Thin Ice (audio story)
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Thin Ice was the third story release in the second series of The Lost Stories, produced by Big Finish Productions. It was adapted by Marc Platt, from his original script, and featured Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor and Sophie Aldred as Ace.
This story was originally intended to be the second story of the original Season 27, but was cancelled along with other planned stories when Doctor Who itself was cancelled in 1989.
This story puts to the forefront the Seventh Doctor's ulterior motive for raising up Ace: he wished to groom her for entrance into the Time Lord Academy if she was willing to join them. While the Cartmel Masterplan would have designated this as Ace's departure story and Raine Creevy's start as the new primary companion for the Doctor, the audio adaptation skewed from the original intentions of writer Andrew Cartmel and instead saw Ace decline the Doctor's offer and elect to keep travelling with him. The change in narrative allowed Big Finish Productions to keep charting its own course for Ace.
Publisher's summary
Moscow 1967. The Doctor and Ace have arrived behind the Iron Curtain, and the Soviet Union is seeking a new weapon that will give it mastery in the Cold War.
What is the secret of the Martian relics? As the legendary War Lord Sezhyr returns to life, the Doctor is faced with some of his oldest and deadliest enemies.
The fate of Earth – and the future of Ace – are now intertwined...
Plot
Part one
Major Felnikov and Dimitri are performing an experiment involving a patient in a strange suit of armor with an ornate helmet. Dimitri turns the power on and keeps it at 200 as Dr. Yevgeni enters the room to serve as the observer of the experiment after apologizing for being late due to the traffic being atrocious on his way. Felnikov tells Yevgeni that he has already made a full report, to which Yevgeni replies by saying that the Central Committee values his work on the coverage of the project's medical aspects, but also needs to assess the strategic potential of the artefacts as it is believed that they could be the most important discovery since the Americans' idea of the bomb.
Dimitri notices that the blood pressure is 140 over 90, and Felnikov steps away from the bed. Yevgeni notes that the helmet looks medieval, almost reptilian even, and Felnikov even believes that it is not a human's helmet as he notices that the armor's fabric is laced with complex electronic circuitry almost like an extra nervous system. The body has reacted to the stimuloid sense. When asked about the patient, Felnikov refers to him as Private Ulyek Tultrov, also known as Volunteer Number 3. He then orders Dimitri to raise the power to 300. When asked about the first 2 volunteers, Felnikov answers that they both died.
Suddenly, the patient's heart rate increases, prompting an increase in anti-histamine input to 3.4. Yevgeni notices that she choking patient's metabolism is changing. The anti-histamine input is not working, so Felnikov orders Dimitri to cut the helmet's power, but Dimitri protests this order as the test must run with conclusions, so the patient is to be kept alive. Unfortunately, the patient almost immediately flatlines due to the helmet's power being too much for the patient to handle. Felnikov refuses to believe that the helmet is alive and orders the patient to be brought back, Dimitri refuses and states that the patient was rejected by the helmet due to not being compatible with its needs. Felnikov orders the experiment to be restarted with a new subject.
The Doctor and Ace are in Russia, with the Doctor pointing out the frozen Moskva river and the Kremlin where Napoleon once fled from as the people of Moscow burned the city around him. An unamused Ace calls to the Doctor who asks the TARDIS why it has brought them here. Turning his attention back to his companion, the Doctor tells her that he was perusing the streets of Russia before complimenting her hat, to which Ace remarks that it wasn't her first choice. The Doctor says that hats like the one Ace is wearing are quite practical, especially in cold Russian winters, reaffirming Ace's point that they are in Moscow when she was promised London 1967 during the Summer of Love where it would have been warm instead of grey and depressing.
The Doctor walks off and tells Ace to keep moving before they can attract anyone's attention, reminding Ace that they are in the USSR in 1967. He then decides to take a certain road that will take him to where he can see Red Square and the Kremlin, but Ace asks what Glasnost is. The Doctor remembers that Ace had already left home by 1989 due to the Time Storm that she had unwittingly created. Ace thinks that the Doctor is holding another test for her, even refusing to believe the Doctor when he says that he is as surprised as she is. Ace asks how long he has had these so-called delusions, to which the Doctor replies "It all depends on which side your toast is buttered, and which side of the wall you're on." Ace calls the Doctor the biggest hippy of the lot and asks to be shown around Moscow just as it begins to snow.
Markus Creevy is called over by a Russian police officer named Boris who wishes to know what is in the case that he is carrying. Markus replies that it's already been checked after he's been through customs, but Boris insists that he opens it, prompting Markus to tell him that he's in Moscow as a trade delegate and that his passport has been stamped. He then shows Boris a piece of paper saying that Major Felnikov is supposed to meet him. Boris warns Markus that if he doesn't cooperate, the case will be forced open.
Reluctantly, Markus opens the case to reveal records that he was going to give to the people of Russia as gifts. Boris has the records confiscated and Markus is placed under arrest. Major Felnikov arrives to see what is going on and Boris tells him that Markus has been smuggling illegal capitalist propaganda, only for Felnikov to say that he takes responsibility for guests of the state. Markus is allowed through to speak to Major Felnikov who apologizes for the misunderstanding before welcoming him to Moscow and introducing him to the person who will be his guide for the visit: Raina Kerenskaya.
After exchanging pleasantries, Kerenskaya is told to escort Creevy to the Interest Hotel where Felnikov will join them in the evening. Once Felnikov is gone, Kerenskaya is happy to see her lover again and Creevy asks her if something is set up. Kerenskaya replies in the affirmative and they both begin to make their way to the hotel while Markus reminds Kerenskaya about the case containing the records.
The Doctor and Rose enter a cafeteria where the Doctor orders two teas, only to be disappointed that only biscuits are sold in the cafeteria instead of blinis with sour cream. At the table, Ace notes that it's much warmer inside than it is on the streets, but the Doctor is more interested in the flags that the people were putting up on the street. Ace asks if it's May Day, but the Doctor says that it's the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution even though it's November. He explains that the revolution went on for quite a long time, ultimately ending in November with the downfall of the Tsars. Unfortunately, not much improved after the revolution, to which the Doctor states that he believes that the Russians sometimes seem to be addicted to suffering. The Doctor tells Ace that she should have met Ivan the Terrible who, according to him, was terrible but not as bad as Josef Stalin who was the worst Tsar of all.
The duo are approached by Lemayev who notices that they are both English, and Ace wishes him a happy anniversary for the revolution. As the Doctor introduces himself and Ace, Lemayev reveals that he already knows who they are and that he heard that they would be in Russia. He introduces himself to them and asks them if they should be at their hotel, to which the Doctor replies that he and Ace were taking in the sights of Russia. Ace notices that Lemayev is shaking, most likely due to the cold. The Doctor invites Lemayev to join them for tea and biscuits, but Lemayev asks if they are with Markus Creevy who he heard would bring two experts with him, but it may be too late as he thinks that the old plan may have to be abandoned.
Kerenskaya tells Creevy that they have 2 hours to spend together at the hotel before the reception begins, remarking that it has been 15 weeks since they were last together. Markus is assured that the man who is driving them to the hotel doesn't speak english, so they are safe as long as they talk in public due to the hotel room possibly being bugged. Markus is looking forward to sharing a bottle of vodka with Kerenskaya in the hotel room, but Kerenskaya has had to give up drinking for reasons that she will tell him about later. She then tells Markus to look his best at the reception and to talk about fur, something that Markus isn't too well-experienced in talking about. Luckily for him, Kerenskaya will serve as his translator and cover his mistakes, remembering that her grandfather worked as a trapper in Ukraine.
Durong the parade tomorrow, Markus and Kerenskaya will slip away and get busy with their own project. Markus asks if the Doctor and his companion have arrived yet, to which Kerenskaya responds in the negative, hoping that he would have known where they were. Markus believes that they will have had to have made contact at the hotel, but Kerenskaya prefers people she knows. She tells Markus that Yevgeni will be driving as he has the codes to the vault and once he gives them the go-ahead, Markus and Kerenskaya will leave with their collected treasures. When asked he has any weapons, Markus replies that she will be surprised with the weapons he has.
Before Kerenskaya can tell Markus something very personal, Markus spots something standing on the frozen river. It appears to be a London Police Box.
In the café, Ace asks Yevgeni if someone is following him, but the Doctor assures Yevgeni that no one is behind him. Yevgeni shows the Doctor and Ace what looks like a large jeweled egg known as a Fabergé, but the Doctor notices that its applique is quite different from a regular Fabergé. Ace notices that the object has diamonds embedded in it and the clusters are linked. On top of that, it also appears to have some sort of electrical properties to it, making Ace ask Yevgeni if it's a weapon. The Doctor asks Yevgeni if it's dangerous to walk around Moscow with the object, to which Yevgeni explains that the object is part of a trove of objects that the defense group has been studying for months.
Yevgeni also explains that he is working for the defense group and he believes that it is part of what the Doctor and Ace are here to steal, so he couldn't help but take it for himself. He says that the sooner the Doctor, Ace and Creevy get it away from them, the better. The Doctor asks what else is in the trove and what the group is developing, but before Yevgeni can answer, the object suddenly becomes primed. Yevgeni commands the Doctor to tell Creevy that he is sorry before running out of the café with the object.
The Doctor and Ace follow Yevgeni into an alley where he attempts to get rid of the object which is actually a sonic grenade. They cover their ears just as the grenade goes off, killing Yevgeni after his eardrums implode. When Ace asks where the grenade came from, the Doctor tells her that it was from Mars and that something else came with it. Then someone wearing a strange helmet shows up on a motorbike to hem them into the alley. As the Doctor tells the person about the death of Yevgeni, Ace notices the helmet he is wearing which the Doctor explains is from Mars' third epoch.
Ace tells the person that if he wants trouble, she will be happy to oblige, but the Doctor tells her that there has been enough violence. Just then, a Russian soldier shows up and, ignoring Ace's inquiries about the dead man, orders the Doctor and Ace to come with him in the car that he arrived in.
As the sun sets, the Doctor and Ace are being driven to the KGB headquarters, also known as the Lubyanka, which is the tallest building in Moscow according to the Doctor who has questions that need to be answered. He wonders if Mars' influence is spreading to Earth, but Ace doesn't believe that it has happened as she would have seen it on the news, to which the Doctor replies that time can change its course just like a river.
As Ace rummages in her pocket for a pencil to give to the Doctor she finds a bank note for 10 rubles which was apparently planted on her by Yevgeni. On the back of the bank note is a sequence of figures which is assumed to be a code that was supposed to be passed onto Markus Creevy. As they arrive at their destination, the Doctor asks for a cell with a view. It turns out that they have arrived at the Interest Hotel. The Russian tells them that the reception for visiting guests has already started and that they cannot go on any expeditions alone.
On the way into the hotel, Ace calls the Russian soldiers dumbos for thinking that she and the Doctor are guests, but the Doctor thinks that they have been expected at the hotel.
Kerenskaya calls Markus over to tell him that Yevgeni is dead after talking with his brother. She explains that Yevgeni took an object from the vault and the Secret Police began to pursue him. Markus asks for a way out so he doesn't end up dead or working in a salt mine, but Kerenskaya tells him that the police likely think Yevgeni was acting for himself and that they still need to find the Doctor and Ace, to which Markus replies that her nose pucker is right up when she's taking charge, which he really likes.
Ace is showing disapproval at the fur coats that she sees at the fashion show that she and the Doctor are watching, thinking that wearing them is not necessary. She tells the Doctor that she spotted Creevy at least 10 minutes ago wearing a floral shirt and a velvet jacket behind a potted plant having a bit of a barney with an official woman, but the Doctor says that it's more like they're arguing in the way old friends do. The Doctor tells Ace to grab a handful of pretzels before they both make their way over to Creevy.
Kerenskaya tells Creevy that they both should mingle while they wait for Felnikov, but Creevy is more concerned about Yevgeni. Kerenskaya tells him that Yevgeni's brother, Yasha, will take over the driving and that he also works at the clinic, despite her telling Creevy that only Yevgeni has the code.
Just then, the Doctor and Ace approach the duo and introduce themselves. Ace tells Creevy and Kerenskaya about the time they met Yevgeni in the café before his death which Creevy and Kerenskaya already know about. The Doctor gives Markus the 10 ruble note that Yevgeni gave them. On the back of the note is load of numbers which the Doctor believes is the code that will open a safe or vault. Creevy tries to take the note, but the Doctor and Ace decide to hang onto it for a bit longer.
Major Felnikov arrives in the hotel to find out if Kerenskaya is treating Creevy well. The Doctor and Ace then introduce themselves to the Major who points out that he has no record. Kerenskaya talks to the Major and tells him that the Doctor and Ace are guests of the government that have been overlooked before saying that they should avoid diplomatic incidents on the eve of their celebration day, to which the Major replies that Kerenskaya should keep an eye on them.
Kerenskaya informs the Doctor that Felnikov won't be pleased for long. She and Creevy explain that their contacts in London told them that the Doctor and Ace would be coming before Creevy asks about the bank note that Ace was given. The Doctor tells Ace to take Creevy to get some Russian salad while he talks to Kerenskaya. Once Ace and Creevy have gone, the Doctor explains to Kerenskaya that he has arrived because of Yevgeni's death by sonic weaponry that doesn't belong on Earth.
When asked where it came from, Kerenskaya mentions that there are a number of rumors that began after a submarine found treasures amongst the wreckage of a spaceship in the Bering Sea two years ago. The Doctor realizes that the treasures are actually weapons that the Russian government hope to acquire so they have an advantage over the west. The weapons are being held in a vault under the Kremlin and Creevy has arrived to help in stealing them during tomorrow's celebrations when everyone in Moscow will be busy watching the parades in the Red Square. The Doctor offers to help Kerenskaya due to having the codes for the vault and says that Ace will get into the vault.
Suddenly, the Doctor hears someone calling to him mentally. After convincing Kerenskaya to accept his deal of ten rubles, the Doctor begins to make contact with one of his fellow Time Lords to see if he and his fellow Adjudicators have reached a decision.
Creevy is getting to know Ace better by asking her about her name and saying that she's been watching too many Bond films. Ace asks if they have gotten as far as Roger Moore, which confuses Creevy who says that Roger is a saint. He then asks Ace about the Doctor, to which Ace replies that he is the brains, but she runs the defense side. She then explains that it takes 8 ounces of nitro-9 to blow up the hinges on a three-foot thick tungsten door, which impresses Creevy. Ace refuses to give Creevy the vault numbers until the Doctor allows him to have them. Just then, Creevy receives an alert and leaves.
The Time Lord informs the Doctor that his application to the Academy has been considered despite their suspicions about Ace not being from Gallifrey. She must undergo a series of tests, which the Doctor explains is why they are in Moscow and have not been arrested. The Doctor thinks that Ace's assessment beginning is unfair as he doesn't believe that she is ready, but the Time Lord reminds him that he was the one who set up the first task of recovering the lost artefacts. Ace must now act on her own before she can join the academy. As the Time Lord disappears, the Doctor protests that he doesn't want Ace to get hurt.
Markus Creevy returns to his room where he finds a creature named Lord Hhessh standing by the window due to the room's temperature. Creevy orders him to move away from the window before he is spotted by the other humans. As Hhessh protests that he needs air, Creevy tells him that he cannot turn the central heating off and that he was defrosted early. Hhessh is informed that his mission to return the lost relics of Sezhyr to his followers will be tomorrow, but he has to stay in the room for one more night. When they hear a knock at the door, Creevy tells Hhessh to hide in the bathroom.
Ace enters the bedroom and is subdued by Creevy who demands to know what she is doing. Ace explains that she had to know what Markus is really up to. Hhessh is angered at Ace entering the room and finding out that there is a Martian in the hotel. He orders Creevy to stand aside so that he can kill Ace.
Part two
Before Hhessh can kill Ace, Creevy tries to convince him to spare her so that they don't get interrogated about her death. Ace tells Creevy and Hhessh that the Doctor sent her to find them and then says that Hhessh is from Mars which is not the dead world that people think it is. Creevy tells Hhessh that Ace is on his team as an explosives expert, but Hhessh asks Creevy what he has told her, only for Creevy to remind him that if he exits the room they are currently in, half the red army will be coming for him. After being told to let Creevy deal with Ace, Hhessh states that he still needs answers from Ace.
The Doctor tries to call an elevator so he can find Ace, but Kerenskaya tells him not to waste his time with it and that it will be quicker to walk up the stairs. As they walk, the Doctor asks Kerenskaya about the treasures, to which Kerenskaya answers that it's hidden beneath the arsenal in the Kremlin which the Doctor has been in a long time ago. She also explains that Yevgeni's brother, Yasha, works in the Kremlin due to having an entry pass and he drives a delivery van in through the back gates, which is how they plan to get into the Kremlin during the anniversary parade when the vault workrooms will be closed. Once inside, Ace will open the vault.
When asked what he wants and who he's working for, the Doctor replies that he's working for himself and is curious about the treasure's nature before asking Kerenskaya what she wants. Kerenskaya answers she is doing this for self-gain and Creevy is doing this mission on behalf of his boss in London whereas she is paid not to ask questions. Their intentions are to steal the treasure and take it out of Russia. As they explore the hallways, the Doctor tells Kerenskaya that Creevy left quickly and Ace followed him, thus making him concerned. Just then, the Doctor and Kerenskaya both hear a sonic gun firing. They rush towards the source of the noise.
Hhessh is busy destroying the listening bugs that Ace is pointing out in the hotel room that they are in. The Doctor and Kerenskaya burst into the room, and Creevy has to prevent Hhessh from killing them both whilst also assuring Kerenskaya that Hhessh is on their side despite smelling a bit fishy. He then tells her that Hhessh is the one who is leading their mission. Hhessh focuses his attention towards the Doctor, whom Ace introduces to him.
The Doctor asks Hhessh why he is on Earth, to which Hhessh answers that he is trying to recover the lost relics that belonged to his people, to which the Doctor chastises Hhessh for bringing the relics to earth and then tells him that the humans could assume that his intentions for coming to Earth were less than peaceful. Hhessh is adamant that the Doctor is wrong and that the relics must be retrieved before they can cause any more damage, a mission that the Doctor and Ace agree to help him with so that he can take the relics away from earth.
With the heat in the room becoming unbearable for him, Hhessh begins to leave through the fire escape, despite Creevy's protests.
Ace orders the Doctor in the bathroom and calls him out for speaking to Hhessh the way he did, to which the Doctor replies that Martian Ice Lords are militaristic fighters who respect displays of strength. He then tells Ace that it isn't easy for him to not be in charge, even though Ace thinks he is in charge. She then realizes that the Doctor wants her to assume responsibility for the mission, and is thankful for the opportunity, but she still doesn't know about the Doctor's problems with the Martians. After saying that he has a checkered history with them, the Doctor gives Ace the list of numbers and tells her not to lose it. Ace tells the Doctor not to wander off in case she needs his assistance, to which the Doctor replies that everyone has their own agenda before wishing Ace good luck.
Part three
to be added
Part four
to be added
Cast
- The Doctor - Sylvester McCoy
- Ace - Sophie Aldred
- Markus Creevy - Ricky Groves
- Lt. Raina Kerenskaya / Sezhyr - Beth Chalmers
- Hhessh - Nicholas Briggs
- Major Maxim Alexandrovitch Felnikov - John Albasiny
- Adjudicator / Glarva - Nigel Lambert
- Yevgeni / Yasha Lemayev - John Banks
Worldbuilding
Culture
- The Doctor claims to have last visited the Kremlin centuries earlier.
- Ace anachronistically questions whether Roger Moore, rather than Sean Connery, is the current James Bond. Markus Creevy says that Moore is the star of the television series The Saint.
- The Doctor, Ace, Markus and Raina attend the ceremony in Red Square marking the fiftieth anniversary of the October Revolution on 7 November 1967. They see Yuri Gagarin and Valentina Tereshkova.
- Ace is disappointed that she has not seen a single hippie.
People
- The Ice Warrior Lord Hhessh has grown fond of fish fingers.
- Lt. Raina Kerenskaya is from Kiev while her grandfather was a fur-trapper in the Ukraine. As of November 1967, she is fifteen weeks pregnant.
- Sezhyr is a hero of the Dust Rebellion.
- Markus Creevy is an Arsenal fan.
Technology
- The Orb of Alikyr is a piece of Ice Warrior technology.
Locations
- Hhessh considers Moscow to be cold, like his native Mars.
Notes
- This audio drama was recorded on 30 September and 1 October 2010 at The Moat Studios.
- Ot was released on 14 April 2011.[1]
- Ice Time, the unproduced television story on which this story is based, was instead set in 1960s London.
- This story takes place in November 1967, the same month as the original broadcast of The Ice Warriors in which the eponymous aliens made their début.
- This is the first audio drama to feature the Seventh Doctor and Ace travelling without another companion since The Rapture in September 2002. Either Hex or Bernice Summerfield had appeared in all of the stories featuring the pair in the interim.
- This story is one of the few stories with specific authorial intent to slot into Seven’s televised era after his actual final televised story, Survival. That is to say, set between said story and the ‘VNA era’.
- This story shares its title with a 2017 episode of the 2005 continuation of the show, though both stories are completely unrelated.
Continuity
- The Doctor claims to have never delivered a baby before. He would do so again in Ireland in September 1649. (AUDIO: The Settling) He would later claim to have delivered the Mongol military leader Genghis Khan, whom he described as a "sweet baby." (PROSE: Tragedy Day)
- Ace yet again visits 1960s London. (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks)
- Immediately after the events of this story, the Doctor and Ace travel to October 1989 where they are reunited with Markus Creevy and Colonel Felnikov as well as the former's then twenty-one-year-old daughter, Raine. Both Markus and Felnikov take some time to realise that Ace is the same girl that they met in 1967, having not aged a day in the interim two decades. (AUDIO: Crime of the Century)
- Hhessh mentions "rival factions" of Ice Warriors, and that the militaristic force on Earth are the last "true" Ice Warriors. The Third and Fifth Doctors had previously encountered one of these pacifistic factions on Peladon. (TV: The Curse of Peladon, The Monster of Peladon; AUDIO: The Bride of Peladon)
- Ace refers to Perivale (TV: Ghost Light, Survival) and Fenric. (TV: The Curse of Fenric)
- Ace says she knows what it's like to be a long way from home. She was some 2 billion years from her own time when she first met the Doctor. (TV: Dragonfire)
Footnotes
External links
- Official Thin Ice page at bigfinish.com
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