The Breeding Center Ch. 09

We left Riley's office and slowly made our way to the elevator. We quieted our conversation whenever someone neared.

"What does the expression on your face mean?" She asked.

"I can't believe we are together. I was convinced I was never going to see you again... or even die down there!"

"It was all a bad dream, Lexi. Tell yourself it's over now." Riley's verbal condolences were all she could offer. Her fingers grazed against my arm as we walked. I wanted so badly to take and hold her hand, but I knew we needed to hide our feelings from the rest of the world.

"It feels strange to no longer hold that thing inside me. I was beginning to get used to it." I admitted.

"Shit, that had to be awful having it trapped in you. It was only supposed to stay in for a day. I feel bad you had to suffer with it."

"It wasn't all suffering" I blushed. "Sometimes it drove me wild! It was like... a physical reminder of you. The constant sensation of it inside me... pushing me to stay aroused... maybe it actually kept me from losing my mind."

"Want me to put it back in?" Riley teased.

"No!" I said abruptly. We both laughed.

We reached the elevator and she pressed the button. I watched her and my heart ached as we prepared to part. Once inside, the door closed and Riley immediately approached me. Startled at her quickness and proximity, My foot stepped back and I bumped into the wall. Her right hand slipped around my lower back, preventing me from falling. She pulled me close as she braced her left hand on the wall above my shoulder. Our bodies pressed against one another as I looked up at her impassioned expression. She leaned in to kiss me and I softened my eyes.

Before our lips could touch, the elevator slowed and she hastily pulled away. My weakened knees buckled and I nearly fell to the floor. The heat from her hand on the small of my back still radiated through me as I braced myself against the wall.

When the doors opened on the second floor, another nurse entered pushing a cart similar to those from the kitchen. However, instead of food trays, a half dozen pink bins filled the cart. They were smaller and deeper and their lids contained a multitude of tiny holes. "Fourteen please," She said. Riley presses the button.

I studied the cart, curiously. Strange sounds came from the little bins: a shift, a gurgle, a coo. I scanned the names on the front of each bin: House Fargo, House Cook, House Mankato, House Fresno, House Harris, House Albany. Each name, handwritten on a printed strikethrough-circle.

"Small yield today?" Riley asked the nurse.

"Hmm? Oh... no. This is actually the third export today. Another day like today and I'll have to deal with rumors about my relationship with The Stork. We are on quite intimate terms." They both laughed. The nurse took a quick glance at me, cleared her throat, and resumed a face of stone.

My eyes were huge as the whole picture dawned on me. The little bins carried babies! Tiny lives, plucked from the bodies of their mother as she birthed it, immediately sent far away to be raised by old women. Of course I knew this was our way. Our world practiced this for a hundred years. It was taught and supported in everything we did, the most patriotic thing a person could do for humanity, and absolutely no female was exempt. With the exception of a few very old, every single human in existence was brought into the world in this manner. And though we received full disclosure, it didn't become real until I saw it right before me! The sweetest little things which the bearer would never get to lay eyes on. My heart hurt and my hand shot to my stomach.

Riley saw my reaction. She caught my eye and I read her lips sternly mouth "No!" before turning her attention forward. She was desensitized from such emotions and furthermore, irritated at mine. The elevator ascended as I processed the harsh reality before me.

The elevator eventually opened at the thirteenth floor and Riley stepped out. "Lexi!" she said, shaking me from the shock.

I dropped my head and quickly stepped out of the elevator. Turning back, I froze and watched helplessly as the cart of stolen infants disappeared. "Where will they be taken?" I whispered.

"To the roof where the helicopter awaits."

"No. From there..."

"Lexi..." riley warned.

"Please tell me." I begged.

Riley took a deep sigh. "They will be delivered to a randomly selected location which has the greatest need for restocking. As long as the parcels don't get delivered to the same house from which the bearer was raised, it doesn't matter." she said coldly.

We walked to the nurse's station where we were greeted by Miss Christi. "I'm checking in Lexi Meridian." Riley said to the nurse. I extended my arm. As my I.D. bracelet was scanned, Riley said to me. "Take a shower, get some food and rest. Stay hydrated. I'll check on you when I can." She redirected herself toward the elevator.

"Are the deliveries documented?" I blurted out. She pivoted back and scowled at me. "Is there a record of who's baby went where?"

Riley stepped closer. She grabbed my wrist firmly, and yanked me away from the nurse's window. She lowered her voice. "Who's baby?!" she repeated. "The offspring belong to the state, not the female. They are government property until they meet their reproduction quota, exactly like you are. You know this, Lexi."

I tore my arm away from her grip. I was ashamed and dropped my eyes.

She turned and walked a few steps. "But to answer your question, no. The system is constructed this way deliberately to create randomization. There are no records."

There was an awful pain in my chest as I watched Riley go. She did not look back.

I showered and napped, and when dinner arrived, I remained in bed. The nurse insisted I eat and had a meal delivered to my room. I ate some and did start to feel more like myself, and of course, I found some relief as I admired Andi's empty bed.

*****

When I came out of my room for breakfast the next morning, Kayla was ecstatic to see me. She ran to me and hugged me and proceeded to talk up a storm. She said after things settled down from my "escape attempt", all the girls in the wing were brought together and they announced who would receive the honor of advancement to the twelfth floor. Andi and 5 others were given a hero's sendoff. Afterward, Kayla told me how she had made several new friends, including Tessa of House Evanston and Eve of House Manchester, two of the girls which helped Andi on that terrible day. She never mentioned turning any of them in. In fact, she acted like it never even happened! Last, she went on and on about her insemination the previous morning, how wonderful it was. She placed her hand on her stomach "I got the fertility shot. I hope I'm carrying twins ...or triplets!!" she beamed.

I couldn't take anymore. "Please excuse me. I need to go lay back down."

"Are you having morning sickness?" She asked with excitement.

I merely rolled my eyes.

I stood and observed the current nurse on duty standing with Riley and another nurse. I didn't know whether I was happy to see Riley or not. I supposed we would talk through things once we were alone in her office. "Lexi of House Meridian, please accompany Miss Agatha to her office. Kayla of House Wilmington, please go with Miss Riley."

Kayla and I stood, and the four of us silently made our way to the elevator. When the door opened on the first floor, Kayla and I followed our nurses in opposite directions.

*****

Miss Agatha's office was set up just like Riley's. The woman directed me to sit on the end of the table as she scanned my I.D. bracelet. She put on a pair of medical gloves with a startling snap. I heard something dropped on the counter and saw a tube of lubricant. Without saying a word to me, she threw the length of my gown into my lap, shoved my knees open wide, and reached her left hand between my legs. The sloppy blob of cold lubricant was unceremoniously smeared on my body and her two fingers were immediately shoved into me. The breach threatened to push me off balance and I launched my hands behind me to brace myself. Miss Agatha began using her right hand to push against my lower stomach which signaled a need to visit the restroom.

Dumbfounded at the rude invasion, I sat there with my knees open! After a few moments, she withdrew her hand and began positioning the stirrups. It became clear to me I was to be examined, and Miss Agatha was not the talkative type.

"May I please go to the restroom first?" I asked.

When she didn't reply, I decided I could hold it until the exam was complete. I reclined, put my feet in the stirrups and moved to the edge of the table. Miss Agatha set the stirrups to what seemed like an exaggerated position. "Must they be so wide?" I asked. "I feel a lot of strain on my hips." She did not answer. I moved a bit further and tried to make it work.

The nurse strapped my thighs open. The tension in my joints caused my muscles to tremble. "Please," I asked again. "I'm not comfortable in this position." I said.

Miss Agatha retrieved a speculum and showed no sign of tender bedside manner as she abruptly shoved it into my body and wrenched it open. "Ahhh!" I cried out in pain.

"SHUT! UP!" she demanded. "I don't take too kindly to deserters and thieves. You'll lay there and take what I give you! After all the trouble you've caused, you ought to be grateful I'm being THIS nice!"

Helpless to dispute her authority, I surrendered and let the nurse examine me. I was afraid the more I complained, the more savage she would be. I was resolved on remaining still and quiet when I suddenly endured an awful pressure followed by a stinging sensation. I sucked in a desperate hiss and lifted my head to witness the nurse forcing a catheter into me. A clear plastic bag began to fill with my urine and she gave an impatient push on my stomach to hurry it along. Leaving the tube in me, she transferred a bit of the liquid into a medical cup. "I would have given you a urine specimen if you needed one. You didn't need to do that!" I exclaimed.

She squinted her eyes and scowled malevolently before leaving the room with the sample. I squirmed uncomfortably at the position she left me in. I tried to reach the stirrups to adjust the width but each shift put great pressure inside me as the enlarged speculum bottomed out. With my hands between my legs, I touched the speculum and catheter, but they seemed to be attached to the table and I was unable to pull them out. I arched my back, tensed my bottom, and tried every position to make the experience even remotely tolerable. Each move I made was futile and the stinging and pressure was a constant reminder of the disappointment others would take me for.

Though it seemed like a sweaty eternity, my torture only lasted approximately fifteen or twenty minutes. When she returned, a security cuff was placed on my ankle. Overwhelmed by my condition, I hardly noticed.

Miss Agatha placed a towel over my center and abruptly yanked the catheter from me. I let out a horrified scream as my body continued to burn from the intrusion. The nurse threw the entire set-up into the garbage, having only required a small portion. Next, the speculum was collapsed and jerked from my body. My thighs jumped before I exhaled with great relief. I heard the Velcro thigh straps rip apart. I relaxed some and dropped my knees together, but was cautious not to remove my feet and sit up too soon. The nurse left without another word, leaving the door open. I waited for someone to walk by and view my legs spread open. Fortunately, the hall remained quiet.

After a minute, I slowly liberated myself from the table. I crept towards the open door and peeked out. A different woman stood in the hall, waiting. I recognized her from Intake day. "Ready?" she said. I had no idea what for so I nodded.

*****