Vortex Ice
In search of ‘exotic particles’, the Doctor and Flip arrive 700 feet underground, in a mine in Northern Mexico – only to run into a scientific expedition. Among their number, an exobiologist. They’re all on the hunt for alien life! Deep underground, the team finally uncovers a cave of vast crystals – like ice, despite the heat. And inside the crystal: something frozen. Something trapped in time. If only it were something simple, like a monster. But it’s far, far worse than that.
Cortex Fire
The Doctor brings Flip to the futuristic city of Festin, the best vantage point to witness a unique astronomical light show. In a city governed by the all-powerful network known as the Cortex, they’re soon identified as outsiders – nihilists, perhaps, responsible for a wave of terror that’s been sweeping the city… But the truth is different. The people of Festin are burning up. Spontaneously combusting. And no-one knows why.
VORTEX ICE
“Vortex Ice,” from Jonathan Morris, is the first of the two stories in the second split release, this one featuring the sixth Doctor and Flip, prior to her initial departure. It features the sort of complex time-travel plotting we’ve come to expect from Morris, great performances from the regulars, and an unexpected yet perfect twist.
We’ve seen this sort of story before: the TARDIS lands in a new location, and the Doctor and his companion(s) discover that they’ve already been there. But since they don’t remember being there, they must be seeing the impact of actions they will take in the future. And that’s what happens here, as the Doctor and Flip explore a mine in Mexico in search of artron energy particles, they stumble across massive “vortex ice” crystals and find themselves frozen within. The conclusion is simple: at some point in the future, they will be frozen in these crystals, and so they can’t do anything to change that future.
Of course, Morris doesn’t leave it there. Soon, the crystals thaw, and the “other” Doctor and Flip are thrown into the action. Things become a bit confusing at this point, since both Flips are generally “on screen” together – but that’s by design, as Morris never loses track of who should be where and when. Credit to director Ken Bentley and sound designers Joe Kraemer and Josh Arakelian for adopting a simple strategy to distinguish between the characters: one version largely speaks through the left channel and the other largely speaks through the right. When the big twist comes, it completely upends the story, challenging every assumption the listener has brought to the table. It all fits together quite well, as one would expect from a Morris script, and it’s eye opening in a way that strongly rewards a second listen. It also allows us to really understand Flip as a character. I’ve never been a fan of Flip, as I think she’s too often written badly: often she’s so ignorant that it defies belief that the Doctor would enjoy her company. But Morris understands her, and as a result “Vortex Ice” is the best Flip story we’ve yet had. There’s not a lot going on under the surface of this story, but the sharp plot and character work make this a model for other two-part stories.
9/10
CORTEX FIRE
The other story in the set is “Cortex Fire” by Ian Potter. I was under the vague impression that these stories were meant to be related in some way, but that’s obviously not the case – “Cortex Fire” has absolutely nothing to do with “Vortex Ice” despite the inverted title. It’s still a solid story, fortunately, but there’s not a great deal going on beneath the surface.
The Doctor takes Flip to a planet from which they will be able to watch magnificent lights in the sky from a nearby supernova – but of course, within minutes of the TARDIS landing, they become involved in a tale of rebels vs. government and suspected by the authorities. The society of Festin is threatened by nihilists, people who threaten the very foundations of society – and who also burst into flames and murder people. Furthermore, it seems that whenever someone is close to discovering the reasons for the nihilists’ existence, they too become fiery killers.
From this setup begins a story that spirals out to almost ridiculous levels of complexity. The “nihilists” are created when they realize their own insignificance to the universe – and this is because of the Urge, an elemental underpinning of the consciousness of the people that seeks to free itself from generations of imprisonment. The entire society of Festin has been engineered from the beginning to reach a point where it destroys itself, finally freeing the Urge. Potter certainly doesn’t lack imagination, but once the Doctor figures out what’s going on the story reverts to a basic “Doctor vs. megalomaniac” structure that we’ve seen a million times before. And the ending is curious, using a technique we just saw in the Ninth Doctor Chronicles set.
It’s difficult to say more about either of these stories. “Cortex Fire” is a story with a strong plot that lacks the temporal machinations of its partner and doesn’t do much to develop its characters. It’s a fine display of science fiction imagination, but there isn’t much more to it than that. I like the two-episode format, though, and so far the stories have largely taken advantage of it. The production credits are the same as for “Vortex Ice” and are similarly successful. Overall, I’d recommend picking this up – the first story is better but these are two fine ways to pass a couple of hours.
7/10