NCIS: Los Angeles (2009–…): Season 11, Episode 12 - Groundwork - full transcript

CIA Officer Veronica Stephens (Dina Meyer) asks the NCIS team for help when an agricultural engineer Hetty asked her to bring to the United States disappears.

A mother doesn't
abandon

- her child.
- I'm sorry.

Stop saying that!

He was just a young boy
with a lot of potential.

So you took him in,
trained him.

You were warned, brother.

My heart is black.

- I should have protected him.
- From whom?

Myself.

Callen.
I'm staying.

What are you talking about?
We got to get you to a doctor.



They have doctors
in Cuba.

I knew
when I signed up for this

I wouldn't be coming back.

Greetings and salutations!

There was a bank robbery
this morning.

The robbers stole
a security deposit box

that belonged to
Veronica Stephens,

a former
naval intelligence officer.

I mean,
do you have any enemies?

That's
the last 12 months.

So, you've been keeping
a record of all the people

that have been threatening
you for the past 12 months?

I told you that LAPD
could handle this

and that there was no reason
for NCIS to get involved.



- Why is that?
- Because I'm a CIA officer.

Kens, gun!

Guys, you're never
gonna believe this.

The Saudis never even
opened it.

Oh, that's because it was never
about what's inside.

It was about
convincing Americans

that Iran had a spy
in the government.

It's very clear
there's a leak in your agency.

And somehow, NCIS has been
dragged in the middle of it.

I did try to warn you.

♪ Ah ♪

♪ Come on, let's go,
let's go, let's go ♪

♪ I think I wanna get gone... ♪

♪ Where are we going?
Where are we going? ♪

♪ I gotta, gotta, gotta go ♪

♪ Gotta, gotta, gotta go ♪

♪ Let's go ♪

♪ Let's go, go, go. ♪

*NCIS: LOS ANGELES *
Season 11 Episode 12

Episode Title :
"Groundwork"

Sync corrections by srjanapala

Tom's a good guy.

He's a great guy.
I like him.

So come hang with us.

How many other SEALs
are gonna be there?

I don't know.
Why?

Because at the last barbecue,
everyone kept bombarding me

with inspirational quotes
and workout routines.

You asked for advice.

I asked why no one was
eating the potato salad.

Okay, well, this time, Tom's
inviting some different people.

Oh, yeah? Like who?
You know, wait. Let me guess.

Um, former Delta, former
MARSOC, former Rangers?

Am I getting close here?
One guy's a talent agent now.

Great. Not so fast, gentlemen.

Hetty called
as you were pulling in.

She would like you both
to meet her at the boatshed.

- She say why?
- Nope.

Kensi and Deeks
meeting us there?

You know how Hetty
does that thing

where she doesn't give you
all the pertinent information?

Only too well.
Well, the Lord works

in mysterious ways.
Just like Hetty, huh?

Can I get an "amen"?

Amen, sister.

Hetty?

Told you... her
car's not here.

Long time no see, boys.

- What are you doing here?
- Where's Hetty?

Wow.

No "Nice to see you again,"
uh, "How you been?"

Nice to see you again.
How you been? Where's Hetty?

I don't know.
She just said to meet you here.

Why?

Well, as you may

or may not know,
she helped the Agency out

with a situation
in Cuba last year.

Yeah, we had a little...

little something
to do with that.

Just a little.

All right, well,

I wasn't read into
the Cuban mission,

so I don't know
the particulars.

What I do know is
the CIA agreed

to return the favor
when Hetty asked for some help

getting a scientist
out of Nigeria,

a Dr. Joseph Olonga.

Why did he need help?

Hetty believed
he was a kidnapping risk.

The good doctor's
on the leading edge

of agricultural engineering,

with patents in a number of
emerging technologies.

The kind some countries
prefer to steal

rather than pay for.

And where is
the good doctor now? I don't know.

He arrived safely yesterday,
but now I can't reach him.

Supposed to see him
this afternoon at his hotel.

40 minutes ago, someone tried
to grab me at the beach.

It could be completely
unrelated, but...

What do you mean,
someone tried to grab you?

I was in a Speedway
parking lot in Venice,

about to take my kayak out,

when some guy in a mask
just attacked me from behind

and tried to stick me
with a syringe.

And I managed to get away
and I alerted Hetty,

in case it had something
to do with the doctor.

And, uh, she insisted
that I bring you into it.

So you came here?

Well, I wasn't followed,

if that's what
you're worried about.

Well, you were followed to
the beach today without knowing.

He could have been
waiting for me.

In that case, they knew
your daily routine.

Either way,
it's shoddy tradecraft.

And here I thought
we were friends.

Stay here.
You'll be safe.

If you weren't followed.
We'll see what we can find out.

Wait, hold...
whoa-whoa-whoa.

Slow your roll, boys.
Look.

This was just
a-a courtesy call for Hetty.

The CIA can handle this.

Last year, someone from
your agency gave up your cover.

Have you found out
who it was?

Well, I'm sure
you can appreciate

that's classified information.

Well, that's
an unclassified "no." Look.

From what I
remember about you,

you have your fair
share of enemies, okay?

The guy who attacked you
is still out there,

so if you want our help,
you're gonna stay here,

let us find out
what's going on,

and send us everything
you have on Olonga.

Make yourself at home.

At the tone,
please record your message.

Hetty, it's Callen.
Call me.

See? We wouldn't be
having this trouble

if you were in charge
of operations.

If I was in charge
of operations,

I wouldn't be your partner.

Talk about a win-win.

Hey, Callen, what's up?

Nell, hey.
Is Hetty there?

No. I thought she was meeting
you guys at the boatshed.

Yeah, so did we.
She didn't show.

Veronica Stephens did.

CIA intel officer,

- Veronica Stephens?
- Yeah, that's the one.

Did you actually speak to Hetty
or did she just leave a message?

Yeah, I spoke with her.

Why? What's going on?

We're not exactly sure.

Can you dig into
a Nigerian scientist

by the name of
Joseph Olonga?

Uh, he's some sort of
agricultural engineer.

- He got to L.A. yesterday.
- Will do.

And see if Eric can find
any footage on an altercation

that happened at
the Speedway parking lot

in Venice this morning
around 7:30.

Veronica Stephens
said she was attacked

by an assailant
wearing a mask.

Oh, geez. Okay.
Anything else?

Yeah. Find Hetty.

No promises
on that one.

You don't believe Veronica?

Do you?

Hetty does.

Hetty was supposed to meet us
at the boatshed,

and we have no idea
where she is.

Par for the course.

I don't trust the CIA.

No offense,

but... they're not even supposed
to be operating in this country.

For the record,
I never operated in this country.

Wonderful.

Anna worked with the CIA.Yeah?

And where is she now?

Hmm?

I'm sorry.

But that's just
the reality, right?

Yeah, well, she will
contact me when she can.

I'll find her.

So, Veronica Stephens
was right about Joseph Olonga.

He isa Nigerian
agricultural engineer

who's convinced
he can solve world hunger

through the use
of artificial intelligence.

Wait, so you
spoke with him?

No, but I confirmed that he,
uh, flew into the country

via LAX yesterday
afternoon.

Soon after, checked into
the Hotel Erwin in Venice.

I've been trying his room,
but no answer,

so I requested
a wellness check.

Turns out,
his belongings are there,

but he himself is not.

Okay. Hetty never mentioned
this guy?

No.

But I'm afraid I no longer share
the same level

of Hetty's confidence
as I once did.

What about Veronica Stephens
at the beach?

Eric has no evidence
of what she says happened,

although there's not
a ton of camera footage.

Kensi and Deeks
are headed there now.

Maybe they'll find a witness.

This guy's
important enough to Hetty

that she called in
a favor to CIA.

The officer he was supposed
to meet with was attacked,

and now
the good doctor's missing.

Something's going on.

Yeah, but the only
thing we know for certain

is that Hetty wanted to
meet us at the boatshed.

Everything else came from
Veronica Stephens,

none of which was verified.

And we still have no idea
where Hetty is.

Maybe,
maybe not.

So, after everything
Hetty went through with Ahkos,

I did a little digging.

Ahkos was cremated
at Hollywood West.

Hetty paid for it,
and she collected his remains.

Now, just six days ago,
one of her alias passports

was used to enter
Athens, Greece.

She's taking Ahkos home.

Mm-hmm.

So Hetty left the country
and dropped this in our lap

without any explanation?

No, uh,

coded messages hidden in books

or, secret thumb drives
in brooches?

Not this time.

Look, we don't know
that Hetty's absence

has anything to do with this.

Least we can do is
do a cursory examination.

Go to Olonga's hotel,
see if he's safe.

If we don't find anything,
we drop it.

Okay.

What about Veronica Stephens?

She's chilling in the boatshed

until we tell her
otherwise.

Are we sure about that?

It looks like she left
right after you did.

This is precisely why
I don't trust her.

Veronica's just doing her job.

You and I would have
done the same thing.

She manipulates people
for a living.

We don't?

Not people who are supposed to
be on our side and helping us.

There are extenuating
circumstances here.

She's under duress.
I'm willing to give her

the benefit of the doubt here.

Of course you are.
That's your kryptonite.

My kr-kryptonite?

You don't think
I'm a good judge of people?

That, uh, a-after
all these years, I can't tell

when someone's lying to me?

- Oh, no, you're good at all that.
- Thank you.

Unless... here it comes.

You gonna tell me you don't
give certain types of people

more doubtful benefits

than others?

You lost me at "kryptonite."

Smart. Deceitful.

Beautiful. Deadly.

Sounds like the perfect
Tinder date to me.

Yeah, it is for you.

You don't see a pattern
among the few select people

that are able to dupe you?

I don't get duped.

You're like Fatal Attraction
with unlimited sequels.

And for the record,

none of them have been fatal.

Not yet.

Word of advice:
Don't get a rabbit.

Just watch the road there,
Dr. Phil.

I got the road.

If you guys see
or hear anything,

please don't hesitate to call.

Thanks, man.

Yo!

Whoa.
Littering's a $250 fine!

Any luck?
Punks.

Yeah, what-what
does it look like?

It looks like you should've
listened to me.

How many times
do I have to tell you?

Surfers, skaters...
These are my people.

- They see you, they see the Man.
- The Man?

And I'm the Dude.
You're an idiot.

Exactly the kind
of hostile language

you'd expect
rom the Man.

I am warning you, Deeks.

Along with the hostile,
aggressive behavior.

On the upside,
parking lot right here

records every license plate
that comes into it.

They're gonna get
that footage to Eric.

- You want to know why?
- Why?

'Cause people love the Dude.

- No. No.
- Yep.

Well, if he was smart,

her attacker would
have ditched his car

and, uh, come in through
the boardwalk or the beach.

Escape plan, then?

I don't know.
Maybe her car

or, uh, had an
accomplice on standby.

It could be
anything, really.

Uh, a-a bike, a scooter,
a skateboard.

A Segway or
a pogo stick.

That would be hilarious.

This guy's been here
since 7:10 a.m.

Great.
Needle, meet haystack.

Ooh, maybe not.
You seeing this?

Wait for it, wait for it,
wait for it.

Could be
a piece of a paddle.

May I present
Exhibit A!

Look at that.

Uh, yeah,
that could be anything.

And also, where's all the stuff
that she said she left behind?

Anything worthwhile is
probably already taken.

Think they have
a lost and found around here?

Yeah, they do.
It's called a trash can.

Okay, so if they were
after the doctor,

why bother with Veronica?

I mean, all it does
is alert her to trouble.

Only in failure.
I mean, think about it.

In success, no one realizes
the doctor's missing

until after they realize
that she is.

Still, why risk it?

Maybe it's a misdirect.

Veronica's got
lots of enemies.

I can name a half a dozen
foreign agencies

that would love
to get their paws on her.

What if Veronica's past
finally caught up with her,

and this has nothing to do
with the good doctor?

Ooh, interesting.

I mean, for all we know,
he could be

at Knott's Berry Farm
eating funnel cake.

Damn it.

What? What?

Now I'm craving funnel cake.

Oh, gosh.Kensi.

No, baby, wait.

There's funnel cakes
right down at the pier!

It's the Man,
always holding me down.

Clothes, cell phone, wallet,
passport, toiletries.

If this guy left,

he didn't take
anything with him.

Where's his laptop?

I can't imagine
a scientist, of all people,

traveling without
a laptop.

So, you're sure
there's no security footage

of this guest
leaving the hotel?

No, sir,
there's no footage of him

ever leaving this room,
but you're welcome to look through

our security
archives yourself.

He had to have left
at some point.

No guests, no room service,
no phone calls?

Uh, no, sir.
No record of any of that.

Well, it's too high
to go out the sliding glass.

Doesn't open enough, anyways.

We need to know
who's been in these rooms.

Let's go look
at the archives.

Stop.

Back that up.

He's taking the stairs.

Well, either he likes
the exercise, or...

Maybe these two are trying
to avoid being seen together.

You got a better shot
of that employee?

Yeah,
he's got a laceration on his forehead.

Veronica said she hit her
attacker with a kayak paddle.

You recognize this guy?

No.

He could've just started.

Yeah.

He could also have
the guy we're looking for

stashed in that cart.

Hmm.

- What are you doing?
- What are youdoing?

- What are youdoing?
- What are youdoing?

- I asked you first.
- I am looking for Hetty.

Well, I doubt
she's hiding in her office.

Although
she is ninja-like.

No, you dingus.

I'm looking for clues,

as in an explanation for
what the hell's going on here.

Why are we whispering?

Uh, I don't know.

Eric, I very much doubt

that she'll be
jumping out of that bookcase.

That's what everyone thinks

until she springs
out of a drawer

or drops from an air vent
like an angry mongoose.

Sure.

You know, if Hetty's
out of town,

maybe she's not as involved
as we think.

Well, if she is out of town,
then why did she have me

tell Callen and Sam
to meet her at the boatshed?

Why didn't she tell them
Veronica Stephens

was gonna be there?

Maybe she was afraid

they didn't want to get involved
with Veronica again.

Thought a face-to-face
would help.

I don't know.
Something doesn't seem right.

Okay, it's Callen.

Hey, Callen.Hey.

I just sent you images of three
different men from the hotel.

Can you try and
identify them for me?

Will do. I take it
you didn't find Dr. Olonga?

Not yet, but I have a feeling
one of them may know something.

Oh, we also didn't find

his laptop, but, uh, maybe we'll
get lucky, they'll go online

and try and transfer
some of his research data.

Well, if they do,
we will sniff 'em out.

G.

That's a live feed.
She's here.

Have security grab her.

Go get 'em, tiger.

Sorry. I don't know
why I said that.

Don't let her leave
the building.

NCIS agents
on their way to you.

Where is she?

She must have split.

She wouldn't have
used valet,

in case she had to
get out of here fast.

She must be
parked nearby.

Veronica!

Veronica, stop!

Pull over!

I'm glad you stopped.

Yeah, so am I.

Like I was saying,
Fatal Attraction, baby.

Oh, so now I'm in
the interrogation room.

Mm-hmm, well, you have
lost your cozy privileges.

I've got news for you.

There's nothing cozy
about any of this place.

Smells like...
dead fish and seagulls.

Yeah, well, that's called
nautical charm. Sit.

Uh, yeah, I'm not
staying that long.

You tried to run me over.

Sit.

You were in the middle
of the road.

Well... Didn't take you
for a drama queen.

Mm-hmm.

Hey, where's Callen?

You know him?

No.
Who is he?

I'll ask the questions.

You could've gotten
out of my way.

Well, you know, you probably
could've stopped sooner.

What is going on?

Basically, an ongoing
game of chicken.

What about him?

No. Who is he?

- No, huh?
- No.

At least I think
she's lying.

That guy's name is
Peter Sanders.

He's an American with
the Department of Agriculture.

He's currently assigned
to Nigeria

as part of some sort of
development coalition.

Dr. Olonga traveled here
with him. She would know that.

He's with
the Department of Agriculture.

Hmm.

Nell, did you try
reaching out to him?

Yeah, but all I got
was an answering machine.

I'm still waiting
for a cell number.

Did these two travel
with anyone else?

Not that I can find.

Well, dig into his past.

If he came with Olonga,
he could be a CIA escort.

I mean,
Department of Agriculture

could be official cover.

Knock, knock.
Anyone order room service?

Um, what?

I got an I.D. and an
address on our bellboy.

His name is Dana Farnham.
Originally from Belgium.

Uh, here on a student visa

studying hotel
and restaurant management

at Glenforest College...
No police record.

Is he an employee
of the hotel?

Strangely enough, no.

- Are we done here?
- I am. You're not.

Yeah, I have to leave here
in probably three, two, one...

- Let's roll.
- Let's roll.

Uh, Callen.

You know, um,
if you want to hold me,

this is really not the way
to go about it.

- Really?
- Mm-hmm.

And, uh,
how would I go about holding you?

Well, you see,
that's just it.

You can't.

Really?
Really.

Mm-hmm.

You just made
a career-ending mistake.

And I was thinking
the same thing

when you almost
flattened me back there.

Last chance.
One phone call and you're all fired.

- I could use a vacation. - Mm-Hmm.
- We're sorry. Your call

- cannot be completed as dialed.
- You got jammers in here.

What? No, it's...
You know, it's probably

just the seagulls on the roof.
Look, we have to go,

unless there's something
else you want to tell us.

You're gonna regret this.
That's what I want to tell you.

Probably.
What if I have to use the restroom?

There's a trap door in the floor.
Try not to fall in.

That'll work.

Dana Farnham?

Hello?

Uh, I got a package for you
at my place on Plymouth.

I don't really
want to leave it out here

for the porch pirates
to find.

Hello?

Guys,
I don't see or hear anything.

I'm breaching
the house in three, two...

Southside window.

Federal agent!

I'll go around front.

Sam, you see him? No. G?

Not yet. DEEKS: House is clear.

I'm coming to you.

Got him!
Federal agents! Stop!

Oh, geez!

- Wow, geez. Damn.
- Oh.

What happened?

Ugh.

He just became
a human speed bump.

Wow.

I did, uh,
not need to see that.

What about you?

You okay?

Better than that guy.

Yeah, well, at least
it was quick, right?

I'm pretty sure he would
disagree with you on that.

Fair enough.

All right,
let's count our blessings,

go see what Statler and
Waldorf are up to.

Yeah.

Only found one laptop.

It's password-protected.

The screensaver is definitely
not safe for work.

Our guess is it belongs
to the dead guy, not Dr. Olonga.

Van's registered to Farnham.
Did you find his keys?

That works.

We gonna be able to get anything
off the dead man's phone?

I'd say somewhere
between highly unlikely

and damn near impossible.

But Eric Beale is the
Harry Potter of data recovery,

so you never know.

Oh.

No.

Kens?

Ugh.

Ugh!

Son of a bitch.

You have no idea
how much trouble you're in.

That makes two of us.
You need to see this.

We have reason to believe
that this man

is one of at least
two individuals

involved in
the disappearance

of Dr. Joseph Olonga.

We also believe
that he is the one

that tried to attack you
this morning.

Dana Farnham.

Was a Belgian
exchange student.

He died an hour ago
trying to escape from us.

Oh, so now we can't question him.
Nice work.

Yeah.

We also found

Peter Sanders,
or whatever his name is.

He was in back of Farnham's van.
He's been dismembered.

- Uh, he's the farm guy?
- Oh, stop.

We know he's CIA.

Aside from
being dismembered,

they also found
a puncture wound in his neck.

My guess: the M.E.'s gonna
discover that he was killed

with a poison,
probably the same poison

they tried to inject
into your neck this morning.

So they followed Sanders,
they followed Olonga,

and they followed you.

One's dead and butchered.

One's missing,
probably dead and butchered.

That leaves you.

And now you can go.

Hey.

Good luck.

All right.

So Farnham was in charge
of disposing of Sanders,

which would lead me
to believe that

this other guy over here is the
one that's calling the shots.

He's not gonna get
his hands dirty,

get caught in a van
full of body parts.

Nell said he checked
into the hotel

with a bogus credit card
under the name "Adam Kline."

It's probably
a one-off alias,

but...
she's looking into it.

These guys are good.

If Eric can
pull something

from Farnham's phone,
maybe we get lucky.

If we can connect the two,
we're back in business.

And if not?

Can I make a suggestion?

We helped Olonga

bring prototypes
of his designs with him.

I'm sure his kidnappers would
love to get their hands on them,

weaponize them.

May even trade them
for the doctor.

Where are they?

At a secure hangar

in the provisional section
of the airport.

I don't know what that is.

Well, that's the point.

What's the verdict,
Dr. Beale?

Is the baby gonna live?

Seriously, you got anything
for us to use or what?

Uh, if I did,
I would've told you.

Fair enough.

Well, no pressure. And I could
help, you know what I mean?

I did rebuild a 1935
Indian all by myself.

That's a, that's
a motorcycle.

Hmm, a vintage motorcycle
and a brand-new cell phone...

Totally the same thing.

Pretty much
the exact same thing.

- Good for you.
- Yeah, it was good for me,

until some Amish guy
in a Hyundai pretzeled me.

Those guys even
supposed to drive?

Beardo was
probably hopped up

on alfalfa after an
all-night barn raising.

Kelly Clarkson!

What? No. What are you doing?
You're quitting?

Well, if you want
to try, be my guest.

I don't want to try;
it's gonna take

a genius to bring this
roadkill back to life.

G-Genius?

You know what I should do?
I should send it to the NSA.

- NSA?
- Those big heads

- will know how to crack it.
- Big-big heads?

Yeah, smartest guys in the
room, you know, those guys.

- Smartest guys?
- Yup, those guys.

- We'll just send it to them.
- No. You know,

I actually, uh,
just...

- ...just-just-just-just-just thought...
- No, you can let it go...

I just thought of something that I could,
that I could try.

Yeah, but I could just
put it in an overnight bag,

they can have it
by the morning.

I just, uh, got an idea
that I could...

I just could try
one-one more thing.

- Oh, what can you do?
- I think I'm gonna fix it.

Who's my favorite brainiac?

- Yeah, who's my brainiac?
- Me.

- Who's my favorite brainiac?
- Me.

You. Bulletproof.

Bulletproof. Bulletproof.

- Bulletproof.
- I'm walking away.

- Bulletproof. Bulletproof.
- You got this, Beale.

Who all knew it was here?

Olonga, Sanders
and me.

What about
your superiors?

No. I mean, they-they knew
it was coming,

but none of them knew
the logistics.

Olonga didn't have access
without you?

No, only Sanders and I
had access.

That's probably why
they grabbed him,

after failing to get you.

And what exactly
was in here?

Uh, harvesting drones,
robotic tractors,

self-driving plows.

It was just all
automated farming equipment.

How was it shipped?
In boxes, crates?

Was it on pallets?

Everything was in
airfreight containers.

They would've needed a truck,
pallet jack, at least two men.

Sanders' I.D. would've got them
in and out, but airport security

must have that truck on camera
a dozen times.

Oh, it was probably stolen.
Look, whatever was in here, I'm

sure it's already on a freight
on its way out of Long Beach.

Wait a second, wait.
So that-that's it?

What, you're just
gonna leave?

- What exactly would you like us to do?
- I-I don't know.

Look around. Maybe-maybe
they left something behind.

Like what?

Like a matchbook from the motel
they were staying at?

Maybe one of them
wrote down the phone number

of a stripper they met

on the inside cover,

and maybe she overheard
a conversation they had.

Look, someone I worked with
was butchered.

Then you should've been
more honest from the get-go.

I'm on it.
I'll keep you posted.

- Is that Callen?
- Yeah.

So, apparently, Dr. Olonga

brought several prototypes
along with him.

They were being stored in
a secure hangar at the airport.

- "Were"? Past tense?
- Oh, yeah.

They're gone now,
but they would've needed

a really large truck
to take them.

Hopefully, I'll be able
to find it.

It's alive!

Anybody else hear that
or is that just in my head?

Oh, yeah.
We heard it.

I didn't think it possible,
but I did it.

With these two hands,

I wrenched its cold,
crushed carcass back

from the very frozen
abyss of death.

Behold.

- Mm...
- That's gobbledygook.

I'm sorry, wha...
What are we looking at?

Oh, man.

No. No, it was, it was,
it was working.

It was working downstairs,
you guys.

- You know what? It's okay, Beale.
- Hold on.

- Um, hold on.
- Eric.

- It's gonna be okay, Eric.
- No. It's... Come on.

It was working
perfectly downstairs!

It was good.
Ugh! Come on!

- All right, buddy, just relax.
- I am relaxed.

- You relax.
- Mm, I've obviously created a monster.

- Mm-hmm.
- All right, you know what?

We'll just focus on his laptop.

You think you're
smarter than me, huh?

I got your number, phone.

- You're just a phony.
- Cool.

Okay. Yeah. Maybe
the three of us should just...

- We should probably go.
- Mm-hmm.

Oh.

Well...

Well, there's the data.

- Hello.
- Beale.

Abracadabra.

Wow.

As soon as I find something,
I'll send it to your phones.

Thank you. Great work.

For making sense.

What's up, Nell?

So, good news.

Eric cracked Farnham's phone,

and we think we've I.D.'d the guy
he was with at the hotel.

- Name is Nick Bardia.
- Good work.

His home address is listed
as an apartment on Ocean Park,

but he also runs
a rug business in Van Nuys.

I've already sent LAPD
to the apartment,

and Kensi and Deeks
are on their way to Van Nuys.

That's where his phone is.

He's more likely to hold
Dr. Olonga there

than in an apartment
full of potential witnesses.

How big is
his business space?

Something like
14,000 square feet.

It's a storefront
with a workspace.

Big enough for our missing
shipping containers.

You're gonna want to hold on.

Hey.
Did you see anything?

No. Not yet.
You?

No. The loading entrance
is big enough, though.

They could've
brought everybody inside.

Hey.

- What's the sitrep?
- You're looking at it.

Tried to get closer;
this place is festooned

with security cameras.

- "Festooned"?
- Yeah, festooned.

Looking very new
and very functional.

If we can get Eric and Nell
to access it,

we may be able to hijack their
system, use it to our advantage.

Sadly, no can do.
It is air-gapped.

Options?

Well, we could
stake the place out,

wait to see if anybody leaves.

Give us an idea what we're
ultimately up against.

Every moment we wait is a moment
closer to losing Dr. Olonga.

We know these guys have
no problem butchering people.

Wow. Who invited
Little Miss Sunshine?

She's right.

All right,
this is a big place.

We should call a REACT team
for backup.

On it.

Well, cutting the power
will kill the cameras,

but it wouldn't do much else
this time of day.

Might even
tip them off.

No, we don't have the equipment
to back up their sewer.

Don't have enough time to
bring in a garbage truck

as a Trojan horse.

It's a rug store, right?

So it's full of flammable stuff?

- So you want to set it on fire?
- No, I don't want to set it on fire.

I want them to think
it's on fire.

I'd rather smoke them out
than us being blind going in.

If we could blind
one of their cameras

just long enough for one of us
to get on the roof,

pop some smoke
in the ventilation system,

at the very least
they're gonna have to

come down
and investigate.

They might try
to move Olonga before

the fire department arrives,
assuming he's still inside.

That's why we're here.

Let's do it. Love it.

Great. Awesome.

All right, thanks.
REACT team's en route.

They'll wait down the block
for our signal. What's the plan?

You think you
can take out

one of those cameras
with a suppressive shot?

Behind my back
or over my shoulder?

I don't care how you do it,
as long as it's quiet.

Aye, Captain.

You ever use
one of these?

Yee-haw.

Stick close.

We're on your mark, Kens.

Copy that.
In three, two, one.

All right.
Fire in the hole.

Ooh.

What's taking these guys
so long to react?

Kens,
you see any movement?

Negative.

But it's smoking pretty good.

Wouldn't it be
hilarious if nobody was here,

and we just ruined
this guy's entire inventory?

That'd be amazing!

- We don't let him out much.
- MAh.

Here we go.

Get the truck out of here.
Go right to the port,

but stay under the speed limit.

Call the fire department and tell them
it's a false alarm.

What if it's not?

Who cares?
We're done here.

And for the love of God,
would somebody find a way

to shut that damn thing off?!

I got Bardia
and six other unfriendlies.

No sign of Olonga.
Sam?

- Nothing here.
- CALLEN: Deeks?

Yeah, same here.

Although I got to be honest,
it'd be a lot easier to see

if there wasn't
all this damn smoke.

Whose brilliant idea
was that?

In all fairness,
I don't recall saying

it was a "brilliant" idea.

I got Olonga, southeast corner.

Come on, let's go,
let's go, let's go!

Kens, you got a
truck coming out.

- Do not let it get away.
- Not a chance.

- Omar, where the hell is Ali?
- I don't know.

He went to see where the
smoke was coming from.

Uh, get that idiot
back here.

- We need to leave now.
- What about Olonga?

I'll deal with him.

Federal agents! Drop the gun,
put your hands where...

Don't even think about it.

One move
and you're dead.

What?
Whoa, what was that?

They're shooting at us.

I'd stay right there
if I were you.

Dr. Olonga.
NCIS Agent Sam Hanna.

Gonna get you out of here.

All right.

All right.
Stay with me.

Thank you.

I got Olonga.
I'm moving out.

Make it quick.
Bardia's still in here and he's armed.

I mean,
you know what it is, Sam?

I got to be honest.
Divine intervention, really.

'Cause I can't see squat
on account of all the smoke.

And then for the briefest
instant, the smoke parts,

and there's our man Callen,
and right behind him is, uh...

Bardia?

- Bardia!
- Bardia's right behind him.

He's got him dead
in his sights.

I mean, this is bon voyage
for mi amigo,

so I-I don't have time
to aim at this point.

I'm just like...

G's damn lucky
you didn't shoot him.

- You got that right.
- Oh, come on, man.

That was an epic shot.

You have to admit
that's an epic shot.

Baby, was that
not an epic shot?

Uh, you know,
I didn't really see it.

Although, I feel like I saw it
because you've been

talking about it
for the last four hours.

Whatever.

All I'm saying is you know
and I know I saved your life.

That is the definition
of epic.

It was lucky, fortuitous maybe.
I don't know about epic.

I mean, you didn't even save me.
I still had to shoot the guy.

Well, that's on account
of the zero visibility.

There was so-so much
smoke that I...

..and I was like, I was like
400 yards away, well...

- What's your poison?
- Oh, uh, nothing for me.

I got to get back
to Dr. Olonga.

I just wanted to thank you all
for your help.

Uh, we may have gotten off
to a bit of a rocky start...

My bad... but you guys
really came through.

Again.

- It's what we do.
- Well...

- Hooyah.
- Hooyah.

- Cheers to that.
- Eah.

Well, keep it up.

- And, uh, stay safe.
- Mm.

Oh, and,
uh, Callen,

you can expect a bill
for my brake pads.

Yeah. Right.

- I can expense that, right?
- Nope.

Definitely not.
Really?

No.

I'm gonna need four dollars
for that beer, too.

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