Total pages in book: 182
Estimated words: 171288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 856(@200wpm)___ 685(@250wpm)___ 571(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 171288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 856(@200wpm)___ 685(@250wpm)___ 571(@300wpm)
“Never mind. He just—he looks exactly like a guy who sells fried chicken on my home planet.”
“He sells fried what?” Shurla asked, frowning.
Penny shook her head again.
“It doesn’t matter—it’s just weird, that’s all.”
And it certainly was. The man standing in front of them was dressed all in white and had thick white hair and a luxuriant white goatee and mustache as well. He even had the black rimmed glasses she associated with the iconic fried chicken magnate. In fact, the only thing that was missing was a black string tie around his neck, which Sanders had always worn—other than that, he was the spitting image of the Colonel.
Penny blinked and wondered if there had been some kind of hallucinogenic drug in the purple antiseptic liquid of the showers. Was she seeing things? Going crazy? Of all the strange and bizarre things she’d seen since waking up in the hover cart in the middle of the jungle, this was somehow the weirdest and the wrongest of all.
“Welcome, my children!” the man who looked like Colonel Sanders said, spreading his arms as he addressed the naked captives. “Welcome to the Compound and to your new life, serving our Glorious Cause.”
“Who are you?” Shurla shouted, lifting her chin as she glared at the Colonel. “And what do you want with us? I already had a life I liked just fine back on Hell’s Gate Station and I want to go back!”
There were murmurs of agreement, although none of the other women were brave enough to shout their feelings out, like Shurla had done.
“Your old life is over now, my daughter.” The Colonel Sanders look-alike smiled at her benevolently. “You may be unhappy now but I promise you, soon your unhappiness will fade. In fact…” He raised his voice, addressing them all. “Just give us one night—spend a single evening with us here in the Compound—and I guarantee if you aren’t happy tomorrow morning, you can go home.”
This sounded like a lie to Penny, but she wasn’t about to say so. Something told her bad things happened to people who spoke truth to power here at the Compound. In fact, she was already worried about Shurla, who was still glaring defiantly at the man in white.
“As for your other question—who am I? Well, I am the Glorious Leader here,” the man who looked like Colonel Sanders continued. “I am also called the Shining Star, because I lead so many out of darkness. And I like to think of myself as a father to you all,” he added, smiling benevolently. “All my children who live in the Compound—both the breeders,” he nodded at the women, “And the NeverBreeders alike.” And here, he nodded at the Oompa-Loompa guards.
“We’re not your children and we want to go home!” Shurla insisted.
“As I said, just give us one night,” the “Glorious Leader” said, smiling at her. Clearly her defiance didn’t faze him a bit.
Because he’s used to it, Penny thought. He says the same thing to everyone he captures and brings in here. He hears the same complaints over and over again and dismisses them over and over again. There’s no getting out of here, no matter what he says—he’s lying through his nice white teeth.
“Now, then,” the Glorious Leader continued. “First things first. You’ve been purified, which is good. But now you must have your exams at the Breeding and Conception Center—which is this state-of-the art modern medical facility you see behind me here.” He nodded at the tall metal and glass building behind him. “After that, you’ll spend your first few nights in the dormitory wing until you’re ready for your Unification Ceremony. Now, I know you don’t know what any of that means right now,” he went on, holding up his hands, as though to stop their questions. “But you will learn. And then, I promise, you’ll be as happy living here as all the other breeders you saw on the way in.”
Penny wanted to ask why he kept calling them “breeders,” but she sensed she wouldn’t like the answer to that question. She saw the angry jut of Shurla’s jaw and knew her friend had questions to ask too. But the Glorious Leader was taking a bow and excusing himself. Before anyone could say anything else, he was leaving them, heading towards the huge mansion on the hill at the far end of the Compound.
“Well, I guess now we know who lives in the big house,” Shurla muttered. “That asshole who calls himself the ‘Glorious Leader.’ Gods, he’s so full of shit! He—ahhhhh!”
She stumbled and fell to her knees as one of the NeverBreeder guards shoved the end of a pain prod into the small of her back.
“Do not speak ill of the Shining Star!” he barked at Shurla. Such blasphemy is not permitted!”
Penny wanted to help her friend up, but her hands were still cuffed behind her back. Still, she did the best she could to protect Shurla by putting herself between the other woman and the pain prod.