Callipygia

Callipygia is a place, or maybe just a state-of-mind, for if you go there, and partake, you will become changed...forever.

A story of contemporary women's issues, and a young woman who finally finds true love. STEPHANIE DANIELS, 28, journalist for the Sheyenne Eagle, asks only for a home, a job, a little fun once-in-awhile and someone who truly loves her. Her insensitive boyfriend, Billy, does not. Her editor sends her to the South Dakota Black Hills, where a large number of women have disappeared. Rumor has a lesbian sex slave camp hidden in the forest. Men have disappeared too but always turn up smelling of alcohol and telling of being used as studs.

The missing women are actually being forced into prostitution. Stephanie, dressed as a teenaged runaway, attracts Robbie, a leader of a prostitution ring, and Jill, his traveling companion. His manner disturbs Stephanie but she realizes the two could be a lead. She accepts Robbie's invitation to share their--adjoining--motel rooms, where she is brutally raped. But she fights, kills Robbie, and escapes.

After two months undercover Stephanie still has no solid leads on the so-called lesbian slavecamp. She's becoming discouraged when she finds delicate MEGAN, who takes her to Callipygia. No slaves, no lesbians, and the women--all beautiful--are there by choice, having been recruited from nationwide women's shelters. The colony has a humanistic goal which is unbalanced by their questionable methods. They abduct men who meet certain criteria for breeding purposes. They wish to create a more sensitive man through proper child-raising.

Jill, now collaborating with Billy who's searching for Stephanie, brings more men from the prostitution ring. They attack Callipygia with the plan of selling all the women into the worldwide sex slave market. But Stephanie, Megan, and others, fight.

Out of contact with her editor and wondering about her job, Stephanie soon finds herself responsible for two pregnant women.

An excerpt:

"That's Callipygia's goal." Megan's face looked pained, "We'll get pregnant, and try to raise our children--especially boys--to be more sensitive, especially toward girls."
Stephanie felt her mouth fall open.
"We want to create a more sensitive society."
My God. Stephanie's mind flew to the men with stories of being used as studs. She had believed them, yes, at least believed that they really believed it, but had also sometimes considered them quite humorous and chauvinistic. Stud service. What a laugh.
But no longer.
"Oh, we aren't like Hitler--"
"Why aren't you? Do the men have a choice in the matter?"
"Well, not really. But we don't force them, exactly.
"My God, Megan." She pushed away, "Meg, I can't stay here." She moved to the tent flap, wriggled her way through, and then fully realized she was in deep forest, with no idea of which direction even to go. She hadn't even kept track of their direction yesterday. Just not thinking clearly at all.
"I can't let you leave, Steph." Megan appeared at the tent flap, dragging her backpack.
"You can't stop me, Meg."
"Yes, I can." Megan slipped through the tent opening, reached into her backpack, produced a very small handgun, "You must not leave, Steph." She introduced a cylinder to the barrel and began twisting it on.
A silencer? Her stomach tightened, "Meg, you wouldn't use that."
"I doubt she would either." Adrienne appeared in the clearing, just as the sun rose behind her, outlining her and the black M16 pointed at Stephanie's face, "But I would."
Megan moved fast and got between her and Adrienne. Then she aimed the handgun at the sky and pulled on the top back, cocking it, then left it pointed at the sky, "I won't let you hurt her, Adrienne." Megan turned around, still keeping the handgun pointed skyward, but still there, "Steph, I need your promise."
"But why? Why do we have to hide? What's happening at Callipygia that's so bad--what else is happening?"
"Nothing terrible is happening, Stephie. We were afraid people wouldn't understand, and that's all. Just please trust me for now. You said you did. You said you trusted me."
She did say that. But what Megan had said about a new society kind of made her skin crawl. But journalist was creeping back in. But Megan still held the gun. "Are you going to shoot me if I don't promise?"
"Please don't make me even have to think about that."
Megan would not go along with something evil. She knew it, and knew Megan wouldn't hurt her. She just knew it, "I do trust you, Meg."
"All right." Megan lowered the gun, carefully released the hammer, then walked to her, touched her arm. Megan's hand was warm, calm. Would you have shot me, Meg?