“Let go of me!”

Ethan felt his feet leave the ground as two burly Black bodyguards, one on each side, hoisted him up like he weighed nothing. They dumped him unceremoniously at the feet of Lady Ramaya.

“Pick one: internal or external fertilization,” Ramaya’s voice cut through the air like a blade, her sharp gaze piercing into Ethan. He felt naked under her scrutiny, as if she could see through to his very soul.

“Fertilization? What are you talking about?” Ethan stammered, his fingers fumbling with his torn shirt. He cast a nervous glance at the bodyguards, his heart pounding.

“This one's new—Code 324,” one of the guards leaned down, his voice barely above a whisper.

Ramaya sneered, clearly irritated by Ethan’s ignorance. “Let me explain. You’ve been selected for the ‘Pregnancy Initiative.’ If you choose external fertilization, we’ll implant a test-tube embryo into your body. If you choose internal, you can pick any woman from this selection and... copulate.”

She handed Ethan a selector device, her expression cold and unfeeling as she leaned back in her chair.

“But… I’m a man! How can I possibly—” Ethan’s voice faltered as the absurdity of the situation sank in. It was surreal, like a twisted nightmare he couldn’t wake from.

The truth was, Ethan had no idea where he was. He was in Omega Fortress, a top-secret cloning facility buried deep within Death Valley. The place was run by a shadowy organization known as the Phoenix Guard. Ethan Black had only been synthesized the day before, with no memories, no understanding of his surroundings. And now, he was being told he had to “get pregnant”!

“Can’t I refuse? This is insane.” Ethan stood up, desperation in his voice, his eyes darting to the door, hoping for an escape. But the guards moved quickly, drawing their guns to block his path.

“You can refuse,” Ramaya’s voice was like ice, her arms crossed, “but if you do, I’ll dispose of you right now.”

Ethan exhaled a heavy sigh and slumped back into his chair. “Fine, I’ll choose. External fertilization sounds… less crazy, considering I’m a guy.”

“So, if I choose external, do I get to pick any woman from this screen?” Ethan asked, pointing at the selector. He glanced at Ramaya, who simply nodded, her gesture dismissive.

Ethan began scrolling through the options, silently judging each one. “Too fat, too thin, too old… Ah, this one’s just right. Nice figure. Big chest.”

“She’ll do.” Ethan finally settled on a picture. The woman had a slender build, long lashes, and, most importantly to him, a perfect hourglass shape. She was Aria Wells, one of the female clones at Omega Fortress. She’d been there for two years but had never been chosen.

“You sure about her?” Ramaya’s head lifted slightly, a flicker of an almost imperceptible emotion in her eyes.

“I’m sure,” Ethan replied without hesitation, handing the selector back to Ramaya.

“Alright, you have 30 minutes to complete the process,” Ramaya’s voice was calm, almost disinterested, as she reminded him of the rules.

Ethan followed the guards into a small, stark room—Insemination Room #18. It contained nothing but a white bed and a small bathroom. Above the door, a countdown clock started ticking down from 30 minutes.

He noticed a camera mounted above the bed, its red light blinking. Approaching it, Ethan cursed under his breath, “What the hell? They’re recording everything, even broadcasting it? Who the hell would watch this?” He grabbed a towel from the bathroom, trying to cover the camera, but it was mounted too high. No matter how hard he jumped, he couldn’t reach it. His attempts triggered the security system, and suddenly, alarms blared throughout the room.

“I was so close… just a bit more…” Ethan muttered, still jumping, desperately trying to block the lens.

Meanwhile, Ramaya’s voice crackled in the guard’s earpiece, “Stop him now.”

The guards burst into the room, one of them jabbing a stun baton into Ethan’s thigh.

“Ah—my leg, my—” Ethan doubled over, clutching his groin, his face twisted in agony as he collapsed to the floor.

Just as Ethan began to recover from the pain, he heard the sharp clack of high heels on the floor. Aria entered the room, her long hair cascading over her hips, her V-neck uniform barely containing her curves. Ethan momentarily forgot the pain, his eyes fixed on her, a goofy grin spreading across his face.

After escorting Aria in, the guards left the room and locked the door. The countdown clock ticked down relentlessly above them.

“Hey, Aria, I’m Ethan Black,” Ethan quickly said, trying to break the ice.

“I don’t care who you are. Shut up and get this over with.” Aria’s voice was unexpectedly rough, with a hint of a rasp, her tone full of impatience. She sat on the bed, swiftly peeling off her stockings and tossing them aside like a no-nonsense tomboy.

Ethan turned his back to her, muttering under his breath, “God, can I get a do-over?”

“Are you going to do this or not?” Aria growled, her irritation palpable.

Ethan looked down at himself. Maybe it was the stun, but no matter how hard he tried, his body just wouldn’t cooperate. The clock kept ticking away mercilessly.

“Give me ten more minutes,” Ethan pleaded, glancing back at Aria, who stood there with her arms crossed, glaring at him.

“Come on, man, this is streaming live!” Ethan thought, trying to psych himself up, but five more minutes passed with no progress. The countdown reminded them that time was running out, and Aria’s patience was nearly gone.

She stormed over to Ethan, roughly shoving him onto the bed before climbing on top of him.

“She’s too… enthusiastic,” Ethan thought, stunned by her forcefulness. Aria glanced at the clock—only a minute left. She urged Ethan to hurry.

“Hurry up! Hurry!” Aria’s breath quickened.

Ethan felt a wave of heat wash over him, his mind going blank as he let out a long, drawn-out moan.

“Ahhh—”

As the timer hit zero, Ethan finally came back to his senses.

“Wait… does this mean I’m pregnant now?”

“You better carry my baby to term,” Aria demanded as she swiftly pulled her stockings back on, giving Ethan one last stern look before storming out of the room.

“This place is insane… everything’s upside down, even gender roles are reversed. I’ve got to find a way out of here,” Ethan thought to himself.