Chapter 13

All day, Rain listened to discussions between the other girls in the hallways, before class started, in the restroom, everywhere she went, trying to get an idea as to whether or not anyone else knew what Cloud was alluding to the night before. But she didn’t hear so much as a stray whisper that made her think anything was going down at the medical building that day. She even hinted to Cloud that she thought there was some gossip, but her friend had no idea what she was getting at.
By the time she was making her way over to IW that afternoon, she’d resolved herself to the idea that Sunny and Mist were nuts. Either that or whatever had been in the works had gone wrong or been discovered. She approached the changing rooms concentrating more on getting this over with so she could go finish up her homework as opposed to actually being worried about some kind of coup on the part of the younger women.
Making her selection had not been easy. Mist’s words about liking the Inseminator kept playing over and over in her mind. It seemed absolutely ludicrous to even consider liking one of these men--or caring about them at all, for that matter. To prove her point, Rain fully intended to select someone else, someone other than 24C. A couple of other guys had caught her attention in other visits. 46A and 19E weren’t so bad. She didn’t have to pick 24C again--ever again, for that matter.
When she went to make her selection, however, 46A was taken, and 19E wasn’t in service. She glanced around at her other choices. One of them, 39P, was a definite no. He had been just awful the one time she’d tried him, moving his hips and trying way too hard. It had been unpleasant to say the least. She had about twenty other Inseminators to choose from, but rather than go with someone else she didn’t know who might be uncomfortable, she went with the familiar and chose 24C, deciding she just wouldn’t tell Mist. if she asked, she’d lie. It wasn’t like 24C was going to be telling anyone who he was with.
Rain walked into the chamber, put her bag away, and placed her toes on the line, waiting for the chair to roll in. The thought of lying to Mist was eating at the back of her mind, but it wasn’t as if Mist had never lied to her before. She’d gone to great lengths to hide whatever it was she’d found in that basement. Even though it had been on Mist’s bed for much of the evening when they were both studying the night before, her so-called best friend never offered to show it to her. If Mist could keep secrets, Rain could do the same.
The wall opened up, and 24C’s chair shot out, coming to a stop in front of her, as it always did. Rain took a second to look at him, though, before she mounted him. She wasn’t looking at his inseminating organ, though she couldn’t miss it. Rather, she was studying him as a person. What if the world was the way it had been back when that house they’d found had been built, and 24C was allowed to walk around with the women, just like he deserved to be free? What would he be like? Would they be friends? Or more?
It was a silly thought, and Rain knew better than to stand there and ponder it when she had a job to do so she could get home. Even 24C seemed to think she was taking too long. He didn’t say anything or move, but he gave off a sensation like he wanted to, like he would’ve liked to lift his head and ask if she was going to get on with it. Tired of being confused, Rain climbed up into the chair, lifted her skirt and got to work.
She started out doing things the same way she always had, but a few minutes into her session, some of the comments other girls had made before about how to make it more enjoyable entered her mind, and she wondered if she could ever even do any of those things. It was her understanding that 24C couldn’t see her at all through his mask, but he could hear her. What if she started rubbing herself and enjoyed it too much? Would he laugh if she started to moan? What if she took off her gown so she could touch her breasts, but he could see her after all? No, as much as Rain wished she could be so uninhibited, for now, she decided to keep with what she’d always done.
The process seemed to be taking longer than usual, though, and Rain began to wonder if maybe 24C hadn’t gotten the correct dosage of the injection he was supposed to take before they began. Normally, he was finished within ten or fifteen minutes. Today, it was going on twenty. Rain tried moving faster, gripping more tightly, and that seemed to help, but her impatience was wearing thin. She considered using Mist’s method and stroking his chest, but the thought of putting her hands on him made her uneasy. He did have a nice physique, that was clear even in the dim light, and it was one of the reasons why she came back to him, she supposed. But she wasn’t ready for that either.
She continued her new method until she felt perspiration dotting her forehead. She did note a scent coming from him as well, and thought about what Mist had said about her favorite Inseminator. Whether or not 24C smelled differently than the other guys she’d been with, Rain couldn’t say, but it wasn’t an unpleasant aroma.
After about twenty minutes, she felt his body tighten up, and he made those soft noises that let her know she was getting there. Relieved at the signs that it was almost over, Rain pushed hard for the next few seconds until he made that familiar sound and discharged his semen. Glad for this to be over with, Rain climbed off and took a deep breath, ready to reach for the wipes as soon as 24C was pulled back into the other room.
But something was wrong. Not only was he not moving, an annoying buzzing sound started chirping in the hallway. Confused, Rain stepped to the door, not sure if she should open it or not since her Inseminator was still present. In fact, she was pretty sure she couldn’t open it until he was gone because doing so was considered a safety violation--she thought it might be locked.
From beneath the door, a flashing light radiated around her feet. Red and white, alternating--the emergency signal. The buzzer got louder, and then the overhead lights began to flicker on. Rain turned around, her back against the door, terror starting to set in. What was happening? Would she be trapped in here with this man? What if his restraints didn’t hold?
The lights in the room came up as the seat seemed to power down. Rain pressed herself into the corner of the room, trying to remind herself she knew martial arts, and he likely didn’t. But 24C was aware now that he was free, and even as the warning alarm began to remind all Inseminators to remain in their seats as if they were still strapped in, he was sitting up, reaching for his shadow sock. Rain covered her face, afraid to look but knowing there was nowhere to hide.