The Sooner the Better (short story)

The Sooner the Better was the fifth short story in the Short Trips anthology Short Trips: A Day in the Life. It was written by Ian Farrington. It featured the Fourth Doctor and Leela.

Summary
The TARDIS materialises in a quiet suburb early in the morning. The Doctor and Leela step out, but they have arrived a little too early for their mission. They sit on a bench and enjoy the morning, while the Doctor shows Leela a letter he must deliver. When they get up, the Doctor fails to notice that he has left the letter behind.

Paul is doing his morning paper route when he accidentally bumps into a postman, knocking him down. He helps him up and hands him a letter that has fallen on the ground.

When the Doctor and Leela try to deliver the letter, the Doctor discovers that it's missing. They search for it in vain, then meet Paul. They ask for his help, and he tells them he gave the letter to the postman. The three head for the house of Walter Fisher, who the Doctor tells Paul is an alien exiled to Earth.

When they arrive at Walter's home, the door is open. Inside they find the postman, who claims he was worried about the old man. Upstairs, the bedroom door is locked. When they break it open, they find Walter dead inside.

The Doctor accuses the postman of killing Walter. The postman admits to being an assassin on Walter's home planet, assigned to kill him. The Doctor, however, states that the letter he was bringing contained a pardon for Walter.

The Doctor and Leela take the postman into custody and say their goodbyes to Paul. He considers selling his story to a tabloid.

Characters

 * Fourth Doctor
 * Leela
 * Paul
 * Walter Fisher
 * The postman

Worldbuilding

 * Paul is a fan of the movie Back to the Future.
 * Paul's regular route includes delivery of the Daily Mirror, the Daily Mail, the Sun, the Independent and the Financial Times.

Continuity
to be added