"

"Yeah and it weren't easy, neither. Yer mind is stubborn. I figure that's why you survived this long in the first place." He rapped his knuckles on my new metal-plated head. "Yer a tough cookie, ma'am. Now you just got a body to match."

I fixed him in a suspicious stare. "How much of me needed to be replaced, Rod?"

He made a noncommittal noise. "Bits here, bits there."

"You do realize I'm going to look in a mirror as soon as you let me get up."

"That's why I ain't lettin' you get up yet. We fixed you, ma'am, but we ain't done cosmetic surgeries yet. No sense lettin' you look in a mirror and get punched for my trouble."

"I wouldn't punch you, Rod."

"Don't gimme that shit. I let you look in a mirror before we're done and you'll have me on that table in no time. I'll have'ta mechanize my own body and I still ain't had enough sleep from fixin' yer stubborn metal mess."

"Thanks, I feel so much better now."

Sparks flew again. "Well good, 'cause I'm done cheerin' you up."