Fanta - Phantom (Frederic Paul).

 ─── Fanta ───

       Frederick PAUL
         GHOST

     “What a pretty little devil,” Dan thought.
Dish, - and how delightfully helpless!”
Its only decoration was plastic
your identification ribbon, because
the girl just emerged from the capsule and
There couldn't be anything else on it.
     - Well, did you wake up? - he asked.
     The girl didn't even move.
     Dandish felt the excitement
fills his entire being. How did she get
stupid and defenseless... Now anyone
could do anything to her, and she would-
I couldn’t lift a finger. Well,
accordingly, reciprocity is expected from it
it would be stupid to give. Without even touching
her, he knew perfectly well that her skin was warm
and dry. Life has completely returned to its original state.
lo, and after a few minutes it finished
will definitely come to his senses.
     Dandish - and he was both captain and
the only member of the unnamed team
ship carrying colonies lying in suspended animation
nists through the endless empty space
travel from Earth to the planet of the distant Sun,
indicated on star maps only by number
rum, and now called Eleanor, -
spent these remaining minutes before waking up
you're not looking at a girl like him
knew her name was Sylvie, but with whom he had never
I wasn't familiar with it before.Looking again at
her, he saw that she had already come to her senses
and lies firmly held in its ice-
noah cradle seat belts. Hair
on her head were sticking out in different directions,
and the expression on his face did not foretell anything good
Dear.
     - Well, okay! Where are you there? Did you know
eat, what does it smell like?  - she asked. -
Can you imagine what this will cost you?
     Dandish was surprised. He won't be surprised
when you didn't love because it's a feeling
always scared him. It's been nine years now
the ship was rushing through outer space.
He had had his fill of loneliness, and it
little by little it turned into fear. True, on
the ship contained seven hundred capsules with colo-
nists, but they lay in their baths with
liquid helium such immovable and unchangeable
that they could not compose a pleasant
company.  Outside the ship, the closest
the neck of the human being was,
perhaps no less than a couple of light
years, unless you count some random
go, rushing in the opposite direction of the stars
flight  But even he would practically be
much further from it than the native Sun
or Eleanor, because on inhibition and
change of course, new acceleration and meeting with
that other ship would have taken time
me twice as much as for the entire flight to
goals.
     On a ship, any sound could mean
only anxiety. Because there's no one on board
there was any scraping of metal orsudden
knocking, even if it is quiet and very loud
lenient, could have signaled a dangerous
tee. And more than once by Dandish for whole hours and even
days, the horror that had tormented him until then
until he finally found the burst
a lamp or a loose door. Co
He also feared the possibility of fire.
ra. Of course, on a ship where metal reigned
and glass, fire was hardly possible, but in
in his nightmares, he died over and over again in
raging flames.
     - Show yourself! I want on you
look,” said the girl.
     Dandish noted to himself that she was so
and didn’t bother to cover her nakedness.  How
she woke up virginally naked, so naked
and stayed.  By this time, having already managed
get out of the straps, she got out of
capsules, and now walked around the hall,
trying in vain to discover where to hide.
     - After all, they warned us, - again
the girl spoke. - Don't yawn! Beware-
stop space fools! Open your ears -
you will regret it bitterly! In the Dispatch Center we are informed about
all ears were buzzing about this - and for sure, be
kind - you're right there. That is, somewhere
here. So where are you? For God's sake, stop right there
hide and show yourself at last.
     She half stood, half floated at an angle
to the floor, picking the smallest things from his lips
swells of keratinized skin and every now and then alarming
but looking around. After a pause, she continued:
     - I wonder what kind of noodles you bought me-
Are you going to hang it on your ears? I supposesomething about
meteor from subspace, which
I pierced this trough and survived
just you and me, and now we're through to the end
days are doomed to fall into nowhere, so I
there is nothing left to do but brighten up the remaining
Xia days, and the like, right?
     Dandish, without answering, continued to look at
blow it through the optical receptors of the hall
revival.  Over the years he - Dandish -
became a true connoisseur and connoisseur of his
victims.  To plan all this, he
it took a lot of time. The girl is built
she was impeccable - young, thin,
graceful.  That's why he chose her from
three hundred fifty-two frozen wives -
female colonists, slowly and thoughtfully asked
maturing microphotographs attached to
personal file of each of the colonists. In this
he was like an avid music lover, I choose-
find the desired record from the catalogue. But
this one really was the best of them all.
     Dandish, of course, didn’t make much sense
le reading personal psychoprofiles, but,
because I always thought psychologists were idiots
kami, and all these profiles of theirs are garbage, he
was guided mainly by the characteristics
kam that he knew. He wanted him
the victim was innocent and trusting. Silvy,
who was only sixteen years old
du, and with a level of development slightly below average
go, seemed in this sense the most suitable
current candidacy.  He was even a little dis-
Troy that shereacted to the incident
walking without appropriate fear.
     - You'll get hit with at least fifty dollars for this -
nickname!  - she blurted out, looking around again and
trying in vain to understand where he is after all
hiding. - Would you say no?
     The recovery chamber, meanwhile, reveals
having realized that there was no one else in it, she accepted
tried to put myself in a state of readiness
and recharge.  Plastic sheets
curled up into tight cords and disappeared in
garbage disposal versions. Under them were
new, completely clean sheets. Genera-
The radio heating tors turn on momentarily
foxed The edges of the chamber closed sadly. Opera
The table was gloomily covered with a cap.
The girl watched what was happening in bewilderment.
shim. Then she shook her head and laughed.
     - Are you afraid of me, or what? - asked
she.  - Okay, to hell with you! Say what
you're just crazy, bring me some
some clothes and let's all calm down
Let's brainstorm.
     Dandish regrettably had to answer:
get rid of optical receptors. Timer
just told him that the time had come
another check of on-board systems, and he,
like a hundred and fifty thousand times before and again
hundred thousand times in the future, quickly check
ril temperature regime in the hold with the capsule-
mi, measured the level of liquid helium and restored
filled it from the ship's stores, verified
the ship's course with the given one, checked the flow rate
fuel and the flow rate of the jet, ensuringwas convinced that all other systems were functional
niruyut normally, and again turned his
look at the girl.
     The entire verification procedure took him
no more than one minute, but the girl is for it
time I discovered a comb and a mirror, which
which he laid out especially for her, and those
She was combing her hair furiously. One of
serious shortcomings of the freezing system
niya and revival was what was especially
such complex organic
structures like hair and nails. At a pace-
the ratio of liquid helium, organic matter became
extremely fragile, and although all procedures
were developed taking this phenomenon into account -
the body was carefully placed in an elastic bag
con, and in general all possible
measures to ensure that it does not come into contact with any
with anything hard or sharp - nails and hair
itself still caused the most damage. B
Center Dispatch to colonists constantly
hammered into my head the need to
You can cut your nails and hair shorter, but not
it reached everyone. Sylvie was now
looks like a mannequin that is somehow un-
fur tried to make a wig. She still
got out of the situation by folding what was left
elk from her hair, into a tiny kitty, and
put the comb down. Crawling out from scratching
Niya's hair was now floating in the air around
her, as if she had fallen into a miniature
sandstorm.
     Having sadly touched the unfortunate kitty,
the girl said:
     -You must be funny!
     Dandish thought for a moment. For
There was nothing funny about it for him. Two-
twenty years ago, when Dandish was still young
sprout with long curly hairs and
manicured nails that were then
the latest fashion, he almost every
night in a dream I found myself in just such a situation
situation.  Having your own girlfriend is not
love her, don't rape her, don't marry her,
namely, to have as a slave, and to
no one could stop him from doing with her
whatever you want. Similar
dreams visited him almost nightly, overshadowing
hundreds of options.
     Of course, he didn’t tell anyone about these dreams.
told me, at least directly, but
once, when they were being taught a course at school
practical psychology, he spoke about
this is like something read from a book, and
then the teacher seemed to have read it
thoughts, explained that all this was just meticulous
a strongly suppressed desire to play doo-
ly.
     But Sylvie was clearly neither a dream nor
doll
     “I’m not some kind of doll for you,”
she suddenly declared, so sharply and defiantly
It is clear that he was simply shocked. - You left-
come on and let's get this over with.
     She straightened up, holding onto the wall
staples and, although she looked angry and
alarmed, showing no signs of fear
Lala.
     - Unless you're a schizo, - clearly -
she said, “which I strongly doubt”
I wonder, but whatdoes not happen in the world, then
You won’t do anything against me, I understand.
Because it won't go away like that, right? And
you won't kill me, you won't be able to
not to get out, and in general the ship is not ready
would believe a potential murderer. So,
the first thing I do after landing is
I'll whistle for the nearest cop, and so on
ninety to drive you a subway car. -
Here she giggled. - I already know. I have
my dear uncle was caught not paying taxes
gov, and now he works as a dredger in
Amazon delta.  You should have seen his letters!
So let's get out and see if the criminal
Whether you decide not to report me or not.
     Her impatience grew.
     - Fire and fire! - she muttered, helping
shaking my head. - Well, I'm lucky. By the way,
since I woke up, I need a little...
to whom, and then I wouldn’t mind tomorrow-
roll
     Dandish was at least a little consoled by the fact that
he had the foresight to
see such an opportunity. He opened the door
bathroom and turned on the stove to warm up
emergency rations already lying there. Besides
the moment Sylvie left the bathroom, in the hall
biscuits, bacon and
hot coffee.
     - Kurev is probably not here? - asked
she.  - Okay, I'll get by somehow. How
about clothes?   And about that
still stick your nose out.  Otherwise I don't even care about you
I saw it. - She stretched, yawned and took-
went for food.
     Obviously she acceptedshower, recommended
which was given to all colonists immediately after the an-
bios and washing away the scales of dead skin
live, and tied what was left of the hair
a small towel. Dandish with a big no-
I willingly left him in the bathroom, but he would have liked
it never occurred to me that the victim would tie them
head.  Sylvie sat for a while, thoughtfully.
looking at the remains of breakfast, and through not-
which time, in an edifying tone, plotted
rila:
     - As far as I understand, astronauts
always a little crazy because neither
one normal person will not go to
Yes, to hell with the whole twenty-somethings
years for no price. So, the matter is clear-
No, you're crazy. Which means, since you suddenly
you wake me up, but you don’t show up and don’t
even intends to have a chat with me
words, I can’t do anything about it.
Of course, even if you were in trouble at first
row, then this lonely life still forced
Let me make you crazy... Maybe you just
wanted to brighten up your loneliness a little?
This is something I can still understand. Even then I
I would love to sit with you and say
I didn't say anything bad. On the other hand, we can
maybe you're up to some trick now
you just gain courage. It is doubtful that
sure, because as soon as you’re not there
They check until they trust the ship. But everything
it happens.  What then? If you kill me, you'll
solder deadline.  If you don't kill me, I can knock on you
on you after landing, and on you againthey'll put you away.
     I told you about mine
Uncle Henry.  His mortal body is now
freezing somewhere on the dark side of Mercury,
and the brains work hard to make the fairway
Belem was not covered in sand. Maybe for you
It's not such a bad job, but
Uncle doesn't really like her. Always-
yes, all alone, just like you
here, and writes that the suction itches terribly -
pipes.  He, of course, could have netted
Well, but then he’ll be sent to prison altogether.
some hole. Here he is, poor fellow, and tormented...
gritting his teeth, or whatever their name is -
crushers, and tries his best. De-
faded years! He's only blown six so far.
That is, it struck six when we took off from
Earth, but how much more has passed, I don’t know. Tooth
I bet you wouldn't like that. Maybe
Will you still come out and calmly discuss everything?
     Five or ten minutes later, after
a whole set of angry grimaces, smearing
eating bread with butter and throwing it furiously
into the wall, from which he was immediately thrown off
servo cleaners, she said irritably:
     - Well, to hell with you. Then come on at least
a book or something!
     Dandish got distracted again and
spent time listening to the whispers of the on-board systems
then, then again activated the stake
bel.  He's been unlucky so many times in his life,
that he felt great when it came
It's time to count your losses.  When
the doors of the cradle moved apart, de-The little girl jumped up. Flexible tentacles manipula-
tors grabbed her and carefully laid her down
back into the cradle, tightening the safety belt at the waist
wounding belt.
     “The unfortunate goat,” she shouted,
but Dandish did not answer.  To her face they started
the bell of the tranquilizer approaches, she clogs
she fell into the belts and screamed desperately:
     - Well, wait a minute, I'm
didn’t refuse at all... - But what did she give up?
did not refuse, Dandish never had time to
make it clear, since the sleep chamber is tightly closed
face.  A plastic cocoon wrapped around
her, completely hiding her face, body, legs and
even the stray towel that was tied
her head is hurt. The cradle closed and honey
slowly and silently rolled into suspended animation
measure.
     “Goodbye, Sylvie,” he said to himself.
Dandish, “You turned out to be an unfortunate mistake.”
     Maybe someday later, with other
go girl...
     But in order to decide to wake up
Sylvie, it took Dandish almost nine years, and
he wasn't sure he'd dare to do something like that again
times. He remembered her Uncle Henry, who
worked as a dredger at the Atlantic
coast of South America. He could very well
be in his place.  But instead he
I just grabbed the opportunity to
be time piloting a spaceship.
     He looked at all these ten thousand
stars that spread around, turning on
external optical receptors that served him
eyes.  He tried helplesslygrab hold of
for the cosmic emptiness by radars, former
with his hands. His tears flowed five millimeters
ion flow from the nozzles of its engine
lei. He imagined all these tons of life
the howl of helpless flesh in the holds, finding-
in his complete power, those women's bodies,
which could give him pleasure
please, don’t lie now his own
body, like Uncle Henry's, on the dark
side of Mercury.  He imagined them
horror that I could enjoy if only
only had the opportunity to inspire it. He
I was ready to cry out loud if
If only his voice remained with him.

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