McGee entered Abby's lab carrying the bullets Ducky had taken out of Cade and the first thing he noticed was the silence.

"You heard?" He asked as soon as he stepped through her door.

Abby looked solemn. He had not been a fan of Cade, for obvious reasons, but McGee wasn't petty, he knew Abby had really liked him.

"You remember when you said you hoped it was no one we knew?"

McGee could see where she was going with this and instead of an answer he gave her a hug.

"I mean I know we don't know anything, but why else would Tony and Cade be together in that alley? Cade sent me that message and-"

McGee pulled away and shoved the bullets into her hand. "Abby we don't have time. I'm sorry. But you want answers. Gibbs wants answers. You process this and we will get answers."

It was clearly not what Abby wanted to hear.

"One of my bestest friends has possibly killed another friend." Abby inhaled sharply, as if realising what she had just said. "But why would Cade shoot at Tony? It doesn't make sense."

No, it didn't make sense. Right now they had no idea who shot at who. One agent in the hospital and one agent dead, a tampered with crime scene and a seriously distracted Gibbs made a sure recipe for disaster. And lucky him, he was in charge of fixing it. What he wouldn't give to be Probie again for real.

"I know." He answered succinctly instead. "But until we get the answers to what happened Gibbs is going to be going crazy. Tony's lost his memory-"

"What?" Ziva interrupted walking into the lab, Ducky and Palmer following soon after. "Tony can't remember what happened?"

"Gibbs didn't say much. Just that Tony doesn't remember anything."

"Anything as in doesn't know who he is or doesn't remember anything like Gibbs didn't before he left for Mexico?" Abby asked him, clearly getting worked up.

A worked up Abby was probably better than a solemn Abby in any case.

"Gibbs didn't say." He sighed.

"McGee you should have asked!" Abby punched him. Hard. "I'm calling him." She took out her cell and pressed her speed dial.

"Abigail." Ducky chastised, removing the phone from her palm. "Jethro is at the hospital. He has enough to deal with right now. And we have our jobs to do if we are to help young Anthony out of this mess he's found himself in."

"Ducky's right." Ziva piped up. "Tony is safe for now, but we need to prove what happened in that alley, somebody shot at Tony and killed Cade."

"What if Tony killed Cade." McGee spoke thoughtlessly.

Abby punched him again. "I will not believe that."

"I recovered three bullets of different types from Agent Cade's body. Only one bullet delivered the kill shot, the other two were post mortem." Ducky pointed at the evidence bag Abby held.

"If I can match the kill shot to the bullet from Tony's vest-"

Abby was interrupted by one her machines beeping. McGee and the rest watched as she typed away on her keyboard.

"There were three different blood types at the scene." Abby smiled. "I'm running the DNA through AFIS."

"Three?" Ziva queried.

"Well assuming Cade was one, and Tony's another-"

"The third could be our killers." Ducky finished.

"Tony's weapon discharged twice." Abby confirmed.

McGee was aware they weren't exactly being objective and was sure, had this been anyone else, Gibbs would have slapped him silly by now, but it was the middle of the night, they were all exhausted and Tony wasn't just anyone.

"Let's hope-"

The computer pinged three times and the three matches appeared on the plasma screen. McGee froze along with everyone else in the room as they looked at the three very familiar faces of Cade, Tony and EJ Barrett.

"This isn't good is it?" Palmer spoke for the first time .

"No, Mr Palmer. It is not."