NCIS (2003–…): Season 14, Episode 20 - Episode #14.20 - full transcript
REED (over speakerphone):
One more item, Admiral.
You got 30 seconds.
Got breakfast
with the undersecretary.
It's about the Hornets
on the Phoenix, sir.
Offloading ordnance?
14 tons on deck waiting to go.
Problem is the weather.
I'm looking at it.
Try it tonight
if the ceiling lifts.
But I don't want any Gatlings
in the Atlantic.
Makes two of us.
Thank you, sir.
Fleet movements
in the Suez, sir.
And remember
to print out your speech.
Oh, right.
COMPUTER VOICE (Russian accent):
The Elliott Virus
has encrypted your device
with an unbreakable algorithm.
Purchase a decryption key
or lose your data forever.
The hell is this?
Downey.
What did you do?
Nothing. I opened an e-mail.
The Elliott Virus
has encrypted your device
with an unbreakable algorithm.
Sir, you've been hacked.
Purchase a decryption key
or lose your data forever.
*
(gun clicks)
FIRING LINE COMMANDER:
Cease fire. Cease fire.
Make sure
the firing lane is safe
before going downrange
to score your targets.
McGEE:
Boss, where's your SIG?
Old Corps, McGee.
Going back to my roots.
McGEE:
That your old .45?
GIBBS:
That's my dad's Colt. 1911.
I grew up shooting it.
Reliable. Packs a punch.
I don't know.
It just feels right.
Yeah.
I can see why.
Special Agent McGee.
Yes?
Lieutenant Downey.
Aide to Vice Admiral Chase.
He okay?
He needs to see
Agent McGee right away.
Sure.
TORRES:
Hey, Gibbs.
Where's Quinn?
This was a
mandatory re-qual.
Worry about
yourself, Torres.
And your aim.
Oh, no.
No, no, no, no, no.
Not there. Not there.
Uh, the impatiens go over there.
They only, they only
thrive in the shade.
Like some people I know.
QUINN:
Marie.
There you are.
Hey!
Baby!
Wh...
What are you
doing here?
What am I doing here?
Okay, let's go
with your question.
You text me, "911. Emergency."
Oh, forget about that.
I'm obviously okay now.
It's not obvious to me
the last hour.
I... Where's your phone?
Um, it's here. Here.
You know, I have a very bad
relationship with this phone.
Yep, I have
the ringer off.
I'm sorry, baby.
Oh.
Look at this place.
Look at it.
Hmm.
MARIE:
Look at all the color.
Oh, God, I love spring.
Jorge, uh, the pansies go
in the window box.
The window box.
Marie...
Oh, never mind, I'll
deal with that later.
Marie, listen, next time,
no more 911s unless you really
mean it from now on, okay?
Okay.
Okay?
Okay.
Okay.
See you tomorrow night.
What's tomorrow night?
Darling, it's your
father's birthday.
Oh, come on, you
didn't forget.
I'm making my celebrated
12-hour ribs, baby.
No, I did...
I didn't forget.
Uh, I'll be here.
Ransom what?
McGEE:
Ransomware.
Like malware.
The computer virus.
How did I get it?
Well, my guess is
you clicked a link that had
the ransomware embedded in it.
Oh, my sister's e-mail.
Is there any
classified data on here?
Classified, unclassified.
And when was the last time
you backed this up?
Never.
I have antivirus software.
Viruses mutate.
Well...
That's why the flu virus
circumvents
the flu vaccine every year.
CHASE:
What does this mean?
Well, you click that,
and it sends the virus
to people you know.
They pay, you get
the decryption key.
(scoffs)
Admiral, you're not
the first one
to be infected by ransomware,
and you won't be the last.
Hundreds of companies,
thousands of people
have all paid the ransom.
Well, I won't. No way in hell.
You know, Admiral,
it's pretty reasonable,
actually-- it's $500.
Tim, your father used to brag
about you all the time.
Said you were NCIS's
number one cyber tech.
I know you can
figure this out.
Admiral, this isn't some kind
of riddle that I can solve.
Okay, the data
is locked up
until you input
the decryption key.
So input it.
That's what I'm trying
to tell you is that
you need to pay to get the key.
If you don't pay,
you lose everything on here--
photos, documents, everything.
41 years in the Navy,
I have never surrendered
to the enemy.
I'm not about
to start now.
Impressive range score, Ellie.
Only three points
behind Gibbs.
Really? Hmm.
I didn't notice.
Yeah, Ellie's a deadeye.
Glad she's on our side.
Ah, there she is.
QUINN: Morning.
Hey, Quinn, you missed
a serious gunplay this morning.
Oh.
Really, though, where were you?
Uh, at the corner
of mind your own business.
Oh.
Okay.
You won't believe
what that was about.
The admiral asked you to
track down the computer hacker
who infected his laptop
with ransomware?
Yeah, he called Vance
after you left.
Gibbs is up there right now.
This guy won't let up.
Where's his laptop?
I didn't take it. I told him
there's nothing I could do.
You did the right thing, McGee.
Thank you, boss.
Quinn.
Mm-hmm.
Are you good?
You need more time?
No, thank you.
Oh, the admiral.
Looks like he finally
came to his senses.
COMPUTER VOICE (over phone):
The Elliott Virus
has encrypted your device
with an unbreakable...
No, no.
No, no, no, no, no.
Wait, what just happened?
Is that...
Wait. Everyone, listen up.
Get off your Wi-Fis.
We're all connected
on the same network.
If I got infected...
(computer voice speaking
over all computers)
Purchase a decryption key
or lose your data forever.
Purchase a decryption key or
lose your data forever.
We all got hacked.
VANCE: You intentionally
infected an NCIS agent
with a computer virus?
I was trying
to motivate him.
By committing a felony?
Five felonies?
I meant to send it
to Tim only.
Viruses spread.
Are you going after me
or the hacker that started this?
We could do both.
McGEE:
Look, I was able
to contain the virus
to only our team.
Nothing classified is at risk;
all data's backed up.
That said, I don't
suspect our admiral
would have done
something so foolish
without a very
good reason.
It's photographs.
Of my wife, God rest her soul.
Memories I can't get back.
I meant to
print them out.
That's why we have
to get this guy.
Sir, we have our entire cyber
crime unit working on this,
but as far as getting
our hacker by tomorrow,
it's just impossible.
Nothing is impossible, Tim.
Hypothetically,
how would someone defeat
this ransomware virus?
Humor me.
Well, there's only one way,
and that would be to find
the physical location
of the computer server hosting
it, shut it down from there.
And this server could
operate from anywhere?
Anywhere in the world.
That's why most people pay
the $500.
It's not worth the time
and energy to fight.
Well, paying the ransom may be
the answer for civilians,
Agent McGee,
but the government's
not in the business
of financing terrorists.
And make no mistake,
that's exactly
what these hackers are.
Gibbs, is your team
working on a case?
We are now.
QUINN: It's so weird
without cell phones.
Yeah, and not laptop.
Well, the desktops still work.
They're hardwired
to a different network.
Burn phones, till we get
our new smartphones tomorrow.
Seriously?
This takes me back
to my undercover days.
BISHOP:
I mean, (scoffs)
what do you even do
with these things?
Call people.
Boss?
No, I'm good.
Hack-proof.
Flip phone.
What do we know
about ransomware?
BISHOP: Well, this is a screen-
grab of the Elliott virus.
It's not on anyone's radar,
so it's new.
QUINN: I'm trying to
trace the I.P. address,
but the hacker has hopped
through multiple proxies,
all located in Russia.
Also, Gibbs, MI6 has
a guy in Moscow
who specializes in
counter-cyberterrorism.
Say the word,
and I can get him in MTAC.
IAN:
75% of all ransomware
originates in Russia.
It's a source of national pride.
Special Agent Gibbs and McGee,
MI6 Intel Officer
Ian Lipovetskiy.
I call it, um, the Russian
invasion. (chuckles)
They penetrate your borders
without ever leaving
the comfort of
their gulag.
Do you recognize
the virus, Officer?
No. Never seen it before.
But I think that your hacker is
from your side of the pond.
An American? Why?
The warning voice is
computer-generated,
so why does it have
a Russian accent?
That's pretty thin evidence.
Well, I have more.
The, uh, the ransom page itself,
it doesn't have any typos.
The Russian hackers' demands
tend to be
full of misspellings
or improper syntax,
but this is
grammatically perfect.
What do you suggest?
Well, my counterpart,
Clint Asher,
who works for your government,
operates out of Langley.
If he can't help you,
no one can.
And this is where
it all happens.
Well, it's certainly
very orange.
TORRES (chuckles):
Yeah.
And there she is.
Uh-oh. What did I tell you?
Not exactly thrilled
to see me.
No, not not thrilled.
Oh, darling, I know this
is going over the line,
I know this is
totally verboten,
but I remembered
what the 911 was about,
and I tried to
call your cell phone,
and it's not working.
So...
So, I was at security,
I overheard
whose mother she was,
and I'm not gonna let you
wait down there.
Mm.
And I've always depended
on the kindness of strangers.
You're such a Blanche.
Oh!
Oh, no, she's not a Blanche,
she's a Marie.
Honey, anyone
this adorable
who knows Streetcar
can call me whatever he wants.
Uh, okay, Mom.
Uh, what did you want?
My Crock-Pot, kid.
You took it
four weeks ago,
and I haven't seen it since.
Is that what the 911 was about?
Yeah.
Well, how am I gonna make
12-hour ribs
without my Crock-Pot?
12-hour ribs? Wow.
What are you doing
tomorrow night?
Oh, no.
He's-he's very busy.
I am?
Mm-hmm. You signed up
for the stakeout... mission.
Oh, damn. Yeah. The...
There's this, uh, mission
that's a stakeout.
It's like a stakeout mission,
I signed up for.
Oh. Well, some
other time, then.
Another time, then.
Yep, rain check it.
Rain check!
Yeah.
But you know what?
Let's-let's go get
the Crock-Pot now.
Really?
Yeah.
We can go right now?
Absolutely.
You can take that time?
You're gonna cover for me?
Absolutely.
Great.
Well, Nick, it was a
pleasure to meet you.
It was all mine.
Or should I call you Stanley?
Go ahead and
call me Stanley.
(laughs)
Come on. Come on.
Oh, baby, I don't know
how you get any work done
with a charmer like that around.
Mm-hmm.
Moms love me.
Ransomware is exploding.
It's gone from one percent of my
day to 80% in just three years.
Hmm. Why?
Money.
Last year, Americans paid
a quarter billion dollars
to unlock their data.
Did you say a billion?
(chuckles) With a
capital "B," yes.
So... why is NCIS going
after cyberterrorists?
Not that I can't
use the help, but...
Oh.
You're not here as agents,
you're here as victims.
Well, technically, we're both.
No shame in that.
So, Ian thinks that
your hacker is American.
What are we looking at?
Well, it's called
the Elliott Virus.
Elliott?
Yeah.
You heard of it?
No, just, uh,
let me take a look.
(sighs)
Huh.
What?
Uh, nothing.
Just, every time
I see a ransom screen,
it reminds me of chasing ghosts.
I have a program that analyzes
code snippets in the binaries
to try to match it
with a known virus.
I'll get right on it and
get back to you tonight.
We'd appreciate that.
Here's a temporary number.
Obviously,
sooner than later
would be better.
(tears paper)
Of course.
Thanks.
Yeah.
What do you think?
Guy scratches his neck a lot.
Yeah, you think Asher knows more
than he's saying, don't you?
Well, that neck
thing is his tell.
I could take all that guy's
money at a poker table.
So what's he hiding?
I can't see his cards, I
can just see he's bluffing.
Well, let's bring him in.
See what shakes out
in interrogation.
Yeah.
How'd you know I
thought he was dodgy?
'Cause you have
a tell, too.
Really? What is it?
(scoffs)
Asher?
Asher?
He's gone.
I thought he was gonna
get right on it
and get back to us tonight.
It's like I'm
living in 1997.
I know, right? It took me, like,
ten minutes to text "Hello."
(sighs) How does
Gibbs live like this?
Very well, thank you.
Oh. Hey, Gibbs.
Help me out here.
I can only preprogram
nine numbers into this phone.
Yeah. So?
Well, so how do you call
everyone else?
I remember their phone numbers.
That's insane.
(laughs) Clint Asher.
Where is he?
Vanished.
Uh, we were the last people
to see him.
That was 15 hours ago.
Yeah, his wife said
he didn't come home last night,
so I'm bringing her in
to talk to us.
REEVES:
Asher hasn't used a credit card,
accessed an ATM machine,
or made a phone call since
he walked out on us last night.
And his phone's shut off.
He even turned off
the GPS in his car.
Where's McGee?
Down with Abby,
checking the traffic cams
around his office.
What do we know about him?
REEVES: 30 years old.
Married, one son.
Works for the government's
counter-cyberterrorism
task force.
No arrests.
No major debts.
No major assets.
Red flags?
One. Uh, he was kicked out
of college his senior year.
For what?
For quote, "Conduct detrimental
to the university."
What kind of conduct?
Finding that out now.
Yeah, Abby?
Yeah, yeah. I'm on the way down.
That's good.
I love this phone.
Hey, how's Mom?
Oh, uh, Mom's Mom.
Sorry about yesterday.
Sorry for what?
She was cool.
Yeah, she's cool.
And nuts.
Oh, everyone thinks
their mom is nuts.
Mm. Not like Marie.
Why do you
call her that?
Oh, well, why not?
I'm kind of like the mother
in the relationship.
No, seriously,
though. Why?
Seriously?
Well, she told me to.
She thought "Mom"
made her sound too old,
especially when my friends
and I were teenagers.
Ah, an original cougar.
I like to think of it
as a youthful quality.
You know. Not so much anymore.
(clicks tongue)
There something else?
Like what?
Like something else
you're not saying?
Like, a family secret?
Who are you, Oprah, now?
Okay.
Forget I asked.
Okay.
Where is he?
Well, we were hoping that you
could tell us, Mrs. Asher.
(scoffs)
I don't know anything.
You're supposed
to tell me something.
Has he ever
disappeared before?
No. Not until you walked
into his office.
What did you say to him?
Well, he was helping with our
investigation into ransomware.
That's what he does every day.
He puts hackers behind bars.
Maybe... one of them got out
and came after him.
We'd like permission
to look at his home computer.
Depends.
Does NCIS consider him
a victim or a suspect?
Mrs. Asher...
You know what? Um, go ahead.
My husband is a good man.
We found Clint Asher.
Where?
Well, we-we
found his car.
Traffic cams?
Nope. Satellite radio.
All right. I think
we have everything. Thank you.
I don't follow.
Well, Asher's Toyota
has satellite radio.
Pays a recurring
monthly fee for it.
We got the serial number to the
radio control unit in his car,
and the satellite company was
able to locate the transmitter.
Satellite radios
have transmitters?
Some do, to record
proprietary information, yeah.
Okay, got it. Off Highway 224,
south of Marbury, Maryland.
The car has been there
since 7:27 this morning.
Go, McGee. Take Bishop.
All right, Abby,
send me the coordinates.
Um, McGee, your phone
doesn't do GPS.
Oh, right. So...
A map, McGee.
Remember maps?
Maps, right.
Where was Asher's
car before this?
Annandale, Virginia.
Stayed there overnight.
That a hotel?
Industrial area.
Uh, looks like some kind
of self-storage facility.
The car arrived there
just after
9:00 last night,
and didn't move again
until 6:46 this morning.
BISHOP:
How many miles?
McGEE:
3.6.
BISHOP:
Oh. Oh, stop. We're here.
What do you mean, we're here?
There's nothing here.
You sure you're reading
that map right?
Maybe you missed it.
Maybe you missed it.
I was reading the map.
You know, we sound like
an old married couple right now.
(sighs) Sorry. I just
really miss my phone.
You mind if I look at that?
Okay.
Well, you're right,
this is exactly where
Asher's car should be.
Yep.
McGee.
Is that Asher's car?
BUZZ:
Nope.
And nope.
No unit has been rented
to a Clint Asher.
Or an Asher Clint,
for that matter.
So I'm-I'm sorry, I
can't help you guys.
GIBBS:
Noticed you have
security cameras
at your front gate.
Oh, God.
Last night, 9:02 p.m.
What kind of car is it
you guys are looking for?
Toyota Camry. Blue.
Well, that's pretty common.
Uh, are you sure I should even
be showing you this?
There.
TORRES: Yeah. License plate
matches. That's him.
Who's in the passenger seat?
TORRES:
I can't make him out.
BUZZ:
We good?
No.
We stay here
and watch that car leave.
6:46 this morning.
(sighs)
TORRES: Here it is.
Blue Camry.
But it's just the driver.
Where's the other guy?
Which storage unit
did they access?
The cameras are
only on the gates.
Buzz, that is not
what he's asking.
Oh, I get it.
See, you get to ask
all the questions,
Buzz gets to do all the work.
(sighs)
The gate code corresponds
to the storage unit.
So that's 217.
Who rents that unit?
Uh... (scoffs)
You know what? I got it.
You've done enough.
Boom.
All right, Unit 217
rented to David Yates.
I'm gonna take
a picture of this.
I'm taking this.
Fine. Did you boys
get what you need?
No, not yet.
(laughing)
Hello. Hello!
Hello, Bishop.
We didn't find anything.
BISHOP:
We did.
Asher's Camry.
Looks like someone dumped it.
Hey, guys, what is that?
That steam?
That open the trunk?
No.
Here.
Thanks.
All right.
Ready?
Whoa.
Why's he look like that?
He's frozen solid.
I apologize in advance,
Mr. Asher, but this might hurt.
Yeah, it's
dreadful, I know,
but it's absolutely necessary.
(sighs)
As far as it'll go, Dr. Mallard.
Thank you, Dr. Palmer.
Let's see what we have.
No, that can't be right.
What can't be right?
This man's core temperature
is 62 below zero.
How, Duck?
Well, I don't know.
Well, l-let's check it again.
You got the virus, too?
Yeah, there was a worm
functionality embedded
into the virus, which
of course replicated...
I...
(stammers)
Yes, I got the virus, too.
Ah, it's correct.
62 below.
That's nearly 100 degrees
below freezing.
What happened to him?
Well, I wouldn't even venture
a guess until I do the autopsy,
and I can't begin that until
he comes to room temperature.
Oh, not hours,
Jethro. Days.
Oh, come on, Duck.
Rapid defrosting would
cause his skin to decompose
while his inner organs
would stay frozen.
It would seriously
compromise the results.
No, we wait.
Okay, so Bishop is
kicking butt back there.
How you doing?
Any hospitals?
Yes. You know
this is hard to do
with you breathing
over my shoulder.
Do we know how
Clint Asher was frozen?
Liquid nitrogen, Gibbs.
It's the only way.
And lots of it.
Okay, you get back to work,
because this is
my demonstration.
Demonstration?
Liquid nitrogen.
It is a colorless,
clear liquid that's stored
at minus 346 degrees
and immediately boils
whenever it comes in contact
with anything that's warmer.
Abbs.
Okay, so Asher's body
temperature was 62 below.
He was in that lake
for four hours.
The temperature of the lake
was 54 degrees above zero.
The lake warmed him up,
which means he was
extra, extra frozen
when he went into that lake.
That make you feel better?
Oh, yeah.
Just wait until you see what
I can do with a marshmallow.
I get it.
Liquid nitrogen freezes things,
very fast, very cold.
How was Asher frozen?
We don't know
yet, boss, uh,
but it would take
a lot of liquid nitrogen
and a container large enough
to hold a body.
Lots of people
use liquid nitrogen.
There's one major supplier
in the area.
We've been going
through their client list.
It's like hospitals,
dermatologists...
But none of them order
large enough quantities.
BISHOP:
I think
I may have something.
A cryotherapy spa.
Wait, wait, wait,
cryo-what?
It's the latest
fitness craze.
It's like an iced steam bath.
I have been dying to try that.
Like, a girls' night out?
Like, you, me and Quinn?
Yeah, I'm into it.
McGEE: I can't imagine
these spas are cold enough
to freeze Asher's body
like that.
So, there are six
spas in the area.
One that stands out.
It orders five times more
liquid nitrogen than the others.
Let's go. Clock's running.
Bye.
Any more on victim Asher?
Uh, yes, we have his
college transcripts unsealed
and we know why
he was kicked out.
He wrote a ransomware virus
and sent it to his friends.
QUINN: Yeah, he said
it was a joke,
but his dorm mates didn't think
it was very funny, though.
The dorm name:
Elliott Hall.
Wait, Asher created
the Elliott Virus?
QUINN: Ten years ago,
and after that,
he went on the straight and
narrow and went after guys
that he used to be.
His own virus then came out
and he wound up killed.
Who and why?
What do we know about the guy
who rents
the empty storage unit?
Oh, it... sorry. Hello.
TORRES:
Paperwork says David Yates.
Address puts him in
the middle of Potomac.
Phone number
is fake, too.
E-mail's bouncing back.
David Yates is an alias.
Anybody who read
this rental app
could see that...
including
the storage unit manager.
GIBBS: Come on, Torres,
you're with me. Quinn.
Um, uh, Mom.
Yeah. Do what you got to do.
It's like a blast
of arctic air
that sends your body into
fight or flight mode.
All of the blood rushes
to your internal organs,
toxins flow out.
It's really very
invigorating.
Why would anyone
want to do this?
BISHOP:
To decrease inflammation,
speed up muscle recovery,
burn calories.
So I hear.
Yeah, LeBron James does it
after every game.
Lauren here
used to have wrinkles...
now they're gone.
McGEE: Huh.
REESE:
Do you want to try?
McGEE:
What are you saying?
So... you guys go through
a lot of liquid nitrogen
containers?
Yeah, I guess.
I promise you
it's all totally legal.
My manager's on his way.
Oh, Lauren's done.
McGEE: So, how long is
a session typically?
Two minutes?
Uh, three minutes max.
What are you looking for?
We'll know when we see it.
(quietly):
McGee, try to trap me inside.
Hey, what are you doing?
You good?
How many cryobaths
do you get
out of one canister
of liquid nitrogen?
I don't know, like, 15.
Can't we wait
for my manager to get here?
Sorry, we're racing the clock.
That's 525.
So, you get 525
customers a week?
500? No way.
It's more like 80 to 90.
Well, we know that you order
35 canisters a week.
So you figure that's 525 baths.
So what happens to all
the extra liquid nitrogen?
BISHOP:
Reese,
what do you know?
We're not waiting
for your manager.
GIBBS:
Yeah, Bishop.
BISHOP: The manager
of the cryospa is reselling
bottles of liquid nitrogen
at a big markup.
To who?
David Yates,
same guy who supposedly
rented the storage unit.
What's he doing with them?
Finding out now.
I told you,
I don't know who he is.
That's the wrong answer, Buzz.
I don't know every renter.
I've got 260 units.
Well, we have a warrant
that says we can open
each and every
one of them.
(stammers)
You can't do that. No.
Hey. He can't do that.
This roast beef?
Oh, come on, man.
Okay, Buzz, so here's the deal.
We're on a deadline,
which means
we don't have time
to arrest you,
transport you back to NCIS
and interrogate you.
Tell us what you know.
The guy on your
surveillance video--
we found him dead in a lake.
Did Yates do that?
Uh, look, all right,
I'm gonna be honest with you.
Yates has a second unit,
off the books.
He pays me in cash,
and then he tips me not
to say anything to anyone.
But I swear on my mother's grave
that I don't know
what's in there.
TORRES:
Whoa. What is this guy?
Dr. Jekyll?
It's a homemade cryosauna.
And not for pleasure.
Hey, Nick.
Ether.
Not the pleasure kind, either.
(clears throat)
Gibbs.
Marie. What are you doing?
Damn thing is so sensitive,
it goes off at
the slightest whiff of heat.
Okay, come on. Get down
from there. I'll fix it.
Oh, will you shut up?
QUINN:
Oh. Uh...
Okay. Come on.
All right.
Can you get down?
Yes, I can get down.
I am not an invalid.
Ah.
Okay.
And this thing, this thing,
I had this on low
all day long.
Did not cook.
Put it up to high, that happens.
Mm.
Is anyone listening
to Mother?
Who else is coming?
Who did you invite?
What?
There's three place
settings, Mom.
Yeah. You, me and your dad.
Don't look at me that way.
Come on.
All right,
so he can be stubborn.
If he's stubborn,
you just be the bigger person.
You come in,
you give him a big hug.
Come sit.
Darling, what is it?
What's wrong?
Sit. Just sit.
You know this.
Right?
Marie, you know this.
I know what? What do I know?
That he's dead?
Dad's dead?
You know,
three years ago?
You remember?
Remember? You-you know that.
You live here alone?
(voice breaking):
Yeah, I know.
Of course I know.
Why are you even
telling me that?
Well, you didn't,
you didn't remember.
(voice breaking):
You don't remember a lot.
You know what I remember?
I remember letting you
ditch school in eighth grade,
and taking you to a museum,
and we looked at paintings
of bare naked ladies.
(giggles)
You remember?
Mm-hmm.
Why did he have to go so young?
Oh, God,
I wasn't ready.
No, me neither.
We were making plans
to go to the Caribbean.
You remember we were gonna
buy a boat?
You can't even swim.
You don't need to swim
if you're on a boat.
Mm-hmm.
(both chuckle)
Oh, God, look at me.
I got to get ready.
I'm a mess,
I'm a mess.
Mom, come on, uh, let's eat.
I want to try your ribs.
No, no, no, I can't let your
father see me like this.
It's his birthday
after all.
Um, Earl Grey?
What are you two doing?
Nothing.
No, these poor souls are
literally frozen in time.
Wow. It's like
a science fiction movie.
No, it's very real.
What your self-storage
guy is doing is called
cryogenics.
It's the ultra-low
temperature preservation
of human bodies,
in the hopes that
they can be resuscitated
one day
in the future when...
I don't know, death isn't
quite so inevitable?
And that could be in centuries.
Yeah. Doesn't stop
people from trying.
Like Ted Williams.
Ted Williams, greatest
pure hitter in baseball.
Marine fighter pilot.
Perhaps he's hoping to one day
take the field again.
Wait, cryogenics is legal?
JIMMY: Yep.
There's over
250 bodies
cryogenically frozen
in the United States.
DUCKY: Well, those are in
legitimate facilities,
(chuckles):
not in self-storage units.
So if it's not against the
law, why hide these two?
We found traces of
microbial metabolites
on the outer dermis.
And that tells us
when those men were frozen,
they were still alive.
And that means that
you are dealing
with a dangerous
psychopath.
Special Agent McGee.
Vice Admiral Chase.
How's the case going?
Uh, well, it's taken
a sharp left turn.
Yeah, we are
way past hacking.
The vice admiral's well aware;
I've kept him up to speed.
Mm.
He's actually here
for another reason.
Yes, well, um...
I want to apologize.
I let ego
and obstinance
get in the way of logic.
Those photos are too important
to stand on principle.
I'd like to pay the ransom.
For myself and
all who I infected.
Here.
Oh. Thank you for
the apology, Admiral,
but I wouldn't
pay just yet.
We still have 90 minutes left.
Did we I.D. the bodies?
Two homeless men,
disappeared separately
more than a year ago.
Any connection to Clint Asher?
No.
Or with ransomware.
McGEE: There's more.
Asher wasn't the only one
kicked out of college
for the ransomware prank.
His roommate was
expelled, too.
Together they created
the Elliott Virus.
Carlo Hackett.
Human developmental
biology major.
He wrote a science fiction
blog, and his senior thesis
was on cryogenics.
Carlo went on to
become a lab tech.
Worked in a blood bank
until he was fired
six months ago
for theft.
Liquid nitrogen?
He needed a constant supply.
And Cryoenergy Day Spa
became the new source.
He cut a deal with the manager
to buy the extra canisters.
Liquid nitrogen's expensive, so
he dug out the ransomware virus
him and Clint Asher
created in college.
Carlo Hackett and David Yates
are the same guy?
I hooked up Buzz with
a sketch artist to draw Yates.
Here's what we got.
Let's go get him.
No.
He's coming to us.
Hello, Carlo.
Freeze.
(chuckles) See what
I did there? "Freeze."
Clever.
McGEE: Hey, boss,
Clint Asher logged
on last night.
Looks like
his last act
was to try and
shut down the virus.
He's gonna finish
what he started.
Mr. Hackett, password, please.
And if I refuse?
A shower. A cold one.
That's it?
That's it.
Where are they?
Answer me,
where are my test subjects?
You mean
your victims?
They're on our medical
examiner's table.
You can't do that.
If you thaw them out,
you'll kill them.
You already
killed them.
You don't get it.
I put them into a state
of suspended animation.
And I will bring them back.
BISHOP:
Your college roommate,
Clint, was shocked when he saw
the virus you both created
was back online.
REEVES:
You took him to your lab,
where you froze him
in your ice chamber.
Cancer patients.
I could put them into
a state of hibernation.
And when science
has cured cancer,
my test subjects can live
healthy, productive lives.
They're not
test subjects.
Couple of homeless guys,
and you froze them
while they were
still alive.
I had to; if you wait
until they're dead,
you can never bring them back.
Get up.
Where are you taking me?
Into hibernation.
Look...
you know that they
locked up Galileo, too.
Today they call him
the father of astronomy.
That's my grandma.
Oh, God, I loved her.
Uh, now, she went senile.
That's what they used call it
back in those days, "senile."
Nobody-nobody calls it
that anymore.
(sighs)
Well, apparently it
skips a generation,
which is good news
for you, baby.
Mom, how, uh...
how long have you known
about forgetting things?
I've known for awhile.
I-I...
I make a telephone call, and
I'd forget who I was talking to.
Or I go... out for a walk,
and I-I would get lost
in my own neighborhood.
It's like a window that just
keeps closing a little bit,
and then a
little bit more.
Every day.
Like that.
Well, we're not gonna
let it close, okay?
Baby, nobody stops this window.
Nobody.
We're not nobody.
Okay? We-we... we fight.
And I am not putting you
in a nursing home.
I am here for you.
I know you are.
But what happens when
I'm not here for you anymore?
Forgetting about your
dad was bad enough.
But what happens...
(crying):
when I forget who you are?
You won't.
You're not going to.
How can you?
I mean, come on, you're not
gonna forget about me.
(sobbing)
I just don't want to live
to be a burden.
You are not a burden.
You're my mother.
She ain't heavy, Father.
BOTH:
She's my mother.
(both laugh)
Come here, you.
Oh, my baby.
Baby, oh, my baby, baby.
FIRING LINE COMMANDER:
Cease fire.
Make sure
the firing lane is safe
before going down range
to score your targets.
How's your mom?
Uh, yeah.
Like she says,
if life is a bowl of cherries,
why do I always get the pits?
Yeah, you know what?
I never got that.
If you got a bowl full of pits,
it means you ate the cherries.
Yeah.
(chuckles)
Yeah, it's just, uh...
came on so quick.
You know, she was
good at hiding it,
I was good at denying it.
Hey, Quinn,
it's okay to be scared.
Yeah, I know.
I'm moving back
in with her.
How's that for scary?
One more item, Admiral.
You got 30 seconds.
Got breakfast
with the undersecretary.
It's about the Hornets
on the Phoenix, sir.
Offloading ordnance?
14 tons on deck waiting to go.
Problem is the weather.
I'm looking at it.
Try it tonight
if the ceiling lifts.
But I don't want any Gatlings
in the Atlantic.
Makes two of us.
Thank you, sir.
Fleet movements
in the Suez, sir.
And remember
to print out your speech.
Oh, right.
COMPUTER VOICE (Russian accent):
The Elliott Virus
has encrypted your device
with an unbreakable algorithm.
Purchase a decryption key
or lose your data forever.
The hell is this?
Downey.
What did you do?
Nothing. I opened an e-mail.
The Elliott Virus
has encrypted your device
with an unbreakable algorithm.
Sir, you've been hacked.
Purchase a decryption key
or lose your data forever.
*
(gun clicks)
FIRING LINE COMMANDER:
Cease fire. Cease fire.
Make sure
the firing lane is safe
before going downrange
to score your targets.
McGEE:
Boss, where's your SIG?
Old Corps, McGee.
Going back to my roots.
McGEE:
That your old .45?
GIBBS:
That's my dad's Colt. 1911.
I grew up shooting it.
Reliable. Packs a punch.
I don't know.
It just feels right.
Yeah.
I can see why.
Special Agent McGee.
Yes?
Lieutenant Downey.
Aide to Vice Admiral Chase.
He okay?
He needs to see
Agent McGee right away.
Sure.
TORRES:
Hey, Gibbs.
Where's Quinn?
This was a
mandatory re-qual.
Worry about
yourself, Torres.
And your aim.
Oh, no.
No, no, no, no, no.
Not there. Not there.
Uh, the impatiens go over there.
They only, they only
thrive in the shade.
Like some people I know.
QUINN:
Marie.
There you are.
Hey!
Baby!
Wh...
What are you
doing here?
What am I doing here?
Okay, let's go
with your question.
You text me, "911. Emergency."
Oh, forget about that.
I'm obviously okay now.
It's not obvious to me
the last hour.
I... Where's your phone?
Um, it's here. Here.
You know, I have a very bad
relationship with this phone.
Yep, I have
the ringer off.
I'm sorry, baby.
Oh.
Look at this place.
Look at it.
Hmm.
MARIE:
Look at all the color.
Oh, God, I love spring.
Jorge, uh, the pansies go
in the window box.
The window box.
Marie...
Oh, never mind, I'll
deal with that later.
Marie, listen, next time,
no more 911s unless you really
mean it from now on, okay?
Okay.
Okay?
Okay.
Okay.
See you tomorrow night.
What's tomorrow night?
Darling, it's your
father's birthday.
Oh, come on, you
didn't forget.
I'm making my celebrated
12-hour ribs, baby.
No, I did...
I didn't forget.
Uh, I'll be here.
Ransom what?
McGEE:
Ransomware.
Like malware.
The computer virus.
How did I get it?
Well, my guess is
you clicked a link that had
the ransomware embedded in it.
Oh, my sister's e-mail.
Is there any
classified data on here?
Classified, unclassified.
And when was the last time
you backed this up?
Never.
I have antivirus software.
Viruses mutate.
Well...
That's why the flu virus
circumvents
the flu vaccine every year.
CHASE:
What does this mean?
Well, you click that,
and it sends the virus
to people you know.
They pay, you get
the decryption key.
(scoffs)
Admiral, you're not
the first one
to be infected by ransomware,
and you won't be the last.
Hundreds of companies,
thousands of people
have all paid the ransom.
Well, I won't. No way in hell.
You know, Admiral,
it's pretty reasonable,
actually-- it's $500.
Tim, your father used to brag
about you all the time.
Said you were NCIS's
number one cyber tech.
I know you can
figure this out.
Admiral, this isn't some kind
of riddle that I can solve.
Okay, the data
is locked up
until you input
the decryption key.
So input it.
That's what I'm trying
to tell you is that
you need to pay to get the key.
If you don't pay,
you lose everything on here--
photos, documents, everything.
41 years in the Navy,
I have never surrendered
to the enemy.
I'm not about
to start now.
Impressive range score, Ellie.
Only three points
behind Gibbs.
Really? Hmm.
I didn't notice.
Yeah, Ellie's a deadeye.
Glad she's on our side.
Ah, there she is.
QUINN: Morning.
Hey, Quinn, you missed
a serious gunplay this morning.
Oh.
Really, though, where were you?
Uh, at the corner
of mind your own business.
Oh.
Okay.
You won't believe
what that was about.
The admiral asked you to
track down the computer hacker
who infected his laptop
with ransomware?
Yeah, he called Vance
after you left.
Gibbs is up there right now.
This guy won't let up.
Where's his laptop?
I didn't take it. I told him
there's nothing I could do.
You did the right thing, McGee.
Thank you, boss.
Quinn.
Mm-hmm.
Are you good?
You need more time?
No, thank you.
Oh, the admiral.
Looks like he finally
came to his senses.
COMPUTER VOICE (over phone):
The Elliott Virus
has encrypted your device
with an unbreakable...
No, no.
No, no, no, no, no.
Wait, what just happened?
Is that...
Wait. Everyone, listen up.
Get off your Wi-Fis.
We're all connected
on the same network.
If I got infected...
(computer voice speaking
over all computers)
Purchase a decryption key
or lose your data forever.
Purchase a decryption key or
lose your data forever.
We all got hacked.
VANCE: You intentionally
infected an NCIS agent
with a computer virus?
I was trying
to motivate him.
By committing a felony?
Five felonies?
I meant to send it
to Tim only.
Viruses spread.
Are you going after me
or the hacker that started this?
We could do both.
McGEE:
Look, I was able
to contain the virus
to only our team.
Nothing classified is at risk;
all data's backed up.
That said, I don't
suspect our admiral
would have done
something so foolish
without a very
good reason.
It's photographs.
Of my wife, God rest her soul.
Memories I can't get back.
I meant to
print them out.
That's why we have
to get this guy.
Sir, we have our entire cyber
crime unit working on this,
but as far as getting
our hacker by tomorrow,
it's just impossible.
Nothing is impossible, Tim.
Hypothetically,
how would someone defeat
this ransomware virus?
Humor me.
Well, there's only one way,
and that would be to find
the physical location
of the computer server hosting
it, shut it down from there.
And this server could
operate from anywhere?
Anywhere in the world.
That's why most people pay
the $500.
It's not worth the time
and energy to fight.
Well, paying the ransom may be
the answer for civilians,
Agent McGee,
but the government's
not in the business
of financing terrorists.
And make no mistake,
that's exactly
what these hackers are.
Gibbs, is your team
working on a case?
We are now.
QUINN: It's so weird
without cell phones.
Yeah, and not laptop.
Well, the desktops still work.
They're hardwired
to a different network.
Burn phones, till we get
our new smartphones tomorrow.
Seriously?
This takes me back
to my undercover days.
BISHOP:
I mean, (scoffs)
what do you even do
with these things?
Call people.
Boss?
No, I'm good.
Hack-proof.
Flip phone.
What do we know
about ransomware?
BISHOP: Well, this is a screen-
grab of the Elliott virus.
It's not on anyone's radar,
so it's new.
QUINN: I'm trying to
trace the I.P. address,
but the hacker has hopped
through multiple proxies,
all located in Russia.
Also, Gibbs, MI6 has
a guy in Moscow
who specializes in
counter-cyberterrorism.
Say the word,
and I can get him in MTAC.
IAN:
75% of all ransomware
originates in Russia.
It's a source of national pride.
Special Agent Gibbs and McGee,
MI6 Intel Officer
Ian Lipovetskiy.
I call it, um, the Russian
invasion. (chuckles)
They penetrate your borders
without ever leaving
the comfort of
their gulag.
Do you recognize
the virus, Officer?
No. Never seen it before.
But I think that your hacker is
from your side of the pond.
An American? Why?
The warning voice is
computer-generated,
so why does it have
a Russian accent?
That's pretty thin evidence.
Well, I have more.
The, uh, the ransom page itself,
it doesn't have any typos.
The Russian hackers' demands
tend to be
full of misspellings
or improper syntax,
but this is
grammatically perfect.
What do you suggest?
Well, my counterpart,
Clint Asher,
who works for your government,
operates out of Langley.
If he can't help you,
no one can.
And this is where
it all happens.
Well, it's certainly
very orange.
TORRES (chuckles):
Yeah.
And there she is.
Uh-oh. What did I tell you?
Not exactly thrilled
to see me.
No, not not thrilled.
Oh, darling, I know this
is going over the line,
I know this is
totally verboten,
but I remembered
what the 911 was about,
and I tried to
call your cell phone,
and it's not working.
So...
So, I was at security,
I overheard
whose mother she was,
and I'm not gonna let you
wait down there.
Mm.
And I've always depended
on the kindness of strangers.
You're such a Blanche.
Oh!
Oh, no, she's not a Blanche,
she's a Marie.
Honey, anyone
this adorable
who knows Streetcar
can call me whatever he wants.
Uh, okay, Mom.
Uh, what did you want?
My Crock-Pot, kid.
You took it
four weeks ago,
and I haven't seen it since.
Is that what the 911 was about?
Yeah.
Well, how am I gonna make
12-hour ribs
without my Crock-Pot?
12-hour ribs? Wow.
What are you doing
tomorrow night?
Oh, no.
He's-he's very busy.
I am?
Mm-hmm. You signed up
for the stakeout... mission.
Oh, damn. Yeah. The...
There's this, uh, mission
that's a stakeout.
It's like a stakeout mission,
I signed up for.
Oh. Well, some
other time, then.
Another time, then.
Yep, rain check it.
Rain check!
Yeah.
But you know what?
Let's-let's go get
the Crock-Pot now.
Really?
Yeah.
We can go right now?
Absolutely.
You can take that time?
You're gonna cover for me?
Absolutely.
Great.
Well, Nick, it was a
pleasure to meet you.
It was all mine.
Or should I call you Stanley?
Go ahead and
call me Stanley.
(laughs)
Come on. Come on.
Oh, baby, I don't know
how you get any work done
with a charmer like that around.
Mm-hmm.
Moms love me.
Ransomware is exploding.
It's gone from one percent of my
day to 80% in just three years.
Hmm. Why?
Money.
Last year, Americans paid
a quarter billion dollars
to unlock their data.
Did you say a billion?
(chuckles) With a
capital "B," yes.
So... why is NCIS going
after cyberterrorists?
Not that I can't
use the help, but...
Oh.
You're not here as agents,
you're here as victims.
Well, technically, we're both.
No shame in that.
So, Ian thinks that
your hacker is American.
What are we looking at?
Well, it's called
the Elliott Virus.
Elliott?
Yeah.
You heard of it?
No, just, uh,
let me take a look.
(sighs)
Huh.
What?
Uh, nothing.
Just, every time
I see a ransom screen,
it reminds me of chasing ghosts.
I have a program that analyzes
code snippets in the binaries
to try to match it
with a known virus.
I'll get right on it and
get back to you tonight.
We'd appreciate that.
Here's a temporary number.
Obviously,
sooner than later
would be better.
(tears paper)
Of course.
Thanks.
Yeah.
What do you think?
Guy scratches his neck a lot.
Yeah, you think Asher knows more
than he's saying, don't you?
Well, that neck
thing is his tell.
I could take all that guy's
money at a poker table.
So what's he hiding?
I can't see his cards, I
can just see he's bluffing.
Well, let's bring him in.
See what shakes out
in interrogation.
Yeah.
How'd you know I
thought he was dodgy?
'Cause you have
a tell, too.
Really? What is it?
(scoffs)
Asher?
Asher?
He's gone.
I thought he was gonna
get right on it
and get back to us tonight.
It's like I'm
living in 1997.
I know, right? It took me, like,
ten minutes to text "Hello."
(sighs) How does
Gibbs live like this?
Very well, thank you.
Oh. Hey, Gibbs.
Help me out here.
I can only preprogram
nine numbers into this phone.
Yeah. So?
Well, so how do you call
everyone else?
I remember their phone numbers.
That's insane.
(laughs) Clint Asher.
Where is he?
Vanished.
Uh, we were the last people
to see him.
That was 15 hours ago.
Yeah, his wife said
he didn't come home last night,
so I'm bringing her in
to talk to us.
REEVES:
Asher hasn't used a credit card,
accessed an ATM machine,
or made a phone call since
he walked out on us last night.
And his phone's shut off.
He even turned off
the GPS in his car.
Where's McGee?
Down with Abby,
checking the traffic cams
around his office.
What do we know about him?
REEVES: 30 years old.
Married, one son.
Works for the government's
counter-cyberterrorism
task force.
No arrests.
No major debts.
No major assets.
Red flags?
One. Uh, he was kicked out
of college his senior year.
For what?
For quote, "Conduct detrimental
to the university."
What kind of conduct?
Finding that out now.
Yeah, Abby?
Yeah, yeah. I'm on the way down.
That's good.
I love this phone.
Hey, how's Mom?
Oh, uh, Mom's Mom.
Sorry about yesterday.
Sorry for what?
She was cool.
Yeah, she's cool.
And nuts.
Oh, everyone thinks
their mom is nuts.
Mm. Not like Marie.
Why do you
call her that?
Oh, well, why not?
I'm kind of like the mother
in the relationship.
No, seriously,
though. Why?
Seriously?
Well, she told me to.
She thought "Mom"
made her sound too old,
especially when my friends
and I were teenagers.
Ah, an original cougar.
I like to think of it
as a youthful quality.
You know. Not so much anymore.
(clicks tongue)
There something else?
Like what?
Like something else
you're not saying?
Like, a family secret?
Who are you, Oprah, now?
Okay.
Forget I asked.
Okay.
Where is he?
Well, we were hoping that you
could tell us, Mrs. Asher.
(scoffs)
I don't know anything.
You're supposed
to tell me something.
Has he ever
disappeared before?
No. Not until you walked
into his office.
What did you say to him?
Well, he was helping with our
investigation into ransomware.
That's what he does every day.
He puts hackers behind bars.
Maybe... one of them got out
and came after him.
We'd like permission
to look at his home computer.
Depends.
Does NCIS consider him
a victim or a suspect?
Mrs. Asher...
You know what? Um, go ahead.
My husband is a good man.
We found Clint Asher.
Where?
Well, we-we
found his car.
Traffic cams?
Nope. Satellite radio.
All right. I think
we have everything. Thank you.
I don't follow.
Well, Asher's Toyota
has satellite radio.
Pays a recurring
monthly fee for it.
We got the serial number to the
radio control unit in his car,
and the satellite company was
able to locate the transmitter.
Satellite radios
have transmitters?
Some do, to record
proprietary information, yeah.
Okay, got it. Off Highway 224,
south of Marbury, Maryland.
The car has been there
since 7:27 this morning.
Go, McGee. Take Bishop.
All right, Abby,
send me the coordinates.
Um, McGee, your phone
doesn't do GPS.
Oh, right. So...
A map, McGee.
Remember maps?
Maps, right.
Where was Asher's
car before this?
Annandale, Virginia.
Stayed there overnight.
That a hotel?
Industrial area.
Uh, looks like some kind
of self-storage facility.
The car arrived there
just after
9:00 last night,
and didn't move again
until 6:46 this morning.
BISHOP:
How many miles?
McGEE:
3.6.
BISHOP:
Oh. Oh, stop. We're here.
What do you mean, we're here?
There's nothing here.
You sure you're reading
that map right?
Maybe you missed it.
Maybe you missed it.
I was reading the map.
You know, we sound like
an old married couple right now.
(sighs) Sorry. I just
really miss my phone.
You mind if I look at that?
Okay.
Well, you're right,
this is exactly where
Asher's car should be.
Yep.
McGee.
Is that Asher's car?
BUZZ:
Nope.
And nope.
No unit has been rented
to a Clint Asher.
Or an Asher Clint,
for that matter.
So I'm-I'm sorry, I
can't help you guys.
GIBBS:
Noticed you have
security cameras
at your front gate.
Oh, God.
Last night, 9:02 p.m.
What kind of car is it
you guys are looking for?
Toyota Camry. Blue.
Well, that's pretty common.
Uh, are you sure I should even
be showing you this?
There.
TORRES: Yeah. License plate
matches. That's him.
Who's in the passenger seat?
TORRES:
I can't make him out.
BUZZ:
We good?
No.
We stay here
and watch that car leave.
6:46 this morning.
(sighs)
TORRES: Here it is.
Blue Camry.
But it's just the driver.
Where's the other guy?
Which storage unit
did they access?
The cameras are
only on the gates.
Buzz, that is not
what he's asking.
Oh, I get it.
See, you get to ask
all the questions,
Buzz gets to do all the work.
(sighs)
The gate code corresponds
to the storage unit.
So that's 217.
Who rents that unit?
Uh... (scoffs)
You know what? I got it.
You've done enough.
Boom.
All right, Unit 217
rented to David Yates.
I'm gonna take
a picture of this.
I'm taking this.
Fine. Did you boys
get what you need?
No, not yet.
(laughing)
Hello. Hello!
Hello, Bishop.
We didn't find anything.
BISHOP:
We did.
Asher's Camry.
Looks like someone dumped it.
Hey, guys, what is that?
That steam?
That open the trunk?
No.
Here.
Thanks.
All right.
Ready?
Whoa.
Why's he look like that?
He's frozen solid.
I apologize in advance,
Mr. Asher, but this might hurt.
Yeah, it's
dreadful, I know,
but it's absolutely necessary.
(sighs)
As far as it'll go, Dr. Mallard.
Thank you, Dr. Palmer.
Let's see what we have.
No, that can't be right.
What can't be right?
This man's core temperature
is 62 below zero.
How, Duck?
Well, I don't know.
Well, l-let's check it again.
You got the virus, too?
Yeah, there was a worm
functionality embedded
into the virus, which
of course replicated...
I...
(stammers)
Yes, I got the virus, too.
Ah, it's correct.
62 below.
That's nearly 100 degrees
below freezing.
What happened to him?
Well, I wouldn't even venture
a guess until I do the autopsy,
and I can't begin that until
he comes to room temperature.
Oh, not hours,
Jethro. Days.
Oh, come on, Duck.
Rapid defrosting would
cause his skin to decompose
while his inner organs
would stay frozen.
It would seriously
compromise the results.
No, we wait.
Okay, so Bishop is
kicking butt back there.
How you doing?
Any hospitals?
Yes. You know
this is hard to do
with you breathing
over my shoulder.
Do we know how
Clint Asher was frozen?
Liquid nitrogen, Gibbs.
It's the only way.
And lots of it.
Okay, you get back to work,
because this is
my demonstration.
Demonstration?
Liquid nitrogen.
It is a colorless,
clear liquid that's stored
at minus 346 degrees
and immediately boils
whenever it comes in contact
with anything that's warmer.
Abbs.
Okay, so Asher's body
temperature was 62 below.
He was in that lake
for four hours.
The temperature of the lake
was 54 degrees above zero.
The lake warmed him up,
which means he was
extra, extra frozen
when he went into that lake.
That make you feel better?
Oh, yeah.
Just wait until you see what
I can do with a marshmallow.
I get it.
Liquid nitrogen freezes things,
very fast, very cold.
How was Asher frozen?
We don't know
yet, boss, uh,
but it would take
a lot of liquid nitrogen
and a container large enough
to hold a body.
Lots of people
use liquid nitrogen.
There's one major supplier
in the area.
We've been going
through their client list.
It's like hospitals,
dermatologists...
But none of them order
large enough quantities.
BISHOP:
I think
I may have something.
A cryotherapy spa.
Wait, wait, wait,
cryo-what?
It's the latest
fitness craze.
It's like an iced steam bath.
I have been dying to try that.
Like, a girls' night out?
Like, you, me and Quinn?
Yeah, I'm into it.
McGEE: I can't imagine
these spas are cold enough
to freeze Asher's body
like that.
So, there are six
spas in the area.
One that stands out.
It orders five times more
liquid nitrogen than the others.
Let's go. Clock's running.
Bye.
Any more on victim Asher?
Uh, yes, we have his
college transcripts unsealed
and we know why
he was kicked out.
He wrote a ransomware virus
and sent it to his friends.
QUINN: Yeah, he said
it was a joke,
but his dorm mates didn't think
it was very funny, though.
The dorm name:
Elliott Hall.
Wait, Asher created
the Elliott Virus?
QUINN: Ten years ago,
and after that,
he went on the straight and
narrow and went after guys
that he used to be.
His own virus then came out
and he wound up killed.
Who and why?
What do we know about the guy
who rents
the empty storage unit?
Oh, it... sorry. Hello.
TORRES:
Paperwork says David Yates.
Address puts him in
the middle of Potomac.
Phone number
is fake, too.
E-mail's bouncing back.
David Yates is an alias.
Anybody who read
this rental app
could see that...
including
the storage unit manager.
GIBBS: Come on, Torres,
you're with me. Quinn.
Um, uh, Mom.
Yeah. Do what you got to do.
It's like a blast
of arctic air
that sends your body into
fight or flight mode.
All of the blood rushes
to your internal organs,
toxins flow out.
It's really very
invigorating.
Why would anyone
want to do this?
BISHOP:
To decrease inflammation,
speed up muscle recovery,
burn calories.
So I hear.
Yeah, LeBron James does it
after every game.
Lauren here
used to have wrinkles...
now they're gone.
McGEE: Huh.
REESE:
Do you want to try?
McGEE:
What are you saying?
So... you guys go through
a lot of liquid nitrogen
containers?
Yeah, I guess.
I promise you
it's all totally legal.
My manager's on his way.
Oh, Lauren's done.
McGEE: So, how long is
a session typically?
Two minutes?
Uh, three minutes max.
What are you looking for?
We'll know when we see it.
(quietly):
McGee, try to trap me inside.
Hey, what are you doing?
You good?
How many cryobaths
do you get
out of one canister
of liquid nitrogen?
I don't know, like, 15.
Can't we wait
for my manager to get here?
Sorry, we're racing the clock.
That's 525.
So, you get 525
customers a week?
500? No way.
It's more like 80 to 90.
Well, we know that you order
35 canisters a week.
So you figure that's 525 baths.
So what happens to all
the extra liquid nitrogen?
BISHOP:
Reese,
what do you know?
We're not waiting
for your manager.
GIBBS:
Yeah, Bishop.
BISHOP: The manager
of the cryospa is reselling
bottles of liquid nitrogen
at a big markup.
To who?
David Yates,
same guy who supposedly
rented the storage unit.
What's he doing with them?
Finding out now.
I told you,
I don't know who he is.
That's the wrong answer, Buzz.
I don't know every renter.
I've got 260 units.
Well, we have a warrant
that says we can open
each and every
one of them.
(stammers)
You can't do that. No.
Hey. He can't do that.
This roast beef?
Oh, come on, man.
Okay, Buzz, so here's the deal.
We're on a deadline,
which means
we don't have time
to arrest you,
transport you back to NCIS
and interrogate you.
Tell us what you know.
The guy on your
surveillance video--
we found him dead in a lake.
Did Yates do that?
Uh, look, all right,
I'm gonna be honest with you.
Yates has a second unit,
off the books.
He pays me in cash,
and then he tips me not
to say anything to anyone.
But I swear on my mother's grave
that I don't know
what's in there.
TORRES:
Whoa. What is this guy?
Dr. Jekyll?
It's a homemade cryosauna.
And not for pleasure.
Hey, Nick.
Ether.
Not the pleasure kind, either.
(clears throat)
Gibbs.
Marie. What are you doing?
Damn thing is so sensitive,
it goes off at
the slightest whiff of heat.
Okay, come on. Get down
from there. I'll fix it.
Oh, will you shut up?
QUINN:
Oh. Uh...
Okay. Come on.
All right.
Can you get down?
Yes, I can get down.
I am not an invalid.
Ah.
Okay.
And this thing, this thing,
I had this on low
all day long.
Did not cook.
Put it up to high, that happens.
Mm.
Is anyone listening
to Mother?
Who else is coming?
Who did you invite?
What?
There's three place
settings, Mom.
Yeah. You, me and your dad.
Don't look at me that way.
Come on.
All right,
so he can be stubborn.
If he's stubborn,
you just be the bigger person.
You come in,
you give him a big hug.
Come sit.
Darling, what is it?
What's wrong?
Sit. Just sit.
You know this.
Right?
Marie, you know this.
I know what? What do I know?
That he's dead?
Dad's dead?
You know,
three years ago?
You remember?
Remember? You-you know that.
You live here alone?
(voice breaking):
Yeah, I know.
Of course I know.
Why are you even
telling me that?
Well, you didn't,
you didn't remember.
(voice breaking):
You don't remember a lot.
You know what I remember?
I remember letting you
ditch school in eighth grade,
and taking you to a museum,
and we looked at paintings
of bare naked ladies.
(giggles)
You remember?
Mm-hmm.
Why did he have to go so young?
Oh, God,
I wasn't ready.
No, me neither.
We were making plans
to go to the Caribbean.
You remember we were gonna
buy a boat?
You can't even swim.
You don't need to swim
if you're on a boat.
Mm-hmm.
(both chuckle)
Oh, God, look at me.
I got to get ready.
I'm a mess,
I'm a mess.
Mom, come on, uh, let's eat.
I want to try your ribs.
No, no, no, I can't let your
father see me like this.
It's his birthday
after all.
Um, Earl Grey?
What are you two doing?
Nothing.
No, these poor souls are
literally frozen in time.
Wow. It's like
a science fiction movie.
No, it's very real.
What your self-storage
guy is doing is called
cryogenics.
It's the ultra-low
temperature preservation
of human bodies,
in the hopes that
they can be resuscitated
one day
in the future when...
I don't know, death isn't
quite so inevitable?
And that could be in centuries.
Yeah. Doesn't stop
people from trying.
Like Ted Williams.
Ted Williams, greatest
pure hitter in baseball.
Marine fighter pilot.
Perhaps he's hoping to one day
take the field again.
Wait, cryogenics is legal?
JIMMY: Yep.
There's over
250 bodies
cryogenically frozen
in the United States.
DUCKY: Well, those are in
legitimate facilities,
(chuckles):
not in self-storage units.
So if it's not against the
law, why hide these two?
We found traces of
microbial metabolites
on the outer dermis.
And that tells us
when those men were frozen,
they were still alive.
And that means that
you are dealing
with a dangerous
psychopath.
Special Agent McGee.
Vice Admiral Chase.
How's the case going?
Uh, well, it's taken
a sharp left turn.
Yeah, we are
way past hacking.
The vice admiral's well aware;
I've kept him up to speed.
Mm.
He's actually here
for another reason.
Yes, well, um...
I want to apologize.
I let ego
and obstinance
get in the way of logic.
Those photos are too important
to stand on principle.
I'd like to pay the ransom.
For myself and
all who I infected.
Here.
Oh. Thank you for
the apology, Admiral,
but I wouldn't
pay just yet.
We still have 90 minutes left.
Did we I.D. the bodies?
Two homeless men,
disappeared separately
more than a year ago.
Any connection to Clint Asher?
No.
Or with ransomware.
McGEE: There's more.
Asher wasn't the only one
kicked out of college
for the ransomware prank.
His roommate was
expelled, too.
Together they created
the Elliott Virus.
Carlo Hackett.
Human developmental
biology major.
He wrote a science fiction
blog, and his senior thesis
was on cryogenics.
Carlo went on to
become a lab tech.
Worked in a blood bank
until he was fired
six months ago
for theft.
Liquid nitrogen?
He needed a constant supply.
And Cryoenergy Day Spa
became the new source.
He cut a deal with the manager
to buy the extra canisters.
Liquid nitrogen's expensive, so
he dug out the ransomware virus
him and Clint Asher
created in college.
Carlo Hackett and David Yates
are the same guy?
I hooked up Buzz with
a sketch artist to draw Yates.
Here's what we got.
Let's go get him.
No.
He's coming to us.
Hello, Carlo.
Freeze.
(chuckles) See what
I did there? "Freeze."
Clever.
McGEE: Hey, boss,
Clint Asher logged
on last night.
Looks like
his last act
was to try and
shut down the virus.
He's gonna finish
what he started.
Mr. Hackett, password, please.
And if I refuse?
A shower. A cold one.
That's it?
That's it.
Where are they?
Answer me,
where are my test subjects?
You mean
your victims?
They're on our medical
examiner's table.
You can't do that.
If you thaw them out,
you'll kill them.
You already
killed them.
You don't get it.
I put them into a state
of suspended animation.
And I will bring them back.
BISHOP:
Your college roommate,
Clint, was shocked when he saw
the virus you both created
was back online.
REEVES:
You took him to your lab,
where you froze him
in your ice chamber.
Cancer patients.
I could put them into
a state of hibernation.
And when science
has cured cancer,
my test subjects can live
healthy, productive lives.
They're not
test subjects.
Couple of homeless guys,
and you froze them
while they were
still alive.
I had to; if you wait
until they're dead,
you can never bring them back.
Get up.
Where are you taking me?
Into hibernation.
Look...
you know that they
locked up Galileo, too.
Today they call him
the father of astronomy.
That's my grandma.
Oh, God, I loved her.
Uh, now, she went senile.
That's what they used call it
back in those days, "senile."
Nobody-nobody calls it
that anymore.
(sighs)
Well, apparently it
skips a generation,
which is good news
for you, baby.
Mom, how, uh...
how long have you known
about forgetting things?
I've known for awhile.
I-I...
I make a telephone call, and
I'd forget who I was talking to.
Or I go... out for a walk,
and I-I would get lost
in my own neighborhood.
It's like a window that just
keeps closing a little bit,
and then a
little bit more.
Every day.
Like that.
Well, we're not gonna
let it close, okay?
Baby, nobody stops this window.
Nobody.
We're not nobody.
Okay? We-we... we fight.
And I am not putting you
in a nursing home.
I am here for you.
I know you are.
But what happens when
I'm not here for you anymore?
Forgetting about your
dad was bad enough.
But what happens...
(crying):
when I forget who you are?
You won't.
You're not going to.
How can you?
I mean, come on, you're not
gonna forget about me.
(sobbing)
I just don't want to live
to be a burden.
You are not a burden.
You're my mother.
She ain't heavy, Father.
BOTH:
She's my mother.
(both laugh)
Come here, you.
Oh, my baby.
Baby, oh, my baby, baby.
FIRING LINE COMMANDER:
Cease fire.
Make sure
the firing lane is safe
before going down range
to score your targets.
How's your mom?
Uh, yeah.
Like she says,
if life is a bowl of cherries,
why do I always get the pits?
Yeah, you know what?
I never got that.
If you got a bowl full of pits,
it means you ate the cherries.
Yeah.
(chuckles)
Yeah, it's just, uh...
came on so quick.
You know, she was
good at hiding it,
I was good at denying it.
Hey, Quinn,
it's okay to be scared.
Yeah, I know.
I'm moving back
in with her.
How's that for scary?