Chapter Text
The Doctor had seen many things in his lifetimes. He got to see the birth and deaths of countless stars, to see new planets being inhabited, saving a few along the way.
Oh yes, The Doctor has had many adventures; he has created many memories, but his favorite memories are those with Ray Narvaez Jr.
"Yeah, you better leave, you fucking faggot! Never fucking come back!" Ray's father screamed at him, Ray running out of the house.
He had finally decided to come out to his parents, and they were less than accepting of him. He ran out in fear of his own life. He ran and ran, until he reached an ally in his town. It started raining, so he took shelter in the large ally.
Ray curled up into a ball and started to cry. Why couldn't he have been born normal? Why was he broken? His cries quickly became loud sobs, and thunder crashed above him. All he wanted was for someone to love him the way he was. He wasn't sure he would find such a person.
A few hours later, the rain had died down, but Ray was soaking wet and shivering. He had fallen asleep, so he didn't hear the wooshing noise, nor did he notice that he was being picked up. When he finally woke up, he had a warm blanket around him, and a strange man in his face.
"Hello there." The man said, smiling. "Who are you?"
"I-I'm Ray. Ray Narvaez Jr." He responded, trying to back away from the strange man before him.
"Hello, Ray. I'm the Doctor." The Doctor said, backing away and holding his hand out. Ray reluctantly shook it. "So, Ray, care to tell me why you were out there freezing instead of at home with your parents?"
Ray hesitated. He didn't know who this man was, this Doctor. He didn't even know where he was. It looked weird. The Doctor noticed Ray looking around.
"You like it? It's my TARDIS, that's Time and Relative Dimensions in Space. It's my space ship."
"Space ship?" Ray asked. The Doctor nodded. "You're an alien?" Again, the Doctor nodded. "But you look human. You even have an American accent." Ray narrowed his eyes, skeptical.
"You are very observable, aren't you? I am indeed an alien, as I hail from a far off planet. I appear human because that's just what my people look like. Technically we came before humans, so really humans look like us." The Doctor rambled.
"Who is this 'us'?" Ray questioned.
"Well, Time Lords of course! Well," the Doctor suddenly looked down, a look of darkness escaping. "It was 'us'. Now it's just me. I'm the last of the Time Lords." The Doctor looked at Ray again, the darkness leaving. "But who cares about me, what do you want to do?" "What?" Ray asked. He barley followed this man. "This isn't just a space ship, it's a time machine. I can take you anywhere you want to go." The Doctor smiled as a certain wonder filled Rays eyes.
"How about 1000 years into the future?" Ray asked reluctantly. The Doctor smiled and messed with the console. Ray didn't know why he trusted this man, he only just met him. But for some reason, something was telling him that The Doctor was a friend.
"Here we are, 1000 years in your future. Year 3015." The Doctor stated as the TARDIS settled down. Ray stared at him, and The Doctor made a gesture toward the door. Ray slowly made his way to said door, and opened it.
Ray's jaw dropped at the sight before him. There were flying cars, higher level technology, and everything looked so... Perfect.
"Where are we?" Ray asked in awe. The Doctor appeared behind him.
"Austin, Texas. We're in the exact spot we left, just in a different time." The Doctor smiled at Ray's childlike wonder. "Why don't we explore a little?"
Ray shouldn't trust this man. He was a stranger, and an alien for gods sake. How did he know this wasn't a trick?
"Why don't we walk, and have a Q&A? I'm sure you have some questions for me; I know I have a few for you." The Doctor smiled and held out his hand. Ray stared at it for a moment before grabbing it. "You can go first."
"Okay..." Ray started. "How did you find me?"
"I didn't. My Tardis landed, and you happened to be there. I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, so I helped you." The Doctor responded. "How old are you?"
"24. I was in college, so I lived with my parents to save some money up. What is your name?" Ray asked. He never heard the older man tell him.
"I just go by The Doctor. Oh, we're here." The Doctor said, looking at the tall building in front of him. He let go of Ray's hand, much to Rays dismay.
"Where exactly is 'here'?" Ray questioned. The Doctor stayed silent for a moment, thinking.
"This is Rooster Teeth Co., and they basically have the world under their control." The Doctor answered. Ray stared at The Doctor for a moment before speaking.
"That is the dumbest name for a company ever. Of all time." Ray chucked a bit. The Doctor put his full attention on the lad.
"What did you just say?" He asked, concern filling his eyes.
"That Rooster Teeth is the dumbest name of a company?" Ray answered, confused.
"No, after that."
"... Ever, of all time? I've never used that phrase before."
"That's because you're being influenced by their power. When I said they have the world under their control, that included the humans. I think the CEO is an alien, a Ragzlor to be exact."
"What the fuck is a Ragzlor?"
"Their appearance is hard to explain because they change forms so often, but they are a species that craves control. They are born with a way to control the minds of anyone they want."
"And you said I'm being influenced?" Ray was beginning to feel scared.
"Yes, but don't worry. We'll stop them before any lasting damages occur." And with that, The Doctor grabbed Ray's hand and they ran into the building.
"Hello, and welcome to Rooster Teeth! My name is Barbara Dunkelman, what can I do for you today?" A cheerful blond greeted them. The Doctor pulled out a billfold.
"I'm Ryan Haywood, this here is Ray Narvaez Jr. We're here about a job offering you guys had?" The Doctor said opening the billfold. The paper was blank.
"Oh, of course! I was wondering when you two would get here. The boss is this way." Barbara smiled, leading them away.
"Doctor, that paper was blank." Ray whispered. The Doctor smiled.
"I knew you were smart. I'll tell you about it later." He responded.
"So, why did you wait so long to tell us your names?" Barbara asked, attempting to make conversation.
"Oh, we just wanted to make sure we wanted the job beforehand." The Doctor responded coolly.
"Of course, of course. How could I forget our own rule?" Barbara laughed. "I wish we could talk more, but it looks like we're here. By the way, you guys are cute together!" Barbara gave a bright smile and walked away. Ray then noticed that they were still holding hands. Again, he was upset when The Doctor let go.
"Her pink jacket was giving me a headache, holy shit." The Doctor said. "It's not pink, it's lightish red." Ray responded. He gave an exaggerated blink. "What the fuck did I just say."
"It's the Ragzlor. It's okay, it'll actually help if you throw in some references along the way." With that, they walked through the door.
"Oh, you're here. Welcome to Rooster Teeth, I'm Geoff Ramsey, the boss of Achievement Hunter. I just want to ask you both a few questions, and you can get right to work." Geoff said. He led them into another room and they sat down.
"So, what did you want to-" The Doctor started, but he was cut off.
"You got my distress signal, right?" Geoff rushed out in a panicked, hushed tone. The Doctor hesitated a moment before nodding his head.
"I did. I'm The Doctor, and this is Ray. Why did you send a distress signal?" The Doctor questioned.
"I don't know what the fuck is going on here. I woke up one day, and everything felt... wrong." Geoff whispered. The Doctor looked around the room a bit before pulling out his sonic screwdriver.
"What the hell is that?" Ray asked. The Doctor pointed it at different areas of the room.
"It's my sonic screwdriver. It lets me do stuff. All of the electronics that can listen in are now disabled, so we don't have to whisper anymore."
"Why the fuck is it a screwdriver?" Ray asked.
"We don't have time for this!" Geoff yelped out. "Something fucking weird is going on, what the fuck is happening!"
"Calm down, Geoff. Tell me everything you know about he CEO of this company."
"You mean Matt? He became CEO when Burnie decided a new CEO was needed."
"He probably used is ability on Burnie, to take control. When does the office close?" The Doctor asked.
"At about 7. Why? What are you going to do?" Geoff asked.
"We," The Doctor exaggerated, "are going to work, and we are going to wait until everyone here leaves. Odds are, the Ragzlor will stay here. Tell me, Geoff. Has anyone disappeared from here? Without a trace, and no one seemed to notice?" The Doctor asked. Geoff seemed to stare out into space for a moment.
"Now that you mention it, yeah. Every couple of months, someone goes missing. No one ever finds them, and no one ever asks. Oh my god." Geoff whispered, horrified. "Is it that thing you were talking about, the Ragzlor or whatever?"
"Yes it is. It needs to feed every few months, and it needs to feed off of the species it's copying. I'm sorry, but anyone who disappeared is now dead." The Doctor deadpanned.
"Jesus Christ." Geoff muttered. "Lindsay was so young. She didn't deserve that."
"Don't worry, Geoff. We'll stop this thing before it takes anyone else." The Doctor reassured.
Ray wondered about The Doctor. He seemed so sure of himself, how did he know that they would succeed? How did he go from cold to supporting so fast? Who was he, really? So many questions, and no answers as of yet. But Ray told himself that he'd find out, one way or another.
"Alright, it's 7:15. Everyone should be gone now." Geoff whispered, shutting the monitor off. "You two are a natural in editing, though. If things were different, I'd love for you guys to work here." Geoff smiled a little bit. "Maybe after we kill this Ragzlor or whatever, you two can stay?" He asked, rather hopeful.
"Sorry, Geoff, but I like to keep moving. After we defeat the Ragzlor, Ray and I will be leaving." The Doctor said.
"Oh." Geoff sighed, looking down. "I get it, you two probably have other people to help. It's okay, we're supposed to get two new hires next week. No idea who they are, though. I never understood that rule."
"Nothing makes sense with a Ragzlor. Now, take us to his office." The Doctor said. Geoff nodded, and lead the way. They walked down a long corridor, and a single door was at the end of it.
"This is it, this is Matt's office. How are we going to stop him?" Geoff asked, his voice trembling a bit.
"It's not as hard as you're thinking." The Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver at a vent above them, and it opened. "Ray, you're going to go into the vents, and if we're lucky, the vent will go behind his desk. Take this," The Doctor handed him a small syringe of a clear liquid. "And inject it into the side of its neck."
"Will this kill it?" Geoff asked. The Doctor shook his head.
"Our goal isn't to kill it; it's to subdue it. Ray and I will take it to the Intergalactic Police, where it will be put on trial. I have a plan B if that doesn't work. Now let's move out." The Doctor helped Ray into the vents, and he and Geoff walked into Matt's office.
"Geoff, what's up? Who's this? I thought we weren't expecting the new hires until next week." Ray heard the Ragzlor ask.
"This is Ryan." Geoff said curtly. Ray heard footsteps.
"Hm." The Ragzlor muttered. Ray climbed down to the vent, and waited for it to return to his desk. He watched in silence. "You're a strange one, Ryan. You seem completely unaffected by my power. I saw you use sonic technology to disable the cameras, so I know that you are not of this world. Tell me," the Ragzlor cupped one hand around The Doctor's face. "Who are you really? Where are you from?"
The Doctor looked like he was struggling against the Ragzlor's power. Ray decided that he had to act. He opened the vent and crawled out. He started sneaking up behind the Ragzlor. He was going to do it, he was going to succeed. He was-
"Geoff," the Ragzlor said. "Please hold back this man." Geoff immediately grabbed Ray's arms. He dropped the syringe, and it shattered.
"Geoff?" Ray asked, looking at the older man. His eyes looked vacant. The Ragzlor turned away from The Doctor, throwing him to the ground.
"Geoff isn't really here right now. Good thing you two brought him here, he may have gotten to the point where he were immune to my powers!" The Ragzlor laughed. "And how convenient for me, I now have a snack." It had an evil smile, and sharp claws appeared out of its hand. "Say goodnight." It whispered into Ray's ear, and Ray closed his eyes. He felt himself moving, and no pain ever came. When he opened his eyes, Geoff was in front of him, wide eyed with a hand coming out of his chest.
"Geoff!" Ray cried out. The Doctor pulled another syringe out of his pocket, and he stabbed the Ragzlor in the back of the neck. It pulled its hand out of Geoff's chest, and fell to the ground, dead. Ray grabbed Geoff before he could fall, and set him gently into the ground.
"It's okay, Geoff. You're going to be okay." Ray muttered to the man. Geoff smiled a small, sad smile.
"You two... You keep doing what you do..." Geoff whispered. "My life is enough in exchange for the ones we saved. I'm not upset. It's okay. It's okay."
"No, you'll be fine! You can come with me and The Doctor. Doctor, can't you help him?" Ray yelled, tears starting to spill. The Doctor shook his head sadly.
"I'm afraid not, Ray. No human could survive a wound like that." The Doctor responded.
"It's okay, Ray. It's okay. I'm dying on my own terms. And it was protecting a cutie like yourself." Geoff have a weak laugh. "You two are lucky to have each other. Stay safe, okay?" He whispered.
"W-we will. I can promise you, we will." Ray cried.
"I'm glad." Geoff whispered. "I'm glad I got to die free. I'm not under anyone or anythings control. I'm... Free..." Geoff breathed out the last word, and he went limp. Ray started sobbing.
"It's not fucking fair! He deserved so much better!" The Doctor gently picked Ray up, allowing him to cry into his chest.
"It's okay, Ray. He's at peace now. Don't worry about him. He's alright." The only response the Doctor got was sobs.