Boulder
Parking my hybrid outside the gray mansion I looked for Magni’s ride, but didn’t see it.
Instead I found Khan in the park in a heated discussion with Pearl. He looked like he was close to strangling her but the woman fearlessly stared up at him with her head held high.
Pausing, I almost didn’t approach him because of the tension between them, but then Pearl turned her back on him and Khan strode off with a huff of annoyance.
“Hey, Khan, hold up,” I called out and ran after him.
“Boulder,” he said grumpily. “You lucky bastard.”
“What do you mean?” I asked because if there was one thing I didn’t feel like, it was lucky.
“You got rid of Christina. I swear, Momsies are the most frustrating creatures on this planet. They have no logical sense and live in a fairytale world.” He stopped abruptly and pointed a finger at me. “I’m the ruler of ten million men, but I can’t get one single woman to do my bidding. Can you explain that?”
“No.” I looked back at the woman in question. “But to be honest, I don’t think Pearl is the norm when it comes to Momsies. She seems…” I thought about how to put it, “…unique.”
“Unique?” He glared at me. “If by unique you mean stubborn and inflexible, then yeah, she’s fucking unique.”
“I meant more like – uniquely strong… you know, for a woman.”
He huffed out air and started walking briskly again. “I can’t stand the woman.”
“Are you sure you still want to be her protector?” I asked.
“Don’t ask me that,” he hissed. “Right now, I’m tempted to boot her all the way to the border. The woman is infuriating.”
“So your plan about brainwashing her isn’t going too well?”
He didn’t answer me, and I decided it was time to change the subject.
“I came to see Magni. Have you seen him?”
“No.” Khan frowned. “He hardly speaks to me anymore.”
“That’s because he doesn’t agree with your decisions regarding Laura. It’s been almost eight weeks since Pearl arrived; don’t you think it’s time to put pressure on her?”
“Laura is gone!” He scowled. “And if I ever see her again, I’ll fucking strangle her myself for all the drama she’s caused between Magni and me. She destroyed my brother and made me look like a fool.” He flung his hand back toward Pearl, who was looking in our direction. “If not for Laura, I would be a happy man who didn’t have to protect the most awful woman in history.”
“So do something about it,” I suggested.
“What?” He raised his voice, his eyes burning into mine. “What exactly would you have me do, Boulder? You want us to go to war because of a woman who didn’t value her marriage?”
“I don’t know, but I get why Magni is upset with you. You have no idea what it’s like, but I do.” The last three words came out pained.
Khan’s eyes softened a bit and he looked down, taking in a calming breath. “I know, my friend. I know you miss her, but there’s nothing I can do about it.” He patted my shoulder. “Give it time and you’ll forget her.”
“No, I won’t. It doesn’t work that way. And the worst part is that I have these obsessive thoughts that she’s pregnant with our child,” I said.
“Who’s pregnant?” Pearl asked behind us and it made us both swing back to face her.
“Eavesdropping now?” Khan accused her. “And you blame me for having bad manners.”
Pearl ignored Khan and focused only on me. “Who is pregnant?”
Clearly Khan was angry with Pearl, but she was the closest thing to Christina right now and I was hoping that maybe she knew something I didn’t, so I spilled my heart. “Christina and I had sex for weeks before she left and I can’t help thinking that she might be pregnant with our child. It’s driving me mental not to know.”
Pearl paled. “You had sex with Christina?”
“Yes.” I furrowed my brow. “She didn’t tell you?”
“No.” She looked thoughtful. “She was probably too ashamed to tell me.”
“Ashamed? What the fuck are you talking about? She’s my wife; why would she be ashamed of having sex with me?” I asked, offended.
“I thought your marriage was a practical solution only.” She tilted her head slightly. “But now it all makes sense.”
Shifting my balance, I shot her a pleading look. “What does? Pearl, I’m begging you, can you find out if she’s pregnant?”
Khan crossed his arms and scoffed. “Don’t let her fool you, Boulder. Even if Christina is pregnant Pearl will tell you that she isn’t. The Momsies protect their own.”
Raking my hands through my hair, I cursed. “If I’m to be a father I want to be part of the child’s life.”
“And I respect that about you,” Pearl said softly. “But Christina chose to leave and if she’s pregnant the child will stay with her. You wouldn’t want a baby to be torn from its mother, would you?”
“No, but later… when the child is old enough to come here – if it’s a boy, I mean – I could take care of him and train him,” I rambled.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Boulder, don’t turn all mushy because of a kid. You’ve probably fathered several already.”
I froze and stared at Khan. “No, I haven’t. I’ve only ever been with Christina, you know that.”
Pearl looked down and Khan closed his eyes like he had said too much.
A queasy feeling spread in my gut. “What?” I barked. “What children have I fathered?”
They exchanged a long glance before Pearl spoke. “If we tell you, can we trust you to keep it secret?”
“Yes,” I said quickly, eager to hear what the hell Khan had meant.
“Most men in the Motherlands are sterile.” Pearl started slowly. “It’s something we’re trying to change, but the massive pollution our ancestors fought after the war has left us with a medical predicament, and children are no longer produced naturally.”
“But your numbers are rising.” I said because Christina had told me this.
“Yes, they are.” She nodded solemnly, “but only recently. Seventeen years ago a deal was made between the Northlands and the Motherlands. We trade.”
“I know,” I said with a frown. “I own mines and logging companies, I know this.”
“Yes, but what you might not know is that the greatest export the Northlands has is sperm.”
“Excuse me?” I glared at her. “Did you just say sperm?”
Khan let out another deep sigh and pressed his lips into a fine line.
“We get sperm from the ten million men living up here in the cleanest and most unspoiled natural surroundings that the world has left.”
I dropped my chin. “How? I’ve never heard a single guy mention he donates sperm. How do you get sperm from us?”
“Simple,” Pearl said. “Every sex-bot has a core designed to contain and freeze the sperm that is ejaculated into it.”
“You… you steal our sperm?”
“Certainly not,” Pearl said in defense and looked to Khan. “Tell him.”
“It’s a bargain that my father made and I renewed,” Khan admitted. “Since the first peace treaty was struck centuries ago our boys were always bred on Nmen sperm. It was one of our conditions for entering the agreement in the first place. How do you think it is that we’re so big compared to the men of the Motherlands?
“Because we eat meat and build our muscles from childhood,” I answered, because that’s what I’d always been told.
“Yes, but there’s a genetic component to it too.” Khan shifted his balance and drew a deep breath. “Since the beginning the robots have been designed to evaluate the male they’re with. When a man who doesn’t fit the criteria of a breeder is with the robot his sperm is disposed of, while a man like you will be selected as a breeder.”
“A man like me?”
“Tall, muscular, and fit,” Khan said matter-of-factly. “But now that the Momsimen are almost incapable of producing their own offspring we’ve accepted donating our genes.”
“We?” I asked incredulously. “I don’t remember being asked.”
“Boulder, this is bigger than you,” Pearl argued. “This is about the survival of the human race. The Nmen sperm is being used in different corners of the Motherlands as we speak.”
“So all your men are sterile, are they?” I asked harshly.
“No, luckily we still have men capable of reproducing, although over the years the fertility among our men has dropped alarmingly, to the point where only one percent of our men can reproduce and only with help from specialists. We prefer genes from our own men, but there’s simply not enough.”
“That’s insulting,” Khan bit out. “You should be fucking honored to get our strong genes.”
“Who else knows about this?” I asked, my heart pounding in aggravation.
“Only a selected few. For the most part, everyone thinks the core of the sex-bots are being changed constantly for hygiene purposes. There’s a man in charge of collecting and shipping the sperm and he and his team obviously know, but they’ve signed non-disclosure agreements.”
“And the women?” I asked Pearl. “Do they know Nmen are fathering their children?”
“Of course not,” she said.
“And you?” I looked to Khan. “Have you donated too, or did you stay clear of coming inside the sex-bots?”
His eyes shot to Pearl and she folded her arms across her chest with an expectant smile.
“That’s none of your business,” he bit out.
“Did you donate?” I asked again and pinned him with a challenging glare.
“Of course I did,” he said. “I have excellent genes, and who wouldn’t want to father as many children as possible?”
“And not see them? Not know what became of them?” I asked incredulously.
Khan shifted his balance. “Don’t be so melodramatic. I would much rather that my genes got spread than those of some Momsiboy who is more woman than man.”
“Oh, please.” Pearl shook her head. “Enough of this name-calling; our men are highly intelligent and wonderful men.”
All she got was snorts from both me and Khan.
“Boulder, listen.” Pearl drew back my attention. “It’s unlikely that Christina is pregnant. Many women are sterile too. But in case she is, think of how wonderful it will be for her to know the father of her child. That’s very rare.”
“You don’t get it,” I said. “That baby and Christina – they’re my family. My responsibility.”
“Family.” Pearl gave a small laugh. “What an odd thing to say. We’re all family.”
“No.” I cut an arm through the air. “A family is a man, his wife, and their children.”
“You Nmen are so unbelievably old-fashioned,” she said and threw her hands up in the air. “It’s not about that. It’s about forming a bond and a community with people you care about. If you could look beyond the traditions and challenge your minds to find beauty in other configurations you would understand why the Motherlands is such a success.”
“A success?” I gaped at her. “You limit your people and control them like children. I’m done listening to your shit.” I walked off determined to find Magni, and I didn’t stop to take part in the argument that Pearl and Khan continued as I left.