Okay, and here's another last minute change! I was going to have this saga finish on chapter 25, but I've had a couple of ideas that warranted me changing a few bits. Including this one, there are three chapters left of this saga.

Anyways, enjoy!


Chapter Twenty Eight: The Zygon Invasion


Ember was not in a good mood, even as she sat on a swing in a children's park. She'd only just found out what she really was, and yet she wasn't even given a chance to fully absorb it because of this erratic jumping. She was currently sitting on a bench in what looked like a more children's park on Earth.

One question had finally been answered. She was a hybrid of two mighty races. Time Lord... and Eternal.

But that was an answer to only one question; she still had many more in mind. How and why did she become this hybrid? Who was she before? Why couldn't she remember? Why did she jump around the timelines seemingly at random, and why specifically the Doctor's? These questions made her head hurt just trying to figure it out.

Her watch chose that moment to beep, bringing her out of her thoughts. On reflex, she searched her pockets for the little bottle of medication she was to take, but when she found it, she blinked at the sight of there being only a few doses left. Did she really go through the whole bottle already? Why hadn't she noticed before?

Another question she'd probably have to wait forever to get an answer to. Just what she needed.

"Ember?"

That made the brunette look up, blinking again when she saw the Twelth Doctor approaching her. She'd been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed him until he saw her first. "Oh. Hi."

The Doctor tilted his head, watching her carefully as she took one of the pills without water. "Is something wrong?"

"Not wrong, as such. Just very confused and a bit frustrated." Ember replied. She held up the bottle and shook it. "I'm running out of meds."

"That's a sign." The Doctor said, moving to sit on the swing next to her. "It means you're nearly at the point of not needing them anymore."

That made Ember look at him. "Is that good or bad?"

"Depends on how you look at it."

"And which way should I be looking?"

"Spoilers."

Ember frowned, looking away to kick at the dirt under her shoes before she spoke again, shifting the left shoulder of her jacket to show the missing sleeve underneath. "I just found out what I am. I'm part Eternal."

The Doctor simply nodded.

"So once upon a time, I was essentially a god so powerful that I answered the prayers of one of the earliest civilisations and imprisoned the Beast in a forever trap that would kill him if he ever escaped." Ember continued. "And then sometime after that, I'm suddenly this... hybrid."

"That's pretty much the size of it." The Doctor said, though she didn't notice that he slightly tended up.

"But why?"

"I don't know." His reply got a look from the brunette. "Really, I don't. Wherever and however you started, I haven't seen it yet."

Ember huffed. "And you know nothing about me?"

"... I didn't say that. But I can't tell you what I've seen, because you haven't done it yet. Timelines and all that."

"Yeah. Story of my life." The brunette sighed, willing herself to calm down. Yes, he probably had several of the answers she was looking for, but she couldn't fault him for keeping them from her. After all, wasn't she doing the same with his own future?

The Doctor shifted, bringing her out of her thoughts and making her look around. They had been alone in the park, but now a group of school children were approaching, escorted by two female teachers. Ember was about to ask what he'd seen when he pulled out a mobile phone from his pocket and pressed a speed dial. A few moments later, Clara's voice could be heard on the other end, as an automated voice message.

"Hi, this is Clara Oswald. I'm probably on the Tube or in outer space. Leave a message!"

The Doctor spoke as soon as the beep sounded. "Hello, it's Doctor Disco. I'm in the twenty first century. I don't know what month. I'm staking out some of the most dangerous creatures imaginable."

Ember blinked, following his gaze to the school children... where two little girls were staring back at them. Both had long, blonde hair in pigtails, though one one girl was shorter than the other.

"Operating under deep cover. Trying not to attract suspicion. Give me a call, Clara. Nightmare Scenario. I'm worried."

"Nightmare Scenario?" Ember repeated, puzzled. "That sounds familiar..."

The Doctor stood up. "Have you run into Zygons yet?"

That brought it back. She could remember where this was now. "Oh. The Zygon Invasion. And no, I haven't met the Zygons or the War Doctor yet."

Nodding, the Doctor took her hand and led her over to where the little girls had separated from the other children to climb on a set of monkey bars. "Okay. Hey, Monster High and Cinderella. Down off the monkey bars. Listen to me. We've got to talk."

"Please," Ember added as the Time Lord climbed up the monkey bars himself. She decided to stay on the ground.

"Look, I admire you, okay? I think you're ingenious. Pretending to be a couple of seven year olds is a splendid way to conceal your blobbiness. But let's not pretend. You're very blobby. In fact, you two are the big blobs. And you are not patrolling the ceasefire." The girls didn't reply, and instead climbed down the monkey bars. The Doctor opted to take the slide. "Fine. Fine, bury your heads. Listen to me. Listen! There are other factions. I know that there are other blobby factions that you don't control. They're planning something. And if we don't get together and stop it, it'll be the end of this. Of all of you."

For a moment it looked like a case of mistaken identity, but then one of the girls spoke. "This is our jurisdiction, Doctor. These are our creatures. We are close to finding them."

"They are our children, and we will deal with them." The other girl added.

"Your kids are out of control. I'm taking this out of your hands." The Doctor's phone rang, and he straightened. "Don't even think about going anywhere. Ember, stay with them."

As he walked away to answer the phone, Ember turned to the two girls. "We can help you. You must know who I am, right?"

"We know who you are, Mother." The first girl replied.

"Don't call me that, especially when you look like kids. I'm no mum."

"You are the Mother of Elements." The second girl said.

"Yes, not Mother of Every Species That Thinks I'm A God," Ember shot back. "So what did I do that make you call me that?"

The first girl tilted her head. "Have you witnessed the treaty yet?"

"No, I haven't been there yet."

"Then we cannot tell you."

Ember sighed, closing her eyes and looking away. "Yeah, I thought you'd say that."

Something moved in the corner of her eye, and she turned to see a red, alien-looking pod land on the grass before a thick, red smoke began pouring out of it, quickly covering the area and obscuring vision.

"Hey! Away! Away!" The Doctor's voice could be heard. "Get those kids out of the way! Out of the way! Out of the way! Out of the way! Move! Out of the way!"

Ember turned to the girls, her hearts jumping into her throat when she saw two large aliens - red skinned and covered in suckers - appear behind them. She moved without thinking, grabbing the shorter girl and yanking her away as the other girl was grabbed by one of the aliens. The other alien stepped forward with a growl, but the brunette threw out her hand and made a breeze go by. She would have used fire, but she couldn't tell if the gas around them would ignite. The breeze she'd made didn't disperse the gas, but rather pushed it away to form an 'eye of the storm' effect so that she could see the aliens while everyone outside the circle would still be blinded.

"I'll expose you right now if you don't let her go!" She called.

The alien that had the girl turned away, using the gas for cover as it carried its hostage to a parked maintenance van. The second alien snarled at Ember before following.

Ember flinched when a hand landed on her shoulder, though she relaxed when she realised it was the Doctor.

The girl in her arms cried.


A short time later, after the Doctor had put the girl in a secure location, he and Ember made their way to a UNIT safe house where they met with Kate Stewart. There was no time for pleasantries, as they were immediately shown a video message that had been sent to them.

It was of Osgood, reading from an obviously prepared statement. She had a Zygon standing on either side of her, and a black, three-fingered symbol was painted on the wall behind her.

"UNIT troops will be destroyed wherever they are in the world." She said. "The enemies of our race will be destroyed wherever they are in the world. The war is about to begin. There will be truth... or there will be consequences."

The Doctor tried phoning Clara again, only to get put to voicemail once more. "Call me now."

Kate turned to Ember. "Where's Claudette?"

"Safe." The brunette replied. "Sorry, but I'm not telling where she is. If they find her, she's dead."

The Doctor turned to face them. "We need to get to the command centre. Where did they hide it?"


Another short time later, the Time Lords were escorted by Kate to what looked like an ordinary junior school in Dulwich. The metal plaque outside said 'Drakeman Junior School'. They'd also picked up Clara on the way, though no one noticed that Ember was descreetly trying to keep as far away from her as possible.

"This is where the Zygon High Command had their secret base." Kate explained.

"A junior school?" Clara asked, puzzled as they entered the school. On the walls were the typical collages expected in a school, including a picture of the two little girls.

"Terms of the settlement, Operation Double, were these. Twenty million Zygons, the entire hatchery, were allowed to be born and to stay on Earth. They were permitted to permanently take up the form of the nearest available human beings."

A dark skinned woman who was walking with them - Jac, she was introduced as - spoke up. She was carrying a computer tablet. "In this case, a large percentage of the population of the UK."

Kate led the group straight to the boiler room in the school, using her own intel to lead them. "You left us with an impossible situation, Doctor."

"Yes, I know. It's called peace." The Doctor quipped as they walked through the dark and warm room. "What about the two little girl commanders? Weren't they helping you?"

"They've been almost impossible to deal with since Osgood left. Secretive, uncommunicative. We've known there's something going on. Some radicalisation, some revolution in the younger brood. They said they had it under control."

Ember huffed. "They don't know who to trust. Can't blame them."

They found a hole in the brick wall in the far corner of the boiler room and stepped through one by one, finding themselves in what looked like a cavern that had red cords or cables running up the walls and across the ceiling. In the centre of the cavern was a large blob with spike-like protrusions sticking out of it. There was no natural light, but the group each had a torch to see.
"The Zygon command centre." The Doctor explained. "That's the control polyp for all Zygons on Earth."

"It's horrible." Jac said, looking a bit nauseous.

The Doctor held out his torch to Clara. "Could you? Would you mind? Thank you." When she took the torch, he approached the polyp, splashing a liquid from the centre onto the spikes and then handling them carefully. "If this has been compromised, the Zygons are wide open. They'll be starting to panic. Starting to worry."

Clara looked uncomfortable. "Doctor... do you wanna be alone with that thing?"

"It's a command computer. You operate it by titivating the fronds."

"...Are you enjoying that?"

"I snogged a Zygon once. Old habits."

"I hope you used mouthwash before you kissed the next person," Ember quipped.

The Doctor turned and gave her a flirty wink that made her blush. "You've made a habit of making sure we both carry mouthwash infused gum so that I could snog you."

"T-too much information!"

Before the Doctor could make a comeback, several screens came to life above the polyp, showing various parts of the world. "Still got the old magic."

Clara shook her head with a fond smile before she got them back on track. "So, Osgood's been kidnapped, right? I thought Osgood was dead."

"There've always been two of her, ever since the ceasefire." Kate replied. "We never knew which one was real."

"Both of them." The Doctor and Ember said at the same time.

"Okay, which one was Zygon..."

"Both of them." The Time Lords said again before the Doctor elaborated. "They would have maintained a live link. They were both Zygon and human at the same time. They not only administered the peace, they were the peace."

"When the other Osgood died, the survivor went pretty much mad with grief." Jac added in. "Then she just disappeared. Went undercover in the States. Now, of course, the rebels have her."

The Doctor had been fiddling with the spikes a bit more before he found what he was looking for on the screens. "Ah ha! Okay. Zygons hatched and dispersed all over, but something's gone wrong. Mexico border, North Asia, West Africa, Australia. Panic. Paranoia. What would happen if they knew who we were?"

"Mass panic." Ember said, tilting her head as she felt a faint throb at her temple. "People getting scared, not knowing who's who. Panic instills fear, which leads to violence and mistakes."

There was a beep from the tablet Jac was carrying, and she looked at it. "We've received another video."

Ember stood next to the Doctor as they gathered around the tablet, making sure that she wasn't next to Clara. They all looked at the screen to see a video feed of some dark room. The camera was facing the kidnapped blonde girl.

"That's the Zygon High Command." Kate breathed. "It's Jemima."

"We have been betrayed." A Zygon spoke off camera. "We were sold. Our rights were violated. We demand the right to be ourselves. Normalise. Normalise!"

Jemima's body morphed, becoming a Zygon. Then the arm of another Zygon could be seen from the side as it used some kind of electric attack, reducing Jemima to a pile of sparking dust.

The camera then moved to point at another Zygon, who hissed at them. "We are now the Zygon High Command. All traitors will die. Truth or consequences."

The Doctor took a breath. "So, we have a Zygon revolution on our hands. We need to open negotiations."

"I'm not negotiating with them." Kate said immediately. "As far as they're concerned, everyone's a traitor."

Clara looked at her. "If you're not going to negotiate, what are you going to do?"

"They're holed up in this settlement in Turmezistan. It's where they've taken Osgood. I'm going to order Colonel Walsh to bomb it."

The Doctor looked like he was resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "Isn't there a solution that doesn't involve bombing everyone?"

"The treaty's been comprehensively violated, Doctor."

"This is a splinter group. The rest of the Zygons, the vast majority, they want to live in peace. You start bombing them, you'll radicalise the lot. That's exactly what the splinter group wants."

"They're counting on your own actions to turn the rest of them to their cause," Ember added.

"Truth or consequences..." Jac mused, remembering the line that been mentioned twice now. "What exactly does that mean?"

Kate shook her head. "It's just the usual kind of nonsense these idiots call themselves."

"It's in New Mexico." Clara suddenly said.

"What?"

"It's a town in New Mexico. Truth or Consequences. Uh... they renamed it after a TV show, for a bet or something. It's a Trivial Pursuit question. I used to memorise Trivial Pursuit questions so I could win."

"That's the last place we received signal from Osgood's phone, isn't it?" Kate asked Jac, who nodded. "New Mexico."

The Doctor straightened. "Okay. Kate Stewart, no bombs for you. Go to Truth Or Consequences. See what you can find out. The Doctor and Ember will go to Turmezistan. Negotiate peace, rescue Osgood, and prevent this war, cos that's what we do. Clara, Jac, you stay here. This is your country. Protect it from the scary monsters. And also from the Zygons."

Clara nodded. "Fine."

The Doctor made to leave the room, taking Ember by the hand to pull her with him, but then he paused and looked back at Kate. "Oh, and do you still have the presidential aircraft?"

"I thought you didn't like being President of the World." Clara pointed out.

"No, but I like poncing about in a big plane."

Ember smirked. Only the Doctor.


It was night by the time they reached an airport that had the presidential aircraft ready to go. The Doctor, with his Sonic sunglasses on, couldn't resist doing a pose before he and Ember got on the plane, and it wasn't long before they were in the air and on their way to Turmezistan.

"Any hints?" The Doctor asked Ember as they sat looking out of the windows of the plane.

Ember bit her lip. "This isn't going to go as smoothly as they planned. The Zygons have gotten intel, and already know who's going to be there and what they can do to stop them."

"Is Osgood alive?"

"Yes. And she's still there."

The Doctor tilted his head. "How do the Zygons know who's there already?"

Ember looked out of the window, her lip now stinging slightly as she bit it hard enough to draw blood. "Because the splinter group has gotten deeper then you expect. This is going to be rough."

She didn't see the Doctor move closer, so she jumped slightly when he reached out to touch her lip with his thumb. She met his gaze, surprised to see the fond look, though it was even more surprising when he leaned forward and kissed her. She felt the stinging in her lip disappear with a tingle before he pulled away, and she didn't need to see to know that he'd healed it.

"You shouldn't waste your regeneration energy like that," she said as he pulled away with a smirk. "Even I don't know how much you were given."

The Doctor shrugged, still looking pleased with himself. "Doesn't matter. I don't consider it a waste if it's you."

Ember blushed, looking out of the window again.


It didn't take nearly as long as Ember had expected to reach Turmezistan, where two Land Rovers and several UNIT officers were waiting to escort the Time Lords to the command base that they had set up near what looked like a small, remote village.

As they reached the checkpoint, Ember got out of the Land Rover and looked around, eyeing the beautiful view of the snow capped mountain in the distant skyline on an otherwise barren desert. She waited for the Doctor to reach her side before they approached one of the tents, noticing a drone aircraft being equipped with what looked like missiles.

They entered the tent as they heard a female officer reporting from her place at a terminal. "Approaching target at 1-00-65-12. Confirm strike order?"

"Order confirmed." Another female replied. Her uniform and red beret gave away that she was the one in charge.

"At ease." The Doctor said, gaining everyone's attention. "I'm the President of the World. I'm here to rescue people and generally establish happiness all over the place. The Doctor. Doctor Funkenstein."

"Yes, we know who you are." The higher rank female said dryly. "I'm Colonel Walsh."

"Going to strike altitude." The female at the terminal reported.

"What's going on here? Fun and games?" The Doctor looked at the stations, seeing readouts and a screen displaying the nearby village.

The voice over the comm unit was only barely audible. "We're seven hundred metres lower than planned. Over."

Now the Doctor looked rattled. "You're not bombing that town. That's where they're holding my friend."

"They're dangerous." Colonel Walsh said. "And your friend is almost certainly dead. I'm not going to allow them to disperse. You can't track a shape-shifter."

"Visual on the target." The other female said.

"Confirm strike."

"Colonel-" The Doctor began, only to pause when Ember put her hand on his arm.

"They're not going to fire." The brunette said. "I told you; they have intel."

The Doctor followed her gaze, to see that the female at the terminal was hesitating. On one of the screens was an image of one of the buildings, and there was a man and a child waving at them from the doorway. A quick glance at a photo pinned to the side showed the exact same two people with the female, indicating that she knew them.

"Confirm strike." Colonel Walsh said again, but was ignored. "Confirm strike."

"Strike aborted!" The female said, her voice cracking. "Strike aborted."

The Doctor stepped back as the female pulled off her headset. "Well, that's interesting."

Ember shook her head. "It's harder to attack someone who looks just like a loved one."

Colonel Walsh pursed her lips. "Then we'll have to storm the place."


"We think it's a Zygon training camp." Colonel Walsh explained to the Time Lords as her troops loaded the Land Rovers. By now, she was suited up ready for combat. "We never see more than one or two of them outside at any one time. But they always take different shapes, we don't know how many there really are. We don't know how they come and go. Whether they go through tunnels, or whether they turn into dogs and run out across the hills."

"So, that's what we'll find out." The Doctor replied.

Walsh looked at him. "We should have that gas. We should be able to rip them inside out."

"Colonel, take it easy. They're trying to unsettle you. They're trying to make you paranoid and panicked."

"Any living thing in this world, including my family and friends, could turn into a Zygon and kill me, any second now. It's not paranoia when it's real."

Ember sighed as the Colonel walked away to make sure they were prepared. "I hate to say it, but she's right. How do you fight an enemy when you don't even know what they look like?"

The Doctor turned to her. "We're going with them. Maybe we can talk before they shoot first."

The brunette nodded, though she knew it wouldn't be that easy.


Another drive in three Land Rovers brought them to a village in the countryside. Walsh has announced that they had thirty minutes before the next planned air strike. Once they reached the centre of the village, the troops got out and prepared their weapons.

"We all know what a rabbit warren this place is, but we've got intel they're holed up inside the church." Colonel Walsh briefed the team. "Hitchley, you take the front, storm it, draw their fire. The Doctor, Ember and I will take the back."

The Doctor took out a photo of Osgood, holding it up for everyone to see. "This is our object. We need to get her back, safely. Try to kill as few of them as possible. I need to have someone to negotiate with."

Colonel Walsh nodded. "You know what they're capable of. Do not fall victim to it. Truck open. Code Green."

Hitchley turned to the troops. "Let's move out!"

The group split into two teams; the Doctor, Ember and Colonel Walsh going through the graveyard to the back of the church while the rest stayed at the front. Just as the trio reached a corner and peered around it, three gunshots were fired into the air.

"Come out!" Hitchley called loudly. "Throw down your weapons! Come out! We have you surrounded! Come out of there!"

There was no movement or response.

"Come out, we have you surrounded!"

This time, the carved door of the church opened with a loud creak, but it wasn't an alien that stepped out. Instead, it looked like an old woman wearing a light blue knitted coat and a dress.

"I don't have any weapons." She said, stepping out onto the porch. "Please..."

"Take aim!" Hitchley said. "On my command."

"No... No, don't, please... Johnny, you don't understand..."

"You're not my mother. Don't use my name."

The woman shook her head as she began to go down the steps towards the troops. "They took us here. They came to the house and took us. They took your sister. Me."

"Stay where you are!" Hitchley demanded.

"It's not us who are the impostors. Don't let them trick you. It's your commanders, your chief. They're the aliens."

Colonel Walsh got put her radio to talk to Hitchley. "Do not fall victim. Ask for details. She's a copy. Ask something only your mum could know."

Hitchley took that advice. "Mom, I'm going to have to ask you some questions."

"Don't do this." The woman begged. "You know it's me. Don't let them trick you."

"Date and place of my birth."

"They brought us here. They're using us against you. I'm scared. Please, I'm so scared."

"Name of my favourite teddy bear." Hitchley tried again.

"I don't remember. I'm sorry, I don't. Don't kill me because I can't remember!"

"Hitchley!" Walsh said again.

The door to the church opened again, allowing more humans to steps out. From Ember's vantage point, she could see the other soldiers now hesitating as they each recognised someone.

"Stay back!" Hitchley commanded. "All of you, stay back from them!"

"That is not your mother." Walsh said again. "It is an alien hostile."

The woman at the front shook her head. "We're not those creatures. We're hostages."

"Kill it!"

"I can prove it. I can prove who we are. Just come inside, I'll show you."

Ember reached out and took the radio from Walsh, no longer able to stay quiet. "Hitchley, this is Ember. I don't know if all of you can hear me, and I'm sorry, but that isn't your mother. None of them are human. Think about it: if they were really hostages, would the Zygons have let them all just walk out? And why would they want to go back in that building if they were held against their will? Under no circumstances are you to go into that church."

It wasn't clear if the woman heard her voice, but she was still pleading. "Please..."

Hitchley kept his weapon up and aimed, though he was visibly shaking now. "You're not my mom."

"Oh, God, you're going to kill me..."

"Mom, please..."

"You are. You're going to kill me. I love you. I forgive you and I love you."

Colonel Walsh took the radio back from Ember. "Do it!"

There was a long pause. Ember couldn't see Hitchley from her vantage point, but held her breath in hope. Only for her hearts to sink a few seconds later when he spoke again.

"What proof?"

"Don't go in there." Walsh said. "You're going to your death! Hitchley, kill it!"

"Let's go. Over and out, ma'am." Hitchley turned off his radio, and the whole troop followed the so called 'prisoners' into the church.

"Damn it. Damn it!" Walsh snapped as she turned to go around.

The Doctor followed, taking Ember's hand as they moved. "This is pointless! Just let me go in and talk!"

Walsh ignored him, turning her gun to shoot the lock off of a side door. The trio entered the church, finding a table lined with maps and colourful blocks in an evidently strategic pattern. Further in the room were several bundles of what looked like hair on the floor, sizzling with electricity. The number matched how many soldiers had entered the church exactly.

"They've executed my men." Walsh all but growled.

The Doctor looked around, finding no one else in the building. "Where are the Zygons?"

"We need to bomb the hell out of this place. It's infested with these things. We can't tell who the enemy is any more, we can't count them and we can't track them!"

"I'm not going to let you do that."

Walsh glared at him. "I just lost my men. I'll quite happily bomb the hell out of anywhere. We need to move. Strike's on its way."

"I need to find Osgood."

"You've got ten minutes." Walsh said before she turned and stormed out.

Ember knelt by one of the bundles of hair. "I'm sorry." She reached out as though to touch the bundle, only to see and feel a spark of electricity zap at her hand. To her surprise, there was no pain at all, rather a faint tingle that was similar to goosebumps.

The Doctor, who'd been examining the map, glanced over in time to see it happen a second time, raising a brow at the curious look on the brunette's face. But just as he was about to speak, a voice called out from somewhere: a voice they recognised.

"Help! Help!"

"Osgood!" The Doctor called back. "Osgood!"

Ember was on her feet in an instant, the encounter with the bundle forgotten, and ran over to a door that led to a small cupboard. She was just pulling up the carpet when the Doctor caught up with her, and they quickly found the trap door.

A short ladder led them into a basement, and the Doctor quickly pulled out a torch. It wasn't that big, so they were easily able to find Osgood sat on a wooden chair with her wrists chained to the floor.

"Doctor!" She called, relief in her voice. "Ember!"

"Osgood!" The Doctor said as they heard the sound of an aircraft somewhere above them. "Got to get you out. They're going to bomb this place. What do the Zygons want?"

"They're training, practising new skills. Doctor, what are you doing here?"

The Doctor quickly used his Sonic glasses to open the shackles. "Rescuing you. In quite a dashing way, I might add."

"They fled through the tunnels. They're going back to the UK. If you're here, they've got you out of the way. Who's left in the UK?"

"Clara."

"Clara!" A new voice hissed behind them, making them all turn in time to see a Zygon step out of the shadows.

"Oh, hello..."

Before the alien could attempt anything, there was a massive boom and the whole place shook. Rocks fell from the ceiling and hit the Zygon, knocking it out and partially burying it in rubble.

"They've started." The Doctor said. "So much for ten minutes."

Ember moved to the Zygon's side, checking to make sure it was still breathing. "It's still alive. We gotta get out, now."


After managing to get the Zygon out of the rubble and the church, the remaining troops restrained the alien on a box trolley before they all made their way back to the plane with the intent of bringing their prisoner back to the UK.

The Doctor tried to phone Clara again, only to get to voicemail. "Can you change your voicemail message, please, it's getting very boring."

Ember and Osgood sat on a couple of chairs by the window, where the brunette had given Osgood a drink do water.

"Oh, I see you've accessorised it." The Doctor said after a moment, gesturing to Osgood's shirt collar that had a couple of question marks on them.

"Yes."

"The old question marks."

"You used to wear question marks."

"Oh, I know, yes, I did."

Osgood nodded. "They were nice. Why don't you wear them any more?"

"Oh, I do. I've got question mark underpants."

Osgood saw Ember smirk at that and did the same. "Makes one wonder what the question is."

The Doctor pulled up another chair and sat down, facing Osgood. He looked at her carefully before he spoke. "Which one are you? Human or Zygon?"

"I don't answer that question."

"Why not?"

"Because there isn't a question to answer. I don't accept it. My sister and I were the living embodiment of the peace we made. I will give all the lives that I have to protect it. You want to know who I am, Doctor? I am the peace. I am Human and Zygon."

The Doctor leaned back in his seat. "Like a hybrid."

"A hybrid, if you like."

"Well, I'm proud to know you, Osgood. And I promise that I won't tell anyone... that you're a human." This earned him a puzzled look. "Zygons need to keep the human original alive to refresh the body print. If you were a Zygon, you'd've changed back within days of your sister's death."

"Those were the old rules, before Zygons could pluck loved ones from your memory and wear their faces. Zygons only need to keep the original alive if they need more information from them. If the interrogation is over, then the original can die."

The Doctor stared at her for a moment longer, and then he stood and walked away in thought. Ember bit her lip before she turned to face the woman.

"I'm sorry." She said, drawing Osgood to look at her. "About your sister. I tried, but..."

Osgood smiled. "I got a call from her before she... died... she told me about your hint. I don't blame you, and I don't think she did either."

Ember felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "I... you have no idea how much that means to me. I have another hint for you. When this is over, you won't be alone. You'll have another sister."

The Zygon prisoner was wheeled in, hissing and snarling at them. The Doctor moved to stand in front of it.

"Bit of first-things-first-ness. What's your name?" He asked, but didn't get a response. "My name's... Well... you can call me the Doctor. But then you knew that, didn't you? You want something. What is it?"

The Zygon regarded him coldly before it spoke. "You are the President of the World?"

"I suppose so."

"We want... the world." The Zygon laughed.

Ember moved to stand in front of the bound alien. "Why? You didn't just wake up this morning with this idea. Why are you causing all this trouble?"

The Zygon took a moment to respond. "We want the truth of who we are to be acknowledged. We want to live as ourselves. At any cost. Surely you understand this, Mother."

"Don't call me that. I'm not your mum."

"We want a home."

The Doctor shrugged. "Well, you can't have the United Kingdom. There's already people living there. They'll think you're going to pinch their benefits."

"We're already there, Doctor. The invasion's already taken place, bit by bit, over the last year. We've won the first battle. And now, we are going to begin the war."

"What does that mean?" The Doctor asked, but at that moment, his phone rang.

"Answer it." The Zygon hissed. "Say goodbye. This plane will never land."

"Really?" The Doctor gave it a sceptical look before he answered the call, putting it on loudspeaker so Ember could hear. "Clara?"

"Doctor." Clara's voice replied.

"Clara?"

"There you are."

"Clara, I'm glad you're okay. Listen..."

"You're breaking up."

"The invasion has happened. You're probably surrounded by Zygons. Get to the Tardis, get yourself safe." The Doctor glanced over at the Zygon. "And apparently our plane is never going to land, but let's see what we're going to do about that."

"I'm sorry, but Clara's dead." The reply made him freeze. "Kate Stewart is dead. The UNIT troops are all dead. Truth or consequences."

The Doctor looked at Ember, who met his gaze sadly. "I'm sorry, Doctor. Clara never met us at the school. They got her first. And now she's pointing a missile at us."

In the distance, a missile was on its way to take the plane down.


And that's part one! Sorry for skipping between scenes, but I hope I've made up for it.

Part two will sadly have to wait until next Monday, due to personal things happening...

Next Time: Ember and the Doctor try to stop both sides from making a terrible mistake. Can they do it? Stay tuned!