The FBI presented the warrants to NCIS and Vance had no choice but to let them test Tim's computers. Sacks already knew about Tim hacking into the FBI the previous night, so there was nothing to hide. He assigned an agent to follow the tech and FBI agent who'd arrived and let them head on down to the CCU. Meanwhile, the MCRT was also working studiously.

"Got anything, Duck?" Gibbs asked as he entered autopsy with Tim, Tony, and Ziva in tow.

"As I said, Jethro, I have little to go on. However, based on what I have seen of the case file, I get the feeling this hacker is not only going after the information to make money, but also for his own personal glory."

"He wants to show off," Tim said.

"Quite right. Worse, he wants to make fools of the FBI, make them appear incompetent. Perhaps it is some sort of revenge tactic."

"You think the FBI pissed him off in the past?" Tony asked. "Maybe Fornell arrested his brother or parents or something."

"It's possible, but doubtful. If this were a vendetta against one particular agent our hacker would most likely target him directly. This seems like more of an all-encompassing revenge on the agency."

"Someone who wanted to be one of them." It was Ziva who offered that theory. "Perhaps our hacker has a bruised ego from having been turned down in the past."

Gibbs slowly began to nod. "He can't join them so he hacks them."

"But then what about Sacks' suspicion that it was someone who was a part of the agency?" Tim asked with a frown.

"He could still be in the agency, just not in the job he wanted."

"Well, he's an egghead," Tony said, "but maybe he wanted a more dangerous position. Maybe he wanted to be a special agent but flunked out of FLETC."

"That's a good theory, Tony. Go follow up on it, see what you can find."

"Right," he said as he left, bringing Ziva with him. Only Gibbs and Tim remained behind.

"Got anything else, Duck?"

"Well, I think our hacker has a short temper and a violent one at that, as we can see in his attempt to murder Agent Fornell. He may also be quite keen and clever, far more so than even the FBI knows. I think they and we should tread carefully."

Gibbs nodded before turning with Tim following suit. "We'll be careful," he promised.

"They're looking through my computers," Tim said as they entered the elevator. He jabbed the button for the ground floor and the car jumped into motion.

"I know. But Sacks already knows about last night. You didn't hack their system any other times, did you?" Gibbs asked, slightly suspicious. He hated feeling this way, especially since Tim had been exonerated, at least in his mind. But still, the very idea that Tim would lie to him in the first place, or would even obstruct the truth, it was such a foreign idea to him. He couldn't help but wonder how many other times Tim had managed to lie to him in the past.

"No," Tim said forcefully. "No, the only time I hacked them was last night. Well, not the only time," he said sheepishly, recalling the many times Gibbs himself had ordered him to hack the FBI, "but it was the only time that I downloaded any classified information."

Gibbs nodded. "Then we've got nothing to worry about with that."

Tim hoped he was right.

"Feeling any better, Agent Fornell?"

It was Sally. She was back with medicine to put in his IV. If his eyes had been open Fornell would have also seen two very familiar and welcome faces. "You have some visitors," she said, opening the tube connected to his IV bag. She added the new medicine and reattached the tubes. To the visitors she said, "You have twenty minutes," before leaving them alone.

"Hello, Agent Fornell," Courtney said timidly as she and Sacks took seats beside the bed. Fornell inwardly sighed with relief. He only wished he could actually speak.

"We're still working the case, Fornell," Sacks assured him. "Your notes were kind of incinerated, but we have enough from our own notes that we think we're well on track." That wasn't completely true, but he wanted Fornell to think they were further ahead than they were.

Courtney nodded. "We've got a couple of suspects in mind, but nothing definite." That was another lie, but they had decided not to disclose their suspicion of Tim just yet. It's not like Fornell could exactly answer them and no official accusations had been made against him. "We think we're closing in, though."

You two should be focusing on Cooper, he thought, he's the hacker. It was frustrating to be on the verge of this, but still falling short. What if Cooper took the information he'd stolen and sold it to some of the worst people in the world? What if people got hurt or killed, all while he laid there unresponsive. If he survived this thing, he'd never be able to live with himself if something terrible happened on his watch.

"The lab is going over the explosive," Sacks told him. "It was pretty low grade stuff, which was lucky for you."

Yeah? Well, I don't feel too lucky right now, Sacks.

"The doctors say you're looking good. You're improving and they think there's a really good chance you'll come out of this soon."

I'm out of it, I'm out of it, you just can't tell, Fornell inwardly groaned. Have you been to NCIS? Have you talked to McGee yet?

"I wish you could tell us something, anything," Sacks said with a frown. Beneath Fornell's closed eyelids, there was movement. Was he aware of what was being said? "Maybe later though, huh?"

Sacks, I've got a lot to tell you, if my damn body would just let me.

"Got anything, Cooper?" the very bored FBI Agent Miller asked. He wasn't even trying to hide his disdain at having to "baby-sit some egghead," as he'd put it. As far as he could tell this was just one big waste of time.

Cooper fidgeted in the seat. "Um, nothing yet." He hadn't thought about having someone from the FBI accompany him during his search, nor had he thought about NCIS also providing an escort, but now he realized he should have. Of course, NCIS wasn't going to let him walk around the building all alone. He was FBI, an outsider, and they didn't trust outsiders. And with good reason, he thought wryly.

The plan had been so simple in his head. He'd "check" Agent McGee's computers and stealthily upload the information he'd stolen. Then, he'd claim to have found it, thus further incriminating the NCIS agent. McGee may have been asked by Fornell to help catch him, but Fornell obviously hadn't told him just who he'd been helping to catch. If he had, Cooper would probably be in interrogation right now. As long as he could throw enough suspicion on someone else, he might just get through this.

But damn it, he needed a few minutes alone!

Agent Edes' phone began to ring. He was the agent assigned by Vance to stay with their FBI visitors during their stay. "Hello?" he said.

"Agent Edes," Vance greeted, "I need you to go out and pick up a suspect over in Norfolk."

"What about our FBI buddies down here?" he asked, giving Cooper and the agent pointed looks.

"We're stretched thin as it is. I think we can send someone down there in about ten minutes, but you're relieved of your duties."

Edes flipped the phone closed, shooting the pair a broad grin. "Looks like you boys will be on your own for a few minutes. I trust you can handle that?"

Cooper didn't look up, but he grinned inwardly. Agent Miller just scowled in jealousy as Edes stepped onto the elevator. What he wouldn't give to get out of this drafty basement. It looked like the kind of place video game and computer game geeks sat when they played, only it was cleaner, smelled better, and there were no nagging parents shouting down to them to get a job.

"Are you almost done?" he asked, sounding not unlike a restless child.

"Sacks asked me to do a thorough search. It can take a while."

Miller leaned against the wall, arms crossed. He'd drawn the short straw this time. "Do you know how many other places I'd rather be right now?"

"So go," Cooper retorted. "You're not helping with your incessant whining."

It was an inviting thought, but he knew if Sacks found out he'd disobeyed an order, he'd have his ass handed to him.

Still, Sacks hadn't said he had to stay with Cooper the entire time. They'd been at it for two hours already and he hadn't gotten a chance to eat breakfast that morning. Now his stomach was beginning to rumble. Hadn't he seen a vending machine when they'd come in? Surely he could afford to leave for a few minutes to grab a snack? His stomach grumbled in agreement.

"Okay, I am running upstairs to grab something to eat. I'll be back in, like, ten minutes. Think you can spend that long on your own?"

"I'm sure I'll manage," Cooper said sarcastically. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Miller stepped onto the elevator. After the doors had closed, he counted to ten and then slipped the flash drive from his pocket. Finally, he thought triumphantly as he pulled up the contents of the flash drive. It would only take a few minutes, though he got the feeling Miller would dawdle as long as he could before returning.

Soon enough, Cooper had loaded the files onto the computer. He was about to remove the flash drive and call Sacks to tell him what he'd "found," but then he had a thought. This computer probably had access to classified information and it was right there at his fingertips. That could sweeten the pot a bit, maybe even throw more suspicion on Agent McGee. Getting here would save him the trouble of having to hack into their system.

He didn't even think twice as he began to download the information. The elevator doors dinged open once more only seconds after he'd slipped the drive into his pocket. Miller stepped off with a Coke and a bag of chips. "Almost done?" he asked hopefully.

"Call Sacks," Cooper instructed. "Looks like we've got something here."