Breed

[intriguess]

World War 3, the world had gone nuclear. No one won, everyone lost. Sickness, death, radiation, mutation, the struggle to just live was all that remained.

Even a decade later pretty much everyone wore black, death rates were still high, infant mortality was casting a dark cloud of what was left of civilization. Sure there were some places with electricity and running water, but given the choice between power and clean water, water won. Many places struggled to maintain safe drinking water, and without safe water, death took over.

After another decade clean water was finally a given, but communities were small, mainly through fear of contamination. Now a new generation was rising, those born before the last blast, and those born just after. Before the blast were the last children to be born with zero physical defects. They looked the same as their parents, and were to some a blessing. Those born just after were the first to have physical and mental disabilities, most didn't make it past year one. Those that did and were considered, "Unworthy of dwindling resources" were euthanized by the "Death Nurse." Of course there were some who were brilliant but deformed, and some who looked normal but had huge mental deficiencies. Society made rules, regulations, testing, and a committee who decided who should live and who should die, not only among the young, but among the elderly.

When resources were plentiful the "Death Nurse" mainly worked with those in unbearable pain, when resources were tight, well you get the idea.

Micah was a Death Nurse, actually she was THE death nurse for her community. Not a job one volunteers for, but she had been born after and while brilliant she had a sensitivity which made her unsuited for manual labor positions. Intelligent people were almost always slated for medicine.

She lived alone, by choice, and she had been the Death Nurse for 4 years, since she was 15. Life moved at a different pace now, education was done differently, but that isn't important to this story.


What was important was that a young doctor born before had just discovered something important. He had discovered that babies born to a couple that were both befores or both afters were less healthy than children born to couples of one before and one after.

It took what remained of a governing body very little time to encourage such pairings, and within a year infant mortality was down to a record low. At which time all other pairings are actively discouraged.

And Micah had just been informed that she was legally required to breed with a before, and the list of penalties was long.


OOC originally I intended the good doctor as the partner, but will leave that open to your choice. I've got a lot of background information here and I have pretty well built this particular world in my head. Please PM with character thoughts.

 

[Insidious_Word]

Leaning back into his chair, Jacob Anderson looked somewhat despondently at the ceiling. In his hand he still held the letter that he had read over twice to make sure it was intended for himself. If he felt any amusement at the irony of the situation, neither his face nor his eyes showed it. There were stacks of research papers around him, and a single salvaged computer with an ancient CRT monitor that flickered uncertainly. It was the accumulation of nearly 3 three years of work, and the man in him wished to get rid of it all, even as the scientist protested against such waste of effort.

When he had noticed a certain similarity in birth rates and healthy offspring between those who had been born before the great fallout and those after, he had immediately made it his task to find the correlation. The human genome was an amazing thing in its resiliency and adaptation, and he had hoped that by understanding it and the occurring patterns that were happening in these births, he would be able to solve the dilemma that humanity found itself in.

The council had mistaken his initial findings for a concrete report, and now they intended him to put his theories to the test, practically and personally. He could have easily said he was not sure and spared himself the trouble, but that would not earn him the funding to do the crucial research that he felt was key to humanity's survival. The genetically mutated humans were generally not appealing, and though he did not doubt the findings of his research or its accuracy, the thought of sharing his genes with one was somewhat distasteful. Never the less time had passed, theory had become evidence, evidence transcribed into legislation. And now it was his turn to be a participant.

Slipping the letter out again, he was sure that life would be made more than just a little difficult for him if results were not made evident. Pushing the letter back in, he fingered behind it to pull out the single page file of the participant. The big words MICAH seemed to glare at him next to a black and white picture that did not add any appeal to the situation. He replaced the file after having looked over the address. Again.

The winds were cold outside, and the sky dark with black clouds, such was times of a post fallout world. He did not think that he would have lived to see the day. He removed the lab coat that was the mark of his station, and set about towards the outer areas of the city, towards the dwelling of Micah. As one dubbed as a 'Death Nurse' she choice of environment in which she chose to live seemed appropriate, and he did not really look forward to anything promising.

 

[intriguess]

She read the letter over and over again, trying to discover a way out. Evidentally now that she was of age, and had proved her genetic material she had been in the breeding pool for a while. Simple put no man had chosen her, and now some idiot researcher had discovered that Before/After pairings yielded healthier children.

That she already knew, what she hadn't considered was that a year ago there were a handful of such pairings. Now any Before/Before pairings or After/After pairings where she had dealt with a child had broken up and most had sought out a partner born on the opposite side.

She had seen them, beaming at sweet babies, and had thought nothing of it. Micah dealt more with those born after as she was good at easing pain, and had been present at many births 'just in case'. It seemed perfectly naturally that the amazing sweet brilliant people she knew would be able to land a Before partner, what she didn't understand was why they wanted to, she saw nothing special in being born Before.

Perhaps her upbringing had been different, as most children her age had been raised with the idea that Before was the ideal condition. She supposed her concept of beauty was different, it was hard to focus on the physical when she had seen so much pain and suffering.

Her work clothing consisted of a long hooded cloak, everyone knew she was the death nurse, but no one wanted to see death going to a loved ones home, so her cloak was a mottled dark gray so she blended in with the night. She recalled her mother saying it made her look like the Grim Reaper and after explaining the story, Micah had found it ironic.

Her parents had children both Before and After, Micah was the third of six, and the only girl. Her youngest brother was the most physically handicapped, he was close to what would have been seen as an albino dwarf. Perhaps being raised with such a mix helped her world view. Too many had not wanted to have children After and had stupidly used what birth control was left to make that happen. Resulting in more than one women losing what fertility they had left.

She looked at the penalties, reduction of pay, reduction of rations, it was only when she got to the end that she realized just how much they wanted this. The threat at the end was subtle and clear, if she didn't make an effort within a year, not only would she be punished but she would no longer be utilized in her job and those deemed unworthy would be left to starve, and her youngest brother who while brilliant was also sterile would be at the top of that list.

Her hand trembled as she crumpled up the paper and threw it across the room. Micah only realized she'd been crying when tears fell off her cheeks. It was late, and she wondered how soon they would send out, she picked up the paper and smoothed it out to reread it.

"If you do not select an appropriate mate within 72 hours, one will be appointed to you."

She thought about how long it took messages to travel, and fear gripped her as she realized it had probably been half that time, and if they were going to send someone he would already be on his way. Micah was tempted to not be home when he arrived, but that seemed childish.

Her tears were dry, and she had put on her cloak, wanting to be as unappealing as possible to whoever they sent. Her figure was not deformed, in fact she had a voluptuous figure, but underneath the cloak she looked boxy. Her skin looked as if she had been through a fire, radiation burns they had called it. All she knew was that her skin was pale pink, with lavender and white marbling. That she had to stay out of the sun, and that her skin was more sensitive than normal to touch. Normally she wore gloves, but she had forgotten them as she fixed her evening meal. She wished she had a clock, or something to keep track of time as she paced restlessly, unable to enjoy any of her normal diversions. She had an old fashioned loom set up, and a stack of books, her mother had been a seamstress, her father a librarian and she'd been brought up with a respect for the written word and a love of fabric.

The message had been crumpled and smoothed so often it resembled a piece of leather, they had used a special material, one that would not be easily destroyed or dismissed. She began thinking of all the available Before men debating who they might send. Not that it mattered, most of them seemed to hold themselves as perfect beings and that they should be worshiped for having the luck of being born Before.

 

[Insidious_Word]

The walk to Micah's house was not far, and as the only Death Nurse in the community, it was not hard to find either - everyone would have known her at some point or another. Jacob frowned distastefully; if being born after with the genetic changes that it brought was not bad enough, the applicant had one of the more distasteful jobs in the community. With a grimace, he adjusted his glasses, but though he wished he could laugh at it all, there was nothing particularly humorous about the situation he found himself in.

As a scientist, he was loathe to be on the front-lines of his own theorems and experiments. This had not been part of what he had made his research for, there was only a need to isolate the specific genes that made healthy off-spring possible and there should be no need to pair off with one those born after. That the human race had been split in two meant the they had their own paths to walk, not to recapture that which was lost by trying to bring it back together again.

The house was now ahead of him, little more than a ramshackle edifice in the hills to his eyes. Despite himself, it was hard not to imagine a degenerate lifestyle being lived away from prying eyes. The girl's profile placed her on the lower end of physical capability, but that was not reassuring. So he stood there for while in the cold, contemplating what lay ahead. Perhaps he could convince her that there was no necessity to go through with it, and that it could be passed of as infertility? No. The council would quickly find out. One by one he contrived reasons and discarded them as he picked out the flaws until at last he was left to stare at the hut blankly.

If his parents were still alive, he wondered what they might have said. Nothing good, that was for certain - he could still remember the verbal lashing he had received for sneaking out with a girl of a poorer family, and this would be nothing in comparison. He removed the envelope from his pocket, but did not open it this time. Instead, he glared at it for a long space, before suddenly crushing it in a fit of frustration and hurled it away from him to be forgotten, just as he wished he could be rid of this predicament.

But if he did not go through with it, it would effectively mean the end of his career. A sliver of resentment ran through him, inadvertently directed at the woman inside, for having placed him in this situation. It had been likely that she had been offered her choice of mate, but had failed to make a choice and the council had resolved to make the best match. Some might have considered it flattering, but Jacob had only cold disdain for it.

He closed his eyes and tried to imagine her in some months from now, carrying his child in her womb, but it was all too impersonal at this point, and the visualization failed. She would probably find the situation somewhat amusing having had an uncontaminated human before her in this condition. He could almost hear the mockery of laughter.

Yet there was nothing for it, and so he approached the door. Having ascertained that at least someone was home from lights, he knocked firmly on the door.

"Good evening. Does Micah live here?" his tone was dry and almost business like. "My name is Jacob Anderson, and I believe I have an appointment with her."

 

[intriguess]

Her pacing was halted by the sound at the door. For a split second she held out hope it had all been a mistake, some bad joke played on her by one of her older and therefore born before brothers. They all teased her about how she how good she was with children and that she would never have any of her own if she didn't go out and socialize more.

Their own fertility was undoubtedly part of the problem, both her older brothers had healthy daughters, and her two fertile younger brothers each had a son, both of which had been born in the last year.

She was trying to place the name as her eyes swept around the neatly appointed room, it was an all in one, built from a leftover research cube meant to withstand arctic conditions. It was warm and cozy, and it had been home since she'd been appointed as Death Nurse. She moved to the door and opened it, the wind blowing the hood on her cloak back, revealing her pale skin, blue violet eyes, and hair that was an odd mottled shade of blue and black.

"I live alone," she stated feeling an instant dislike for him. He was Before, and being male, and of the expected age, that she knew instantly why he was here. Was she expected to live with him until they....she couldn't even think the thought.

He looked disdainful towards her, and she felt oddly happy about him not wanting this, even as she was hurt that he had already rejected her.

"I assume you are," she took a breath and quoted the letter, "my appointed Mate?"

 

[Insidious_Word]

He was surprised to see her, true appearance, and not the fuzzy black and white photo. The robes of her profession were on her and he wondered if she had just come from performing some grim duty that was best left to the imagination. He could not believe anybody would do it voluntarily – he would grant her that at least. It was not comfortable that a person who carried so onerous a task would remain so isolated from the rest of the world.

Upon seeing her for the first time, he swore he found her repulsive at first glance, but then saw the beauty, like the heat after the light of a flame. Disgust and desire seemed to have been seamlessly combined into a single pervasive temptation that was disturbing in its allure. Even in the strangeness of that form, the curves of her figure proved that the flower of womanhood had blossomed and a compatibility in the humanness of her eyes.

Jacob Anderson did not allow his thoughts to the surface but ruthlessly suppressed them with another careful adjustment of his square-cut glasses, if only because it allowed him to hide his eyes. It took only an instant for his composure to return and he examined her face again. The woman was barely more than a girl, and he read in her expression the dislike. In a way he was glad, for it allowed him to keep his cool. But of course it was no help as where to go next, but he felt there was no need to provoke hostility.

“Good evening ma'am,” he offered his hand though he fully expected that she would not take it and was ready to withdraw it in an instant, “sorry for visiting this late. I'm Jacob Anderson, but you can call me Jacob.”

 

[intriguess]

She did not take his hand, Micah was not wearing her gloves and the only living people she touched were family. "Come in," she barked. She had meant it as invitation but it ended up like a command. What was it about him that made her so jumpy? He was a fine specimen of a man, and perhaps because she knew appearances could be decieving that she didn't instantly like him just because his body was unmarked by the devastation of war.

He didn't want to be here, kept running in her head even as she knew he would undoubtedly report that any lack of success was entirely her fault. She was awkward, as her contact with people was through work, which was not conducive to forming romantic relationships.

Not that this had to be romantic, it was too bad that most of the technology for artificial insemination had been destroyed in the war. Right now the idea of a cold frozen popsicle of sperm being placed inside her vagina was far prefferable to the man she saw in front of her.

"Jacob," her inner fury was finally under wraps as she said his name almost politely. "Would you like to sit down? Can I get you something to drink?" Then again it wasn't like this had to be pleasant, perhaps she could get him to agree to get himself ready, and she would prepare her body and it would take only a few minutes of actual contact to do the deed.

She was surprised that she already accepted the act as inevitable and was now thinking of ways to minimize contact, encourage conception and so forth. She wished she had kept better track of her cycle, then she could tell him she wasn't ovulating and be rid of him until she was.

She sat down, flinging her cloak onto a hook where two other cloaks were, one was brown and green, which she used during day. The other one was 'pretty' her mother had taken great pride in dying the material a bright shade of violet, and embroidering bright floral motifs along the edges. Micah wore it when she was not on duty, the cloak did a good job shielding her skin from the sun. Underneath she wore a lightweight gown for sleeping, as she had not been expecting him, unaware of how the lighting made the garment semi translucent.

"You don't sound happy about this either," she spat out the last word, realizing that at least some of the distaste she felt was not her own.

 

[Insidious_Word]

Jacob could only grimace at that statement, failing to conceal a sudden smile – his initial assessment of her had been correct – he ran a hand through the dark waves of his hair and removed his glasses. Replacing them in his pocket, he considered the woman before him.

“Anything you have to drink will be fine,” he answered with a shrug of his shoulders. It was all a matter of stalling for time now so that he could find the best course of action. He had not expected the flimsy gown beneath the sinister robes. Had she been waiting in anticipation? Not with that expression upon her face he would wager. Her body was almost visible through the fabric which suggested more than it hid.

“Well I suppose that makes two of us,” he said with cough. “I suppose a sudden letter to my office was the last thing I was expecting, and suddenly I was to meet a person I don't even know just for the purpose of procreation – it's all a little out of my alley, if you'll excuse the pun. I could have refused, but then I'd have to consider what happens to my position and my job... within a week I'd be on the streets and begging shortly thereafter; I'm sure we both know how harsh the council can be to those who don't subscribe to their dictates and prove their usefulness. I suppose your circumstances were somewhat similar then?”

He let out a bitter laugh over the situation. For a moment he considered leaping upon her, pressing her down, a brief moment in which he let out his resentment and frustration, and the deed would be done. But the seconds went by and the moment passed, and he wondered why it had even crossed his mind to do so. He did not have the character for it after all.

If only they had listened to him instead of jumping to conclusions, such a degrading situation would not be his today. “Can you believe I was even given your profile, your likes, dislikes, preferences, even a chart for your ovulation cycle,” though he spoke aloud, it was more to himself as of what was on his mind, and the incredulity that it provoked.

Finally he raised his head, to look straight into her sapphire-violet eyes.

 

[intriguess]

She poured two glasses of red, what in the old days might be called wine, but she was unsure how the local brew was made, just that it was safe to drink, made from a fruit, and had not only a pleasant taste, but often helped her sleep at the end of the day. Micah did not think about how the beverage might ease their situation, merely that it was she typically drank at this time of day.

The table had two chairs, messengers and the like often came out and shared a meal with her. "They would cut my position and let "Nature" handle it." She took a slow drink of the wine and shuddered at the thought of babies left out to die of exposure or worse being eaten by wild animals. She almost told him about her brother, and found it odd that she would feel a bond with him over their mutual distaste for the situation.

She thought of how such information would be gathered, and realized that since she had started menstruating she'd had an bi annual exam to make sure her body was doing what it was supposed to, and after she turned 18 one of the nurses had an in depth talk about procreation. Intellectually she completely understood it, biologically, she thought it was kind of gross.

Now faced with her "Mate" she struggled with the idea that he knew which parts of her skin were the most sensitive to touch and when. He also knew what topics had revolted her, as the nurse had expanded their conversation each visit.

"I suppose that is supposed to make it easier....." she found herself taking another drink letting the warmth settle inside her, sooth her tension.

 

[Insidious_Word]

Taking the wine from where she had set it in front of him, Jacob looked at it tentatively, surprised to find such a thing in her place. Now that he looked at things, everything had been carefully done, in that as best as could be managed in this place. He sipped the wine, and finding it palatable, he took a proper mouthful.

“Doesn’t it bother you?” he asked, more curious to know her response than out of concern. “This is more like how a lab rat would be treated, its responses, it details, et cetera, et cetera, et tedious cetera... I would be. Or is it acceptable as your lot in life?”

He pressed her bluntly, since she had chosen to be direct from the outset of their meeting. He had developed a curious desire to see how she would react, what type of person she was. Despite the form, he conceded that she was at least human at heart, and there was no need to make her life more miserable than it might be.

Despite the winds outside and the light patter of rain that had begun to drizzle from the dark clouds, the room was beginning to feel hot to him. It was probably the wine, as he knew he was ill accustomed to it, always having been sequestered within his laboratory and committed to his work.

“You’re being treated like a prize mare, an animal to be bred at convenience,” he concluded, “I suppose the human race may be saved in the end, but I don’t look forward to the future they are promising us.”

He had meant his words as critique, but somewhere inside the first words had aroused him, stirred his interest – he might even justify it as scientific curiosity to see what might happen. It wasn’t overwhelming but it was a beginning, but Jacob had recognised it and so began to think of anybody but her; the young secretary and her golden curls, the flirtatious vendor with liquid dark eyes full of mystery and promise. But each thought only seemed to make him more away of Micah who was present and had been ordered to carry his child. He rubbed his temples as a sudden headache surged and subsided, and took another sip of the wine to calm himself, providing sudden calm and a surge of heat throbbed through his body.

 

[intriguess]

"We don't seem to have any other choice, or at least they have made the alternative more unappealing." She shrugged, her mind was quick and she had seen no better idea, "Do you have a better idea?" The way he put it, as if they were stock to be paired off, she felt revolted.

"The idea is that we'd produce a generation that wouldn't need to be concerned about genetic viability." She began wondering how they had chosen him, and her, what had made this particular pairing so important to them. She had not heard of anyone else her age being commanded to mate like animal stock.

Genetic viability, other than her youngest brother, who was quite a bit younger and had been considered a high risk pregnancy since her mother had been over 40 by then.

She shook her head, why was she thinking about the fact that her mother had taken so well to pregnancy.

"I'm just trying to make the best of a bad situation and failing to see the silver lining. I just keep seeing," she bit her lower lip. She was loathe to admit she didn't see anything positive about the situation. Then it bloomed in her mind, a baby, a beautiful little girl or boy. A child who would engender all the best of humanity. A child whose parents barely tolerated each other. She kept coming back to that. Could they learn to get along for the sake of a child they hadn't conceived yet.

"Do you even want to have children?" She'd always wanted a family of her own, she got that warm gooey feeling every time she was around her nieces and nephews. She'd figured it would sort itself out someday. After all she was barely 20 and had a good decade of childbearing years ahead of her.

 

[Insidious_Word]

“Children?” The thought seemed new to him... Whilst he had spent a great deal of time study people and the resulting offspring, he had not considered the possibility of his own, let alone with one of the altered humans. But then what of it? He too had believed that there would be time for it, but the future had become now. What was he hesitant about? His own research had shown the viability and unprecedented success rate.

He took another look at her, but despite himself, he was unable to keep the frown off of his face. Granted, she wasn’t as terrible as he had thought she might be, and now measure of respect had crept into his mind, even if only at a subconscious level. Her beauty was alluring, even if it was in an alien and baroque sort of way – the sort of tension induced between attraction and repulsion.

“I suppose I hadn’t given it much thought,” he answered at last, deciding to be honest. “I always thought I’d just wait for the right woman to come along. Understand that I have nothing against you, but I thought that at the very least, I should see what it is you wanted.”

He realised then that there just might be a way out, at least for him.

“The fact that I’m here and you are possessed of an expression like that, tells me I wasn’t your choice of partner – you waited too long, and the council decided to make the decision on your behalf. I always feel it better to make the choice on your own, even if it is a bad one, that to allow someone else to make a bad choice for you. So what is it that you want Micah? I’m not a psychologist, as genetic study is my trade, but I can at least listen to your side and help if I can.”

It might have been the longest speech he had made in his life, as he was prone to doing his job in isolation and spoke as little as possible at a time, but before the rain went away, he was stuck here with her, and he was in no mood to deal with an angry woman. What a mess. He took the wine glass and drained the contents in a single draught, shivering as the alcohol went down in a rough column of heat.

 

[intriguess]

She refilled his glass as she pondered his question, it wasn't like she was ovulating right now, or that the council was outside her door awaiting confirmation. Micah could simply go out and pick any other man, and she realized she didn't really think of any of the other single men born either Before or After in that way.

Too many were either friends of her brothers, or still single for good reason. She hadn't encountered Jacob much undoubtedly because his work was theoretical and hers was practical. She supposed she could move, but communities were fairly widely spaced and would undoubtedly be uncomfortable taking on an outsider unless she had something significant to offer.

The only thing she could think that would get her in, was the very thing her own council was asking her to do, and they also probably had already made some sort of agreement between communities to prevent mass migration when they attempted to enforce their breeding program.

"So if I pick someone else you're off the hook hmmm?" It annoyed her that she would still have to mate with some selfish, overbearing Before male, and he would get to go back to his perfect little world of research. At the same time it seemed kind of humorous that he was the replaceable one in this.

What did she want? in an ideal world she wanted a partner to raise children with, but in this, well she guess she wanted, what a stud? would she take her thinking down to their level? would she accept just being inseminated a few times during ovulation and then just being left alone until her next cycle until a pregnancy resulted?

The physical part still made her feel queesy, but idea of a guy who would just do the job and then let her raise the child alone, it had a certain amount of appeal even as she had a certain amount of relunctance to have a child with someone who would just inseminate her and then go to work and forget about it.

"I want someone who wants to be with me." It was simple, and true, what her parents had when they were alive. Her father would roll over in his grave at the idea of an arranged mating, not a marriage, just a pairing to produce children, and her mother would undoubtedly be rolling over beside him.

She thought about her brother's partnerships, the formal declaration of marriage had become outdated as people lived together or not, and it was their actions not a ceremony that showed their commitment.

Dean her oldest brother was with a women her age, and Brian her other Before brother was paired with an much older woman and their daughter had more health issues. Her two younger brothers, one was paired to a woman born just Before, and the other well it had been a fling and they no longer lived together, but were sharing the responsibilities of raising their beautiful son, who was the youngest of her nieces and nephews.

Thinking of babies made her think about having children of her own again. Her body responding to the idea, as she thought of breast feeding, of bonding with her child.

"Would you want to just do It as needed until conception?" she couldn't imagine leaving her child to be raised by someone else, but he seemed rather cold, and considering her options and the lack of time, it seemed prudient to see if he would be open to just creating a child and then going back to his life.

At least then she'd have space to consider other things, if the council knew they were 'trying' and then if they suceeded that would give her about a year to pick a life partner.

"It's not like they are asking us to live together..."

 

[Insidious_Word]

All he had to do was to do it and leave. She had asked him to consider such a proposal. It had its appeal. The nature of any man allows him to have sex with a great many women in short order, in a sense not requiring him to remain behind, and lure was there. He realised that no matter what form a woman might take, she was still a woman with the womb and all the maternal instincts that comes with the territory. But he sensed that such was not what she wanted.

“I’d have to be a real bastard of man to just seed you and leave you to it Micah,” he said bitterly. In a world were so many were reduced to savagery and brutality, he like to hope that he was at least better than that, and so this latest suggestion stung somewhat. Of course the alternative lay in remaining with her. Remaining with her and what then? Spend lust-filled nights in an attempt to get her heavy with child? Did she really want that? Most, though not all, of the evolved humans he knew had no real reason to be on friendly terms with pre-war humans, and Micah had certainly shown some of that hostility when he had come.

The rain had become particularly hard outside, which depressed him somewhat in this sombre mood. He turned back to look at her. “Don’t expect me to just leave, if you’re intent on having my children – that simply will not do.”

“But then again, can you really put up with me. I might be wrong, but I get the impression you’re not too fond of me. Is it okay for you to my baby for a whole nine months? I’d consider that fact, before you let a stranger you’ve only known for an hour or two get between your legs.”

 

[intriguess]

"You weren't chosen at random," she said the words slowly. He was smart, "They could have picked someone okay with being a stud, or worse, but they chose you for me and me for you, why do you think that is?"

They had lost a lot of technology but psych profiling had become more and more crucial as time went on to make sure people didn't explode in anger over how crappy things were. She could remember how people had looked at her and her brothers seeing the mix of Before and After children living happily together. Some were confused, some were disgusted, but most were envious of them, five healthy kids and her younger brother Pat, who got more dirty looks than anyone especially as he grew up and was allowed to live.

Her sweet brother Pat who was more brilliant than any of them, yet if she didn't find a way to make this, or some other pairing work would have to forage for food.

She was crying, and she wasn't sure why. "We wouldn't need to live together," she gulped as his last words sunk in.

"An hour or two?" no she couldn't imagine letting him touch her for that long. She had been thinking of the final act and not the intimacy, she had not thought about kissing him, or touching him. The baby did have his eyes though. "Surely it wouldn't take that long."

Micah should have told him to leave, the storm had undoubtedly caused damage along the path, and it was getting darker, and he was already stranded with her for night and neither of them knew it.

 

[Insidious_Word]

“Who knows?” he replied bluntly. “I have no idea how long it might take, since we’re not exactly familiar with each other. It may not take an hour or two, but I don’t think that I can be manage in a few seconds, unless you did something pretty outrageous.”

“I didn’t expect that you’d hate me enough that you’d cry over it.” He reached out and wiped away a tear. Her skin was interesting to the touch and he did not find it unbearable. He stepped back to put some distance between them, figuring she was quite close to her limit at handling things. It was a lot of stress after all to pile all this on a woman in such a short period of time. He was reminded of the old adage:

Women need a reason, men just need a place.

Well, he did have a place, which might explain the why arousal came in intermittent surges, but it was for certain to his eyes that Micah still hadn’t found her reason. What a mess he thought, running his hand through his hair. He looked outside. The storm showed no signs of letting up, and the sky had virtually become black with angry clouds. Her house had become a cosy little prison all of a sudden.

“I’m afraid I’m not much of a cook, but if you have anything that needs doing, you might as well ask me to help out – I’m the sort of man who needs to keep himself busy.”

 

[intriguess]

"I don't know you well enough to hate you," she shuddered at the sensation of his finger sweeping across his cheek. She was trying to sort out his words, nothing made sense anymore. He was talking as if he planned to stay, and nothing he had said made it sound like he wanted that.

"So you are staying?" she was confused. Nothing was making sense, her mind was still pacing in circles trying to figure out how she had ended up here. In a room with a man who had less than zero interest in her talking about sex.

It was in that moment that she realized she was wearing her nightgown, and she swept up her dress cloak to cover herself. "You could've told me I was barely dressed." Why was she so distracted around him? It was like her brain was trying to tell her something in a foreign language.

 

[Insidious_Word]

“Well in case you haven’t already noticed, it has started to rain very heavily,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders. “Can’t say that I really want to walk back home in that.”

It was cute to watch her try and cover her body when he had seen it for some time now. Not that it mattered much of course – he already had a fairly accurate mental picture of what was underneath. But it did seem that she hadn’t been intending to seduce him as he had originally thought upon seeing her in that gown for the first time, and he was surprised at the pang of disappointment that he felt as a result.

Nor had he really intended to stay the night in her, but there was really no choice now. But if he was going to stay, what would happen now? He did not feel nothing at all would come of it if he remained, but he was certain of one thing – if he stayed, by the morning they would have consummated the act or they would hate each other – he was too aware of her as a woman to simply smile and let this be. It was a surprise that it had only taken a moment to set him into this mindset.

“As for your dress; well didn’t really notice that until now if it’s any compensation,” he lied. True, he had thought that the lightness of her dress was all part of her set up, but of course, that wasn’t what she had asked and he had no desire to have her more flustered with him than she already was.

“Don’t get the wrong impression – I didn’t come here to force myself on you, but I’m sure you know we’re both in a difficult position. I’m not sure about your reasons, but I’m guessing they gave you some conditions that you really couldn’t refuse, just like me. So what now? This isn’t likely to happen in a single try either, I’m sure you’re aware.”

Jacob was talking more than he usually did. He had only had a glass or two, but he was unused to drinking and the wine was old and potent and he was starting to feel very hot, so he removed his jacket seeing little point to keeping it on indoors. Leaning back in the chair, he looked upward towards the ceiling as he tried to figure out the best course of action, but when he looked back down into those startling eyes of hers, he still hadn’t found the answer that would make both of them happy. But then again, happiness wasn’t necessary for them to perform the act of mating the council wanted of them.

 

[intriguess]

She really hadn't given much thought to how long it would take, it was supposed to be a loving act, between two people who cared about each other, and did not care about how long it took. She shivered, as she realized he was right about the weather. The small bed seemed even smaller now.

She stood up and began pacing again, finding that the simple action helped clear her thoughts. "So now you want to try?" she was just so confused, she could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she thought of just a few of the things she had discussed with the nurse.

Micah had masturbated a time or two, but it seemed pointless to get all riled up all by herself. It would be easier if she was a brood mare, who simply needed to prance around a stallion while in heat and nature would take it course.

Of course there wasn't much naturally in this command, and he probably considered her very body unnatural. She felt like a rat in a cage, a rat in a cage with a horny male rat.

The storm wasn't helping her thoughts and she just felt so defeated and despondant.

 

[Insidious_Word]

At this point, the single bed in the corner of the room seemed to give an added emphasis that she was there with him. Circumstances being what they were, Jacob was also wont to wonder as to whether another man had ever been in that bed, and with those thoughts, what someone like her was like in bed. Was it even the same? The pale flesh mottled and whorled with lavender patterns...

Ahhhh! Why was he procrastinating so much? Even if this wasn’t what he ideally had in mind, his theory worked out just well and was a practical manner to get the human population back on track. She was here right now, and with just a little push, he was certain he could get her to give in – she didn’t have altogether that much choice in the end. Neither did he, but then chances are it would be more enjoyable for him.

“So you want to try now?” He played the words over in his head, and tried to see the meaning behind them. Certainly she no longer looked as disgusted and hostile as she had been before. The alcohol had gotten to him a little and he was in no small state of arousal. So he clenched his fists and allowed them to relax, and walked up to look down on her – he had not realised how frail-looking she was until he was now up against her.

Reaching up, he tilted her chin up slightly, but he was nervous and the gesture was a little rougher than he had intended. He had steeled himself for the moment, but now that it was there, his body wasn’t reacting further; his store of bluster had not been enough to carry him through. So now he merely stood there, looking down into her eyes, his own expression slightly stern from his own frustration at himself.

 

[intriguess]

His touch wasn't instantly repulsive, and he didn't seem revolted. Yet still she felt as if something was off, wrong somehow, but she was just so confused that she couldn't identify much of anything.

She stepped away, to plunk her cloak back onto it's peg. She flicked the lights off, after all it wasn't like he Wanted to see her, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to see him. The lightning and moon light provided some illumination as she moved to the bed. She pulled back the covers feeling resigned to her fate.

She shrugged and slipped off her nightgown, before sliding into her bed. Micah's fingers moved down between her legs, figuring it would be easier if she was physically aroused.

 

[Insidious_Word]

He watched silently as she slipped from his grasp, traversing the room to place the grim cloak upon the hanging, her voluptuous form revealed again. The lights went off and the vague outline of her body was visible, even more as the flimsy gown fell, and with it, whatever reservations he had. In the play of uncertain flickering light and shadow, the alluring defects of her body seemed more visible than in the light of the room, as though they had been a natural means to entice.

Trying to seem as unconcerned with the matter as possible, he came forward slowly; his hands unbuttoning his shirt and leaving it were it fell. Despite his robust physique, he was not a very physically active man, and so he had only his parents to thank for his genetic purity which had gifted him with the resilience to stand up to the times... and now the chance to pass them on. Nor was he visiting familiar grounds, but an exotic land – the familiar altered into a form strange and alien, yet still recognisable, receptive, fertile...

Watching her hand drift to the region between her legs caught him off guard; the sensual play of her fingers contrasted with the almost cold expression, or at least a person whose heart was not entirely into her actions. Whatever else transpired tonight, this was a cold calculated act of reproduction, a brutal primitive mating, where the only pleasure would be what they found for themselves and not what the other might provided.

As he came before her, he knelt by the bed side, examining her body in the gloom of the room. He ran hands over her, not for her pleasure – at least he did not think it so – but simply to try and promote her arousal. He did not worry about his, for he was already deep in the midst of it, his breathe coming in short gasps and he had not even realised when it had happened, only that it was. The buckle and the zip of his pants came open, leaving his erection to spring out in crude fashion, heavy and puissant. He was not certain she should see it yet and so he remained kneeling, running his breath over the bizarre beauty of her body.

 

[intriguess]

She closed her eyes as he approached, letting the trepidition melt away as her fingers increased her wetness. Micah had never had any hair between her legs, and she let her slender fingers work her pussy into a state that would be more receptive of....her thoughts trailed off, it seemed so clinical, but whatever worked she supposed.

Her mind must be a least a little accepting or she would not have been able to arouse her body. She opened her eyes slightly, feeling surprised once more as his hands moved over her breasts, she shivered, her skin was in general sensitive, but she had not felt anything like the sensation of his hands upon her skin. Then again a man had never touched her like that.

The doctor had broken her hymen at her last appointment, and she hadn't thought it odd until now. Had they really been plotting her pregnancy potential that long? She sighed letting the sorrow over not having more control over her first time. She shuddered as she slide one finger inside her body, testing her readiness, as she glanced at him though slitted eyes.

 

[Insidious_Word]

Jacob continued to describe the curvature of her body with his hands, fascinated by cool texture of her skin, at least until he realised he was being watched. So then he turned his eyes to hers. It was not a sultry look of lust, but to him, her narrowed eyes were more like those of a reptile, reminding him that there would not be much love or lust in this coupling, or at least it would be a cold cynical lust that propelled them to consummate the act, if such a thing were possible.

Leaning over, he laid his mouth across her breasts, licking gently, allowing the heat to suffuse her flesh, and as he worked, he began to remove his shoes and trousers. Something in the pockets cracked and popped as he knelt on them, and when he kicked the clothes away, a tumble of fluorescent rods spilled out across the room revealing the source. He had carried them against the sudden cloud covers that could suddenly blanket the post nuclear world and turn the land into a deep-shadowed landscape. Now they cast their cold lights within the confines of her cubicle, in eerie shades of blue, green, red, and violet, throwing weird shadows about, transforming everything into an alien scene.

Jacob felt a slight irritation over it, but what was done was done, and Micah was right there before him. The momentum of events had been thrown off slightly, and the awkwardness had returned, making him realise that he was standing in front of a woman, who probably didn’t care much for him, naked and with his member standing proudly and inappropriately erect.

How the hell do other people go about this? It was present concern on his mind. She was fairly human in appearance and form, and he had seen others with stranger features, and those people had managed with their partners. Perhaps he was just uncertain about having his offspring with this particular woman – they had no connection on a personal level and her appearance was all that he had to go on. Then again, the threat to his future also hung like a cold knife over his back. If he tried, they couldn’t accuse him of not doing his part.

He brought a knee onto the bed, leaning over to suckle on her breasts as he might have done to a normal woman. He remembered that her profile said that her skin was too sensitive to allow her to work as a normal person might have. How was his touch to her? The only job that had been suited to her was a death nurse, and so it seemed to him that it was strange that she might even have a sexual side, having seen many morbid scenes. He shivered somewhat at the thought of those hands that might have put others to their end, might actually run across his body this night, even as he realised she was presently caressing herself with those same hands. Slowly, he brought his own hands to the junction of her legs...

 

[intriguess]

The colored lights added an even higher level of unnaturalness to the atmosphere. Then again he was touching her, did he even want to touch her, was he getting some sort of perverse enjoyment out of it.

His mouth, she had thought that not seeing him would be helpful, but not knowing what he was doing, seemed to make it feel heightend even more. So she figured it would be easier to not look at him, but seeing him, watching his mouth move upon her flesh somehow seemed to make it even more intense.

"You don't have to," she stuttered unsure of how to proceed, "I mean it's not necessary," could she be more lame and stupid, she liked his touch and she was telling him not to touch her.

She waited for him to look at her, to give some indication that he understood or was clueless. Micah, felt like an idiot, and muttered, "I'll just shut up now."