a/n - A short chapter as we transition. Yes, things will be kicked up a few levels. It's a short chapter, partially because I've been working on the entire ending (brace yourselves, it's a wild ride) and partially because it's my birthday and I'm heading out the door. Thanks all for the great reviews.

The smell of fresh baked cookies permeated the house as Jackie and Sarah took a break. Cold milk and warm cookies kept the kids occupied while the two women retreated to the sunroom with tea and another plate of cookies.

"What was it like before the uprising? Were the Supers owned by the government like they are now? Did they have handlers to control them?" Sarah had heard about enough adventures to realize that she knew nothing about the world her adoptive brother had been born into.

Jackie leaned back in her chair, remembering the days before the uprising. Leon had been Lucius back then and everyone called her by her nickname, Honey. "It was very different, Sarah. People with abilities weren't all lumped together like they are now. There were a few who used their abilities in criminal ways, but they were considered Supervillains and it was always handled by the Superhero community. Many of the Supers had assistants to help handle their day to day needs, but it was never required and the Supers always had control over their own lives and finances. Superheroes were respected and honored back then."

"So what happened?" Sarah set her cup on the table and twisted her fingers together as she talked. "I mean, I know the story about how a group of Superheroes tried to take over a country in Europe and another group of Superheroes stopped them, but why did people's opinions about them change so much?"

"It's very easy to sway public opinion, Sarah. The official version of what happened at Kaunas isn't what really happened. It was not a group of Superheroes trying to take over a country; it was a group of Supervillains trying to kill as many Superheroes as possible in an attempt at world domination. They were stopped, but it wasn't hard to convince people that every Superhero had the potential to turn bad. After that, it just snowballed."

"It's like the kids at my old high school who thought every Muslim was really a terrorist just waiting to attack. I used to get so mad at them and now I see that I'm no better than they were. I believed all the lies about Supers, about my own brother." She started to cry again. "I'm so ashamed."

Jackie reached out and wrapped an arm around the young woman. "It's going to be all right, Sarah. Tim will understand and be thrilled to have his baby sister back."

"When is he coming back, Mrs. Vance?"

---NCIS---

"Where in the hell is he, Beal?" Gibbs leaned closer to the screen, hoping to see a glimpse of his wayward agent. Eric was rushing between computer stations, trying to find an answer.

"I don't know, Gibbs. I don't know how to track him."

Behind them, Sam kept track of the time. "Forty seconds."

Gibbs stared at the LA geek. "What do you mean; you don't know how to track him? Hetty, why hasn't you team learned to track McGee?"

"He's travelling through the computers as a hacker, Jethro. The whole point is that he can't be traced unless he wants to be found." Hetty was starting to panic too, not that she would ever admit it to anyone.

"Fifty seconds."

Callen came up behind Sam, leaning against the wall, arms crossed. "Could he have gotten past the firewall?"

Eric shook his head. "That firewall is like Fort Knox." Anything else he was going to add was interrupted as McGee came tumbling out of the computer between he and Hetty.

"Whoa!"

"Timothy?"

"McGee, are you all right?" Gibbs reacted the quickest and prevented him from standing up.

"I'm fine, Boss, let me up." Tim kept trying to stand up and after a brief protest, Gibbs grabbed his arm and hauled him up onto his feet, before marching him to the nearest chair.

Once he had him seated, Gibbs took a good look at his man. McGee was slightly out of breath, but he looked rather pleased with whatever he had done. "Talk to me, McGee, what did you do?"

"I got through the firewall. I was in the upstairs computer."

"So much for Fort Knox." Callen was laughing at Eric's expression as their computer expert sputtered in denial.

"What, how? Are you sure you were upstairs? How can you tell the difference between the computers? You broke through my firewall?" By now everyone was laughing at Eric's whine.

Tim thought about what he had seen and done while in the system. One thing not only caught his attention, it needed to be dealt with. "Who was Jay Newhouse?"

Just the name was enough to prove to Hetty that Tim had accomplished what he claimed. "He was a TAD for a few weeks while Callen was on sick leave. He helped with the move here."

"What did you find?" Even Eric was becoming convinced.

McGee blushed at what he had found. "He partitioned the hard drive on the computer he was using. Umm, you probably want to seriously wipe the smaller section."

"Are you saying that man put pornography on one of my agency computers?" Hetty was at her full strength as she sat straight. "My agency computers?" Behind her, both Callen and Hanna were laughing and giving each other high-fives.

Eric decided to live dangerously and ask. "So, was it any good?" For a short woman, Hetty Lang had a surprisingly long reach.