The Breeding Chamber Ch. 05

"Once word of my power spreads across the state and then across the country, cities will open their gates and welcome me. I will show them how to establish breeding programs and how to turn boys into girls for their pleasure. I will no longer need to trade females for gold because all will be mine," Pope's laugh became maniacal.

He reminded Silvia of historic footage she had seen of Adolf Hitler addressing the masses at Nuremburg Germany before world war two. Pope had risen from the bed and stood naked and rampant; his cock a steel rod poking out in front his body. But it was not lasciviousness that ignited his lust; it was the expectation of dominion.

He would publicly execute Victoria Eglin for betraying him but Silvia Cornish would not take her place. Silvia knew too much. She might enjoy being locked in a breeding chamber in some other city far enough away from Durden City that she would no longer be a threat, Pope pondered. He'd already selected a beautiful young virgin to be his Empress.

Pope showered and dressed in his full ceremonial uniform knowing that Victoria was dressing in her finery in anticipation of being presented as his consort on the stage at the summit. If only that dumb bitch knew what fate awaited her. He would give her co-conspirator, the Comfort Girl named Madeline, to his Praetorians to ravish and ravage and finally dispose of. He had no little time for Comfort Girls and exposing her publicly would serve no purpose.

Pope had showered and was dressed in his ceremonial uniform and was just putting on his gold sash when he heard sporadic gunfire erupt in the distance. The sound of gunfire intensified and was joined by the muffled thunder of munitions.

"The fucking Revolutionaries!" Pope roared and reached for his sidearm.

When the fighting erupted on the main streets of Durden City Madeline was dressed in her ACU and webbing, her pistol drawn, Virgil Benning beside her, his M4 across his chest, keeping guard outside Victoria's quarters in the Breeding Facility.

"Ok, here we go," Virgil assumed a combat stance.

Two of the Brood Mothers came running down the corridor, their faces a picture of terror. Madeline stepped in front of them and stopped them.

"Get all the other Brood Mothers, breeders and juvenile Comfort Girls and take them to the rooftop gardens. Keep them away from the edge of the building. Tell them that that they are safe; no one is going to hurt them," Madeline said.

The Brood Mothers were astounded to see a woman dressed in combat clothing and carrying a weapon. They stood there slack-jawed.

"Just do it!" Madeline physically shook one of them and she nodded and they continued on their way.

Pope Durden came around the corner with his pistol drawn and a look of grim determination on his face. He was in his dress uniform and was not wearing body armour for his forthcoming appearance at the summit. He knew that Victoria was behind the insurrection. He mistakenly believed that the Revolutionaries were carrying out a disturbance and harassment raid in the city to tarnish and disrupt his summit. He did not know that it was a full-on coordinated attack on Durden City.

He would kill the bitch responsible right now. It wouldn't be as dramatic as shooting her in the head on stage but he would drag her bloody corpse in front of the cameras waiting to film him outside the Breeding Facility for all to see what happens to those who would betray him.

He saw the Revolutionary and the Comfort Girl that Silvia had told him about. She was dressed as a soldier and looked ridiculous. He lifted his weapon and emptied his magazine in their direction, one of his rounds hitting Madeline in the shoulder above her body armour driving her into the wall where she slid down to the floor.

Virgil was tempted to empty his magazine into Pope Durden; a round had clipped his upper arm and it stung. But Virgil kept his cool, even knowing that the love of his life had been hit. He raised his rifle and shot Pope through the right thigh.

Pope dropped his pistol and began to wail like a girl.

"You shot me! You fucking shot me!" he squealed as he fell to his knees and held his thigh which felt like it was on fire.

Virgil ran up to him, lining up before he even got there and kicked Pope Durden in the head and Pope saw stars before he blacked out.

Virgil ran back to Madeline who was sitting upright holding her shoulder.

"I'll take you to a medic. I'll drag a doctor out of the clinic," Virgil said, his voice full of concern.

"You will do such thing Virgil Benning! It's a through and through. You put a field dressing on it and we complete our mission. That's what you would say to any other trooper," Madeline winced with pain but she was adamant.

Victoria came out of her quarters dressed in the grey power-suit that Pope had ordered her to wear for the summit.

"Oh my god has Madeline been shot? Is that Pope?" her attention was drawn to the man dressed in his ridiculous dress uniform and gold sash lying prone on the floor.

"Yes and yes but we continue as planned," Virgil said through gritted teeth.

At that moment a cacophony of gunfire erupted outside in the courtyard. Captain Ferguson and his troop were engaging Pope's entourage. Victoria helped Madeline inside her room and sat her on the bed.

"Take this and press it against the entry wound and tie it tight then do the same with the exit wound," Madeline grimaced as she ripped field dressings off her webbing and handed them to Victoria.

Virgil dragged Pope's unconscious body into the room and locked the door. Every nerve in his body told him to draw his pistol and finish the job he had started but his Commander wanted Pope alive so he put a field dressing on Pope's thigh and then trussed him up tight.

He went to the window and saw that his troop had annihilated Pope's bodyguards and were pouring into the Breeding Facility.

He opened the door and ran to the staircase.

"Up here sir and send a medic if you have one," Virgil screamed down at Captain Ferguson.

Ferguson's men fanned out through the Facility and there was the report of isolated gunshots when they encountered City Guards who failed to surrender but most of the Guards realised the futility of the situation and surrendered.

Captain Ferguson and a field medic came through the door and surveyed the scene.

Sergeant Benning had a flesh wound to his left upper arm, Trooper Smith had what looked like a serious wound to her shoulder and Michael Durden was lying trussed on the floor bleeding profusely from his right thigh despite the field dressing. Victoria Eglin looked like she was dressed as an executive ready for a day in the office, although her grey suit was purple in places from Madeline's blood.

The medic went straight to Madeline.

"She needs a medevac," the medic said without even examining her.

"Fuck that. See to him. Our Commander wants him alive and at the studio asap," Madeline winced through the pain, pointing at Pope Durden's trussed body.

The medic looked at Captain Ferguson who nodded and the medic went to work on Pope.

"You have five minutes and then we're off to the studio," Virgil barked and then he went over to Madeline and gently held her.

"Stop that! We're on a mission. Plenty of time for that later when I'm high on morphine," Madeline smiled wanly at Virgil who refused to let her go and held her gently in his arms.

"Turn on the television," Victoria said which sounded so incongruous given the circumstances that everybody looked at her like she was mad.

She strode over the occasional table and snatched up the remote and turned on the huge flat screen which commanded most of one wall.

In the television studio all was quiet after the fierce battle that had taken place outside. Heavy casualties had been taken on both sides before the City Guards defending the studio and broadcasting facility surrendered. Susan's troopers entered the studio while other specialists entered the broadcasting facility. Using access codes provided by Victoria the Revolutionary's information technology experts accessed the city's internet servers, and the COMTEL cellular phone network.

They sent text messages to everyone who owned a mobile phone telling them to find shelter indoors immediately and to turn on their television sets. They sent the same message on every media carrier over the internet.

Meanwhile a troop of Revolutionaries entered the television studio and found all of the Commissioners and the auspicious members of the audience cowering in their seats. They were ordered to stay where they were, soldiers put guns to the heads of the cameramen and the sound and lighting technicians and told them to stay at their posts and do exactly what they were told.

Revolutionaries entered the control booth and a smarmy man in an expensive suit stepped forward and held up his hand.

"You can't be in here!" he growled self-importantly.

A Troop Captain shot the man in the head and asked the rest of the production team if they felt the same way and there was silence. The Revolutionaries had the producer bring up a message on the screen that read: STANDBY FOR AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT.

Susan Solister strode onto the stage and addressed the assembled audience.

"Anyone who leaves their seat will be shot," she stood with her legs wide and her hands on her hips.

The assembled dignitaries could not believe that a woman was talking to them this way, even if she was wearing a combat uniform.

One of the Commissioners, feeling bold, got to his feet.

"What is the meaning of this outrage!" he shouted.

Susan nodded to one of her Troop Captains who took careful aim and shot the Commissioner dead.

The others remained silent and seated.

In Durden City most of the City Guard had surrendered, including those holed up in the barracks and armoury. Those City Guards who had surrendered fully expected that they would be executed but hoped vainly that they might be spared. The Guards were disarmed and corralled in the barracks on the parade ground, crowded together, defeated but still hostile. The Revolutionaries had heavy machine guns mounted to cover them. The City Guards were surprised when a large screen TV was wheeled onto the parade ground and switched on.

They all turned to look at the screen and saw a static message the read: STANDBY FOR AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT. The Guards began to murmur and talk amongst themselves but none of them tried to escape. That would be fruitless and suicidal.

The doors to the television studio burst open and Captain Ferguson lead Victoria Eglin to the stage followed by Madeline Smith and Virgil Benning who were holding a now conscious but trussed Pope Durden between them. He struggled to walk on his wounded leg but his cries were muffled by the gaffer taped wound around his mouth. Tears stream down his face.

The Commissioners were shocked and several of them rose in their seats in protest but quickly sat down when weapons were raised and pointed in their direction.

A chair had been placed centre stage and Pope Durden was led to it and bound to it securely. The bandages on his leg were red with blood but most of the bleeding had stopped. Virgil's bullet had miraculously missed Pope's femur and femoral artery.

Virgil and Madeline were about to leave the stage; their mission completed.

"Where do you two think you are going?" Susan barked in a commanding tone.

"Stand over there next to Victoria," she ordered and they did as they were told.

Across Durden City every television set, computer and mobile device suddenly came to life. The summit was being broadcast live for all to see and the populace were amazed to see an imposing attractive woman with a flowing black mane, brilliant green eyes and lipsticked lips dressed in combat attire commanding the stage.

"My name is Susan Solister and I am Commander of what the citizens of Durden City call the Revolutionary Army but we prefer to call ourselves freedom fighters," Susan began, looking directly into the camera.

"The woman standing beside me is Victoria Eglin also known as the Brood Matron of the Durden City Breeding Facility," Susan put her arm around Victoria's shoulder and was aware the Victoria was shaking a little.

Susan turned to Madeline and called her forward.

"This woman is Madeline Smith once known to you as a Comfort Girl. This woman has bravery, tenacity, intelligence and loyalty that I truly envy and am constantly astounded by," Susan announced and Madeline blushed.

"Born and raised to spend her life to do nothing more than to pleasure men, given the opportunity, she turned her life around and became a fierce warrior who has been instrumental in bringing down a regime that is corrupt, has lied to the people that it was meant to serve, and exists only to gratify its own desires," Susan said solemnly.

There was a murmuring in the audience and some of the men had the audacity to cry out and the Revolutionaries actioned their weapons but Susan made a gesture indicating for her troopers to lower their guns.

"You will all be given a chance to justify your actions. All of you have been lied to and most of you are likely innocent," Susan spoke directly to the assembled audience then once again looked into the camera.

"That's right citizens of Durden City, three women have been instrumental in the downfall of your corrupt and ruthless despot," Susan pointed directly at Pope Durden, whose eyes were bulging with fear, hate and disbelief.

The murmuring in the audience flared up again but quickly dissipated.

Susan nodded at one of her men and he led out the four breeders that the Revolutionaries had taken during raids on Pope's trading convoys. The younger two who had not yet served in the breeding chambers were dressed in virginal white, the two retired breeders, women in their late thirties, were dressed in conservative skirt-suits

Susan motioned them forward and handed a microphone to one of the mature women.

"I am Olivia Steenbright and this is Constance Williams, Delia Prentice and Louise Summers. We were in a convoy bound for Austin because we had been traded for gold by Michael Durden. Of course we didn't know that we had been traded, we were told nothing, just that we were going away... forever," Olivia tried hard to control her emotions but she began to cry.

"Myself and Constance have provided you with ten children each, fourteen of them female, believing that our role in life was to help repopulate Durden City, hoping someday that our daughters or possibly our granddaughters might leave the breeding chambers and have families but that was never going to happen under the regime of that man," Olivia pointed at Pope Durden whose face was becoming red and puffy as he got angrier, the pain from his leg adding to his discomfort.

The four breeders stepped to the back of the stage. The studio audience was silent. In the houses, apartments, bars and restaurants where the citizens of Durden City were staring at their television screens or portable devices there was silence. No one could believe what they were seeing and hearing.

"You are a city that has been duped and manipulated by three generations of Durdens. When Justin Durden established the breeding and comfort girl programs his intentions were honourable even if the means by which he hoped to achieve them were dubious," Susan began to speak again.

"For three generations the Durden's have traded your future for gold. Thousands of females have been sold to other cities and to individuals and despite the propaganda to the contrary, because of this, the breeding program would likely never succeed," Susan said and nodded to Victoria Eglin.

"I stand before you guilty of deceit and treachery. As Brood Matron I was Michael Durden's partner in crime. I selected the breeders to trade with other cites, hundreds of them. I helped manipulate the data to cover it all up. I lied to the Commission and to you, the people of Durden City," Victoria began.

"The extent of Pope's treachery is being uploaded right now to this website. Those of you watching this broadcast on personal devices will receive a link. The full degree of Pope's betrayal and corruption and my part in it is available on the website, including the names and numbers of the breeders traded and the amounts of gold received for each and the dates the transactions took place. Right at this very minute Susan's troops are at the City Commissioner's residence breaking into his vault," Victoria looked directly into the camera.

A banner scrolled across the bottom of the television screens advertising the website and at the same time a link was sent to every mobile device via text directly from COMTEL.

Pope struggled and rocked around on his chair but he was securely bound.

Susan stepped forward and put her arm around Victoria and raised Victoria's bowed head.

"Victoria Eglin was once exactly what she says she was; a traitor to you all. But long before I kidnapped her and took her to Freetown she was done with Pope Durden and she was his unwilling accomplice. Without her help I would not be standing before you today. She is a hero," Susan hugged Victoria.

"I'm declaring myself temporarily in charge of Durden City and I'm issuing Victoria a free pardon. Michael Durden will stand trial in front of a jury once free and honest elections have taken place," Susan made her first edict.

"Once you have examined the evidence you can make your own decisions. Any City Guards who wish to join my Troopers may do so. You will be given amnesty provided you prove your loyalty. Those who chose otherwise will be taken into the Badlands and released," Susan made her second edict.

"Any citizen who wishes to leave the city may do so, you will be released with the City Guards who choose to leave," Susan continued.

"I am placing the city under martial law until the elections are completed but there will be no curfew, no areas declared out of bounds, no restriction of privileges. The city will continue to function as it always has with these exceptions," Susan took a deep breath.

"The breeding program will continue however the breeders will decide with whom they wish to conjugate. Said conjugation will not occur in breeding chambers unless the woman makes that choice. Breeding rooms will be used instead," Susan announced.

"The Comfort Girl program will also continue but the Comfort Palaces will be run by the Comfort Girls themselves and profits will be shared equally amongst them with a portion going to the city for upkeep and utilities. Comfort Girls will have complete discretion as to which Trade they elect to see," Susan declared.

"My leaders and I considered releasing all of the women and children into the population but we decided that would cause mayhem and misery as most men would not be blessed with a partner and that would likely cause a riot possibly leading to a complete breakdown of society. This way men will have access to women but women will have the power to say no," Susan sounded very satisfied with that statement.

Captain Ferguson appeared on stage and whispered into Susan's ear.

"I have pressing matters to see to. I will see the Commissioners at a Commission meeting as soon as I have dealt with my pressing matters. The city is open, please go about your day," Susan left the stage.

At the barricade at the intersection of the I-20 and highway 250 the gunfire had ceased and a temporary truce had been declared. Communications were established between the conflicting parties and Major William Brody made the following transmission.

'Durden City has fallen and is the hands of the freedom fighters that you call Revolutionaries. The population is safe although martial law is in effect however the citizens are free. City Commissioner Michael Durden is being held prisoner and will have to answer for his crimes. The City Guards protecting you have a choice to make: join our Troopers and serve an honourable cause or turn around and never return," Billy announced.