13x17 - Genesis

[bunniefuu]

Previously on NCIS Los Angeles

CALLEN: I located
one of Hetty's protégés.

Just promise me you won't
let this consume you.

Oh!

I'm so sorry.

- Is it dinner for one?
- It is.

I'm Greg. My friends call me G.

Leah.

[GRUNTING]


[GRUNTING CONTINUES]


...Seventeen.

Seventeen.

Finish the job.

Finish the job.

Finish the job.

Finish the job.

ANNA: Hey.

You fell asleep.

Come on. It's getting late.
We need to finish up packing.

You sure you don't recognize the voice?

No. He's not Russian, though.

But the girl I'm pretty sure is Katya.

They never did anything like that

when I was at the
Institute for Noble Maidens.

I almost feel sorry for her.

Almost.

Did you figured out
what "Pembroke" means?

Well, it's either a fort in Malta,

a college in Oxford
or a breed of Welsh corgi.

Or it's the man who's on this film.

Either way,
Katya's gone to great lengths

to keep me from finding out.

Okay, well, now

we need to start packing 'cause
we have movers coming tomorrow.

One more time.

One more time.


- So you ghosted him.
- What? No.

You haven't texted him back.
That's ghosting.

I didn't text him back yet. I will.

It's been three weeks.

Yeah, and everyone knows
ghosting happens after four.

[LAUGHS]

Now you're just making stuff up.

[GRUNTS]

[SPEAKS ARABIC]

Okay, if you're such an expert

then...

what am I doing wrong?

You know, I-I meet these guys,
they're good guys,

nice guys,

and then after a few dates,
like, I'm out. What is it?

Is it them? Is it me?

- It's me, isn't it?
- I think you have trust issues.

We deal with

criminals and liars on a daily basis.

Who wouldn't have trust issues?

Yeah, but not everyone's boyfriend

stole their identity

and made a deepfake, so...

Okay, Noel was not my boyfriend.
I met him once

and then I kicked his butt.

Yeah, well, there was
still a connection.

Yeah, well, it wasn't real.

He was playing me.

Yeah, but it felt real,

just like the deepfake,

and I think that
it messed with your head

a little bit, and your heart.

Oh, 'Tree,

you're gonna make
such a good dad one day.

Like a sitcom dad. Like Danny Tanner.

You know what?

I-I know exactly what your problem is.

- Yeah?
- You're a jerk.

- [LAUGHS]
- Yeah, and you're hogging the bag.

All right?

KENSI: Hey, you know how she
learned how to speak English?

By watching the
Paranormal Activity movies

over and over again with her friends.

Which then inspired her to make her own

movies on her phone,
which are really good,

you know, and she's only years old.

Sounds like she came to the right town.

Yeah. Pilar has been through so much,

and she is still so hopeful and happy.

Rosa asked us to, uh,

help her out, and I...

I don't want to let her down.

When is Deeks' appointment with
the refugee resettlement office?

It's at : , so soon.

He's gonna meet with
her case worker first

and then with a buddy
of his from law school.

- He's an immigration lawyer.
- Is it a difficult case?

I mean, that's what he's gonna find out.

Hm.

I know what it's like

not to have a home
or a safe place to go to.

I just want to make sure she's okay.

You and Deeks watching her back,

she'll be okay.

Just like Rosa was.

Yeah. Okay, bye. Bye.

Who's that?

- Arkady.
- Yeah? Everything good?

I've decided to stay at his place

for a little while.

What are you talking about?

We-we just signed the papers
for the new place in the Marina.

Are you breaking up with me?

- No.
- You sure?

No, Callen.

I love you.

But the last few months, they've been...

Hard, yeah, I get it, but...

Katya hasn't called in weeks.
Not since I got that film reel.

Yeah, that film reel.

Ever since you found it,
you've been obsessed.

Because I think it may
put a stop to all this.

I just need to find out

why it's so important to her.

You of all people
have to understand this.

I know.

I know, look, and I do.

I'm just tired of letting Katya
define our relationship.

I think we should

take a step back,
just for a little while.

[CELL PHONE VIBRATES]

It's okay, go.
We'll talk more in the evening.

Okay.

Admiral.

[DOOR OPENS]

KILBRIDE: We'll need your office

to send over anything
that pertains to her work.

Of course. Right away.

Oh, good, you're here.

Agents, I assume that you remember ONI

Officer Akhil Ali.

How could we forget?

What are we under investigation for now?

Actually, I'm no longer with
the Office of Inspector General.

Ali's been promoted to run
the ONI field office

here in Los Angeles.

- He manages the collectors.
- ROUNTREE: Collectors?

- What's that?
- FATIMA: The Office

of Naval Intelligence trains officers

to approach and collect
visiting foreign assets

as potential sources of intelligence.

That's right.

KILBRID: Well, one of his collectors

has gone missing
and we need to find her.

I'll let Ali brief you.

I just need access to your system.

Yeah, of course. I'll get you set up.

Agent Callen, my office, now.

- What'd I miss?
- Last night,

I received this message.

CALLEN [ON RECORDING]:
Hi, Admiral. It's Callen.

Listen, I think I should
just be honest with you.

I can't do this anymore.

I can't keep working cases
and pretend like

there's not something between us,

and I know you feel it, too.

I just can't stop thinking
about what you'd look like

in a sexy little sailor suit.

[MACHINE BEEPS]

- That wasn't me.
- You think you'd still

be alive if I thought it was?

[CHUCKLES]

The problem is it took

a 20-minute phone call to convince

Director Vance otherwise.

The director got a call like this?

Not just him.

Over the last 24 hours,

NCISHQ-MTAC and Cyber

have flagged hundreds

of inappropriate videos and messages

posted on social media

and e-mailed to federal
law enforcement officials.

All of them featuring you.

I thought they were
working around the clock

- to take down the deepfakes.
- That's happening,

but it seems Ms. Miranova

has enlisted bot accounts to

disseminate them at an alarming rate.

They're barely keeping up.

This has to be in retaliation
for the film reel.

She wants me

sidelined so that I can't go after her.

And that's what we need to talk about.

Up until now, these deepfakes

have been no more than a nuisance.

The, uh, product
of a sexually frustrated

and psychopathic troll,

but now they are becoming

- a liability,
- Hold on a sec.

Interfering with your capacity

to present as a respectable
member of this agency.

Do you really believe that?

I believe that this whole thing
is Looney Tunes.

If you had told me a year ago

that I would be dealing with

mischievous digital facsimiles
of my agents

trying to seduce me

with prank phone calls,

I'd have moved to a yurt in Mongolia,

never to be heard from again,
but, apparently,

this is the idiotic world

we have chosen to live in.

The director is not only
worried about the damage

that Katya has already done,

he's worried about the damage
that she could do.

He has asked me to remove you
from the field until

these deepfakes stop.

And what if they don't stop?

Our missing officer is Maria Varza.

She's been working
as an intelligence collector

for the last six years.

Most recently, she's been
cultivating a relationship

with a visiting professor from Iran,

Dr. Roxana Jarrahi.

Professor of Genetics.

She's worked for the top

research centers in the world.

The Curie Institute, MIT, Max Planck.

After CRISPR was discovered,

Dr. Jarrahi was one
of the first researchers

to start working with it.

She's made significant
contributions to the field.

You think she had anything to do

with Officer Varza's disappearance?

Jarrahi received some
funding from sources

with ties to the Iranian m*llitary.

ONI thought she could help us glean

whether Iran is trying
to develop genetic weapons.

Genetic weapons? What is that?

Genetic tools like CRISPR target
specific sections of DNA.

Theoretically, you could distribute

an inert virus programmed

to only att*ck someone with
a specific genetic sequence,

or a family,

or a whole race of people.

- My God.
- Exactly.

What kind of intel did Varza get
from Dr. Jarrahi?

Nothing yet.

She'd just been establishing a rapport,

but Varza had dinner with Dr. Jarrahi

at a restaurant last night
where she hoped

to make an official overture.

I was hoping your office
could get access

to the restaurant's cameras.

Yeah, absolutely.

I was expecting an update
from her this morning.

When it didn't come, I called.

When I didn't get an answer,
I went to her house.

The front door was unlocked,
but Varza was gone.

KENSI: You said Dr. Jarrahi

was receiving funding from people

with ties to the Iranian m*llitary.

I think we need to consider
the possibility

that she has stronger
connections than that.

Maybe Jarrahi was already collected,

just not by us.

[g*nshots]

[DOOR CLOSES]

Didn't expect to see you again so soon.

How you doing, Nate?

I'm good. How are you?

[CHUCKLES] Pretty sure
we covered that last week.

A lot can change in a week.

I'm doing all right, Nate.

I'm dealing with it.

I can see that.

So is this gonna be a regular thing now,

you checking up on me?

Callen, if you don't want
to talk about Katya,

you don't have to.

I don't want to talk about Katya.

I want to stop Katya.

Maybe I can help with that.

I've been studying Katya,

and I've drawn up a psych profile.

Yeah, well, so has the FBI and the CIA.

I don't need to read
another one to know that

she's a sadist driven by revenge.

Except they got it wrong.

She's not driven by revenge.

She's driven by obsession.

When one plays out, she just
hops on board another one.

Look, think about it.

First it was Anna. Now it's you.

Now, I think if we can
identify a new obsession,

we might be able to draw
her out, or at least

get her to stop harassing you.

What about an old obsession?

Possibly.

If you could reignite it. Why?

'Cause I think I found one.

Only you're... you're
gonna think I'm crazy.

I don't like that word.

Try me.

SAM: No signs of a struggle.

No signs of a break-in either.

Yeah, well, Ali did say
the front door was unlocked.

Yeah. Well, I found Varza's keys,

so whoever took her didn't
bother locking up behind them.

Yeah, if someone took her.

You think she ran?

Didn't rule it out yet.

You talk to Callen?

Yup.

And how's he doing?

- Says he's fine.
- You believe him?

- No.
- [CHUCKLES]

Ali also said Varza had a computer.

Haven't found one anywhere.

Well, couldn't find a cell
phone anywhere either.

Rountree,

you get a trace on Varza's phone yet?

Negative. It's still turned off,

but I was able to gain access
to her security system.

She only has exterior cameras.

They show her pulling into
the garage minutes

after she left the restaurant.
But then... get this...

The system was deactivated
at : on site.

So far, no indication it was hacked.

Start digging into Varza's records.

See if she had a motive to sell
intel or flee the country.

You got it.

Okay, so

whoever was involved
in Varza's disappearance...

Potentially Varza herself...

Didn't leave us any witnesses,

didn't leave us any physical evidence,

turned off all the cameras
and took all the computers.

Not all the computers.

So, you've heard that voice before?

- Yes.
- When you were a boy

in Hetty's training program?

- Correct.
- Which means that

the man from this
KGB Noble Maiden film...

Was also involved
in the CIA's Drona Project.

Look,

Katya may be driven by obsessions,

but her obsessions lead to revenge.

I think she was hunting down this guy

when she was embedded here as a spy.

This film reel was her only lead.

[SIGHS]

You think I'm crazy.

I don't like that word.

Fine. Delusional.

Let me put it to you like this, look,

is it more likely that your mind
is fabricating this

aural connection based on
perceived parallels

between yours and Katya's upbringing?

Yes. [SCOFFS]

But is it impossible that this...

instructor is someone
who worked in both worlds?

The CIA and KGB actively recruited

from one another during
the Cold w*r. They stole

technology, tradecraft, even training.

Add to the fact that the...
that the Drona Project

is based on a Soviet program, no, no,

- it's definitely not impossible.
- Wait.

How do you know Drona is
based on a Soviet program?

Admiral Kilbride told me.

- Wait, he didn't tell you that?
- No.

Why wouldn't he tell you that?

Well, it might have to do with the fact

that I broke into some sealed archives

and he threatened to fire me.

But...

I'm already halfway out the door.

Might as well see what else he knows.

Yeah, this is gonna go well.

So, how do I look?

Uh... cool.

I think. I don't... really know.

I don't spend a lot of time
around undergrads.

Yeah, I'd be worried if you did.

- Right. Uh...
- [CHUCKLES]

Here's your school ID.

Dr. Jarrahi normally eats lunch

at the school cafeteria
every day at : ,

- but...
- But she's currently observing

the fast for Ramadan, as am I.

Another thing we can bond over.

That makes three of us.

I'm also fasting,

and I started going to the mosque.

Oh, I'm glad to hear it.

I was actually wondering if you had

any plans for Eid?

Oh, I, uh...

usually just do something
with my family.

Right, yeah, of course.

Hey.

Hey.

You, uh, got anything on Varza?

I checked her bank accounts,
e-mails, calls.

Nothing indicates she was planning on

selling classified
information, and after what

Sam and Kensi found
on the data log in Varza's car,

safe to say she was
definitely kidnapped.

Her trunk was opened
and closed at : last night

outside the restaurant where
she was dining with Jarrahi.

And then it opened and closed
again at : a.m.

while it was parked in her garage.

Six minutes before
her security system went down.

Varza's kidnappers
didn't have to break in.

They were driven in.

They were hiding
in the trunk of her car.

If you're hoping to purge
your memory of that voicemail

by another session of g*n range therapy,

I'm afraid I've already

reserved it for that very purpose.

CALLEN: You told Nate the Drona
Project was based on a program

that was started by the Soviets.

Was that program
the Institute for Noble Maidens?

That was a confidential conversation

between me and Dr. Getz.

With all due respect, Admiral,

confidentiality only applies
to doctor-patient conversations,

not work-related conversations.

How about classified ones?

Admiral, you asked me
here to help Callen.

Remind me never to do that again.

This isn't about me.
This is about Katya.

I think when she was in L.A.
working as a spy,

she was looking for somebody
from the Drona Project.

And why the hell would you think that?

Because I recognize
the instructor's voice

from the Noble Maiden film.

I think he worked on Drona, too.

Do you have any idea
how crazy you sound?

- [GROANS]
- He really doesn't like that word.

- Look, Admiral,
- Excuse me? What...

I am trying to stop the deepfakes.

Was the Drona Project based

on the Institute for Noble Maidens?

Yes.

And what about Pembroke?

Does that name mean anything to you?

No. That's all that Hetty told me.

Thank you.

Do you not understand

what is happening here?

He's seeing connections
that aren't there.

He's falling down a rabbit hole,

and instead of pulling him out,

you're leading him in deeper.

You know, that may be true, Admiral,

but I've known Callen
a lot longer than you have.

With or without me,

he's gonna see this thing through.

Wherever it may lead.

Aren't you Dr. Roxana Jarrahi?

That's right. And you are?

[CHUCKLES] Fatima Khadem. Can I sit?

- Apparently, you can.
- Sorry, I'm just...

I'm so excited to meet
another Iranian scientist.

I'm graduating next month,
and I'm actually waitlisted

for the graduate program
in biochemistry.

I have no sway over admissions.
If you don't get in this year,

there is always next year.

ALI [OVER COMMS]:
Jarrahi's a workaholic.

Focus on her research.

FATIMA: I know. That's...

not actually why I'm here.

I've been following your work for years.

I just think there are
so many real-world,

viable applications for your research,

but it's still in the
testing phase... why is that?

I mean, like your mosquito gene drive.

Like, that could save millions of lives.

What's holding it up?

In a word: fear.

Well, maybe if people
could see the results...

Let me stop you. You seem like

an eager and enthusiastic student,

and I am sorry you weren't admitted,

but I have a lot of work to do,

and I'm sure you do, too.

Plan B. Wealthy parents
want to fund her research.

Sorry to bother you.

No. What are you doing?

[IRANIAN POP SONG PLAYING]

Oh...

These things, like, never sync up.

- You listen to Googoosh?
- Oh, yeah, she's amazing.

It's kind of retro, I know, but

I love her. I'm actually gonna
see her at the Bowl this summer.

Me, too. I just
bought tickets last week.

Not surprised.

Pretty sure half of
Tehrangeles will be there.

I just hope she plays "Gharibe Ashena."

Oh, please, she has to.

If she doesn't,
the-the crowd will revolt.

Yeah, and I'll be the one leading them.

What made you interested in my work?

FATIMA: Well, so my parents moved here

during the Revolution,
and both of them are doctors.

These are the files
on the Drona subjects.

I haven't been able to
ID very many of them,

but the ones I have,
most of them are dead.

One of them d*ed in action.

One of them was k*lled
in the line of fire.

Two of them by su1c1de.

The only one who is alive

is her.

Leah Novak.

She lives in L.A.
Have you spoken to her?

- I have.
- Did you ask her

her if she recognizes the voice
from the film reel?

- No.
- Why not?

Mm...

It's complicated.

KENSI: Hey.

Got your text. When'd you get here?

Uh, like, minutes ago.

I was just catching up
on the Varza case.

Where's Sam?

Oh, he dropped me off

and now he's headed to the university

to provide backup
for Fatima and Ali, but, um...

so, what happened with Pilar's
case manager and your friend?

What did they say?

They said a lot, actually.
There's a lot to go through,

and I certainly don't regret
this career change.

So?

So, um...

Pilar's parents were m*rder*d

by a g*ng in Guatemala.

Yeah.

And, um...

and they threatened to k*ll her, too,

and so, last month,
she fled here by herself.

Oh, my God.

The good news is they think that

she has a really strong case for asylum.

Okay, well, that's good,
and is there anything

that you and I can do in the meantime?

My friend is helping her
with the application for asylum,

and he said that it would be good for us

- to find someone for her to talk to.
- Yeah.

Just that because she's been through

this traumatic event, that...

the more she's able to speak about it,

obviously, the better her chances are.

Right. Um...

I mean, we can put her
in contact with Nate, maybe,

or he can recommend
someone else she can talk to.

- Nate is a great idea.
- ROUNTREE: Hey, guys.

So, I found something interesting

on the security cam footage
from the restaurant last night.

Varza and Jarrahi,
they enter at : p.m.,

followed by these two guys.

minutes later, one of them leaves

and never returns.

The timecode matches the same time

that Varza's trunk was opened.

Huh. The other one stayed
inside to keep an eye on Varza

while his buddy broke into her car.

I'm guessing he follows her out

- after she leaves.
- ROUNTREE: Yeah, but, first,

Jarrahi leaves very quickly.

Followed by Varza and then
our second mystery man,

So, who are these guys?

No idea. I mean, I ran

their faces through facial rec,
all the databases.

It's like they don't exist.

In hindsight, it wasn't
the best approach.

I just don't get it.
Leah wasn't a suspect,

she was a subject like you.
Why would you lie to her?

Because she was Homeland Security

and her file had been redacted,
which lead me to believe

that she didn't want to be found.

I just felt that an indirect approach

would be the most productive.

I also think you could've tried
a little harder with your alias.

I mean, Greg? It's basically
the English version of Grisha.

And what about Drona...

Does she remember being a part of it?

CALLEN: I don't know.
We had dinner a few times.

I tried to ask her about her childhood,

but then I had to cut it off.

NATE: Why?

- Oh.
- [KNOCK ON DOOR]

Greg. What are you doing here?

And who's this?

We need to talk.

I don't know if I've heard him before.

I don't speak Russian.

He's saying that, uh,

pain is just a state of mind.

That doesn't ring a bell for you?

Do I remember going to some
special school

when I was younger? Yes.

That's because I had ADD.

No one talked about pain
being a state of mind.

This is why you lied to me?

You have to understand that
in Agent Callen's line of work,

trusting others can be dangerous.

I work in cyberspace, Dr. Getz.

You don't need to tell me
that people are liars.

I'd like you both to leave now.

Callen.

Does the name Pembroke
mean anything to you?

Go to hell, Greg.

Or whatever your name is.

Did they have fewer CAG repeats?

That can often mean that
symptoms go unnoticed

prior to death.

You send the photo of
our two mystery men to ONI?

Yeah. We've got nothing on them.

You know what that means.

Most likely Iranian intelligence agents.

Non-official covers.

Except these guys have no cover.

They're untraceable.

It's not looking good for finding Varza.

JARRAHI [OVER COMMS]:
I wish we could make faster

progress.

SAM: Fatima, I need you to accelerate.

Push her on Varza.

Agreed. So, uh, five months in L.A.

How do you like it so far?

Hmm, no idea. I work all the time.

I've barely left the campus.

I haven't even seen the ocean yet.

No way. You have any friends?

I have a cat,
but she's not very friendly.

Have you met any other
Iranian expats here?

'Cause there's a lot of us.

No. Not really.

ALI [OVER COMMS]: That's a lie.

Varza's cover story was that

she was a pharmaceutical
businesswoman from Tehran.

FATIMA: I read this article about

an L.A. businesswoman from Tehran.

She works in pharmaceuticals.

She actually wants to use
CRISPR to create new dr*gs.

I bet you she'd be really
fascinated in your work.

- You know of her?
- Who are you?

What?

SAM: Fatima, the two guys

who snatched Varza are headed your way.

I have to go.

Wait, did-did I say something wrong?

Stay away from me!

SAM: Let her go. Let her go.

See if they follow her.

They're staying with Fatima.

Follow Jarrahi. Once you're clear,

ID yourself and escort her to safety.

- What about these guys?
- We've got 'em covered.

[CAR LOCK CHIRPS]

Hey. Can I help you?

Or you?

Come with us, please.

That's funny, I was
gonna say the same thing.

Federal agents. Hands on your...

[HONKS]

[GRUNTING]

You should have kept running.

ONI. Stop! [GRUNTS]

Where's Jarrahi?

Campus security's watching her.
Thought maybe

- you could use some help.
- This is how you help?

By letting him crash into you?

Does it look okay?

Yes, Maria and I had dinner
last night, but I left early

- because of what she told me.
- What exactly did she say?

That she was working for the
Office of Naval Intelligence

and that she wanted
to recruit me to spy for them.

Which is the most ridiculous
thing I have ever heard.

I would have laughed
if I wasn't so angry.

What kind of information
could I even provide?

You've received funding from people

with ties to the Iranian m*llitary.

And we have intelligence
indicating your country is

interested in developing
genetic weapons.

Is that what you think I do?

Doctor, you have to understand,

the tools you work with
are very powerful.

I understand their power, Agent
Namazi, thank you very much.

That is why I do not
do business with the m*llitary.

Any m*llitary. I wish I could

help you find Maria, but I can't.

Am I free to go now?

It may not be safe
for you to leave just yet.

He's right. We need to find out
who these men are

and what happened to Officer Varza.

KILBRIDE [OVER COMMS]: I have
an answer to that first question.

Will you, um, get her settled upstairs?

- Doctor.
- Thank you, Doctor.

Go ahead, Admiral.

I spoke to the head
of the Middle East desk

at the FBI field office.

The two men you have
in custody are indeed

Iranian intelligence agents.

Now, Sam can keep trying,
but these guys are trained

to die before they talk.

I'm afraid we're gonna
have to find Varza another way.

Understood.

NATE: I was thinking maybe
I could take a look

at some more of those Drona files.

CALLEN: Sure. Have at it.

Who knows, maybe I'll find something

that helps us identify
one of the subjects.

Who knows?

Look, Callen, I-I know today was rough,

and you probably feel like

you're right back where you started,

but believe it or not,
you actually made some progress.

Anna moved out.

Well, technically, we both moved out,

but she's not gonna
be moving back in with me.

I'm sorry, Callen.

She says that I'm obsessed about Katya.

I'm starting to think she may be right.

Who knows, I may be ruining my life

more than Katya is.

Well, that's the thing about obsessions.

The strongest ones feed off each other.

And Katya's obsessed with you,

which makes you obsessed
with her and vice versa.

So, what...
You're saying if I ignore her

she's just gonna stop?

No, probably not.

I mean, you know, Katya's unpredictable.

She's driven by obsession,
but she's also sadistic,

and she's totally, just totally...

You can say it.

She's crazy, okay?

She's pure, unfiltered,
bat poop crazy town.

She... She's crazy.

- Feels pretty good, doesn't it?
- It does.

- It really does.
- Mm-hmm.

Just don't tell anyone I said it,
please.

- [PHONE VIBRATES]
- I'm not gonna say a word.

Leah.

A few years ago, I reunited

with one of my foster moms.

She gave me some old things

I'd left behind,
including some documents.

One of them is a Department of Education

special ed enrollment form.

They list an address in Cypress Park.

What's the address?

I just texted you a photo
of the document.

I hope you find what you're
looking for, Agent Callen.

[BEEP]

SAM: They're not gonna talk.

We need to backtrack their movements,
for the past hours.

- We may have a lead on Varza.
- Yeah,

but it's a long sh*t.

She's underselling it.
It's a sure thing.

- It's promising.
- It's solid gold.

- What is it?
- We were looking over

Varza's files on Dr. Jarrahi,

and it turns out that
one of her sources of funding

is an Iranian-American businessman.

Reza Shaheen.

He has a biochemical business and he's

close friends with several
Iranian army generals.

Yeah, we ran digital forensics
on the cell phones

you guys confiscated
from the intelligence agents.

One of them called Shaheen
early this morning.

Boom. Solid gold.

Where's Shaheen now?

Shaheen is in Abu Dhabi.
Hasn't been to Los Angeles

in months.
Like I said, it's a long sh*t.

Wow. Riddle me this, Batgirl.

Why would one of these guys call Shaheen

if he was not somehow involved?

SAM: Does Shaheen own property in L.A.?

He's moving all of his business
out of California,

but he still has one asset.

It's a warehouse in Hawthorne.

Send me the address. Kensi, Deeks.

- Yep.
- We'll meet you there.

[SIGHS] No answer.

Does it look familiar?

No.

Let's take a look around back.

MAN: I'll be with you in a moment.

Please feel free to look around.

We're having a sale on lemon trees.

% off. If you buy one,

I'll send you home with a free begonia.

Beautiful, aren't they?

I've been shaping these trees
their whole lives.

Ever since they were little saplings.

So, what can I help you with today?

Finish the job.

I'm Arnold Baines and this is my garden.

Uh, Nate.

And this is my friend,

Greg.

Uh, he just moved,

- Hi.
- And is looking for some plants

to liven the place up.

I suggested a peace lily or a
ficus, but that's just because

those are the only two plants
I can name. [CHUCKLES]

You're not alone in that respect.

The world is flora-illiterate.

If I had my way, they'd teach botany

starting in elementary school.

We'd give every kid a lily,

let them nurture it with water and sun

and then take it away

and let them watch it wither and die.

That sounds pretty intense
for elementary school kids.

Eh, kids are more resilient
than we give them credit for.

Besides, it's only by understanding life

that one comes to truly respect it.

Is that why you work on bonsai trees?

People have compared it to foot binding.

BAINES: Oh, no.

Bonsai is not designed to stunt
growth but to encourage it.

To stimulate the brain and, yes,

even the soul of the trainer.

And, my friend, if you're going
to speak on a subject,

get the pronunciation right.
It's "bone-sigh."

It's Japanese.
It's a beautiful language.

Do you speak it?

I did at one time,
but I'm out of practice.

I'm sorry, was that, uh, Russian
that you were speaking?

I'm afraid I don't speak Russian.

Just what I was looking for.

Snake plant.

One of the heartiest
household plants you can find.

Doesn't need a lot of water,
doesn't need a lot of light.

Just time.

DEEKS: Yo, maybe we missed something.

Oh, let it go, babe. It was a bust.

Varza was never at the warehouse.

And I don't care if he is in Abu Dhabi,

Shaheen had something to do
with this, he has to.

I know the SAC at the
Middle East field office.

I'll call her, tell her
to bring in Shaheen

for questioning.

- This isn't over.
- KILBRIDE: Actually, it is.

I just got off the phone with LAPD.

They, uh, picked up
Officer Varza an hour ago.

They found her in a state of delirium

about a mile from her house.

And the State Department has ordered us

to release the Iranian
intelligence agents

and to drop any investigation
of Reza Shaheen.

SAM: You got to be kidding me.

They kidnapped a Naval officer.

- Why are they doing this?
- KILBRIDE: The greater good,

or so they claim.

It seems that the never-ending talks

on the Iran nuclear deal
have hit a crucial stage.

Neither side wants to ruffle feathers.

Does Varza know what happened to her?

Does she remember anything?

She's still being treated
at the hospital,

But as far as we are concerned,
this case is closed.

For now. We will keep very close tabs

on Shaheen. The minute the deal is done

or falls through...

he's ours.

FATIMA: I'm so sorry

about everything.

Me too.

I was naive believing
the world would see my work

the way I intended it.

But until we learn to start
trusting one another,

every good thing will look like a thr*at

instead of an opportunity
to make a better world.

- [DOOR OPENS]
- OFFICER: Right this way.

- How's Varza?
- Physically okay.

She has no memory of the last hours.

Found traces of benzodiazepine
in her system.

It's used to extract information
during interrogations.

Who knows what all she told them.

- Did you have them take a look at that?
- No. I'll be fine.

As long as I get something to eat soon.

Well, it's almost sundown.

Do you want to break fast together?

Yeah. I-I'd love that.

I know it's traditional to start with

three dates, uh, to break a fast.

Well, why don't we just
start with one date

and see how it goes?

No, I meant dates, the pitted fruit.

- I brought some if you...
- Akhil.

It was a joke.

Oh. Right.

Come on, I know a place.

Were those in your pocket all day?

Yeah. Got a little smushed
when I was tackled.

[LAUGHS]

- Hey.
- KENSI: Hey.

So, I got something else
from the case officer.

This is the number

- for Rosa's aunt's house.
- [GASPS]

I thought you might want
to check in on her.

Oh, my gosh, of course I do.
Thank you so much.

- Of course.
- Okay.

- [LINE RINGING]
- [EXHALES]

[SPEAKING SPANISH]

Gracias.

De nada.

Rosa?

Hi. How are you?

It's so good to hear your voice.

Yeah. I, uh, how's everything?
Are you in school?

I know, I... Yes.

I remember those days. [CHUCKLES]

When?

That's amazing. That's amazing.

[KNOCKING]

[MAN SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

Hey. Thanks for coming.

- That's him?
- Yep. That is Arnold Baines.

I pulled up the permits and
the certificates of ownership

for the house in Cypress Park.

Arnold Baines bought the parcel in .

The previous owner was
a behavioral psychiatrist

by the name of Howard Pembrook.

Pembrook, Pembroke.

- What happened to him?
- He d*ed the same year.

Except he didn't, Nate.
He just changed his name.

Arnold Baines is Pembrook.

Arnold Baines is the guy in the film.

C-Come on, he...
he's got the same voice.

I-I'm not so sure.

You saw how he acted.

He understood me when I spoke Russian.

- Callen...
- Nate,

- I'm not making this up.
- I know, I know.

Why don't we just pick this up tomorrow?

L-Look at it with fresh eyes.

Sure. Yeah, that's fine.

I'm-I'm not doing much else.

We'll get her, Callen.

We will.

♪

[PHONE VIBRATES]

Hey. How are you?

I'm sorry about this morning.

I'm sorry, too.

Listen, Callen, I don't
want to take a step back.

And I really don't
want to move in with Arkady.

I don't know what I was thinking.

No, you were right.

I-I have been obsessed,

and I can promise you it is over now.

I'm headed to the new place now.

You there?

I'm just finishing up work.

I will see you soon, all right?

Bye.

Seventeen.