You have to fuck, extract, book 2, travelling, part 1

Alice had been warned. The Hub Station on the outskirts of Buenos Aires was running fine, but it wasn’t anything to look at. The best way to describe it was: a main ugly concrete block, three storeys high, and some smaller concrete blocks, one or two storeys high, all of them in a wasteland-like area which was surrounded by a rusty fence.
Nearly fourteen weeks ago, Devery, Javiera and their teams started to make preparations for nine Hub Stations: finding properties and people, and placing revocable orders for equipment and furniture. These nine stations were located in or close to: Vancouver, New York, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Sydney, Seoul, Tunis, Berlin and London. 
The Hub Station in New York was operational first. Every other station had been on hold until the launch of the Hub at the conference. After all, no one knew whether enough people would register. But the subscriber numbers skyrocketed on the very first day. And so, about seven weeks ago, the other Hub Stations got the go ahead. The Vancouver Hub Station was operational within a day, the others within a week, though in a rather makeshift way.
‘How many users are served from here?’ Alice asked when she and Devery got out of the SUV.
‘Nearly seventy million,’ Devery replied, waving to Javiera and Andy, who were getting out of the first car. ‘All South American subscribers are run via this station at the moment.’
‘Hm. This place needs a lot of work,’ Alice said, zipping up her jacket. It was even colder in Buenos Aires than in Rio, under ten degrees this morning. Winter.
‘It does,’ Devery agreed, starting to walk. ‘Maybe we should use more than the four point eight million a month. Maybe ten? That leaves nearly twenty-four million a month to invest in new Hub Stations.’
‘Yes, do that. Temporarily. I—’ Alice stopped to talk. 
Ahead of them, Javiera raised her hand, signalling that they should be quiet. She pointed to the entrance of the main building. Coming closer, they could hear raised voices from inside the building.
‘That sounds like Steven,’ Devery whispered. ‘One of our programmers.’
Javiera nodded and took the lead. Quietly, they entered a large hall, an empty space with a metal staircase on the right. In the middle of the hall, a woman and a man were arguing. The argument was so heated, especially on the woman’s side, that the newcomers went unnoticed, as did Jazz and Anthony who stopped behind them.
‘NONSENSE,’ the woman shouted with a Spanish tinge to her pronunciation. ‘Having children not is a question of potency biological.’
‘Course it is, Bess,’ Steven retorted in a patronising voice and with a heavy American accent. ‘Women have a ticking clock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Everyone knows that. Men can have children any time.’
‘Only because men can spread sperm all their life, not does mean it is good for children or for mothers.’
‘Why? Sperm doesn’t lose its power,’ Steven spat back.
‘¡Hijo de puta! You men never stop to think what it means to have a grandfather as a father or a girl as a mother!’
‘So what?’
‘CABEZA DE PIJA!,’ the woman shouted. ‘All you can think is that you can. That you have to. That you must take. No matter how many years she has. She is a girl, and you have to fuck her. Pero no lo puedes. YOU CAN NOT! YOU CANNOT HURT HER.’
‘Screw you, Bess. Don’t be such a cranky bitch. Children keep you young.’
‘SELFISH BRUTE! IDIOTA! FORRO! Can you even tell the difference between child and adult? Or is all you see your next fuck? And who gives you right to fuck anybody? You— Who are you?’ Bess demanded to know, having noticed the intruders at the entrance.
Andy, Javiera, Alice and Devery exchanged glances. 
Then Andy stepped forward. ‘Andy Lawrence, head of the executive team for the Hub, and head of Programming.’
‘Oh, so sorry about this,’ Steven said, coming towards them with an air of smugness which indicated that the guests should ignore the silly argument they might have witnessed just now. 
Andy shot him a warning glance and Steven stopped, looking puzzled. Andy ignored him and introduced the others to Bess. ‘These are Javiera Fuentes and Devery Beaumont, heads of the Hub International Network and Coordination Team. And this is Alice Adler, head of the Easy Town Foundation.’
‘Oh,’ Bess uttered, clenching her fists. Then she hissed: ‘What do you say about old men making children?’
‘Er …’ Andy started and Devery said: ‘I agree with you. I think the age between thirty and thirty-five is ideal for both sexes to parent children. And most importantly, it’s great for their children. When the children are twenty, their parents are fifty-five maximum, which is a fantastic age. Or so I’ve heard,’ Devery added, kind of jovially. ‘And if there are grandchildren, the grandparents are in their sixties. That’s great too. With a bit of luck the grandparents can even meet their great-grandchildren.’
Steven shuffled his feet uncertainly.
Javiera nodded, her eyes calmly on Bess, her voice uncharacteristically gentle: ‘It also makes sense in terms of demographic structures and in terms of finances. The generations are spaced out sensibly and several generations can take care of each other without being too much of a burden. Both in terms of time and financial resources. It makes absolute sense.’
Devery nodded and added, likewise talking very gently: ‘There’s an age for everything, and neither the teens nor the forties or later are good for having children regardless the sex.’
Suddenly, Steven looked smug again and mocked: ‘So you’re saying people in their twenties shouldn’t have children?’
‘Give people time to grow up,’ Devery said cheerfully. ‘Time to mature. Time to find out what they want. Time to learn things they can teach their children. Time to put aside money for the big adventure of parenthood.’ 
Javiera nodded and added: ‘There’s no good reason to rush into parenthood unless you need to build an army, or you’re so incapable of running a country that you need more taxpayers.’
Bess had been listening with gritted teeth, and now she spat: ‘Why nobody never thinks about the children? Never it is about the safety of young women, teenagers and the baby … Always it is about men’s prowess, men’s urge to fuck. Fuck anyone they see, no matter the age. FOR CHRIST’S SAKE, CHILDREN ARE NOT FOR YOU! THEY ARE HUMAN BEINGS!’ 
Suddenly, Steven started to smile. He opened his mouth to — well, probably to say something, but Bess forestalled him, hatred oozing from her every pore. ‘You can’t JUST FUCK EVERYBODY,’ she yelled and threw herself at him, punching, kicking, screaming. 
Steven took the first punch in utter surprise. Then he started to hit back.
Everyone rushed to get between them. 
Bess and Steven were kicking and punching so hard that it was impossible to avoid their assaults. Meanwhile, word had gotten around, and more people from Security and from the local Hub Team came rushing into the hall, from the entrance, through office doors, from corridors and down the clanging staircase.
It felt like ages, but it was probably just a minute or two until Bess was kicking and screaming, firmly held by Jazz and Devery. While Steven was held back by Anthony and Andy. 
Javiera positioned herself in front of Bess, talking to her in Spanish, urgently and soothingly. 
After some moments, Bess stopped cursing and kicking, and tears started to roll. Javiera took Bess into her arms, and Bess went down on her knees, weeping uncontrollably while Javiera held her twitching body.
A minute later, there were so many people clustering and shouting around the former fighters that Alice couldn’t see what was happening any more. 
Then Andy and Devery appeared from the throng of people.
‘Are you okay?’ Devery asked her.
‘A bit dizzy, a bruise or two, but okay. You two?’
‘A few bruises. Shaken,’ Andy said. ‘Fresh air? We’re just in the way here.’

Outside they found some old slabs of concrete, steel bits protruding from the sides. Devery sat down heavily. Next to him, Andy slid onto the concrete slabs, and Alice leaned against them. 
None of them spoke.
The fresh air was good.
After a while, Alice asked quietly: ‘What happened in there?’
‘I don’t know,’ Andy said, avoiding eye contact. ‘All I know is that there are a lot of terrible men.’
‘Hm,’ Alice murmured. 
Andy looked at her, tears in his eyes. ‘We are not all bad.’
‘I know that, Andy. What happened?’
‘Some of the men who came running into the hall had nothing better to do than to spit on a woman who was crying her heart out. Why?’
Alice shook her head and looked at Devery. 
He seemed shaken, his eyes wet.
‘Do you know anything?’ Alice asked quietly.
Devery swallowed, tears rolling down his cheeks. ‘Yes. Bess’ sister died this morning. Thirteen years old. She was raped by her uncle. She got pregnant, but she wasn’t allowed to have an abortion. That’s what killed her and the unborn child. The family protects the uncle.’
‘What?’ Andy murmured.
Devery shook his head. ‘Alice, we have to do something to help men.’
‘How?’
‘Jazz told me you’re up for the Defend Yourself Initiative?’
Alice nodded.
‘We should add another angle. Teach boys and adults how much damage sex and abuse can cause. Help them to understand how grave the harm is they can inflict. That their insistence on an orgasm can kill, physically and mentally. Teach them that sex is a gift, something to be treasured and to be done with care. Teach them, how to enjoy this gift without causing harm. Teach them that they don’t have a right to penetrate anyone. Tell them that rape is never an option. I don’t know. Maybe search for the roots of rape and murder. Strengthen men in a way that they don’t become monsters. Find out what damaged these men so much that they have no self-respect and no regard for their fellow humans.’
They were silent for a while, each looking across the wasteland with unseeing eyes. 
After a time, Alice said: ‘I’d prefer it if we didn’t make it about boys and men. What you’re saying is also important for girls and women. I wonder, maybe it should be an initiative of its own. Something like the beauty of sex—’
‘NO! That’s not clear enough,’ Andy cut in. ‘I get the positive angle you two want to give it, but I don’t think that’s helpful. We’re talking about deeply rooted and damaging sexual behaviour here. Behaviour that’s still treated like it’s not really that bad. Like it’s ultimately manly. Like it’s something men just can’t help doing, like they have no choice. We need an axe to cut out that nonsense. Call it something like: your dick is not a weapon. Or, your dick wants to play, learn how to. Or, get the hang of your dick. And KEEP YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF CHILDREN!’
‘Listen to our young generation,’ Devery teased quietly.
‘I’m not even ten years younger than you two,’ Andy protested.
‘Just teasing. How about: avoid causing harm with your sexuality,’ Devery offered.
‘A bit long,’ Andy said. ‘But it fits the bill.’
Alice twitched her mouth. ‘I like: your dick is not a weapon, your tits are not a means to an end.’
‘You’re a bit soft on the women,’ Andy said with a half-smile.
‘Yeah, well. Someone will come up with something better.’
‘Though frankly,’ Andy added. ‘It should be a single gender initiative. I think, we’re a long way off discussing sex in mixed groups.’
‘We could start with single gender groups,’ Alice said, ‘and at a later stage we mix them. When they are ready.’
‘That might work,’ Andy conceded.
‘Besides,’ Alice added, ‘what if some of the misery comes from the separation of the sexes, from the mystification of the other sex?’
‘Limping,’ Devery murmured thoughtfully. ‘If we didn’t make such a fuss about gender, maybe we’d look after each other better.’
‘It’s worth a thought,’ Alice said quietly.
‘I’ll put a team together for the initiative?’ Devery said.
‘Absolutely.’
For a while none of them spoke. Then Andy asked: ‘What did Steven have to do with this?’
‘Apart from being a prick of a man?’ Devery spat. ‘From what I gathered, Steven has been a sexist prick in previous weeks. Though, it seems the conversation with Bess started harmless enough. He’s one of my guys, and I’ll see to it that— Oh.’ Devery stopped, seeing Javiera and Jazz leave the main building. He got up to make room for them on the concrete slab. 
Andy briefly looked up when Javiera and Jazz reached them, and he said to Alice: ‘We could add a sanctuary for survivors of sexual assaults, here at the Hub Station.’
‘Yes, let’s do that,’ Alice agreed. ‘But we can’t offer abortions as long as it’s against the law.’
‘It’s not against the law in Argentina. Not when it’s rape,’ Javiera said, leaning against the slabs while Jazz remained standing.
‘What?’ Alice exclaimed. ‘But why wasn’t Bess’ sister allowed to have an abortion?’
‘The Catholic Church,’ Javiera replied, crossing her arms.
Alice shook her head in disbelief and anger, even though this wasn’t news to her — not as such. She just couldn’t understand why the church was still this unflinchingly brutal, nor why the church still got away with this inhumane cruelty.
‘We can have a legal team here,’ Javiera offered, ‘to make sure the survivors are safe, and the perpetrators are prosecuted.’
‘Good,’ Alice mumbled, still upset, but for once realising that no one present needed to witness a massive flare-up. Not even about the short-sighted idiocy of forcing children into being while at the same time refusing to protect children. 
Just then, a little energy tickle on her arms told her that Jazz sensed her anger. 
Alice looked into Jazz’s calm eyes. 
Yes, this was not the time to lash out. This was a moment to remember that her fury was hers to control. 
Alice exhaled and gave Jazz a half-smile. 
Jazz returned the half-smile and said: ‘Things have calmed down. But one of you should talk to Bess.’
Javiera nodded. ‘Bess is a programmer. What she needs now is to meet trustworthy men. Andy and Devery should talk to her, and they can talk shop too.’
‘Thanks for the vote of confidence,’ Devery said.
Javiera looked at Devery searchingly. Then she said: ‘I have seen many terrible men in my country Chile, later in the US and in the UK. But I’m very lucky to have wonderful and wise men in my family. And I’m very lucky to have been working with a man like you for so many years.’
Devery had tears in his eyes, and he hugged Javiera. 
‘I needed that,’ he said when he let go of her.
‘I know,’ Javiera replied. Standing on tiptoes, she pecked him on his cheek. ‘Now go and do good.’