NCIS: Los Angeles (2009–…): Season 1, Episode 1 - Identity - full transcript

A commander in Naval intelligence dies during a shootout involving others with the LAPD; Callen returns to duty. The gang find the pieces and put them together; Callen pitches a deal, and he and Sam find and return a missing girl.

NEWSCASTER: Looking to the 101
eastbound. Traffic is moving slow.

Starts to slow down
around White Oak.

POLICE PILOT: --northbound on 101.
Dark blue Tahoe, 6A18 is Code 3.

[SIRENS WAILING]

Requesting backup.

DISPATCHER:
DMV tag is 5ZEN197.

Two suspects in vehicle
fleeing traffic stop.

POLICEMAN: 6A27 shows responding
Code 3 with secondary with 6A18.

DISPATCHER: All units, vehicle
now heading west on Mulholland.

OFFICER 1:
Pull up right behind him.

Out of the car!



Out of the car!

Driver, show me your hands!

Out of the car!
Your hands. Get them up.

OFFICER 2:
Show me your hands!

OFFICER 3:
Passenger side, out the car.

OFFICER 4: Put them up! Get them up!
OFFICER 3: Passenger side, get down.

OFFICER 1: Weapon!
OFFICER 2: Take him out.

[YELLING]

[GRUNTS]

OFFICER 2: Secure the vehicle.
OFFICER 3: Secured.

[GUNFIRE]

SAM:
G! Stay with me, G.

Don't do this to me. Come on.
Come on, buddy.

CALLEN:
Here you go.



SAM:
So, what is it this time, G?

- Cold showers, bed bugs, feng shui?
- Too noisy.

Last place was too quiet.
Place before that was too hot.

No, no, no. That place was too cold.
The place before that was too hot.

Sure you're ready to come back?

What are you,
my mother or something?

You could use one.

- Yeah.
- I gotcha.

CALLEN:
Thank you.

- So new office, huh?
- Yup.

- What's it like?
- Noisy.

Three months and the neighbors
still don't know we're here.

Huh. Hiding in plain sight.

What was it before we got it?

Old water plant
administration building.

Condemned
after the Northridge quake.

- Condemned?
- Only on the outside, G.

[CHATTERING]

WOMAN:
Coming through.

MAN:
Great, just put it on my desk.

[IMITATES AIRPLANE]

Voilà.

Gotta go see you-know-who.

[SPEAKING IN PORTUGUESE]

SAM: Come on, Hetty.
I gave you the receipts.

If every agent came back
from an undercover assignment

with expenses unaccounted for,
Mr. Hanna,

I'd be either out of a job
or out of pocket.

Now I don't intend to be either.

What are we down to,
15, 20 bucks?

Sixty-one and a nickel.

SAM: You're a fantastic
operations manager, Hetty.

HETTY: All right.
- Yeah. I got you.

- Twenty, 40, 60.
- Yeah.

- Okay?
HETTY: Thank you.

I'll spot you the nickel.

Thank you. I'm good for it.

Mr. Callen,
you're not due back for a month.

I missed your sunny smile, Hetty.

Um... We need to update
your biometrics.

New photos for driver's licenses,
passports,

general backstopping,
not to speak of documents,

credit cards and so forth,

and, um, wardrobe.

Problems with the neighbors?

Something like that.

HETTY:
Uh-huh.

Well, don't even think about unrolling
that disgusting thing in here.

CALLEN: I think she's mellowed.
- I think I'm in love.

CALLEN:
Who's that?

It's a new guy
that started this week. Green.

- That's his name?
- Nope.

[WHISTLES]

Heads up, director's coming online.

- Hey, Callen.
- Eric.

Well, it's about time.

- Kensi.
KENSI: Hello.

- My favorite agent.
- I thought you callously abandoned us

to join the FBI.

Once was enough. You still making
the weekend drive up to Pendleton?

Of course. Home away from home.

What you get
for growing up a Marine brat.

- Yeah, yeah.
- You get a note from your doctor?

- You're my doctor, Nate.
- Yeah.

I just get to play around inside
your head though.

- Uh-huh.
- How's the rest of you?

Aches, pains, insomnia?

Yeah, all of that. Before I was shot.

DOMINIC:
Hi. Dominic.

Callen. Nice to meet you, Dom.

DOMINIC: Is Callen his first?
SAM: Just Callen.

DOMINIC:
I got it.

VANCE:
Agent Callen,

I didn't think you were due back
till next month.

- I guess you didn't get the e-mail.
- I guess you haven't sent it yet.

Your case is still active, Callen.
We will find them.

Yes, sir.

- We will.
- Here's the reason I'm calling.

This is Commander Frank McGuire,

works for the Office
of Naval Intelligence.

Or did until two hours ago.

He was kidnapped
and subsequently killed

in a shootout with L.A.P.D.

Routine traffic stop, his kidnappers
sped off, L.A.P.D. went after them.

McGuire got caught in the crossfire.

What about the kidnappers?

Mexican nationals.

That's what's got us worried.

In less than 12 hours, there's going
to be a coordinated military operation

on both sides of the Mexican border
against the drug cartels.

Operation Dakota.

McGuire had detailed knowledge
of this plan.

We need to find out if it's been
compromised. File's on its way, Eric.

Keep me in the loop.

Footage, Eric.

[GUNFIRE ON SCREEN]

Eric, slide it back.

Hold it. Dom.

- What do you see?
- Uh...

The second guy's been hit,
he's trying to get back in the SUV.

- Okay. Why?
- Cover?

Zoom and enhance, Eric.

SAM: Passenger side window
just exploded.

Yeah, but that's not a surprise.
Lots of incoming from the L.A.P.D.

Tighter, Eric.

Advance three frames.

SAM: The window is blowing
into the car, not out.

- The kidnapper fired the shot.
- McGuire wasn't killed in the crossfire.

He was executed.

Okay, so you're a bad guy.

You're surrounded by L.A.P.D.

You've seen the movies.
Gonna shoot your way out.

Your buddy takes one in the chest,
he's dead before he hits the ground.

I think I've seen that movie.

Now the cops are blamming away:
blam, blam! Six cops squeezing Glocks.

That's a lead storm.
It's coming right at you.

Definitely ain't no movie.
What do you do?

Al Pacino was in it.

- Might have been De Niro.
- You pee your pants.

You drop your weapon.
You kiss the pavement.

Okay?

At least that's what I'd do.

Instead, I go back to the car,
execute the hostage, and die doing it.

Now why would you sacrifice yourself
to kill your hostage?

So he couldn't reveal
what you were up to.

McGuire lives at 1041, Apartment 1.

CALLEN:
What are we?

- If anyone asks.
- City inspectors.

- Nobody talks to city inspectors.
- Okay.

You're a realtor, I'm your client.

- Do I look like a realtor?
- Okay, I'm the realtor.

You're looking for the apartment,
okay?

- Can we go?
- Would I live in a place like this?

I don't even know
if I could afford a place like this.

Well, that's why I'm showing you,

to see if, you know, you would
wanna live in a place like this.

- Does it have a Jacuzzi?
- If it has, I'm gonna drown you in it.

[PHONE RINGING]

FRANK [ON MACHINE]:
Hi, this is Frank McGuire.

Sorry I can't take your call right now.

Leave a message
and I'll get right back with you.

[BEEPING]

[MACHINE BEEPS]

- Clear.
- Clear.

MACHINE:
Message bank deleted.

Looks like someone didn't want us
to hear McGuire's messages.

Eric, I need you to check a call.

I'll check McGuire's phone logs,
see what we turn up.

Okay, McGuire graduated top 1 percent
from the Naval Academy. Wow.

Look at this. Stellar career.

Specialized
in satellite-image analysis.

And spent time
in the San Nicolas Navy Base.

- Where's that?
DOMINIC: 75 miles off the coast of L.A.

It was discovered by a Spanish
explorer, Sebastián Vizcaino.

Now, he actually chartered
the entire California coast.

And his ship was called
the San Diego

which is where the bay gets its name,
of course.

I think that was back in, what, 1602?

- I read a lot.
- Reading is good.

SAM:
I found this on the coffee table.

Like it mattered.

"Emma. Fleet week. San Diego."

- McGuire wasn't married.
- Birthday was two months ago.

How long you leave birthday cards
on display?

I don't know. I never got one.

You've never gotten
a single birthday card?

Nope.

What? It's not a big deal.

Definitely getting you a birthday card
this year.

Great. You make sure
you put some money in it.

How about I put a personality in it?

"Happy birthday to my favorite uncle.
Love, Emma."

- Mystery solved.
- Mystery solved.

No signs of struggle.

Deadbolts on all the windows
and doors.

They must have snatched him
off the street.

Laptop's encrypted.
It's a job for Eric.

For a career Navy guy, Commander
McGuire wasn't very squared away.

Unless he had something else
on his mind.

No Jacuzzi.

- Deal breaker?
- Afraid so.

Aww. There goes my commission.

[MAN SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

[CAR BEEPS]

The gardener included in the lease?

[IN SPANISH]

Si, it is.

Very safe.

This Navy guy,
I looked at his apartment

and, well, he was kidnapped,
murdered.

Ah.

- Did you know him?
- Oh, every day, he waves.

I saw him this morning. He's dead?

And already his apartment's
available.

Unbelievable.

You might've been the last person
to see him alive.

No, he was with his friends.

What if they're ones
that kidnapped him?

No, no, no. They were his friends.

They've been here before.
I see their car, the blue Tahoe.

- Blue Tahoe? When?
- Yeah.

Every day this week.

[CAR ENGINE STARTS]

CALLEN: Did you get the plates?
- It was clean.

It turns out it wasn't McGuire's first trip
in the Tahoe.

He knew them. They picked him up
every morning this week,

dropped him off three hours later.

Sound like a kidnapping to you,
Sam?

Looks like a kidnapping, but it's not.
Why the hood and nylon ties?

Don't want him to see
where they're taking him,

so they tie his hands so he's
not tempted to lift the hood and peek.

It's common practice
in the Middle East.

I've used the technique
a few times myself.

Now, McGuire used to get to the office
around 8:30,

give or take five or ten minutes.

But as you can see,
he was late every day this week.

The gardener said they picked him up
at 7:30.

Three hours later,
they dropped him back home,

- and then he goes to work.
- A lot you can do in three hours.

If you have top secret
security clearance.

How much time do we have, Eric?

Operation Dakota
against the drug cartels

kicks off
in seven hours and 33 minutes.

What about the call
to McGuire's apartment?

I'm still working on it.

- Finances?
- Nothing out of the ordinary.

- Travel?
- Nothing in his name

or any of his known credit cards.

- Family, relatives?
DOMINIC: Parents are deceased.

He's got one sister, Helen McGuire.

Lives in West Hollywood,
divorced, one kid.

- A girl.
CALLEN: Emma.

Photo at the apartment.
Her favorite uncle.

All right. Enough with the look, already.
I'll go.

And I will take our trained expert
operational psychologist for backup.

I love field work.

- Do I get to carry a gun?
- Yeah, no.

I don't think we're expecting trouble
from a grieving family.

Can I still carry a gun?
Wear one of those ankle holsters?

- Maybe that'd make me walk funny.
KENSI: You already walk funny, Nate.

- Where are we with friends or lovers?
DOMINIC: There's one standout.

- A guy.
- Friend or lover?

Not really the question
that jumped out at me.

Informed guess.

He's a 6-foot-3, 200-pound
Special Forces paratrooper guy,

- so I'm leaning towards a friend.
- Good call, Dom.

Got a hit on that phone number.
Details coming up.

Same number used to call in
and erase McGuire's voice mail,

also called him 15 times
in the last four days.

Somebody's trying
to cover their tracks,

distance themselves
from the investigation.

Who is he? Who made those calls?

That's him.

The Special Forces paratrooper guy.
He runs a private security firm.

Bobby J. Jenlow and Associates.
What do the associates do?

Anything Bobby J. Jenlow
tells them to.

No plates.

Small world.

Are you listening to me, Eddie?

No. No. You listen to me.

It's called standing up, okay?

It's called standing up for your
brothers. That's all I'm asking.

Just do it for me. Just do it.

- You run pretty good.
- Nice handbrake turn.

- You gonna badge me?
- Make a difference if we do?

I saw you going in.
I didn't know who you were.

- So you cleared the phones remotely.
- Private conversations.

- Every one.
- Close?

- Since we were kids.
- It's gotta hurt,

knowing one of your buddies
was betraying his country.

He was kidnapped.
He was no traitor.

- You guys don't know anything.
- Know he wasn't kidnapped.

We know he's been working with them
for the better part of a week.

We know he was shot
to shut him up.

- What do you know, Bobby?
- Nothing.

You're special ops.

It's funny how we all know
just by looking.

Me, I was a SEAL.

You planning a little hunting party,
Bobby?

We're done.

SAM: Jenlow could compromise
the operation against the cartels.

He's putting together a team
to go after them. Retribution.

- How long do we have?
- Not long.

I've sent everyone home.

- All my friends. I wanted to be alone.
- When did you last see your brother?

- Thank you.
- The weekend.

Frank took Emma
to the farmer's market.

He was always taking her someplace:
the beach, the movies.

After we divorced, Emma's father,
Luis, moved overseas.

So Frank became the man
in her life.

You speak to your brother
on the phone this week?

No.

KENSI: He mention he was worried
about something?

Nothing.

Everything was normal and then...

[PHONE RINGING]

- Will you excuse me?
- Sure.

You know, you can tell a lot
about people from their fridge.

And not just what's on the inside.

Outside tells a story too.

- She's grieving.
- Yes, she is.

Which is normal
considering the circumstances.

- Absolutely.
- So what?

Tell me.

She's on edge.

Answering way too quickly.

Particularly to direct questions
requiring a simple yes or no.

Mostly she's saying no.

Kensi, everything that woman
just told us was a lie.

Mr. Callen. A moment?

You want some backup?

Your hand.

Eye.

Car. Blue '07 Impala.

Modified the engine,

upgraded the brakes,
transmission, suspension.

Fitted with 19-inch wheels.

And latest smart technology:

3G network
with two four-megapixel cameras,

updated microphone,
32-gig flash drive,

Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, mini-USB slot,
and of course, GPS.

And it's encrypted.

And so please don't forget your PIN
this time.

Let's go. Now wardrobe
for your undercover work.

I know you grew up
in the well-meaning

but cold embrace of the welfare state,
Mr. Callen.

But just because you were an orphan
doesn't mean that you have to dress

like Oliver Twist.

Now, we need something modern,
individual

that speaks to the man within.

That's not for you to admire,
it's for you to try on.

Here and here.

And here.

- This or this?
- Those.

Fitted boot jean, medium weight,
distressed denim.

I think we need something
more relaxed, Mr. Callen.

[CHUCKLES]

Something amuses you?

Oh, it's just that in three years
you've never called me G.

It's not a name. It's a letter.

Now, if you were to tell me
what the G stands for...

No one ever told me.

Oh.

SAM: Tell me that's good news, Eric.
- Uh. That's good news.

And that
is Commander McGuire's laptop.

- Oh, you got in.
- I got in.

Me and about a hundred thousand
zombie computers.

I hacked into an illegal
botnet system,

redirected the computing power
into cracking the encryption.

Couple of minutes
and we'll get to peek inside

- all of McGuire's dirty little secrets.
KENSI: All right, guys.

Nate thinks McGuire's sister
is lying to us,

that she knew what her brother was
doing. I think there's something else.

It's like the kind of raw emotion
that you see in someone

when the nightmare's still enfolding.

It's like it was still happening to her.

Same time every morning,

they pick him up, cover his face
and take him somewhere.

So why would someone
betray their country?

- Ideology. Greed.
- Love.

Oh, my God, it's her.

- McGuire's sister?
- No, his niece.

Eric, Buddiesbook entry
for Emma McGuire, West Hollywood.

Coming in five.

She said she wanted to be alone.

Callen, her daughter
wasn't even with her.

All right, here we go.

Emma's been sending messages
to her friends every single day.

- And then come this week...
- No messages.

Nothing.
She hasn't logged on for four days.

So whatever they've been getting
McGuire to do,

this is how they've been forcing him
to do it.

This is why she's still living it.
It's still happening.

They have her daughter.

Coming in three, two, one, bingo.

We just opened
four encrypted e-mails

sent to McGuire's laptop
over the last four days.

Sequential time code
is within an hour of the download.

They were downlinked direct
from one of our satellites.

McGuire downlinks the satellite images
to the main computer

and then secretly e-mails them
to his own laptop.

Recording everything
they were making him steal.

There's the San Diego Bay,
Army bases,

border crossing, border security.

- Eric, get me Vance.
- Got it.

How did the drug cartels find out
McGuire even had satellite access?

It was a joint military operation.

The leak probably came
from south of the border.

Cartel sets up a satellite uplink,

kidnaps his niece Emma,
who's still missing,

knowing they'll do anything
that they ask and not tell anyone.

- He did tell someone.
- Bobby Jenlow.

He was gonna try to rescue her.
Probably gave McGuire a GPS locator.

- Gotta find Jenlow, Eric.
ERIC: I'm already on it.

And director's online.

What do you got, Callen?

Operation Dakota's
been compromised.

Mexican drug cartel forced McGuire
to access one of our satellites.

- Forced?
- Kidnapped his niece.

She's still missing.

It's too late to stop Dakota.
You've got to find out which cartel.

We'll hit them first.

You have less than four hours.

And, Callen, the girl is a priority.

Jenlow's cell phone is on.
And I've got him. Hollywood Hills.

SAM:
Kensi, McGuire's sister.

[KNOCKS]

- You know.
- We put the pieces together.

- I'm sorry, Helen.
- Come in.

I wanted to tell you
but Bobby wouldn't let me.

He's going there to bring her back.

- When?
- Now.

Hey, Sam. It's me.
I'm with Helen McGuire.

- Bobby Jenlow's on his way in.
- Copy that.

First turn off Viewpoint Road. Got it.

All right, we're ten minutes out.
Transmitting.

[BUTTON BEEPS]

Stand by, picture's up.

He is gonna get another ticket.

- Have they contacted you?
- No.

If they do, I want you to keep talking
to them so we can trace the call, okay?

They were at the market. One minute,
Emma was standing right next to him,

the next, Frank turned around
and she was just gone.

- How did they contact him?
- Cell phone.

A couple minutes
after she disappeared.

They told him what they wanted him
to do, he agreed.

- Have they let you speak to her?
- No.

Bobby got Frank a GPS transmitter.
Frank put it in the cartel's house.

He gave up his life for my daughter.

CALLEN:
The turn's up ahead, Sam.

You feeling lucky?

After last time? Not particularly.

Here we go.

SAM:
That's not Jenlow. Look out!

[GRUNTING]

[PANTING]

CALLEN:
It's okay, Bobby.

Emma. Get Emma.

Eric, ambulance.
Sam and I are fine.

She's not here.

[CHATTERING]

Find her.

Please, just find her.

- Any idea on our two amigos?
- All cashed up, no ID.

Well, the car had a GPS
tracking system.

Previous destinations.

There's only two with repeat journeys.
This one and one in Malibu. Hey, Eric?

Yeah, give me everything you've got on
1727 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu.

ERIC: Okay, house is owned
by PPZ Investments.

It's a trust, which in turn is owned
by a guy named Manny Cortez.

Mad Manny Cortez?

It doesn't describe him as mad
in the SEC filing, but if you say so.

We found our cartel.

Who's Manny Cortez?

Just a mass-murdering drug lord
with a classic Oedipus complex.

Last bit's an educated guess.
I'd have to talk to him to be certain.

Manny and his father ran one
of the largest drug cartels in Mexico.

And now it's just him.

- What happened to his father?
- According to legend,

Manny cut off his toes
with a pair of bolt cutters,

then his fingers,
and then some other bits.

Cool.

KENSI:
Helen...

I'm sorry.

Emma wasn't at the house.

- Bobby?
- He's on his way to the ER.

Gunshot wound,
but I think he's gonna be okay.

[PHONE RINGING]

- Hello?
LUIS: It's Luis. Any news?

It's my ex, Emma's dad.

- Hello, Luis. There's no news.
- Helen.

- Emma's still--
- What about Emma?

Please, you just need to tell me
what's happening.

Luis, I--

Excuse me. Could you?

KENSI: Mr. Perez?
- Who is this?

Special Agent Kensi Blye, NCIS.

Oh, jeez.

I'd like to reassure you

that we are doing everything we can
to get your little girl back.

Helen didn't tell me
until this morning.

I'm booked on the next flight
out of London.

You promise me
you'll do everything to find her.

Everything. You hear me?

- Yes, sir. I hear you.
- Thank you.

Emma adores her father.

He only just gets back in town
a couple times a year.

We're planning
on having Thanksgiving together.

What do you think it'd take
to storm that place?

A week's planning and a small army.

Could be too late, G.

Nate, the girl,
you think she's still alive?

The moment McGuire was killed,
she became a liability.

Now, psychologically,

the fact that she's a child
makes the decision harder.

But, eventually,
self-interest usually wins through.

If she's still alive,
she's running out of time.

We need a plan.

Okay, we could send in
a tactical team.

We need at least an hour
to get them.

- We don't have an hour.
ERIC: Okay. Okay.

Utility company, city engineer,
food delivery.

NATE:
If Manny Cortez is really there,

the only way he's gonna invite us in
is if he thinks there's money in it.

[SPEAKING IN LATIN]

ERIC: What was that? Greek?
- Latin.

- Give them what they want.
- Very good, Dominic.

Though your declension
needs a little work.

The pronoun is masculine, singular.

Give him what he wants.

So, what does this toe cutter want?

Satellite access, 24/7.

CALLEN: Did you make the call, Nate?
NATE: Yeah, he's expecting you.

MAN: Yeah, what do you want?
- I wanna do business.

What sort of business?

Satellite business.

Game time.

Okay, man. I'm good. No problem.

- Who are you?
- Frank Hanley. I'm a lawyer.

A lawyer needs a bodyguard?

CALLEN: Oh, the big guy.
Big guy's actually my client.

Works in the Defense Department,
civilian analyst.

Actually, I just worked with a former
business partner of yours.

Naval commander named McGuire.

- Never heard of him.
- Really?

Well, maybe you've heard
of his niece.

Her name is Emma.

McGuire shared some information
with my client.

In less than three hours,
Operation Dakota begins.

In less than one hour,
my client can have you back online.

Real-time satellite imagery
of the Mexican border, 24/7.

MAN:
And how can your client do this?

- It's a simple phone call.
- Picture's coming up.

- Guys, that's not Manny Cortez.
- Then who is it?

- I don't believe you.
- Daddy. Daddy.

Hey.

[CHUCKLES]

Is that who I think it is?

[CELL PHONE RINGS]

- Kensi.
NATE: Kensi,

the father's behind this.
Emma's with him.

Nate, he called here. He knows.

- Luis knows we're NCIS.
- Operation's compromised.

- He knows.
- Okay, well, we have to do something.

- When can I call Mommy?
- Tomorrow, I promise.

Now, Daddy's busy.

Why don't you go have your swim
and I'll join soon, okay?

- Okay.
- Give me a kiss. Bye-bye.

- We all live a lie.
- Some a bigger lie than others.

I spoke to one of your colleagues
on the phone.

A distraught father.

She was NCIS.
I assume you are too?

How long have you been working
for Manny Cortez?

Seven, eight years.

A double life.

You were McGuire's brother-in-law.

He never thought I was good enough
for his sister.

Yeah, he was right.

You set him up to believe
his niece was kidnapped.

She was. But by her father.

She's not going back.

[CELL PHONE RINGS]

Yeah, he's right there.

It's McGuire.

He's not really dead.

[GRUNTING]

Hey!

- Thanks, Dom.
- You're welcome.

Kensi, give her the phone.

- Hello?
CALLEN: It's for you.

- Hello?
- Oh, baby.

Oh, baby.

Hi, Mommy.

When can I come home?
I wanna come home.

Well, you can come home right now.

EMMA: I miss you.
HELEN: I miss you too.

Oh, sweetheart, I love you so much.

I love you too, Mom.

HETTY:
Expense accounts.

You're six months behind.

I would have thought

that seeing as you had
so much time off for recuperation,

you would have caught up
on your paperwork.

Please tell me you're kidding me,
Hetty.

Well, I could, but it would be a lie.

No rush. Tomorrow will be fine.

DOMINIC:
Night.

Night, Dom, Kensi, Nate.

SAM:
Hey.

- Sofa's free at my place.
- Noisy.

Okay. Good night, G.

Good night.

And done.