Short Trips: 2040

Short Trips: 2040 is the tenth volume of the Short Trips anthologies.

Publisher's summary
The future is here — and it's not what we expected...

To the governments and corporations of the world in 2040, expansion is an article of faith. The human race must expand outwards, exploring new territories, new technologies, new ways of thinking.

Only problem is, the human race doesn't necessarily share that faith. And with so much at stake, our leaders may have to call in some new partners to make sure we see the light...

pro-gress n. : 1: any movement in a desired direction. 2: growth or development.

"Mankind will be just like a string of sausages, all the same!" - Doctor Who: The Mind Robber by Peter Ling

The world is changing for the better, so we're told, and we must change to keep up with it. In 2040, the human race has broken out of Earth's confines, with bases on the moon and manned missions to the furthest planets of our solar system. The terrorist threat is being contained by ever-larger military alliances, crossing the old national boundaries. Wars are fought increasingly without the risk of human error, as military vehicles and weapons learn to think for themselves. Large corporations are increasingly working as the partners of government; the largest of them, Perseus, is leading mankind's struggle to find new sources of energy, and its expansion into outer space.

Meanwhile, though, there are individuals and communities who find their own ways of living through this uncertain age. An artificial intelligence that doesn't want to fight the war it was built for; a special agent with a penchant for catsuits and old-fashioned cars; an isolated community who find meaning in advanced mathematics; an ageing conservationist who lives for his memories of Antarctica. Still worse, there are dissidents and extremist groups intent on sabotaging the cause of expansion, urging governments to "pull back to Earth", and spreading bizarre rumours that Perseus is the advance guard of an alien invasion.

For the most part, these two worlds can coexist in 2040. But there are times and places where they come into conflict, and it's here that the real interest lies. It's also, of course, where we find the Doctor: a frequent visitor, in various guises and with various companions. But is there any pattern or purpose to his visits? And is he here just to observe our future, or to change it?