The People Makers Ch. 19

Tessa put her hands on her hips, making her belly stick out. "And how do you know that?"

"Sophie told me."

"And how did she know that?"

"Haggis told her."

"And how did he know that?"

Taylor paused. He didn't know.

"From what I've heard, Haggis O'Leary is the resident conspiracy theorist here," said Tessa, petting her hair self-consciously. "He'll say or do anything to sabotage pairings. He's the least community minded citizen here."

"Tessa, please, you can't do this," said Taylor, grasping her hands. "You're carrying our baby!"

"Yes, Michael," she said, smiling back at him. "That's who I'm doing this for. You and the baby."

********

Taylor couldn't help but watch.

Tessa was having dinner with Gavin Ansom. Taylor knew what was happening. What was going to happen. After dinner he was going to take her back to his quarters. Then he was going to fuck her. He was going to make love to the woman of his life, the woman carrying his child. Gavin's penis would only be inches from his baby. The thought made him want to retch.

And then afterwards, they would go hand in hand to the Genetic Council to try to create a whole new human race. A human race based on the genes of Tessa... and Gavin.

Sophie sat at his side, with a look of tremendous concern. Taylor didn't know which was worse, watching the two of them dine together or knowing what was going to come next. Every time Tessa laughed or smiled at him he gritted his teeth. He wanted to go over there and tear her away from him. It took all his self restraint to keep himself in his chair.

"This may be the hardest thing I've ever done," he whispered.

"I know," said Sophie. She put her hand over his. "I'm here for you, Michael."

Taylor gave her a pained but appreciative look. "I... I can't believe she's doing this of her own accord. They must be making her do this!"

"If they are, they probably didn't have to push her very hard," said Sophie.

Taylor gave her a surprised look.

"You knew who and what she was when you started seeing her, Michael. You knew she a woman with...." Sophie chose her words carefully, ".... unusual appetites."

Taylor looked over at his woman, his love, whose belly was bulging with his child as she was wined and dined by another man while he watched helplessly.

********

When Gavin finally stood up at the end of the meal and pulled Tessa with him, she looked Taylor's way and her smile froze, for just a moment. Then she obediently let herself be led away on Gavin's arm.

Taylor stifled a cry. Sophie hugged him tight. And then she was pulling at him, pulling him out of the Oregon Lounge.

All eyes were on Taylor as he let Sophie take him away.

It wasn't until he got to her quarters that he started to cry. Large, manful moans escaped his mouth as he sobbed in Sophie's arms.

She patted his back, looking very troubled.

"Sophie! I love her so much!" he said, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"I know, I know."

"She's fucking another man with my baby inside of her! With my baby!" he cried.

"I know," said Sophie. She hugged him tightly, rocking back and forth.

Eventually exhaustion took over and he fell asleep in her arms.

********

The following morning Sophie and Taylor saw Tessa and Gavin at breakfast.

"Good morning, Dear," she said.

Taylor just stared at her. His eyes were red and burning.

"I'm sorry we had to do what we did," she said, indicating Gavin. "But we're meeting with the Genetic Council right after breakfast. It will all be over soon."

Gavin gave Taylor a curt nod, but Taylor glared back at him with hate filled eyes.

"Come, Michael," said Sophie, pulling him away.

********

640.

"640?" said Taylor. "All this... fucking another man, breeding with him, was for a lousy 640? That's a 110 points below what we got!"

"I know," said Tessa, licking her lips uncomfortably. "I felt sure that a distinguished WG Controller would be the perfect match. Our scores were generally good but our Population Growth score was low. Graylor said it was an unpredictable fluctuation and I would probably do better with another partner."

"What?" said Taylor. "Tessa... don't tell me... don't tell me you're going to do this again?"

She took his hand. "I have to, dear. The fate of mankind is at stake."

********

"There's got to be a way out of here! There's just got to be!" said Taylor.

"The Survey Service will find us," said Sophie. "The Service never leaves anyone behind."

"This place has been here a long time, Sophie," said Taylor. "They've been kidnapping people for years."

"But this time they went too far. They kidnapped a Survey Service Captain. They kidnapped you. Do you really think that Admiral Chellina would do anything short of mobilizing an entire task force to find us?"

"No," said Taylor. "But where will she find us? Where are we?" He paused. "We have to escape ourselves."

"How?"

Taylor thought for a minute. "Haggis."

********

Taylor, Sophie, and Haggis stood outside the orange door.

"It won't work," said Haggis.

"You got through once before, didn't you?" Taylor said.

"Yes. And I got on a ship and got away, and then they turned the ship around and brought me right back," said Haggis.

"You let me worry about the ship. Just get us through that door."

Haggis took a deep breath. "Ship."

"Yes, Haggis. How are you today?"

"Quite well, thank you. Ship, I want you to create a simulation where I have access to all the Station's top level access codes. Use actual data from your memory banks to simulate this access."

"Done, Haggis."

"Ship, open the hanger bay door."

They all looked at the orange door. It didn't move.

"Ship, open the hanger bay door."

Ship didn't respond.

"Nothing's happening," said Taylor

"How astute," said Haggis. "I'm not especially surprised. After I got in the first time, it seems they patched this little hole in their security system."

"It's just a door!" Taylor pounded on it with a thump. "If only we had a cutting torch...." He looked at the door control panel. He tried pressing some buttons. Nothing happened.

"There appears to be no power to this door," said Sophie.

"Then I'll force it open!" Taylor cried. He tried to slide the door open. He grunted. He gasped. Then he gave up, panting heavily.

"There has to be a way! There has to!" said Taylor.

"If there is, Captain, we'll find it," said Sophie, putting a hand on his shoulder.

********

Tessa's second partner was Ardis McDuff. She and Taylor reconciled, sort of, before her partnering with Ardis, which occurred three days later. Tessa and Taylor slept together and talked to each other, but the passion was gone between them. When Tessa went off to partner with Ardis, Taylor again endured the pain of knowing that the woman he loved, the woman who was carrying his child, was having sex with another man. The idea of another man's sperm pumped into his lover while she was also carrying his child made him wince with pain. He imagined the baby moving back and forth, as Ardis's penis pounded into her again and again. It made Taylor feel intensely emasculated in a way he couldn't put into words.

********

640. Again.

"They say not to be discouraged," said Tessa, giving Taylor a nervous smile. "Often it takes a dozen partners before you find the right one."

"A dozen partners?" Taylor's eyes went wide.

"But I'm sure it won't come to that." She kissed him, but he didn't respond. "I'm sorry, dear, it has to be done."

********

Frog felt her arm being pulled around from behind.

"What's going on, Frog?" said Taylor.

"What do you mean, Captain?" Her talk crystal, suspended by a chain around her neck, glowed with every word.

"Why is Tessa getting such low scores?"

"Her scores are not subjectively low, compared to other Test Subjects. In fact-"

Taylor pushed Frog against the wall. "Tell me what the problem is."

Frog paused. "We believe that Tessa has a sexual... problem. Have you observed anything of that nature, Captain?"

"Perhaps," said Taylor.

"We think that Tessa requires more sexual stimulation to enjoy the sex act than the average female test subject. This greater need for stimulation is being inherited by her descendants. For some of them, it makes them less inclined to pursue sex since getting pleasure from it is all the more difficult."

Taylor gradually released the pressure on Frog. "And less sexual pleasure means less sex. And less sex means...."

"Fewer people," said Frog. "It's a credit to her that her scores were so high despite this apparent dysfunction. Overall her psycho-social makeup is almost perfect for our purposes. The two of you produced results the closest to perfection we've ever seen."

"So if Tessa can't do it for you, tell her to stop," said Taylor. "Tell her to stop."

"Her next pairing may solve the problem."

"How?"

Frog paused, as if reluctant to speak further.

"How?"

"By selecting someone whose overwhelming sexual desires compensate for her apparent dysfunction."

Taylor's eyes widened. "No. I won't let her!"

"You can't stop her," said Frog. "It's already being done, even as we speak."

"No! No! NOOOOOO!" Taylor cried.

********

The image would be burned into Taylor's mind forever. When he entered his quarters he saw Tessa, lying totally nude on her back in bed, her enormous belly curving above her. And above that was Craig Cobin, equally nude, his hard, red penis pumping in and out of his lover's vagina. Craig's buttocks were rhythmically clenching and unclenching, his body covered in a sheen of sweat, as his groin moved in and out of her, his stomach making physical contact with the humpy mass of his unborn child.

Tessa's face froze in abject terror; Taylor had never seen such an expression on the so socially well adjusted woman he knew and loved. Her jaw dropped wide open, her eyes were wide. She struggled to find the words.

And then Craig Cobin wiped sweat off his brow and smiled. "Hey Captain! We weren't expecting you back so soon, were we, dear?"

Taylor growled as his body filled with adrenaline. Craig Cobin would surely have been dead ten seconds later if Hot Dog and Hamburger hadn't materialized, each grabbing one of his arms with oversized white gloved cartoonish hands.

"Take it easy, Captain," said Hot Dog, holding him back with more power than black matchstick arms should have.

"Easy! Take it easy!" said Hamburger. "Why don't we get a nice cool drink in the Lounge? We have Lemon Smoothies in Algeria today!"

"Yes, dear," said Tessa, looking intensely distressed even as Craig's hard rod continued to pole between her tight pussy lips. Her pregnancy hump glistened with perspiration. "Why don't you see what Sophie is up to while I finish up here? Craig... Craig, can you have the decency to pause for one moment while Michael is here?"

"I can't!" Craig cried, gritting his teeth. "I'm almost there! I just need one... more-"

"NO!" Tessa and Taylor cried together. Taylor struggled with his bonds but couldn't free himself.

"Ahhhhh!" Craig cried. Suddenly he grew stiff and collapsed on top of her, AS HIS SPERM JETTED DEEP INSIDE HER!

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Taylor cried. And then he felt a sharp sting in his arm and everything went black.

********

He woke an interminable time later. It was dark but he felt Tessa in his arms.

"Tessa!"

"I'm here, dear."

"Tessa!"

"It's all right, Dear, I'm here," she said. She pressed his head against her breasts. He felt the reassuring swell of her baby.

"I had a dream-"

"I know, Dear. Go back to sleep."

"Tessa-"

"Sleep, now, sleep."