Phantom Ch. 16-17

Chapter 16: Crook of Devon

It was an amazing coincidence.

When Thermopylae had told the Doctor of odd goings on in Crook of Devon, the Doctor had frowned, as the name was vaguely familiar to him. It was only later that he recalled why.

Sophie's Aunt Sara and Uncle Carl lived there.

Right after Sophie's parents had been killed, seven years ago, the Doctor had contacted them and asked if they wanted to take Sophie in. To his surprise, they refused. Carl had been the brother of Sophie's father. He was not a wicked man, but neither was he particularly empathetic or close to his brother. He said he valued "quiet" in his life and wanted to live in peace. The Doctor now remembered how he had taken Sophie to Crook of Devon to see her Uncle and his wife, and while they had been polite enough, they hadn't been especially warm to her, especially her Uncle Carl. The Doctor got the sense that Sophie's father Artur must have quarreled a lot with his brother. After that, the Doctor had told Sophie she could stay with him "temporarily" until better arrangements presented themselves. As the Doctor grew accustomed to her company and she to his, they never did.

When the Doctor checked the orbital scans, he sensed the patterns of dozens of kalaks in the village. What were so many ghouls doing there? Did they have a base there, like the Circle did under the Mount of Olives? And even more disturbing, he thought he detected traces of the Penguin's DNA there.

********

The Doctor was right. The Penguin had been there, just a week earlier.

The Penguin was intensely frustrated. Galina had recruited Kelly Gray for him. He thought he had what he needed to launch the Nova Missiles and destroy the planet Earth and everyone on it. And then he learned, much to his chagrin, that two people weren't sufficient to launch the Nova Missiles. They also needed the launch codes, which only the President of the United States had.

And so the Penguin, quite logically, realized he needed a third kalak, one to take control of the President of the United States, to make his little scheme work.

At first he thought he could do it. He would simply float into the White House, take over the President, get the launch codes, and then be on his merry way to a command bunker where he could launch the missiles. But then when he thought about it, he realized that once he released the President, he would know what had happened, and the missile codes would be changed by the time he got to one of the launch bunkers.

The Penguin was a powerful kalak but he couldn't move at the speed of light; in fact, he couldn't move much faster than a human being. In order to get somewhere quickly he needed to ride in a vehicle, like a stratoliner, in his solid Poltergeist form.

And so he realized he needed three kalaks in all, one to take control of the President, to make him release the launch codes, and two in a bunker to launch the missiles. Galina, unfortunately, was too weak to do any of these tasks, and so he and Kelly Gray came to Crook of Devon to find another recruit.

They sat in the office of Doctor Malcolm Richardson in the South Scotland Regional Medical Center.

"I'm sorry, I can't help you," said Doctor Richardson.

"How can you say that?" said the Penguin. "There are dozens of kalaks here."

"Yes, there are. And our numbers are growing daily," said Doctor Richardson. "But our goals are not your goals, Mr. Penguin."

The Penguin winced at the appellation. It made him sound like a used grav car salesman. "And why not? I've seen plenty of Fiends and Shades around here."

"There are a number of them," said Richardson carefully. "But they don't come here to destroy the world, Mr. Penguin. They come to experience it. If you blew up the world, what would they have left to experience?"

The Penguin glared at him. He knew he could kill Richardson as well as the kalak controlling him in an instant. It would be no effort. But there was no sense to it. Kelly had already propositioned a few of the Fiends they had come across. None seemed interested. They had their own new lives to attend to.

And so the Penguin had glared at Richardson and vanished.

********

The Doctor and Sophie stepped out of a rented grav car in Crook on Avon.

The awkwardness the Doctor felt with Sophie when she confessed her attraction to him in the Dome seemed to have abated. This morning when they had left their hotel rooms Sophie was all smiles and in a very good mood. She even got another sending, on the way to Crook of Devon. Sophie got a glazed look in her eyes, and rapidly opened the virtual keyboard on her Pad, and found herself typing the letters SHOSH.

It didn't take long for the Doctor to figure out what it meant. The first two sendings had been OTIS and CLEAVE, a clear reference to Otis Cleaver, who had died and become the Poltergeist known as the Penguin. Once he knew that, figuring out what SHOSH referred to was easy. Shoshanna Gronstein was the Penguin's short lived wife, and one of his first victims, strangled to death when he found her in bed with another man.

"These sendings are following a clear pattern," said the Doctor. "They're telling us about the Penguin. But how does this help us to know that the Penguin killed his wife, a fact we already knew? Alanna, do you have any thoughts?"

It irritated Sophie that the Doctor was calling on her advice more and more. He also called her Alanna now, and stopped referring to her as a ghoul. She frowned and turned away.

"No more than you, Doctor," said Alanna, speaking through him. "I suspect Sophie is receiving sendings from another kalak, but what the kalak's intentions are or what these messages mean I cannot guess."

The Doctor ran a hand through his curly mop of hair and took a rumpled bag out of his pocket. "Well, maybe we'll figure it out in time. Do you know what we need more of? Girl balls."

********

Crook of Devon had a small downtown shopping strip, about two and a half blocks long. It was just as the Doctor had remembered it from seven years ago. He wondered if it would upset Sophie to come back here, seeing as the last time they had visited was right after her parents had died. "Sophie, are you doing all right?"

Sophie shrugged. "Yeah," as it if didn't matter to her.

The Doctor gave her a critical look. She looked back at him with guileless eyes. She felt more relaxed than she had ever been in her life. Her clitoris, her vagina, all were happily... decompressed. The Master had seen to that.

Sophie now realized that she needed pain to experience sexual pleasure. She still wanted the Doctor to make love to her, but she realized it was more complicated now. She wasn't worried, however; the Master had promised to help her with that.

The Doctor entered a restaurant/bar called the Barleycorn Tavern. The tavern was filled with a dozen customers, some sitting at tables, some at bars. The minute he and Sophie entered, the chatter fell silent. Thirteen sets of eyes, including the bartender, stared at them. Then, one by one, they started talking once again, like a music player that had been put on pause which had then been restarted.

The Doctor and Sophie went over to the bar. "Hello there," he said to the bartender, a large endomorph.

"Hello, what'll it be?" the bartender asked.

"I'll have a Justice Cola," said the Doctor.

"I'll have the same, but make mine gender-free," said Sophie.

The Doctor glanced at her but said nothing. "Why do you keep giving me those looks, Doctor?" she asked, shifting uncomfortably on her stool.

"What looks?" the Doctor asked. He looked around the bar and listened, sipping his Justice Cola. It tasted flat, but it filled him full of righteousness.

Two people were seated several seats down from him. "I'm a plumber," said one of them. "I go to people's homes and fix their water pipes."

"Do you know how to do that?" said the other man.

"I've been learning," said the first man.

The Doctor thought that was odd, as the first man was in his 40's; had he just become a plumber recently?

"What do you do?" the first man, the plumber, asked the second.

"I am a teacher," said the second man. "It is a very easy position, I just read from the lesson planner."

"It does sound easy," said the first man.

"It is," said the second man, "But there is also an emotional component. I am supposed to express concern for my students. I have been practicing that. I have been told I have been getting more and more convincing-" his voice broke off as he saw the Doctor listening in. The Doctor smiled at the man, but he fell silent.

The Doctor waved for the bartender, who came over slowly. "Yes."

"We're visitors here," said the Doctor. "Can you tell us the best tourist attractions in Crook of Devon?"

The bartender blinked once, twice, thrice. Then he said, "I don't know about that."

"Have there been any odd happenings in town lately?" said the Doctor.

"Odd happenings?" the bartender asked.

"Unexplained sightings, missing people... even ghost stories?" the Doctor asked.

Now everyone at the bar was staring at the Doctor.

"I think you'd better go," said the bartender.

"Wait," said the man who claimed to be a plumber. "Perhaps he's part of the test. Are you?"

"Am I?" said the Doctor, in a deep voice. He eyed the tavern goers still staring at him.

"I think you'd better go, sir," the bartender said again.

Sophie put her hand on the Doctor, her eyes wide with fear. "Doctor," she said.

The Doctor nodded. "Thanks for the drink," he said loudly, getting up. "Come on, Sophie."

They made their way back onto the street.

"What do you think, Alanna?" he asked.

Sophie bit her lip.

"I don't know, Doctor. They were certainly acting odd," she said, using his own voice.

"Could they have had ghosts in them?" the Doctor asked.

"Possibly," said Alanna. "But...."

"But what?"

"Why would kalaks take over every person in one tavern? And why would kalaks act ignorant of their host bodies professions?"

"Explain," said the Doctor, as they walked. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see curious stares, and a few people seemingly following them.

"Well, when a kalak takes over a body, he or she gains access to the memories of their mind. If someone takes over a plumber's body, they don't need to ask how to be a plumber. They just know."

"So you know everything I do?" the Doctor asked.

"Not exactly. I would have to probe your mind, and out of respect for you, I don't. All I know is what you're actively thinking at a given moment," said Alanna.

The Doctor found himself gaining grudging respect for her. She at least had some code of ethics, which was more than he could say for most ghouls.

"Doctor, are we going to visit Uncle Carl and Aunt Sara?" Sophie asked. She had mixed feelings about them; they hadn't been very nice to her, but they were just about the only family she had, except for some second cousins of her father's.

"In time," said the Doctor.

Sophie looked behind her. "Doctor, I think we're being followed."

"Yes, I know," said the Doctor, stopping abruptly. "Oh, look, a bootery!" He stood at a window.

"Doctor, do we really have time for boots?" Sophie asked, eyeing the people following them.

"My dear, there is always time for boots," said the Doctor. He stepped into the boot store, and Sophie followed.

"Hello," said a middle aged blonde woman. "How can I help you?"

"Do you carry boots like these," said the Doctor, showing his own, "Only in dark red?"

"What size?" the woman asked, looking at his boots.

"Can't you tell by looking?" the Doctor asked, raising a boot.

"Eight?" she guessed.

"Twelve and a half, my good lady," said the Doctor.

The proprietress went scurrying off into the back while the Doctor sat down in a chair.

Sophie whispered, "Doctor, there are people staring at us."

Sure enough, there was a small crowd, staring at them from the outside of the shop window.

"Oh, don't worry about them. They've probably never seen a good boot fitting before."

The shopkeeper came back with a set of red boots. As the Doctor struggled to remove his own and try on the new ones, he made conversation with her.

"Have you heard any good ghost stories?" the Doctor asked.

The blonde woman said, "No. How are the boots?"

The Doctor got up and walked around. "Not bad. Good for rainy weather, don't you think?"

The blonde woman nodded.

"Does it rain a lot here?" the Doctor asked.

"Not much," said the woman. "Would you like to buy the boots?"

The Doctor stared intently at her for a moment. "Yes. Please put them in a box and a bag."

The Doctor paid for them, and they walked out. The people who had been watching at the storefront were gone.

"Most interesting," said the Doctor.

"What is?" Sophie asked.

"A woman who lives in Scotland seems unaware that it rains a lot. Just like the plumber who didn't know how to do his job, and the teacher who was trying to learn empathy. Hmm." He looked to his left. He saw a local World Government Welfare Bureau, and went inside.

The Doctor opened his Pad and presented his credentials. The hammer and sickle of the World Government shone below the image of his face, as well as his credentials indicating he was a top level Diversity Inspector. Very shortly he and Sophie were sitting in the office of the Office Director Duncan Babangida-McCloud, a Scottish man with a square jaw. "How may I assist you?" he said smoothly.

The Doctor made a series of inquiries, about the plight of women, blacks, Hispanics, ass loving men, and lesbians in the community. Duncan Babangida-McCloud seemed well informed and provided the Doctor with informative answers. When they were done, the Doctor thanked him and left.

"Curiouser and curiouser," said the Doctor, as they walked out of the building.

"What is?" Sophie asked.

"Mister Babangida assured us that blacks, Hispanics, and lesbians were doing quite well in Crook of Devon," said the Doctor, as they casually walked back to their grav car.

"So?" said Sophie.

"It's just that I happen to know for a fact that Crook of Devon has no blacks, Hispanics, or lesbians," said the Doctor. "This tiny town in Scotland has a shameful lack of diversity--can you imagine that?"

********

Sophie had suggested that they call ahead to Uncle Carl and Aunt Sara to let them know they were coming, but the Doctor would have none of it. "Nonsense!" he said. "They are your loving Aunt and Uncle. They will be delighted to see you suddenly appear on their doorstep."

It certainly didn't appear that way. When they arrived and knocked on the front door, Uncle Carl opened the door, staring at them blankly. "Yes?"

"Uncle Carl?" said Sophie. "It's me, Sophie."

"Sophie," said Uncle Carl, looking confused.

"Your niece," said Sophie.

"Oh. Yes," said Carl. He turned to the Doctor. "And who are you?"

The Doctor remembered Carl well, even though it had been seven years since he had seen him. "I'm your cousin Fred."

"What brings you here, Cousin Fred?"

"We're just dropping by. We'd like to say hello," said the Doctor. "May we come in?"

*********

They sat uncomfortably in the living room. Carl introduced them to his wife Sara as his niece Sophie and his Cousin Ben. Sara accepted it blankly.

They chatted amiably for a while as Sophie tried to hide her increasing nervousness. It was obvious that something had happened to her uncle and his wife. They should have remembered her, and they certainly should have known that the Doctor wasn't their cousin.

But there they were, chatting stiffly if a bit woodenly with the Doctor. The Doctor even switched seats to sit on the sofa next to Sara, plopping down right next to her with his hand in his pocket. "Oh, excuse me," he grinned as he briefly brushed against her.

They talked amicably for a while, until the Doctor abruptly asked, "What can you tell us about ghosts?"

Carl and Sara's eyebrows went up.

"It's all right," said the Doctor. "It's all part of the test."

"We were told not to talk about it," said Carl. "That was the first rule we were taught after we had the procedure."

"Yes, quite right," said the Doctor. "Any ill effects since you underwent the procedure?"

Carl and Sara looked at each other. "Is this another test?"

"Yes, another test," said the Doctor.

"Four months and two days ago I had elective surgery to fix a hip problem," said Carl. "There were no complications."

"Three months and eight days ago Carl persuaded me to get nuclear breast implants," said Sara. "There were no complications."

Sophie couldn't believe her ears. Her uncle's 60ish year old wife got nuclear implants? Why?

"Where did you get the procedure done?" the Doctor asked.

"At the South Scotland Regional Medical Center," said Sara.

"The both of you?"

"Yes," said Sara.

"Are you... are you with the authority?" Carl asked.

"Yes, yes I am," said the Doctor.

Carl glanced at Sara. "Can you tell them that... that we are grateful for these bodies, but we really would like to switch them for younger ones?"

"Once we passed the test, we should prove trustworthy enough to earn younger ones," Sara explained.

"Well of course. That seems only right," said the Doctor. "Actually, we were just on our way to see them now. Come alone, Sophie!"

Sophie felt a shiver down her spine as she hugged her uncle, but tried hard not to show it.

When they got outside, Sophie asked, "Doctor, are they-"

The Doctor held up his hand scanner. The indicator flashed red. "You bet they are."

*********

The waiting room was nearly full at the South Scotland Regional Medical Center, just two miles east of Crook of Devon. The Doctor announced himself and he and Sophie sat down next to a man who seemed to be arguing with his wife.

"But Alice, you'll look so good," he said.

"Harry, I'm just not sure I'm ready for nuclear implants," she said, cupping her breasts. "Aren't they big enough for you?"

"They're beautiful, dear," said Harry, fondling her breasts reassuringly. "But don't you want them firmer?"

"I know you do," said Alice. "That's all you've been talking about since you got that knee operation here."

"The surgeons are the best," said Harry. "And compared to what I went through, it's a simple outpatient procedure! You'll be in and out in an hour, I promise."

Two orderlies in white appeared on either side of Alice. "Are you ready, Mrs. McCallister?"

Alice looked uncertainly up at them.

"She is," said Harry.

Alice let the orderlies guide her by the arm, and they took her into one of the procedure rooms.

"What was that all about, Doctor?" Sophie whispered.

"I have a nasty suspicion," said the Doctor.

"Doctor Ren?" The Doctor turned his head abruptly, and saw the heterosexual male nurse who had called out his name. "The Director will see you now."

The Doctor and Sophie got up.

"Just you, Doctor," said the male nurse, who was married to a woman.

"I'll wait here," said Sophie.

The Doctor nodded, and followed the male nurse inside.

*********

A few moments after the Doctor was led away, two other orderlies dressed in white flanked Sophie on either side. "Are you ready for your labial enlargement, Ma'am?"

"There's been some mistake," said Sophie, looking from one to the other. "I'm not here to get my-"

Her voice was cut off as a hypo hissed into her arm. Sophie slumped down, unconscious, as she was carried away.

********

Doctor Malcolm Richardson eyed his guest warily as he reviewed his credentials. "It says here you're a Diversity Analyst for the World Government."

"Yes," said the Doctor "But I am also with the testing authority."

"The testing authority," Doctor Richardson repeated.

"Yes," said the Doctor, raising his new dark red boots to rest on another chair. He had changed into them and found them quite comfortable. "I'm here for a status report."

"Everything is going as planned," said Doctor Richardson.

"Is it? I've been doing some testing in the village, and some of the subjects don't seem up to par."

"They just need more time to acclimate and learn their roles," said Richardson. "It's supposed to be a gradual, two month process. Of course if you interrogate kalaks who have only been implanted in the past week or two, they're still going to be new to the role."

"I suppose so," said the Doctor grudgingly.

"If you want to know about our success, just look at our numbers. We have had sixty inductees in the last month alone. The more people we have, the more volunteers we get, as husbands bring wives, fathers bring sons, and so on. Actually, our limiting factor right now are kalaks, and not hosts."

"Really," said the Doctor.

"Really," said Richardson. "If you could spread the word far and wide, it would be appreciated. Right now our service is primarily intended for Lemures and Shades, but because of the lack of demand we have also been seating Fiends, which is hardly necessary."

The Doctor shrugged. "There's nothing wrong with helping Fiends, is there?"

"Of course not. But they don't really need the help, do they?" said Richardson. "Can you get me a hundred more Lemurs and Shades, by this time next week?"

"I'll do my best," said the Doctor, getting up slowly. Richardson extended his hand, and the Doctor shook it, but then Richardson grabbed his hand and stared at the Doctor intently, for just a moment too long, before releasing it.

The Doctor gave him an odd look.

"Come," said Richardson, acting like nothing had happened. "I'll walk you out."

*********

When the Doctor got out to the waiting room, the first thing he saw was the couple he had seen arguing in the waiting room Alice and Harry. Harry was helping Alice out of the procedure room.

"She'll be a little groggy for a while until she figures everything out," said the orderly.

"I understand," said Harry. "Alice, are you all right?"

Alice stood up straight and looked around. "I am fine. We are married?"

"Yes, I am your husband, Harry. I will take you home and explain."

"That is satisfactory," said Alice coldly. She let herself be led out.

A chill went down the Doctor's spine. It only intensified when he looked around and couldn't find Sophie. "Sophie? Sophie?" he cried.

"Are you looking for your little friend?" said Doctor Richardson. "She's in processing now."

"What?" said the Doctor. "Why?"

"Didn't you bring her here to be used as host? She's a stunning specimen, I figured-"

"You figured wrong!" the Doctor shouted. "Take me to her NOW!"

********

Sophie was lying on an operating table. Her eyes were closed. She looked so beautiful, even in sleep, just lying there.

"Heart rate down to 40," said a medical technician.

"Bring her down to 20," said the supervising surgeon.

The medical technician increased the strength of the lethe field. "Heart down to 20 now."

"Good," said the surgeon. "Now bring her down to zero, then prepare for implantation-"

"STOP!" the Doctor shouted, as he ran into the operating theater, with Doctor Richardson and two orderlies close behind.

The surgeon looked up. "We're almost done here."

"Stop this immediately," said the Doctor. "Is she dead?"

"Not yet," said the surgeon.

"Bring her out of it," the Doctor snapped.

"Sir?" said the surgeon, looking at Doctor Richardson.

Richardson nodded.

"Don't look at him, do it!" the Doctor yelled.

The surgeon nodded to the medical technician, who slowly decreased the lethe field.

"What's taking so long?" the Doctor snapped.

"If the lethe field is terminated too quickly, your young friend may suffer permanent harm. She's a wonderful specimen, Doctor, we have to be careful not to injure her," said Richardson. "What do you use her for?"

"Many things," said the Doctor darkly.

The Doctor looked at Sophie, lying there with her eyes closed. She looked so beautiful. His heart was filled with anxiety and concern for her, but also something else. As he looked at her face, her plush lips, her full breasts, her mature hips and thighs, he suddenly realized she was a child no more. She was a woman, with a woman's needs-

Doctor, look!

Sophie's eyelids fluttered, then opened. She looked around groggily, and slowly sat up, as the Doctor rushed to hold her.

"Sophie, are you all right?"

She looked up at him, obviously confused. "Master?"

Master?

She blinked several times. "Doctor... what am I doing here?"

"I'll explain everything on the way out."

********

"Yes, Doctor, I'm fine," Sophie insisted, for what felt like the 20th time. The Doctor had insisted on giving her an impromptu examination back in his hotel room, examining her eyes and heart and pulse and eyes before he was satisfied. "What were they going to do to me?"

"I think they were going to make you host to a ghoul," said the Doctor.

"A ghoul?" Sophie shivered. "Why would they do that?"

"I don't know," said the Doctor. "But that entire hospital seems set up to turn people into ghoul carriers. That's what happened to the good people of Crook of Devon."

"So Uncle Carl and Sara-"

"Have ghouls in them, yes," said the Doctor.

Sophie looked pained. The Doctor had suspected this earlier, but to hear it confirmed was a blow.

"But what I can't understand is why," said the Doctor. "Ghouls can simply take people over. Why do they have to go to the hospital to do it? Alanna, any thoughts?"

"I... I don't know, Doctor. I've never heard of Shades or Lemures acting in an organized fashion like this," said Alanna, using his voice. "What do you intend to do?"

The Doctor took a deep breath. "I could purify the area with the Ghoul Hammer." The Ghoul Hammer was the nickname for one of the Doctor's orbiting satellites which could shoot devastating psychic energy which could vaporize kalaks.

"Would the people they are inhabiting be harmed?" Alanna asked.

"Probably not," said the Doctor. "But there's just one problem."

"What is it?" Alanna asked.

"We came here to help fill in the profile of the Penguin's psychic DNA. My most recent satellite trace linked it to the Medical Center, a specific room on the third floor. But if I fire the Ghoul Hammer, that information will be wiped out."

"So... we have to go back?" said the Doctor.

"We have to go back," the Doctor confirmed.

*********

The Doctor had debated with himself whether to bring Sophie along. Clearly it would be a dangerous mission. And yet... he felt reluctant to leave her behind. Jack the Poltergeist was still on the loose, and he had threatened to harm her. And so Sophie went with him.

This time they were dressed as medical staff. The Doctor was dressed as a heterosexual male nurse, and Sophie as a medical technician. They made their way to the third floor where the Doctor's sensors detected that the Penguin had been.

They found themselves in an observation chamber above an operating theater.

"Is this the place?" Sophie asked.

The Doctor took out his hand scanner, and nodded. He picked up traces of the Penguin's psychic DNA. He had been here sometime in the past few days. The Doctor was about to comment on his findings with Sophie hissed, "Doctor, look!"

The Doctor turned around, and looked down into the operating theater on the level below them.

A blonde woman with large breasts in her early 20's was on the operating table, her eyes closed.

"She's down to 20," said a medical technician.

"Good," said the supervising surgeon. "Take her down to zero. Obama, bring in the Shade."

Another medical technician opened a cabinet and rolled out a glass canister. Inside it was a glowing shadowy being with red eyes.

Doctor, that's a Shade!

"She's down to zero. Flatlining," said the medical technician.

"Good," said the surgeon. "Give it a sixty count and then prepare for implantation."

"Doctor, we've got to help her!" said Sophie.

The Doctor agreed, and reached into his black coat for his IIR, just as Sophie reached for hers. But at that moment, Doctor Richardson came into the observation theater, flanked by six orderlies who all had compression pistols, pointed at them.

"You won't be interfering this time, Doctor," said Richardson. He gestured to his men. "Disarm them."

Grim faced heterosexual male nurses took the Doctor and Sophie's IIR's.

"Look, Doctor!" Sophie cried, pointing to the operating theater.

"Yes, Doctor, look," Richardson snickered.

The Doctor looked down.

"She's ready," said the medical technician.

The Shade floated through the glass canister towards the dead woman. In seconds, it was inside her.

"I think you're really going to enjoy this part, Doctor," said Doctor Richardson.

Suddenly the woman gasped, and drew breathe. She sat up, her face blank.

"Do you know where you are?" the surgeon asked.

The woman nodded.

"Good. Take her to orientation."

The Doctor turned to Richardson. "You killed that poor woman. Why?"

"She will make an excellent host, Doctor," said Richardson.

"But you don't need to kill people to take them as hosts," said the Doctor.

"That's not entirely correct," said Richardson. "The strongest among us, Fiends and Poltergeists, can take hosts at will. But strong willed hosts struggle against Shades. And Lemures often cannot control, only influence. But dead hosts, on the other hand... dead hosts, Doctor, do not struggle at all."

"Dead hosts?" said the Doctor.

Oh my God, Alanna thought, as she suddenly understood.

"Yes, Doctor. We end their lives, efficiently, painlessly. When a person dies, a kalak can sometimes revive them right at the point of death. What we have found is that if a kalak tries to revive a kalak sometime after the point of death, it is possible to animate the body, even after the mind is gone. It is an admittedly tricky procedure--wait too long, and the body cannot be revived at all; revive too soon, and the patient survives with their mind intact."

"These people... are zombies?" said the Doctor.

"Not at all. They simply have no personalities. Their minds are empty. Don't you see? There is nothing for our Lemures and Shades to fight. They have total control of their bodies."

"The bodies of the dead," said the Doctor, his voice hardening. "That's why no one really knew who they were in Crook of Devon."

"Precisely, Doctor. Crook of Devon is our training facility, where our kalaks learn to convincingly assume the lives of their hosts. That's the only downside of the procedure, that our kalaks don't have access to their hosts' memories."

"The only downside," said the Doctor wryly. "I'm sure I could think of others."

"I'm sure you could," said Doctor Richardson. "But soon you will be thinking surprisingly little, Doctor. I wish I knew your real identity when we first met, Doctor. But I only recently received special information about you."

"From whom?"

"Let's just say a mutual friend," said Richardson. "I was told to dispose of you, but in a most unusual way. You, Doctor, will be killed, and made host to a kalak. Then you will strangle your young friend Sophie, who in turn will also be taken by a kalak after she dies."

"No!" the Doctor cried, as Sophie looked horrified.

"You have no choice, I'm afraid," said Richardson. "Take them!"

At that moment Alanna came flying out of the Doctor's body, and tangled with the kalak inside of Richardson. But then two of the orderlies dropped to the ground as their kalaks surged out of their bodies, and they attacked Alanna, and then so did two more a few seconds later.

With compression pistols still trained on them by the two remaining orderlies, the Doctor and Sophie were powerless to resist as five kalaks swarmed over Alanna. She yelled out and sped into the ceiling.

"After her!" Richardson cried after he fully reentered his body. He turned back to the Doctor, even as he readjusted his tie. "Forgive the interruption, Doctor. She will be dealt with, believe me. And now... I believe there is a small surgical procedure that requires your participation. What would you like, Doctor, a belly tuck? A penis enlargement? The young woman here might appreciate that," he grinned.

The Doctor wanted to rip his throat out. Instead he took a girl ball out of his pocket. He held the yellow ball up. "Just my luck. Another blonde."

********

They used Sophie as a hostage to compel the Doctor's cooperation. "If the Doctor fails to move when I tell him to, kill her instantly," said Richardson, his eyes shining.

And so the Doctor let himself be led to the operating theater, trailed by two guards, followed by Sophie, who was also trailed by two more guards. Sophie was sobbing wildly.

"Doctor! Don't let them do this!" she cried.

"Try to stay calm, Sophie," said the Doctor, looking at her intently. "Everything's going to be all right."

"That's right Sophie, everything's going to be all right," said Richardson mockingly. "I can't wait to see the look in your eyes when your beloved Doctor is controlled by a Shade or a Lemure, and then strangles the life out of you."

As Sophie choked back a sob, the Doctor turned on Richardson and said, "You do have the most bizarre hobbies, you know."

"On the table, Doctor," said Richardson, gesturing with his compression pistol. "It's time for your little procedure," he grinned.

"Do we have time for a girl ball first?" The Doctor asked.

"No, Doctor, I'm afraid we don't." He waved the gun. "Get on the table now, Doctor, or the girl dies."

"Doctor, don't!" Sophie cried.

"It's all right, Sophie. Everything's going to be all right," said the Doctor, as he sat down on the operating table.

"No it's not! They're going to kill you!" Sophie cried, with raw fear in her voice. She watched in terror as the Doctor slowly lay down on his back.

"Do you mind if I keep my coat on?" the Doctor asked.

"Not at all, Doctor," said Richardson. "It will not affect things in the slightest." He turned to the technician. "You may begin."

"Doctor, Doctor!" Sophie yelled, over the building hum of machinery. "Doctor, I love you!"

"I love you too, Sophie!" said the Doctor.

"No, Doctor, I love you as a woman!" Sophie yelled, as an orderly grabbed her. "As your lover!"

The Doctor blinked his eyes rapidly in astonishment. His hair started to curl as the lethe field started to build. A large ray gun device above the Doctor pointed down at his chest and started to throb with power.

"Lethe field building to 50%," said the technician.

"No, Doctor, please, I love you!" Sophie cried. She tried to escape, but the orderly held her fast.

"Lethe field...." The technician blinked. He was feeling sleepy for some reason. "Building to 50%... but heart and pulse not diminishing significantly."

Richardson blinked. "Increase the intensity."

"Increasing to... 75%" said the technician. The ray gun device above the Doctor's chest pulsated more strongly. Suddenly, the technician started to feel even more sleepy. Without realizing it, he dropped to the floor. So did the other technicians, one by one, even the ones guarding Sophie. Sophie barely began to realize what was happening before she too lost consciousness.

And then the Doctor slid off the operating table and grabbed his Infinite Infinity Repeater from one of the fallen orderlies, just as kalaks started to emerge from bodies left and right. They were all around him. The Doctor felt like he was back in the shooting gallery in the Dome. He spun about and rapidly shot one kalak after another.

Blast, blast, blast, blast blast.

There were too many of them. One of them surged into his body, instantly paralyzing him. But at that moment Alanna appeared out of nowhere. The two remaining kalaks floating around, a Lemure and a Shade, engaged her.

Alanna ripped the Lemure apart with her hands. It screamed and dissolved. Then she engaged in a furious battle with the Shade. Shades were powerful, but not nearly as powerful as Phantoms. Alana vigorously moved in a rapidly tightening circle, like a drill, and systematically squeezed the psychic energy out of the Shade, as if it were a wet towel. Within seconds, it cried out and vanished.

And then she turned to the Doctor, preparing to do battle to save him.

But when she looked, she saw the most astonishing sight.

The Doctor was pulling at his left arm with his right hand, but what he was pulling was a kalak, another Shade by the look of it, out of his body. When it was entirely free of him the Doctor grabbed it by both hands and ripped it apart, an act that, as far as Alanna knew, was impossible for a flesh and blood to do. Kalaks could go into bodies, but bodies could not manipulate or interact with psychic energy. What she just saw should have been impossible.

The Doctor stood erect, aiming his weapon and glaring at Alanna for a moment as if she were another foe. But then he recognized her, and actually smiled! "Are you all right?"

"Are you all right?" Alanna countered, floating in the air. "How did you do that?"

"I... I don't know," said the Doctor.

"And how did you survive the Lethe Field?"

"Oh, well that's simple enough," said the Doctor, reaching forward to deactivate it. "Do you remember my rather extensive coat collection that you so rudely characterized as superfluous?"

"Yes," said Alanna.

"Well, when I knew we were coming to the northern wilds of Scotland, I wore my heaviest coat," said the Doctor, opening it with a twirl. "The one with the Kralonite lining."

"Kralonite," said Alanna.

"As lightweight as aluminum, but as durable as lead. When those Lethe Field beams hit the coat, they simply scattered around the room. I caught a bit of it, but most of it affected everyone else," said the Doctor. He went over to Sophie, who was groggy. "Sophie? Come on, wake up, Sophie."

"Doctor?" Her eyelids fluttered, and he slowly came into focus. "What... what happened, Doctor?" She sat up and looked around, and saw the fallen bodies.

"Really, Sophie. This is your second time falling asleep today! You really need to get a good night's rest tonight!" the Doctor chided her.

"What's happened to them?" Sophie asked. The medical staff on the floor were not moving.

The Doctor knelt down to feel for pulses, but he knew what he would find. "They're dead, I'm afraid."

"Did you kill them?"

"No," said the Doctor. "They were dead long before we got here. Killed, probably in this very room. They were taken over by ghouls who reanimated their body "

Sophie shivered, and the Doctor hugged her protectively. "Can we get out of here?" she asked, looking up at him with vulnerability in her eyes.

"Most assuredly," said the Doctor. And then he watched as Alanna flew towards him. He closed his eyes but didn't resist as Alanna flowed into him.

********

Pursuit was inevitable. They were seen fleeing from the hospital. As they drove off, two and then a third grav cars were in pursuit. To Sophie's great surprise, the Doctor switched seats with her and had her drive.

"What are you doing?" she watched, as he manipulated his Pad.

"They'll do anything to stop us from getting out word of what's happening here," said the Doctor. "I'm establishing a live link with the Ghoul Hammer. I'm programming it to send a burst which will devastate the entire town."

"What will happen to the people of Crook of Devon?"

"They're already dead, Sophie," said the Doctor sadly.

"Including Uncle Carl and Sara?"

"Including them, I'm afraid."

Sophie bit her lip. "He was never very nice to me."

"I'm sorry, Sophie," said the Doctor. "Keep driving south."

Suddenly, there was a hiss of a compression burst behind them.

"Doctor, the other cars are catching up to us!" said Sophie.

"The satellite is ready to fire," said the Doctor.

"Do it!" said Sophie.

"No," said the Doctor. "If we do it while we're still in city limits, Alanna will die."

You care for me, Doctor?

Please be quiet, I'm trying to concentrate.

Another compression blast shattered the rear window, and Sophie screamed.

"Keep driving!" the Doctor yelled. "There, ahead of us, see that bridge? That's the city limit! When we get halfway across, hit the brakes, get out of the car, and run!"

"What?" said Sophie.

"Just do it!" the Doctor snapped.

Sophie gunned the engine and vroomed onto the bridge, which apparently forded some kind of narrow creek. When she got halfway across she slammed on the breaks, and the grav car skidded to a halt while rotating nearly 90 degrees counterclockwise. Then Sophie was out of the car and running. So was the Doctor.

As they ran for the far side of the bridge they could hear the sounds of car doors slamming behind them, as their pursuers also got out on foot.

"Doctor, what are you going to-"

Suddenly, their grav car exploded, sending a fireball into the air.

The Doctor, who was on bent knee with his Infinite Infinity Repeater in his hand, stood up with a satisfied look on his face. Some of their pursuers had been blown up, but others were behind them, and looked to be trying to return to the other side of the bridge, perhaps to cross the creek on foot.

"Engage," the Doctor said into his Pad.

A brilliant beam of light came out of the heavens and started carving up the terrain. There was no visible effect on any land it touched, but the Doctor knew that any kalak under its deadly rays would evaporate instantly.

Doctor, we're just a few dozen feet away from the town's border, are you sure-

A beam of light washed over the other side of the bridge, vaporizing the rest of their pursuers. Then the beam moved farther inland.

The Doctor spoke aloud. "When I program one of my satellites to hit a place, it will only hit that place."

********

The Doctor was in a hotel room in Edinburgh. Sophie was next door.

The Doctor groaned as he lay on his right side in bed. He felt exhausted.

Would you like a massage, Doctor?

"No, I'm too tired. I feel like I could drop off immediately."

Don't be in such a hurry to sleep, Doctor. I want an answer to some questions.

"And what questions would that be?" the Doctor asked, propping his head up on a pillow.

Why didn't you activate the beam while we were still in Crook of Devon? You could have been rid of me once and for all.

"Yes, that would have been an added benefit. A pity I didn't think of that."

No, Doctor, I'm not letting you off the hook that easily. You specifically said you were worried for my safety.

"Well, after all, I guess you could still prove useful in our battle against the-"

I'm starting to develop feelings for you, Doctor.

"What?" The Doctor looked startled.

There, she had said it. She had kept it bottled up for too long and couldn't hold it in. She knew now that she could never let the Doctor die, despite the Circle's orders.

You heard me.

The Doctor felt the illusion of a kiss on his lips.

"Oh," he said. "I'm... I'm afraid I can't kiss you back."

Alanna was excited beyond belief. This was the very first time the Doctor had ever- You want to kiss me, Doctor?

"Well, just as a sign of mutual respect, you know."

Is that all it is, Doctor?

She kissed him again, and relished the expression on his face as he relaxed into it.

"Well you know, anything more between us simply isn't practical," said the Doctor.

Of course, Doctor.

Suddenly the Doctor felt warmth against his chest and belly and legs, the illusion of a body pressed against him. It felt so real that he had to look down to make sure that someone wasn't there. Even the illusion of another body felt good against him. So good, in fact-

The Doctor reddened as his large circumsized Jewish penis started to stiffen inside his pants. "Sorry," he mumbled.

It's all right, dear Doctor. Sweet dreams.

Chapter 17: The End of the World, Part 3

Tom Stoyer had been a fabulously wealthy man who wanted the secret of eternal life. And he had gotten it, but not in the way he expected, having been beaten to death in such a gruesome way that he returned to life as a-

The Penguin didn't actually care about the details. The important point was, he had gotten his third kalak!

And so now, he could finally destroy the world.

Three kalaks was all that would be needed. Two to launch the missiles. One to take control of the President to get him to release the launch codes. The Penguin decided, after much ambivalence, that he would be the one to take control of the President while Kelly Gray and Tom Stoyer would be the ones in the Nova Missile Control Bunker. As much as the Penguin wanted to actually be there to press the button, he sensed that the situation in the White House would probably be complicated enough to require his attention.

And so he took control of Joe Bolden, the President of the United States.

Being President of the United States didn't mean as much as it used to, now that that United States had joined the World Government. The World Government had gradually taken control over the budgetary, tax, and regulatory system of the United States. The only thing left was the military, and it probably wasn't long before the World Government absorbed that as well.

But at the moment, the President of the United States still had 173 Nova Missiles at his command, enough to destroy the world ten times over.

But President Joe Bolden wasn't thinking of Nova Missiles as he sat at his desk. He had received new edicts from the World Government. He was instructed to raise taxes 20% to fight Temperature Change. Another 20%? The people would never stand for it-

And then his body stiffened as the Penguin took control of it.

"Thank you, Mr. President," said the Penguin. It was barely a struggle. The Penguin, as a Poltergeist, was the most powerful form of malign kalak in existence. The Penguin started probing the President's mind, figuring out what was needed to launch the... ah, yes, there it was.

The Penguin pressed the comm button on his desk. "Call in Colonel McCafferty, please."

Colonel Barry McCafferty was the holder of the command codes to launch the Nova Missiles. In moments, Colonel McCafferty entered his office, accompanied by two junior officers. The Penguin frowned. He didn't particularly want an audience. Not that it really mattered.

He got to the point. "Hand over the launch codes, Colonel."

"What, sir?"

"You heard me," said the Penguin, gesturing with his hand. "Gimme gimmie gimmie."

The Colonel, and the two men behind him, looked astonished. "Why do you want the launch code for the Nova Missiles, sir?"

"I'm your President. I don't have to answer your questions," the Penguin asked. "Now give me those codes before I have you shot."

Colonel McCafferty paused, then shook his head.

The Penguin turned to the two lower ranking officers. "Arrest this man!"

It went downhill from there.

********

It was in all the holonews. The President of the United States had gone mad and tried to launch the Nova Missiles. He had been relieved of duties under the 25th Amendment, making Vice President Alyssa Schwartz-Babanginda acting President, joyously making history as the first half black, half Jewish and quarter lesbian-

The Doctor stopped listening. He had heard enough.

He almost succeeded.

Yes.

He will try again.

Probably.

I've been in communication with the Circle. They will have a constant watch on acting President Schwartz-Babanginda.

You told me you were the only Phantom left. You told me the others were of lesser powers. Do you really think they have the ability to stop the Penguin?

It's less likely.

What is your conclusion then?

That the Penguin is only one kalak short of being able to blow up the world.

Then let's get a move on finding him, shall we?