NCIS (2003–…): Season 9, Episode 2 - Restless - full transcript
A Marine private first-class returns from Afghanistan to his hometown in time for a welcoming party for him during homecoming week; however, when he arrives, he staggers in, mortally wounded, then collapses and dies; Gibbs and company investigate; Ducky says that death resulted from stab wounds. Ziva spots a piece of evidence, but it becomes hard to obtain it; Tony and Ziva find that the victim had started with a disadvantaged childhood, became adopted into a military family, then enlisted in the Marine Corps and established an impeccable record. Abby finds some interesting electronic evidence, then Tony and McGee find something while hiking, and McGee makes some new friends. Abby makes important discoveries; the gang learn about multiple identities, a forged letter, stolen funds, and a hidden relationship, and they rescue from death a man who then dies. Eventually they put the pieces together, and they get help for someone who needs help.
Sweetheart, look,
I meant to come home last night,
all right?
[sighs]
Yeah, my class ran late,
and I had all those papers...
What are you accusing me of?
Look, I can't deal with this
right now.
I got to go.
I'll call you later.
[phone beeps off]
[groans]
[grunts]
[sighs]
[keypad beeping]
[quietly]:
Come on.
Hey, it's me.
I'm starting
to really lose it here.
I can't keep lying to my wife.
It's killing me.
We need to end this.
Can we meet?
I'm at the park across
from the Hayes Hotel.
I'll see you soon.
[phone beeps off]
[sighs]
[grunts]
Yes, I know, I got it.
For the 188th time, I got it.
Yes. The balloons,
and the streamers.
I know, I know.
What? No, no, no.
No strippers this year.
No!
[backpack thuds on desk]
I got to go. I'll call you back.
Planning a party, Tony?
Not exactly.
It's my father's birthday.
He's planning, I'm paying.
In all kinds of ways.
Well, sounds like
he's really into it.
[wry chuckling]:
Oh, yeah, he's into it.
Like a little
sorority girl.
[in high-pitched voice]:
It's my birthday.
My birthday?
Not even a present.
Makes my head hurt.
At least your dad
gets in the spirit.
Mine hates birthdays.
ZIVA:
My father attended
every birthday party.
But his mind was always
elsewhere.
Yeah, I remember one year--
I think I was seven--
I spent all day making
this huge card for my dad.
Used paint, glitter,
special paper, the works.
I gave it to him that night,
and, uh, he handed it
back to me, and said,
"You can do better. Try again."
That is a terrible story, McGee.
Eh, it's just the way he is.
TONY: Yeah, but
McGee's old man
is a legend, right?
Called him the
Great Santini.
ZIVA: Wait a minute.
He's a magician?
I thought he was a Navy admiral.
The movie, Ziva--
The Great Santini,
starring the great
Robert Duvall who played
the ruthless military pilot
and brutal family man
Bull Meechum.
Please don't.
TONY [imitating Duvall]:
There's those that's got 'em,
and those that don't.
Gonads, son!
Big brass ones!
And there it is.
Kind of makes
sense that
you'd end up working
for Gibbs, McMeechum.
There are similarities.
He's got big, brass ones.
They're like bowling balls.
That is disgusting.
I'm talking about
tough love tactics, Tony.
The veneer of
impenetrability.
His skill at turning one
word into a rallying cry.
Gear up.
Guess that's two
words, isn't it?
Something funny,
DiNozzo?
No, boss.
Grabbing my gear.
Got a dead Navy officer
downtown.
Nothing funny about that.
[camera shutter clicking]
[siren blaring]
Ambushed from behind, boss?
Maybe. How many shots, Duck?
Just one
that I can see,
and it was devastating.
It's a single gunshot wound
to the side of the head.
Through and through.
Never saw it coming.
JIMMY:
He was just enjoying
a beautiful fall morning.
The sun is out,
the birds are chirping.
All is right
with the world and...
and then, out of nowhere, bam.
Lights out.
Kind of poetic,
if you ask me. I...
But you did not ask me,
and I apologize.
Time of death, Duck?
Couple of hours ago.
Details?
Uh, Navy Lieutenant Paul Booth.
32 years old,
married, no kids.
Wife's being notified
as we speak.
Police are ruling
out robbery, boss.
Cash, credit cards--
everything's still on him.
ZIVA:
Except this.
Found it in the grass.
Could be a company badge.
Here's something weird.
Well, looks like a burn.
Not any burn
I've ever seen.
Wow. What was this guy into?
TONY:
I don't know.
Maybe you can tell us, Tim.
Me? Why?
This can't be mine.
TONY:
You sure about that?
It's got your name on it.
McGEE:
Matte-white card stock
with clean border
and seven-point
Helvetica font.
Oh, my God.
McGee.
Boss, I don't know what this is.
I don't even know this guy.
Well, he knew you.
TONY:
Lieutenant Paul Booth,
late 2003, right after
you started here, McGee.
Ring a bell?
No. I still
can't place him.
Okay. Here he
is last year.
Anything?
[sighs]
No, and I've
checked old files.
He wasn't a friend of a victim,
or a witness in any case.
I mean, none
of this makes sense.
How could he have my business
card from eight years ago?
I don't even have
one of those.
Sit, McGee.
We'll figure it out.
Boss, I don't know him, I swear.
Sit.
Lieutenant Paul Booth,
AKA McGee's mystery friend,
served two tours
overseas before joining
the Reserves in 2007.
Criminal background?Nothing.
By all accounts,
a model officer.
Made lieutenant in
just three years.
C.O. says he was
"highly focused
and driven to succeed."
Officials at Waverly
University said the same thing.
Booth taught there
as a math professor.
He was praised
by colleagues and students.
You know, it looks like
teach was skipping class
the past few months.
Taught courses five days a week
for three years, and then...
Look at this-- last spring,
he cut his schedule down.
One class. Once a week.
That's right.
Officials say
he gave no specific
reason for the change.
McGEE:
Maybe he was working
someplace else.
ZIVA:
Abby I.D.'d the symbol
on the badge
as the logo for something called
the Telles Research Group.
Get me an employee
database.
Boss, Telles is locked up tight.
For me to get in, I'd have to
bypass the Pentagon's mainframe
and go straight into
their secure server.
Which I'll happily do.
Why is this group so secret?
These guys develop
all kinds of things,
from children's car seats
to advanced military spyware.
They got their
headquarters out
in the middle of
Virginia somewhere.
[computer chirps]
Boss, I'm in.
Booth was employed as an analyst
in January 2010.
Reported to Telles
vice president John Westfal.
Yeah? And?
That's it.
All the other files
are classified.
Find out what they're hiding.
Tony, Ziva,
go talk to Westfal.
[crying softly]
Mrs. Booth?
Please tell me this
isn't happening.
Sit down.
[sighs]
[groans]
What do you know about
your husband's work?
Paul loved what he did.
He was a great teacher.
When did you last talk?
This morning... pretty early.
Before 6:00, I think.
He sound upset?
More... anxious.
Like he needed
to get off the phone with me.
He was like that a lot lately.
For a long time, I thought
it was because he was...
he was seeing someone else.
But then...
What?
[sighs]
A few weeks ago,
he came home really late.
I looked outside
to make sure it was him, and
that's when I saw...
There was someone was parked
across the street, Agent Gibbs.
Watching him.
Who?
I don't know.
It was a man, I think.
It was hard to tell
in the dark.
You ever see him again?
When?
Last night.
And the night before that.
MAN:
We're self-sufficient.
We installed solar panels,
and we're hoping to raise
our own cattle this year.
Is that why you set up shop
so far out of DC?
So you could milk cows?
We believe a certain amount
of isolation breeds creativity.
Well, Lieutenant Booth
was certainly isolated.
Mm, not even his wife knew
he was here.
Paul was very aware of the
delicate nature of our work.
We were very up-front
when we recruited him.
Were there problems?
No. Never.
No, Paul was a top analyst.
He loved this place; he
loved working in the garden.
None of this will ever
be the same without him.
TONY:
We need to know what you really
do here, Mr. Westfal.
I have a feeling it's more
than just growing tomatoes.
WESTFAL:
Max Ellswood founded Telles
in 1965, in order to develop
cutting-edge military strategy.
His theories have been used
in every war since Vietnam.
His passing was a sad day.
But his legacy lives on.
Telles remains
the first choice when it comes
to military innovative design.
And what designs
was Lieutenant Booth
working on when he died?
I'm afraid that's classified.
Ah. Well, it is important that
we know what he was involved in.
My hands are tied,
Agent DiNozzo.
I can't release
such information.
Can't or won't?
I've said all I need to say.
You can find your way out.
Yeah, thank you.
Huh.
[phone buzzing]
[beep]
That's the third time
in an hour.
I know. I am so sorry.
Will not happen
again, I promise.
Well, there's plenty of time
to turn off each other's calls
once you're married, Mr. Palmer.
I'd advise you not to start
before you've even
exchanged wedding vows.
How'd you know
it was Breena?
You're a man in love.
[chuckles]
I've been there
many times myself,
though not much
lately.
[sighs]
It's just all this
wedding planning stuff--
it just has us on edge.
She's having a hard
time making decisions.
I'm just trying to help, but
everything I say seems wrong.
What should I do?
Just give her
what she wants.
I have no idea what that is.
Welcome to the rest
of your life, Jim-Boy.
[sighs]
What do you got, Duck?
Enough to raise
troubling questions.
Captain Booth died
from trauma
from a single gunshot wound
to the head
with massive
skull fracture
and disbursement
of brain matter.
We also found bullet fragments
lodged in his skull.
These would indicate that the
killer stood about 20 feet away.
Abby is doing tests.
That's not all.
These markings
on the ends of his fingers
are proving mysterious.
Mr. Palmer.
The fingertips
were inflamed,
cracked, and bleeding.
Strongly indicates
a chemical burn.
Drugs?
Possibly.
I've ordered tox screens
and additional panels.
Jethro, this was carried out
with precision.
The proximity to the victim, the
lack of physical evidence.
This is a killer
with considerable skill.
TONY:
Bank records show
Lieutenant Booth
cashed out all his accounts
the day before he died.
Everything was put
into a trust fund
under his
wife's name.
Close to a hundred grand.
He knew he was
in trouble.
Also knew
he was being followed.
Metro Police say he filed
a report last week.
Claimed that someone tried
to run him off the road.
You get a description
of the car?
Yes, a dark-colored sedan--
unknown model.
McGee, e-mails.
I'm still sifting
through Booth's personal e-mails
and Navy correspondence,
but cell phone
records do show
that he made three calls
just before his death.
To who?
The first was to his boss,
John Westfal,
at 5:47 a.m., second
to his wife at 6:01,
and the last call,
just two minutes
before his murder, was made
to an unlisted number.
I'm tracing that number now.
Who is Penelope Langston?
McGee.
Hey, stop.
Boss, I can't right now,
I'm sorry.
She's your what?
And you never
told me?
What, do I have to tell you
everything?
Yes, you do.
Now, listen, does she
know we're coming?
If you learn to make
a bonsai tree...
McGEE:
Penny.
Timothy--
excuse me, kids.
Sweetheart,
how come
the long face?
Have you not been eating those
wheatgrass honey squares I sent?
I told you, they flush out
all the toxins.
And you must be Tony DiNozzo.
I have heard
so much about you.
Well, it's a pleasure.
I wish I could
say the same.
[stammers]
Tony DiNozzo,
this is Penelope
Langston,
my grandmother.
Oh, that word--
grandmother-- so old-fashioned
and so patriarchal.
You call me Penny.
Listen, as much
as I love
a surprise visit,
especially from Timothy...
Penny.
We need to talk.
About Lieutenant Paul Booth.
I know.
I know he's dead.
I tried reaching him
at the university.
They gave me
the news.
How do you know
the lieutenant?
Not for the reason you think,
I can assure you.
He's much too young for me
and not at all my type,
and your dear grandfather,
rest his soul,
would not approve.
You don't want
to talk to me, fine,
but Gibbs is going to have
questions and he's not
going to be nice
about it, trust me.
I think you forget
that I staged a sit-in
with Gloria Steinem
at our nation's capitol
and spent seven nights
in prison--
or jail, really--
after the Selma riots
in '65...
And three in Chicago
after the '68 convention.
And I think I can handle
this Gibbs person.
Genghis Khan
couldn't handle Gibbs.
You should talk to
your grandson, Penny.
Why did Lieutenant Booth call
you right before he died?
[sighs]
Paul was a student of mine.
He was so bright
and thoughtful
and loved math and science
as much as I did.
Both his parents
had passed.
He needed help getting
through some tough times,
and I was there. We...
we stayed in contact.
About what?
Oh, God, professional
things mostly.
He was having
work problems.
Problems with the
Telles Research Group?
Telles? No, with
his work at Waverly.
Oh, since when
was Paul working
for those
imperialist nut-jobs?
Well, that is a, uh,
pretty strong opinion
about a group most people
don't even know exists.
I have strong opinions
about all kinds of things
and I was the wife of
an admiral for 40 years.
Our pillow talk
was enlightening.
Please don't say
"pillow talk."
Okay, how about
postcoital embraces?
[clicks tongue]
Nelson confided in me
about all kinds of things.
So...
what do you know about Telles?
I know that it's a think
tank for the military,
going back to Vietnam.
That's about it.
And Booth never said anything
else about his work there?
No, not a word.
I know you, Timothy, and
I know when you are trying
to fit a square peg
into a round hole.
Sweetheart,
stop trying to
make connections
where there aren't any.
You're so much
better than that.
She's lying.
Some grandson
you are.
You know, my dad used to do
this thing when he...
You'd ask him a question and
he didn't want to answer it,
he'd turn the tables,
tell me I was the one
with the problem.
From what you've said
about your pops,
Penny doesn't seem
anything like him.
I didn't think so,
until now.
You know,
I've always trusted her.
She's someone
I depend on.
Why would
she do this?
I don't know.
There's gotta be a reason.
I don't think she'd
just mislead you.
Unless she has
something to lose.
Well, I guess we have to figure
out what that is, right?
[scoffs]
You see how stubborn she is.
If I push too hard,
I'm gonna push her away.
Family.
Well, you might not
have a choice, Tim.
[car door closes]
Hey, Abby.
Gibbs, I'm in here.
Here, give me
your hand.
Aah.
It's hot, right?
Yeah.
So imagine how
Lieutenant Booth felt.
Burned by a copy machine?
Yeah, this very machine,
actually.
It was in his basement.
It's, like,
a hundred years old.
Crazy, right?
Let me show you
something crazier.
The lieutenant's fingerprints
were singed
and they tested positive
for high levels
of iron oxide and tungsten
sulfide, aka rust and oil.
You put those
two together
and take a wild
guess what you get.
Come on,
guess, guess, guess.
Okay, observe.
Every time
he made a copy...
...the printer toner
and the heat of the glass
burned his fingers,
but he kept doing it,
like, over and over
and over and over again.
That's dedicated.
I would estimate he made
like 4,000 copies, Gibbs.
I mean, whatever
he was copying
must have been
really important.
Maybe enough to
get him killed.
Thanks.
Tony... I was right.
Penny never
taught Booth.
She retired before
he enrolled.
I got to know what she's hiding.
Guessing it's more
than you think.
McGee, talk to me.
Well, uh, boss, I'm
trying to penetrate
Telles' top
secret files,
but the, the code is
overly complicated.
It's almost
indecipherable.
Decipher it.
Well, that's, that's just it,
I can't.
I mean, I will,
I will, I am.
DiNozzo.
I'd like everyone to say
hello to Andrew Pike,
former analyst and rival of
Telles founder Max Ellswood.
He was fired and banned
from the building.
State employee records show
that Pike
became erratic
after he was turned down
for a promotion.
Ellswood called him
"an egomaniac
with a violent streak."
Where is he now?
ZIVA:
Last known address
is in Virginia,
but it is
from 1972.
Boss, that's not the
only Telles employee
who's had issues.
Found several messages in
Lieutenant Booth's e-mail cache,
all from John Westfal,
all referencing
something called
the Anax Principle.
Could have been
what he was copying.
Put it up.
ZIVA: "The Anax Principle is
privileged information, Paul.
Time to come clean before things
get out of control."
Maybe Westfal was
the one who lost control, huh?
This is insane.
I already told everything I know
to your other agents.
You didn't tell them
about the Anax Principle.
[clock chiming]
All right, what
do you know?
Not enough.
We were hoping
you'd fill us in.
It's highly classified
material, Agent Gibbs.
Not even our top
military commanders
know of its contents.
Sounds like
Lieutenant Booth knew
more than you wanted him to.
Why the e-mails?
Was there a fight?
No, absolutely not.
Where were you the morning
that Booth was shot?
I was home.
Was asleep.
Got anybody
that can verify that?
No.
I know what you're thinking,
but you're wrong.
I didn't kill Paul.
I was mad at him, yes.
About what?
He was stealing
from me; from us.
I caught him
taking files
for the Anax Principle,
close to 4,000 pages
of privileged
documents.
I didn't say
anything at the time
because I was trying
to get the files back,
but that doesn't
matter now.
Why not?
When I confronted him,
he admitted that he had
given them to someone.
To who?
I don't know.
He was
very protective.
Just said she was
a close friend.
I thought I knew
everything about you.
I thought I
could trust you.
You can.
I know about your
work for Telles...
and I know
about the papers
you and Lieutenant
Booth stole.
Where are they?
You have to tell me.
I can't.
It's for your own good.
Do you know the kind
of trouble you're in?
I made a promise to Paul
to keep his family safe.
I'm yourfamily.
I'm sorry, Timothy,
I... I can't.
I love you, but I can't.
[car engine revving]
[tires squealing]
Penny! Watch out!
Come on!
[tires screeching,
engine revving, both grunting]
[grunts]
DMV records show that the black
sedan's been registered
to multiple Peppy Car
Rental agencies
over the past
two years.
We're still trying
to figure out
which agency had the sedan
as of today.
You I.D. the driver?Nothing yet.
Witnesses gave
no clear description.
But one woman claims
she saw a man
behind the wheel,
but she could not
determine his age.
Keep looking.
Hey...
How's she holding up?
[sighs]
Well, she's a little shaken,
but otherwise okay.
Ducky's checking
her out right now.
She still won't talk?
She threatened
to stage a hunger strike
in the lobby,
if I kept pushing her.
Does she realize
what kind of danger she's in?
Boss, you don't understand.
Once she gets committed to a
cause, there's no stopping her.
Can't wait forever, McGee.
Get her to talk.
McGee-- Or I will.
[phone ringing]
Very Special Agent Anthony
DiNozzo. How can I help you?
Uh, Lieutenant Booth's murder
is an ongoing investigation.
I'm afraid I'm gonna have
to give you the standard
"no comment." Thank...
What about the Anax Principle?
Uh-huh.
We'll be in touch.
DiNozzo?
That was Michael Sheedy,
senior editor
at the DC Chronicle.
Yeah? So?
Apparently,
he's been communicating
with Penelope Langston
about the Telles
Research Group
and the Anax Principle.
She's meeting
with him tonight.
Wait's over.
Go.
Agent Gibbs,
I always knew
that my grandson
would introduce us.
I just never imagined
that it would be like this.
You failed to tell me
he was so handsome, Timothy.
[sighs]
Great eyes.
Why are you talking
to the press?
I'm a free citizen,
Agent Gibbs.
I can talk
to whomever I want.
Are you giving them information
about the Anax Principle?
That's really none
of your business.
Oh, yeah, it is.
Hmm.
Since you've done nothing but
lie for the past two days.
Your inflated sense of authority
does not impress me.
I have never been
a fan of fascism.
What are you hiding,
Ms. Langston?
I'm not hiding anything. I...
I was protecting a friend.
I doubt that.
I think you're
protecting yourself.
There's only
one reason for that.
Enlighten me, Agent Gibbs.
You know something about
Lieutenant Booth's death.Boss...
Maybe you're involved with
something way over your head.
No...Maybe you're covering
for the real killer...
Enough!
Go home, McGee.
You can't be a professional.
Go home.
Boss, I won't let
you treat her like that.
She's my grandmother.
She's also the lead witness
in a murder investigation.
What do you want me to do,
needlepoint my questions?
Penny had nothing to do with
Lieutenant Booth's death.
I never said she did.What are you
going to do,
you going to break her
down till she cracks?That's how it's done, Tim.
I don't like this any
better than you do.
I know that she's
a family member.
She means everything to me.
I respect that.
This is about murder.
A guy is dead.
Enough. We find what's
in those papers.
We find Booth's killer.
And she's the one
that can tell us.
She'll talk to me.
You worked as an analyst
for the Telles group,
and then you quit. Why?
Don't do this, Timothy.
Please don't.
Your experience with
the Telles Group--
I need to know everything.
I knew I shouldn't have given
Paul your business card.
I just--
at the time, I thought...
Penny.
Now.
PENNY [over speaker]:
The paper I published--
caught Max Ellswood's
attention.
He asked me to be the first
female analyst to work
on something called
the Anax Principle.
It was 1968.
Oh, of course I said yes.
And I've regretted that decision
all my life.
What happened?
They lied.
[chuckles]
What else is new.
I was told that I was
working on something
that would keep
our men in Vietnam safe.
But in a...
a few years in, I learned
that I wasn't helping anyone.
Instead, I was, I was creating
a weapon of destruction.
I wanted to make amends.
You know, warn people. I...
They silenced you?
Like anybody could
shut me up?
I took action, Timothy.
I armed myself with
the First Amendment.
We were just about
to go to print
when the war ended,
and the Anax Principle
was abandoned.
Or so we thought.
Penny, what is it?
Oh, sweetheart...
it's better you don't know.
How'd you meet Lieutenant Booth?
Like me, Paul was lied to.
He learned that I was one
of the last living members
from the original group,
and sought me out.
We agreed to finish
what I'd started.
I convinced him...
that we were doing
the right thing.
It's not your fault.
You inspired him.
You taught him so much.
About how to stand up
for himself.
About how to be
exactly who he was,
no matter what
anyone else thought.
Especially his father.
He'll always love you for that.
You've never told me
this before.
It's the truth.
Do you have any idea
who did this?
All the way from the lovely
tropical island of Bali,
courtesy of our friends
at the State Department,
say hello to Andrew Pike.
I already told the guy
from State
I don't even know
this Paul Booth.
But you do know about
the Anax Principle.
How do you even...?
That was something
I created years ago.
But that's-- it's...
all over now.
Not according
to Penelope Langston.
The project started up
again last year.
She said you harbored anger
against Max Ellswood and Telles.
Claimed they stole
your idea.
And one day you'd
make them pay.
Yeah, I felt betrayed
and rejected.
But I was 23. Thought I'd change
the world and then...
Then what?
Ellswood wanted to market
the Anax Principle.
I just wanted it
to be a test--
a new kind of experiment.
I left and never looked back.
That was 39 years ago.
How long have you
been in Bali?
39 years.
Look, I don't know
what's going on,
but I never meant for
that project to go public.
It is a threat
to our way of life.
Boss, I'm just one firewall away
from Telles'
top-secret files.
It's taken me a while, but I
think I'm actually getting in.
Got it.
All right.
Searching all projects
between 1967
and 1972.
Boss, Andrew Pike was right.
Ooh, a caterpillar.
Scary.
I do not understand.
Watch.
It's a hybrid.
It's part insect, part machine.
The Anax Principle merges
technology with nature.
Ellswood said that war should
not only be fought
on the battlefields,
but in the fields themselves.
He wanted to change the game.
The hybrid's remote controlled,
mutates quickly.
can infiltrate crops,
multiply fast.
It's like a genetically
engineered plague.
Has the potential to kill
thousands of people.
Yeah, no wonder it was
kept a secret.
Not anymore.
Penny's meeting with Michael
Sheedy at the DC Chronicle.
I'd rather she not
go alone, boss.
GIBBS:
Go.
McGEE:
This place is empty.
PENNY:
That must be Michael.
Okay, there's my signal.
McGEE:
Why isn't he getting out?
Penny, wait.
Something's not right.
Timothy, I'm perfectly capable
of handling this...[tires squealing]
Look out!
Look out!
Oh, no, Michael!
Oh, Michael!
[crying quietly]
ZIVA: Ducky's finishing,
but the evidence still points
to our killer.Another execution, boss.
He won't stop till he gets
what he wants.
He wants me.
No, we don't know that yet.
Yeah, we do.
McGee, analysts who developed
the Anax Principle.
TONY:
John Westfal never said he was
part of the original group.
[typing]
PENNY: Wouldn't be
the first time he lied.
Was he a problem?
John was a rich, entitled kid.
Ellswood took him
under his wing,
promised him things.Like what?
Gave him the reigns,
let him make decisions
he shouldn't have made.
He got power hungry?Telles is John's whole life.
He'd do anything
to keep power.
Maybe even kill.
The rental car was paid for
using a private account
and the signature belongs
to none other than...
John Westfal.
Bring him in.
It's a forgery.
I didn't sign this.
I'm not playing
games, Mr. Westfal.
Well, someone's setting me up
to ruin my good name.
We can do this easy or
we can do this hard--
it's your choice.
I'm not a violent person,
Agent Gibbs.
I would never kill anyone.
Got witness testimony
and a stack of evidence
that says otherwise.
No, you're wrong.
Prove it.
That's what I thought.
Paul was right.
It was evil.
That's what he called
the Anax Principle--
pure evil-- and I knew it
but I just kept working.
I couldn't stop myself.
Had to protect your power.
I don't have any power.
[laughing]:
I never did.
Paul... Paul had
all the guts.
He had courage.
He took risks,
spoke the truth...
...and I
just fell in line,
did whatever the ones
at the top told me to do.
I admired him,
Agent Gibbs.
Why would I kill him?
Abbs, got your message.
What's up?
Gibbs, hi, lots.
Um, the bullet
fragments
that came from Lieutenant
Booth-- total dead end.
No pun intended.
And second-- and
this is good-- um,
Ducky found traces
of a strange material
on our second victim,
and you're not going
to believe what it is.
It's a highly unusual,
one-of-a-kind,
super strong carbon fiber
that was used
to craft
military weapons.
When?
Oh, like,
like, way back,
like the '50s or the '60s.
I mean, it's not
that far back for you,
but, for me, that is like,
that's, like, way...
So...
I traced
the carbon fiber back
to the manufacturer
in Louisiana.
They make
experimental stuff but
they also make
some combat weapons,
including one
just like this bad boy.
It's a limited edition
combat-approved
.45-caliber handgun
dubbed the "Black Hand."
It was used during Vietnam
for only two years--
1962 and 1963.
Abbs, zoom in right here.
TONY:
Our killer's a G.I. Joe?
Was.
Number of Telles analysts
who served in the military?
[typing]
Three--
Andrew Pike,
Max Ellswood,
and a low-level analyst
named Eric Velez.
How many army?
[typing]
Just two-- Ellswood and Velez.
Years served?
Ellswood
from 1955
to 1963 and Velez from...
That can't be right.
McGee, come on.
Velez didn't serve
until the first Iraq War.
Enlisted in 1990.
Well, come on,
I love science fiction
as much as the next guy,
but Ellswood's
long gone.
His plane crashed into
the Rockies 23 years ago.
They find the body?
No.
Ducky, it's McGee.
Is Penny there?
DUCKY:
She left.
What do you mean she left?
When?
About an hour ago.
[rustling]
Hello?
[rustling continues]
I said who's there?
Max.
Heard you've been
keeping yourself
rather busy these
days, Penelope.
But then, I'd expect
nothing less.
Always such a busybody.
Had to prove you were
as good as the boys.
All these years...
we thought you were dead.
Yes, well, I was.
The day the military pulled
the plug on my creation,
it killed me.
I had no reason
to be here anymore.
But when I found out
they'd green-lit
the project again, I felt ...
reborn.
So you can imagine
how upset I was
when I also heard you were up
to your old tricks.
Out to destroy
my legacy.
Don't move.
I wasn't about
to let that happen.
You were wrong, Max,
about the Anax Principle.
About everything.
I did great things.
And I will again.
GIBBS:
No, you won't.
Please don't.
Don't do this.
Don't do this.
Already done.
You can't!
This is wrong!
This is wrong!
I've done great things!
They need me!
They need me!
They can't do it
without me.
[laughter]
One year,
Timothy became
obsessed with my red pumps,
you know?
He wore them
everywhere.
I mean, to the grocery store,
to church...
What'd the preacher
have to say about that?
"Hey, kid, don't upstage me."
As he's teetering down
the aisle to the front.
And I... Hi, honey.
Hi.
[all laughing]
What's so funny?
The red pumps.
We were just really
enjoying that story.
[Ziva, Tony laugh]
You little cross-dresser you.
Does the Pope know?
It's nothing
to be ashamed of, darling.
You know, it's healthy
to explore all sides
of yourself.
I was five.
Yeah, that's what's sort
of brilliant about it.
[Tony and Ziva
continue laughing]
It's getting late.
Way past your date's
bedtime there, Tony.
And I gotta get you home, Penny.
No need.
I already have a ride.
With who?
It's been a pleasure
to meet you both.
And Ziva, Tony...
Until next time,
mon cherie.
Timothy's lucky to have you.
No, weare the lucky ones.
Whoa.
[whispering]:
Oh, that Tony DiNozzo.
[chuckles]
It comforts me
to know that you're with
such a good
group of people.
I'll admit even Gibbs
has begun
to grow on me
a little bit.
His cold despotic ways?
Really part of his charm.
Who knew?
He actually reminds me
a lot of...
...you know,
a little bit.
Yeah, in other words...
he loves you, but has
no idea how to show it.
Does he?
Oh, sweetheart,
he loves you so much.
He always has, Timothy.
Deeply.
You need to take the
first step, Timothy.
Call him.
It's been almost seven years.
I wouldn't know what to say.
Oh, you're a smart boy.
You'll figure it out.
Oh, here's my ride.
Wait, is this a date?
No, just a cocktail, Timothy.
DUCKY:
Or cocktails.
Mm-hmm.
Hmm.
[whispers]:
Sweetheart, call him.
And you, Doctor,
good evening.
So have you made up
your mind?
English or Italian?
I think Korean.[chuckles]
I'd like to have
a bunch of little pots.
[phone line ringing]
MAN:
Hello.
Hi... Dad?
It's me, Tim.
Captioning sponsored by
CBS
and TOYOTA.
I meant to come home last night,
all right?
[sighs]
Yeah, my class ran late,
and I had all those papers...
What are you accusing me of?
Look, I can't deal with this
right now.
I got to go.
I'll call you later.
[phone beeps off]
[groans]
[grunts]
[sighs]
[keypad beeping]
[quietly]:
Come on.
Hey, it's me.
I'm starting
to really lose it here.
I can't keep lying to my wife.
It's killing me.
We need to end this.
Can we meet?
I'm at the park across
from the Hayes Hotel.
I'll see you soon.
[phone beeps off]
[sighs]
[grunts]
Yes, I know, I got it.
For the 188th time, I got it.
Yes. The balloons,
and the streamers.
I know, I know.
What? No, no, no.
No strippers this year.
No!
[backpack thuds on desk]
I got to go. I'll call you back.
Planning a party, Tony?
Not exactly.
It's my father's birthday.
He's planning, I'm paying.
In all kinds of ways.
Well, sounds like
he's really into it.
[wry chuckling]:
Oh, yeah, he's into it.
Like a little
sorority girl.
[in high-pitched voice]:
It's my birthday.
My birthday?
Not even a present.
Makes my head hurt.
At least your dad
gets in the spirit.
Mine hates birthdays.
ZIVA:
My father attended
every birthday party.
But his mind was always
elsewhere.
Yeah, I remember one year--
I think I was seven--
I spent all day making
this huge card for my dad.
Used paint, glitter,
special paper, the works.
I gave it to him that night,
and, uh, he handed it
back to me, and said,
"You can do better. Try again."
That is a terrible story, McGee.
Eh, it's just the way he is.
TONY: Yeah, but
McGee's old man
is a legend, right?
Called him the
Great Santini.
ZIVA: Wait a minute.
He's a magician?
I thought he was a Navy admiral.
The movie, Ziva--
The Great Santini,
starring the great
Robert Duvall who played
the ruthless military pilot
and brutal family man
Bull Meechum.
Please don't.
TONY [imitating Duvall]:
There's those that's got 'em,
and those that don't.
Gonads, son!
Big brass ones!
And there it is.
Kind of makes
sense that
you'd end up working
for Gibbs, McMeechum.
There are similarities.
He's got big, brass ones.
They're like bowling balls.
That is disgusting.
I'm talking about
tough love tactics, Tony.
The veneer of
impenetrability.
His skill at turning one
word into a rallying cry.
Gear up.
Guess that's two
words, isn't it?
Something funny,
DiNozzo?
No, boss.
Grabbing my gear.
Got a dead Navy officer
downtown.
Nothing funny about that.
[camera shutter clicking]
[siren blaring]
Ambushed from behind, boss?
Maybe. How many shots, Duck?
Just one
that I can see,
and it was devastating.
It's a single gunshot wound
to the side of the head.
Through and through.
Never saw it coming.
JIMMY:
He was just enjoying
a beautiful fall morning.
The sun is out,
the birds are chirping.
All is right
with the world and...
and then, out of nowhere, bam.
Lights out.
Kind of poetic,
if you ask me. I...
But you did not ask me,
and I apologize.
Time of death, Duck?
Couple of hours ago.
Details?
Uh, Navy Lieutenant Paul Booth.
32 years old,
married, no kids.
Wife's being notified
as we speak.
Police are ruling
out robbery, boss.
Cash, credit cards--
everything's still on him.
ZIVA:
Except this.
Found it in the grass.
Could be a company badge.
Here's something weird.
Well, looks like a burn.
Not any burn
I've ever seen.
Wow. What was this guy into?
TONY:
I don't know.
Maybe you can tell us, Tim.
Me? Why?
This can't be mine.
TONY:
You sure about that?
It's got your name on it.
McGEE:
Matte-white card stock
with clean border
and seven-point
Helvetica font.
Oh, my God.
McGee.
Boss, I don't know what this is.
I don't even know this guy.
Well, he knew you.
TONY:
Lieutenant Paul Booth,
late 2003, right after
you started here, McGee.
Ring a bell?
No. I still
can't place him.
Okay. Here he
is last year.
Anything?
[sighs]
No, and I've
checked old files.
He wasn't a friend of a victim,
or a witness in any case.
I mean, none
of this makes sense.
How could he have my business
card from eight years ago?
I don't even have
one of those.
Sit, McGee.
We'll figure it out.
Boss, I don't know him, I swear.
Sit.
Lieutenant Paul Booth,
AKA McGee's mystery friend,
served two tours
overseas before joining
the Reserves in 2007.
Criminal background?Nothing.
By all accounts,
a model officer.
Made lieutenant in
just three years.
C.O. says he was
"highly focused
and driven to succeed."
Officials at Waverly
University said the same thing.
Booth taught there
as a math professor.
He was praised
by colleagues and students.
You know, it looks like
teach was skipping class
the past few months.
Taught courses five days a week
for three years, and then...
Look at this-- last spring,
he cut his schedule down.
One class. Once a week.
That's right.
Officials say
he gave no specific
reason for the change.
McGEE:
Maybe he was working
someplace else.
ZIVA:
Abby I.D.'d the symbol
on the badge
as the logo for something called
the Telles Research Group.
Get me an employee
database.
Boss, Telles is locked up tight.
For me to get in, I'd have to
bypass the Pentagon's mainframe
and go straight into
their secure server.
Which I'll happily do.
Why is this group so secret?
These guys develop
all kinds of things,
from children's car seats
to advanced military spyware.
They got their
headquarters out
in the middle of
Virginia somewhere.
[computer chirps]
Boss, I'm in.
Booth was employed as an analyst
in January 2010.
Reported to Telles
vice president John Westfal.
Yeah? And?
That's it.
All the other files
are classified.
Find out what they're hiding.
Tony, Ziva,
go talk to Westfal.
[crying softly]
Mrs. Booth?
Please tell me this
isn't happening.
Sit down.
[sighs]
[groans]
What do you know about
your husband's work?
Paul loved what he did.
He was a great teacher.
When did you last talk?
This morning... pretty early.
Before 6:00, I think.
He sound upset?
More... anxious.
Like he needed
to get off the phone with me.
He was like that a lot lately.
For a long time, I thought
it was because he was...
he was seeing someone else.
But then...
What?
[sighs]
A few weeks ago,
he came home really late.
I looked outside
to make sure it was him, and
that's when I saw...
There was someone was parked
across the street, Agent Gibbs.
Watching him.
Who?
I don't know.
It was a man, I think.
It was hard to tell
in the dark.
You ever see him again?
When?
Last night.
And the night before that.
MAN:
We're self-sufficient.
We installed solar panels,
and we're hoping to raise
our own cattle this year.
Is that why you set up shop
so far out of DC?
So you could milk cows?
We believe a certain amount
of isolation breeds creativity.
Well, Lieutenant Booth
was certainly isolated.
Mm, not even his wife knew
he was here.
Paul was very aware of the
delicate nature of our work.
We were very up-front
when we recruited him.
Were there problems?
No. Never.
No, Paul was a top analyst.
He loved this place; he
loved working in the garden.
None of this will ever
be the same without him.
TONY:
We need to know what you really
do here, Mr. Westfal.
I have a feeling it's more
than just growing tomatoes.
WESTFAL:
Max Ellswood founded Telles
in 1965, in order to develop
cutting-edge military strategy.
His theories have been used
in every war since Vietnam.
His passing was a sad day.
But his legacy lives on.
Telles remains
the first choice when it comes
to military innovative design.
And what designs
was Lieutenant Booth
working on when he died?
I'm afraid that's classified.
Ah. Well, it is important that
we know what he was involved in.
My hands are tied,
Agent DiNozzo.
I can't release
such information.
Can't or won't?
I've said all I need to say.
You can find your way out.
Yeah, thank you.
Huh.
[phone buzzing]
[beep]
That's the third time
in an hour.
I know. I am so sorry.
Will not happen
again, I promise.
Well, there's plenty of time
to turn off each other's calls
once you're married, Mr. Palmer.
I'd advise you not to start
before you've even
exchanged wedding vows.
How'd you know
it was Breena?
You're a man in love.
[chuckles]
I've been there
many times myself,
though not much
lately.
[sighs]
It's just all this
wedding planning stuff--
it just has us on edge.
She's having a hard
time making decisions.
I'm just trying to help, but
everything I say seems wrong.
What should I do?
Just give her
what she wants.
I have no idea what that is.
Welcome to the rest
of your life, Jim-Boy.
[sighs]
What do you got, Duck?
Enough to raise
troubling questions.
Captain Booth died
from trauma
from a single gunshot wound
to the head
with massive
skull fracture
and disbursement
of brain matter.
We also found bullet fragments
lodged in his skull.
These would indicate that the
killer stood about 20 feet away.
Abby is doing tests.
That's not all.
These markings
on the ends of his fingers
are proving mysterious.
Mr. Palmer.
The fingertips
were inflamed,
cracked, and bleeding.
Strongly indicates
a chemical burn.
Drugs?
Possibly.
I've ordered tox screens
and additional panels.
Jethro, this was carried out
with precision.
The proximity to the victim, the
lack of physical evidence.
This is a killer
with considerable skill.
TONY:
Bank records show
Lieutenant Booth
cashed out all his accounts
the day before he died.
Everything was put
into a trust fund
under his
wife's name.
Close to a hundred grand.
He knew he was
in trouble.
Also knew
he was being followed.
Metro Police say he filed
a report last week.
Claimed that someone tried
to run him off the road.
You get a description
of the car?
Yes, a dark-colored sedan--
unknown model.
McGee, e-mails.
I'm still sifting
through Booth's personal e-mails
and Navy correspondence,
but cell phone
records do show
that he made three calls
just before his death.
To who?
The first was to his boss,
John Westfal,
at 5:47 a.m., second
to his wife at 6:01,
and the last call,
just two minutes
before his murder, was made
to an unlisted number.
I'm tracing that number now.
Who is Penelope Langston?
McGee.
Hey, stop.
Boss, I can't right now,
I'm sorry.
She's your what?
And you never
told me?
What, do I have to tell you
everything?
Yes, you do.
Now, listen, does she
know we're coming?
If you learn to make
a bonsai tree...
McGEE:
Penny.
Timothy--
excuse me, kids.
Sweetheart,
how come
the long face?
Have you not been eating those
wheatgrass honey squares I sent?
I told you, they flush out
all the toxins.
And you must be Tony DiNozzo.
I have heard
so much about you.
Well, it's a pleasure.
I wish I could
say the same.
[stammers]
Tony DiNozzo,
this is Penelope
Langston,
my grandmother.
Oh, that word--
grandmother-- so old-fashioned
and so patriarchal.
You call me Penny.
Listen, as much
as I love
a surprise visit,
especially from Timothy...
Penny.
We need to talk.
About Lieutenant Paul Booth.
I know.
I know he's dead.
I tried reaching him
at the university.
They gave me
the news.
How do you know
the lieutenant?
Not for the reason you think,
I can assure you.
He's much too young for me
and not at all my type,
and your dear grandfather,
rest his soul,
would not approve.
You don't want
to talk to me, fine,
but Gibbs is going to have
questions and he's not
going to be nice
about it, trust me.
I think you forget
that I staged a sit-in
with Gloria Steinem
at our nation's capitol
and spent seven nights
in prison--
or jail, really--
after the Selma riots
in '65...
And three in Chicago
after the '68 convention.
And I think I can handle
this Gibbs person.
Genghis Khan
couldn't handle Gibbs.
You should talk to
your grandson, Penny.
Why did Lieutenant Booth call
you right before he died?
[sighs]
Paul was a student of mine.
He was so bright
and thoughtful
and loved math and science
as much as I did.
Both his parents
had passed.
He needed help getting
through some tough times,
and I was there. We...
we stayed in contact.
About what?
Oh, God, professional
things mostly.
He was having
work problems.
Problems with the
Telles Research Group?
Telles? No, with
his work at Waverly.
Oh, since when
was Paul working
for those
imperialist nut-jobs?
Well, that is a, uh,
pretty strong opinion
about a group most people
don't even know exists.
I have strong opinions
about all kinds of things
and I was the wife of
an admiral for 40 years.
Our pillow talk
was enlightening.
Please don't say
"pillow talk."
Okay, how about
postcoital embraces?
[clicks tongue]
Nelson confided in me
about all kinds of things.
So...
what do you know about Telles?
I know that it's a think
tank for the military,
going back to Vietnam.
That's about it.
And Booth never said anything
else about his work there?
No, not a word.
I know you, Timothy, and
I know when you are trying
to fit a square peg
into a round hole.
Sweetheart,
stop trying to
make connections
where there aren't any.
You're so much
better than that.
She's lying.
Some grandson
you are.
You know, my dad used to do
this thing when he...
You'd ask him a question and
he didn't want to answer it,
he'd turn the tables,
tell me I was the one
with the problem.
From what you've said
about your pops,
Penny doesn't seem
anything like him.
I didn't think so,
until now.
You know,
I've always trusted her.
She's someone
I depend on.
Why would
she do this?
I don't know.
There's gotta be a reason.
I don't think she'd
just mislead you.
Unless she has
something to lose.
Well, I guess we have to figure
out what that is, right?
[scoffs]
You see how stubborn she is.
If I push too hard,
I'm gonna push her away.
Family.
Well, you might not
have a choice, Tim.
[car door closes]
Hey, Abby.
Gibbs, I'm in here.
Here, give me
your hand.
Aah.
It's hot, right?
Yeah.
So imagine how
Lieutenant Booth felt.
Burned by a copy machine?
Yeah, this very machine,
actually.
It was in his basement.
It's, like,
a hundred years old.
Crazy, right?
Let me show you
something crazier.
The lieutenant's fingerprints
were singed
and they tested positive
for high levels
of iron oxide and tungsten
sulfide, aka rust and oil.
You put those
two together
and take a wild
guess what you get.
Come on,
guess, guess, guess.
Okay, observe.
Every time
he made a copy...
...the printer toner
and the heat of the glass
burned his fingers,
but he kept doing it,
like, over and over
and over and over again.
That's dedicated.
I would estimate he made
like 4,000 copies, Gibbs.
I mean, whatever
he was copying
must have been
really important.
Maybe enough to
get him killed.
Thanks.
Tony... I was right.
Penny never
taught Booth.
She retired before
he enrolled.
I got to know what she's hiding.
Guessing it's more
than you think.
McGee, talk to me.
Well, uh, boss, I'm
trying to penetrate
Telles' top
secret files,
but the, the code is
overly complicated.
It's almost
indecipherable.
Decipher it.
Well, that's, that's just it,
I can't.
I mean, I will,
I will, I am.
DiNozzo.
I'd like everyone to say
hello to Andrew Pike,
former analyst and rival of
Telles founder Max Ellswood.
He was fired and banned
from the building.
State employee records show
that Pike
became erratic
after he was turned down
for a promotion.
Ellswood called him
"an egomaniac
with a violent streak."
Where is he now?
ZIVA:
Last known address
is in Virginia,
but it is
from 1972.
Boss, that's not the
only Telles employee
who's had issues.
Found several messages in
Lieutenant Booth's e-mail cache,
all from John Westfal,
all referencing
something called
the Anax Principle.
Could have been
what he was copying.
Put it up.
ZIVA: "The Anax Principle is
privileged information, Paul.
Time to come clean before things
get out of control."
Maybe Westfal was
the one who lost control, huh?
This is insane.
I already told everything I know
to your other agents.
You didn't tell them
about the Anax Principle.
[clock chiming]
All right, what
do you know?
Not enough.
We were hoping
you'd fill us in.
It's highly classified
material, Agent Gibbs.
Not even our top
military commanders
know of its contents.
Sounds like
Lieutenant Booth knew
more than you wanted him to.
Why the e-mails?
Was there a fight?
No, absolutely not.
Where were you the morning
that Booth was shot?
I was home.
Was asleep.
Got anybody
that can verify that?
No.
I know what you're thinking,
but you're wrong.
I didn't kill Paul.
I was mad at him, yes.
About what?
He was stealing
from me; from us.
I caught him
taking files
for the Anax Principle,
close to 4,000 pages
of privileged
documents.
I didn't say
anything at the time
because I was trying
to get the files back,
but that doesn't
matter now.
Why not?
When I confronted him,
he admitted that he had
given them to someone.
To who?
I don't know.
He was
very protective.
Just said she was
a close friend.
I thought I knew
everything about you.
I thought I
could trust you.
You can.
I know about your
work for Telles...
and I know
about the papers
you and Lieutenant
Booth stole.
Where are they?
You have to tell me.
I can't.
It's for your own good.
Do you know the kind
of trouble you're in?
I made a promise to Paul
to keep his family safe.
I'm yourfamily.
I'm sorry, Timothy,
I... I can't.
I love you, but I can't.
[car engine revving]
[tires squealing]
Penny! Watch out!
Come on!
[tires screeching,
engine revving, both grunting]
[grunts]
DMV records show that the black
sedan's been registered
to multiple Peppy Car
Rental agencies
over the past
two years.
We're still trying
to figure out
which agency had the sedan
as of today.
You I.D. the driver?Nothing yet.
Witnesses gave
no clear description.
But one woman claims
she saw a man
behind the wheel,
but she could not
determine his age.
Keep looking.
Hey...
How's she holding up?
[sighs]
Well, she's a little shaken,
but otherwise okay.
Ducky's checking
her out right now.
She still won't talk?
She threatened
to stage a hunger strike
in the lobby,
if I kept pushing her.
Does she realize
what kind of danger she's in?
Boss, you don't understand.
Once she gets committed to a
cause, there's no stopping her.
Can't wait forever, McGee.
Get her to talk.
McGee-- Or I will.
[phone ringing]
Very Special Agent Anthony
DiNozzo. How can I help you?
Uh, Lieutenant Booth's murder
is an ongoing investigation.
I'm afraid I'm gonna have
to give you the standard
"no comment." Thank...
What about the Anax Principle?
Uh-huh.
We'll be in touch.
DiNozzo?
That was Michael Sheedy,
senior editor
at the DC Chronicle.
Yeah? So?
Apparently,
he's been communicating
with Penelope Langston
about the Telles
Research Group
and the Anax Principle.
She's meeting
with him tonight.
Wait's over.
Go.
Agent Gibbs,
I always knew
that my grandson
would introduce us.
I just never imagined
that it would be like this.
You failed to tell me
he was so handsome, Timothy.
[sighs]
Great eyes.
Why are you talking
to the press?
I'm a free citizen,
Agent Gibbs.
I can talk
to whomever I want.
Are you giving them information
about the Anax Principle?
That's really none
of your business.
Oh, yeah, it is.
Hmm.
Since you've done nothing but
lie for the past two days.
Your inflated sense of authority
does not impress me.
I have never been
a fan of fascism.
What are you hiding,
Ms. Langston?
I'm not hiding anything. I...
I was protecting a friend.
I doubt that.
I think you're
protecting yourself.
There's only
one reason for that.
Enlighten me, Agent Gibbs.
You know something about
Lieutenant Booth's death.Boss...
Maybe you're involved with
something way over your head.
No...Maybe you're covering
for the real killer...
Enough!
Go home, McGee.
You can't be a professional.
Go home.
Boss, I won't let
you treat her like that.
She's my grandmother.
She's also the lead witness
in a murder investigation.
What do you want me to do,
needlepoint my questions?
Penny had nothing to do with
Lieutenant Booth's death.
I never said she did.What are you
going to do,
you going to break her
down till she cracks?That's how it's done, Tim.
I don't like this any
better than you do.
I know that she's
a family member.
She means everything to me.
I respect that.
This is about murder.
A guy is dead.
Enough. We find what's
in those papers.
We find Booth's killer.
And she's the one
that can tell us.
She'll talk to me.
You worked as an analyst
for the Telles group,
and then you quit. Why?
Don't do this, Timothy.
Please don't.
Your experience with
the Telles Group--
I need to know everything.
I knew I shouldn't have given
Paul your business card.
I just--
at the time, I thought...
Penny.
Now.
PENNY [over speaker]:
The paper I published--
caught Max Ellswood's
attention.
He asked me to be the first
female analyst to work
on something called
the Anax Principle.
It was 1968.
Oh, of course I said yes.
And I've regretted that decision
all my life.
What happened?
They lied.
[chuckles]
What else is new.
I was told that I was
working on something
that would keep
our men in Vietnam safe.
But in a...
a few years in, I learned
that I wasn't helping anyone.
Instead, I was, I was creating
a weapon of destruction.
I wanted to make amends.
You know, warn people. I...
They silenced you?
Like anybody could
shut me up?
I took action, Timothy.
I armed myself with
the First Amendment.
We were just about
to go to print
when the war ended,
and the Anax Principle
was abandoned.
Or so we thought.
Penny, what is it?
Oh, sweetheart...
it's better you don't know.
How'd you meet Lieutenant Booth?
Like me, Paul was lied to.
He learned that I was one
of the last living members
from the original group,
and sought me out.
We agreed to finish
what I'd started.
I convinced him...
that we were doing
the right thing.
It's not your fault.
You inspired him.
You taught him so much.
About how to stand up
for himself.
About how to be
exactly who he was,
no matter what
anyone else thought.
Especially his father.
He'll always love you for that.
You've never told me
this before.
It's the truth.
Do you have any idea
who did this?
All the way from the lovely
tropical island of Bali,
courtesy of our friends
at the State Department,
say hello to Andrew Pike.
I already told the guy
from State
I don't even know
this Paul Booth.
But you do know about
the Anax Principle.
How do you even...?
That was something
I created years ago.
But that's-- it's...
all over now.
Not according
to Penelope Langston.
The project started up
again last year.
She said you harbored anger
against Max Ellswood and Telles.
Claimed they stole
your idea.
And one day you'd
make them pay.
Yeah, I felt betrayed
and rejected.
But I was 23. Thought I'd change
the world and then...
Then what?
Ellswood wanted to market
the Anax Principle.
I just wanted it
to be a test--
a new kind of experiment.
I left and never looked back.
That was 39 years ago.
How long have you
been in Bali?
39 years.
Look, I don't know
what's going on,
but I never meant for
that project to go public.
It is a threat
to our way of life.
Boss, I'm just one firewall away
from Telles'
top-secret files.
It's taken me a while, but I
think I'm actually getting in.
Got it.
All right.
Searching all projects
between 1967
and 1972.
Boss, Andrew Pike was right.
Ooh, a caterpillar.
Scary.
I do not understand.
Watch.
It's a hybrid.
It's part insect, part machine.
The Anax Principle merges
technology with nature.
Ellswood said that war should
not only be fought
on the battlefields,
but in the fields themselves.
He wanted to change the game.
The hybrid's remote controlled,
mutates quickly.
can infiltrate crops,
multiply fast.
It's like a genetically
engineered plague.
Has the potential to kill
thousands of people.
Yeah, no wonder it was
kept a secret.
Not anymore.
Penny's meeting with Michael
Sheedy at the DC Chronicle.
I'd rather she not
go alone, boss.
GIBBS:
Go.
McGEE:
This place is empty.
PENNY:
That must be Michael.
Okay, there's my signal.
McGEE:
Why isn't he getting out?
Penny, wait.
Something's not right.
Timothy, I'm perfectly capable
of handling this...[tires squealing]
Look out!
Look out!
Oh, no, Michael!
Oh, Michael!
[crying quietly]
ZIVA: Ducky's finishing,
but the evidence still points
to our killer.Another execution, boss.
He won't stop till he gets
what he wants.
He wants me.
No, we don't know that yet.
Yeah, we do.
McGee, analysts who developed
the Anax Principle.
TONY:
John Westfal never said he was
part of the original group.
[typing]
PENNY: Wouldn't be
the first time he lied.
Was he a problem?
John was a rich, entitled kid.
Ellswood took him
under his wing,
promised him things.Like what?
Gave him the reigns,
let him make decisions
he shouldn't have made.
He got power hungry?Telles is John's whole life.
He'd do anything
to keep power.
Maybe even kill.
The rental car was paid for
using a private account
and the signature belongs
to none other than...
John Westfal.
Bring him in.
It's a forgery.
I didn't sign this.
I'm not playing
games, Mr. Westfal.
Well, someone's setting me up
to ruin my good name.
We can do this easy or
we can do this hard--
it's your choice.
I'm not a violent person,
Agent Gibbs.
I would never kill anyone.
Got witness testimony
and a stack of evidence
that says otherwise.
No, you're wrong.
Prove it.
That's what I thought.
Paul was right.
It was evil.
That's what he called
the Anax Principle--
pure evil-- and I knew it
but I just kept working.
I couldn't stop myself.
Had to protect your power.
I don't have any power.
[laughing]:
I never did.
Paul... Paul had
all the guts.
He had courage.
He took risks,
spoke the truth...
...and I
just fell in line,
did whatever the ones
at the top told me to do.
I admired him,
Agent Gibbs.
Why would I kill him?
Abbs, got your message.
What's up?
Gibbs, hi, lots.
Um, the bullet
fragments
that came from Lieutenant
Booth-- total dead end.
No pun intended.
And second-- and
this is good-- um,
Ducky found traces
of a strange material
on our second victim,
and you're not going
to believe what it is.
It's a highly unusual,
one-of-a-kind,
super strong carbon fiber
that was used
to craft
military weapons.
When?
Oh, like,
like, way back,
like the '50s or the '60s.
I mean, it's not
that far back for you,
but, for me, that is like,
that's, like, way...
So...
I traced
the carbon fiber back
to the manufacturer
in Louisiana.
They make
experimental stuff but
they also make
some combat weapons,
including one
just like this bad boy.
It's a limited edition
combat-approved
.45-caliber handgun
dubbed the "Black Hand."
It was used during Vietnam
for only two years--
1962 and 1963.
Abbs, zoom in right here.
TONY:
Our killer's a G.I. Joe?
Was.
Number of Telles analysts
who served in the military?
[typing]
Three--
Andrew Pike,
Max Ellswood,
and a low-level analyst
named Eric Velez.
How many army?
[typing]
Just two-- Ellswood and Velez.
Years served?
Ellswood
from 1955
to 1963 and Velez from...
That can't be right.
McGee, come on.
Velez didn't serve
until the first Iraq War.
Enlisted in 1990.
Well, come on,
I love science fiction
as much as the next guy,
but Ellswood's
long gone.
His plane crashed into
the Rockies 23 years ago.
They find the body?
No.
Ducky, it's McGee.
Is Penny there?
DUCKY:
She left.
What do you mean she left?
When?
About an hour ago.
[rustling]
Hello?
[rustling continues]
I said who's there?
Max.
Heard you've been
keeping yourself
rather busy these
days, Penelope.
But then, I'd expect
nothing less.
Always such a busybody.
Had to prove you were
as good as the boys.
All these years...
we thought you were dead.
Yes, well, I was.
The day the military pulled
the plug on my creation,
it killed me.
I had no reason
to be here anymore.
But when I found out
they'd green-lit
the project again, I felt ...
reborn.
So you can imagine
how upset I was
when I also heard you were up
to your old tricks.
Out to destroy
my legacy.
Don't move.
I wasn't about
to let that happen.
You were wrong, Max,
about the Anax Principle.
About everything.
I did great things.
And I will again.
GIBBS:
No, you won't.
Please don't.
Don't do this.
Don't do this.
Already done.
You can't!
This is wrong!
This is wrong!
I've done great things!
They need me!
They need me!
They can't do it
without me.
[laughter]
One year,
Timothy became
obsessed with my red pumps,
you know?
He wore them
everywhere.
I mean, to the grocery store,
to church...
What'd the preacher
have to say about that?
"Hey, kid, don't upstage me."
As he's teetering down
the aisle to the front.
And I... Hi, honey.
Hi.
[all laughing]
What's so funny?
The red pumps.
We were just really
enjoying that story.
[Ziva, Tony laugh]
You little cross-dresser you.
Does the Pope know?
It's nothing
to be ashamed of, darling.
You know, it's healthy
to explore all sides
of yourself.
I was five.
Yeah, that's what's sort
of brilliant about it.
[Tony and Ziva
continue laughing]
It's getting late.
Way past your date's
bedtime there, Tony.
And I gotta get you home, Penny.
No need.
I already have a ride.
With who?
It's been a pleasure
to meet you both.
And Ziva, Tony...
Until next time,
mon cherie.
Timothy's lucky to have you.
No, weare the lucky ones.
Whoa.
[whispering]:
Oh, that Tony DiNozzo.
[chuckles]
It comforts me
to know that you're with
such a good
group of people.
I'll admit even Gibbs
has begun
to grow on me
a little bit.
His cold despotic ways?
Really part of his charm.
Who knew?
He actually reminds me
a lot of...
...you know,
a little bit.
Yeah, in other words...
he loves you, but has
no idea how to show it.
Does he?
Oh, sweetheart,
he loves you so much.
He always has, Timothy.
Deeply.
You need to take the
first step, Timothy.
Call him.
It's been almost seven years.
I wouldn't know what to say.
Oh, you're a smart boy.
You'll figure it out.
Oh, here's my ride.
Wait, is this a date?
No, just a cocktail, Timothy.
DUCKY:
Or cocktails.
Mm-hmm.
Hmm.
[whispers]:
Sweetheart, call him.
And you, Doctor,
good evening.
So have you made up
your mind?
English or Italian?
I think Korean.[chuckles]
I'd like to have
a bunch of little pots.
[phone line ringing]
MAN:
Hello.
Hi... Dad?
It's me, Tim.
Captioning sponsored by
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