NCIS (2003–…): Season 6, Episode 24 - Semper Fidelis - full transcript
During a poker game at the home of the SecNav, an ICE agent, Sherman, dies while on the protection detail; the SecNav assigns the investigation to the NCIS with support from the FBI and ICE. Ziva finds a fly on a wall, Julia (an ICE agent) stomps the bug, Abby expresses displeasure, and Tony finds a severed tongue. Ziva goes up a tree, and Ducky puts a choker hold on Fornell. Ducky says that Sherman died of a stroke. Julia reveals a few details to Tony and Ziva, then Gibbs counsels Julia about withholding details. Tony arranges a meeting with Michael. Gibbs, Fornell, and Julia trace a lead on an invisible man; at his motel room they find his body plus photographs and a floor plan of the SecNav's home; Ducky says that he took a suicide capsule. The SecNav visits Gibbs while he works on his boat. Acting on a clue, Tony goes to Ziva's pad and finds Michael; shortly Ziva arrives and finds Tony and Michael, the latter of whom is dead.
DAVENPORT:
It's to you, Hutch.
Director Hutchins.
[THUDS]
HUTCHINS:
Did you hear that?
Can't hear anything
with you splashing the pot.
Len, who's your girl on point?
Foster-Yates?
Yeah.
- Agent Foster-Yates, come in.
- Yes, sir. Is there a problem?
HUTCHINS:
We just heard a noise on the patio.
- Foster-Yates.
FOSTER-YATES: I'm on my way, sir.
Get back inside.
Stay inside, director.
- Secure perimeter.
- What's going on?
Five through eight,
converge on SECNAV's residence.
- We've got an agent down.
MAN 1: Lock down the perimeter.
MAN 2: Secure the doors.
FOSTER-YATES: Get an ambulance.
Now.
- Dead man is ICE.
- That's cold.
Immigration Customs Enforcement.
ZIVA: This is turning into a circus.
TONY: Here come the clowns.
FBI does have jurisdiction
in the death of a federal agent.
Well, I like our chances.
Gibbs in there waving a chair
like Gunther Gebel-Williams.
Lion tamer. He's my second favourite
hero after Steve McQueen.
Sure, because riding a motorcycle
looks cool and all, but...
But no one messes
with a man driving an elephant.
A game of cards
between the agency chiefs
at the secretary of the Navy's house.
- Love to be a fly on that wall.
- To buzz and irritate the big bosses?
No, to eavesdrop
on their conversation.
That is an invasion of privacy,
McGee.
DUCKY:
Mind your backs there, please.
Ladies and gentlemen, the amazing
Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard.
The first and only ME
under the big top.
Not to slight your penchant
for theatrics, Anthony,
but where is our ringmaster?
Duking it out for the job with Fornell
and some girl from ICE.
Yeah, excuse me.
DAVENPORT:
A murder investigation?
Let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Agent Sherman could have had
a heart attack for all we know.
- The medical examiner's here.
- Great.
NCIS takes the lead,
supported by FBI.
ICE and CIA can go home.
My house, my rules.
HUTCHINS:
Good luck.
All yours.
FORNELL: Special Agent Leroy Jethro
Gibbs, Agent Julia Foster-Yates.
So cards on the table.
Four high-profile targets
in the same room.
We were tasked with protection.
For a poker game.
We take even the simplest
assignments very seriously.
GIBBS:
Not seriously enough.
Looks like someone
dropped a cocktail weenie.
DUCKY:
I have a riddle for you.
What is not food,
but tastes very well?
I'll give you a hint.
And you should come up
with the answer before Officer David,
since it's right on the...
Tip of your tongue.
- He bit it off.
FOSTER-YATES: He was flailing.
Losing control of his limbs.
ZIVA:
Was he poisoned?
DUCKY:
No, I don't think so.
He has this severe bruise
on his neck.
- No, this man was attacked.
- Are you certain?
Are you the one
that performed CPR?
Unsuccessfully.
Well, it was the right instinct.
This man was oxygen deprived.
See? He has petechial haemorrhaging
in his eyes.
He was strangled.
That would suggest someone
penetrated our security web unseen.
And why is that so unlikely?
Because I designed it.
It was airtight.
Apparently not.
McGEE:
Downloaded all the footage
from the surveillance cams
covering the grounds.
Patio's a blind spot.
Bosses get together
a couple times a year.
Locations and responsibilities rotate.
SECNAV's place. ICE's people.
CIA brought the chips and dip.
- The bureau...
- The booze.
- Little early for a drink, Jethro.
- Yeah, I might need it.
To settle your gut?
Something here bother you, boss?
No.
Nothing here.
Not here.
Heads of the CIA, FBI, ICE.
That's a full bowl
of alphabet soup, huh?
FORNELL:
Not all of them.
Which letters you got on your badge,
McGee?
Oil's from his face
when he pressed against the glass.
Powder is sticking.
Might be adhesive.
Ah. Agent DiNozzo.
Officer David.
ZIVA:
Mm.
A fly.
- Bug.
- On the wall.
TONY:
Boss, we found a listening device.
Looks like it was stuck to the glass.
ZIVA: Agent Sherman
flails against the door.
It gets dislodged,
falls under his body.
Whatever happened here...
Is still happening.
TONY:
Is it functional?
Damaged.
- Best not to take any chances.
- No!
ABBY: I mean,
it's not like he left no trace behind.
He left exactly one trace, the bug.
But someone,
in their infinite wisdom,
decided to stomp it
into a hundred pieces.
- It might've still been transmitting.
- It was not transmitting.
We could have tracked the signal,
you know? Maybe gotten a lead.
The bug stomp.
That's a classic movie move.
Sounds like a Tony.
I think it was a Jules.
A Jules?
What is a Jules?
I'm gonna have to have a word
with this Jules
if we ever have the good fortune
of meeting.
I'd like to be here for that.
What, are you holding
aces and eights there, McGee?
Dead man's hand?
What? No, no.
This was what was on the table
when the game ended.
Hm. The pot is not right.
What do you mean?
Well, at a quick glance,
it looks like five-card draw.
Fifty-buck ante.
ICE starts the action with two bills.
Three callers, family pot.
SECNAV draws one to fill in
an inside straight and misses. Figures.
CIA keeps the cowboys,
mucks the rags.
Pulls a second pair.
Hutch misses the flush,
but won't bow out.
ICE is the clear leader,
standing pat at the wheel.
Gee, I have no idea
what you just said.
You gotta be an idiot
to still be in this hand.
Are these guys not paying attention?
They're not playing very well.
Well, obviously not as well as you.
GIBBS: Someone was spying
on the card game.
Dead agent got in the way.
In previous games,
Davenport and his buddies
have always threatened
to play till someone dropped.
- I guess we should've believed them.
- You've played with them?
LEON:
Mm-hm.
But not last night.
Last time I played I cleaned Hutch out.
I cleaned them all out.
That's probably
why they didn't invite you back.
Got a hell of a poker face.
LEON:
Ducky has the body.
McGee's processing the scene.
DiNozzo and David?
Reviewing ICE's protection detail.
Scouring the grounds
with Agent Foster-Yates.
Keep me updated.
Sir.
Heavy footfalls on the lawn.
Directed towards the patio.
FOSTER-YATES: Agents stationed at
the perimeter converge on the house
- after Sherman went down.
ZIVA: They did not catch his attacker.
He did not get out this way.
FOSTER-YATES:
Unless he could cross a lawn...
...without bending
a blade of grass.
ZIVA: Oh, not impossible
with the proper training.
She can also do that trick
where you put your ear to a rail
and you can hear a train coming.
- You get this same training?
- Me? No.
But I can eat
a bucket of chicken in one sitting
and I have x-ray vision.
Complementary skill sets
make for a stronger team dynamic.
I was always trying to explain
that concept to Sherman.
A bit of a maverick, huh?
He was a good agent.
I'm sure the two of you
don't always agree on everything.
No, not everything.
Healthy debate
breeds creative solutions.
Isn't that right, Ziva?
- Where'd she go?
- A few branches are missing up here.
A clear view of the property.
He could study the patrol pattern.
They go in, he goes up.
And then he goes out that gate.
[PHONE RINGING]
It's McGee.
Hey, Gibbs wants you guys
to come back.
ZIVA: I'm up a tree.
- This might only confuse you further.
Well, who said I was confused?
- You said you were up a tree.
- I am.
Why is he calling you?
I'm the senior field agent.
I don't know
why he's not calling you, Tony.
- I did call Tony.
- He's not making sense.
And you're the one
not making sense.
He said he called you.
I'm not getting a signal.
How come you are?
Because I'm up a tree.
- Oh.
- Oh.
We solve cases all the time like this.
What did McGee have to say?
That it is time to go.
Using his forearm and biceps,
the attacker puts pressure
on both sides of the neck,
cutting off the blood supply
through the carotid arteries.
Here. Cradled
in the crook of his arm,
the trachea and larynx
remain unharmed.
Tobias. Tobias.
You push up on a rear choke,
not down.
Turn your chin into your shoulder.
Yeah, after a few moments
in the aptly named "sleeper hold,"
and the victim
loses consciousness.
Failure to release the pressure
causes a complete
systematic shutdown.
- The bladder and bowels release.
- Hey, Duck.
Oh, continue the pressure
and the result is inevitable.
Death.
By asphyxiation.
Yeah, well,
that's what I was anticipating.
But not what I discovered.
Agent Sherman's medical records.
He had warning signs
of atherosclerotic disease.
Aggravated by the temporary
deprivation of blood to the brain and...
He suffered a fatal stroke.
Yeah, but if the attacker's intent
was to kill,
he would have held the choke hold
long enough until the lungs failed.
No, I'm good.
But he didn't.
The attack wasn't meant
to be lethal.
Well, that's what I think.
So the intruder makes his way quickly
through a secure perimeter,
subdues the only guard
he encounters, silently.
- And leaves a listening device behind.
- And vanishes.
FORNELL:
We're dealing with a pro,
which eliminates the neighbour kid
retrieving a lost Frisbee.
I'll have the bureau compile profiles.
Using your x-ray vision?
Black lace, matching set.
Really? On the job?
SECNAV usually has an NCIS agent
tasked to guard him at all times.
But ICE was assigned the detail.
Ten men in total.
For a poker game
they were not even playing.
TONY: Why don't you tell us
what's really going on.
The game was just a cover,
wasn't it?
I was instructed
not to reveal any details.
No, I think you should disregard
that instruction.
Four agencies.
Filled with people who specialise
in finding out information.
It was an intelligence summit.
What was the subject?
I wish I knew.
Whatever it was,
someone was willing to kill to find out.
An intelligence summit?
Seems like a classic
contradiction in terms.
Don't give me the look. I didn't know.
You had suspicions.
Because you had suspicions.
I'm riding shotgun here, Gibbs.
Yeah, can I borrow it?
FORNELL: Go easy, Hoss.
She was just doing what she was told.
You do not get to determine
what is worth sharing and what is not.
- I don't answer to you, Agent Gibbs.
- Yes, you do.
Yes, you do.
What else have you left out?
Perimeter?
- Solid design, boss. Effective.
- Barring human error.
Are you suggesting I'm incompetent
or that this was an inside job?
Dealer's choice.
McGEE: Boss, you know,
I could use the footage
to build an animated model
and re-create the movements
of all the players.
See if there was any possible
path of entry.
All I would need
is the position reports.
You got that. Help him out.
Starting to doubt
the invisible-man theory?
Backgrounds.
Every agent on the detail last night,
personal and professional histories.
Possible suspects
with the necessary skills
starting with known
foreign operatives in the area.
FORNELL:
FBI profiles.
Help narrow it down if we knew
what the summit was about.
- It would. Got another one of those?
- Triplicate.
We need to know
what they were discussing.
Please. Come right in.
It's crucial to the investigation.
DAVENPORT:
Suppose it goes to motive.
Yes, it does, Mr. Secretary.
Sit down, gentlemen.
First year of a new president's term,
he's tested.
Check your timeline.
June, July, eight years ago,
al Qaeda showed themselves.
In flight schools,
where no one was interested
in learning how to take off or land.
DAVENPORT:
Our opportunity was missed
because agencies weren't in the habit
of sharing information.
There have been far too many
foreign nationals
being far too comfortable
on American soil.
Gun runners, terrorist cells,
even Israeli Mossad.
GIBBS:
You mean like Rivkin?
Slipping through our borders
like 9/11 never happened.
Came to a head in L.A. With OSP.
Mossad's operative still hasn't been
called home since them.
It's Director Eli David's
not-too-subtle message
that we're not doing
a strong enough job
of policing our own backyard.
DAVENPORT:
Now, the pretext of a poker game
was meant to cut down on the chatter
leading up to the summit.
And the informal setting
serves to loosen
stubborn lips
accustomed to secrecy.
NCIS wasn't represented.
I was there.
Was one surviving member
of the cell in California. Haziq Khaleel.
LEON:
He's in custody.
Macy and Hanna,
they conducted the interrogation.
- He spilled?
LEON: Haziq gave up his handler.
Abin Tabal.
He give up anything
on Callen's shooter?
- No.
- How's Callen doing?
He's still critical.
He's hanging in there.
We got a guy on our watch list
using the alias Abin Tabal.
Believed to be here in Washington.
Trace him down.
TONY:
Abin Tabal.
A.k.a. Adolfo Ruiz,
a.k.a. Hikmet Gulersoy,
a.k.a., like, nine other
made-up names.
Over the last three years
he has hit the watch list
with Spanish, Russian, Chechnyan,
Greek and Cypriot passports.
Doesn't keep the same one
very long.
The United States
is the only common destination
among all the passports.
TONY:
Under various identities,
he's landed in Egypt,
Algeria, Libya, and Niger.
So the guy's got a fondness
for Northern Africa.
[PHONE RINGS]
ZIVA:
Excuse me.
Officer David.
MAN:
Shalom.
What do you think? Training centre?
He's the handler.
Goes back and forth
between headquarters
and activating sleeper cells
in the States.
I'll catch Gibbs up. Find the guy.
Oh, okay. I like taking orders
from just about anybody. I guess.
Especially the guy
who framed me for murder.
One minute
he's framing me for murder,
the next he's treating me like
a perfectly capable agent? The nerve.
[SPEAKING IN HEBREW]
I have to run out for a few minutes.
I'll be right back.
I will be right here.
McGEE:
Full digitisation will take all day.
Quick scan
the access-road footage?
Exactly what I was thinking, Jules.
Thanks for coming
to my rescue up there.
I appreciate it, Tim.
My pleasure.
Are you often in the habit
of destroying evidence, Jules?
FOSTER-YATES:
Beg your pardon?
You should, actually.
Because I'm the one responsible
for reconnecting and reactivating
all of those extremely delicate
pieces of electronics.
- You can do that?
- Of course I can.
Then what's the problem?
You probably know some kind
of martial arts or something, huh?
When I was in high school,
my mother
was the ambassador to Bangkok.
I fell in love with Muay Thai.
So if I tried to scratch your eyes out,
you could probably break my fingers.
That would be a mistake.
You need your fingers
to fix that bug.
And in my own lab.
FOSTER-YATES:
Rewind that security footage.
McGEE: Hm?
- It's the same car.
McGEE:
Second time it's passed by.
Casing the place.
Can you ID the driver?
McGEE:
No, but I can pull the plate.
Let's pull up the registration.
Oh.
Someone you know?
McGEE:
I gotta get Gibbs.
Jules, you should probably
come with me.
GIBBS:
A vehicle.
Pulled off surveillance
approaching SECNAV's house.
It doesn't belong to Abin Tabal.
GIBBS:
Come on, Leon.
You should be able to recognise
your own car.
What were you doing
outside the house?
I wasn't invited inside.
I'm getting very tired
of information being withheld.
I know what you mean.
Curiosity can make you do
some funny things.
Like what, cruise a secret meeting?
Just to confirm it took place.
Director Hutchins
let it slip a week ago.
Before he realised
you were being excluded?
It's a tough town, Gibbs.
Believe it or not,
I'm still trying to get the hang of it.
Relationships are delicate.
Why weren't you invited?
Because they were there
to talk about me.
ZIVA: I wish I could stay for lunch,
Michael.
That's okay. Join me for a drink.
Another vodka.
Just a splash of soda this time, please.
Nothing for me, thanks.
I'm working on a case.
Tell me.
This is what a relationship looks like.
How was your day, dear?
I'll tell you when it's over.
[PHONE RINGS]
Tony, I thought I told you l...
TONY: We've got Abin Tabal.
You've gotta get back here now.
- Okay.
- Now, Ziva.
Okay.
You have to go already?
Well, we're looking for a terrorist
and Tony says we just found him.
So I'll see you later.
- Thank you.
TONY: You're welcome.
Is this seat taken?
This is a little like that scene in Heat,
when Pacino and De Niro finally meet.
I'm De Niro in this scene?
You think you're De Niro
in this scene.
Okay. You can call me Al.
I'll spare you the singing.
You've come
to chase her away from me.
Mikey Israel.
In the very tan flesh.
Trip to L.A. Did you good.
Ziva prefers darker skin.
How does she like being played?
Because I think we both know
this romance isn't kosher.
I can understand your suspicions
given what we have about you
in your dossier, Agent Meatball.
There's an El Al flight tonight
out of Ronald Reagan at 8:25 p.m.
Lands at Ben Gurion
tomorrow evening.
I'm not finished
spending time with Ziva.
NCIS says you are.
Ziva is very lucky
to have a man like you in her life.
Like a big brother.
I've got some work to do.
And you clearly
have some drinking to finish.
And after that,
I think you should start packing.
You can question my feelings
for Ziva all you want.
Unfortunately, you can't question
her feelings for me.
Can you?
Say goodbye, Mikey.
Get on the flight.
McGEE: We've reconstructed
everyone's movements from last night
on this wire-frame representation
of the SECNAV's residence.
These blue figures
represent the agents on patrol.
The units moved in overlapping
sweeping patterns on the outer layer.
The inner layer was stationary.
FORNELL:
Sophisticated.
McGEE: Even if someone managed
to get through the outer ring unseen,
their path would be limited.
They'd be funnelled into plain sight.
So, what went wrong?
Well, there's a hole in the net.
When Sherman leaves
to take the position on the patio,
leaves this avenue wide open.
Yes, it does.
Well, you got an explanation?
It's an error.
[PHONE RINGS]
Nobody's perfect, Jules.
Not you and not this guy.
We'll find him.
- Ziva, you got those backgrounds?
- Almost finished.
These are what we have so far.
- Gotta check in with my boss.
- Sure.
- Abby needs my help with the bug.
- Go.
This idea of friendly relations
between agencies, full disclosure...
Flies in the face of history.
You vouch for the ICE princess?
She's cool on the outside.
When she opens up,
she's full of beans.
Molten cheese.
Like a microwave burrito.
What? I'm hungry.
ABBY: So when the bug
is working properly,
it emits a signal that can piggyback
on any available Internet connection
and then it can upload the audio
to a live stream on a private website.
Oh, so basically it's a fancy tin can.
We follow the string
to the can on the other end.
What? You never camped out
in the backyard as a kid?
Are you crazy?
There were alligators in my backyard.
You know, you don't really
need my help with this.
Second set of hands can't hurt.
Are you feeling neglected?
Neglected?
More like nauseous.
Having to watch you flirt
with that Jules.
- Come on, it wasn't flirting.
- Oh.
Your hands
drifting across the keyboards.
Pinkies accidentally
grazing each other.
Please. I know.
She's out of my league
anyway, Abs.
No, she's not.
- We have not found Tabal yet.
- We really should be working harder.
I came back here quickly because
you said we had found Abin Tabal.
Where were you?
Where were you?
He was in L.A. On business
just like he's in D.C. On business.
I cannot believe you.
If you wanted to meet him,
you could ask me.
I wouldn't be doing my job
if I didn't check on him.
Gibbs told him to clock out.
I told him to clock out.
Perhaps it would carry
some more weight if it came from you.
Michael is here to see me.
He is not working. He is on vacation.
Well, he certainly is drinking like it.
Conference room this way?
I'll show you.
- The bad cop.
CBP hasn't gotten a hit yet
on any of Abin Tabal's known aliases.
Likely, he's still in the country.
The invisible man.
FORNELL:
The results of interviews
with every member
of your team last night.
There were some bad feelings
circulating.
Inevitable with any team, I imagine.
Performance reviews.
Agent Sherman's and yours.
GIBBS: He had four more years
of service than you did.
- But you were promoted over him.
- With good cause.
You'll notice my evals and recs
were consistently higher.
He openly objected to taking orders
from a woman with less seniority.
You can't have appreciated that.
Agent Sherman
was very passionate about his duty.
He was a thorn in your side.
Let's just stop right here
before you embarrass yourselves
by actually accusing me
of killing Agent Sherman.
I lost an agent last night.
Maybe that gets easier with time,
but for me it's...
I've been trying not to kick dirt
on a dead man's grave.
That's my mistake.
His death is not.
He wasn't supposed to be
on the patio.
He was out of position.
He disregarded his assignment.
- Why?
- I don't know.
Spite? Jealousy?
He was never concerned
about making me look bad.
There was a hole in the net
because he moved.
He's dead for the same reason
he never got the promotion.
He didn't operate as part of a team.
[PHONE RINGS]
And you do?
- Yeah, Gibbs.
ABBY: We traced the bug
- that Tabal used.
- Yeah. All right.
Abby's got a link to Tabal.
Hey. You coming?
FORNELL:
Schematics of SECNAV's house.
Looks like our guy.
So does this.
Abin Tabal.
Well, at least now
we know he really existed.
DUCKY:
Potassium cyanide poisoning.
We found a residue
of silica and polyisoprene
between his first
and second premolars.
He bit down on a suicide pill.
Just a few hours ago.
Yeah.
No signs of forced entry at the motel.
No indication of any struggle.
LEON:
Abin Tabal killed himself.
This guy's supposed to be invisible.
That's his primary asset
as an operative.
He loses that when he accidentally kills
an American agent.
His usefulness is gone.
We close off all exit routes.
So he decides
to take the only other way out.
- You back this psychology?
- Yeah.
If he was a true believer.
If he believed himself a threat
to the cause,
then exposure becomes his enemy.
If he removes himself,
he removes the problem.
After he's passed on all the intel
he's managed to accumulate.
He wiped his computer.
Abby's sifting through it.
She already connected the laptop
to the electronics
and the listening device?
Smoking gun.
Case closed. Write it up.
I think you're already packed up,
McGee.
He's delaying his departure
to coincide with someone else.
It was nice working with you guys.
Thank you for everything.
- Yeah, you too.
- You too.
McGEE:
I'll walk out with you.
So, what did Gibbs and Fornell
have to say?
They were just apologising
for implying I might be a murderer.
You're kidding. They were?
Yes.
- The both of them?
- That so shocking?
Well, uh...
You know, it might take a while
to fully grasp the significance of that.
Okay, explain it to me.
I've got no plans.
All right.
Did Gibbs actually
say the words "I'm sorry"?
- Good night.
- Night.
Rule Number 11, DiNozzo.
I would never date a co-worker,
boss. Trust me.
I mean, why would you even...?
That's 12. Eleven.
When the job is done, walk away.
The case is wrapped up, DiNozzo.
In a nice little bow.
And that works for you, Fornell?
Crazy terrorist kills himself?
Can't really understand
that mentality.
Doesn't mean I can't accept it.
So, what's on your mind?
Rivkin's been in town.
I know.
With Ziva.
The guy doesn't listen.
Does that bother you on
a professional level or a personal one?
Well, I'll tell you what.
I'm having a little trouble
untangling the two.
So you are bothered?
Oh, yeah.
It bothers me.
You stay on it.
Yep.
DAVENPORT: How'd you know
what I like to drink, Gibbs?
My older brother
gave me my first bourbon
before I was even a teenager.
He liked to mess with my head.
GIBBS:
My grandfather had a still.
It blew up once.
He ran back inside
to rescue his sour mash.
It is a living thing.
It safe to talk here?
Safer than your house.
[LAUGHS]
That was a point of pride
with my brother, though.
"I never hit you," he'd say.
Preferred psychological warfare.
You're an only child,
aren't you, Gibbs?
The Corps.
Strangers become brothers
in a fox hole.
That why you've been digging dirt?
Trying to get closer to Leon?
No.
I never asked for this.
Never opened it.
Well, let's see
what the CIA's got on Leon Vance.
I thought we shredded all these.
How does this thing
keep finding its way into the open?
It's not even real.
Lucky you didn't read this.
Wouldn't give you
the whole picture anyway.
And you will?
TONY: Is that Tabal's laptop?
ABBY: Yeah.
Before Tabal killed himself,
he wiped all the sensitive information.
Oh, so there's nothing
useful on it, huh?
He did fail to erase the laptop's
network-Iocation memory.
It's a log that records
all previous network connections
so you can access them easily
in the future.
All that's gonna tell us
is where he's used the Internet before.
Bring that up.
- I know that address.
- Yeah, me too.
It's Ziva's.
[LINE RINGING]
DAVENPORT: A lot of black bars
covering Leon's career.
The man was born
for counter intelligence.
You didn't peg him
for a lifelong bureaucrat?
No. Figured he'd worn a few hats.
Heard a whisper or two.
There's not a second of his life
I can't account for.
I might hit him with a stick
every now and then,
but I did not leave him
out of that poker game
because I don't trust him.
You were discussing
how to use him.
Yeah, I know.
Since Director Shepard's death,
you've been concerned
with the danger
in having the wrong person
at the top.
Well, you're not alone.
You're not the only one looking out
for the integrity of NCIS.
Leon's gonna be point man
on a major operation.
- Who's the enemy?
- That's the problem.
It's our friends.
- The Israelis.
- Top priority.
Ever since Shepard created that
unorthodox position of liaison officer.
You're talking about Ziva David.
Her father is the director of Mossad.
Half-brother was a rogue operative.
He died in this room, didn't he?
At your hand.
And she works with you every day.
What a family.
Ziva, it's Tony.
You're here.
Ziva is not.
She should be back soon.
You're welcome to come in
and wait for her.
Did you really expect me to leave her
because you threatened me?
I had my hopes.
They include you coming here
late at night,
maybe finding Ziva
in an emotional state?
You help her pick up the pieces?
I'm here about a case.
An American agent
was killed last night.
All the evidence points to a terrorist
named Abin Tabal.
I think you're familiar with him.
Of course, he killed himself
before we could catch up to him.
- Zealot?
- That's the theory.
That's a little too clean for me.
Does not sound clean at all.
The further you dig,
the messier it gets.
Well, what can I say?
The events of the past year
have made me a little suspicious.
Even to the people closest to you?
Oh, especially them.
We pulled information
from Tabal's computer.
Says that at some point,
the Internet was connected here.
Ziva's account.
She is tied to this dead man?
Who is obviously duplicitous.
Practised in the art
of misinformation.
That appears
to be the shape of things.
You're here to question Ziva?
All because a series of numbers
on a terrorist's computer?
I was.
Until you opened the door.
Semper fi.
You and Leon gotta play nice.
You ordering me to trust him?
Just to follow him.
We don't hit our brothers.
As soon as you're done
with your drink, Michael,
you're under arrest
for the murders of Abin Tabal
and Federal Agent Tom Sherman.
Good luck with that.
[GRUNTING]
Enough.
Don't do it. No. Don't.
It's to you, Hutch.
Director Hutchins.
[THUDS]
HUTCHINS:
Did you hear that?
Can't hear anything
with you splashing the pot.
Len, who's your girl on point?
Foster-Yates?
Yeah.
- Agent Foster-Yates, come in.
- Yes, sir. Is there a problem?
HUTCHINS:
We just heard a noise on the patio.
- Foster-Yates.
FOSTER-YATES: I'm on my way, sir.
Get back inside.
Stay inside, director.
- Secure perimeter.
- What's going on?
Five through eight,
converge on SECNAV's residence.
- We've got an agent down.
MAN 1: Lock down the perimeter.
MAN 2: Secure the doors.
FOSTER-YATES: Get an ambulance.
Now.
- Dead man is ICE.
- That's cold.
Immigration Customs Enforcement.
ZIVA: This is turning into a circus.
TONY: Here come the clowns.
FBI does have jurisdiction
in the death of a federal agent.
Well, I like our chances.
Gibbs in there waving a chair
like Gunther Gebel-Williams.
Lion tamer. He's my second favourite
hero after Steve McQueen.
Sure, because riding a motorcycle
looks cool and all, but...
But no one messes
with a man driving an elephant.
A game of cards
between the agency chiefs
at the secretary of the Navy's house.
- Love to be a fly on that wall.
- To buzz and irritate the big bosses?
No, to eavesdrop
on their conversation.
That is an invasion of privacy,
McGee.
DUCKY:
Mind your backs there, please.
Ladies and gentlemen, the amazing
Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard.
The first and only ME
under the big top.
Not to slight your penchant
for theatrics, Anthony,
but where is our ringmaster?
Duking it out for the job with Fornell
and some girl from ICE.
Yeah, excuse me.
DAVENPORT:
A murder investigation?
Let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Agent Sherman could have had
a heart attack for all we know.
- The medical examiner's here.
- Great.
NCIS takes the lead,
supported by FBI.
ICE and CIA can go home.
My house, my rules.
HUTCHINS:
Good luck.
All yours.
FORNELL: Special Agent Leroy Jethro
Gibbs, Agent Julia Foster-Yates.
So cards on the table.
Four high-profile targets
in the same room.
We were tasked with protection.
For a poker game.
We take even the simplest
assignments very seriously.
GIBBS:
Not seriously enough.
Looks like someone
dropped a cocktail weenie.
DUCKY:
I have a riddle for you.
What is not food,
but tastes very well?
I'll give you a hint.
And you should come up
with the answer before Officer David,
since it's right on the...
Tip of your tongue.
- He bit it off.
FOSTER-YATES: He was flailing.
Losing control of his limbs.
ZIVA:
Was he poisoned?
DUCKY:
No, I don't think so.
He has this severe bruise
on his neck.
- No, this man was attacked.
- Are you certain?
Are you the one
that performed CPR?
Unsuccessfully.
Well, it was the right instinct.
This man was oxygen deprived.
See? He has petechial haemorrhaging
in his eyes.
He was strangled.
That would suggest someone
penetrated our security web unseen.
And why is that so unlikely?
Because I designed it.
It was airtight.
Apparently not.
McGEE:
Downloaded all the footage
from the surveillance cams
covering the grounds.
Patio's a blind spot.
Bosses get together
a couple times a year.
Locations and responsibilities rotate.
SECNAV's place. ICE's people.
CIA brought the chips and dip.
- The bureau...
- The booze.
- Little early for a drink, Jethro.
- Yeah, I might need it.
To settle your gut?
Something here bother you, boss?
No.
Nothing here.
Not here.
Heads of the CIA, FBI, ICE.
That's a full bowl
of alphabet soup, huh?
FORNELL:
Not all of them.
Which letters you got on your badge,
McGee?
Oil's from his face
when he pressed against the glass.
Powder is sticking.
Might be adhesive.
Ah. Agent DiNozzo.
Officer David.
ZIVA:
Mm.
A fly.
- Bug.
- On the wall.
TONY:
Boss, we found a listening device.
Looks like it was stuck to the glass.
ZIVA: Agent Sherman
flails against the door.
It gets dislodged,
falls under his body.
Whatever happened here...
Is still happening.
TONY:
Is it functional?
Damaged.
- Best not to take any chances.
- No!
ABBY: I mean,
it's not like he left no trace behind.
He left exactly one trace, the bug.
But someone,
in their infinite wisdom,
decided to stomp it
into a hundred pieces.
- It might've still been transmitting.
- It was not transmitting.
We could have tracked the signal,
you know? Maybe gotten a lead.
The bug stomp.
That's a classic movie move.
Sounds like a Tony.
I think it was a Jules.
A Jules?
What is a Jules?
I'm gonna have to have a word
with this Jules
if we ever have the good fortune
of meeting.
I'd like to be here for that.
What, are you holding
aces and eights there, McGee?
Dead man's hand?
What? No, no.
This was what was on the table
when the game ended.
Hm. The pot is not right.
What do you mean?
Well, at a quick glance,
it looks like five-card draw.
Fifty-buck ante.
ICE starts the action with two bills.
Three callers, family pot.
SECNAV draws one to fill in
an inside straight and misses. Figures.
CIA keeps the cowboys,
mucks the rags.
Pulls a second pair.
Hutch misses the flush,
but won't bow out.
ICE is the clear leader,
standing pat at the wheel.
Gee, I have no idea
what you just said.
You gotta be an idiot
to still be in this hand.
Are these guys not paying attention?
They're not playing very well.
Well, obviously not as well as you.
GIBBS: Someone was spying
on the card game.
Dead agent got in the way.
In previous games,
Davenport and his buddies
have always threatened
to play till someone dropped.
- I guess we should've believed them.
- You've played with them?
LEON:
Mm-hm.
But not last night.
Last time I played I cleaned Hutch out.
I cleaned them all out.
That's probably
why they didn't invite you back.
Got a hell of a poker face.
LEON:
Ducky has the body.
McGee's processing the scene.
DiNozzo and David?
Reviewing ICE's protection detail.
Scouring the grounds
with Agent Foster-Yates.
Keep me updated.
Sir.
Heavy footfalls on the lawn.
Directed towards the patio.
FOSTER-YATES: Agents stationed at
the perimeter converge on the house
- after Sherman went down.
ZIVA: They did not catch his attacker.
He did not get out this way.
FOSTER-YATES:
Unless he could cross a lawn...
...without bending
a blade of grass.
ZIVA: Oh, not impossible
with the proper training.
She can also do that trick
where you put your ear to a rail
and you can hear a train coming.
- You get this same training?
- Me? No.
But I can eat
a bucket of chicken in one sitting
and I have x-ray vision.
Complementary skill sets
make for a stronger team dynamic.
I was always trying to explain
that concept to Sherman.
A bit of a maverick, huh?
He was a good agent.
I'm sure the two of you
don't always agree on everything.
No, not everything.
Healthy debate
breeds creative solutions.
Isn't that right, Ziva?
- Where'd she go?
- A few branches are missing up here.
A clear view of the property.
He could study the patrol pattern.
They go in, he goes up.
And then he goes out that gate.
[PHONE RINGING]
It's McGee.
Hey, Gibbs wants you guys
to come back.
ZIVA: I'm up a tree.
- This might only confuse you further.
Well, who said I was confused?
- You said you were up a tree.
- I am.
Why is he calling you?
I'm the senior field agent.
I don't know
why he's not calling you, Tony.
- I did call Tony.
- He's not making sense.
And you're the one
not making sense.
He said he called you.
I'm not getting a signal.
How come you are?
Because I'm up a tree.
- Oh.
- Oh.
We solve cases all the time like this.
What did McGee have to say?
That it is time to go.
Using his forearm and biceps,
the attacker puts pressure
on both sides of the neck,
cutting off the blood supply
through the carotid arteries.
Here. Cradled
in the crook of his arm,
the trachea and larynx
remain unharmed.
Tobias. Tobias.
You push up on a rear choke,
not down.
Turn your chin into your shoulder.
Yeah, after a few moments
in the aptly named "sleeper hold,"
and the victim
loses consciousness.
Failure to release the pressure
causes a complete
systematic shutdown.
- The bladder and bowels release.
- Hey, Duck.
Oh, continue the pressure
and the result is inevitable.
Death.
By asphyxiation.
Yeah, well,
that's what I was anticipating.
But not what I discovered.
Agent Sherman's medical records.
He had warning signs
of atherosclerotic disease.
Aggravated by the temporary
deprivation of blood to the brain and...
He suffered a fatal stroke.
Yeah, but if the attacker's intent
was to kill,
he would have held the choke hold
long enough until the lungs failed.
No, I'm good.
But he didn't.
The attack wasn't meant
to be lethal.
Well, that's what I think.
So the intruder makes his way quickly
through a secure perimeter,
subdues the only guard
he encounters, silently.
- And leaves a listening device behind.
- And vanishes.
FORNELL:
We're dealing with a pro,
which eliminates the neighbour kid
retrieving a lost Frisbee.
I'll have the bureau compile profiles.
Using your x-ray vision?
Black lace, matching set.
Really? On the job?
SECNAV usually has an NCIS agent
tasked to guard him at all times.
But ICE was assigned the detail.
Ten men in total.
For a poker game
they were not even playing.
TONY: Why don't you tell us
what's really going on.
The game was just a cover,
wasn't it?
I was instructed
not to reveal any details.
No, I think you should disregard
that instruction.
Four agencies.
Filled with people who specialise
in finding out information.
It was an intelligence summit.
What was the subject?
I wish I knew.
Whatever it was,
someone was willing to kill to find out.
An intelligence summit?
Seems like a classic
contradiction in terms.
Don't give me the look. I didn't know.
You had suspicions.
Because you had suspicions.
I'm riding shotgun here, Gibbs.
Yeah, can I borrow it?
FORNELL: Go easy, Hoss.
She was just doing what she was told.
You do not get to determine
what is worth sharing and what is not.
- I don't answer to you, Agent Gibbs.
- Yes, you do.
Yes, you do.
What else have you left out?
Perimeter?
- Solid design, boss. Effective.
- Barring human error.
Are you suggesting I'm incompetent
or that this was an inside job?
Dealer's choice.
McGEE: Boss, you know,
I could use the footage
to build an animated model
and re-create the movements
of all the players.
See if there was any possible
path of entry.
All I would need
is the position reports.
You got that. Help him out.
Starting to doubt
the invisible-man theory?
Backgrounds.
Every agent on the detail last night,
personal and professional histories.
Possible suspects
with the necessary skills
starting with known
foreign operatives in the area.
FORNELL:
FBI profiles.
Help narrow it down if we knew
what the summit was about.
- It would. Got another one of those?
- Triplicate.
We need to know
what they were discussing.
Please. Come right in.
It's crucial to the investigation.
DAVENPORT:
Suppose it goes to motive.
Yes, it does, Mr. Secretary.
Sit down, gentlemen.
First year of a new president's term,
he's tested.
Check your timeline.
June, July, eight years ago,
al Qaeda showed themselves.
In flight schools,
where no one was interested
in learning how to take off or land.
DAVENPORT:
Our opportunity was missed
because agencies weren't in the habit
of sharing information.
There have been far too many
foreign nationals
being far too comfortable
on American soil.
Gun runners, terrorist cells,
even Israeli Mossad.
GIBBS:
You mean like Rivkin?
Slipping through our borders
like 9/11 never happened.
Came to a head in L.A. With OSP.
Mossad's operative still hasn't been
called home since them.
It's Director Eli David's
not-too-subtle message
that we're not doing
a strong enough job
of policing our own backyard.
DAVENPORT:
Now, the pretext of a poker game
was meant to cut down on the chatter
leading up to the summit.
And the informal setting
serves to loosen
stubborn lips
accustomed to secrecy.
NCIS wasn't represented.
I was there.
Was one surviving member
of the cell in California. Haziq Khaleel.
LEON:
He's in custody.
Macy and Hanna,
they conducted the interrogation.
- He spilled?
LEON: Haziq gave up his handler.
Abin Tabal.
He give up anything
on Callen's shooter?
- No.
- How's Callen doing?
He's still critical.
He's hanging in there.
We got a guy on our watch list
using the alias Abin Tabal.
Believed to be here in Washington.
Trace him down.
TONY:
Abin Tabal.
A.k.a. Adolfo Ruiz,
a.k.a. Hikmet Gulersoy,
a.k.a., like, nine other
made-up names.
Over the last three years
he has hit the watch list
with Spanish, Russian, Chechnyan,
Greek and Cypriot passports.
Doesn't keep the same one
very long.
The United States
is the only common destination
among all the passports.
TONY:
Under various identities,
he's landed in Egypt,
Algeria, Libya, and Niger.
So the guy's got a fondness
for Northern Africa.
[PHONE RINGS]
ZIVA:
Excuse me.
Officer David.
MAN:
Shalom.
What do you think? Training centre?
He's the handler.
Goes back and forth
between headquarters
and activating sleeper cells
in the States.
I'll catch Gibbs up. Find the guy.
Oh, okay. I like taking orders
from just about anybody. I guess.
Especially the guy
who framed me for murder.
One minute
he's framing me for murder,
the next he's treating me like
a perfectly capable agent? The nerve.
[SPEAKING IN HEBREW]
I have to run out for a few minutes.
I'll be right back.
I will be right here.
McGEE:
Full digitisation will take all day.
Quick scan
the access-road footage?
Exactly what I was thinking, Jules.
Thanks for coming
to my rescue up there.
I appreciate it, Tim.
My pleasure.
Are you often in the habit
of destroying evidence, Jules?
FOSTER-YATES:
Beg your pardon?
You should, actually.
Because I'm the one responsible
for reconnecting and reactivating
all of those extremely delicate
pieces of electronics.
- You can do that?
- Of course I can.
Then what's the problem?
You probably know some kind
of martial arts or something, huh?
When I was in high school,
my mother
was the ambassador to Bangkok.
I fell in love with Muay Thai.
So if I tried to scratch your eyes out,
you could probably break my fingers.
That would be a mistake.
You need your fingers
to fix that bug.
And in my own lab.
FOSTER-YATES:
Rewind that security footage.
McGEE: Hm?
- It's the same car.
McGEE:
Second time it's passed by.
Casing the place.
Can you ID the driver?
McGEE:
No, but I can pull the plate.
Let's pull up the registration.
Oh.
Someone you know?
McGEE:
I gotta get Gibbs.
Jules, you should probably
come with me.
GIBBS:
A vehicle.
Pulled off surveillance
approaching SECNAV's house.
It doesn't belong to Abin Tabal.
GIBBS:
Come on, Leon.
You should be able to recognise
your own car.
What were you doing
outside the house?
I wasn't invited inside.
I'm getting very tired
of information being withheld.
I know what you mean.
Curiosity can make you do
some funny things.
Like what, cruise a secret meeting?
Just to confirm it took place.
Director Hutchins
let it slip a week ago.
Before he realised
you were being excluded?
It's a tough town, Gibbs.
Believe it or not,
I'm still trying to get the hang of it.
Relationships are delicate.
Why weren't you invited?
Because they were there
to talk about me.
ZIVA: I wish I could stay for lunch,
Michael.
That's okay. Join me for a drink.
Another vodka.
Just a splash of soda this time, please.
Nothing for me, thanks.
I'm working on a case.
Tell me.
This is what a relationship looks like.
How was your day, dear?
I'll tell you when it's over.
[PHONE RINGS]
Tony, I thought I told you l...
TONY: We've got Abin Tabal.
You've gotta get back here now.
- Okay.
- Now, Ziva.
Okay.
You have to go already?
Well, we're looking for a terrorist
and Tony says we just found him.
So I'll see you later.
- Thank you.
TONY: You're welcome.
Is this seat taken?
This is a little like that scene in Heat,
when Pacino and De Niro finally meet.
I'm De Niro in this scene?
You think you're De Niro
in this scene.
Okay. You can call me Al.
I'll spare you the singing.
You've come
to chase her away from me.
Mikey Israel.
In the very tan flesh.
Trip to L.A. Did you good.
Ziva prefers darker skin.
How does she like being played?
Because I think we both know
this romance isn't kosher.
I can understand your suspicions
given what we have about you
in your dossier, Agent Meatball.
There's an El Al flight tonight
out of Ronald Reagan at 8:25 p.m.
Lands at Ben Gurion
tomorrow evening.
I'm not finished
spending time with Ziva.
NCIS says you are.
Ziva is very lucky
to have a man like you in her life.
Like a big brother.
I've got some work to do.
And you clearly
have some drinking to finish.
And after that,
I think you should start packing.
You can question my feelings
for Ziva all you want.
Unfortunately, you can't question
her feelings for me.
Can you?
Say goodbye, Mikey.
Get on the flight.
McGEE: We've reconstructed
everyone's movements from last night
on this wire-frame representation
of the SECNAV's residence.
These blue figures
represent the agents on patrol.
The units moved in overlapping
sweeping patterns on the outer layer.
The inner layer was stationary.
FORNELL:
Sophisticated.
McGEE: Even if someone managed
to get through the outer ring unseen,
their path would be limited.
They'd be funnelled into plain sight.
So, what went wrong?
Well, there's a hole in the net.
When Sherman leaves
to take the position on the patio,
leaves this avenue wide open.
Yes, it does.
Well, you got an explanation?
It's an error.
[PHONE RINGS]
Nobody's perfect, Jules.
Not you and not this guy.
We'll find him.
- Ziva, you got those backgrounds?
- Almost finished.
These are what we have so far.
- Gotta check in with my boss.
- Sure.
- Abby needs my help with the bug.
- Go.
This idea of friendly relations
between agencies, full disclosure...
Flies in the face of history.
You vouch for the ICE princess?
She's cool on the outside.
When she opens up,
she's full of beans.
Molten cheese.
Like a microwave burrito.
What? I'm hungry.
ABBY: So when the bug
is working properly,
it emits a signal that can piggyback
on any available Internet connection
and then it can upload the audio
to a live stream on a private website.
Oh, so basically it's a fancy tin can.
We follow the string
to the can on the other end.
What? You never camped out
in the backyard as a kid?
Are you crazy?
There were alligators in my backyard.
You know, you don't really
need my help with this.
Second set of hands can't hurt.
Are you feeling neglected?
Neglected?
More like nauseous.
Having to watch you flirt
with that Jules.
- Come on, it wasn't flirting.
- Oh.
Your hands
drifting across the keyboards.
Pinkies accidentally
grazing each other.
Please. I know.
She's out of my league
anyway, Abs.
No, she's not.
- We have not found Tabal yet.
- We really should be working harder.
I came back here quickly because
you said we had found Abin Tabal.
Where were you?
Where were you?
He was in L.A. On business
just like he's in D.C. On business.
I cannot believe you.
If you wanted to meet him,
you could ask me.
I wouldn't be doing my job
if I didn't check on him.
Gibbs told him to clock out.
I told him to clock out.
Perhaps it would carry
some more weight if it came from you.
Michael is here to see me.
He is not working. He is on vacation.
Well, he certainly is drinking like it.
Conference room this way?
I'll show you.
- The bad cop.
CBP hasn't gotten a hit yet
on any of Abin Tabal's known aliases.
Likely, he's still in the country.
The invisible man.
FORNELL:
The results of interviews
with every member
of your team last night.
There were some bad feelings
circulating.
Inevitable with any team, I imagine.
Performance reviews.
Agent Sherman's and yours.
GIBBS: He had four more years
of service than you did.
- But you were promoted over him.
- With good cause.
You'll notice my evals and recs
were consistently higher.
He openly objected to taking orders
from a woman with less seniority.
You can't have appreciated that.
Agent Sherman
was very passionate about his duty.
He was a thorn in your side.
Let's just stop right here
before you embarrass yourselves
by actually accusing me
of killing Agent Sherman.
I lost an agent last night.
Maybe that gets easier with time,
but for me it's...
I've been trying not to kick dirt
on a dead man's grave.
That's my mistake.
His death is not.
He wasn't supposed to be
on the patio.
He was out of position.
He disregarded his assignment.
- Why?
- I don't know.
Spite? Jealousy?
He was never concerned
about making me look bad.
There was a hole in the net
because he moved.
He's dead for the same reason
he never got the promotion.
He didn't operate as part of a team.
[PHONE RINGS]
And you do?
- Yeah, Gibbs.
ABBY: We traced the bug
- that Tabal used.
- Yeah. All right.
Abby's got a link to Tabal.
Hey. You coming?
FORNELL:
Schematics of SECNAV's house.
Looks like our guy.
So does this.
Abin Tabal.
Well, at least now
we know he really existed.
DUCKY:
Potassium cyanide poisoning.
We found a residue
of silica and polyisoprene
between his first
and second premolars.
He bit down on a suicide pill.
Just a few hours ago.
Yeah.
No signs of forced entry at the motel.
No indication of any struggle.
LEON:
Abin Tabal killed himself.
This guy's supposed to be invisible.
That's his primary asset
as an operative.
He loses that when he accidentally kills
an American agent.
His usefulness is gone.
We close off all exit routes.
So he decides
to take the only other way out.
- You back this psychology?
- Yeah.
If he was a true believer.
If he believed himself a threat
to the cause,
then exposure becomes his enemy.
If he removes himself,
he removes the problem.
After he's passed on all the intel
he's managed to accumulate.
He wiped his computer.
Abby's sifting through it.
She already connected the laptop
to the electronics
and the listening device?
Smoking gun.
Case closed. Write it up.
I think you're already packed up,
McGee.
He's delaying his departure
to coincide with someone else.
It was nice working with you guys.
Thank you for everything.
- Yeah, you too.
- You too.
McGEE:
I'll walk out with you.
So, what did Gibbs and Fornell
have to say?
They were just apologising
for implying I might be a murderer.
You're kidding. They were?
Yes.
- The both of them?
- That so shocking?
Well, uh...
You know, it might take a while
to fully grasp the significance of that.
Okay, explain it to me.
I've got no plans.
All right.
Did Gibbs actually
say the words "I'm sorry"?
- Good night.
- Night.
Rule Number 11, DiNozzo.
I would never date a co-worker,
boss. Trust me.
I mean, why would you even...?
That's 12. Eleven.
When the job is done, walk away.
The case is wrapped up, DiNozzo.
In a nice little bow.
And that works for you, Fornell?
Crazy terrorist kills himself?
Can't really understand
that mentality.
Doesn't mean I can't accept it.
So, what's on your mind?
Rivkin's been in town.
I know.
With Ziva.
The guy doesn't listen.
Does that bother you on
a professional level or a personal one?
Well, I'll tell you what.
I'm having a little trouble
untangling the two.
So you are bothered?
Oh, yeah.
It bothers me.
You stay on it.
Yep.
DAVENPORT: How'd you know
what I like to drink, Gibbs?
My older brother
gave me my first bourbon
before I was even a teenager.
He liked to mess with my head.
GIBBS:
My grandfather had a still.
It blew up once.
He ran back inside
to rescue his sour mash.
It is a living thing.
It safe to talk here?
Safer than your house.
[LAUGHS]
That was a point of pride
with my brother, though.
"I never hit you," he'd say.
Preferred psychological warfare.
You're an only child,
aren't you, Gibbs?
The Corps.
Strangers become brothers
in a fox hole.
That why you've been digging dirt?
Trying to get closer to Leon?
No.
I never asked for this.
Never opened it.
Well, let's see
what the CIA's got on Leon Vance.
I thought we shredded all these.
How does this thing
keep finding its way into the open?
It's not even real.
Lucky you didn't read this.
Wouldn't give you
the whole picture anyway.
And you will?
TONY: Is that Tabal's laptop?
ABBY: Yeah.
Before Tabal killed himself,
he wiped all the sensitive information.
Oh, so there's nothing
useful on it, huh?
He did fail to erase the laptop's
network-Iocation memory.
It's a log that records
all previous network connections
so you can access them easily
in the future.
All that's gonna tell us
is where he's used the Internet before.
Bring that up.
- I know that address.
- Yeah, me too.
It's Ziva's.
[LINE RINGING]
DAVENPORT: A lot of black bars
covering Leon's career.
The man was born
for counter intelligence.
You didn't peg him
for a lifelong bureaucrat?
No. Figured he'd worn a few hats.
Heard a whisper or two.
There's not a second of his life
I can't account for.
I might hit him with a stick
every now and then,
but I did not leave him
out of that poker game
because I don't trust him.
You were discussing
how to use him.
Yeah, I know.
Since Director Shepard's death,
you've been concerned
with the danger
in having the wrong person
at the top.
Well, you're not alone.
You're not the only one looking out
for the integrity of NCIS.
Leon's gonna be point man
on a major operation.
- Who's the enemy?
- That's the problem.
It's our friends.
- The Israelis.
- Top priority.
Ever since Shepard created that
unorthodox position of liaison officer.
You're talking about Ziva David.
Her father is the director of Mossad.
Half-brother was a rogue operative.
He died in this room, didn't he?
At your hand.
And she works with you every day.
What a family.
Ziva, it's Tony.
You're here.
Ziva is not.
She should be back soon.
You're welcome to come in
and wait for her.
Did you really expect me to leave her
because you threatened me?
I had my hopes.
They include you coming here
late at night,
maybe finding Ziva
in an emotional state?
You help her pick up the pieces?
I'm here about a case.
An American agent
was killed last night.
All the evidence points to a terrorist
named Abin Tabal.
I think you're familiar with him.
Of course, he killed himself
before we could catch up to him.
- Zealot?
- That's the theory.
That's a little too clean for me.
Does not sound clean at all.
The further you dig,
the messier it gets.
Well, what can I say?
The events of the past year
have made me a little suspicious.
Even to the people closest to you?
Oh, especially them.
We pulled information
from Tabal's computer.
Says that at some point,
the Internet was connected here.
Ziva's account.
She is tied to this dead man?
Who is obviously duplicitous.
Practised in the art
of misinformation.
That appears
to be the shape of things.
You're here to question Ziva?
All because a series of numbers
on a terrorist's computer?
I was.
Until you opened the door.
Semper fi.
You and Leon gotta play nice.
You ordering me to trust him?
Just to follow him.
We don't hit our brothers.
As soon as you're done
with your drink, Michael,
you're under arrest
for the murders of Abin Tabal
and Federal Agent Tom Sherman.
Good luck with that.
[GRUNTING]
Enough.
Don't do it. No. Don't.