Chapter Three. I had a few problems with this one so if it's not very good I'm sorry and I'll try harder next time.

Thank you all so much for the positive reviews. It really makes all my work feel worth while. Just to answer a few questions and queries:

Yes, King Harold is the Master (Harold...Harold Saxon. I thought it was a great joke at the time. Any guesses who King John is?).

As for the timeline (referring to EmeraldSnakes review), I didn't really think too much into it, but if I had to give things definite dates King Harold took over around fifteen years ago when the members of the New Torchwood Order were much younger. In that time, the king has asserted his power and dominance over the kingdom and small groups, like our heroes, have begun to form. I hope that clears things up a bit.

I won't give anything away regarding Jack, but things should be revealed by the end of this chapter.

Happy reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood or Doctor Who, but if I did I would have the Doctor, the Master, Jack, Ianto and Owen chained up in my basement.

Chapter Three: The Cyber Knights

Ianto woke up the following morning with a painful headache. He'd been plagued throughout the night by haunting dreams of a nameless woman with glowing eyes. She'd been inside his mind, probing through his memories and thoughts with little regard to the pain she was causing. The only thing she'd said to him were three simple words. Three words repeated over and over again.

"I am sorry."

So much anguish had been held in those words that Ianto had woken with tears streaming down his face. He hurriedly wiped them away in case anyone had seen him, but the sorrow still remained and continued to trouble him.

He ate his breakfast with the others in silence, only half listening to Jack. The Captain was explaining that they were waiting for the final member of their group to return before they headed out.

Owen had asked where they were going, which Jack had answered with a shrug. He said something about finding a friend of his who would point them in the right direction. This seemed to end the discussion, but neither Owen nor Suzie looked particularly satisfied with the vague response.

It was only when they heard the muffled sound of explosions far above them that Ianto snapped out of his daze. They all looked up as if they could see what was happening through the many layers of earth and rock, which separated them from the world above.

Jack pressed his finger to his lips, signalling them to keep quiet even though it was doubtful that anyone would be able to hear them. He headed towards the door, ignoring the pointed looks from everyone else, and stood with his ear pressed to the wood.

"Something's attacking the abbey," he finally murmured, just loud enough for the others to hear. He paused, his face screwed up in concentration, and then he jumped back in surprise with a yell of, "They're coming! They've found the entrance!"

Owen and Suzie immediately sprung into action. They each grabbed their own respective weapon; Suzie gripping the sword she'd fought with the day before while Owen favoured a long handled spear, and took defensive stances.

Ianto drew his own twin swords from their scabbards and took his place beside them. The only thing between them and door was Jack, who was already prepared with his own blade in his steady hands.

"Who are they?" Ianto asked, praying that no one had heard the tremble in his voice.

"If I'm wrong, then it's no one we can't handle," replied Jack, twisting around to show off a cocky grin, which didn't last for long. "If I'm right, then we've got a hard fight ahead of us."

A mighty bang at the door interrupted Jack and caused each and every member of the group to jump at the sudden sound. Another bang quickly followed it, shaking the door and the earthen wall around it quite violently. After a third bang, the door flew off of its hinges and hit the ground with a dull thump.

Ianto was totally unprepared for the three heavily armoured foes that approached them. After leaving the royal castle due to his dismissal, he never expected to see them again in his life time and he had been perfectly happy with that. He'd never wanted to see them again.

"We are the Cyber Knights," the knight in the centre announced, although it was pretty obvious who they were.

The Cyber Knights were known throughout Gallifrey as soulless killers who served only the King and no one else. Their shining silver armour was impenetrable and their fighting skills were superior to none. No one had ever seen their faces as they too were encased in a metal helmet, although it was a common belief that their eyes were cold and black.

Ianto had once wanted more than anything to become one of these knights. His head had been filled with the notions of gallantry and valour; protecting those who couldn't protect themselves. He hadn't known at the time that they were as corrupt as the King was. When he entered the training academy, these notions quickly slipped away as he watched his superiors go through gruelling, demoralising training that rid them of any and all emotions. They effectively became shells of their former selves in a metal casing. This was the reason why he'd tried to kill the King. He just couldn't bear seeing this happen anymore.

"You are all accused of plotting and treason against the King. You shall be taken back to the Shining City where you will be put on trial and judged for your crimes. Resistance is futile. Any attempt at escape will result in death."

There was no emotion in the voice of the Cyber Knight; nothing at all to suggest that he felt any remorse towards the group standing ahead of him.

"How did you find us?" Jack demanded, his sword still held firmly in his hands.

"Your question is irrelevant," one of the other Cyber Knights answered. "You will come with us."

"And what if we refuse?" Owen piped up from beside Ianto.

"Irrelevant," the third Cyber Knight replied. "You will come with us either alive or dead."

"Well, that clears thing up," Jack sneered. "Go with you willingly or as a corpse. What a choice."

"What do we do?" asked Ianto quietly so that the knights couldn't hear him. He eyed up their massive swords warily, doubting he'd even be able to pick one of them up let alone defend against it.

Jack stared at him before answering, "We fight," as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. Then he sprang forward with a terrible battle cry, which sounded more animalistic than human, and struck the central Cyber Knight square on its chest.

His sword barely left a mark on the thick armour and as he staggered backwards, he looked in disbelief at the knight.

"Okay. Didn't expect that," he admitted, taking up his previous stance even though he seemed less confident than before. "They're a little stronger than I remembered."

"You have chosen to resist. Therefore, you shall all die." The three Cyber Knights stood to attention in unison with their swords held up in front of their chests.

The knight in the centre lunged at Jack and their blades met with a deafening, metallic clang. Although the knight obviously outmatched Jack in strength, he was very slow and despite managing to force Jack backwards into the cavern, it was Jack who was getting all the blows in.

Jack used his speedy advantage to good use, but resembled nothing more than a fly buzzing around an annoyed beast. His sword may have struck the knight repeatedly, yet it didn't seem to be causing any damage other than making the knight more agitated.

"Ianto! Get down!"

The young swordsman barely had time to duck before he felt rather than saw a giant blade sweep over his head. One of the other knights had attempted to decapitate him and would have succeeded if Suzie hadn't warned him in time.

She was fighting the last of the knights with Owen and even with the two of them they were barely making a dent in the knight's silver armour. They each took it in turn to slice at the enemy, dealing him blow after blow, but to no avail.

Ianto ducked again as his knight swung his sword round in a circle in a second attempt to cut off his opponent's head. Pushing himself back up from a crouch, Ianto stabbed his blades forward in one motion and grimaced as vibrations from his swords striking the armour were sent back down his arms and into his chest. They left him feeling dazed and numb for a moment, giving the knight time to attack. Ianto was swept backwards onto the floor as the flat side of the knight's sword caught him across his side.

"How are we supposed to defeat these guys?" he thought he heard Owen yell above the commotion, but it could have been Jack.

He dodged to one side when a blade came flying at him and cut into the soft ground, barely missing him. As he took a quick breath of the stale air, he watched the knight struggle to remove his sword from where it was firmly lodged. It gave him enough time to struggle back to his feet and come up with a battle strategy. His mentors at the training academy had always commented on how strategic his mind was.

Something stirred in the back of his subconscious. A memory he'd forgotten was even there. Perhaps it was the strange dream that had released it from the back of his mind, he didn't know, but it was certainly there now.

"Aim for the helmet!" he ordered as the image of one of the knights falling to the ground with his head, still encased in the helmet, rolling away from him. That knight had never gotten up again. "Remove their heads!"

"Easier said than done," Suzie replied as she tried to do what he said.

But she never got that far. Distracted by Ianto's cry, she didn't notice that the knight had thrust his sword forward until it had vanished into her skin, right in the centre of her chest, and had reappeared through her back. She let out a startled gurgle before the knight flung her limp body to one side like a discarded toy.

"Suzie!" Owen yelled. He'd been too involved in his attack on the knight's exposed back to stop what had happened. "No! Suzie!"

In his anger, he lifted up his spear and jabbed it into the space where the knight's helmet met the body armour, twisting the pole as he did. He didn't care when the helmet was forcibly levered up into the air before it came plummeting back down to the ground with a clunk. He didn't even notice that the knight had collapsed and was no longer moving. All he cared about was getting to Suzie who was laid very still in a growing puddle of her own blood.

Ianto had just swung his swords around in a windmill-like fashion, effectively removing the head and helmet of his knight as well when he saw Suzie fallen form. He couldn't quite comprehend what had happened.

Jack too was standing in stunned silence, staring blankly at the bodied body of his close friend. He'd apparently forgotten about the knight he'd been facing and, therefore, was unable to prevent the huge blade from plunging into him and slicing a long, cruel line down his back. His eyes truly went blank then as, he too, sank to the ground.

Before the final knight could made another move, Ianto rendered him useless with a well timed swipe of his swords. Finally, the three knights were defeated, but at the cost of two of their group.

"What do we do?" Ianto asked, his whole body quivering at the sight of so much blood. "Owen, what do we do?"

The healer didn't answer. His hands were pressed against Suzie's gaping wound in a desperate attempt to stem the flow of blood, but he knew it was pointless. Suzie had died several minutes beforehand and nothing was going to bring her back.

Ianto knelt down next to Jack's equally lifeless body. The Captain looked so peaceful that he could have simply been asleep if it weren't for the copious amount of crimson blood blossoming from the cut along his spine.

"You saved me," Ianto murmured as he closed Jack's eyes. "I'm sorry I couldn't do the same for you."

He wiped away a stray tear that had fallen for the deceased Captain and was about to go comfort Owen when Jack suddenly moved. He jumped back as Jack took a deep, gasping breath and rolled over onto his back. His cool blue eyes met Ianto's frightened ones and he managed a small smile.

"But…but…you were dead," spluttered Ianto, backing away from the supposedly dead man. "You were dead."

"Yeah," Jack replied nonchalantly, grimacing in pain as he rose to his feet with the younger man's help. "That's the thing about me. I never really stay dead."

"I don't understand. How…how are…how…"

"I'll explain later," Jack interrupted, already kneeling beside Suzie and Owen. "Is she…?"

He didn't need to finish his sentence. Owen knew what he was going to say and nodded sadly. He closed Suzie's eyes and tenderly stroked a few strands of hair away from her face. When Jack wrapped an arm around his shoulders, he didn't move. He just continued to stare at the body of his deceased friend.

"Come on." Jack's voice cut through the silence like a knife. "We have to go before more arrive."

With his arm still around Owen, he pulled them both up and away from Suzie. He quickly gave Ianto a few instructions to gather as much food as possible before he began to rifle through the piles of armour. It didn't take either of them long to fill several bags full of supplies that they'd need where ever their journey took them.

Owen had quickly come out of his daze when he noticed movement around him and, although he didn't help either men with their jobs, he too began to look for something in the cavernous room. By the time that Jack and Ianto were ready to leave, he seemed satisfied with what he had done and led the other two out of the underground base.

Even if it didn't bring her back, he was pleased with the makeshift tombstone he'd erected for Suzie made out of her faithful sword, which would show anyone who found her that she had died proudly in battle and would never be forgotten.

I'm so bad at battle scenes. Please ignore the crappiness of this chapter.

At last we see the metallic faces of the King's knights (Cyber Knights, remind you of anyone?). Also, I'm not sure if it was completely clear, but the knights were able to find the secet hideout because the Bad Wolf took the information from Ianto's mind. That was what the dream at the beginning was all about.

Just to let you know, I do actually like Suzie. She was a cool character, but I wanted there to be a death to mark the power and the cold heartedness of the knights. It had to be her, but at least she died a hero's death rather than the indignified one she had in the first series of Torchwood.

That's all for now. See you next time. Please keep sending in reviews.