BACK AND FORTH-II

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                                                                              Chapter Two

     Maria and I stepped out of the time machine, one of nearly three hundred we, as a group, had cobbled together to get everyone to Hastings.  Maria looked back at the machine, her eye wet with the tears of happiness.

    "A bloodless war. Antony, why do men feel the need to fight? It's so stupid to hurt or kill another person just for a deal of land, especially when the leader has enough money anyway."

    "It comes from the need to have control over others. Some men, women too, have this need. Just why some feel the need to politicize must be in the genes. Is it nurture or nature? I think this problem will always be with us, Maria. Go make yourself comfy; I'll make us a nice cup of tea."

    "Goodness, Antony, I love you so very much."

    We moved to our lounge, making ourselves ready to drink, cuddle and chat. Maria momentary gazed out of the patio window. She nudged me. I almost spilled my second mug of tea but I said nothing and I looked to see what Maria had noticed.

    "What's that blue haze on the horizon?" asked Maria, now turning to me, sporting a quizzical aspect. I'm used to her needing to know everything about anything, almost suspiciously.

    "Oh, yeah, that looks very odd. I wonder if it's Rayleigh scattering. It's what makes the sky blue."

    "Yes, my beloved man, but it's daylight and already blue. Notice the haze is slightly darker and stretches along the whole horizon?"

    "My word, your right, my sweet honey bowel." I squeezed her buttocks, when a hand made its way to my balls and I let go.

    We both found our feet and we stood at the patio door. I decided to make my way outside; as I was not sure this phenomenon was not a trick of the light made so by the doubled glazed glass. As I stepped out onto the grass, followed by my sweet wife, I noticed no change, apart from a slight shimmer at the top edge of the haze, which, by now was more a very light purple, the colour of a spark.

    "It's like the glow you generated from the personal forcefield, Antony." Maria turned to gaze at me. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking, sweet love?"

    "Mind-reading is not one of my better specialties. However, there is something very wrong, and I mean to find out what is going on. How do you feel about a flight around the coast?"

    "You know I dislike flying. However, somehow, I get the feeling I should tag along."

    "Get your warm coat; we'll be back before supper," I said, almost as an order. Maria knew me better than that; more that she knew that when I had the bit between my teeth I am set upon a crusade. This time, I sensed Maria is attuned to me. The aircraft was but one hundred metres from the house and the machine sat on a hard runway, fully fueled for two thousand kilometers.

    I called in a flight-plan to my NATS, then set off to get the Learjet-95 plane ready for take off.  After my walk-around the aircraft, and, seeing that all was well, we boarded the aircraft, did our primary checklist then started the engines, then did all the other post engine start checks. I installed into the plane's computer the flight-plan that I'd radioed into NATS and made ready to taxi onto the runway. Moments later we started off down the runway, then, at V2  rotated the aircraft to the sky. I always took off at a gentle three degrees, just so that Maria didn't feel airsick. Maria likened the acceleration to a great thrusting penetration. I often thought about what she would've said if this jet of ours had four engines. The thoughts of Percy Filth would have to wait for another day. I brushed aside my thoughts and prepared to contact again ATC.