WARNING: Obscure reference: get your season 1 DVDs out and check the credits on The Immortals. See anyone's brother?

McGee awoke feeling stiff and sore. It had not been a good night, plagued as it was by nightmares of recent events. He looked across to Tony's chair, it was empty. That, at least, was a relief. He rolled painfully out of bed, switched off the light and headed for the bathroom.

He was still getting used to the combination of numb fingers and gloves in the shower. It was very dislocating to feel the pressure on his body but not on his fingers. He had trouble shaking the impression that someone else was touching him. As he dried, he considered his breakfast options. He was a little hungry, which was probably a good sign but since Ducky wanted to check out the bandages first thing, toast might be the safest option.

Although he didn't relish facing Gibbs this morning, the knowledge that today he would find out what the heck was going on made him keen to get going. No matter how crappy his life became today, he could start afresh tomorrow. He pushed the bathroom door open with great resolve and

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! TONY!"

Tony's face was two inches from his. He flung himself against the door jam bashing one shoulder and jarring his already injured ribs.

"Hi," Tony grinned. "My turn?"

"What, how, why… ," he wasn't quite sure what he wanted to ask but he knew he wanted to ask it really, really loudly. "AHH Tony!"

"Feeling better?" asked Tony lightly pushing past him and heading for the toilet.

"Apart from the heart attack, you mean?"

"Yeah," said Tony happily relieving himself in front of McGee.

"Well, yeah I suppose," then he stopped and asked suspiciously. "You haven't been thrown out of your place again, have you?"

"Probie, I'm hurt," said Tony, putting on his hurt face. It had no effect; McGee was still looking at him expectantly. "No I haven't," he said finally.

"OK," McGee relented. 'I'll get you a towel."

"Well?" Gibbs question to Tony first thing in the morning was direct and to the point.

"There's no way he's faking this boss," said Tony earnestly. He counted off on his fingers: "We had the lights on, we had loss of appetite, we had nightmares: solved, by the way, by the patented magic Gibbs hand hold." He held out is magical hand to prove the point and managed to elicit a begrudging smile from Gibbs. "And to top it all off," Tony continued. "We got the sleepwalking. He had it all! He's officially freaked out, Boss."

Gibbs nodded gruffly. He really didn't think McGee would be so stupid but he had learnt over the years never to assume. Ducky had given him similar feed back. McGee had almost passed out yesterday when they changed the bandages; it was unlikely the wounds were intentionally self inflicted.

"Where is he now?"

"With Ducky again."

Gibbs smiled wryly. "He'll enjoy that."

Something in his gut was warning him that all was not what it seemed. It was also telling him that McGee was not the problem. That first night when they rescued him should have told him that. It was pretty textbook stuff and he been through it a million times before. Something was still wrong. Maybe it was the geek connection. He could understand ex-military and ex-cops and he'd even got the handle on FBI and sometimes CIA, but he just did not understand the geeks. And what he didn't understand, he had a hard time trusting. Did he trust McGee? Almost, there was one more thing he had to check. He rose and headed purposely for Abby's lab.

"Do you think McGee would use government resources for online gaming?" he asked Abby with a tone of great seriousness.

"Gibbs!"

"Yes or no?"

"No," she said forcefully.

"I'm serious Abbs," he tried to calculate how far Abby would risk lying to him to protect McGee. She was clearly hiding something from him and he didn't like it.

"What makes you so sure?" he tried an attack from a more obscure angle. "He plays online games at home, he writes mysteries, what makes you so sure he wouldn't take it to the next level?"

Abby put down her work and sighed at him. "This does not leave this room," she said.

"I'm listening."

"McGee's brother died because of an obsession with online gaming. He lost the distinction between the game and reality and tried to do something superhuman. McGee is the most careful person I know."

Gibbs stroked his chin thoughtfully looking at her.

"OK," he finally conceded the point.

He was mad at someone and he didn't even know who yet. They had made him doubt his own gut and one of his agents. They were going to pay.