The air seems to sit too long in one spot, the wind having taken its leave for the evening. He stands faithfully at the gate, despite the utter desola...ion of the city... everyone is inside, out of the heat, it seems. He smiles down at you where you sit atop his boot, twining his fingers in your hair, tugging lightly, seeing the impatience mingled with the adoration in your eyes. Your lips curl upward at the corners, just slightly, and he winks, returning his eyes to the gate. He smirks. ”“Less than eight minutes once I’m airborne. It will take me a few minutes to get dressed and on the way.”“See you at the Pentagon. We’ll have a small red laser-light pointing to the sky, follow it down.”“See you shortly, Sir.”I ran into our bedroom and grabbed my flight suit. It seems that when I’m in a hurry, the suit is always hard to pull on and zip up. I grabbed my flight helmet and face shield. I knew I was going to be over Mach-10 on the way. I tapped the main power source twice and. “What happened to your back and who did this to you?” Her poor back was crisscrossed with welts—some of them with fresh scabs showing they were deep enough to bleed. She must have been whipped with a heavy whip to cut so deep. “Oh Jake, I didn’t want you to see that. It doesn’t hurt as much now as it when he did it three days ago.In a calm, even cold, voice I said “Who did this to you Karen?” My cold voice frightened her as she dropped her head and whispered “My Mas... , I mean Victor. He was. The women were wearing colorful dresses that barely covered their breasts and skirts that showed their legs and ankles. The men were drinking and laughing with the women. One couple stood up from a table and headed up the stairs. A tall, dark skinned man with short black hair and wearing an expensive suit stepped up and asked, "May I help you?"Winne trembled at the sight of the man who towered over her. Even though he was wearing such a nice suit, starched white shirt, and tie, his presence was.