The Joining

The Joining
Michael paced in the small room like a caged animal. The bed at its center haunted his every step. He knew what it was for and his stomach involuntarily turned at the very thought of it. Just that morning he had received the shot that would make the mechanics work. He had been off his pills for two days ever since he had been told what he must do.

“This is inhuman,” he said out loud. I’ve done my duty and this is my reward, he thought.
This Joining had been arranged by the inter-armed services committee and he had been told that it was not just his genes but also about the promotion of peace between the two regiments. But he still did not understand why they couldn’t take his sperm and implant it the old-fashioned way. That would be much less humiliating and safer too. Any time the two main genders were put together without close supervision someone or everyone was going to die.

He had heard stories that in ancient time’s men and women competed with other members of their sex for the most attractive partners of the other sex. He laughed at such a crazy idea. The hate was so intense that no amount of pleasure – if such a thing were possible – could justify the risk.

As far as he knew, the separation of the sexes had always been the way it was. It just seemed the most natural way to be. As a warrior, Michael knew and respected the female regiment’s fighting capabilities. They were ruthless and vicious, gave no quarter and asked for none, and had tremendous endurance. They tended not to be as physically strong as the male regiment members although some of them were
close of late.

Michael was not a deep thinker but the idea of this joining troubled him. He had his orders and would follow them but could not see any good coming from it.

If the Maker of Everything wanted there to be peace, It would have only made one sex, he thought.

There were two chairs in the room along with the bed. He picked a chair and sat down. At least, he would be fresh and rested it there was trouble.

He had just settled back into the chair when the door swung open and hit the wall with a loud bang. A tall female warrior strutted into the room, saw him and glared. She stood for a moment in the doorway breathing slow and deeply her legs in a shallow fighting stance.
As soon as the door opened, he was on his feet in a modified T-stance facing her.

“I am Michael” he announced.

“I am Joan, she said in a kind of growl.

Even though they had both been instructed as to what to do, they stood there saying nothing watching each other for several minutes.

“What now?” Michael challenged.

“Don’t you know?” Joan snapped back.

“Are you armed? Michael asked while eying her.

“No. Are you” Joan countered.

“No.” said Michael. “Guess we should get to it.”
“
Yes, sooner started sooner finished.” said Joan.

The lights in the room dimmed seemingly of their own accord.

They undressed never taking their eyes off each other’s eyes.

They crawled into bed from opposite sides and kneeled facing each other but not touching. Then Joan lay down on her side and Michael laid on his. Michael reached out to touch her and slid toward her at the same time.

“I can’t do this!” screamed Joan. Jumping out of bed and grabbing the chair.

Michael said nothing as he slid out of the bed and backed into a fighting stance.

Joan charged Michael with the chair and hit him a glancing blow to the temple with it. He continued toward her with his forward momentum and punched her in the jaw. They both fell to the floor. Michael lay stunned for a moment and then staggered to his feet. Joan produced a groan which changed into a scream of rage and was on her feet.

They circled each other exercising a caution born of pain. Michael jumped first with a spinning kick to the head which caught Joan high on her left cheek opening a two-inch gash.

Following the kick, Joan was on Michael with a double tiger claw to his face cutting open both sides of his face.

Their bodies slammed together which stopped them for a moment. In that moment, everything changed. Their eyes met differently and their mouths crushed together in an animal lust.

After a period of screaming and swearing, there was silence.

Later, the Overseers entered the room now covered with blood and found two snoring bodies intertwined on the floor. .

“It’s the same every time.” Said android 1347 “It would be a lot easier if they could just get along. This seems, just a waste of time.”

“Not for us to say.” Said android 1592. “We just do what we are programmed to do. But we better separate them before they wake up or

someone will die.”