Phantom Ch. 20

Chapter 20: The Lovers

Julie and Bruce Bloch were Specters. But before that, they were husband and wife.

They had been married only five years when they took a fateful cruise ship to the Caribbean. The cooking staff, which still employed old fashioned human beings, was composed of the cheapest labor that Google Cruise Lines could buy, illiterate unskilled workers from Ethiopia.

Unfortunately, one of the skills the unskilled workers hadn't mastered was the art of washing of hands after going through the bathroom.

A plague of Ass to Mouth disease cut through the ship like a scythe, killing a quarter of the passengers and injuring many of the rest. When the cause was traced to the Ethiopian food preparers, the surviving passengers were sanctioned by the World Government for casting negative aspersions against people of color.

Julie and Bruce Bloch were two of the fatalities. As they lay together, side by side on the ship's deck (the ship's hospital was long since overcrowded), Julie looked at Bruce and said weakly, "I love you, Bruce." Those were her final words. She died moments later, and Bruce followed her soon after.

But the funny thing was that they didn't die, not entirely. Their love for each other was so strong that they couldn't simply fade away. And so they came back, not as Guardians, not as Shades, not as Fiends, but as Specters.

Specters were widely confused with Shades. They had a limited ability to control peoples' bodies, but they were not evil per se. They didn't particularly delight in causing pain or distress to others. On the other hand, they didn't particularly whether they caused problems for other people or not. They were only concerned... with themselves. Some kalaks referred to Specters as "neutrals", on the scale of good to evil.

Julie and Bruce quickly figured out that they were kalaks. They didn't want to hurt anyone. They had no plans to break up marriages or destroy the world. What they did want, however, was to express their love together. There was a way that kalaks could do that, purely on the plane of psychic energy, and Julie and Bruce lovingly experimented, for a time, but they both quickly came to the conclusion that this was insufficient. They wanted to experience physical love, once again.

And so they went around and entered the bodies of husbands and wives, and for a while, simply... coasted. The bodies they entered didn't even know they were there. The Circle would have been proud of them, as Julie and Bruce obeyed the Three Laws to the letter. Bruce inhabited a loving husband, and Julie inhabited a loving wife, and they experienced the lives of other couples.

At first it was thrilling, exciting, and interesting. And then, less so. For one thing, they got tired of waiting for their new bodies to have sex. Whenever they found an attractive couple, they didn't want to wait three or five days or whatever interval they had for having sex, they wanted it immediately! And so Julie and Bruce subtly twisted their hosts, just a bit, ramping up their sex drive so they would want to copulate. Even this was only a mild breach of the Second Law.

And for a while, they sat back, psychically speaking, and simply enjoyed it! Bruce enjoyed being in the body of a man making love to a woman named Margaret Krauthheimer, a blonde with a vivacious smile in her 30's with large breasts, larger than Julie's had ever been. Julie enjoyed being loved by a man named John Webber, who, while making love to his wife Cindy, was also giving Julie the experience of her life as she felt stretched by a penis far larger than Bruce had ever had.

But after awhile, Bruce and Julie became used to inhabiting couples, and feeling the joys of sex through them, and they each became more and more particular when choosing their next set of sex partners.

Bruce wanted a woman in her 20's, like Margaret Krauthheimer, but younger, but with the same large breasts and sunny smile. Julie wanted a man with broad shoulders and a hairy chest and large testicles. As the two became more demanding, it became increasingly difficult to find a couple who had everything Bruce wanted in a woman while at the same time having everything Julie wanted in a man.

Finally they decided to simply give up on the idea of inhabiting existing couples. It was simply too difficult to satisfy them both.

So instead they each picked someone they were attracted to--Julie picked a man for Bruce, and Bruce picked a woman for Julie to inhabit. And then they inhabited their hosts, and maneuvered them into having sex with each other.

This was very, very clearly a violation of the First and Second Laws of Kalaks. For one thing, Julie and Bruce talked to their hosts, making them aware of their presence. Their hosts thought they were a part of their conscience or a dissonant part of their minds, or somesuch, but the fact is that their hosts were aware of them, in clear violation of the First Law, against being discovered by the host. And the Second Law, the prohibition against interference, was being violated because Julie and Bruce were doing their best to bring two people together who didn't even know each other. The only law they had yet to violate was the Third Law, the prohibition against doing harm.

********

Maria Biscotti was a junior robot clothing designer at Clivedale's, one of the leading designer of robotwear designs on the West Coast. Maria, at age 24, was an Italian beauty, with high cheekbones, thick dark hair, and firm mangoes that strained to be tamed by her breast control collar.

She was vaguely aware of Charlie Baker, who worked in finance, but he wasn't her kind of guy. Charlie was tall and handsome, but didn't have the "bad boy look" that Maria preferred of the men she met in nightclubs and bars.

However, Charlie did have the attractive looks that Julie found appealing. And Bruce thought Maria was also very... visually appealing. And so they entered their new hosts and worked to bring them together.

Charlie was not the problem. He was already attracted to Maria and it took only the slightest push on Bruce's part to get him to ask her out.

Maria was the problem. She had no interest at all in Charlie. Zero.

Julie worked to change that. She fed Maria a steady diet of Charlie in her dreams every night. Maria's dreams, which typically featured her being seduced in bars and nightclubs by handsome men, were easy enough to edit and insert Charlie's boy next door features.

The change in Maria was gradual, but it did happen. Suddenly, Maria decided she found Charlie attractive. When had that happened?

And so, when Charlie asked her out for drinks, she readily agreed.

But when they got to the bar, things rapidly fell apart. Charlie noticed that Maria started to get "bar eye", where she would start looking at other men, even more attractive than Charlie, as he talked to her.

That would have been the end of it, that should have been the end of it, but the next day when she saw Charlie, she felt a tingling in her groin.

"Hi," he said, as he passed by her.

"Hi," She smiled back weakly. She looked down. Her nipples were erect.

How had that happened?

She found herself daydreaming about Charlie at odd times. It was as if someone else was filling her mind with images of being hugged and kissed by Charlie. It wore her down. It excited her.

And so Maria agreed to a second date. This time she felt aroused just being in his presence. She smiled at him and laughed at his jokes.

She's ready for you, said a voice in his head. Ask her back to your place!

But it's only the second date, Charlie thought.

Charlie, strike now while the iron is hot!

And so Charlie, listening to that mysterious voice in his head, asked Maria back to his place, and she agreed.

Thirty minutes later, Charlie and Maria were engaged in the oldest act that man and woman have ever known.

They weren't puppets; Julie, riding inside of Maria, didn't force Maria to spread her legs and lift her knees. Charlie was not a prisoner in his own mind; he was the one who carefully inserted his very hairy male sex organ inside of her, not Bruce.

But Bruce and Julie had worked to make it happen. Bruce, inside of Charlie's body, enjoyed the sensation of penetrating Maria, in and out and in and out. He had never had a woman this attractive when he had been alive, never.

And Julie, inside Maria, enjoyed being so thoroughly filled by such a handsome man. Whether Maria would think the same a few days after Julie left her was an open question, however.

And as Bruce looked through Charlie's eyes into Maria's, he saw Julie, and she him, and they lovingly enjoyed the climax of the hosts they had helped bring together.

********

After their success with Charlie and Maria, Bruce and Julie were emboldened to try again.

Becky Jackson was 22 years old, fresh out of college, and an intern in the World Government Department of Justice's Hate Group Division, where vicious hate groups like All Lives Matter and Free Speech For Everyone were monitored by the government. Becky was a young, shapely redhead who liked to flirt with guys, but wasn't particularly interested in sex. She didn't hate sex; she just didn't enjoy it very much. She much preferred the art of the tease, of being pursued by men, the feeling of being wanted... but not much else.

That sentiment didn't serve the interests of Julie and Bruce very well. Bruce very much wanted to bisect Becky's angle, and Julie was only too happy to accommodate them with a young man named Bernard Williams who worked two floors below her in the World Government Department of Emotional Correction.

Bruce managed to maneuver Bernard to the bar on the ground floor of the building that evening and Julie did the same with Becky, and actually got the two to meet. At first it seemed to go well. Becky enjoyed Bernard flirting with her, and even let her kiss her cheek, and they agreed to go out for dinner three days later.

On the second date Bernard flirted with her more, and got to kiss her on the lips in the parking lot.

But that's as far as it went. Becky as a rule didn't go beyond two dates, because she knew what was expected on third dates, something she was not prepared to give. Becky's idea of sexual pleasure was sitting nude in front of her holoplayer watching episodes of World Government Justice League while pleasuring herself with a tub of lubricant. Men simply weren't required.

Julie tried in vain to change Becky's mind, filling it with images of Bernard kissing her, Bernard making love to her, Bernard polishing her clitoris with his tongue, but Becky was a tough nut to crack. She wouldn't budge. Julie wanted to give up, but Bruce refused. He really wanted to experience what it was like to make love to the gorgeous redhead, and as a kalak he had become accustomed to getting whatever he wanted. So he told Julie to try harder.

One day at work Becky found herself thinking of Bernard's thick rod penetrating her.

Isn't that wonderful? Wouldn't that feel good? a voice in her head suggested.

"No, it wouldn't," said Becky.

But it would! Just give it a chance!

Becky's eyes narrowed. "Who is this?"

Me?

"Yes, you? You who is this speaking in my head?"

I'm... I'm your conscience, Becky.

Becky crossed her arms under her breasts. "I have no conscience."

I'm a part of you that wants to have sex.

"No you're not. Are you some kind of... space alien?" Becky had once read a highly erotic holonovel called Parasites Love Earth, about aliens who controlled peoples' minds and conditioned them to want sex.

A space alien? That's exactly right, Becky. That's what I am.

"So, what do you want?"

Not much. Surprisingly little. I want you to go out with Bernard again.

Her eyes narrowed again, "You mean have sex with him."

Yes, I mean have sex with him.

"Why should I? What's in it for me?"

I don't know, what's in it for you? What do you want, Becky?

Becky paused. Was she being offered... anything?

She punched up an image on her holoterminal, a brilliant blue dress. "See this 2000 credit dress?"

Yes.

"Get me that dress, and I'll fuck him."

Really?

"Really."

Two days later, Becky was completely nude in Bernard's bed, as he made love to her. Her brand new blue dress was carefully hung in Bernard's closet so it won't get wrinkled or splattered with sperm stains, which were notoriously difficult to dry clean.

Bernard grunted with exertion as he worked on Becky; he appeared to really enjoy it. Becky didn't hate it quite as much as she thought she would; she simply didn't feel much of anything as Bernard cried out and squirted into her. She had had the aforethought to make sure he had swallowed testicle blockers first. Two of them, of course.

After Bernard squirted into her he gasped and collapsed on top of her, she rolled him off of her. "That was fantastic!" he gasped.

Indeed, it also was for Bruce, who had been inside him. Even Julie, inside of Becky, had enjoyed it; while Becky wasn't really attracted to Bernard, Julie certainly was; after all, she had picked him.

"Did you enjoy it?" Bernard asked, playing with her nipple.

Becky plucked his hand away. "Yes, it was nice. Thank you for the dress, by the way."

"Dress?" Bernard looked confused.

So he didn't know. Becky suspected as much.

********

Two days later the space alien was back in Becky's head.

"What do you want now?" Becky said. She listened as Julie explained that she wanted her to see Bernard again.

"To see him," said Becky carefully, looking at her perfectly manicured nails. "You mean to see him, as in to see him putting his penis into my vagina, is that correct?"

Yes.

"What's in it for me?" Becky asked.

What do you want?

Becky paused. Just how much could this alien delivered? She decided to push her luck.

"50,000 credits."

There was a pause. Then, Done.

********

As Bernard plowed into her, Becky reassured herself that she wasn't a prostitute. Prostitutes simply weren't paid 50,000 credits for a single tumble in bed. She was at the mercy of space aliens, and when at the mercy of space aliens, one had to make the best bargain that one could. That's what she kept telling herself, as she felt Bernard stiffen and squirt her once again with his seedless juices.

********

"Again?" said Julie, her spectral eyebrows raised.

"I really enjoyed them," said Bruce.

"By them, I presume you mean her," said Julie. They were both in their kalak forms, swirling around each other.

"Didn't you like him?"

"He was nice!" Julie readily agreed.

"Just one more time."

"All right."

********

But it wasn't that simple.

Becky's price had gone up. This time she wanted a yacht. A two million credit yacht.

Julie told Bruce.

"She's clearly being unreasonable," said Julie. "She thinks we're space aliens who can get her anything. The power had gone to her head."

Bruce said nothing.

"Bruce?"

"Why not?"

"Why not what?'

"If she wants a yacht, let's get her a yacht," said Bruce.

"Are you serious?" said Julie. "A yacht, for a few minutes rolling around in bed?"

"Why not? It's not as if it's going to cost us anything," said Bruce.

"But to take someone's fancy yacht away...."

"We'll take it from a multimillionaire. He'll never notice."

"He'll notice!" said Julie.

"All right, he'll notice. But he'll be able to buy twenty more just like it," said Bruce. "What does the puny material possessions of any person matter, when compared to our own needs and desires?"

Julie paused. "You have a point."

********

One week later, Bernard was having sex with Becky in the Captain's Stateroom of Becky's new yacht. He had been surprised; he had assumed she was joking when she offered to make love to him on her new yacht. But there it was! Becky led him by the hand up to the Captain's stateroom, and if her lovemaking had been dilatory in their first two encounters, Becky more than make up for it, fucking him with a passion just as intently as he fucked her.

Julie and Bruce enjoyed themselves thoroughly. It could hardly have been otherwise. Unfortunately, while they had finished satisfying themselves with Becky and Bernard, their success only emboldened them to try for even more.

********

Julie and Bruce grew to love the thrill of the hunt. It was not merely enough to manipulate a man and woman into having sex; they also wanted to feel the excitement of a man seducing a woman, or a woman seducing a man, especially where reluctance was involved.

They started by maneuvering an attractive woman into seducing men. That quickly proved less than a challenge, as nearly every single man they countered would have sex with the blonde bombshell they selected. So they made it even more challenging by having an attractive woman seduce a married man.

Bonnie Sullivan was a gorgeous 27 year old copywriter for the Chicago Ass Sex Alliance, a beautiful blonde with big breasts and long flowing hair. Roland Bell was a married father of two, a devoted family man, who worked as the Director of the Alliance's Pre-School Education Division which produced educational cartoons and playlets for young people.

Julie and Bruce observed the two of them. "He's a loving family man who goes home to his wife promptly at 6 PM every day," said Bruce. "You could never get him to stray."

"He's a man, and the only reason every man on the planet doesn't stray is because of lack of opportunity," said Julie. She paused. "Present company excluded, of course, dear."

And so she accepted the challenge.

Bruce did what he could in Roland's head. He whispered to Roland how beautiful Bonnie was, how sexy her body was. Roland didn't need much convincing; the tall black man had to cover his erection with his Pad whenever Bonnie came to flirt with him.

Bonnie proved to be pliable material as well; she actually found Roland attractive and wasn't put off by the fact that he was married with children. Julie quickly learned that Bonnie would love to have a roll in the hay with him, if the chance came by; Bonnie had heard the old saying, "Once you go black, you never go back", and, quite frankly, Bonnie was interested in seeing if she would ever go back.

And so Bonnie flirted with Roland under Julie's gentle guidance, and Bruce tried to wear Roland down from within.

But Bruce still predicted failure. "He's a family man! Sure, he fantasizes about Bonnie, but that doesn't mean he's going to sleep with her. There is absolutely no way Roland is going to stray."

And then, two days later, Bruce was inside of Roland's body, and Julie was inside of Bonnie's, as Roland sank his large, African American penis inside her trembling white body. He filled her so thoroughly! Both Julie and Bruce enjoyed the experience, but Bruce suspected that Julie got the better of the exchange.

*********

After that, they realized that all men, even married men, were too easy to seduce. They wanted a challenge. So they settled on seducing married women.

Not women who had lost their looks; not women with melting faces, or drooping eggplants on their chest which looked like they had wilted in the sun; they targeted women who had gotten married but hadn't yet reproduced, and were clearly still sexual carnivores with healthy appetites.

Linda Harris fit the bill perfectly. She had been married to Victor Duffy for seven years. She had just turned 30, and unlike some wives, relished keeping her body physically fit even after catching her man. She worked for the World Government as a Holomovie Social Justice Analyst. Linda's job was to analyze every word spoken in every major theatrical release and categorize them according to the race, sexual orientation, and gender of the speaker. If the total words spoken didn't closely match their representation in the population, the film would be sent back to post-production to provide greater representation. More than one filmmaker was forced to digitally substitute minority actors for white ones or women for men in order to meet the World Government speech quotas.

She was friendly with a handsome analyst who worked two doors down from her, a tall blonde named Tom Stevenson. She and Tom had gone out for lunch several times and were good friends. He was a handsome man who loved to flirt with her.

Tom is so sexy. Imagine yourself making love to him, Linda heard inside her head one day while having lunch with him. Linda tittered at the thought. She had been having thoughts like this for several days now, dreams of having sex with Tom. But she would never, ever act on them.

Tom smiled at her, as if he knew what she was thinking. "You're looking very pretty today," he said. "Did you do something with your hair?"

Linda smiled and patted her blonde hair. "No! No, it's the same as it always is."

"Well, it's very nice looking."

Her smile grew broad. "Thanks, Tom. You're looking... nice... today too."

He smiled back at her.

Meanwhile, at home, sex with Victor was becoming... problematic. Linda was literally having problems climaxing. Usually a few good in and outs from Victor's sausage of love was enough to send Linda over the top. But after three successive carnal encounters Linda discovered she couldn't climax. The first time she shrugged it off to fatigue, or nervousness. But after the third time she began to wonder if she was still attracted to him.

This is my husband, I love him, she thought, as she watched him moving in and out of her.

He grunts like a pig.

What?

He grunts like a farm animal. It's like being made love to by a farm animal. Is it any wonder you can't come?

No he doesn't!

"Ug, ug, ug ug ug," Victor grunted, as he relentlessly closed in on his orgasm.

Ug ug ug. He sounds like he's trying to squeeze out something on the toilet.

Oh, don't say that!

Now Linda had lost all attraction to Victor. However was she going to climax?

Psst. Meet me on the toilet afterwards.

Victor gasped and cried out as he climaxed; Linda, knowing she would have some embarrassing explaining to do, cried out as well.

"Was that good, Honey?" Victor asked sleepily, as his brain was saturated with post-orgasm chemicals; now that he had copulated and his penis was deactivated, his body was rewarding him with intoxicating sleepiness.

"The best," said Linda nervously. She got out of bed.

"Where're you going?"

"To the bathroom."

Linda scampered in and closed the door.

"Now what?" she said to herself.

Sit down on the toilet.

Linda sat down.

Spread your legs.

Linda did.

Now pleasure yourself.

"What?"

Pleasure yourself.

Linda, grimacing, started to play with her clitoris. She felt mild stimulation, but not nearly what she needed. "This will never work," she whispered.

Now think of Tom.

"What?"

Think of having sex with Tom.

"No!"

Do you want to come?

The fact is, Linda did want to come. And so she closed her eyes and thought of Tom. She imagined him making love to her, moving in and out of her smoothly... not at all grunting like a pig.... Linda gasped, and her hand moved more quickly. Tom, moving in and out of her. Tom, kissing her on the lips, the cheek, the ear. Tom, telling her that he was her lover now. Tom... Tom, Tom, Tom-

"Ooooooh," Linda gasped. She felt a delightful shuddering in her body, and experienced her first successful orgasm in over ten days.

********

And so Linda let it happen. She quickly learned that, for whatever reason, Victor could no longer be a source of successful orgasms... but Tom could. And so, when Tom invited her out to dinner one night, she accepted, much to her surprise. She told Victor she had to work late.

And so Tom took her out to dinner, and smiled at her as if he knew something that she didn't. Or perhaps she did know. In the parking lot afterwards, he boldly kissed her and squeezed her breasts.

"But Tom, I'm a married woman," Linda gasped.

"Yes," said Tom. "But are you a happily married woman?" And he was so cocky, so sure of himself, that when he kissed her again, Linda responded by kissing him back.

Somehow... Linda found herself going back to his apartment. She trembled with nervousness as Tom slowly undressed her, and then himself.

"Tom," She said, looking into his eyes. "I've never done anything like this before."

Tom smiled at her. "Of course you have. Men and women have been doing this since the beginning of time."

And then he made love to her.

Julie, inside of her, enjoyed the experience. For the past two weeks Linda had been orgasm-starved, not permitted to climax with Victor inside of her. She wasn't even permitted to masturbate. And so when she finally come with Tom it was a joyous experience.

But Bruce got the best of the experience. He saw it from Tom's perspective, the seduction of a reluctant woman, the forbidden act of making love to a married wife, the joyous pleasure as he peeled off layer after layer of her hesitation and doubt, before finally making her his. As Tom climaxed inside her trembling body, Bruce felt it like no other orgasm he had ever had before.

********

But of course, after a while even this was no longer enough for Julie and Bruce. For a while they had a good time seducing reluctant wives, tinkering with their orgasms and cues for sexual arousal, persuading one after another to stray from their husbands. But after a while they became too good at it, and once again, it felt too easy.

And so Julie and Bruce set off in search of an even steeper challenge.

********

Shelly Williamson was a remarkably well preserved 40 year old woman. She had large breasts that sagged a bit but were still, in the words of her husband Ricky, "quite the handful." She still retained her slim figure and had thick dark hair that caused Ricky's penis to get erect whenever she went into or came out of the shower.

Shelly and Ricky had a 19 year old son named Peter who was a little socially inept. He had never kissed a girl and liked to stay in his bedroom and play hologames. Shelly was concerned for her son, a concern which was slowly twisted into something else....

One day, when Ricky was away on a business trip, conducting a global tampon survey for the World Government's Department of Internal Statistics, Shelly found herself in Peter's bedroom.

She had become increasingly worried that Peter would never develop the social skills necessary to seduce and bed a woman. She feared that he would become an ass lover (not that there was anything wrong with that!) or would simply wind up alone for the rest of his life. She felt more and more whisperings in her head, day after day. She needed to help him... she needed to build his confidence... she needed to do whatever it took to turn him into a man.

And so one Shelly somehow found herself in Peter's bedroom, sitting on his bed with him, kissing her own son. The first kiss had startled him; but by the third, he was starting to enjoy it. Shelly smiled. She would teach her son how to have a loving orgasm, in the privacy of their own home, and then he would be ready to go out into the world and make some other woman his own.

"Mom, should we really be doing this?" Peter asked, as he felt his Shelly's voluminous breasts pressed against his chest. Her breast control collar barely held them in.

"Yes, son, we really should," said Shelly. She snaked a hand into his pants.

"But Mom!" he cried.

"I'm only trying to help you, dear," said Shelly. "Isn't this what Moms are for? To teach their sons how to have an orgasm in a safe and healthy environment?"

"STOP!"

Shelly and Peter both turned to see an unfamiliar man in Peter's bedroom.

"What are you doing?" said the man.

Shelly and Peter looked at each other.

"What do you mean?" Shelly asked.

"I wasn't talking to you," said the man. "I was talking to the kalak inside you."

Shelly and Peter's body grew rigid as Julie came out of Shelly and Bruce came out of Peter.

"I thought so. I've been tracking your handiwork for months," said Max.

"We didn't mean any harm," said Julie defensively.

Shelly and Peter, seeing ghosts for the very first time in their lives, cried out and huddled against each other.

"Not doing any harm?" said Max.

"We're lovers," said Julie. "We died prematurely. We're just trying to recapture that flame. We're not hurting anyone."

"Not hurting anyone?" said Max. "You call this...." He gestured to Shelly and Peter huddled together, their teeth chattering-"You call this not hurting anyone?"

"It's a coming of age for the boy. He needs the practice," said Bruce.

"You mean you need the practice," said Max, folding his arms across his chest. "I've been following your exploits. You've broken up three marriages that I came across, and messed up countless other peoples' lives. Which of the Three Laws haven't you violated?"

"It wasn't always like that," said Julie defensively. "In the beginning, we just rode around in couples' bodies. They didn't even know we were there. We didn't violate any of the Three Laws. Not a one."

"And then?"

"And then... over time, we... we needed to feel more," said Julie. "Are you... are you with the Circle?"

Max shook his head. "I'm just a concerned bystander."

"What are you going to do to us?" Bruce asked.

Max sighed. He could see that Julie and Bruce weren't truly evil. They were just... misguided. "You guys want to feel more, right?"

"Right!" said Bruce.

"Well, there are ways you can feel more without hurting people. How about by helping them?"

"Helping them?"

"Do you realize how many estranged couples there are out there? How many couples are on the verge of divorce? How many marriages are there in name only?" Max asked. "If you want a challenge, go and mess with their minds. Make them love each other again."

"Won't that violate the First and Second Law?" Bruce asked.

"I told you I'm not with the Circle!" said Max. "You might call me a Guardian. I like to help people. Now, are you two going to promise to stop this, and only help people in need, or am I going to have to make you Move On?"

Julie and Bruce looked at each other.

"We'll try-"

"It might even be fun-"

"Sounds good," said Max. He turned to Shelly and Peter, and spoke in a more polite tone. "I'm so sorry for the inconvenience." He looked at Shelly. "You Ma'am, are a good mother, but a little overprotective. You want your son to get experience? Sign him up for an encounter on the P into V forum."

"P into V!" said Shelly, jumping up with indignation.

Max ignored her and turned to Peter. "And you, young man, take a good look between your mother's legs. Look good!"

Peter reluctantly looked at Shelly's crotch, encased in tight pants.

Max said sternly, "For you, that's a one way exit. If you come out of there, you can't go back in."

Peter nodded solemnly.

*********

"Ross," said the Doctor, sitting in a chair in a hotel room in Dublin, where he and Alanna had just been checking up on a lead.

Before Sophie had left, she had had another sending. The word ROSS. Previously, she had received sendings for the words OTIS, CLEAVE, SHOSH, and now Ross. Otis Cleaver was the original name for the Penguin. Shoshanna Gronstein was his wife who he had strangled and killed. Ross Gronstein, the Doctor quickly learned, was Shoshanna's father. He died, apparently of natural causes, shortly before Shoshanna got married to Otis Cleaver.

"Someone is sending us information about the Penguin's life," said the Doctor. "The question is why."

I have no idea. Perhaps Sophie will get another sending.

The Doctor shook his head. "I don't even know where Sophie is." He had commed her, but she had refused to accept his calls. "I feel responsible for what happened."

Don't be. She doesn't have a monopoly on your love.

"I just hope she's all right," said the Doctor.

*********

"Aaaaahhhhh," said Jack, his back arching upwards as he climaxed on top of her. It felt so good flooding Sophie with his essence. As he climbed off of her he looked at her face and smiled. Sophie's expression was becoming more and more wooden. Each dose he deposited within her made her more and more of an automaton.

"Was that good for you, Sophie dear?"

Sophie nodded and gave a blank smile. "Are you going to have me kill the Doctor now, Master?"

He patted her shoulder and looked into her eyes. "Not yet. But you'll be ready, soon."