Mistress of Chaos (comic story)
Mistress of Chaos was a comic story published in Doctor Who Magazine in 2019, starring the Thirteenth Doctor.
Summary
Part one
On Segonus IV, a power plant is going into meltdown. As the crew all run for their lives, the TARDIS arrives, with the Doctor telling her companions to help everyone. While Graham, Ryan and Yaz help the crew, the Doctor manages to avert the meltdown. As she celebrates, she hears a voice calling for help.
The Doctor scales the wreckage of the power plant, following the voice which belongs to someone named Harold. The Doctor engages Harold in conversation, telling him a knock knock joke she once told King Harold. She tells Harold to jump, but as the smoke clears, Harold sees the Doctor's face and suddenly refuses her help, claiming she set the station to explode. The Doctor, confused, asks Harold what he means, informing him the walkway is about to collapse. She begs him to jump, but he refuses, calling her a monster as the walkway collapses and he falls to his doom. The Doctor watches, horrified.
In the TARDIS, Yaz, Ryan and Graham are celebrating their success when the Doctor walks in. She informs them something is very wrong. She sets them down in the biggest city on the planet, Saint Bastione. The Doctor tells her friends she wants to know why Harold was terrified of her, and hopes here they can get some answers. They head over to a large screen, a crowd having gathered around it. The news tells everyone that the terrorist known as 'The Doctor' tried to destroy the power plant, showing security footage, and which resulted in Harold's death. The TARDIS crew look on, horrified.
The news goes on to say how it was the Doctor who teleported Tumat and Kraytos into the city of radiant stone on Gatan, and shows her angry message to the subscribers who had been watching the event, the news calling it 'Cyber Assault'. It then tells how the Doctor destroyed another power plant on Acantha, owned by Icarus Inc. The screen then turns to reveal Sandola Dell, who informs the public that they have a guest in the studio, who has been persecuted by the Doctor. It is revealed to be Berakka Dogbolter, who informs everyone that they're not safe. The public watches in awe, discussing the punishment the Doctor should receive. One of them turns around to see the Doctor and screams, a huge angry mob turning on her and the TARDIS crew, which results in them fleeing back to the TARDIS. Graham is outraged, with Ryan saying how they should have seen this coming after they beat her before. Graham asks the Doctor what she's gonna do, and the Doctor informs them that dragging her name through the mud is one thing, but as a man died because of it, Berakka's gonna see what an angry Doctor really looks like.
Part two
Berakka has just returned to her office after finishing a phone call with the president. She gets frustrated the lights won't come on and sees the Doctor sitting in here chair, remarking it's just the two of them. Berakka welcomes the Doctor and asks if she's seen her recent news broadcasts. The Doctor asks Berakka if she ever thought she could get away with it, but Berakka responds by saying that wherever the Doctor goes there is chaos and death and that she is merely presenting the facts. The Doctor gives Berakka one last chance, but Berakka just tells the Doctor that she owes her. Berakka mentions how when the Doctor ended the war between Tumat and Kraytos on Gatan, she thought it was all over for her, until she realised that the Doctor was the source of all of her problems. She says that the Doctor is a story that never dies out, and stories can monetised. The Doctor refuses to become a figure of fear, but Berakka says that the Doctor is whatever she says she is.
In the TARDIS, Yaz is frustrated, remarking that the Doctor could do something stupid and that she is going to look for her. Ryan agrees, and Graham says they need someone to keep them out of trouble. They leave the TARDIS and hear voices, with Yaz realising they are not alone. In Berakka's office, Sandola arrives and is shocked by the Doctor's presence. Before she can call security, the Doctor uses the sonic and overloads Sandola, breaking her. Berakka is angry at the Doctor, claiming that Sandola 'is mine', but the Doctor says that she is going to take away everything Berakka ever owned. She mentions how Harold died because of Berakka's lies, and how Berakka only thinks she know the Doctor.
Suddenly, three people burst in, spouting nonsense and the female leader mentions the chaos queen. The Doctor asks Berakka who she is, with Berakka informing the Doctor that her name is Krizanthia Kalos, a psychotic killer wanted in twenty systems and that the Doctor let here in. Krizanthia bows in front of the Doctor calling her mistress chaos, and the Doctor realises that Krizanthia is a fan. Krizanthia asks if she can turn 'lady grumpy' into dust as a present, and the Doctor says no. Krizanthia asks why, and the Doctor quickly tells her that Berakka is spreading the word of her deeds, so she is good alive. Krizanthia then presents The Eye of M'Dulia, last of the chaos engines and mentions she killed so many to get it, all in the Doctor's name. From the corridor, Graham, Ryan and Yaz watch, concerned that the Doctor might say the wrong thing and make Krizanthia snap. Ryan gets his phone out and plays music to distract her.
Berakka takes this chance to attack Krizanthia, who retaliates. Graham, Ryan and Yaz push a shelf on Krizanthia's two goonies, and the Doctor tells Krizanthia and Berakka to stop. Berakka throws Krizanthia onto the Doctor, as Graham rushes to help the Doctor. Krizanthia then teleports herself, Berakka, the Doctor and Graham away, leaving Ryan and Yaz to face Sandola, who just rebooted and confronts them. The Doctor, Graham, Berakka and Krizanthia arrive in an underground cave, where Krizanthia pulls out a spare pistol, and informs the group they travelled far across Venus. The Doctor mentions to Graham that the hole in the ground looks like the well from castle Houska which led to the Catastrophia, the universe of pure madness, and also mentions that Dagmar and Dominik told them about the children of chaos, and bets that Krizanthia is a member. Krizanthia says that the Doctor will be embraced at last, and Graham remembers that anyone who entered the Catastrophia didn't come back alive. Krizanthia activates the eye, and Graham says he is not jumping into the portal, to which Berakka agrees. Suddenly, tendrils burst from the portal, pulling them all down into the Catastrophia.
Part three
The four of them tumble down through the Catastrophia. The Doctor puts Graham and Berakka in a trance to preserve their sanity, and watches helplessly as Krizanthia decays away. Using her last ounces of strength, she pulls Graham and Berakka to their only chance of survival.
On Venus, Sandola is interrogating Ryan and Yaz, all of whom are increasingly frustrated. Suddenly, Mother G, the woman from the Mobox colony, arrives with food. Sandola is angry at the intrusion, but Mother G ignores her. Ryan tries to convince Sandola to let them work together, but she tells him to shut up after the trick he pulled last time they met. She storms out of the room.
Graham and Berakka wake up, with the Doctor telling them that she got them to safety just in time. They observe huge towers with highly complex equations on them, and Graham remarks that they can't be in the Catastrophia anymore. The Doctor begs to differ and shows them that they are inside a logic cube. They then hear a huge scream and they are about to set off, when Berakka refuses to obey the Doctor. The Doctor gets angry at her and they start arguing until Graham breaks it up and tells them to follow him. The Doctor and Graham walk off, and reluctantly Berakka follows, as a crystal hand appears higher up, watching them go.
Yaz is trying to convince Ryan to get info out of Sandola, as she obviously likes him, with Ryan trying to refuse. Mother G enters the room again, and Ryan tells her that the food reminded him of his Nan's cooking. Yaz asks again if they have met before, and Mother G asks if she really can't remember. Yaz then exclaims 'Oh my God...'
The Doctor, Graham and Berakka enter a room and find the Herald attached to a platform in agony. The Doctor thought she might end up here and wants to set her free, but Graham is sceptical, reminding her of what happened in Bohemia. The Doctor says she won't let someone get tortured and approaches the Herald. The Herald seems to recognise her and the Doctor tries to ease her pain. She then falls back as images of past friends and enemies appear in both their minds. Graham asks what's wrong and the Doctor says she thought the Herald just used her as a template, but she was wrong. The Herald is the Doctor!
Part four
The Doctor explains to Graham that now she has seen her future of being warped by the Catastrophia, she cannot change it. Berakka asks the Doctor to get her out of here before her brain goes crazy and Graham is disgusted by her words. The Doctor vows to get the Herald free and starts to shut down the Pylons holding it, but the group are attacked by logic people!
Yaz explains to Ryan how she and Graham met Mother G in castle Houska and Mother G is impressed Yaz remembers. She then informs the duo that their friends will be in the Catastrophia by now and that they will be in danger.
Berakka and Graham start to attack the logic people while the Doctor tries to destroy the pylons. On Venus, Ryan convinces Sandola to stop being so angry and that the Doctor is a good person, which Mother G is happy about. In the Catastrophia, a hooded figure is concerned that something is going wrong and the Herald gets worse. Elsewhere, two of Krizanthia's servants become Heralds.
Mother G collapses because everything 'has turned sour' just as the two Heralds break through and destroy two guards. Sandola suggests heading to Berakka's safe room, but Mother G claims nowhere is safe anymore. Back in the logic cube, the hooded figure appears, knocks the Doctor away so that she can't interfere, deactivates the people she calls Logic-Forms, and tells them that they have failed and must accept defeat. She lifts down her hood to reveal that she looks like a blue computer Doctor claiming to be The Sanity...
Part five
Still shocked, the Doctor asks the Sanity if she knows who she is, and the Sanity claims her identity is irrelevant. The Doctor tries to get the Sanity to remember what she was like before she arrived, and tries to get her to remember the Sonic Screwdriver. The Sanity breaks it and tells the Doctor to not oppose her further. Graham asks the Doctor who she is, and the Doctor tells him that the Sanity is her future self. Confused, Graham remarks that he thought the Herald was the Doctor, to which she replies that due to the laws of the Catastrophia, she is seeing two possible futures for her, both as bad.
The Doctor tries to get the Sanity to stop torturing the Herald, who claims it is to harness its energies. The Doctor asks if the Sanity sees any similarity between herself and the Herald, but is told that they are nothing alike and she is harmony. Berakka steps up, and demands that the Herald return her to her own universe, to which the Sanity denies. Angrily, Berakka grabs the Sanity's arm to force her to obey her request, but the Sanity throws her across the room, saying that if she values her continued existence then stop obstructing her. Berakka congratulates the Doctor on how she is the only person who could be two monsters simultaneously.
On Venus, due to the new Heralds, the whole building is contorting out of shape, much like Castle Houska did in Bohemia. Sandola's sensors can't comprehend the change in environment, and rolls back down towards the Heralds. Ryan rescues her, and the group make their way towards the fire exit, and Yaz remarks that it's like Salvador Dali redesigned it. The Heralds corner the group, and Mother G, not in the best of health, somehow forces the monsters through the floor, falling to the lower levels. The building reasserts its shape, and Yaz asks Mother G how she did that, not getting an answer. The group get to the TARDIS, and Yaz and Ryan admit they can't actually fly it, a fact Mother G isn't happy with, all the while Sandola is amazed by the TARDIS' interior dimensions. Mother G rests her hand on the console and cryptically whispers to the TARDIS that it owes her a favour or two, and it takes off. Again, Yaz questions how she did that, and is angrily told to stop asking that.
Soon, the TARDIS arrives at a little pocket of chaos within the rational universe, and Mother G explains they can use it as a gateway to the logic cube, the pocket of logic inside the Catastrophia. However, once inside, the TARDIS starts to contort, as the chaos pocket attacks the TARDIS. In the logic cube, the Doctor asks what the Sanity's plan is, and the Sanity tells her that she will open every gateway from the Catastrophia to the rational universe all at once, allowing chaos entities like the Herald to escape. Bewildered, the Doctor asks why a creature of logic would do such a thing, and the Sanity tells her that the feedback would pour back through the open gateways destroying the Catastrophia, and claims the process will take less than three hundred thousand years. The Doctor says that she of all people cannot let trillions of innocent people die like that. The Sanity claims that it is the nature of all life to conclude, and starts the process, syphoning the Heralds energy.
At the citadel of the knights of the solitary sword, Dominik desperately calls for Dagmar, proclaiming hundreds of gateways are opening at once, in every era, every world. He says that even with all the knights, they couldn't possibly close them all, and Dagmar says that their must be a way. Dominik apologises, and proclaims that this is the end of all that is real...
Part six
In the TARDIS, the interior is being warped while Ryan, Yaz, Mother G and Sandola fight off attacking entities with pieces of crystal from the TARDIS. Elsewhere in the Catastrophia, many creatures are released.
In the logic cube, the Doctor is pleading with the Sanity to end this, who just informs the Doctor that the Herald is nearly at maximum pain, and she uses a floor tile to observe from above. The Doctor realises that she can manipulate the cube also, and uses her mind to control another cube tile. She asks Berakka for help and reminds her that this is for everything she spent her life building. Berakka agrees. They find the Sanity and the Doctor questions why she isn't dead yet. She tells the Sanity that it's because she is her past and if she dies here she won't become her. To prove her point she jumps off the tile to her doom.
She lands on a third tile, but the Sanity still denies it, until the Doctor points out that lying to herself isn't logical. Berakka jumps the Sanity and starts attacking it but is thrown against the wall. Berakka tells the Doctor that she has to end the Sanity, and that war has casualties. Realising, the Doctor gets Berakka to kick out the Sanity's legs, and they go tumbling down towards the Herald, much to Graham's dismay. There is a huge explosion. Graham desperately tries to get the Doctor to wake up, and she absorbs the Herald and Sanity into her. She claims it's a miracle they survived that and thanks Berakka for jogging her memory.
The creatures still swarm. A portal opens within the cube to reveal Mother G, who tells them to jump through, which Berakka does instantly and finds Sandola telling her to get crystal and join the fight. The Doctor tells Graham to go on through, and that she's staying and Graham remarks he's not going either then. The Doctor says how she has to stay for the Sanity to stay gone, but Graham reminds her that after all the months of travelling that they have done, she has never done something for herself. The Catastrophia has no laws, and he tells her to take advantage of that. The Doctor smiles and goes through the portal with Graham, and the TARDIS leaves the chaos pocket.
On Venus, the Doctor and Mother G are having a chat, and the Doctor asks what the G stands for. Mother G says that she would never believe her and whispers something to the Doctor who agrees that she doesn't believe her. Mother G departs. Graham, Ryan and Sandola (who is now wearing a dress), are talking when Graham tells Ryan they have to go. However, Ryan and Sandola are going to a club together, and leave, much to Graham's horror. The Doctor finds Berakka outside the TARDIS, who asks if she was right when she said that the Doctor was a monster. She says how despite the fact that the Sanity had none of the Doctor's morality or compassion, it was still her, and she will tell everyone about it. She leaves.
The Doctor enters the TARDIS, and Yaz tries to comfort her by showing a different news feed to Berakka's. Captain R'Takk is saying how the Doctor uncovered a conspiracy killing their people and that she is an honorary centurion of the Mobox empire, Tondi says how the Doctor ended the war between Kraytos and Tumat on Gatan, and many other aliens all share stories of how they were saved by the Doctor. Finally, it cuts to Sharon Allen mentioning how she first met the Doctor when she was a girl, and that she is an example that if everyone could expose a lie, stand up to something wrong, reach out to someone in need, then they can all be the Doctor.
Characters
- Thirteenth Doctor
- Graham O'Brien
- Ryan Sinclair
- Yasmin Khan
- Berakka Dogbolter
- Sandola Dell
- Krizanthia Kalos
- Harold Wyntonia
- The Herald
- The Sanity
- Mother G
- Captain R'Takk
- Tondi Dayon
- Sharon Allen
The Herald's memories
References
Locations
- The Doctor and Team TARDIS arrive on Segonus IV.
- Saint Bastion is the planet's biggest city.
- The Mahuika power station feeds energy to a quarter of the planet, and was constructed in a remote location because a meltdown would devastate everything in a fifty-mile radius. The meltdown happened due to a combination of "executive ineptitude, budget cuts, and staff shortages".
People
- The Doctor once met a "King Harold", who she describes as a "big fella, handy with a sword, liked a good knock-knock joke".
Miscellaneous
- The Doctor loves a good countdown.
- Yaz calls Team TARDIS the international rescue. Ryan corrects her, saying they are the intergalactic rescue.
- The Doctor tells Harold Wyntonia a joke as she tries to save him: "What do you call a knight who always cheats on his tests? Sir Glancelot!"
- Berakka is interviewed on the Freedom Thoughtcast Network.
- A city inhabitant compares the "evil" Doctor to a demon.
- The Doctor and Graham hold hands when escaping the Catastrophea
Notes
Original print details
- (Publication with page count and closing captions)
- DWM 543 (8 pages): Next: Invasion!
- DWM 544 (8 pages): Next: The Death of Reason!
- DWM 545 (8 pages): Next: The Fate of the Doctor!
- DWM 546 (8 pages): Next: Countdown to Catatrophe!
- DWM 547 (8 pages): Next: The Last Goodbye!
- DWM 548 (10 pages): The End
Continuity
- Berakka Dogbolter skews the events on Gatan (COMIC: The Warmonger) and Acantha (COMIC: The Power of the Mobox) to present the Doctor as a villain.
- Harold Wyntonia refuses the Doctor's help out of fear of her, resulting in his death. The same thing happened to Cass Fermazzi when the Eighth Doctor tried to save her. (TV: The Night of the Doctor)
- The Doctor and Graham discover another well leading to the Catastrophia. (COMIC: Herald of Madness)
- Mother G previously helped Ryan and Yaz in 17th century Bohemia. (COMIC: Herald of Madness)
- GBC reports positively on the Doctor, (COMIC: Abel's Story, The Stockbridge Showdown) interviewing R'Takk on Acantha, (COMIC: The Power of the Mobox) Tondi Dayon on Gatan, (COMIC: The Warmonger) and Sharon Allen on Unicepter IV. (COMIC: Dreamers of Death, The Stockbridge Showdown, et al.)
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