07x21 - Obsession

Episode transcripts for the TV show, "NCIS". Aired: September 2003 to present.*
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The cases of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
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07x21 - Obsession

Post by bunniefuu »

Got a heart att*ck. BP 88/62, pulse 98.

All right. Okay, steady. steady.

Place him down.

You got him? Got him.

Look out! Oh, my God!

Move out of the way!

Go! Go! Go! Go!

Ziva?

You remember Brenda Bittner?

Well, the name sounds familiar.

You friended her.

She... she's a barista at Gibbs' coffee shop?

Oh, yeah. Brenda.

I'm reading her profile now.

She just posted that she is in a committed relationship with Tony DiNozzo.

Our Tony DiNozzo?

Sure looks like him. Look at her home page.

Well, how long has this been going on?

How Long's what been going on?

When were you going to tell us?

Tell you what? That you are in a committed relationship.

With who?

The ever-lovely Brenda Bittner.

Where did you hear that?

She posted it at 7:14 a.m. this morning.

I left her place around 7:00.

How long have you two been dating?

Well... no, we're not dating.

Last night was it.

Well, it must have been one hell of

an it because she can not wait to tell all of her friends.

Well, how many friends can she possibly have?

2, 412.

She is very popular.

Gee.

Oh, no.

Can she post this without my permission?

Depends on your privacy settings, Tony.

Well, obviously, I haven't got them set right.

Will you get over here, McGeek, and make this go away, please? Tony, you know, you're getting way too old for these one-night stands.

Your biological clock is ticking.

Men don't have biological clocks.

When I meet Ms. Right...

I'll be ready to settle down.

Don't ever settle, DiNozzo.

Dead lieutenant, Monroe University Hospital.

Let's go.

Was he sick long? No.

Never got admitted.

Victim is Lieutenant Jeffrey Wilton Hutton.

He's attached to NIOC.

He's living in base housing at the Anacostia NSF.

Parents are deceased.

Next of kin?

A sister. I'm gonna go try and track her down.

So what exactly are you looking for in Ms. Right?

Well, aside from the obvious, uh, physical requirements...

I don't know.

I guess she'd be a... very independent woman.

Intelligent, successful.

A professional.

Okay, just one question.

What would this woman possibly see in you?

Yes, well, I can assure you of one thing.

Car crash was not the cause of death.

What was?

Well, I haven't the faintest idea.

I mean, there are no contusions, no obvious signs of trauma.

I mean, the poor lieutenant--

I doubt he was here to visit someone.

But he must have had an egregious ailment.

I mean, he was in a hell of a hurry to get himself to the hospital.

Figured that out myself, Duck.

Appreciate the help.

We done here? I am.

Uh, Lieutenant Hutton's sister's name is Dana.

Wait. Dana Hutton?

Yeah. I just got off the phone with...

ZNN reporter?

Yes.

David?

Just got off the phone with her producer.

He says that she's been working at home today.

Wow. Dana Hutton.

I would really like to interview her, boss.

Sure.

Take Ziva with you.

You know who she is.

She did that, uh, great piece on Doctors without Borders in Darfur.

Embedded with that Marine unit in Kandahar last year.

Okay, what does she look like?

Blonde. Cute. Real cute.

Looks even better in a helmet and flak jacket.

Okay, Tony, do I have to remind you that her brother just d*ed?

I'm a professional.

What? Brenda Bittner.

Yeah! I guess she saw I changed my dating status.

Well, you cannot avoid her forever.

Well, I guess she's not home.

Looks like we got probable cause.

Ms. Hutton?

Clear!

Ms. Hutton did not do this to her own place.

No. Where is she?

Someone tossed the place pretty good looking for something.

Metro's processing her apartment.

They are going to coordinate their investigation with us.

Already put out a BOLO.

Dana Hutton should be easy to spot.

She's pretty well known.

Do we assume her disappearance is related to her brother's death? No.

We don't assume anything.

Jeffrey and Dana Hutton.

m*llitary brats.

Their father was a Marine combat helicopter pilot.

d*ed at the age of 42 in a training exercise.

They were raised by their mother.

d*ed five years ago of pancreatic cancer.

Overachievers, both of them.

He played water polo and lacrosse at the academy.

Did a tour at the Pacific, spent a year at the Pentagon before they moved him to Navy Information Operations Command.

NIOC. Secret stuff.

Wonder what he was working on.

I'll know in three minutes.

Talking to his C.O. in MTAC.

Dana.

Impressive woman.

Won a piano competition when she was 13 years old.

Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Georgetown before joining ZNN at the age of 22.

Boss, went through Lieutenant Hutton's residence.

Nothing. Dropped off his laptop with Abby.

Yeah. Gibbs.

Yeah. On my way.

Let's go, McGee.

Multiple organ failure, but no apparent reason.

You seem perplexed, Dr. Mallard.

Oh, I am.

I'm just reviewing Lieutenant Hutton's physical, taken only last week.

The man is in perfect health.

I'm about to take blood and tissue samples up to Abby.

Should I have her look for anything specific?

Well, that is my dilemma, Mr. Palmer.

I wouldn't know what to tell her.

Or Gibbs, for that matter, when he comes calling, as he undoubtedly will.

Gibbs.

Captain Austin Sears.

Have to assume this is about Lieutenant Hutton?

What happened?

Was it an accident?

I don't know. What can you tell me about him?

Good officer.

Hard-working, smart.

Maybe too smart.

What does that mean?

Was a politician.

Knew how to work the system.

Had a master plan.

His career wasn't going to end here.

What was he working on?

A classified project.

We've got clearance.

Not for this one.

Can't read you into the program unless it's cleared by SECNAV himself.

I'll make the call.

I suggest you have your director do it.

Gee, what a sweet guy.

Hmm.

Doesn't DiNozzo have a buddy at NIOC?

We can talk in here.

After you called this morning, I tried to track Dana down, but couldn't find her.

What's going on?

Um, we need to talk to her.

Is this about the naval officer who d*ed in the car accident this morning?

Came across our news desk.

Yes. That was her brother.

Wow.

Um... that's horrible.

And ironic.

What are the odds?

Of what?

An old friend and mentor of Dana's was k*lled in a car accident two weeks ago.

Is it unusual for her not to come in?

Yes, but she's been distracted.

She's the executor of her friend's estate and had to get involved in the sale of the business-- an old bookstore in Dupont Circle.

Shouldn't she check in with you?

I mean, you're her boss, right?

I'm not her boss.

I'm her segment producer.

She's... the star.

Gets to choose her own assignments.

What is she working on now?

She was doing a piece about private m*llitary companies.

But the last few days, she started researching the old Soviet KGB.

I told her that was yesterday's news.

Bet you couldn't talk her out of it.

No.

Um, when Dana's passionate about something, she can lose objectivity.

Does she have any friends who may know where she is?

I don't know.

Our relationship's all about work.

She have a boyfriend?

Uh, wouldn't know.

All right, could you give us a call if you hear from her?

Sure.

All right, well, we'll find our own way out. Thanks.

Mr. Rivera's with the Justice Department in Mexico.

He's here in Washington to set up an international law enforcement task force.

I am sure you know our country is in the middle of a horrible drug w*r.

We are desperate for help.

It is imperative that our countries continue to share techniques and intelligence.

I'll do what I can do.

Excuse me.

Yes?

Oh, send her in.

Hello, gentlemen.

I'm sorry I'm late.

Hello, Mr. Gibbs.

The State Department has appointed Ms. Hart to be Alejandro's legal counsel for the task force.

Of course they did.

I met Allison in Mexico City.

We work well together.

Alejandro was very helpful in my securing Colonel Bell's release from prison.

Maybe we shouldn't be cooperating, Leon.

Mr. Gibbs has a strange sense of humor.

Oh.

Oh, I'll be spending a lot of time on the project.

Director Vance kindly extended me temporary employee status.

Abby.

How we doing on Lieutenant Hutton's tox screen?

We?

Get in line, Palmer.

I've ruled out all common viruses, biological agents, and dr*gs.

You didn't give me any direction.

This is going to take time. Now, go, scram, leave me alone.

McGee is bugging me to analyze the contents of the hard drive of this laptop.

That's a terabyte.

Do you know how large that is?

Um...

Hey.

Uh, she's in a foul mood again.

Palmer, I have g*ns in my ballistics lab and I know how to use 'em.

Did Metro send the fingerprints lifted from Dana Hutton's condo?

Yes.

And?

And I haven't gotten to them yet.

When I have answers, I will call you.

Now, out!

Both of you.

Oh, hey, congratulations.

Whoo!

For what?

Hooking up with Brenda Bittner.

Breena and I would love to double with you.

Do you guys have plans Saturday night?

McGee.

Well, I will see you tomorrow, Mr. Gibbs.

This is going to be fun, at least for me.

Anything?

Uh... been checking Dana Hutton's credit cards, phone activity.

Nothing here, boss.

DiNozzo make contact with his buddy from NIOC yet?

I don't know.

Where is he?

No idea.

I have such admiration for authors like yourself.

There's this bookshop here in Washington, DC that was my refuge as a child.

I spent hours there curled up on an old couch with a book.

I hope one of mine.

Yeah, my mom didn't think you were proper reading material for a young lady.

Supposedly the insurgents had left the area, but that's clearly not the case.

They've gathered on top of this ridge ahead of us, heavily armed...

We're taking fire.

Let's go.

Come on.

We need this sh*t. Follow me.

Dana, come back!

Come on.

DiNozzo, you talk to your friend at NIOC?

Uh, been playing phone tag, boss.

ZNN is going to break the story on Dana Hutton and her brother.

I'm surprised they held it this long.

Give me her number.

Whose?

Dana. Nope.

I would like the number, please. I've been monitoring her cell phone, Tony; it is not on.

Give me the number or I'll Gibbs-slap you.

Boss, there's a bookstore where Dana used to hang out when she was a kid.

She'd go there when things were bothering her.

How do you know that? It's called research, David.

The owner d*ed in a highway accident.

Dana is the executor of his estate and is trying to sell the store.

I think I should go check it out.

Friend k*lled accidentally.

Healthy brother dies of unknown causes.

She disappears.

I think we're setting a record here for coincidences.

Ziva, background the bookstore owner.

Get the details on his car accident.

Okay.

May I inquire what the lieutenant is doing back on the table, Mr. Palmer?

Dr. Mallard, uh, you seemed so worried last night that I thought, well, uh, maybe, um, I wonder if it wouldn't be a good idea for me to come in early and, uh...

Are you upset?

Don't be silly. I admire your initiative.

You found something.

Yeah, the left trapezius muscle.

There is one-millimeter, perfectly round dot which at first glance appears to be an imperfection on the film, but...

...there is a corresponding mark on the lieutenant's shoulder.

Well, let's see what it is.

I've prepared your instruments for you.

No, no, no, this is all yours, Mr. Palmer.

Allow me to assist.

Uh, twe... tweezers.

What on earth is that?

Looks like a teeny-tiny bowling ball.

What is it?

Uh... you got me.

Has me and Dr. Mallard baffled, too.

Okay, well, I will add this to my to-do list.

Abby? Abby?

Abby!

Oh, Ms. Hart.

I'd like for you to meet...

Señor Alejandro Rivera.

I-I read about your visit on the interoffice e-mail.

Encantado.

I have been looking forward to meeting you, Ms. Sciuto.

You are a legend in the field of forensic science.

Aw, shucks. I was wondering if you could give Mr. Rivera a quick tour of your lab.

I would love to, but I am just... I am way too busy.

Mr. Rivera is on a very tight schedule.

He's only going to be in Washington for one more day.

Well, maybe next time.

Ms. Sciuto...

Ms. Sciuto is obviously very busy.

I appreciate your work ethic.

I wish I had someone like you on my team.

Muchas gracias.

Por Nada.


That sounds nice, man.

Mr. DiNozzo?

Maggie Reed.

Hi.

I hope you're not insulted, but you don't look like someone who would be buying a used bookstore.

I'm not.

NCIS.

You're here about Dana.

I heard it on the TV this morning.

They said she was missing and her brother d*ed?

What's going on?

I tried to call her a couple of times yesterday.

How well do you know 'em?

I didn't know Jeffrey, but I'm a patron of the bookstore, so I've seen Dana here over the years.

Charley Bascom, the owner-- he was like a father to her.

She took his death very hard.

Is that Charley up there?

Yes.

I understand Dana is handling his estate.

Yes, she approached me last week at Charley's funeral.

Asked me if I would help with the sale of the business.

His will instructs that the proceeds go to a charity promoting literacy for children.

So Charley.

Is this place worth much?

If you were a potential buyer, I'd say yes, but to be honest, there's less than a year left on the lease.

Everybody's getting electronic readers.

Books are a dying business.

Dana used to curl up on this couch.

You know her?

No, uh...

You mind?

No.

This safe always open?

I have no idea.

I don't think Charley had much of value to lock up.
Captain, you hear from SECNAV?

Yes. So... what was Lieutenant Hutton working on?

A report for a very select the Joint Chiefs.

About?

Private m*llitary companies.

There's been a lot of negative reaction to the m*llitary's contracting out operations.

The lieutenant was point man on a paper recommending that we cease and desist with such arrangements. Agent McGee.

I'll send you the report by courier.

I appreciate it.

Now, what can you tell me about Lieutenant Hutton's death?

Boss, we got to go.

Got to go, Captain.

Dana Hutton was doing a story on private m*llitary companies.

Add it to the list of coincidences.

Gibbs, Gibbs.

Lieutenant Hutton was m*rder*d.

How?

Look.

We found it.

Well, Mr. Palmer found it, actually-- embedded in the lieutenant's shoulder.

What is it?

It's a spherical metal pellet.

It is 1.5 millimeters in diameter.

It's composed of 90% platinum and 10% iridium.

There were two holes drilled in it that created an X-shaped cavity, and guess what I found in the cavity.

He hates it when I ask him to guess.

Traces of ricin.

One of the deadliest toxins known to man.

Yes, your 21st century naval lieutenant was k*lled by an old, Cold w*r-era KGB w*apon.

KGB?

It's been SVR since '91.

Well, someone's out there is using one of their old tricks.

That's what made me think of the infamous Umbrella m*rder of 1978.

Russian dissident assassinated in England.

Georgi Markov.

Now, while he was standing at a London bus stop, a passerby carrying a folded umbrella bumped into him.

He didn't think much about it until he began to feel ill about a day later.

In fact, he had been injected with a ricin pellet.

The delivery mechanism was felt to be the spring-loaded tip of the umbrella.

How long does it take ricin to k*ll, Duck?

Three, four days.

Lieutenant Hutton, like Markov, wouldn't have known what happened, and ironically, if he had made it to the hospital, they couldn't have helped him.

There is no antidote.

Thank you, Dr. Mallard.

Yesterday morning this was a simple car accident.

Now we're talking KGB assassination.

You been able to connect the lieutenant's m*rder with the disappearance of his sister?

Maybe.

She was preparing a negative piece on private m*llitary companies.

Her brother was presenting a paper to the Joint Chiefs recommending the government cut off contracts with them.

I'll make some calls.

It's 1:00 in the morning.

What are you doing down here?

That's none of your business.

I thought you were going to start locking your front door.

Well, if I did that, I'd have no social life.

What are you doing here, M. Allison Hart?

You didn't seem happy with my new status at NCIS.

Oh, and I thought I covered that so well.

Are we going to have a problem?

It came from the top.

I take orders.

Since when?

You know what?

I need to finish this.

You never know when I may need to saw a lady in half.

I heard you were looking for Dana Hutton.

Is that why you're here?

No.

Oh, come on.

You knew she was investigating private m*llitary contracts like the one owned by your biggest client, Colonel Bell.

Oh, don't go there, Mr. Gibbs.

He's the one who pays for your $500 shoes.

I take offense.

They cost 1, 200.

And I asked because Dana is a friend.

How close?

Close.

When is the last time you saw her?

A week ago.

She wanted to talk.

She had just broken up with her producer boyfriend.

And if you want any more out of me, you're going to have to ply me with liquor.

MAN Going to air, ten minutes.

Going to air in ten minutes.

You find Dana?

No. I came to see you.

Why?

Because there are consequences for misleading federal agents.

What are you talking about?

Why didn't you tell me you were involved with Dana?

Really didn't think it was relevant.

Or any of your business.

I'll determine what's relevant.

How serious is it?

Aside from work, nothing's ever that serious with Dana.

No one seems to get it.

She's not this perfect angel that everyone sees on TV.

She's a pro.

She knows how to work it and she uses people like the best of 'em.

She use you? Yeah.

I let her.

And enjoyed it.

You know, she has even more talent offscreen...

What the hell's the matter with you?

Who else called?

I won't take up any more of your time, Abby.

But I just want to say that if you come to Mexico, I will be your personal host.

You shall see my country as few people get to see it.

I can't wait.

Well... until then.

Morning.

Morning.

Abbs, what was that all about?

Alejandro has invited me to Mexico to speak at a symposium.

Don't you love that word?

Alejandro?

Symposium.

You're not going to go, are you?

Are you kidding me? Why wouldn't I go?

Well, I bet he just wants to find out how many tats you have.

Maybe I have a new one that you're never going to see.

Why'd you call me down here?

I cracked the encryption on Lieutenant Hutton's hard drive.

What am I looking at?

Well, he was using his top secret clearance to access old FBI and CIA transcripts.

That is a debriefing of a KGB defector in 1985.

The Year of the Spy.

Spies have their own year?

More spies were arrested on U.S. soil in 1985 than any other year in history.

That's why the media dubbed it Year of the Spy.

Hmm.

You think the lieutenant was accessing Intel as part of his work with NIOC?

His C.O. never mentioned it.

So he's... doing it on his own?

Virginia State Police sent this file along with the autopsy report.

Mr. Bascom's death was definitely an accident.

A car driving from the opposite direction blew a tire, crossed the center divider and it hit him head-on.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

What did you find?

Well...

Charley Bascom was a naturalized citizen.

He immigrated to the United States from Canada, 1963.

His birth certificate indicates that he was born in Hamilton, just outside of Toronto.

But he d*ed at the age of three.

Meningitis.

Bogus papers.

Get the autopsy report down to Ducky.

Gibbs... you talk to Tony?

Late last night.

He went to ZNN this morning.

What?

Tony got physical with Dana's producer.

I think he may be obsessed with this woman.

Hi, this is Dana's cell.

Please leave me a message.

Dana, this is Special Agent DiNozzo.

Tony DiNozzo.

I'm with NCIS.

We've been looking for you for the past two days.

Um... we can help you.

Please trust me.

I know this is going to sound crazy, but I feel like I know you.

You can call me at this number.

Dana?

I'm surprised you did not call me Laura.

Cop falls for missing woman.

1944.

Gene Tierney.

Dana Andrews.

You making a film reference.

Go figure.

Tony, this is a m*rder investigation, okay.

This is not a movie.

Dana Hutton is missing and may be dead like her brother.

She's not just going to walk in through that door and into your life.

What do you got, Duck?

My esteemed colleague in Stafford County, Virginia, did a thorough and well-documented postmortem of Mr. Bascom.

Since the cause of death was massive blunt trauma to the skull, there were detailed photographs of his head.

I had this one enlarged.

Notice anything unusual?

Looks pink.

Yeah, it's a condition called pink tooth.

It's caused by the use of an arsenic compound in the mortification of dental pulp prior to endodontic obturation.

Ah, jeez, Duck, come on. English.

Well, suffice to say, it's a therapy unique to Russia during the mid-20th century.

Mr. Bascom may have emigrated from Canada, but I'll stake my reputation he was born... in the Soviet Union.

I've consulted with senior and retired agents and analysts who specialize in counterintelligence.

During the height of the Cold w*r, there was a legend of Yuri, a mole in the Washington area who operated as the banker, funding covert KGB ops in America.

Now, some doubted his existence, but most believed he was real; they worked up a profile.

Charles Bascom fits that profile to a "T."

Used bookstore would be a perfect front.

It's believed that he kept over 10 million U.S. dollars in a slush fund.

FBI's thinking that once the Berlin Wall was torn down, KGB was disbanded, old Charley Bascom and his money were forgotten about in the ensuing chaos.

If Charley was Yuri, then he was a spy.

Kind of like Kevin Costner's landlord in the film No Way Out.

What does that make him, Dana Hutton and her brother's handler?

Are you suggesting Dana is a spy?

Look, I'm just saying, if I was currently writing a novel, I could not come up with a better cast of characters.

We've got Lieutenant Hutton.

He's a Naval officer with top-secret clearance. Come on.

Tony, she's on a first-name basis with the President of the United States.

You two are both way off base.

If Chuck Bascom was Yuri, then what happened to the money after he d*ed in the accident?

Leon, maybe that's what this is all about.

Come on.

We're going to the bookstore. Let's go.

Thanks for coming so quickly.

No problem.

Any word from Dana?

No, ma'am.

We'll let you know when we're through.

McGee, check out these vents.

Use the snorkel.

Uh, excuse me for a second.

Hello.

Ziva, check behind the books.

There have to be thousands of them.

Nothing in the vents.

Where's Tony?

Have not seen him since he got the phone call.

Huh. Bet he's probably talking to his girl, Brenda Bittner.

Boss, what is that?

Well, it's something I haven't seen in a lot of years.

Microfiche.

It kind of a 1970s version of one of those memory plug things, you know, that you put in the side of the computer.

Oh, uh... flash drive.

Yeah. Yeah, one of those.

Agent DiNozzo?

That's me.

Wasn't sure you'd show.

You were, um, very convincing on the phone.

So, um, you said you could help me?

Yeah. Where have you been?

Hiding.

I got a panicked phone call from my brother.

He told me not to talk to anyone.

He was on his way to the hospital...

...but wouldn't say why. I...

I heard on the news...

...that he had d*ed.

Ricin poisoning.

He was injected with a microscopic pellet.

Probably didn't even know it happened.

It's an old technique developed by the KGB during the Cold w*r.

You all right?

Couldn't, um... couldn't-couldn't the doctors have-have helped him at all?

I mean...

There's no antidote.

So, um...

...what else do you know?

Well, your old friend, Charley Bascom, was a deep-cover Soviet agent, code named Yuri.

Controlled a slush fund for the KGB worth millions.

And you already know this.

Charley's will instructed me to sell the business.

And there's an old safe in the store, so I had a locksmith open it.

I was... shocked at what I found.

There were Russian documents and codes.

I was baffled.

You know, why... why Charley would have them.

So I confided in... the one person I, uh, trusted the most.

Your brother.

Jeffrey, um, used his top-secret clearance to try to make sense of the documents, and I started researching the old KGB.

Well, you could have just gone to the FBI.

Charley was, um...

He was like a father to me.

I didn't want to expose him as Yuri until I was absolutely sure.

Was the money in the safe?

No.

But I know where it is.

Nice to meet you, Ms. Hutton.

Tony actually found Dana Hutton.

Well, she is even better-looking in person, huh?

Money's hiding in plain sight.

Charley converted it into something he treasured more than anything else in the world.

A leather-bound first edition.

The Collected Works of William Shakespeare,

Published in 1623.

In today's market at auction it could fetch $6 million.

And this.

Could you help me?

You can't judge a book by its cover.

This is the Holy Grail of book collectors.

The complete first edition

Gutenberg Bible of 1456.

It's printed on vellum.

Where did he get this?

Well, according to the Internet it was stolen by the Nazis during World w*r II and sold on the black market in the early 1990s for $2.5 million.

It's worth ten times that now.

Many of the books in this case are of significant value.

Hell of a story.

Too bad it doesn't have a happy ending.

Jeffrey's dead.

Who k*lled your brother?

I don't know.

Probably... probably the same person... that k*lled me.

I-I had to... I had to find out what happened to Charley, you know.

Sometimes when I get into a story...

I don't know when to stop.

You made us look good with the FBI.

Fornell says he owes you dinner.

Microfiche was Yuri's accounting ledger.

Recorded dates, names, and the amounts of every penny he dispersed for the KGB.

From the day the bookshop opened for business till the last payment in 1991.

Most of them are dead, in prison, or they were called back to Russia.

All of them would have known about the money.

Maybe one of them is the k*ller.

The Bureau's picking up the remaining few.

Yeah?

Well, there's one name on there I'm going to pick up.

You need to get in again, huh?

No.

Actually, we found everything we were looking for.

Dana Hutton, the money, Yuri's files.

When Charley Bascom d*ed, you could have just gone on living your life.

But you're greedy.

And you just had to have that old KGB money.

And you'd k*ll anybody that got in your way.

Lieutenant Jeffrey Hutton.

How'd it go?

Well...

She went peacefully.

You okay?

Not really.

I broke rule #10 again.

Never get personally involved on a case.

Yeah.

That's the rule I've always had the most trouble with.
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