NCIS: Los Angeles (2009–…): Season 11, Episode 14 - Commitment Issues - full transcript
"Commitment Issues" - The NCIS team investigates the murder of a Naval warfare engineer at a spoken poetry event. Also, Callen asks Nell to assist him in a worldwide search for Anna's whereabouts.
Previously on
NCIS: Los Angeles...
You'd like to have
a relationship with Anna?
If I'd acted differently,
who knows where
that could have gone.
Like I said before, I don't
even know where she is now.
Intruder alert!
The Chinese were developing
technology under the guise
of a Silicon Valley start-up. IP: Eric,
what can you tell us
about Henrietta Lange? Hetty?
I think you'll come to find
that I also know a lot of people
in a lot of high places.
This should be more than
enough to prove
that Logic Wide was a front
for Chinese intelligence.
And you are? Katherine Casillas.
Sam Hanna. Enchanté.
I do it.
I declare myself before you.
Naked and exposed,
biting my fingernails
to the bone.
I'm so terrified
of what you will say.
But that's what's funny,
the thing about time.
It goes so slow
when you're waiting
on someone else.
Tick, tock, says the clock.
Tick, tock.
Tick, tock.
Waiting for my answer.
Tick, tock.
Tick, tock. Waiting for my fate.
That's right,
waiting for my fate
to happen to me
instead of me going out and
seizing it like it was my own,
like I should have,
like I want to,
like I will.
When I finally love
what I see in the mirror,
when I say, "Enough,"
when I free myself
from the shackles of Instagram.
Thank you very much.
Hey, so this is where
everybody is.
You guys missed
a heck of a show.
She killed it, whoever she was.
I think her name
was Janice... Eckhart.
That's E-C-K-H-A-R-T.
Sorry, uh, big kombucha,
tiny bladder.
Does anyone actually know
if somebody's in there?
Did we knock?
Okay.
Excuse me.
Come on, man.
This is a family establishment.
There's gonna be kids in here
tomorrow morning for story time.
Look, uh, not to get
too personal,
but I really have to go.
So if you could just
pick yourself up, muster up...
Okay.
Hey.
What are you up to? Nothing.
Seriously, what are you doing?
Oh, you know, just, uh,
really, nothing.
You're just at work
early doing nothing,
putting not-important documents
into the incinerator?
Hey, are you on your way
to work out? No.
Are you maybe gonna, like,
grab a bite to eat, or...?
You know, it kind of feels like
you're trying to blow me off. Oh,
I'm so sorry.
Does it seem like that?
Because I am. I definitely am.Mm-hmm.
But you are clearly
not taking the hint,
so what, pray tell,
what are you doing here
so early?
I need a favor.
Gosh. Geez. I, uh...
wish I could help you out, but
I believe my quota for burning
incriminating evidence
is all used up for the day.
Yeah, it's not
that kind of favor.
I need you to help me find Anna.
Oh.
I just sent you
an Interpol report
about a triple homicide
in Barcelona.
Oh, my goodness. Anna is not
one of the victims. I don't even know
that she's necessarily involved,
but I just want to make sure
that she's okay.
Yeah, of course.
But, Callen, what if
I can't find her?
Well, then I'll know
I was too late.
Hm.
Hey. Oh.
Top of the morning to you.
I, uh, was just
going to the gym.
It's leg day,
so I was gonna do squats
and goblet squats
and lunges, reverse lunges,
anything to wake up
those gluteus maximus-es.
Or is it gluteus maximi?
Eh, never know with the Latin.
Anyway, um...
Oh, was something... Were you in
the middle of something, or...
No.Eh.
You were.
It's okay.
You were.
It's okay, Eric.
Oh, this is awkward.
Well, it doesn't have to be.
And yet...
Do you want to check that?
Uh... Well, I-I do, but I just,
I don't want to be rude
and look at my watch
while the three of us
are clearly in the middle
of a moment.
- We weren't having a moment.
- No, not at all.
Nell and I were having a moment.
Oh, which you clearly murdered, but...
Oh. Ah.
I-I get it now.
Oh, w-well, actually, we do have
a case. Social cues are hard.
Yeah.
Um,
so I'm gon...
I'm gonna gather the team
and just remember
it's not all about you, Beale.
So I'll meet you up in Ops.
And... Mondays, am I right?
Wow.
You're not wrong.
What do we got?
Last night at a spoken word
poetry reading in Eagle Rock...
Nice, little spoken word,
I like it. Oh, my...
What if all of our cases
started, like,
at poetry readings
or cello concerts or something,
just, like, pleasant?
Ooh, wait for it.
A dead body was found
in the bathroom.
And we're back.
The victim was
Michael Carpenter,
former active duty
naval warfare engineer,
now working in
the private sector
as a software engineer.
So what was he working on?
Uh, we're not sure,
but his company
was called Go, Go, Go.
That's a terrible name.
Yeah, bet the boss
was a real Bezos.
And that's what we got.
That's it? That's-that's
not a lot to go on, guys.
That's actually the definition
of "nada mucho."
And yet the Naval Criminal
Investigative Service
has full faith,
total blind trust.
Actually, there is this, um,
one other thing.
Sorry, uh, what? Nell, you-you,
uh, going off script here?
'Cause I don't have
anything else.
You could say that.
Um, the company Carpenter
was working for
is actually funded
by the same Chinese
shell corporation
that was backing the company
you were working for
up in San Francisco.
Hmm.Huh.
Um... But, uh, by-by "same."
Ch-Chinese shell company,"
do you mean the people
who tried to-to kidnap me
and then tried to murder me?
Cool.
Sorry, are you okay?
Cool. Yeah, I'm fine.
Are you good? That's...
just a... That's cool.
Coincidence.
All righty, um...
Callen and Sam are on their way
to the tech company now.
To see if this one
is just as corrupt
and dangerous as the last one.
Yeah, we'll, um,
head to the crime scene.
Okay, b-bye.
Hope you find something.
Bye, Beale.
Bye.
I'm sorry. I just
found out and I didn't really
know how to tell you,
so I figured I'd just
rip the Band-Aid off.
Well, Miss Penelope Jones,
consider the Band-Aid ripped.
Excuse me, everyone.
I'm Agent Callen, NCIS.
This is my partner,
Agent Hanna.
This is the part where someone
tells us who's in charge here.
You're looking at him.
Well, it's not an office,
but, technically,
he is in the corner. MIGUEL: Okay, folks,
why don't you guys give us
the room? Get your vitamin D
and your 10,000 steps in.
Well, this is a
fun way to start a Monday.
Yeah, we're here to talk to you
about one of your employees,
Michael Carpenter.
Ah, yes, the, uh,
the punk who didn't show up
for work this morning.
The software engineer
who was murdered
last night.
Mike's dead?
He was strangled
at a bookstore in Eagle Rock.
You know of anyone who
may have had it out for him?
No. No, no, uh...
Wait, Mike's dead?
We're very sorry.
Look, do you think
that what happened to him
could've had something to do
with what he was
working on here?
Yeah, no. No.
What exactly is it you do here?
It's, uh, algorithm software.
It's nothing.
No, it's something. You have
offices here in Venice,
funding from a Chinese VC.
Guys, I-I-I don't know what Mike
was into in his own time,
but all we're doing here
is building a search engine.
I'm telling you,
he didn't die because of us.
Hello.
I'm Special Agent
Kensi Blye, NCIS,
and, uh, that there
is my partner Detective
Marty Deeks, LAPD.Hey.
All right. Carla, Stories Books.
Nice to meet you.
Uh, were you here last night?
Better believe I was here.
Let me tell you, I suffered
through every second of it.
Mm.Yeah, I'm sure it was
quite hard. I'm sorry.
I told my boss
it was a terrible idea.
Giving those hacks the stage
so that they could
vomit noise
about their feelings.
Yeah, no, Carla,
we were actually talking
about the murder. The murder
must've been very hard for you.
It wasn't great.Oh...
But you got to understand,
I was already
in a pretty foul mood by then.
Uh-huh. Right.
Of course.
Um, how would you describe
the crowd last night?
Pretentious hippies with tattoos
in languages they don't speak.
Mm-hmm.
And did anybody
stand out to you?
In that flock of sheep? No.
Do you think, uh,
any of these sheep poets
are the ones
that killed, uh,
Michael Carpenter?
A big a-no.
And these guys weren't poets.
Let me put it to you straight,
they didn't have an
original thought to save them,
or the cajones
to take someone's life.
- No cajones.
- And, uh,
where were you
while this poetry reading
and the murder
were taking place?
Me?
Yeah.
I spent the night
working crowd control
to keep things at bay.
Keeping the-the hippies
at bay, were you?
Thought that was necessary?
You can never trust a hippie.
I feel like I should be offended
by that, but I'm not.
So you got someone that
can vouch for you, then, Carla?
I mean, I wouldn't trust anyone
who uses a natural deodorant.
But I've got a security tape
that'll prove it.
Can we see it?
Mm-hmm.
This is gonna be fun.
I don't even... I love her.
- What is happening?
- So tell us more about this
search engine you're building.
Oh, it's... honestly,
there's not much to tell.
Why don't you humor us?
How is what you're
building any different
from what Google's
already doing?
Well, it's,
uh... pretty subtle.
We're subtle kind of guys.
And fairly technical.
We love technical.
Tell him, G.
We love technical.
Pretty much our happy place.
Look, it-it's just kind of hard
DeChamps.
This is a surprise.Sam. Callen.
Tell me.
What's so hard to explain?
What his business does.
It's too technical.Oh.
Don't forget subtle.Right. Subtle.
Mm. Let me guess.
He called it a search engine.
Ah, the hubris. What,
you didn't want to tell
the federal agents
that your little
search engine is probably
what got
Michael Carpenter killed?
So, Miguel, do you want
to tell them or should I?
You're good with
me telling them?
If you insist.
Just promise
you'll let me know if
I get anything wrong.
It's good to see you again.
It's good to see you, too, Sam.
You boys ever heard of
Project Dragonfly?
Yeah, that was the search engine
that Google was building
for the Chinese government.
"Was" being the operative word.
The software was
designed to be compatible
with China's censorship laws.
Meaning it was built to share
an individual's search data
with the government.
Putting Chinese citizens
at risk for kidnap and torture.
Just because they looked up
the wrong kind of information.
Yeah, like Tiananmen.
Or Twitter.
Exactly. People found
out about Dragonfly,
and human rights activists
staged protests
around the world.
And eventually,
Google killed the project.
But China doesn't give up
that easy.
No, they don't.
Sure they'd love another company
to pick up
where Google left off.
I'm guessing that's where
you come into the picture.
Oh. Hey, there, Miguel.
How we doing so far?
I want to call my lawyer.
- Must be doing pretty damn good.
- Mm-hmm.
Somebody doesn't want
to Go, Go, Go to jail.
I had to.
Hold on a second.
This can't be public knowledge,
otherwise there would be
activists protesting here.
Mm-mm, technically it's not,
but through my DoD connections,
I was able to trace the money
from China to Go, Go, Go...
Terrible name,
by the way...
And I figured it out.
And you think
someone else did, too?
Well, it could explain why
one of the software engineers
was murdered last night.
Well, at the least
it's a theory.
Right, Miguel?
Hmm? It's a theory?
Come on.
You got to at least tell us
if we're getting warm.
Look, I haven't
done anything illegal,
and my company
hasn't done anything illegal.
Okay?
Hi, Kat?
Hi, hi, it's-it's Miguel.
Yeah. Uh-huh.
What do we have here?
I thought it was leg day. It was.
Until I found out
the same Chinese corporation
that tried to kill me
has reared its ugly head,
and it suddenly became
an all-encompassing,
everything-must-hurt
kind of day.
Thought that might be
the case. Uh, just curious.
About how long have you been,
uh... oh. Wow.
You're gonna blow the wheels
straight off this thing.
Nell, as far as coping
mechanisms are concerned,
I feel like exercising
is a pretty healthy way
of dealing with
my stuff right now.
True, true. I mean, some
people in your same position
may be driven to drink.
Cliché.Or turn to drugs.
You've seen me on Dramamine.
It ain't pretty.
Some may hole up in Vegas.
Nell, if there isn't
a cosplay convention going on,
I don't understand the point.
Am I right? I'm right, right?
Right. I'm just not convinced
this whole situation
you have going on here
is the, uh, best option.
I mean, here's an idea.
Maybe you should
just get to work.
Hmm.
You know, really
help the team out. Nail
these guys to the wall.
Oh, totally.
I totally understand
what you're saying, Nell.
Do you?
Uh-huh.
Because I'm pretty sure
you just turned up
the resistance on the bike.
Nell, if I'm able
to have a conversation with you
for this long and not be winded,
I'm not working hard enough.
Right. Yeah, you're
absolutely right.
This is totally super healthy.
See you.
See you in the ER.
DeCHAMPS:
So how are you two doing?
Good.
Good.
Seriously? I haven't seen you
guys for months.
Not much to tell.
You two are a lot more layered
and nuanced
than you give yourselves credit.
Well, there's nothing
layered about me. Or him.
All right.
Well, I didn't want it
to come to this,
but what's going on with him?
Oh, him?
He's, uh, trying to commit
to something for once.
Hey, guy?
Are we talking sports team
or, like, a tattoo?
Sports team.
Meaning a girl.
Oh, intéressant.
You're good.
She's good.
Oh, she's the best.Uh-uh.
Flattery will get you nowhere.
Your turn.
What's up with him?
Uh, what's up with me
is we need to get back
to this case.Mm-hmm.
If you're right about
what this company is building,
who do you think killed
Michael Carpenter?
All right, that's a rain check.
And honestly, I hadn't
gotten very far.
I just connected the Chinese
money to the tech company
when I heard that you guys
were working the murder case.
Hopped in the car and drove up
here from San Diego.
So a human rights activist group
was able to shut down
Project Dragonfly at Google.
That is no small feat.
Mm. They were organized
and they were vocal. It worked.
How do you think
they're gonna feel
when they find out
another company picked up
where Google left off?
Like maybe another protest march
won't cut it.
You think they'd take it as
far as killing somebody
who's working on
the project? No.
But it only takes one bad apple.
Carpenter could have told
someone what he was working on.
Yeah, someone he thought
he could trust.
He's right, you know.
Miguel.
His search engine may be illegal
here in the U.S.,
but if Go, Go, Go has a license,
which it does,
it's not technically a crime
to build it for China.
That's a pretty thin needle
to thread.
Ah. The things people do
for money, huh?
So, Carla, just
out of curiosity,
how many books do you
think you read a week?
I thought this was
a criminal investigation.
I can't answer
a personal question like that.
Oh, come on,
yes, you can.
Just give me a rough estimate.
Give me a guesstimate.
Well, buddy, it depends.
Hmm, tell me.
Four or five a week
and I'm feeling pretty good.
- Okay.
- Allergies are in check,
and there's a new John Oliver
waiting for me back home.
Six or seven, I'm flying.
Maybe the Dodgers
are on a streak.
Maybe the McRib is back.
Maybe my estranged daughter
has decided to, uh,
get back in touch. Hmm.
Three or less,
and you know
my mother-in-law's in town.
Wow. You were right.
That got very personal
very quickly.
Yes, it did.
There. There I am.
Holding down the fort.
Just like I said.
You weren't wrong about
the crowd, either.Yeah.
It was a hotbed
of stoners, hippies
and CBD enthusiasts.
Disgusting.
Super lucky that you were
there to hold them at bay.
Wait. What's that?
Wait, go back right there.
Go back right there.
Right there.
That's him.
That's Michael Carpenter.
Guy didn't fit the profile.
All right, Carla.
That's enough out of you.
Although in this very specific
and limited circumstance,
you are right.
Mr. Carpenter does not fit in.
What is he doing there?
CARLA and DEEKS:
And who's that girl he's with?
What? I read a lot
of crime novels.
Mm-hmm.
All right.
Mm-hmm.
Where's Eric? Oh, feeling
big feelings.
He's in the gym.
Same people who funded
Miguel's start-up
tried to have Eric killed
last month.
Wow. What a small world.Mm.
Well, you know, working out's
a healthy way
of processing all that.
Yeah. Just don't tell him
you told me that.
Pinky swear.
It's good to see you, Nell.
Good to see you, girl.
So what do we have?
Right. So, Michael
Carpenter showed up to
the spoken word event last night
with a woman named Daisy Patel.
Now, Daisy is
a dental hygienist by day
and an environmental activist
by night.
What does that mean?
Yeah. That was
unnecessarily confusing.
I think I got caught up in,
like, the poetry of it all.
Anyway, she's an
environmental activist.
Lots of social media posts,
lots of protests.
A naval officer
turned software engineer
is dating an activist protester?
Mm-hmm.
She's the wrong kind of activist.
But she could've branched out.
Or Daisy could have friends.
All right, so he tells
his girlfriend what
he's working on,
and then she turns around
and tells people she knows
will take issue with it.
And the next thing you know,
you're dead on the floor
of the bookstore bathroom.
Hmm. I guess that's better
than being dead on the floor of
the Burger King bathroom, right?
No? Okay.
Do we know where Daisy is now?
Yes. Uh, Kensi and Deeks
are just about to question her
in the boatshed.
All right.
Keep us posted.
Will do.
Daisy Patel.
My partner and I have
been reading up
on your Facebook posts,
and it's clear you care
very deeply about the fate
of our planet.
We all should.
This is our home.
And from L.A. to the Amazon,
- it's going up in flames.
- Yeah, but you're really doing it.
We got you participating
in a climate march in D.C.
You organized a global climate
strike in downtown L.A.
- It looks like you, uh...
- Hold on.
Is that why I'm here?
I thought I was helping you
figure out who killed Michael.
No, you are. And-and we're so
sorry for your loss. But...
But now I'm somehow a suspect
- because I care about the environment?
- But...
we have to ask you
a few questions.
Unbelievable.
Daisy, I'm sorry,
but did Michael ever
discuss his work with you?
No.
He never talked about
what he was working on?
No.
It was all super confidential.
Nondisclosure agreements
and all that.
I just know he was
really proud of the work
he was doing.
Michael kept really
long hours, but never
complained about it because
he really believed
in what they were building.
He believed in it.
Why?
What was he working on?
We're still trying
to figure that out.
Thank you, Daisy.
We'll be back.
There is no way Daisy knew
what Michael was up to.
Agreed. If you're that in touch
with the climate crisis,
there's no way you're
dating somebody
that gets off on denying
basic human rights
to Chinese citizens.
Yeah, Michael's a real catch.
But if Daisy had nothing
to do with his murder, then...
Who the hell did?
Hey, any luck?
Uh, it doesn't look like
the girlfriend
had anything to do with it.
But she did say that
Michael Carpenter was very,
very proud to work on
a search engine
for the Chinese government
to spy on its own people.
So there's always that.
I don't think
the boss was involved.
He seemed pretty upset when
he found out Michael was dead.
And nobody else knew about it
because they kept
the project top secret.
So, who else does that
leave us with as a suspect?
Carla. Super-salty
bookstore lady.
She's got to be guilty
of something.
I feel like you guys
usually have more by now.
Oh, thanks.Anytime.
You got something?
Oh, I definitely have something.
So, you know how all
these start-ups have
advisory boards and whatnot?
Turns out we know
one of the people
advising Miguel at Go, Go, Go.
Well, well, well.
Did you guys just join,
or are you taking this place
for a test-drive?
Katherine, you know I'd
never join a social club.
Hey, don't knock it
till you've tried it.
- The perks are insane.
- It's pretentious.
Waste of money and
a complete waste of time.
Well, how do you really feel
about it?
I'm sorry, how do you two
know each other?
NCIS Agent Nicole DeChamps,
this is insurance magnate...
And apparently the most
connected person
in the world...
Katherine Casillas.
I take it this is not
a social call.
- What gave it away?
- You know, it's strange how
our cases keep
coming back to you.
It's a small world.
You sit on the board
of Go, Go, Go?
That's right.
You know what kind of software
they're building for China?
I'd be a pretty bad
board member if I didn't.
Then you know that one
of their engineers was murdered
last night.Yes.
I got a call from Miguel
this morning. It's terrible.
Yes, it is.
And the two are
probably related.
Not necessarily.
Really? You don't think
Michael Carpenter's death
is connected to the Big Brother
search engine
his company's building
for China?
Would you please keep
your voice down?
I'm sorry, why would I
keep my voice down
if there's nothing to hide?
Don't look at me.
We have the same questions
she does.
It's a tragedy that man
lost his life so young.
Full stop.
But I stand by what
the company is building 100%.
Wow. CALLEN: 100%?
Really?
Not even... not even 90?
You know, Katherine,
I thought I had a read on you.
Sam...
You're just full of surprises.
I think we're done here.
We'll be in touch.
How you doing there, buddy?
Uh, glycemic levels
are a little bit low.
That's probably 'cause you've
been here for a few hours.
Other than that, I'm, uh...
I'm doing A-okay. DEEKS: Great.
Maybe you can help
us out with a case.
It's becoming a real whodunnit.
As in the hour is late,
it's getting later,
and we still have
no idea who done it.Mm-hmm.
So why don't you get up
and get yourself cleaned up
and meet us up in Ops.
Starting now.
Starting right now.
I'm just, like, not really
in the headspace for it.
All right, you know what?
I've had enough of this.
You stink.
You are being a narcissist
and you are neglecting
your job. Go.
You're right.
I have been neglecting my job.
I have only been
thinking of myself.
I do smell.
Get!
Going.
I see what you did right there.
You like that?
Shamelessly cutting
a grown man down to size
with your brutal
and untamed honesty?
Uh-huh.Girl.
Yes.
I don't like it.
No? Doesn't do anything for you?
Tell me to cut my
hair and shave.
You cut your hair and go shave.
I freakin' love it.
Well, you definitely meet all
kinds of people in this job.
Amen. Sam?
What? Yeah. Definitely.
What's your deal
with her, anyway?
What, me and Katherine?
Yeah.
There's no deal,
uh, you know...
She knows a lot of people,
helped us with some cases.
That's it.
So you say.
What are you talking about?
What is she talking about?
Cash in that rain check.
I'm gonna get the car from valet.
But we... We didn't valet.
No kidding. I'm just saying,
in our line of work,
people surprise and
disappoint us every day.
Yeah, it's part of the deal.Exactly.
So why are you taking
this one on the chin?
I'm not gonna walk away
and check on some fake valet.
Look, she's just not who
I thought she was, all right?
End of story.
See? There are layers
behind all that muscle. All right.
Whatever you say.
Can we go get the car now?
Sure.Okay.
Or do you want to
go back upstairs and...
Please.Okay.
Well, well, well.
I'd rather not talk
about it, if that's okay.
Talk about what?
Bring me up to speed.
What do we got?
Intense drama.
So, Katherine Casillas sits
on the board of Go, Go, Go,
which apparently is building
a search engine for China,
which picks up where
Project Dragonfly left off.
No.Yes.
No.
Yes.
Nell, we've got to trace
this company's seed money
back to China and figure out
who's pulling the strings.
We have to search Kaleidoscope
to find anyone and everyone
who was in that bookstore
last night.
And we've got to do this before
more innocent lives get lost.
Looking good, Billy Ray.
Feeling good, Louis.
Ooh. LAPD just got
a 911 call from Go, Go, Go?
Looks like something is
go-go-going down.
I'll let the team know now.
Whoa.
Excuse me.
Officer Cole.
What do you got?
Apparently a masked,
armed man and woman
raided the offices
about 20 minutes ago.
Those guys weren't afraid
to throw their weight
around, either.
Some of the people that worked
here got pretty banged up.
What did they want?
Hard drives.
Guess they were after whatever
these people were working on.
Anything else?
The CEO, a guy named
Miguel Vela.
What about him?
They took him.
Threw a hood over his head
and dragged him out of here.
They say Vela put up
a good fight, but I don't know.
Okay. Thank you.
No problem.
Carpenter's death
is just the beginning.
I got a feeling whoever
did this isn't finished.
On the bright side,
I can't wait to hear what
Katherine has to say about this.
No? Too soon?
You sure you're up for this?
Absolutely.
I mean it. You want to do this?
It is what it is.
Hey. Are you guys
gonna take this one?
Because if you're not,
it would be my absolute pleasure
to have a go at it.
That's exactly why we can't
let you go in there.
Oh, yeah?
Yeah. We can't
let you have all the fun.
You'd never leave.
Well, he does have a point.
Oh, please. I would never
give up San Diego for you two.
Well, that's
a little harsh, right?
A little?
Gentlemen. Quit stalling.
Now is it enough?
You're gonna have to be
more specific, Agent Hanna.
Young man already died
because of that technology.
Is it enough his coworkers
were roughed up,
or maybe now that his
boss has been kidnapped?
Gentlemen, the problem is you
have to see the whole picture.
Well, by all means, Katherine.
Why don't you tell us
what we're missing?
Nice try. I'm not gonna
do your work for you.
Someone has been killed, so...
if you're withholding
information from us,
obstruction of justice is gonna
be the least of your problems.
It's not that hard,
Agent Callen.
All you guys have to do
is ask the right questions.
Katherine, enough.
You know, I haven't seen
this side of you before, Sam.
Stop playing games.
I don't play games.
You know something.
You can help us solve this case.
You're giving me
too much credit.
And I'm not a modest person.
Yeah, we're beginning
to see that.
This case is so much bigger than
the three people in this room.
You still stand by
your search engine, don't you?
Forest for the trees,
Agent Callen.
Forest for the trees.
Okay, well, I don't get it.
I did a deep dive into
Katherine, Miguel,
everyone at the
software company.
No one seems to have any
connection to or sympathies
for the Chinese government.
Okay. So they're building this
search engine out of pure greed.
They're hoping to cash in.
Yeah, but that
doesn't make sense, either.
See, we still
haven't figured out
who's paying for all this back
in China, but whoever it is,
the money they're putting up
is essentially child's play.
Especially when
compared to what Miguel
and all the other engineers were
making at their previous jobs.
Wait, so they all took
a pay cut to work on this?
Yes. And it doesn't seem
like they received any equity
in exchange, either.
Okay, that's not good.
It means that something else
is motivating them
to work on it. Yeah.
Any of these guys
know each other
before they started
working at Go, Go, Go?
Actually, yes. Oh.
So, everyone is connected to
at least one other person
at the company, through either a
previous job or grad school.
So it's as if
they recruited each other.
What the hell
are these guys up to?
I don't know. But there has
to be something we're missing.
Yeah, well, that's what
Katherine keeps telling us.
Hey.Hey. We got something.
Uh, security footage outside the
office building shows two people
shoving Miguel into a Lexus SUV.
We got a hit on that vehicle
getting off the 101
in Hollywood.
Okay. Car is registered to a...
"Abdul Khan."
Saudi national.
Does he have a criminal history?
Uh, not that I can tell.
All right. On it.
Good work.
Oh, wow, look at that.
I get all three of you.
Lucky me.
Nice to see you, too.
Saudi Arabia.
A little hot
and socially oppressive
for my taste.
What about it?
We believe the men that
kidnapped Miguel Vela today
and murdered
Michael Carpenter last night
are from Saudi Arabia.
Why is that?
DeCHAMPS:
Thank you, but we're asking
the questions.
What do you know about it?
Katherine, work with us.
You're holding something back.
The company has
done nothing wrong.
I want to make that very clear.
Whatever you say.
What do the Saudis want?
The Chinese who are
backing the project...
Do you know who they are?
No. But the Chinese
who are backing the project
told the Saudis
about what we were
building for them.
And they want in.
They wanted to use
that technology
to censor their people,
and they didn't like it
when we turned them down.
When was that?
Miguel said he was approached
about two weeks ago.
It started with a lunch,
then devolved
into phone calls,
late-night phone calls,
menacing e-mails.
Katherine, why didn't you
tell us this before?
I have my reasons, Sam.
And you're just gonna
have to trust me
that they're legit.
You believe her?
I don't know.
It's the first concrete thing
Katherine's given us.
It tracks
with the Saudis killing
one of the engineers.
They were trying
to convince the company
to turn the software over.
Yeah. When that didn't work,
they raided the office,
stole the hard drives
themselves.
And kidnapped
the CEO to make sure
they knew
how the software operated.
Once Miguel shows them
how the algorithm works...
He no longer serves a purpose.
Okay, guys.
Take the next right.
You should see the Lexus SUV.
Well, hello there.
Kens?
Where'd they go?
Where'd they go, guys?
Beale, I think we lost them.
Don't worry, we haven't.
Uh, keep going,
take the next left.
I should've driven.
I should've driven.
Well, hello again.
Yeah, hey. What up?
Guys, don't follow them.
Take the street
after theirs instead.
Right, give them
a false sense of hope,
and cut them off when they think
they're in the clear?
You know it.
God bless you, Nell.
Okay, take this right.
How many airbags
do we have in here?
Are there one on this side?
Because I'm gonna die.
There they are.
Okay.
Hold on.
Go, go.
Well, he didn't make it.
Oh, my God.
She didn't, either.
Any sign of Miguel in there?
No.
Damn it.
They must have
ditched him somewhere
between the office and here.
Son of a bitch.
So, the Saudis are dead,
but Miguel wasn't with them.
He could have escaped.
They could have
killed him already.
Ooh, guys. There is a home
in Hancock Park that belongs
to Abdul Khan.
And the Lexus
that took Miguel Vela
is registered
to that same address.
They could be keeping him there,
trying to coerce him
into sharing
his company's technology.
It's worth a shot. Nell, have
Kensi and Deeks meet us there.
Will do.
All right. According
to satellite heat sensors,
there's no one
inside that house.
Time is running out.
Yeah, there's definitely
something going on in the backyard.
Tell us.
Ticktock.: Got it.
Go.
Meet you around back.
You're going to talk.
You hear me?
Tell us!
We need the software.
We're gonna kill you.
On my call.
Three, two,
one.
Federal agents!
Federal agents!
Hands up. Weapon down.
Weapon down.
Down.
Turn around!
Turn around.
I don't think so.
Hands up.
On your knees.
Don't move.
Get your hands behind your back.
Kensi!
You okay there, Kens?
Oh, yeah.
All part of the plan.
Uh-huh.
Yes, we're working
for the Chinese government.
And yes, we're taking what
is most likely dirty money.
And yes, I know
that it looks bad.
And no, it looks very, very bad.
Well, we aren't
doing anything illegal.
That's what Katherine
keeps telling us.
Katherine should know
all about it.
Including the fact that
we're giving China technology
that doesn't even work.
What does that mean?
Project Dragonfly
may have gone away,
but China wasn't gonna stop
until they got what they wanted.
So I put together a team full
of people I knew I could trust.
We asked for less
than scale, so we knew
that we'd win the contract.
And we've been botching
the code ever since.
The search engine doesn't work?
Not in the way
China wants it to.
Not unless you're searching from
a government IP address,
which, in that case,
it works perfectly.
Look, we didn't
tell you anything
because we haven't delivered
the software to China yet,
and we need to keep up
the facade until we do.
So, what, you're actually
the good guys?
Well, um, sort of.
Michael Carpenter died a hero.
Yeah.
That's for sure.
And when did Katherine
get involved?
She'd probably kill me
if she knew I told you this,
but the whole thing
was actually her idea.
Congratulations.
- I know, right?
- Hey.
Oh! You guys made it.
In the flesh. Hard drives are recovered
and back where they belong.
Well, now that everybody's here,
I think it calls for a toast.
To...
Us.Old friends.
How about
using technology for good?
Closing in
on dark money in China.
To the best team in town.
Exactly what I was gonna say.
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
Yes. Yes, mama.
Hey, uh, you want to grab a bite
before I drive
back to San Diego?
Nicole, I'd love to, but...
I'm kidding.
Go. Get out of here.
Before it's too late.
Okay.
You got a minute? Yeah.
Yeah.
I don't mean to, uh,
spoil the mood here,
but I took another look at that
Interpol report you sent me.
And, yes, the investigations
are still ongoing,
but the triple homicide
out of Barcelona
is now being linked to several
other attacks across Europe.
The thing is,
I'm not even certain
that it's Anna
in that surveillance video.
It's her.
How do you know?
I know Anna. It's her.
Thanks, Mo.You bet.
Hey.
Hi.
I apologize. I'm sorry
about hiding the ball
there before.
I'm just glad
you didn't show me any
special treatment there today.
Special treatment.
And why would I go and do that?
Oh, because you like me.
Do I?
A lot.Hmm.
Oh, really?
Definitely.
I can see it all over your face.
Oh. Is that so?
Like, all over it.
Hmm.
And you want to know
if I'm free for dinner.
For dinner.
When is that?
Tonight.
Mmm.
Turns out that I am.
Wow. It's my lucky day.
Hmm.
- Yeah, we'll see about that.
- Yeah.
Captioning sponsored by CBS
NCIS: Los Angeles...
You'd like to have
a relationship with Anna?
If I'd acted differently,
who knows where
that could have gone.
Like I said before, I don't
even know where she is now.
Intruder alert!
The Chinese were developing
technology under the guise
of a Silicon Valley start-up. IP: Eric,
what can you tell us
about Henrietta Lange? Hetty?
I think you'll come to find
that I also know a lot of people
in a lot of high places.
This should be more than
enough to prove
that Logic Wide was a front
for Chinese intelligence.
And you are? Katherine Casillas.
Sam Hanna. Enchanté.
I do it.
I declare myself before you.
Naked and exposed,
biting my fingernails
to the bone.
I'm so terrified
of what you will say.
But that's what's funny,
the thing about time.
It goes so slow
when you're waiting
on someone else.
Tick, tock, says the clock.
Tick, tock.
Tick, tock.
Waiting for my answer.
Tick, tock.
Tick, tock. Waiting for my fate.
That's right,
waiting for my fate
to happen to me
instead of me going out and
seizing it like it was my own,
like I should have,
like I want to,
like I will.
When I finally love
what I see in the mirror,
when I say, "Enough,"
when I free myself
from the shackles of Instagram.
Thank you very much.
Hey, so this is where
everybody is.
You guys missed
a heck of a show.
She killed it, whoever she was.
I think her name
was Janice... Eckhart.
That's E-C-K-H-A-R-T.
Sorry, uh, big kombucha,
tiny bladder.
Does anyone actually know
if somebody's in there?
Did we knock?
Okay.
Excuse me.
Come on, man.
This is a family establishment.
There's gonna be kids in here
tomorrow morning for story time.
Look, uh, not to get
too personal,
but I really have to go.
So if you could just
pick yourself up, muster up...
Okay.
Hey.
What are you up to? Nothing.
Seriously, what are you doing?
Oh, you know, just, uh,
really, nothing.
You're just at work
early doing nothing,
putting not-important documents
into the incinerator?
Hey, are you on your way
to work out? No.
Are you maybe gonna, like,
grab a bite to eat, or...?
You know, it kind of feels like
you're trying to blow me off. Oh,
I'm so sorry.
Does it seem like that?
Because I am. I definitely am.Mm-hmm.
But you are clearly
not taking the hint,
so what, pray tell,
what are you doing here
so early?
I need a favor.
Gosh. Geez. I, uh...
wish I could help you out, but
I believe my quota for burning
incriminating evidence
is all used up for the day.
Yeah, it's not
that kind of favor.
I need you to help me find Anna.
Oh.
I just sent you
an Interpol report
about a triple homicide
in Barcelona.
Oh, my goodness. Anna is not
one of the victims. I don't even know
that she's necessarily involved,
but I just want to make sure
that she's okay.
Yeah, of course.
But, Callen, what if
I can't find her?
Well, then I'll know
I was too late.
Hm.
Hey. Oh.
Top of the morning to you.
I, uh, was just
going to the gym.
It's leg day,
so I was gonna do squats
and goblet squats
and lunges, reverse lunges,
anything to wake up
those gluteus maximus-es.
Or is it gluteus maximi?
Eh, never know with the Latin.
Anyway, um...
Oh, was something... Were you in
the middle of something, or...
No.Eh.
You were.
It's okay.
You were.
It's okay, Eric.
Oh, this is awkward.
Well, it doesn't have to be.
And yet...
Do you want to check that?
Uh... Well, I-I do, but I just,
I don't want to be rude
and look at my watch
while the three of us
are clearly in the middle
of a moment.
- We weren't having a moment.
- No, not at all.
Nell and I were having a moment.
Oh, which you clearly murdered, but...
Oh. Ah.
I-I get it now.
Oh, w-well, actually, we do have
a case. Social cues are hard.
Yeah.
Um,
so I'm gon...
I'm gonna gather the team
and just remember
it's not all about you, Beale.
So I'll meet you up in Ops.
And... Mondays, am I right?
Wow.
You're not wrong.
What do we got?
Last night at a spoken word
poetry reading in Eagle Rock...
Nice, little spoken word,
I like it. Oh, my...
What if all of our cases
started, like,
at poetry readings
or cello concerts or something,
just, like, pleasant?
Ooh, wait for it.
A dead body was found
in the bathroom.
And we're back.
The victim was
Michael Carpenter,
former active duty
naval warfare engineer,
now working in
the private sector
as a software engineer.
So what was he working on?
Uh, we're not sure,
but his company
was called Go, Go, Go.
That's a terrible name.
Yeah, bet the boss
was a real Bezos.
And that's what we got.
That's it? That's-that's
not a lot to go on, guys.
That's actually the definition
of "nada mucho."
And yet the Naval Criminal
Investigative Service
has full faith,
total blind trust.
Actually, there is this, um,
one other thing.
Sorry, uh, what? Nell, you-you,
uh, going off script here?
'Cause I don't have
anything else.
You could say that.
Um, the company Carpenter
was working for
is actually funded
by the same Chinese
shell corporation
that was backing the company
you were working for
up in San Francisco.
Hmm.Huh.
Um... But, uh, by-by "same."
Ch-Chinese shell company,"
do you mean the people
who tried to-to kidnap me
and then tried to murder me?
Cool.
Sorry, are you okay?
Cool. Yeah, I'm fine.
Are you good? That's...
just a... That's cool.
Coincidence.
All righty, um...
Callen and Sam are on their way
to the tech company now.
To see if this one
is just as corrupt
and dangerous as the last one.
Yeah, we'll, um,
head to the crime scene.
Okay, b-bye.
Hope you find something.
Bye, Beale.
Bye.
I'm sorry. I just
found out and I didn't really
know how to tell you,
so I figured I'd just
rip the Band-Aid off.
Well, Miss Penelope Jones,
consider the Band-Aid ripped.
Excuse me, everyone.
I'm Agent Callen, NCIS.
This is my partner,
Agent Hanna.
This is the part where someone
tells us who's in charge here.
You're looking at him.
Well, it's not an office,
but, technically,
he is in the corner. MIGUEL: Okay, folks,
why don't you guys give us
the room? Get your vitamin D
and your 10,000 steps in.
Well, this is a
fun way to start a Monday.
Yeah, we're here to talk to you
about one of your employees,
Michael Carpenter.
Ah, yes, the, uh,
the punk who didn't show up
for work this morning.
The software engineer
who was murdered
last night.
Mike's dead?
He was strangled
at a bookstore in Eagle Rock.
You know of anyone who
may have had it out for him?
No. No, no, uh...
Wait, Mike's dead?
We're very sorry.
Look, do you think
that what happened to him
could've had something to do
with what he was
working on here?
Yeah, no. No.
What exactly is it you do here?
It's, uh, algorithm software.
It's nothing.
No, it's something. You have
offices here in Venice,
funding from a Chinese VC.
Guys, I-I-I don't know what Mike
was into in his own time,
but all we're doing here
is building a search engine.
I'm telling you,
he didn't die because of us.
Hello.
I'm Special Agent
Kensi Blye, NCIS,
and, uh, that there
is my partner Detective
Marty Deeks, LAPD.Hey.
All right. Carla, Stories Books.
Nice to meet you.
Uh, were you here last night?
Better believe I was here.
Let me tell you, I suffered
through every second of it.
Mm.Yeah, I'm sure it was
quite hard. I'm sorry.
I told my boss
it was a terrible idea.
Giving those hacks the stage
so that they could
vomit noise
about their feelings.
Yeah, no, Carla,
we were actually talking
about the murder. The murder
must've been very hard for you.
It wasn't great.Oh...
But you got to understand,
I was already
in a pretty foul mood by then.
Uh-huh. Right.
Of course.
Um, how would you describe
the crowd last night?
Pretentious hippies with tattoos
in languages they don't speak.
Mm-hmm.
And did anybody
stand out to you?
In that flock of sheep? No.
Do you think, uh,
any of these sheep poets
are the ones
that killed, uh,
Michael Carpenter?
A big a-no.
And these guys weren't poets.
Let me put it to you straight,
they didn't have an
original thought to save them,
or the cajones
to take someone's life.
- No cajones.
- And, uh,
where were you
while this poetry reading
and the murder
were taking place?
Me?
Yeah.
I spent the night
working crowd control
to keep things at bay.
Keeping the-the hippies
at bay, were you?
Thought that was necessary?
You can never trust a hippie.
I feel like I should be offended
by that, but I'm not.
So you got someone that
can vouch for you, then, Carla?
I mean, I wouldn't trust anyone
who uses a natural deodorant.
But I've got a security tape
that'll prove it.
Can we see it?
Mm-hmm.
This is gonna be fun.
I don't even... I love her.
- What is happening?
- So tell us more about this
search engine you're building.
Oh, it's... honestly,
there's not much to tell.
Why don't you humor us?
How is what you're
building any different
from what Google's
already doing?
Well, it's,
uh... pretty subtle.
We're subtle kind of guys.
And fairly technical.
We love technical.
Tell him, G.
We love technical.
Pretty much our happy place.
Look, it-it's just kind of hard
DeChamps.
This is a surprise.Sam. Callen.
Tell me.
What's so hard to explain?
What his business does.
It's too technical.Oh.
Don't forget subtle.Right. Subtle.
Mm. Let me guess.
He called it a search engine.
Ah, the hubris. What,
you didn't want to tell
the federal agents
that your little
search engine is probably
what got
Michael Carpenter killed?
So, Miguel, do you want
to tell them or should I?
You're good with
me telling them?
If you insist.
Just promise
you'll let me know if
I get anything wrong.
It's good to see you again.
It's good to see you, too, Sam.
You boys ever heard of
Project Dragonfly?
Yeah, that was the search engine
that Google was building
for the Chinese government.
"Was" being the operative word.
The software was
designed to be compatible
with China's censorship laws.
Meaning it was built to share
an individual's search data
with the government.
Putting Chinese citizens
at risk for kidnap and torture.
Just because they looked up
the wrong kind of information.
Yeah, like Tiananmen.
Or Twitter.
Exactly. People found
out about Dragonfly,
and human rights activists
staged protests
around the world.
And eventually,
Google killed the project.
But China doesn't give up
that easy.
No, they don't.
Sure they'd love another company
to pick up
where Google left off.
I'm guessing that's where
you come into the picture.
Oh. Hey, there, Miguel.
How we doing so far?
I want to call my lawyer.
- Must be doing pretty damn good.
- Mm-hmm.
Somebody doesn't want
to Go, Go, Go to jail.
I had to.
Hold on a second.
This can't be public knowledge,
otherwise there would be
activists protesting here.
Mm-mm, technically it's not,
but through my DoD connections,
I was able to trace the money
from China to Go, Go, Go...
Terrible name,
by the way...
And I figured it out.
And you think
someone else did, too?
Well, it could explain why
one of the software engineers
was murdered last night.
Well, at the least
it's a theory.
Right, Miguel?
Hmm? It's a theory?
Come on.
You got to at least tell us
if we're getting warm.
Look, I haven't
done anything illegal,
and my company
hasn't done anything illegal.
Okay?
Hi, Kat?
Hi, hi, it's-it's Miguel.
Yeah. Uh-huh.
What do we have here?
I thought it was leg day. It was.
Until I found out
the same Chinese corporation
that tried to kill me
has reared its ugly head,
and it suddenly became
an all-encompassing,
everything-must-hurt
kind of day.
Thought that might be
the case. Uh, just curious.
About how long have you been,
uh... oh. Wow.
You're gonna blow the wheels
straight off this thing.
Nell, as far as coping
mechanisms are concerned,
I feel like exercising
is a pretty healthy way
of dealing with
my stuff right now.
True, true. I mean, some
people in your same position
may be driven to drink.
Cliché.Or turn to drugs.
You've seen me on Dramamine.
It ain't pretty.
Some may hole up in Vegas.
Nell, if there isn't
a cosplay convention going on,
I don't understand the point.
Am I right? I'm right, right?
Right. I'm just not convinced
this whole situation
you have going on here
is the, uh, best option.
I mean, here's an idea.
Maybe you should
just get to work.
Hmm.
You know, really
help the team out. Nail
these guys to the wall.
Oh, totally.
I totally understand
what you're saying, Nell.
Do you?
Uh-huh.
Because I'm pretty sure
you just turned up
the resistance on the bike.
Nell, if I'm able
to have a conversation with you
for this long and not be winded,
I'm not working hard enough.
Right. Yeah, you're
absolutely right.
This is totally super healthy.
See you.
See you in the ER.
DeCHAMPS:
So how are you two doing?
Good.
Good.
Seriously? I haven't seen you
guys for months.
Not much to tell.
You two are a lot more layered
and nuanced
than you give yourselves credit.
Well, there's nothing
layered about me. Or him.
All right.
Well, I didn't want it
to come to this,
but what's going on with him?
Oh, him?
He's, uh, trying to commit
to something for once.
Hey, guy?
Are we talking sports team
or, like, a tattoo?
Sports team.
Meaning a girl.
Oh, intéressant.
You're good.
She's good.
Oh, she's the best.Uh-uh.
Flattery will get you nowhere.
Your turn.
What's up with him?
Uh, what's up with me
is we need to get back
to this case.Mm-hmm.
If you're right about
what this company is building,
who do you think killed
Michael Carpenter?
All right, that's a rain check.
And honestly, I hadn't
gotten very far.
I just connected the Chinese
money to the tech company
when I heard that you guys
were working the murder case.
Hopped in the car and drove up
here from San Diego.
So a human rights activist group
was able to shut down
Project Dragonfly at Google.
That is no small feat.
Mm. They were organized
and they were vocal. It worked.
How do you think
they're gonna feel
when they find out
another company picked up
where Google left off?
Like maybe another protest march
won't cut it.
You think they'd take it as
far as killing somebody
who's working on
the project? No.
But it only takes one bad apple.
Carpenter could have told
someone what he was working on.
Yeah, someone he thought
he could trust.
He's right, you know.
Miguel.
His search engine may be illegal
here in the U.S.,
but if Go, Go, Go has a license,
which it does,
it's not technically a crime
to build it for China.
That's a pretty thin needle
to thread.
Ah. The things people do
for money, huh?
So, Carla, just
out of curiosity,
how many books do you
think you read a week?
I thought this was
a criminal investigation.
I can't answer
a personal question like that.
Oh, come on,
yes, you can.
Just give me a rough estimate.
Give me a guesstimate.
Well, buddy, it depends.
Hmm, tell me.
Four or five a week
and I'm feeling pretty good.
- Okay.
- Allergies are in check,
and there's a new John Oliver
waiting for me back home.
Six or seven, I'm flying.
Maybe the Dodgers
are on a streak.
Maybe the McRib is back.
Maybe my estranged daughter
has decided to, uh,
get back in touch. Hmm.
Three or less,
and you know
my mother-in-law's in town.
Wow. You were right.
That got very personal
very quickly.
Yes, it did.
There. There I am.
Holding down the fort.
Just like I said.
You weren't wrong about
the crowd, either.Yeah.
It was a hotbed
of stoners, hippies
and CBD enthusiasts.
Disgusting.
Super lucky that you were
there to hold them at bay.
Wait. What's that?
Wait, go back right there.
Go back right there.
Right there.
That's him.
That's Michael Carpenter.
Guy didn't fit the profile.
All right, Carla.
That's enough out of you.
Although in this very specific
and limited circumstance,
you are right.
Mr. Carpenter does not fit in.
What is he doing there?
CARLA and DEEKS:
And who's that girl he's with?
What? I read a lot
of crime novels.
Mm-hmm.
All right.
Mm-hmm.
Where's Eric? Oh, feeling
big feelings.
He's in the gym.
Same people who funded
Miguel's start-up
tried to have Eric killed
last month.
Wow. What a small world.Mm.
Well, you know, working out's
a healthy way
of processing all that.
Yeah. Just don't tell him
you told me that.
Pinky swear.
It's good to see you, Nell.
Good to see you, girl.
So what do we have?
Right. So, Michael
Carpenter showed up to
the spoken word event last night
with a woman named Daisy Patel.
Now, Daisy is
a dental hygienist by day
and an environmental activist
by night.
What does that mean?
Yeah. That was
unnecessarily confusing.
I think I got caught up in,
like, the poetry of it all.
Anyway, she's an
environmental activist.
Lots of social media posts,
lots of protests.
A naval officer
turned software engineer
is dating an activist protester?
Mm-hmm.
She's the wrong kind of activist.
But she could've branched out.
Or Daisy could have friends.
All right, so he tells
his girlfriend what
he's working on,
and then she turns around
and tells people she knows
will take issue with it.
And the next thing you know,
you're dead on the floor
of the bookstore bathroom.
Hmm. I guess that's better
than being dead on the floor of
the Burger King bathroom, right?
No? Okay.
Do we know where Daisy is now?
Yes. Uh, Kensi and Deeks
are just about to question her
in the boatshed.
All right.
Keep us posted.
Will do.
Daisy Patel.
My partner and I have
been reading up
on your Facebook posts,
and it's clear you care
very deeply about the fate
of our planet.
We all should.
This is our home.
And from L.A. to the Amazon,
- it's going up in flames.
- Yeah, but you're really doing it.
We got you participating
in a climate march in D.C.
You organized a global climate
strike in downtown L.A.
- It looks like you, uh...
- Hold on.
Is that why I'm here?
I thought I was helping you
figure out who killed Michael.
No, you are. And-and we're so
sorry for your loss. But...
But now I'm somehow a suspect
- because I care about the environment?
- But...
we have to ask you
a few questions.
Unbelievable.
Daisy, I'm sorry,
but did Michael ever
discuss his work with you?
No.
He never talked about
what he was working on?
No.
It was all super confidential.
Nondisclosure agreements
and all that.
I just know he was
really proud of the work
he was doing.
Michael kept really
long hours, but never
complained about it because
he really believed
in what they were building.
He believed in it.
Why?
What was he working on?
We're still trying
to figure that out.
Thank you, Daisy.
We'll be back.
There is no way Daisy knew
what Michael was up to.
Agreed. If you're that in touch
with the climate crisis,
there's no way you're
dating somebody
that gets off on denying
basic human rights
to Chinese citizens.
Yeah, Michael's a real catch.
But if Daisy had nothing
to do with his murder, then...
Who the hell did?
Hey, any luck?
Uh, it doesn't look like
the girlfriend
had anything to do with it.
But she did say that
Michael Carpenter was very,
very proud to work on
a search engine
for the Chinese government
to spy on its own people.
So there's always that.
I don't think
the boss was involved.
He seemed pretty upset when
he found out Michael was dead.
And nobody else knew about it
because they kept
the project top secret.
So, who else does that
leave us with as a suspect?
Carla. Super-salty
bookstore lady.
She's got to be guilty
of something.
I feel like you guys
usually have more by now.
Oh, thanks.Anytime.
You got something?
Oh, I definitely have something.
So, you know how all
these start-ups have
advisory boards and whatnot?
Turns out we know
one of the people
advising Miguel at Go, Go, Go.
Well, well, well.
Did you guys just join,
or are you taking this place
for a test-drive?
Katherine, you know I'd
never join a social club.
Hey, don't knock it
till you've tried it.
- The perks are insane.
- It's pretentious.
Waste of money and
a complete waste of time.
Well, how do you really feel
about it?
I'm sorry, how do you two
know each other?
NCIS Agent Nicole DeChamps,
this is insurance magnate...
And apparently the most
connected person
in the world...
Katherine Casillas.
I take it this is not
a social call.
- What gave it away?
- You know, it's strange how
our cases keep
coming back to you.
It's a small world.
You sit on the board
of Go, Go, Go?
That's right.
You know what kind of software
they're building for China?
I'd be a pretty bad
board member if I didn't.
Then you know that one
of their engineers was murdered
last night.Yes.
I got a call from Miguel
this morning. It's terrible.
Yes, it is.
And the two are
probably related.
Not necessarily.
Really? You don't think
Michael Carpenter's death
is connected to the Big Brother
search engine
his company's building
for China?
Would you please keep
your voice down?
I'm sorry, why would I
keep my voice down
if there's nothing to hide?
Don't look at me.
We have the same questions
she does.
It's a tragedy that man
lost his life so young.
Full stop.
But I stand by what
the company is building 100%.
Wow. CALLEN: 100%?
Really?
Not even... not even 90?
You know, Katherine,
I thought I had a read on you.
Sam...
You're just full of surprises.
I think we're done here.
We'll be in touch.
How you doing there, buddy?
Uh, glycemic levels
are a little bit low.
That's probably 'cause you've
been here for a few hours.
Other than that, I'm, uh...
I'm doing A-okay. DEEKS: Great.
Maybe you can help
us out with a case.
It's becoming a real whodunnit.
As in the hour is late,
it's getting later,
and we still have
no idea who done it.Mm-hmm.
So why don't you get up
and get yourself cleaned up
and meet us up in Ops.
Starting now.
Starting right now.
I'm just, like, not really
in the headspace for it.
All right, you know what?
I've had enough of this.
You stink.
You are being a narcissist
and you are neglecting
your job. Go.
You're right.
I have been neglecting my job.
I have only been
thinking of myself.
I do smell.
Get!
Going.
I see what you did right there.
You like that?
Shamelessly cutting
a grown man down to size
with your brutal
and untamed honesty?
Uh-huh.Girl.
Yes.
I don't like it.
No? Doesn't do anything for you?
Tell me to cut my
hair and shave.
You cut your hair and go shave.
I freakin' love it.
Well, you definitely meet all
kinds of people in this job.
Amen. Sam?
What? Yeah. Definitely.
What's your deal
with her, anyway?
What, me and Katherine?
Yeah.
There's no deal,
uh, you know...
She knows a lot of people,
helped us with some cases.
That's it.
So you say.
What are you talking about?
What is she talking about?
Cash in that rain check.
I'm gonna get the car from valet.
But we... We didn't valet.
No kidding. I'm just saying,
in our line of work,
people surprise and
disappoint us every day.
Yeah, it's part of the deal.Exactly.
So why are you taking
this one on the chin?
I'm not gonna walk away
and check on some fake valet.
Look, she's just not who
I thought she was, all right?
End of story.
See? There are layers
behind all that muscle. All right.
Whatever you say.
Can we go get the car now?
Sure.Okay.
Or do you want to
go back upstairs and...
Please.Okay.
Well, well, well.
I'd rather not talk
about it, if that's okay.
Talk about what?
Bring me up to speed.
What do we got?
Intense drama.
So, Katherine Casillas sits
on the board of Go, Go, Go,
which apparently is building
a search engine for China,
which picks up where
Project Dragonfly left off.
No.Yes.
No.
Yes.
Nell, we've got to trace
this company's seed money
back to China and figure out
who's pulling the strings.
We have to search Kaleidoscope
to find anyone and everyone
who was in that bookstore
last night.
And we've got to do this before
more innocent lives get lost.
Looking good, Billy Ray.
Feeling good, Louis.
Ooh. LAPD just got
a 911 call from Go, Go, Go?
Looks like something is
go-go-going down.
I'll let the team know now.
Whoa.
Excuse me.
Officer Cole.
What do you got?
Apparently a masked,
armed man and woman
raided the offices
about 20 minutes ago.
Those guys weren't afraid
to throw their weight
around, either.
Some of the people that worked
here got pretty banged up.
What did they want?
Hard drives.
Guess they were after whatever
these people were working on.
Anything else?
The CEO, a guy named
Miguel Vela.
What about him?
They took him.
Threw a hood over his head
and dragged him out of here.
They say Vela put up
a good fight, but I don't know.
Okay. Thank you.
No problem.
Carpenter's death
is just the beginning.
I got a feeling whoever
did this isn't finished.
On the bright side,
I can't wait to hear what
Katherine has to say about this.
No? Too soon?
You sure you're up for this?
Absolutely.
I mean it. You want to do this?
It is what it is.
Hey. Are you guys
gonna take this one?
Because if you're not,
it would be my absolute pleasure
to have a go at it.
That's exactly why we can't
let you go in there.
Oh, yeah?
Yeah. We can't
let you have all the fun.
You'd never leave.
Well, he does have a point.
Oh, please. I would never
give up San Diego for you two.
Well, that's
a little harsh, right?
A little?
Gentlemen. Quit stalling.
Now is it enough?
You're gonna have to be
more specific, Agent Hanna.
Young man already died
because of that technology.
Is it enough his coworkers
were roughed up,
or maybe now that his
boss has been kidnapped?
Gentlemen, the problem is you
have to see the whole picture.
Well, by all means, Katherine.
Why don't you tell us
what we're missing?
Nice try. I'm not gonna
do your work for you.
Someone has been killed, so...
if you're withholding
information from us,
obstruction of justice is gonna
be the least of your problems.
It's not that hard,
Agent Callen.
All you guys have to do
is ask the right questions.
Katherine, enough.
You know, I haven't seen
this side of you before, Sam.
Stop playing games.
I don't play games.
You know something.
You can help us solve this case.
You're giving me
too much credit.
And I'm not a modest person.
Yeah, we're beginning
to see that.
This case is so much bigger than
the three people in this room.
You still stand by
your search engine, don't you?
Forest for the trees,
Agent Callen.
Forest for the trees.
Okay, well, I don't get it.
I did a deep dive into
Katherine, Miguel,
everyone at the
software company.
No one seems to have any
connection to or sympathies
for the Chinese government.
Okay. So they're building this
search engine out of pure greed.
They're hoping to cash in.
Yeah, but that
doesn't make sense, either.
See, we still
haven't figured out
who's paying for all this back
in China, but whoever it is,
the money they're putting up
is essentially child's play.
Especially when
compared to what Miguel
and all the other engineers were
making at their previous jobs.
Wait, so they all took
a pay cut to work on this?
Yes. And it doesn't seem
like they received any equity
in exchange, either.
Okay, that's not good.
It means that something else
is motivating them
to work on it. Yeah.
Any of these guys
know each other
before they started
working at Go, Go, Go?
Actually, yes. Oh.
So, everyone is connected to
at least one other person
at the company, through either a
previous job or grad school.
So it's as if
they recruited each other.
What the hell
are these guys up to?
I don't know. But there has
to be something we're missing.
Yeah, well, that's what
Katherine keeps telling us.
Hey.Hey. We got something.
Uh, security footage outside the
office building shows two people
shoving Miguel into a Lexus SUV.
We got a hit on that vehicle
getting off the 101
in Hollywood.
Okay. Car is registered to a...
"Abdul Khan."
Saudi national.
Does he have a criminal history?
Uh, not that I can tell.
All right. On it.
Good work.
Oh, wow, look at that.
I get all three of you.
Lucky me.
Nice to see you, too.
Saudi Arabia.
A little hot
and socially oppressive
for my taste.
What about it?
We believe the men that
kidnapped Miguel Vela today
and murdered
Michael Carpenter last night
are from Saudi Arabia.
Why is that?
DeCHAMPS:
Thank you, but we're asking
the questions.
What do you know about it?
Katherine, work with us.
You're holding something back.
The company has
done nothing wrong.
I want to make that very clear.
Whatever you say.
What do the Saudis want?
The Chinese who are
backing the project...
Do you know who they are?
No. But the Chinese
who are backing the project
told the Saudis
about what we were
building for them.
And they want in.
They wanted to use
that technology
to censor their people,
and they didn't like it
when we turned them down.
When was that?
Miguel said he was approached
about two weeks ago.
It started with a lunch,
then devolved
into phone calls,
late-night phone calls,
menacing e-mails.
Katherine, why didn't you
tell us this before?
I have my reasons, Sam.
And you're just gonna
have to trust me
that they're legit.
You believe her?
I don't know.
It's the first concrete thing
Katherine's given us.
It tracks
with the Saudis killing
one of the engineers.
They were trying
to convince the company
to turn the software over.
Yeah. When that didn't work,
they raided the office,
stole the hard drives
themselves.
And kidnapped
the CEO to make sure
they knew
how the software operated.
Once Miguel shows them
how the algorithm works...
He no longer serves a purpose.
Okay, guys.
Take the next right.
You should see the Lexus SUV.
Well, hello there.
Kens?
Where'd they go?
Where'd they go, guys?
Beale, I think we lost them.
Don't worry, we haven't.
Uh, keep going,
take the next left.
I should've driven.
I should've driven.
Well, hello again.
Yeah, hey. What up?
Guys, don't follow them.
Take the street
after theirs instead.
Right, give them
a false sense of hope,
and cut them off when they think
they're in the clear?
You know it.
God bless you, Nell.
Okay, take this right.
How many airbags
do we have in here?
Are there one on this side?
Because I'm gonna die.
There they are.
Okay.
Hold on.
Go, go.
Well, he didn't make it.
Oh, my God.
She didn't, either.
Any sign of Miguel in there?
No.
Damn it.
They must have
ditched him somewhere
between the office and here.
Son of a bitch.
So, the Saudis are dead,
but Miguel wasn't with them.
He could have escaped.
They could have
killed him already.
Ooh, guys. There is a home
in Hancock Park that belongs
to Abdul Khan.
And the Lexus
that took Miguel Vela
is registered
to that same address.
They could be keeping him there,
trying to coerce him
into sharing
his company's technology.
It's worth a shot. Nell, have
Kensi and Deeks meet us there.
Will do.
All right. According
to satellite heat sensors,
there's no one
inside that house.
Time is running out.
Yeah, there's definitely
something going on in the backyard.
Tell us.
Ticktock.: Got it.
Go.
Meet you around back.
You're going to talk.
You hear me?
Tell us!
We need the software.
We're gonna kill you.
On my call.
Three, two,
one.
Federal agents!
Federal agents!
Hands up. Weapon down.
Weapon down.
Down.
Turn around!
Turn around.
I don't think so.
Hands up.
On your knees.
Don't move.
Get your hands behind your back.
Kensi!
You okay there, Kens?
Oh, yeah.
All part of the plan.
Uh-huh.
Yes, we're working
for the Chinese government.
And yes, we're taking what
is most likely dirty money.
And yes, I know
that it looks bad.
And no, it looks very, very bad.
Well, we aren't
doing anything illegal.
That's what Katherine
keeps telling us.
Katherine should know
all about it.
Including the fact that
we're giving China technology
that doesn't even work.
What does that mean?
Project Dragonfly
may have gone away,
but China wasn't gonna stop
until they got what they wanted.
So I put together a team full
of people I knew I could trust.
We asked for less
than scale, so we knew
that we'd win the contract.
And we've been botching
the code ever since.
The search engine doesn't work?
Not in the way
China wants it to.
Not unless you're searching from
a government IP address,
which, in that case,
it works perfectly.
Look, we didn't
tell you anything
because we haven't delivered
the software to China yet,
and we need to keep up
the facade until we do.
So, what, you're actually
the good guys?
Well, um, sort of.
Michael Carpenter died a hero.
Yeah.
That's for sure.
And when did Katherine
get involved?
She'd probably kill me
if she knew I told you this,
but the whole thing
was actually her idea.
Congratulations.
- I know, right?
- Hey.
Oh! You guys made it.
In the flesh. Hard drives are recovered
and back where they belong.
Well, now that everybody's here,
I think it calls for a toast.
To...
Us.Old friends.
How about
using technology for good?
Closing in
on dark money in China.
To the best team in town.
Exactly what I was gonna say.
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
Yes. Yes, mama.
Hey, uh, you want to grab a bite
before I drive
back to San Diego?
Nicole, I'd love to, but...
I'm kidding.
Go. Get out of here.
Before it's too late.
Okay.
You got a minute? Yeah.
Yeah.
I don't mean to, uh,
spoil the mood here,
but I took another look at that
Interpol report you sent me.
And, yes, the investigations
are still ongoing,
but the triple homicide
out of Barcelona
is now being linked to several
other attacks across Europe.
The thing is,
I'm not even certain
that it's Anna
in that surveillance video.
It's her.
How do you know?
I know Anna. It's her.
Thanks, Mo.You bet.
Hey.
Hi.
I apologize. I'm sorry
about hiding the ball
there before.
I'm just glad
you didn't show me any
special treatment there today.
Special treatment.
And why would I go and do that?
Oh, because you like me.
Do I?
A lot.Hmm.
Oh, really?
Definitely.
I can see it all over your face.
Oh. Is that so?
Like, all over it.
Hmm.
And you want to know
if I'm free for dinner.
For dinner.
When is that?
Tonight.
Mmm.
Turns out that I am.
Wow. It's my lucky day.
Hmm.
- Yeah, we'll see about that.
- Yeah.
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