The Fight Of Their Lives.
Everyone watches the ships, guns tightly in their hands, swords firmly by their sides, sights set. The ships were indeed the size of the Valiant and as predicted, there were two of them. Everyone watched as the ships hovered in the sky and transport beam after transport hit the ground, the earth shaking as they hit the ground. Minions appearing and advancing but not attacking. Phoenix watches them with her swords ready, waiting for that first sign of attack but not coming yet.
More and more minions transport to the ground, transport beam after transport beam hits, the ground shaking as more and more minions land and then, no more. No more transport beams, no more minions and then the ships move away, they were now the RAF's and Captain Terry's problem. Phoenix watches carefully as the minion's group together, organising and Phoenix knew it wouldn't be long now, a matter of minutes. Phoenix held one of her swords up to signal that the minions were about to start there attack and everyone prepared, including the sharp shooters.
Phoenix looks back at everyone, all their eyes on her as she was the one at the front, the one in charge. Phoenix then looks at the Torchwood team and they too were looking at her. Phoenix smiled at them but it was fake. She knew for her, this was going to hurt and in more ways than one, the physical pain alone would more than make a human insane. Phoenix turned away from the team and Jack and a few seconds later, she sees the minions moving but not fast, almost just walking. She raised her other sword and everyone knew what that meant.
With Phoenix leading, Torchwood, U.N.I.T. and the Army started their forward march, moving towards the enemy so not to give away ground straight away. The two sides became closer and closer, the smell in the air getting stronger the closer they got. It was so bad, almost everyone could smell it. The smell of death, rot and decay filling the air and turning even Phoenix's stomach. She could see them clearly now as the gap between them lessened, they looked almost human. As she looked at them, she was reminded of zombie's in films, that's how they almost looked. They looked almost human but long dead, no expression on their faces, no soul in their eyes, just empty shells controlled by something inhuman.
Phoenix tightened her grip, taking a last quick look at everyone before turning back to the enemy. Her hands began to blaze, the glowing moving from her hands down the blades of her swords, her swords almost looking like lightning. Closer and closer, she could see their faces, their pale, drawn faces and then the moment, the whites of their eyes. Without a word of warning, Phoenix broke into a run, swords out at her sides, heading straight for the minions. Phoenix cut through them as though they were made of paper, limbs flying all over the place. She cut through them and then Torchwood followed her, U.N.I.T. following them and then the British Army.
Phoenix didn't have the luxury of thought, thinking her way through things. She let her weapons do the thinking for her as she flow through them, all the time thinking about the people she had to look after. She offered the Army less than basic protection, they were out in force. Even U.N.I.T. was protected. She offered them almost a force field. They could still get hurt but scratches rather than deep cuts or worse. Phoenix gave almost full force field to Torchwood. Owen, Tosh, Ianto and Gwen couldn't be touched by the minions but they could strike out at the minions, almost shredding the minions to death. Phoenix's side was in total 65 strong on the ground, the minions were almost 5 times that.
Shots rung through the air, missing Torchwood but always hitting their mark, hitting the minions, usually head shots. Every now and again as Phoenix spun around, she saw Torchwood fighting, sometimes on their own, sometimes together and sometimes with the U.N.I.T. Special Ops guys but they were fighting and they were winning. Phoenix felt proud of what they had achieved and how they were fight, fighting for their lives, fighting for the lives of the people they loved and fighting for the entire planet though the rest of the planet would never know, that's the way it always was.
Then the feeling came. A feeling of dread. Phoenix knew what is was, what was causing it. The Devourer. It was coming. Phoenix made her way back through the minions, through the Torchwood and to Captain Matthews, fighting her way through everyone until she reached him.
"It's time," Phoenix tells him and taking hold of his hand, she erects a force field around both of them and leads Captain Matthews through his team, through Torchwood and through the minions.
Captain Matthews watches as the minions bounce off of the force field as he and Phoenix pass through them, wondering if he could reach out and touch them but the urge to do that soon disappeared. They reach the back of the minions, reaching open ground and when far enough away from the minions, Phoenix stops them and lets go of Captain Matthews arm but leaves the force field up just in case.
"Ok captain Matthews. The Devourer is coming so it is time for me to do my thing but I can't do it with all these on. I need you to take these things and then put them somewhere safe until all this is done and then you know what to do with it," Phoenix tells him as she takes her weapons belt off.
"I am to give all this to Captain Harkness with the instruction that they are to be put in the Vault and deadlocked. Will he know what I mean by deadlocked?" Captain Matthews asks her as she hands him her weapons belt and he takes it.
"He'll know what you mean. did you remember the letter?" Phoenix asks him as she removes her coat and hands it to Captain Matthews and he takes it.
"I have the letter with me. Do you still want me to give it him once you have gone?" Captain Matthews asks her as she looks around.
"Please. It's time to go Captain. Thank you for what you are doing and please extend my thanks to everyone at the end. As I absorb The devourer, it's minion's should start to die as it loses control over them. When this happens, I want you to move your men out and take Torchwood with you. If Captain Harkness resists, shoot him, his sharp shooters is ready, just give him the nod and take him away by force. I don't want Torchwood around to see this, especially not Captain Harkness," she tells him as the feeling in her stomach gets worse.
"It's been an honour mam," Captain Matthews tells him and he salutes her with his free hand.
"Go Captain Matthews. The Devourer will be here in minutes and I have to get you clear and then prepare," she tells him and as he separates from her, Phoenix takes her force field down and puts one over Captain Matthews alone.
She watches as Captain Matthews walks to the minions, hesitating for a moment before walking into them. She watches as he goes all the way through the minions, past Jack who was fighting hard, past Ianto who was close to Jack, past Owen and Tosh who were fighting together and past Gwen who was almost free from minions as she was almost surrounded by Captain Matthews's men. The Captain continued through his team and the Army and when he reached the other side, Phoenix sensing him reaching the other side, Phoenix drops the force field around him so he could do what she had asked.
Once he was clear, Phoenix turned to the Doctor and gave him the nod, she needed him to set his plan in action. He went into the TARDIS and then she felt a really strange feeling, she was absorbing a strange energy from the TARDIS. Phoenix steps closer to the it and she absorbs more, liking the feeling it was giving her. Somewhere between tickling her and just slightly itchy, it was strange but nice. She absorbed more and more until she had what she needed to use to attract The Devourer.
As the energy tingles away inside her, Phoenix turns to the Doctor again who is stood in the doorway of the TARDIS and he smiles at her. She knew that he was saying goodbye so she smiled back. She walked to open ground and then looked back at the others. Owen, Gwen, Ianto and Tosh who were more than holding their ground and then Jack. She sighed at the thought that she would never see him again, never hold him again but this was something she had to do and at least she was saving the Earth at the same time.
The skies darken, the sun being blocked by what looked like a giant, black cloud. It was The devourer. It was almost here, the actual size of it was amazing but then Phoenix felt fear, fear in her heart followed by doubt. She wasn't sure that she could do this but then she looked at Jack again and she knew she had to. She looked at the rest of the troops, the soldiers that had come to fight, to die if the worst happened. She pushed the fear to the back of her mind and then looked back at The Devourer, it coming ever closer, bringing with it death and destruction.