The Future

THE FUTURE

By C

PART II

CHAPTER 28

                            

       "I guess you don’t have any respect for me know now that you know how bad I’ve been." Lisa said softly with her eyes downcast. The Supreme Commander gave a kindly chuckle and put an arm around the girl's shoulder. "No respect?" She asked. "No respect because you had the innocent curiosity of an eighteen year old girl? Or.., for having the natural urges of a normal and healthy young woman? If this is being bad, I can only say that the world would be far better if everyone were bad in this manner."

       "You are indeed a remarkable young lady, and what's so refreshing is that you are not even aware of what a special person you actually are. Your entire life has known nothing but the pain, hardship, horrors, and atrocities of an insane war, and yet, throughout it all, you have somehow managed to retain the unspoiled innocence of youth. You had an advantage in one respect of being one of only a very few girls that had a mother's love and guidance for any length of time, but the main factor is your remarkable courage. Tom saw this in you as well. When I talked to him he told me that one of the things he admired about you the most was at how brave you had been."

       "Brave..?" Lisa said with a short laugh. "I certainly wasn't brave. In fact.., I was scared to death." "Lisa.." The Supreme Commander responded kindly. "Being scared has nothing to do with being brave. Everyone is scared at times. It's how we react when we are scared that shows true courage. And you, my dear child, have shown tremendous courage."

       Lisa looked down, blushing self-consciously, and then suddenly looked up with a wide-eyed expression. "When you talked to.., to.., Tom..?" She stammered. "You talked to Tom before.., before.., you.., you..?"  "Yes Lisa." The Supreme Commander replied. "I talked with Tom before taking his life - on two occasions in fact. We had very pleasant conversations both times, and I found him to be as you have said - a very remarkable and outstanding young man."

       Lisa looked bewildered. "Why would you talk to him if you knew what you were going to.., er.., going to do?" The Supreme Commander took Lisa's hands in her own and said, "I think I need to explain some things before you can understand. Do you know why only young men such as Tom were selected that day?" Lisa nodded. "The doctor lady you had come over that morning told me the reason and that was why Tom was one of them. She then told me that he was also going to be first and said that she wanted me to look at television while you were talking about the food crisis and everything, but she would leave it up to me about what else I wanted to watch. I'm afraid I didn't see very much after you finished explaining things except for seeing Tom when he was.. was.." Lisa broke out sobbing and buried her face in her hands. The Supreme Commander put her arm around the girl and said, "That's all right Lisa.. You don't need to talk about it".

       The Supreme Commander didn't bother to add that she already knew what had occurred. She had been greatly concerned about the traumatic shock that Lisa would have received if she was watching television, not knowing what to expect, and be caught by surprise at seeing Tom being brought out and killed. She had asked her close friend, the prominent psychiatrist, to go over and stay with the girl. Her friend had graciously agreed and, later, had described what happened.

       Lisa, although upset after being told of what was going to happen to Tom, had taken the news with remarkable composure. When given the choice of deciding the extent of what she would watch, Lisa thought a moment and had then said that she knew she didn't want to see Tom's body without any clothes on being made fun of after he was dead, and surely not being cut-up, but that she felt she owed it to him to be watching when his life came to an end saying - "At least there will be someone that will be caring about him - he won't be completely alone". It had been upon hearing this that the Supreme Commander gained her first insight into the depth of Lisa's courage and compassion.

       Lisa had watched the start of the televised proceedings and listened intently as the Supreme Commander emotionally explained the depth of the crisis, the catastrophic chaos that would come if a solution were not found, and then revealed the one and only solution available. Lisa had been clearly moved and appeared resolved at accepting the need for what was going to be done. Her resolve, however, did not prevent tears from coming in her eyes as Tom was brought out in a state of total bewilderment and confusion. She had been caught off-guard at the suddenness with which the towel around his waist had been yanked away, and the camera zooming-in immediately afterward for a close-up view of what had been expose. She uttered a brief gasp of surprise and quickly looked away with her face turning red from embarrassment.

       She waited several uncomfortable minutes before glancing back cautiously and saw Tom, now visible only from the chest up, with his face registering a wide-eyed look of fear bordering on the verge of panic. She uttered a cry of compassion and then a painful gasp as an arrow flashed into view and plunged through his chest with a suddenness she found hard to believe.

       The camera then zoomed-in for a close up of first the brightly colored feathered end of the arrow protruding from his left breast and then moved to his face. Tears had welled in Lisa's eyes from thinking that such a devastating wound would sure be bringing excruciating pain, but then she recognized the meaning of Tom's fixed and vacant-eyed expression. "My God..!" She had exclaimed in surprise. "He's.., he's already dead!"

       The camera had then zoomed back to show Tom still standing with the Supreme Commander visible in the foreground looking at him and holding the bow at her side. Tears streamed down Lisa's cheeks, and she appeared to take no notice of his nakedness once again coming into view. When Tom toppled backward she cried out in anguish as the sound of his body hitting the wooden floor reverberated through the speakers. At this point she could take no more and buried her face in her hands and started sobbing deeply. The Supreme Commander's friend sat next to the grieving girl, put an arm around her shoulder, and encouraged her to cry as much as she wanted and let it all out.

       Lisa's body had racked with deep sobs for a long time before starting to gradually diminish. Finally, totally drained, she sat still and stared unseeingly off into space with red eyes still brimming with tears. Then, in a remarkably calm tone she said, "At least he didn't suffer." "No Lisa." The doctor had replied. "He didn't feel a thing."

       Lisa returned her gaze to the screen and was greeted by the sight of two women pulling Tom's lifeless body across the floor by his feet and leaving a smeared trail of blood behind. "My God...!" She exclaimed. "They're dragging him off like he's nothing more than.., than some kind of animal.. Please..! Please..!" She said while looking away. "Please turn it off!" The Supreme Commander's friend had quickly complied and then again sat down and placed an arm around Lisa. They stayed this way a long time and afterward, not wanting the girl to left alone, took Lisa to her home to spend the night.

       Lisa continued to sob for several minutes as she sat in the Supreme Commander's office and then smiled through tear filled eyes. "It was nice of you to send the doctor lady over. She was very nice. I don't think I could have taken it if she hadn't been there."  "She’s a very dear friend of mine" The Supreme Commander said. "I'm glad she was able to help. I can well imagine the shock you would have received if you had been caught unawares, and I didn't want that to happen."

       The Supreme Commander paused for a moment and then continued. "Let me tell you my reason for talking to Tom. In choosing the young men to be "harvested" on that day we started with looking at over ten thousand of that age and, from this group, selected the ones that had the most outstanding qualities. In my position as Supreme Commander I felt it my duty to choose from these the one that I thought to be the most remarkable, and, in order to do this, I had to get to know them personally. There wasn't enough time to talk to them all, so I reviewed the reports and selected ten that impressed me the most, and then, I had an interview with each of them. Tom was one of the ten, and this was the first time that I talked to him. Without a doubt, he made the most favorable impression, and, for this reason, I chose him."

       The Supreme Commander stopped for a moment, and her face registered a thoughtful look. "You know..?” She said. "In a strange sort of way it was quite an honor for Tom. Out of thousands of young men he was the one found to be the most outstanding." She then smiled at Lisa. "It was during my interview with Tom that he told of meeting you. He was far too modest to mention anything about his heroic deeds, but it was obvious that some type of difficulty had occurred in which you had made a remarkable impression on him. It was equally obvious that he cared for you a great deal and was very concerned about your welfare. At the end of our talk I asked if there was anything I could do for him, and his only request was if I would try to find out if you were all-right. I readily agreed, and, well.., you know the rest."

       "I.., I.., I didn't think he even remembered me." Lisa said in dismay. The Supreme Commander gave her a kindly smile. "How could he not remember such a special and beautiful girl. It was because of his request that led to my talking with him a second time which was on the morning of.., ugh.., his last day."

       "I had just been informed that you were indeed alive and well, and I felt that, regardless of what was about to happen, he at least deserved to be told the good news. I don't think I've ever seen anyone as relieved and happy as he was when he found out. He grinned from ear to ear, and his eyes sparkled with joy. In leaving, I told him that he would be set free later that day and that you and he might soon be together again.

       Lisa's head jerked, and her eyes flashed with anger. "What..! You told him that..! Knowing what you were going to do to him in just a few more hours..? Why..? I mean.., it was so cruel!" The Supreme Commander looked at Lisa in earnest. "Please believe me Lisa. I assure you that I didn't do it to be cruel. I had come to care for Tom a great deal, and I did it entirely for his benefit. In a way, I told him the truth, although certainly not in the manner that had been implied."

       "Was it cruel to tell him something that made his final hours the happiest of his entire life..? This joy continued up to the final moments before he was brought out, and, after that, he was so bewildered and confused that he had little awareness of what was going on - and even this lasted for only a brief time before coming to an end. And.., as you have just said.., the end came in a way in which he did not suffer."

       Tears ran down Lisa's cheeks. "I think I understand when you explain it like that." She said. "I.. I.. I'm sorry.. In fact.., it makes me feel better knowing that he was happy until right before.., er.., it happened." Lisa became thoughtful for a moment but then looked confused. "But you.., you just said that in a way you might have told him the truth.. How..?" The Supreme Commander smiled. "I'm sure that you have known women over the years that had suffered so much that, even though you cared for them, you felt they were better off when death came."

       Lisa nodded in an understanding manner. "In a way," the Supreme Commander continued, "death set these women free, and the same can be said for Tom. I know you were watching during the part where I explained there is nothing that can be done to save the male population. They would either perish by our hand or by far more horrible circumstances if we chose to do nothing. Well, regardless of how much you and I cared for Tom, he was male and, as such, his fate had been sealed."

       "Death was going to come to him, one way or another, and the quick and painless way by which it occurred set him free from having to suffer it coming in a far worse manner - either from slow and agonizing starvation or from the hands of a band of ruthless barbarians. The same can be said for the millions of others that have now also been "harvested" and will be true for all that will follow until none are left."

       "I guess I kind of understand when you put it like that." Lisa said. "Or at least understand the part about being set free. But you said that you also told Tom that he and I might be together soon. I don't see any way in which that could have been said would happen. The Supreme Commander smiled. "Lisa.., as long as you continue to care for Tom you will remember him in a way that, even in death, makes him a part of you, and, in a sense, you and he will be together. But frankly, I had something else in mind that will be far more meaningful. Whether or not this takes place, however, will be for you to decide."

       "For me to decide..?" Lisa asked. "I don't understand. What

can I do except remember him? Not only is he dead, but.., by now.., there's not even anything of him that’s left except.., except.." Lisa paused and her eyes darted to the wall. "Surely.., you’re not suggesting that I.., I take that home and hang it on a wall are you?"

       "No, not that." The Supreme Commander laughed. "In time, I think you will reach a point where you could do exactly that in which it would have a special meaning - but that time is surely not now. No Lisa, I am referring to something else that is far more personal. You see, you are mistaken in saying that there is nothing left of Tom except for up there." "Huh?" Lisa said with a bewildered look. Instead of making a reply the Supreme Commander got up, walked to her desk, pressed a button, returned to the sofa, and again sat next to Lisa.

       The office door opened, and the Supreme Commander's secretary entered carrying a small cooler which she placed on a table next to the sofa. The Supreme Commander waited for her to depart and then picked up the cooler and handed it to Lisa. "Tom's penis and testicles are in there. They've been frozen so they would keep, and I would like you to have them. "Tom's what? Asked Lisa in not understanding the terms. "His dick and nuts." Replied the Supreme

Commander with a mischievous smile."

       Lisa's face turned bright red. "His..? His..? You want me to have his...? I don't understand.. What do you want me to do with them..?" A look of profound shock then came on her face as realization came. "You want me to.., to.., cook and eat them..? You want me to eat what had been a part of Tom's body..? And not just any part, but his.., his..? My God..! Tom might be dead, but that doesn't mean that I don't still care about what his feelings would have been about things. Can you imagine his reaction if told beforehand that after all he had done for me that I would repay it by eating his.., his.., his dick and nuts after he had been killed..? Why.., he would have been shocked and embarrassed beyond all belief.., and.., beside that.., it would be showing him no respect at all. If I did such a thing I wouldn't consider myself worthy of being someone that he had cared about. I just couldn't. I couldn't bring myself to eat any part of him - especially not this part."

       The Supreme Commander took Lisa's hands in her own and looked at the girl with sincerity. "Lisa, when a woman cares for a man in the way that you care for Tom, this part of his body becomes very special and meaningful. It was this that brought on the lounging which you experienced that night you and he were together even though your mind was telling you that it would bring nothing but severe pain. But your body knew what your mind didn't. The male and female bodies were created differently for the very purpose of enabling them to be joined together, and, in so doing, nature intended that the experience should be pleasant for both."

       "If a man brutally forces himself on a woman whose body is rigid with terror the pain is indeed excruciating, but if a woman desires the man and her body prepared to receive him it’s entirely different." The Supreme Commander paused and smiled. "From the way you described your feelings that night, I can assure you that your body had certainly been prepared. If Tom had come to you as you desired, instead of pain, you would have experienced an exhilarating pleasure exceeding anything you had ever known. You and he would have joined together in a manner that would have made you feel as though becoming one, and, afterward, you would have found yourself caring in a very special and tender way for that part of him that had been the primary cause."

       The Supreme Commander looked earnestly at Lisa. "Lisa, I understand the initial reaction you had when the first thought that came to you was that eating part of Tom's body – any part, but this part especially would be showing disrespect toward everything that he meant to you and for what he had done. But, in considering it in light of what I have just said, I want you to look at it another way. If you consume a part of Tom's body it will be transformed into becoming a lasting part of you. This in itself would have a special meaning regardless of what part of him it might be. But, I'm not talking about just any part. I'm talking about that of the male that has such a special meaning to a woman who cares for him and for which your inner desires were crying out to be taken within."

       The Supreme Commander clasped Lisa's hands harder and looked at the girl almost pleadingly. "Lisa, it’s still possible to take this part of him within you. Not in the way your body was craving that night, but still, in a way that would join you and he together in which you truly become one. His flesh would become your flesh, and, afterward, you would remember this and feel warmth and tenderness in knowing that which was the most private and intimate of him and, as I have said, holds a special meaning to you in being a woman has not only been taken within to become part of you but will remain from that point on."

       "Please Lisa, before you say no, think of it in this light. If you do, I think you will realize that consuming this of Tom for reasons such as these would, in fact, be an act of love - not disrespect. You said that you cared about what his feelings would have been. Well, how do think he would have felt if it had been explained to him that all males, including him, were doomed to soon parish but, by it being done in the way we have chosen, not only will they not suffer, but their bodies will provide desperately needed nourishment that will prevent the female population from having to perish with them and thereby, enable the human race to continue. And, if he was also told that not only his body, but that part which was the most private of all was also going to be cooked and eaten by a woman and become part of her body, who do you think he would rather that women be for the latter - the beautiful girl he had come to love who, in so doing, would not only be feeling a special caring and tenderness toward it but, unlike other women, would be eating this of a male’s body for the very first time - or, do you think he would have preferred it to be some unknown woman who would look upon it, admire the size and become excited while watching it being cooked and when cutting it up and savoring its delicious flavor but, afterward, would soon be forgotten as being just another of many she had done likewise during the past few years?"

       “Lisa, I came to understand Tom well enough to know the extent to which he would have been embarrassed at the thought of this of him even being seen by a woman, to say nothing of being cut-off, cooked, and eaten by one. And, I’m sure that it would have been even greater at the thought of it being done by you. But, if it had been made know to him that there was nothing he could do to prevent this from taking place but that he could decide who the woman would be, I have little doubt what he would choose - regardless of the extreme embarrassment it would surely cause.

       Lisa's eyes had begun to brim with tears, and her face softened as she listened. It was clear that the Supreme Commander's words had succeeded in creating the desired effect, and, if any reluctance had remained, it quickly vanished with the last statement being made. "No..!" Lisa cried out, "now that I know it hasn't already been done, I don't want them to be eaten by an unknown woman." She then became thoughtful. "You know..? During the war, I knew that if Tom was killed he would be just another dead soldier to any woman that might find him. And.., eating dead soldiers had become so common that she would probably cut him up along with taking this of him without even giving it much thought."

       "For a long time.., it made me feel real strange to think about.., you know.., about it being possible that the body of someone I knew and cared about might someday be cooked and eaten. But, like everything else, I reached a point of having to accept it as just being the way things had become. I had lived with it so long that now, although his death has caused me a lot of sadness, it really didn't affect me all that much in knowing that what I had though about was actually going to happen - that his body was indeed going to be cooked and eaten. And, even when a few days had passed, and.., er.., I knew that.., er.., that by then it had already been done.., it didn't really bother me a great deal. I still felt sad for him of course, but knowing how desperate the need was for the food his flesh provided actually helped me accept the reason for it being necessary."

       Lisa paused a moment, and her cheeks flushed before she continued. "That is.., it didn't bother me very much except for one thing.. I didn't like thinking that some woman had eaten.., his.., er...” (Lisa glanced at the cooler in a way that made it obvious to what she was referring without having to say.) “I didn't really know why this should upset me when thinking about all the rest of him being eaten didn't, but now.., I think I understand. I think something inside me knew all along about what you er.., said, er.., you know.., about having a special meaning and all. And.., yes.., I think that if Tom could have been made to understand what was going to happen to this part of him and was given a choice about, er.., about who he would rather do it.., I have little doubt either how he would have chosen." Lisa thought for a moment and then couldn't suppress a slight giggle. "But even though he would have chosen me, knowing that I was actually going to do it would have embarrassed him to no end."

       Lisa's display of amusement quickly faded, and she looked at the Supreme Commander with a sincere smile. "Thank you. What you have done is very special." She then blushed. "It looks like you're going to be right about the second part also. Tom and I will be together soon, and it will indeed be in a way that will have a very warm and special meaning to me."

       The Supreme Commander smiled warmly. "I'm very happy for you Lisa. It will indeed be very special, but this was not the only thing I was referring to when I said that you and Tom might be joined together and become one. There is also another way in which this can be accomplished that will be the most special and lasting of all. I'm afraid, however, that the latter is something that will have to wait a few years."

       "Wait a few years?” Lisa said in bewilderment. "Yes Lisa," the Supreme Commander replied. "You see, there is also something else of Tom that still remains. I don't know if you are aware of it, but part of the process in our "harvesting" of males includes collecting their semen so that it can be frozen and used later when we begin the repopulation. I did this with Tom, and his frozen semen is now in a sperm bank and reserved in your name. When the time comes, you can use it to conceive and bear his child, or to be more precise, his daughter."

       Lisa sat in a stunned daze for several moments. She then lunged forward and threw her arms around the Supreme Commander's neck. Once again, deep sobs broke out which prevented her from speaking only, this time, the sobs were of joy. The Supreme Commander started crying with happiness also, and they continued to embrace with tears flowing freely down their cheeks.

       When the emotion filled moment finally passed Lisa sat back with moist eyes and a radiant smile. "I didn't know anything at all about, er, about having babies until only a few weeks ago when I saw it being explained on television."  "So now you what the round things are for." The Supreme Commander said with a chuckle. Lisa blushed and giggled. "I do now.., but until then.., I never had the slightest idea." A mystified look then crossed her face. "But, even though it was explained, I still find it hard to believe. I mean.., it seems almost impossible."  "The world is full of miracles, Lisa." Replied the Supreme Commander. "But the creation of new life, especially human life, is, by far, the greatest miracle of all."

       Lisa nodded in agreement and then, after hesitating a moment said, "There was a also a lot on television about what both you and the doctor lady have talked to me about, er.., about how women have feelings deep inside about, ugh..., well, you know.., and that having them is just being normal. It kind of explains why I did those things to the dead solder and the feelings that I found myself having afterward when thinking about it, but.., even though I've tried.., I just can't keep from still looking at it as being naughty."

       The Supreme Commander nodded in understanding. "I know Lisa. It's very difficult to overcome strong influences that are instilled during childhood. Due to the war, most young women such as yourself lost their mothers at an early age and were not raised under such influences and, for that reason, had little difficulty in accepting these inner-feelings and emotions once they were explained."

       "But, for you, such an acceptance has not been the case which is only to be expected. You were raised under an influence that continues to tell you, as your mother would have said, that such things are something that "nice girls" simply do not do. Up until the beginning of the war girls being raised to have such an outlook was quite common and, as a result, for countless generations women found themselves suppressing natural feelings and desires. Like you, they would think they were being "naughty" and feel guilty afterward whenever something happened that caused these suppressed desires to break free and, at least for a brief time, take control of their emotions."

       The Supreme Commander smiled in a sad manner. "I know full well just how strong this influence can be because it is something I was raised under also. And, like you, I found myself to being unable to comprehend myself ever being capable of truly releasing such inner-feelings. This was true even when they were explained to me in a manner that I could understand by Dr. Carson whose advice in just about everything else I accepted without hesitation. This outlook remained embedded in me even when I was speaking out and strongly encouraging others to openly accept emotions that, at the time, I could not bring myself to do likewise. But, when Tom was brought out to stand before me, something happened inside that caused these feelings to suddenly break free and let their true meaning become known which has remained with me from that point on. As a result, I have known a freedom, contentment, and happiness that I never dreamed could be possible."

       "I afraid that you might well find yourself having a strong dislike toward me for what I am about to say, but, the release of these inner-feelings was so overwhelming that both the taking of Tom's life and all that I did to him afterward created an excitement within me of a magnitude I had never known. And, not only did this occur while it was taking place, but, since then, the excitement returns whenever I find myself thinking about it for any length of time. This has occurred within me even though Tom was someone I had come to admire and care for a great deal - and still do for that matter."

       "I know this sounds hard to believe, and it is something that I can't even explain to myself beyond having a strong belief that what I did has served a greater good - not in just providing meat for a female population on the brink of starvation - but in taking a step that might someday lead to women forevermore throwing off a mantle of hardship and oppression we have been forced to endure since the beginning of time."

       “I must admit, however, that not all of my feelings have been so noble, and these have ranged from primitive instincts to those that are purely sexual. But, it was by being caught up in a conviction of having served a greater good that brought about their release, and, with ever fiber that is within me, I can truthfully state that I have had no feelings whatsoever since then that any of it is wrong."

       "I.., I.., I don't understand". Lisa said. "I don't think I could ever get excited from killing someone regardless of how much good it might do - especially if it was someone I cared for."

       "I know." The Supreme Commander replied. "It's something I thought I would never be capable of doing either - that is, until it actually happened. She grasped Lisa's hands and again looked at the girl in a pleading manner. "Lisa.., it can happen for you also. You have suffered and known pain, grief, hardship, and sorrow far too long. You deserve to have it come to an end and experience the same excitement, happiness, and contentment that not only myself, but women throughout the world are now finding. But the opportunity will last only as long as there are males left that remain alive. When the time comes that all of them are gone there will only be memories left to keep the excitement alive."

       "But, if you have no memories Lisa, it will be too late. Your body has already made known natural desires hidden within even though, at the time, you didn't have any understanding of what they were. The first occasion came when you were a girl of only eighteen. Your actions and the feelings created within you at that time were, for a large part, the result of the natural curiosity and excitement of making an unexpected and mysterious discovery. But, not all of what you found yourself feeling can be attributed simply to this. Some of your excitement and the effect it had on you was being caused by a subconscious awareness that had begun to awaken within you as a result of your body having changed into that of a vibrant young woman."

       "It was when you were with Tom, however, that you found out how just strong these desires can truly be even when you still remained unaware of not only the cause, but of their very existence. That is all in past, but, although you have now gained at least some degree of understanding, you find yourself being unable to accept them for what they truly are and, in so doing, unable to experience all they can bring forth."

       "But, this can come to an end Lisa. You can come to know the same excitement, freedom, and happiness that I described. To do this, however, you must first overcome your self-doubts and accept your inner-feelings, and, as it was with me, it will take more than just listening to someone try to explain it. You will have to undergo an experience so overpowering that it takes complete control of your emotions and forces them to break free on their own accord."

       Lisa gave a sad to smile. "That sounds great, but I don't know of anything that would do that." “There is something that will do it, Lisa." The Supreme Commander replied. “The experience that brought it forth in me can bring it forth in you also. I am talking about "harvesting" a male."

       Lisa's mouth dropped open as a look of profound shock came on her face. "You mean you want me to.., to.., to kill a man..? Shoot him with an arrow when he's naked..? And.., and.., and then play with him down there..? And then cut him up..? And do all of this while a large group of women would be watching the whole time..? There's no way..! I just couldn't!"

       The Supreme Commander chuckled. "Lisa, at first I had the same reaction. Even after it reached the point that, as Supreme Commander, I had no choice in what I must do I still had strong self-doubt of being capable of performing in a manner that would give an impression of becoming excited and enjoying it. This doubt stayed with me up until the vary moment that Tom was brought into the arena. But then, something happened. In realizing that I was serving a grater good far more important than either Tom or me, I found myself being caught-up by exhilaration so strong that it took total control of my actions. Instead of putting on an act, I found myself experiencing an excitement going far beyond any pretense that I was going to attempt."

       "The same thing happened to each of my colleagues that followed me on that day, and I have little doubt that they experienced strong reservations similar to my own. And.., of even more importance.., women of the general public that, since this time, have been given the opportunity to participate in a "harvesting" have reacted in the same manner."

       "Lisa, please believe me when I say that it can be the same for you if you will but make the attempt. Before making a decision, it might help if you are aware that the men now being "harvested" are a far cry from Tom and the others like him on that that first day. Since then, we have been selecting men that have been found to be deranged or have a violent nature who would pose a grave danger to woman if given an opportunity."

       "It is men such as this that were responsible for what happened to Sally, and, with this being the case, I can assure you the life you would take would not only be one justly deserving to come to an end, but one not worthy of concern.  Lisa, all that I'm asking of you is to just make the attempt. If, when the time comes, you find yourself unable to go through with it then you can simply walk away."

       Lisa looked unconvinced. "I.., I.., I don't know. But.., even if I said yes.., how could I..? I've never even touched a bow and arrow - much less know how to use them." "That's one thing you don't need to worry about." The Supreme Commander replied. "The same is true for almost all women, and, for this reason, a large instruction program had been set up to enable learning beforehand. You will find that it requires only a small amount of practice to become quite accurate at close range. And, if you'll agree to give it a try, I'll take you to the arena myself and stay the entire time to offer as much encouragement and support as I possibly can. Please Lisa, if not for yourself, then do it for me. I desperately want you to be happy. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose. "Well.., OK.. I'll at least try." Lisa said after a reluctant hesitation. "But.., I don't think I'll be able to go through with it once I'm there." The Supreme Commander suppressed a sigh of relief as she reached out to pat Lisa's hand. "That's all I ask, Lisa." She said. "Let's just wait and see about the rest."

       The Supreme Commander sat in silence with moist eyes for a long time after Lisa had left. The girl had demonstrated a remarkable inner-strength and courage that was outwardly concealed by soft, feminine beauty and a shy, child-like innocence. During the time they had been together she had found herself starting to feel deep warmth toward the girl in the manner that a mother might hold for a daughter. A stab of pain went through her heart when this thought caused her to realize that if her own daughter had lived she would have been almost the same age. She let out a deep sigh and looked wistfully at the mounted head hanging on her wall. "You were right, Tom my boy. You were so right." She said softly while gazing at his face. "She is indeed a very brave and courageous young woman. And you know what? I think she's captured my love also."