XXXIX
Incoming

The Island
The Barn
The Day of Destruction

Weapons lay sprawled across every surface in the barn: on the table, on the benches, hanging up on the iron hooks on the walls, and all over the hay covered floor. Each weapon is assigned to each person: the Doctor, Rose Tyler, Aaron Brimikawood, Maxwell Hollerford, Declan Hollerford, Joseph Hollerford, Martha Jones, Rex Middleton, Sarah-Jane Smith, Ireen Summerland, Aiden Haulman and Will Sullivan. All the people who are willing to risk their lives for this battle.

The barn is filled with silence. Jack Gruntler stands in the entrance to the barn, leaning against the door frame with his arms folded across his chest. He watches everyone as they prepare for battle.

The Doctor insisted that he would be there to see April the moment the Day of Destruction starts, and both Martha and Max willingly joined him. The rest, however, stayed behind and listened to Brigadier Brimikawood as he briefed everyone on what they are going to do: they are to get into the woods and fight in the battle. The main problem is where to find the Cytracik before the Daleks do.

However, it was at that precise moment that the Doctor returned with Max and Martha, informing everyone that Heat Miles have already started to burn the corpses of past victims in the furnace.

It did not take long for everyone to agree that they will have to take down Heat Miles immediately, and by doing that, they will have to take down the base. Both the Doctor and Aaron insisted that they would be the ones to do it.

Now everyone stands around the barn and starts to pack their gear together, hoping that they have enough weapons and ammo to help them through this battle.

Everyone desperate to see the end of the Battle of the Cytracik.

"It will only come to you when it thinks the time is right," Jack says aloud after a while and for a moment, everyone stops what they are doing to turn to look at Jack. "Meaning the Cytracik will still latch itself onto its main topic," he gestures to Max. "The Daleks will only have power over the Cytracik once they have fulfilled the prophecy."

There is a sudden crash as Will hurls something across the barn so it smashes against the wooden wall.

"For fucks sake!" Will bellows making everyone jump. "Is there anything else we need to fucking know before we go head first into this battle?" He turns on Jack. "Are there any more secrets you plan on keeping from us, Jack?"

Jack just stares blankly at Will. "I have told you all that you need to know."

"Are you sure?" Will snaps. "Because it seems that there is a lot you still haven't told us." Will feels a hand lay on his arm. When he turns around to look, Rose is the last person he is expecting to see trying to calm him down.

"It's okay," she says softly. "We know what we are doing. April knows what she is doing. We just need to stick to the plan."

"April pushed me away about an hour before the Day of Destruction. She pushed me away for my safety, thinking that being distant will stop me from helping her." Will's voice is quiet. "She is up to something and no one knows what."

"She wants to save us all alone," the Doctor speaks up. "April thinks that by pushing us away will keep us safe," the Doctor rubs his eyes. "She's intelligent and knows that the Cytracik is after her and Max. So she thinks that by pushing us away from her, we will be safe and we won't be in line to get killed in battle," the Doctor looks over to Max. "She even wants to save you from this."

"But she's unwilling to save herself," Rose says darkly, the realisation sinking in. "Just like how she was when we first met her."

Jack clears his throat. "I wouldn't be so sure on that."

Will lets out a sigh and walks back to where all of his weapons are. However, standing there looking at him is Morgarn, who he swears was not there seconds ago.

"April knows what to do. The Cytracik will eventually find its way to either her or Max. In the meantime, she is to bring enough attention to herself and let whatever aliens in the woods follow her. Like a trap. They will follow her and we can attack. Simple as that." Morgarn says dully.

"But once the Cytracik is destroyed, the battle will be over, right?" Ireen says.

Jack Gruntler hesitates for a moment. "As a matter of speaking yes. Once the Cytracik is destroyed then the battle itself is over and there is no purpose to Heat Miles. However, don't expect all these other species to immediately fly back home once it is destroyed. This will cause a lot of anger and some will still fight because that possible power has been taken away from them."

Rose frowns. "How do we destroy the Cytracik in the first place?"

Both Max and Jack exchange glances. The Doctor watches them both with narrowed eyes, immediately knowing that something is still being kept a secret.

"Doctor," Jack says, catching the Doctor staring at them both. "You're taking the Tardis into the woods."

"I suppose there's no other way in." The Doctor mumbles.

"Well let's get going. Brigadier, lead the way." Jack gestures to Aaron.

Without another word everyone picks up the last of their weapons and start to follow Aaron out the barn. Jack looks at the expression on each face. There is a mixture of fear, determination and sadness. Everyone looks at Jack before leaving the barn, as if accepting that it might be their last time.

Joseph is the last to leave, but before he does, Jack lays a firm hand on his shoulder. They stand there eye-to-eye. Despite Joseph going undercover as both Jack's and Max's butler, Jack looks fondly at him as a friend in need.

"You don't have to go through this," Jack says softly. "You have done as much as you can. They will be able to detect weakness in those woods."

"I understand your concern," Joseph replies, keeping his voice mutual. "But if doing this means that I can give back those years to my grandchildren where they believed I didn't exist, then so be it. I will do anything for them."

Jack nods. "Very much like a Hollerford."

The woods seem eerily quiet, and in this particular area, the mist does not seem to be as thick as it has been in other areas. Nor does it hang as low. The mist floats just above their heads.

April and Ellis have been searching all through the woods, trying to find a good spot to draw attention to themselves. Somewhere that's open but has enough tree coverage to hide. April stands up against a large tree, her eyes closed as she inhales and exhales deeply. She listens to her surroundings but there isn't much more than the sound of leaves gently blowing in the wind. The coast must be clear. For now.

April opens her eyes and looks towards the trees over to her left. Eventually Ellis peers his head from around a tree to look at her. For a split moment, they hold each other's eye before April looks away, quickly scanning the rest of the woods around her. When she is certain that there is definitely nothing else around them, she looks back over to Ellis and nods her head for him to follow her.

April walks down a small ditch and pulls out a gun – which resembles more like a small hair dryer – that she has never used before. She briefly remembers covering this gun during her UNIT training.

"Right we need to bring as much attention to ourselves as we possibly can," April says as she pulls out the lead at the bottom of the gun to charge it. "And you're sure you know where the others are?"

"Right on the other side of the woods," Ellis nods. "The aliens will get to us quicker than the rest will. I'm sure that my other self can pull them back a little."

"Pull them back as much as you can to save them. If we run east a little more after using this, it will create more distance."

"Will the aliens know where we are going?"

April looks at Ellis with her eyes, her scowl harsh. "We're in the muddiest depth of the woods. Our footprints will be evident." April squelches in the mud as if to prove a point.

"Right, got it," Ellis rolls his eyes. "But do you know what that thing does?"

April looks down at the hair dryer lookalike gun in her hand. "I can take a rough guess." With that, April raises her arm above her head and pulls the trigger. Immediately three jets of pink light spurts out the gun, soaring through the air, past the tree leaves and exploding into the air. What a way to bring attention to their whereabouts, not only to the aliens in the woods, but also to the whole Island.

"Well I wasn't quite expecting that." Ellis says.

But then there is a stir in the woods somewhere amongst the mist. For a second April and Ellis remain rooted to the spot as they look at the trees before them. Shadows move in the distance. Shadows of aliens coming their way.

"Yeah and I think it's best if we get a move on," April warns as she starts pushing Ellis away. "RUN!" She shouts, shoving him harshly.

And immediately, they both start running east.

They climb out the ditch and skip through the trees, trying to dodge as many roots there to trip them. They can hear a stampede of some sort of alien species behind them. There are heavy footfalls and there is also the distinct sound of something flying through the air.

Adrenaline ripples through April's body, and for the first time since she entered these woods, fear starts to overcome her mind. Was Jack wise telling her to draw as much attention to herself? There are hundreds of different alien species chasing after her right now that she does not know of.

To her right, April hears the sound of a foot catching on a root and Ellis falls to the ground. April gasps unintentionally and rushes to help Ellis up. She cannot help the panic that is slowly rising inside of her as she takes hold of his arm and pulls him up onto his feet.

The second he is up they start running again.

Eventually they find themselves in a clearing. The clearing dips ever so slightly and there is a perfect circle of trees around them. Both April and Ellis stop running when they reach the centre of the clearing. They both know that they only have a matter of seconds to catch their breath and prepare themselves for a stampede of aliens. Ellis pulls his bow from his shoulder and attaches an arrow to it. April grabs the gun she feels most comfortable using.

"You ready for this?" Ellis asks as they stand side by side in the centre of the clearing, waiting for the aliens to appear.

"As ready as I'll ever be." April replies. But the moment she says this, an array of aliens appear through the mist surrounding them, and April's breath gets caught in her throat.

"Well," Ellis breathes. "Incoming."

These are aliens that April has never seen before. They are around six foot tall and are covered in black hair from head to toe. Like look like large piles of black fur She can see nothing else other than two large, round yellow eyes in its head. But immediately the aliens start to charge at them. April turns around and kicks the furry alien closest to her, square in the stomach, winding it. The alien falls back into the mud, and without further ado, she shoots the next.

Ellis shoots arrows left right and centre, piercing the hearts of every alien that comes near.

But more and more come their way. As they fight these black fluffy aliens, there is a roar in the distance and more unknown aliens start running their way. It is two against hundreds, yet neither April nor Ellis stop fighting.

When April sees that Ellis is slowly running low on his arrows, she throws him a gun, which he catches with one hand and shoots the nearest alien coming his way without hesitation. That's when April pulls her UNIT knife from her belt and starts slashing the nearest aliens.

It is never ending. Loads of different species of aliens keep coming at them from every direction.

But that is when April comes into contact with a Slitheen. A tall Slitheen that is walking towards Ellis, its claws raised above its head, ready for an attack. Ellis, however, is already busy fighting off another alien. He is completely oblivious to the Slitheen ready to kill him.

April quickly pulls out her gun, aims and pulls the trigger, wanting to shoot the Slitheen right through its head. But the gun clicks and nothing happens.

Trust the gun she feels most comfortable with to be completely out of ammo already.

"ELLIS!" April screams, but the moment she says this, another alien suddenly latches itself onto her and April is thrown sideways. April falls harshly onto the mud, but immediately starts to fight away this creature which strongly resembles a large lizard. She takes her knife and stabs the lizard-like alien in its neck. The alien screeches in pain and rolls off April, spurting grey blood everywhere.

April rolls over and looks to Ellis, but he is not there. Panic starts to rise again, but then she finds the Slitheen that was going to attack Ellis being tackled to the ground. And it isn't Ellis there, but a man April has met before.

Aiden Haulman throws himself at the Slitheen, tackling it to the ground and stabbing it multiple times. For a moment, April remains lying in the mud, watching Aiden kill this Slitheen. And all she can think of is pray that this man does not die because of her.

April, however, has very little time to think about this before another alien comes running up to her. With a kick of her leg, she trips the alien up and shoots it with another gun. She then scrambles to her feet and take in her surroundings.

They are completely outnumbered by the amount of aliens around them. For a moment, both April and Ellis stand near each other, breathing heavily as they look at these new aliens running their way.

"Come on, April," Ellis says, spitting out blood as he does. "We've come this far. Let's not give in." He then pierces an arrow straight through the heart of another alien.

April kills off as many aliens as she can manage, noticing the way Aiden Haulman seems to be focusing more on the ever growing number of Slitheen. But as she fights there is the unmistakable sound of something coming their way. The groaning sound to indicate that something is nearly here.

April cannot handle her mixed emotions of whether or not she is pleased to hear the sound of the Tardis again.