NCIS: Sydney (2023) s03e05 Episode Script
Black is White
1
[MACKEY]
AFP have made a P-35 request.
What's a P-35?
Hard copy application. No more lies.
- [ROCKET WHOOSHES]
- [SCREAMS] Incoming!
My name is Rashid Rahmati
and I have evidence
of an American war crime.
I took orders from a man
they called Ghost.
He walked through the rubble,
executing the survivors.
I used one of the Australians'
body cams to record it.
I know the Marine Corps
tried to end you.
There's folks out there
looking for any excuse
to finish what they started.
[GUNSHOT]
[MACKEY] The targets.
Whoever The Ghost was working
for was covering their tracks.
[DARK MUSIC]
- [PROJECTOR TICKS]
- [TRAIN CHUGS ON FILM]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ON FILM]
[FAINT COUGH]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CONTINUES ON FILM]
- [TRAIN CHUGS]
- [RAILWAY BELL DINGS]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CONTINUES ON FILM]
[INDISTINCT DIALOGUE ON FILM]
[TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS ON FILM]
[TRAIN WHISTLE BLARES]
[BREATHES HEAVILY]
[UNSETTLING MUSIC]
[DOOR CLOSES]
[FOOTSTEPS THUD]
[OUTER DOOR CLOSES]
[FOOTSTEPS THUD]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
[SLOW FOOTSTEPS THUD]
[UNSETTLING MUSIC]
[MUSIC INTENSIFIES]
[THUDDING NEARBY]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
[SLOW FOOTSTEPS THUD]
[CHILLING CHORD]
[SLOW FOOTSTEPS THUD]
[SCREAMS]
[THEME MUSIC]
[PHONE RINGS]
[PHONE CONTINUES RINGING]
[WHIMSICAL MUSIC]
[CLEARS THROAT]
You've reached Travis Riggs.
Please leave a message.
Beep!
Uh, yeah, she's right here.
Um, yeah.
It's for you. Sounds important.
Mackey.
Early bird eats the worm. [CHUCKLES]
Not that you eat worms.
Or have worms.
- Okay.
- Sorry, you wanted to see me?
Yeah, I want to get your
application off to AFP today,
get it sorted.
[BLUE] Mm-hm.
Trouble is I can't seem to find
your tertiary qualifications.
Ah, ye olde tertiary qualifications.
Yeah, I thought I was
looking in the wrong section,
but your bachelor of science,
your computer science degree,
your PhD in IT and forensic science.
I just need the certified copies.
Yeah.
Okay.
JD, you know how you said
for me to be
full, accurate and honest?
- Yeah.
- [BLUE] Yeah.
[INHALES] Well, I have been.
Right.
Right.
So in regards to your qualifications
for your role at NCIS, you have
- Zero.
- Zero.
I mean, it's not like I didn't
do the work. I did, you know?
I got straight HDs.
Um, I won the University Medal, twice.
- You did?
- Yeah, just for other people.
Why would you do that, Blue?!
I don't know. They offered to pay me.
Kiddo, what are
Back on the books yet, Blue?
Ah, yeah, book adjacent.
Just crossing
the 'T's and dotting the 'I's.
[MACKEY] Okay, it'll have to wait.
We've got a situation
at a movie theater.
[KEYS JANGLE]
- We'll pick this up later, yeah?
- Yep.
[SMOKY BRASS MUSIC]
[MACKEY] What's the holdup with Blue?
[JD] You know what the AFP
application process is like.
[MACKEY] No, that's why I'm asking.
[JD] Well, it's a long application.
It's like War and Peace long.
- Have you read it?
- War and Peace? No.
Blue's application? Yeah, of course.
And?
And, well, it's a cracker.
She's being super thorough.
- And honest?
- To a fault.
Okay, good.
The sooner we get it sorted,
the sooner we can find
a forever home for your stray bomb tech.
[SIREN BLARES NEARBY]
- [CAMERA CLICKS]
- [FLASH POPS]
[DOC ROY GRUNTS]
- [MACKEY] Ooh!
- [JD] Mm! [COUGHS]
[DOC ROY] Yeah, if you're
wondering about the, uh, aroma,
let me introduce
Lieutenant Felix Ebrahimi.
[JD] Oh. Ugh.
[JD] Besides what he ate
for dinner, what do we know?
Naval attaché based out
of the US Consulate, Sydney.
Cleaners found him this morning.
Last seen alive by the usher at
the 10pm screening last night.
Mm, that fits with rigor mortis.
The old boy's
starting to, uh, stiffen up.
Who brings popcorn into the stall?
Yeah, lid's down, pants up.
What does that tell us?
He wasn't dropping the kids
off at the pool, was he?
So what's the next most popular
reason to visit a public toilet?
Anonymous sex.
Quick on the draw there, Rosie.
How about the next most popular?
[SUSPENSEFUL STING]
Uh, drug deal gone bad?
Beats being murdered for popcorn.
Psh! Wasn't even his popcorn,
according to the movie usher.
He only sold two tickets that session,
one to our dead attaché and
one to the dude that came late,
guy that bought the popcorn.
So popcorn guy murders the attaché?
Maybe. But there was a third man.
You said only two tickets were sold.
Because the third man snuck
into the movie without paying.
The third man could be
a player in all this too.
I swear to God, D, you say
"third man" one more time
Oh, come on, Evie. Seriously?
The Third Man?
Sneaking into a noir movie?
Did the usher get us an ID on either?
Yeah, sure.
Thank you.
Okay, here's his description
of the first guy.
"Olive-skinned, male, kinda old."
Want to hear his take on the second guy?
Yeah.
"Olive-skinned, male, kinda old."
Useful.
Okay, right, just call me
if anything changes. Thanks.
[CLEARS THROAT]
- What have you got, Doc?
- Ooh, salted caramel.
You want a bite? [CHUCKLES]
Uh, well, the first stab wound
punctured your attaché's heart,
likely what killed him.
But then, of course, your killer,
you know, he didn't stop there, did he?
- So after killing him, he
- Gutted him. Like a fish.
Now, the question is why.
[DESHAWN] Boss, you're
not going to believe this.
So, checked Felix's file.
NCIS had a 7N investigation into him.
7N? That's narcotics.
Popped up on his friend's
socials six months ago.
Felix was a US Naval attaché.
How does he still have a job?
- Because NCIS cleared him.
- Someone's getting fired.
Felix had top-level clearances
vetted three ways to Sunday.
The photo's a fake. You know that.
So who faked it? And why?
[RANKIN] Well, his family fled
to the US 40 years ago.
I'd start there.
But you knew that too.
You want to tell me
why you're really here?
Here.
Someone's having a bad day.
- Who am I looking at?
- I was hoping you could tell me.
We're thinking he's American.
Call sign Ghost.
- Any idea what he was after?
- Two things.
An SD card with footage
of a rocket strike
on an Afghan village
hosting a ton of heroin.
And the second?
I watched him expertly nick
a woman's femoral artery,
to break up his tail.
Led me into a kill box.
The guy was hunting me.
Scroll on.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
It's a kill list.
I need a name.
Asking about someone like this
is likely to send up a few flares.
I've made a copy of the SD card.
I need you to make it clear
that anything happens to me
the footage goes viral.
Strong play, Agent Mackey.
I hope you know what you're doing.
[INTENSE MUSIC]
There were four fingerprints
found on the box of popcorn,
the usher, Felix and two others.
But one was a partial, no hits.
But the last one pinged
on a biometric database
for Sydney Airport.
Say hello to Ali Azad.
Arrived in town on Tuesday.
- [JD] Let's talk to him.
- That's gonna be tough.
Ali hasn't been seen at the hotel
since the day of the murder.
Sounds like he's gone to ground.
Nice of you to join us.
What's Ali doing in the country?
He flew in with his daughter,
Rana Azad,
an up-and-coming chess baller.
This is live.
Wait, you have a live chess feed
on your phone?
A new low for you.
Rana's playing in the Australasian
International Chess Championship.
She's playing in Sydney?
Currently smoking out
all the old grandmasters.
Her dad's her coach
and a famous chess composer.
Chess composer?
People who create chess problems.
Dad's the coach, he's gonna be there.
What are you waiting for? Go.
[DOC ROY] Now, a piece
of the blade snapped off
and became lodged in his ribs.
That indicates a knife of some sort.
Now, you have a look.
[SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS CLINK]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
So if we find the damaged
knife, could we match it?
Ohhh, don't look at me.
No, you'd need a forensic expert
for that level of detail.
You know, someone with a PhD in
forensic science, for example.
Okay, Rosie, we get the point.
Well, I mean, I could take a punt,
but I'd just be talking
out the back of my arse,
because I'm not a forensic scientist.
- You done?
- Not quite.
Now, X-rays did show something lodged
in his esophagus,
and that's why I called you in.
Great.
[MURMURS]
Hang on.
Oh, come on.
Eugh.
- [FLESH SQUELCHES]
- [DOC ROY GRUNTS]
[DOC ROY LAUGHS WHEEZILY]
Voila! A pawn.
That's a career first for me.
My guess is he tried to swallow it
and, well, choke-mate.
Wow.
Odd last meal.
Oh, hang on.
USB.
Career first for all of us.
So Felix wasn't killed for
drugs. He was killed for this.
[UNSETTLING MUSIC]
[TRIGGER] 'Sup?
Hanging around waiting to get fired.
You?
Hanging around hoping nothing
tech-y comes across my desk.
[DOOR OPENS]
Trigger,
need you to open the files on this USB.
Uh, no worries.
[QUIRKY MUSIC]
[TRIGGER CLEARS THROAT]
Uh, no! Sorry to interrupt.
Just reminding you that that laptop
is connected to the NCIS server.
True.
Making us vulnerable
to a malware attack.
Also very true.
[BLUE] No, sorry, sorry,
you need to plug that USB
into an air-gapped, firewalled device
to safely verify its contents.
Yes.
Like this one.
- So
- Yep. [SIGHS] Got it.
Okay.
[TRIGGER SIGHS]
Think you can crack that?
No problemo, yeah.
[INHALES]
[QUIRKY MUSIC]
Yeah, no, I got nothing.
Any advice for Trigger, Blue?
Yeah, yeah, this is easy.
Okay, so assuming that they've used
a password-based encryption,
you could try a brute force attack.
That sounds up my alley.
But if they've used a form of block
or stream encryption and assuming
Now might be a good time
to cross those 'T's.
[JD CLEARS THROAT]
[BLUE] Actually, you should
just forget about
the brute force attack
and go straight to
a linear cryptanalysis.
- Hey, um
- Yep. Sorry.
So it's not gonna be official,
but whatever is on
that drive is critical.
Now, we wouldn't be able
to pay you or anything.
Me? Are you kidding?
I would pay you to get do this.
Great.
- [WHISPERS] Thank you.
- [SOFTLY] You're welcome.
- [BLUE] Sorry.
- All good.
[KEYBOARD CLACKS]
[FOOTSTEPS APPROACH]
Here's our guy.
[INTRIGUING MUSIC]
[CHESS CLOCK CLICKS]
[EVIE] Who knew there were
this many chess fans?
- It's a popular sport.
- Uh, slow your roll, Myron.
In what world is chess a sport?
Uh, it's called this world.
These guys are supreme athletes.
And Rana's one of the best.
- Can you see Ali anywhere?
- Nope.
What kind of coach doesn't
show up to his daughter's match?
The kind to put a knife in our attaché.
[INTRIGUING MUSIC CONTINUES]
[CHESS CLOCK CLICKS]
[DESHAWN] Unbelievable.
- She's got him in zugzwang.
- [CHUCKLES]
- That's gotta hurt.
- Zugzwang? Endgame time.
Look, he can't move a piece
without losing.
Whichever way he goes, he's done.
Someone's chucking a tanty.
- No, he's resigning.
- Hey?
[DESHAWN] You tip over your king
when you concede defeat.
Run interference.
- I'll talk to her.
- Why you?
'Cause Myron speaks chess.
- [COIN CLINKS]
- [MECHANISM WHIRS]
What are you having?
Uh, when I win,
I'm allowed a chocolate bar.
Ooh, you must eat a mountain of it,
putting the grandmaster into a zugzwang.
- Go you.
- He underestimated me.
Yeah, I bet he won't make
that mistake again.
He won't get to.
[CHUCKLES]
Uh, your dad's your coach, isn't he?
I didn't see him around.
- He had business.
- Oh. What's he do?
He works with computers
for the government.
It was nice to meet you.
[DESHAWN] Hey, sorry.
I don't mean to bother you.
Do you mind if I have your autograph?
Uh, Constable Evie Cooper,
Australian Federal Police.
You with the embassy?
Consulate. Giti Golzaar,
media liaison representative.
Well, you've got a good news
story with that Rana kid, huh?
Zugzwanging the grandmaster like that?
Are you in the championship?
No, uh, I'm just a big fan of the game.
I chase bad guys for a living.
I'm kind of a cop.
[DESHAWN CHUCKLES]
In my country,
sometimes cops are the bad guys.
What's black is white.
Oh, see, it's a little
different here, kid.
Look. DeShawn Jackson.
Just in case you run
into any real bad guys.
I really dig your game, kid.
What interest is it to you?
I live and breathe chess. It's
the best sport in the world.
[MAN] Ladies and gentlemen,
if you would return to
- [DESHAWN] Keep up
- Excuse me.
[GITI] You need to get ready
for the finals, Rana.
Let's go.
So, I had Trigger run
an image search on Felix,
and these photos from a Sydney
protest two weeks ago came up.
What's a US Government employee
doing at an anti-regime rally?
What are they protesting?
Death of a woman, Maryam Jafari.
Protesters claimed it was
a government-sanctioned beating.
Their government claims
it was a car accident.
I got into the pawn.
- She means
- [JD AND MACKEY] Yeah.
I know what she means. [CLEARS THROAT]
Okay, well, the first folder, anyway.
The second one used
a super-sophisticated encryption key,
which I will soon out-sophisticate.
What's the first folder give us?
This pawn star.
Hassan Saberi, a Sydney dentist.
[JD] So Hassan and Felix
at the same protest.
Really? What are the odds?
And why is the identity
of a dentist worth killing for?
[INTENSE MUSIC]
[QUIRKY MUSIC]
I had a dream about my teeth last night.
- They all fell out.
- That's an anxiety dream.
What would I be anxious about?
Your teeth falling out, pretty sure.
[JD LAUGHS]
So have you let him know yet?
- Trigger?
- Take that as a no.
Oh, it's not that easy, Macka.
When it comes to broken biscuits,
you can't just chuck them out.
And just so I'm clear,
Trigger is a broken biscuit?
- Yeah, I knew you'd get it.
- I really don't.
No, yeah, you do.
He went through a rough patch,
but beneath everything
Like his total lack of utility?
Sure.
And his unwillingness to
demonstrate any kind of initiative?
Yeah, granted.
And his refusal to respect
any vague chain of command?
Well, he is Australian, Macka,
so you can give him that one.
- [DOOR OPENS NEARBY]
- [FOOTSTEPS APPROACH]
Look, you want him gone,
just say the word.
Sorry to keep you waiting.
- Come in.
- [PHONE RINGS]
We'd like to ask some
questions about Felix Ebrahimi.
I do not know this man.
Take another look.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
I'm afraid not. Uh
What is this about?
Felix was murdered yesterday.
Your contact details are on his person.
Why do you think that is?
Uh, perhaps a a patient
recommended me.
- Was it my business card?
- [JD] Yeah, not quite.
An encrypted USB was found
lodged in his throat.
Why did you lie about knowing Felix?
I can't help
if you won't let me, Hassan.
You You can't help.
Try me.
[TAPS PHONE] Ali Azad.
Felix met with him and now he's dead.
What can you tell us about Ali?
I can't.
If the regime find out
I am speaking to you
A man is dead, Hassan.
Exactly.
[UNSETTLING MUSIC]
Rumor within my community
is that Ali Azad
is an agent of the regime.
If I talk to you, what happened
to Felix could happen to me.
[UNSETTLING MUSIC]
Yo, Evie, check it out.
I was digging deeper into Ali
and I found this.
Mr. Ali, can you comment on
the death of your wife, please?
It's very simple.
My wife, Maryam,
died in a tragic accident.
Now the Western media and the opposition
are claiming foul play.
They are using her death
for political gain.
I ask you not to support them.
Maryam Jafari is Ali's wife.
And Rana's mom.
So did she die in an accident
or was she beaten to death?
[SIGHS]
The USB is loaded up
with layers upon layers
of encryption with, I'm
assuming, independent KMS keys,
which is gonna take some time.
- What else have you got?
- Felix's white Christmas.
We dug up some metadata from
the photos of Felix racking up
and compared it to the metadata
from the first encrypted folder.
- They're a match.
- Meaning?
Meaning
they're the same?
The same computer that created
the files on the USB
created the fake photos
of Felix doing drugs.
- They're from the same source.
- How can you be sure?
Several matching data points,
including the longitude
and latitude of the computer.
- Where?
- Um
Somewhere within this neighborhood.
Now, word around Hacker Town
is that that is the location
for their disinformation center.
Which is
The regime's elite hacker group.
Experts in disinformation.
So Felix was a target
of his former country?
The regime was trying to discredit him.
And according to our friendly
neighborhood dentist,
Ali is regime.
- [JD] Mm-hm.
- Maybe Ali is our killer.
[DESHAWN] I don't know about that.
Rana seemed a little cagey
when her dad didn't
show up at her game today.
You think she knows
more than she's letting on.
So what are you waiting for?
[INTENSE MUSIC BUILDS]
[APPLAUSE]
[ANNOUNCER] She is on fire.
Another chess hopeful dispatched,
this time by Rana Azad, in record time.
But the contenders just keep on coming.
[DESHAWN EXHALES]
Loser buys the winner an ice cream.
White goes first.
Hm, you know that much, at least.
I got some moves, kid.
- Better bring your A game.
- [SARCASTICALLY] I'm scared!
[LAUGHS] Something tells me
you don't scare easily.
- [SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
- [CHESS CLOCK CLICKS]
[CHESS CLOCK CLICKS]
I know what really happened to your mom.
- [CHESS CLOCK CLICKS]
- Really sorry, kid.
[SOFTLY] My mother died
in a car accident.
That's the government line.
Guess you got no choice but to toe it.
- [CHESS CLOCK THUMPS]
- What do you want?
Yesterday, your dad met
an American Naval officer,
Felix Ebrahimi.
- [CHESS CLOCK CLICKS]
- Thing is Felix is now dead.
I don't believe you.
[CHESS PIECE THUDS]
- [CHESS CLOCK CLICKS]
- [SOFTLY] Why would I lie?
Look, folks think your dad killed Felix.
My father is the softest, kindest man.
He would never hurt anyone.
If he wasn't there to hurt him,
maybe he was there to
give him something.
[CHESS CLOCK CLICKS]
I wasn't there. How would I know?
- [SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
- [SPECTATORS WHISPER]
It's your move.
- [CHESS PIECE THUDS]
- [CHESS CLOCK CLICKS]
[SCOFFS LIGHTLY]
I think you know.
Look, what was on that USB?
Why was it worth killing for?
Please, Rana,
I need to speak to your dad.
I don't know where he is.
[FOOTSTEPS APPROACH]
Stop toying with him, Rana.
There are lots more people
who'd like to play.
Wait, my time's not up.
- Checkmate.
- [CHESS CLOCK THUMPS]
- [SCOFFS]
- [SPECTATORS MURMUR]
It is now.
[CHUCKLES] I owe you an ice cream.
- [LAUGHS]
- Another time, perhaps.
Uh, your A game, it needs work.
You should come by
and watch me in the finals.
You might learn something.
[INTENSE MUSIC]
[PROTESTERS CHANT ON VIDEO]
[UNSETTLING MUSIC]
[FOOTSTEPS APPROACH]
That was the regional
security office at the embassy.
The last job in Felix's
in tray was a visa application.
- Two, in fact.
- Let me guess.
Rana and Ali Azad.
So Felix starts to organize
a visa to the States
for a member
of the regime's hacker group.
Why?
Okay, maybe Ali doesn't want
to be hacker group anymore.
Because the regime killed his wife.
He wants political asylum.
And you don't kill the guy
who's gonna give it to you.
So if Ali didn't kill Felix,
then who did?
Well, isn't it obvious?
- The third man.
- Great.
I'll put a BOLO out for Orson Welles.
[ANNOUNCER] Now, Rana Azad
is our youngest grand finalist ever.
She's cut a swath through
this tournament already,
defeating two
Who's that next to Giti?
[EVIE] It's the ambassador.
Damn! How you know that so fast?
It's called the internet, Myron.
So you got consular staff,
you got the ambassador,
and still Dad's a double no-show.
Okay, so if the regime has Ali,
what happens if Rana loses?
[SPECTATORS GASP]
[ANNOUNCER] What an unexpected opening
from the young contender.
G4? [SCOFFS] She's playing the Grob.
Who names these things?
Only the rookies play the Grob.
It's like a joke opening.
People play it online
when they're not trying
to take the game too seriously.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
- [SPECTATORS EXCLAIM]
- [DESHAWN] Bishop G2?
Well, her dad is a chess composer.
You know, there's gotta be some logic.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CONTINUES]
- [SPECTATORS MURMUR]
- [CHESS CLOCK CLICKS]
It's not making any sense.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
[SPECTATORS EXCLAIM]
[DESHAWN] Wait. G4. Bg2.
Na3.
Huh.
Knight to A3.
Pawn to H3.
Then, yeah, bishop captures D5, but
[EVIE] Look, I know I'm new to this,
but it looks like she's losing.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
No, she ain't losing.
She's playing
a different game altogether.
- Freckles!
- [PHONE BUZZES]
Yeah, someone. Uh, it's me. It's me.
It's Blue.
Blue, I need you to take this down.
[NOTEPAD THUDS]
Yep.
G4, Bg2,
Na3, H3,
Bxd5.
Is this chess?
DeShawn, are we playing chess?
My gut says
Rana's moves are
the decryption key to the USB.
Oh. Oh, I'll pop them in now.
[SIGHS] Nope, no happiness.
I'll try them lowercase.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
- Nope.
- Try doing it arse about.
- Arse where?
- Write it backwards.
Old bomb-maker trick.
[TYPES, SPEAKS INAUDIBLY]
Oh, my God, we're in!
[TRIUMPHANT MUSIC]
[JD] So all these guys are dissidents?
If you believe their public profiles.
But surprise, surprise,
they're all fake,
courtesy of our friends
at the hacker group.
They're cover identities
for their government operatives
stationed all over the world.
So who could be posing as
a dissident in this country?
Bring up Hassan's file.
Um
[UNSETTLING MUSIC]
Our dentist is the third man.
[INTENSE MUSIC]
[ANNOUNCER] Rana Azad's play
is most unusual.
Her opponent's
really just chopping wood.
[NOTIFICATION CHIMES]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
The USB was a list of undercover
agents all around the world.
Ali was blowing the lid
on an international spy ring.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
[SPECTATORS EXCLAIM]
[ANNOUNCER] I can't believe it, folks.
- What?
- Rana Azad has just resigned.
DeShawn.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
DeShawn, help!
- [WOMAN] Go, go, go!
- Move, move!
[RANA] DeShawn!
Federal agent, move!
[WOMAN] Fast, Rana!
- [DESHAWN] Rana!
- [SPECTATORS EXCLAIM]
[WOMAN] Rana!
DeShawn!
Help, DeShawn!
- Rana!
- [RANA] No!
[WOMAN] Go, go, go, go, go, go, go!
- Rana!
- [TIRES SCREECH]
[INTENSE MUSIC]
[TIRES SCREECH]
[INTENSE MUSIC]
[MACKEY] DeShawn says
they've grabbed Rana.
- We need to move fast.
- [SIREN WAILS]
- [TIRES SCREECH]
- [SIREN POWERS DOWN]
[JD] Hassan's car.
Still warm.
You two take the front.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CONTINUES]
[DENTAL DRILL WHIRS NEARBY]
[MAN SCREAMS] No! No! Please! No!
- [DENTAL DRILL WHIRS]
- [ALI] Stop! Arggh!
[ALI YELLS INDISTINCTLY]
Arggh!
[DRILL WHIRS]
[ALI] I am already dead!
- AFP!
- NCIS!
[ALI GASPS]
[BLOW THUDS]
Yeah. Don't forget to floss.
[CUFFS CLICK]
Please.
You need to know how these people work.
They don't want Rana, they want me.
You're safe now.
But Rana is not.
[BREATHES SHAKILY] You need to
contact the consulate.
Tell them I will hand myself in
if they release her.
They will kill you, Ali.
I made a promise to Maryam
to give Rana the future
she could never have.
[POIGNANT MUSIC]
Please. This is the only way.
We're not actually
considering this, are we?
What life does he have
if Rana goes back without him?
And what does freedom taste like
for Rana if her dad's dead?
There's another option.
We don't swap Ali. We swap him.
What are you saying, D?
We hand Hassan over to them?
[JD] He killed Felix.
And it's probably not
the only blood on his hands.
He should spend the rest of
his life rotting in a supermax.
What's the alternative, huh?
Rana will be holed up
in the consulate right now.
Within an hour, she'll be
on the plane back home.
Look, Hassan killed
Lieutenant Felix Ebrahimi,
and I want to see him
go down for that, I do.
But Felix died trying to give
Rana and her dad a better life.
Ask yourself, what would
Felix want us to do right now?
How do we even broker a deal like that?
We can't just get an audience
with the ambassador.
We don't need the ambassador.
We need a liaison.
[INTENSE MUSIC]
Where is she?
[THUNDER RUMBLES]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
[CAR DOOR OPENS]
- [KEYS JANGLE]
- [CAR DOOR THUDS]
[CUFFS CLINK]
- Rana!
- Baba!
- Do not touch her!
- [JD] Please let us handle this.
- Let us handle it.
- [CAR DOOR SHUTS]
Hassan.
Remember this face.
Baba!
- [BOTH SOB]
- [TENDER MIDDLE EASTERN MUSIC]
- [GENTLE MUSIC]
- [FOOTSTEPS APPROACH]
[MACKEY] Spoke to the US Consulate.
They're fast-tracking asylum
for Ali and Rana.
Good news for American chess.
[JD CLEARS THROAT]
How's it hanging?
- Blue, I
- I'm gonna stop you right there.
- Excuse me?
- I know what you're gonna say.
You're gonna say
that trust is a big deal,
and I breached yours.
So if you can find me a cardboard box,
I'll clear out my things
and I'll get out of your lair.
[POIGNANT MUSIC]
Okay, no cardboard boxes, fine.
I'll just show myself out.
[MACKEY] Or
you could just get back to work.
What?
Welcome back, kiddo.
Wait, what? How how
How is it even possible?
I am utterly unqualified.
Well, not where it counts.
JD went to AFP
and found a way to keep you.
- [JD] Mm.
- [MACKEY] What did you call it?
Special dispensation for hours accrued.
- Thank you.
- Oh!
[MACKEY LAUGHS]
[TENDER MUSIC]
Rosie!
I can stay.
Oh. Well, there you go.
Now, make yourself useful.
He's all yours.
Hey.
With me.
[PENSIVE MUSIC]
So, what do you think?
Uh
[TRIGGER EXHALES SLOWLY]
Wow.
I wasn't sure if you were
a DeWalt or a Makita guy.
[CHUCKLES]
Well, I can go either way.
Good.
Now earn your keep.
Huh. Yes, ma'am.
[PLAYFUL MUSIC]
[SIGHS]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
- [JD] Rory.
- Here he is.
I was getting worried you'd stood me up.
Oh, last-minute dentist appointment.
Oh, sounds like torture.
[SIGHS] Yeah, you don't know
the half of it.
So, to what do I owe the pleasure?
So I pulled some strings.
Your broken bickie
will remain firmly inside
the NCIS cookie jar.
Oh, mate, that is unreal.
Hey, Trigger's a good egg.
- You'll see.
- I already have, mate.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Got a favor to ask in return.
Still got mates in admissions?
[RORY] Mm-hm.
Just between us, eh?
[INTENSE MUSIC]
[MACKEY]
AFP have made a P-35 request.
What's a P-35?
Hard copy application. No more lies.
- [ROCKET WHOOSHES]
- [SCREAMS] Incoming!
My name is Rashid Rahmati
and I have evidence
of an American war crime.
I took orders from a man
they called Ghost.
He walked through the rubble,
executing the survivors.
I used one of the Australians'
body cams to record it.
I know the Marine Corps
tried to end you.
There's folks out there
looking for any excuse
to finish what they started.
[GUNSHOT]
[MACKEY] The targets.
Whoever The Ghost was working
for was covering their tracks.
[DARK MUSIC]
- [PROJECTOR TICKS]
- [TRAIN CHUGS ON FILM]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ON FILM]
[FAINT COUGH]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CONTINUES ON FILM]
- [TRAIN CHUGS]
- [RAILWAY BELL DINGS]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CONTINUES ON FILM]
[INDISTINCT DIALOGUE ON FILM]
[TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS ON FILM]
[TRAIN WHISTLE BLARES]
[BREATHES HEAVILY]
[UNSETTLING MUSIC]
[DOOR CLOSES]
[FOOTSTEPS THUD]
[OUTER DOOR CLOSES]
[FOOTSTEPS THUD]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
[SLOW FOOTSTEPS THUD]
[UNSETTLING MUSIC]
[MUSIC INTENSIFIES]
[THUDDING NEARBY]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
[SLOW FOOTSTEPS THUD]
[CHILLING CHORD]
[SLOW FOOTSTEPS THUD]
[SCREAMS]
[THEME MUSIC]
[PHONE RINGS]
[PHONE CONTINUES RINGING]
[WHIMSICAL MUSIC]
[CLEARS THROAT]
You've reached Travis Riggs.
Please leave a message.
Beep!
Uh, yeah, she's right here.
Um, yeah.
It's for you. Sounds important.
Mackey.
Early bird eats the worm. [CHUCKLES]
Not that you eat worms.
Or have worms.
- Okay.
- Sorry, you wanted to see me?
Yeah, I want to get your
application off to AFP today,
get it sorted.
[BLUE] Mm-hm.
Trouble is I can't seem to find
your tertiary qualifications.
Ah, ye olde tertiary qualifications.
Yeah, I thought I was
looking in the wrong section,
but your bachelor of science,
your computer science degree,
your PhD in IT and forensic science.
I just need the certified copies.
Yeah.
Okay.
JD, you know how you said
for me to be
full, accurate and honest?
- Yeah.
- [BLUE] Yeah.
[INHALES] Well, I have been.
Right.
Right.
So in regards to your qualifications
for your role at NCIS, you have
- Zero.
- Zero.
I mean, it's not like I didn't
do the work. I did, you know?
I got straight HDs.
Um, I won the University Medal, twice.
- You did?
- Yeah, just for other people.
Why would you do that, Blue?!
I don't know. They offered to pay me.
Kiddo, what are
Back on the books yet, Blue?
Ah, yeah, book adjacent.
Just crossing
the 'T's and dotting the 'I's.
[MACKEY] Okay, it'll have to wait.
We've got a situation
at a movie theater.
[KEYS JANGLE]
- We'll pick this up later, yeah?
- Yep.
[SMOKY BRASS MUSIC]
[MACKEY] What's the holdup with Blue?
[JD] You know what the AFP
application process is like.
[MACKEY] No, that's why I'm asking.
[JD] Well, it's a long application.
It's like War and Peace long.
- Have you read it?
- War and Peace? No.
Blue's application? Yeah, of course.
And?
And, well, it's a cracker.
She's being super thorough.
- And honest?
- To a fault.
Okay, good.
The sooner we get it sorted,
the sooner we can find
a forever home for your stray bomb tech.
[SIREN BLARES NEARBY]
- [CAMERA CLICKS]
- [FLASH POPS]
[DOC ROY GRUNTS]
- [MACKEY] Ooh!
- [JD] Mm! [COUGHS]
[DOC ROY] Yeah, if you're
wondering about the, uh, aroma,
let me introduce
Lieutenant Felix Ebrahimi.
[JD] Oh. Ugh.
[JD] Besides what he ate
for dinner, what do we know?
Naval attaché based out
of the US Consulate, Sydney.
Cleaners found him this morning.
Last seen alive by the usher at
the 10pm screening last night.
Mm, that fits with rigor mortis.
The old boy's
starting to, uh, stiffen up.
Who brings popcorn into the stall?
Yeah, lid's down, pants up.
What does that tell us?
He wasn't dropping the kids
off at the pool, was he?
So what's the next most popular
reason to visit a public toilet?
Anonymous sex.
Quick on the draw there, Rosie.
How about the next most popular?
[SUSPENSEFUL STING]
Uh, drug deal gone bad?
Beats being murdered for popcorn.
Psh! Wasn't even his popcorn,
according to the movie usher.
He only sold two tickets that session,
one to our dead attaché and
one to the dude that came late,
guy that bought the popcorn.
So popcorn guy murders the attaché?
Maybe. But there was a third man.
You said only two tickets were sold.
Because the third man snuck
into the movie without paying.
The third man could be
a player in all this too.
I swear to God, D, you say
"third man" one more time
Oh, come on, Evie. Seriously?
The Third Man?
Sneaking into a noir movie?
Did the usher get us an ID on either?
Yeah, sure.
Thank you.
Okay, here's his description
of the first guy.
"Olive-skinned, male, kinda old."
Want to hear his take on the second guy?
Yeah.
"Olive-skinned, male, kinda old."
Useful.
Okay, right, just call me
if anything changes. Thanks.
[CLEARS THROAT]
- What have you got, Doc?
- Ooh, salted caramel.
You want a bite? [CHUCKLES]
Uh, well, the first stab wound
punctured your attaché's heart,
likely what killed him.
But then, of course, your killer,
you know, he didn't stop there, did he?
- So after killing him, he
- Gutted him. Like a fish.
Now, the question is why.
[DESHAWN] Boss, you're
not going to believe this.
So, checked Felix's file.
NCIS had a 7N investigation into him.
7N? That's narcotics.
Popped up on his friend's
socials six months ago.
Felix was a US Naval attaché.
How does he still have a job?
- Because NCIS cleared him.
- Someone's getting fired.
Felix had top-level clearances
vetted three ways to Sunday.
The photo's a fake. You know that.
So who faked it? And why?
[RANKIN] Well, his family fled
to the US 40 years ago.
I'd start there.
But you knew that too.
You want to tell me
why you're really here?
Here.
Someone's having a bad day.
- Who am I looking at?
- I was hoping you could tell me.
We're thinking he's American.
Call sign Ghost.
- Any idea what he was after?
- Two things.
An SD card with footage
of a rocket strike
on an Afghan village
hosting a ton of heroin.
And the second?
I watched him expertly nick
a woman's femoral artery,
to break up his tail.
Led me into a kill box.
The guy was hunting me.
Scroll on.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
It's a kill list.
I need a name.
Asking about someone like this
is likely to send up a few flares.
I've made a copy of the SD card.
I need you to make it clear
that anything happens to me
the footage goes viral.
Strong play, Agent Mackey.
I hope you know what you're doing.
[INTENSE MUSIC]
There were four fingerprints
found on the box of popcorn,
the usher, Felix and two others.
But one was a partial, no hits.
But the last one pinged
on a biometric database
for Sydney Airport.
Say hello to Ali Azad.
Arrived in town on Tuesday.
- [JD] Let's talk to him.
- That's gonna be tough.
Ali hasn't been seen at the hotel
since the day of the murder.
Sounds like he's gone to ground.
Nice of you to join us.
What's Ali doing in the country?
He flew in with his daughter,
Rana Azad,
an up-and-coming chess baller.
This is live.
Wait, you have a live chess feed
on your phone?
A new low for you.
Rana's playing in the Australasian
International Chess Championship.
She's playing in Sydney?
Currently smoking out
all the old grandmasters.
Her dad's her coach
and a famous chess composer.
Chess composer?
People who create chess problems.
Dad's the coach, he's gonna be there.
What are you waiting for? Go.
[DOC ROY] Now, a piece
of the blade snapped off
and became lodged in his ribs.
That indicates a knife of some sort.
Now, you have a look.
[SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS CLINK]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
So if we find the damaged
knife, could we match it?
Ohhh, don't look at me.
No, you'd need a forensic expert
for that level of detail.
You know, someone with a PhD in
forensic science, for example.
Okay, Rosie, we get the point.
Well, I mean, I could take a punt,
but I'd just be talking
out the back of my arse,
because I'm not a forensic scientist.
- You done?
- Not quite.
Now, X-rays did show something lodged
in his esophagus,
and that's why I called you in.
Great.
[MURMURS]
Hang on.
Oh, come on.
Eugh.
- [FLESH SQUELCHES]
- [DOC ROY GRUNTS]
[DOC ROY LAUGHS WHEEZILY]
Voila! A pawn.
That's a career first for me.
My guess is he tried to swallow it
and, well, choke-mate.
Wow.
Odd last meal.
Oh, hang on.
USB.
Career first for all of us.
So Felix wasn't killed for
drugs. He was killed for this.
[UNSETTLING MUSIC]
[TRIGGER] 'Sup?
Hanging around waiting to get fired.
You?
Hanging around hoping nothing
tech-y comes across my desk.
[DOOR OPENS]
Trigger,
need you to open the files on this USB.
Uh, no worries.
[QUIRKY MUSIC]
[TRIGGER CLEARS THROAT]
Uh, no! Sorry to interrupt.
Just reminding you that that laptop
is connected to the NCIS server.
True.
Making us vulnerable
to a malware attack.
Also very true.
[BLUE] No, sorry, sorry,
you need to plug that USB
into an air-gapped, firewalled device
to safely verify its contents.
Yes.
Like this one.
- So
- Yep. [SIGHS] Got it.
Okay.
[TRIGGER SIGHS]
Think you can crack that?
No problemo, yeah.
[INHALES]
[QUIRKY MUSIC]
Yeah, no, I got nothing.
Any advice for Trigger, Blue?
Yeah, yeah, this is easy.
Okay, so assuming that they've used
a password-based encryption,
you could try a brute force attack.
That sounds up my alley.
But if they've used a form of block
or stream encryption and assuming
Now might be a good time
to cross those 'T's.
[JD CLEARS THROAT]
[BLUE] Actually, you should
just forget about
the brute force attack
and go straight to
a linear cryptanalysis.
- Hey, um
- Yep. Sorry.
So it's not gonna be official,
but whatever is on
that drive is critical.
Now, we wouldn't be able
to pay you or anything.
Me? Are you kidding?
I would pay you to get do this.
Great.
- [WHISPERS] Thank you.
- [SOFTLY] You're welcome.
- [BLUE] Sorry.
- All good.
[KEYBOARD CLACKS]
[FOOTSTEPS APPROACH]
Here's our guy.
[INTRIGUING MUSIC]
[CHESS CLOCK CLICKS]
[EVIE] Who knew there were
this many chess fans?
- It's a popular sport.
- Uh, slow your roll, Myron.
In what world is chess a sport?
Uh, it's called this world.
These guys are supreme athletes.
And Rana's one of the best.
- Can you see Ali anywhere?
- Nope.
What kind of coach doesn't
show up to his daughter's match?
The kind to put a knife in our attaché.
[INTRIGUING MUSIC CONTINUES]
[CHESS CLOCK CLICKS]
[DESHAWN] Unbelievable.
- She's got him in zugzwang.
- [CHUCKLES]
- That's gotta hurt.
- Zugzwang? Endgame time.
Look, he can't move a piece
without losing.
Whichever way he goes, he's done.
Someone's chucking a tanty.
- No, he's resigning.
- Hey?
[DESHAWN] You tip over your king
when you concede defeat.
Run interference.
- I'll talk to her.
- Why you?
'Cause Myron speaks chess.
- [COIN CLINKS]
- [MECHANISM WHIRS]
What are you having?
Uh, when I win,
I'm allowed a chocolate bar.
Ooh, you must eat a mountain of it,
putting the grandmaster into a zugzwang.
- Go you.
- He underestimated me.
Yeah, I bet he won't make
that mistake again.
He won't get to.
[CHUCKLES]
Uh, your dad's your coach, isn't he?
I didn't see him around.
- He had business.
- Oh. What's he do?
He works with computers
for the government.
It was nice to meet you.
[DESHAWN] Hey, sorry.
I don't mean to bother you.
Do you mind if I have your autograph?
Uh, Constable Evie Cooper,
Australian Federal Police.
You with the embassy?
Consulate. Giti Golzaar,
media liaison representative.
Well, you've got a good news
story with that Rana kid, huh?
Zugzwanging the grandmaster like that?
Are you in the championship?
No, uh, I'm just a big fan of the game.
I chase bad guys for a living.
I'm kind of a cop.
[DESHAWN CHUCKLES]
In my country,
sometimes cops are the bad guys.
What's black is white.
Oh, see, it's a little
different here, kid.
Look. DeShawn Jackson.
Just in case you run
into any real bad guys.
I really dig your game, kid.
What interest is it to you?
I live and breathe chess. It's
the best sport in the world.
[MAN] Ladies and gentlemen,
if you would return to
- [DESHAWN] Keep up
- Excuse me.
[GITI] You need to get ready
for the finals, Rana.
Let's go.
So, I had Trigger run
an image search on Felix,
and these photos from a Sydney
protest two weeks ago came up.
What's a US Government employee
doing at an anti-regime rally?
What are they protesting?
Death of a woman, Maryam Jafari.
Protesters claimed it was
a government-sanctioned beating.
Their government claims
it was a car accident.
I got into the pawn.
- She means
- [JD AND MACKEY] Yeah.
I know what she means. [CLEARS THROAT]
Okay, well, the first folder, anyway.
The second one used
a super-sophisticated encryption key,
which I will soon out-sophisticate.
What's the first folder give us?
This pawn star.
Hassan Saberi, a Sydney dentist.
[JD] So Hassan and Felix
at the same protest.
Really? What are the odds?
And why is the identity
of a dentist worth killing for?
[INTENSE MUSIC]
[QUIRKY MUSIC]
I had a dream about my teeth last night.
- They all fell out.
- That's an anxiety dream.
What would I be anxious about?
Your teeth falling out, pretty sure.
[JD LAUGHS]
So have you let him know yet?
- Trigger?
- Take that as a no.
Oh, it's not that easy, Macka.
When it comes to broken biscuits,
you can't just chuck them out.
And just so I'm clear,
Trigger is a broken biscuit?
- Yeah, I knew you'd get it.
- I really don't.
No, yeah, you do.
He went through a rough patch,
but beneath everything
Like his total lack of utility?
Sure.
And his unwillingness to
demonstrate any kind of initiative?
Yeah, granted.
And his refusal to respect
any vague chain of command?
Well, he is Australian, Macka,
so you can give him that one.
- [DOOR OPENS NEARBY]
- [FOOTSTEPS APPROACH]
Look, you want him gone,
just say the word.
Sorry to keep you waiting.
- Come in.
- [PHONE RINGS]
We'd like to ask some
questions about Felix Ebrahimi.
I do not know this man.
Take another look.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
I'm afraid not. Uh
What is this about?
Felix was murdered yesterday.
Your contact details are on his person.
Why do you think that is?
Uh, perhaps a a patient
recommended me.
- Was it my business card?
- [JD] Yeah, not quite.
An encrypted USB was found
lodged in his throat.
Why did you lie about knowing Felix?
I can't help
if you won't let me, Hassan.
You You can't help.
Try me.
[TAPS PHONE] Ali Azad.
Felix met with him and now he's dead.
What can you tell us about Ali?
I can't.
If the regime find out
I am speaking to you
A man is dead, Hassan.
Exactly.
[UNSETTLING MUSIC]
Rumor within my community
is that Ali Azad
is an agent of the regime.
If I talk to you, what happened
to Felix could happen to me.
[UNSETTLING MUSIC]
Yo, Evie, check it out.
I was digging deeper into Ali
and I found this.
Mr. Ali, can you comment on
the death of your wife, please?
It's very simple.
My wife, Maryam,
died in a tragic accident.
Now the Western media and the opposition
are claiming foul play.
They are using her death
for political gain.
I ask you not to support them.
Maryam Jafari is Ali's wife.
And Rana's mom.
So did she die in an accident
or was she beaten to death?
[SIGHS]
The USB is loaded up
with layers upon layers
of encryption with, I'm
assuming, independent KMS keys,
which is gonna take some time.
- What else have you got?
- Felix's white Christmas.
We dug up some metadata from
the photos of Felix racking up
and compared it to the metadata
from the first encrypted folder.
- They're a match.
- Meaning?
Meaning
they're the same?
The same computer that created
the files on the USB
created the fake photos
of Felix doing drugs.
- They're from the same source.
- How can you be sure?
Several matching data points,
including the longitude
and latitude of the computer.
- Where?
- Um
Somewhere within this neighborhood.
Now, word around Hacker Town
is that that is the location
for their disinformation center.
Which is
The regime's elite hacker group.
Experts in disinformation.
So Felix was a target
of his former country?
The regime was trying to discredit him.
And according to our friendly
neighborhood dentist,
Ali is regime.
- [JD] Mm-hm.
- Maybe Ali is our killer.
[DESHAWN] I don't know about that.
Rana seemed a little cagey
when her dad didn't
show up at her game today.
You think she knows
more than she's letting on.
So what are you waiting for?
[INTENSE MUSIC BUILDS]
[APPLAUSE]
[ANNOUNCER] She is on fire.
Another chess hopeful dispatched,
this time by Rana Azad, in record time.
But the contenders just keep on coming.
[DESHAWN EXHALES]
Loser buys the winner an ice cream.
White goes first.
Hm, you know that much, at least.
I got some moves, kid.
- Better bring your A game.
- [SARCASTICALLY] I'm scared!
[LAUGHS] Something tells me
you don't scare easily.
- [SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
- [CHESS CLOCK CLICKS]
[CHESS CLOCK CLICKS]
I know what really happened to your mom.
- [CHESS CLOCK CLICKS]
- Really sorry, kid.
[SOFTLY] My mother died
in a car accident.
That's the government line.
Guess you got no choice but to toe it.
- [CHESS CLOCK THUMPS]
- What do you want?
Yesterday, your dad met
an American Naval officer,
Felix Ebrahimi.
- [CHESS CLOCK CLICKS]
- Thing is Felix is now dead.
I don't believe you.
[CHESS PIECE THUDS]
- [CHESS CLOCK CLICKS]
- [SOFTLY] Why would I lie?
Look, folks think your dad killed Felix.
My father is the softest, kindest man.
He would never hurt anyone.
If he wasn't there to hurt him,
maybe he was there to
give him something.
[CHESS CLOCK CLICKS]
I wasn't there. How would I know?
- [SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
- [SPECTATORS WHISPER]
It's your move.
- [CHESS PIECE THUDS]
- [CHESS CLOCK CLICKS]
[SCOFFS LIGHTLY]
I think you know.
Look, what was on that USB?
Why was it worth killing for?
Please, Rana,
I need to speak to your dad.
I don't know where he is.
[FOOTSTEPS APPROACH]
Stop toying with him, Rana.
There are lots more people
who'd like to play.
Wait, my time's not up.
- Checkmate.
- [CHESS CLOCK THUMPS]
- [SCOFFS]
- [SPECTATORS MURMUR]
It is now.
[CHUCKLES] I owe you an ice cream.
- [LAUGHS]
- Another time, perhaps.
Uh, your A game, it needs work.
You should come by
and watch me in the finals.
You might learn something.
[INTENSE MUSIC]
[PROTESTERS CHANT ON VIDEO]
[UNSETTLING MUSIC]
[FOOTSTEPS APPROACH]
That was the regional
security office at the embassy.
The last job in Felix's
in tray was a visa application.
- Two, in fact.
- Let me guess.
Rana and Ali Azad.
So Felix starts to organize
a visa to the States
for a member
of the regime's hacker group.
Why?
Okay, maybe Ali doesn't want
to be hacker group anymore.
Because the regime killed his wife.
He wants political asylum.
And you don't kill the guy
who's gonna give it to you.
So if Ali didn't kill Felix,
then who did?
Well, isn't it obvious?
- The third man.
- Great.
I'll put a BOLO out for Orson Welles.
[ANNOUNCER] Now, Rana Azad
is our youngest grand finalist ever.
She's cut a swath through
this tournament already,
defeating two
Who's that next to Giti?
[EVIE] It's the ambassador.
Damn! How you know that so fast?
It's called the internet, Myron.
So you got consular staff,
you got the ambassador,
and still Dad's a double no-show.
Okay, so if the regime has Ali,
what happens if Rana loses?
[SPECTATORS GASP]
[ANNOUNCER] What an unexpected opening
from the young contender.
G4? [SCOFFS] She's playing the Grob.
Who names these things?
Only the rookies play the Grob.
It's like a joke opening.
People play it online
when they're not trying
to take the game too seriously.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
- [SPECTATORS EXCLAIM]
- [DESHAWN] Bishop G2?
Well, her dad is a chess composer.
You know, there's gotta be some logic.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CONTINUES]
- [SPECTATORS MURMUR]
- [CHESS CLOCK CLICKS]
It's not making any sense.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
[SPECTATORS EXCLAIM]
[DESHAWN] Wait. G4. Bg2.
Na3.
Huh.
Knight to A3.
Pawn to H3.
Then, yeah, bishop captures D5, but
[EVIE] Look, I know I'm new to this,
but it looks like she's losing.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
No, she ain't losing.
She's playing
a different game altogether.
- Freckles!
- [PHONE BUZZES]
Yeah, someone. Uh, it's me. It's me.
It's Blue.
Blue, I need you to take this down.
[NOTEPAD THUDS]
Yep.
G4, Bg2,
Na3, H3,
Bxd5.
Is this chess?
DeShawn, are we playing chess?
My gut says
Rana's moves are
the decryption key to the USB.
Oh. Oh, I'll pop them in now.
[SIGHS] Nope, no happiness.
I'll try them lowercase.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
- Nope.
- Try doing it arse about.
- Arse where?
- Write it backwards.
Old bomb-maker trick.
[TYPES, SPEAKS INAUDIBLY]
Oh, my God, we're in!
[TRIUMPHANT MUSIC]
[JD] So all these guys are dissidents?
If you believe their public profiles.
But surprise, surprise,
they're all fake,
courtesy of our friends
at the hacker group.
They're cover identities
for their government operatives
stationed all over the world.
So who could be posing as
a dissident in this country?
Bring up Hassan's file.
Um
[UNSETTLING MUSIC]
Our dentist is the third man.
[INTENSE MUSIC]
[ANNOUNCER] Rana Azad's play
is most unusual.
Her opponent's
really just chopping wood.
[NOTIFICATION CHIMES]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
The USB was a list of undercover
agents all around the world.
Ali was blowing the lid
on an international spy ring.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
[SPECTATORS EXCLAIM]
[ANNOUNCER] I can't believe it, folks.
- What?
- Rana Azad has just resigned.
DeShawn.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
DeShawn, help!
- [WOMAN] Go, go, go!
- Move, move!
[RANA] DeShawn!
Federal agent, move!
[WOMAN] Fast, Rana!
- [DESHAWN] Rana!
- [SPECTATORS EXCLAIM]
[WOMAN] Rana!
DeShawn!
Help, DeShawn!
- Rana!
- [RANA] No!
[WOMAN] Go, go, go, go, go, go, go!
- Rana!
- [TIRES SCREECH]
[INTENSE MUSIC]
[TIRES SCREECH]
[INTENSE MUSIC]
[MACKEY] DeShawn says
they've grabbed Rana.
- We need to move fast.
- [SIREN WAILS]
- [TIRES SCREECH]
- [SIREN POWERS DOWN]
[JD] Hassan's car.
Still warm.
You two take the front.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CONTINUES]
[DENTAL DRILL WHIRS NEARBY]
[MAN SCREAMS] No! No! Please! No!
- [DENTAL DRILL WHIRS]
- [ALI] Stop! Arggh!
[ALI YELLS INDISTINCTLY]
Arggh!
[DRILL WHIRS]
[ALI] I am already dead!
- AFP!
- NCIS!
[ALI GASPS]
[BLOW THUDS]
Yeah. Don't forget to floss.
[CUFFS CLICK]
Please.
You need to know how these people work.
They don't want Rana, they want me.
You're safe now.
But Rana is not.
[BREATHES SHAKILY] You need to
contact the consulate.
Tell them I will hand myself in
if they release her.
They will kill you, Ali.
I made a promise to Maryam
to give Rana the future
she could never have.
[POIGNANT MUSIC]
Please. This is the only way.
We're not actually
considering this, are we?
What life does he have
if Rana goes back without him?
And what does freedom taste like
for Rana if her dad's dead?
There's another option.
We don't swap Ali. We swap him.
What are you saying, D?
We hand Hassan over to them?
[JD] He killed Felix.
And it's probably not
the only blood on his hands.
He should spend the rest of
his life rotting in a supermax.
What's the alternative, huh?
Rana will be holed up
in the consulate right now.
Within an hour, she'll be
on the plane back home.
Look, Hassan killed
Lieutenant Felix Ebrahimi,
and I want to see him
go down for that, I do.
But Felix died trying to give
Rana and her dad a better life.
Ask yourself, what would
Felix want us to do right now?
How do we even broker a deal like that?
We can't just get an audience
with the ambassador.
We don't need the ambassador.
We need a liaison.
[INTENSE MUSIC]
Where is she?
[THUNDER RUMBLES]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
[CAR DOOR OPENS]
- [KEYS JANGLE]
- [CAR DOOR THUDS]
[CUFFS CLINK]
- Rana!
- Baba!
- Do not touch her!
- [JD] Please let us handle this.
- Let us handle it.
- [CAR DOOR SHUTS]
Hassan.
Remember this face.
Baba!
- [BOTH SOB]
- [TENDER MIDDLE EASTERN MUSIC]
- [GENTLE MUSIC]
- [FOOTSTEPS APPROACH]
[MACKEY] Spoke to the US Consulate.
They're fast-tracking asylum
for Ali and Rana.
Good news for American chess.
[JD CLEARS THROAT]
How's it hanging?
- Blue, I
- I'm gonna stop you right there.
- Excuse me?
- I know what you're gonna say.
You're gonna say
that trust is a big deal,
and I breached yours.
So if you can find me a cardboard box,
I'll clear out my things
and I'll get out of your lair.
[POIGNANT MUSIC]
Okay, no cardboard boxes, fine.
I'll just show myself out.
[MACKEY] Or
you could just get back to work.
What?
Welcome back, kiddo.
Wait, what? How how
How is it even possible?
I am utterly unqualified.
Well, not where it counts.
JD went to AFP
and found a way to keep you.
- [JD] Mm.
- [MACKEY] What did you call it?
Special dispensation for hours accrued.
- Thank you.
- Oh!
[MACKEY LAUGHS]
[TENDER MUSIC]
Rosie!
I can stay.
Oh. Well, there you go.
Now, make yourself useful.
He's all yours.
Hey.
With me.
[PENSIVE MUSIC]
So, what do you think?
Uh
[TRIGGER EXHALES SLOWLY]
Wow.
I wasn't sure if you were
a DeWalt or a Makita guy.
[CHUCKLES]
Well, I can go either way.
Good.
Now earn your keep.
Huh. Yes, ma'am.
[PLAYFUL MUSIC]
[SIGHS]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
- [JD] Rory.
- Here he is.
I was getting worried you'd stood me up.
Oh, last-minute dentist appointment.
Oh, sounds like torture.
[SIGHS] Yeah, you don't know
the half of it.
So, to what do I owe the pleasure?
So I pulled some strings.
Your broken bickie
will remain firmly inside
the NCIS cookie jar.
Oh, mate, that is unreal.
Hey, Trigger's a good egg.
- You'll see.
- I already have, mate.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Got a favor to ask in return.
Still got mates in admissions?
[RORY] Mm-hm.
Just between us, eh?
[INTENSE MUSIC]