Carpenter/Butterfly/Baronet was the tenth short story in the Short Trips anthology Short Trips: 2040. It was written by Gareth Wigmore. It featured the Third Doctor and Jo Grant.
Summary
The Doctor and Jo are relaxing after having taken part in peace talks on Earth. They attend a re-enactment of the Battle of Britain, which is disrupted by a group known as Pull Back to Earth. After the demonstration is over, the Doctor and Jo follow the crowd to the exit, and are nervous that guards are checking everyone's PANs. They try to bluff their way out, but the guard doesn't fall for it, so the Doctor karate chops him and they run away.
However, when they reach the spot where they left the TARDIS, it is no longer there. The Doctor spots a 1940s-era aeroplane and attempts to escape in it, but he and Jo are shot by stun-guns.
They awake in a cell and discuss their predicament, unaware that they are being observed. The two men watching are interested in their mention of "intergalactic war" and "a few years into the future". They are also interested in a scan of Jo's irises.
The two men visit the cell and introduce themselves as Steven Page and Stephen Le Page. They question the Doctor and Jo, believing them to be part of Pull Back to Earth. They suspect Jo of stealing an old woman's irises, as her irises match the records they have of Jo Jones, who died twelve years ago.
Le Page takes the Doctor for a walk while Page stays with Jo. Le Page knows that the Doctor isn't human, and the Doctor reveals that he knows Le Page isn't human either. Le Page is a Perseus Corporeal, serving the Ethereal. Their goal is to integrate all of humanity into the Corporeal. The Doctor is appalled.
Le Page takes the Doctor to a room where five humans lie on beds. They have received implants to integrate them into the Corporeal. Le Page explains that only volunteers and criminals receive the implants. The Doctor notes that one of the five is dead, but Le Page is unconcerned.
When the Doctor threatens to stop Le Page, Le Page informs him that both he and Jo were given an implant that would make it easier to track them and make them forget what happened. The Doctor and Jo will be safely returned to the TARDIS, unable to remember what happened here.
As the Doctor starts to forget where he is and who Le Page is, one of the humans sneaks up behind Le Page and stabs him. As he dies, his human form fades away and his real form is revealed.
Characters
References
- PANs are used.
- The Doctor and Jo attend a simulation of the Battle of Britain.
- The group Pull Back to Earth disrupts the simulation.
- The Doctor quotes from "The Walrus and the Carpenter".
- Le Page knows the Doctor isn't human.
- The Corporeals thought the Time Lords were a myth.
Notes
to be added
Continuity
- According to records in 2040, Jo's surname is Jones. (TV: The Green Death, TV: Death of the Doctor)
- The Doctor and Jo receive implants to track their movements. (PROSE: The Ethereal)
