Phantom Ch. 13a

Chapter 13: The Terror of PR-1124984

They were back at the Dome on the Isle of Man.

"It's the same thing, over and over," said Sophie. Her hands moved over the artificial keyboard on her tablet as her eye became glazed once again.

PR-1124984.

PR-1124984.

PR-1124984.

PR-1124984.

"Who is sending these messages, Doctor?" Alanna asked.

"We don't know," said the Doctor. "But this one may be clearer than most. That's a planetary designation." He took out his Pad and rapidly looked it up. "PR-1124984. Uncharted planet. Oh come on, you can do better than that." He spoke to the Pad. "Tie into the Survey Service database."

"You have access to the Survey Service database, Doctor?" Alanna asked.

"Of course," said the Doctor. He spoke into the Pad again. "Bring up all information on PR-1124984."

A holographic image appeared. "That information is classified to security rank two and above."

"Then give me security rank two," said the Doctor. "No, better yet, give me security rank one. I always like to be number one." He fished in his pocket for a girl ball. "Blonde, just my luck," he said, as he popped it into his mouth and started sucking noisily.

"Doctor, how do you come to have top level access to the Survey Service database?" Alanna asked.

"They gave it to me," said the Doctor.

"They did?" said Alanna.

"Yes. Well, they didn't realize they were giving it to me at the time, but they did," said the Doctor.

"The Doctor is a genius with databases. In fact, the Doctor is a genius at everything," said Sophie, beaming at him.

The Doctor smiled back, a bit embarrassed. "You're very discerning, Sophie." Before Alanna could make a tart comment, the Doctor said, "Ah, here it is. Interesting." He read rapidly. "It seems this uncharted planet is not quite as uncharted as we were led to believe." He pulled another girl ball out of his pocket, saw it was blonde, frowned but put it in his mouth anyway and started to suck. "It seems that robotic probes recorded energy signatures coming from the planet." He held out his bag of girl balls towards Sophie.

"What kind of energy signatures?" Sophie asked. She looked hesitantly at the bag, then at the Doctor, then reached in and took one out. It was dark brunette, like herself. She smiled at the Doctor and popped it into her mouth, and sucked on it with a sly expression on her face.

"The probe took this image," said the Doctor, and a holographic image of a pyramid appeared above his Pad. The pyramid looked incredibly old, and it had a blue pulsating star on top of it.

"What is that?" said Sophie, making loud sucking sounds as she stared at it.

"The Survey Service thinks it's a Monument." An extinct race dubbed the Monumentals had scattered Monuments all around the galaxy. But no one knew what their purposes were.

"I've never seen one like that," said Sophie, staring at it.

"Neither have I," said the Doctor.

"What do you mean?" Alanna said.

"Well, most Monuments are big, black obelisks. A pyramid, with a giant blue star on it? I wonder why they think it's Monumental," said the Doctor. He read further. "Wait. The Survey Service sent a science ship to investigate. The USS Hudson Bay."

"What did they find?" Sophie asked.

"No one knows," said the Doctor, looking up at her. "They never returned." He gave Sophie an ominous look, and read further. "It says here a rescue mission is being mounted. The USS Talent, Captained by Commander JS Esteban. It leaves Port Auburn in two days."

"What do you think it means, Doctor?" Sophie asked.

"You received that sending for a reason," said the Doctor. "I think we should go and investigate."

"No, Doctor, absolutely not," said Alanna, speaking so suddenly through him that Sophie looked startled. Yesterday she had borrowed the Doctor's holocom, as well as the Doctor, to get in touch with the Circle. She discovered that the Penguin had once again tried to launch the Nova Missiles. "Our first priority is to stop the Penguin. He's already tried twice to destroy the world."

"Maybe he's going to try and destroy it a new way," said the Doctor. "Monumental technology is highly advanced. Maybe there's some weapon hidden there which can destroy the Earth."

"It sounds very unlikely, Doctor," said Alanna.

"The last three sendings Sophie has received were, in order, Otis, Cleave, and now the name of this alien planet. We now know that Otis Cleaver is the Penguin. I'd say the two are connected," said the Doctor.

"We don't even know where Sophie is getting these sendings from. It could be a trick, to distract us, or even worse, a trap," said Alanna.

"My hair is curling again," said the Doctor, feeling the back of his head. "Which either means it's about to rain, or that we need to investigate this." He checked the forecast. "And there is no rain scheduled for the next two days."

"No, Doctor. We must keep focused," said Alanna.

The Doctor struggled to contain his anger. "You asked me to trust you. You asked me to believe you. I spared that ghoul you called Max. For all I know he could be going around killing people all over the world right now. But you assured me that he was a good ghoul, a contradiction in terms if I ever heard one. But I listened to you, Alanna. I trusted you, and I let him go. Now I'm asking you to trust me."

Alanna paused for a long moment. All her instincts said that this mission had nothing to do with the Penguin. But then, looking through the Doctor's eyes, she saw the pleading in Sophie's face. Something in her relented. "All right, Doctor. We'll try it your way. But I think this is a mistake."

"Of course you do," said the Doctor, giving a big grin.

"How are we even going to get aboard this USS Talent?" Alanna asked.

"That shouldn't be much of a problem," said the Doctor, sucking on another girl ball.

"I'll start packing, said Sophie, with a smile.

"No," said the Doctor.

"What?"

"You're not coming, Sophie," said the Doctor. He indicated the image of the pyramid with the glowing blue star on top of it. "That thing swallowed up a top of the line Survey Service vessel. It's too dangerous for you."

"But... not too dangerous for you? Or her?" Sophie looked stunned. "You take me into dangerous situations all the time!"

"But not like this," said the Doctor. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to stay behind on this one."

Sophie glared at him. Then she stomped off. A moment later the Doctor heard a door slamming, and he winced slightly.

You made the right decision, Doctor.

"Tell her that," said the Doctor.

********

The Doctor was sitting in the Captain's Ready Room on the USS Talent. Captain JS Esteban was only a Commander, but military custom dictated that the officer in charge of the ship was called Captain. The USS Talent was a frigate and didn't rate a full Captain like a destroyer or cruiser or battlecruiser. Ideally a capital ship would have been sent to relieve the Hudson Bay, which itself was a science ship, but the Survey Service was stretched thin.

On the subject of being stretched thin, the Talent's first officer, Lieutenant Commander Melanie Starnes, was also absent. In her place as acting First Officer was Lieutenant Sophie Astor. Commander Starnes had taken leave when she discovered that she was pregnant. Sophie Astor didn't think that Commander Starnes had just "discovered" she was pregnant; she had obviously known for some time. But when it was announced that the Talent was going on a likely hazardous rescue mission, Starnes had requested maternity leave, even though she was barely two months pregnant, and World Government rules allowed pregnancy leave for an unlimited length of time, even if the woman taking it wasn't yet pregnant.

Due to the urgent nature of the mission there was no time to replace Lieutenant Commander Starnes, and so Sophie Astor was made acting First Officer.

Sophie Astor was a Passive Observer. That meant that she was very analytical, very wedded to logic, and didn't show a lot of emotion. She had pursued a career in the Survey Service because she wanted to dedicate her life to science, and discovery. What she had discovered were crews full of men and women governed by irrational emotions. Sophie noted more than once that superior officers often ignored her advice in the favor of the counsel of male officers, or female officers who, in Sophie's judgment, were far more attractive than her.

And so Sophie sought to rectify the situation. Last year during leave time she got nuclear breast implants. When she returned to duty, the change was dramatic. Captain Esteban, who had previously patronized her, suddenly listened to everything she had to say and even took her advice. Even Lieutenant Commander Melanie Starnes found herself respecting Sophie more. All Sophie needed on her side was logic, common sense... and large breasts.

At least, that's all she needed until a few days ago. The crew had just returned from planetary leave when they were suddenly reactivated for this rescue mission. As they prepared to depart, Sophie noticed that Captain Esteban was... different now. He smiled more frequently at Sophie, but there seemed to be a hard edge to his smile. He seemed more cynical now, but he kept that cynicism buried deeply, where no one could see, no one but Sophie. Something had happened to the Captain during leave, something fundamental, but Sophie wasn't quite sure what.

At the moment Sophie sat in the Captain's Ready Room with Captain Esteban and the man who called himself the Doctor.

"A Doctor of what?" Sophie asked.

"What?" said the Doctor.

"What are you a Doctor of?"

"Almost everything, my dear," said the Doctor.

Sophie looked at his floppy hat, long black coat, and black boots. "You don't look like a Doctor."

"How many have you met?" The Doctor grinned.

"Quite a few, actually," said Sophie.

"You're in good health, I hope?" the Doctor grinned.

Captain Esteban cleared his throat. "Doctor, what is your purpose here?" he asked. That was another thing that had changed about the Captain. He talked a lot less now than he used to. He simply... watched. For some reason, it left Sophie unsettled.

"Well, I've been sent by the World Government as an observer, you see." He saw Sophie's frown. "Perhaps you'd like to see my identification."

"Perhaps we would," said Sophie.

The Doctor grinned and pressed a button on his Pad. The Doctor's holoimage appeared, complete with the proud hammer and sickle of the World Government. "I'm a Doctor of Unsocial Justice with the World Government Department of Diversity and Fundamental Unfairness," said the Doctor. "I'm here to conduct a diversity audit."

"A diversity audit?" said Esteban. Although Esteban himself had a very Spanishy name, he looked white. Perfectly white. Even more white than Sophie.

"To observe the racial, sexual, gender, and class diversity of your crew, as well as to interview them, to find out whether the levels of inherent racism and sexism on this ship fall within acceptable World Government guidelines," said the Doctor.

"I see," said Esteban woodenly.

Something was wrong, Sophie thought. "Doctor... Ren. We can't let you onboard now. We have to depart right away for an emergency rescue mission."

"That would be excellent! I would get to observe you in action. It would add so much more validity to my report," said the Doctor.

Sophie glanced at Esteban, who still said nothing. "I'm sorry, Doctor, but we can't-"

"Can't?" said Esteban, coming alive suddenly. "You forget your place, Sophie." He turned to the Doctor. "Sophie is acting First Officer. Forgive her Doctor, she's still acclimating to the role." He paused. "Of course we'd be delighted to have such a distinguished representative of the World Government with us. It's times of crisis like this that bring out the best of us. Isn't that so, Sophie?"

"If you say so, Captain," said Sophie dryly.

Esteban laughed, but it had a hollow sound. "You'll have to forgive Sophie, Captain. She's a Passive Observer. Manners aren't as high on the list as the Scientific Method."

"Oh, I'm sure she's quite charming," said the Doctor. He took a bag out of his pocket. "Would you like a girl ball?"

"Sure," said the Captain, taking one from the bag and sucking on it. At that moment Sophie was certain something was wrong with Captain Esteban.

"Lieutenant?" said the Doctor, pushing the bag nearly in her face.

"No," said Sophie, not moving an inch.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," said Sophie.

"It's just that when I offer a girl ball to people and they say no, later on they change their mind and say yes," said the Doctor.

"This won't be one of those times," Sophie assured him.

"Are you sure?" said the Doctor.

"Quite sure," said Sophie.

"What are your needs, Doctor?" Captain Esteban asked.

The Doctor stretched his arms and legs. "Oh, not much, Captain. Simply comfortable quarters, access to the crew for interviews... and of course, I will need to see all your personnel records. I will need to know the racial, sexual, genderal, and class background of all the crew."

"Anything else?"

"Yes," said the Doctor. "I'll also want to see the internal sensor logs from the past six missions."

"Why do you need those?" Sophie asked.

"I need to check to see how much ass sex the crew is having, to see if you're meeting World Government quotas," the Doctor explained.

"Of course, Doctor. It shall be done," said Esteban, even as Sophie rolled her eyes in the background. The Captain paused, and gave an odd stare. "Tell me, Doctor, have we met before?"

The Doctor gave Esteban an odd stare in return. "I don't think so. Have we?"

Esteban shrugged and smiled. "Perhaps not. I thought maybe I once met you... but I'm probably mistaken. Anyway, we'll give you all the cooperation you require." He called a crewman in, who led the Doctor away to his new quarters.

After the Doctor had left, Sophie turned to Esteban. "You can't seriously be thinking of humoring this man when we're about to go into a dangerous situation?"

"I can and I will," said Esteban. "Rescuing a lost crew is important, but so is diversity and social justice." His eyes glittered. "I'm putting you in charge of satisfying all the Doctor's needs. See to it, Sophie."

Sophie Astor glared at the Captain. He was a complete stranger. "Yes, sir."

********

Meanwhile on the Isle of Man, Sophie Janssen, the other Sophie, was brooding and pacing back and forth. She had been infuriated that the Doctor hadn't taken her on this mission. Instead he had gone with her.

Sophie told herself that she couldn't be jealous of a ghost. The Doctor didn't even like Alanna.

And yet... Alanna was inside the Doctor. Sophie imagined that they were sharing thoughts... and feelings. The Doctor even told her that Alanna somehow rubbed his back to help him sleep! The small smile he had on his face when he said that burned her deeply.

Sophie played nuclear miniature golf with herself on the course the Doctor had set up in the Dome. The hole in each section was always cloaked, and it moved, from stroke to stroke. It could be a very challenging and very frustrating game, and Sophie had always enjoyed playing with the Doctor when she was growing up. It wasn't until she got older that she realized that the Doctor let her win a lot of the time. It wasn't until she got older that she realized a lot of things.

As she swung her club she realized how much she missed him. Why didn't he take her with him? It was probably because he still thought of her as a child. Sophie was 17 and a half years old, a fully grown woman biologically and legally, but the Doctor still looked at her as the ten year old he had informally adopted.

Sophie had tried to let the Doctor know that she was no longer a child by means subtle and direct. She wore tight shorts and tight pants which showed off her ass, and even tighter shirts which showed off her Dutch breasts. She purposefully wore breast control collars which made her breasts look even larger. She knew the Doctor noticed them--she could see him looking at them, when he didn't think she noticed--but he still thought of her as a girl. A girl in a woman's body.

Maybe that was the answer. She had to become a woman. A full woman. The Doctor had forced her to go out on dates, but she had never gone beyond that guy she had kissed, the one who turned out to be a Lemure who was trying to use her to get to the Doctor. Maybe she needed to go all the way. Maybe losing her virginity would give her new insight into men. Maybe the experience would change her, would cause her to act in a way that would convince the Doctor that she was a fully grown woman.

And so Sophie tossed her nuclear golf club aside and took a deep breath, and as her bosom heaved, decided to lose her virginity.

********

Sophie was methodical, and Sophie was efficient. She could go on a pointless string of dates with a guy she didn't like and then--no. Why bother? Better just to get it done. So Sophie activated her Hololink and logged into the P Into V Exchange.

The P Into V Exchange was a network for men and women looking for sex. Naturally, the men logged into it way outnumbered the woman. Sophie searched her personal database, and found an alluring image of herself, one with her breasts sticking out while she played a theoretical piano in the music room, and uploaded it.

Within 20 second Sophie got her first offer.

After the first minute Sophie got ten offers.

Within ten minutes Sophie had 149 offers.

This was even more impressive, given that geotargeting had identified that Sophie was on the Isle of Man, and there weren't a lot of people in general on the Isle of Man. Sophie scanned through the offers and noticed that the majority of them were located elsewhere. Sophie looked at the image of one bearded man, located in Oslo. What did he expect, that she would jump on a stratoliner and fly all the way to Norway for sex? Or maybe he would fly to her. Men were strange that way.

Sophie sighed. She should have exchanged numbers with that young man, Jack, she met at Earystane Plantation. He seemed nice, even if there had been something unidentifiably odd about him. Something about his eyes. Still, Sophie would have gone out with him again.

Sophie sifted through the profiles of the men she responded, and stopped at the image of a gorgeous brown haired man with a brilliant smile. She checked his location. She was sure it would be the other side of the world.

It wasn't.

His name was Jeremy, and he was located on the Isle of Man.

********

Jack decided that the time had finally come for Sophie Janssen to die.

He had been keeping an eye on the Doctor's Dome, and when the Doctor left without Sophie, he knew he would never have a better chance of eliminating her. And then when he tapped into her holocomm and saw her looking for a man for a quick sexual hookup, he realized it was meant to be. She was simply asking for it.

It really didn't matter which man Sophie had chosen. As a poltergeist, Jack could assume solid form and look like any man he wanted to. And so when Jeremy came over for drinks at Sophie's Dome, it was actually Jack, in the form of Jeremy, driving Jeremy's grav car, while the real Jeremy's body was in the trunk.

Sophie looked so beautiful and vulnerable when she opened the front door to the Dome. Beautiful, because she was wearing tight white pants and an even tighter pink shirt which practically screamed "Fuck me!". And vulnerable, because Jack could see in her eyes that she wanted to have sex but was really really uptight about it.

Sophie was a whore. All women were whores. Jenny Smoothstone had taught Jack that, all those centuries ago. And yet, even knowing that, he felt a spark of sympathy for her.

"Sophie?" he said, in a deep, reassuring voice.

"Jeremy?" she said, with more than a hint of nervousness.

"Yes." Jeremy smiled disarmingly. "Unless I'm just some other random guy who happened to show up on your doorstep while you were expecting... companionship."

Sophie gave a nervous laugh at the word. Suddenly, Jack felt even more sorry for her. Sorry for her, and also sorry for what he was about to do.

"Shall we... have a drink?" Sophie asked. This felt awkward. Incredibly so.

"Why not?" said Jack.

*********

They sipped wine and talked about nonsense for several minutes. Jack's impatience with the forced, faltering conversation only grew. Finally he put down his wine glass. "Listen, we could talk more, and go slowly through the motions for another hour, but... is that what you really want?"

"No!" said Sophie, speaking candidly for the first time.

"It's going to be your first time, isn't it?" said Jack.

"You know? When did you know?" She was suddenly excited.

"When I first looked into your eyes." And as Jack reached over and kissed her, Sophie shuddered with joy.

Sophie pulled back. She felt a tingling in her body. "Will... will you be gentle?"

"No," said Jack. "Not at all."

He stood up. He was the man, and she was the woman. He slowly pulled her up, and looked into her eyes. She nodded, and they walked, hand in hand to her bedroom.

********

Jack made love to Sophie. The first time he plunged into her, she cried out as she felt something tear inside of her. When he pulled out, his shaft was coated with streaks of red.

Sophie whimpered. "My... my...."

"It's all right," said Jack. "It just means that you're a woman, now."

"I'm a woman." Sophie gave Jack a weak smile. The Doctor would be pleased.

"Yes you are," said Jack. "And very soon, you'll be so much more." Jack gave her a wolfish smile of his own, as he continued the ritual of reproduction.

*********

Sophie felt soreness in her vagina, but in other parts as well. Jack grasped her arms so tightly that she could see red marks forming in the shape of his fingers.

"Do you have to squeeze so tightly?" she whispered.

"Yes," Jack hissed. He loved the marks he was creating on her arms. But that was only the beginning. Jack was making art, and Sophie was his canvas. He started kissing her neck furiously, even as he made love to her. He sucked on the tender flesh of her neck strongly. Each time he pulled back he smiled when he saw the bright red mark he created. He smiled as he worked from one end of her neck to the other, like he was cutting her throat with a vibroblade, sucking furiously. Sophie, who couldn't see what was being done to her, moaned and shuddered with every strong kiss.

Then Jack moved down to her breasts. They were big, round, fresh melons. Jack ravaged Sophie like an animal, using his lips and teeth to mark her as his. This was something Sophie could see. "Jeremy, you're making marks on my breasts!" she said. She often wore revealing shirts; what if the Doctor saw?

"Would you like me to stop?" Jack inquired. "Tell me to stop," he challenged her, taking a nipple into his mouth. He started sucking strongly.

"Oooooh!" Sophie arched her head and back. "Oooooh, no Jeremy, don't stop! Don't ever stop!"

Jack smiled as he released her nipple with a pop. He proceeded to methodically mark the sides of her breasts with red sucking marks. Sophie, out of her mind with lust, looked down approvingly as he was marked as his property.

"What... what if the Doctor sees them?"

"You can tell him you're my woman," said Jack, in a very deep voice.

Sophie shuddered again and Jack kissed her hard. Her hands splayed out before wrapping around his back.

When Jack pulled back, he looked satisfied. Sophie had a trail of red marks on her arms, her neck, and her breasts. Just one last touch was missing. He send a discrete surge of psychic energy into her skin, to accelerate aging. Before his very eyes, the red marks all turned black and blue.

Jack's eyes widened. Sophie looked incredible. Exactly like he had dreamed. She had black and blue marks all over her arms and shoulders. She had black and blue marks all over her neck from where he had sucked her. And her breasts! Her breasts were an incredibly sexy trail of dark sucking and bite marks. At that moment Sophie looked so incredibly battered, so incredibly abused, and so incredibly sexy!

Jack smiled at her, even as he continued to move in and out, and Sophie smiled back at him. She didn't realize yet quite what he had done to her. He leaned forward and kissed her again. "You are so sexy," he breathed.

Sophie kissed him back. Then Jack bit her lip. Sophie cried out, "Jeremy!"

"What?" said Jack, smiling playfully at her.

"That hurt!" said Sophie.

"It was supposed to," said Jack.

Sophie gave him an odd look, the first suspicion that something might be wrong. She looked so beautiful, so battered. Jack felt his organ tensing up. Could he... even as a Poltergeist? It would be a first. But he was definitely feeling it! He leaned down and kissed her again. Once again, her lips responded.

And now it was time to crown his masterpiece. Time for Sophie to die.

Jack started poling in and out more rapidly. He was getting close. He put his hands around her throat. Sophie gasped. Jack felt his orgasm closing in on him. Sophie's eyes bulged. Her eyebrows lifted in alarm. She cried but no words came out. All Jack would have to do was squeeze just a bit more. Just a bit more, and she would be finished-

"Ah... ah... ahhhhhhhhhh!" Jack cried out. He arched his back upwards, and released, deep inside her. But what came out of a Poltergeist's body was not sperm. Not even close. Instead it was something that was much more practical.

And then he collapsed on top of her, releasing his grip on her throat. No one spoke for a long moment. Then Sophie said, "That... that was pretty intense."

"It was," said Jack.

"Is... is this the way sex is supposed to be?" She looked uncertainly at him.

"Absolutely," said Jack. He smiled at her. "You had the best orgasm of your life."

Sophie blinked. "Jeremy, that was the best orgasm of my life!" She hugged and kissed him. "Thank you, thank you!"

"You want to do this with me again and again," said Jack.

"Yes," said Sophie. "Of course!"

"You can call me any time," Jack smiled.

It was only after he had left, after Sophie had gone into the bathroom and looked into the holographic mirror, that her eyes widened with horror, as she saw the black and blue marks on her arms, her neck, her breasts.

She had been mauled.

********

"Sophie... what a pretty name," said the Doctor, smiling broadly.

"Names are not pretty or ugly. They are identifying sounds," said Lieutenant Sophie Astor coldly.

It was obvious that this interview was going to be a challenge.

Once the Talent had departed from Port Auburn and gotten underway, Alanna had wondered why the Doctor had bothered keeping up with the charade. The Doctor was interviewing crew members as part of his Diversity Audit, but what need was there for it now? They were, after all, already on the ship.

But the Doctor insisted on keeping up appearances. His first subject was the ship's medical officer, Doctor Brandon Spiva. Doctor Spiva was the only black officer on the Talent. The Doctor immediately demanded to know how much racism Doctor Spiva encountered on the ship.

"Why... none," said Doctor Spiva.

"None? You're on a ship with 53 white men and women, and not one has ever said a racist word to you?"

"No," said Doctor Spiva.

"Really, Doctor? Not one of them has ever had a racist thought?"

"Well, I have no idea what's in their minds, obviously," said Doctor Spiva.

"Ah ha!" said the Doctor. "Do you have friends on the Talent, Doctor?"

"Of course," said Doctor Spiva.

"Is everyone on the ship your friend?"

"Well... of course not everyone."

"So there are some people on the ship who won't be friends with a black person, am I correct? Who are these people who won't be friends with you? Please Doctor Spiva, don't be shy," said the Doctor.

By the time the Doctor was done, he had created an entire dossier making it sound like there was rampant racism in the Talent. Doctor Spiva looked dazed when he got up to leave and the Doctor thanked him for his help.

Doctor, why are you doing this?

Because this is exactly what is done in a diversity audit. They search for discrimination. If they don't find it, they create it. I'm just playing the part that's expected of me.

You seem to be enjoying the role.

Just a little.

Lieutenant Sophie Astor was next.

"Sophie... what a pretty name," said the Doctor, smiling broadly.

"Names are not pretty or ugly. They are identifying sounds," said Lieutenant Sophie Astor coldly.

"Your file says you're a Passive Observer." The Doctor gave an irritating grin, as he spread his legs under the small table. "I would never have guessed."

Sophie said nothing.

"So tell me about sex discrimination on the Talent, Sophie. How sexist are the male members of the crew?"

"The male members of the crew are sexist in that they each have a sex, a gender, the male gender. Nothing more," said Sophie coldly.

"Nothing more?" said the Doctor. "Your file indicates you got nuclear breast implants six months ago. Does the crew treat you differently now?"

Sophie winced. The crew did treat her differently now. She didn't want to tell the Doctor that. But something in her face must have given her away.

"Aaaa haaaa!" said the Doctor. He held out a wrinkled bag. "Would you like a girl ball?"

"No," said Sophie.

"What about your sexual orientation, Sophie?"

"What about it?" said Sophie.

"Does the crew resent the fact that you're a lesbian?"

"I am not a lesbian," said Sophie, keeping her voice calm.

"This is the 24th century. There's nothing wrong with being a lesbian."

"I am well aware what century this is. I am still not a lesbian," said Sophie.

The Doctor studied her. "All right, you're not a lesbian. But surely you've had sex with other women?"

"No. I have never had sex with other women. Nor am I a lesbian," said Sophie.

The Doctor paused. "But surely... surely you've had thoughts of being with other women. Every woman has, you know."

Sophie, her voice still perfectly calm, said, "I am not a lesbian. I have never been with another woman. And I have never had thoughts of being with another woman."

"Would you like a girl ball?" The Doctor asked.

"You have already asked me that," said Sophie.

"But they're really quite good," said the Doctor, pulling a blonde out of his bag. It was a blonde. "I hate blondes," he said, putting it in his mouth.

"Then why do you eat them?"

"Because if I never ate the blondes, I'd be stuck with a bag full of blondes," said the Doctor. "Are you sure you won't try one?"

Sophie's eyelids flickered. "Quite sure."

The Doctor paused again and ran his hand against the brim of his hat. "You don't like me very much, do you Sophie?"

"I neither like nor dislike you," said Sophie.

"I thought Passive Observers didn't lie," said the Doctor.

"We don't," said Sophie.

"You seem to be somewhat irritated."

"Irritation is not the same as dislike."

"It's in the same ballpark," the Doctor grinned as he stopped sucking and started chewing on his girl ball. Whenever he started chewing the flavor got stronger, but the lifespan of the girl ball decreased dramatically.

"Why do I irritate you?" the Doctor asked.

"Because you don't belong here, and you obviously are not who you claim to be."

"I'm not?" The Doctor raised his feet upwards so his boots rested on an empty chair. "What do you think, that I'm some kind of spy?"

"If you were, you'd be the worst example of a spy I could think of."

"Have you met many spies?"

"A few, in my time," said Sophie. She paused. "No... you seem more like....."

"Like what?"

"Like a bad hologram show host," said Sophie. "Or a used grav car salesman."

The Doctor touched his nose. "I know a Sophie who appreciates me a lot more than you do."

"Perhaps you should go back to her. You'd be in much happier company," said Sophie Astor.

********

"Where are you, Doctor?" came Sophie Janssen's staticy image from the holocom.

"We're a day out from the planet," said the Doctor. "How are you doing, Sophie?"

"Fine," said Sophie. "The crocorabbit nearly bit my arm off when I fed it."

"I told you to use tongs."

"I did. He has a long reach."

"Is that why you're wearing a long sleeve shirt?" Sophie was not only wearing a long sleeved shirt, which was unusual for her, but her shirt had a turtleneck collar. The Doctor had never even seen Sophie in a turtleneck shirt before.

"No, it's just a little chilly here."

"In June?"

"At nights, sometime," said Sophie, shivering slightly. "Doctor, are you going to come back soon? The crocorabbit misses you."

"I'm sure he does," said the Doctor. "Tell the crocorabbit I will be back as soon as I can."

"He'll... he'll be relieved to hear that. Stay safe, Doctor," she said, giving him an uncertain look.

"You too."

Her image faded.

"Something's wrong," the Doctor muttered.

What do you mean?

"Just that something's wrong," the Doctor said again.

********

The Doctor was on the bridge when the USS Talent came into orbit around PR-1124984. Technically speaking, he had no right to be there, but Captain Esteban had been friendly to the Doctor, quite friendly, more so then he would have expected. He treated the Doctor like an old friend, which confused the Doctor mightily. Captain Esteban seemed to enjoy acceding to the Doctor's requests, especially when they irritated his first officer.

Sophie Astor glared at him. "Civilians have no place on the bridge," she said.

"But honored guests are certainly welcome," said Captain Esteban. He smiled at her frown. "By all means, stay, Doctor."

"You're so kind," said the Doctor.

"Would you like a chair? I'm sure Sophie would be the first to volunteer to give you hers," said Esteban.

"That won't be necessary," said the Doctor. He saw Sophie's scowl only deepen.

"Coming into orbit, sir," said Mister Campleman, the helmsman.

"Scanners, Sophie?" Esteban asked.

Sophie checked the sensors. "A lifeless planet, Captain. The atmosphere is very dense, preventing much light from the sun to reach the planet's surface. I am, however, detecting a repeating signal."

"Put it on holoview."

The image of a giant pyramid appeared, shrouded in darkness. It was illuminated by a pulsating blue star on top of it. The crew gasped.

"Incredible," said Esteban. "Who would build such a thing? And why?"

"Sir, I'm picking up something else," said Sophie. "It's the Hudson Bay."

"Where is it?"

"About four miles northwest of the pyramid," said Sophie. "It looks like it has crash landed."

"A crash landing?" said Esteban. "Captain Ubantu would never let that happen. Scan for lifesigns."

"No sign of life... there are power emanations from the ship... but they are faint," said Sophie. She zoomed in further. "The ship looks damaged... but intact." A holomage of the crash site appeared on the holoviewer, in a split image view with the pyramid. The blue star on top of the pyramid glowed with power. "What shall we do, sir?"

"First let's find out what happened to the Hudson Bay," said Esteban. "Then we'll attend to the Pyramid."

"Captain, do you mind if I come along?" said the Doctor.

Sophie said, "Civilians have no place on dangerous rescue missions-"

"Your company is always most welcome, Doctor," said Esteban. He grinned at Sophie.

"Thank you, Captain," said the Doctor.

*******

The Talent landed next to the USS Hudson Bay. They could see long skid marks on the plant surface where the Hudson Bay had scraped as it crashed.

As the Doctor got suited up with the rescue team, Alanna spoke inside his head.

Doctor, this doesn't make sense. Survey Service ships simply don't crash.

I know, the Doctor thought as he checked the seals on his spacesuit.

And why is the Captain so welcoming? He seems so eager to please.

Yes, he does.

Any thoughts, Doctor?

The Doctor lifted his bulky helmet. "I don't think I'm going to be able to suck on girl balls with this on."

********

The surface of PR-1124984 was dark, and dusty. They had to use their suit lamps to see ahead them more than a few feet, and they were currently on the day side of the planet. The ground was made of rock and packed soil. The air was gusty with wind and sand that flew everywhere, creating an eerie sound.

The planet's gravity was only a quarter of Earth's, so they bounced a bit as they walked on the scarred planet surface. The Hudson Bay lay there, half buried in dirt. Soon they reached an airlock.

Matt Jeffries, the Chief Engineer, pressed a button, and a door opened, revealing blackness.

Doctor, we're going in there?

Of course. You sound frightened. How can a ghost be frightened?

You'd be surprised what can scare us, Doctor

Oh? Make me a list, I think that could be useful.

Emergency power was functioning on the ship and so there was dim lighting. The airlock cycled slowly. Soon the inner door opened. The first thing they saw was a body, with his chest ripped open.

Doctor Spiva leaned down. "It looks like a compression pistol, set at maximum."

They walked down the corridor, and saw more bodies. All were victims of compression weaponsfire.

I don't understand, Doctor. They did this to themselves?

Apparently. Could some of your ghoul friends have gotten here?

To another planet? I've never heard of it.

They found body after body as they got closer to the bridge. There had evidently been some kind of battle between two groups of crewmembers.

And then, on the bridge, they found a scene that made everyone gasped. There were more than a dozen crewmembers, all dead, from powered weapons fire. They had killed each other.

"This is Captain Debra Ubantu," said Captain Esteban, bending over one of the bodies. "I recognize her. What in the world happened here? Sophie?"

Sophie Astor surveyed the bridge. "There are bodies of fourteen crewmembers. From the way the bodies are arranged, I would say that nine crewmembers attacked five others. Captain Ubantu would appear to have been one of the defenders."

"Defenders against what?" said Esteban.

"Perhaps the Captain's log entries might shed some light on this," said Sophie.

"Get to it," said Esteban.

As Sophie went to a console, Matt Jeffries, the Chief Engineer of the Talent, entered the bridge. "How bad is the damage, Matt?" Esteban asked.

"Not too bad, considering the ship crashed," said Jeffries. "I think with a little work, the Hudson Bay could fly again."

"But what happened here?" Esteban asked.

Sophie turned about. "Sir, I have the Captain's log ready. Would you like me to play the last entry first?"

"Yes," said Esteban.

The image of Captain Debra Ubantu appeared on the screen. She was a black woman with wavy black hair and a pert nose and fleshy African lips. The sound of the ship's engines roaring could be heard in the background. The Captain looked worried and spoke quickly. "I've sealed off the bridge access points, but it won't hold them for long. I cannot allow them access to the bridge. If they do, they'll seize the ship. They've disabled the self-destruct; I'm going to take her up, and then spiral down as fast as I can-"

Suddenly, a voice interrupted, "Captain, they're burning through!"

Captain Ubantu whirled around and drew her compression pistol, firing it at something off-view. More shots were fired, and a crewman felt to the ground in range of the holoviewer. Than another shot hit the camera and the image went black.

"The Captain was the one who crashed her ship," said Sophie, with wonder in her voice.

"She tried to," said the Doctor, looking at the bodies. "I'm guessing that they all killed each other and the ship just crash landed on its own."

"Why would the Captain try to destroy her own ship?"

"There was a mutiny," said the Doctor.

"Survey Service crews don't mutiny," said Sophie.

"I didn't say it was the crew," said the Doctor.

"We only see the bodies of the crew here. There is no one else," said Sophie.

"Just because we don't see anyone else, doesn't mean that someone else wasn't here," said the Doctor.

"Does your training as a World Government Diversity Analyst also give you insights into crime scenes?" Sophie asked.

"Sometimes," said the Doctor. "Microaggressions, macroaggressions, they're all the same, you know." He grinned at her.

Sophie turned to the Captain. "What are your orders, sir?"

Esteban looked around the bridge. "Chief, get a damage control team over to see if we can't get this hulk flying again."

"Yes sir," said Jeffries.

Esteban to turned to Sophie Astor. "Sophie, get some of the crew together and gather all the bodies. Bury them on the surface."

"Yes sir," said Sophie. "I assume you want the Captain's Log downloaded as well."

"I'll take charge of that," said Esteban.

"You, sir?"

"Yes," said Esteban.

********

Alanna felt increasingly worried on the dark, windy walk back to the Talent. Doctor, what do you think happened there?

Isn't it obvious? Some of your ghouls took control of the crew and tried to take over the ship.

Perhaps it was aliens.

We haven't seen any sign of them.

What about the Pyramid?

That's got to be hundreds of thousands of years old. Whoever built that is hasn't been around for a long while.

Why are you so convinced that this is the work of kalaks?

Remember why we're here. We're here because Sophie had a sending. Whatever is going on here, ghouls are in the middle of it.

********

The Doctor came onto the bridge of the Talent several hours later. Captain Esteban wasn't there, but Sophie Astor was.

"Sophie, do you know where the Captain is?" the Doctor asked.

Sophie blinked carefully. "My name is Lieutenant Astor, Doctor Ren."

"But Sophie is such a beautiful name," said the Doctor.

Sophie stood up so she was face to face with him. "Lieutenant Astor is an even prettier name, Doctor, if you think about it."

"Sophie, did you just make a joke?" said the Doctor.

"Passive Observers do not make jokes, Doctor."

"Well, I think one just came pretty close. Anyway, do you know where the Captain is?"

"Yes," said Sophie.

There was a long pause.

"Sophie... sorry, I mean, Lieutenant Sophie Astor of the United Survey Service, where is the Captain, please?"

Sophie blinked again. "Captain Esteban is in his quarters."

The Doctor turned to go-

"He is not to be disturbed."

"Why?" said the Doctor. "I wanted to find out what he uncovered on the Captain's Log."

"Nothing," said Sophie.

"Nothing!" said the Doctor. "How is that possible?"

"The log was damaged."

"But we all saw it, on the bridge of the Hudson Bay!"

"We saw the last log entry, yes," said Sophie. "But Captain Esteban said the rest of the recordings were lost. It was either weapons fire or the crash which did it."

"How terribly inconvenient," said the Doctor.

"Terribly," said Sophie. It was impossible to tell from her facial expression if she was being sarcastic.

"And I suppose none of this strikes you as odd, does it?" the Doctor asked.

"Oddness is a relativistic judgment, one that Passive Observers do not engage in," said Sophie.

"More's the pity."

"But if I were to call something odd, it would be watching a Diversity Analyst for the World Government trying to conduct a military investigation," said Sophie.

"Well, everyone has their little hobbies, don't they?" said the Doctor. "I don't suppose you think someone with my background and training would have anything useful to contribute to this situation, would you?"

"No," said Sophie flatly.

The Doctor nodded. Then he leaned towards her ear. "Sophie, how many bodies did your burial detail find and remove from the Hudson Bay?"

Sophie looked at a holoscreen to her side and pressed a button to call up Lieutenant Jackson's report. "52."

"Then, would it interest you terribly to know that the Hudson Bay had a crew of 53?"

As Sophie's eyebrows shot up, the Doctor tilted the tip of his hat and gave an irritating grin.

********

Once the bodies had been identified, it was a simple matter to identify the missing crewmember. Lieutenant Walter Nicholson.

Do you think he could still be alive, Doctor? Alanna asked as the Doctor stared at the holoimage of the missing crewmember.

If he is, there's only one place we'll find him.

********

The next logical step was to go to the pyramid; scanners showed there was an entrance at the base of it.

Much to Sophie's continued irritation, Captain Esteban acceded to the Doctor's request to come along.

"Captain, what possible reason could you have to allow a Diversity Analyst to come on a potential first contact situation?" Sophie asked, thrusting out her nuclear breasts. They had worked before in getting the Captain to heed her words, until recently; why was the Captain suddenly ignoring them now?

The Captain looked down at her breasts, and smiled gently, but it was not a smile of attraction, but rather of one vaguely amused. "It could be a historic moment, Sophie. If we encounter an alien lifeform, what better representative could we bring with us than someone who represents Diversity and Social Justice?" But even as Captain Esteban spoke, there was clear cynicism in his tone, and his smile was razor sharp.

********

The Talent took off from PR-1124984... and landed again, a moment later, right next to the pyramid. As the ship settled down, for a moment it was level with the glowing blue star on top of it.

The landing team suited up and headed out to the pyramid. As they approached it, Alanna thought, Doctor, I've got a very bad feeling about this.

You're the ghost, and you're telling me you're scared?

Yes.

What's the worst that could happen, that you die? You're already dead!

I've just got a terrible feeling about this place.

This from a person whose base of operation is under a cemetery in Jerusalem. Tell me, Does the Mount of Olives fill you with happiness and joy?

I wouldn't say it's a joyous place... but it's peaceful. This place is different. I sense... power, power and great malignancy.

I do too, but the difference between us is that I sense it from inside myself.

That was unkind, Doctor.

So is it really possible to hurt a body snatcher's feelings?

Doctor, I understand your resentment being taken as a host. And believe me, this is the first time-

I don't believe you, or anything you say.

Doctor-

Hush, we're right at the entrance now.

They entered the pyramid. It appeared to be made of beige stone on the outside, but the inside had gleaming metal walls. They passed through a corridor with no doors, but they felt a difference around them suddenly, as the air grew clearer. Sophie checked her sensors. "The air is now... breathable."

"How?" said Chief Jeffries. "There was no airlock!"

"Perhaps the Monumentals, who are millions of years more advanced than us, have discovered a technology that does not require it," said Sophie. She took off her helmet, and breathed the air. "I believe my assessment was correct."

They all took off their helmets. The air smelled fresh.

"Incredible," said Dustin McCray, an engineering assistant.

The corridor lead into a large room that looked like a checkerboard, with giant black and white squares. Sophie, who happened to be in the lead, was about to step on one, when the Doctor restrained her.

"Doctor?" she asked.

"Yes," said the Doctor.

"Your hand is on me, Doctor," said Sophie.

"I noticed that too," said the Doctor.

"Please remove it," said Sophie. She moved to step forward.

"Wait!" said the Doctor, barring her way. "What do you see?"

Sophie looked at the room. "A chamber, with large white and black floor tiles. What do you see?"

"A game."

"A game?"

"A game, with uncertain penalties for losers." The Doctor took his bag of girl balls out of his pocket. He pulled one out. "A blonde. Well, I certainly won't miss that," he said. Then he tossed the girl ball onto one of the squares.

Nothing happened.

Sophie frowned, and the Doctor smiled at her. He took another girl ball, and tossed it at a distant square.

There was a flash of light, and then smoke rose from the square where the girl ball had landed. Of the girl ball, there was no sign.

"A game?" said Sophie.

"More like an alarm system," said the Doctor. "Or a lock. You can only pass if you know the pattern."

"Can you figure it out, Doctor?" Captain Esteban asked.

The Doctor tipped his hat upwards. "In time, I might." said the Doctor.

The Doctor started experimenting. He tossed a girl ball on a nearby square. Nothing happened. Then he tossed it to another square adjacent to that. The girl ball went up in flames. Sophie Astor started walking forward, but again the Doctor restrained her. "What are you doing?"

"Going forward. You have identified the safe first square to stand on."

"Have I?" said the Doctor. He tossed another girl ball on the very same first square. There was a flash of light, and smoke. The Doctor smiled as he looked into Sophie's eyes. "The pattern changes with every failure. That's twice I've saved your life now. Some people would be grateful."

Sophie stared at him wordlessly.

"Can you figure it out, Doctor?" Esteban asked again.

"Yes, but probably not before I run out of girl balls," said the Doctor. "Can you send someone back to the ship to get me a bag of objects, anything really, so I can do my tests?"

And so they waited for nearly a half hour while crewman Ramirez left on his appointed errand. While they waited, Sophie Astor came over to him.

"Thank you," she said slowly, glaring at him with hard eyes.

The Doctor looked at her.

"Thank you for saving my life."

"It was nothing," said the Doctor, giving a wide grin. "At least, the first time, it was nothing. The second time I think was somewhat more impressive. Are you sure you won't have a girl ball?" He held up his rumpled bag.

The man had just saved her life. Twice. Sophie slowly reached in and took one out as the Doctor's grin grew even wider. "That's a brunette, a light brown. They're the tastiest."

Sophie, feeling heavily pressured, slowly put the girl ball in her mouth.

"This is the part where you start sucking. Sorry, if I had the original container, I could have read you the step by step instructions on the side," said the Doctor.

Sophie started sucking uncomfortably. The Doctor smiled again.

Somehow the simple act of Sophie sucking on something the Doctor gave her, the contraction and expansion of her cheeks, the rhythmic motion of her tongue, the way he smiled as he looked into her eyes, somehow created an almost intimate connection between the two. As Sophie Astor looked into his eyes, she found herself blushing, and looking downwards.

"You see," said the Doctor, in a soft, gentle voice as he loomed closer to her. "I told you you'd have one eventually."

"Yes, you did," said Sophie quietly. As she looked into his eyes, something passed between them in that moment. She felt lesser, somehow, but in a way that also excited her.

********

Crewman Ramirez soon returned with a bag of metal blocks. "Will these do, sir? I got them from-"

"They'll be splendid!" said the Doctor. "Thank you, and have a girl ball for your efforts!" He glanced at Sophie Astor, who quickly turned away.

For the next hour, the Doctor tossed metal squares all across the checkerboard. Some vaporized and some didn't. It was slow going, because the Doctor could get halfway across the board but if he chose one wrong square, he would have to start over again. The Doctor paced back and forth, sucking furiously on a girl ball. This time he had picked the color personally, dark brunette, his favorite, and was sucking on it vigorously. Then finally he said, "Ah ha! Of course!" And then, one by one, he tossed the metal blocks across the board, one by one. None of them vaporized.

The landing party broke out in spontaneous applause. The Doctor bowed theatrically, with a huge grin on his face.

That was very impressive, Doctor!

Thank you.

"How did you figure it out?" Sophie asked.

"Well, all it took was a realization that this was merely an applied theorem of Blumenfeld's Non-Randomized Random Integer Theory. After that, the rest was easy."

"I find myself surprised that a Diversity Analyst knows so much about advanced mathematical theory," said Sophie.

"Well, you need to be able to, if you're to count all the racists and sexists, you know what!" said the Doctor.

"Sophie, I think you'll find the Doctor is full of surprises," said Captain Esteban. "Lead on, Doctor."

Sophie looked at the Doctor with a blank expression. "Yes, by all means, Doctor, lead on."

The Doctor gave a wide grin.

I don't know if she likes you very much, Doctor.

Would it concern you if she did?

The Doctor led them over the checkerboard, reminding everyone first to step in the exact same squares as he did, the ones which contained metal blocks. "If one of you strays off it, not only will you be burned to a crisp, but the pattern will reset, and the same will happen to everyone else who's on the grid." He gave them a giant grin. "So watch your step!"

The Doctor led them safely across.

The corridor led to a control room of some kind, at least a room full of holographic control panels.

"Don't touch anything," said the Doctor sternly. At some point he simply seemed to have taken charge of the expedition, and Captain Esteban hadn't objected.

The Doctor went from one control panel to the next, observing silently.

Doctor, do you have any idea what these controls do?

Not a clue.

One thing the Doctor noticed was that in addition to the control panels lining the room, there were four alcoves in the room, and each alcove had identical holographic control panels. And at the far end of the room was a door. A door with a window set into it. The Doctor started walking towards it.

Doctor, don't go there!

Why?

Just don't go!

The Doctor found himself stopped in his tracks, halfway to the door.

Sophie Astor gave him an odd look and walked past him to the door. She looked through the small window set in the door, and screamed.