Fantasy Phantom

Cliff also worked for the World Government, as an Efficiency Expert. He roamed through the bureaucracy and flagged any worker who was exceeding productivity norms. Flagged workers were counseled to work more slowly. Overefficient workers often triggered labor strife in the workplace, as other workers felt their self-esteem being threatened.

You killed me.

Joyleen was startled the first time she heard the words in her head, while she was looking into the bathroom mirror. "Who said that?"

Do you remember me, Joyleen?

The image of Kelly Gray appeared in her mirror. Joyleen gasped and turned around, but no one was there.

"You... you...."

The name was Kelly, Joyleen. Or had you forgotten? Maybe you forgot this?

"You... you're dead."

Yes, Joyleen. And you killed me.

"No!"

Yes, you did. You were the one who persuaded me to go to that party.

"No!"

You were the one who laughed while I was raped.

"No!"

You were the reason I was there, and the reason I killed myself.

"Kelly, please-"

You owe me a tremendous debt, Joyleen. How do you intend to repay it?
​

********​

You killed me you killed me you killed me you killed me.

For days Kelly bombarded Joyleen with that one simple message. When she looked into a mirror Kelly would make her see her dead body, hanging from the rafters. It got so bad that Joyleen couldn't look in the mirror any more.

It affected her relations with Christopher and Cliffton.

"Mommy, why are you crying?" Christopher asked, in that endearingly retarded way that toddlers did.

They were supposed to be playing with his dolls. Joyleen had gotten Christopher dolls from each of the seven major genders, so he would be open to the possibility of gender reassignment when he got older. She had also gotten him black and Hispanic dolls, to teach him not to be racist, which the World Government said was inherent in the white genome. Christopher loved them, his favorites being Black Barbie and Heavy Juanita.

"Crying?" said Joyleen, wiping her eyes.

You killed me!

"I'm just... just so happy to be playing dolls with you," said Joyleen.

Killer!

Christopher looked up at her with blank cow eyes. Then his feeble toddler brain flicked a switch, and he started playing with Black Barbie again.

But Cliff was even more astute then their retarded toddler.

"What's wrong?" he asked her one night.

"Wrong?" Joyleen asked.

"For the past few days you've been walking around with a panicky expression on your face. Is something bothering you?"

Killer!

"No... nothing... nothing bothering me," said Joyleen.

Cliff studied her wife. "Are you all ready for tomorrow night?"

"Tomorrow?"

You killed me!

Cliff frowned. "Our five year anniversary?"

"Oh, Cliff, I totally forgot!"

Cliff frowned. "Now I know something is wrong!"

"No, no, I bought a special dress, and we'll have fun," she reached over and kissed him. "I promise."
​

********​

There was a fancy ball at Hydinger's, in downtown Kansas City. Joyleen put on a frilly pink dress and stared at herself in the mirror while Cliff put on his suit.

"How do I look?" she said, looking into the mirror.

"Amazing," said Cliff.

Joyleen looked into the mirror, and saw Kelly Gray, hanging from a rafter by a thick rope. She cried out.

"What's wrong?" said Cliff.

Joyleen turned away, her heart beating rapidly. "Nothing! Everything... is fine."
​

********​

But she was crying when they were dancing, hastily wiping away the tears with her free hand. The more she tried to paint a smile on her face, the more grotesque it looked.

Murderer! Murderer! Murderer!

"Joyleen, what's wrong?" said Cliff, as they stood on the dance floor.

And Joyleen put her hands to her head and screamed.
​

********​

She was seeing a therapist, Doctor Grossberg. Her girlfriends had all suggested names to her: Doctor Greenberg, Doctor Knish, Doctor Schmaltz, and Doctor Dickstein, but Doctor Grossberg came strongly recommended by her friend Mindy.

"She helped me with my period depressions. If someone can save me from that, they can save you from anything," said Mindy.

And so Joyleen went to see Doctor Grossberg. Doctor Grossberg listened patiently to her account, how she was hearing the accusing voice of a dead classmate in her head. Doctor Grossberg took copious notes. He wore big glasses and had a wart on the end of his nose.

When Joyleen was done, she looked at Doctor Grossberg anxiously. "So, Doctor, what do you think? What should I do?"

Doctor Grossberg handed her a bottle filled with pills. "Take one of these, twice a day."

"What?" Joyleen was startled. "I thought we were going to talk through my problems!"

"No, that never works. Just take the pills."

And so Joyleen took the pills. They made her feel very sleepy. Now she felt even more retarded than her toddler Christopher did, but in a way Joyleen found she enjoyed playing with his dollies even more.

But the voices in her head did not abate. They only got louder.

MURDERER!!!!!

Finally Joyleen broke down. She just couldn't take it anymore.

"What is it?" she cried. "What do you want for me?"

To atone.

"How?"

You killed Kelly Gray. You must atone by bringing another Kelly Gray into the world.
​

*********​

Joyleen told Cliff that she was going to visit her mother for a few days. Cliff hoped the visit would calm her down. He had seen her crying while playing with Christopher.

But when Joyleen left, she didn't go to her mother's. She went to the hospital.

She met with Doctor Zittrain, her molecular surgeon.

"Are you sure about this, Ms. Peacock?" said the Doctor.

"Of course," said Joyleen, dabbing back tears. "You're a molecular surgeon. You change people's appearances. That's what you do for a living, isn't it?"

"Yes, but... I've never been asked to do something quite like this," said Doctor Zittrain.

"Well, now I'm asking," said Joyleen, with dry tears on her face.
​

********​

Joyleen felt nervous as they wheeled her in for surgery, and began to experience last minute doubts. How would Cliff react? How would her parents, her friends? What would little Christopher think about her new look? "If I do this, will it be over? Will the voices stop?"

The voices will stop, Joyleen. I promise you.

Joyleen felt her pulse racing as she was put on the operating table. As she felt the mask slip over her face, she felt the sudden urge to push it aside, to say no, to get out of there. But then gas started to flow, and she felt herself getting very sleepy....
​

********​

"Honey, I'm home."

It was three days later. Cliff was in the living room, helping Christopher play with his Lady President doll.

Joyleen entered the living room. For a moment Cliff didn't look up.

"Girl girl," said Christopher.

"Yes, President Girl Girl," said Cliff. He glanced up at Joyleen looked down, then quickly looked up at her again. "Joyleen? Is that you?"

"Yes, dear."

Cliff got up, his face filled with horror. "Joyleen, what have you done to yourself?"

Joyleen poised over the holographic mirror in the living room. "Do you like it?"

Kelly Gray was gone! Joyleen was thrilled to no longer see the dead body of Kelly Gray in the mirror. She hadn't heard Kelly's voice once since she had woken up with her new face.

"Like it? You look completely different!" said Cliff. He frowned. Somehow, that face looked familiar to him. "Joyleen, you didn't just change your face, did you? You changed it so you look like... like that girl. Joyleen, did you change your face to look like the dead girl from college?"

"Why, yes dear," said Joyleen, turning to give him a hug. "It was only fair. I took one Kelly Gray out of the world, and now I am bringing another one back. I intend to change my name to Kelly Gray."

And then it was Cliff's turn to scream.
​

********​

Joyleen was sent to a mental hospital. She rarely saw Cliff or Christopher, except for visits. Sometimes Cliff's new wife accompanied him, though after he got remarried his visits became increasingly infrequent. But Kelly kept her word; she never spoke to Joyleen again. It took years, however, for a frightened Joyleen to respond to her original name.

"Joyleen," Doctor Grossberg would say.

"No, no!" she would yell in panic. "Don't call me that! She'll hear! She'll hear!"
​

*********​

"My name is Kelly, Kelly Gray," said Joyleen rapidly, with terror in her eyes, as she pressed against the white padded walls of her rehabilitation suite.

"A most interesting case," said Doctor Grossberg. "Is this the one you wanted to see, Doctor?"

"Yes," said Ren.

Doctor Ren wasn't dressed like any psychiatrist Doctor Grossberg had ever seen before. He was wearing a long black coat, old fashioned cotton trousers, and a floppy hat. But then, he seldom saw visitors from the World Government's Directorate of Global Wellness. Maybe this was the current style of dress in Copenhagen.

The Doctor leaned forward and bent his knees slightly. "Hello there, who are you?"

"I am Kelly Gray!" said Joyleen.

"No, Joyleen. Your name is Joyleen Peacock," said Doctor Grossberg. Doctor Grossberg's nose twitched, and he rubbed the giant black mole on the end of it.

"I am Kelly Gray!"

"This is a classic example of transference, Doctor," said Grossberg. "Joyleen believes she was responsible for the death of a classmate named Kelly Gray. In response, she decided to take Kelly's identity. She not only answers to that name, but she even altered her face to look like Kelly."

Doctor, what's going on here?

The Doctor ignored Alanna. "Yes, a most interesting case." He approached Joyleen. Joyleen whimpered and backed into a corner.

"Don't be alarmed, I'm not going to harm you," said the Doctor. He took a bag out of his pocket with one hand. "Here, have a girl ball."

Joyleen looked uncertain.

"They're sweets. Try one," he said.

Joyleen hesitantly took a yellow one in her hand.

"Blonde! Good choice. Now put it in your mouth," said the Doctor encouragingly.

Joyleen put the girl ball in her mouth.

"Now chew it. Or better yet, suck on it," said the Doctor.

Joyleen started to suck on it. She was so distracted that she didn't notice the Doctor taking a small scanning device and press it against her leg. When she did, she shrieked and pushed him away.

"Are you all right, Doctor?" Doctor Grossberg asked anxiously.

The Doctor bent down to pick up his hat. "My hat got the worst of it, but it's very durable. I think I've seen everything I've come for. Thank you, Doctor Grossman."

"Grossberg."

"You're too kind," The Doctor smiled.
​

*********​

As the Doctor walked back to the grav car where Alyssa and Sophie were waiting, Alanna thought, Doctor, what's going on here?

"What do you mean?"

We're hunting down the Penguin. The Penguin is definitely a man.

"So?"

This woman was tormented by someone named Kelly Gray.

"Yes, well, this says otherwise," said the Doctor. He held up the hand scanner he had pressed against Joyleen, the kalak scanner that the Doctor claimed had only a one inch scanning range. "I took a sample of kalak psychic DNA, and found strands remarkably similar to your Penguin. He's visited her."

Does that help you fill in the Penguin's DNA profile? Alanna knew that the more complete it was, the easier it would be for the Doctor's orbiting satellite network to locate the Penguin.

"Alas... only a bit. It seems the Penguin was inside her some weeks ago. There are only fragments left. But... we got four more DNA strands to add to his profile."

Four? Doctor, this man is set on destroying the world!

"So you say." The Doctor stopped at the grav car. He saw Alyssa and Sophie looking expectantly at him. "This is the way I work. If you know a faster way of locating the Penguin, I won't be at all offended if you leave my body and go to it."

As he got into the grav car, Sophie, who was sitting at his side in front, said, "So?"

"We got some more leads."

"Good," said Sophie, patting his arm.
​

********​

Alanna was concerned. They had stopped at three locations where the Doctor's satellite network indicated the Penguin might have been at, and so far she saw little signs of progress. Even more worrying was the Doctor himself.

The Doctor regularly had nightmares, often turbulent ones where he would roll back and forth in bed and cry out.

"No, Yael, no!" he cried one night, as he suddenly sat upright in bed, his body covered in sweat.

Doctor are you all right?

The Doctor struggled to slow down his breathing. "Yes, I'm fine."

Are you sure?

He lay back in bed.

"Everything is fine."

But everything wasn't fine. The Doctor also screamed, "I killed her! I killed them all!" in his sleep. It wasn't hard to figure out what was bothering him. He felt guilty. Some evil kalak had used his body to destroy the research reactor in Dimona, Israel, but the Doctor felt responsible for it. Some sixty people died that day, including his wife, and the kalak sadist had even put the Doctor on a hill to watch it happen.

But the Doctor couldn't forgive himself for it, even though there was nothing to forgive. He was traumatized over what he had been made to do, and Alanna worried that it might be affecting his judgment.

Were they really going after the Penguin, or was the Doctor pursuing a personal vendetta with some kalak named Kelly Gray?
​

*********​

Sophie was another mystery. Why was this young girl accompanying the Doctor into dangerous situations? She tried to broach the subject at dinner that night.

"Sophie, how are you doing?" Alanna asked, through the Doctor's mouth.

"I'm fine, Doctor," said Sophie, looking oddly at him.

"That wasn't me, Sophie," said the Doctor. "It was the ghoul."

Sophie dropped her fork with a clatter. "Must you use him as a puppet like that? It makes me uncomfortable."

"I'm sorry," said Alanna. "The last thing in the world I'd want to do is to make you uncomfortable in any way. But this is the way I communicate with others when I'm riding inside of Alyssa."

"And can we please not use the word riding," the Doctor asked. "It makes me feel like a thoroughbred."

"What do you want, Alanna?" Sophie asked irritably, picking up her fork again.

"Simply to learn more about you. Why you travel with the Doctor?"

Sophie gave the Doctor a hard look. "The Doctor saved my life. My parents worked in psychic energy research, just like the Doctor. One day some ghoul decided that my parents had discovered a little too much about you ghouls. A man came to our apartment while we were having dinner. The first I heard of it, my mother was screaming because some stranger had just blown my father's head off."

"Oh, Sophie, I'm so sorry," said Alanna. Alyssa looked stunned.

"The next thing I knew, the man turned to my mother and said, 'Sorry about that', and then he shot her in the chest. She fell to the ground. I screamed and ran to her. The man with the gun repeated, 'And I'm sorry about that too.'," said Sophie.

"I ran to my mother's side. She had a smoking hole in her chest. She was killed instantly, I think, like my father. I remember screaming, crying something like, 'why did you do that?' and the man said, 'Just cleaning up some loose ends.' And then he looked at me, with an odd look, and I just knew he was debating whether to kill me or not. And then something seemed to click in his eye, and he raised his weapon and pointed it at me," said Sophie. She paused, and took a big drink of water. She seemed to be breathing heavily now, and she wet her lips rapidly as she talked. "And then someone came in behind the first man. Someone who said to the first man, 'Excuse me, can you please stop doing that?' and as the first man turned, the second man shot him."

"That's... awful," said Alanna. "But Sophie, how do you know this was the work of a kalak?"

"You didn't let me finish," said Sophie, in a hard voice. She took a deep breath. Recounting this story was obviously difficult for her. "When the first man got shot by the second man, a white light started to come out of his body. White light in the shape of a person. The second man shot the white light, and it vaporized. I screamed, and... I must have passed out." She paused, taking another big drink of water. She took another deep breath. "When... when I woke up, I... I was in the Doctor's home. He... he told me that bad men had killed my parents. He told me that he had been on the trail of one of the bad men, which is how he found him at our apartment. He knew who I was, and that I had no close relatives, so he offered to... let me stay with him for a while. Until I got back on my feet."

"And seven years later, you're still with him," said Alanna.

"Yes," said Sophie, giving him a smile. "I knew, I always knew that it wasn't just bad men who had come for my parents. The Doctor only told me the full truth a few years ago. He said, when I got older, if I still wanted to, that I could help him hunt them. And when I turned 16 last year, I did."

"You let a 16 year old girl go on dangerous missions hunting kalaks?" said Alanna.

"She was always safe with me," said the Doctor.

"But what about having a life? What about going to college, Sophie?" Alanna asked.

Sophie snorted dismissively. "The Doctor has taught me way more than I could ever learn in some college."

"But what about men, Sophie?" Alanna persisted.

"What about them?" said Sophie.

"Wouldn't you like to meet a man?"

Sophie grimaced. "You sound like the Doctor," she said, which she realized was unintentionally funny, since Alanna's words came out of the Doctor's mouth. "He complained about that too. He said I had to get out and meet other people. I told him I see other people all the time, on our missions. Then the Doctor told me that I had to meet men, that it was... what was the word you used, Doctor? That it was unnatural for a young, attractive woman to be cloistered away from men. And so the Doctor forced me to go dating when I turned 18. He made it an ultimatum. He said he wouldn't take me on any more missions until I went on at least ten dates with men." She frowned at him. "I hated you for that, Doctor."

"I was only thinking about your best interests," said the Doctor.

"Why did you hate him for that?" Alanna asked.

"Because they were all boring! They were all 18, 19, 20 year olds. Can you imagine how boring a 20 year old man is? A 20 year old man knows nothing, compared to the Doctor!" said Sophie.

"There's more than just knowledge in attraction," said Alanna.

"That's what he told me," said Sophie, making a face. "I turned the tables on him, and said, 'So Doctor, why are you still single? You're only 39, and you don't go on dates.' And his only response was to be evasive, to say that his situation wasn't the same as mine. And one of my dates turned out to be a Lemure, who was trying to get to the Doctor through me!"

"He wasn't a very threatening Lemure, I knew you could handle him," said the Doctor.

"You... handled a Lemure?" Alanna asked.

"You bet I did," said Sophie proudly, and suddenly her Infinite Infinity Repeater was in her hands, flashing it above the table, before disappearing again. Where she kept it, Alanna didn't know.

"And so you see, that's what dating brought me. Boring men, and ghouls. It's much more trouble than it's worth," said Sophie.

"And so you're... happy, living alone?" Alanna asked.

"I'm not alone," said Sophie. "I'm with the Doctor."​