Chapter 80

Harry Potter couldn't help but grin as he got out of the Koenigsegg Agera that he'd just been test driving.

He had finally found some time between invasions and deadly danger to relax.

Following Gallifrey's reveal the 2011 new year's celebrations had come and gone and he'd allowed himself some time off. Not away, or rather not away with Daphne.

The New Year brought a range of logistics problems and problem solving for the Greengrass's business operations so Daphne was busy with that. She had been telling him that they would be investing in a new sailing ship with more masts this year.

He'd indicated to her he'd like to see where it was constructed, he'd honestly not really considered the complexities of building a sailing ship, especially one rated for wizarding matters. It was one thing for broom manufacturers to exist. For ships it meant that there had to be a yard or a dock or something that still built large clipper ships. It was amazing to consider.

Another amazing thing was the car he'd just been driving.

He had actually come with the intention to buy a different car, one that would eventually be based in London, at the League of Paranormal Investigations' London base of operations; the Post Office Tower. It was something he'd been meaning to do for a while, just in case it was needed.

But what car to get had caused him something of a quandary, it had to, unlike his sports cars would need to carry 3-4 people, just in case. But it couldn't be a boring Astra. LPI wasn't the police.

For London he'd decided on the Lotus Evora, his Exige had been patched, rewired and had suffered various amounts of damage and continued to function. Much better than his underused TVR Tuscan which remained in pieces in one of his less frequented barns at his house after it had taken fire by a Drahvin raiding party, which seemed to exacerbate some of its issues like the gearbox continuously overheating, plus most of electrics stopped working along with all the dials, steam came out of the bonnet when it did start and...he'd really tried not to think about the other issues with it.

The Lotus engineers at least were now used to what he needed in the re-wiring he required for it to stand up to magic or magic rich environments. Not that he told them, they just took it as part of the necessity of the blues and twos installation.

But this Agera was something else. Something he'd have to wait for.

"Something else entirely," he said to himself. It was disappointing what he'd been able to drive was just a concept, the production wouldn't begin until early the following year.

"The world might be destroyed by then," he'd joked with Jeffrey, his car dealer from whom he'd purchased his McLaren F1 and Lotus Exige.

"I'm sorry Mr Potter, I shouldn't even have let you take it on such an extensive test drive," Jeffrey looked very apologetic and guilty with himself.

Harry may have been a little too suggestive with Jeffrey to let him take it for a spin.

Jeffrey had suggested a Veyron.

There was something about the raw speed that the car could achieve.

But there was something a little to subdued, too measured for him. Though he couldn't fault its brilliant power.

He'd told Jeffrey that he'd consider the Veyron, at the same time that he was putting his name and a cheque down on the Agera.

-/

Returning to his house, his Exige inside an expanding bag that was now sitting in the boot of his new Lotus Evora Harry felt for the first time calm and relaxed.

He was still marvelling at the fact that a few months had passed, nothing had happened and everything was fine.

It was only as he was packing away the expanding bag that he'd put the Exige in that he got a phone call.

Which was not a good sign.

Especially as the number was blocked, although that wasn't anything to be concerned about, many people had his LPI number. But it did warrant a certain level of concern. His LPI number was only for those things. Or coups. Or conspiracies.

But he generally didn't get accidental phone calls.

"Yes?" He answered as he wandered back towards his house.

"Mr Potter?" Asked a voice he didn't recognise.

"Yes," he said slowly as he made his way into his office slotting the phone down into its cradle and sitting in front of his computer to begin a trace on the phone call.

"Your telephone information was passed onto me by a mutual acquaintance."

The sounds ominous, Harry thought to himself. "Oh?" He asked out loud.

"He instructed me to mention Big Ben," said the voice in a tone that seemed to know what he was talking about and somewhat expectantly, waiting for him to say something.

"I see," Harry said in a very neutral tone. The smug git man of Cohort Dow. "You're one of his associates are you?"

"We shared similar concerns. Until recently this was their concern, now as the muggles like to say the 'political landscape has changed'."

"I see," Harry said again.

"You are now the one in place to deal with this situation Mr Potter."

"I see," Harry said again.

The man exhaled, or it could have been a sigh, Harry wasn't quite sure, there did sound like there was some background noise wherever the man was he sounded like he was standing out where there might be a bit of a breeze, maybe. "There is an incident that requires your attention for the safety of wizards," he paused. "And very probably some muggles. But that is not my concern."

Harry paused in thought. He had initially thought to just hang up on the man, to end the call. But he didn't. "Go on. The League of Paranormal Investigations stands ready."

"Yes. Your League," said the man. "This was meant to be a pursuit of similar paths."

"Which was?"

"A partnership with the British muggle navy and the," he paused. "American navy. We had thought it was the discovery of Atlantis."

"And the muggles?" Harry enquired curiously.

"We didn't care what they thought Mr Potter," he said dismissively.

"Of course not." Harry shook his head. "Silly of me to ask."

"The muggles were utilising technology and whatever else they had. Our mutual associate thought it perfect testing ground for less capable wizards. Just above squibs and the like with this technology. I'm sure you've heard of the type. Barely wizards at all."

Harry recalled Neville joking about his uncle throwing him out the window. Harry wondered if that's what the nameless man on the phone meant. "Why are we being called in now?" Harry asked and then spoke again. "There's been an accident hasn't there? That's why we're being called in, because you can't just drop in and oblivate everyone. Something's gone tits up and you need someone who can work within the muggle's system?" Harry asked answering his own question.

"Someone with the patience to work with muggles Mr Potter," the man paused. "Your League's name and status has already been conferred with the senior muggles charged with investigating this incident."

"And where has this happened?" Harry pressed.

When the man spoke again Harry just nodded and then forgot that the man couldn't hear a nod.

"You will need to seek transport from the British muggle navy, we have already begun communications."

Harry wondered how much contact this wizard had with the armed forced. But that was a question for another day. One crises at once. "No need. We have access to transport capable of reaching those coordinates," Harry said simply. "Have the NCIS team departed?" He asked not bothering to speak out the organisation's whole name as the wizard had done when he'd explained it.

"Yes. You will require some approval the muggles are very particular," the man said as he began to rattle off various code phrases that he sounded like he was reading off a sheet.

"I see. I think then I should go," Harry paused. "Do you, whoever you are have other active projects I should worry about?"

"Good day Mr Potter."

Harry rolled his eyes as he dialled the phone again. "Captain Bilton, Harry Potter. Yes. Time to take the Xecotcovach out for official business. We're on our way there now." Harry paused. "Yes. You and Scobie will need to use that special device I gave you if you're not close to the airfield the sooner we leave the better," Harry said. It was one of the many bending of the Statute he'd done; giving muggles a portkey. But then Captain Andrew Bilton and his first officer and flight engineer Roger Scobie had already signed an updated official secrets act, plus a generous employment agreement to fly the Xecotcovach a little more secret stuff wasn't something they needed to worry about. "We should be there shortly," Harry ended the call and dialled Ioan's number.

"Ioan," Ioan laughed on the other end of the line. "Yes this is my crisis voice. It's time to take the Xecotcovach out on official LPI business. Yes, I'm about the leave for the airfield now. Pop around now, we'll need to load up everything including the kitchen sink I think, just in case," he said ending the call and made a similar call to Judith.

"Yes" Harry said as he explained to Judith. "Yes the mysterious airfield where I keep all my secret projects." Harry allowed Judith her usual comments at his 'secret projects'. "Yes. I'm not sure what, but if the US Navy is part of it so it'll no doubt be dangerous."

-/

"So this is the Xecotcovach," Judith said looking up at the grey, almost black former passenger aircraft.

"Yes it is," Harry said. "You've not been in to spy on it have you?" He asked her curiously.

"Whatever you get up to with Ioan is your own concern Harry," she said casually.

"And Osric, developing this has cost quite a bit," he admitted as Captain Andrew Bilton came down out of the aircraft.

"Everything a go sir?" He asked.

"Yes Captain we're just loading everything up," he handed the man a page with coordinates. "That's where we'll be heading, you'll get to open her up as fast as the tests."

The man beamed at him. "That'll be interesting sir."

"This is Judith by the way, the other member of the League," Harry introduced.

He offered Judith his hand and winced as she gripped it with fiercely. "We'll do final pre-flight checks on everything," he said as he walked up the steep stairs back into the aircraft.

Judith followed Harry as he walked long the length of the aircraft inspecting it. He hoped he wouldn't need to use any of the defensive systems that he and Ioan had installed. Mixing the alien, magical and human technologies had been a mean feat of technology.

"Starting with a Concorde was an inspired choice Harry," Judith praised in an approving tone. "You've solved the heating issues."

"Of course. But a white aircraft would never do. The grey assists the energy deflection," Harry explained.

"Nothing offensive," Judith observed in a questioning tone.

"The X-2 will have that. The X-1's got a suite of defensive systems to stand up against most things and a few things up its sleeve that haven't been tested," he admitted. "Come on, we can't leave Ioan to do all the unpacking. I want to get to the battle group before NCIS has put their foot in too much of whatever has happened."

-/

Harry stuck his head into the cockpit. The storage hold was all locked down and he'd just checked through all the systems, everything was showing green, all the stealth systems were functioning, but he still wanted to have a word with Captain Andrew Bilton and Roger Scobie. He'd recalled the pair from reading C19 summaries involving the Master in the 1980s.

They also continued to fly following the incident involving Concorde Golf Alpha Charlie and since they'd been involved in a temporal incident that involved both the Doctor and the Master had signed and more to the point understood everything he'd experienced.

Andrew and Roger had also jumped at the chance to be involved with the Xecotcovach project. Captains Stapley and Urquhart had both retired and just wanted to enjoy their retirement without any involvement with Concord or the Official Secrets Act.

"Everything ready to go Captain, Roger?" Harry asked.

The cockpit had been significantly redesigned from its origins, in fact most of the plane had had similar treatment to make it ready for all the other bits of tech and wizardry that had been added to it. While still keeping it as a 'transport plane'. That's what was written up as part of its design registration. Not that many people knew about it.

Not even the heads of the security services with whom he'd worked so closely knew about it, there were after all quicker ways to get people out, if they needed to be.

He'd told Professor Hawksburn at Porton Down about it, just because once he'd found out about their researches into the 1940s gravity bubble tests he'd wanted to see what he could do with them. However those systems, while installed in the Xecotcovach X-1 hadn't been fully tested.

"Yes sir Harry," Captain Bilton said.

Harry was glad he'd finally got him to call him so rather than 'Mr Potter'.

"Coordinates are entered and ready. Are we liable to run into any trouble sir?" Roger asked. Seated in the first officer's position he was also the one to activate all the defensive systems if need be.

"Very possibly," Harry said. "Whatever we're flying into sounds big, complicated and the military's involved along with wizards and other shady things," Harry said in a dark tone. "We need to get there as soon as possible, my information suggests things are already in motion."

Andrew looked up at him. "Hypersonic?"

"And then some Captain, full dampeners, we don't want to alert anyone," Harry said. "I'll leave you to it."

"Sir," they both said as Harry made his way into the cabin.

-/

Judith and Ioan were strapped in within the small though plush cabin. It wasn't as large as the original Concorde cabin had been, but it was much more luxurious. Some of the space was taken up by storage, while others held tech that made the plane fly and stay hidden. But it could still comfortably fly a good 10 people or so.

"You've redecorated since the BA days," Judith observed as the Xecotcovach took off a few metres down the runway and skipped seamlessly into the air. There was a soft thud as the landing gear retracted and then a very uncomfortable squeeze as the plane practically jumped from a standing still to hypersonic.

"The transition still needs work," Ioan observed.

"You boys with your big toys," Judith noted.

"So what do you think we can expect when we get there?" Ioan asked. Harry had explained what he knew and had continued to find out as they were loading the Xecotcovach.

Harry shrugged. "I'm not sure, but it seems this whole carrier group is on a secret mission." He said motioning to a screen on one wall of the cabin. "From what the US navy have there they were expecting trouble and recovery." He pointed to two engineering vessels.

"Alien technology recovery?" Judith wondered.

Harry nodded. "But with wizards working with them. Maybe using some alien technology to enhance their abilities."

"Can they do that?" Judith asked the two wizards with her.

Harry looked to Ioan who looked back to Judith and shrugged.

"Based on Cohort Dow's previous experience and what happened with Ginny I'd guess yes." Harry smiled sadly for a moment. He'd not thought about Ginny for some time. "I doubt they'd do something so dangerous or noticeable if they were working with the military."

"Something simpler then, that could be masked by the veil of technology," Judith said in a calm tone.

"How poetic," Ioan said.

"The Secretary of the Navy should have been informed of our involvement," Harry explained.

"But that doesn't mean they won't start shooting at us immediately when we arrive now does it?" Judith asked. "Pauses to wait for shooting to begin." Judith smirked at Harry who sighed.

"Harry, we should be arriving in the target area in 10 minutes." Said the voice of Captain Bilton.

Ioan looked surprised. "That was quick."

-/ - \\-

"I don't like this Ducky," Anthony DiNozzo said after they'd quickly been shuffled out of the transport plane and below the deck of the USS Seahawk. "Being bundled up in the middle of the night and away to the middle of the ocean."

"It was the afternoon Tony, hardly the night," Doctor Mallard corrected looking around them and towards Agent Gibbs.

"I'd already left the office. McGee could've taken the call," Tony commented, somehow the boss had gotten a cup of coffee already.

"Timothy I believe had a prior engagement," Doctor Mallard commented idly.

"Wish I'd 'prior engaged' my way out of this," Tony wrinkled his nose.

"Don't wish unless you mean it DiNozzo. Come on," Agent Gibbs said with a gaze the order to follow him and the Sergeant with him.

"What's going on boss?" Tony said as he followed the back of Gibbs' head.

"Come on DiNozzo," was all he said.

"And will my services be required Jethro?" Ducky asked causing Gibbs to spin around.

"Of course. The Director asked for you personally Ducky," he said in a serious tone before continuing through a doorway.

"What does that mean?" DiNozzo asked to himself and found himself behind both Gibbs and Ducky.

-/

Tony wasn't sure where they'd been led. He could hear the catapult going on above them so he was sure they were somewhere close to the underside of the landing strip and there was a noise of the elevators nearby as well.

It looked like somewhere that might have been used as a gym, judging by the smell that lingered. He wrinkled his nose again. It was a smell that permeated the Seahawk; that of jet fuel, sweat and the vague smell of the ocean.

The door ahead was sealed with a red notice that read a lot of things. Most of them looked like the sort of warning labels that came on most cooking appliances that he never took out of the cupboard.

"That's a lot of things to tell you not to come in," he said, seemingly to himself as no one including the Petty Officer leading them said anything.

"They were found just through there sir," said the Petty Officer who opened the heavy metal door as though there were nothing there.

Ducky hung back as he and the Gibbs moved forward into the heavily fortified...

Tony shook his head. "Wasn't there a big door here a moment ago?"

The boss turned around and looked at him curiously. "What DiNozzo?"

Tony blinked and looked around again, they had been through one door to get into this section and then another reinforced door. Which wasn't there anymore.

"I believe there are some extra sensory precautions taking place in this space Anthony, you have fallen victim to one. Jethro I-" Ducky began as a noise went out throughout the ship.

"That's-" Tony started but Gibbs was already pushing past him.

Then there was another thump-thump of further aircraft being launched above them.

"What's going on Ducky?" Tony hissed rubbing the bridge of his nose, he felt like there was a headache building.

"Dangerous things abound Anthony." Ducky looked past him. "Shall I get to work?"

Tony put his hand out to stop Ducky. "Just a sec Ducky." He withdrew his weapon looking around. "There's something hinky going on here," he said making his way into the space which he had thought was a room, but now seemed to be made up of various cargo boxes stacked up and other...wooden crates.

There were three bodies. Two on the ground, one guy looked like he'd been thrown against the bulkhead of the ship.

There was nothing dangerous. The seamen on board would have secured things if there had been anything obvious.

He said as much to Ducky as he continued to look around. There was a large dais in one corner of the space and a McGee-sorta box with a bunch of cables going into it. The only ones he recognised was a huge power cable hooked into the ship's power supply and the blue internetty cables. Holstering his gun he walked back to the front of the space and grabbed his camera out of his bag and began moving through the space.

"Perhaps," Ducky said in answer to his statement as he pulling on gloves. "From the speed that we were telegraphed out here Anthony I would presume that this area was locked down."

Tony replaced the lens cap on the camera and pulled on a set of gloves, going over to help Ducky with the guy against the bulkhead.

Tony pulled, but it was like the guy was stuck to the wall. "Weird," he said as he moved around to get better angle. It was then that his hand fell to the man's neck.

"Ducky," he said in a tightly controlled tone.

"Oh dear," Ducky said feeling around the man's neck. "Dead, but warm," he said in a quiet tone and moved to the other bodies.

"Are they...?" Tony began. "Zombies?"

"Massive tissue disruption," Ducky muttered to himself as he felt around the two soldiers' chest areas.

"What?" Tony asked.

"I think we should find Agent Gibbs Tony." Ducky gave him a look he'd never seen the medical examiner give him before. It was kinda like Gibbs gave him on occasion. The one that made chills run down his back.

Even more so that it was Ducky.

-/ - \\-

"Are you red leader or blue leader?" Judith asked. They were sat around a holograhic representation of the local airspace.

Harry just smiled and thumbed a control to the cockpit. "Maintain our speed Captain. Switch defensive measures to analysis, active on standby."

"Understood Harry," said the voice of Captain Bilton.

"Here they come," Ioan said looking at the display.

"Unidentified aircraft you are approaching restricted airspace. Withdraw."

"That's a voice that's used to getting what it wants," Judith observed.

"Not today." Harry leaned into his chair.

-/ - \\-

On board the USS Seahawk Agent Gibbs was on the bridge listening and watching as an unidentified aircraft was about to breach the airspace around the strike group. According to the Director no one should know this strike group was even in this patch of ocean.

"Unidentified aircraft is maintaining speed and has not responded," the Executive Office said.

"Warn again," the Captain said.

"Sir, speed of unidentified aircraft is 4 minutes from our location."

"What?" Gibbs exclaimed, he couldn't help himself, the speed of whatever it was, which from what he could see wasn't on radar was going faster than...anything he could think of outside of a missile.

"Warn them again, if no response warning shots authorised."

-/ - \\-

"They're warning us again. Defensive systems suggest lethal force will be deployed against us," Captain Bilton paused. "If they can get a lock on."

Harry smirked and looked to Judith. "If," he paused. "Switch defensive systems to active."

"They're swinging around slowly. It's hardly Quiditich is it?" Ioan lamented gesturing at the holodisplay.

"No. They're not slow. We're fast," Harry said.

There was a noise below them as the interceptor canon popped out from the underside of the Xecotcovach, there was something that wasn't much of a noise a moment later.

"Defensive systems suggest that it was a warning shot."

"Intercepted before it posed a threat," Harry observed. "Continue to target."

"We should increase speed," Judith gestured at the holodisplay. "Their afterburners are running hot." She grinned at them. "Make a statement we can outrun them."

Harry nodded. "Now, let's see who they're taking their orders from."

"And which ship," Ioan added.

-/ - \\-

"Unidentified craft has..." The First Officer paused. "It...it shot the warning shot out of the air with some sort of interceptors. Craft is continuing to accelerate. Afterburners running hot," he paused. "Unable to pursue," he said after a moment.

"This isn't your doing Gunny?" The Captain turned around to look at Gibbs.

"No," Gibbs said as DiNozzo and Ducky made their way onto the bridge.

"Boss, there's something-" DiNozzo started.

"Jethro. We need to-" Ducky started.

They were both cut off as a lookout alerted them to an aircraft dropping rapidly out of the sky at the edge of the strike group.

"What're you watching over Captain?" Gibbs asked.

"Classified," was his response before redrawing his attention to the aircraft.

-/ - \\-

"You're enjoying this aren't you Harry," Judith observed as the three of them watched the sensor display as the two aircraft failed to follow them.

"He wants to be flying this," Ioan commented. "It doesn't, handle like a broom."

"No," Harry paused and thumbed a control. "Captain decelerate slowly and do a wide sweep around the battle group," Harry ordered. "I want to know exactly what we're dealing with."

"And now?" Judith wondered.

"Now let's make sure no one starts shooting at us," Harry commented.

"All part of our new role? International defence," Ioan wondered.

"It adds spice. We now can tear around the world in our sports-plane," Judith said as Harry breathed in a calming breath.

"Instead of in Harry's sports cars?" Ioan asked with a grin.

"You two can always ride a broom to the scenes of whatever we investigate," Harry countered.

"I thank you Harry," Judith punched his arm. "I'm a lady, I won't ride anyone's brooms."

"I'd like that," Ioan thought wistfully. "Not riding your broom," he hastily added.

Harry shook his head. "Now I need to make myself seem too important to shoot at."

"Good luck with that," Judith commented idly as the Xecotcovach slowly decelerated and dropped altitude.

-/

"Sir. Incoming radio contact. Frequency is ours but no ID. It's from unidentified craft." Said a communications operator.

"Let me hear it." The Captain said.

"Repeat. This is Xecotcovach X-1 to USS Seahawk. I have authority to be in your airspace," the voice paused. "I am approaching your craft and I really don't want you to start trying to shoot me," the man paused again. To Gibb's ears he sounded young. "Again."

Captain Owens grabbed the microphone. "This is Captain Richard Owens, USS Seahawk. Withdraw. You are within restricted airspace."

"I have out accelerated your fighters Captain," responded the man in a calm tone that made Gibbs appreciate him more. "I am authorised to be here." Gibbs chanced a look over to the visual observers by the windows who appeared to still be able to see the craft. Radar still seemed to have nothing.

"Boss," DiNozzo started again.

"Your Secretary should have paved the way for me. Authorisation code Lima, Lima, Lima One-Nine-Seven-Two," said the man calmly, though somewhat awkwardly, as though he weren't used to saying a code phrase.

-/ - \\-

Harry wondered if they would need to suddenly pull up again. The defensive systems were throwing up all manner of warnings.

Fortunately they only had defensive systems on the X-1. The X-2 would be a different kettle of fish.

They were flying in a long arc around the battle group gathering information about the make up of the group.

"Your authorisation is confirmed. Standing by," said after a lengthy pause.

"Captain, let's pull up alongside the Seahawk." Harry said.

"Matching speed and course," said Captain Bilton.

-/ - \\-

Anthony DiNozzo found himself wandering over to the window, joined he noticed peripherally by Gibbs as the large black aircraft sped over to them with a huge burst of speed that made him tense.

Then it just seemed to stop, lazily rotate and pull in along side the ship.

"That's impossible," he found he was saying.

"Yes. It is DiNozzo," Gibbs said.

"Unidentified aircraft... Xecotcovach X-1 has matched our course and speed sir."

Tony just nodded staring at the aircraft. He couldn't...he kept looking at it, but it was like...

"Boss..." Tony began.

"Yes DiNozzo?" Gibbs said in a tight tone.

"Can you see it?" Tony asked wondering if he was going mad.

"Yes DiNozzo."

"Good," Tony said.

"I wonder. Could anyone describe the craft?" Asked the voice of Ducky.

Tony wrenched his eyes off of the aircraft around to Ducky.

"Of course it's..." Tony looked back. It was right in front of them, alongside and yet.

"This is hinky Boss," was all Tony found he could say.

"Permission to land," Said the man's voice.

"Can that...plane land on our deck?" The Captain asked his Executive Officer, the question seemingly broke the slightly stunned silence on the bridge.

"If it was decelerating no sir. But..." He trailed off.

"I promise we'll just unload our equipment and be off Captain. We don't even need to land if you're worried." The voice paused. "Judging by our energy readings of your ship however, you should be worried," the voice suddenly said.

-/ - \\-

"Harry, look at the energy scanners, there's something weird under the deck." Judith said, she'd pulled up a smaller screen to direct the Xecotcovach's onboard energy scanners to investigate the ship beside them.

Harry nodded as he was speaking to the ship.

"Will they know what an energy reading is?" Ioan asked.

"That high an energy reading they should know and be worried," Harry said.

"You have permission to land, be aware your craft is larger than is rated for our deck."

"We're very gentle Captain," Harry replied and switched to internal comms. "Captain Bilton, time to land, we'll grab our gear and then you can take up a high altitude observation post."

"Understood Harry. We're just glad we're not sitting along side, I'm worried about the paintwork if that ship moves," Roger Scobie joked.

Ioan laughed and shared a grin with Harry as Judith looked on puzzled. "We've scratched both sides during testing."

"You boys," Judith muttered with a shake of the head.

-/

"DiNozzo, with me, with your permission Captain?" Gibbs said quickly as the large black aircraft, which he tried not to look at seemed to shift sideways and landing gear descended from its underbelly.

"Go Gunny," the Captain authorised.

-/

Anthony DiNozzo felt a headache coming on again, every time he tried to look at the plane that was moving with a calm speed that should have been impossible for something of its size.

There was also a weird noise, not like anything a plane should sound like.

"Boss," he shouted before realising he didn't need to.

"What DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked almost annoyed.

"Can you see it?" Tony suddenly asked.

"What?" Gibbs asked.

"It's like it doesn't want me to look at it," Tony tried to explain.

"Then don't," was Gibbs' reply.

The aircraft shifted slightly, rotating slightly, like a car parking into a space, the noise changed pitch with it as it slowly rotated to fit in between the bridge and control tower and then drifted floating almost onto the deck.

Then the noise changed again and Tony was sure it looked like the plane pushed itself onto the deck, holding itself there.

The deck crew around him were equally confused, so at least he didn't feel bad.

Then a door opened and small set of ladder-like stairs unfolded and three people clambered down.

"Harry Potter, LPI," said the youngest of them to Gibbs.

"We'll need a hand with our gear if we're to get off the deck as soon as possible," said the next guy.

The oldest was a woman, she looked older. Not Gibbs old, just...

Something about her made sweat appear on his spine and made Tony just for a moment want to run away and hide somewhere. She smirked at him. "Good." She seemed to mouth at him as the other two men started to unload various coloured bags from a hatch that had opened in the underside of the plane.

"Come on DiNozzo," Gibbs was saying as they were grabbing the variously coloured bags from where the three people were pulling them out of the plane.

None of them seemed to weigh anything more than the material that made them up. They were all tightly rolled large tent bags of some sort. He wanted to ask what they were.

Then as they'd unloaded what he guessed were over two dozen bags the man, Harry Potter said something into a radio and then the plane lifted off with a similar laziness as it had landed moving off over the water.

Tony found himself following it so he could watch, as did the other people on deck. It seemed to hang there for a moment before arching up.

Then...it shot into the sky, faster than he could understand.

-/

Harry allowed himself, Ioan and Judith to be led as several seamen followed with their gear, although they were each carrying a couple of bags.

All of them were their magic expanding bags, with almost everything including the kitchen sink with them.

He'd wanted to go and introduce himself to the Captain but the Executive Officer had intercepted them and bundled them off down to where the 'special group' had been.

"What's LPI?" One of the NCIS agents who'd helped them with their bags asked of Judith.

"Agent...?" Judith asked casually. Despite the fact she'd already looked into who the NCIS team was on their short flight over.

"Anthony DiNozzo. NCIS." He grinned at her.

"It's a league. We deal with the things that you can't," Harry said to Agent Gibbs.

-/

"And what's that?" Gibbs asked as they went through a door.

"Ah Jethro, Anthony good." Ducky was waiting for them by the door.

Tony stared at the door. It wasn't metal, the one they'd stepped through was, but that second really heavy duty one was now a curtain.

"Donald?" Asked the woman who still hadn't given him her name. The scary woman, that's what Tony decided to think of her as. She knew Ducky.

"Judith, my dear," Ducky said as the woman, Judith walked forward to him.

"You know this woman Ducky?" Gibbs asked.

"Why yes Jethro, we have shared past situations," Ducky said and shared a look with Judith.

"Oh, dear," said Harry Potter.

-/

Harry had motioned the seamen to dump their bags off to one side and he'd walked over to the side of the ship where it looked like someone had crashed into the side and died. But it was much more worrying than that.

"Oh dear," he said out loud.

"I see you've noticed him young man," the medical examiner – Donald said.

"Donald, this is Harry Potter, I work with him on more...esoteric things than we ever got up to," Judith said from behind.

Harry turned around and smiled a greeting. "Doctor?"

"Mallard," he provided. "You've noticed this chap then."

"Yes," Harry said walking over to the body leaning against the side of the ship. "And the backpack," he continued as he felt around it.

"Hey, hey, gloves. This is crime scene," the NCIS agent DiNozzo cried out as he felt around. Harry ignored him.

"More UNIT tech?" Ioan had also walked over with a portable energy scanner. "Readings consistent with transmat in overload."

Harry nodded as he went to feel for a pulse.

"Gloves Mr Potter," Doctor Mallard proffered at him.

Harry distractedly took the gloves offered by the doctor as he was called back to his NCIS fellows.

Judith looked to him and then drifted over following in Mallard's wake as he and the NCIS agents walked over to the other two bodies.

-/

"What's the deal Ducky?" Tony asked looking at the corpses.

"Signs of massive tissue displacement," Ducky said, though Tony only just realised that he wasn't talking to either of them.

"What Ducky?" Gibbs asked.

"Energy weapon fire." Tony tried not to jump as he realised the woman, Judith was stood just behind them.

"What?" Gibbs asked.

"They're quite dead," the woman, Judith said as she deftly unbuttoned the SEAL's shirt having donned some gloves, offered by Ducky and started to feel around on the guy's chest. "Uneven energy distribution." She moved over to the other. "Signs of bruising."

"Yes Judith, I noticed that too. I didn't think it was survivable," Mallard observed.

"What isn't?" Gibbs asked.

But the woman had stood up and walked back to Potter and the other guy.

"Ducky, what's an energy weapon?"

"It's what they said DiNozzo." Gibbs said simply.

"It's a projected energy weapon Anthony," Ducky explained patiently.

-/

Harry took the offered suction pads from Ioan who'd retrieved them from his smaller bag and stuck them against the wall of the ship.

"Is it as bad as it looks?" Ioan asked as Harry leaned over the dead man.

"He's still warm," he said in a dull tone. "The pack's trying."

"What's the reading?" Judith asked returning from the other two bodies.

"High fluctuations through the frequencies. It's definitely Indigo technology," Ioan said. "The others?"

"Death by energy weapons," Judith reported.

Harry exhaled a breath. "We'll need to demat him before we can do anything."

"Can't disable it?" Judith asked looking over though not touching the backpack.

Harry shook his head. They'd not had anything except UNIT's plans to look at for their 'Project Indigo' they'd tried to pack in all the technology of a transmat into a backpack. But according the Martha Jones there was a psychic component of some sort. Which explained somewhat why they might be using wizards, to make it safer, albeit weak wizards or squibs. It had boggled his mind somewhat.

"Harry," Judith muttered breaking him out of his musings.

"What's going on?" Demanded Agent Gibbs.

"And who killed these guys?" Agent DiNozzo asked.

"In reverse order," Harry paused. "I don't know, someone with access to xeno-tech or someone who's been messing around with it," he saw Agent DiNozzo mouth 'xeno' to doctor Mallard. "I need one of you to find the COB and help us get out equipment out."

"If I might interject," Doctor Mallard began.

"Donald?" Judith asked looking over to doctor Mallard.

"This appears to be part of their equipment." Mallard motioned.

Harry looked around and saw that some crates had obviously been shoved out of the way by the arrival of the three men.

"A transmat pad," he said walking past the NCIS agents.

"No readouts," Judith observed beside him.

Harry squatted next to a panel. "They've been hard wired. This is just power control." He wrinkled his nose. "Definitely using our tech to free the unfortunate guy."

"Why?" Agent Gibbs asked.

"We may need this one later," Harry muttered.

Then Harry's phone started to ring.

Harry frowned.

"Hey, how've you got reception here?" Agent DiNozzo asked.

"This is Potter," he paused. "Pearce? Yes. Oh. Just a moment Harry," he hit mute on the phone for a moment. "Judith, Ioan, unpack the power and transmat gear."

"I'll get the energy buffers out just in case," Ioan said. Harry nodded as he stepped away from the group.

-/

"What're energy buffers?" Tony wondered to himself.

"Wonderboy. You can give me a hand," Said the woman who Ducky knew.

"Sure," He flashed her a smile. "Judith, so got a last name?"

"Yes," she said. "The blue bag. Bring it and we'll set it up."

Tony walked over to the pile of bags. The blue one didn't feel like it contained anything more than the bag and a couple of poles.

"How's this going to help with your equipment, there's nothing in it," Tony asked looking over where the boss was helping the other guy with a green bag of similar proportions.

"That would be telling," said the woman mysteriously.

The poles that held up the sides seems to have magnets or something, as he slotted them into the corners they seemed to automatically stick to the deck.

Once the tent was set up the woman walked into it.

Tony was about to try and look for himself when Gibbs shouted his name.

"Classified DiNozzo," he said simply.

Tony watched as the woman Judith walked wheeling a large stack of...he wasn't sure. "Hey...how'd you do that?"

"Magic," said the man who was walking out of a similar tent carrying what looked like tall thin rectangular satellite dishes. Or something.

-/

Harry listened as Pearce explained in a worryingly grave tone what had happened with Ros.

Pearce was obviously shaken and didn't want to explain the events that led to her injury specifically, but she'd been in a bombing and stretched the magical clothing he'd given her around herself either as the bomb exploded or just before.

He'd never envisioned it being used like that and said so.

Now she was suffering through...something unidentifiable. She'd obviously been grievously injured. But the magical nature of the clothing had preserved her...somewhat.

"Pearce, I can't do anything personally. I'm on..." He paused looking around. "Assignment."

"I see Potter," Pearce sounded deflated.

Harry began again as he thought to himself. "I have an associate who specialises in medical situations. A healer," he said. "Tell me where he can apparate to and I'll have him meet you," Harry paused. "I don't know if he can help, but he will if he can."

"Thank you Potter."

"Ros is one of a few people I trust Harry." Harry said to Pearce as the call ended and he dialled the phone again.

"Owen. Hello, yes. A situation," Harry quickly explained.

"That is dangerous Harry. You know I'm not a-"

"You're more qualified than anyone else I know. As I have said Draco trusts you, I trust you. You've seen into my world Owen," he paused. "Do whatever within..." Harry trailed off. "Within your scope to save her."

"I...will see. There is little information on how this might progress Harry, muggle interaction with magic is limited."

"Well she's alive for now. If she dies then..." Harry smiled a sad smile. "Then she'd say well that's it. I'm sorry I can't be there to introduce you," Harry turned away from the prying eyes of Agent Gibbs who'd been observing his call. "Harry Pearce is someone I trust and have worked with often, the same goes for Ros, the woman you'll be helping. Pearce is part of the security services."

"You're unavoidably detained?"

"I had considered calling you, for this job, but it seems it's less magical and more..." Harry shook his head to stop him from being distracted.

"I will depart now Harry."

"Thanks Owen," Harry said as he ended the call.

"Trouble?" Agent Gibbs enquired as he returned to his small posse.

"A problem with an associate of mine," Harry explained. "Nothing associated with you."

-/

The man fixed him with a hard look. "Nothing associated with you." Tony looked to the boss who gave the man Harry Potter a paused look. But Potter seemed not to care and moved past him.

"Boss?" Tony asked coming up to him.

"Get the COB DiNozzo," he almost shouted.

"Yes boss."

-/

"Problem?" Ioan asked as Harry walked over to their current problem.

"Yes. I've sent Owen to deal with it, Ros' been injured," Harry said in a calm tone.

"I see," Ioan said. "Energy buffers are in place." Ioan looked past him. "Energy readings suggest if it goes it'll take out the side of the ship."

"Oh dear," Harry said.

"Harry, Donald wants to know if he can move away the other two." Judith said gesturing over at the medical examiner.

Harry nodded. "Use our bags."

Judith nodded. "I was going to." She nodded over to the senior NCIS agent. "They won't like it."

"I'll explain," Harry said pausing to look at Ioan. "We'll have to demat him or the deck to get him free."

"Pity it wasn't swayed in the wizarding direction. We could've de-splinched him," Ioan mused.

Harry exhaled. "Just once the wizarding solution would have been easier."

"In the most complicated of situations," Ioan countered with a smile as Harry turned to go over to NCIS agent Gibbs.

-/

"Agent Gibbs. My associate informed me your medical examiner would like to move the two bodies," Potter said looking over to where Ducky and the woman, Judith were talking.

"That's right. You got a problem with that?" He asked the man. There was something of...Gibbs could place the look, the body language of him. It was of someone who had seen too many wars. But at Potter's age he'd have to have been in the forces since he was 16 at least.

Potter shook his head. "Given the potential of what they've encountered I want to use our body bags. They have-" He paused as DiNozzo returned to the room with the COB. "Special protections on them. Just in case."

"They won't contaminate the bodies?" Gibbs asked.

Potter shook his head. "No. Although anything you learn will likely be highly secretive, however your medical examiner seems in the know."

"Boss, got the COB for you."

"Potter." Gibbs looked to Potter.

"Ah. Good. Tell me, is that section supporting anything...heavy?" Potter asked curiously.

"Heavy sir?" The COB asked.

"We're going to need to..." Potter trailed off seemingly trying to think of something appropriate to say. "Remove its supporting ability for a few moments. We don't want the bridge collapsing down on us."

Gibbs half listened as the COB explained what was reinforced and what wasn't. But as he was explaining an alarm went off from some of Potter's gear.

"Energy flux!" The man Ioan shouted.

Potter rushed over to the flat satellite things. The energy buffers. That was what they were called.

"You Agent DiNozzo. Blue tent, grab the cables on the wrack. COB." Potter shouted. "We need extra power. Otherwise things are going to get exciting."

-/

Tony grinned. He'd get to see inside this tent of theirs. He didn't get how anything could be inside the tent but...he opened the flaps and inside was...the size of a shipping container with strings of lighting.

He backed out slowly to find the boss standing outside.

"Problem DiNozzo?" Gibbs was standing there.

"Boss, it's bigger..."

"Cables smile boy," Judith said, she was holding a body bag, on her own.

-/

Harry wished he could enjoy Agent DiNozzo's 'it's slightly bigger on the inside moment' but he was instead trying to refocus their energy buffers so the Project Indigo backpack didn't drop into cascade failure and blow the body apart along with the side of the ship.

It was one of the many, many problems with Project Indigo. Transmats were power hungry things, like a lot of alien tech. The use of near-squib wizards was probably one of many ways to skirt around this problem he mused.

"Here, got it," Agent DiNozzo ran over with one of the longer power cables.

Harry grabbed it pushing it into the energy buffer. "Plug the other end into the ship's power," he ordered.

Harry tapped into the keyboard beside the energy buffer as the power flowed through into it.

"We going to blow up?" Judith asked as she passed.

"Not yet," Harry exhaled a breath. "But we'll need to get this bloke out now."

"And Project Indigo?" Ioan asked in a low tone.

"Hopefully it'll shut down once it realises he's dead," Harry said patting his pocket where his sonic screwdriver was. "If not we'll have to disable it."

"One crisis at a time," Ioan commented.

-/

"'Project Indigo' boss? McGee'd know about something like that. The backpack thing," DiNozzo observed.

Gibbs crossed his arms as he watched Potter pull something else out of a bag that Judith had removed from one of the tents earlier. It looked like it was a suction pad. He slapped it against the wall, trailing the cable back to a control board.

"Something to ask the Director about?" DiNozzo continued.

Gibbs was about to reply when they were called and waved over by Potter.

-/

Harry didn't want to have to involve the NCIS agents, but Ioan would need to monitor the energy buffers, he'd need to operate their transmat equipment and he wanted Judith on hand in case anything untoward occurred. They'd also need to remove the dead man's head in one smooth movement, lest they destabilise Project Indigo further.

"We're going to remove this man's head from the wall." Harry explained.

"How?" Agent DiNozzo asked.

"By dematerisalising the structure of the wall," Harry paused. "That includes the matter that's in his head," he gestured.

"Dematerialise?" Gibbs asked.

"What were you briefed about concerning this Agent Gibbs?" Judith asked.

"What do you know Judith?" Agent Gibbs asked curiously.

"A lot more than you it seems Agent Gibbs, DiNozzo," Harry said in a hurried tone. "When I give you the word I want you to pull the body away from the wall. Not before."

"What happens if we do if before?" DiNozzo asked with a grin.

"You will destabilise the energy field that is present here vaporising us and blowing a sizeable hole in the side of this ship, likely sinking it and setting off an EMP large enough to knock out..." Harry trailed off and looked to Ioan and Judith...

"Probably 30 percent of the fleet here," Judith answered.

"Oh," Agent DiNozzo said.

-/

"But that's not the most worrying thing" Potter muttered to himself as Tony wondered whether there was a nuke sitting under one of these crates and wished, not for the first or even fifth time today that he'd left work early and left someone else to deal with this.

"What's the most worrying thing Potter?" Gibbs asked.

"Where they got their injuries," Judith answered.

It was starting to annoy him. How none of Potter's associates had last names, and that Judith seemed to know what he was thinking, maybe he had a tick, a tell she was reading.

"Maybe," she said. Or maybe he just thought she said that.

"Boss, do you understand what's going on?" Tony asked as they both stood on either side of the body. It still felt warm. Creepy.

"Ducky," Tony craned around to where Ducky was moving the two bodies to the far corner of the room. "You know these people," he hissed.

"Indeed I do Anthony," he said with a weird smile.

"No fancy stories?" Tony pressed.

The ME shook his head. "No, as you might say all those are classified," he replied as he moved away from them.

"Power on and holding," said the voice of Potter behind him. Tony didn't understand how he was the guy in charge. He was the youngest out of the three. But he had a tone of voice like Gibbs, even harsher in some respects.

"Energy spread fluctuating, Indigo reacting to transmat?" Said the other guy.

"Power to compensate?" The woman asked.

"Not without pulling more out of the ship. I already had to disable the safeties." Potter commented idly.

"Sir..." Said the COB even further behind them in a worried tone.

"Your boat will be fine," Judith said casually.

Tony wondered, not for the first time today who these people were, why the Boss was so relaxed and not pushing for answers from them and what the woman Judith and Ducky's history was.

"Focusing transmat coordinates to suckerpads," Potter was saying. "DiNozzo. Gibbs. Standby to remove the target on my shout of 'now'." Potter said as Tony detected the smell of something burning. It smelt kinda like Abby's lab. Or McGee's apartment.

Then the wall started to fizz and glow.

"NOW!" Potter shouted.

He and Gibbs lifted up the body and pulled. Tony was half expecting it not to move, but it pulled away, simple and easily and then there was a fzzt of something shorting out.

-/

Judith accepted the fire extinguisher from the COB and handed it to Harry who sprayed their equipment casually as she asked the COB to go and get Donald who should have finished securing the other bodies.

-/

Tony stared wide eyed as Potter casually sprayed his equipment with the fire extinguisher as thought this always happened, from the smell it really smelt like Abby's lab, and she never had a fire extinguisher on hand.

"Now you're all going to explain what this means or I'll-" The Boss started to say as he walked over to the other gizmo in the room, the thing he'd wanted a look at before Potter and his associates came in.

It was then something happened, something Tony couldn't quite process. It was like McGee kissing someone that wasn't his hand.

Potter had removed a stick...thing, faster than he'd been able to see, Tony was sure he'd been holding the fire extinguisher a moment before.

There's been a flash of light and then...the boss had crumbled to the floor.

"You were right Ioan, he was going to go for the connections," Potter paused. "I wonder, was he going to unplug it to threaten information from us, hmmm?" Tony realised only after a moment that he had drawn his gun and was pointing it at Potter as his instincts kicked in and that Potter was addressing the question to him.

"You don't want to shoot me Anthony," Potter said in a calm tone. It was like Gibbs' cold angry tone. Except his eyes, they felt like they were burrowing deep into him.

Tony hated it and narrowed his eyes. "What have you done?"

"Just stunned," Potter said casually.

"Stunned, how?" He found himself arguing. Both with Potter and himself, he felt like he should put his weapon away.

"You should put the gun away first Tony," Potter said again looking at him.

Tony thought he should put the gun away.

"The crime scene is secured and you are safe, and you want to obey me," Potter said calmly.

"Ah, you've freed the unfortunate..." Ducky said as he walked back into the room, Tony was sure he'd never left.

"Hey..." Tony refocused his attention. "I don't know what creepy mind stuff you're doing but it's not-"

"No, I'd hoped it would." Potter said and nodded as Tony realised Ioan had removed a similar stick from somewhere and then...

-/ - \\-

"Incapacitated," the Executive Officer of the Seahawk repeated, he'd come down because of the massive power drain they'd registered when they'd transmatted the soldier out from between the ship's plating.

Harry nodded. "They'll recover shortly," he lied. Though it was partially true. They would recover shortly when he and Ioan had finished securing the area from Gibbs' wandering hands.

"And this equipment?" The Executive Officer looked around the room.

That was the other curious thing Ioan had noticed, there was a minor notice-me-not charm. It wasn't obvious, in fact it was one of those Quidditch-related charms. So very minor he'd not even noticed. It wasn't overt, it just subtly altered perceptions if you weren't concentrating on it. Ioan had cast a variety of detection spells while they'd been clearing up.

Everyone who'd come in here had given the room an odd 'look around the room' as though they were seeing something slightly different to what was actually here. It was probable it may have also made Agent Gibbs want to unplug everything, but they couldn't be sure. Subtle spells were complicated.

"Integral to recovering the rest of the team," Harry replied. "There are three bodies. I presume this was an 8 person team?"

The Executive Officer nodded. "Yes sir."

"When the NCIS agents recover I'll be explaining how we move forward then we may need your assistance," Harry explained. "There will likely be a larger drain on the Seahawk's systems when we decide what needs to be done. But I will give you adequate warning when that happens," Harry continued in a calm tone, he wasn't trying to influence the XO, not actively.

"I see," he nodded. "Very well Potter. Approval from SecNav has been confirmed, you have permission to use all resources to rescue our forces."

"Indeed," Harry looked past the XO where Judith was beckoning from one of their expanding tents. "I need to attend to something, good day." Harry said by way of dismissal.

-/

"I was just saying to Judith, these tents of yours Mr Potter are quite magnificent. If only it would work for the conventional forces," Doctor Mallard was saying looking around the interior.

"Still some instabilities Donald. 'Within acceptable limits' so Harry says," Judith said.

Harry came around to the other side of the body where an energy scanner was set up. "Definite signs of tissue disruption," he said looking at the man's body. They had removed Project Indigo from him and powered it down safely.

Harry had needed to use his sonic screwdriver to remove the power source. It looked like something salvaged from the Sontarans and secured that away elsewhere. Project Indigo was dangerous enough not plugged into a power source. Why they had paired the backpack Indigo with another transmat pad he wasn't sure. He really hoped Project Indigo wasn't powered up when they went through the transmat.

"Indeed Mr Potter, indeed. As Judith has indicated your organisation is familiarity with a multitude of projected energy weapons that might have caused this unfortunate man's demise," Doctor Mallard was saying.

Harry nodded. "I wasn't told what these people were after exactly."

"There are a lot of people with energy weapons," Judith mused.

"Yes, we know far too well about that." Doctor Mallard gave Judith a look.

Harry looked between them for a moment. "It's not something I've made much of a study of, not from the body perspective to identify them post-battle."

Judith passed him the energy scanner to study the energy readings.

"From the disruption to his internal organs the Lieutenant was shot mid to long range." Doctor Mallard said as Harry looked up from the energy scanner.

"You know enough about energy weapons to say that Doctor Mallard?" Harry enquired.

"The way the body responds is unique, it is something once learned we do not forget easily," he said, his tone suggestive of something in the deep past.

Harry exhaled. The energy readings suggested a similar situation. "Close range...or..." Harry trailed off. "Project Indigo would have preserved the body at the time of his being shot, or intensified it..."

"What is this Project Indigo Mr Potter? Judith was" Doctor Mallard paused. "Secretive about it."

"Nothing that could have affected his body or your investigation," Harry dismissed. He felt like he was trying to pull together strings of an idea that wouldn't quite come.

"Harry?" Ioan said coming into the tent. "The body," Ioan said looking at it.

"Ioan." Harry looked to him. "The energy readings from when we first set up the energy buffers...?" Harry trailed off in thought.

"Yes?" Ioan asked.

"They should have recorded the energy profiles of everything here," Harry said. "Doctor Mallard, you should examine the others."

"Just in case?" Judtih continued curiously.

"Just in case they weren't all shot with the same weapons," Harry said in a worrying tone.

-/ - \\-

"...nervate..." Tony shook his head and looked around, his hand going to his gun.

He'd been mid-sentence and then something had happened.

He was sure he was saying something important.

"DiNozzo?"

"Boss?" Tony said, Gibbs was sat opposite him and looking around. Tony went for his gun.

"If I was going to steal your weapon Agent DiNozzo I would have done it while you were unconscious," Potter practically drawled at him.

"What happened?" Tony asked as Gibbs stood up and looked around.

"Before or after we rendered you unconscious?" Potter asked.

"Start with that," Gibbs said drawing his gun.

Tony followed suit.

Potter didn't even look surprised. He just raised an eyebrow.

"I could have left you unconscious," Potter withdrew that...stick thing. "Accio guns," he said in such a casual tone that Tony didn't realise it until it had happened. His gun flew out of his hand and it's Potter's followed by the Boss'.

Then Potter walked back over to him and Gibbs and handed them back.

As he was about to say something Potter's friend came out of one of their tents that he didn't realise had been set up.

"Judith says you're to stop with your masturbating contest," he said in an amused tone.

"A pity." Potter looked at him directly in the eyes. "We were just about to climax." Potter shook his head and muttered to himself. "Captain Jack..." The rest was inaudible.

Tony followed Potter's friend into one of those tents they'd brought with them. "You're gonna have to bunch up we're all not going to fit..." Tony trailed off. "in here."

"Ah Jethro, Tony, you've awoken. Good." Ducky was standing in front of a table. There was the guy, the guy he'd helped pull out of a wall, there were also two other bodies.

In this small tent, it was even larger than the other one.

He looked to Gibbs who was focused on Potter, not Ducky.

"It's..."

Potter looked over at Judith and mouthed something with a grin.

"Bigger-"

"Only marginally," Judith cut him off with a look to Potter.

"What happened to not conducting field investigations Ducky?" Gibbs asked.

"This situation is rather unique Jethro." Ducky looked between Judith and Potter.

"We've also not cut anyone open, so your wondrous chain of procedure or whatever it is remains intact." Potter said. "If you get to keep the bodies once we're done."

"You don't know?" Gibbs asked.

Potter shrugged. "Bodies are something I wish I could avoid dealing with, try not to accumulate in day to day, and when I have to, pass that off to other people."

"And when you do have to?" Tony asked curiously.

Potter fixed him with a look that Tony felt bite into his core. "Then I deal with it," he paused and continued in a lighter tone, at least it sounded lighter. "Or I just keep them locked up, just in case."

"Ducky. What've you got?" Gibbs asked.

Ducky looked between them and gestured the three bodies. "Utilising Mr Potter's equipment we have made an analysis of these three bodies. Each was shot with a projected energy weapon."

"A what?" Gibbs repeated.

"A death ray?!" Tony exclaimed. Everyone looked at him. "What? That's what it is." Gibbs looked at him. "McGee'd know boss."

"How very succinct Agent DiNozzo." Judith looked at him.

Potter nodded. "Yes."

"Is that what you shot us with?" Gibbs asked.

"No," Potter said without explaining further.

"Doctor Mallard investigated the bodies while we analysed the energy readings when we first set up our equipment," Ioan continued. Tony wished he knew the names, other than the first names of these people. It would be so much easier to investigate them when they got back to the office and away from McGee's fantasy investigation. Next there'd be a lightsabre battle, with hacking.

"From what I was able to gather from these bodies, the Lieutenant was shot, at medium range from a tight beam energy weapon." Ducky was saying.

"His insides were scrambled. You can feel the difference between, here and here." Judith gestured.

"Nasty," Tony wrinkled his whole face.

"These two other men were also shot with projected energy weapons," Ducky said walking around the body inside the...Tony felt a headache building.

"Just roll with it Anthony. You'll understand it, or..." Judith muttered to him. Somehow she'd done a Gibbs and was standing right beside him.

"Or?" He wondered.

"Go mad or have a sudden revelation," she said in a simple tone. As though those were the only choices in life.

"Different ones?" Gibbs asked.

"Uhh," the noise escaped Tony's lips as he saw the torsos of the other two men. Then both had big splotches across their torsos.

"Different energy weapons. They took the force of it. You can see the by the blast and bruise pattern." Ducky was gesturing with a gloved hand.

"They might have survived," Potter said.

"Might? How'd you know?" Gibbs asked.

Potter looked at him. "I've been shot with one like it before. He took more of a brunt." Potter gestured to the other guy. "This guy left it untreated or maybe was shot more than once."

"And?" Gibbs pressed.

"Aliens tend to use one form of energy weapon," Judith said casually.

Tony felt something pause and hang in the room. "Hang on what? What did you say?"

Potter looked to Ducky. "Or do you prefer xeno-bio?"

Judith shook her head.

"We weren't informed that this might be an encounter situation Mr Potter," Ducky said.

"'Encounter situation'?" Gibbs repeated.

"It could be individuals using xeno-tech," Potter added helpfully. "Though why they'd be pretending to locate Atlantis another question."

Tony shook his head. He was obviously dreaming, or maybe he was still unconscious.

"What?" Gibbs said what he was thinking.

"I think I need to talk to the XO, we'll need some SEALs," Potter said casually. "Do you want to finish explaining?" He asked Judith.

She sighed dramatically.

"Or sedate Agent DiNozzo, whatever's easiest," Potter said casually and looked to Gibbs who followed him out of the bigger on the inside tent that didn't make any sense.

-/

Harry walked out of the expanded tent with Agent Gibbs who had been giving him odd looks since they'd started this little explain-athon. It had been Doctor Mallard's idea to explain it like this, to let Doctor Mallard do the talking so Agents Gibbs and DiNozzo wouldn't be overwhelmed by the influx of information. He'd forgotten in the explaining that they didn't know about alien technology.

Harry raised and eyebrow. "You've questions?"

"Well?" Agent Gibbs almost demanded.

"Would you accept that I know more than you can hope to know in the time we have?" Harry asked.

Gibbs looked at him hard.

Harry sighed. "What were you doing when the planets appeared in the sky?" Out of the corner of his eye he saw Agent DiNozzo come out of the tent.

"What was I doing?" Agent Gibbs repeated. "What were you doing? If you're the expert?"

"You can ask the ninth and fourteenth fleets what Britain was doing Agent Gibbs," Harry answered calmly. He knew those two had been involved in Dalek defence and strategic assault of the invading saucers.

"Boss?" Agent DiNozzo started.

-/

"Boss?" Tony asked. He'd only caught the end of Potter and Gibbs' discussion.

"And you Agent DiNozzo, what were you up to when the planets appeared in the sky?" Potter sighed. "Surely the concept of aliens can't be that challenging when saucers appeared over most major cities."

Tony frowned. "Training exercise in sub-floor 42, power cut off. We were down there for 4 days."

Potter sighed and rolled his eyes. "Of course you were."

"You missed Independence Day," Judith said looking at him intently.

"We're going to rescue your people," Potter said simply. "Of course you'll want to come."

"Yeah," Gibbs said.

-/ - \\-

DiNozzo watched Potter carefully. He'd definitely given a briefing like this before. There were only two SEALs with them in the room. He'd heard Potter talking to them, something about 1997 and 'vamps' he'd heard the name a General Adrienne Kramer mentioned. He made a mental note to look her up later.

"We've narrowed the possible energy weapons used down to a small handful of hostiles who utilise that technology," Potter continued in a cagey way, briefly looking in Tony's direction.

Tony wanted to say something that he wasn't going to freak out, he wasn't McGoo, he could handle the truth about the universe.

"We have with our equipment teflon coated bastic bullets and gold bullets, we'll provide this ammunition in addition to your regular ammo before we depart."

"Gold bullets? You planning something Potter?" Gibbs asked in an annoyed amused tone that only Gibbs could manage.

"Gold is effective against Cyber-forces Agent Gibbs," Potter paused. "They're also less camp than carrying a glitter gun."

"Not that anyone's built one yet," Tony heard Judith mutter.

"How're we getting to where you think the team is anyway?" Tony couldn't help himself asking.

"We're using the same system they used," Potter said simply.

"Which is?" Asked Gibbs.

-/

Tony looked at it.

It was Star Trek.

Or Galaxy Quest.

Or The Fly. Tony cringed.

"Don't worry Agent DiNozzo. You're not going to be turned inside out." Tony cringed again. That woman Judith seemed to know what he was thinking, she had an even more unnerving ability than Gibbs.

"What happens if this breaks like the others?" Gibbs asked.

Potter turned around to look at them. "That's why Ioan is off making sure a secondary arrival point is available. The XO's been informed to be aware of a water retrieval."

"Holding a ship steady here is dicey, we wouldn't want to need to extract your pretty face from a bulkhead Agent DiNozzo," said Judith.

Tony thought about responding but was distracted by Gibbs handing him two clips to strap to his body.

"Gold and bastic teflon," Judith said before turning away from him.

Tony looked at the clip. It was. Gold. Gold bullets. "Hey'd you keep all sorts of bullets for every occasion?"

"Of course. Everything including silver bullets," she answered simply, like that was normal for any organisation to have with them.

"What for? Fighting some werewolves, it's a full moon tomorrow." He joked.

She looked at him seriously. "If we need to. But we detain and interrogate first."

"Interview," Potter called over. "We only interrogate after."

'Shoot first, whoever they are won't stand to be interviewed, interrogated or held to justice'. Potter had said in the briefing, he'd made a point of looking to him and Gibbs.

Potter's associate Ioan would be remaining behind to work the transmat. That's what Potter had called it. He said it like anyone would say cellphone like it was a normal thing.

This pad.

One that was currently filling the room with a humming sensation.

"Nervous DiNozzo?" Gibbs was beside him.

"Me boss? Nah, we're just about to stand on funky pad that's going to disappear us up into never-land with some people who've got fantastic tents and gold bullets."

"Don't worry. You've got too many lines to be a redshirt," Judith commented idly as she shifted her body weight around on the raised dais.

"What's this going to be like?" Asked one of the SEALs.

Potter pondered the question as he checked through the various weapons he had strapped to his body. Tony noted a different sort of body armour to the rest of them and some weird looking weapons. Plus that stick. The things he'd used on him and Gibbs.

"It probably won't hurt," Potter finally said. "Every transmat is different."

"So we just disappear from here and reappear there, like that's normal," Tony said looking over at Potter's associate.

"Is that fear Agent DiNozzo?" Judith, that woman, who had somehow managed to move so she was standing beside him asked.

"How do we know this is safe if that's what it did to the other guys?" Tony asked, he hoped in a reasonable tone.

"Molecular Vertigo is nothing to be ashamed of," Potter commented idly.

"Also known as teleportaphobia," Judith provided in a far too jolly tone.

"Just get on with it," Gibbs ground out in a short tone.

"Balancing the power now. We don't want to blow out the pad or the ship's systems," Ioan said.

"Weapons check," Potter said in a simple tone.

"Good," reported the SEALs.

"Don't wait. Shoot any enemies on sight," Potter continued.

Tony wriggled his nose, there was a smell, like...something fizzing in the air. Or maybe something burning.

Then he realised someone was counting down. "3, 2, 1."

Then the world evaporated and he felt like he was falling.

-/

Then he hit something and he felt his stomach shift around and do loops.

"What the hell was that?" He hissed as he struggled to stand up.

"What went wrong Potter?" Gibbs was asking.

Potter was already standing up looking around.

It was now that Tony realised they had moved, they were in a vaguely curving corridor. The lighting was dim, and it sounding like there was a faint pulsing sound in the background.

"Weird," Potter was muttering. He was dropping a pen onto the ground, or at least he was trying to, it seemed to wobble around in mid air before falling down to the ground.

"What is it?" Tony asked.

"Gravity's a bit weird." Judith commented.

"We're on a Dalek ship. Use the bastic bullets. Aim for the eyepiece they're slightly more vulnerable there. Or ask about poetry." Judith punched Potter. "Maybe not," Potter said. "Come on, we need to get to a computer port."

Potter looked up and down the corridor and chose a direction.

-/

The SEALs were keeping watch while Potter did something with the weird spherical controls.

There wasn't any keyboard, nothing that could be hacked. The screen was round too, it was weird, Tony had a weird feeling in his stomach.

"What language is that?" Gibbs asked looking over Potter's shoulder.

"Dalek," Potter said without looking away. "Look. The ship's upside down."

"On the sea bed," Judith commented. "Damaged?"

"Looks like. Most of the weapons are on the bottom..." Potter trailed off.

"The fleet?" Tony hissed.

"Very probably," Potter murmured seemingly in thought. Tony didn't like it.

"I'll take the SEALs to the power room, disable it," Judith said looking at the screen Potter had pulled up. "Any prisoners they'd be holding near the flight deck."

"Most of the other sections are too damaged," Potter nodded. "You two are with me it seems."

"How'd you know how to operate these things?" Tony asked.

"I study," Potter said in a short tone. "Don't use the torch," he said offhandedly to Gibbs. "We need to stay as stealthy as possible."

-/

Potter seemed to know his way around this place. Even seemingly upside down. But the noise, that beat soft in the background was wigging him out.

"It should be just around-" Potter was saying and then a force slammed Tony against the wall of the...'ship'? As Gibbs and Potter threw themselves against the same wall.

As Tony opened his mouth to ask what was happening he felt his mouth tighten as another force seemed to tighten on his mouth to stop him, looking around he saw Potter leveraging that stick thing at him.

Then Tony saw it, gliding out the gloom. A glowing blue lens on top.

It was kinda like a salt shaker, or a garbage can. But built by a tank designer.

It screamed danger and made him want to grab for his weapons, grab for anything.

It was dangerous.

It also hadn't seen them and continued around the corner.

Then the force holding him against the wall abated.

"Must be in low power mode. Poor peripheral vision," Potter explained, though it seemed like it was only to Gibbs that was getting the explanation.

"What the hell did you do to me Potter?" Tony hissed.

"Stopped you from getting killed DiNozzo." Gibbs looked at him as though he should be thankful for being slammed against the wall.

"Hopefully they'll be speaking out their plans," Potter said motioning them to follow him.

-/

Harry crept up to the seemingly half broken door to the Dalek's flight deck, motioning the two NCIS agents to the other side as he leaned against the door.

"...investigations revealed nothing," one Dalek was saying.

"Very well. Status of human naval fleet?" Asked another Dalek, this one sounded like it was in charge.

"Fleet continues to patrol area around our ship." Reported a second one.

"Status of submersible craft?" Asked the in-charge Dalek.

"It has not detected out presence," reported the first.

"Continue to monitor, transmat next set of duplicates to their ships," ordered the in-charge Dalek.

"Potter," hissed Gibbs.

Harry give Gibbs a firm looked and a 'hush' signal pointing away from the door.

"What the hell to they mean 'duplicates'?" He hissed.

Harry wondered how he would explain it, so looked to Agent DiNozzo. "Copies, double agents. Duplicates. I'm sure you've seen a movie with such a thing."

"Androids?" DiNozzo looked at him with a mix of surprise, concern and maybe a hint of excitement.

Harry shrugged. "Whatever. They've used all manner in the past," he said patting down his pockets. "Whatever we do, we need to get in and look for the remaining team," he paused and pulled a Cyber-Gun out of his pocket. "I'm going to go in there and create a distraction. I need you to start a commotion."

"What is that Potter?" Gibbs demanded.

"It's an energy weapon. It doesn't have a safety. Squeeze it firmly, aim in the general direction of the Daleks," Harry explained offering it to DiNozzo.

"Me, why am I-" He started.

"Because you're younger and will be faster to dodge when they start shooting at you," Harry paused, looking to Gibbs as he extracted his wand. "I'll do something to you that'll make you harder to see, not invisible."

"Then what?" Gibbs asked.

"Rescue the prisoners," Harry he paused, adding; "Carefully."

-/

Gibbs looked at Potter. "You're just going to walk in there?" He looked down the corridor Potter had told Tony to go down, supposedly there was another entrance down there.

"I will also attempt not to get shot," Potter gave him a smirk.

Then Gibbs watched as Potter casually strolled into the 'flight deck' and started speaking another language. It seemed to grab the attention of all the 'Daleks' in the room.

-/

Harry wondered if he should ask these Daleks about their thought on poetry. They were all really focused on him.

"Who are you?" Asked one.

"Explain your knowledge of Dalek language." Demanded the one who was probably in charge. It demanded it in English, which Harry took as his cue to speak in English, which he was glad of, Dalek wasn't the most verbose language.

"Everyone needs a hobby. So what are you? One crew, the remains of the fleet, here on Earth. Pursuing a duplicate plan like the Supreme Dalek tried back in the 1980s," Harry paused and looked past the Daleks to Gibbs. "Relative to my time of course. You were using time corridor technology, who knows what time you were from."

"Explain your knowledge of this, explain, explain! Expla-" The questioning stopped abruptly as the in-charge Dalek collided with his booted foot he put in the way of it. Its eye stalk looked down and Harry wondered if he'd surprised the Dalek. Or he was about to get himself exterminated. It had hurt, the Dalek colliding with his foot. Next time he would put more weight into his leg.

"You have studied our history," said another of the Daleks. Harry looked over at it and assumed it was second in command. Or maybe it was in charge and this one just liked shouting at him. They were all the bronze-coloured ones so there wasn't any indication of who was in charge, aside from the text under the eye-stalk.

Looking past it he could see the duplication chamber...or something and within it some prisoners.

Harry pointed at the new intriguing one, hoping to draw the Daleks in, or at least some of them, and equally hoped DiNozzo would start shooting at the remaining ones in the room sometime soon.

"Very good. You're in charge then."

"Explain?" It demanded.

"You're making a better use of knowledge than he is," Harry looked around them and saw Tony on the other side of the room, covered in soot and detritus and looking quite annoyed. "Like then and now, Davros is involved and you're buggered."

"Davros," said the Daleks.

"He's dead." Harry said. "I tried to kill him."

"You-" One of the Daleks started and then Tony started shooting, his aim was terrible, even given the Cyber-Gun's rather wide field of fire.

"Exterminate!" Shouted one of the Daleks as Harry dived across the room.

Harry cringed as the Daleks shot in his direction.

"Potter," Gibbs hissed. "They're drugged."

Harry looked them over, they wouldn't be getting to the transmat point.

Then something thumped beneath them.

"Alert, alert, explosion in power generation section. Full alert!" Shouted the Daleks as the lights flickered out.

Tony was still shooting at them from the other side of the room, one of the Daleks was shooting at him.

Harry grabbed at his vest and pulled out a vial of liquid, forcing a little bit of it into the mouths of the remaining prisoners.

"What is that Potter?" Gibbs demanded.

"Listen up," Harry hissed as the Pepper Up worked its magic on them, "each needs to hold tight to this rope." He pulled it from another pocket.

"Potter? Is that you?" Asked one of them, Harry didn't recognise him.

"Gibbs they're all holding it, hold onto it tight and say the last name of your director of NCIS." Harry said looking at the older man passing him the rope.

"What about DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked carefully.

Harry gave him a look as he plucked a grenade out of pocket and chucked it non-chalantly into the flight deck. "We'll leave by other means."

Then as Gibbs and the prisoners disappeared in a swirl of magic the gravity field holding them 'upside down' essentially gave out.

Harry took the switching in gravity to slide over to Tony. "Come on." Harry said pulling him down the corridor before he could complain.

"Judith, exit now." Harry barked into his radio.

"Ahead of you Harry. We've got three prisoners."

Harry frowned.

"Potter, if they've got three." Tony started.

"One problem at a time," Harry barked. "Exit now Judith." Harry dug into his pockets for the C4 he'd grabbed just in case and moulded it to the side of the corridor and pressed a timer into it. "Come on. We need to cause as much damage as possible."

"Why?" Tony hissed. "And why's it feel so weird?"

"Gravity shift." Harry wondered if the Daleks would start shooting and cursed himself as he heard something fire out the guts of the ship.

"What was that?" Tony demanded.

"Don't ask," Harry hissed.

-/

Harry helped Tony as they rushed along the corridors. He'd been caught by ricocheting Dalek weapons fire. It seemed to have momentarily paralysed his left leg. He could still feel it, so it wasn't fried.

"What're looking for Potter?" Tony asked.

"Somewhere that won't turn us to a red mist." Harry muttered.

"You mean The Fly?" He asked with a cringe.

"Exterminate. Seek, Locate, Exterminate. Exterminate. Rejoice!" The Daleks shouted.

"Who are these guys?" Tony looked back towards the shouting.

"One day you'll get to read my book. Now," Harry paused and put his arm around DiNozzo. "Don't panic."

"Why would I panic, what are your going to-"

-/

Tony felt like he had been squeezed down into...he wasn't sure. But suddenly he was falling, falling through the air.

He chanced a brief look down and he could see the fleet.

It was then he realised that they were falling towards the deck of the Seahawk.

Really fast.

Really, really fast.

Even if he could move, hitting the water at this speed... Where was McGuffin when he needed him?

Then Potter did something and he felt his body squeezed again.

And then...and then he was stood on the deck of the Seahawk, then everything went blank.

-/ - \\-

Judith listened as Harry had some nasty conversations with the somewhat too moralistic US Navy people. They had discovered two of their prisoners were actually duplicates.

Dalek duplicates.

Ioan and her were packing up the remains of their stuff.

"Well?" She asked as he came back.

"They can't do anything, rules," Harry said in a grim tone.

"And they understand the danger, they're not human, they're not even real they're...a means," Judith tried.

Harry nodded. "Our 'jurisdiction' is shaky here. We came, we saw, we rescued."

"We also nearly fried the transmat box," Ioan said. "But we've got all the Project Indigo stuff packed away," Ioan said. "It'll be interesting to work out exactly how the squibs were using it."

Harry smiled. "Yes." He looked to Judith. "I wanted to sneak in and eliminate the duplicates."

"Why didn't you?" Judith asked curiously.

Harry paused in thought. "Because there's probably more duplicates out there. Agent Gibbs suggested their need to work that out for themselves."

"And?" Judith pressed.

"I would make myself an enemy of theirs if I did sneak in," Harry exhaled a breath. "And I have enough enemies."

-/

Anthony DiNozzo hobbled out onto the deck of the Seahawk as he watched a large black aircraft gently move lazily away from the side of the ship, then accelerate upwards far too fast for anything its size and shape.

"Boss."

"Yes Tony?" Gibbs asked.

"What are we going to write in our report for all this?" He asked.

"Who knows," Gibbs said shaking his head. "Who knows."

"Yeah...who knows..." Tony repeated.

-/

A/N:

Minor edit done June 2021.

This is a bit of an experimental chapter, which is far longer than I thought it would be.

I could have written this story; 'Dalek ship on sea floor, Harry and LPI investigate, find prisoners, rescue'. In a much more straight-forward way.

But I've wanted to include a navy for a while and do something a bit wider in scope, and also put out there that there were several downed Dalek saucers that might not have just blown up during the recent invasion.

NCIS seems like it could exist in the same universe as Spooks and the HP/DW-Visited by a Doctor universe. So I wanted to bring it in, see how the characters work in relation to Harry, Judith, Ioan and the rest of their respective universe.

I do like the crime procedural, but found it immensely harder to write and incorporate Harry and LPI than I first thought when I started this chapter. In fact the start of this chapter, basically everything up to Harry and co step aboard the Seahawk I rewrote from the beginning.

I realised I had to fall into the format of an NCIS episode somewhat to make it work properly.

Thanks for reading.