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That's My Q #72 - "Loss of me"-=On=- There was a part of Kathleen Black that felt quite nervous as she climbed into the cockpit of the little plane. There was a large part of Amelia Earhart that felt entirely relieved. This was something she knew, something she loved to do. She went through her checklist, nervous Kitty paying special attention to each item, and started up the plane. Up on the throttle, watching the ground, back on the yoke... and she was lifting into the air! "Aah......." And suddenly, Kitty's initial nervousness just melted away like frost in the sunshine as she felt the lift of the little airplane, as she realized just how easy it was to stay in the air. She made her adjustments deftly, climbing high, then gliding easily along. She tried a turn, and it worked, wheeling slightly, lifting the nose slightly to avoid losing altitude... she tried another turn, tighter this time... and Kitty's own memory supplied an interesting observation. "This is what my mother does." Suddenly, that changed in her mind, part of Kitty's personality moving in line with Amelia's, synchronizing, becoming one. "I have this in my blood." She was excited, exhilarated. The world was spread out before her and she could do anything, anything she wanted. She was a bird on the wing. Nothing and nobody could stop her. Kitty rose higher and attempted a twist, then laughed at the sheer adrenaline rush as g-forces pressed her into the plane seat. Simple, so simple... And she never wanted it to end. It was adventurous Amelia who showed alarm when Kitty started practicing stunts. "I haven't done things like this..." And it was Kitty who overruled her, who suddenly laughed because it was natural to her, and she wanted to go FASTER. Of course, so many good things are destined to come to an end, and it was hours later that her fuel indicator prompted her to seek out her landing area. As she lined up for her landing, Kitty started thinking about the upcoming round-the-world flight, a passion that had suddenly become as much hers as Amelia's. She continued pondering it as she shut down the little plane and climbed out. "We'll double-check the tires on that Electra," she said to herself, "and look for ways of bringing our weight down. I'd like to avoid another ground-loop." The memory was Amelia's, but at that moment it felt like Kitty's. She remembered her past flights as if they were her own, and the life of an engineer seemed to shrink just slightly further into the past. -=Off=- Lt. Kathleen Black Chief Engineer Starbase Ronin |
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