Finale
With the flurry of action on the Helicarrier it was a simple enough task for Phil Coulson to escape near enough unnoticed from the frenzied fray. As the SHIELD Agent shuffled his way towards his goal, he thanked his luck at the empty halls, everyone already reported to their respective stations. It would not do for anyone to see him here, in any condition. Already he could feel his body shifting, repairing, remolding. As he trudged farther into the bowels of the ship he felt his memories stirring. This life was ending, and his mind offered him the solace of past days. The years spent with SHIELD, building and solidifying what would be Earth's best chance to fight against any and all threats, human and non-human. As he finally stumbled into the storage area he was stopped by a firm hand on his lesser wounder shoulder, effectively turning him in place to face Nick Fury.
They had planned this, Nick knew what had to be done, and what was at stake, and yet the sorrow was plain on his face. It was almost disconcerting, seeing The Director's normally stoic face openly showing his emotions. And it made it even harder. He couldn't stay. He had stayed for too long to begin with. And yet. These were his friends. They were his family. And he would miss them so much.
"You have a world to save, Boss." Phil managed to cough out, a small smirk trying to levy the gloomy atmosphere. It seemed to work, as Nick's face returned to it's familiar stern scowl.
"You take care." Nick went to hurry on back to his command station, but before he had gone more that a handful of steps he abruptly stopped and turned, giving a crisp salute to punctuate a simple yet heartfelt statement. "It's been an honor serving with you Agent Coulson." And all Phil could do was nod, and blush slightly, acknowledging the compliment. Then he was alone in the storage compartment.
Taking a quick look around, Phil double checked to make sure he was alone, slid off a shoe, and removed an odd key from a secret strap. As briskly as he could, Phil moved towards an unremarkable box, gave a quick sharp rap to the outside, and stoop back as the metallic appearance softened to a warm glow.
"Hello my dear, it's been far too long" Coulson mumbled, barely audible, but the ship heard and she purred in Coulson's mind. With a practiced hand Phil unlocked and opened the door, unsurprised by the fact that the craft was bigger on the inside.
Without delay he activated the needed levers and switches to throw them into orbit. Forgetting to throw off the brake, the ship made a pained whirring noise as she struggled against the internal resistance. But Coulson was too busy with his own internal struggles to help his closest companion. As the duo broke through the atmospheric resistance Coulson knew that now was the time to let go, the Avengers were ready to save the Earth in his steed. All around him particles were buzzing, his ruined heart replaced, and his other damaged heart healed. His bones shifted in a somewhat uncomfortable fashion to accommodate his new height. All over his body the changes took place. And with one last pulse of energy he stood on the old roundel of his TARDIS, a new time-lord.