Chapter 7: Zygon Plans Revealed

Moscow, Soviet Union 1946

Agent Peggy Carter, Connie Oswald (an echo of Clara Oswald), Amy Pond, and Rory Williams stood still inside one of Russia's premier art galleries. They came here at night to investigate strange disappearances in this museum after a new painting was introduced. They found this painting to be simply one of a forest. There were no animals or people, only trees. They glanced at this painting in the center of a long hallway. They couldn't discover what was strange about it until three Zygons arrived to defend the painting. One Zygon stood at one end of the hallway, while the other two stood at the other end. Amy and Rory recognized the Zygons from a previous adventure with the Doctor.

"Watch out." Rory said. "They're Zygons. Alien shape shifters."

"So what do they want with a painting of a forest?" Connie asked.

The Zygons roared at the four intruders.

"Shut up!" Amy yelled, silencing the Zygons.

"What are you doing here?" Peggy asked.

"We don't have to answer to you!" One of the Zygons said.

"Then answer me!" Amy yelled. "I know about you."

"Prove it." Another Zygon said.

"You're called Zygons." Amy said. "You're planet was destroyed in the Time War between the Time Lords and the Daleks many years ago."

"Daleks?" Peggy said. "How?"

"You know about the Daleks?" Rory asked.

"Five years ago," Peggy said, "when the Germans were still bombing London, Winston Churchill had a few Daleks fighting for the British, or so he thought."

"I know." Amy said. "I was there."

"How can you have such knowledge of us and our home world?" The third Zygon asked.

"Ever heard of the Doctor?" Amy asked, knowing that they must have. "That's how I know. So tell me what you're doing here, why this painting is so important, and why people in this museum have been disappearing."

"I suppose we should." One of the Zygons said. "The last thing she hears before she dies will be of our victory."

"What are your names?" Rory asked. "How can we tell you all apart?"

"My name is Tim." The one Zygon at the end of the hall said.

"I am Jim." One of the two Zygons to the other end of the hall said.

"I am Jim's wife Michelle." The other Zygon at the other end of the hall said. "We adopted human names when we came here."

"Which was when?" Connie asked.

"1562." Tim said.

"Start from the beginning." Peggy said.

"The Time War destroyed our home planet." Tim said. "So the Zygons came to Earth in 1562 and used Time Lord technology to hide inside paintings. They plan on coming out in the twenty first century, when your technology greatly improves."

"What about you?" Rory asked. "You're talking about other Zygons in England. What are you doing here in Russia?"

"Those Zygons who engaged Queen Elizabeth in England were the leaders, the politicians, the doctors, the scientists, and so on." Jim said. "My brother, my wife, myself, and our children are what you would call criminals."

"They wouldn't let you in the paintings with the rest of the Zygons because you're convicts." Amy said.

"Correct." Michelle said. "So, we stole our own Time Lord technology and put our children in that painting of a forest."

"That was hundreds of years ago." Connie said. "How are you still alive?"

"Our life spans are much longer than yours." Tim said.

"Why did you put your children in paintings and not yourselves?" Peggy asked.

"We wanted to be sure the painting would be protected over the years and not destroyed." Jim said. "While we keep guard out here, our children will multiply in there. The other Zygons are frozen in their paintings, but not our kids. We stole technology the other Zygons would never have thought of. After four hundred years, there will be countless generations of our Zygon children in that painting who can take over this planet as their new home. They will fight the other Zygons and humans. They will be unstoppable."

"The painting has been moved around this country until it came here many years ago and was moved to the basement. A few weeks ago, they decided to put it on display." Michelle said. "People wanted to touch the painting and stare at it. If you look closely enough at it, you'll see our children. There used to be animals in this forest before our babies ate them. So, the people had to go."

"What happened to the people who disappeared?" Rory asked.

"We killed them." Tim said. "They were delicious."

"How are you planning on getting your children out of the painting?" Amy asked.

"Time energy." Jim said. "We used powerful Time Lord technology to get them in there. We need powerful time energy to get them out, but they're not ready yet. Time energy occurs naturally in those who have traveled through the time vortex. You say you know the Doctor. You must have traveled with him. You must have collected time energy we can use."

"We have lived for so long." Michelle said. "We need to find time energy now so we can use it later. I say we take theirs."

"An excellent idea my sister-in-law." Tim said.

Peggy, Amy, Rory, and Connie now knew what the Zygons wanted. However, it would not help them get out of this situation. The hungry Zygons prepared for their attack, staring at the agents and former time travelers with hungry eyes.