13x12 - Murmuration

[bunniefuu]

Unknown aircraft.

This is the USS Allegiance.
You are approaching

restricted airspace... Do you copy?

I say again.

This is the USS Allegiance.
You are approaching...

XO on deck!

As you were.

What's the situation?

Sir, an unidentified aircraft is rapidly

approaching our airspace.
We've attempted

radio contact,
but haven't received a response.

- How close?
- miles out and closing.

I want

a visual on this bogey now.

Ringo, Combat.

A bogey bearing ,

miles out off your nose has

failed repeated hailing attempts.

Change course to intercept.

Is this real world or exercise?

No active training events in the A-O.

Roger.

Why didn't we catch it sooner?

None of our radar systems picked it up.

How is that possible?

It's as if it came out of nowhere, sir.

This is a U.S. m*llitary aircraft,

You are entering restricted airspace.

Change course and head east immediately.

Unknown aircraft, if you do not comply,

you may be fired upon.

Combat, I'm within visual range,
and I'm not seeing anything.

They just crossed the five-mile mark.

Sir.

The bogey just stopped.

Did it hit the water?

No, sir, it's maintaining altitude,

but all forward motion has stopped.

Airspeed zero knots.

It's... hovering.

Ringo to Combat, negative visual.

Executing a head-to-head pass.

Tell Ringo to pull off now!

Ringo to Combat, multiple contacts!

Breaking left!

Stick unresponsive!

I've been hit by an unknown projectile.

Didn't realize we were sponsoring

Bezos' moon landing.

Oh, that's hysterical, that's
the same joke that Hank made.

Who's Hank?

Hank is our delivery driver...

Who is a delight, by the way.

We're already
on a first-name basis with Hank?

Doesn't matter. You know what
matters is what's in the box.

Help yourself, get in there.

- Oh, let's see here.
- Yeah, check it out.

Ooh, Sky Dancer.

Lite Brite.

A Skip-it?!

What are you doing?

Oh, I'm just looking
for the portal to 1992.

'Cause it's got to be in here somewhere.

These are classics,
I will have you know.

- Oh, my gosh.
- Yo,

try the box with the
Sock'em Boppers in it.

- Yeah.
- Okay, we need to prep our house

for the foster inspection.

That means baby-lock the cabinets,

remove sharp corners,

and definitely get rid
of excess clutter.

That's a Turbo sh*t 300!

That's not clutter,
that's a Turbo sh*t 300.

Babe, what is this really about?

I'm just trying to create a welcoming
environment, that's all.

And that's incredibly sweet,
but that is only a small part

of what this inspection is about.

And plus, these are modern kids.

They want modern, cool things.

Not cool? What are you talking about?

These toys were the coolest
when I was a kid.

30 years ago?

I have video games.

Oregon Trail?

Every kid loves a game where
they can die from dysentery.

Where have you guys been?

I had Rountree come get you
like ten minutes ago.

Is that Oregon Trail?!

Why, yes, it is Oregon Trail.
Why don't you enjoy

forging the raging rivers and...

Ow!

You're late.

I am.

I'm not doing the triathlon alone.

And Otis can't keep up, so...

I was with Anna.

Oh, the trip to Napa

did you two some good.

How's your dad?

He's recovering.

You know him. Won't listen or slow down.

You okay, G?

No offense, but... you look terrible.

DARPA's Media Forensics Team

hasn't had any hits on the deepfake.

Isn't that a good thing?

Well, the better we get
at finding their flaws,

the better the program is

at fixing its mistakes.

It's invisible 'cause
Katya keeps updating it.

She is never gonna stop.

Hey, guys.

He insisted on coming.

I'm assuming by now
you've all seen the video

that was posted last night

of the UAP sighting
over the L.A. coastline?

The one that's been all
over the news? Yeah.

It's been hovering over the canyon

for the last five, ten minutes.

What is that?

A million views and climbing.

This isn't the only one.

Dozens of videos like this
have been posted

from across the city, appearing
to show the same phenomenon.

Uh, is nobody gonna say it?
'Cause I will say it.

That's obviously a UF...

Oh... he's here.

UAP.

Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon.

I know that three-letter words are hard,

but let's try to keep up.

Last night, an unidentified aircraft

penetrated U.S. airspace

off the Southern California coast,

undetected until it accosted
the USS Allegiance

while she was conducting

routine training operations.

During pursuit,
a mid-air collision occurred,

causing a pilot to eject.

How's the pilot?

Well, while I'm sure that ejecting

at Mach I didn't do any good
for his nerves,

the pilot was recovered safely.

The F- , however, was not so lucky.

This incident has caused quite a scene,

drawing a lot of media speculation,

and pointing some unwanted fingers

at Russia, China, North Korea.

- You get the idea.
- In layman's terms,

it's a damn circus out there.

And we really don't know
what this thing is?

From all accounts of the incident,

whatever it is circumvented

all of our countermeasures.

- Geez.
- What could even do that?

Not just what, but who?

Now, let me be abundantly clear

about this, this is
not about little green men

in flying saucers or whatever

E.T. crap that the media are selling.

Something under orders of someone

violated international law

by entering U.S. airspace

and threatening U.S. Naval vessels.

This is a matter of national security.

Whoa.

That's weird, uh...

Sam said our pilot just
showed up to the boatshed.

He wasn't even supposed to be released

from the hospital
till the end of the day.

Here you go.

Thanks.

- Sorry, sorry!
- It's okay.

- I'll get you a towel.
- No, no, no.

I can just, uh...

Are you sure you want to do this?

You don't have to be here right now.

I-I'm ready.

I need to do this.

Okay.

Why don't you tell me
what happened last night?

Uh, well, I was...

diverted from my training mission

since I was the closest plane
in the area.

And we weren't getting any kind
of response from the, uh,

aircraft.

If you can call it that.

Were you able to get a good look at it?

No, no. The, uh...

the aircraft had
no anti-collision lights on

during my approach, and even...

with the IR, I could barely make out

a heat signature before the thing, uh,

broke apart and, uh...

...spread around me on radar.

What do you mean, "spread"?

Well, at first I thought
it was another plane,

um, deploying chaff, but then

the signatures came towards me

and... surrounded my aircraft.

So I broke off and I tried to put

some distance between me
and the other aircraft,

but-but they kept pace and stayed

with me, and once I hit
that afterburner,

I would've been going over knots.

How did the craft go down?

Well, once, um...

it was pursuing me,

I, uh... deployed flares

and began to climb,

but something hit and...
it damaged my wing.

The plane went into a spin...
I had to punch out.

So it fired on you,
and it damaged your wing?

No!

Sorry.

No.

It's like I told the people
at the hospital.

I never had any radar

lock or m*ssile thr*at.

One of the signatures

hit me midflight.

And they told me they're
classifying this incident

as a bird strike.

Can you believe that?

Well, was it?

I mean, you said it yourself

you couldn't get a good look at it.

I mean, yeah, it was dark, but...

when was the last time
you heard of a flock

of birds taking down an F- ?

Is that why you're here?

Why you left the hospital
before they released you?

You try ejecting

at , feet only to be told that...

Look.

I don't know what it was
that I saw last night.

But it wasn't a bird
that took down my jet.

Okay. Thank you.

That was the Coast Guard.
They're gonna get back

to us with a list of ships

that where in the area
the night of the incident.

Any luck getting an ID off the UAP?

Not really.

I think this is gonna be
harder than we thought.

We have the AESA data
transmitted from the F- ,

but none of the flight patterns
make any sense.

And the IR camera didn't
capture anything usable

before cutting out after impact.

And we have an entire
battle group's worth of data,

but none of it points
to anything conclusive.

It doesn't make any sense

how this aircraft got so close

before being detected.

And then just leaves without a trace?

Honestly, we're so lucky
no one got seriously hurt,

or worse.

Yeah, well, hopefully,
when Sam and Callen

get to the carrier, we'll be
able to get a better scope

of what happened.

Until then,

all we have are some spooky lights
in the sky.

There's videos all over
the Internet, right?

Mm-hmm.

Well, we may not be able to get an ID.

But what if we use it

to track it once it got over land?

It might be a long sh*t, but...

if we can pinpoint peoples' locations

using the geotags and time
stamps from their videos,

then we can piece together a flight path

and figure out where the UAP was headed.

I think I'll keep you around.

NCIS, XO.

Thank you.

Special Agent Callen,
Special Agent Hanna.

Welcome aboard, gentlemen.

Our agent afloat said
we could be expecting you.

I just hope this wasn't
a waste of your time.

Although with this much media attention,

I'm sure you don't
have much of an option.

And it's always nice
to get some fresh air.

Of course.

If you please...

This is our flight map from last night.

As you can see, our bogey
first appeared on radar

approximately miles east of the ship.

None of the other systems
detected it before then?

Nope, mechanical failure.

Still, we like to be sure.

Lieutenant Landry was redirected to...

investigate the contact.

He converged with something here

before he dropped below radar coverage.

Landry said that the incident

was gonna be classified
as a bird strike?

Do you agree with that assessment?

I don't.

But I can't say I agree
with the pilot, either.

Last night's incident was an unfortunate

combination of technical failure
and inexperience.

A lieutenant...

...who graduated
at the top of his F- class?

Why would you send him in to investigate

if he was so inexperienced?

It was suspected to be
a glitch in our radar array.

The flyby was just for confirmation.

He was never in any kind of danger.

Mm-hmm, the pilot's story
is a bit different.

Mm. Fear can make things
appear differently.

I'm sure you both agree.

So you're saying his story is false.

To him, no.

But I have no reason
to believe that crippled plane

couldn't have been saved
by a more experienced pilot.

Or that what he saw on his radar
was actually there.

Calling this an accident is
a favor to him and his record.

Disqualifying his story?

Tell me, did he seem stable

when you spoke to him?

You know, it wasn't long ago
that statements

about UAP sightings could end a career.

Now we've got whole task forces
committed to them.

It's a brave new world.

Bravery has nothing to do with it.

If you'll excuse me.

I'm starting to think the USS Allegiance

has a leadership problem.

Ah, what tipped you off?

The abandoned infant
or the jilted pilot?

Those guys he was talking to back there?

Army Future Command.

Yeah, what is Army Future
Command doing on a carrier?

I'm not sure.

But whatever the reason, they
didn't seem happy to see us.

You know, Landry said that
somebody else questioned him

while he was in the hospital
about the incident.

I thought it was
the agent afloat, but, uh,

maybe I was wrong.

You think Army Future Command
is investigating this case?

Well, it sure seems
like whoever spoke to our pilot

also spoke to the XO.

I think it's time we hear
another side of the story.

Hey, Fatima?

Hey, guys. What's up?

Can you see if any other departments

are working on this case actively?

Uh, it's just us, UAP Task Force,

Coast Guard...
Everyone's following our lead.

Why do you ask?

We have to let you know
when we get off the ship.

Oh.

Ominous.

Well, in better news, I think

I might have found what hit our pilot.

What, it resurfaced?

Not exactly. So get this.

While whatever our pilot hit

most likely went down
in the water with his F- ,

social media posts appear to show

a damaged piece of the UAP

make it over land before crashing.

Now, using location data
and geographic landmarks

from several sources,
I was able to triangulate

the approximate location
to a quarter-mile radius

in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Kensi and Deeks are on their
way there now to investigate.

Nice work.

Others think this could be an att*ck

from Russia, China,

or yet another example
of contact from another world.

The Navy, Coast Guard, and
the LAPD have yet to comment.

Wow.

Well, this doesn't look promising.

Yo, what are you doing?

Get out of my "saved for later" cart.

I knew you weren't looking for
a podcast. Give me my phone!

- Why, what's the big deal?
- Because you don't

just look through somebody's
online shopping cart.

It's personal and private, like a diary.

Besides, that is just the essentials.

"The essentials"? A ten pack

of glow-in-the-dark stars is essential?

Yeah, that's essential...
This is my best idea yet.

It's, like, the most amazing
version of nightlights.

- Oh, that's interesting.
- What? All the cool kids had it.

Okay, if one of them falls on the floor,

it is a choking hazard.

Okay, then.

What did you have on
your ceiling growing up

to elicit a feeling

of imagination and childhood wonder?

Uh... stucco

and darkness.

Wow.

That explains so much.

I have a question.
Do you think that maybe,

just maybe, you are overcompensating

just a teeny-tiny little bit

because you're afraid
that this kid won't like you?

- No. Maybe. I just...
- Mm-hmm.

It's just that you are, you have
such an amazing way with kids.

I mean, look at you with Rosa.

I just thought
that maybe I could just...

stack the deck.

And that's why I love you, sweetie.

But you don't need to bribe
someone to make them like you.

Just be yourself,

babe?

Worked on me.

Okay.

- But I'm keeping the stars for me.
- No.

- No, just a five pack?
- No.

- A two pack, final offer.
- No! Hey!

- I'm buying them right now.
- You're not getting that.

Yes, I am. Can't cancel.

Wow.

Okay.

- Hey, Fatima?
- Hey.

We're close to the crash site,
but we've hit a dead end.

I was afraid of that.

Do you, uh, think you guys
can continue on foot?

Uh, yeah. Absolutely.

You didn't happen to pack
a machete, did you?

Coast Guard just got back to us
with a list of their ships.

No unusual activity.

Same with San Clemente Island.

No reports of any testing that night.

What's wrong?

After the altercation with the jet,

the UAP retreated.

Why not just att*ck if it was so close?

Yeah.

It was close enough and decided not to.

So maybe its objective wasn't to att*ck.

But...

if that was the case, then
what was it trying to do?

It must've been trying to
gather some sort of data.

But what's capable
of non-kinetic att*cks

and that type of movement?

A UAV swarm.

A... a drone swarm?

Could that take out a jet?

If you had dozens of them

matching the speed of the plane, maybe.

I'll let Callen and Sam know.

Agent Namazi,
I've got SECNAV on the phone.

I need a sitrep now.

Sir, based on what we know so far,

I think this might have been an att*ck

by a highly advanced UAV swarm.

Armed?

We can't say, but based on the encounter

with the jet and its
proximity to the carrier,

it suggests not.

But if it is a swarm

and it wanted to att*ck,
it easily could have.

However...

However, I think that the lack

of lethal force against the jet

was maybe a tactical decision.

They weren't trying to att*ck.

They were trying to provoke
a response, and observe.

That would explain why it never fired

at the jet or the carrier.

Any further advancement from the UAVs

would've put them in
the perfect position

to suck up massive amounts

of electronic intelligence
from the ships.

Sir, if I'm correct,

the controller could gather
enough information

from the USS Allegiance alone

to put together a comprehensive picture

and possibly defeat our Navy in combat.

And if you were serious
about invading a world power,

that would be a very
good place to begin.

So, uh...

rattlesnakes...

Are definitely not nocturnal.

Right. Of course. Just checking.

It's like the real Oregon Trail.

Deeks?

Yeah, looks like
we found our crash site.

But where's the UAV?

I mean, it couldn't have
survived that impact, right?

Somebody b*at us to it?

Yep.

Someone was definitely here.

Or still is.

Well, now I'm hoping
it's just a rattlesnake.

Federal agents.

Come out with your hands up.

Please, don't sh**t!

He's clear.

So if you're really a college student,

what are you doing out here,
and more importantly,

why are you hiding from federal agents?

I don't know you. You're not in uniform.

In fact, nothing on you is identifiable.

Fair enough.

Can I have that back, please?

Maybe if you guys invested,
I don't know, tax dollars...

...in something like a uniform,

or a nice hat or something like that.

- What is all this?
- It's for my podcast.

Because these are the perfect conditions

for a voice recording?

It's an investigative podcast.

You can check it out... It's called

I Know You Know I Know.

I've been tracking
the swarm for a while now

- for season three.
- It's a good title.

Thought I was finally
gonna get a glimpse of one

after that video surfaced
of it going down, but...

apparently someone got here first.

Did you see the person
that got here first?

- Nada.
- Wait a minute, you've been tracking

the swarm for a while... you mean

you've seen it before last night?

Uh, yeah, for at least a couple weeks.

- Do you have proof?
- A full album.

But that is premium content
for paid subscribers.

Hey, Fatima.

You got one of those, too?

What? Can I see it?

- Or is it, uh...
- ...in there?

Is there...

Continue, please.

Kens?

Kensi, you find our drone?

No. Apparently, somebody got here first.

Uh, we did, however, find a podcaster.

His name is Gabe Dawson.

Wow, even in the mountains you
can't escape the L.A. hustle.

Yeah, tell me about it.
Listen, I'm going to send you

some images. I need you to forward them

to the UAP Task Force.
Have them cross-reference them

with any information on previous
drone swarm incidents.

Ooh, I don't like the sound of that.

Yeah, neither do I.

He has a...

uh, microphone.

A whole CIC
and no one else saw anything?

They all back up the XO's story.

- It doesn't add up.
- NCIS!

I need to speak with you.

I was the one

who first caught the blip on the radar.

At first I thought I'd missed something.

But the more I play
it back in my head...

This wasn't a mistake.

Human or mechanical.

How can you be sure?

Whether we admit it or not,
our systems aren't perfect.

Technology is constantly adapting.

The-the size, materials used,

altitude it was flying at...

All of that could have prevented it

from being detected long-range.

That is, until it was about
miles out from the ship.

I don't know how, exactly,

but it knew at that distance
it was gonna be caught.

It hid in plain sight,
knowing that in that formation,

it would appear to be a single aircraft.

Until it got close enough to disperse.

- A Trojan horse tactic.
- Exactly.

Does that sound
like a malfunction to you?

That confirms Fatima's theory.

What else could fly
in such a tight formation

other than a UAV swarm?

Is that what took down the plane?

I don't know how a drone swarm
could have gotten past

detection... we would have
picked up on their frequencies.

What drones use to talk
to their controllers.

Maybe we did miss something.

Hmm.

G?

This kind of program

- is not developed overnight.
- No.

To create something that
advanced, the country would have

to have a program in place
for at least a decade.

And nobody has that, other than the U.S.

You think this was domestic?

Maybe.

Or they made them here on
U.S. soil by a U.S. company

- and sold them abroad.
- Or stolen.

Hey, guys.

Callen, what's up?

I need a private sector
aerospace company

we can speak with immediately.

Uh, sure.

Anyone in particular?

Just start with U.S. companies that have

drone programs and
current DoD contracts.

We need someone that can
help us make a list of players

that could potentially make
something so sophisticated.

Looks like there's only one

with current DoD ties.

Head to shore, I'll see what I can do.

Sounds good, thanks.

Okay, that's interesting.

Something from UAP Task Force?

Yeah, but this file is huge.

I'll get the admiral.

- Can you airdrop things with it?
- No.

- Can you call base...
- My brain is not microchipped.

Are they telling you to say that?

Are they talking to you right now?

- Who is they?
- I know that you know that I know.

Speaking of I Know You Know I Know,

brand-new merch hits
the shops this week.

- Kensi?
- Oh, Fatima, thank God. What's up?

You are not gonna believe this,
but the UAP's Task Force

cross-imaging matches
at least seven other sightings

in the last two months.

Wait, I think there's
something else on here...

Seven sightings in the last two months?

How are we just hearing about this?

Seven sightings in the last two months?

- Try seven in the last week.
- I'm sorry, what?

Their faces devastated, as the reality

of their investigation comes
crumbling down around them...

- More information from you now.
- They take off every evening

after what I think is some
kind of solar recharging mode.

You're saying there are
sightings every single night.

- Are you sure of this?
- Uh, yeah.

So they're gonna take off again tonight?

Mm-hmm. Sunset...

is at : .

I figure you got about two hours
before they pass by.

We have to inform the carrier.

What is all this?

Evidence.

From the UAP Task Force.

Mayday, Mayday.

Stick unresponsive.

I've been hit by an unknown projectile.

Multiple contacts...

This is so much bigger than we thought.

If recent activity is any indication,

there is a strong likelihood
we have a UAV swarm

set to approach again
in less than an hour.

All right, there are
multiple targets in the area,

including the testing site
at San Clemente Island,

but based
on these previous flight paths,

the USS Allegianceis
most likely its target.

The Allegiance would be the most
profitable asset for data,

but let's warn
San Clemente Island, as well.

Yes, sir.

Agent Namazi,

I hope you have some sort of a plan.

If you don't, I suggest you come up

with one, and fast.

I have callsto make.

Yes, sir.

Okay.

We can't risk any debris landing
in any residential areas.

That rules out soft k*ll tactics.

If we jam the signal,
who knows where it might land?

Which is exactly why we can't
let them reach the carrier.

Uh, electronic countermeasures
on board the Allegiance

might work, but only as a last resort.

There are too many
civilian vessels in the area.

All right, well, what other
options are we left with?

Signal hijacking.

I've seen it done a few
times in Afghanistan.

If I can overpower their signal,

then I can take over the swarm

and safely land them somewhere else.

Have you ever done that before?

Our timetable just moved up.

Anything you can tell me
from watching those videos?

It's definitely a UAV swarm.

A highly sophisticated one, at that.

Look at its flight patterns,
how it adapts its approach

each time, learning from
its previous engagement.

What you are seeing is
a form of deep machine learning,

wherein each drone

forms a node on a shared neural network.

From the looks of this, it's...

been learning for some time.

That feels familiar.

- Excuse me?
- I'm sorry.

Um, tell me about these neural networks.

Uh, a neural network is
a biologically inspired

programming tool that is used
to solve difficult problem sets

better than regular algorithms can.

Things like, um,
identifying speech patterns

and facial features
and even replicating them,

like with deepfakes.

You probably use them here at the agency

and just don't even realize it.

So how do we apprehend them?

You're trying to catch the swarm?

Yeah.

Oh, I-I don't think you understand

just how much of a losing battle
that's gonna be.

Huh. Try me.

Even if you were to catch one,

it's just gonna learn
the encounter and adapt.

That's how the neural networks work.

They talk to each other,
they relay information.

For this to work, you would need
to take them all down at once.

If even one of them gets away,

it's just gonna pass the info
on to the next swarm, it's...

just gonna make them smarter.

Its mission the night before
wasn't abandoned

after the F- crashed.

It was looking for a response.

It didn't fail every time.

It was trying every approach.

- Testing the fences.
- After last night,

it found the weak point
it was looking for.

I'll call Fatima.

Fatima.

Sam. How's it going
with our drone designer?

According to our expert,

swarm forms
a deep learning neural network,

which means we only have
one sh*t to get this right,

after which, swarm will
change its response.

And they'll be one step ahead of us.

Maybe this is just another test?

It's a possibility they won't approach.

I hope that's true.

Last night, they found a path
and didn't complete the mission.

My guess? They'll att*ck tonight.

No question.

Okay. I, uh, sent Rountree

to bring equipment to Kensi and Deeks.

If their patterns are correct,
then they should be flying

over that same location again tonight,

and I should be able
to access their signal.

Sam, if I do this incorrectly,

there's a chance that,
instead of hijacking,

my signal overloads them,

causing potentially armed drones

to fall from the sky over Los Angeles.

So no pressure then, right?

Yeah.

No pressure.

Wow, you are

a sight for sore eyes.

What's up, guys? And whoever you are.

- Hey, you brought the equipment?
- Yeah.

Oh, this is no bueno.

Neither of these
are going to make it up there.

Another hiccup in the investigation.

- And with time of the essence...
- Uh, who is this dude?

I don't... Do you think
we can make it on foot?

We don't have enough time.

Maybe these will help.

Is it incompetence
or another government cover-up?

Ooh.

I understand.

Okay.

Here we go.

All right.

All right, ready when you are!

Kensi, Deeks, you guys in position?

Almost there.

What you got?

I just got a hit
on the close-range radar.

I'm not getting a signal.

We must be a few degrees off.

How far off?

Head due west,

directly towards the setting sun.

Hurry. We're gonna miss them.

Hang on.

What other countries have the resources

for a program like this?

- Well, no one.
- Okay, so, the technology

had to have been sold
or stolen from the U.S.

Who else in your field is capable

of making something like this?

No one else is capable of making these.

- They're ours.
- Right.

But someone had to have sold them.

We did. To you.

I'm sorry, what?

There's no signal.
Why is there no signal?

It should be coming up.

Am I missing something?

This is our tech.

Then we sold them.

Then they were taken control of
by the DoD.

I mean, well, obviously not anymore.

What do you mean, not anymore?
Who's controlling them?

There's no signal
because it doesn't exist.

That's why they weren't
picking it up before.

No one is controlling them.

This is rogue AI.

Agent Namazi.

Stand down.

Fatima?

Hello?

I think we've got company.

I'm gonna hit the head.

NCIS.

I knew the Men in Black were real.

Put your hands down.

NRO. Gather the rest of your team

and leave this area immediately.
This is no longer your case.

Copy that.

Somebody has to take
responsibility for this.

We're done, G.

NRO is taking over the matter.

And what about the Allegiance?

They determined it's not a
thr*at to naval operations.

No.

There's something else going on here.

I'm gonna find out what it is.

G, wait a minute.

You knew these things were autonomous,

- and you didn't tell us. Why?
- Wh...

I-I didn't know for sure
how they were gonna be deployed.

- How could you not know?
- G.

I helped design the AI,

after which Panlark
legally sold the plans

to Army Future Command.

What the U.S. government does
with it after we've sold it

is not our concern.

They wouldn't tell us even if we asked.

I'd like to leave now.

Yeah. Sure, let's get you home.

How is this not your problem?

How can you take zero responsibility

- for creating...
- For creating what?

Something dangerous?

It certainly wasn't programmed that way.

You see, that is the problem

with humans and AI.

The AI going rogue
was never the problem.

The AI doing exactly what we tell it to?

That's the problem.

You wanted to see me?

Yes, yes. I, uh...

I feel I owe you an explanation.

Uh, that's not necessary, sir.

Well, in my own personal experience,

it's the cases that have no conclusion

that have a way of eating at us,
but it's your call.

The truth is, uh,

even the best of intentions
can have dire consequences.

And no one is immune to that.

Not NCIS, not DoD.

Nobody.

After being purchased from Panlark,

Army Future Command
allowed the UAV swarm

to operate fully autonomously
with its missions.

They were hoping
that this would accelerate

their learning technology.

And it worked.

Maybe too well.

After allowing
the AI to pick its own targets

from within our own m*llitary,

they lost their handle
on the swarm, and...

Well, you know what happened next.

Why train on someone else's defenses

when you have
the world's most powerful navy

in your harbor?

The drones have been going on for weeks.

Months, even.

Why not warn us or the USS Allegiance?

Why have us investigate?

Well, learning
with the training wheels on

will only get you so far.

No, the responses had to be real,

so we were kept in the dark.

And they got
what they set out to create.

Well, thank you, sir.

Yeah.

What'll happen to it now?

We're in a race, Agent Namazi.

You're too young
to remember the last one.

Hell, what am I saying?

You weren't even alive for the last one.

But now, instead of the Moon,

it's artificial intelligence.

And it's a race
we cannot afford to lose.

Angelenos
can sleep a little easier tonight.

After hours of no
information, a Navy spokesperson

finally responded
to our request for comment

about last night's incident.

The floating lights,
as some viewers were calling it,

were apparently a part
of a Navy training mission

that included the use of
high-altitude weather balloons.

While no other details were given,

the spokesperson said

the training mission was very successful

and that the public has no need to worry

about future weather balloon sightings.

Oh. You came back.

Eh, don't get too excited.

Just came to drop off
the radar equipment.

You know, you could have
done that tomorrow.

Weird day, huh?

After all of that,

I kind of wish it had been aliens.

How are you doing?

Good.

Honestly, even after all the things

I've seen on this job with AI,

I guess I still think
we're better off with it.

Well, it almost ruined your life.

And Callen's still dealing with it.

Yeah, but think
of all the lives it's helped.

Advancements like this
can be... beautiful.

Or terrifying.
Just depends how you use it.

Well, someone's gonna use it right.

We only fight the ones who don't.

So, what are you doing here, really?

Well, I was hoping that we could play

a little loser's game of Oregon Trail.

- Oh, we're stealing now?
- Mm-hmm.

Should we play
up on the big screen in Ops?

Do I want to ford a river
in eight-bit graphics

on a -foot screen?

Uh, yeah.

My girl.

Oh, so, how'd it go with our podcaster?

How'd you get him to delete the tapes?

I just told him we were hiring.

I gave him a Space Force business card.

He's gonna be a hell of a guardian.

What is happening? Can I look now?

Just hold on a second.

You have to be patient.

- Okay. You ready?
- Mm-hmm.

Three, two, one.

Oh, my God.

You were right. This is pretty cool.

It really is.