M.A.N.T.I.S.

pun here pun here

careful

e going

for

spe

for

foree

this is the scientific journal of Dr

Miles Hawkins to be made public in the

event of my death I know when the truth

is known people will wonder why I felt

it necessary to create the Mantis in

reality I never did the Mantis demanded

his own creation and I could not refuse

him

go

B what's your 20 close enough to finish

your latte while it's still hot got a

rush for you to Deep Bay hey I'm pumping

I'm

pumping not

a

maxw hey lieutenant so why they call us

ey down here thought we might be bored

follow me what do you got male deceased

the waiter popped about an hour ago

started suffocating the owner thought he

might be choking on something tried to

he lick him but that wasn't his

problem War I got a I tell you this may

not even be a homicide maybe should talk

to County Health instead yeah I'll stay

with

him in the past few hours we got three

more DBS turned up like this mostly

young people no health problems no

incidents just dead for no good reason

all over town any obvious relation

between any of them other than the fact

they all started choking up and died

uh-uh what do you make of this bad

takeout is a medical team assigned oh

ree is on his way I'll over the autopsy

good

Len

I'm

sleeping you have a delivery you have to

sign for it yourself tell them to come

back later look Dr Hawkins I know it's a

lot to ask for you to mix with the

living every couple of weeks but I got

to clean up here once in a while you can

be replaced you know theet I doubt it

nobody else at the agency will work for

you anymore I'll tell the messenger to

wait while you get

ready hey this guy must have Boku bucks

huh don't expect the tip Dr Miles

Hawkins

yeah I heard of this dude he's like uh

some kind of mad scientist right not

really mad more like uh irritated now

what's a guy with his toys got to cry

about hey a nice

place you own

it yes I own it I rent I'm going own a

place though yeah I'm saving my money

working a couple jobs this and

that hey you got a pool cuz nobody knows

algae like the kid you can go now oh

it's like that okay no that's cool

whatever he thanks for coming by I'll

get it hey sure have a nice day so

friendly even to the little people you

know that is what I love about you bring

the van around I'll be going out I'll be

at the lab

Dr Hopkins been a long time have a good

day pitch right

15° drop nose

down what's

this this this is the answer to Port

Columbia's parking problems no more

garages no more parking tickets not the

crystal this

that that's my letter of res

ation I just have this one more project

to finish up then I can join you in

Blissful un for activity don't put this

on me who should I put it on Miles the

man who shot you maybe the doctor who

sentenced you to the chair your sense of

compassion is underwhelming thank you I

appreciate you saying that John what do

I have to do to make you stay you could

get your sorry ass back to work I can't

do

that not yet well fine go fire another

housekeeper or something I'll turn the

lights out when I

leave it's the damn exoskeleton I can't

stop thinking about it this bloody heads

up display is so close to

working a pilot will be able to think of

turning

left and the chrysalid will do it forget

the

chrysalid

John I want to walk

again I can see the neural net and I

know if we could just get that signal

straight from the brain to the body we'd

have it made what was that you

said I said if we could just get the

signal straight from the brain to the

body as we worked into the night I

wondered if Galileo Edison avinci or

Bell felt as I did on the verge of their

great

discoveries if my fears were real it

would be a crushing defeat but if

somehow the limitations of the human

body could be surmounted I would be the

first of millions to

benefit

re you must be a vampire other Corners

schedule these things during daylight

right I don't like being interrupted the

damn phone Always Rings during the day

that's what phones do reys they ring so

let's get this over with just waiting

for you my precious I swear if this

department ever gets organized we can

actually catch some of these

criminals

okay let's

see

yep what the H that's this what is that

I don't know it's some kind of a

crystallized material or

something get out of get

out

John we're

ready

you know um you know what scares me most

right now no

John what well even if this works and

you do walk again you'll still be the

same so you always

were

John I think my house it's

working

John

miles you win the slam on contest all

right slow down right now the scientific

method can just wait let me measure

something measure

this

stop

it what's going on here huh I'm trying

to get out of here free country more or

less tell them touch me again and you'll

really she's leaving got it no way

you're

leaving where's that coming from sounds

like it's coming from behind that

building I'll call the police John wait

I what is that

thing

John

John what's happening don't

know either the suit is at this limit or

you have we must get you back can you

walk don't think so is he going to be

all right give me a

hand yeah I've got

him I've got his legs

so what's the deal with you guys there

is no deal hey C can I do

anything hey hey

hey you're

welcome miles this is a mistake the only

doctor in this laboratory is you and

you're the patient John it's my life

it's my yes well I'm not going to have

you die on me I may kill you for putting

me through this get me out of this thing

it feels like it's killing me John get

me

out looking better on the

scope how's it feel inside where it

comes want to

sleep for a

week

it was a joyous night