'CSI: Cyber' recap: 'Ghost in the Machine'

A kid is playing a video game online with friends when he gets a message to check his front porch. There he finds a package of a device and coordinates to deliver it to. He follows his GPS to a house and counts his steps to where to place the package, which turns out to be some sort of power tool. He is then yelled at by the houses owner and gets shot.

Mundo is with his wife, fixing their relationship, but his wife isn't ready to bring their daughter back into things.

Ryan calls everyone in to talk about the young boy, 15-year-old Spencer Chapman. He ended up shooting himself from the power drill after being startled by the home owner. The drill was a cover up for the gun sold by an arms dealer known as Trigger. The team has been looking for him for a long time, always getting close but never able to catch him.

The team heads to Chicago to try and figure out the details. They speak to Spencer's parents about buying the gun on the deep web. They refuse to believe he bought the gun.

Krumitz finds that Spencer used a parental guidance app on his tablet to hide things from his parents. Mundo gives them Spencer's cell phone and find the coordinates. They head to Ramsey Scott's home to find out what he knows. They find Ramsey dead along with the empty case, power drill and gun, however this was a murder and not an accident. They believe Spencer was sent to Ramsey's home to kill him, and since he failed, someone finished the job.

Krumitz and Nelson can't believe that Spencer was going to kill Ramsey. They can't find any connection between Spencer and Ramsey, nor any evidence of Spencer going on to the deep web. Raven brings up Spencer's game console to see if he accessed the web on there. They find that Spencer constantly played Blacklight: Retribution, an online multi-player game. Nelson found messages between Spencer and someone with the username Viper75 where Spencer was instructed to deliver the case to the location and leave.

They set out to find Viper and take out Trigger.

Krumitz was able to get data, video and audio, from Spencer's game system. They play back audio between Spencer and Viper. They hear Viper asking Spencer personal questions about his dog's name and when his parents are home. They talk about not even being able to trust their kids playing video games.

Spencer's avatar was hacked, causing his rank to drop rapidly and lose some of his best equipment. They believe Viper hacked Spencer and took his items but gave him better armor in return, gaining Spencer's trust. They search for other players who went up the leaderboard as rapidly as Spencer had.

Simon tells Ryan that Game Vex refuses to give them access to Viper's account. They did reveal that he is using a VPN and paying with a prepaid card, making it hard for him to track.

Viper selected Spencer by choosing the top 50 players in the game. Gaining his trust and asking him to complete a real-life mission. Looking into players who did as well as Spencer and find AC3 (Ace). They find the username on another social media site and are able to get the IP address for AC3.

They find AC3, Micah, and bring him in for questioning with his dad. They find out that he had the same relationship with Viper, he also delivered a package with a gun that killed Ramsey. For his reward, Viper sent Micah some new battle equipment in the game, replacing wheat AC3 lost when he was hacked. Mundo finds that Spencer never had battle equipment when he got hacked and wondered where he got it from. Ryan concludes that another game is currently being hacked, meaning Viper is recruiting someone else.

Raven and Nelson find user GOLD3NB3AST (Goldenbeast), who shot up in the ranks recently, perhaps the next victim of Viper.

In Chicago, Mundo and Ryan find Corey Smith.When he sees them, he makes a run for it. He jumps off the roof and lands on a car, breaking his leg. Ryan calls for an ambulance and tells him they know he's Goldenbeast, but he tells them his roommate, Jessica, is Goldenbeast. When Mundo returns to the apartment, Jessica is gone.

Mundo finds Corey ran because he has drugs. He jumped because he believed he could make the jump because of how often he does it in the game. They find a message sent to Jessica from Viper. She already left with the package, and since she got her sword back, that means she already delivered it and leave in hopes of catching Viper.

Simon brings together Krumitz, Nelson and Raven to try and find where the packages are being sent from. They get a huge area on a map from Hillsborough County, Florida. They don't believe they can find him, so try to bring him to them by having him fall for a "super cookie" which is bait. They plan on writing an article about Spencer's death, believing it would get Trigger's attention. They believe he'll probably check out the article to see what the FBI knows about him.

Ryan and Mundo are at the park where Jessica dropped off the package. They find it in the trash can, but it's empty. They know he must still be in the park. They look around and hear a gunshot. They run to it's source and find the gun, but no Viper and no body, the gunshot was a distraction to get away.

Mundo calls Raven and asks her to find all cell phones by the Grant Park cell tower in the last 15 minutes. Meanwhile, Krumitz and Nelson track down Trigger. They manage to find the IP address which leads them to a public library in Tampa, FL. They find him and are able to arrest him before he shuts down the computer. Nelson finds the addresses for Spencer, Micah and Jessica, but finds another address in Chicago, meaning there is still another hit out there.

Ryan and Mundo receive the cell phone information of two people who reside at the home where the gun was delivered. They split up and follow each of them to see who has the gun.

Raven sends Ryan the address of Kim Hawthorne, Viper's next target. Ryan cuts him off and reveals his plan. Ramsey Scott and Kim Hawthorne were witnesses who saw Viper's father rob a bank. Viper's dad was killed in prison and he wanted Ramsey and Kim dead. He tries to kill Ryan but the gun is empty. Ryan reveals that they also got there earlier to empty the gun. He tries to get away but is cornered and arrested.

The team celebrate their capture of Trigger, who was on the most wanted Cyber criminal list. Mundo's wife show's up. She tells him that she is ready to give it another try. She gives him back his hose key and tells him she'll see him at home. The team get ready to play a video game, enjoying the moment to be able to relax.

image courtesy of INFphoto.com