Title: Legends (17/?)
Author: Merucha
Characters: Tim McGee, Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, plus the usual Torchwood and NCIS suspects
Rating: Some chapters definitely not safe for work.
Disclaimer: Oh, please. If I owned them, would I let some of those idiots write the scripts? And if I were making any money off them, would I be where they could find me?
Summary: After the events of Bloodbath, Tim McGee accepts a offer from a total stranger
Author's Note: A few weeks ago I was watching some NCIS episodes and came across Bloodbath. I hated both Abby and Gibbs in it. I hated the humiliation of making Tim kneel all day for something that was someone else's fault. I fumed for days (I am a bit obsessive about things from time to time). Then, a few days ago, this popped up. As usual, AU like nobody's business.

Part one here; Part two here; Part three here; Part four is here; Part five is here; Part six is here; Part seven is here; Part eight is here; Part nine is here; Part ten is here; Part eleven is here; Part twelve is here; Part thirteen is here:Part fourteen is here;Part fifteen is here; Part sixteen is here

The waiter was barely out of earshot before Tony hissed. “Am I even allowed to ask?”

Tim had to stop himself from laughing at Tony's obvious aggravation. “Why do you think Jack sent the two of you with me? He wants to give you the chance to interrogate me.”

“And he kept Gibbs with him just in case there's more to his story,” Ziva retorted.

“There's that too. You wouldn't do anything different, Ziva. So, what do you want to know?”

“I don't even know where to start,” Tony told him. “Who is this Doc who left the files? What is it about Saxon that terrifies someone like Tish? What are Daleks and how do they fit in? And why the hell do all my alarm bells go off when I look at your boss?”

Ziva jumped back in. “How old is he?”

“Jack?” Tim asked. “Why?”

“Because he said that he had spent time with Uncle Reuben in the Sinai, and I know from family history that Uncle Reuben worked in the Sinai in the nineteen fifties.”

“Ah. Well, that depends how you count. In linear time he's...”

“Heads up,” Tony cut in. “Aryan supermen delegation heading this way.”

This time Tim couldn't stop the snicker. It might have been an inappropriate comment but it was an accurate one. All three of the men approaching their table were tall, broad-shouldered, and white-blond, and their eyes were some shade of cool blue. One was much older than the others, or at least gave that impression, in spite of an unlined face and an almost military bearing. They attracted interested glances from both men and women as they made their way through the crowded cafe, but didn't seem to notice them. The older of the three reached them first – by design, Tim realized.

“McGee,” the Thal said, nodding to Tony and Ziva as he shook Tim's hand. “Any news?”

“May I introduce Special Agent Ziva David and Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo of NCIS? They are working with us on this matter.  Ziva, Tony, this is Rafael Zandar of the Thal people.” He motioned towards the empty chairs. “Please join us.”

“These are my sons Joshua and Alexander.” Zandar sat down, followed a moment later by the other two. “Yes, thank you,” he said when Tony motioned towards the beer pitcher, unbending enough to smile. “Beer is one of your people's greatest inventions. Well, McGee?”

Tim decided to get straight to the point. “We know why Liam is interested in the Thals.”

The old man closed his eyes for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully. “I believe that's why Michael decided to get personally involved. He hoped to hand over the man Liam without having to answer too many questions.”

“You mean hand over Liam's body,” Ziva almost snarled.

“If necessary.” Zandar sipped his beer before continuing. “We have lived unnoticed for more than two hundred years and we want to remain that way. We help where we can, at the, as you would say, human level and count the years until we are gone. Liam threatened that.”

“What do you mean, count the years until you're gone?” Tony asked.

“Our war with the Kaleds poisoned our world. In order to survive the radiation plagues we triggered a mutation cascade in our DNA specifically designed to accelerate our adaptation to the environment. The Kaleds took a different road, re-engineering their bodies down to essential systems and encasing themselves into metal shells. Those of us captured by Davros and his faction were forced to work without physical protection in their labs. The chemicals and radiation we were exposed to interacted with our unstable DNA in many ways, none of them positive. Most of us thankfully died. Those of us who lived  are survivors only to the extent that we are still alive. There will be no children of our own body.”  He smiled at their obvious shock. “Many of us have married and adopted children. We have good lives.”

“And Liam threatened that.” Ziva whispered.

“He still does. We have no desire to end our lives as science experiments or behind high walls for our own protection.” Joshua Zandar spoke up, acid dripping from every syllable. “You still do it to your own species.”

Tim hastened to head off the impending battle. “How did Liam contact you?”

“He seemed to have access to information about us. At first we thought he had gotten his hands on the UNIT files, but Michael called an old friend and he told us Captain Harkness had taken all the Doctor's records and secured them in the Torchwood vaults. All we know is that he had some of our names. He would call. If the person refused outright, there were... accidents. But at one point Liam slipped up. He sent a message through the son of one of Michael's workers. The child is blind and Liam must have assumed the boy couldn't identify him, but he seemed to have given Michael enough information for him to start looking.”

 “So how did he identify him?”

“I don't think anyone knows.” Zandar said. “The day he found Nicholas's body he had to deal with all the problems that usually arise after a sudden death, especially a murder. The next morning he was gone.”

“So whatever it was must have happened that night.”  Tony mused. “Too bad we don't have a witness.”

“I was there,” Alexander Zandar said. “He had been unquiet in his mind, and I didn't think he should be alone. But there is nothing I can tell you. He did not seem any different.”

“What was he doing?” Tim asked.

“Watching the news. CNN. There had been some sort of ceremony aboard Nicholas's ship the night before. He said Nicholas had told him to watch.”

Tim unzipped his backpack and pulled out his laptop. “CNN. Let's see... here we are. The decommissioning of the USS Stout.” He turned the laptop to show the others. “Was this it?”

“Yes. There's Nicholas, right there.” Alexander pointed. “As I said...”

“Stop the video!” Ziva ordered suddenly. “Back up slowly. Stop. There.” She touched the screen. “That's Liam. The beard and glasses are new, but that's him.”

“More to the point,” Tony said slowly. “What is he doing in SecNav's company?”