There it was again. He increased the speed on the treadmill once more, focussing on his breath with each step. He had to keep his mind clear, had to keep himself away from that nagging feeling deep inside.

''Your stamina is coming along nicely.'' Looking up, DiNozzo saw Chapman in the doorway. The agent tossed a towel his way once DiNozzo stepped off the machine.

It had been just over four weeks since Tony had woken up. In those four weeks, he'd discovered three things: Firstly, he had not been in a hospital.

He had half heartedly joked how he did not recognize any of the (two) nurses who had been caring for him, after which Chapman had explained that they had taken him to a private facility for CIA agents. Turns out that with the amount of undercover ops they did, the CIA had built its own covert hospital, though he had refused to reveal their exact location.

Secondly: the CIA has access to things DiNozzo could only qualify as 'Bond gadgets'. When Chapman had told him that they would ''get him better'', DiNozzo had expected a couple of months of intensive physiotherapy. He had been more than a little hesitant when Chapman had then arranged for the doctor to come in with a syringe.

''It's just something to help speed up the healing process.'' Chapman had explained matter-of-factly. ''It will also help you build your strength. A bit like steroids, minus the side effects.''

DiNozzo had been wary of the injections, but he had to admit that the effects were clear as day. Not only had the hole in his leg healed up nicely, he had increased his stamina and strength through the still highly intensive physio the CIA was putting him through.

As of last week, he had been training in hand to hand combat with Agent Chapman, who apparently had a body made of steel hidden underneath his suits. DiNozzo had sadly noted that, had Chapman and Gibbs ever been in a fistfight, he was not entirely sure his boss would have been able to take him on. Hell, at this stage, Ziva would have a run for her money.

And that led him to his third discovery of the week: unsurprisingly, DiNozzo could not get his teammates out of his mind. The thought of them dying all because he'd gotten shot was eating him up inside, but there was something else. He could not quite figure it out, but his gut was nagging at him, telling him something was off. His gut had never been quite as good as Gibbs', but he trusted his instincts nonetheless.

''Guess your Super Soldier Serum really helps.'' DiNozzo caught the towel and wiped the sweat from his face before reaching for his water bottle. Before he could take a sip, he caught a shadow moving in the corner of his eye.

''Lets see how your combat skills are coming along.'' Agent Chapman grinned as Tony blocked the attack. It made DiNozzo's skin crawl. The nagging feeling never truly faded, but it was like his gut was screaming when he looked at Special Agent Benjamin Chapman.

There was something about the man's eyes: like he was looking into an abyss, like if he looked for too long, the man would swallow him whole.

Still, Tony decided that the best course of action right now was to go along with everything until he got a better understanding of what was making him so uneasy. Or so his gut told him. God, he was turning into Gibbs.

So he blocked the next punch and countered with a left hook. Chapman dodged and pulled away slightly, alerting DiNozzo of the kick that would follow. Tony increased the distance between them, but still got grazed by the other agent's foot.

Their sparring match continued on until Tony managed to get Chapman to lose his balance and pinned him against a nearby wall. Both agents were out of breath, though Tony begrudgingly noted that Chapman had hardly broken a sweat.

''I'd say I'm getting better.'' Tony quipped finally, still holding the other man against the wall.

''You sure about that?'' At that, Tony felt a light prod against his leg. Looking down, he noticed that Chapman had a gun aimed not too far off from his most recent scar.

''No fair.'' He huffed annoyed, releasing the agent.

''No such thing as a fair fight out in the field.'' Chapman shrugged nonchalantly, putting away his gun and readjusting his tie.

DiNozzo sighed and picked up the water bottle he'd previously dropped on the floor.

''I doubt you came here just to kick my ass again.'' Tony eyed the agent questioningly, taking a sip. Chapman cleared his throat, wiping a speck of dust from his immaculate suit.

''We have a lead.'' He responded calmly, meeting Tony's gaze. ''It's time we set this operation in motion.''

DiNozzo swallowed past the lump in his throat. He had been cooped up in this place for over a month, and the thought of going outside to hunt for the terrorists who had taken his family away from him was, for lack of a better word, overwhelming.

Perhaps he would finally get the answers he longed for. He needed to know exactly what had happened, and Special Agent Chapman had been less than cooperative in that department.

Benjamin Chapman urged DiNozzo to follow him through the maze that he had nicknamed their CIA Batcave. He was guided into a large conference room not too far from the training rooms he'd been to.

In the centre was a large black table with leather seats donned around it. The walls were dark blue and devoid of any decorations. On the wall on the right hand side was a large monitor, on which DiNozzo saw three images displayed.

The first picture was of a middle-aged man with short, light blond hair and bright blue eyes. From what he could tell, the man had a slight build. The second was of a larger posture and had dark brown hair and chestnut eyes. He seemed to be slightly younger than the first man, but their expressions were equally grave.

It was the third image that made Tony's blood run cold. The man was about his age and had brown, curly hair. He was roughly the same build as DiNozzo: lean but muscular. His eyes were dark and emotionless, and DiNozzo vividly remembered seeing those same eyes on him at the harbour.

''Him.'' Tony spat, pointing at the third image. He gritted his teeth as he remembered the man: it had only been an instant, but he would never forget it. He had been there that day, along with three other assailants.

''His name is Daniel Rovik, 30 years old.'' Chapman began, clicking a button to enlarge the image on the screen. ''We identified him as one of three captains within this group. These three men are responsible for fifteen domestic terror attacks, not counting the ones the CIA managed to stop.''

''Fifteen?'' Tony repeated shocked. ''How come I haven't heard anything about this until now?''

''We have intercepted any communication attempts with the media to avoid mass panic.'' Chapman explained. ''I believe I told you before that they are responsible for hundreds of deaths, including those of federal agents?''

Tony nodded solemnly.

''Every time we've gotten close they've managed to get the drop on us.'' Chapman gritted his teeth begrudgingly. ''Good agents have lost their lives chasing these guys down, but to no avail.''

''But you think this new team can?'' DiNozzo questioned seriously. Agent Chapman nodded.

''With the right training, I believe we have a chance to succeed.''

Tony took a deep breath. His gut was churning uncomfortably, telling him that Chapman was still not telling him everything. Still, he'd come this far by playing along; he would have to see it through to get the answers he longed for.

''So what's next?'' Chapman smirked faintly.

''Next we get you to infiltrate their ranks.''