Fantasy Phantom

"I can't have clients over at five o'clock! James comes home around six!" said Vicky.

I've seen you work, Vicky. You have quicker turnaround than a fast food drivethru operation, if you want to.

And so Vicky was forced to take clients into her own marital bed, and then try to satisfy them as rapidly as possible so they would leave before James got home. There was one older man she had trouble satisfying, and when she looked at the clock she realized it was 5:30. James would be home soon.

Better think fast, Vick--think fast, and suck faster.

Sobbing, Vicky did what she had to get her client off. Somehow she managed to get him to completion and bundle him out the door just a minute before James got home. When he came in the door, he found her in a bathrobe, with a freshly fucked look on her face. He gave her an odd stare.

"I've just been... exercising," said Vicky, her cheeks burning as she realized that her unasked-for explanation sounded lame, even to her own ears. "I need a shower!" she announced, and ran off.
​

**********​

"Please, Kelly, you have to let go of this," said Vicky, as she sat in her living room one morning. "It was only one comment. You can't hold onto this forever!"

There was a long pause. Then she heard.

All right. We'll end this.

"You... you will? You'll go away?"

Yes. After you do one last thing for me.

"What... what do you want?"

It's time for you to have a baby.

"You want me to go off birth control and have a baby with James?"

No. You're going to have a very special baby.
​

*********​

Vicky tried to breathe easily as she lay on the table, her legs in stirrups, as Doctor Zipperstein worked industriously between her legs. This was her second visit to the Zuckerman Wellness Pavilion; in the first, they had extracted her eggs. Now they were implanting one of her own eggs, completely fertilized, back inside of her.

Vicky knew full well that James would not be the father of her child. But she had no choice. Eduardo had taken a video of her in the stripper club. He and Kelly had so much damaging information on her that she had to do whatever they said. All she could hope was that the baby looked like her. Even if the baby looked like Eduardo, he was a very light skinned Hispanic, and she thought she could convince James that the baby was still his.

"Now breathe deeply," said Doctor Zipperstein.

Vicky gasped as she felt a probe entering her vagina, and slide upwards towards her uterus. She was going to be a mother! She was going to create new life!

She had tried to persuade James to have a baby, but James, seeing how oddly she was acting, refused. Vicky could hardly blame him. He hadn't originally married a woman with gold hoops in her nipples, a gemstone hanging from her clitoris and the word SWHORE tattooed above her vaginal lips. When she started showing, in three or four months from now, she would just tell James that her birth control had failed.

Vicky had one last encounter with Eduardo, right after the implantation. He told her that Kelly would leave her alone as long as she carried the child to term; but if she got a HappyHappy, then the deal was off.

And so Vicky watched as her belly swelled up like a sick pup. James was alarmed, at first, to discover she was pregnant, but he quickly became pleased. Obviously Vicky could no longer work as a stripper or a whore while pregnant, and Eduardo graciously let her quit those jobs. In a way Vicky's life almost returned to normal for a while, except for the adornments and tattoo on her body.

When the day came when Vicky gave birth, she heard a voice in her head that she hadn't heard in many months.

How're you doing, dearie?

"Kelly, is that you?"

Yes.

"I... I thought you promised to leave me along if I-"

I'm just here for your special day, dear. Once you give birth, I'm gone.

Vicky reflected on that uneasily. But like everything else that had happened, she had no choice.

And so her water broke and she felt rapid contractions as she lay in her hospital bed. James was a dear and held her hand. As the contractions got more rapid, Vicky was sure she would give birth to a beautiful baby. She wondered if Eduardo would ever want to see his child.

And then, a short but very painful time later, Vicky gave birth. She heard a baby's cry as Doctor Halbfinger pulled her newborn out of her vagina. "Is it....?" Vicky asked.

"Yes," said Doctor Halbfinger. But there was something wrong about his voice, something stressed. "It's... a boy."

"Is something wrong?" Vicky asked.

"No... not medically," said Halbfinger.

Vicky looked up at James's face. James was frowning. Was something wrong with the baby?

"Let me see it! Let me see my baby!" Vicky cried.

They put the baby in swaddling, and handed it to her.

Vicky held her baby in her arms for the first time. Her newborn, baby boy.

Which was completely black skinned, as dark a baby born in the deepest jungles of the Congo.

James stared at her in horror.

And so, who is the dumb slut now, sweetie?
​

********​

"We're getting closer," the Doctor muttered.

Are we, Doctor?

They had just come out of the hospital where a distraught Vicky Bennett was still recovering from having given birth to a beautiful black baby a few days ago. It was not just the physical stress she was recovering; her husband, James, had left her and announced plans to file for divorce.

The Doctor had seen Vicky in a state of distress and surreptitiously pressed his scanner to her leg. His bushy eyebrows went upwards.

Good news, Doctor?

She was here, just days ago.

Who are we hunting, Doctor?

"A very bad ghoul named Kelly Gray," said the Doctor, as he walked out the front door of the hospital.

No, we're not. We're supposed to be hunting the Penguin, remember?

I detected his psychic DNA strands too. When we find one, we'll find the other.

Will we really, Doctor?

"I guess you'll have to trust me," said the Doctor, as he got into the grav car.

"I always do," Sophie grinned, as he took the driver's seat. "Where to?"

"Back to our hotel."

Alanna was having more and more doubts about their mission. To her, there seemed to be no sign that they were making progress finding the Penguin. The Doctor seemed to be on some kind of vendetta against Kelly Gray, whoever that was. For a moment she wondered if this Kelly Gray had been the kalak who had forced the Doctor to blow up his own psychic reactor, killing his wife and coworkers, but she had the distinct impression that that kalak had been a man.

And then there was the matter of the Doctor's nightmares. Each night he was away from his sleep machine he would toss violently in his sheets, yelling at the top of his lungs, "Yael, Noooo!" When he woke wake up abruptly, he would be trembling like a leaf. But he refused to talk about it. Alanna wanted to console him, but what could she say? She wondered if the Doctor's nightmares were affecting his judgment.

During the day, however, he appeared as rock solid as ever, smiling and joking with Sophie and sucking on his girl balls, not seeming to have a care in the world.
​

********​

"Why don't you just go kill yourself?"

Of all the comments Kelly Gray had received since the night she had been gang raped, that had been the worse. Emma Miller was a mean girl; she didn't even pretend to be nice. She had called Kelly "basket case" to her face and enjoyed cutting her down in front of her equally mean friends. But what she said the day after Kelly's Ra*e, when she was crying her eyes out in the cafeteria, was extreme, even for her.

Kelly had looked up at her with tear stained eyes. "What?" she said, barely believing her ears.

"Really," said Emma. "I mean it. You'd be doing the whole world a favor." And then she gave a snarky glare and pivoted on her heel, turning away.
​

********​

Emma Miller was the happiest woman in the world. Six months ago she gave birth to baby Aiden. Her husband, Gary, had a prestigious job with the World Government, a senior official in the Department of Happiness, charged with measuring and improving the satisfaction of everyone on the planet, something the World Government was uniquely positioned to do. Ever since Gary had taken the job, he had risen rapidly through the ranks, becoming Second Ranking Minister for Satisfaction in the North American Quadrant. His superiors had been so impressed by his performance--global happiness was increasing at unprecedented rates, by all measurements--that it would be no surprise if he became Deputy Minister before the year was out.

Gary had amazing sexathons with Emma. His thing was so big and long, and his balls so heavy with the juices of reproduction, that it was no surprise when Emma got pregnant almost immediately after they got married. Emma endured the usual problems during pregnancy--back pain, morning sickness, Gary making excuses not to have sex with her, Gary looking at other women, Gary working late for unexplainable reasons --but she endured them all. When her baby was born, he was so beautiful! Emma immediately decided to give him a real hippie name, Aiden, and to raise him to believe in social justice and total, unconditional equality for everyone in the world.

But six months after giving birth, Emma started to have some unusual thoughts in her head. She dreamed of harming little Aiden. Whenever she gave Aiden a bath, a little voice in her head would say, Wouldn't it be good to dunk his head below water and see how long he could live without air?

When she stood by an open tenth story window, the voice said, Drop him! Just drop him! You know you want to do it!

When she fed him his baby food in the morning, the little voice said, Why don't you mix some drain cleaner in his porridge? You know you want to.

When she was changing his diaper, the voice said, Wouldn't it be so easy just to strangle him? His neck... it's so tiny... it could all be over in seconds....

When she cut his baby carrots in the morning with a knife, the voice said, Stab him! Stab him with it! You know you want to!

Emma was horrified by the voices in her head. Why was she thinking such things? Why did a part of her want to harm her baby? She loved her baby! Emma grew immensely frightened of what she might do in a minute of weakness.

She started crying at odd times. Gary noticed, but thought it was post-disgorgement depression. He comforted her without inquiring about the causes, which was all right with Emma, who felt ashamed.

And then the little voice in her head gave her an idea. Why not put him up for adoption?

"No!" Emma shouted to an empty room.

You know you're going to harm him sooner or later. You know sooner or later Aiden is going to get hurt.

"I don't want to hurt Aiden!" Emma sobbed.

But it will happen. You're unstable, Emma. You need to put him up for adoption.

The voice wore Emma down relentlessly for two weeks, filling her mind with images of Aiden being hurt or killed. Finally, Emma reluctantly agreed.

"But... how do I do it? Gary won't agree to it."

You'll forge his signature on the documents.

"But once he finds out, he'll go after Aiden and tell the adoption agency it was a fraud."

Not if the adoption agency takes the baby off -planet.

When the voice told Emma what it meant, Emma's eyes widened.
​

********​

"You wish to give your baby up for adoption?"

The adoption officer at the Ramada embassy wore black from head to toe, as most female followers of Laquinta did. There was just a tiny slit for her eyes, suspicious looking eyes which looked Emma over from top to bottom, wondering if this was some sort of World Government sting operation.

"Y-yes," said Emma, stammering as she held her Pad in one hand and Aiden in another.

"Why do you wish to give him for us?"

The voice had already prepared Emma for this question. "I... I want Aiden to grow up to be a devout follower of Laquinta." She swallowed heavily. It hurt her even to say it. She knew what that meant.

Emma had always planned for Aiden to grow up to be a kind, warm, empathic metrosexual boy who was always sensitive to the needs of others and would be every woman's best friend. She would raise him to follow Aura, the She-Goddess, becoming a thoughtful vegetarian who would get gifts of flowers and candy at the purely symbolic ritual of male castration to mark his entrance into the world of toxic masculinity. He would eventually marry a strong woman like herself who would tame him, milk him for his sperm as needed, and become a loving and doting beta-male husband.

But now Aiden's life would take a very different turn. He would learn to become a devout follower of Laquinta, the God of Blood. He would wear a turban over his head and grow a big beard. He would learn to pray to Laquinta six times a day, from sunup to sundown. He would learn to abuse women, to beat them and enslave up to four of them as his wives.

The thought of it made Emma shudder. But at least Aiden would be alive. That was all that mattered.

The woman in the dark burka smiled. "Do you have all the permissions signed?"

Emma wordlessly handed over her Pad. The burka clad woman looked over the signatures. If she noticed anything odd about Gary's signature, she said nothing.

"Very well," she said. "It all looks to be in order. Hand over the child." She extended her arms.

"What?" said Emma. She thought that processing these documents would take a while, that she would still have a little time left with-

"Hand him over now!" said the woman in black. She snapped her fingers, and two big, burly men with curved swords stepped forward.

Emma looked into Aiden's small face. He looked back at her with wonderment and confusion. He clearly didn't understand what was about to happen.

Emma started crying. "Goodbye, little one," she sobbed. "I will always-"

"Yes, yes, yes," the burka clad woman snapped, snatching Aiden out of her arms. "This child is the property of Laquinta, now. You have made a wise decision, infidel."

Emma's eyes were clouded with tears, but there was one more thing she needed to know, one more she had to know. "Can you tell me when-"

"There is a flight leaving for Ramada tonight," said the woman. She gave Emma a cruel smile. "You had best go now."

Emma left.

She spent the rest of the day walking around aimlessly in the streets of Philadelphia, waiting for the sun to go down. Her baby! She couldn't believe she had done that, to given up the child she loved so much!

She wandered, witless, for hours and hours, until late into the evening. When she came home she found Gary in a panic. "Where were you? I was so worried! I was going to call the police." His eyes narrowed. "And where is Aiden?"

"Aiden... is gone."

"What do you mean, gone?"

And so she told him.

Gary's eyes grew large. He roared, and Emma cowered in fear. He broke furniture, he slapped her in the face, and then he ran out. To get the police, he said.

Emma knew it was too late. Aiden was gone now.

As she sat in the broken, empty apartment.

Suddenly, a voice in her head said, Why don't you just kill yourself?

"What?" Emma sniffled.

You've lost everything you ever cared for. Your husband, your baby. What's left to live for?

"You're right," Emma whispered. She went over to the tall window, and opened it. She stuck her head out. All she needed to do was roll forward....

"Wait!" a new voice cried.

Emma turned, to see three new people inside her apartment. Two of them were women, and one a man. The man wore a long black coat, black boots, and had a floppy hat. "Don't do it," the man cried.

"I... I have to," Emma sniffed, looking down.

Alyssa's eyes widened. "Doctor, there's a kalak inside of her." Only then did Sophie remember that Alyssa had mentioned that she had the ability to sometimes detect kalaks at close distances.

The Doctor drew his Infinite Infinity Repeater. "So we finally meet, ghoul."

Doctor, what are you doing?

"If you try to jump, I'll shoot," said the Doctor.

Don't Doctor, you might injure the host!

"I have to jump! My life is worthless. The pain is too great!" Emma cried.

Jump, Emma, Jump! Jump now, before they stop you! said the voice inside her head.

Emma rolled forward. The Doctor fired his Infinite Infinity Repeater, but his arm jerked, and the shot went wide. They heard Emma's screams as she flew down ten stories... and then a thump.

"You made me miss her? What in the world were you doing?" the Doctor snapped.

"I was trying to save that girl!" Alanna said, through the Doctor's mouth.

"There was no saving her, couldn't you see that?"

"I could have talked her down," said Alanna.

"No you couldn't have," said the Doctor. "And now-"

"Doctor, look out!" said Sophie.

The Doctor saw a glowing, shadowy shape slowly float in through the window. He raised his Infinite Infinity Repeater again. "You! Kelly Grey. Have you come back to gloat at the scene of your latest crime?"

"I'm not Kelly Gray," said the glowing shape hollowly. It was vaguely in the shape of a person, but more like the shape of a sheet over a person, and it had glowing red eyes. "My name is Emma Miller."

"Oh my Goddess!" said Alyssa. "You're the girl who just died!"

"What can you tell me about Kelly Gray?" the Doctor asked.

"I don't know anything about Kelly Gray," said the kalak of Emma Miller. She paused, considering. "My being is full of anger. I feel like I've been wronged, somehow." Suddenly, she realized. "My baby! My baby was stolen from me! I will make the world pay! I will make everyone pay... starting with you!" With a roar, she charged the Doctor.

But however fast she flew, it wasn't fast enough. The Doctor cut her down with a blast from his Infinite Infinity Repeater. Emma's kalak screamed, and the Doctor fired again, and her glowing form withered, and vanished.

The Doctor, breathed heavily for a long moment, as he slowly lowered his weapon. "This is all your fault," he said slowly, to nowhere in particular. "I've been on Kelly Gray's trail for months, and now you've spoiled it all."

"That's the truth, isn't it, Doctor?" said Alanna, speaking through him. "For the past two weeks, we've been searching for Kelly Gray, isn't that right? We've never been searching for the Penguin, have we?"

The Doctor was enraged. "Before you so rudely apprehended me I was closing in on the trail of this ghoul. If you knew about all the men she killed, all the women whose lives she's ruined-"

"But what about the Penguin, Doctor? He's not just going to kill a few people. He's going to destroy the entire world!" said Alanna.

"So you say," said the Doctor. "You said a lot of things, right before I let you into my body. You wouldn't interfere with my body, you said. Well, because of your interference, Kelly Gray is still out there. Her next victims will be on your head."

Alanna struggled to control her rage. "Doctor, we are going right now back to the Isle of Man, and you are going to plug in that psychic DNA I gave you for the Penguin, and we are going to start searching for him immediately."

"No," the Doctor yelled.

Sophie watched as the Doctor stood unnaturally straight, and started to walk stiffly to the door.

"No! No!" the Doctor cried, like a child. "Let me go! Let me go, I say!" He struggled hard, but couldn't resist, step by step, heading to the door, like a tragic puppet.

Sophie moved in front of him. "Let him go, Alanna! You're hurting him!" she screamed.

Alanna released her grip, and the Doctor sagged against the wall, breathing heavily and looking exhausted.

"Doctor, are you all right?" Sophie asked, her hands grabbing his, looking anxiously into his eyes.

The Doctor nodded, breathing heavily. He looked upwards. "You listen to me, ghoul. I'll hunt down your Penguin for you. But when we're done, and you're out of me, I'm going to hunt you next."

You're welcome to try, Doctor.
​

********​

They were at the Philadelphia Metropolitan Airport, waiting for their flight back to London, which would lead to a smaller connecting flight to the Isle of Man. Sophie was intensely worried about the Doctor. He was just sitting there in a waiting room chair, staring blankly into space. She didn't think Alanna had immobilized him; he had just retreated into himself again. The Doctor was always difficult to deal with in the best of circumstances; Sophie knew of his anxiety over the death of his wife and coworkers, and his nightmares. She didn't know how the Doctor was coping with Alanna inside of him. Sophie also increasingly suspected that Alanna would never let him go when the mission was completed. She might just kill the Doctor... and maybe her too.

These troubling thoughts filled her mind as she wandered around a small clothing store at the airport. The proprietor, a young man with a brilliant smile, said, "Can I help you find something, Miss?"

For some reason his smile reminded her of the nice man she had met in the florist shop. "No, thanks, I'm just looking," she said. She picked up a striped scarf and draped it around her neck, and looked at herself in the mirror.

The young man moved behind her. She was so beautiful. He fantasized about strangling her with the scarf. He imagined wrapping it tightly around her neck. Her hands would already be tied behind her back so she couldn't resist, and she would be already gagged so she couldn't scream. He would throw part of the scarf around a horizontal beam in the ceiling, and pull her up, up, up, until she was gasping for breath. Then he would watch as she so beautifully choked to death, as his face turned a brilliant shade of blue-

"That blue is really you," said the young man.

"It is?" said Sophie.

"It really brings out the green in your eyes," said the young man

"Oh? Ooohhhhh," said Sophie, giggling nervously. Suddenly all thoughts of the Doctor were pushed from her mind. Maybe he was right. Maybe she needed more contact with other people.

"You know, I have just the thing to go with that," said the young man. He left for a moment and came back with a pair of blue pants.

"Oh, they're lovely!"

"Just like you," said the man.

Sophie tittered again.

"Would you like to try them on?" the young man asked. "We have a dressing room in back." He saw the hesitation in her eyes. "It would only take a moment. And you'd feel much better afterwards, I guarantee it." She was so lovely, so sexy. He couldn't wait to have her.

Sophie looked uncertainly at the young man for a moment. Then she looked out at the concourse, and saw the Doctor, staring at her from the chair he was sitting in. She shook her head. "Another... another time, perhaps," she said, taking off the scarf.

"Another time, then," the man agreed.

Sophie turned and walked back to the Doctor, but halfway there something made her stop and turn back to the store.

The young man was gone.​