'Today President Hobart gave his seventh speech since taking office, underscoring his commitment to reasserting traditional values on a waning American society. While attending the state funeral of Brettick Rand The President notably excluded all female representatives from the guest list, leading many commentators to believe that the recent surge in anti-female thinking has indeed reached the highest offices in the land.'

The newsreader shuffled his notes and suppressed a wry smile as the camera tracked back to take in more of the studio. Beside him were two men and one woman, besuited and bespectacled.

'We are joined now at the roundtable by journalist Sam Humphrey, political activist Shailene Lucille and recently elected Senator of Pensyllvania Lucas Johnson. Welcome to you all.'

Lucas Johnson bobbed his head and leant back in his chair. The newsreader opened his palms to his guests and began the debate.

'First of all, the question on everyone's minds is, what on earth is happening in this country?'

'Its a good question, Mike,' said Sam, 'when the President talks about traditional values, he will of course strike a chord with many-'

'Bigots?' Shailene interrupted, tossing her huge wollen scarf high up over her shoulder. 'That's what you mean, isn't it? Bigoted men? Misogynists?'

Sam stammered awkwardly. The newsreader shook his head.

'Its best if we dont jump to conclusions about-'

'What more evidence do you need?' Shailene fumed, her long fingers rattling like maracas on the polished table-top, 'Women are being locked up without trial, imprisoned like animals, tortured by demented psychopaths!'

'That is just conjecture,' Sam breathed, waggling his finger back at Shailene, 'there has been no proof of any of that. True, more women than ever are going to prison,but there is strong evidence to suggest that crimes committed by females were being ignored by the so-called justice system.'

Shailene fell silent, overcome with anger, eyeballs popping like champagne corks. She crossed her legs under the table, her long floaty dress creating a sudden draft as it rippled through the air.

'Mr. Johnson,' The Newsreader turned to Lucas at last, smiling with exasperation, 'anything to add?'

Lucas leant forward gradually, adjusting his spectacles and clearing his throat. He was young man, much younger than your average Senator, but with a force of will through some experience that few men ever achieve.

'I think what we have seen,' he began, speaking to the Newsreader and to Sam, 'is that in the past six months, the public's opinion on the issue of women has changed course. We may be seeing the start of a renaissance of man, whereby we finally embrace the genetic and hormonal differences between our two species, and stop indulging the female desire for equality in favour of recognising the actual nature of their nature.'

Nate Howard woke up suddenly. He had left the television playing all night again.

Groaning, he rolled over and grasped at the remote on his nightstand, fingers fumbling around its cold edges, until he found the off button just in time to cut Shailene off in mid-retort.

He fell back onto the sheets, yawned and stretched. His left arm bumped into something warm and soft. Pulling back the covers slightly he saw the sleeping face of his beautiful girlfriend, Alyssa. She was silent and perfect. He wished she could stay there forever, and he with her.

Nate pulled himself out of bed and went to take a shower in the tiny annex that formed part of his bedroom. His student accomodation was average range, corporate and clinical, like a hospital ward but without the Wi-Fi access.

As the dribble of lukewarm water they called a shower fell over his tired and aching body, Nate began to process a little of what he had heard while half-asleep. It seemed like everyone was talking about it these days. He had no idea what started it, but as it stood now, thinking of women as equals was 'controversial' and not something to be said in public, like a fetish for bestiality. Nate had no problem with women. In fact, the woman currently sleeping off a night of pure ecstasy in his bed was not someone he felt like calling inferior.

His first class of the day was Biochemistry, which he sat through while barely paying attention. The boring man at the front of the class with a white fuzzy beard and bald head was no match for his memories of the previous night. Her body... her hands on his back... the feeling of totally owning her, even for a time... it had been perfect. He whipped out his TabPhone and checked to see if she had texted him. Nothing.

'Excuse me, young man?' The lecturer droned at him with eyelids half-closed, 'no cellphones, please.'

He put it away with a sigh, trying to piece together the notes he had made. He had inadvertently written his and Alyssa's names under 'conditions for symbiosis'. He smiled.

'Looks like you had a good night.' The girl next to him, Rachel, winked in his direction.

'Yeah,' he shrugged sheepishly, 'thanks for setting me up.'

'No problem buddy,' she whispered back, 'but you're gonna get yourself in trouble. Me too.'

People started to murmur near them. Nate flipped his notebook closed and tried to focus on the lesson, thinking he was disturbing them. They carried on chatting and soon the lecturer, too, seemed distracted. He was looking towards the entryway to the theatre with a confused expression on his usually disinterested face. Now that Nate concentrated he could hear it too; someone was yelling in the lobby, a few people.

'What is that?' said Rachel.

'I don't know.'

Nate got up out of his seat and walked down the stairs to the entryway. His lecturer only extended a feeble hand in his direction, making no real effort to stop him.

As Nate got closer to the doors he could hear more shouting, and some screaming. Running footsteps, some crashes... he felt cold sweat coat his skin. Its a shooting!

Rachel appeared at his side. She brushed her silky flowing brown hair out of her eyes as she peered through the glass doors.

'There aren't any gunshots,' she mused, pursing her lips, 'maybe its just a fight?'

'A big fight!' Nate said, but feeling a little reassured he pushed the door open and walked up to the balcony overlooking the lobby.

In the huge open space below he could see men in black kevlar and military style jackets breaking up some kind of protest. They were arresting the almost entirely female crowd, shoving the girls to the floor and binding their arms with cable-ties or pinning them to walls forcefully. The girls screamed and kicked back, trying to wrestle free, but it was no use. Nate could make out the wording on one of their signs now abandoned on the floor:

EQUALITY FOR WOMEN! ITS A NO-BRAINER

The girls who had been arrested - and there were over a hundred of them - were now being dragged out of the main doors to the college while the other troopers chased the escaped protesters deeper into the building. Nate saw three of them coming up their way and backed up to the lecture hall. Rachel stayed where she was, folding her arms resolutely and standing ground as the troopers arrived.

'May I ask what you think you're doing?' She demanded of them. The troopers stopped in front of her and exchanged looks.

'Tag that one, too.' said one of them, and Rachel found herself rammed into a wall.

'Wait, no! You can't do this! I have rights!'

The men laughed together while one of them secured her bonds and threw her over his shoulder like a sack-doll. Rachel could only stare at Nate with terror in her eyes as she was carried away, and Nate could only watch. His heart sank. What were they going to do to her?

With a jolt he remembered. Alyssa!

He was running before his mind had caught up with his body. Racking his brain, Nate tried desperately to remember what she had first. Was it Literature? Maybe French? He was at a loss. He pulled out his TabPhone again and searched for messages from her that might give some clue.

Two more girls were being dragged out of a study room by burly troopers as Nate passed by. He skidded to a halt and got the attention of one of the men, who happened to be carrying a girl on each shoulder.

'Excuse me, Sir, but... where are you taking them?'

'Ekpow Compound, new build, just outside town.'

The words meant almost nothing to Nate. He watched the man carry the struggling girls away before he checked his TabPhone. Alyssa's social media feed popped up with her latest message from nine o'clock that morning, about half an hour after he had last seen her.

Heading to college for the Woman On Strike March! Come on ladies, lets do this!

Nate's arm slid to his side and his TabPhone fell to the floor. He had lost her.