if i could see people's fear, part 1

artist unknown

We were leaving the solar system, the interplanetary police hot on our vapor, in my fish shaped Star Hopper. I'm keen to say, though, that Star Hopper is more along the lines of a product name, than an actual thing. No one, or pseudoling, had ever hopped to another star, not even close. Valerie hugged my arm and fidgeted most annoyingly. These humanoids really do fret so over life and death occurrences. It's a fault of their species, so I can hardly blame Valerie. I wish she'd buck up.

            Now I guess there's nothing for it. Escaping these space dogs would be our only hope. I eyed the red button as Valerie looked on. "No," she said.

            "Yep, it gives me jelly legs, but here goes nothing." I jabbed the button with the appropriate finger and we blipped right off the map. Don't ask me to explain. My synthetic brain plugs don't mesh real well with my speech center. Suffice to say the coppers lost us and we somehow approached our target off kilter in a half dimensional vortex. "You push it now, deary"

            Valerie did, more gingerly than my brutish stab, and we reappeared instantly after an hour or so of real time. Real time in space is actually a conundrum, which makes button pushing a gas. We came out alive and Valerie blushed, seeing the imprints she had left on my arm.

            "Sorry."

            "Don't be."

            Fear is a funny thing and a life saver in outmoded evolutionary terms. A good portion of the human race has moved on in various percentages. I’m a good 75 percent inhuman, where Valerie is only slightly altered. Most of her adaptations are outwardly physical, while mine are internal and cognitive. I’m the yin to her yang, sort of, not really. Fear isn’t a big thing with me. I see equations and realities. Valerie sees the wonders of the universe, and its monsters.

            She screamed. “The door!”

            The portal suddenly appeared to our port side so I veered left and the Star Hopper bucked. The portal changed directions and now the chase was on. With no police in sight, it was an easier job adjusting to the door’s wild contortions in space. Valerie, sensing the ramifications, buckled in and politely zipped up to her collar. Only Valerie’s taut stomach showed from her custom fitted pink nylon jump suit; her pert belly button sparkled with glitter.  Her beehive swayed in conjunction with the swerving space ship. She squealed with every G wrenching curl.

            We locked in, and I pushed the proverbial peddle to the metal. The portal loomed, unable to escape, and the noise of sirens suddenly burst out over the in dash intercom. Not too late, before the sticky web encased our ship, I triggered the boosters and into the blinding glare we shot.