NCIS s23e14 Episode Script
Fleeting
1
Dispatch, 1-4 on scene.
Possible trespass in progress.
DISPATCHER: 1-4 copy. Will notify.
What do you see, rookie?
FARLEY: Not much, Sarge.
Looks empty.
Maybe just a false alarm? (WEAK CHUCKLE)
Maybe. But we should take a closer look.
Trust me. Take 30 seconds now,
save three hours later.
Ooh.
Do they always smell so bad?
Come on, rook, this here's
a four-star alleyway.
Urine-free. Not a rat in sight.
Mm. Oh, God!
Guess you found our trespasser.
Is he
dead?
Sure smells it.
Check his pulse.
I'll call it in.
SAILOR: Turn off the light, please.
Did he just talk?
Yes.
And I said turn off the light.
- Trying to sleep here.
- FARLEY: Aw, for real?
- Another drunk sailor?
- ODOM: What do you expect?
The entire Second Fleet
is anchored just offshore.
- We're being invaded.
- (ENGINE STARTS)
- (SIREN DRONING)
- Oh, yeah. Let's go!
- Hey, stop! Police!
- (WHOOPING)
(WHOOPING, CHEERING)
(SIREN CHIRPING)
Tell me, rook, do we ever
leave the keys in the car?
No, ma'am.
- Everywhere we go, oh ♪
- Everywhere we go, oh ♪
- People want to know, oh ♪
- People want to know, oh ♪
- Who we are ♪
- I hate Fleet Week.
- We are the Navy ♪
- We are the Navy ♪
The mighty, mighty Navy. ♪
♪
It's our top priority, Chief.
We got a BOLO out
on your stolen squad car.
When we find it,
these sailors
are looking at serious charges.
Yeah. Yeah, tell me about it.
Last year's Fleet Week was a
cakewalk compared to this one.
It's like there's something
in the water.
Look, Chief, I got to go.
Okay, please tell me
this isn't your work.
Oh, no. No, they did this
to one another.
Early-morning bar fight.
Typical NCIS. Always riding us.
Give us a break, man.
We've been at sea for months.
We're just trying to have a good time.
They almost killed each other.
MYERS: (SCOFFS) Not even close.
You know, you guys are total fun police.
What'd I tell you
about calling us that, man?
Okay, okay, okay.
Just get 'em to the garage.
We're holding everybody there
till their commands
can pick them up. Go.
- Let's go.
- Lead the way, fun police.
Yeah, no, no, no. Uh, understood.
We'll, uh, we'll do our best.
McGee, MPD needs an update
on their stolen squad car.
Yes, uh I had Kasie pull up its GPS,
but, unfortunately,
it is malfunctioning.
Tell you what, though
least it has GPS.
'Cause you know what doesn't? Goats.
- Goats?
- Yeah.
Goats. Eyewitnesses saw a sailor
release them from an enclosure
on the National Mall.
Now I get to put out a BOLO.
Why are there goats on the Mall?
MAN: Nature's lawn mowers, man.
National Park Service
uses them to cut the grass
without using gas.
Actually right.
Can we help you?
- Oh, it's
- Oh, no, no, no.
He's with me. He's mine.
Sorry, sorry.
I told you to stay with me.
- I'm sorry, pretty lady.
- Mm.
Found him doing pull-ups
in a cherry blossom tree.
Mm. Why is he wearing a banner?
Because that's all he's wearing, Tim.
- Oops.
- Ooh.
Oh! Okay.
So, let's yeah,
let's just keep this okay.
Let's just keep that on. (CHUCKLES)
Can we get him some clothes, please?
Paulson, can, uh, you take this sailor
down to autopsy and have Jimmy
give him a fresh pair of scrubs?
Yeah, maybe some munchies, too?
- No, it's okay. You can go.
- PARKER: Come on, champ.
This way. That's it.
(SIGHS)
Is it me or is Fleet Week
crazy this year?
Yeah, and it feels really wrong.
I mean, everybody's
out here celebrating,
meanwhile in here, we're still
Yeah. Well, we went straight
from Director Vance's funeral
last week to the chaos of Fleet Week.
It's like we haven't had the
chance to process anything.
Well, the world moves on.
DoD just sent another memo.
They want Vance's office
cleared out by Friday.
In the middle of Fleet Week?
What's the rush? Interim director
hasn't even set foot in the building.
Well, don't get too attached.
We'll probably get
five more just like him
before they settle on someone.
We'll just have to find the time.
- (ALERT CHIMES)
- Or not.
Oh, my phone's dead. What's it say?
The BOLO came back
on the stolen squad car.
Sailors abandoned it across the river.
- (LAUGHS)
- Oh, wow.
Yeah, MPD is not gonna be too happy.
- Ooh.
- (SIGHS)
KNIGHT: How the hell
did they even do this?
I mean, look at these parked cars.
There's not a scratch on them.
Well, maybe they parked there
after the crash.
And who parks next
to a crashed police car?
Eh, it's pretty hard to find
a spot in this part of town.
Hey, Tim, tell me
you found a security camera.
We need to see how this happened.
Well, the café doesn't have any,
so we still have
no idea on the sailors who did this.
Well, maybe I can pull some fingerprints
from the inside of the car.
- Yeah, I'll take some photos.
- All right.
So, how'd the, uh,
MPD chief take the news?
Better than I thought. I think
Fleet Week is wearing him down.
Can't say I blame him.
You know, of all my Fleet Weeks,
I've never seen anything like this.
I got to say, could've been a lot worse.
At least nobody got hurt.
Found a key fob.
(CHIRPS)
(SIGHS)
You were saying?
KNIGHT: The body in the
trunk belongs to Petty Officer
Third Class Kyle Rivas,
he was a machinist's mate
aboard the USS Allegiance.
They docked in Baltimore for Fleet Week.
Well, half the guys we picked up
this week were from the Allegiance.
MYERS: Hey. Do we know that guy?
Is that Joey Deets?
What are they doing up here?
Uh, the restrooms downstairs
are out of order,
so we're allowing them to use
the facilities on this level.
- Great.
- Just ignore them.
According to our victim's XO,
Rivas was a dedicated sailor
with a perfect service record.
Not the type to steal a police car.
Well, except that it looks like he did.
Or at least, went along for the ride.
Fingerprints were all over
the passenger seat.
Who was driving?
- (KEYBOARD CLICKS)
- Seaman Daniel Harvey.
We found his fingerprints
on the steering wheel.
KNIGHT: Shipmates
say that Harvey and Rivas
were best friends, and that
they were even liberty buddies
during Fleet Week.
Aren't liberty buddies supposed
to keep each other out of trouble?
We also found Harvey's prints
on the murder weapon.
MYERS: Oh, damn.
Joey Deets is dead?
Can somebody please
get these guys out of here?
Still got to use the bathroom.
Not cool, fun police.
- Okay, I'm gonna hit him.
- All right, all right.
Hey, hey, hey.
All right, where is
our missing car thief now?
KNIGHT: Uh, AWOL for the past 12 hours.
- We have a BOLO out on him.
- (SIGHS)
PARKER: These guys
are from the same town,
they joined the Navy together,
they're best friends.
What the hell happened last night?
They met a girl.
Got Rivas's phone here.
Battery was dead so I had to charge it.
Look at the last photo that was taken.
Now, time stamp says that it was taken
after they stole the squad car,
but only an hour
before Rivas's time of death.
She's probably the last person
to see Rivas alive.
We need to find her.
TORRES: It's just disrespectful.
We're not the fun police,
we're the "keeping you safe" police.
Why don't they get that?
Oh, come on, Nick.
Sailors have been
calling us this for years.
It's nothing new.
Eh, it's just different now.
You mean, after Vance?
Yeah, I get that.
Vance sacrificed everything
so we could keep doing this job.
Hurts to hear them
trivialize what we do.
TORRES: Yeah.
It's also not very clever, you know?
(KNIGHT CHUCKLES)
- (DOORBELL RINGS)
- "Fun police"?
- (MUFFLED MUSIC PLAYING)
- No. We can do better than that.
Ahoy, there.
Can I help you?
Oh. (LAUGHS)
Do you like it?
I'm trying on my costume
for our Fleet Week Social.
Just don't call it a party.
Do you guys know about Fleet Week?
Yeah, we've heard of it. NCIS.
And you are?
Samantha Barnes.
TAG House president.
What's this about?
KNIGHT: We're looking for this woman.
We believe she may be
a member of your sorority.
Oh, yeah, yeah, that's Annie.
Annie Carson. Let me guess.
Did she break
one of these sailors' hearts?
(LAUGHS)
ANNIE: Stabbed to death?
That's awful.
I-I don't know how I can help.
I only spent a few minutes with them.
- How did you meet?
- At the bar.
It's usually quiet,
and I go there to study.
But last night,
it was packed with sailors.
They were nice, just
a little too drunk
for my liking, so I left.
Can anyone confirm what time
you got home last night?
I can.
This is Annie's digital check-in.
She got home at 10:20 p.m.,
like the responsible TAG sister she is.
That's 30 minutes
before Rivas was killed.
Did they say what their plans
were or where they were going?
We really didn't talk much.
The two of them were arguing, a lot.
About what?
Um, well, it sounds kind of weird,
but they were arguing about "nukes."
Nukes? Like nuclear weapons?
I don't know.
- I hope not.
- Oh, honey.
Nuclear weapons? Murder?
(SIGHS) What a night you've had.
But don't worry.
I know just what you need.
TAG House Hug!
Why would two junior enlisted sailors
be arguing about nuclear weapons?
Well, why don't we ask Daniel Harvey?
Police picked him up,
and you'll never guess where.
Seaman Daniel Harvey.
So, how was, uh, the Lincoln Memorial?
Inspiring.
Until the cops slammed me to the ground
and brought me here.
Didn't know it was a crime
to go sightseeing.
Well, it's not, but, uh, going AWOL is.
Failed to report
to your command last night.
Me and half the fleet. (LAUGHS SOFTLY)
Why do I get the special treatment?
Is this an act
or does he really not know
why he's here?
PARKER: What do you
remember from last night, Danny?
Do you remember stealing a cop car?
What?
No.
MCGEE: Remember crashing
that cop car?
I don't know, I
Maybe I had a little too much to drink?
I must have blacked out. (LAUGHS SOFTLY)
Oh, Kyle.
Petty Officer Kyle Rivas.
A-Ask him.
He'll vouch for me.
That's gonna be a problem, Danny.
We found Kyle's body in the trunk
of that crashed cop car.
PARKER: And we found your
fingerprints on that knife.
No.
No, no, Kyle was my best friend.
I would never hurt him.
We've been through everything together.
Except that was about to change.
We have a witness who said you two
were arguing last night about "nukes."
MCGEE: But we know you weren't
talking about nuclear weapons.
Navy Nukes are the people
that work on nuclear propulsion.
We found a transfer order
in Rivas's file.
He wasn't coming back
to the ship with you
after Fleet Week, was he?
Before we went out last night,
he told me he'd applied to be a Nuke.
He said he was going to
the Naval Nuclear Power School
in South Carolina.
Uh, your best friend
was about to leave you.
I'd be pretty angry, too.
PARKER: Danny, if you can't remember
stealing a cop car,
then maybe you can't remember
killing your buddy, either.
KNIGHT: Truth is starting to sink in.
I almost feel sorry for him.
- KASIE: Hey.
- What's up?
I just got the toxicology report
for Seaman Harvey and our victim Rivas.
Okay, how drunk were they?
That's the thing. They weren't.
Yeah, they had alcohol in their system,
but not enough to make them black out
or stupid enough to steal a cop car.
Yeah, it doesn't seem
like Danny's lying.
KASIE: Oh, I don't think he is.
Something messed with his head,
and it wasn't the alcohol.
I found a toxin
in both of their systems.
He and Rivas were poisoned.
Could that cause him to black out?
Oh, we're lucky if that's all it did.
Any healthy immune system
is gonna fight that toxin
tooth and nail.
We're talking dangerous
allergic reactions, vomiting,
anaphylaxis.
What about hives?
We need to get Jimmy up here right away.
TORRES: Hey, Jimmy, we need you to
what?
Wait, hold on. Slow down.
Slow down. I'll be right there.
- (SAILORS GROANING)
- MAN: It's getting worse.
JIMMY: When the ambulance gets here,
this one's priority.
Hey, Jimmy, what's going on?
JIMMY: I don't know.
They started complaining
about, uh, nausea,
dizziness, hives, and then
they just started collapsing.
SHORE PATROLMAN: Dr. Palmer!
Oh, it's the same symptom.
Hey, how many are getting sick?
All of them.
JIMMY: Okay, breathe in.
(DANNY INHALES)
JIMMY: And breathe out.
(EXHALES)
All right. Sounding much better, Danny.
Let's see. Your hives are
already starting to clear up.
You can take him back
to interrogation now.
So, he's the last of them?
Yeah. All stable, thankfully.
Things could have been a lot worse
if Kasie hadn't traced
all their symptoms
back to that toxin.
Left untreated, we're talking
organ failure, even death.
What the hell is this toxin?
Uh, Kasie's still researching it now,
but initial symptoms
seem to mimic the high
one gets from amphetamines.
Amphetamines?
So, it's like a drug?
Does that mean
that they took it willingly?
I don't think so.
None of the sailors
in that file over there
have any record of drug use.
Plus, recreational drugs
wouldn't trigger an immune storm
12 hours later.
No, this wasn't designed for fun.
This was designed to harm.
It does explain the sudden
uptick in "Sailors Gone Wild."
You think the toxin
is the reason that Fleet Week
has been so crazy?
Yeah, it gives its victims
one hell of a high.
Could that also explain
why Danny stole a cop car
and stabbed his best friend?
Eh, it's possible, there's still
so much about this toxin
- that we don't know yet.
- (PHONE CHIMING)
If we knew what all
these sailors had in common,
that may tell us how they were exposed.
Except I need answers now.
I've got the vice admiral of the
Second Fleet waiting for me upstairs.
I need to tell him something concrete.
Okay, uh, in that case
Agent Parker, it is my medical opinion
that someone is deliberately
poisoning U.S. Navy service members.
I just can't prove it yet.
Find out what they all have in common.
- Yeah.
- (DOORS SLIDE OPEN)
(SIGHS)
Sorry.
Looking for an outlet. Phone died.
Busy day.
Uh, Special Agent Alden Parker.
Are you, uh, with the vice admiral?
Yes, but I'm afraid he couldn't make it.
Cooper Ellis,
Second Fleet STRATCOM advisor.
Are we waiting on the director?
(SIGHS)
Well, we would be, but I don't
think the interim director
is going to be as hands-on
as his predecessor.
Of course.
And my condolences on your loss.
I hear Director Vance
was an impressive man.
That he was.
I assume this is regarding the murder?
Petty Officer Rivas?
Have you made an arrest?
We have. Seaman Daniel Harvey,
a liberty buddy.
(SIGHS)
Another sailor. That's unfortunate.
From a communications standpoint.
The message of Fleet Week
is "Strength through Brotherhood."
Well, then, you're gonna love
this next part.
Uh, we believe that service
members are being poisoned.
At least a dozen so far.
That's terrible. Are they okay?
They're all recovering, but only
because they were treated quickly.
So, for everyone's safety,
I think it's best
that all Fleet Week sailors
return to their commands.
I take it we're not talking about
a bad case of food poisoning?
No. We believe that there is someone
trying to harm these service members.
Do you have a lead on who? Or why?
We're working on it.
Do you know how these sailors
were poisoned?
We're working on that, too.
Agent Parker, I'm beginning to suspect
that this meeting was a bit premature.
We're just trying to get ahead
of the situation.
As a, as a PR rep, Mr. Ellis,
I'm sure you can appreciate that.
Strategic communications advisor.
Little different.
Of course.
- I didn't
- Thank you for briefing me
on this, Agent Parker.
I'll be sure to brief the admiral.
And it will be brief.
But for now, I suggest
you just keep "working on it."
The moment you
have something actionable,
you know how to reach me.
(SIGHS)
You made it look easy, Leon.
(KNIGHT SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY)
Oh. What is this?
Another line for the bathroom?
No, this is just me
trying to figure out what all
these sailors have in common.
Well, join the club. We got nothing.
Yeah. They all come
from different ships,
hit up different parts
of town last night.
Yeah, they were eating
at different restaurants
and drinking at different bars.
Yeah, we did a deep dive
and we came up with nothing.
You guys, the answer
was right in front of our eyes.
And under their clothes.
Come again?
So, when I was examining these sailors,
I got to see them all
with their shirts off.
Guess what they all have in common.
- Chiseled abs?
- What?
- (LAUGHS)
- No. No.
No, no, no. They-they all
have brand-new tattoos.
Uh, excuse me, everyone, can you please,
uh, show us your tattoos?
Oh, okay uh, no, sir.
No. Thank you.
We will take your word for that.
Okay. All-all right,
everyone, that'll do. Uh
As you were. (CHUCKLES)
Okay, the point is,
all these sailors had fresh ink
within the last 24 hours.
I mean, even our victim Rivas
had a brand-new tattoo.
Well, getting a tattoo
is a shore-leave tradition.
Exactly. So,
if you wanted to secretly inject a toxin
to a bunch of sailors,
a tattoo would be
the perfect delivery mechanism.
How can we confirm it?
Well, you got to take a lot of samples.
But if the tattoos
are the source of the toxin
Then we need to find out where
all these sailors got inked.
Okay, just hold still.
Wait. Have you done this before?
Have I ever biopsied a tattoo
to see if the ink was toxic?
No.
Seriously?
I don't know if I'm comfortable
And I'm done.
Thank God for local anesthetic.
So, since none of our sailors
can remember
where they got their tattoos,
I've uploaded all of their phone
location histories
to see where their paths line up.
They were all over the map.
There's no overlap.
Except for the National Mall.
Right, but no tattoo parlors there.
Just museums and goats.
Except now there are
no goats there, as well.
Still no hit on the goat BOLO?
No. There's a few reported sightings,
but nothing panned out.
No, I think those, uh,
goats are now ghosts.
Yeah, and so is our tattoo parlor.
You interviewed everyone?
Yeah. Everyone, uh, except for him.
KASIE: Seaman Harvey,
have a seat
and please show me your tattoo.
PARKER: Hey, Danny.
You feeling better?
Sure.
Great.
PARKER: Listen, um,
we're trying to find out
where you got this tattoo,
because we think whoever gave it to you,
uh, probably put some toxin in the ink.
And you think that's what
made me kill Kyle?
Uh, we're still investigating.
Save yourself the trouble.
Even if I was out of my mind
when I killed him, it doesn't matter.
My best friend is dead,
and nothing you say or do is
gonna bring him back.
You're right. Your friend's
not coming back. He's gone.
But you're still here.
So, you have the opportunity
to try to help other sailors
who might be exposed to this toxin.
And I think that Kyle would want that.
Don't you?
Okay.
It smelled of exhaust.
What did?
The tattoo place.
Like a running car.
Maybe it was near a freeway?
It was small, too.
The ceiling was low.
I had to bend down to walk.
Maybe the parlor wasn't near cars,
maybe it was a car.
A mobile parlor.
That's why there was no overlap
on their location histories.
Because they all got their
tattoos in different places.
From the same mobile tattoo parlor.
Do you remember anything else?
There were teeth.
TORRES: Hey, you two.
Get back to the ship.
KNIGHT: You really don't
want to get a tattoo from there.
Back up.
- (KNOCKING)
- NCIS. We got a warrant.
Open up or we're coming in.
Back.
Ready?
Well, that's our tattoo artist.
KNIGHT: Looks like his killer
was searching for something.
Yeah, my money's on that toxic ink.
KNIGHT: I think he found it,
but left us something.
A stab wound.
And a fresh tattoo.
That was done in a hurry.
The killer's sending a message.
In Russian.
KNIGHT: Our dead tattoo artist
is Gideon Mays,
the sole owner of the Dragon
Wagon mobile tattoo parlor.
Where all the sailors got inked.
We found photos of their tattoos
in Mays's phone.
He was offering a Fleet Week
special on social media.
Free tattoos for all sailors.
That deal is way too good
not to have a catch.
A catch like getting inked by a toxin?
Yeah. Kasie confirmed that
the tattoos were the source.
So, this guy was luring U.S. sailors
to his tattoo parlor
in order to poison them.
But he actually
wasn't doing it for free.
Somebody paid him.
Five days ago, Mays only had
$604.52 in his bank account.
But then, on the first day
of Fleet Week,
he got a deposit of $50,000
from an offshore account.
And I have an idea of how far offshore.
Take a look at this.
(KEYBOARD CLICKS)
Well, according to Jimmy,
this tattoo was inked
after the tattoo artist
was stabbed to death.
The word is Russian for "purge."
It's also the calling card
for this group,
- Pale Sun Brigade.
- I've heard of them.
State Department considers them
a terrorist organization.
Well, in Russia, they've been
responsible for shootings
and bombings against ethnic
and religious minorities.
They want to purge the world
of anyone who is not them.
But why purge the tattoo artist
if he's working for them?
Well, Pale Sun Brigade has been known
to posthumously ink traitors,
so maybe Mays tried
to double-cross them?
What about the toxic ink?
Was it still in the van?
Gone. We think the killers took it.
Which means
there's nothing stopping them
from doing this to more people.
Agent Parker, we are mere hours away
from the Fleet Week closing ceremonies.
People are already gathering
to watch the fireworks.
What exactly do you want me to do?
Shut it down. All of it.
Because of tattoos
that made some sailors sick?
Because we believe
a terrorist organization
is targeting the U.S. Navy,
and you are organizing
a U.S. Navy event.
(SIGHS) Maybe these terrorists
are just trying to scare us
into canceling the ceremony.
Have you thought of that?
We could be playing
right into their hands.
You asked for something
actionable, Mr. Ellis.
We have two dead bodies
and a direct threat.
You're the strategic advisor.
Do your job.
Advise the admiral: shut it down!
(SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY)
Excuse me. What are you doing?
(DOOR CLOSES)
Is this from the director's office?
Who told you to do this?
No, Parker, it's okay.
Uh, they're not taking anything
out of Vance's office.
Those are files that are being
returned from CID.
Oh.
Sorry. Just carry on.
Hey.
- Uh
- You okay?
Yeah. I
(SIGHS) I don't know how I am.
I haven't had a second
to think about it.
I understand that.
(SIGHS) I should be an expert
in handling loss after this last year.
I'm not sure that's how it works.
Did you have something?
Yes, and it's actually
good news for Danny.
Really? The guy
just lost his best friend.
Yeah, but whoever killed Rivas
also killed the tattoo artist.
Jimmy says the wound profiles
are exactly the same,
meaning that the same knife
was used in both murders.
But how is that good news for Danny?
It sounds like he killed them both.
Except he didn't kill either one.
He couldn't have.
Jimmy puts the tattoo artist's
time of death at 9:30 p.m.
- At that same time
- Danny was across town,
stealing a cop car.
Exactly. He's innocent.
Yeah, but why would
a Russian terror group
kill the tattoo artist,
and then track down
and murder a random sailor?
(SIGHS)
That is a good question.
We're still missing
a big piece of the puzzle.
Yeah, the Russian terrorists.
Has Kasie been able to find anything
in the, uh, the Dragon Wagon
that might help us track them down?
Unfortunately, she's been having some
technical difficulties.
Nothing is working.
Mass Spec keeps giving me
error messages,
my modem won't get any signal
and my cell phone battery keeps dying.
Wow, Kasie, that's a lot.
Maybe it's time
to get some new equipment.
Don't say that. Okay,
because this software upgrade
was the last thing
that Director Vance
approved for me.
(EXHALES)
God, I know that sounds stupid.
No.
It doesn't.
We all honor him
in different ways, Kasie.
Oh, I, um
I did manage to get one result
from Mass Spec
before it conked out, but even
that doesn't make any sense.
Okay. Show me.
Okay, well, I finally managed
to ID the toxin
as a phenylethylamine substitute.
Very weird stuff.
But not as weird as what I found
in the tattoo ink.
This ink is made
with a chemical suspension
that simply shouldn't exist.
Oh, come on, don't tell me
it's aliens again.
No. No.
But whoever could design
this suspension is a genius.
I mean, they made
the theoretical possible.
TORRES: What's that?
Grad school thesis paper.
It's the only research I found
that outlines a method
for creating the suspension.
Huh. We might want
to talk to the author.
Actually, we already have.
ANNIE: Yes, I wrote this,
but it was rejected
by the chemistry department last year.
Then how'd it get online?
I may have posted it.
They were wrong to reject it.
It's good science.
The chemical suspension is viable.
We know. We found it.
In the blood work of the sailors
you met two nights ago.
And inside that chemical
suspension, we found a toxin.
PARKER: A dozen Navy service members
were poisoned by your invention.
No. I didn't do that.
- You didn't invent it?
- No, I did,
but I didn't poison them.
Then who did?
You don't want to tell us,
then maybe your bank records will.
Over the past six months,
you were paid $200,000
from an offshore account.
Goodbye, student loans
Hello, Russian terrorists.
Those are your employers, right?
KNIGHT: Not only yours.
We believe that they paid
a tattoo artist
to inject these sailors with your toxin.
Annie, you need to tell us
how we can find these Russians.
Okay, see, the problem is,
I can't talk about this.
I signed an NDA.
With the terrorists?
No.
I mean, I really hope not. I
I thought they were a legit company.
Who?
KNIGHT: Okay, Annie.
Two people are dead.
You really want to go
to prison over an NDA?
Okay, yes.
This company paid me
to synthesize the suspension.
But they also paid me
to test a "mystery additive."
I did, it worked and I never
heard from them again.
Did you know that this additive
was a toxin?
No. You've got it wrong.
The additive isn't a toxin.
The suspension itself is toxic.
That's why it shouldn't be
in the human body.
And I warned the company about this,
but clearly they didn't listen,
because two nights ago,
I got an alert that the additive
was walking around D.C.
Excuse me?
I tracked it to this bar.
What do you mean, you tracked it? How?
I shouldn't have said that.
I'm sorry, I think I need a lawyer now.
I really can't afford to get sued.
(KNOCK ON GLASS)
I think Annie is telling the truth.
- Which part?
- About the additive.
It's not a toxin. Okay.
(EXHALES SHARPLY)
I couldn't get Mass Spec
to analyze the tattoo ink,
so I put it under a microscope,
and this is what I saw.
The "additive" is nanorobotics.
Essentially, microscopic machines.
Are you saying that all of these sailors
have tiny machines inside of them?
Doing what?
Transmitting their location.
We were wrong.
The tattoos weren't designed
to poison the sailors.
That was an unintended side effect.
The tattoos were designed to track them.
So, this isn't terrorism.
This is espionage.
Someone is spying on the U.S. Navy.
Okay, so, all of the sailors' tattoos,
or rather, the nano-trackers
inside of them,
work essentially like
liquid Bluetooth trackers.
You know, the kind
that you drop in your luggage.
Right, it transmits a signal
so you can follow it wherever it goes.
That's how Annie tracked
the sailors to the bar.
Yes, and like the Bluetooth trackers,
the nanotech can't transmit
very far on its own.
It needs to piggyback
on a more powerful device.
Like our phones.
The sailors' tattoos are the reason
that our cellular phones keep dying.
The-the constant signal
is draining them.
Yeah, and that signal is why Mass Spec
keeps giving me error messages.
Too much interference.
Can we access this signal
to find out who's tracking
these sailors?
Well, so far,
we've only been able to track
who's been transmitting, namely,
the sailors with tattoos.
But with Annie's help, I might
be able to hack the signal
and figure out who's tracking them.
What about the ink itself?
We didn't find any at the tattoo parlor,
but shouldn't that be transmitting?
Theoretically, yes, but if
it's not near any phones
- Or if it's in a Faraday cage
- Then we can't track it.
No, the bigger concern here
is why are terrorists
tracking U.S. Navy sailors?
Well, this is military-grade technology.
How much you want to bet
the Pale Sun Brigade
is working for the Russians?
Russian technology
in American service members?
I don't like the sound of that.
(COMPUTER CHIMES)
I like the sound of that, though.
I found an embedded ID number
in the nano-trackers, ran a search.
- That's weird.
- What?
It's not Russian technology. It's ours.
Agent Parker. I did what you asked.
The Fleet Week ceremony is canceled,
and I have a communications
nightmare on my hands.
What is so urgent
that you needed to see me?
Well, I was hoping you could
clear up something for us
before we, uh, hop on a call
with the Secretary of Defense.
SECDEF?
What's this about?
You recognize that?
It's a patent for nano-trackers.
You filed it on behalf
of the Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency two years ago.
True, I worked for DARPA,
but we parted ways.
Actually, uh, you were fired
for cutting corners.
So what?
Aren't you supposed to be
chasing down Russian terrorists?
We were.
And we thought we chased them
to this offshore account.
But when our warrant came through,
we discovered it belonged to you.
You used it to pay Annie Carson
to find out how to incorporate
these nano-trackers into the human body.
And the way we look at it,
there are
two possible explanations here.
Either you are working with some
sort of off-book DoD operation
Or more likely, you, uh,
stole the trackers
on the way out the door,
and now you're trying
to sell them to the Russians.
I am not a traitor.
TECH: Sir, we have connection.
SECDEF's ready.
Well, I guess we're gonna find out.
Put him up on the screen.
Wait, wait! Stop.
(SIGHS) Yes, I stole the nanotech.
But I did it for our country.
I was always going
to give it back to DARPA.
I just needed to show them
that the tech was viable.
And Fleet Week was the perfect
proving ground.
You had hundreds of sailors
all looking to get tattoos.
You used them
as unwitting test subjects.
How do you justify that?
Because we've done it before.
MKUltra?
The Edgewood/Aberdeen experiments?
(SCOFFS) Come on, Agent Parker.
What's a few sick sailors in
the name of national security?
"National security."
I think you just wanted
your old job back.
But hey, whatever helps you
sleep at night.
MCGEE: Sure hope you
still have the rest of that ink.
It's safe.
I picked it up from Mays a few days ago.
I don't know how the Russians
got involved,
- but I didn't involve them.
- (PHONE CHIMING)
- Then who did?
- I don't know.
I don't know.
Annie was the only other person
who knew about the nanotech.
No, someone else does, too.
Kasie detected a ping
on the nanotech signal.
Someone's still tracking the sailors.
Or they're tracking the ink.
I mean, if he's telling the truth
I am telling the truth.
and the Russians don't have the ink,
that means
they're still trying to get it.
That's why they targeted
the tattoo artist.
They were looking for the ink.
Yeah, except Ellis here
had already taken it back.
MCGEE: Yeah.
Russia pivoted, started looking
for sailors who had the ink
in their bodies.
Yeah. Like Kyle Rivas.
You realize that this means
anyone with a tattoo
- is a possible target.
- Okay,
are you sure that we got them all?
♪
(CHIRPS)
SAMANTHA: Hey, Sailor. What's your name?
TORRES: Special Agent Nick Torres.
But you can call me Nick, Samantha.
I'm so sorry.
I thought you were a sailor.
Yeah, well, were you looking for this?
I don't know what that is.
I'm sorry, I have to go check
on something in the house.
You're not going anywhere.
Your sister Annie helped us
track the nanotech signal
back to a phone at this party.
Your phone, as it turns out.
Okay, well, it's not a party,
it's a social.
And this is an arrest.
Turn around, please.
- TAG House Hug!
- No
- No, no, no, no. No hugging.
- No, no, no, no.
- No, no, no.
- No hugging.
SAILOR: It's the fun police. Figures.
I heard that.
Samantha Barnes, you are under arrest
for the murder of Gideon Mays
and Navy Petty Officer
Third Class Kyle Rivas.
- (HANDCUFFS CLICKING)
- (ALL WHOOPING)
SAILORS (CHANTING):
Fun police! Fun police!
Fun police! Fun police! Fun police!
Fun police! Fun police!
KASIE: So,
the killer was another sorority girl?
Mm-hmm, and a nosy one.
Samantha's family is deep in debt,
and they recently
cut her off financially.
Yeah, when she found out
that her sorority sister
started working on
cutting-edge nano-trackers,
she saw her chance to make some money.
So, she hacked into Annie's research
and started tracking their signal,
and when it finally turned on
during Fleet Week,
she made her move.
Yeah. Confessed to both murders.
Now, first, she went after
the tattoo artist
- Wasn't that Russian terrorists?
- No.
No, no, no, turns out,
there were no terrorists.
Samantha was just trying
to throw us off her trail.
Apparently,
she was a Russian Studies major.
She was always gonna sell
those nano-trackers
to the highest bidder on the dark web.
But when she couldn't get
the ink from the Dragon Wagon,
she tracked the nearest signal
to the National Mall.
That's where she found
Petty Officer Rivas.
She stabbed him, and then
tried to cut off his tattoo.
She was stopped by a herd of goats.
Wait, did you just say "goats"?
The goats that you were looking for?
Yep. Turns out,
Danny actually released them.
Pretty much chased Samantha away.
IT IS OFFICIAL: Fleet Week is crazy.
(CHUCKLES)
Oh, goats are back home, by the way.
A jogger spotted them grazing
on Roosevelt Island.
Well, it's nice to know that Fleet Week
- has at least one happy ending.
- Mm-hmm.
For Danny, it is a much different story.
I can't thank you enough, Agent Parker.
For finding Kyle's killer.
And clearing my name.
Well, it means you still have
a future in the Navy, kid.
Thing is
Kyle was always right there with me.
Every step of the way.
How am I supposed
to do this without him?
(CRYING SOFTLY)
Tell me about Kyle.
What do you want to know?
How'd you two meet?
It's actually kind of a gross story.
(SNIFFLES)
Well, now I definitely got to hear it.
It was the first day of second grade.
Lunchtime.
My mom packed me a tuna sandwich
and chocolate pudding.
(FADING): And there was this kid
sitting at the table behind me.
♪
TORRES: Hey, Parker.
Thanks for coming.
I know it's late.
We really doing this?
I mean, can it wait?
- I just don't know if I'm ready.
- MCGEE: And
it'll be a little hard to pack
things up without any boxes.
That's not why I called you here.
What's this?
Well, this is a little something
Vance had in his desk
for a special occasion.
Come on. Everybody, grab a glass.
I didn't forget you, Nick.
There's an extra glass.
Yes.
Yeah, there is.
This, uh, this last couple weeks
(SCOFFS)
been nonstop,
you know, one thing after the other.
It just seems like the world
would like nothing more
than just, just to
move on.
You know? And
to forget.
But the only way I know
how to get through this
is by remembering him.
And there's no one I would rather
(EXHALES)
remember him with
than all of you guys.
So
to Leon.
Dispatch, 1-4 on scene.
Possible trespass in progress.
DISPATCHER: 1-4 copy. Will notify.
What do you see, rookie?
FARLEY: Not much, Sarge.
Looks empty.
Maybe just a false alarm? (WEAK CHUCKLE)
Maybe. But we should take a closer look.
Trust me. Take 30 seconds now,
save three hours later.
Ooh.
Do they always smell so bad?
Come on, rook, this here's
a four-star alleyway.
Urine-free. Not a rat in sight.
Mm. Oh, God!
Guess you found our trespasser.
Is he
dead?
Sure smells it.
Check his pulse.
I'll call it in.
SAILOR: Turn off the light, please.
Did he just talk?
Yes.
And I said turn off the light.
- Trying to sleep here.
- FARLEY: Aw, for real?
- Another drunk sailor?
- ODOM: What do you expect?
The entire Second Fleet
is anchored just offshore.
- We're being invaded.
- (ENGINE STARTS)
- (SIREN DRONING)
- Oh, yeah. Let's go!
- Hey, stop! Police!
- (WHOOPING)
(WHOOPING, CHEERING)
(SIREN CHIRPING)
Tell me, rook, do we ever
leave the keys in the car?
No, ma'am.
- Everywhere we go, oh ♪
- Everywhere we go, oh ♪
- People want to know, oh ♪
- People want to know, oh ♪
- Who we are ♪
- I hate Fleet Week.
- We are the Navy ♪
- We are the Navy ♪
The mighty, mighty Navy. ♪
♪
It's our top priority, Chief.
We got a BOLO out
on your stolen squad car.
When we find it,
these sailors
are looking at serious charges.
Yeah. Yeah, tell me about it.
Last year's Fleet Week was a
cakewalk compared to this one.
It's like there's something
in the water.
Look, Chief, I got to go.
Okay, please tell me
this isn't your work.
Oh, no. No, they did this
to one another.
Early-morning bar fight.
Typical NCIS. Always riding us.
Give us a break, man.
We've been at sea for months.
We're just trying to have a good time.
They almost killed each other.
MYERS: (SCOFFS) Not even close.
You know, you guys are total fun police.
What'd I tell you
about calling us that, man?
Okay, okay, okay.
Just get 'em to the garage.
We're holding everybody there
till their commands
can pick them up. Go.
- Let's go.
- Lead the way, fun police.
Yeah, no, no, no. Uh, understood.
We'll, uh, we'll do our best.
McGee, MPD needs an update
on their stolen squad car.
Yes, uh I had Kasie pull up its GPS,
but, unfortunately,
it is malfunctioning.
Tell you what, though
least it has GPS.
'Cause you know what doesn't? Goats.
- Goats?
- Yeah.
Goats. Eyewitnesses saw a sailor
release them from an enclosure
on the National Mall.
Now I get to put out a BOLO.
Why are there goats on the Mall?
MAN: Nature's lawn mowers, man.
National Park Service
uses them to cut the grass
without using gas.
Actually right.
Can we help you?
- Oh, it's
- Oh, no, no, no.
He's with me. He's mine.
Sorry, sorry.
I told you to stay with me.
- I'm sorry, pretty lady.
- Mm.
Found him doing pull-ups
in a cherry blossom tree.
Mm. Why is he wearing a banner?
Because that's all he's wearing, Tim.
- Oops.
- Ooh.
Oh! Okay.
So, let's yeah,
let's just keep this okay.
Let's just keep that on. (CHUCKLES)
Can we get him some clothes, please?
Paulson, can, uh, you take this sailor
down to autopsy and have Jimmy
give him a fresh pair of scrubs?
Yeah, maybe some munchies, too?
- No, it's okay. You can go.
- PARKER: Come on, champ.
This way. That's it.
(SIGHS)
Is it me or is Fleet Week
crazy this year?
Yeah, and it feels really wrong.
I mean, everybody's
out here celebrating,
meanwhile in here, we're still
Yeah. Well, we went straight
from Director Vance's funeral
last week to the chaos of Fleet Week.
It's like we haven't had the
chance to process anything.
Well, the world moves on.
DoD just sent another memo.
They want Vance's office
cleared out by Friday.
In the middle of Fleet Week?
What's the rush? Interim director
hasn't even set foot in the building.
Well, don't get too attached.
We'll probably get
five more just like him
before they settle on someone.
We'll just have to find the time.
- (ALERT CHIMES)
- Or not.
Oh, my phone's dead. What's it say?
The BOLO came back
on the stolen squad car.
Sailors abandoned it across the river.
- (LAUGHS)
- Oh, wow.
Yeah, MPD is not gonna be too happy.
- Ooh.
- (SIGHS)
KNIGHT: How the hell
did they even do this?
I mean, look at these parked cars.
There's not a scratch on them.
Well, maybe they parked there
after the crash.
And who parks next
to a crashed police car?
Eh, it's pretty hard to find
a spot in this part of town.
Hey, Tim, tell me
you found a security camera.
We need to see how this happened.
Well, the café doesn't have any,
so we still have
no idea on the sailors who did this.
Well, maybe I can pull some fingerprints
from the inside of the car.
- Yeah, I'll take some photos.
- All right.
So, how'd the, uh,
MPD chief take the news?
Better than I thought. I think
Fleet Week is wearing him down.
Can't say I blame him.
You know, of all my Fleet Weeks,
I've never seen anything like this.
I got to say, could've been a lot worse.
At least nobody got hurt.
Found a key fob.
(CHIRPS)
(SIGHS)
You were saying?
KNIGHT: The body in the
trunk belongs to Petty Officer
Third Class Kyle Rivas,
he was a machinist's mate
aboard the USS Allegiance.
They docked in Baltimore for Fleet Week.
Well, half the guys we picked up
this week were from the Allegiance.
MYERS: Hey. Do we know that guy?
Is that Joey Deets?
What are they doing up here?
Uh, the restrooms downstairs
are out of order,
so we're allowing them to use
the facilities on this level.
- Great.
- Just ignore them.
According to our victim's XO,
Rivas was a dedicated sailor
with a perfect service record.
Not the type to steal a police car.
Well, except that it looks like he did.
Or at least, went along for the ride.
Fingerprints were all over
the passenger seat.
Who was driving?
- (KEYBOARD CLICKS)
- Seaman Daniel Harvey.
We found his fingerprints
on the steering wheel.
KNIGHT: Shipmates
say that Harvey and Rivas
were best friends, and that
they were even liberty buddies
during Fleet Week.
Aren't liberty buddies supposed
to keep each other out of trouble?
We also found Harvey's prints
on the murder weapon.
MYERS: Oh, damn.
Joey Deets is dead?
Can somebody please
get these guys out of here?
Still got to use the bathroom.
Not cool, fun police.
- Okay, I'm gonna hit him.
- All right, all right.
Hey, hey, hey.
All right, where is
our missing car thief now?
KNIGHT: Uh, AWOL for the past 12 hours.
- We have a BOLO out on him.
- (SIGHS)
PARKER: These guys
are from the same town,
they joined the Navy together,
they're best friends.
What the hell happened last night?
They met a girl.
Got Rivas's phone here.
Battery was dead so I had to charge it.
Look at the last photo that was taken.
Now, time stamp says that it was taken
after they stole the squad car,
but only an hour
before Rivas's time of death.
She's probably the last person
to see Rivas alive.
We need to find her.
TORRES: It's just disrespectful.
We're not the fun police,
we're the "keeping you safe" police.
Why don't they get that?
Oh, come on, Nick.
Sailors have been
calling us this for years.
It's nothing new.
Eh, it's just different now.
You mean, after Vance?
Yeah, I get that.
Vance sacrificed everything
so we could keep doing this job.
Hurts to hear them
trivialize what we do.
TORRES: Yeah.
It's also not very clever, you know?
(KNIGHT CHUCKLES)
- (DOORBELL RINGS)
- "Fun police"?
- (MUFFLED MUSIC PLAYING)
- No. We can do better than that.
Ahoy, there.
Can I help you?
Oh. (LAUGHS)
Do you like it?
I'm trying on my costume
for our Fleet Week Social.
Just don't call it a party.
Do you guys know about Fleet Week?
Yeah, we've heard of it. NCIS.
And you are?
Samantha Barnes.
TAG House president.
What's this about?
KNIGHT: We're looking for this woman.
We believe she may be
a member of your sorority.
Oh, yeah, yeah, that's Annie.
Annie Carson. Let me guess.
Did she break
one of these sailors' hearts?
(LAUGHS)
ANNIE: Stabbed to death?
That's awful.
I-I don't know how I can help.
I only spent a few minutes with them.
- How did you meet?
- At the bar.
It's usually quiet,
and I go there to study.
But last night,
it was packed with sailors.
They were nice, just
a little too drunk
for my liking, so I left.
Can anyone confirm what time
you got home last night?
I can.
This is Annie's digital check-in.
She got home at 10:20 p.m.,
like the responsible TAG sister she is.
That's 30 minutes
before Rivas was killed.
Did they say what their plans
were or where they were going?
We really didn't talk much.
The two of them were arguing, a lot.
About what?
Um, well, it sounds kind of weird,
but they were arguing about "nukes."
Nukes? Like nuclear weapons?
I don't know.
- I hope not.
- Oh, honey.
Nuclear weapons? Murder?
(SIGHS) What a night you've had.
But don't worry.
I know just what you need.
TAG House Hug!
Why would two junior enlisted sailors
be arguing about nuclear weapons?
Well, why don't we ask Daniel Harvey?
Police picked him up,
and you'll never guess where.
Seaman Daniel Harvey.
So, how was, uh, the Lincoln Memorial?
Inspiring.
Until the cops slammed me to the ground
and brought me here.
Didn't know it was a crime
to go sightseeing.
Well, it's not, but, uh, going AWOL is.
Failed to report
to your command last night.
Me and half the fleet. (LAUGHS SOFTLY)
Why do I get the special treatment?
Is this an act
or does he really not know
why he's here?
PARKER: What do you
remember from last night, Danny?
Do you remember stealing a cop car?
What?
No.
MCGEE: Remember crashing
that cop car?
I don't know, I
Maybe I had a little too much to drink?
I must have blacked out. (LAUGHS SOFTLY)
Oh, Kyle.
Petty Officer Kyle Rivas.
A-Ask him.
He'll vouch for me.
That's gonna be a problem, Danny.
We found Kyle's body in the trunk
of that crashed cop car.
PARKER: And we found your
fingerprints on that knife.
No.
No, no, Kyle was my best friend.
I would never hurt him.
We've been through everything together.
Except that was about to change.
We have a witness who said you two
were arguing last night about "nukes."
MCGEE: But we know you weren't
talking about nuclear weapons.
Navy Nukes are the people
that work on nuclear propulsion.
We found a transfer order
in Rivas's file.
He wasn't coming back
to the ship with you
after Fleet Week, was he?
Before we went out last night,
he told me he'd applied to be a Nuke.
He said he was going to
the Naval Nuclear Power School
in South Carolina.
Uh, your best friend
was about to leave you.
I'd be pretty angry, too.
PARKER: Danny, if you can't remember
stealing a cop car,
then maybe you can't remember
killing your buddy, either.
KNIGHT: Truth is starting to sink in.
I almost feel sorry for him.
- KASIE: Hey.
- What's up?
I just got the toxicology report
for Seaman Harvey and our victim Rivas.
Okay, how drunk were they?
That's the thing. They weren't.
Yeah, they had alcohol in their system,
but not enough to make them black out
or stupid enough to steal a cop car.
Yeah, it doesn't seem
like Danny's lying.
KASIE: Oh, I don't think he is.
Something messed with his head,
and it wasn't the alcohol.
I found a toxin
in both of their systems.
He and Rivas were poisoned.
Could that cause him to black out?
Oh, we're lucky if that's all it did.
Any healthy immune system
is gonna fight that toxin
tooth and nail.
We're talking dangerous
allergic reactions, vomiting,
anaphylaxis.
What about hives?
We need to get Jimmy up here right away.
TORRES: Hey, Jimmy, we need you to
what?
Wait, hold on. Slow down.
Slow down. I'll be right there.
- (SAILORS GROANING)
- MAN: It's getting worse.
JIMMY: When the ambulance gets here,
this one's priority.
Hey, Jimmy, what's going on?
JIMMY: I don't know.
They started complaining
about, uh, nausea,
dizziness, hives, and then
they just started collapsing.
SHORE PATROLMAN: Dr. Palmer!
Oh, it's the same symptom.
Hey, how many are getting sick?
All of them.
JIMMY: Okay, breathe in.
(DANNY INHALES)
JIMMY: And breathe out.
(EXHALES)
All right. Sounding much better, Danny.
Let's see. Your hives are
already starting to clear up.
You can take him back
to interrogation now.
So, he's the last of them?
Yeah. All stable, thankfully.
Things could have been a lot worse
if Kasie hadn't traced
all their symptoms
back to that toxin.
Left untreated, we're talking
organ failure, even death.
What the hell is this toxin?
Uh, Kasie's still researching it now,
but initial symptoms
seem to mimic the high
one gets from amphetamines.
Amphetamines?
So, it's like a drug?
Does that mean
that they took it willingly?
I don't think so.
None of the sailors
in that file over there
have any record of drug use.
Plus, recreational drugs
wouldn't trigger an immune storm
12 hours later.
No, this wasn't designed for fun.
This was designed to harm.
It does explain the sudden
uptick in "Sailors Gone Wild."
You think the toxin
is the reason that Fleet Week
has been so crazy?
Yeah, it gives its victims
one hell of a high.
Could that also explain
why Danny stole a cop car
and stabbed his best friend?
Eh, it's possible, there's still
so much about this toxin
- that we don't know yet.
- (PHONE CHIMING)
If we knew what all
these sailors had in common,
that may tell us how they were exposed.
Except I need answers now.
I've got the vice admiral of the
Second Fleet waiting for me upstairs.
I need to tell him something concrete.
Okay, uh, in that case
Agent Parker, it is my medical opinion
that someone is deliberately
poisoning U.S. Navy service members.
I just can't prove it yet.
Find out what they all have in common.
- Yeah.
- (DOORS SLIDE OPEN)
(SIGHS)
Sorry.
Looking for an outlet. Phone died.
Busy day.
Uh, Special Agent Alden Parker.
Are you, uh, with the vice admiral?
Yes, but I'm afraid he couldn't make it.
Cooper Ellis,
Second Fleet STRATCOM advisor.
Are we waiting on the director?
(SIGHS)
Well, we would be, but I don't
think the interim director
is going to be as hands-on
as his predecessor.
Of course.
And my condolences on your loss.
I hear Director Vance
was an impressive man.
That he was.
I assume this is regarding the murder?
Petty Officer Rivas?
Have you made an arrest?
We have. Seaman Daniel Harvey,
a liberty buddy.
(SIGHS)
Another sailor. That's unfortunate.
From a communications standpoint.
The message of Fleet Week
is "Strength through Brotherhood."
Well, then, you're gonna love
this next part.
Uh, we believe that service
members are being poisoned.
At least a dozen so far.
That's terrible. Are they okay?
They're all recovering, but only
because they were treated quickly.
So, for everyone's safety,
I think it's best
that all Fleet Week sailors
return to their commands.
I take it we're not talking about
a bad case of food poisoning?
No. We believe that there is someone
trying to harm these service members.
Do you have a lead on who? Or why?
We're working on it.
Do you know how these sailors
were poisoned?
We're working on that, too.
Agent Parker, I'm beginning to suspect
that this meeting was a bit premature.
We're just trying to get ahead
of the situation.
As a, as a PR rep, Mr. Ellis,
I'm sure you can appreciate that.
Strategic communications advisor.
Little different.
Of course.
- I didn't
- Thank you for briefing me
on this, Agent Parker.
I'll be sure to brief the admiral.
And it will be brief.
But for now, I suggest
you just keep "working on it."
The moment you
have something actionable,
you know how to reach me.
(SIGHS)
You made it look easy, Leon.
(KNIGHT SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY)
Oh. What is this?
Another line for the bathroom?
No, this is just me
trying to figure out what all
these sailors have in common.
Well, join the club. We got nothing.
Yeah. They all come
from different ships,
hit up different parts
of town last night.
Yeah, they were eating
at different restaurants
and drinking at different bars.
Yeah, we did a deep dive
and we came up with nothing.
You guys, the answer
was right in front of our eyes.
And under their clothes.
Come again?
So, when I was examining these sailors,
I got to see them all
with their shirts off.
Guess what they all have in common.
- Chiseled abs?
- What?
- (LAUGHS)
- No. No.
No, no, no. They-they all
have brand-new tattoos.
Uh, excuse me, everyone, can you please,
uh, show us your tattoos?
Oh, okay uh, no, sir.
No. Thank you.
We will take your word for that.
Okay. All-all right,
everyone, that'll do. Uh
As you were. (CHUCKLES)
Okay, the point is,
all these sailors had fresh ink
within the last 24 hours.
I mean, even our victim Rivas
had a brand-new tattoo.
Well, getting a tattoo
is a shore-leave tradition.
Exactly. So,
if you wanted to secretly inject a toxin
to a bunch of sailors,
a tattoo would be
the perfect delivery mechanism.
How can we confirm it?
Well, you got to take a lot of samples.
But if the tattoos
are the source of the toxin
Then we need to find out where
all these sailors got inked.
Okay, just hold still.
Wait. Have you done this before?
Have I ever biopsied a tattoo
to see if the ink was toxic?
No.
Seriously?
I don't know if I'm comfortable
And I'm done.
Thank God for local anesthetic.
So, since none of our sailors
can remember
where they got their tattoos,
I've uploaded all of their phone
location histories
to see where their paths line up.
They were all over the map.
There's no overlap.
Except for the National Mall.
Right, but no tattoo parlors there.
Just museums and goats.
Except now there are
no goats there, as well.
Still no hit on the goat BOLO?
No. There's a few reported sightings,
but nothing panned out.
No, I think those, uh,
goats are now ghosts.
Yeah, and so is our tattoo parlor.
You interviewed everyone?
Yeah. Everyone, uh, except for him.
KASIE: Seaman Harvey,
have a seat
and please show me your tattoo.
PARKER: Hey, Danny.
You feeling better?
Sure.
Great.
PARKER: Listen, um,
we're trying to find out
where you got this tattoo,
because we think whoever gave it to you,
uh, probably put some toxin in the ink.
And you think that's what
made me kill Kyle?
Uh, we're still investigating.
Save yourself the trouble.
Even if I was out of my mind
when I killed him, it doesn't matter.
My best friend is dead,
and nothing you say or do is
gonna bring him back.
You're right. Your friend's
not coming back. He's gone.
But you're still here.
So, you have the opportunity
to try to help other sailors
who might be exposed to this toxin.
And I think that Kyle would want that.
Don't you?
Okay.
It smelled of exhaust.
What did?
The tattoo place.
Like a running car.
Maybe it was near a freeway?
It was small, too.
The ceiling was low.
I had to bend down to walk.
Maybe the parlor wasn't near cars,
maybe it was a car.
A mobile parlor.
That's why there was no overlap
on their location histories.
Because they all got their
tattoos in different places.
From the same mobile tattoo parlor.
Do you remember anything else?
There were teeth.
TORRES: Hey, you two.
Get back to the ship.
KNIGHT: You really don't
want to get a tattoo from there.
Back up.
- (KNOCKING)
- NCIS. We got a warrant.
Open up or we're coming in.
Back.
Ready?
Well, that's our tattoo artist.
KNIGHT: Looks like his killer
was searching for something.
Yeah, my money's on that toxic ink.
KNIGHT: I think he found it,
but left us something.
A stab wound.
And a fresh tattoo.
That was done in a hurry.
The killer's sending a message.
In Russian.
KNIGHT: Our dead tattoo artist
is Gideon Mays,
the sole owner of the Dragon
Wagon mobile tattoo parlor.
Where all the sailors got inked.
We found photos of their tattoos
in Mays's phone.
He was offering a Fleet Week
special on social media.
Free tattoos for all sailors.
That deal is way too good
not to have a catch.
A catch like getting inked by a toxin?
Yeah. Kasie confirmed that
the tattoos were the source.
So, this guy was luring U.S. sailors
to his tattoo parlor
in order to poison them.
But he actually
wasn't doing it for free.
Somebody paid him.
Five days ago, Mays only had
$604.52 in his bank account.
But then, on the first day
of Fleet Week,
he got a deposit of $50,000
from an offshore account.
And I have an idea of how far offshore.
Take a look at this.
(KEYBOARD CLICKS)
Well, according to Jimmy,
this tattoo was inked
after the tattoo artist
was stabbed to death.
The word is Russian for "purge."
It's also the calling card
for this group,
- Pale Sun Brigade.
- I've heard of them.
State Department considers them
a terrorist organization.
Well, in Russia, they've been
responsible for shootings
and bombings against ethnic
and religious minorities.
They want to purge the world
of anyone who is not them.
But why purge the tattoo artist
if he's working for them?
Well, Pale Sun Brigade has been known
to posthumously ink traitors,
so maybe Mays tried
to double-cross them?
What about the toxic ink?
Was it still in the van?
Gone. We think the killers took it.
Which means
there's nothing stopping them
from doing this to more people.
Agent Parker, we are mere hours away
from the Fleet Week closing ceremonies.
People are already gathering
to watch the fireworks.
What exactly do you want me to do?
Shut it down. All of it.
Because of tattoos
that made some sailors sick?
Because we believe
a terrorist organization
is targeting the U.S. Navy,
and you are organizing
a U.S. Navy event.
(SIGHS) Maybe these terrorists
are just trying to scare us
into canceling the ceremony.
Have you thought of that?
We could be playing
right into their hands.
You asked for something
actionable, Mr. Ellis.
We have two dead bodies
and a direct threat.
You're the strategic advisor.
Do your job.
Advise the admiral: shut it down!
(SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY)
Excuse me. What are you doing?
(DOOR CLOSES)
Is this from the director's office?
Who told you to do this?
No, Parker, it's okay.
Uh, they're not taking anything
out of Vance's office.
Those are files that are being
returned from CID.
Oh.
Sorry. Just carry on.
Hey.
- Uh
- You okay?
Yeah. I
(SIGHS) I don't know how I am.
I haven't had a second
to think about it.
I understand that.
(SIGHS) I should be an expert
in handling loss after this last year.
I'm not sure that's how it works.
Did you have something?
Yes, and it's actually
good news for Danny.
Really? The guy
just lost his best friend.
Yeah, but whoever killed Rivas
also killed the tattoo artist.
Jimmy says the wound profiles
are exactly the same,
meaning that the same knife
was used in both murders.
But how is that good news for Danny?
It sounds like he killed them both.
Except he didn't kill either one.
He couldn't have.
Jimmy puts the tattoo artist's
time of death at 9:30 p.m.
- At that same time
- Danny was across town,
stealing a cop car.
Exactly. He's innocent.
Yeah, but why would
a Russian terror group
kill the tattoo artist,
and then track down
and murder a random sailor?
(SIGHS)
That is a good question.
We're still missing
a big piece of the puzzle.
Yeah, the Russian terrorists.
Has Kasie been able to find anything
in the, uh, the Dragon Wagon
that might help us track them down?
Unfortunately, she's been having some
technical difficulties.
Nothing is working.
Mass Spec keeps giving me
error messages,
my modem won't get any signal
and my cell phone battery keeps dying.
Wow, Kasie, that's a lot.
Maybe it's time
to get some new equipment.
Don't say that. Okay,
because this software upgrade
was the last thing
that Director Vance
approved for me.
(EXHALES)
God, I know that sounds stupid.
No.
It doesn't.
We all honor him
in different ways, Kasie.
Oh, I, um
I did manage to get one result
from Mass Spec
before it conked out, but even
that doesn't make any sense.
Okay. Show me.
Okay, well, I finally managed
to ID the toxin
as a phenylethylamine substitute.
Very weird stuff.
But not as weird as what I found
in the tattoo ink.
This ink is made
with a chemical suspension
that simply shouldn't exist.
Oh, come on, don't tell me
it's aliens again.
No. No.
But whoever could design
this suspension is a genius.
I mean, they made
the theoretical possible.
TORRES: What's that?
Grad school thesis paper.
It's the only research I found
that outlines a method
for creating the suspension.
Huh. We might want
to talk to the author.
Actually, we already have.
ANNIE: Yes, I wrote this,
but it was rejected
by the chemistry department last year.
Then how'd it get online?
I may have posted it.
They were wrong to reject it.
It's good science.
The chemical suspension is viable.
We know. We found it.
In the blood work of the sailors
you met two nights ago.
And inside that chemical
suspension, we found a toxin.
PARKER: A dozen Navy service members
were poisoned by your invention.
No. I didn't do that.
- You didn't invent it?
- No, I did,
but I didn't poison them.
Then who did?
You don't want to tell us,
then maybe your bank records will.
Over the past six months,
you were paid $200,000
from an offshore account.
Goodbye, student loans
Hello, Russian terrorists.
Those are your employers, right?
KNIGHT: Not only yours.
We believe that they paid
a tattoo artist
to inject these sailors with your toxin.
Annie, you need to tell us
how we can find these Russians.
Okay, see, the problem is,
I can't talk about this.
I signed an NDA.
With the terrorists?
No.
I mean, I really hope not. I
I thought they were a legit company.
Who?
KNIGHT: Okay, Annie.
Two people are dead.
You really want to go
to prison over an NDA?
Okay, yes.
This company paid me
to synthesize the suspension.
But they also paid me
to test a "mystery additive."
I did, it worked and I never
heard from them again.
Did you know that this additive
was a toxin?
No. You've got it wrong.
The additive isn't a toxin.
The suspension itself is toxic.
That's why it shouldn't be
in the human body.
And I warned the company about this,
but clearly they didn't listen,
because two nights ago,
I got an alert that the additive
was walking around D.C.
Excuse me?
I tracked it to this bar.
What do you mean, you tracked it? How?
I shouldn't have said that.
I'm sorry, I think I need a lawyer now.
I really can't afford to get sued.
(KNOCK ON GLASS)
I think Annie is telling the truth.
- Which part?
- About the additive.
It's not a toxin. Okay.
(EXHALES SHARPLY)
I couldn't get Mass Spec
to analyze the tattoo ink,
so I put it under a microscope,
and this is what I saw.
The "additive" is nanorobotics.
Essentially, microscopic machines.
Are you saying that all of these sailors
have tiny machines inside of them?
Doing what?
Transmitting their location.
We were wrong.
The tattoos weren't designed
to poison the sailors.
That was an unintended side effect.
The tattoos were designed to track them.
So, this isn't terrorism.
This is espionage.
Someone is spying on the U.S. Navy.
Okay, so, all of the sailors' tattoos,
or rather, the nano-trackers
inside of them,
work essentially like
liquid Bluetooth trackers.
You know, the kind
that you drop in your luggage.
Right, it transmits a signal
so you can follow it wherever it goes.
That's how Annie tracked
the sailors to the bar.
Yes, and like the Bluetooth trackers,
the nanotech can't transmit
very far on its own.
It needs to piggyback
on a more powerful device.
Like our phones.
The sailors' tattoos are the reason
that our cellular phones keep dying.
The-the constant signal
is draining them.
Yeah, and that signal is why Mass Spec
keeps giving me error messages.
Too much interference.
Can we access this signal
to find out who's tracking
these sailors?
Well, so far,
we've only been able to track
who's been transmitting, namely,
the sailors with tattoos.
But with Annie's help, I might
be able to hack the signal
and figure out who's tracking them.
What about the ink itself?
We didn't find any at the tattoo parlor,
but shouldn't that be transmitting?
Theoretically, yes, but if
it's not near any phones
- Or if it's in a Faraday cage
- Then we can't track it.
No, the bigger concern here
is why are terrorists
tracking U.S. Navy sailors?
Well, this is military-grade technology.
How much you want to bet
the Pale Sun Brigade
is working for the Russians?
Russian technology
in American service members?
I don't like the sound of that.
(COMPUTER CHIMES)
I like the sound of that, though.
I found an embedded ID number
in the nano-trackers, ran a search.
- That's weird.
- What?
It's not Russian technology. It's ours.
Agent Parker. I did what you asked.
The Fleet Week ceremony is canceled,
and I have a communications
nightmare on my hands.
What is so urgent
that you needed to see me?
Well, I was hoping you could
clear up something for us
before we, uh, hop on a call
with the Secretary of Defense.
SECDEF?
What's this about?
You recognize that?
It's a patent for nano-trackers.
You filed it on behalf
of the Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency two years ago.
True, I worked for DARPA,
but we parted ways.
Actually, uh, you were fired
for cutting corners.
So what?
Aren't you supposed to be
chasing down Russian terrorists?
We were.
And we thought we chased them
to this offshore account.
But when our warrant came through,
we discovered it belonged to you.
You used it to pay Annie Carson
to find out how to incorporate
these nano-trackers into the human body.
And the way we look at it,
there are
two possible explanations here.
Either you are working with some
sort of off-book DoD operation
Or more likely, you, uh,
stole the trackers
on the way out the door,
and now you're trying
to sell them to the Russians.
I am not a traitor.
TECH: Sir, we have connection.
SECDEF's ready.
Well, I guess we're gonna find out.
Put him up on the screen.
Wait, wait! Stop.
(SIGHS) Yes, I stole the nanotech.
But I did it for our country.
I was always going
to give it back to DARPA.
I just needed to show them
that the tech was viable.
And Fleet Week was the perfect
proving ground.
You had hundreds of sailors
all looking to get tattoos.
You used them
as unwitting test subjects.
How do you justify that?
Because we've done it before.
MKUltra?
The Edgewood/Aberdeen experiments?
(SCOFFS) Come on, Agent Parker.
What's a few sick sailors in
the name of national security?
"National security."
I think you just wanted
your old job back.
But hey, whatever helps you
sleep at night.
MCGEE: Sure hope you
still have the rest of that ink.
It's safe.
I picked it up from Mays a few days ago.
I don't know how the Russians
got involved,
- but I didn't involve them.
- (PHONE CHIMING)
- Then who did?
- I don't know.
I don't know.
Annie was the only other person
who knew about the nanotech.
No, someone else does, too.
Kasie detected a ping
on the nanotech signal.
Someone's still tracking the sailors.
Or they're tracking the ink.
I mean, if he's telling the truth
I am telling the truth.
and the Russians don't have the ink,
that means
they're still trying to get it.
That's why they targeted
the tattoo artist.
They were looking for the ink.
Yeah, except Ellis here
had already taken it back.
MCGEE: Yeah.
Russia pivoted, started looking
for sailors who had the ink
in their bodies.
Yeah. Like Kyle Rivas.
You realize that this means
anyone with a tattoo
- is a possible target.
- Okay,
are you sure that we got them all?
♪
(CHIRPS)
SAMANTHA: Hey, Sailor. What's your name?
TORRES: Special Agent Nick Torres.
But you can call me Nick, Samantha.
I'm so sorry.
I thought you were a sailor.
Yeah, well, were you looking for this?
I don't know what that is.
I'm sorry, I have to go check
on something in the house.
You're not going anywhere.
Your sister Annie helped us
track the nanotech signal
back to a phone at this party.
Your phone, as it turns out.
Okay, well, it's not a party,
it's a social.
And this is an arrest.
Turn around, please.
- TAG House Hug!
- No
- No, no, no, no. No hugging.
- No, no, no, no.
- No, no, no.
- No hugging.
SAILOR: It's the fun police. Figures.
I heard that.
Samantha Barnes, you are under arrest
for the murder of Gideon Mays
and Navy Petty Officer
Third Class Kyle Rivas.
- (HANDCUFFS CLICKING)
- (ALL WHOOPING)
SAILORS (CHANTING):
Fun police! Fun police!
Fun police! Fun police! Fun police!
Fun police! Fun police!
KASIE: So,
the killer was another sorority girl?
Mm-hmm, and a nosy one.
Samantha's family is deep in debt,
and they recently
cut her off financially.
Yeah, when she found out
that her sorority sister
started working on
cutting-edge nano-trackers,
she saw her chance to make some money.
So, she hacked into Annie's research
and started tracking their signal,
and when it finally turned on
during Fleet Week,
she made her move.
Yeah. Confessed to both murders.
Now, first, she went after
the tattoo artist
- Wasn't that Russian terrorists?
- No.
No, no, no, turns out,
there were no terrorists.
Samantha was just trying
to throw us off her trail.
Apparently,
she was a Russian Studies major.
She was always gonna sell
those nano-trackers
to the highest bidder on the dark web.
But when she couldn't get
the ink from the Dragon Wagon,
she tracked the nearest signal
to the National Mall.
That's where she found
Petty Officer Rivas.
She stabbed him, and then
tried to cut off his tattoo.
She was stopped by a herd of goats.
Wait, did you just say "goats"?
The goats that you were looking for?
Yep. Turns out,
Danny actually released them.
Pretty much chased Samantha away.
IT IS OFFICIAL: Fleet Week is crazy.
(CHUCKLES)
Oh, goats are back home, by the way.
A jogger spotted them grazing
on Roosevelt Island.
Well, it's nice to know that Fleet Week
- has at least one happy ending.
- Mm-hmm.
For Danny, it is a much different story.
I can't thank you enough, Agent Parker.
For finding Kyle's killer.
And clearing my name.
Well, it means you still have
a future in the Navy, kid.
Thing is
Kyle was always right there with me.
Every step of the way.
How am I supposed
to do this without him?
(CRYING SOFTLY)
Tell me about Kyle.
What do you want to know?
How'd you two meet?
It's actually kind of a gross story.
(SNIFFLES)
Well, now I definitely got to hear it.
It was the first day of second grade.
Lunchtime.
My mom packed me a tuna sandwich
and chocolate pudding.
(FADING): And there was this kid
sitting at the table behind me.
♪
TORRES: Hey, Parker.
Thanks for coming.
I know it's late.
We really doing this?
I mean, can it wait?
- I just don't know if I'm ready.
- MCGEE: And
it'll be a little hard to pack
things up without any boxes.
That's not why I called you here.
What's this?
Well, this is a little something
Vance had in his desk
for a special occasion.
Come on. Everybody, grab a glass.
I didn't forget you, Nick.
There's an extra glass.
Yes.
Yeah, there is.
This, uh, this last couple weeks
(SCOFFS)
been nonstop,
you know, one thing after the other.
It just seems like the world
would like nothing more
than just, just to
move on.
You know? And
to forget.
But the only way I know
how to get through this
is by remembering him.
And there's no one I would rather
(EXHALES)
remember him with
than all of you guys.
So
to Leon.