♪ ♪
Is it too late to change my mind?
Out.
So, like, where's the facility, bruh?
You're looking at it... bruh.
Where the hell you come from?
Let's go.
No, there's no way I'm going in there.
Listen up.
You all may be juvies, but apparently
you're all such badasses,
you're being charged as adults.
But the court gave you a choice.
In there with me for a week...
or the big house.
Take your pick.
I'm eating rabbit for dinner either way.
Yo, wait up!
UPTOWN: So what's the plan, exactly?
We play Survivor for a week
and then become
fine, upstanding citizens?
Yeah, where do we sleep?
Yeah, I'm not eating no rabbit.
Then you don't eat.
And the plan is, is that you learn
to get your head on right, son.
By murdering Thumper?
By learning to live for
something besides yourselves.
I read your psych evals.
You all think the world
revolves around you.
But out here,
if you don't work together,
you die together.
So you gonna learn to become a team.
No matter what comes our way,
we stand as one.
(MAN GASPS)
(SCREAMING)
Run! (SCREAMS)
Run!
(MUTTERS FAINTLY)
- (CHUCKLES) Okay.
- Wow.
Nice.
Dude, this looks so fake.
KNIGHT: Can you please
pace somewhere else?
You are going to wear down the carpet.
Well, it needs replacing anyways.
Where is he already?
Maybe text him another ten times?
Morning.
Morning? Like, uh,
just like everything's normal morning?
Why haven't you answered
any of my texts?
I'm sorry, I just got back
from Alaska, okay?
I'm a little jet-lagged.
Guess what the next question is.
How could you leave Gibbs behind?
I didn't leave him behind,
okay, he wanted to stay.
And you agreed to this... why again?
Because he seemed happy.
TORRES: Happy?
As in, like, happy?
Well, I've got some more
of that to go around.
Uh, I'm sure you'll all
probably be happy to hear
that I've decided not to
take Director Vance up
on his offer to join your team.
And I'm guessing that's
the first you've heard of it.
I was waiting for Agent McGee to return
before I filled them in.
And you're early.
Oops. Sidebar?
Uh, I appreciate the offer,
Director, but I'm not ready
to jump into anything new just yet.
Perhaps you'd like to spend some
time in the field with the team
before you make your final decision?
I already made it.
Plus, I got tickets to
a Simon and Garfunkel
reunion concert later today,
and I've been waiting
a long time for that baby, so...
Hey, why are you guys
standing around here?
- Haven't you guys heard?
- Whoa, what's up?
A Navy petty officer apparently
turned into a zombie.
- A zombie?
- Yeah.
Crawled out of the ground
and everything.
- (PHONE RINGS)
- You guys really didn't get the call?
That kind of thing happen
a lot around here?
First for me.
Ooh. All right, get your gear.
VANCE: Well, it looks
like the train's leaving.
I'd consider it a personal favor
if at least you'd spend
the morning on it.
Well, I don't think I'll
change my mind, Director,
but, uh, yeah, okay, sure.
I still got time.
Zombie it is.
Not a zombie.
Just a victim who suffered
from extreme dehydration
and exposure before he d*ed.
Who is this guy again?
Well, according to his prints,
he was Petty Officer First Class
James Bolton.
Whoever dumped the body
barely covered it up.
MCGEE: Except he wasn't a
body when he was dumped.
Apparently, this guy was still alive.
d*ed shortly after
Ranger Rick stepped on him.
And he d*ed of what?
Based on the nasal froth, I'd say it was
poison that probably put
him into a cataplectic coma.
Probably fooled whoever
tried to bury him here
into thinking that he was dead.
It happens. I'll know a little bit more
when I get him back to autopsy.
Speaking of which, can I get a hand
with the body and the gurney?
I gave myself a grade-two sprain
inflating a bouncy house.
(STRAINING): It happens.
You need help getting the Night King
into the van, too?
Well, aren't you thoughtful. Yes, I do.
Ready?
JIMMY: You know,
I-I looked up how many injuries
are caused by bouncy houses.
- Hey, Tim.
- It's a lot.
When you said that Gibbs was happy...
what did you mean?
I don't want to talk about it.
Look, you can't... you can't
leave me hanging, bro.
I'm sorry, it felt kind of private.
Well, is he gonna be okay?
I think he probably hasn't
been this okay in a long time.
What about that guy?
Can you believe Director Vance
offered him Gibbs' job already?
He's a solid agent. Experienced.
The man's desk is not even cold.
Well, it's just gonna get colder
with Gibbs in Alaska,
and we do need the body.
McGee, help me out here.
Tim, this is where you use more words.
Sorry, I'm all out.
And I'm all out of time.
Oh, leaving us so soon?
Yeah. And I'm sure you're
real broken up about it.
But can't keep Mrs. Robinson waiting.
Agent McGee, I wish you
the best of luck.
Been a blast.
(ALARM BLARING)
That kind of thing happen
a lot around here?
(SIGHS) Where are they?
(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
I've been worried sick.
Thank God you're okay.
Don't worry, Kasie, we're fine.
What happened?
Your vic had some kind of b*mb on him,
that's what happened.
Where's Knight?
And what was the dead guy
doing with a b*mb?
She's towing what's left of the van
into the evidence garage, trying
to figure out what happened.
- Feel free to go help.
- Roger that.
This is all I could dig up
on your dead petty officer.
It's not much.
- Let's see what we got.
- Hey, it's Parker.
Yeah, it's not much.
Petty Officer Bolton, born in St. Louis.
Studied computer science in college,
and the rest is redacted.
Uh, yeah, I'm gonna be a little late.
I don't even recognize
that assignment code.
It's a transitional code
that our new space force
just started using.
PARKER: Yeah. No, no.
No, I-I'll see you there later.
Okay.
And you know this how?
I did some work integrating
their network
into the FBI's Operational
Technology Division.
Happy to hook you up
with a guy there I know.
He can probably give you some more intel
on your petty officer.
You know, it'd be faster
if you made the call.
I'd love to, but, uh,
I'm already gonna miss
half the warm-up act, so...
Okay, I still got time.
While we may never know the true origin
of the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme,
you can rest assured,
Petty Officer Bolton,
we shall put you together again.
Yes, lateral malleolus.
Thanks for helping while
I have my own lateral issues.
It's just like old times, huh?
I don't recall the M.E. van
blowing up before,
so... (CHUCKLES) no.
Well, the good news is,
you'll be getting a new one.
I kinda liked the old one.
You shouldn't have let it be blown up.
Oh, we're doing that again, are we?
So, we were kinda hoping for an update,
but I can come back if the two of you...
Oh, no, no, no. It's fine.
It's fine. Dr. Mallard?
Yes, well, one item of note is an anklet
that the petty officer was
wearing on his left foot.
It appears to be some kind
of wearable USB device.
Kasie is examining it now.
She also identified the
expl*sive that destroyed, uh...
...certain things.
It was azidoazide azide,
a compound so powerful and unstable,
only crazy people use it.
And, apparently, criminals.
Only a few ounces can
totally destroy a vehicle.
Or a van.
Ounces?
No wonder we missed the b*mb
on the body.
Oh, we didn't miss the b*mb,
because it wasn't on the body.
See, the blast trauma to the thorax
projects outwards,
meaning that the expl*si*n
emanated from inside the G.I. tract.
Are you saying our victim
swallowed the expl*sive?
It appears so.
Reminds me of a few heroin
smugglers I busted once.
Except Petty Officer Bolton
wasn't smuggling heroin.
He was concealing an expl*sive,
presumably to get past
some sort of security.
Agent Knight, we believe that this
was a bombing attempt gone wrong.
Given the location of the expl*sive,
most likely a su1c1de bombing attempt.
By a member of the
United States m*llitary.
Yes, we're still trying to figure out
the target, Madam Secretary.
Yeah, I'll let you know
as soon as we do.
Thank you.
I heard we have
an official cause of death
- for Petty Officer Bolton?
- Blood poisoning.
Jimmy thinks that the expl*sive
accidentally leaked into his system
and k*lled him before
he could detonate himself.
Oh, this could have been a lot worse.
Uh, any idea who dumped the body?
Not yet, but Bolton was
obviously working with someone.
All right, let me know
when you find out who.
Is there something else?
- You're not gonna like it.
- Try me.
You should've never
offered Parker the job.
And why is that?
You gave up on Gibbs too quickly.
Nobody gave up on anyone.
Gibbs moved on.
And you let it happen.
I know that Gibbs is
a father figure to the team.
And it's hard when a father leaves,
especially, perhaps, for you.
If I needed a shrink,
I would have called Dr. Grace, Director.
Agent Torres, may I remind you
that I'm free to hire
who I want, when I want?
Well, did you even consider McGee?
I did more than consider him.
What is that supposed to mean?
- That's outside your pay grade.
- Oh, okay.
Well, I'm telling you
that Agent Parker is
the wrong guy for the job.
Then you should tell that to Gibbs.
He said he was the guy?
We spoke just after Eberhart's arrest.
Let's just say I think Parker
made an impression on Gibbs
in Alaska, as well as on me.
So, we done?
Director, we got a problem.
And you're not gonna like it.
Get in line.
Whoever dumped the petty officer's body
took his wallet and keys.
Well, it's no surprise.
It makes it harder to make an ID.
But they left another
set of keys behind.
It's the USB drive
Jimmy and Ducky found.
The body dumper probably thought
it was just a piece of jewelry.
(SCOFFS)
'Cause Navy petty officers
are so totally known
for wearing anklets.
Okay, get to the point.
The drive appears to be
some kind of master key
to an e-commerce site that
Bolton runs on the dark web.
Dark web? That's great.
What was he selling?
Uh, it seems our computer science major
has been moonlighting as a
one-man Geek Squad for bad guys.
This guy does everything.
"Corporate hacking, $ , an hour.
- Ransomware att*ck"?
- Mm-hmm.
Even has a weekend special
on tracking your spouse.
You're right, Ms. Hines,
we got a problem.
This isn't the problem.
Most of Bolton's posts have been about
the finer points of identity theft,
until a few months ago.
He mentions he got a new partner.
Then his posts started
getting political.
Then extremist.
Then he says he and his partner
have something big planned.
Like "take down the system" big.
- And you know what that target is?
- PARKER: Maybe.
And I hope we're wrong.
All right, thanks, Fish.
My contact at DoD says that
Bolton's day job was
working as a high-level coder
for the Wideband Global SATCOM system.
One of the satellite networks
our m*llitary uses to communicate.
Bolton's clearance level gave him access
to a highly sensitive server room
that runs the entire system.
Not the sort of place you'd want
a b*mb to go off in, I'd imagine.
If that was Bolton's target...
And you really have no choice
but to assume that it was.
He's trying to take down our satellites.
And his partner's still out there.
You believe Petty Officer Bolton
was planning an att*ck
on his own country?
Why?
Well, our working theory is
that Bolton got radicalized
by this mystery partner of his.
Who clearly had some issues
with the m*llitary.
SATCOM handles tactical command,
control comms, m*ssile targeting.
And if any of those systems go down,
our troops' ability
to defend themselves abroad
could be hobbled.
Uh, if I may, General,
I've worked with the SATCOM
system before.
I recall. You brought the scones.
And if I recall, it uses
Hyper-V clustering for redundancy.
Taking out any one facility
won't immediately
degrade the system. We have some time.
Which we need,
'cause we might have more
su1c1de bombers out there.
- Might?
- We found several posts
indicating that Bolton and his partner
were trying to recruit more people.
What if they recruited
someone else with clearance?
We can't be doing full body searches
at every federal facility.
Director Vance,
I'm authorizing an emergency
rapid response task force
to be run out of NCIS.
Understood.
Agent Parker...
Actually, it's former Agent Parker.
I don't care. You know the systems,
you're running the task force.
If there's any recruits out there,
I want you to find them.
Funny thing, I got tickets...
Scratch that. Understood, General.
(SIGHS)
Well, that sucks for me.
- You know the systems.
- Hyper-V clustering.
Torres, mystery partner.
McGee's already got potential targets.
Knight, we need to know if
anyone else has been recruited.
Okay, let's go. (CLAPS HANDS)
Right. Um...
...the may play better
coming from you.
Listen, guys, Agent Parker...
Former.
Former Agent Parker
has been assigned by the DoD...
TORRES: Let me guess.
Be in charge?
Temporarily.
But for the record, against my will.
But here we are.
Okay, so I'm not really sure
what I'm supposed to be doing,
but if I'm the one who's looking for
new su1c1de bomber recruits,
I've got Petty Officer Bolton's laptop.
But it's locked.
It may have information on it
that's relevant to our case.
I'm just waiting for someone
to... do that.
I just needed to enable route access.
That's normally McGee's thing.
Oh, I don't mean to step on any toes.
No, no, it's okay.
But as long as you got it open,
Kasie flagged a name on Bolton's server.
Told someone he was gonna
"check the guy out."
You thinking it's a recruit?
If it is, Bolton should have
a file on him.
And there you go.
KNIGHT: Royman Beesbo?
You're being groomed to be
a su1c1de bomber, Royman?
Let's see, he's single,
has no social life.
Said he almost d*ed
of a heart att*ck last year.
Dying man, no family.
That fits the profile.
Torres, Knight, check him out.
McGee, dig into the laptop.
Find out who
Bolton's mystery partner was.
And-and, hey, look, um,
I just want you all to know
I-I know this is weird.
Okay, I get it. But we got to get
past that so we can get this job done.
And with a team like you,
we're gonna do it better than anyone.
The only question I have is,
do you guys ever go to the
bathroom, and where is it?
Because I'm literally
about to wet myself.
Hey.
Hey, bud, can I ask you something?
Uh, now?
Well, time isn't really on our side,
and I wanted to clear the air.
You know, I probably had,
like, three cups of coffee
this morning, but...
Why didn't you make a play
for Gibbs' job?
Well, because it was Gibbs' job.
At least as of a few days ago.
Come on.
The writing was on the wall for months.
You know, it was probably,
like, four cups...
And you never thought
about making team leader
a permanent gig?
Um, yeah, yeah, sure.
I-I imagined it happening one day, yeah.
And then Vance offered you
the job, and you said pass. Why?
The job wasn't what
I thought it would be.
You know, not, not nearly as fun.
Hours were even worse.
Don't get to go out
in the field as much.
Uh-huh.
Plus, there's all that paperwork.
Nobody likes paperwork. Right?
And that's it?
Yeah, well, what else is there?
You tell me.
No, that's it.
Hey, uh, next time you want to have
a private conversation with me,
maybe pick somewhere
a little more appropriate.
Maybe a stopped elevator or something.
(MUTTERING)
KNIGHT: That's got to be Royman.
Ow.
- Are we sure he's single?
- Don't be mean.
I'm sorry, I'm feeling a little mean.
You got to give Parker a chance.
Do I?
After what he did for Gibbs in Alaska,
I'd say he earned it.
Recruit me to be a su1c1de bomber?
Me? (LAUGHS)
This is a joke, right?
(LAUGHING)
Has anybody strange
contacted you online recently?
Pretty much nonstop
after I dipped my toe
into online dating.
It was like I had a catfish target
on my back for some reason.
(CHUCKLES)
At least until I met Helen,
and then I erased all my dating apps.
- So you're not single?
- Well...
I mean, it's, it's kind
of hard to explain.
Is Helen someone strange
that you met online by any chance?
No.
At a bus stop.
We just started talking.
I don't know how that happened.
Then she smiled, and it was like
a lightning bolt went off in my head.
And I know she felt it, too,
because she gave me her number.
And then what happened?
And then I lost it.
I've been trying
to remember it, you know,
by doing...
TORRES: Oh.
So you are single.
Do you recognize this guy?
Yeah. Yeah, that's the cable guy.
He came by a few weeks ago,
said I needed a new router or something.
That's not the cable guy.
Wait, is that your su1c1de
bomber recruiter dude?
Oh, my gobsmacker,
he-he was in my house.
We had lemonade.
Wh-Why-why was he trying to recruit me?
What do you do, exactly, again?
Are you some kind of a court reporter?
Uh, not quite.
Try a Silverstar-ranked
federal stenographer.
- What does that mean?
- I work on sealed cases only.
I'm one of only local stenos
cleared to record depositions
that involve classified material.
Does that mean you go into
high security federal buildings?
Yep. Different ones every week.
I see a lot of really high-tech... Oh.
Where are you going next?
It could be a target.
I can't actually answer that
without a subpoena.
That's part of being a Silver...
Silverstar-ranked federal
stenographer. Got it.
But you're more than welcome
to hang till you get one.
I got, I got nachos. Huh?
Well, how long's a subpoena gonna take?
That's too long, Judge.
Anyplace this Royman guy goes next
could be a bombing target.
Royman? I don't know, Irish?
No, no, don't put me on hold again!
Well, what do you think?
I think it's impressive
that an agent has
finally gotten some Bluetooth earbuds.
I'm asking you about
Director Vance's offer
to him to take over the team.
Am I on hold? Did you
put me on hold again?
Uh...
I don't know. It'd be different.
Which would be, uh, you know...
- different.
- Yes, it would.
Is that a problem for you?
Speaking of the opposite of
different, how great has it been
having you down here this week, huh?
What do you say we get
the band back together,
like, permanently, you and me.
Autopsy is your bailiwick now, Jimmy.
Yeah, but it could be ours again.
They put me on hold.
How can we help you?
We're still trying to track down
Bolton's mystery partner.
I heard you found something
that might help.
We think we may have found
a piece of the b*mb's detonator.
DUCKY: If so, then Kasie may be able
to trace it back to this partner
for whom you're looking.
JIMMY: She's also made some
headway on tracing the actual expl*sive.
An Albanian cartel is selling it
on the black market.
Goes for $ K a gram.
Even with his side gig,
Bolton couldn't afford
- half of what was in it.
- (ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
So, either the mystery
partner had deep pockets, or...
Or he won the lottery.
- Or he won the lottery, sure.
- No, I'm saying
our dead petty officer won the lottery.
Really?
Three times, three different states
over the past year,
over grand total.
I don't know anyone who's
won the lottery three times.
I don't know anybody
who's won the lottery once.
It's actually four times,
if you count an hour ago.
Which is, you know, impossible.
This place is way more
interesting than the FBI.
When I found out how much
Bolton's su1c1de b*mb cost,
I realized he must have
another source of income.
Domestic terrorism ain't cheap.
Mm-hmm. Then, an agent
found these in his g*n safe.
They're lottery picker cards
from all over the Eastern Seaboard.
And lo and behold,
these three match actual wins.
Four, if you count an hour ago.
Which is, you know, impossible.
Except Bolton was a hacker.
You think he hacked the lottery
to pay for those bombs?
If he did, this guy is like
the Frank Abagnale of hackers.
Remember, Leo... Oh, he was cute...
Played him in Catch Me if You Can?
He was a doctor, he was a lawyer...
And I was in the FBI.
I know who Frank Abagnale is.
Thing is, if Bolton
did hack the lottery,
he wasn't the one
cashing in the winning tickets.
He had someone else do
the pickups for him.
I'm thinking that's the partner
you've been looking for.
Her name's Lillian Beck.
And if there's any more
bombings planned,
I imagine she'd know about them.
Luckily for us,
she has some new winnings
to cash in tomorrow.
It's stakeout time, baby.
Nice work.
- Uh, I'm gonna need this.
- Mm-hmm.
Just one more thing.
A little birdie told me
that you preferred to try
and negotiate with LeMere at
this particular point in time.
That's not quite...
I don't know what's going
on with you here or whatever,
but let's get one thing straight.
If there's ever a crazy assassin
holding a sharp object to my neck again,
I'm gonna need you to sh**t first,
ask questions later.
If you can do that, then we're good.
We good?
We're good.
Good.
TORRES: What do you think makes
someone become a su1c1de bomber?
Well, I think if you're angry enough,
you can get talked into
just about anything.
Sitrep.
KNIGHT: Got eyes on our suspect.
- In line. About to cash a ticket.
- Copy.
You're getting good at that.
"Sitrep. Copy."
Thanks. Been practicing in the mirror.
It's so good that it makes me not buy
what you told Parker in the bathroom.
He told you about that?
No.
Okay, then, what, were you, like,
listening at the bathroom door?
Oh, my God, seriously.
- Were you listening at the door?
- It doesn't matter.
The point is, is all that noise about
you not wanting the big chair
because of the extra hours.
Yeah, homie don't buy that.
I can't believe it...
You're sitting there, like,
just listening through
the bathroom door.
Hey, don't change the subject.
What subject? That I don't want
to be team leader because I'm not Gibbs?
No, you're not Gibbs.
But you're Timothy freakin'
McGee, you're a cyber ninja.
When people sh**t you,
you keep on coming, man.
Yeah, except it was Gibbs who sh*t me.
Okay? Twice.
He put two b*ll*ts through me.
And you know what, it saved my life.
It hurt like hell getting sh*t,
but I can't imagine
what it felt like pulling that trigger.
I mean, who could do that?
Could I do that?
For someone so smart,
you can be so dumb.
- Thanks, that's helpful.
- Tim, the guy
who shouldn't be in charge is the guy
who's not even asking the question.
Doubt is not weakness, it's a strength.
A leader without doubt?
Now, that's a guy I'd be worried about.
Look, Nick, my point is,
I don't want to be
the guy that can pull that trigger.
Okay?
If there's anything I've
learned from Gibbs,
it's that this job is all-consuming.
It completely consumes you.
You know what the guy
had to do to escape?
He had to go to Alaska!
Like, Alaska.
I got a family, Nick.
That can't be me. I can't do that.
It's that simple.
Go ahead, tell me again how dumb I am.
Well, I have no complaints about that.
Only respect.
Thanks, brother.
KNIGHT: Suspect coming out.
Repeat, suspect coming out.
Now, what do you say we go
and arrest some bad guys?
Sounds pretty good to me.
Guess what I just heard. We just caught
Bolton's mystery partner.
- What are you doing?
- Leaving.
Aren't we gonna sterilize
the bone saw later?
- I remember that one time...
- Jimmy...
Jimmy, it is time for me
to retake my rightful place
as NCIS historian.
Wait. Don't go.
(STAMMERING): Stop, stop, stop.
Is everything all right?
Is everything...?
No, no, it's not. It's not at all.
I've had just about enough
of people leaving this year.
Just one after another.
Breena.
And then Bishop and now Gibbs.
So you are gonna come back in here.
You're gonna lose the hat,
and together we are gonna
go sterilize that damn bone saw.
- Jimmy...
- Bone saw!
Just...
Jimmy,
yesterday is over,
sad as that may seem.
But change is the essence of life.
I know that, Doctor, but...
this feels like a death.
I miss him, too.
But Jethro isn't dead.
From what I hear, it sounds as if
he's starting to live life again.
Possibly for the first time
since losing his family.
If that is the case,
I don't mourn his departure.
I'm grateful for it.
Our pain...
is a small price to pay
for his peace.
I'm sorry.
That was beautiful, Doctor.
Really beautiful.
I almost hate to totally ruin the moment
by giving you this.
It's the results from
the detonator fragment
you found in our victim.
Uh-oh.
You know, I'm-I'm missing my nephew's
first Little League game.
Yeah, I'm-I'm really sorry about that.
Um, there just seems to be
a little misunderstanding somewhere.
You think?
I bought a lottery ticket. I won.
I don't know anything
about any t*rror1st att*ck.
What's he doing? Did I miss it?
He is, uh, doing the "play dumb."
Oh. That's boring.
Gonna be here all day.
- So am I free to go?
- Yeah.
Uh, just, um, one more question.
You want to die by lethal injection,
or spend the rest of your life
rotting in a jail cell
that smells like soup?
Excuse me?
We know you're been working with Bolton.
We know you're trying to
recruit more su1c1de bombers.
And we know that you
funded your operation
- by hacking the lottery.
- (LAUGHS)
What we don't know is death or soup?
That is not the "play dumb."
"I am going to jail
for accessory to m*rder."
- Say it with me. "I..."
- Look, I-I...
- "...am going to jail..."
- Okay, I was working...
I was working with Bolton.
- "...for accessory to..."
- Will you stop that?!
I'm trying to confess.
Not to m*rder.
I didn't k*ll anyone, okay?
Let's hear it.
And by the way, you don't
have any nephews.
I'm a back-end coder for
the East Coast Lottery Group.
We handle the lottery in states.
About six months ago,
I found a flaw in the system,
a-a way to preselect the winners.
But I needed a real hacker
to do the heavy lifting.
A hacker like Bolton.
I found him online.
The guy's basically the Frank Abagnale
of hackers.
I've heard. Go on.
That's it.
We didn't hack the lottery
to fund a t*rror1st att*ck.
We hacked the lottery to...
t-to hack the lottery. Duh.
That actually is pretty believable.
Hey. We've got a problem.
KNIGHT: Yeah, a big problem.
Our entire case
might have just fallen apart.
Kasie found traces of polydioxanone
on the detonator fragment.
Plus bupivacaine in his tox screen.
I literally didn't understand
a word you just said.
Wait, who-whose tox screen?
Bolton's. Listen, the detonator
was a pacemaker battery.
Bupivacaine is a local
anesthetic, and... here.
Okay, and polydioxanone
is used in surgical stitches.
Surgical?
Yeah, Dr. Mallard and I were wrong.
Bolton didn't swallow a b*mb.
It was surgically implanted.
And if it was a part
of a routine procedure,
it's possible he didn't even know
he had a b*mb inside of him.
PARKER: So,
if there wasn't a t*rror1st att*ck,
what were you recruiting people for?
I couldn't keep winning
the lottery myself, genius.
Oh, so you needed cutouts
to pick up the money for you.
And we already had ten lined up.
We were about to be rich.
Bolton was planning on retiring to Cabo.
The last thing he ever would have done
is blow himself up.
Then how the hell did he end up
a human grenade?
Sorry, that's...
that's not my department.
TORRES: I spoke to three
of the recruits who were hired
to, uh, pick up
the next lottery tickets.
They confirm our suspect's story.
So, if Bolton's big plan
was to hack the lotto,
how did he end up with
a su1c1de b*mb in him?
We're right back at square one.
Yeah, you get used to it.
It's got to have something
to do with his website.
We should dig into the other bad guys
who have hired him.
McGee's going through the weblogs now.
And check this out.
Most of those bad-guy names
were encrypted.
But one name did pop up
on a wire transfer,
and you are gonna love it.
I told you, I thought
he was the cable guy.
That-That's all I know.
Please don't take this the wrong way,
but you are totally lying.
Right after Bolton paid you a visit,
you took out a reverse mortgage
on your house for grand.
I'm doing a renovation.
(CHUCKLES) One week later,
that same $ K
ended up in Bolton's e-commerce account
in the Caymans.
It was a Caribbean-themed renovation?
Now, that's a horrible liar.
KNIGHT: Where did you
get the Albanian expl*sive?
I don't know what that is.
How did it end up inside
Petty Officer Bolton?
I don't know what that means.
We have proof
that you paid Bolton $ ,
to his offshore account.
He said we wouldn't get caught.
He said we wouldn't get caught!
And you are going to tell me
what it was for.
It was for Helen.
Okay?
Helen.
The...
woman you met at the bus stop?
Keep talking.
Everything I told you was true.
Your petty officer came over,
said he was the cable guy.
Then we had lemonade, just like I said.
And then...
And then you told him about Helen?
It may have come up.
- When I saw her smile...
- Skip that part.
He told me he might be able
to hack into a traffic cam
by the bus stop where Helen and me met
and get a photo of her face.
And then, you know,
do some facial recognition.
Well, that's creepy.
It's not stalking if she gave me
her number already, is it?
I'm gonna go out on a limb
and say this guy is not
our criminal mastermind.
He's got to be connected somehow.
Otherwise, why would Bolton have
an entire dossier...
Whoa.
What?
Bolton has this guy's medical records.
Ever wonder why?
- Have you had any surgery recently?
- ROYMAN: No.
- Well, I mean, sort of. A week ago.
- Where?
My doctor called and said that
my pacemaker battery was low.
You just got that last year.
It doesn't run low that fast.
(CHUCKLING): It just took
an hour to swap out.
It wasn't a big deal.
It might actually be a big deal.
Evacuate the building.
- Call the b*mb squad.
- Wait, what?
ROYMAN: No, hold on.
I don't understand. What is happening?
It's got to be connected
to one of your cases.
You're a stenographer, right?
What's your next case?
I can't tell you.
I'm a Silverstar-ranked...
Look, I got your damn
subpoena approved, okay?
They just haven't sent
the actual records yet.
Now focus. What's your next case?
Okay, okay, there's this guy...
Come on, come on.
DUCKY: Here they come, Mr. Palmer.
Look sharp.
JIMMY: McGee filled us in.
We are prepping for X-ray.
We're gonna take a look inside you.
- This is not happening.
- You're gonna be okay.
- Just lie down.
- I'm not gonna be okay,
- according to your boss.
- You're our boss?
I've been turned into a walking
time b*mb by Tony Soprano.
Apparently, Royman here
just got assigned a case
against a pretty scary-sounding
Mafia kingpin.
Four of the witnesses against
him have already disappeared,
and the last one was moved
into witness protection.
All right, hold your breath.
(BEEPING)
He's in a hidden location...
Tightest security possible.
ROYMAN: I'm supposed to
record his deposition tomorrow,
and then I guess I blow up?
Was that the freaking plan?
There's the atrial lead.
There's the pulse generator.
And something else.
Based on density, I would say
that's our expl*sive.
Oh, my gobsmacker.
I've been turned into
an exploding Trojan horse.
- Okay, everybody, get out of here.
- What, you're leaving?
PARKER: No, no.
I'll stay until the b*mb squad's
med techs arrive.
DUCKY: We don't have that much time.
This protrusion tells me
that the expl*sive is leaking.
Just like Petty Officer Bolton here.
(ROYMAN WHIMPERS)
How much time does he have?
A day? A minute?
I mean, we have to get it out now.
Well, what are you looking at me for?
Your body, your call.
Um... get it out!
We're already prepped
for extraction. Light.
DUCKY: CHG locked and loaded.
Prepping the surgical site.
JIMMY: Administering
cc's local anesthetic.
- (GROANING)
- PARKER: It's okay, buddy.
Okay. Relax.
Dr. Palmer, would you care
to do the honors?
Uh...
Oh, you might want
to remove the decoration.
Right. (SIGHS)
Oh, look at that.
It's feeling better already.
All right. Do me a favor.
- Mm-hmm.
- Stay very still.
NEWSCASTER: In D.C. yesterday,
a m*rder attempt
against the star witness
in a Mafia kingpin's trial
was thwarted by agents at NCIS.
Sources say that Besnik Toptani,
the notorious Albanian kingpin,
choreographed
an elaborate plot to k*ll...
(TURNS OFF TV)
Toptani's people knew
Petty Officer Bolton
from his "Geek Squad
for bad guys" website.
KNIGHT: They came up
with the Trojan horse idea
and hired Bolton to hack
into Roy's medical records.
But they only had one sh*t
at taking the witness out,
so they decided to use Bolton
as a guinea pig for the surgery,
but... test run didn't go so well.
He d*ed before they could blow him up.
KNIGHT: So the
Albanians ditched the body,
worked out the kinks,
and then forced Roy's doctor
to try again on Roy.
I'll spare you
the Frank Abagnale comparison,
and I'll just say
this is one for the books.
Agent Knight, will you
excuse us a moment?
Very nice work.
- Thank you.
- You know, I, um...
I jumped online this morning
to try to get you replacement tickets
for that Simon and Garfunkel
concert that you missed.
Oh, yeah?
Turns out there is no Simon
and Garfunkel reunion tour.
And there's not gonna be.
I heard they hate each other.
I'm more of a Bowie guy anyway.
I see.
I just wanted to see what
a regular day around here was like,
and I was told it might spook the locals
if they thought I had plans to stay.
Wasn't my idea, actually.
Whose was it?
(LAUGHS)
I'm gonna take that one to my grave.
Well...
You want the job or not?
We did one last visual exam.
Everything's all clear.
That was the third sweep in hours.
With azidoazide, better safe than sorry.
MCGEE: So, spoke to the D.A.
They're willing to drop
the hacking charge
in exchange for community service.
How much?
("CHANGES" BY DAVID BOWIE PLAYING)
Well, what do you think?
Still thinking.
I know the feeling.
ROYMAN: hours?
Either that or jail.
Well, it's not like I have other plans.
Roy?
Roy, it's me.
♪ Still don't know
what I was waiting for ♪
♪ And my time... ♪
Helen.
(CHUCKLING): Yeah.
You never called me.
ROYMAN: I-I lost your number.
It was five-five...
Five-oh-one-six-two.
Oh.
Oh, I can't believe it.
I guess he has plans now.
HELEN: I kept going
to the same bus stop,
and you weren't there.
ROYMAN: Oh, well,
'cause I changed routes.
You want to know what I think?
ROYMAN: Hey, look, guys, it's Helen.
I think Gibbs was a lucky man.
♪ Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes ♪
- ♪ Turn and face the strange ♪
- I know the feeling.
♪ Ch-Ch-Changes ♪
♪ Don't want to be a richer man ♪
♪ Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes ♪
♪ Turn and face
the strange ch-ch-changes ♪
♪ Just gonna have to be
a different man. ♪