They emerged as night fell, the darkened streets becoming a warren of furtive, clandestine activity as the scavengers and fugitives broke cover to drink, trade, and conspire on street corners. Graffiti scrawled on boarded-up shop fronts spoke of rage, disempowerment, and despair, but Sajani believed these tortured words of urban resentment barely scratched the surface. Tensions were high, and Soho a tinderbox; one spark could set the district ablaze.

It wasn’t raining for the first time in a week, so the streets were busier than usual, and for Sajani, it had been one of her most lucrative nights yet. That made her vulnerable, and she ghosted through the labyrinthine alleyways, attempting to remain one step ahead of the street gangs and two steps ahead of the law.

To be arrested was an occupational hazard but one to avoid at all costs. Fortunately, the authorities dared not enter the back streets after dusk, so away from the main thoroughfares with their facial recognition software and insidious audio bots, Sajani felt safe, from the police at least. By the time it was light enough for them to reclaim the streets, Sajani, and the other apostates, would have long since vanished.

Only her sneakers differentiated Sajani from the many stiletto-clad sex workers plying their trade from darkened doorways, however, she would have passed for one of these desperate women in every other regard. With her short kilt, ripped stockings, tousled hair, and shocking make-up, she wasn’t surprised when men asked her to turn a few tricks in return for their remaining pounds. But Sajani needed neither money nor sex, and her punked-up clothing was nothing more than a disguise. Instead, Sajani sought nothing more than sleep, sanctuary, and a safe place to store the thick wads of notes stuffed into her black leather jacket pockets.

Arriving at Diadem Court, Sajani checked the short street was empty, lifted the grill of a ventilation duct, climbed inside, and breathed in the fresh early morning air one final time. Then she dragged the heavy iron grate back into place above her head and disappeared deep into the Underground.

As Sajani descended the iron ladder, what little light there was slowly faded, but she was used to the dark and welcomed its anonymous, creeping embrace. Further inside the railway tunnel, she could use a flashlight, but that wouldn’t be necessary. Soon she would see the light from the disused Underground station, and her work for the night would finally be over.

Apart from offering Invictus much-needed privacy from the overbearing State apparatus, the Underground station maintained a constant temperature throughout the year, so with limited resources for heating, it remained comfortable even on the coldest of days. Sajani’s partner, Alex, had even established an internet connection and an electricity and clean water supply. Although sharing a cramped room with Ojay and Macie wasn’t ideal, many people lived in much worse conditions, and Sajani had learned to be grateful for what little she had. So as she climbed from the track onto the platform and climbed the stairs toward what had once been the exit, Sajani was glad to be home.

As she entered the old ticket office door, everything was quiet, which wasn’t unusual. Since Sajani was the only one who led a nocturnal existence, the others would likely still be asleep. Having showered and changed into one of Alex’s T-shirts, Sajani joined her partner on their mattress. She was surprised that he was already awake, his face illuminated by the glow of an iPad.

Sajani sat beside him, and they embraced.

“You okay?” Alex whispered, trying not to awaken the other couple. “Was it busy? How much did you collect?”

“Forty thousand. We’ll triple that on delivery of the goods,” Sajani replied. “And yes, it was busy. The good weather has brought people out. So there’s a lot of money to be made if we can cope with the demand.”

Alex looked uncertain as he turned back to his iPad. His expression told Sajani that the news wasn’t good.

“What’s the matter?” she whispered, stroking his thick, blond hair.

Alex turned the screen towards Sajani. “Scottish refugees, in Carlisle this time. The city has quadrupled in size in a matter of weeks. Tented cities have sprung up in all the city parks and green spaces. At least thirty people have died in riots, and there are reports that disease is rife. Not that you’d know that from the mainstream media, which shows nothing but happy faces, supposedly of people moving into the so-called ‘Community Citadels’ they’re rolling out north of the border. Community Citadels? Ghettos, more like.

“It gets worse,” Alex continued gravely. “The Government is so concerned about the vast numbers leaving the country that there’s talk that the ports and airports will be closed, and the roll-out of the ghettos brought forward here in England too. Their new green, culturally segregated, ideologically pure utopia isn’t attracting the numbers from overseas they expected. I don’t know why they’re surprised. I mean, why would anyone come to Britain? Who would want to live in this shithole now?”

“What does that mean for us, though? For Invictus?” Sajani was rightly concerned.

Alex put down the iPad and thought carefully before answering.

“Well, despite the increased surveillance in London, many of these people will soon be heading south without papers,” he said, gesturing towards the screen. “They’ll need us to help them flee the country or to circumvent the new caste system. I want to keep going for their sake and ours, but I’m not sure it’s worth it if the borders are closing. Forged documents won’t be enough to get them out of the UK. And that’s before we factor in the risks we’re taking, especially you, Saj. I think the time might have come for us to wind up the operation. We can’t expect our luck to hold for much longer. We should take our share of the money and get out while we still can.”

Sajani couldn’t disagree with anything Alex said. Invictus’s operation of forging documents and hacking government files was lucrative, and Alex, Ojay, and Macie’s skills were unparalleled. But with inflation rampant and State control tightening daily, the risks were beginning to outweigh the benefits, and the operation had seemingly run its course.

“Let’s see what Ojay and Macie say tomorrow,” Sajani whispered. “But I agree. We haven’t taken all these risks and made all this money just to end up dead, or for our money’s value to dwindle to nothing. We must leave the country, and soon.”

Alex nodded resignedly.

“Now, let’s have a few minutes together before your day begins and mine ends,” Sajani whispered, slowly running her hand from Alex’s firm, naked chest to his lower abdomen.

Alex put down his iPad as Sajani lay down and put her arm around his waist. They kissed again, more passionately this time, and Sajani felt herself getting wet. She always became conscious of her innate need to procreate when she returned from the streets as the stress hormones and fear of imminent death waned. Sleep wouldn’t come unless Sajani had climaxed first, and feeling Alex’s seed inside her would make her slumbers even more restful.

Sajani figured the bulls in the slaughterhouse where she had once worked must have experienced the same morbid compulsion to reproduce shortly before death, mounting the waiting cows, even as the pungent smell of death from the abattoir flooded their nostrils. She remembered their eyes, white and frantic, as they copulated in defiance of their impending fate as if one final fuck would make the horror go away. But now, with the production of meat outlawed and the slaughterhouses closed, it was Sajani who needed that forlorn, fatalistic release, knowing that every time with Alex might be the last.

Sajani found that Alex was already hard in anticipation of their early-morning ritual. They exchanged no words, just a look as Sajani turned away, lifted her T-shirt, and waited to feel Alex wrap his arm around her, shuffle his body into position, and spoon her.

Ojay and Macie were still sleeping, but it wouldn’t have mattered if they weren’t. There were no secrets between the two couples, and watching or being watched by the other couple was usual. So Sajani’s only concern was Ojay and Macie’s need for rest after the punishing hours they had been working, and she tried to remain quiet.

Sajani felt Alex grip himself firmly, drag his dripping tip down the cleft of her bottom and, with a final wriggle, line himself up at her opening. She pushed herself towards him, the contours of their bodies interlocking, and gasped as he tentatively penetrated her.

With one arm under Sajani’s neck and the other around her waist, Alex gripped her tightly as he began to move inside her. It was what Sajani needed after her foray above ground; the security of Alex’s firm embrace and his kisses on the back of her neck as he took her. For a moment, that was enough, and she closed her eyes to enjoy the warmth of his chest on her back and his hot palm on her breast.

Somehow, the moment of her initial pricking never lost its magic, no matter how often it was reprised. The more vigorous fucking that followed would give her the orgasm she craved, but the initiation of their lovemaking held a particular resonance. Perhaps it was the spontaneity, the surge of calming endorphins it induced, or the knowledge that their actions were now forbidden by law. But when Alex gently pushed himself inside her, with no wish or need for foreplay, it was the moment she felt most alive in the vacuous, hopeless new works she inhabited.

Eventually, feeling the need to heighten her pleasure further, Sajani raised her leg, knowing Alex would grasp it, support it in his hand, and allow her to hasten her finish. Unable to cum quickly through penetration, Sajani needed to touch herself as Alex fucked her, and she appreciated that it didn’t make him feel inadequate or unmanly. Instead, he understood that she sometimes needed her unique touch to bring about the immediate gratification her body demanded, and it turned him on to watch Sajani pleasure herself as he relentlessly drilled her pussy.

Sajani spread her fingers around the hard, wet cock, rhythmically fucking her before closing them around her clitoris. Her fingertips were still cold, and an immediate tingle shot up her spine as her button responded to their icy touch. Ojay stirred as Sajani gasped, and Alex’s hand cupped her mouth, stifling any further moans which might wake their roommates.

Sajani alternated between briskly rubbing her clitoris and more leisurely kneading of her button with her fingertips. Already, her body was responding; her whole pussy was sensitive to the touch, and her nipples were stiffening with each pinch of her fingers.

The room seemed to grow suddenly cold as her climax grew, the tingle in her sex spreading to her stomach as her legs trembled and her body weakened. Finally, with Alex continuing his shallow thrusts into her pussy, Sajani felt the sensations overwhelm her, and her body twitched involuntarily with waves of self-induced ecstasy. With Alex’s hand on her mouth, her muffled groans weren’t enough to wake Ojay and Macie, but in her head, Sajani’s orgasm was deafening.

Alex slowed to more leisurely strokes as Sajani squirmed in the pleasure of her climax. She wanted the moment to last forever but knew Alex’s need to cum would be equally pressing. So once she had recovered sufficiently, Sajani quickly moved onto her hands and knees, not wishing to deny his release any longer.

“Fuck me from behind,” she whispered. “And don’t pull out. Let me feel your warmth inside me as I sleep.”

Alex rose to his knees, took his cock in his hand, and re-entered her effortlessly.

Sajani could already feel drowsiness begin to overpower her, and she knew it wouldn’t be long before she would be forced to surrender. But these functional, early-morning fucks were as much Alex’s means of coping as her own, and she needed to give him his satisfaction. Soon he would start breathing heavily, thrusting hard into her in pursuit of a blissful moment of escape from their wretched half-lives. The rush would only last minutes when he came, but those minutes were almost all he had. So, she rested her head on a pillow, closed her eyes, and allowed Alex to use her exhausted body to finish himself off.

With his hands on her waist, Alex crashed his hips against Sajani with increasing vigour. The loud slapping sound was causing Macie to stir, but Alex was too close to his climax to stop. His balls were tightening with each new lunge as they forced up his seed, and his cock pulsed in anticipation of his forthcoming ejaculation.

With the semen welling at the base of his cock, Alex slowed his cadence. Two more easy thrusts were all it took, and as his tip became deliciously over-stimulated, he finally allowed his cum to flow.

Alex twitched inside Sajani as he released the first rope with a grunt. A push of his hips heralded a second spurt, and as he pulled back on her hips to force himself as deep as he could go, a third, heavy load was forced from his tip. Finally, after three more spasmodic thrusts, he dropped his head, spent, basking in the euphoric after-effects of his exertions.

Sajani was unresponsive, and as the tension in his cock eased, Alex pulled out, allowing her to gently fall onto her side. Alex couldn’t tell how long she had been asleep, but as she peacefully lay, her knees drawn up to her chest, he figured it may have been some time. 

**********

The grotesque, tortured bodies hung from almost every lamppost, their twisted forms beyond the reach of those who might wish to afford them dignity in death, and Sajani’s stomach turned in revulsion. She pulled her hood tightly around her head as she studied the small notices secured to each lamppost outlining the charges of which the dead had been accused.

‘Cultural Misappropriation.’

‘Engagement in proscribed sexual practices.’

‘Interracial breeding.’

‘The use of fossil fuels.’

Sajani had feared that the Government might use the anniversary of the Compassionate Revolution to assert their authority, but even she was appalled at the barbarity meted out to these people. She broke down when she recognised the face of a woman whose papers she had delivered only two days previously. Her capture, trial, and sentencing must have been as swift as her death was slow.

“New religions demand new heretics.” The voice was clipped in its pronunciation, middle-class and educated.

Sajani looked up to see a sex worker in a fake fur coat drawing on a cigarette.

“What happened?” Sajani could barely find the words.

“It was this morning: a cherry picker and a prison vehicle. They strung them up, one after the other, as a warning. They know this place is off-limits after dark, so they must have decided to give us a shock when we came above ground this evening.”

“But this woman had papers! I know she had the correct papers!” The thought that even the documents she delivered hadn’t saved the woman horrified Sajani. Had the authorities discovered they were fakes?

But the sex worker grew suspicious as a street light revealed Sajani’s face under her hood. It was unusual for non-whites to be in the Soho back streets after dark. Since the Reparations Act came into force, people of colour had been afforded an elevated position in the new caste system as compensation for the crimes of Empire. So what reason did an Indian woman have to be living amongst the Deltas and Untouchables of Soho?

“I can’t say anymore,” the woman said, throwing down her cigarette, stepping on it, and briskly walking away.

Deeply troubled, Sajani took one final look at the swinging corpses and resumed her evening’s work.

**********

When Sajani returned to the Underground station early the following morning, Alex had already heard the news.

“We’re finishing today,” he whispered. “We’ll complete the existing orders, and you deliver them tonight, then we’re done. We have passage on a ferry from Felixstowe to Rotterdam, thanks to Ojay’s skills. You can’t buy a ticket at any price, of course. We leave tomorrow night. Ojay, Macie, and I have already split the money, and I’ve put our share in the usual safe place. The fake ferry tickets are there too, just in case.”

“Thank God,” Sajani exclaimed, dropping onto the mattress. “Are Ojay and Macie coming too?”

Sajani couldn’t bear the thought that the other couple might remain behind. She looked over at her friends, asleep on the other mattress, and realised how close they had all become. Invictus had begun as a principled stand against the hateful politics of the new regime, but it had become much more than just that.

“Yes, but only as far as the Netherlands. After that, they’re going to Sweden to stay with Macie’s friends until they find somewhere of their own.”

Although Sajani was exhausted after another long and dangerous night, the idea that the following night would be her last in England excited her. Of course, she was anxious and relieved to get out, but she realised another emotion was surfacing, one which had been dormant far too long.

“God!” she whispered excitedly, reaching to hold Alex’s hands. “Hope at last!”

“But listen,” Alex said gravely. “There will be too many drops for you to do on your own tonight, so Macie will get a few hours sleep this afternoon and come with you. You’ll take care of her, though, won’t you?”

“Of course,” Sajani said. “I’ll check back with her every half hour. Any problems, and I’ll let you know immediately.”

**********

When Sajani awoke in the early evening, she was surprised to find Alex naked on the mattress beside her.

“Hey, Hun. What’s up? Have you finished already?” Sajani checked the clock and realised she had overslept.

Alex answered her with a kiss, and Sajani could feel he was already hard. It wasn’t unusual for Alex to join her in bed when his work was complete, and hers had yet to begin, but she sensed something was different. Somehow, he seemed uneasy, and the way he silently held her was unusually intense.

“Hey, let me pee, shower, and clean my teeth, and I’ll be right back,” Sajani said, wriggling free of his grasp.

As she rose from the mattress, she realised Ojay and Macie were already having sex. Macie was astride her husband, her long, blonde hair cascading down her back as she slowly rode Ojay’s thick, black cock. Then, as Sajani put on her T-shirt, Macie leaned forward to kiss Ojay, and Sajani briefly watched as Ojay pulled apart her bum cheeks and thrust into his wife from beneath, his dark cock glistening with her silken juices.

The shower was rudimentary and cold but effective, and soon Sajani returned to the mattress to rejoin Alex. Ojay was about to finish inside Macie, and Alex was watching, although his mind was seemingly elsewhere.

With his head back and cursing wildly, Ojay thrust into his wife from behind, gripping her hips firmly for extra purchase on each stroke. Sajani had seen this moment repeated a hundred times and more and knew how it would finish. Before long, Ojay’s tight buttocks would clench, and his thrusts slow as he pumped his seed into Macie in a series of frantic, sporadic jerks.

The other couple’s climaxes held little interest for Sajani, and she returned to the mattress. Alex looked troubled, so she hugged him from behind as he sat staring into the middle distance. Then, rising to her knees, she gently massaged his shoulders.

“What’s the matter, Sweetie?” she asked, kissing his thick thatch of blond hair.

“Tell me you’ll take care tonight, both of you,” Alex began, and Sajani could see he was becoming emotional. Sajani didn’t think much of it; they all had moments of vulnerability and weakness, and Alex was more sensitive than most.

“Hey, of course, we will,” Sajani replied. “One more night, then tomorrow, all of this will be behind us. Once we’re out of here, we can build a new life together, just the two of us.”

Alex nodded wistfully and pulled her arms around his waist.

“Now, I seem to remember someone was a bit perky a minute ago,” Sajani said, moving her hands lower as she kissed his neck. “Let me take your mind off things for a while. We may not get another chance before we leave. So you lie back and let me take care of you.”

Alex compliantly lay back on the mattress, and Sajani removed her T-shirt. She knew the sight of her large, firm breasts and natural pussy would soon refocus him, and as she knelt between his legs and took his cock in her hand, she could tell he was already becoming stiff again.

Sajani looked at Alex suggestively as she stroked him hard. Watching the other couple fuck had already got her wet, and she longed to feel Alex inside her. But unlike their early-morning fucks, the evening was a time to take things more slowly and enjoy a more intimate, sensual fuck. Nightfall would bring untold hazards, so the evening was a time to live, love and focus on each other’s pleasure for once.

With Alex erect, his dark red tip straining under its tight, pink sheath, Sajani adjusted her body, straddling Alex in the sixty-nine position. She knew the sight of her salmon-pink vulva between her tight, black curls as she went down on him, would excite Alex and that he would be desperate to reciprocate oral sex on her too.

But Sajani would make him wait for that. Spreading her knees wide, she lay flat on top of his body, the disparity in their heights keeping her pussy and anus tantalisingly out of the reach of his eager tongue. Then, pulling back his foreskin, she took every inch of his aching member into her mouth.

Alex gasped as Sajani closed her lips around his cock before slowly drawing back her head until only the tip remained inside. Then, again, she opened her mouth and took his entire length, holding her position with her chin resting on the bristles of his trimmed pubis and his tip pressing on her tonsils. Sajani could hear Ojay’s grunts as he finished inside Macie, but she didn’t raise her head to watch his climax. Instead, she kept Alex’s tip in her throat until the need for air forced her to withdraw once more.

Alex was becoming increasingly turned on, and when he drew back his knees, Sajani knew he wanted her to explore further. So, releasing his cock, she pinned his legs back with her arms and turned her attention to his balls, tight and firm in their wrinkled sack. As she took the first into her mouth, sucking hard before releasing it, Alex began writhing on the mattress, moaning loudly. And when Sajani’s mouth enveloped the second, she pulled apart his bum cheeks and scratched his anus with a fingernail, inducing further moans of pleasure.

Again, Sajani took Alex’s cock in her mouth, moving her lips skillfully up and down his shaft. Then, she moved her hips backward, allowing him to taste her dripping sex, and for a moment, she leaned back, straddling his face and grinding her pussy on his mouth. Ojay and Macie, now arm in arm on their mattress, watched Sajani buck her hips, spreading her wetness over Alex’s face before greedily taking his cock in her mouth again.

Alex’s tongue was hitting all the right spots, and Sajani knew she would soon cum. As her need finally became too great, she knelt up and, pressing hard on her breasts, threw her head back as she came hard on Alex’s face.

For a moment, Sajani couldn’t move. Her legs were weak and her breathing heavy, and as Alex slowed his tongue strokes, she desperately tried to catch her breath. With his tongue continuing to probe her pussy and anus, Sajani’s orgasm was prolonged, but eventually, it began to ease off, and she rolled onto her back to await Alex’s cock.

Strong hands gripped Sajani’s waist, and she found herself being spun around on the mattress until her feet were facing Ojay and Macie. Then, moving between her knees, Alex raised her legs onto his shoulders and lunged forward until Sajani was bent almost double. Finally, in one swift movement, he pushed himself inside her to the root.

Sajani knew Ojay and Macie could see everything as Alex roughly cleaved her, his cock pistoning in and out of her slick pussy with ease. She could feel Alex’s balls press against her anus with every thrust, and the look on his face told Sajani that he wouldn’t stop until he came. It was unusual for Alex to rush and to be this rough, but Sajani liked it. If this was to be their last fuck in England, it seemed Alex was determined to make it memorable.

Eventually, with the sweat lashing off him, Alex’s breathing became heavy, and a pained look spread across his crumpled face. Sajani recognised the signs and prepared herself to receive his cum.

“Oh, God,” Alex stammered, and Sajani felt his cock pulse inside her as he unloaded onto her cervix. With each short stab, Sajani felt more of his rich seed flood her until, exhausted, Alex withdrew, leaving Sajani’s pussy gaping and leaking onto the bed sheets.

**********

Sajani didn’t understand why Macie needed to accompany her that night. There were a few more drops than usual to complete, but nothing she couldn’t have handled on her own. And keeping an eye on Macie meant Sajani couldn’t work at her own pace, which slowed her down. In the end, it was after five o’clock before the friends completed their tasks and headed back to Diadem Court.

When they reached the corner of Soho Square and Carlisle Street, it became apparent something wasn’t right. Sajani could hear the sound of sirens, breaking glass and gunshots, and fires lit up the morning sky. Some people were running towards the trouble, and others were being led away, blood streaming from seemingly severe wounds.

Turning onto Dean Street, Sajani couldn’t believe her eyes. Heavily armed police had cordoned off the area around Diadem Court in what looked more like a military operation than a police raid. Protesters were raining down missiles onto the ranks of riot police, and several buildings were ablaze.

“What the fuck kicked this off?” Sajani asked a man breaking down a wall to get more bricks to throw.

“The cunts have raided a counterfeiting operation. They’ve got two guys in that car. We’re trying to get them out, but it’s hopeless. Still, we’ll give them a good fucking hiding in the meantime. Soho is our manor after dark; it ain’t theirs.”

As the two women realised it must be Alex and Ojay who had been arrested, they held one another, tears rolling down their faces. They tried to remain, hoping the insurgents would somehow get to the men and release them, but another volley of gunshots forced the women to withdraw.

“Sajani, it’s too late. There’s nothing we can do. We have to get to Felixstowe or risk being arrested ourselves. We always knew this moment might come, and we all agreed that if it did, it was every man for themselves.” Macie was insistent.

Sajani knew she was right, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave Alex. Eventually, when a large group of insurgents came running around the corner, pursued by police, Sajani realised remaining was no longer an option, and she and Macie were forced to flee Soho for good.

**********

The letter was brief, and Sajani had already memorised almost every word, but she removed it from her jacket pocket and reread it nonetheless.

‘My Darling Sajani,

If you’re reading this, you must be safe. Thank God for that, and I hope Ojay and I have bought you and Macie enough time to leave the country alive.

All the money is here, along with the tickets. So whatever you do, ensure you are on that ferry when it departs. These tickets are your last chance, so get as far away from England as possible.

You and Macie mustn’t worry about us. We’ve made our peace with God and will meet our end with dignity and pride in all we achieved. Our work has saved many lives; if that comes at the cost of our own lives, Ojay and I can hold our heads high to the last.

Ojay and I have known about the authorities’ interest in Invictus for several weeks, but it was only yesterday we were tipped off about the raid. We’ll tell them it was a two-man operation, and if they ever find out otherwise, you will hopefully be long gone by then.

So enjoy your life, remember me fondly, and know I will always be watching over you.

With all my fondest love,

Alex.’

Sajani folded the letter and put it back in her jacket pocket. Macie was asleep beside her, and Sajani put her coat over her as a makeshift blanket. And, as the harbour lights disappeared into the distance, Sajani resolved that she would see England again one day.