The Feminist Queendom 15 © Copyright To Beverly Taff

List of Characters.
Charlie Sage Maths and electronics genius.
Shirley Sage Charlies elderly mother
Chloe Charlie’s one time early school friend.
Josephine Flint Surgeon and associate of Chloe’s.
Mrs Jane Anston Director of Anston Aerospace.
Ronnie Garage mechanic at top of lane
Pauline Garage owner, Ronnie’s sister.
Briony Pauline’s teenaged daughter.
Billy Pauline’s middle son.
Abigail (Abby) Pauline’s youngest daughter.
‘Poppy’ Charlie’s little micro-runabout.
‘Doris’ The armoured mobile home.
‘Lady’ Chloe’s Sports Car.
Colonel Wilson Vindictive misanthropist doctor.

Chapter 15

As Chloe parked her car, one of the security guards immediately approached her.

“He’s sitting on the bench overlooking the reservoir. Mr Anston is coming down to meet you.”

“Tell her to meet both of us where Charlie’s sitting. I’d like to chat privately to him first.”

Chloe full knew where the bench overlooked the reservoir, it provided a pleasing view between two hills that allowed a glimpse of the older part of the city that had survived the brief battle that had marked the end of any further resistance in the Feminista ‘Time of troubles’. During the ‘Great Cultural Transition’ the feminist forces had managed to disable or redirect and misogynist attacks and preserve the ancient, cultural aspects of the city.
It was this view of the preserved ancient spires and domes that provided such a relaxing and restorative view for observers who were looking for peace or solitude; and it was to this view that Charlie had retreated in his search for answers.

The bench was normally reserved for female executives of Anston Aerospace but such was Charlie’s well known and well like reputation amongst all Anston staff that no objections had been raised when he had started to retreat there in his searches for peace and inspiration.

Chloe trod silently on the grass instead of the gravel path as she approached her husband for she could tell by his posture that something was troubling him deeply. Seeing this, she spoke softly when she was certain she was in earshot.

“Hi Darling; what’s wrong?”

“Wha-! Oh hi darling. What ’choo doin here?”

“Mis Anston called me. She’s worried about you.”

Charlie wagged his head slowly.

“No love, they’re only worried about losing me.”

“How come.”

Charlie described the day’s events and finished off confirming.

“So as you see; they know now that I’ve got some sort of lever on gravity or rather, antigravity. They’re never going to let go now.”

“Well how did they find out?”

“Some government spies managed to capture a crude anti-gravity device from the Asians and they brought it to Anston aerospace because of my reputation. I was stupid and indicated that I knew what it was.
I even fiddled with it and gave it a slightly improved performance. After I realised my blunder I tried to back-track a bit and told them the device couldn’t be improved any further. Then a tried to bamboozle them with a bit of bullshit about none metallic filaments operating as superconductors at absolute zero. I pretended I couldn’t take the science further unless they came up with such material.

“And is that true?”

“Not quite. That’s how our device works on Poppy, Doris and Lady but it’s not the only material to work. There’s plenty of materials that can be carbonised and supercooled. That’s what all that gunk I was using in the furnace at home was doing, turning the carbonised residue into a crystalline superconductor and enabling it to be spun into fibres then coiled.

Once you understand what’s going on, it’s easy to make the string. Then, once you have made the fibres, you have to – oh never mind, the less people who know, the better.

“Did they understand what you told them.”

“When I started ‘making smoke’ and talked about materials science, I think I’ve threw them off the scent. If they come to me asking questions I’ll tell them that I don’t know anything about material science; - which is pretty much the truth. I only know about superconductors. I’ve been such a twat. Mr Conceited, that’s my bloody name.”

“Can I see this thing.”

“Not a good idea darling,” Charlie cautioned, “you could end up being judged guilty by association. The best thing I can do is go into hiding.”

“Where?” Chloe challenged.”

“That’s the problem. Frying-pans and fires. They say Australia’s not too bad a place. The feminista culture has not taken root too deeply there and the outback has plenty of trees and stuff. Plenty of space to hide Doris, Poppy or your Lady.”

“What about the Asiatic cultures, our supposed enemies?”

“Once they find out about me and gravity it’ll be the same as here and I’m told their culture is even more oppressive. In most places there’s still a sub-islamic misogyny and in others it’s still the old oriental patriarchy. They never had much consideration for human rights even before ‘The Great Cultural Revolution’ and it hasn’t improved any since then.

Hey-up. Here comes the queen herself. Be courteous and don’t mention gravity.”

Chloe stood up to meet Jane Anston while Charlie sat morosely staring across the reservoir, still slightly red eyed from crying. The director paused to stare at the unusual picture of a distressed Charlie Sage before asking Chloe.

“Is he alright?”

“He can speak for himself Ms Anston, why don’t you ask him?”

“The chaperone said he was angry and shoved her.”

“What did the video cameras show?”

“I haven’t checked yet; I came straight here when we knew you had arrived.”

“So, you left him alone out here for fully what – fifteen minutes.”

“We weren’t sure if he was dangerous and he’s wearing a ground suit so it could be difficult to restrain him. Tasering wouldn’t work so there might have been more violent methods.”
“Like killing him you mean, or more accurately shooting him?”

“We couldn’t do that, he’s too valuable.”

“Not him Ms Anston, his brain. It’s only his brain that’s valuable to you.”

“Please call me Jane, it doesn’t have to be this formal.”

“I’m not ordinarily worried about formalities but in this case, I’m worried about Charlie’s life, liberty and sanity. If Charlie suffers from this business, I’ll hold Anston Aerospace responsible.”

Jane Anston did a double take for under the Feminista laws, Charlie was legally Chloe’s property now that they were married; - and that made Charlie’s knowledge her property as well.

“You do realise that what he must know about anti-gravity is necessarily a state secret.”

“Don’t try and frighten me with your law. You and I both know that men are not technically qualified or deemed legally competent to sign the official secrets act. Whatever is locked up in Charlie’s head is my property.”

“That’s absurd!”

“That’s the law Ms Anston. You have your own feminista culture to thank for that.”

The director frowned thoughtfully. While Charlie had been declared a reserved asset, Anston Aerospace had control of his services and skills so that nobody could poach his abilities and knowledge. When he had been married to Chloe nobody had foreseen the issue of intellectual property rights becoming so vital. Anti-gravity had changed everything. Anston Aerospace had failed to raise objections when the marriage bands had been declared and that had now become a serious issue.

The male staff at Anston had chided Charlie good humouredly for allowing himself to be married in such a quaint, old-fashioned custom but now, that legal union had suddenly grown teeth.

For Chloe’s part the female executive colleagues at the University hospital had ridiculed her for tying herself down to a single man but now, that legal attachment to Charlie had inadvertently become Charlie’s shield. Chloe’s constitutional protections had become Charlie’s protections provided they remained married.

When Chloe declared that she was taking her distressed spouse home to recover, there was little that the authorities or Anston Aerospace could do.

“Are you sure he’ll be alright?” Jane Anston asked.

“I think the best place for him right now is where he feels safe. – And that is in my bed.”
She finished by exploiting a common feminista misapprehension about men and sex.

“I suppose you’re right; you seem to know his needs best. All we can do is make sure he’s safe from unfriendly intervention. Will you want protection?”

“From whom?” Chloe riposted. “Colonel Wilson’s gang, or the Asian sector?”

Jane Anston could fully recognise Chloe’s concerns but she had to act to protect Anston Aerospace and any important state security secrets surrounding anti-gravity.

“Well, to tell the truth, - both!” She conceded to Chloe. “I don’t want to see Charlie harmed in any way.”

“Very well. I’ll take Charlie home in my car being as he came in by bus this morning to throw off the people who are stalking him. You could start protecting him by warning off those people who are trying to stalk him each time he drives home.”

“He never told us about that!”

“He only told me because I was worried when he came home late after the last issues with that damned colonel. Tell those goons at least to back off. Kindness works infinitely better than bullying with my Charlie.”

At this juncture, Charlie appeared to have recovered somewhat and he stood up to take one last look across the reservoir.

“We’d better go now. I need a break from all this.” He declared.

“Yes, I think you’d better Mr Sage,” Jane agreed.

“Take a couple of weeks off and look after yourself.”

“It will be a month at least,” Chloe countered. “You’re forgetting the work he’s been putting in at home while thinking about gravity. We’ve got pages and pages of hieroglyphics at home that make absolutely no sense to me but they are stuff he’s worked on at home. As his wife, under your feminista laws, that research is his and that makes the intellectual property rights mine because he did it at home while I nurtured him and supported him.”

“You nurtured him?!”

“That’s right, I’m his wife aren’t I? Come on Charlie. If you want, you can drive.”

Jane Anston walked with them to the factory gates and stared thoughtfully at the car as Charlie drove his wife home . She had never seen him do that before.

Once clear of the factory gates, Chloe suggested they go shopping for groceries then go for a meal before going home.

“It will be dark by then and we can avoid those goons by taking a different route home, then levitating to the cottage under darkness.”

“Okay,” Charlie agreed and he chose one of the several alternative routes that Chloe and he had reconnoitred in preparation for these circumstances.

In the restaurant they chatted at length about the future they faced and what steps they would have to take.

“If we are going to do a runner, we’re going to have to disguise me and not leave any trace of the cars.”

“Are you thinking of a foreign country?” Chloe asked.

“Well, yes,” Charlie replied, “but for the life of me, I can’t think of one.”

“Australia. Australia or New Zealand; Australia’s probably the best,” Chloe continued. “there’s millions of square miles of remote outback where we can hide Doris easily for the short term while you get your head straight. “

“And when do we go?”

“As soon as possible. We’ve got a month to prepare. They won’t even come looking for those first thirty days; except for those goons of Wilson’s.”

“Is this to be permanent?” Charlie asked.

“Don’t know,” Chloe replied, “We’ll just have to suck it and see.

He shrugged as they left the restaurant and chose a remote woodland to commence their flight home. Once more, the darkness served to cover their tracks and back at their cottage, they recommenced that other part of their modest ambitions, parenthood.

ooo000ooo