Ellie worked the cool cuticle cream methodically into her nail beds while she waited. It was important to have strong nails. Especially in her line of work. You never knew when you might need them.

She considered the impending death of the man she had been working with over these last three months. It really was his face that proved to be Tim's downfall. If he didn't look so damn innocent and appealing the irony of it all wouldn't have worked and the agency might have picked someone else to be their fall guy.

These days it was all about the media. Once it had been television and now it was all about the internet. Ellie didn't think Tim would be pleased to know that several round table discussions had gone on about what was the best way to kill NCIS Agent Timothy Agent/Betrayer of his Country. It seemed to her that more meetings had gone on about how to kill him than had gone on to select him.

It had been thought initially that information could be leaked to the media during a stand off and then there could be country wide live coverage on the news of him getting shot/gassed/blown up. Some nice grainy chopper footage of the SWAT team climbing all over the warehouse roof always proved effective for ratings. If they timed it right they could get in and have it concluded right before American Idol started.

After some consideration it was his face which saved him from being submitted to an explosive device and being splattered all over the concrete. It seemed far more universally appealing to have footage of an actual intact body, perhaps draped in a bloody sheet initially then zipped up into a black body bag and carried slowly across the crime scene. Perhaps the ME's could be persuaded to jostle the body while preparing it for transport. A young, white, educated, bloodied hand falling out onto the concrete would give the papers an excellent print shot to go with their front page. Ellie made a mental note to convince Tim to wear his most expensive watch for the operation tomorrow. It was always these details which would later fascinate the academia. Papers would be written on what sort of statement on the condition of the country he was trying to make by wearing Armani shirts or Calvin Klein underwear.

Having an intact body also made identification of the body by family much faster. That too would give some excellent footage, weeping family members declaring his innocence, his parents possibly being restrained at the scene, informed sorrowfully of his death. Ellie considered how close Tim seemed to be with his family. They might even luck out with some wailing and screaming.

There had been some consideration regarding forcing him to take a cyanide tablet. It seemed a very fitting although horribly painful way to die, as he was supposedly a terrorist. He had the knowledge to create such a tablet himself even if he couldn't source one through his agency connections. So its source wouldn't raise too many eyebrows and it would be nice and dramatic. Attention grabbing. That was what the U-Tube generation was after. Maybe some footage of his final convulsing, foaming seconds could escape onto the internet as a precautionary tale for others?

But then there would be the bruising around his head and jaw from forcing him to swallow it. A strong young man like Timothy, understanding that his death was imminent would need to be forcibly held down by several people. Ellie had seen it before. The screaming and the thrashing. It was amazing how strong and determined people became when they knew they could either fight or die.

If the Director did manage to pull a few strings and the autopsy got done by Dr Mallard he would be sure to question the excessive body bruising even given the resulting convulsions from the cyanide. So that method although poetic, was dropped.

Ellie and her detailed profile of NCIS Special Agent McGee had finally resulted in the decision to shoot him dead first and then release to media second. Personally she thought he was too clever, resourceful and just morally upstanding to risk giving him the chance to contact the rest of his team or stash details of his real activities before the final moment, even if it did make for good footage. She wouldn't put it past him to scrawl his innocence in his own blood live on national television if he knew it was all he had. And then all the created good will would instead turn into a backlash and months of hard work would be wasted. And a perfectly good Agent would be dead for no reason whatsoever.

The media they would leave free to come up with their own tag name. They were always more creative then the Agency had ever proved to be anyway. Perhaps the Agency Assassin or Boyish Bomber or some such rubbish to help white middle class America categorize the violence, enabling them to later file the images away along with other cartoon characters.

Ellie idly buffed her nails to a high shine and wondered if she could get Tim to have sex with her tonight. Sort of a going away gift or last Harrah so to speak. She knew that he hated her, particularly after her appearance at his office today but she had discovered that hate didn't necessarily preclude sex in men. Even nice ones like Timothy McGee.

And besides when she wanted to be she could be so sweet she could make your teeth ache. Ellie smiled pleased with her manicure and waited.

(Ok guys please review and let me know what you think. This is a short chapter just to highlight how cold and dangerous Ellie is. What do you think is going to happen? Any bits you particularly like? Or could work on?)