The Breeding Chamber Ch. 05

"To the leaders of Lubbock, Abilene, Waco and Austin; you are to return to your cities. If you advance any further down this road the consequences will be dire. Legitimate trade between our cities will continue should you so wish but there will be no more trade involving women," Billy continued.

"For the City Guards; make your way to Telegraph Hill and turn on your mobile devices and follow the links and decide individually if you wish to return to Durden City or take your chances elsewhere," Billy shut down commutations.

He and his four troops of Revolutionaries returned to Durden City and manned the walls in anticipation that the combined force of City Guards supported by soldiers from Lubbock, Abilene, Waco and Austin might counterattack.

The attack never came. Billy and Susan watched the bulk of the City Guard who had been sent out to escort the summit delegates come forward under a white flag and lay down their arms. They corralled their armoured vehicles outside the city walls with their guns unmanned.

Their leader came forward and Susan and Billy laid out the terms of surrender and then they shook hands all round.

Durden City had been taken by the Revolutionaries at a considerable cost but nowhere near the loss of life that would have occurred from an outright frontal attack. Pope Durden was in prison awaiting his fate, the Commission waited to be addressed by Susan Solister and the stunned male population went about business as usual.

Victoria returned to the Breeding Facility and called the Brood Mothers together and they came up with an interim plan to instigate a breeding program under the guidelines laid out in Susan's announcement. The doctors were to immediately begin DNA testing so that mothers could be reunited with their children.

In the Comfort Palaces not much changed except that the male managers were dismissed and the Comfort Girls appointed managers from amongst themselves and then they returned to business as usual with the exception that girls had the power to say no to any Trade they didn't like.

Silvia Cornish was captured attempting to flee the city and held in the same prison as Pope Durden.

ONE YEAR LATER

Durden City had been renamed Midland City and Pope Durden languished in prison serving a life sentence. Silvia Cornish was banished and sent out of the city with the few citizens and City Guards who had declined Susan Solister's offer of amnesty.

They were given arms and ammunition to defend themselves and supplies to last a month. Four weeks after they left the city a patrol of troopers found what remained of the little band of refugees in Odessa where they had tried to settle. All of the men were dead, their arms and stores stolen. There was no sign of Silvia Cornish but her fate was obvious.

Susan Solister had been given the nickname 'The Saviour of Midland', which she hated, and had been elected City Commissioner in free and open elections. Those Commissioners found to be free of corruption were restored to their posts because the city needed to function. Those found complicit were exiled.

The city was peaceful and a sense of normality had returned. The breeders were free to choose those who they wished to cohabit with in comfortable, well-appointed rooms. They were allowed to raise their offspring but still had to serve as brood stock. The production of children, female children in particular was essential if a balance of the sexes was to be achieved.

The goal was that in one or two generations men and women and their children would live together as family units as they had before SARS-X devastated the world.

The Comfort Girl program continued. There was still the need to satisfy the desires of men while there were not enough females to do so. Boys were to be given the option to transition to girls should they so please, when they were of an appropriate age to make such a life-changing decision. It was surprising how many elected to do so.

Silvia Eglin was appointed to the new position of Commissioner for Women. She oversaw the Breeding and Comfort girl programs assisted by her Brood Mothers. Breeders and Comfort Girls still resided in the Breeding Facility and Comfort Palaces but were free to move around the city when not working. Of course they were always chaperoned, the appetites of men being what they were.

At first it was decided to abandon Freetown but Billy Brody, now the Commander of the City Troopers, convinced Susan to keep Freetown as an outpost stronghold guarding the roads and railways, ensuring that commerce and trade was conducted safely. There still scavengers and bands of raiders roaming the Badlands.

Madeline Smith and Virgil Benning

Major Virgil Benning was in command of Freetown assisted by Captain Madeline Smith. They lived in the Commander's house and were content. At Madeline's suggestion a small Comfort Palace was opened in Freetown to service the needs of the trooper stationed there. The half a dozen Comfort Girls who worked the Palace made lucrative earnings and denied none of the troopers the pleasure of their company. The troopers were handsome fit young men who showed them respect and adoration so why would they?

Madeline lay on the satin sheets dressed in a red satin shift, shimmery silky holdup stockings, red satin panties and high heels. The heels served no purpose other than to excite her beloved.

Virgil had finished for the day and was freshly showered and naked, standing at the foot of the bed looking down at Madeline with both lechery and love.

"We don't have long. I've invited the other Captains and four of the Comfort Girls to dinner," she smiled up at him.

"You spoil them," Virgil smiled down at Madeline.

"They deserve it," Madeline said earnestly.

"And I deserve you," Virgil leapt on the bed.

"Prove it," Madeline giggled reaching for the man she loved.

The End

EPILOGUE

Pope Durden paced his cell. He still had a limp from where he had been shot in the leg by Virgil Benning but he wasn't thinking about his aching limb. Pope was thinking about his son. Pope was thinking about the future.

Galveston Texas, being an island, was the perfect place to establish a thriving city-state. It was a formidable fortress with a large military force and Pope Durden had been secretly communicating with the Governor of New Galveston, as the city had been renamed, for many years. Not even his closest confidants knew. When Victoria Eglin gave birth to her first son, Pope's heir, Ethan Durden, Pope had secretly sent the child to Galveston a safeguard against the possibility that Pope might find himself in the circumstances in which he now found himself.

Twenty-one year old Ethan Durden was negotiating with the Governor of New Galveston, promising him a continual supply of breeding stock, should the Governor provide Ethan with a military force strong enough to capture Midland City and return to his father to his rightful place as City Commissioner.

The Governor of New Galveston was considering his options.

Author's Note: I spent considerable time writing, editing and rewriting and reediting this story, interrupted by two overseas holidays. One of these holidays involved a six week sojourn across the USA (I live in Australia) during which I spent a week in Texas. For this reason I decided to set this tale in Texas (although I didn't visit Odessa I had two wonderful days in Galveston) but I'm sure the nit-pickers will pick out my deliberate errors (for example: Midland, as far as I know doesn't have a commercial rail service).

This is after all a work of fantasy. My research led me to the conclusion that although the circumstances which led to the decline of world's female population and resulting catastrophic events described in this story are infinitesimally unlikely, it is not impossible.

Thank you for reading this opus and once again I implore you to leave your comments.

xxx

Michele Nylons

July 2023