The group was subdued as they entered the elevator; Leaven's story had been sobering. Daniel frowned, disturbed by the dark tale, and glanced at the NCIS agents to gauge their reactions. Kate and Tony didn't look any different but Tony's silence spoke volumes. Ducky was leaning against the wall of the elevator, apparently unperturbed; Daniel suspected that the doctor's vast experience had brought him cases far stranger. Abby stood shaking her head slowly and staring at the floor, as if she couldn't believe her ears.

And Gibbs...Gibbs was boring holes in the elevator guard with his steely glare. Daniel squinted puzzledly, shifting his gaze from one to the other, trying to figure out what was bothering Gibbs. He didn't know this particular guard that well; he usually rode the west elevator with a pleasant young man named Mayer. This guy was his polar opposite: brawny where Mayer was wiry; blonde, blue-eyed and pale while the Jew was dark; even surly to Isaac's sunny disposition.

"Whaddaya think, boss?" Tony asked quietly, interrupting Daniel's thoughts. Gibbs swiveled his eyes from the back of the guard's head to stare at Tony. The older man gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head, causing Daniel's brow to furrow further. What -- or who -- was Gibbs afraid of?

When the elevator reached the level of Sam's lab, everyone shuffled out -- except Gibbs. Pulling Abby aside, he whispered something in her ear before smiling and sending her out with an affectionate pat on the arm. She nodded assuredly at him and bounded down the hall, leaving the other six to stare at Gibbs questioningly.

"Boss --" Tony started.

"I'll be right down, DiNozzo," Gibbs dismissed him. "Go help Abby."

------------------

Jack sat in his chair, gazing at the polished surface of his desk lamp. He scowled, lowering first one eyebrow then the other. He squinted, tilting his head from side to side. He growled at the lamp, baring his teeth in a disturbingly animal fashion.

Nope, he thought. I'll stick with the smirk.

"Jack," a voice came from the door. Jack looked up, suprised to see the NCIS team leader standing there.

"Back so soon?" he asked airily.

"I need Hoedemaker's personnel file." Gibbs spoke bluntly, bypassing pleasantries.

Jack decided to respect the man's directness by responding in kind. "You know I can't do that."

"Yeah," Gibbs nodded, not moving.

Jack sighed. "Why are you even here? I know you've got that computer genius of yours hacking it already."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly. "What makes you so sure?"

"Because if I wanted to know something and I knew someone wouldn't give it to me, I'd put Carter on it ASAP and get permission later. Maybe," Jack added, meeting Gibbs' eyes.

--------------------

"Anything yet, Abs?" Gibbs barked, striding into the lab.

"Well --" she began.

"Agent Gibbs," Daniel interrupted, a troubled expression on his face. "May I ask what you're doing?"

"My job," Gibbs growled, staring Daniel down. Daniel met his gaze without flinching.

"Your job involves hacking classified personnel records?" Daniel pressed.

"Dr. Jackson," Tony broke in, "stay out of this." His voice was soft but his tone was flinty.

"I can't do that," Daniel answered, matching Tony's tone. "This is wrong."

"We don't need you to play morals monitor," Tony said flippantly.

"Hey!" Sam called, stepping between the two men. "That was uncalled for!"

"Actually, much as I hate to admit it, Tony kind of has a point," Kate joined the fray.

"Excuse me?" Daniel and Sam rounded on her at the same time.

"We've been doing this for a long time," Kate rationalized. "We appreciate that some of our methods may be...unorthodox, but they get the job done."

"There's a fine line between unorthodox and illegal," Daniel continued, gaping at one agent after another in disbelief.

"Dr. Jackson," Gibbs said softly, "I have permission to access this file from General O'Neill."

"What?" Daniel asked, caught off-guard. "Oh. Um, okay then. I feel...really stupid."

"Does anyone actually want to see the files in question?" Abby chirped in an impatient sing-song.

"Yeah," Gibbs answered shortly.

"Files?" Kate and Tony chorused.

"Uh-huh," Abby confirmed eagerly. "As I was about to tell Gibbs, before that little fight started, there are two Hoedemakers contracted at Stargate Command."

"Two poor losers got stuck with that name?" Tony asked incredulously, leaning over to see the screen. "Achilles and Patrocles? Jeez, what kind of a family does that to a kid?"

"They must be cousins," Daniel mused to himself. Embarrassed about his earlier outburst, he was trying to stay out of the way.

"What?" Gibbs barked.

"Achilles and Patrocles," Daniel explained, waving his hand vaguely. "The Iliad. Cousins and best friends."

"Abs?" Gibbs requested confirmation.

"There's no way to tell from these files," she complained after a few seconds feverish typing.

"Which one are we interested in?" Gibbs moved on.

Abby scanned each file briefly, Tony and Kate hovering over her shoulders and reading also.

"Patrocles," Kate called first, triumphantly. "Says he goes by Pat."

"I don't blame him," Sam chuckled from next to Daniel.

"Print it," Gibbs ordered shortly. "Print both of them," he added after a few seconds' thought.