(Jared's POV)
Kirito and Asuna's home…
"I can't believe you got to meet Captain Marvel." Asuna said, happily.
"She's pretty cool." I said, sipping on some jasmine tea. "But defeating that raid boss, it was pretty challenging."
"What are your plans today?"
"Well, I was going to take on more bosses with you guys."
"Of course you are." Lisbeth said, smirking. "What else are you going to do?"
"It's either here or Gamindustri." I said, looking at the SAO Survivors. "Sinon not here today?"
"She said that she was going to work tonight." Silica said, sadly. "What was Captain Marvel like?"
"Oh. She's like Kirito. When he was going aggro."
"Hey!" Kirito said, angrily. "I wasn't going aggro."
"Gleam Eyes, Death Gun, Subtilizer, Sugou, and PoH." I said, laughing a lot. "Do I have to go on?"
"No. You don't." Kirito said, embarrassed.
A holographic message appeared in front of me on the ALO user interface that said 'Nightmare Scenario'.
"Shit. Not now." I said, looking over at Yui, Asuna, Silica, Lisbeth, and Kirito. "Guys. The human Zygon ceasefire is breaking down…again."
(Open POV)
Office…
There is a recording in progress. The Osgoods are sitting behind a desk with an eighteen inch square box on it, making a video. The one on the right has a 4th Doctor scarf looped around her neck. We'll call her Osgood 1. The one on the left is wearing the 7th Doctors query motif pullover. Designate her Osgood 2. One of the papers pinned to a notice board on the wall is a headline - White House Appoints Alien Ambassador.
"Hello." Osgood 2 said.
"Hello. Do you want to?" Osgood 1 asked.
"No, you can, if you…" Osgood 2 said.
"Shall we do it together? Operation Double. The Zygon peace treaty." Both Osgoods said, at the same time. "What we are doing with Operation Double is similar to what SHIELD is doing with the Skrulls."
"I'm Osgood." Osgood 2 said.
"I'm also Osgood." Osgood 1 said.
"Remember that. It'll be important later."
"Operation Double is a covert operation, outside of normal UNIT strictures, to resettle and rehouse an alien race in secrecy on planet Earth."
"With UNIT's help, twenty million Zygons have been allowed to take human form, been dispersed around the world, and are now living amongst us. It hasn't gotten to the point that the Skrulls have been allowed to take human form and be dispersed around the world to live amongst us like the Zygons with SHIELD's help. Fury said he'll help the Skrulls find a new planet, but the Skrulls believe he hasn't lived up to his planet."
"So, Jared asked us to make this video while he is with the Powerpuff Girls. We're making this in case something goes wrong. In case UNIT is infiltrated like how SHIELD was infiltrated by Hydra. In case something occurs to unmask the Zygons. In case Talos gets kicked off the Skrull Council." Osgood 1 said.
"In case Nick Fury dies. Or in case one or both of us die." Osgood 2 said.
There is a cemetery, with an Osgood standing in front a black marble headstone simply engraved 'My Sister', holding white flowers.
"The Zygons and the Skrulls are peaceful races." Osgood 1 said.
"Their shape-changing ability should not be considered a weapon." Osgood 2 said.
"It's a survival mechanism."
"The Zygons and the Skrulls embed themselves in other cultures, and live out their lives in their new bodies in peace and harmony. Mainly."
"Any race is capable of the best and the worst."
"Every race is peaceful and warlike."
"Good and evil."
"My race is no exception." Osgood 2 said.
"And neither is mine." Osgood 1 said.
"If one Zygon or one Skrull goes rogue…"
"Or one human…"
"Then the ceasefire by humanity and the Zygons or the sanctuary on Earth offered by Jared, Nick Fury, and Captain Marvel for the Skrulls will break. Whether it's Operation Double or the Skrull sanctuary…" Osgood 2 said, while the two Osgoods put their hands on the box. "That's why the Doctor and Jared left us this."
"They called it the Osgood Box." Osgood 1 said.
"If you've been paying attention, you'll be able to guess why." Osgood 2 said.
"This is the last resort."
"The final sanction."
"Pray this box is never needed."
"Because if it is, that means the Zygon ceasefire is breaking before the Skrull sanctuary…"
"And with twenty million shape-changing Zygons and an unknown number of shape-changing Skrulls dispersed around the world…"
"That is the Nightmare Scenario."
Truth or Consequences, New Mexico…
An adobe building is the Police Station. A woman runs for it as others unseen fire guns and shout a lot. It is Osgood, this time in a 6th Doctor question mark on the shirt collar costume, and brown Brigadier-style jumper. A bullet whizzes through the now open door and breaks a glass. She tries another door, but it is locked, so she hides under a desk and uses her inhaler before getting out her mobile phone. Before she can dial, something with red rubbery skin walks in. Her finger hovers email icon on her The Doctor TARDIS Direct Link contact page and Jared's email, then she presses send. The Zygon grabs her and pulls her out from under the desk, then incapacitates her with a jolt of electricity to the forehead. Osgood drops her phone. The time is 10:21.
TARDIS…
While Osgood's message is coming up on the scanner, the Doctor is playing Amazing Grace on his electric guitar. He sees the words Nightmare Scenario flashing.
Brockwell Park, London…
A crocodile of school children are being escorted by two female teachers. The TARDIS is standing nearby. The Doctor and I are sitting on swings in the designated play area. The Time Lord is using his mobile phone. I am standing there while Momo is pushing me forward as Kaede is pushing me backwards. Rena is standing off to the side, surveying the area.
"Come on, kids, no pushing!" A teacher yelled.
"Hi, this is Clara Oswald. I'm probably on the Tube or in outer space. Leave a message!" Clara said, her voice over the phone.
There was a voicemail beep.
"Hello, it's Doctor Disco. Jared, Momoko, Rena, Kaede, and I are in the 21st century. We don't know what month. We're staking out some of the most dangerous creatures imaginable." The Doctor said.
"What's going on?" Kaede asked, telepathically.
"Those are the Zygons." I said, telepathically.
Two little girls stop and stare at us.
"Zygons? Those little girls?" Rena asked, telepathically.
"Is that possible?" Momoko asked, telepathically.
"Operating under deep cover. Trying not to attract suspicion. Give me a call, Clara. Nightmare Scenario. I'm worried. I have Jared here, but I don't have you." The Doctor said, ending the call.
The Doctor follows the little girls to the monkey bars.
"Okay. Hey, Monster High and Cinderella. Down off the monkey bars. Listen to me and my friends. We've got to talk." The Doctor said.
(Open POV)
UNIT Safe House, South London…
A grand old building with a For Sale or To Let sign outside. Downstairs, Kate Lethbridge Stewart is giving orders.
"Get me Colonel Walsh. And I need you to coordinate the Operation Double and Skrull Sanctuary locations." Kate said.
"There are twenty million Zygons. And there's an unknown number of Skrulls. Nick Fury and Talos are working on that, if it came from the Skrulls. And most of the data for the Zygons was with…" Jac said, while Kate is holding a photograph of the two Osgoods. "…her."
"Do what you can. Start with any that have intelligence flags from the past six months." Kate said.
A device beeps.
"Walsh coming through." Jac said.
"Walsh. Turmezistan." Walsh said, over the speaker.
"Any new arrivals?" Kate asked.
Walsh is a lady Red Beret.
"One. The pictures aren't very good." Walsh said, on screen.
Kate puts on her glasses to see, "Can you zoom in on the prisoner?"
Osgood is in manacles, being escorted by two Zygons.
"It's her. So, it isn't the Skrulls. That's good." Kate said, looking at Jac. "Get into her files. We have to assume they've been compromised."
Jac's tablet screen fills with Truth Or Consequences over and over again.
"Er, too late. The encryption system's already been hacked. And they've sent through another video." Jac said, sadly.
Brockwell Park…
The Doctor is on the monkey bars with the serious two little girls, "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."
"It's not working." Rena said, telepathically.
"I know." I said, telepathically.
The girls climb down, the Doctor goes down the slide.
"Will it work?" Kaede asked, telepathically.
"Maybe." Momoko said, telepathically.
"Fine. Fine, bury your heads. Listen to us. Listen! There are other factions. We 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." The Doctor said.
"This is our jurisdiction, Doctor. And Jared is doing his best with not going into our jurisdiction. These are our creatures. And Jared knows that. We are close to finding them." Jemima said.
"They are our children, Jared has been looking after our children over the years, and we will deal with them." Claudette said.
"Your kids are out of control. Jared and I are taking this out of your hands." The Doctor said, when my phone rings. "Don't even think about going anywhere."
"Hey." I said, taking out my phone and answering it, with the Doctor walking towards me and I'm standing next to the KMR Triangle. "Is this another butt dial or a distress call?"
"I'm really sending you a distress call." Kate said, her voice over my phone.
UNIT Safe House…
"They've kidnapped Osgood and they've stolen the location of every Zygon on Earth. Jared, as you know, the ceasefire's broken down." Kate said, frowning.
Brockwell Park…
Red gas is hissing from an alien canister.
"Hey! Get away from that!" I said, running over to the school kids with Momoko, Rena, and Kaede leading them away. "Girls! Get those kids away from the gas!"
"Get out of the way!" Momoko yelled.
"Run away!" Rena said, angrily.
"Hurry!" Kaede cried.
The school children and their teachers flee with Momoko, Rena, and Kaede leading them away. Zygons step through the gas to grab Jemima and Claudette, who screams, and carry them away to a nearby Parks Maintenance van, registration LR55 YOY. It leaves with a squeal of tyres so the Doctor, Momoko, Rena, Kaede, and I run back to the TARDIS, past a black three finger symbol on the notice board.
UNIT Safe House…
That same symbol, this time in white on a black background along with alien lettering, is on the flag behind Osgood as she reads a prepared statement. She is flanked by Zygons.
"UNIT troops will be destroyed wherever they are in the world. 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." Osgood said, on screen.
Message ends. The Doctor and I use our phones.
"Hi, this is Clara Oswald. I'm probably on the Tube or in outer space. Leave a message!" Clara said, her voice said, with us getting beeps to voicemail.
"Clara? Ugh. Can you call me or the Doctor? Pretty please." I said, grabbing Momoko's hand.
"Call me now." The Doctor said, sadly.
(Open POV)
Block of flats…
Clara removes her helmet and gloves, and goes inside. Her phone bingles. The Doctor 127 Missed Calls. Jared 152 Missed Calls. She listens to one of the messages.
"Hello, it's Doctor Disco." The Doctor said, his voice coming out of Clara's phone.
Then Clara encounters a sad boy sitting on the stairs.
"Hello." Sandeep said, frowning.
"Oh, hello. Sandeep, hello. You okay?" Clara asked.
"I can't find my mummy and daddy."
"Well, why don't you wait here, and I can go see if I can find them?"
Sandeep's flat…
Clara walks into the flat at the end of the corridor. It is dark.
"Hello? Hello?" Clara asked.
Suddenly Sandeep's father is standing behind Clara.
Clara gasps, "Oh! Sorry. Er, your little boy is out there. He couldn't find you."
The man walks out.
"Daddy's here!" Sandeep's dad said, nearby.
Then the mother walks in.
"We can take him." Sandeep's mom said.
Sandeep is screaming as his father carries him in, over his shoulder.
"Is, is he okay?" Clara asked.
"Everything's fine." Sandeep's mom said.
Block of flats…
Clara leaves number 52, tying back her hair. The door slams behind her.
Clara gets out her phone and calls the Doctor, "Did you finally use Jared's nickname for you? That being Doctor Disco."
Drakeman Junior School, Dulwich…
Two UNIT vehicles arrive, and the Doctor, Clara, Momoko, Rena, Kaede, and I get out.
"This is where the Zygon High Command had their secret base." Kate said.
"Um, why do they have it in an elementary school?" Kaede asked.
We go inside. Photographs of Jemima and Claudette are on a wall collage.
"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." Kate said.
"In this case, a large percentage of the population of the UK." Jac said.
Boiler room…
"You left us with an impossible situation, Doctor, Jared." Kate said, looking between the Doctor and I.
"We know. We've been trying to help maintain the peace for years now. What about Jemima and Claudette? Weren't they helping you like how Talos is for the Skrulls?" I asked, squeezing Momoko's hand.
"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."
Command centre…
"Wow…" Rena said, at a loss for words.
We go through a hole in the brick wall to an area festooned with red cords or cables. A giant sized polyp stands proud.
"The Zygon command centre. That's the control polyp for all Zygons on Earth." The Doctor said.
"It's horrible." Jac said.
"Could you? Would you mind? Thank you." The Doctor said, when Clara takes his flashlight. He splashes liquid from the pool in the centre of the polyp onto its fronds, then caresses some horns. "If this has been compromised, the Zygons are wide open. They'll be starting to panic. Starting to worry."
"Um, doctor, do you want to be alone with that thing?" Kaede asked, looking away.
"It's a command computer. You operate it by titivating the fronds." The Doctor said.
"Are you enjoying that? Playing around with the suckers." Rena said, crossing her arms.
"I snogged a Zygon once. Old habits." The Doctor said, while the screens come to life, booting up with Sapphire. "Still got the old magic."
"Osgood's been kidnapped. That's what I heard. Jared, you told us Osgood was dead." Momoko said, sadly.
"There've always been two of her, ever since the ceasefire. We never knew which one was real." Kate said.
"Both of them are real." I said, happily.
"Okay, which one was Zygon."
"Both of them were Zygon."
"They would have maintained a live link. They were both Zygon and human at the same time. Like how with the Skrulls, they were both Skrull and human at the same time. With the Zygons and the humans, the two Osgood not only administered the peace, they were the peace." The Doctor said.
"When the other Osgood died, the survivor went pretty much mad with grief. Then she just disappeared. Went undercover in the States to keep in touch with Jared. Now, of course, the rebels have her." Jac said.
"Yup. I kept in touch with Osgood while I was in Townsville in the 90s." I said, smiling. "She lets me know if the ceasefire breaks down or not."
"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?" The Doctor asked.
Beep.
"We've received another video." Jac said, as we gathered around her tablet.
"That's the Zygon High Command. It's Jemima and Claudette." Kate said.
"We have been betrayed. We were sold. Our rights were violated. We demand the right to be ourselves. Normalise. Normalise!" A Zygon said, its voice coming out of the tablet.
Jemima and Claudette transform into Zygons, then are zapped to dust by electricity from two other Zygon hands.
"We are now the Zygon High Command. All traitors will die. Truth or consequences." A Zygon said, on screen.
Message ends.
"A Zygon revolution is happening right in front of us. Time to open negotiations with them." I said, squeezing Momoko's hand.
"I'm not negotiating with them. As far as they're concerned, everyone's a traitor." Kate said.
"Wait. If you're not going to negotiate with the Zygons. What will you do?" Rena asked.
"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." Kate said.
"Ugh. Can't there be a solution that doesn't involve bombing everyone?" I asked, looking down at the floor.
"The treaty's been comprehensively violated, Jared."
"Kate, this is a group of Zygons that split away from what the majority want. Someday, the Skrulls would have one also. The rest of the Zygons and the Skrulls, the vast majority, want to live in peace. If you start bombing either group, you'll have shifted a person or group's opinion towards either end of the political spectrum. Right now, that is exactly what the Zygons that went rogue want."
"What exactly does Truth or Consequences mean?" Momoko asked.
"It's just the usual kind of nonsense these idiots call themselves." Kate said.
"It's in New Mexico." I said, clutching the strap of my sling bag.
"What?"
"It's a town in New Mexico. Truth or Consequences. Er, they renamed it after a TV show, for a bet or something. It's a Trivial Pursuit question. Jared and I used to memorise Trivial Pursuit questions so we could win together." Clara said.
"We were trying to win Sayuki Fumino concert tickets for you three." I said, looking at Momoko, Rena, and Kaede. "It's kinda hard. Japan's lottery system."
"You were?" Rena asked.
"Were the questions hard?" Kaede asked.
"How was the difficulty of the questions?" Momoko asked.
"You're getting off topic here." Kate said, looking between me and the KMR Triangle. "That's the last place we received a signal from Osgood's phone, isn't it? New Mexico."
"Okay. Kate Stewart, no bombs for you. Go to Truth or Consequences. See what you can find out. The Doctor and Jared will go to Turmezistan with the KMR Triangle. Negotiate peace, rescue Osgood, and prevent this war, cos that's what they do. Clara, Jac, you stay here. This is your country. Protect it from the scary monsters. And also from the Zygons." The Doctor said.
"Fine." Clara said, annoyed.
"Kate. Do you still have my presidential plane?" I asked, letting go of Momoko's hand. "The Doctor wants to go on it. Obviously. Momoko, Rena, and Kaede love it."
"Doctor, I thought you didn't like being Vice President of the World." Clara said.
"No, but I like poncing about in a big plane." The Doctor said.
Airport tarmac…
Night. I'm standing near the entrance to my airplane. The Doctor poses on the steps then goes inside my aeroplane with Momoko, Rena, and Kaede.
"You never told us about your plane." Rena said, telepathically.
Kate and Clara walk away.
"I only use it when it's the end of the world." I said, telepathically.
"Does, does it include now?" Kaede asked, telepathically.
"I think it does." Momoko said, telepathically.
"How many troops do you have?" Clara asked, looking at Kate.
"Not many. Usually on bigger cases, we can draft in from the regular army. We can't do that now. The secrecy of the project has to be maintained." Kate said.
"You got any snazzy weapons?"
"There was an attempted Zygon invasion before, in the '70s, '80s. One of our staff was a naval surgeon. Worked at Porton Down on the captured Zygons. Developed Zee-67. It's a nerve gas. Unravels their DNA. Basically turns them inside out."
"Where do you keep it?"
"We don't. It was taken. The formula, the lot." Kate said.
"Who took it?" Clara asked.
"Somebody with a TARDIS. Then somebody with a TARDIS gave it to their fanboy."
"They're ready for you, ma'am." Jac said.
"Keep in touch." Kate said, looking at Clara.
Kate is driven away.
"Oh, I just need to swing by home and grab a couple of things." Clara said.
"Yeah, course." Jac said.
(Open POV)
Block of flats…
Clara closes the door to flat 64, which looks to be directly above flat 52. She and Jac are walking down the stairs when they hear Sandeep's dad.
"Quick, before someone sees us." Sandeep's dad said.
Sandeep's parents are dragging a large bundle to the lift. Clara and Jac watch them put it inside, then hear Sandeep call out. The lift door closes and it goes down.
"It's really slow. We can catch them. Come on!" Clara said, worried.
Jac and Clara stand outside the lift on the ground floor as it creaks and groans.
"It's slower than usual." Clara said.
"What's wrong with it?" Jac asked.
The lift doors open. It is empty.
"Is there a cellar, or somewhere else they could have gone?" Jac asked.
"No." Clara said.
Lift…
They step inside and the doors close. Slime dribbles down the control panel.
"Ugh, what is that?" Jac asked.
The front of the control panel pops loose. Clara opens it to reveal Zygon style controls.
"No, don't." Jac said.
Clara touches the controls. The lights go out and the lift drops, shaking violently. Clara turns on the light on her phone. Then the lift stops and the doors open.
Tunnel…
They step out into a huge tunnel. Sandeep is calling out in the distance. Shadowy figures with torches are carrying things in the distance. Clara and Jac press themselves against the wall of the tunnel.
"I think we need to get some reinforcements." Clara said.
They tiptoe back to the lift.
UNIT Command Base, Turmezistan…
"Wow." Kaede said, looking out of the window at the view.
"That's beautiful." Rena said, in awe.
"Kamihama has nothing on this." I said, happily.
"Nope." Momoko said, smiling.
A spectacular snowcapped mountain dominates the skyline. Three Land Rovers are let through a check point. We drive past some soldiers fitting missiles to drone aircraft registration 1028.
Inside, an American woman is controlling an attack drone in flight.
"Approaching target at 1-00-65-12. Confirm strike order." Lisa said.
"Order confirmed." Walsh said.
"At ease, soldier." I said, smiling.
"I'm the Vice President of the World. The President of the World, his friends, and I are here to rescue people and generally establish happiness all over the place. The Doctor. Doctor Funkenstein." The Doctor said.
"Yes, we know who you are." Walsh said.
"Going to strike altitude." Lisa said.
"What's happening? Are you having fun by playing any video games?" I asked, running over to Lisa, with Momoko, Rena, and Kaede behind me.
"We're seven hundred metres lower, seven hundred metres lower than planned. Over." The pilot said, over the speaker.
"Oh, hell no. You're not bombing that town. That's where they're holding our friend. That is where they're holding Osgood."
"They're dangerous. And your friend is almost certainly dead. I'm not going to allow them to disperse. You can't track a shape-shifter." Walsh said.
"Visual on the target." Lisa said.
"Confirm strike." Walsh said.
"Colonel. Stop it." I said, grabbing Momoko's hand.
"Confirm strike."
But Lisa is looking at the image on her screen, and seeing a man and boy waving at her.
"Confirm strike." Walsh said.
The same man and boy in the photograph on her console. The Doctor, Momoko, Rena, Kaede, and I see it too.
"Confirm strike. Confirm strike!" Walsh yelled.
"Strike aborted. Strike aborted." Lisa said, sadly.
"Well, that's interesting." The Doctor said.
(Open POV)
Sheriff's Office…
The black Chevrolet Tahoe leaves Business 25 at exit 79, one mile from Truth or Consequences and heads into the sleepy town in New Mexico, USA. The Zygon rebel symbol is present here, on the painted Mexican-style buildings. There are no signs of life apart from some tumbleweed. Kate stops, gets out and walks over to a sign on a wall - No Dogs - to which the words No British have been added. She is watched as she checks her map then takes out her gun before walking to the same Police Station that Osgood ran into. The place is a mess.
"Hello? Hello?" Kate asked, putting her gun away and looks at the notice board by the desk that Osgood had hidden beneath.
There is a photograph of Osgood at a gas station. A policewoman points her gun at Kate and cocks it.
"You one of them?" Norlander asked.
"I'm a friend. I've come to help." Kate said.
"Alone? Have you come to help alone?"
"What happened here?"
"You must have brought backup. Where's your backup? Tell me!"
"First, tell me why I need it."
(Jared's POV)
UNIT Command Base, Turmezistan…
Loading up the Land Rovers.
"We think it's a Zygon training camp. 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." Walsh said.
"Well, that's why we're going to find out." I said, squeezing Momoko's hand.
"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." The Doctor said.
"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." Walsh said.
(Open POV)
UNIT Safe House…
The weapons are being handed out to the troops.
"I've been looking into this. There have been reports all over London of strange activity in lifts. I've patched into CCTV from Scotland Yard. All the elevators I can find. Now, this is SOAS. People dragging bundles. They go down, down, down, down, down, down. A few minutes go by, and then…" Jac said, while the screen flickers, goes black, then the lights come back on and the lift is empty. "They're all gone. There is something very wrong happening underneath London."
Sheriff's Office…
Norlander downs a cup of water. Kate is perusing files. The digital clock on the wall says it is Thu 1, 11:01.
"The Brits came two years ago. We didn't want them. They just. They just turned up. No jobs. Nowhere to live. No money. And they were, they were odd. They started getting into fights. Couple of them got killed." Norlander said.
"More than a couple. What happened here?" Kate asked.
"After the murders, they started banding together. And then, one day, one of them changed."
"Changed?"
"One of them was walking down West Main, and suddenly, it turned into a, a reptile." Norlander said, as Kate finds a sketch of a Zygon. "They just came for us. They turned into monsters and they came for us. And, and we couldn't fight them. You can't tell who's who. They can turn your own family against you."
Kate calls up a photo on her phone, "Have you seen her?"
"Yeah, she was here. She was at the motel, asking questions. Before…" Norlander said.
It is Osgood.
"Everybody's gone." Norlander said.
"Where?" Kate asked.
"Okay, listen carefully. Once we get to the village we have a thirty minute window before the airstrike." Walsh said, as a voiceover.
(Jared's POV)
Zygon Occupied Village, Turmezistan…
A small village with a church rather than a mosque.
"We all know what a rabbit warren this place is, but we've got intel they're holed up inside the church. Hitchley, you take the front, storm it, draw their fire. The Doctor and I will take the back." Walsh said.
The Doctor holds out a photo of Osgood, "This is our object. We need to get her back, safely. Try to kill as few of them as possible. I need have to have someone to negotiate with."
"You know what they're capable of. Do not fall victim to it. Truck open. Code Green." Walsh said.
"Let's move out!" Hitchley said, angrily.
Outside the church…
Walsh, the Doctor, the KMR Triangle and I go through the graveyard to the back of the church. At the front, Hitchley fires three shots into the air.
"Come out! Throw down your weapons! Come out! We have you surrounded! Come out of there!" Hitchley yelled.
No movement.
"Come out, we have you surrounded!" Hitchley chirped.
The carved church door opens and an old woman comes out.
"I don't have any weapons. Please." Hitchley's mom said.
"Is, is that a Zygon?" Kaede asked, telepathically.
"It is." I said, telepathically. "It's too late. We can't help him."
"What can we do now?" Momoko asked, telepathically.
"Nothing." I said, telepathically.
Hitchley's mom starts to walk down the steps.
"Stay where you are." Hitchley said.
"It's not us who are the impostors. Don't let them trick you. It's your commanders, your chief. They're the aliens." Hitchley's mom said.
"Do not fall victim." Walsh said, over the radio.
Behind the church…
"Ask about anything." I said, grabbing Walsh's walkie talkie from him. "She's the Zygon. She's the copy. Ask something…"
Outside the church…
"…only your mom would know." I said, my voice coming out of the walkie talkie.
"Mom, I'm going to have to ask you some questions." Hitchley said, sadly.
"Don't do this. You know it's me. Don't let them trick you." Hitchley's mom said, frowning.
"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."
"I don't remember. I'm sorry, I don't."
Behind the church…
"Don't kill me because I can't remember!" Hitchley's mom said, nearby.
"Hitchley!" Walsh cried.
Outside the church…
I peeked my head around the church to see more people come out of the church. The soldiers start to lower their weapons as they recognise them.
"Stay back! All of you, stay back from them!" Hitchley said, worried.
Behind the church…
"That is not your mother. It is an alien hostile." Walsh said, grabbing his walkie talkie from me.
Outside the church…
"We're not those creatures. We're hostages." Hitchley's mom said.
Behind the church…
"Kill it!" Walsh said, terrified.
"I can prove it." Hitchley's mom said, nearby.
Outside the church…
Hitchley's mom is almost within reach of her son, "I can prove who we are. Just come inside, I'll show you."
Behind the church…
"Please. Don't go in there." I said, grabbing Walsh's walkie talkie to talk into it.
Outside the church…
"Please." Hitchley's mom said.
"You're not my mom." Hitchley said.
"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."
Behind the church…"
"Do it!" Walsh said, grabbing his walkie talkie from me.
Outside the church…
The soldiers all raise their weapons again. Hitchley's mum closes her eyes, then Hitchley lowers his gun.
Hitchley is nearly crying, "What proof?"
Behind the church…
"Please! Don't go in there! You're going to die in there!" I cried, grabbing Walsh's walkie talkie and squeezing it.
Outside the church…
"Hitchley, kill it." Walsh said, his voice coming out the walkie talkie.
"Let's go. Over and out, ma'am." Hitchley said.
The soldiers follow their relatives into the church.
Behind the church…
"Damn it. Damn it!" Walsh said, annoyed.
"This is pointless! Just let me go in with Jared and talk!" The Doctor said, looking over at Walsh.
The Doctor, Walsh, the KMR Triangle and I run around the church. I used my electromagnetism to unlock the lock off a side door.
Church…
Walsh, the Doctor, the KMR Triangle nad I enter a room with a strategy table laid out. There are sets of hairy bundles on the floor, still sizzling with electricity.
"They've executed my men." Walsh said.
"So, where are the Zygons?" Rena asked.
"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!" Walsh yelled.
"I can't let you bomb this place! Not while Osgood is here." I said, grabbing Momoko's hand.
"I just lost my men, I'll quite happily bomb the hell out of anywhere. We need to move. Strike's on its way." Walsh said.
"So? We need to find Osgood."
"You've got ten minutes." Walsh said, leaving.
The Doctor is looking at the coloured blocks with Momoko, Rena, and Kaede on the table when we hear Osgood nearby.
"Help! Help!" Osgood said, nearby.
"Osgood! Osgood!" I said, stomping on the floor, looking for a trap door. "Where the hell are you? I'm with the Doctor and my friends!"
"Doctor! Jared!"
"Osgood!" The Doctor said, angrily.
"Doctor, Jared, I'm here!" Osgood said, nearby.
"Osgood!" Rena yelled.
"Doctor, Jared, I'm down here!"
"Osgood!" I said, letting go of Momoko's hand.
"Doctor! Jared!" Osgood said, nearby.
I find the trap door under a carpet in either a cupboard or a small corridor.
Basement…
"Jared! Jared!" Osgood cheered.
I jumped down the ladder. and turned on a flashlight, "Osgood!"
A jet flies overhead.
I find Osgood sitting, manacled, "Going to get you out. They're going to bomb this place. The Doctor, Momoko, Rena, and Kaede are upstairs. So, what do the Zygons want? Has things changed because of me being here?"
"It shouldn't have. They're training, practising new skills. Jared, what are you doing here? I thought you were doing boss battles in ALO with the SAO Survivors." Osgood said, looking at me.
"I was. But now I'm rescuing you, Osgood." I said, using my electromagnetism on Osgood's manacles. "In a supernatural way, which is pretty cool."
"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?"
"Oh. Just Clara. And Jac. Momoko, Rena, and Kaede's magic complement each other well. Didn't want to see those three separated for this."
"Clara!" A Zygon said, nearby.
"Oh. Hello there." I said, grabbing Osgood's hand.
Whee Boom! Rocks fall on top of the Zygon.
"They've started to bomb the place. So much for ten minutes." I said, rolling my eyes. "Allons-y!"
Boom!
(Open POV)
Truth or Consequences…
"You found something? What? What do you want me to see?" Kate asked.
Norlander opens a dumpster full of hair and sizzling electricity.
"Oh, God. W-were those all people?" Kate asked.
Sizzling sounds are coming from more dumpsters nearby.
Tunnel…
A lift arrives. Jac, Clara and some soldiers get out.
"It's an odd world nowadays, isn't it?" Jac asked.
"It's always been an odd world." Clara said, smirking.
"Mmm. I mean, doesn't it feel, sometimes, that things are coming to an end? Everything's just going nuts."
"You're middle-aged, that's what it is. No offence. Everybody middle-aged always thinks the world's about to come to an end. Hmm. Never does. It's here. Oh, my God."
Lots of Zygon tech.
(Jared's POV)
Aeroplane…
The Zygon is wheeled in tied to a box trolley. The Doctor follows, on his phone. Momoko, Rena, Kaede, and I are walking behind the Time Lord.
"Hi, this is Clara Oswald. I'm probably on the tube or in outer space. Leave a message!" Clara said, her voice coming out of the Doctor's phone.
"Can you change your voicemail message, please, it's getting very boring." The Doctor said, while Osgood is behind us and sits down. "Oh, I see you've accessorised it."
"Yes." Osgood said.
"The old question marks." The Doctor said, happily.
"Doctor, you used to wear question marks back then. When you were the Fourth Doctor, the Fifth Doctor, the Sixth Doctor, and the Seventh Doctor." I said, smiling.
"Oh, I know, yes, I did."
"They were nice."
"They were. I loved them when you were the Fifth Doctor and the Seventh Doctor."
"Doctor. Why don't you wear them any more?" Osgood asked, looking at the Doctor.
"Oh, I do. I've got question mark underpants." The Doctor said.
"Makes one wonder what the question is."
The Doctor pulls up another chair and sits down.
"So, um, which are you? Are you human or Zygon?" Kaede asked.
"I don't answer that question." Osgood said.
"Why not? Why can't you tell us?" Rena asked, crossing her arms.
"Is there a reason why you can't answer the question?" Momoko asked.
"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, Momoko, Rena, Kaede? I am the peace. I am Human and Zygon." Osgood said.
"So, you're like me. You're a hybrid." I said, clutching the strap of my sling bag. "I am half human, half ghost."
"A hybrid, if you like."
"So, it's great knowing you, Osgood."
"Jared's right. And I agree with him completely. Well, I'm proud to know you, Osgood. And I promise that I won't tell anyone that you're a human. 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." The Doctor said.
"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." Osgood said.
(Open POV)
Tunnel…
Faces illuminated by red light.
"Oh, my God. These are Zygon pods." Jac said, sadly.
Lots of large scaley things attached to the roof and walls.
"I think you might be right." Clara said.
"About what?" Jac asked.
"The end of the world."
(Open POV)
Aeroplane…
In the air. The Zygon roars.
"Bit of first-things-first-ness. What's your name? My name's. Well, you can call me the Doctor and you can call him the Black Pearl. But then you knew that, didn't you? You want something. What is it?" The Doctor asked.
"Doctor? You are the Vice President of the World? While Black Pearl, you are the President of the World?" The Zygon asked, looking between the Doctor and I.
"Yeah. That's right." I said, looking down at the floor.
"We want the world."
The Zygons laugh.
(Open POV)
Tunnel…
Troops march in from the lift.
"Okay. It looks like whole buildings full of people have been pinched. In fact, it looks like a whole London full of people have been pinched. But we've got here early, they're still growing. We've have to neutralise these before they hatch. Take your positions." Clara said, as gun bolts slide. "Do you know what? I'm enjoying this."
"Clara." Jac said.
"What?"
"We don't know that's what these are."
"Oh, come on. These are eggs, or pods, or whatever. Look." Clara said, pulling the membrane from one pod 'window'. "Oh, my God, that's me."
"I think we should wait." Jac said, sadly.
"Look, they're here. They're growing duplicates of us. We have to destroy them. I've seen this happen before. It happened to that little boy. They took his parents and then they took him." Clara said.
"But I don't see how these are duplicates. That's not how Zygons work. They don't grow duplicates, they kidnap the originals. So these, these are the humans. Retreat. Retreat! This is a trap! This is an ambush!"
A large number of Zygons are there. Clara is calm and smiling slightly.
"No. Oh, no, Miss Oswald, please. Please!" Jac cried.
"Kill the traitors." Clara said.
Lots of screaming.
Sandeep's apartment…
Bonnie recalls what happened in Sandeep's flat.
"Is he okay?" Clara asked, as a memory.
A Zygon stood behind Sandeep's Mum and zapped Clara, then her duplicate appeared.
"Hello, Clara. My name is Bonnie." Bonnie said, as a memory.
The UNIT troops have been reduced to hairballs.
Aeroplane…
"We want the truth of who we are to be acknowledged. We want to live as ourselves. At any cost. We want a home." The Zygon said.
"Well, you can't have the United Kingdom. There's already people living there. Like our friends." I said, happily.
"Jared's right. They'll think you're going to pinch their benefits." The Doctor said, smiling.
"We're already there, Doctor, Black Pearl. 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." The Zygon said.
(Open POV)
Sheriff's Office…
Kate is going through more files when Norlander comes in. It is night, 11.01 according to the clock. Insects are chirping.
"There's hundreds more. They killed everybody." Norlander said.
"We have to find out what forms they took, how many of them there were. How did this happen?" Kate asked.
"Somebody once caught the briefest of glimpses of a Zygon in its proper form. A child who hadn't learned to preserve its body print, who had been left alone to learn these things for itself. And then word went round these primitives that we were monsters."
"We?"
"There isn't any backup, is there? I just had to be sure." Norlander said, transforming into a Zygon and reaching for Kate.
UNIT safe house…
Bonnie is making a call.
Sheriff's Office…
"Commander calling Truth or Consequences. What is your status? Repeat, Commander calling Truth or Consequences. What is your status?" Bonnie asked, her voice coming out of the phone.
Presumably the Kate who uses Zygon tech to reply is a Zygon, but we cannot be sure.
"Commander, UNIT neutralised in North America. Truth or Consequences." Kate Zygon said.
UNIT Safe House…
"Copy that." Bonnie said, going to the armoury and unlocks it, and takes a case from a rack. Then she logs into the computer and uses her phone. "Bonnie speaking. UNIT neutralised in the UK. More or less."
The screen shows the position of the Doctor and Jared's plane returning to the UK. Clara-Z watches it from a cliff top and makes a call.
Aeroplane…
"Answer it. Say goodbye. This plane will never land." The Zygon said.
"Are you sure about that?" I asked, taking out my iPhone 16 Pro Max and answered the call, putting it into the speaker phone. "Clara? The Doctor is here with me. Osgood's there. Momoko, Rena, and Kaede too."
(Open POV)
Cliff top…
"Doctor. Jared." Bonnie said.
Aeroplane…
"Clara?" The Doctor asked.
(Open POV)
Cliff top…
"There you are." Bonnie said.
The case contains a missile launcher. She puts her phone on speaker and takes it out to target the aeroplane.
"Clara, I'm glad you're okay. Listen." The Doctor said, his voice coming out of the phone.
"You're breaking up." Bonnie said.
"The invasion has happened. You're probably surrounded by Zygons. Get to the TARDIS, get yourself safe."
Aeroplane…
"And apparently our plane is never going to land, but let's see what we're going to do about that." The Doctor said.
Cliff top…
"I'm sorry, but Clara's dead." Bonnie said.
Aeroplane…
"Kate Stewart is dead. The UNIT troops are all dead." Bonnie said, her voice coming out of Jared's phone.
Cliff top…
"Truth or consequences." Bonnie said, firing the missile and it appears to lock on to the plane.
Aeroplane…
"Clara!" The Doctor and Jared said, at the same time.
Offscreen explosion.