The Feminist Queendom Charlie’s War 3.

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.

Chapter 3

When Charlie and Chloe arrived at the entrance to their high-hedged lane Charlie stopped at Ronnie and Pauline’s garage to purchase some essential groceries as well as checking with Ronnie to find out if any more Feminista ‘rent-a-mob’ protesters had been in evidence.

As they arrived in their little car young Billy came dashing out of the workshop to greet them. He followed them into the shop where Pauline greeted them with a reassuring smile as she confirmed.

“We haven’t seen a soul. The lane’s been quiet all day. Have you thought about putting a strong gate across the lane?”

“Well; no actually. Wouldn’t the farmer who owns the woods and pastures on the other side object?”

“Funny you should think that. He’s often mentioned making the lane and his land more secure but while your cottage was lying empty he had nobody to ask. D’ you want me to chat to him when next he comes in for supplies?”

“That would be brilliant.” Chloe interceded. “If he agrees, ask Ronnie to erect a strong gate; I’ll pay for it, money’s a bit tight for Charlie.”
Charlie turned to object but Chloe caught his eye and he stayed silent. Pauline explained as she added up the grocery bill.

“His name is Cutler and he only checks the land about once a week. Sometimes he runs a few store cattle on the paddocks but otherwise he pretty much leaves the land to its own. If you hear any gunshots, it’ll be him shooting over his woods. You’ll know when he’s there, he drives a beat up old Shogun.”

“Thanks for the head’s up. Is Ronnie in his workshop?”

“Here he is now,” Pauline nodded towards the yard as Ronnie crossed to the shop.

Charlie fell to chatting with Ronnie while Chloe chatted with Pauline about Briony’s progress with her maths. When all arrangements had been sorted, the pair returned to Poppy and Charlie suggested Chloe drive. Her eyebrows raised slightly in curiosity so Charlie explained.

“It’s easy simply flying through the open sky but keeping Poppy close to the ground so it looks as though she’s a normal car can be tricky. The best place to practice is in the lane. High hedges and lots of bends prevent people seeing what you’re doing. The trick is to hover with the wheels only an inch clear of the ground while appearing to be an ordinary car. Then you’ll never get stuck in mud.”

Chloe agreed and they quickly reached their cottage. There they parked Poppy inside the barn beside Doris the mobile home and very soon they were enjoying their dinner. Chloe stayed the night again but drove her own car to work at the university in the morning because the ford was easily passable. Charlie stopped off at Ronnie’s to finalise the new gate.

ooo000ooo

For the next couple of months, Chloe and Charlie only met at weekends to avoid causing too much contention. In particular, they avoided being seen driving together. So much so that Chloe’s boss the department professor actually pressed her.

“Are you still seeing that Charlie guy?”

Chloe nodded as she chewed her roll.

“Oh. I just hadn’t seen him around much these past few months.”

“We’re keeping it on the ‘down-low’,” Chloe explained, “when all the furore dies down, we’ll be getting married eventually. He wants to have a proper home ready so he can carry me over the threshold.”

“Huh! How quaint,” the professor riposted somewhat censoriously, “any other primitive customs you intend to re-invent?”

“Some,” Chloe replied defensively, “like my children knowing who their father is.”

The professor fell silent. The questions surrounding children and fathers were still contentious in some higher academic circles. Next she ventured.

“Has he got you labouring for him?”

“No, he’s got builder friends helping him. I help him with decorating and stuff but I enjoy that and consider it a labour of love. It's mental relaxation and gives me a break from my researches in genetics. Sometimes the brainwork can become a drudge.Z”

The deafening silence from the professor served to curtail the conversation and Chloe made her excuses. The professor’s intransigent bigotry was beginning to irk her.

‘Still,’ she reflected, ‘it was nice to think that by that weekend, Charlie had estimated he’d have her car fixed and she’d have ‘anti-grav’.

Her mood improved no end when Charlie texted her later that same day to confirm the fix and told her he’d meet her by the university hospital gates.

“So it’s ready!” She hugged herself as she reached over to kiss him.

“Careful love. Isn’t that your professor boss lady giving us the evil eye?”

“No matter!” Chloe replied. “Everybody can see that I kissed you. They can’t fake a male assault charge. Come on, I’m dying to see my car.”

They slipped away and then stopped at a large supermarket to buy a cheap bottle of champagne. Once at the cottage , Chloe hurried into the barn to test drive her car. Charlie followed her in with the champagne and two glasses then watched as Chloe carefully experimented. A wide grin split her face as she finally clambered out and took the proffered glass of bubbly.

“What are you going to name her?” Charlie asked.

“I’m calling her Lady. What d’ you think?”

“Sound’s good to me,” Charlie concurred, “are you going to christen her with some champagne?”

“Why not?” Chloe grinned. “They do it to ships.”

“Yeah, well let’s not be breaking the bottle over her, you’ll dent the bodywork.”

For an answer, Chloe simply refilled their glasses and had them both tip some champagne over the wind-screen before making another toast to ‘Lady’.

“Are we taking her out after dark?”

“Why not. It’s cloudy and dark enough and her midnight-blue colour suits.”

Glad that Charlie had proven not to be over-cautious about secrecy, Chloe cooked a celebratory supper, while Charlie did a bit more work on the house.

When they had finished supper it was dark enough to sally forth and Chloe eagerly took her beloved ‘Lady’ through her paces. Charlie settled comfortably in the passenger seat and enjoyed their sojourn high into the clouds until he noticed the cunningly disguised little altimeter showing seven thousand metres.

“You’re going to run out of oxygen if you go any higher darling.”

Chloe cursed softly as she opined.

“We’re going to have to get oxygen bottles.”

“Nah, it’ll have to be full-on space suits if you really want to do the space thing.”

“Are you able to make space-suits.” Chloe asked him

“I’ve never tried. I’ve been busy with the anti-grav. Come on, let’s descend to some anonymous forest or something and land secretly before we give Air Traffic Control a fit.”

“Will they have detected us?”

“I don’t know,” Charlie confessed. “Once or twice they might just put it down to anomalies, but if we keep appearing in the same skies regularly, they’re bound to come looking.”

“Bummer!” Chloe cursed. “Is there any way around it?”

“Well in the old days, aircraft used to fly very low to get underneath the radar. Then they tried using special coatings that absorbed the radar waves but that stuff’s expensive and hard to find. Our best bet for now is to fly low at night. Antigrav doesn’t make a noise so people will only notice us if they are looking up or we are reflecting light. Lady is painted matt-midnight-blue so she won’t show. Poppy is vivid yellow so there’s a bigger chance of being seen.

“What about these coatings.”

“They’re like an absorbent rubber coating. I’ve no idea where we could get hold of such stuff. If we can get some and if it actually works, we’d be on a winner.”

“How would you obtain some of this; what-‘you-ma-call-it’?” She pressed.

“I’ve heard it described as ‘RAM’ meaning; radiation-absorbent-material, but it seems that the manufacturers only deal with people who can demonstrate a legitimate need or use of the stuff. I wouldn’t get past first post as a man. They’d want to know what a man needed Radiation-Absorbent-Material for; him being just a ‘jumped-up labourer’ and all.”

Chloe fell silent and Charlie caught her mood.

“Are you thinking something -?” He looked at her with concern. “Don’t go getting yourself into trouble on my account. I’m sailing damned close to the wind as it is. If the feminista got wind of what I’m trying to do, I’d have a shit-load of trouble trying to describe my anti-grav as ‘just a hobby’.”

“Oh! Ain’t that the truth!” Chloe grinned. “And I’d be in trouble as well for being involved without declaring it.”

“You could plead ignorance.” Charlie hazarded.

“Ha!!” Chloe snorted ironically. “While driving around in an anti-gravity car. Yeah, that’ll work.”

Charlie turned his head aside to study Chloe’s car ‘Lady’ then nodded pessimistically.

“Yeah; you’re right. So what’s your idea.”

“Let me have a think about this and I’ll come back to you by the week-end.”

Having become the proud but secret owner of a ‘hover-car; or more correctly, an anti-gravity car; Chloe thoroughly enjoyed Charlie’s tight embrace that night. In the morning she decided to give him a treat by getting up first and making breakfast. The smell of bacon and eggs eventually woke Charlie and he appeared guiltily beside her.

“I’m the host here still. I should be cooking your breakfast.” He protested sleepily.

“I can see you’re tired. You’ve worked non-stop on the house and my ‘Lady’. You need to take a break.

“How? I have to show just cause or need to Mrs Anston.”

Chloe slammed the spatula down on the cooker irritably.

“How many days off have you had since you started working for Anston Aerospace?” She demanded.

Charlie paused then replied.

“I had a week off compassionate leave when Mummy died.”

“Is that all!!!”

“Ye-eess. Just about.” Charlie conceded.

“So!! You’ve worked there man and boy from age fourteen to now and your aged twenty six. That’s twelve years and you’ve had a week off.”

“And every weekend.” Charlie tried to argue. “Oh and Christmas day, but I don’t need that; I’m single and I’m an atheist anyway.”

“Do you know how many days holiday I get every year? Statutory holidays that is. Days I’m legally entitled to!!”

Charlie shrugged again with that defeated air that was beginning to really anger Chloe.

“I’ve no idea. But you’re a woman and that’s the law. I couldn’t take all that time off anyway; I’m not entitled to it and I couldn’t afford it anyway.”

‘Another brutal inequality induced by the feminista laws!’ Chloe silently fumed to herself.

‘It was no good trying to get Charlie to kick against such evil misanthropy. He was too engrossed in his ‘so-called-hobby’ anyway. Charlie simply wasn’t rebel material!’

After she had calmed herself inwardly she spoke softly.

“I’ll get you that RAM as you call it, if it’s the last thing I do.”

Charlie frowned.

“Firstly I beg you not to get into trouble and secondly; how?”

“Give me until the weekend. I’ll have a plan and if it works, you’ll acquire the stuff legally!”

“Good luck with that. Come on, we’ll be late for work. You can practice driving Lady through the flooded stream and down the bumpy lane but please, please. No flying where people will see you! I beg you.”

“I promise.” She reassured him; for Chloe could fully understand the danger they were both in if discovered.

ooo000ooo