2nd Part of Feminist Queendom of Atlantica.

List of Characters.

Charlie Sage Maths and electronic genius.
Shirley Sage Charlies elderly mother
Chloe Charlie’s one time early school friend.
Josephine Flint Surgeon and associate of Chloe’s.
Mrs Anston Director of Anston Aerospace.
Ronnie Garage mechanic at top of lane
Pauline Garage owner, Ronnie’s sister
‘Poppy’ Charlie’s little micro-runabout.
‘Doris’ The armoured mobile home.

Charlie’s War.

During the night, the predicted storm arrived and Chloe was grateful to be snuggled up and warm in Charlie’s embrace as the rain and hail rattled furiously on the steel roof of their barn. They could hear if even within the armoured skin of the mobile home

During the break of dawn there was a brief lull but when Chloe went outside the barn to check the state of the crossing. She frowned as she studied the several inches of water rushing across the ford.

“I should get my car across that shouldn’t I?” She asked Charlie.

“Can’t say,” Charlie replied, “you’d be surprised at how strong a few inches of water can be. Your car’s a light luxury sporty model.”

“But faithful little ‘Poppy’ can I suppose.”

“Anti-grav.” Charlie responded almost apologetically.

“How long before you can retrofit my car?”

“It depends on how quickly stuff turns up in the scrap bins at work. Usually I’ve got enough assorted materials within four to six weeks but that’s not guaranteed.”
“Can’t wait,” she sighed as she turned to go back into the barn, “I suppose you’ll have to run me in with Poppy.”

“Only until the effects of the storm are dried out. Tonight, you should be able to get your car across and then return to your feminista condominium. Until I’ve fitted some anti-grav discs to your car, we’re at the mercy of the weather and flooding if you choose to live here.”

“I could park the other side of the stream if the weather’s bad.”

“Yeah. I suppose that could work. Nobody ever comes up the lane, normally.”

“Let’s do that then.” Chloe decided as she joined Charlie in ‘Poppy’.

“I don’t suppose you’d ever fly to work.” Chloe wondered.

“Not in day-light. Could you imagine the riots it’d cause?”

“Yeah. It seems such a waste though. Able to fly and yet bound to earth by your obsession with secrecy.” Chloe lamented.

“I’m not ready to reveal stuff just yet. You know what would happen if the Feminista learned about Poppy, and as the for Doris, well it doesn’t bear thinking about.”

“Yeah, they’d try to weaponise her I suppose.”

“Exactly!” Charlie sighed. “More killing, more brutality.”

“But you know perfectly well, if the Eastern patriarchal countries ever gained the upper hand we’d be back to a patriarchy here with everything that entails. What’s worse it could end up as an eastern style patriarchy.”

“Yeah, well for now, the nuclear stalemate suit’s me. Provided anti-grave remains a secret until I am fully ready to protect myself and my inventions I can’t risk exposure,”

“Protect yourself! What about me?”

“Sorry, I wasn’t thinking. You’re included obviously. Sorry.”

“When you do get all your ducks in a row, where do you intend to live with your big secret?”

“That’s my biggest head-ache. Truth to tell I’ve even considered waiting until I’ve got Doris capable of going into space then going to live on Mars.”

“Mars!! Don’t be daft! You can’t live on Mars. You’d be condemned to permanently living in a space suit.”

“Yes. But I’d be free and living in a space suit.”

“If you seriously think I’d even think of living on Mars, you’ve got another thing coming. You’ve got to be off your trolley!”

“Well can you see an alternative? Do you think the Feminista will change their ways.”

Chloe let out a derisive snort.

“Of course, they’re going to have to change their ways. Your predictions have made that quite obvious.”

“Yes, but change into what. There are lots of options and from where I’m standing, very few of them involve male liberation. Most seem to point to some form of oppressive, compulsory eugenics.”

“They’re going to have to employ some sort of breeding programme anyway. Your maths has already established that.”

“A breeding programme organised by the feminista for the feminista, - no-oo thanks!” Charlie declared vehemently.

Chloe fell silent. She could not see a way forward. Charlie turned to speak after having stared thoughtfully across the valley.

“I’m as stumped as you are. For now, well, until I’ve modified your car, are you prepared to live in your femicondo?”

“Okay. We’ll just have to keep our relationship on the down-low and not draw attention to ourselves. D’ you think rent-a-mob will be back?”

“Well, winter’s coming and at least the water-meadows in front of the house and the stream crossing will be pretty wet. They can’t get around the back of the house without climbing down the quarry cliffs. We’re pretty safe at the back.”

“Yeah, you picked this place well didn’t you?” Chloe nodded.

“Forewarned is forearmed. Mum and I searched for months before we found this place. What I can do is fence off the gap between the base of the cliffs and the sides of the garden and possibly dig a moat with the digger.”

“Jeeze! Shades of Edward the first!”

“Who?” Charlie asked.

“Oh he was a king who built castles all over Wales as a defence against troublesome Welsh princes.”

Charlie shrugged; he’d never had a history lesson. Instead he made a move to leave.

“Come on, we’ll be late for work at this rate.”

Chloe joined him in Poppy and they left for work. After dropping Chloe off, Charlie just made it in time for his own work and he was just getting started when Mrs Anston appeared.

“Some sort of demonstration at your house over the weekend, I understand.”

Charlie nodded ruefully.

“Yes Ma-am, ‘rent-a-mob turned up protesting our relationship.”

“Is the house safe?”

“The builders are finishing off the roof and access is difficult because of the regular flooding. The water-meadows around my house discourage casual visitors.”

“Well, good luck with that. I suppose there’ll be more protests.”

“I’ll be securing my homestead during the next few nights.”

“Homestead!” Mrs Anston raised her eyebrow.

“Yes. I’ve got a small garden and the lower area floods in winter. We call it the water-meadow. It acts to prevent an overwhelming invasion.”

Mrs Anston grinned.

“Like Fort Apache, you mean?”

“I don’t know what fort Apache is Ma-am.” Charlie lied by playing dumb.

He never missed an opportunity to reveal his educational shortcomings especially when Mrs Anston knew that he was extremely intelligent, even if un-educated. The lady sighed as she reflected what a terrible waste Charlie’s life had been.

‘If only he’d been feminised as a child!’ She thought.

Charlie gloated silently as he noted Mrs Anston’s discomfort at the sense of loss. As the Manager stood there pondering, Charlie turned to start work by taking a faulty component off the conveyor belt and setting about checking it. Mrs Anston watched somewhat guiltily as she reflected on the problem of Charlie’s under-utilisation. She left engrossed in thought as she tried to find some way to solve the conundrum that was her most intelligent and most productive member of staff.

In the Genetics lab meanwhile, Chloe was getting the expected pressure from her boss to drop her relationship. All the regular arguments were wheeled out but Chloe had seen through them for the flawed logic they were. Instead, she engrossed herself in her work and ignored the bullying and uncalled for remarks. Charlie’s antigravity engine had given her the will and wherewithal to see it through.

‘One day Professor, you’ll live to regret your remarks!’ Chloe reflected.

In the evening as she was going home, the professor saw Chloe waiting by the college refectory and talking to the surgeon Josephine Flint. They were stood talking for long minutes until the professor recognised Charlie’s somewhat tired looking car arrive to collect Chloe. On arriving Charlie and the car waited until Chloe and Josephine had finished talking then eventually, the girls parted and Cloe joined Charlie. The professor wondered why Chloe should expose herself to yet more criticism by allowing herself to be seen being driven home by a man in what was obviously a shabby little ‘man’s car’.

The professor knew that Chloe owned a stylish, luxury, performance car, and she watched as the little ‘run-about’ slowly faded into the evening gloom.

As Josephine walked across the carpark to her own car, the professor intercepted her.

“Is she still determined to actually marry that man?” She asked Jo.

“Seemingly yes.” Jo answered, for by now, it had become common knowledge across the campus.

“I don’t understand the girl. She had such excellent prospects.”

“Her choice,” Josephine observed, “I don’t approve of course, like just about all the staff, but I can understand whet she sees in him.”

“And what would that be?” The professor wondered.

“The boy is remarkably intelligent.” Joe replied. “I crossed intellectual swords with him while treating his head-wound and I came off second best. He’s a very insightful person; far brighter than the average simian dullard.”

“Interesting. I’ve heard that from several sources now and he certainly exposed the flaws in the laws concerning sperm donation and collection. Do you know where she has gone with him now?”

“He’s taken her to his little cottage out in the sticks. She’s helping him renovate it but at the moment apparently, it’s still awaiting completion of its roof.” They’re living in a mobile home inside a barn.”
“Do you know where it is?”

“Yes, you take the main road north out of town for about fifteen miles until you come to a shop-cum-repair garage, with a lot of agricultural machinery outside. There’s a narrow lane by the garage where the stream exits under the bridge. The lane has high hedges and it is poorly maintained with deep potholes. Then there’s a ford across a stream at the boundary to his land.

His land backs onto a quarry face but the cottage is a very small, decrepit affair. Apparently, Chloe and her man Charlie hole up there, close their doors and discourage callers. ‘Us-against-the-world’ seems to be their view. Can’t say I blame them.”

“Good gracious. Do you approve?”

“I’m ambivalent towards the current climate of oppressive censure. If Chloe finds happiness, who am I to condemn her?”

“But it’s such a backward step, possibly back towards a patriarchy.”

“I’m not sure about a patriarchy, back to Neanderthal apes possibly.”

“That’s ridiculous. All we’ve got to do is tweak the laws surrounding breeding.”

“Like a zoo or farm-yard do you mean?” Josephine suggested ironically.

The professor stared at Josephine.

“Are you a rebel also?”

“I’m not sure what I am, but since that man’s mathematical predictions became common knowledge, I think lots of people are concerned.”

“There are lots of ways around the problem,” the professor challenged.

“Yes, but we have to ask ourselves why nobody discovered the flaws that he discovered. He’s exposed too many scientific weaknesses in the Feminista philosophy and as Chloe was just saying to me; his maths doesn’t lie.”

“Are you implying you might support her in this marriage thing?”

“I’ve been Chloe’s friend since college so I’d be a rotten friend if I refused to continue our friendship. If getting married makes her happy then I’ll at least witness her marriage. It’s best if she has a female witness present anyway, it reinforces the legality of their decision.”

“You’re showing all the flawed romanticism of the old days, when women entered into a contract that reduced or even destroyed what few rights and privileges they had.”

“Then so be it,” Josephine conceded dismissively. “If I’m being romantic about my friendship with Chloe, then call me a flawed romanticist.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you, - or her!” The professor harrumphed irritably and Josephine took that as a que to take her leave.

Ooo000ooo.