The Breeding Center

Only a few moments passed before my eyes drifted open. I focused on Kayla and I noticed her exquisite beauty. Naturally, a very pretty girl, but once she added touches of makeup, let her hair down and styled it just so, the change was astonishing! I examined the flawless shape to her tiny body, the glow in her skin, and the shine and thickness in her perfectly curled blond hair... and became envious. The girl I met only two weeks before, stood before me as a woman. She radiated of warmth, confidence, happiness... and love.

"Give her air!" Riley demanded. I turned to see her cradling me on the floor, her eyes studying me intently.

"Alright Ladies, If you were on the list, please go pack your things. Everyone else, back to your rooms too... Don't worry, Lexi will be just fine." Miss Christi assured them.

Kayla lingered. "Kayla, will you please bring me a cup of water?" Riley asked.

Kayla was happy to oblige and made quite a seductive performance to cross the room and return. "Here you go." she said, handing the cup to Riley.

Riley took it from her without a word and without breaking her gaze on me. She held the cup to my lips "Take a drink." she said tenderly. I peered into her caring eyes and took a sip of water. She smiled.

"Its a good thing you were standing there just then!" Miss Christ said. "She's carrying precious cargo now." she said with pride.

"Are you okay?" Riley finally asked.

I nodded. "Yes. I don't know what happened."

"I do. You have a lot going on right now. You need your rest." She gave a little smile and referred to my tummy. "...for the baby." she finished.

"She skipped breakfast" Miss Christi said.

"What?!" Riley asked puzzled.

"Lexi was... preoccupied at the window and didn't make time to eat."

Riley furrowed her forehead. "You have to take better care of yourself!" She radiated with genuine concern for my well-being and my heart melted ever so slightly. "What were you thinking?"

I placed my hand on my tummy and thought of the little life Riley herself placed inside me. "I don't..."

"Um... Excuse me" the floor nurse interrupted, poking her head in the room. "Is she alright?"

"Yes, of course, she is." Miss Christi said happily. Riley returned the cup to my lips.

"Good." the nurse said. "Miss Nell called and wants to know what the delay is? I told her Lexi passed out. Miss Cleo decided they would only delay the hearing five more minutes before starting without her."

"Okay. To your feet, Lexi." Miss Christi said.

I stood with Riley's help. "Careful." she reminded.

Fully upright, I assessed my condition. "I'm okay now." I said. "Thank you." She nodded.

I walked to the elevator with Riley at one side and Miss Christi at the other. It wasn't until the door had closed and I discovered Kayla had followed behind. The four of us stood in silence as the car descended. When we arrived, Kayla winked and smiled at me as Riley and Kayla headed to her office together. My chest tightened and my stomach knotted. I watched the two of them disappear together as Miss Christi took my arm and steered me toward the gymnasium.

*****

The conclusion to the hearing whirled on around me as I sat in a daze.

"Ladies... we have gathered to decide sentencing in the case of The State versus Lexi of House Meridian. At this time, I open the floor for discussion." Miss Cleo said.

Miss Urma was the first to speak. "She is a liar, a waster of precious seed, and a drama queen. She is a loose cannon and shouldn't be trusted. Girls like this, they are nothing but trouble. You let this one out into the public, all you'll end up with is chaos. I propose we give her the maximum sentence and make her a Lifetime Breeder. This sends a bold message to rebels and thieves."

"I agree!" said Miss Denise, the courtyard security woman.

I sucked in a gasp and covered my mouth with both hands.

"I saw the wildness in her eyes when she ran from me in the kitchen." Miss Sharon said. "She was clearly running on pure emotion... like an animal. ...but I'm not convinced she was trying to leave campus."

"Jumping out that window could have caused loss of life!" Miss Jody said. "Wherever she thought she was going, she did so with selfish intent."

"That's true." Miss Sharon replied.

"Her demeanor is my concern." piped in Miss Christi. "One minute she can be so nice, the next she could blow a gasket! Have you ever met someone with such a temper? How could she get by in society like that?"

"But with intense therapy, I believe I could modify her into a useful citizen. A Lifetime Breeder carries with it so little hope, and that does not make for healthy offspring. That is our primary objective here. I suggest a lesser sentence. Say... five live births. During pregnancy, I could work with her daily if needed. She would be an excellent candidate for hypnotherapy. Between production cycles, electroshock therapy would be perfect." Miss Laura explained.

"If you want to melt her brain, why not simply make her a Lifetime Breeder?! That's how she can become a useful citizen! She won't even know the difference!" Miss Urma interjected.

Miss Laura rolled her eyes at the sarcasm.

Miss Jaime finally spoke. "A lesser sentence is better. One additional live birth should be enough." All the women turned to gape at her. She scowled back at them. "There's no real harm here that one additional birth shouldn't cover. She's in custody now. No miscarriage occurred. She has learned the seriousness of her actions. Let's move on."

"What about the injury to Miss Elaine's hand?" Miss Urma demanded.

"You said yourself Miss Elaine will be fine." Miss Jaime countered.

Miss Ethyl was next. "While I applaud Miss Jamie for being forward-thinking, I tend to lean towards a longer sentence. Our greatest ability as women is to increase the population. In that way, our sex is the most powerful of all life forms. Now... fate has given us this vessel to do just that." she thought for a moment as the group patiently waited to hear her wisdom. "Let this girl be an example to all who come hereafter. No one is above the law!" Applause came from a few girls in the stands. This startled me, as all the spectators had done well to remain quiet up to now.

Miss Ethyl finished her thought "I suggest five to ten live births, and then we reconvene to discuss her progress. If additional incidents occur, or if she becomes psychologically unable to join society, we can extend sentencing at that time."

The bickering over my fate went on for some time. There were times where members of the panel leaned towards exonerating me, and times when they came down on me with insults and treated me as a non-human. Three things became evident though... One: some of the women who had likely been coerced into lying or exaggerating their testimony offered me the most leniency. Two: Miss Urma, the woman who knew the issue was with the faulty door, and knew I had not attacked her mute colleague, was willing to lock me away in solitary for the rest of my life rather than accept a stitch of responsibility. And three: the panel had zero interest in hearing my position.

Miss Cleo stood behind Miss Nell with her hand on the back of her chair and watched the women debate. Finally, she wrapped up the session. "I have examined all of the facts in this case and have the utmost respect for this panel's time and viewpoints. I have considered what is best for the accused and what is best for society and I am prepared to make my verdict..."

She released the chair and was about to commence her usual pacing as she spoke when something caught her eye. She leaned in, taking a closer look at Miss Nell's screen, then took two steps back. She stood frozen with her eyes wide and distant. A minute passed. Then two. Spectators murmured.

"Miss Cleo?" Miss Nell said.

No change.

"Miss Cleo? Are you okay?" Miss Urma asked with concern.

"Uh.. yes... I apologize." Miss Cleo said. She cleared her throat and took another moment to gather her thoughts. "Um... Lexi Meridian... is accused of theft, but as we can all see, nothing has been stolen. Both the vessel and the property within have at no time been removed from The Breeding Center campus. Furthermore, I do not believe the accused was trying to escape her responsibility, merely her former lover. Therefore I order the removal of her security cuff. And in the matter of The State versus Lexi of House Meridian, for the charge of treason by way of theft of government property, I find the accused not guilty."

An uproar stirred the room and Miss Cleo waited until the noise settled back down.

"Lexi is accused of personal injury to Miss Elaine, however, Miss Elaine has reported many similar injuries over the years. I am not convinced Lexi directly caused the current injury, but more than likely Miss Elaine aggravated an old injury in the line of duty. Therefore in the matter of The State versus Lexi of House Meridian, for the charge of personal injury, the accused is found not guilty."

There was another pause while she let the spectators process the announcement. Some of the panel members nodded in agreement with the decision.

"And Lastly, Lexi is accused of property damage. This includes seed wasted in her first insemination, the elevator door, the elevator button, the kitchen window and some minor spillage caused in the kitchen. There is significant evidence by way of her lies and her unauthorized roaming of campus property that this did occur as reported. Therefore in the matter of The State versus Lexi of House Meridian, for the charge of property damage, the accused is found guilty."

I got a terrible lump in my throat as I worried about what such a declaration would mean for my life. Fortunately, I didn't have to wait long.

"Lexi of House Meridian is hereby sentenced to time in solitary already served, plus one additional live birth. In addition, during her entire stay, she will receive intense therapy as directed by Miss Laura and will train to become a mentor to new recruits so they may learn from her mistakes. Thirty days prior to the fulfillment of her sentence, this panel will reconvene and may present evidence regarding a possible extension. This hearing is adjourned." Miss Cleo proclaimed before making a brisk exit.

Scattered applause was heard from the stands.

I couldn't believe it. I absolutely could not believe it! I should have been horrified at having to remain detained long enough to give up at least three babies, but I was so relieved I didn't get a life sentence, I didn't even care! What's more, a not guilty verdict for treason freed me from unnecessary shame and cruelty for all the days of my life. To say I was grateful for Miss Cleo's decision was an understatement!

My hearing was a thing of the past, Andi was out of the picture, Riley clearly still cared for me and had forgiven me following our argument, and I had begun to embrace the idea of growing her pledge in my belly. I took a deep breath of relief as I beamed in high spirits. Things were about to get a whole lot better... If only Riley had been present to hear the good news first hand...

*****