Doing Time (short story)

Doing Time was the eleventh short story in the Short Trips anthology Short Trips: Steel Skies. It was written by Lance Parkin. It featured the Fourth Doctor.

Summary[[edit] | [edit source]]

Shepard has a moment of panic. He and Adams are in the power stacks. They carefully remove a cylinder and put it in a bag. Shepard is nervous. They head out, Shepard leading the way. They open the double doors and come out onto the moon's surface. The settlement is nearby. Their shuttlecraft is in the opposite direction, Morgan waiting at the controls. Shepard wonders if it could really be this easy, but they make it to the shuttle and take off. Adams states, "We got away with it."

They board a warp ship and destroy their shuttle. Adams stays in his quarters to guard the bag. They change ships, then dock at Gateway Nine Zero Zero One on their way to meet their contact. As they push through the crowd, Shepard briefly loses sight of the other two. He is confronted by a tall man and a woman. The woman calls the man "Doctor", and Shepard is afraid. The Doctor knows what he has taken, but Shepard thinks he is trying to make a deal. The Doctor tells him that if he doesn't change his ways, he will end up "doing time."

Shepard joins the other two, and they meet their contact, an alien creature. They give him their prize, the impeller for a TARDIS time rotor. The creature gives them a molecular sequencer that will change anything to gold, up to the amount of their promised payment. The creature leaves, and the next day the men deposit the gold in the bank. They go their separate ways, and Shepard returns home to Celeste. The next morning, he happily realises this is the first day of the rest of his life.

Shepard has a moment of panic. He and Adams are in the power stacks. They carefully remove a cylinder and put it in a bag. Shepard is nervous. He experiences a moment of déjà vu. They head out, Shepard leading the way. They open the double doors and come out onto the moon's surface. The settlement is nearby. Their shuttlecraft is in the opposite direction, Morgan waiting at the controls. Shepard wonders if it could really be this easy, but they make it to the shuttle and take off. Adams states, "We got away with it."

They board a warp ship and destroy their shuttle. Adams stays in his quarters to guard the bag. They change ships, then dock at Gateway Nine Zero Zero One on their way to meet their contact. As they push through the crowd, Shepard briefly loses sight of the other two. He has a sense of déjà vu again, but something is missing...a man and a girl.

Shepard joins the other two, and they meet their contact.

Shepard has a moment of panic. He and Adams are in the power stacks. They carefully remove a cylinder and put it in a bag. Shepard is nervous. They head out, Shepard leading the way. Shepard realises they are repeating events. They open the double doors and come out onto the moon's surface. The settlement is nearby. Their shuttlecraft is in the opposite direction, Morgan waiting at the controls. Shepard wonders if it could really be this easy, but they make it to the shuttle and take off. Adams states, "We're trapped."

They board a warp ship and destroy their shuttle. Adams stays in his quarters to guard the bag. At the station, Shepard realises that each repeating cycle is half the length of the last one. He will never see Celeste again.

Shepard has a moment of panic. He and Adams are in the power stacks. Shepard says they are being punished. They carefully remove a cylinder and put it in a bag. Shepard is nervous. They head out, Shepard leading the way. They open the double doors and come out onto the moon's surface. The settlement is nearby. Their shuttlecraft is in the opposite direction, Morgan waiting at the controls. Shepard wonders if it could really be this easy, but they make it to the shuttle and take off. Adams states, "We got away with it."

Shepard has a moment of panic. He and Adams are in the power stacks. They carefully remove a cylinder and put it in a bag. Shepard tells Adams that the next time they have to remember not to take the rotor.

Shepard has a moment of panic. He and Adams are in the power stacks. He warns Adams not to take the rotor, but it is too late. Shepard knows the next time there won't be any time to warn Adams.

Shepard has a moment of panic.

Characters[[edit] | [edit source]]

• Fourth Doctor
• Shepard
• Adams
• Morgan
• Celeste

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

• Adams lured a group of Time Lords to a remote moon to investigate claims of temporal disturbances.

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

• The stories in Short Trips: Steel Skies are divided into four sections dealing with different types of confinement. This story deals with incarceration, that is, "punishment and imprisonment".
• The Doctor is accompanied by a woman, but there are very few clues that could identify her.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

to be added