This is a tag to Psych Out, 9.16. It contains spoilers for that episode and for episode 9.15, Secrets.

An explanation of how and why Gibbs has a homemade bug sniffer in his basement. Along with some ninja skills tossed in for good measure. Not my usual fare, but the thoughts kept bugging me to put them on paper.

December 21, 2011, 2330 Hours

MCRT Bullpen

"Now's the time," thought McGee. Gibbs had just told him to wrap it up for the day and get out of there. Tony and Ziva had been gone for over an hour and McGee had been putting off this conversation long enough.

"Uh…boss, I've wanted to tell you that I keep in pretty close touch with the Cyber Crimes guys I used to work with."

Gibbs looked up at Tim with a quizzical look on his face. "Yeah?"

Tim could hear the "so what?" in Gibbs voice even though it was not said, and it made him more nervous…but he pushed on anyway. "They say the NCIS intranet and phone net are getting more and more hacking attempts every week."

Tim obviously had something on his mind, so Gibbs sat back in his chair and give Tim his full attention. "Go on."

"I've never told anyone else, boss, but I set up a security system on my home computer network and my personal cell phone. I set it up so that when it detects a hacking attempt or some other attempted intrusion like a Trojan Horse, the program sends me an alert at my NCIS email. Actually what I did was use a…"

"I don't need the details, McGee."

"Oh, sure, boss, sorry. Anyway, I've been getting at least one hit every day for the past couple of weeks. That's almost twice as many as usual. Since I run some pretty sophisticated programs, I always expected to be a target of some hacking, and besides I also expect the FBI to hack me, both here and at home – just to find out how I hack them."

"What's your point, McGee?"

"Boss, what if we're being bugged?"

"Huh? Whatdya mean, McGee?"

"Well, what I mean is, our computer systems here at work are protected pretty well and all of us know that we shouldn't talk about classified material over the phone. We also know that our cell phones are really nothing more than radios so we are careful what we say. But what if someone wanted to know what we talk about at home? What if someone wanted to bug us – any of us, just to try to get more info about NCIS operations?"

"Are you getting paranoid, McGee?'

"Maybe, or maybe just more security conscious. I've been looking at the qualification requirements for the Cyber Crimes job that's coming open in Okinawa and it's caused me to think about this stuff a little more deeply."

"Thinking of leaving us, McGee?"

"Not really, just thinking about possibilities. Anyway, this idea of us being bugged has stuck in my mind, and wanted your permission to see what I could do to maybe…I dunno, maybe make sure we don't get stung by anyone. What do you think?"

"Sure – okay. When we're not doing case work, you can work on it. We should get a little free time during the holidays. You can work on it then. Let me know what you come up with."

"Thanks, boss," said McGee with a smile.

"McGee – its okay to use NCIS time, but no NCIS parts or money. Don't order stuff using our financial account. Director's been all over me about keeping expenses down."

"Sure, boss, no problem."

December 29, 2011, 0630 Hours

MCRT Bullpen

Tim McGee walked quickly from the elevator into the bullpen. He wanted to talk to Gibbs alone if possible. Ah, good, Tony and Ziva were not here yet. "Boss, I want to use you as a guinea pig, okay?"

"Huh? Why, McGee? What's up?"

"You remember we talked about the possibility of us being bugged?"

"Yeah."

"I think I've got something to help, and I'd like to try it out on you."

"Tell me about it."

"Okay…I'll need to add one tiny piece of hardware to your cell phone. If you try talking on your cell phone within fifteen feet of a listening device, the phone will become garbled and full of static to the point you'll know something is wrong."

"Then what, McGee?"

"Then you'll know, boss, and you can shut off your phone – or if you're at home or in your car, you can use a small detector to pinpoint the transmitter."

"What small detector?"

"I've got it ready to go and if the first piece works okay, then I'll find a place to install the detector."

"Do it, McGee."

"Okay…let me have your cell phone for a few minutes, please."

Gibbs tossed the cell phone across to McGee who immediately opened its back and proceeded to use a pair of tweezers to place a small item into the phone's internal electronics. McGee finished quickly and replaced the back of the phone and took it over to Gibbs and said, "Okay, boss, when I get on the elevator, call Tony and ask him if he's going to be late again today…and just let him talk. I'll be back in a few minutes.

Gibbs grinned and did as the young man suggested. The speed dial worked and the phone on the other end began ringing.

"Morning, boss. Just getting some morning joe, want me to bring you some," said Tony.

"DiNozzo, you going to be late again today?"

"Ah…maybe, boss, but only a little and it's for a good cause…gotta get my morning caffeine…"

Gibbs put the phone on speaker and laid it down on his desk and let DiNozzo rattle on with his excuses. He heard the elevator ding and looked around to see Ziva and Tim headed toward the bullpen. Static began to cover DiNozzo's voice on the phone. The closer the two of them got the louder the static and more garbled DiNozzo's words. Ziva stopped at her desk and McGee came to stand in front of Gibbs' desk, grinning broadly. He held out his hand with a small black box in his palm.

"Works, doesn't it?" said McGee.

"Yep," said Gibbs closing the phone and cutting off DiNozzo and whatever explanation he was laboring to provide.

"What next, McGee?"

"Once you know you've got a bug, you need to pinpoint it so you can either talk around it or dispose of it. So the next thing is to think of where you'd most likely want to pinpoint a bug that was aimed at you."

Without looking up, Ziva said, "What about Gibbs' basement?"

"Ziva, are you in on this with McGee?"

"I am a spy, Gibbs, or I was – I recognize the concept if not the device. No, I am not working with McGee…yet. But I am willing to help if he needs it."

"Ziva is right, McGee. My basement is where I'd want something like that."

Tony came rushing up with coffee for everyone. "Something like what, boss? Whatcha up to, McGeek? Wha'd I miss?"

"Get here on time, DiNozzo and you won't miss anything."

"Aw, boss, I told you I'd bring you some coffee – besides its only 0702 – two minutes late and with coffee."

"Thank you, Tony," said Ziva.

"Yeah, thanks, Tony," said McGee.

Gibbs just slurped another draught into his mouth and swished it around before swallowing.

"Come on, McGee, let's go see what you can come up with in my basement."

As he walked by DiNozzo's desk, Gibbs said, "C'mon DiNozzo – you'll make up all kinds of bullshit about this if you don't come and see it for yourself. You too, Ziva, if you want to."

As they all piled into an NCIS vehicle, Gibbs said, "McGee try to explain what's going on to the two of them in one hundred words or less so I don't have to listen to the whole explanation again."

DiNozzo was sitting up front with Gibbs and turned to look back at the probie who was sitting behind Gibbs. Tim had a slight frown on his face as he worked through a one hundred word explanation in his head.

"Okay, Tony, you know how you hate it when Gibbs slips up on us and overhears our conversations?" Tony spluttered a bit, but Tim plowed on with his explanation before Tony could interrupt. (Ziva smiled.) "I figured that Gibbs wouldn't like it if anyone listened in on his conversations, so I suggested a way for him to know if someone has bugged his house or car, and if anyone does, how he can find the bug. I don't think the boss wants to hear an explanation of how it works, so didn't ask me. By the way, thanks again for the coffee this morning."

Tony was left with nothing to say, the succinct explanation tumbling through his brain and landing on the one point McGee did not mention. "Ziva, have you heard that the Chief of the Cyber Crimes Unit on Okinawa is quitting and moving to the private sector?"

"Yes, Tony, I remember you saying it might be a good opportunity for McGee to expose himself."

"No, Zee-vah, I said it would be good career exposure for McGee to get a job like that – not expose himself. Jeez!"

Gibbs whipped the sedan into his driveway, slammed on the brakes and said, "In the basement, McGee."

"Yes, boss – I'm on it."

Gibbs flipped on the light switch to the basement and led the way into his sanctum sanctorum. McGee immediately began to look at the relics stowed on the shelves surrounding the work space Gibbs used for his woodworking projects.

"Looking for anything in particular, probie?"

"I'll know it when I see it, Tony."

Ziva bumped Tony from behind and when he looked at her, they exchanged a glance that communicated to him that he should just cool it with the questions for a while. The two of them stood quietly watching as McGee picked up something from the back of a shelf. It had been hidden behind several jars of assorted nails and screws.

"Ah…perfect! Boss does this old transistor radio still work?"

"Try it and see, McGee. Batteries probably run down – been a long time since I saw it last."

McGee flipped the switch but the radio did not play. He opened the battery compartment and said, "At least the batteries have not leaked and spread corrosion through the thing." He reached into his backpack and after rummaging around for a few minutes came up with two double A batteries which he installed. He tried the radio again and found that it was tuned to a local AM station. "Perfect!" He beamed at the others.

"Okay if I modify this just a little, boss?"

"That's what we're here for, McGee. Do it."

Tim opened the radio case and puttered around inside for a moment before reaching into his backpack again and extracting an electronic looking component inside a small plastic bag. The others crowded around to watch, but he was closing the case again within moments and with another smile on his face said, "Let's try it out!"

McGee took his listening device from his jacket pocket and turned its tiny switch to "on." He told Ziva to call Gibbs cell phone and when she did the phone once again indicated a bug nearby with its static. McGee placed the bug on Gibbs' work table in the middle of the room and walked to the stairs. He motioned Gibbs to join him and handed his boss the transistor radio.

"Okay, boss, the phone has indicated a bug within 15 yards. Now you can use this radio to pinpoint the bug. Just turn in on and walk around the basement. The louder the static on the radio, the closer to the bug you are. Go ahead – try it out."

Tony piped up, "McGee, we know where the bug is…what's this going to prove?"

"Just listen, Tony. Forget you know where the bug is, just listen to the static." Ziva nodded her head. Gibbs smirked, but started walking along the shelves and turned on the radio. The music from the radio could be heard, but it was certainly covered by static. And the closer Gibbs got to the center of the room, the louder the static became. As he approached the table, the static increased until when he was directly over McGee's bug, the static drowned the music completely.

"Works perfectly, McGee. Good job. I'll just put it right back where you found it. Then I'll know where it is when I need it."

Tony looked at McGee. "Wow," he said. "MacGyver at work. You going to make one for all of us?"

Ziva looked at Tony for a moment, then at McGee and said, "I don't need one, McGee. I sweep my apartment for bugs at least twice a week."

Tony almost leered at Ziva as he said, "Hot ninja chick skills at work, too! Man, oh, man."

Ziva smiled winningly and said, "Tony also does not need one. I sweep his apartment once a week."

Tony was agast, "When? I've never let you in my place to check it! When do you check it for bugs? Why don't I know about this?"

"A girl must keep her skills current, no? You sleep very soundly, Tony. And you snore loudly. This is a good thing you do, McGee. Now Gibbs has another tool." She patted McGee on the back.

"Ziva, if I had known you were doing this, I would not have been so concerned."

"No, Tim…as I said, it is a good thing. No one was checking Gibbs' home every day and one never knows when our ops will cause an enemy to watch or listen to us. I do not remove the items I have found in my home. I let Mossad believe they can see and listen to me any time…I can feed them disinformation when I need to."

Tony spluttered, "Have you found anything in my place, Ninja?"

"Yes, twice. Not long after we returned from Somalia. I disabled both devices – both were Mossad. They have not bugged you in several months." She smiled almost shyly. "I doubt they got anything good. Both were in the TV room."

Tim spoke up, "Ok, Ziva, why did you check Tony's placed but not mine? I was in Somalia too."

"I did McGee, but your security protocols are substantially stronger than Tony's. I found evidence that someone had tried to enter you apartment, but I believe they did not get past your security system – plus you have Jethro guarding your place while you are away."

"What about this place? Did you check it too?"

Ziva looked at Gibbs who was smirking back at her. "It is a good thing you have done, Tim. Let us leave it at that."

Gibbs put the transistor radio in place and charged for the stairs. "Good job, McGee. Hope I don't ever have to use it. Back to work! We're burnin' daylight."