14x04 - Dead Stick

[bunniefuu]

Previously on "NCIS Los Angeles..."

Aiden takes his flight test today.

Is that for us?

- Out of the car. Now!
- Hey, whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa,

whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

The system needs work.

We don't wait for change.

We make it happen.

Would you take $?

$. Final offer.

It's worth it. Trust me.

- And you're sure I need it?
- It's not a public pier, bro.

You want to surf fish,
you got to have a license,

even for catch-and-release.

Really? How often they check?

Do I look like the kind of guy
who would scam you?

Your silence hurts.

Look, you want to risk it, be my guest.

But you're gonna wish
you had made this deal

if you get hit with a $, fine.

O-Okay, you got a deal.

- That normal?
- Uh-uh.

Oh, holy hell.

Look.

Come on.

I got a pulse.

He's still breathing.

Come on. We got to go.

Those licenses being legit?

That may have been a lie.

Hey, there's nothing we can do for him.

Come on. Let's go. Come on.

- I can't.
- Come on.

Rescue's on the way.

Come on, man.

Shyla.

Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you.

It's okay. I just...
I didn't see you there.

Trying to find privacy
around here is really tough.

Tell me about it.
This is one of the only places

I could find to pray.

You don't mind doing it in here?

Oh, not at all.
Anywhere is a place of prayer.

Except for washrooms and graveyards.

I'm finishing up, though.

Thanks.

Ugh. God. Why are men so...?

Sorry.

Oh, no, please do tell.

Unless you don't want to.

It's my husband.

Um, or my ex-husband now, I guess.

I had no idea you were married.

I tend not to broadcast it.

We've been separated
for three years now,

but we've only started divorce
proceedings a couple months ago.

Oh, if I might ask, why now?

Timing finally seemed right,
from my end, at least.

I mean, he didn't contest it,
but I know he still wishes

we were together.

And he's not the best at patience.

Been there.

Everything's been filed and approved.

We're just trying to figure out
if it's official yet.

I should really...

- The room's all yours.
- Thanks.

Come on.

Come on.

Considering a wardrobe change
already, Agent Rountree?

You've barely been here an hour.

It's funny. Lost my wallet.

I thought it might have been in
one of these undercover outfits.

You mean this wallet?

Oh, damn. Yeah.

Thanks, sir.

Agent Rountree... are you all right?

LAPD wants me to meet with a PR rep.

Whiting tipped me off.

They're trying to push for paid leave

for the officer that pulled me
and my little sister over.

And you're not sure
if you should push for more?

I don't know what I was hoping for,

but it sure as hell wasn't paid leave.

Well, I know this is not
my place, Agent Rountree,

but it might not get better,
even if you do push.

Crooked cops have gotten
less for doing worse.

Oh, much worse.

Admiral, do you think that if...

if I wasn't a federal agent,

that this guy would have gotten
any punishment at all?

Unfortunately, that's
a very good question.

And I would never presume
to tell you what to do.

But if you do proceed,

you know that by virtue
of your position here,

you will have to continue
working with the LAPD?

- I'm well aware of that, sir.
- Then you are also aware

that they might try
and make it tough for you.

All due respect, sir,
tough is what I do.

Understood.

Then turning this

into something resembling
a respectable work area again

should be a piece of pie.

I asked for buttermilk pancakes,

like your mother used to make.

And?

She made it with a premade mix,
no actual buttermilk.

So you accused her of being a liar?

Well, if you lie about pancakes,
what else will you lie about?

Now, is this the kind
of person you want caring

- for your dear old pop?
- Raymond,

if I knew you were coming, I
would've brought another coffee.

Oh, don't worry. I can fend for myself.

- You did not just take my coffee.
- Yeah.

What is this all about?

- His caretaker quit this morning.
- More like

we mutually parted after
irreconcilable differences.

About pancakes.

Well, now, I got to take
Raymond's side on this.

I mean, breakfast is the most
important meal of the day.

My man.

Right?

All right, you two enjoy your coffee.

I have something to do,

like find someone
to take care of him last minute.

Huh. Did you try Castor?

Not helping.

Is there anything better
than messing with him?

I can't think of much.

Hello?

What kind of accident?

I'll be there as soon as I can.

Aiden's plane went down this morning.

He's been airlifted to a hospital

near NAS Point Mugu.

- No word on his condition.
- Oh, my God.

Go. I'll see what the office knows.

- Fatima?
- Callen.

We just heard about Aiden.

Have you learned anything?

Not much other than
his F- crashed near Ventura.

Shyla has an update coming in right now.

Okay, great. We'll loop you in.

Admiral, Callen, Fatima,

this is Lieutenant Commander
Kristina Hirsch.

Good to meet you all.

Wish it was under
different circumstances.

What can you tell us? How's Aiden?

He's still undergoing
testing, but it looks like

Lieutenant Hanna is
going to be all right.

He'll be held at the hospital
overnight for observation.

I'll be meeting with him soon.

Understood.

Do we know what caused the crash?

That's what I've been tasked
to find out.

I'll be leading a JAGMAN
investigation of the incident.

Could be a straightforward case
of equipment malfunction

or pilot error, but we can't be certain

that an external factor can be to blame.

An F- was taken down by a drone swarm

near the same area last year.

We worked that case.
Is there any reason to believe

it could have happened again?

We made some detection
improvements since then,

so I'd say it's unlikely.

But we can't rule anything out yet.

And since it happened
right in your backyard,

I'd appreciate your help
in getting to the bottom of it.

Of course. Anything you need.

I'm going to debrief
Lieutenant Hanna myself,

and I could use some assistance

in gathering evidence
and interviewing witnesses.

That's our specialty.

Lieutenant Hanna was
on a test flight out

of NAS Point Mugu when he went down.

Luckily, barely missed
an apartment complex.

There's a few eyewitnesses
being held at a beach nearby,

and I also need someone to talk

to the squadron's maintenance chief.

Agent Namazi, you and
Agent Rountree hit the beach.

Ms. Dahr, meet Agent Callen

at the boatshed and talk
to the maintenance chief.

- I will hold things down here.
- Can do.

There is one catch.

I want to be clear

that Special Agent Hanna
cannot be involved

in any part of this crash investigation.

As Lieutenant Hanna's father,

this would be a very obvious
conflict of interest.

Let me be the one to tell him.

Oh, I'm-I'm sure
he'll have no problem with that.

I'm sorry, man,
but this is coming from up high.

I get it. I don't like it, but I get it.

But if you find anything, and I
mean anything, you call me, all right?

You know I will.

All right, I got to go.

Love you too, sis.

Aiden.

I'm all right, Dad, really.

My boy. It's good to see you.

You too, Major. I just
got off the phone with Kam.

- Uh, she says hi.
- How are you?

I'm fine, Dad, I swear.

Uh, this is...

- Yeah?
- This is all from the ejection.

You don't look fine.

Yeah, I mean, uh, it did knock me out.

And they said I have a concussion.

I must have twisted my ankle
by the way I landed, but...

Okay...

I'll take that over
the alternative any day.

Any landing you can walk away from.

- Mm-hmm.
- Mm-hmm.

What happened out there?

I don't remember.

I've been trying
to go over it in my mind.

Sorry to intrude.

At ease, Lieutenant.

Pleasure to meet you,
Special Agent Hanna.

You, too.

Lieutenant Commander Kristina Hirsch.

I'm heading the JAGMAN
investigation into the incident.

Lieutenant Hanna, how are you feeling?

All things considered, I'm... I'm okay.

Then we can get started
on your official statement.

Master Chief Frazier, you direct
all aircraft maintenance

- and inspections in the squadron?
- Yes, ma'am.

And as soon as any mishap occurs,

all maintenance records,
log books and files

on the incident plane are locked down.

- So they can't be altered?
- Correct.

And I did that as soon
as I was made aware.

They're available for you to examine.

We will. Right now
we're interested in your take.

Was there anything in those records

- that you thought was a red flag?
- No, sir.

The incident plane was
a relatively new airframe,

next phase maintenance wasn't due,
for another flight hours.

Was it given a proper pre-flight
inspection this morning?

Of course. The plane was
certified for safe flight.

Sonic would have confirmed
the same before takeoff.

Sonic?

That's Lieutenant Hanna's call sign.

Sam's never mentioned that?

I don't think he even knows. Why Sonic?

That's Lieutenant Hanna's story to tell.

He's a great pilot.

I was shocked to hear
that everything went sideways.

We understand this was a test flight.

What exactly were they testing?

That's classified.

It's a system being developed
by Starling Aeronautics,

and they keep pretty tight-lipped.

I'm not sure how much I can say, but...

But... what?

Between you and me, they're
behind schedule and over budget.

Now, if you want to know more,
you'll have to talk to our CO.

I'll call the admiral.

All right, Lieutenant Hanna,
talk me through the flight.

Uh, well, um, the takeoff was normal.

Proceeded to flight level
-- out to sea.

And once we reached the exercise area,

the systems test went off
without a hitch.

But then, um... then, on the way back...

What is it?

Well, I'm not sure what happened next.

Uh... my memory is just...

It's really fuzzy.

Take your time, son.

I distinctly remember realizing
that I had to punch out,

but before that, it's just...

it's just not as clear.

Why don't you try working backwards?

That helps me.

Nah.

I'm sorry. I just...

I just... I just
can't remember anything.

We'll get back to that later.

Right before the incident, the
plane was taken off autopilot.

Do you remember doing that?

N-No.

You have been the recipient
of some reprimands

and Letters of Instruction

for, shall we say, pushing the envelope?

For example,

last year you were given an LOI

for breaking the sound barrier
over the continental USA.

What?

He'd never do that.

Aiden.

Please don't act like you were

Mr. Perfect all the time.

Even if he did that,

that doesn't have anything
to do with this.

Pilot performance is a big part
of this investigation.

And Lieutenant Hanna has
developed a reputation

for flat-hatting.

- Showing off.
- Who hasn't had

a little bit of fun every now and then?

Well, that little bit of fun

overstressed a $ million airplane.

$ million? I mean, what has it got,

jewel-encrusted afterburners?

Dad.

Special Agent Hanna, Major Hanna,

I allowed you to stay in the room

out of deference for your standing

as decorated combat veterans,

but you need to stay silent.

I wasn't made aware
that my son's integrity

would be called into question.

This was a mistake.

I need you both to wait outside.

Hey, I'm his father.

Come on, son. Let's...
let's let her do her job.

It's okay, Dad.

All right, thanks, guys.

- Any luck on your end?
- No, it's weird.

None of them noticed anything
until the expl*si*n.

Ah, same, but maybe that's good news.

I mean, you know, no evidence
of another drone swarm.

Yeah, or a surface-to-air m*ssile.

Even if no one saw it fired,
it would leave a smoke trail.

Yeah, but still you'd think

something like a plane going
down would draw more attention.

Yeah, not when there's
good swells and offshore winds.

Yeah, well, maybe the wind
made it difficult to hear,

especially out over the water.

I know it was early,

but just doesn't seem
like a lot of people.

Oh? I mean, these guys said
that they saw a van leaving

shortly after the plane went down,

but they didn't get a good look.

Might not need to.

Entrance has a license plate reader.

Ah. Well, it's automated.
That might take a minute.

It's worth a sh*t. Shall we?

Commander Espinoza,
thank you for taking the time.

Of course, Admiral. Though as
I'm sure you can imagine,

things are pretty hectic
around here today.

Understood. I won't keep you
any longer than I need to.

What can you tell us about the system

that Starling Aeronautics was testing

on this morning's flight?

It's a software package

that upgrades the F-'s
electronic warfare capabilities.

And that can be done via software?

Short answer, yes. It's not
the most elegant analogy,

but this plane's basically
a flying computer.

There's a lot you can improve
on the software side alone.

Any reason to believe that the
system could have had anything

to do with Lieutenant Hanna's crash?

It's highly unlikely.

The crash occurred after the
system was successfully tested,

during level flight back to base.

Still, we will need to speak
to someone at Starling.

I'm sure you understand.

Of course. I'll make sure
the program manager knows

you need to speak with him.

Thank you, Commander.

Can you believe her?

I would've asked you to leave, too.

Come on, Dad. You saw
what was going on in there.

She's more interested in
putting his character on trial

than actually finding out what happened.

That may be, but we weren't
exactly helping the cause.

You were the one cracking jokes
about breaking the rules.

And how are you so calm?
You would think you're not

the same hard-ass that used
to make me call you "Major."

Because I'm not. You know?

I learned to let go of a lot
of those things that I held

so hard when I was young.

And I'm sorry.

I'm sorry that I didn't
learn those lessons earlier.

For you and for your mother.

Pop,

it's so easy to look back and
see how things could have been.

And, sure, I didn't
appreciate it at the time,

but...

you helped me turn out to be
the man I am today,

and I love you for it.

I know.

I know.

And seeing the man that you are today

helped me to loosen my grip.

But eventually you're gonna have to do

the same thing for Aiden.

And he can handle it.

Trust me.

I remember, um, struggling
with the controls.

The plane was not behaving
like it should have.

It-it had to be some sort
of failure, but I...

you know, I can't say what.

Why didn't you call any of this in?

I did.

Wait, wait. Didn't I?

Lieutenant Hanna, is there any chance

you thought you'd deviate
from your flight plan again?

Liven up what would otherwise have been

- a boring flight back to Point Mugu?
- No, ma'am.

I swear it.

As you're aware, the flight
was being monitored in real time.

And all the data shows
everything working fine

up until the plane was
taken off autopilot.

All indications point to that
as the first event

in the crash sequence.

What, exactly,
are you saying, Commander?

Your actions may have
directly caused this crash.

The leading theory so far
is pilot error.

We're gonna pause for a little bit.

Hopefully with time
more will come back to him.

And until then?

I've got a lot of paperwork to start on.

Well, now I'm a little hungry,
so can you show me where

they hide the food around this place?

Uh, you know what? Sure.

I could use a little bite myself.

Mm-hmm.

Here.

I'll get it. I-I'm good, Dad.

Just-just let me.

Okay. Take it slow.

So, um, how's it going
with the commander?

Badly. She thinks this is my fault.

And if they can blame it on me,

my career as a pilot might be over.

I just cannot remember.

Well, try to put yourself
back in the cockpit,

go through all your senses,

see if you can trigger something.

I am not Grandpa, Dad.

Aiden! Whoa, whoa.

Hey. Come on, come on,
sit down. Sit, sit...

I'm good, I'm good, I'm good.

I just... I'm good, I just got
a little dizzy is all.

Having a concussion
is not nothing, you know.

They said a series of those
is what could have led to

your grandfather's condition.

- Really?
- I mean,

yeah, they don't know for sure,

but they said at least contributed.

Back in his day, you were
expected to shake

this kind of thing off.

They even told me that, too,

from my time playing football

to being on the teams.

Wait, so you mean you might...

Who can know for sure?

I've had my share of knocks.

But you have to take
this stuff seriously.

I am.

I promise.

So we just wait here
until the project lead shows up?

They don't always come to us.

Enjoy it while you can.

Downtime really isn't my thing.

I've been told my resting heart rate

is six sh*ts of espresso.

So excuse the abrupt subject change,

but you don't think Aiden

actually caused that crash, do you?

What if I said that I did?

A good agent has to put
their emotions aside

and look at a case from every angle.

Every pilot, even the best,
make mistakes.

True. But the Navy's F-
program is highly selective.

Pilot error wouldn't be
my first instinct.

What about his reprimands?

A lot of fighter pilots
push their limits.

Comes with the job.

Okay, so if it's not
pilot error, what then?

- I'm not sure yet.
- Exactly.

Neither am I.

For the record, I agree with you.

But pilot performance isn't our focus,

so we can't rule it out.

Especially if we don't have
evidence of other factors.

- Do I have the right place?
- Jake Primiani?

Commander Espinoza told me
I had to talk to you,

so here I am. Can we get this over with?

Hey.

Do you think that I'd be crazy

to push for more punishment
for Officer McNeil?

What? No.

Absolutely not.

Why? Are you thinking of letting it go?

I don't know.

Some days I just want to
walk away from all of it,

you know?

But I feel weak thinking that way.

This morning I couldn't find my wallet,

and I lost my mind.

- Been that way ever since the stop.
- I'm so sorry.

But you are not weak,
no matter what you decide.

Right.

I just don't want this to be
what defines me as an agent.

Of course. I get it.

The thing is, is you can't choose

how people are gonna see you,
whether you fight this or not.

Are you trying to help? Because...

Look, sure, some of those LAPD
cops have their minds made up,

but if you fight this,

so many other people are gonna
see something completely different.

Okay, they're gonna see
the same principled,

incredibly brave person I do.

Someone to emulate.

Whatever you do, you got to do for you.

And only you.

Thanks, I... I needed that today.

Yeah, for sure.

Hey, tree may bend, tree don't break.

I like that.

Oh, Parks Department sent over
the license plate logs.

Oh, great.

I got the list of witness
vehicles right here.

Okay, if we cross-reference them...

Ooh, right there. That one.

- Yeah?
- Yeah.

That license plate's not on the list.

Entered at : a.m., left at :.

Maybe Kaleidoscope can help us
find out where it is now.

Sure, uh, Kilbride can handle that?

I made the mistake of underestimating

his Ops skills before.

I am not about to do it again.

Come on.

Have an update, Agent Namazi?

More of a request.

You, uh, game to run
a Kaleidoscope search for us?

Ooh, now that's the one that stitches

all the little pictures together, right?

Oh...

It's a joke, Rountree. What's the plate?

-Papa-Charlie- India---.

Okay.

That matches records for

a Dodge Tradesman

registered to one Marco Madsen.

The search is starting now.

Great.

Really good job, sir.

I don't need a pat
on the back, Agent Namazi.

I am not some CYO soccer brat

looking for a participation trophy.

Of course.

Sorry, sir.

And it looks like we have a hit.

That was quick.

Probably because it didn't go very far.

It's parked on a street
just a few miles away.

Sending you the location now.

The F- has the most advanced
sensor suite

of any fighter in history.

Our software package will make
that even more formidable,

extending its range and improving both

its electronic warfare att*ck
and countermeasure capabilities.

That's impressive, but we've heard that

the program's behind schedule.

It is.

And that's one of the reasons
I need to get out of here ASAP.

We have another test flight coming up.

They're putting another plane
in the air this soon?

This system was supposed to deploy

in a matter of weeks.
If there's a problem with it,

- we need to figure it out now.
- Why can't you just

- test this on a simulator?
- We are.

Pilots have been rerunning
the incident flight all day.

No one's been able to
replicate the problem.

Why is everything down to the wire

- in the first place?
- There's never enough time.

There's always hiccups, but
the deadlines stay the same.

We're having to finish our testing

with fleet pilots from the squadron,

but in a way that helps.

Puts us in more real-world situations.

Even if it results in an
incident like this morning's?

That's not what I meant.

So what kind of hiccups
have you had, exactly?

Your normal glitches and bugs.

But those were early in sim testing.

We shook them all out before
we ever hit the skies for real.

Since then it's been smooth sailing.

Which is why we can't
afford this setback.

Speaking of, um,

I really need to get to the
hangar to prep this flight.

Am I free to go?

Go.

Come on, damn machine.

You know, the same thing
happened to me earlier.

Turns out they made all the
machines cashless after COVID.

Cashless?

Yeah. I'll show you.

What did you want?

I just... You don't have to.

No, it'd be my pleasure.

Well, I was going to get a Twinkie.

Oh, a man after my own heart.

Would you look at that?

Oh, no. It's my treat.

In fact,

I think I'll get one for myself, too.

So how is Grandpop?

Well, he has his good days and bad.

What about living together
again? That can't be easy.

Well, we haven't k*lled each
other so far, so I can say that.

Although he did basically fire

the caretaker this morning when she...

What is it?

No... The engine flamed out.

I-I just remembered,
that's what started it all.

That's what caused the autopilot
to disengage,

then the electronics went haywire.

- Commander Hirsch doesn't know?
- No, no.

She said the data supports
everything working fine

until the autopilot went off.

I'll call it in. Try to find her.

Well, this gives

#vanlife a new meaning.

- Marco Madsen?
- Who's asking?

NCIS.

One, two, three. Ho!

- Whoa!
- Yeah, we just want to talk, my man.

I-I-I swear I got all
those fishing licenses legally.

Fishing licenses?
What are you talking about?

Uh...

What are you talking about?

We're investigating a plane crash,

we were hoping that you might
have seen something this morning.

Oh, yeah, that.

I did see that.

Uh, a fighter plane. It crashed.

Yeah, it crashed.

Can you elaborate?

I knew it was in trouble.

Um, it was out of control.

It was making some strange noises, too.

The engine was out.

- Wait, the engine was out?
- Yeah.

- Are you sure?
- Positive.

Because it kicked back in
just before the pilot ejected.

Guess it was too late.

Well, that contradicts
Commander Hirsch's data.

But it confirms Aiden's account.

I'm gonna call Kilbride.

All right.

Now, about those fishing licenses.

- Commander, is this a bad time?
- No, Admiral.

Just a little busy.
We have a flight in the air

retesting Starling's system right now.

I heard, which is why
I'm passing this on directly.

We have a report from an eyewitness

that backs up Lieutenant Hanna's claims.

Evidently, his engine
did cut out and stayed out

- until just before impact.
- Don't worry, Admiral,

we have the plane at a higher altitude

in closed airspace over the ocean.

Plenty of time to troubleshoot
if a problem arises.

Sir, I can't raise the pilot.

I've lost his transponder
but still have him on radar.

Kegger, this is Charlie Oscar. Over.

He's losing altitude.

Kegger, this is Charlie Oscar.

Are you reading me?

Still no contact.

Passing , feet. Still no contact.

Commander, I am patching you
through to one of my agents

who is with Lieutenant Hanna now.

They are aware of the situation.

Go ahead.

Agent Hanna, you are on

- with Commander Espinoza.
- We've got you.

Who's up there, Commander?

Lieutenant Keck.

Damn.

If it's the same issue,

he can hear you but you can't hear him.

- , feet.
- Kegger, if you can hear me,

you should bypass the VMC and
head straight to generator three

for the reboot.

- Are you sure about that?
- Yes, sir.

That's the only way I was able
to refire the engine.

- ,...
- He's about to drop off the scope.

Lieutenant Keck,

bypass the VMC and switch
to generator three.

I've lost him.

Point Mugu Tower, this is Kegger.

I've regained control
and I have leveled off.

Glad to hear it, Lieutenant Keck.

Climb back to flight level -

and make your way back to base.

Roger that, sir.
Sonic, if you can hear me,

thank you.

Good job.

That was one hell of a fix,
Lieutenant Hanna.

Definitely not on
the emergency checklist.

Thanks, ma'am. It's-it's
all coming back to me now.

Uh, it was too late for me when
I was able to refire the engine.

I'm glad it wasn't too late for Kegger.

Well, let's, uh, continue
with your statement, then.

I'll give you two the room.

Where's my father?

Oh, he's not back yet?

I thought the nurse was gonna
bring him back here.

Mr. Primiani,
just who we're looking for.

- Have a minute?
- Not really.

Well, you might want to make one.

We heard about the latest incident.

Anything you said previously
that you would like to amend?

No, there's not. It's still
too early to pinpoint a cause.

Is it? Well,
maybe we should just look at the facts.

Either two elite pilots made
the exact same mistake,

two cutting-edge planes
separately suffered

the exact same never-before-seen
system failure,

or there's a problem
with the one common thread

between the two incidents,
and that would be your system.

Look, okay, it does have a flaw in it.

But we already knew that.

A-A-And it was patched
months ago during sim testing.

What kind of flaw are we talking about?

This kind of issue has the
potential to sink our program,

if not the entire company.

Oh, we are way past that consideration.

The system can overload
the flight computer.

Which could lead to a flameout
and loss of control?

In a worst-case scenario,
yes, but like I said,

it was patched.

It's never been an issue
since we got out of the sim.

Then how did this happen twice?

Someone must have intentionally
bypassed the fix.

I-I don't see any other way.

Did you have access to the
system before both flights?

Of course.

But I-I would never do this.

You've got to believe me.

My entire career is invested
in this system.

Look, I-I know, I know it was wrong

to-to withhold the flaw from you,
but I swear that's all I did.

Well, and maybe injured
another pilot, if not worse.

I'm sorry. I messed up, I know.

Who else could have done this?

Our servers here on base are air-gapped,

so the programming would have
had to be done physically here,

but pretty much anyone
on our team has access.

The diagnostic terminal
should have records

- of everyone who accessed the system.
- Show us.

Sitrep?

Sorry, sir, I couldn't help myself.

Someone at Starling Aero
likely sabotaged the system,

which means we're going
to have to start scanning

all of their employees,
looking for motives

or targets for espionage.

Okay, sir, we'll get on it.

- There you are.
- Oh, you must be Sam.

I hear this charming gentleman
is under your care.

- Charming?
- Hmm.

Oh, cut it out.

My dear, it's been an absolute pleasure.

Oh...

So...

let me get this straight,

he willingly let you keep your
eye on him this whole time?

Oh, yeah. He's a sweet one.

Reminds me a lot of my own dad.

Are you sure we're talking
about the same person?

Do you how hard it is
for me to find someone

he's willing to put up with?

Oh, that's a common story.

It can be tough to find the right fit.

You know, I'm only per diem
here at the hospital.

- I do a bit of home care on the side.
- Yeah?

If you need someone, let me know.

I absolutely will, Constance.

Agent Hanna.

I've heard enough to shift
the investigation

from the crash to Starling Aero.

Consider yourself released
from the sidelines.

You're free to join
the rest of your team.

But to be clear, to prove this theory,

we'll need hard evidence
of the sabotage.

Understood.

Dad. Charming. Prince Charming.

- Yeah.
- Stay with Aiden.

I mean it. Thank you.

This is where we program the system

before it's installed on the plane.

- Huh.
- What's wrong?

Someone pulled the hard drive.

We need to account for your
employees right now.

Okay, I may have found something here.

I found a person
with irregular financials,

but the only thing is, they're
not anyone from Starling.

Who is it, then?

Callen.

Frazier.

I told you they don't always come to us.

Call base security.

Stop the truck!

Frazier, stop. It's over.

No!

- Drop the g*n.
- This all got out of hand.

No one's gonna understand.

Understand what?

Starling knew about the flaw.

They were hiding it.

I was just trying to make everybody see.

Then those fools started
focusing on the wrong error.

It was the system, not pilot error!

That's why you did it a second time.

I didn't want to, but it
would have all been for nothing.

Master Chief Frazier.

I'm Special Agent Sam Hanna.

Aiden's father.

I understand.

If I'm willing to forgive you,

others will, too. Huh?

Put the g*n down.

Put it down, please.

- I'm sorry.
- Put it down.

I'm sorry.

Drop it. Drop the g*n.

Drop it.

I'm sorry.

Hands up, on your head.

Relax.

Let's go. With me.

You really mean that?

It's important to be gracious
with forgiveness.

It'll take some time,
but I'm willing to try.

Hey, great work today.

Thanks, but I only had a small part.

Callen and Sam are very good
at de-escalation.

It's a shame about
Master Chief Frazier, though.

Seems like a good guy
who really lost his way.

I'd say so.

We traced his financials,
and we found a payout

from one of Starling's rivals.

They were trying to t*nk the program

so they could swoop in
and steal the contract?

That's what it looks like.

Hey, so, how did your
call go this morning?

I guess as well as it could.

Everything's official now.

It's kind of weird, though, you know?

You don't get anything after a divorce.

It just kind of becomes finalized.

I'd be happy to get you something.

Maybe when we finish these
after action reports,

like a celebration drink.

Unless this is something
you don't want to celebrate.

'Cause we can be sad instead.

- No. A celebration would be good.
- Great.

Maybe with a little bit of sadness.

Well, then, the Snake Pit
is calling our name.

It is the right amount
of divey for both.

- Thank you, Fatima.
- Yeah.

Agent Rountree.

Good to see your desk
back in ship shape.

Yeah.

- As much as it ever was,
- I guess.

Yeah.

Still got that damn ball on display

from b*ating my Tigers.

That baby's not going anywhere
anytime soon.

Hmm.

Well...

Uh, sir.

Uh...

what would you do if, if you were me?

Well, like I said, Agent Rountree,
this really isn't my place...

I-I know. I know, sir, but...

I'm asking.

Personally, I'd like to see
the bastard's hide

nailed to the outhouse wall,

instead of just a slap on the wrist.

Yeah.

Even if pushing back
affected our office,

made our jobs harder?

Agent Rountree, you are part

of a very elite team.

Every member of it
is behind you on this,

including me, come what may.

I appreciate that, sir.

Night, Rountree.

Night.

- Commander.
- Ah, Agent Hanna.

I'm wrapping up here. Glad I caught you.

My initial take on your son was wrong.

And I can admit that.

I hope there are no hard feelings.

Target fixation's a hell of a thing.

That it is.

It's safe to say that Lieutenant Hanna

was at no fault for this incident,

and as soon as he's cleared
by the flight surgeon,

he'll be back up in the sky.

Well, thank you, Commander.

Oh, and I thought you might like to know

that Commander Espinoza
has written him up

- for a commendation.
- Hmm.

It wasn't luck he avoided those
apartments when he went down.

By staying with the plane

as long as he did to refire the engine,

he saved lives.

That's a special son you've got.

Well, I hope you didn't tell him that.

He's got a big enough ego as is.

Yeah, most stick jockeys do.

I should know. I'm one of 'em.

Let me get this straight.

When you look down,

you look straight through the plane

- to the ground?
- Yep.

On the inside of your visor.

Any direction you turn your head.

It's something else.

Yeah, well, do they have
airsick bags up there, too?

Glad to see you two haven't
b*rned this place down.

Yet.

Yeah, well...

- he's gotten good.
- Yeah?

I haven't won a game yet.

That's 'cause I learned from the best.

Squadron sent you this.

They wanted me to officially
welcome you as a member

of the Martin Baker fan club.

Anybody want to enlighten
a confused old man?

It's the ejection seat manufacturer.

They saved my ass, that's for sure.

I'll stand for themany day.

Well, that calls for a drink.

Oh, come on, are you serious?
He's got a concussion.

Well, we don't.

Dad.

All right, water for you two.

Yeah.

- Huh?
- Just a splash.

Help you pour.

To, um, three generations

of badasses. Hmm?

Now, sure, two of you
unenlightened souls

went Navy, but we'll find
a way to forgive you.

Hear, hear.

Oh, Callen told me
something interesting...

Sonic.

Now, see, I'm confused again.

Uh, it's my call sign, Grandpop.

Your squadron picks it for you,
usually after you've done

something pretty stupid.

Yeah, like, say illegally
breaking the sound barrier?

Something like that?

Well, let's just say that

my plane wasn't the only thing

that went supersonic that day.

I have never seen my CO
use that many curse words.

My boy. Yeah.