NCIS (2003–…): Season 1, Episode 4 - The Immortals - full transcript

(REGGAE MUSIC PLAYING)

(WHOOPING)

Yeah!

- Take it easy.
- Come on!

Dude, did you hear the guy
at the hotel this morning?

They spotted mako sharks.

Please.
They go after seals, not this hard body.

Brad, this isn't a joke.

The odds of a shark attack
against humans is like 10,000 to 1.

I saw it on Discovery Channel.

I don't know, bro.

Fine.
You girls stay up here where it's safe,

I'm gonna get up close and personal
with the coral reef.

GIBBS: The body was in the water
less than 24 hours.

NAS Key West tagged and bagged
and shipped it over.

We have an I.D.?

Seaman Russell MacDonald. Nineteen.

Assigned to the USS Foster.

- Destroyer. Spruance class.
- Hey, look at that!

New kid on the block's
been doing her homework.

USS Foster left
Roosevelt Roads Naval Station

two days ago en route to Norfolk.

This is her position now.

The body was found here,
in the Bahamas.

- Roosevelt Roads?
- Yeah.

- That's Puerto Rico.
- Yeah.

- I love Puerto Rico.
- I'm glad.

No, boss, you don't understand.

- I love Puerto Rico!
- You been there a lot?

No! No, that's just it.
I've never been there!

I mean, I'm so wanting to go!
Ever since I was a kid, I was so

wanting. Sorry.

- I just always...
- Wanted to be there.

Yeah.

Sometime night before last,
Seaman MacDonald went overboard.

Anyone see or hear anything?

No. Didn't know he was missing
till he failed to report for duty.

- Anything in the medical?
- We'll get all that when we get onboard.

Anything else unusual?

DUCKY: This is exactly
how he was found.

Dress whites? Why?

No one knows.
There were no formal events scheduled.

- The sword?
- Officer's ceremonial.

Our man's enlisted.

Yeah.
Doesn't make much sense, does it?

Here's something else
for the mystery tour.

This so-called ceremonial sword

is sharp enough to slit
someone's throat.

Do you know why they drive

on the left-hand side of the road
in England?

Dates back to medieval times.

Most people were,
and still are, right-handed.

It allowed them to slash at one another
when passing on horseback.

(EXCLAIMING)

Why, you might ask,
doesn't this hold true

for the rest of Europe?

- Why the chain on the waist?
- These...

These were attached to it,
each 25 pounds.

Now whether he put them on himself
or someone did it for him,

that much weight sent him down fast.

Well, if you'll excuse me, I'll get
our poor seaman out of his wet clothes.

You're not gonna say,
"And into a dry martini," are you?

No.

No, we'll save that for later,
for me, I'm afraid.

The seaman's local.
Address is in the file.

You don't have to do the dirty deed.
CACO already notified next of kin.

Why me, boss?

Wouldn't a woman
be more sympathetic?

- That's why Kate is going with you.
- I'm sure Tony can handle it alone.

When did an order turn into a debate?

- I hate this. I really do.
- Is it gonna be that tough?

You have no idea.

No, I don't.

- Tony?
- Yeah?

Take a breath.

Think of Puerto Rico.

Good idea.

According to what's been reported,

Russell didn't seem to have
a lot of friends on the destroyer.

No, he had many friends on the ship.

- He told me so in his letters.
- Was this sword Russell's?

It was my husband's. He was Scottish.

He served in
The Black Watch regiment.

Russell's file says he's deceased.

He was killed in a car accident
when Russell was 12.

Russell was devastated.

Did Russell seem particularly obsessed
with the sword?

I don't understand why you...

A similar weapon was found with the...

Near Russell.

Mrs MacDonald, in Russell's letters

did he seem, you know,
down or depressed?

Russell had his quirks.

But a mother knows things
about her son.

He would not have killed himself.

It's a mortal sin.

Are these interviews
always that difficult?

- I guess.
- You guess?

I've never interviewed
a victim's mother before.

Well, I thought you'd been
a Baltimore homicide cop.

I always had someone else
interview the mother.

- This was your first?
- Yeah.

Why did you assume I'd have no idea
how bad it was gonna be?

- I didn't think you would.
- That is so presumptuous!

- Kate?
- What?

Breathe.

The commander's on a call
with LANT fleet, sir.

He'll catch up with you
as soon as he can.

We appreciate it, Master Chief.

Did you have any contact
with Seaman MacDonald?

Can't say I did, sir.
Kept pretty much to himself.

Seems to be the general consensus
or the party line.

We got you set up in the XO's quarters.

It's small, but it's private and secure.

I'm sure it'll be fine.

Enter.

Lieutenant Commander Robbins,
Agent Gibbs.

- Appreciate you giving up your...
- Not a problem.

NCIS is always welcome aboard, sir.
You can expect excellent cooperation.

I appreciate that, Master Chief.

- If you need anything...
- I won't hesitate.

Now, why didn't that sound sincere?

You get used to it.
They either stonewall or kiss ass.

To them,
we're the Internal Affairs of the navy.

- So, basically, they hate us.
- No.

Pretty much.

Set up the laptop
and establish a feed from NCIS.

I'm on it.

We're not all sleeping here, are we?
Together?

I'll take the couch.

- Afternoon, gentlemen.
- Afternoon, sir.

Okay, let's dispense with the small talk.

Which one is his bunk,
Petty Officer Carnahan?

- Below mine, sir.
- Thank you, Petty Officer.

- You knew MacDonald?
- Not well.

- He pretty much kept to himself.
- Kept to himself.

He like to listen to music? Like to read?

I really didn't notice, sir.

Your bunk is right above his,
but you didn't notice?

I'm a private kind of person.

Well, if you had to venture a wild guess,
Carnahan,

what do you think
MacDonald liked to do?

Spend his life at work.

Computers run the weapons systems,
the radar, the sonar.

We're the backbone of the ship here,
Agent DiNozzo.

The brightest of the brightest
under your command.

I like to think so.

Where was Seaman MacDonald
in the food chain?

- He was good.
- How good?

That depends on what
you're comparing him to.

All right, compared to you.

I trained at MIT, MacDonald
was a year out of high school.

The best IT guy in our office is 22.
Harvard.

When he gets stuck,
he calls his 14-year-old nephew.

- MacDonald was very good.
- How very?

When he was focused,
better than anyone here.

Including you?

- Including me.
- Had he been focused lately?

- No. Hadn't been for a long time.
- You think he offed himself, Lieutenant?

It's possible.

He was troubled. There was definitely
something bothering him.

He was having a hard time
adjusting to ship life.

- I suggested he get into counselling.
- Was he receptive?

No, ma'am.
He just wanted to talk to me.

- What were his issues?
- I wouldn't get into them.

It was obvious that Seaman MacDonald
was disturbed,

but I wasn't qualified, ma'am.

But you did talk to him.

As his medical corpsman,
not his psychologist.

All I know is that he had
this mysterious friend.

I mean, he was from here,
but he wasn't here.

It didn't make any sense.

But he seemed obsessed with him.

Do you think that Russell MacDonald
was capable of taking his own life?

Off the record.

Definitely not!

TONY: So, here's what we got.

A dead kid wearing
dress whites for no reason,

with a sword he shouldn't have on,
which is not supposed to be sharp,

at the bottom of the ocean,
with weights on.

He was a brilliant
but troubled computer tech

who lived at work,
and had a mysterious friend.

Okay, so, given the circumstances,
probably not an accidental death.

So, suicide or murder?

The CO suggests
he could have killed himself.

The corpsman he confided in
and his mother

are adamant he never would have.

All right. Something else to consider.

I found this
in Seaman MacDonald's rack.

You know,
that razor-sharp sword he was wearing?

He was teaching himself how to use it.

We found a couple more things
on MacDonald's body.

He was wearing this around his neck.

It's just your average
St Christopher medal.

But here's what's really odd.
He had this in his pocket.

My guess is
it's some sort of character charter

for a fantasy game.

What kind of game?

It looks like an MMORPG.

- MM. What?
- MMORPG.

It's a massive multiplayer
online role-playing game.

They're huge on the Internet.

And a character charter would be what?

It's like a character's manifesto.

His goals, moral stance, creed.

You're kidding me.

No, they really get into this stuff.

There can be, like,
thousands of players on one site alone.

Well, it's comforting to know that

Russell's computer skills were being
put to good use on $1 billion ship.

He's a computer geek?

Yeah, worked in
the Combat Information Centre.

That is a perfect gig for a power gamer.

I mean, he was working on combat,
it was just more like the medieval kind.

- Abby, are games like this violent?
- Well, there's poisonings, thieveries,

stabbings, decapitations,
the occasional garrotte.

I'd say that's violent.

What should we look for
on his hard drive?

If he's any good,
he won't leave any footprints.

So where's the evidence,
if there is evidence?

Cyberspace.

Theoretically, yeah.

Can you find it?

Maybe. These gaming sites are run

by anonymous server clients
in every country on the planet.

MacDonald's file didn't show
any foreign language skills,

you're probably looking
for something run in English.

That's good.

The machines are state-of-the-art.
Think government excess.

Well, that'll eliminate the weekenders,
and the lo-fi guys.

I mean, I'll give it a shot, you know.

The sword.

Yeah. What about it?

The blade has nicks in it.
Contact with hard metal.

Another sword?

- It's possible.
- Two sailors playing with sharp swords.

Once in a while you might miss.
I'm on it.

Abby, have fun with your MMROPG.

What?

- MMORPG.
- Thank you.

You're welcome.

- Can I talk to Ducky now?
- Yeah.

You might wanna warn us about

what you're working on after lunch,
Ducky.

Yes, I suppose gazing directly
into an exposed digestive system

doesn't aid the actual process.

Not after the meal we just had.

Yes, I'm sorry about that, my friend,
but sometimes gaining valuable insight

requires suffering small indignities.

I recall one case, a young woman,
not much older than yourself.

She ingested
a small piece of jewellery...

Ducky?

- Yes?
- What have we got?

Oh, aah...

Anoxia,

sea water in the stomach,
foam in the trachea.

- Classic death by drowning.
- A slight haemorrhaging of the inner ear

possibly caused
by this rapid shift in pressure.

Because he sank so fast.

That's correct.

Then here we have dirt.

Yes, his fingers grabbed whatever
he was touching when he succumbed.

There's a good chance
Abby will deduce

the dirt came from the ocean floor.

- Which means?
- That Seaman MacDonald was alive

when he went into the sea.

Stainless steel blade,
acid-edged and hand polished.

The fittings, guard, and pommel
are 24 carat gold plated.

As late as the 1800s,
a sword like this would have been used

to defend against an enemy
trying to board a ship.

Only the blade would have been
sharp enough to take a man's limb off.

I always liked pirate movies. Didn't you?

Not really.

Of course, today
it wouldn't stand much of a chance

against a 9-mill,
H and K MP5 Parabellum, would it?

- I guess you like gun movies, too?
- I like all weapons, sir.

I can really appreciate that, Ensign.

Are all the officers'
ceremonial swords accounted for?

Yes, sir. I checked with 32 officers,
found 32 swords,

including my beauty.

We're gonna need to take a look
at all of them.

Yes, sir.

So where do you think MacDonald
could have acquired the sword?

The only place that
would have sold them.

The Base Exchange.

- Roosevelt Roads Naval Station?
- Yes, sir.

If a clerk was lax in checking I.D.'s,
he could have bought one as a souvenir.

But he'd have to hide it onboard.

Why's that?

Enlisted men aren't allowed
to carry weapons on ship.

That'd be insane.

- We're taking care of you, I trust.
- Very nicely, Skipper.

- I didn't know the boy very well.
- No one did, it seems.

He was doing some maintenance work
on my computer last week.

He seemed to be in a bit of a daze.

So I had a corpsman
administer a drug test.

He was clean.

The toxicology test we gave him
came up negative.

What do you make
of the uniform, the sword and all?

Not sure.

But we think he was involved
in an online fantasy game.

Like an MMORPG?

Yeah.

My children play. A lot.

Well, we think he might have taken it
a step further

and staged real fights
with someone onboard.

Onboard? How would that be possible?

Well, Skipper,
I'm sure you know this ship

better than anyone else
under your command.

Inside and out, Agent Gibbs.

So, if you wanted to stage a sword fight
with another shipmate

and not get caught...

Damage Control, in the Machine Shop,
at night.

(KEYBOARD CLICKING)

Damn! King's guards again.

Okay, I'm turning left into the dungeon

and I spy a great staff of power!

(EXCLAIMING)

Kick their asses!

I've already surpassed the third level
of the fortress

and made it into the dungeon corridor
of the castle's inner stronghold.

After, of course, slaying two gnomes,
a drunken dwarf, and a frenzied ogre.

Of course.

You know,
this reminds me of something.

Actually, I can't think of a thing
it reminds me of.

The night Seaman MacDonald died
there were three laceration injuries.

Two were work-related,
verified by the division officers.

- The other?
- A prank gone wrong,

in front of seven witnesses.

It didn't involve a sword.

Well, there have to be injuries
that don't have witnesses.

All the time, ma'am.
Mostly after a liberty call.

A surprising number of shaving cuts.

Chief, it would be helpful
if I could get some of the files

of any of the questionable lacerations.

- Going back how far, ma'am?
- A couple of months?

I'll need a couple of hours.

I like the symmetry.

MacDonald's mystery friend

did he ever mention being afraid of him?

He only talked about him once.

It was more like Seaman MacDonald
was in awe of him.

- You're a prince, Ducky.
- Is that a safe occupation in this...

What is this game you're playing?

The Immortals.

And being a prince is pretty safe.

Unless the elf sorceress invades
the king's apartment

and turns you into an ogre.

Whoa! Whoa!
I just dodged a flaming arrow!

Well done.

- I'm almost there, Ducky.
- And where exactly is "there"?

- The innermost stronghold of the castle.
- The keep.

- Yeah, see? You're catching on!
- Not really.

Remember the character charter I found
in the dead seaman's uniform?

The booklet?

The booklet contained his character's
name, "Weylin," and his creed.

I just don't know
if he was playing The Immortals

or some other online game.

And that's what you're trying to find out?

Yeah, if I can get into the keep,

I can open a log of all characters that
have played The Immortals.

- What's that coming towards you?
- It's an orc!

I just got dismembered!

Now I have to infiltrate the castle again.

Would this help, my dear?

Oh, yes.

Gibbs, good guess, MacDonald
got his sword at Roosevelt Roads.

If he was sword fighting with someone,
they probably bought it there, too.

(CELL PHONE RINGING)

- Yeah?
- I found the site MacDonald frequented.

- He was playing his character, Weylin.
- Like the singer?

More like the mystical
half-elf warrior Weylin.

It's W-E-Y-L-I-N.

That charter we found
on MacDonald's body,

it referred to his main rival, Kinvaras.

Their main mode of combat was parle.

- Abby?
- Sword fighting.

And here's the big whoop.

Fine, whoop me.

The guy who plays Kinvaras
logs on from the Foster.

The same ship you're on.

Who would have thought
that Pong would turn to

online role-playing games?

Pong?

Yeah, the first video game.

And what are the odds
of Seaman MacDonald's character...

Weylin.

- Fighting online in...
- The Immortals.

- Another seaman's character...
- Kinvaras?

And both of them
are on the same destroyer?

About the same as Seaman MacDonald
being found

at the bottom of the sea
with chains around his waist?

Sounds like something that
should happen in the game.

- Beheading is more likely.
- Why do they use such weird names?

When you're a computer geek
invading dungeons and fighting ogres,

Jethro doesn't cut it.

Neither does Tony.

(MAN ANNOUNCING OVER P.A.)

Seaman MacDonald
bought an officer's sword

and was teaching himself how to use it.

I think he found out
who else onboard was role-playing...

Kinvaras.

And decided to take it to the next level:
Reality.

But, boss,
if they both had to have swords,

chances are they bought them
at the Navy Exchange in Puerto Rico.

I could helo there, make an undercover
purchase of a sword,

bust the clerk, swap the bust for info on
who bought the swords from the ship.

Could be there and back in 24 hours.

- Six.
- Twelve.

This is not a negotiation, DiNozzo.

Six.

Damn!

This is gonna take a while.

Can I help you, Petty Officer?

What do you think?

I think they look good on you.

- Yeah?
- Yeah.

- I'll take them.
- Okay.

Would you like anything else?

How about a naval officer's sword?

- You know I can't sell you that.
- My friend said I could get one here.

Your friend is wrong.
I could get in trouble.

It's not like it's drugs or anything,
it's just a stupid sword.

Well, the navy has these rules, okay?
Take it up with them.

I'll pay extra.

Come on.
I just want to take it home as a souvenir.

Nobody's gonna know.

- $600.
- They retail for $400.

I could lose my job.

$500.

All right. All right. All right.

Thank you.

Now, look, I know you're gonna take this
the wrong way but I'm NCIS.

And you've got some explaining to do.

(SPEAKING IN SPANISH)

All I want is some information. Okay?
No, no, that's all I want.

Once you settle down,
we're gonna be just fine.

Hey! Now listen,

you gotta love Puerto Rico.

Hey, look at these marks.

More here.

These are about two sword-lengths
from the cuts in the other one.

MacDonald and Kinvaras were starting
to take their game very seriously.

- We don't know that yet.
- Well, I checked all the officers' swords

and there wasn't a scratch
on any of them.

Abby has not concluded that
the other metal that

MacDonald's sword
came in contact with

came from another sword.

Then why did you send Tony
to Puerto Rico?

It's called being thorough.
Hunches do not hold up in court.

Well, it's not just a hunch.

Two people stated
that he wasn't prone to suicide.

- Why are you pushing this, Kate?
- Because it makes sense.

- He's Catholic.
- And so are you.

You cannot let personal situations
colour your judgement.

I don't. But you hired me
because of my knowledge

and my experience.

You've never seen how a suicide
can tear up a Catholic family.

They take it very seriously.

Somehow I don't think
this guy's the catechism type.

He was wearing a St Christopher medal

when they found him.

Even the most hardened criminals
wouldn't cross that line.

It's part of the culture.

(CELL PHONE RINGING)

Yeah. Gibbs.

Hey, it's me.

Hey, your ears must have been burning.

Better not be from the tropical sun.

Here's what I have.

Hang on. The reception's not good here.

Let me see if I can get to a better spot.

It's DiNozzo. I'm gonna go up top,
see if I can get a better signal.

The Base Exchange
was selling swords to enlisted.

One was definitely
to Seaman MacDonald.

There were three other seamen

who illegally bought officer swords.

And I've got their descriptions.

Okay, where are you?

I'm waiting for my helo to arrive.
It's gonna be a couple hours, though.

(TROPICAL MUSIC PLAYING)

Hey! What is that?

It's music, Gibbs.

Don't be so paranoid.

You know I'm a professional.

Yeah! This one matches the description
Tony gave us.

The name's not on the list
of suspicious injuries at sick bay.

How many people on this boat?

This ship has 323 enlisted, 32 officers.

You're lucky this isn't an aircraft carrier.

- What?
- Petty Officer Ronald Zuger

cut his arm on a plate-glass window
last month.

Only there were no glass shards
in the wound.

- Matches the description?
- To a tee. Guess where he works?

Impressive swordsmanship.

Killed anyone else lately?

The last time I looked
there was nothing in the UCMJ

about virtual homicide, sir.

- You're not under arrest.
- Then why am I here, sir?

Well, for starters, there's a little matter
of misappropriation

of government property.

- Everyone in CIC plays online a little.
- Well, here's a flash.

They don't give you guys
top-notch equipment

so you can have
a better gaming experience.

Well, they wouldn't have top-notch
equipment if it weren't for guys like me.

Guys like you and Seaman MacDonald?

Okay, what came first,

the online chicken or the CIC egg?

I didn't know he was onboard
for a long time.

Must have been quite a shock.

Actually we had
a pretty good laugh over it.

He's not laughing now.

Is he?

(COMPUTER BLEEPING)

Yes!

(PHONE RINGING)

- NCIS.
- That's very official.

Gibbs isn't answering his phone.
Where is he?

Having a talk with Kinvaras.

Well, if he's anywhere near
as whacked out as his rival,

tell Gibbs to watch his neck.

You got into MacDonald's diary?

I did.

This guy had diarrhoea of the keyboard.

It's going to take me a while
to get through it.

I'll do it. I want to.

Cool.

Seaman MacDonald saw you
as some sort of authority figure.

I outranked him, sir.

- That's not what I mean.
- I didn't kill him, sir!

Okay. Have you ever killed him?

In the game?

Sure.

Kinvaras has beheaded Weylin
lots of times.

You were better than him.

Lots better.

Pissed him off.

Is that when you decided
to fight for real?

- I never said we fought for real, sir.
- Tony!

I found this hidden in your rack, amigo.

It won't take long for the crime lab
to match up the metals.

Look, it was his idea.
Take the game to the next level.

I thought it was kind of cool at the time!

- Until you got cut.
- Yes, sir.

That frighten you, Zuger?

When you found out that
MacDonald was playing for real?

Kinvaras is never frightened.

And I've never quite known
what Weylin was thinking.

Where were you the night that
MacDonald went overboard?

I was helping a friend
with a computer problem

most of the night.

Big problem.

Huge, sir.

MACDONALD: I'm constantly
being scrutinised by the crew.

Every move I make is monitored
by calculating eyes.

I'm sure at this point
they're in allegiance with Kinvaras.

I can't let them know I'm onto them.

The element of surprise

will be a great advantage
for my final triumph.

Petty Officer Zuger said
he was helping you

the night Seaman MacDonald went over.
Is that true?

In a way.

Are you gonna help me out here,
Petty Officer Carnahan?

I've been downloading a lot of stuff
off the Internet onto my PC.

Porn?

I was pretty sure my CO
was suspicious, so I hired Zuger.

- He cleaned out the hard drive.
- A considerable amount to clean out.

I have a lot of free time
on my hands, sir.

As I thought. Abby matched

the dirt lodged under
Seaman MacDonald's fingernails

with the sedimentary composition
of the ocean floor.

Any signs the suspect had
a dance partner before he went over?

There were abrasions on his hands.

No sign of a struggle?

No. The only bruising I could see
is where the chain was attached.

No, I'm afraid the only struggle
this poor fellow endured

was the one to breathe
when he hit the bottom.

Okay, thanks.

I wish I could say it was my pleasure.

From what I hear,

the afterlife could be
a vast improvement

for a young man so troubled.

You know, there's a great book
I should send you...

Gotta go, Duck.

There are no signs the victim struggled

and our only suspect
has an iron-clad alibi.

- Sure looks like a suicide to me.
- I don't think it's that simple.

You are letting
your personal experience

get in the way here.

No, I'm not talking
about his religious morals.

Okay, I've been reading this diary
for hours

and MacDonald gives no indication
of an intent to kill himself.

- Just the opposite, in fact.
- Go on.

MacDonald seems resolved
to continue his battle with Kinvaras

after he leaves the ship.

So why would a man
so intent on his mission

no matter how deranged,
off himself and end it?

- What else is in his diary?
- I'm on the last entry right now.

Get me Petty Officer Zuger's
records now.

I'm on it.

I need Petty Officer Zuger's records,
please. I'll hold.

What?

Aren't you the least bit interested
to know what I brought you back

- from Puerto Rico?
- No.

- Listen to this.
- Hey, yeah.

MacDonald says that
after he makes his escape

he'll destroy his enemies by releasing
a great plague against the realm

as the sun sets
beneath the next full moon.

- File's on the way.
- Plague?

Plague.

Yeah, here it is.

MacDonald had applied
for the NBC programme.

Nuclear, biological
and chemical weapons.

Passed the physical, flunked the psych.

So what's the realm he's talking about?

I think it's the Foster.

MacDonald was convinced that
the crew was aiding his enemy.

He's gonna set a bio bomb
off on this ship.

- Tell me it's not a full moon tonight.
- Sorry, boss.

- What time does the sun set?
- 23:37 Zulu.

- About an hour from now.
- Get Zuger in front of this computer

and see if he can find out
anything about MacDonald

or a bio weapon in that game site.

Navy ships do not carry
bio-chemical weapons

nor would they have the material
to make one.

Contact Reynolds
at Homeland Security.

He'll know if there's anything
unaccounted for in this region.

- Where's the captain?
- In a staff meeting.

Hey, you can't go in there!

Skipper, I have reason to believe
a bomb, possibly containing a bio agent

is set to detonate aboard this ship
by sunset.

- How real do you think that threat is?
- Very real.

- Sound general quarters.
- Yes, sir.

Deploy the flying squad.
Start with the ventilation systems

and alert sick bay of the situation
and have them stand by.

Aye, aye, sir.

(MAN ON P.A.) General quarters!
General quarters!

All hands, man your stations.
Stand by for further.

General quarters! General quarters!

What are you doing, sir?

Do you know anything about a bomb
aboard this ship?

What?

Did MacDonald ever talk about
delivering a virus aboard the Foster?

No! I don't think so.

Let's get on your site now!

I wanna know if there's
even the slightest clue

about MacDonald setting off
any kind of bio bomb aboard this ship.

Reynolds says
there's no known material missing

but the intel's soft.
They'll continue to check.

Stay on him every five minutes.

Well, he expressly told me
to wait for his call.

I expressly don't give a damn.
Ride his ass.

(DISTORTED VOICE) Die, Kinvaras!
Die!

No! He can't do this!

- What's going on?
- I'm not sure.

Weylin hacked me.
And Kinvaras is gone.

Is MacDonald covering his tracks?

You listen to me very closely.

There's a good chance that a bio bomb
is going off on this ship by sunset.

Right now,
you're the best shot we've got to find it.

You give me answers

or I will make sure
you're the last one in line on the evac.

Did MacDonald even hint, in any way,
of taking out this crew?

No, sir. Nothing.

Go over MacDonald's diary again.
Maybe we missed something.

I want to know every detail that
happened between you and MacDonald.

Skipper, the hospitals in Raleigh
are on standby

and the helos from the Washington
and the Bryan are on their way.

We've got a little more
than 20 minutes, Zuger.

What is it you're not telling me?

Do you want the crew
of this ship to die?

He was crazy, you know.
He really thought he was immortal!

He thought you were Kinvaras,
didn't he?

That's why you fought with real swords.

I thought we were just playing the game.
And then he tried to kill me.

- So you killed him?
- No! I just...

- I just challenged him!
- Challenged him to what?

To go UA.
Like he was always talking about!

I told him to take his sword
and swim to shore!

Why was he wearing weights
if he was gonna swim?

Why did he have weights
chained to his waist?

I told him that was the only way
he could prove to me he was immortal.

Why would you let him do that?

To win the game.

This isn't helping us.

- Anything else in those diaries?
- I've been over them twice.

Well, go over them again, Kate!

Nothing yet, sir, and it's almost sunset.

Have Agent Gibbs
report to my sea cabin now.

I'm missing something.
I know I am. How much time?

A little over five minutes.

This stuff MacDonald said
about cutting off the head

so the body will die.

I mean, we're assuming
that is part of setting up

a "plague against the realm."

But what if it meant
two separate things?

Okay.

Zuger's website
and his character were destroyed.

And the plague against the realm

could simply be referring
to a computer virus.

Leaving "cutting off the head"
as another threat.

Exactly.

And MacDonald was sure that
the crew was aligned with his enemy.

He made it clear
he was just as threatened with them

as he was with Kinvaras.

So he's talking about the crew

when he refers to cutting off the head
so the body will die.

- That's what I'm thinking.
- Who's the head of the crew?

My ship is in chaos
because of your hunch, Agent Gibbs.

I'd characterise it
more as a deduction, Skipper.

Whatever the hell it is,
it's pretty damn flimsy.

I appreciate that.
It's all we have to go on.

The seaman's mental attitude is...

Is there some kind of NCIS protocol...

It's not the boat!

- It's a ship.
- It's the skipper.

Where are you
about this time every day, sir?

- I don't see what that has to do...
- Just answer the question, sir!

- Here. Every day I send a...
- We gotta go, now!

- Go! Go! Go! Go!
- What the hell?

You all right?

- Are you okay?
- Yes.

I'm finding this
very hard to understand, Abby.

Where did I lose you?

I think somewhere around the part
about Weylin and Kinvaras.

- Okay. Seaman MacDonald was Weylin.
- Got that.

And Petty Officer Zuger was Kinvaras.

Yes, I remember that
'cause it sounds a lot like Canaris.

- What?
- A German navy admiral, World War II.

Okay. Whatever works for you.

So we've got MacDonald, Weylin,

and Zuger, Kinvaras,
battling online in The Immortals game.

Zuger always wins,

so MacDonald challenges him to a fight,
like, for real.

And they both buy officers' swords
at the Navy Exchange in Puerto Rico.

But they were enlisted.

Let's say they bought
their commissions.

That was done at one time, you know.

So they're sword fighting
and MacDonald wins.

He cuts Zuger. Zuger gets pissed,
and he goes back to the one thing that

he knows he can beat MacDonald at.

The Immortals.

Yes and no.

Zuger realises that
MacDonald has tripped out

and thought he really was Weylin.

So Zuger challenges him to prove it.

MacDonald puts weights
around his waist

jumps ship, and tries to walk
across the bottom of the bay to dry land.

You know, Abby,

sometimes the dead
make more sense to me than the living.

Me, too.

You all right?

I just can't get over how the line
between reality and fantasy

was so blurred for Seaman MacDonald.

For him, destroying Zuger's website

was every bit as real and violent
as trying to kill the skipper.

I'm so glad my parents pushed me
into sports in high school.

Aren't you interested at all in what
I brought you back from Puerto Rico?

- Sure.
- All right.

- You've gotta be kidding.
- It's a bikini. Two-piece.

A bottom.

- And a hat?
- Puerto Rican.

Any chance you're gonna try that on?

You first.

- Trust me, not gonna fit.
- Pigs. I work with pigs.

It's a fantasy RPG book,

complete with character sheets
and dice.

Baby steps, Gibbs, baby steps.

- It's in Spanish.
- There's just no pleasing you, is there?