if he didn’t impregnate me so regularly, I’d have been recycled ages ago. So there’s that, anyway.”
“What if you could talk him out of…of breeding you, though?” Penny asked. “I mean, do you think that’s possible? Would someone who’s under the influence of the hypno-whispers be able to listen to reason?”
Claudette barked an ugly laugh.
“Talk him out of it? When have you ever been able to talk any male, hypnotized or not, out of wanting sex? Besides, there’s the Spice to contend with.”
“The spice? What spice?” Penny asked.
“The kinds that drives even the mildest, kindest male to rape,” Claudette said dryly. “And believe me, the NeverBreeder scouts aren’t out there looking for the mildest and the kindest. They’re picking males who already have high testosterone levels and the Spice just drives their sexual desire through the roof.”
“What spice are you talking about?” Penny demanded again, irritated that the other woman wasn’t answering her question. “Is it the male equivalent of the Mother’s Milk?”
“You could say that,” Claudette muttered. “Only it’s airborne—constantly circulating through the air supply of the entire Compound. So it isn’t like a supplement or a food you can stop eating or drinking. Every breeder male inside the atmosphere dome that’s over this place is breathing it in every minute of the day and night and believe me—it makes them horny as a belrusian bear. So I’m warning you now—get ready to be plowed the minute you and your ‘Forever Mate’ get back to your ‘Love Hut’ after the Unification Ceremony. He’s going to need to breed and you’ll just have to take it.”
“That’s awful!” Penny put her head in her hands. She felt cold all over—a deep chill that had settled at her core and wouldn’t thaw. “Claudette, I can’t go through with this,” she whispered. “I have to find a way to escape—have to get out of here before the Unification Ceremony!”
“Good luck with that,” Claudette said unsympathetically. “Every door in and out of this place is locked to the retinal scans of the NeverBreeders who work here. Even I have to wait to get in and out until one of them comes to help me and the Breeding and Conception Center has been my job assignment for the past twelve cycles.”
“There must be some way!” Penny pleaded. “Some time when they’re taking a break or leaving for the night or some point when I could slip out when nobody is watching!”
“Haven’t you been listening to a word I’ve been telling you?” Claudette’s voice from the other stall was harsh. “Somebody is always watching around here! Even in the Love Huts—if you don’t do your duty and breed in the bed chamber at the Mandatory Breeding Hour, they’ll know it. And you know how they’ll know it? Because they’re always watching!”
She took a deep breath and blew it out in a frustrated sound.
“Look, I don’t have any more time for this. This is life in the Compound and there’s absolutely no escape unless you want to end up in the sausage grinder. So get used to it or die—those are your only two choices, Penny. That’s it. I’m sorry.”
She got up and the stall door banged shut as she left. There was the sound of water running in the sink and then the door to the bathroom opened and shut, leaving Penny alone.
I can’t cry, she told herself, even as the tears leaked down her cheeks. I can’t. If I show any emotion other than happiness to be here, they’ll suspect I’m not hypnotized and I’ll end up in the sausage grinder, just like Claudette said. But oh God—what am I going to do?
It was at times like these when she wished she could pray—wished she could reach out to a higher power who had everything under control—who had a plan, even though she couldn’t see it—
“Courage, daughter,” a soft voice whispered in her ear and then the entire bathroom seemed to fill with a warm, comforting presence.
Penny took a deep, surprised breath. It was like someone had come to her when she was standing out in the cold and wrapped a warm, cozy quilt around her shoulders and given her a comforting hug.
“What…who?” She looked around but there was no one there—except there was. Penny could sill feel the presence wrapped around her like strong, loving arms.
“Courage,” whispered the voice again. “Things seem dark now but you will prevail.”
Then the presence and the voice that went with it were gone as quickly as they had