Authors notes: Something I forgot to mention in the previous chapter. Dolores is the kind of person who thinks your choice in movies and video games says a lot about your character and your political beliefs. Hence why she passionately tries to dissuade Rachel's friends to not watch the movie in question. She's the kind of person who thinks video games cause violence, for example.

I'm also going to be going through this chapter a few times with the FFNet Text Reader, because I'm still not 100% sure it works. Again, any advice or thoughts are appreciated to make the story better. I'm no Dolores. ;)

EDITS 06/08/2019: I have to admit, when I released this chapter I did kind of rush it. Part of me wants to move onto the next idea I have and I'm getting a little anxious to get this done. But I've gone back and altered some aspects of this chapter because I felt I was either too on the nose, not subtle enough, or it wasn't clear what the Doctor was trying to do. I've also made an effort to explore more of Ravens thoughts in this chapter, which is what I think makes the story work.

More edits might come as I revise the ending, but as always, I'll keep you guys on top of them. ;)

Chapter 55

Dolores plays Dirty

Raven saw him, the Doctor! He was standing by a big and grand door attempting to open it with his Sonic Screwdriver.

"Doctor!" She called in her low rasp. She fought a pleased smile down as he looked up at her.

"Raven!" He exclaimed, pleased, but like he wasn't expecting to see her. "I'm glad you're alright. Have I got a story to tell you."

But Raven wasn't interested. He was okay, that's all that mattered to her.

"Later." Raven insisted as she joined him. "Why are you acting like you didn't know I was here?"

"Because I didn't." Ravens face fell and she turned to look at Alice. But she had gone too along with the White Robots. "How did you get here?" the Time Lord asked.

"I think they mistook me for a fiction and tried to censor me."

"Censor you, and your sarcastic mouth?" The Doctor teased. It felt good to hear him joke again even if the jokes were irritating.

"What are you doing with this door?" Raven asked.

"Trying to gain entrance to the Master Brain control room and confront the Mistress." The Doctor said, turning his attention back to the lock.

"But the Mistress has been overthrown. They have a Master in charge now." Raven said, her face fell further in confusion.

"Not that I've heard." Raven looked back at where Alice should be. An uneasy feeling now in her stomach.

The grand doors suddenly clicked and slowly began to open ominously.

Inside was a large room, a library of sorts. The shelves were full of books, videotapes, DVD's, cassettes, CD's and other types of media devices that were either so advanced or so outdated Raven didn't know what they were.

In the middle of this was a large, glass chamber with a swirling crystal and pulsating lights. Beneath the vessel was drawn a dark, red curtain. This must be the 'Master Brain-Computer' perhaps?

Sitting in front of that, at an old, oak wooden desk was a tall and respectable-looking man in his mid thirty's. The new Master of the Land of Fiction?

"Ah, Doctor, Raven." The man greeted in a pleasant voice. "Welcome."

"Anyone we know?" Raven lent over and said to the Doctor.

"No, not that I recognise." The Doctor shrugged.

As Raven stepped in, her powers activated so she was ready for anything. She did notice some odd decorations around the wall. Some kind of very horrific art of what looked like men carved out of grey slabs in a pose which looked like they'd been pressed into it and they'd fought to escape.

Creepy, but she kind of liked it. But what really unnerved her about them were the faint waves in the ether, waves of life. There was life in those things?!

"You are the new Master of the Land of Fiction?" The Doctor asked, dragging Ravens attention away from the wall art.

"Indeed sir, I am." The man stood and held out his hand. The Doctor did not take it. Probably very wise.

"I was under the impression we were to meet a Mistress." The Doctor said.

"Under new management. The Master Brain eventually rejected the Mistress and found me working at a rival production company to hers and it decided to scoop me up." The man said.

"Really? You look more like a businessman than a writer or creator, a little too 'perfect' from a certain point of view." The Doctor said.

"I ask you not to judge me on my appearance, Doctor." There was a hint of annoyance in the guys voice. "I am a well-accomplished storyteller."

"Alright, no need to be upset." The Doctor said, and the mans face twitched a little. The Doctor gestured to a pile of papers the guy was clearly working on. "May I?"

"I'd be honoured." The man said, and the Doctor dived right in.

The Time Lord seemed to read the documents at the speed of light. Which made Raven wonder why his reading pile in the TARDIS went down so slowly. On the desk there was also a large, angular, stone hammer of some kind with a short handle. It was in the way and she attempted to move it. But it must've been very heavy or fixed to the desk because no matter how hard she pulled on it the thing refused to budge. She sneakily attempted to move it with her powers, but even shrouded in dark energy it refused to move.

"That's Mjolnir, my dear." Said the man. "Hammer of the God of Thunder, Thor. Only the worthy may lift it."

"Really?" Raven said, unimpressed. It didn't make sense why you'd design a hammer like that. "Mind moving it? It's kind of in the way."

"I'm happy with it where it is, please don't touch it." The man looked sheepish. Perhaps he could not lift it himself.

Ravens attention returned to the Doctor. The more he read the more his expression changed from one of intrigue to one of disappointment.

"Something wrong?" The man asked.

"Umm..." The Doctor appeared to be searching for words. Raven got the suspicion he was trying to be diplomatic, but couldn't be positive about it. "Well, what you've got is workable, but will need to go through a couple of drafts." The Doctor said pointing to the document. "Swap these out, perhaps change the order of events so it flows better, maybe make this issue you're trying to highlight more subtle. Also, you've established something which breaks established cannon. Readers will not like that."

A muscle in the mans face twitched. "That is just your opinion, Doctor."

"Yes, William Shakespeare said the same thing, but look at him now." The Doctor laughed, he wasn't being serious. Though the man didn't seem to pick up on it. "Though he did sneak in that mixed metaphor past me somehow. Sometimes he really would insist!"

The Doctor flipped through other papers on the desk.

"You've been rather busy for someone who's just taken office." The Doctor asked suspiciously as he tried to move the hammer himself, and not being very successful.

"Those were written by the Mistress." The guy said as the Doctor flipped through them.

Something about this man didn't 'feel right' somehow to Raven, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Yet, they follow the same themes, and flaws as yours do." The Doctor said, scanning another manuscript. "I'm not saying what you have is awful. But will need a few more re-drafts."

"I think it's perfect the way it is." The man insisted subtly the guy was getting upset.

"Well, that too is a matter of opinion." The Doctor said, dropping a clump of papers. "Considering this is for the Land of Fiction itself, and one thing it loves is good fiction which tickles many minds."

"It's only a fiction, a fantasy. Stop taking it so seriously. It's all 'just' for kids! Not for grown-ass adults!"

"Oh well, if you can't take criticism." The Doctor said, picking up another manuscript.

What was the Doctor doing?! They weren't going to get very far if the Doctor aggravated the guy like this.

"Doctor, what are you doing?" Raven sent to him telepathically.

"Testing a hypothesis." The Doctor sent back, "I believe he's not all he appears to be."

"What happened to the Mistress by the way?" the Doctor said, suddenly changing the subject.

"The Mistress was returned to her own place and time." The guy said.

"Shame, I wanted to have a few words with her. She was a strange person. I believe she had good motives at her heart, or pretended to at least. But at her heart she was also a tyrant."

"Tyrant?! Doctor, she did have a vision for the world." The guy said.

"Most Tyrants do." The Doctor countered.

"and I happen to share that vision." The guy said. The Doctors face dropped, as did Ravens.

"You mean you're still going through with her plan?" The Doctor said, breaking away from the Master of the Land of Fiction and he moved towards the wall decorations.

"To make a better tomorrow? Yes!" the man insisted.

"No, I mean kidnapping people from the real world and replacing them with fictional caricatures? Funny, I thought you said the Master Brain got rid of the Mistress because she was unsuitable. But you're hardly any different." The Doctor rested a hand on one of the slabs. "Speaking of caricatures, here's one. Rhumius Thala from Allak IV. Just a jumped-up, money-grubbing politician; always desperate to get re-elected. Speaks for politicians in general, I know. Despised by the general public."

"He was a tyrant and a twisted man." The guy insisted.

"That's how the papers painted him." The Doctor said, "Though he was hardly a saint, in reality, he was stuck in an office he really didn't want to be in, doing a job he didn't want to do. He was more a puppet for the senators around him to pull his strings, and then be a scapegoat when things went wrong. He couldn't resign, that would be career suicide, though probably would've been the better option for him. But then something snapped in him. Most say he went mad. But he began ripping his planet to pieces, because, and I quote 'money, money, money, I love money!' A very cartoony thing for a politician because most never admit it. He didn't last long in office after that. But his madness was never explained, and damage had already been done."

"What are you talking about?" The guy asked.

"His madness makes sense now." The Doctor patted the slab, "This is the real article. His madness was caused by his replacement. They're like a caricature media conjures up, a straw-man, and you brought it to life." The Doctor moved to another slab.

"This gentleman" the Doctor rested a hand on the slab. "Ronald Lamar, an actor, a celebrity, someone who never showed any hint of malice in his career. A curious case that was studied, but no conclusion drawn. He apparently said a contentious thing on the television, quite innocent, if ignorant for the time. But then practically overnight he became a totally intolerant, bigoted man. Utterly destroying his career." The Doctor shrugged. "It's the same with all these people across the universe." He opened out his arms and waved them over the displays. "They all suddenly changed and became cartoony evil. It's like the Straw-men of these people came to life and stepped into their bodies."

"Nobody could see the evil in these peoples hearts. It needed to be put on display!" The guy insisted. His attitude now didn't fit his tidy appearance.

"May be so. Though I personally doubt you could have known what was in their hearts. You only inferred what you believed was there. And for that, you yanked them out of their lives, sealed them in carbonite, and replaced them with your exaggerated doppelgangers." The Doctor summed up. "All for a better world?"

"Ingenious, wasn't it now? Even for the Mistress." The Master of the Land of Fiction got a smug look on his face as if it was something to be proud of.

"The caricatures of these people damaged their respected planets economy. Plenty lost their jobs and their lively-hood and it took generations for the planets to recover. Did you not think that be replacing them, the fictional doppelgangers might cause damage not only to their careers. But to their planets? These people are known to have sent devastating ripples across the galaxy." The Doctor said. "It nearly caused a galaxy-wide war."

"Ah, but it didn't. When I saw that developing I replaced the people willing to push the button with peace-loving counterparts who wouldn't."

"A million and one-piece jigsaw suddenly starts to fall into place." The Doctor said, amazed but a little disgusted.

"Don't you think its a great idea? Peoples true selves will be put on display for everyone to see!"

"You mean, what people look like from your point of view?" The Doctor argued back. "You've taken the idea of a 'Straw-man' to a horrific length. I'm sorry, you may have good intentions I'm sure, but I can't allow you to continue. Some of these people may very well be the monsters you assume them to be." The Doctors eyes went to Raven and back. "But that doesn't mean you get the imprison them."

"I don't get it." Raven said as a thought came to her, "if she wanted to make the world a better place, why not replace these people with 'better' people, good people, instead of exaggerated, evil ones?"

"Good point." The Doctor said, turning back to the man. "Care to illuminate that?"

"Those people are scumbags, they are not good people in the slightest." The man insisted. "They don't deserve the public to see them as 'good people' because they are not good people! They'll just hold back the world we're trying to create."

Ravens mouth shifted as memories of her life in Azarath moved in front of her. No matter how 'good' she was, the monks had already condemned her as evil. Even as a teen, she'd lost her temper and lashed out one too many times that the monks saw her as irredeemably evil. She then remembered Jurus, the man who wanted to seal her in limbo because of what he feared. She tried to keep her emotions in check, but her lack of meditation practise was making it difficult.

Her eyes moved to the people trapped in the metal slabs. She wondered. Were they really evil? All of them? Or was that just how the Mistress saw them? Would she want to seal her in carbonite too if she found out her heritage, or what she was destined to do?

"How does that make you better than the people you call tyrants?" The Doctor argued back.

"Because I want a better tomorrow for everyone." The guy quickly snapped back.

"Yes, yes. Most tyrants do too." The Doctor said.

The Doctor then bounded to a curtain around the Master Brain, but the Master of the Land of Fiction quickly stood in the Doctors way. "It's funny, how I've accused you of the Mistress's crimes and yet you talk like it's your plan all along." The Doctor looked directly into the guys eyes.

Raven's eyes looked to the curtain. Time to see who the man behind the curtain is. Using her powers she parted them.

A woman behind the curtain shrieked as she was exposed.

Buzz, Buzz, Buzz, Buzz.

Vibrated Rachels phone. Typical, she's about to unveil the Mistress of the Land of Fiction and she gets a call. It was Garfield. She really didn't want to talk to him, but the phone continued to vibrate.

Eventually she gave up and answered it.

"What?!" She said down the receiver.

"Rae..." Garfield sounded like he was on the brink of crying. "Rae..." Garfield was never like this.

"Whoa, calm down, Gar." Something must be wrong. "What happened?"

"It's Terra. She's been taken away." Garfield said. "They're going to destroy her." He didn't sound like he was joking.

"Gar, if this is a joke, I will strangle you." Rachel felt her toes tighten, waiting to hear him nervously giggle with laughter. But it never came.

"A man came today. He said Terra had viciously attacked a girl and they took her away. They think she's dangerous... they're going to put her down!"

"They can't do that, surely?!" Rachel waited for Garfield to say, 'don't call me Shirley', but it didn't come.

"It was Dolores!" Garfield said. "I saw her across the street. Bandages around her arms and cuts on her face. Rachel, Terra never caused them, she wouldn't."

Garfield didn't need to go on. Rachels blood began to boil. The petty, evil bitch!

"Rae, what can I do?" Garfield asked.

"Stay calm. There must be some way to appeal?" Rachel reasoned. "I'll ask my Dad, he might know what to do."

"You think?" Garfield sounded hopeful. But Rachel didn't want to give him false hope if her Dad couldn't do anything.

"I'll ask, and I'll let you know." For the rest of the night, Rachel and Garfield just talked. Rachel had only ever known one side of Garfield. His goofball side that always tried to make her laugh. She never realised there was this vulnerable side to him. She did wonder why he phoned her and not Richard or Victor? But she didn't ask.

After the call Rachel didn't feel like continuing her story, under her cool exterior she was too upset.

After talking to her Dad Rachel found out there was an appeal process, but come morning at school Garfield was absent from the first class.

Worried, Rachel sent him a text to ask where he was.

Richard and Victor sat down opposite Rachel. Stella walked in, and walked past the three of them and went to sit with Dolores, Maria and her two goons.

Dolores was nursing her fake wounds and bandages. The wounds looked real enough, but she certainly didn't have them when she left Garfield's house. So they must've been self-inflicted. It boggled Rachels mind how someone could be so sick.

How could Stella sit with Dolores after what she'd done to Garfield's dog?!

Her phone vibrated as Doctor McCoy began talking to them about film studies, and had brought up a reference movie to watch called Dirty Harry.

Dolores shifted uneasily when Doctor McCoy talked about a scene where the bad guy of the movie paid a man to beat his own face to a pulp so he could later claim the cop Harry had done it, so he could generate a media buzz large enough to force the officers suspension from the force.

While his back was turned Rachel snuck a look at her phone. It was just three words, from Gar, and they weren't good news.

"Terra's been destroyed!"

The dog can't have been destroyed that quick!

Later, at lunch, Rachel finally caught up with Stella as she came down the stairs, without Dolores.

"Hey Stell." Rachel said in greeting.

"Hello Rachel." Stella said.

Just 'Rachel'. Not 'Friend Rachel' she noted.

"Terra has been put down." Rachel said.

"Oh no, that is truly awful. How is Garfield taking it?" Stella asked with genuine concern.

"How do you think?" Rachel spat a little aggressively. They were silent for a few moments.

"Excuse me, Rachel. But I must..."

"Why are you hanging out with Dolores?" Rachel asked, "It was just me, Victor and Richard today."

"Dolores is a friend. I feel she needs guidance and protection." Stella said like a protective mother with a child.

"Dolores got Terra destroyed!" Rachel said.

"You can't know that." Stella shot back.

"How did she get those wounds?" Rachel asked.

"She said she fell down some stairs." Stella said.

"Is she willing to put that on record?" the goth girl challenged.

"What is your problem with her?" Stella asked at last.

"I don't have a problem. I've never had a problem with her. She's had a problem with me from the start!" Rachel insisted.

"The world does not revolve around you, Rachel." Stella said. What did that have to do with anything?

"You've seen the way she reacts to me. She practically follows me around!" Rachel insisted.

"From what I have seen!" Stella flared up, "Dolores gets upset only when you are involved. It is always you who pushes her, and eggs her on." Rachel couldn't believe Stella had said that. It took her a minute to regain some composure.

"Only because she keeps following me around. She won't go away when I tell her too. She won't leave me alone!" Rachel insisted. "I make it obvious, and rather than go away, she insists on talking back to me. Then insults me. Of course its going to escalate."

"You could always walk away." Stella suggested.

"I do, she follows. Haven't you noticed?!" Rachel was getting annoyed. How could Stella think she was the problem?

"Rachel, I'm sorry. But Dolores needs protection and nurture, not your sarcastic tongue." Stella said and began to walk away.

"She still caused Terra's death, no matter if you deny it." Rachel said.

"Then perhaps you should consider if it was actually your fault!" Stella shot back, "if you hadn't upset Dolores, she wouldn't have stormed out, opened the wrong door, have Terra jump on her, injure herself, become paranoid and get the dog destroyed."

"Stella, listen to yourself! Does that sound reasonable?!" Rachel flared, but Stella looked stubborn. "You went after her when she stormed out of the house. Did she have any wounds on her, whatsoever?!"

Stella paused, and thought. "Umm... no, but that doesn't mean she didn't have any."

"Cuts, blood, gashes? The one now on her face would've been obvious!" Rachel insisted.

Stella finally looked unsure. Surely, she must've noticed a cut had mysteriously appeared on Dolores's face between leaving Garfield's house and turning back up at school.

"Are you suggesting she did those wounds to herself? Like in the movie of Harry who is Dirty?" Stella asked as if this was ridicules. "That is just a fiction. I do not believe anyone would be so twisted as the man in the movie."

"You don't think people are capable of hurting themselves? Faking injuries? Ever faked being sick to get out of school?" Rachel argued.

"I'm sorry, Rachel. But you are delusional." Stella said.

"Stella, you know sometimes you can be a naive idiot. You've let that bitch crawl inside your head." Rachel spat.

"Or maybe I'm seeing you for the first time!" Stella shot back. "An evil little narcissistic creature who thinks everything happens around them!"

That cut right to the core of Rachel, so deep the blade was still sticking inside her.

"You want to be friends with that bitch?!" Rachel fumed, "Fine! But don't come crying to me when she throws you overboard!"

"Stop playing innocent Rachel. I've seen your mob go after Dolores. Or is that somehow self inflicted too?" Stella accused.

"What mob?" Rachel questioned.

"Your fans who read your story. You sent them to troll Dolores's story." Stella accused.

"I did no such thing!" Rachel insisted. "Dolores has been sending people to troll 'my' story."

"I don't believe you!" Stella said back.

"Check my review section!" Rachel said, "There are thousands of reviewers telling people how rubbish my story is and to check out Dolores's story. Some even telling people how to get to it. I never sent anyone to her story. Her own followers advertised it perfectly well, you couldn't miss it!"

Stella looked like she'd never considered this. But she stood firm in her conviction, and her judgement of Rachel.

"If those kinds of people read your story, then maybe..." Stella began, but Rachel cut her off.

"You mean like the kind of people who read Dolores's story, and then comment on mine?" Rachel fired back in frustration. God, how could Stella be so stupid?!

"I'm sorry, Rachel. But I feel we can no longer be friends." Stella said, "You are too..." She searched for the word "Toxic." She settled on.

"You learnt that from Dolores didn't you?" Rachel called out. "Fine! Go be with the bitch." Rachel fumed. "I knew it was a mistake to think anyone could be my friend!" Without looking Rachel spun on her heel and walked as fast as she could. She went into the girls toilets and locked the door, collapsed onto the toilet seat, and finally, she let it out.

Tears welled up and fell down her face. How could things have gotten out of hand without her realising?

She'd never felt so miserable. Not in a long time.

Rachel couldn't wait to go home. When she did her Dad and Mom wanted to know what was wrong. She'd told them and they were both sympathetic and supportive. God, she loved her parents.

When she went upstairs her blood began to boil again as she activated her laptop, and opened the next chapter for the Lost Child of Azarath. It was now the only thing that could bring her any joy.

Okay, if Dolores really was going to play dirty, then it's time for the Mistress to finally enter the story. With her fingers poised over the keys like she was about to claw at something Rachel began to type.

To Be Continued...

Authors notes: This was heartbreaking to write but I hope I've written the destruction of Stella and Rachels friendship well.

Stella does think Dolores could be a better person. But Dolores isn't interested in getting better, and from a certain point of view, you could argue Rachel was always the aggressor, though barely. But Dolores was always out to cause trouble and then whinge about it.

The idea with the Raven/Doctor part at the top essentially is the replication and replacement storyline. But stemmed from the idea of 'what if people could be forced to act more the way a person sees them?' So if you meet someone on the train, they bump into you, and you call them an arsehole and in your frustration start imagining how twisted and nasty that person must be. (We've all been there. ;P ) What if you could alter that person's personality and force it to be more in line with the person your bad mood has conjured up? Because I think at some point in our lives we've met a person we've had negative views of only to be surprised they are not at all how we'd imagined them to be.

The Mistress's plan does sound convoluted, I admit. But then as you'll find her motivation isn't exactly focused.

Strap yourselves in, because things are going to start coming together.

Cheers :D