She had nearly shuffled past the bowl but she stopped abruptly right beside it, the idea caught in her numb mind like a fishhook.
Big enough to hide in. It’s big enough to hide in! whispered a desperate little voice in her head. You have to hide!
Penny looked around carefully. She was at the very back of the line and nobody was looking at her. They were all facing forward, filing out into the Marketplace like good little brainwashed breeders, waiting to get bred.
But not me, Penny thought. Not this time! I’m not going anywhere!
Quickly and quietly, she slipped over to the bowl and climbed inside, trying not to cough as the blue svetty flour puffed up around her. Then she crouched low, turning herself into a ball. She would wait until the Public Breeding was over and then climb back out and mingle with the others when nobody was looking, she told herself. And nobody would know the difference—she hoped.
As she crouched in the mixing bowl, Penny felt at least partially safe. She had no idea that someone was looking for her—someone who wanted to hurt her and make her pay.
Seventy
The minute the GL made the announcement about a Public Breeding, V felt the blood in his veins turn to ice. He barely heard the “Glorious Leader” consoling the greenhouse workers and telling them that he knew this wasn’t a good time for them and that they couldn’t get to the Marketplace in time to join the Public Breeding themselves.
“But never fear,” he told them, slipping the Master Control back into his pocket. “We have a new bunch of male breeders coming into the Compound in a day or so and I promise I’ll let your supervisor know in time so that every one of you will be able to participate in the next Public Breeding.”
A cheer rose from the assembled group but V was silent. Blood rushing in his ears, he stepped forward as the others pushed around the GL and slipped his hand into the cult leader’s pocket. All the time, he was eyeing the door, hoping that he could slip away while the others were occupied. He had to get to the Marketplace and find Penelope!
“And now, Head Gardener Poone,” the GL was saying. “If you’d lead me on a little tour, I’d love to see what’s changed in the greenhouse since my last visit.”
“Oh, of course, Glorious Leader! I would be thrilled to give you a tour—right this way, please!” The NeverBreeder supervisor bowed obsequiously and led the way deeper into the greenhouse. The other workers followed, crowding around their idol as he nodded politely at the plants Head Gardener Poone was pointing out.
When all of them were headed away, V saw his chance and took it. He secured the Master Control in his right hip pocket and quietly slipped out of the front door of the greenhouse. Then he set off for the Marketplace at a dead run.
Hang on, sweetheart—I’m coming, he thought fiercely.
It was going to be a race to see if he got there in time. He just hoped Penelope had been able to hide herself away somewhere safe.
Because if anyone hurt her, V was going to fucking kill the bastard!
Seventy-One
As Penny crouched low in the huge silver mixing bowl, she listened to the confused noises from outside the bakery and tried not to breath in the flour that still floated around her head.
There were grunts and shouts and squeals, no doubt from some of the women being taken forcefully. She could also hear the sound of flesh slapping against flesh with loud enthusiasm—clearly the men out there were really enjoying themselves.
Then she heard another sound…a sound that made her stomach knot in terror…a sound that was coming from inside the bakery. Footsteps—heavy ones, as though from a very large person—were slowly making their way towards the back of the room.
Penny froze. Who could that be?
She wasn’t in the dark for long. Because the next thing she heard, was a deep, hoarse voice calling her name.
“Penelope? Oh, Penelopeeee,” the horribly familiar voice called. “I know you’re in here, girly! I saw you go in just before they called for the Public Breeding but you didn’t come out. So you have to be in here somewhere and I’m gonna find you!”
It’s Skrug, Penny thought, feeling sick. Her stomach was twisting into a knot and if she hadn’t been crouched down, her knees would have been knocking. He’s coming for me, she thought. Coming to rape me and hurt me and there’s nothing I can do about it!
She had the urge to jump out of the mixing bowl and run away—but where could she go? Even if she got out the door of the bakery, the whole Marketplace was just one big rape-fest. It would be like jumping from the frying pan into the fire.
So she crouched lower, trying to make herself tiny and invisible, hoping and praying the huge blue alien would pass her by.
Oh please! she thought wildly. Oh please, oh please, oh please!
Skrug had stopped calling her name but there was a new sound now, to accompany his dull, thudding footsteps. It was a high, awful scraping—the sound of metal on metal, Penny realized with a shiver.
A horribly vivid image formed in her brain. The humpbacked alien, walking along, dragging the huge butcher’s cleaver along the surfaces of all the silver tables as he passed them. The blade would gleam dull red in the glow from the ovens and when Skrug found her he would use it on her while she screamed and screamed and screamed…
No—no, she had to stop thinking like that, Penny told herself. But the high whining shriek of metal against metal was driving her mad, stretching her nerves almost to the breaking point. It was so loud and awful and it echoed in the empty bakery so that she couldn’t tell where it was
