EXTRACT FOR
Hope's Gambit
(Lindsey Greene)

Hope woke feeling incredible. Not only was she thoroughly washed and cleaned, but well-rested to boot - something she had not been for far too long. And to make matters even better, she was no longer sore from the hard pounding Aegis Barnes gave her last night. On the contrary, she felt a new tingling sensation in her loins that she could only call pleasure and despite her feelings pertaining to sex, it was all she could now think about. 

Standing in front of the full-length mirror hanging on her closet door, she looked at herself from all angles. Other than the red brand on her left hip forever marking her as a runner, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. As if they had a mind of their own, her fingers found their way to her breasts where she gave them a gentle squeeze - imagining milk shooting out as she tweaked her nipples. Shaking her head as if to rid herself of whatever was possessing her, she went to the bathroom for another exceedingly long bath.

After a light breakfast - something she was still getting used to eating after often going days without a meal, she got dressed and headed out of the house for her first class. It was the one luxury she held dearest. In a world where women were relegated to chattel, at least she was not prevented form learning. Ever since her parents died when she was seven, she vowed to make a difference, to change the status quo and give women back their humanity, but changing the minds of power-hungry men was about as easy to do as stopping the earth's rotation with a spoon. 

Habitat Zenith - the smallest, most remote of the fifty-three habitats remaining in the United States after the Bioclysm decimated the lands, was rife with corruption and unfair laws. And since women made up less than a quarter of the population, there was seemingly little they could do. Those in charge made certain to strip away everything that could give women an advantage. While they were still permitted to work and go to school, they were now property to be used by any male for the purposes of breeding until they have at least one child. Then, and only then are they permitted to pick a man to spend the rest of their lives with. And to ensure they had no say in what laws were passed, that right too had been rescinded. 

Hope looked at the women daring enough to walk the streets and noticed one thing they all had in common - a sleek collar around their necks. Red meant one child, orange two, yellow three, green four, blue five and violet six or more. Anyone without a collar was fair game for breeders while those wearing a black collar were deemed medically barren and not given the time of day. Of the dozen or so women going to and fro, she was the only one without a collar. And thus, it came as no real surprise that she was approached by a group of three men waving their cocks at her.