13x02 - Fukushu

[bunniefuu]

[WAVES CRASHING]

[BIRDS CHIRPING]

[GRUNTS]

Got you.

[GRUNTING]

Oh! [GROANS]

You know, live bait isn't cheap.

Your days are numbered.

Sorry!

Uh...

[EXHALES]

[GRUNTING]

♪

Ah!

DEEKS: [GRUNTS] That was not good.

Oh! That's the one.

That's my personal best. Put that down.

And put that against any
cornerback in the NFL Combine.

- Oh. Oh, my bad, Deeks.
- [EXHALES]

I thought you were warming up.
I didn't even count that one.

That's not cool, man. That's
the definition of "not cool."

- Get it.
- [GRUNTS]

- Yes!
- [WHISTLES] Yes!

ROUNTREE: What'd you get?
What'd you get?

What'd I get? I got inches.
That's what I got.

[CHUCKLES]: All right, Kens, I see you.

Hey, that's right up there
with defensive tackles

- at the Combine.
- Nice. I will take it.

Those guys have about pounds on me,

but how many of them

can sh**t a man center mass
at , meters?

- ROUNTREE: I'd say none of them.
- KENSI: None of them.

ROUNTREE: Let's go, Sam.
That's . Putting up big numbers.

- DEEKS: I'm sorry, what? reps? ?
- KENSI: Ooh.

Let's do this. You got this, Sam.

- Come on. Come on.
- Is that even safe?

I mean, for someone your age?

Not that you're old, 'cause
I'm not saying that you're old.

I'm just saying something
could pop, like an eyeball.

Shut it, Deeks.

Oh, that doesn't look good.
Please don't pop an eyeball.

Oh, my God, you're gonna pop an eyeball.

KENSI: Come on. Go, go, go, go,

- go, go, go.
- [EXHALES]

.Okay, please don't pop your eyeball.

I can't unsee something like that.

- . Let's go.
- Yeah.

- DEEKS: He's got one. He got one more.
- KENSI: Come on, Sam. Come on.

- DEEKS: Come on.
- ROUNTREE: Yeah. Get it.

- Don't touch him. He's got it.
- I'm not, it's all him.

He's got it. He's got it.

- Yes, sir!
- Yes! !

That's a legit number
for an NFL linebacker

right there, Sam. That's serious.

Aaron Donald did .

Yeah, well,
Aaron Donald's a freak. [CHUCKLES]

Yes, but can Aaron Donald
hit a guy center mass

at , meters?

- What? What is wrong with you?
- I'm just saying.

Hitting a man center mass
at , meters

is not the sort of skill
that the U.S. m*llitary

wants many people to have.

I thought Charlton Heston was dead.

You should be humbled

that you had that training, Agent Blye.

Not something to brag about.

Understood, sir. I'm sorry.

But if there's only one seat left

in the Humvee, then Aaron Donald's

getting left behind at the base,
and you will have my six.

- [GASPS]
- DEEKS: No. Why?

No, don't-don't do that.

Don't encourage her. Why-why
are you encouraging this?

We catch a case, Admiral?

Yeah, Sam.

And it's a tough one.

Lieutenant Junior Grade Craig Tanaka

was beaten to within an inch of his life

yesterday at Dockweiler Beach.

What's his condition now?

That is yet to be determined.

He's being prepped
for his second surgery.

At his age with injuries like this,

it is not looking good.

- How old is he?
- KILBRIDE: years old.

Lieutenant JG Tanaka

served aboard the destroyer USS Walke

during the Vietnam w*r.

So somebody b*at up a
-year-old Vietnam w*r veteran.

Who does that?

Someone that's about
to be hunted down by us.

Well, Callen's in Napa.
He'll be back in a few hours.

Lieutenant Tanaka's son
is an LAPD RHD detective.

I'm having him
sent over to the boatshed.

- Sam, Fatima will meet you there.
- Copy that.

Kensi and Deeks, hit the crime scene.

Rountree, on me

in Ops. I am ten minutes out.

- KENSI: Got it.
- DEEKS: With pleasure.

- Sitrep.
- Uh, yes, sir.

Uh, Tanaka's still in surgery,
but our guy is a fighter.

When the EMTs
were cleaning out their wagon,

they found this bloody fish Kn*fe

engraved with Tanaka's name.

The blood is human but not Tanaka's.

He stuck 'em.

Looks that way, sir.

Well, I'd say the bastard got more fight

than he was bargaining for
going after this lieutenant.

I'm so sick of the hate
on the streets right now.

Well, we don't know it was a hate crime.

We don't know much of
anything yet. Want a water?

Yeah, sure.

I mean, it fits the recent patterns

of Asian American beatings.

And they target women, the elderly.

They sucker punch them from behind.

I mean, hitting an old person?

And then b*ating them
after they hit the ground?

That is pure hate.

- [EXHALES]
- Mm.

Well,

you started off not wearing a hijab.

Then you found religion.

Now you're a young woman living in L.A.,

and you wear one.

It's a big transition.

[SIGHS] That's an understatement.

You know, growing up in L.A.,

I never really felt like an outsider.

And contrary to what tells you,

there are a lot of Persians

at Beverly Hills High.

But in the last few years
wearing the hijab...

I don't know, I've had some
really awful things yelled at me.

But I've never experienced
v*olence like Lieutenant Tanaka.

Well, it starts off with words.

Then they become more brazen.
Then words turn into v*olence.

So, you do think this was a hate crime?

A good agent doesn't allow
their personal views

to steer the direction of a case
before the evidence comes in.

Yeah.

You've had certain specific experiences.

They've shaped your frame of reference.

Your gut instincts
could be valuable in this case,

so don't ignore them.

Hmm?

You know, it's a little out the way,

but I was thinking maybe we
stop at La Perla Tapatia.

Grab some carne asada for the grill.

Sure, whatever you want.

Or maybe after that we go to Petrossian

for a small tin of Baika caviar.

Yeah, that sounds good.

Who knows, maybe finish off the night

with a nightcap of illicit dr*gs.

- Okay.
- [SIGHS]

Look, I know you're mad.

What?

Because I'm mad, too.

Oh, no. No, I'm not mad.

I mean, don't get me wrong,

I'm so pissed, but more
than anything, I'm just...

sad. I'm just deeply sad.

I know. Me, too.

A -year-old Vietnam vet

was literally fighting for his life

in a parking lot in America.

Like, how does that happen

in the most powerful,
greatest country in the world?

Um...

Fr-Frustration.

Anger.

Fear. Hate.

You know, I don't know
if I told you this,

but after I quit being a lawyer,
I bought this van.

And I lived in it for six months.

I went everywhere.

And I loved every single mile of it

because I love this country.

I love the ocean and the mountains

and the canyons and these big cities

and small towns, but the thing
that I love the most

was all these amazing people
that I met everywhere.

- Americans.
- Yeah, Americans. Exactly.

But then I have to reconcile
with the fact

that this happened in America.
On our soil.

That a man that fought for this country

was beaten to the ground
because of the color of his skin

and where his ancestors are from.

[SIGHS] We're better than this.

I mean, we have to be better than this,

'cause this is not the country
that I know and love.

Enter.

Sir, Lieutenant Tanaka's out of surgery,

but we don't have an update
on his current condition yet.

Got it.

- There something else?
- Yes, sir.

Well...

I wanted to know, um...

[CHUCKLES SOFTLY] Well...

You practicing a TikTok
or asking a question?

[CHUCKLES SOFTLY] No, sir.

I wanted to know why
the Office of Special Projects

got assigned this case.

I could tell you
that Lieutenant JG Tanaka

was a well-respected volunteer docent

at the National
Submarine Memorial, West.

But that's not
why we got assigned this case.

No, it isn't.

I requested this directly from SECNAV

because it might be
a hate crime directed

against a Japanese American
naval veteran.

Okay.

Sit.

I grew up in Oregon,

and my best friend
was a guy named Ralph Sakamoto.

Lived next door.

And every Sunday,

Ralph's family would cook us
these huge meals.

Every Sunday.

And one day, I asked my mom
why they did that.

And she told me that back
when the U.S. government

imprisoned all the Japanese Americans

back during World w*r II,

that people started to loot

and vandalize their empty homes.

Damn, that's messed-up.

That's what my dad thought.

And he told Mom that nobody,

nobody was gonna touch
the Sakamotos' home

while they were locked up.

But, sure as hell,
looters trying to steal

and racists just full of hate
tried that house.

My old man

sat on the front porch
with one shotgun across his lap

and another one at his side.

And he sat on that porch
every night after work

for two years
till the Sakamotos were freed.

Sounds like your father
was an incredible man.

That he was.

And what kind of a son would I be

if I didn't track down
the son of a bitch

that did this to Lieutenant Tanaka?

Yes, sir.

That is all.

[DOOR OPENS]

Hey, guys.

This is LAPD RHD Detective Jack Tanaka.

Thanks for bringing him down, Castor.

- Hi.
- No problem.

Special Agent Hanna.
Special Agent Namazi.

- [DOOR OPENS]
- So sorry that this happened.

- [DOOR CLOSES]
- Our thoughts are with you

and your family.

- Thank you.
- Please, have a seat.

So, uh,

we appreciate you taking
the time to speak with us.

We know you'd much rather be out there

on the street finding these people.

No, I don't want to do that.

If I want the men
that b*at my father prosecuted,

I can't be anywhere near this case.

Wow, you have incredible restraint.

Yeah, well, people, uh, friends of ours,

they would use words to describe Dad

like "kind, funny, loving."

Only word I would ever use
to describe him is "discipline."

I respect your father even more now.

Yeah. Well, if my lack of discipline

let whoever b*at him off the hook,

my old man would never forgive me.

We understand you can't be
involved in the case,

but can't just turn off years

of detective experience,
so you have anything

that could help us find these people?

I mean, my-my father's
a creature of habit.

Every day was the same.

Uh, he worked out hard in his backyard,

volunteered at the Naval Weapons
Station Seal Beach,

then cast a few lines
surf fishing at night.

On weekends, he and his buddies,

they would drink beers in Dad's garage.

Man, I'm at a loss.

I got no idea who'd want to hurt him.

Do you think this was a random att*ck?

Random as far as him
being Asian American?

Wrong time, wrong place?

I think this was
a racially motivated hate crime.

But you don't have any evidence of that?

With all due respect,

finding that evidence is your job.

So, Rountree said there are
no security cameras positioned

at where Lieutenant Tanaka was att*cked.

And based on the injuries,

there's no way to tell
what the initial blow was.

[SCOFFS] Well,

considering the recent
Asian American att*cks,

I'm gonna say it was
a cowardly sucker punch

or kick to the back.

It's crazy.

This beach that time of day
would have been blown out,

so you got no surfers.

Too windy and cold to
lay out and get a tan.

I mean, it would have been empty here.

In that case, I think it's safe to say

that they didn't follow him up
from the beach

because he would have spotted them.

Meaning they had to have come
from the parking lot.

So, maybe they saw him
when he was fishing,

knew the parking lot was empty,

made their move when
he walked to his truck.

Hmm.

Know what's crazy about this?

In this massive city
with all these people,

in this parking lot at that time of day,

he might as well be fighting for
his life in the Sahara Desert.

ROUNTREE: Hey, guys?

L.A. Sheriffs just got a call
into their tip hotline

from a woman who heard

about the att*ck on the news.
She was jogging

down at Dockweiler Beach
yesterday at sundown.

Please, tell us she saw
Lieutenant Tanaka at his truck.

- We need a firm time of the att*ck.
- ROUNTREE: No.

It's better. Two guys
in dark jeans and hoodies

came running up the hill
from the parking lot

towards Vista Del Mar.

She remembered thinking how odd it was

these guys were running in jeans.

SAM: Two of them.

Cowards.

Did she see
if they went to a parked car?

No. She just kept on jogging,
never saw them again.

All right, get this info down
to Kensi and Deeks at the beach.

Copy that.

[PHONE VIBRATES]

Oh, I just got this

from the Naval Weapons
Station Seal Beach.

The C.O. is in New York

but wants to speak to us
about Lieutenant Tanaka.

The C.O., huh?

Safe to say not many C.O.s even
know their volunteer docents.

Hmm.

- [PHONE VIBRATES]
- What do you got?

Oh.

Uh, Rountree says a witness saw two guys

running up that hill.

DEEKS: Where'd they
go after they hit the street?

I don't know. She didn't see.

Well, then, we should
probably run up that hill.

- Shall we?
- Why do I need to run up the hill?

[SCOFFS]

Okay.

Just saying, running is silly
'cause you're a sucker!

Oh, my God. You're the world's
biggest fifth grader!

That's very helpful
information, Captain.

Thank you for speaking with us.

Of course. And if I wasn't traveling,

I'd be there in person.

Lieutenant Tanaka
is someone that all of us

at Naval Weapons Station
Seal Beach hold in high regard.

If you don't mind me asking,
as C.O. of the base,

how did you become familiar
with a volunteer docent?

That may be Lieutenant Tanaka's
official title with us,

but that man is a
very important part of my base.

He takes his volunteer duties
more seriously

than many of my commissioned
naval officers take theirs.

Rain or shine, he is with us.

What are his duties?

He maintains the bright work and plaques

on the World w*r II Submarine Memorial

and guides wildlife
viewing groups on the base.

But really, he is a wealth
of knowledge and inspiration

to every sailor and officer
on that base,

including myself.

Please find the people
responsible for his att*ck.

Yes, sir.

[MONITOR BEEPING STEADILY]

Well, no enemies or
conflicts at the naval base.

It's looking more and more
like a random att*ck.

Yeah.

ROUNTREE: Hey, Sam, Fatima.
Couple different things.

Lieutenant Tanaka's doctor said
that the surgery went as well

- as it could.
- Has he regained consciousness?

No. It's gonna be a waiting game

to see if he pulls through.

What's the other thing?

I just got Lieutenant Tanaka's
banking information.

Checking account shows that
he's been getting a paycheck

from an LLC every week
for the past three months.

He has a job?

Yeah. Contacted the LLC.
Said he's been doing

part-time carpentry work
on some of their properties.

- How many properties has he worked at?
- ROUNTREE: Three.

But for the past two and a half weeks,

he's been working
on one restaurant renovation.

She mentioned the job's been delayed

because someone threw a brick
through the window.

All right. Fatima and I
will check it out.

Actually, Callen is minutes away.

Uh, Admiral Kilbride wants you
to meet Callen at the restaurant.

CFatima, report back to Ops. You got it.

ROUNTREE: Just sent
the address to your phone, Sam.

It's a perfect view of the
parking lot and Tanaka's truck.

The attackers could have
been hanging out up here,

saw Tanaka alone in his truck, moved in.

Yeah.

Maybe.

What? What are you thinking?

Well, it's just
that if they did park up here,

it would make for a pretty easy getaway.

I mean, that-that access
ramp hits the main road.

High speed limit, and
if they head north,

they got two different freeways.

Wait, so you think
the att*ck was premeditated?

I don't know. But if they did,

it wouldn't be a bad
idea to park up here

considering the fast exit.

So, maybe they saw him some place else

and followed him here.

Yeah.

[DOOR UNLOCKS]

- Thank you.
- Sure.

This neighborhood sure has changed.

Can you believe what they're getting,
for rents around here now?

Yeah, it's crazy. I don't know

how they expect the young people
to save up for a down payment

with rents like this.

The rent to square footage ratio
is just...

Don't need a full discussion
on rental economics.

I was merely making an observation.

So, there was no way you and Anna

could have stayed in Napa
for another week?

[CHUCKLES] I tell you,

this Lieutenant Tanaka's an artist.

Not a lot of people using
these type of tools anymore.

Takes too much time, too much care.

When did you become
a carpentry aficionado?

One of the foster homes I was in.

Woman was an alcoholic.

Horrible person when she drank.

But her husband was a great guy.

He turned their garage into a woodshop

and used to make custom cabinetry,

nightstands, that sort of thing.

So, I'd hang out and watch.

So, let me guess. He took you
under his wing, and a rival,

a bully carpentry club,
challenged you to a build-off.

[CHUCKLES] At the all-valley
carpentry tournament.

You know, you can just admit
that you missed me.

You don't have to lash out

'cause you feel like I abandoned you.

You abandoned me?

- Yeah.
- Cuckoo.

You're crazy.

Mm-hmm.

SAM: G.

Check this out.

- Fresh paint.
- Yeah, and there's something under it.

- It's faint, but I can see it.
- Yeah, looks like

they were trying to cover
up something that was in red.

And they were gonna do another coat.

Well, company said

somebody threw a brick
through the window.

Maybe they came in and
vandalized the inside, as well.

Let's see what they painted over.

FATIMA: Hey, Kens. I just got word

from Jack Tanaka at the hospital.

It turns out he didn't know
about his dad's carpentry job,

but it didn't surprise him.
His dad has taken

- jobs like that through the years.
- KENSI: Okay.

And do we have an update on
Lieutenant Tanaka's condition?

He still hasn't regained consciousness,

but the doctors have seen some
positive signs in his vitals.

All right. Well, keep us posted.

- Will do.
- What an awful spot

for Jack Tanaka to be in.

You're sitting there by your dad's side,

and there is nothing
you can do to help him.

Yeah. I think that he
knows he's by his side.

Right.

You know, I-I know that...

we said that we were open to, um...

I guess my-my point is

that I don't think
we put the proper thought in...

I mean, we haven't even begun
to have the conversation.

- It's more of a discussion
- ...What, about the fact of being open

to raising a child outside of our race?

See, there it is. Right there.
I'm trying to be delicate,

and you just stumble right through it

like a big old drunk elephant.

- Drunk elephant?
- A big old drunk elephant.

Excuse me. [CHUCKLES]

- I'm serious.
- Yeah, no. I know.

I've been feeling the same way,

and I do think that this is
something we need to talk about.

[CHUCKLES]: I mean, I
didn't even think twice

when we filled out those forms.

I would love to raise a child
no matter what race,

but I... yeah, there's-there's obstacles

- that we need to talk about.
- Right.

Like, how do we educate
a child about a race

and a culture that we're not a part of

and obviously have no expertise in?

- Like, how do we do that?
- I don't know yet.

I don't know.

- Uh-huh.
- But I do know

that we can't avoid or neglect it.

You know, we can't pretend that
the child's race and culture

aren't a massive part of who they are

and-and why we love them.

- Of course.
- You know?

But also how the world perceives them.

Uh-huh.

I mean, so, we're...

offering what, then?

We offer a safe home.

- Yeah.
- And a means to an education.

- Yeah.
- We offer and promise

- to raise them with love.
- Of course.

Nothing would break my heart more

if they never felt
like they fit in with us

or anyone else who looked like them.

- Lots to consider.
- Yeah.

I'm gonna need some more caffeine

if we're gonna have
a conversation this woke.

SAM: Ready?

Yep.

Let's do it.

WOMAN: Of course. Happy to help.

- Thanks.
- Yes.

She said Tanaka told her about the brick

coming through the window two days ago.

He never mentioned anything
about the racial slurs on the wall.

He kept it to himself, repainted.

I had Rountree check it out.

There's no cameras on this
street with an angle on the diner.

Hey.

Let's see if he saw anything.

CALLEN: Excuse me. Hi. We're,
uh, federal agents.

We were just wondering if we
could ask you a few questions.

I don't know nothing.
Didn't see nothing.

You don't even know
what I was gonna ask you.

Don't matter.
My answer would be the same.

SAM: So, you didn't see
the diner across the street

get vandalized a couple of nights ago?

Look, I already told you,
I don't know nothing.

Look, this is my neighborhood.
It's not yours.

- All right? Let me be.
- CALLEN: Mm-hmm.

So, in your neighborhood,
is it cool for people to come in

and paint racial slurs on walls?

Hell no.

- Wait, where?
- CALLEN: Diner.

Oh, man. [EXHALES]

Tanaka's gonna be pissed
when he sees that.

You know Lieutenant Tanaka?

Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, he's a good dude.

Funny as hell, too.

He'll be here any minute.

You can talk to him about the diner.

Lieutenant Tanaka's in the hospital.

- What?
- SAM: He was assaulted yesterday.

Is it bad?

- Yeah. It's real bad.
- Damn.

CALLEN: We think his
attackers may be the same people

that spray-painted the wall.

Wait. Wait, let...

Let me see that picture again?

Red.

I found this across the street
in the bushes yesterday.

Might be the same can
they used in the diner.

Thank you.

FATIMA: Crime lab
has the spray paint can.

- They're running prints now.
- Cool.

[SIGHS] Can you imagine

what must have been going
through Lieutenant Tanaka's mind

when he saw that crap
spray-painted in the diner?

After serving this country
as a Vietnam veteran.

I... [EXHALES] I know
he was just boiling.

You know, wanted retribution.

But instead he just painted
over it and went about his job.

Probably didn't want to
risk rocking the boat

- and losing his job.
- Yeah.

You know, a few weeks back,
this ignorant dude

yelled some r*cist stuff at me
in North Hollywood.

It took everything
for me to just walk away.

- [SIGHS]
- Yeah. It was only really

two moments in life that I
felt like race didn't matter.

You know, like we were one family

no matter what we look like.

It was when I was playing ball

and here. Now. Being
a part of this team.

Yeah, when it's about a common goal...

Yeah.

Yeah, well, maybe we'll finally realize

humans are one big family

when the aliens come down and att*ck.

Yeah. [CHUCKLES] Wait, what?

Aliens? Aliens?

Oh, nice. They got an ID
off the prints on the can.

Jason Quinn.

DEEKS: I guess we can
all agree this is a hate crime.

Yeah, if we can tie the racial
slurs from the diner to the attackers.

We do that,
we prove it wasn't a random att*ck.

Lieutenant was targeted.

Okay, but if he was targeted
for renovating the diner,

why would they att*ck him at the beach?

CALLEN: Well, maybe Tanaka knew

that Jason Quinn was responsible
for those racial slurs,

and he confronted him.

Things escalated from there,

and Quinn followed him to the beach.

- [COMPUTER CHIMES]
- FATIMA: Hey, guys. So, we got an address

for Jason Quinn,
but what's even more interesting

is who he lives with.

Yeah, his roommate's
a guy named Billy Strauss,

whose family was
the longtime owner of the diner

that Lieutenant Tanaka was renovating.

So, the Strauss family,
they lose the business.

They get angry. They get frustrated.

- Then they go after the...
- CALLEN: Wrong guy.

Tanaka isn't the buyer. He's not
the one forcing them out.

He's not even capitalizing
on the new diner.

Just a guy doing a
part-time carpentry job

when Strauss and Quinn
decide to b*at him up.

Which is why they decided
to b*at him up at the beach

and not the, uh, diner, because
if they do it at the diner,

that's a pretty direct line of
investigation back to Strauss.

We just got a hit on Quinn.
He just used his credit card

at a coffee shop near Riverfront Park.

Sam and I'll check out
the house they shared,

see if Strauss is there.
Why don't you guys

go to the coffee shop,
see if you can find Quinn.

On it.

- [ENGINE TURNS OFF]
- [CAR DOORS OPEN, CLOSE]

Jason Quinn? We're NCIS.

We need to ask you some...

- Ugh!
- DEEKS: Runner!

Whoa!

He's coming at you!

- Speed bump.
- I got it. I got it. I got it.

[TIRES SQUEALING]

[HORN BLARING]

Hold on.

Get ahead of him.

- Cut him off.
- I got it.

[GRUNTS]

- Oh!
- [TIRES SCREECH]

- [QUINN GRUNTS]
- Huh.

[GRUNTS]

So, I hear you like
b*ating up old w*r vets.

["AWOL" BY EVERY TIME I DIE
PLAYING FAINTLY]

♪ Now I cannot decipher
what all the static is ♪

♪ But I got a pretty good read
on your black thoughts ♪

♪ The passion that makes me
feel alive again ♪

♪ It's gonna be the death,
the death of us ♪

♪ The passion that makes me ♪

[LOUDLY]: ♪ Feel alive again ♪

♪ Oh, it's gonna be the death,
the death of us ♪

♪ The death of us... ♪

One. Two.

♪ No blood and no fingerprints ♪

♪ No! ♪

♪ No blood and no fingerprints ♪ No!

♪ No blood and no fingerprints ♪

- ♪ No! ♪
- ♪ No blood and no fingerprints ♪

Clear!

Clear.

♪ I never crossed that line. ♪

Looks like someone
had a pretty good scrap.

Burgers and fries are still warm.

Whatever happened here,
we just missed it.

QUINN: Hey, don't hurt me.

I didn't touch that old man.

As much as we'd like to,
we're not gonna hurt you.

You people put a beatdown
on my roommate, Billy.

- I heard the whole thing.
- Again, as much as we'd like to,

- we didn't touch Billy.
- What are you talking about?

My girlfriend works at that coffee shop.

I was there, and Billy called.

Said someone was trying
to break into our place.

Guy said he was a cop.

He started hitting Billy with something,

and the last thing I heard

was Billy screaming
before the line went dead.

How long ago was this call?

I don't know. Maybe minutes

before you guys rolled up.

I got scared and ran.

KENSI: You talked about an old man.

What old man are you talking about?

Japanese guy. Guy fixing up
the restaurant on Jefferson.

That's really interesting.

Why do you think we're here about him?

- Because, uh...
- Look at me!

- Billy said he got him good.
- Oh.

So, you painted racial slurs

on the walls that Tanaka was renovating,

but you want us to believe you are not

one of the two people that att*cked him?

I was there.

I spray-painted.

I messed up the new walls,

but I didn't write those words.

You didn't write those words,
but Strauss painted those words?

- Strauss did?
- Yeah. But you guys said

two guys b*at up the old man.

It was only Billy.

He never mentioned
anyone else being there.

SAM: So, it was Billy Strauss at the
beach and an unknown accomplice.

CALLEN: Yep.

Well, whoever came here for Strauss,

they knew what they were doing.

They got in the house quick enough

to catch him off guard and hurt him.

- Then kidnap him.
- Yeah.

- Do you think it was law enforcement?
- I don't know.

But you know who I do think
we need to check up with?

Detective Jack Tanaka.

[LINE RINGS]

Fatima, contact the hospital.

We need to speak with Detective Tanaka.

Thank you.

Whoever came here,

how did they know to make
Strauss a person of interest

and get here before we did?

Could be tracking our communications.

Hmm.

- You speak to Detective Tanaka?
- FATIMA: Not yet.

I spoke to the nurses, and they said

that they saw him
headed to the commissary

and that they'll page him right now.

I'm not seeing any inquiries
into our case

from any other law enforcement agencies.

Systems checks are running
on all of our comm devices.

Should know pretty quickly

if any of them have been compromised.

- [CHUCKLES]
- [SIGHS]

- What's so funny?
- You.

This setup does not look comfortable.

That's because it isn't.

Look at this, will you? They all got

their big, nice desks, comfy chairs.

I mean, Kilbride's got
a whole glass office,

and Hetty basically has

a throne room, and we're
just supposed to make due.

Yeah. Sometimes I set up my laptop on
the Pilates reformer in the gym.

KILBRIDE: Well,
at least somebody's getting some value

out of that useless
but very expensive contraption.

[CLEARS THROAT] Admiral,

I was just telling Fatima

that I think we'd be a
little bit more productive

if we had a personal workspace to...

You want personal space?

Well, yes, sir. Like desks...

Desks? How about offices?

- Mm.
- Offices with windows,

little plants scattered here and there.

- I like plants.
- [CHUCKLES] Yeah.

I don't want to impose,
but that sounds...

Like it's never gonna happen.

[CLEARS THROAT]

You know, I've never really taken stock

of this part of the building.
What is all this?

Looks like I'm backstage
at a Village People show.

What's a Village People show?

This is our wardrobe,
for undercover ops.

Well, seems to me

like a couple
of industrious young agents

ought to be able to find
some other place

to store all this wardrobe crap

and make room in here

for a couple of decent-sized desks.

Wait, you're telling me
you're giving us permission...

Don't speak. Just smile.

[TABLET BEEPS]

None of our comm systems
have been compromised.

Well, that's nice to hear,

but it still doesn't explain
how somebody

got to the Strauss residence before us.

[PHONE RINGS]

FATIMA: Special Agent Namazi.

Okay, how long has he been gone for?

Okay. Uh, yeah,
if you could have security

check the tapes and get back to me,

I would really appreciate it.

Thank you. Detective Tanaka

isn't anywhere in the hospital.
They can't find him.

Well,

I guess we just found
who b*at us to Strauss.

KENSI: Whether it's Detective Tanaka

or someone else,
they are definitely monitoring

our investigation somehow.

But we had Fatima check our comms.

- No interagency inquiries.
- Right.

And Kilbride said he wouldn't
be transmitting any updates

to LAPD or the sheriff's.

But somehow, Strauss's
location was leaked.

- Oh, no.
- What?

- Prints.
- Prints?

The prints on the spray can.

We sent it to the crime lab.

[SIGHS] Fatima,

pull up the records from the crime lab

on the spray paint can that we found.

See if anybody accessed those results.

Copy that. Pulling them up now.

DEEKS: If somebody
has access to those results,

it's gonna lead them
directly to the house.

The results were accessed from
an L.A. sheriff workstation.

- A Detective Matt Guerrero.
- KENSI: Nice.

- Do we have a location for him?
- FATIMA: His workstation's still online,

- so he must be at the station.
- DEEKS: Tell Castor

to head over there,
invite him to the boathouse

- for a little interagency convo.
- FATIMA: Sure.

But as soon as Castor shows up,
won't he know we're onto him?

DEEKS: Absolutely. Which is why
we're gonna have Kilbride reach out

to Guerrero's superior, bring
him up to speed, and have Castor

ID himself as a federal agent

looking for background information

- on an old cold case.
- You got it.

KENSI: We're heading
back to the boatshed.

So, we know you tipped off Jack Tanaka.

[DOOR OPENS]

- [DOOR CLOSES]
- Who's that?

It's this guy that your sister dated.

They may have broken up, but it seems

like you two like
to go surfing together.

And then you went
to a Rams game together.

Yeah, and that Foo Fighters concert

at the Forum sure looked fun, huh?

If you've forgotten all these details,

you could just check out
your own social media.

[CHUCKLES]

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah, after Jack and my sister
broke up, we stayed friends.

KENSI: And after you told
him about the fingerprints,

did he go to Strauss's home
and kidnap him?

DEEKS: Listen, we get it.
What Strauss did

to Jack's dad is horrible.
It makes us sick.

Right? But if Jack has Strauss,
we have to get to him

before he does something
that he can't undo.

As of today, his career
is probably over.

He, uh, called me
after he snatched them up.

"Them"?

Strauss and his dad.

He said that when he got to the house,

it was pretty evident that Strauss's dad

planned the att*ck.

He needed a place to take them
'cause he knew that, uh,

your team would show up
at the house any minute.

Where did he take them?

I busted some g*ng members
at an auto body shop last week.

I knew the place would be empty, so...

DEEKS: What's the address?

Prairie in Hawthorne.

[PHONE DIALS]

KENSI: Callen, it's Detective Tanaka.

He's got Strauss

and his father. The auto
body shop is in Hawthorne.

On our way.

[TIRES SQUEALING]

BILLY: Dad, what's gonna happen now?

BEN: Billy, stop talking.

BILLY: Please, just let us go.

- BEN: You got what you wanted.
- BILLY: Please!

BEN: Just let us go.

Federal agents! Drop the g*n, Jack.

- Jack.
- Doing it now.

Help us!

Help us, please! Come
on! This guy's crazy!

- Help us!
- Shut up!

I'm-a need you to get on your knees,
and interlock your fingers

behind your head, Jack. On your knees!

Dad, are they gonna help us?

Doing it now.

Get us out of here!

Come on, what the hell
are you waiting for?

Do you know what he did to us?

CALLEN: I know what he didn't do to you.

He didn't att*ck you from behind
and b*at you two-to-one.

Dad.

[CHUCKLES]: Of course.

Of course you people
would be siding with them.

You two should be thanking
this man right now.

- [HANDCUFFS CLICK]
- BEN: Oh, yeah.

This situation could have ended
a lot worse for you.

Come on, Jack.

In my head, Jack did
what he should have done.

It just sucks that he's gonna
lose everything because of it.

So, if that was your
dad in the hospital,

- you would've done the same thing?
- [SCOFFS]

Hell no. Not for my dad.

You don't talk about your family much.

Yeah. My family's not like yours.

My little sister's my family.
She's everything.

Then I need to meet her.

Yeah, you do.

So, you going to jujitsu tonight?

[INHALES]

[GROANS] I mean, I should.

- I just, uh...
- Pizza at Mulberry's instead?

Hell yeah.

- Let's go, partner.
- Uh, you buying, right?

[FATIMA LAUGHS]

So, essentially, Papa Strauss
dedicates his whole entire life

into turning his son
into some sort of hate machine.

Yeah. Not exactly the best
version of a life well-lived.

But it's so crazy
when you think about it

from a parenting perspective, right?

Like, if he wasn't so full of hate,

if he wasn't so afraid,
if he wasn't so angry

and therefore didn't poison his son,

then maybe none of this happens.

You know, maybe Lieutenant Tanaka's

out there fishing on that pier
like he always does.

Yeah. And he's gonna be
out there fishing again.

- Right?
- Yeah.

Yeah.

Baby, it is just as easy

for us to raise our child
with love and acceptance

as it is to fill them
with fear and anger.

- I hope so.
- I know so.

[PHONE VIBRATES]

Oh. Look at that. Got to go.

Otherwise, you're gonna miss
your live Peloton class.

- P-P-Peloton?
- Yeah.

[SCOFFS] How am I am supposed
to manage that heart rate

after a quarter pound of carne asada

- from La Perla Tapatia?
- Oh, my gosh.

- You were listening?
- Always.

[MONITOR BEEPING STEADILY]

Thank you.

I know bringing me here before booking's

against some procedures.

Pretty much all of them.

I'll just wait out here.

No, no, please, come inside.

My dad'll never believe that
a real admiral came to see him.

Hey, Pops.

I know a little something
about tough fathers.

Don't always make
for the easiest of childhoods,

but, uh...

damn hard to k*ll.

My money says he'll
pull through this just fine.

You think what I did was pretty stupid.

It was.

But I'm not one to judge.

It had to be done.

For the past two years,

Asian Americans have
been beaten, yelled at.

Even had acid poured on them.

There needs to be a cost paid

for going after our elders and the weak.

You're an elite RHD detective.

Now, you could have
gone after these people

and stayed on the right side of the law.

They needed to pay for hurting my dad,

and I had the skills and means
to make an example of them.

I couldn't let that opportunity pass.

[SIGHS]

I accomplished what I set out to.

- And what was that?
- There's a video on my phone

of those two cowards
at the auto body shop.

Let's just say
they aren't the two tough guys

that kicked my dad in the back
and b*at him down.

I posted it to a bunch
of social media accounts

about seconds
before your team arrested me.

So, you sacrificed your career
to make a video?

They needed to see that
there are consequences

when they att*ck us.

We're not just the silent,

docile, model minority type

that they think they're targeting.

By now, the video's gone viral.

And if just one of these
beatings never happens

because some r*cist coward
sees it and thinks twice

about b*ating an elderly
Asian American person...

...then I am good
with those consequences.

"The way of the warrior is a
resolute acceptance of death."

Miyamoto Musashi.

♪

Dad?

Hey, Pops. It's me,
Jack. I'm right here.

Son.

- Did you arrest them?
- Yeah.

[CHUCKLES SOFTLY]

This man, this is...

This is Admiral Kilbride.

He and his team, they found them.

Those punks are going to jail.

[WHISPERS]: No. No.

Easy, Lieutenant. As you were.

There is no need for that.

It's my honor. [SNIFFLES]

[GRUNTS SOFTLY]

Good work, son.

Excuse me.

I'm tired.

Sure, Pops.

Just rest.

♪

JACK: Who is -year-old

Lieutenant JG Craig Tanaka?

Please, let us go, man.
I just want to go home, please.

Man up, son. Stop whining. Now.

JACK: Who is Lieutenant JG Tanaka?

The guy we b*at up.

- Billy, shut up! [SCREAMS]
- BILLY: Sorry!

Okay! Stop.

JACK: Did you sucker punch and
b*at down Lieutenant JG Tanaka?

Yes! Yes. [STAMMERS]

I'm so sorry, man.
It should have never happened.

[PANTING] Just let us go.

[HIP-HOP MUSIC DISTORTS, STOPS]

BILLY: I'm so sorry.