Flash Fiction Feature: Aesthetic Motif

“I had to pull three straight all-nighters to get her ready,” Kim said to Lisa. “But with the salvaged motivators, I’ve got a scratch built unit of my very own for the Gunbuster Irregular Tourney!”

Lisa followed her across the noisy repair bay floor, careful not to touch Kim or her service overalls that were stained with hydraulic fluid and assorted wielding burns. “Now if you’re half as good as a pilot as you are a mechanic, that’ll mean something.”

They stopped at the foot of the ten meter tall robotic humanoid vehicle that was Kim’s new pride and joy.

“Here she is!” Kim squealed. “And don’t worry about my piloting! I’ve gone with a simple weapons layout and neuro-kinetic maneuvering interface. The jump jets are still tricky, but I’m going to put in more training time in the simulator before we leave for the duels.”

Lisa blinked scrutinizing her teammate’s handiwork. “It’s, uh… wow.”

“Isn’t she great?!”

“It’s, um… kind of funny to see a thirty five ton mech with rabbit ears on it.”

Kim squinted at her for a moment, then turned around and pointed to the mech’s head with the hydro-spanner she held. “Oh, come on. Those are heat sinks!”

Lisa squinted back as Kim faced her again. “And the painted nose?”

She folded her arms across dirty overalls and a Lola Bunny patch. “That’s for… aesthetic motif.”

Text is Copyright © 2017 by Jason H. Abbott, All Rights Reserved.