AUTHOR'S NOTES:
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Okay, screw the short story format. It's not working. So I'm going to try something else. A novella. Still centered around one character, but with a twist. Forget what I posted earlier. If you have not read my "5 Kings" Story on the NG BBS, it would really help if you did. Those interested can PM me, and I'll provide the link to that story.
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"A Penny."
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The door to the large storage room burst open as the slim, middle-aged, woman in the grey business suit stormed in. Carol Eiger was less than happy. She knew before she walked in that the room would be too small for her needs, despite being the largest storage room in the entire building. The porters had emptied it out the day before, and had even cleaned the floors. Still, it was too small.

"Alright ladies, the hall is not your friend. Get in here, all of you!" Shouted Carol.

Young, attractive, women ranging in age from 18 - 26 began to pour into the room.

"Line up against the walls as best as you can. I know it's cramped. We're working on a tight deadline. Come on, let's go! The faster we do this, the faster we get it over with, and the sooner you all get paid. Remember, your families are counting on you. This is what you've been preparing for since before you hit puberty. . . And it's not a damn beauty contest, keep that in mind."

There were nearly three dozen young women, some still standing out in the hall; waiting to get into the storage room. Each wearing a variety of outfits. Some in just jeans and a T-shirt. Carol began looking over the girls. She was getting ready to give some words of encouragement, when a young man in a business suit walked in. She recognized him as one of the security officers.

"Got a couple more for you." He said.

He turned towards the door, and two little girls walked in.

All the women in the room looked at him in disgust. Some made side comments, others grumbled in outrage, a few even blurted out how they truly felt at the sight of the two little girls. Carol put up her hand, and there was instant silence. The others were still disgusted. But they knew better than to speak when Mrs. Eiger indicated silence.

She gave the young man a cold, hard, look before speaking.

"A couple more? A couple more for what?? What am I supposed to do with them? Should I serve them up tonight, with all of these others? Is that what I'm supposed to do? Just serve them up? Who the Hell is going to want to. . . They don't even have tits yet!! What kind of men do you think are in the program?! If Solo saw you right now, he'd cut off your balls and your pecker and shove them down your throat! Then he'd stand there, and watch you choke to death. Are you fucking retarded?! Take these girls back to their classroom. And if you ever pull this sort of shit again, I'll lock you in this fucking room with Solo, after I tell him about your 'couple more.'"

The young man quickly ushered the two young girls out of the storage room. Carol's threat had clearly left him shaken. Everyone knew who Solo was. . . and what he was capable of if he got pissed off. The last person who pissed him off had ended up crawling out of the nighclub. No easy feat, considering Solo had broken both of his arms and legs.

"Relax ladies, I know some of you are a bit concerned. But Solo only hurts men. And only if they are stupid enough to keep pissing him off. In all of the years we've done this, he hasn't injured a single girl. Actually, if he picks you, that's a very good thing. Solo is worth more than nearly all of the other men. And that reminds me, I need all of the natural redheads to step forward towards the center. I might as well pick out Solo's dates now."

Eight young women walked forward.

"Only eight? Oh well, take your tops off."

The young women did as they were told. They weren't entirely sure of the procedure. But they knew the drill. Mrs. Eiger didn't ASK you to do something, she COMMANDED you to do it. And if you wanted to be paid, you followed her orders without question. Carol gave the young woman a quick going-over.

"Sorry, he doesn't like fake tits. Even if they are THAT large. . . Okay, those are real, but he hates body-ink. . . Hmm, large and real. Oh he's going to like you. He's going to like you alot! Okay, just need one more to drape over his other arm. . . Too small, and you look too young, sorry. . . Ah, tear-drop shaped. Those are lovely. He's going to love you. . . Okay, back up against the wall. Except for you two. I need the two of you to head up to the 6th floor, room 623. Ask for Bella, and she will get you into a couple of outfits that Solo likes. Bella will then bring out several bottles of perfume that Solo likes. Just pick one. And whatever you do, don't use any type of moisturizer on your hands. He hates the smell of moisturizer. Instant turnoff. And we certainly don't want that. As for the rest of you, well; one down and 39 more men to go. You'll all get matched up, it's just going to take awhile."

It actually took hours. Solo was the easiest one to match up. He wasn't too picky. When Carol was finally done, the women waited in several air-conditioned rooms. Their hair was professionally done. Along with their make-up, nails, and all the other little odds & ends. The dresses they were provided cost more money than many of these young women saw in a year.

"It's so cold in here." Said one girl.

"They don't want us to sweat." Replied another one.

"Preserving us til it's time to party." Said a third, clearly shivering.

"Hey, considering the money; I'd jump into a bathtub filled with broken glass." Replied a fourth.

"I'm having some doubts." Said the first girl.

"Better not say that too loud. Look on the bright side, you get to party, you get to feel sexy, you get to enjoy a meal that 90% of the world will never even come close to enjoying. Food with real flavor. And if you're lucky, the guy you end up matched with will be a nice guy. I hear a lot of them are nice guys, some of them are even shy and sweet. And if your's isn't. . . who gives a shit! Think of the money!" Replied the fourth girl.

"Yeah, think of the money, and the party. 'Party all night! Where no one leaves until everyone is pregnant.'" Said the third, with a sly smile.

None of the other girls in the room felt like smiling. A fifth girl finally spoke up.

"What happens if you don't get pregnant? Do they still pay you?"

"Sure they do, they just don't pay you nearly as much. You've got to put in the effort though. I heard that they interview the men when these events are over. If a guy complains that you didn't put in any real effort, you don't get invited back; ever! And that's the last thing you want. If you put in the effort, they give you another chance. Hell, they keep giving you chances until you get pregnant. Just have to show that you're willing to EARN that money. Then you're on Easy Street." Replied the 2nd girl.

"That's true." Said the last girl in the room.

"Is it really that good?" Asked the fifth girl.

"Oh yes! My sister was picked for one of these Quarterly events. She ended up with a shy guy. Practically had to hold his hand, and walk him through it. Kinda makes sense though. The shy, nerdy guys are the ones who rarely get any. When the epidemic hit, they were some of the only guys not to be infected. She said he was sweet. But it didn't really make up for all the coaching she had to do. He nearly came in her hand the very moment she touched him down there. She complained how awkward everything was. But she pretended he was doing a good job. At least when they finished, he got her pregnant. She left home. They set her up in what could only be described as a mansion! Well, she was supervised 24/7. Doctors, Specialists, constantly close by. You know, in case anything went wrong. She ended up giving birth to a beautiful baby girl."

"Was it healthy?" Asked the first girl.

"Oh yes! No infection at all. . . My sister still visits her every Saturday during visiting hours. It was hard on her at first. You know, the rule about having to give up your baby once it's born. But those are the rules if you get pregnant while participating in these Quarterly events. She got over it a few months later. The money the Government pays her every month for having participated. . . Wow! She gets more in one month than she ever did working tables in a year! Bought her own place, bought a new car. And she's eligible to come back into the program next year. It just goes in cycles. If you give birth five times, you can retire young, with an incredible bank roll! Set for Life! No worries about money or anything like that at all!"

As the limos began lining up outside the building, the ladies came out for the party. Actually, there were several parties, in several locations. But each girl had her assignment. Two limos soon pulled up in front of the Golden Cage. Six men, and nine women climbed out of the stretch limos. Solo was among them. He was in his early forties, muscular, a bit on the short side, shaved head. The kind of guy who you'd hate to run into in a dark alley. Solo was different than most of the other guys in the program. He had been in the Army, and didn't need the business-suited security officers to protect him.

Unlike the women in the program, the men never left their government-assigned living quarters. They were too valuable as assets to their country. A small thing like freedom was too silly to risk such valuable national treasures. It had started out with the best of intentions. A new super drug that could cure AIDS. It's early potential was incredibly impressive. But certain groups wanted access to the drug before all the trials and testing were completed. Politics reared its ugly head. The drug was released before the unknown side effects presented themselves. But when they did, it wasn't like a dinner party when a guest politely introduces himself to his host. It was more like an A-bomb introducing itself to a city in Japan.

As the years went by, it was found that roughly 25% of women were immune. Roughly 3% of men were. The children of two immune parents were valuable beyond belief. Their skin was used to create drugs that suppressed the spread of the drug, which had now become a virus in its own right. It's not as though babies were skinned alive. Small skin samples were all that was needed. But to one day find a cure, more babies would be needed. . . And so, these Quarterly events took place.

The men were let out of their guilded cages, closely supervised of course, to party. To drink. To dine with healthy, attractive, young women. To breed with them so as to one day find a cure for the epidemic. The girls were served up to the men on a silver platter. With each one wearing a large grin. (And the men were smiling too). For some reason, it was the men who rarely got to enjoy sex who were usually the ones immune.

Solo had entertained the ladies with tales of his life on the high school football team. He was a halfback. And he was damn good at it, back in the day. None of the girls in the limo seemed to notice, or seemed to care, that he left out tales of his stint in the Army.

"You girls are with me, so you've got nothing to worry about." He said, with a large grin on his face. It was the grin of a man who was sincere. He liked the two girls that Carol had picked out for him.

After walking into the nightclub, one of Solo's dates excused herself to use the ladies room. She snuck out the back, and climbed into the passenger's seat of the limo she had ridden in. The Driver, turned towards her, and smiled.

"Not having fun, little one?"

"No! You didn't tell me the future was this bad." She replied.

"I had my reasons for showing it to you. Besides, not every girl gets to be with the pick of the litter."

"Solo is a nice guy. He's just emotionally unstable. I'd like to go home now, please."

"Sure thing, Jade." Said The Omnipresence, as he put the limo in drive.

"Is Carmilla really killing us?" Asked Jade.

The Omnipresence put the car back in park. He smiled, reached into his pocket, and handed her something.

"It's a penny." Said Jade, rather confused.

"A penny from 1900. . . A surprisingly great year for me. And yes, you'll soon know what it means." Said The Omnipresence, as he snapped his fingers. A blinding white light erupted from his hand.

Jade woke up, safe in her bed. She sat up. Both her hands were clenched into fists. She opened her left hand, and saw that it was empty. She closed her eyes. Part of her wanted to smile. Part of her wanted to scream. Her vision of the future left her with chills. The thing she clearly remembered was the grin on Solo's face. His warm, sincere, large grin that filled her with dread and a strange type of fear she had never experienced before. Not when she was human, and certainly not as a vampire.

Jade had no clue why she was afraid. But she knew what was in her other hand. The one that she didn't have to open. She kept her eyes closed.

"It's a penny." She said in the softest voice she had ever used.