Underhanded Tactics.
Phoenix strolls over to the team and they trying and look as though they hadn't just been talking about her but Phoenix senses the tension but she can't read what.
"Training today after the meeting this morning and we need to step it up. We have lost too much time, granted it's my fault but still. You are not prepared and you need to be. I left some armour here for you last night but don't worry, it's not full body armour. It's just to give you a little protection so if I could ask you to join me at the sofa area and we can work out the armour for each of you," Phoenix tells them walking through them to the four piles of armour sat on the coffee table.
"How did we not see them when we came in?" Owen asks but then again, he never noticed much until after his first cup of coffee.
"Glad to see you up and about Phoenix. You scared the hell out of us," Gwen tells her as the rest of the team join Phoenix.
"I'm almost at 100% so I'm fine. Right armour. Each set of armour is comprised of a chest plate, a back plate and armour plating for both lower and upper arms. They are easy to attach though you will need someone else to help you put the chest and back plate on as that is a two man or woman job. Ianto, if I could just demonstrate on you please?" Phoenix asks him, her face not giving anything away at all, there was nothing there.
Ianto steps up to Phoenix's side and when he faces the team, Phoenix removes his jacket, folding it neatly and hanging it over the nearest sofa and picking up the chest plate.
"If you could stand sideways on please Ianto?" she asks him so he does.
"The other person places the chest plate on you and once you are comfortable, make sure that the straps are lose and not tucked into the chest plate, laying them across the shoulders. The padding it there so that they don't dig into your shoulders after prolonged use. While you hold the chest plate in place, the other person takes the back plate making sure that the buckles are again on the outside and fits it. Once in place, with one hand, loosely fasten the buckle on both shoulders. Then you fasten the ones at the side making sure that whoever is wearing it is comfortable, able to move and breath freely and then you tighten the ones at the top. The arm ones are simple, just make sure that you have the fastenings on the inside of your arms over the material. Now if you could get your armour on so I can see if there are any alterations that need doing. Toshiko, yours is at the left followed by Gwen's then Ianto's and last, Owens," she tells them and she sits and watches them putting the armour on.
Phoenix keeps an eye on the time as she knows the meeting was approaching, a meeting that she was going to turn upside down on Jack without warning. She couldn't tell him as he would try and stop her and she had to do it for Torchwood's sake. By 9:32am, the team had finally gotten the armour on and Phoenix inspected it, checking each one of them over making sure they were on properly and secure.
"Right you can take them off now but you will need them on for training from now on as you will be wearing them on the day. Just some extra protection though your backs will be covered," Phoenix tells them and they don't pick on it.
Phoenix watches as the time ticks away and when the time was right, Phoenix gets up when no-one is looking, takes Toshiko's PDA and makes her way to the board room quickly. She secures the doors by adding her own seals to them and she sits in the middle of the glass table in the board room. Putting her hand over Toshiko's PDA, Phoenix accesses the hub's servers and sets everything up that she needs. She turns off all the camera's in the board room, any audio link, anything that would allow Jack and the team to know what was going on in the board room. Lastly, Phoenix made it so that she had full control over the hub's computer system and anyone else trying to get in would be denied access, especially Toshiko.
Seeing the time, Phoenix closed her eyes and erection a force field around the room that wouldn't allow anything or anyone in. Once that was done, Phoenix waited until the signal came, the signal that told her that they were ready and she turned the monitors on.
"Good morning gentlemen," Phoenix announces and looking back at her was General Stanley, Captain Terry and Captain Matthews.
"Good morning Phoenix," comes their reply in unison.
"This is a secure link as I have assumed control of the hub's main computer and they have no way of tracing this broadcast. As promised, all measures have been taken. Do you still stand by the agreements that we made in person in the early hours of this morning, that what is said in this room between the four of us remains between the four of us?" she asks them.
"I do," comes from all three in unison.
"Captain Jack Harkness has been relieved of command over this mission and I will take command of this mission as he no longer acts in the interest of the planet but has his own agenda. Is that still agreeable?" Phoenix asks them.
"It is," they reply.
"Then let us begin. General Stanley. How are preparations coming along?" Phoenix asks him.
"As per your instructions, all troops have nearly reached Cardiff and will commence the immediate evacuation of Cardiff, removing every person of importance first and the young woman you mentioned followed by the rest of Cardiff. Evacuation of Cardiff should be complete by midnight in two days time. As per your other instructs, said troops will remain in Cardiff until the evening before The Devourers arrival when they will then leave to the border and the only troops that will remain are the 50 best that I have selected at your request," he tells her.
"Excellent General Stanley. Captain Terry. Where do you stand on preparations?" Phoenix asks him.
"The Valiant is on stand by and will launch as to your instructions at 0400hrs of the morning The Devourer arrives. I have selected the best pilots we have and borrowed a few from America who will be arriving later today. I will keep you updated on their arrival and then arrange the meet between yourself and all the pilots including myself," he tells her.
"I wait for your call. Captain Matthews. Where are you up to?" she asks him.
" I have selected the 5 personal sharp shooters, one for each member of Torchwood. I have instructed them that they are to cover their own member of Torchwood and that under no circumstance are Toshiko Sato, Owen Harper, Gwen Cooper or Ianto Jones to be injured. They have been given the descriptions of the markings on the back plates to identify each member of Torchwood. My team will be with Torchwood in hand to hand combat with the enemy and I will be at your side via your personal instructions. The sharp shooter for Captain Jack Harkness awaits your meeting for his personal instructions," Captain Matthews tells her.
"Then preparations are well under way. When Captain Harkness makes contact as he will, play along, let him believe that he is in control of the mission but under no circumstance must he know what we are doing. By the time he realises what is going on, it will be too late. Thank you gentlemen for your attendance this morning and I look forward to our first personal meeting at 0800hrs tomorrow at the designated co-ordinates. Thank you for your co-operation and I will speak you to all tomorrow," Phoenix closes the meeting.
"Until 0800hrs tomorrow then Phoenix and can I just extend all our thanks for the work you are performing and are about to perform," Captain Terry tells Phoenix and the other two nod in agreement.
"Anything to protect Earth Captain," Phoenix smiles and ends the link.
The screens go blank and Phoenix picks up the PDA, putting her hand over it again and setting everything to how it was before she reset it. Getting off of the table, Phoenix slips the PDA into her pocket and took down the force field around the room and then breaking the seals on the door. Phoenix made her way to the range and set up the weapons as cover for what she had just done and then made her way back to the main hub area where the team were all busy working minus the body armour.
"Is there no meeting or something?" Phoenix asks as it was now after 10am and the meeting would have been due to start if she hadn't of interfered.
"Jack said that they called off today as they are busy moving troops to Cardiff ready for the mass evacuation of Cardiff. They said that the evacuation will start tonight and once the troops are here, an alert will be put over the news from the home office," Gwen tells Phoenix as she reaches the work stations.
"So what are you lot doing then?" Phoenix asks them.
"Jack has me doing troop location and direction," Toshiko tells Phoenix and one by one they tell her what Jack has them doing, all stuff that will take a while to do knocking Phoenix's training out of the picture.
She stormed into the office were she found Ianto and Jack talking over coffee.
"What do you think you are playing at Harkness," she shouts at him scaring the hell out of Ianto and making him jump.
"What do you mean what the hell do I think I'm playing at?" he asks her as Ianto gets off of the desk.
"Out Ianto," Phoenix barks and without hesitation, Ianto leaves Jack's off closing the door behind himself.
"I need to train them Jack. Why have you put them on something that will take hours? They should be in the range being trained so that when The Devourers minions come, they won't be slaughtered. Do you want them to die because I can only do so much to protect them Jack before I have to concentrate on The Devourer," she tells him with her hands on his desk and leaning over the desk a little.
"You can have them later in the afternoon. It's no problem," Jack tells her thinking that she was over reacting a little.
"I want them on that range at 1300hrs and they will be there for at least 2 hours. They are way behind schedule Jack. They won't survive if they don't train. I know," she tells him as she heads for the door.
"What do you mean you know?" he asks her as she opens the door but she disregards him leaving the office, slamming the door behind her.
"The range at 1300hrs in armour. Have dinner on his time and not mine. You have work to do," Phoenix tells the rest of the team as she brings up a Vortex and disappears into it as Jack opens the door.
"She's gone Jack," Ianto tells him.