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Without a Leg to Stand On
A Thursday Prompt Story
© 2017 by Walter Reimer
Prompt: dependent
It hurt, but only once in a while. The doctors had told her that it would, and by now she was used to it.
Still, there were a few things that were inconvenient.
The pangolin slipped a 4-mm hex wrench into the requisite aperture just behind the joint of her right leg, seated it, and twisted it to the right, grimacing as the limb went numb and limp. A small line of text appeared, seemingly hanging in midair but actually fed directly into her visual cortex: Mechanism shutdown. Neural interface disconnected. Physical disconnection (y/n)?
All she had to do was nod, and the sudden loss of the dead weight made her grunt. The leg hit the floor with a thud, and she leaned over and picked it up with an effort. Powered down as it was, the leg, a construct of ceramic-steel alloy ‘bone’ and elastomer ‘muscles,’ seemed to weigh a lot more than it actually did.
Battery cell power at 15%. A program update is available, the interface helpfully told her, and Marybeth placed the outside knee joint against the induction charger. The leg beeped. Charging, the interface said, download starting.
The tip of Marybeth Anand’s scaly tail curled in annoyance. This was a part she didn’t like.
Scooting forward, she made sure that her meat foot was firmly planted on the floor and grabbed her crutches. She managed to get upright on the second attempt and hobbled into the kitchen to get herself a soft drink and a package of chocolate-covered ants.
A glance at her leg and the computer in her head said Power at 27%, charging. Download at 97%.
Marybeth nodded with satisfaction, her long prehensile tongue dipping into the bag of candied insects. After the download was complete, installing the update should only take a few seconds. She’d have the leg fully charged and back on before her dinner date.
Thinking of Henry made her feel a bit warm and fuzzy inside. The male pangolin had been sympathetic when they’d first met, and he had backed off immediately after she told him to his face that she wanted no sympathy for her condition. He respected her for her desire to be self-sufficient, and had never brought the matter up again.
She sipped at her soda between tonguefuls of ants and gave the prosthetic a glance.
Power at 45%, charging. Download complete; install (y/n)?
Marybeth nodded and the install started.
End
A Thursday Prompt Story
© 2017 by Walter Reimer
Prompt: dependent
It hurt, but only once in a while. The doctors had told her that it would, and by now she was used to it.
Still, there were a few things that were inconvenient.
The pangolin slipped a 4-mm hex wrench into the requisite aperture just behind the joint of her right leg, seated it, and twisted it to the right, grimacing as the limb went numb and limp. A small line of text appeared, seemingly hanging in midair but actually fed directly into her visual cortex: Mechanism shutdown. Neural interface disconnected. Physical disconnection (y/n)?
All she had to do was nod, and the sudden loss of the dead weight made her grunt. The leg hit the floor with a thud, and she leaned over and picked it up with an effort. Powered down as it was, the leg, a construct of ceramic-steel alloy ‘bone’ and elastomer ‘muscles,’ seemed to weigh a lot more than it actually did.
Battery cell power at 15%. A program update is available, the interface helpfully told her, and Marybeth placed the outside knee joint against the induction charger. The leg beeped. Charging, the interface said, download starting.
The tip of Marybeth Anand’s scaly tail curled in annoyance. This was a part she didn’t like.
Scooting forward, she made sure that her meat foot was firmly planted on the floor and grabbed her crutches. She managed to get upright on the second attempt and hobbled into the kitchen to get herself a soft drink and a package of chocolate-covered ants.
A glance at her leg and the computer in her head said Power at 27%, charging. Download at 97%.
Marybeth nodded with satisfaction, her long prehensile tongue dipping into the bag of candied insects. After the download was complete, installing the update should only take a few seconds. She’d have the leg fully charged and back on before her dinner date.
Thinking of Henry made her feel a bit warm and fuzzy inside. The male pangolin had been sympathetic when they’d first met, and he had backed off immediately after she told him to his face that she wanted no sympathy for her condition. He respected her for her desire to be self-sufficient, and had never brought the matter up again.
She sipped at her soda between tonguefuls of ants and gave the prosthetic a glance.
Power at 45%, charging. Download complete; install (y/n)?
Marybeth nodded and the install started.
End
Category Story / General Furry Art
Species Mammal (Other)
Size 98 x 120px
File Size 35.6 kB
Listed in Folders
I had a friend in Hawaii who was confined to a wheelchair after a car accident during her childhood. She had an independent streak a mile wide. If you even hinted at helping her with something she would literally growl at you. Only if she absolutely needed help with something would she ask.
There is a phrase that caught my eye and left me wondering.
"... her meat foot..."
The term 'meat' in her case seems to feel somewhat derogatory. I wonder if she's unhappy enough with her body that she get annoyed at the limitations of her cybernetic parts - geez, to I have to update my leg again? Didn't I just do that last week? - and considers her organic parts less desirable when compared to the synthetic alternatives. It's hard to tell based on this snippet. It's certainly intriguing, though. Good job.
"... her meat foot..."
The term 'meat' in her case seems to feel somewhat derogatory. I wonder if she's unhappy enough with her body that she get annoyed at the limitations of her cybernetic parts - geez, to I have to update my leg again? Didn't I just do that last week? - and considers her organic parts less desirable when compared to the synthetic alternatives. It's hard to tell based on this snippet. It's certainly intriguing, though. Good job.
I think that updating the software in her artificial leg might irritate anyone if required frequently - she can always charge it while she's asleep - but I don't think she'd want to have her other limbs replaced. Her intact foot might be referred as her 'meat foot' in a sarcastic-affectionate tone, but we won't know for certain based on the fragment I've written here.
Ketren, up above in the thread, asked me if Meredith's an established character in any of my cast of characters. She's not, but I might add her to the same group as Sylvia, Vanessa and Kyle (Spontoon Island, ca. 2017).
Ketren, up above in the thread, asked me if Meredith's an established character in any of my cast of characters. She's not, but I might add her to the same group as Sylvia, Vanessa and Kyle (Spontoon Island, ca. 2017).
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