ANON: CHAPTER FOUR – THE SURROGATE

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“K-4,” She said softly, looking at the new "4" on her arm. She wondered how people would treat her knowing she had a much lower level of intelligence.

Would they talk down to her? Would they simplify their vocabulary so she could understand? Would they feel sorry for her, or try to persuade her to do things that only a less intelligent, gullible person would fall for?

And how does one behave when they are slower than average? Do they walk differently? Do they know they’re not very smart? What kinds of things do they talk about, or care about?

Chapter 4: The Surrogate

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Kate had managed to get snatched by a surrogate trafficker. She made it a point to leave her new tattoo exposed while she went to the market or ran errands for her mother. She spent most of her time in the Central District -- where the orphans, prostitutes, druggies, gypsies, and homeless wandered. Nobody cared about them. No one would know they went missing. That was a target kidnapping spot. And although the “goods” there were likely diseased and contaminated, there were those who lead fairly clean lives. And the Traders would find them.

Kate felt pretty sure she was being followed for the last few days. Spied on, really. They wanted to know her habits. Was she going to taint their good name by spreading STD’s and Hepatitis to their clients? They had a reputation to uphold, and although street girls were easier to capture, they needed street girls who were not contaminated. Which was quite rare. But easier to kidnap, and frankly, worth the hassle if you could put in the time to survey.

Kate had a moderately pretty face. Nothing particularly darling about it. A very basic face. But that actually made her selling point higher, as noble women did not need their housemaids upstaging them in any way. Her hair was very pretty, and that was a selling point as well. So she left it down most days. She knew exactly what she was doing. She intentionally hefted large packages and baskets around while running errands, she wore sleeveless shirts and short shorts to show off her musculature to any prospective lurking kidnapper, as a good strong slave was more valuable than a waif. And she pretended to be incredibly subservient and insecure -- stepping aside for others, staying out of the way, not speaking too much, staying in the shadows. She even lifted a few wallets to make it appear as though she had a reason for being there.

It only took a few weeks before she got scooped up by the Traders, disguised as the Transient Authority.

“Yeah, that’s the one,” said the driver, looking behind him as Kate was thrown into the back of the van in handcuffs. “A perfect score of 4. She’ll be easy going and take orders well.”

The bumpy drive lasted about 2 hours. They reached a broken down brick building with patched wood on the windows and deteriorating concrete steps in the front.

“Lovely,” Kate thought.

As the girls filed out of the vehicle, the driver took personal interest in her. He grabbed her by the back of the neck, pulled her body close up to his, and dug his pelvis into hers. If she had been a maid, or a cook, he would have had his way with her right then. But this one needed preserving. To his great disappointment. And the other girls held no interest for him. This was the one he wanted.

“I think she’d be a good fit for the Hammonds, or maybe the Kilpatricks,” his breath smelled of spoiled tobacco, and his teeth had black fibers stuck between them. He spit to the side, then put his gaze back on her as he held her face up to his.

“Get her spruced up by the end of the month. She needs to gain at least 10 pounds. And make sure she’s still having her period. Then I’ll put her on the market.”

They spoke about her as though she were a stray cat. And as demeaning as it felt, she knew she was about to have a better life than these two men combined. And that brought some comfort.

The paperwork was up to the Trading Company, and meticulously done at that. They needed to turn a profit, didn’t they? Kate would soon have a clean health record, strapping brothers, and a father with an exceptional chin. Her pretty hair was a bonus. Her bland looks as well. It was a perfect match for an important figurehead. And just a matter of time before she would be off to work.

This position with the Hammond’s would likely be the best position she’d ever find outside the blockchain. And if she did well, the family would keep her on as a full-time nanny. She was aware of the fact that although the noble women had the luxury of foregoing the inconvenience of pregnancy and childbirth, the babies would belong to them. And as such, they would be promptly uploaded to the blockchain the instant the umbilical cord was cut.

But Kate would be allowed to watch them grow. She could teach them so many things…

Her thoughts raced. She now stood in the drawing room of the Hammond household. She stood as still as stone, attempting something of a smile, waiting to hear a compliment, or see any kind of promise or satisfaction in the Woman’s eyes. Any glimmer of hope would do. But the Woman just stood there examining her interchangeably with a grimace and a complete lack of expression.

Mrs. Hammond heartlessly bored her eyes into every inch of Kate’s body, lifting her arms, poking and pinching her in odd places as though she were a freshly baked cake. How the Woman was going to pass off the potential infant as her own, Kate did not know. There would need to be prenatal medical visits on the ledger, biological output would need to be faked, an actual delivery would have to be staged and recorded as the Woman’s own! This kind of cryptography required block-cloning, witness-node tampering, and a power draw larger than the state of Texas for the duration of the labor. There were only a handful of people in the world with money like that. And an even smaller handful with the political influence to accompany it. She had wondered why they did not just take the “we have a surrogate mother” narrative. There was no shame in it. But then, why should they, when they could make it look real? And they could.

Kate knew that as soon as she started to show, she would need to be locked away from the public eye for each pregnancy, never to be seen again until after each baby was delivered. What would she do with all that time? Would she read books, would she prepare a fertile resting place and a haven for the children, would she crave strange foods, would her feet swell like her mother’s did, would she regret being a surrogate slave, would her Master treat her well?

Kate’s heart continued to race. Everything she had ever worked for came down to this position specifically. She imagined the Woman suddenly grinning and remarking that Kate was a perfect match, then pulling out a 21st century liquid-ink pen and signing a formal contract on actual hard-copy paper, and reading: “Mr. and Mrs. Hammond, of such and such place, hereby decree Kathryn as rightful bearer and caregiver to any future children this household should acquire...and she shall dwell in the main house so as to tend to the children’s temporal, physical, educational, and emotional needs...forever and ever amen.”

Kate made a promise to herself right then, in her mind, to try not to get too attached to the children, or impose too much of her own will on them, so the Woman would not become hostile toward her and relieve her of her duties. Then there would be the matter of relations with Mr. Hammond. She wondered if this would be an insemination surrogacy, or if there would be intimacy. If it was the latter, she would be required by contract to only mingle with him during days of fertility. Anything outside this and she would be fired, or executed if the Mrs. so desired.

Kate could see the desire in Mr. Hammond’s eyes. She knew it would be the latter, even if only in secret. But Kate thought It better to be in the shroud of secrecy in this beautiful castle, than to be in the light of the sewer of the Central District, and of her home town, spilling with the vermin of the cities. She felt that if she was “nice” enough to the Chancellor, he would be kind in return. She had heard the different stories of those who had left the Trading Company. And yes, some of them ended tragically, but most of them shared surprisingly happy endings.

“That is if you can keep your mouth shut,” Kathryn remembered her former ward telling her as she left the surrogate prep home. “You have no right to an opinion in that home. Ever. Not even if it is asked of you.” And so, Kate stood there, her lips parting only slightly in the sweet smile she would keep there for as long as it took.

Being born outside the blockchain wasn’t the worst thing, but it came with its humiliation. Kathryn would no doubt experience this feeling no matter her station. As an Anon she had no other choice. It wasn’t something she had the luxury of even considering. But this future, just within her reach, would be far better than any she could conjure up as an outcast.

Kate had plans. And her number one goal was to please Mrs. Hammond. And at this moment, Mrs. Hammond was stone silent. As the Woman examined her feet, Kate felt the pain of suspense so exquisitely she could taste it. She wanted to scream at the Woman, slap sense into her, and tell her that she was good enough and to get on with it!

Mrs. Hammond rose up slowly, only a foot away from Kate’s front side. She dipped her fingers in disinfectant gel and slowly rubbed her fingers together. As she did so, she stared Kate down as if to say, “I know your secrets. I know why you are here.”

“OK,” Mrs. Hammond said.

Kate almost gasped at the word.

“OK…..what?” asked her husband.

“I said OK. What else do you want me to say? OK. We’ll take her.” barked Mrs. Hammond. And she floated away on her royal feet and left the room.

“Oh, right! OK. Yes. OK then. Erm...Mrs. Roberts,” said Mr. Hammond to Mother Hen. “Please take the child to her new chambers, and be sure she has everything she needs. We want her to be comfortable. She has a great task ahead.”

Kate's smile became genuine as she followed Mother Hen out of the drawing room and into her new life as the Hammond's surrogate.

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Start from the beginning...

ANON: CHAPTER ONE- A HOT BATH
ANON:CHAPTER TWO- A RUSTY GATE
ANON: CHAPTER THREE – ERASED

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By @simgirl and @littlscribe

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