Épisode L'art de la guerre S04E15 - NCIS : Los Angeles Saison 4

Une émission de télé est en cours de tournage dans la forêt en pleine nuit, pour essayer de rencontrer « Bigfoot », suite aux récits des indiens Chumashs sur des créatures géantes et poilues hantant ces bois. Ils entendent des bruits– il y a quelqu’un ! Mais c’est bien un homme qui approche, en grognant et titubant;  il s’effondre à leurs pieds : il a un couteau fiché dans la poitrine...

                                                         GÉNÉRIQUE

Callen contemple avec stupeur la combinaison d’astronaute pendue derrière le bureau de Sam : Al-Qaïda aurait un camp sur la lune ? En fait, la classe de la fille de l’ex-SEAL va faire un livre d’histoire vivant. Il sera donc Guion Bluford, le 1er noir dans l’espace. Il veut que sa fille soit fière de lui, et s’est débrouillé pour emprunter une vraie combinaison, et pas n’importe laquelle : celle de Mike Collins, celui qui est resté à bord de la fusée pendant qu’Armstrong et Aldrin marchaient sur la lune.

Kensi leur jette une carte à signer, pour le départ en retraite d’un certain Morgan – aucun d’eux ne voit qui c’est exactement, mais tous signent !

A propos de retraite, Deeks se voit bien passer son temps sur la plage avec Monty Junior-Junior, à regarder les filles en bikinis.

Kensi fera d’abord un double-mandat de présidente, puis s’occupera de sa fondation destinée à protéger les femmes de se faire mater par des octogénaires comme Deeks.

Sam se voit la jouer tranquille ; il emmènera ses petits enfants aux matchs de foot. Deeks s’étonne : et s’il a des petites-filles ?  Kensi intervient : sous l’administration Blye, les filles joueront au base-ball. Deeks ouvrent la bouche, elle l’empêche de faire une vieille blague cochonne sur les receveurs éloignés (receveur large en anglais) – il jure qu’il n’avait rien de tel à l’esprit. Sam demande à G, qui répond distraitement qu’il ne ferait jamais de blague sur les receveurs. Kensi le remercie ; mais il ajoute « sur les receveurs rapprochés (fin serrée en anglais) peut-être ! ».

Il n’a pas de projet de retraite, son salaire ne lui permettra pas de se payer son ile, finalement.

Eric  les appelle pour une nouvelle affaire, au son d’une trompette prévue pour le pot d’adieu de Morgan; il s’extasie devant la combinaison d’astronaute. Sam les fait rire en s’exclamant « vous voyez, les enfants aiment ça ! Comme je le disais ! ».

Dans la salle des OPS, G fait la grimace : Bigfoot ? Hetty préfère que personne ne se moque : lors de sa deuxième ascension de l’Everest, elle était totalement perdue dans le blizzard quand elle est tombée face à face avec ce qui ne pouvait être que le Yéti – mais la suite de l’histoire n’est pas pour aujourd’hui. Il faut se consacrer sur leur affaire, en l’occurrence la mort de Dean Albertson poignardé en pleine forêt – et recherché depuis le début des années 70 pour actes de terrorisme intérieur. Il avait cofondé le GBP : « Gun barrel party » ou parti des armes, en référence à Mao Tsé-toung pour qui « le pouvoir politique se renforce au son du canon des armes». Le mouvement a été responsable d’attentats à la bombe sur la côte ouest visant des tribunaux, des commissariats ou des bases militaires. Ils ont été sur la liste noire du FBI. Les empreintes d’Albertson ont été retrouvées à San Diego sur les lieux d’une explosion ayant couté la vie à 3 marins en 1973. Plus personne n’a entendu parler de lui depuis.

Le hic, c’est que le GPB semble refaire surface également : « pour tirer les premiers coups de feu contre les injustices commises par les institutions des USA afin de lancer  leur propre Printemps arabe ».  Si c’est le cas, cela devient une affaire de sécurité intérieure.

Ils se penchent sur le GBP des années 70. Il y avait 8 membres fondateurs : l’un est mort dans la nuit ; un est décédé dans une fusillade avec la police 20 ans plus tôt ; un a été vaincu par le cancer dans les années 90 ; 4 sont morts dans l’explosion de la cabane où ils fabriquaient des bombes. Il n’en reste qu’un, Jim Mullins, qui ferait un suspect parfait s’il n’était en prison à vie pour avoir tué deux personnes lors d’un braquage de banque. Comme il faut bien commencer quelque part, G envoie Kensi et Deeks revisiter la scène de crime, pendant que Sam et lui iront voir Mullins. Marty renâcle, il a horreur de la forêt. Sam lui propose une partie de Chifoumi. Deeks fait la feuille, Sam la pierre  et pourtant Sam se proclame vainqueur : selon les règles de la côte est, la pierre déchiquète la feuille. Marty se laisse faire : il explique à Kensi que ça fait partie de son plan : prétendre être inférieur pour laisser grandir l’arrogance de l’adversaire. Il a potassé le livre l’Art de la guerre de Sun Tzu que lui offert Hetty à Noël. Kensi aussi a reçu un classique, mais refuse de dire quoi. Deeks s’emballe aussitôt : elle a eu le Kama Sutra ; ils devraient se faire un club de lecture juste pour elle et lui...

La forêt profonde n’est pas son élément, en effet. Par contre Kensi maitrise. Le légiste lui a transmis que l’homme est mort d’une crise cardiaque. En fait le couteau est entré dans sa poitrine sans rien toucher de vital, mais il a entaillé le péricarde. Celui-ci s’est rempli de sang, et la pression a fini par arrêter le cœur. Il a pu marcher des kilomètres sans laisser la moindre trace de sang, à la recherche de quelqu’un pour l’aider.

Kensi se débrouille pour repérer ses traces er remonter la piste : elle fait corps avec la nature ! Deeks aussi, en mettant le pied dans une énorme crotte- elle appartient au moins à Bigfoot ; Kensi rigole : c’est un excrément d’ours brun. Il y en a dans le coin, des pumas, aussi. Deeks se dépêche de rejoindre son équipière.

A la prison, Mullins a toujours son discours haineux contre les institutions ; il a tué 2 types de la sécurité d’une banque ? Dommages de guerre ! Un hold-up ? Non, une expropriation : il volait l’argent du gouvernement de  l’ennemi. Il dit tout ignorer de la mort d’Albertson ; il ne le regrette pas, ce n’est plus un ami depuis le jour où il a déserté leur cause. Et si le GBP refait surface, il a l’impression que c’est entre de bonnes mains. Les agents sont frustrés, ils sentent qu’il leur cache quelque chose, mais n’ont aucun moyen de pression sur lui, puisqu’il est condamné à vie sans possibilité de libération sur parole. Peut-être en regardant du côté de ses visiteurs ?

Pendant ce temps, dans la forêt, Kensi et Deeks se sont enfoncés très profondément. C’est là qu’ils tombent sur une cabane isolée, à des kilomètres de tout. Ils entrent et le fouillis qui y règne leur apprend qu’elle est habitée. Un soutien-gorge montre qu’il y a aussi une femme (ou alors Dean était un transformiste- on ne peut pas juger un homme avant d’avoir fait un km dans ses chaussures...). C’est bien une femme qui vit ici : elle se pointe à la porte ! Elle jette son sac sur Deeks qui par réflexe protège sa tête en l’attrapant – elle en profite pour lui mettre un terrible coup de pieds dans l’entrejambe. Il hurle de douleur pendant que la femme s’enfuit. Kensi lui court après et la plaque violemment sur le sol, puis la ramène, pendant que Deeks essaie de retrouver son souffle.

Un peu plus tard, Kensi l’interroge à l’annexe pendant que Sam, Callen et Deeks regardent sur l’écran de la pièce voisine (les 1ers se moquant encore de Marty).

 

Elle s’appelle Leah, et éclate en sanglot quand Kensi lui apprend que Dean a été retrouvé mort. Elle est sans domicile fixe, a subi quelques arrestations pour vol dans des magasins ou possession de drogue, mais, à 52 ans, n’a aucun antécédent de violence. Kensi passe chercher une boite de mouchoirs et leur glisse qu’elle lui parait sincère quand elle disait ignorer la mort de son compagnon avant que la jeune femme la lui apprenne. D’ailleurs Leah s’en veut de l’avoir laissé pour aller chercher des provisions. Il ne se sentait pas très bien, elle était partie seule, et vu le temps de marche, a passé la nuit dans un foyer en ville.

Elle ne voit pas qui pourrait en vouloir à Dean : il ne lui a pas parlé de son passé. Elle n’a connu qu’un homme délicieux...Les OPS vérifient son alibi : elle était vraiment au foyer à l’heure de l’agression. Sam grogne : les voilà revenus au point de départ. Sauf qu’Eric a trouvé quelque chose dans la liste (réduite)  des récents visiteurs de Mullins. Outre sa sœur (qui vit dans l’Ohio), il y a un pro d’histoire de la fac de Glen Forest, Roy Hale. G décide d’aller lui parler, et demande à Deeks d’aider Kensi avec Leah ; Sam lui conseille une coquille...

Hale les reçoit dans son bureau. Il s’intéresse à la désobéissance civile, et à ce titre écrit un livre sur le GBP, et  leur justification de la violence. Il se dit très étonné qu’Albertson ait réapparu, et tout autant qu’il ait été assassiné. Il voit là un nouveau chapitre de son livre. Son maitre-assistant l’interrompt, il est temps d’aller en cours. Il prend congé après avoir soupiré que ses élèves de toute façon sont trop occupés à envoyer des SMS pour s’intéresser à ce qu’il raconte...

Quand les agents sortent de son bureau, ils ont encore la désagréable impression qu’on leur cache quelque chose. Ils tombent en arrêt devant un panneau d’information : une affiche annonce un meeting pour le vendredi. Elle est taguée par un graffiti qu’ils reconnaissent.

Ils envoient la photo à Eric qui confirme devant Hetty, Deeks et Kensi qu’il appartient au Red Tide, un groupuscule anarchique. Deeks les connaît, la police a déjà eu maille à partir avec eux : ils font irruption dans des manifestations pacifiques et saccagent tout. Nell trouve aussi autre chose : un manifeste a été posté depuis la fac : le GBP va mettre le feu aux poudres aujourd’hui même à Glen Forest. Hetty décide de renvoyer Kensi et Deeks sur les bancs de l’école...

Elle choisit la tenue de Kensi pour la faire ressembler à une étudiante, et donne à Deeks un uniforme d’homme d’entretien. Il proteste –encore ! Elle lui dit que c’est un camouflage parfait pour aller fouiner dans le bureau de Hale sans attirer l’attention ; il pense surtout qu’elle cherche à amortir le prix de l’uniforme ! Malheureusement pour lui, Sam et G qui rentrent à l’instant le voient avec le (futur) sac à main de Kensi au bras (elle le lui avait confié le temps de se changer). Il semble que le coup de pied dans les c*** aient fait plus de dégâts encore qu’ils ne le supposaient...

Le meeting/manifestation se déroule sur la pelouse, à l’extérieur. Sam et Callen se tiennent à distance. Ils indiquent à Kensi le maitre-assistant. Elle se dirige droit vers lui, et se présente comme une étudiante de Hale très peu assidue- c’est pour ça qu’il ne l’a pas remarquée ! Ils lui ont choisi un nom connu dans le monde de la désobéissance civile – Chomsky, ce qui ne manque pas d’éveiller l’intérêt de David. Il l’invite à se rendre à une réunion chez le professeur Hale. Celui-ci n’est pas à la manif, comme d’habitutde : il se désespère du peu d’intérêt que les étudiants actuels montrent pour la protestation. Ils ne sont qu’une vingtaine – contre une centaine l’année précédente. 

Pendant ce temps, Deeks fouille le bureau. Enfin, il commence par l’ordinateur, qu’il connecte avec les OPS. Eric a la surprise de trouver un disque dur vierge- pourtant l’ordi n’est pas tout neuf. G lui dit de chercher ailleurs ; Marty soupire : il aurait dû amener une pelle.

A cet instant apparaissent des silhouettes habillées de sweats à capuche rouge et dissimulant leurs visages derrière des bandanas. Au cri de Red Tide ils se lancent à l’assaut. A l’aide de battes de baseball, ils saccagent les tables des manifestants, les tableaux de la fac, et s’en prennent à tous ceux qui passent à portée de leurs coups. Mauvaise idée quand il s’agit des agents, 2 RT se retrouvent à terre aux pieds de Kensi et Callen. Sam renvoie l’ascenseur à un type qui voulait lui fracasser le crâne avec sa batte : le gars hurle de douleur en se tenant le nez pendant que l’ex-SEAL en finit aussi avec son copain.

C’est le moment que choisit Deeks pour les appeler. Sam lui répond qu’ils sont plutôt occupés ; Deeks a trouvé quelque chose – G rétorque qu’il a intérêt à ce que ce soit une belle preuve bien probante ; Deeks a mieux : un engin explosif. Dynamite, propane et des fils pour relier ; sans minuteur mais avec un téléphone portable activant la mise à feu.

G lui ordonne de faire évacuer le bâtiment  et de sortir aussi : ce qui ravit Marty, qui ne voudrait pas que Monty junior-junior se retrouve livré à lui-même sur la future plage. Il tire l’alarme incendie et lance l’évacuation, en expliquant qu’il y a une bombe.

Kensi rejoint Sam et Callen pour leur répéter ce qu’a dit David, à savoir que le professeur Hale ne vient jamais à ce genre de manif. Peut-être que quelqu’un le savait et comptait qu’il soit dans son bureau. Eric leur dit que son téléphone est éteint : Sam et G se rendent aussitôt chez lui.

Callen gare le Coupé  Jaguar XKR S dans la rue, et les agents se dirigent vers la maison. Sam se demande si Hale n’a pas mis le pied dans le mauvais nid de frelons  et ainsi mis le feu aux poudres– ce qui laisse G perplexe, il ignorait qu’il pouvait exister un bon nid de frelons. La voiture du prof est là, il doit être chez lui. Mais ils ne parcourront jamais les derniers mètres qui les séparent de l’entrée : la maison explose dans un fracas épouvantable. Il s’agissait vraiment du mauvais nid de frelons...

Les pompiers luttent encore contre l’incendie quand Deeks et Kensi rejoint G et Sam. Ce dernier se demande si les enfants ne seraient finalement pas plus sensibles au charme des pompiers, lors du truc de l’école. La bombe du bureau était la version moderne des engins utilisés par le GBP. D’ailleurs Eric a finalement trouvé un message de menace du parti dans l’ordinateur du prof. Sans doute celui-ci a-t-il découvert des choses qu’il ne fallait pas et c’est pourquoi il a été réduit au silence. Du moins il y a eu tentative, ils ne sont pas encore certains que Hale était à l’intérieur.

Eric les appelle : l’un des types de Red Tide qu’ils ont arrêtés s’appelle Alan Sanderson ;  c’est un thésard de Hale, qui a reçu un D. Peut-être pas un motif pour faire exploser un prof, quand même ! Mais il a été accusé de conduite en état d’ébriété, d’usage de drogue et d’agression. Son père est un très gros entrepreneur du BTP – dont un des chantiers s’est fait voler de la dynamite ; dont les numéros  de série correspondent à ceux de l’explosif retrouvé dans le bureau de Hale. La boucle est bouclée...Seulement entre la bombe du bureau et ce qu’il a fallu pour faire sauter la maison, les quantités nécessaires ne forment qu’une petite partie de ce qui a été dérobé. Il pourrait y avoir d’autres bombes...

G demande à Eric de faire transférer Sanderson à l’annexe pour qu’ils aient une petite conversation avec lui ; Deeks est chargé de vérifier si Leah le connaît, pendant que  Kensi ira parler à David. Marty demande un nouveau Chifoumi : s’il gagne, il échappera à la compagne de Dean ! Sam joue cette fois la feuille, Deeks la pierre. Marty pense encore avoir gagné -Mais Sam lui dit qu’il avait réclamé les  règles de la Côte Ouest, donc il a perdu... En aparté, le flic confie à sa partenaire qu’il suit toujours son fameux plan.

A l’annexe Alan accuse Sam de lui avoir cassé le nez- et qu’il a donc été victime de brutalités policières. Il réclame son avocat. Les agents lui expliquent qu’il est  accusé de faire partie d’une organisation terroriste, qu’il n’est donc pas aux mains de la police. Quand ils lui demandent de leur parler de la bombe du bureau de Hale, le jeune homme parait sincèrement surpris...

A la fac, Kensi dit la vérité à David sur son identité. Le jeune homme est inquiet pour son professeur, qu’il considère comme son sauveur. Quelques années plus tôt la compagnie d’assurance de son père a refusé de lui payer un traitement médical qui lui aurait sauvé la vie ; pour David, c’est comme si elle avait tué son père. Il avait failli sombrer dans les ténèbres. Ce que leur disait Hale en cours a  pris une autre résonnance, il lui a parlé un jour ; et le professeur l’a alors pris sous son aile, lui permettant de remonter la pente.

Dans la salle d’observation, Leah ne reconnaît pas Alan. Mais le plâtre sur le nez n’aide sans doute pas. Deeks lui met alors sur l’écran une photo de groupe de l’université, où on le voit bien. Leah est affirmative, elle ne le connaît pas. Par contre, l’homme a côté de lui est venu voir Dean plusieurs fois. Mais pas sous l’identité de Hale comme le lui dit Marty ; son compagnon l’appelait...Johnson. Deeks marque le coup !

Ils se retrouvent tous dans la salle des OPS : il y avait bien un Johnson dans le GBP, mais il est mort depuis longtemps dans une explosion. En fait à l’époque, des randonneurs ont découvert la cabane des semaines après la mort des occupants. Difficile alors d’identifier formellement des corps qui ont subi une explosion, un incendie, les charognards et la décomposition naturelle... Eric met sur écran le visage de Johnson quand il posait au milieu des membres du GBP. Il lui enlève barbe et longs cheveux et lui applique un programme de vieillissement. Sous leurs yeux, c’est le visage du professeur Hale qui apparaît ! Et justement Nell obtient l’info comme quoi il n’était pas dans sa maison quand elle a explosé.

G et Sam retournent cuisiner Alan. Mais il se contente de justifier leur forme d’action avant de se réfugier derrière le 5ème amendement qui lui permet de garder le silence. G sort un moment, pour apprendre que le prof a volé la voiture de son voisin, qui a été repérée par la police dans Culver City, là où une imprimerie est soupçonnée de fabriquer de faux papiers. Et justement l’homme apparaît sur les bandes de surveillance, en train de contempler un permis. Eric lui fait passer les vidéos sur son téléphone.

Il entre à nouveau dans la salle d’interrogatoire et met la photo sous le nez d’Alan. Son mentor est en train de mettre les voiles, comme il l’a fait 40 ans plus tôt et lui se retrouve tout seul à la barre d’un bateau qui va mettre le cap direct sur Guantanamo. Alan craque quand il comprend qu’ils vont vraiment l’envoyer là-bas.

Et très vite les agents foncent vers un  garde-meuble dont Alan leur a donné l’adresse. Il appartient au prof, qui y stocke les explosifs. Eric accède aussitôt aux caméras du site : Hale est en train de mettre une bouteille de gaz dans son coffre de voiture. Alan sait qu’il prépare un attentat contre l’une des 10 ou 15 compagnies locales du Fortune 500. Mais il ne sait pas laquelle : il est vital de l’intercepter. L’homme fini son chargement quand il entend la voiture de Sam piler à la hauteur de l’allée où il se trouve. Il démarre aussitôt, en marche arrière. Deeks arrive et bloque son issue. Mais Hale ne parait pas vouloir s’arrêter. Callen hurle à Deeks que la voiture est pleine de dynamite – Sam que le prof ne va pas s’arrêter. Mais Deeks ne se démonte pas...et Hale finit par écraser ses freins : son arrière est à quelques centimètres de la portière de Deeks – qui du coup est bloqué et ne peut pas descendre intercepter le type qui part en courant.

Deeks prend la porte passager et prévient Sam et G, qui décident de passer pas les toits, ça ira plus vite que de faire le tour. Effectivement, Callen saute devant le prof, le menaçant de son arme, pendant que Sam fait de même du haut du toit et que Deeks lui bloque la retraite. Marty le menotte en ricanant que Morgan n’est pas le seul à prendre sa retraite ; ceci-dit, ils ne savent toujours pas qui est Morgan...

Sam et G ont emmené Hale à l’annexe. Il leur explique que la police avait trouvé ses affaires dans la cabane et l’avait donc présumé mort. Mais il était absent lors de l’explosion ; il avait vu là l’opportunité de se faire une nouvelle vie. Considérant qu’il n’y avait rien à tirer à la fois de sa propre génération et de celle au pouvoir, il avait décidé de s’attaquer à celles à naitre, en passant par le professorat d’histoire. Il était temps maintenant de secouer ces jeunes qui passent leur temps à tweeter sur le dernier épisode de leur série préférée pendant que l’argent prend le pouvoir dans le pays. Il avait recruté une équipe, et était allé voir Albertson dans sa retraite pour lui proposer de se joindre à eux. Selon lui, son copain d’avant commençait à perdre la tête. Il a sorti un couteau, ils se sont battus et Dean est tombé sur la lame. Il ne pouvait pas appeler des secours et ainsi attirer l’attention sur lui. Mais les agents étaient quand même arrivés dans son bureau. D’où une nouvelle mort-nouvelle fuite, avant de reprendre le combat. Et si lui ne peut plus livrer bataille, il espère bien que quelques unes  des idées qu’il a semées pendant ses années de cours...prennent racines !

Plus tard, Callen nettoie son arme dans l’armurerie quand Hetty le rejoint. Avec les aveux de Hale et les preuves trouvées, il sera condamné à vie. Mais G ne peut pas s’empêcher de repenser à ce que le professeur a laissé entendre sur l’influence qu’il a pu avoir sur certains étudiants. Et de s’en inquiéter. Hetty ne minimise pas ce fait : si Hitler n’avait pas été endoctriné par Eckart, peut-être que l’holocauste n’aurait jamais eu lieu. C’est exactement ce qui travaille G : si Hale s’est trouvé au bon moment dans la vie de quelqu’un...

Au même moment, David, pour qui le professeur a tant représenté, contemple avec tristesse l’image de son modèle dans l’article qui explique son arrestation. Et puis sa tristesse se change en rage. Il lance une recherche sur internet : comment fabriquer une bombe. Juste à cet instant, on frappe à la porte...

Hetty est d’accord avec son agent mais ajoute qu’il  peut aussi se passer le phénomène inverse.

Chez David, c’est Kensi qui est sur le seuil et sourit au jeune homme : il a peut-être envie d’aller prendre un café, et parler ? Le jeune homme hésite...et acquiesce. Il rentre prendre une veste – et avant de sortir, ferme la page du site de fabrication de bombe. La voix d’Hetty l’accompagne : la présence d’un ami au bon moment peut faire toute la différence...

Ce qui fait repenser à la boss que tout le monde est au pot de départ de Morgan, sauf G ! Un peu d’interactions sociales ne peut pas lui faire de mal. Callen rétorque qu’il les a avec elle. Elle devient grave : et quand elle ne sera plus là ? Un de ces jours, elle partira en retraite, et quand cela sera, elle ne voudrait pas le savoir tout seul. Il soupire, mais Sam répond à sa place qu’il ne le sera pas, puisqu’il assistera aux matches avec lui ! Il apporte deux assiettes contenant chacune une part de gâteau au chocolat, ce qui ravit G. Nell qui arrive sur ses talons nuance : ils n’auront peut-être pas le temps d’aller au football puisqu’ils feront tous les deux parties de l’administration Blye-Jones. Deeks qui suit aussi rajoute qu’en plus il devra l’aider à promener Monty Junior-Junior – et comme ce sont les 2 dernières parts de gâteau, il propose de jouer celle de Sam au Chifoumi. Ce dernier accepte à condition que, s’il gagne, Marty se rase la tête et les sourcils...Deeks est d’accord, il annonce même qu’il va faire la pierre ; ils jouent selon les vraies règles. Et Deeks fait vraiment une pierre, alors que Sam  écarte les doigts en ciseaux...C’est Deeks qui se goinfre !

Tout l’art de la guerre tient dans supercherie. C’est le 1er principe de Sun Tzu. Alors quand on se bat contre quelqu’un qui connaît son œuvre aussi bien que vous, la meilleure tromperie peut consister à dire la vérité...

Eric déboule à son tour, se demandant qui a déplacé la fête ici. Cela rappelle aux autres l’histoire de l’école de la fille de Sam. A-t-il été le papa le plus cool ? Il fait la grimace : le deuxième plus cool, seulement. Le vainqueur ? Le papa habillé en Navy SEAL ! Un éclat de rire général salue sa déclaration...

                              ---------------------------- FIN --------------------------

 

[A man is filmed in the woods by night]

MAN: The Chumash Indians told tales of large, hairy creatures who roam these woods.  We're in the Angeles National Forest, and tonight, we'll try to find one. I'm Brad Ross, and you're watching Bigfoot Hunters.

WOMAN: Cut.

[She with the cameraman and the boom-operator]

ROSS: What was wrong with that one?

WOMAN: Give me more.

ROSS: Less is more.

WOMAN: In cheesy paranormal shows, less is less. You are not David Attenborough.

ROSS: I have a degree in biology.

WOMAN: And I used to work on Survivor. So I guess we're both slumming it. All right, just do the damn intro again. Let's get on with it. I'm freezing my butt off.

[Ross sighs but starts speaking more lively]

ROSS: The Chumash Indians told tales of large, hairy creatures that roamed...

[They hear some rustling; branches are shaking; he stops dead]

WOMAN: What was that?

ROSS: Shh. Let's find out. Come on.

WOMAN: Uh, uh, wait.

[They hear the same rustling – maybe nearer]

OPERATOR: Hey, over there.

[A man is grunting, panting, heading towards them; he falls down on his back: he has a knife in the chest. The others scream, exclaim! They stare at him]

ROSS: Holy...

 

                                   ♫ ♫ NCIS: LA 4x15 ♫ ♫ History ♫ ♫

                        ♫ ♫ Original Air Date on February 19, 2013 ♫ ♫

 

 

[Callen comes at the desks; Sam is already here, a spacesuit in his back; he’s contemplating the helmet on his desk]

CALLEN: Al-Qaeda has a base on the moon now?

SAM: My daughter's school is doing a living history book. All the parents are dressing up as historical figures and talking about their accomplishments.

CALLEN: And you're going as Neil Armstrong.

SAM: Nah, Guy Bluford.

[G looks questioningly at him]

SAM: First black astronaut in space.

CALLEN: Sorry. The only black astronaut I know is Lando Calrissian.

[Sam chuckles]

SAM: This job keeps me too busy to do all the things I'd like with my daughter, so I'm gonna go all out and make her feel special.

CALLEN: Nice.

SAM: I want her to think I'm the coolest dad there. I called in a favor and got a real space suit.

[Deeks is just coming in; he points at it]

DEEKS: That's a real space suit?

SAM: Mike Collins wore it.

DEEKS: Mike... Who's Mike Collins?

SAM: First lunar mission. He's the guy who stayed up in the command module while Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the moon.

CALLEN: You really know your astronauts.

SAM: You got to respect a man who takes one for the team like that. Went 250,000 miles just to wait in the car.

[Deeks leans forwards]

DEEKS: Can I try it on?

SAM: No, no, no, no, no, I don't want your greasy mop contaminating my nice, clean space helmet.

DEEKS: You're obviously jealous of my beautiful, flowing locks.

[Kensi hurries in and throws a card onto the desk “You will be missed”]

KENSI: Hey, will you sign this?

DEEKS: Yeah, of course. Who's it for?

KENSI: Morgan, he's retiring.

[Sam looks puzzled]

DEEKS: Morgan? Which-which one's Morgan?

KENSI: Um, I don't actually know. Just sign it and pass it around.

[Deeks clears his throat; he signs]

DEEKS: Morgan, you will be missed. Seems a little disingenuous.

[He hands Sam the card]

DEEKS: I cannot wait to retire.

SAM: You know, you actually got to do some work before you can retire from something, Deeks.

DEEKS: Just gonna sit on that beach with my dog, Monty Junior, Junior. You know, just checking out the lady birds in their bikinis.

KENSI: See, you're only young once, but you can be immature forever.

DEEKS: Preach it, sister. What about you?

KENSI: After my second term as president...

DEEKS: Your second term?

CALLEN: No way she's a one-termer.

SAM: No way. Two terms.

KENSI: After my second term as president, I am going to retire and run my non-profit.

CALLEN: Oh, yeah? What's your cause?

KENSI: Getting creeps off our nation's beaches. See, somebody's got to protect those girls in bikinis from leering octogenarians such as Deeks.

DEEKS: I'll see you there.

KENSI: Sam, what about you?

SAM: I'm just gonna take it easy, watch my grandkids play football.

DEEKS: What if your grandkids are girls?

KENSI: Under the Blye administration, girls are gonna play football.

DEEKS: They could...

KENSI: Don't...make a wide receiver joke.

DEEKS: Furthest thing from my mind.

SAM: What about you, G?

CALLEN: I would never make a wide receiver joke.

KENSI: Thank you.

CALLEN: Tight end, maybe!

SAM: No, retirement plans. What about your private island?

CALLEN: Uh, yeah, I don't think my 401k is gonna pay for a private island.

[Sound of a noisemaker blowing; Eric is in the stairs]

ERIC: It's from Morgan's retirement party, and we've got a case. Is that a real space suit?

SAM: Yep.

ERIC: Awesome.

SAM: See, children think it's cool. Told you.

[They laugh]

 

[OPS center.]

NELL: This is footage from a television show called Bigfoot Hunters. They were filming in the Angeles National Forest last night.

CALLEN: Bigfoot, seriously?

DEEKS: He prefers Sasquatch 'cause, uh, Bigfoot's offensive,

HETTY: Don't mock, Mr. Deeks. During my second summit up Everest, I was hopelessly lost in a blizzard when I came face-to-face with something that only could have been the legendary yeti.

KENSI: What happened next?

HETTY: What happened next, Miss Blye, is a story for another day. Today we're focused on the case at hand.

[On screen, the man is grunting]

CALLEN: That is not Bigfoot.

ERIC: Dean Albertson, he'd been wanted for acts of domestic terrorism since the early '70s.

NELL: Albertson was a founding member of the terrorist group called "The GBP."

DEEKS: GBP?

HETTY: Gun Barrel Party. Named after something Mao Tse-tung said.

CALLEN: "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun."

HETTY: Right on, Mr. Callen.

NELL: The GBP was wanted for a string of bombings which took place up and down the west coast at police stations, courthouses, and military bases. Several of the members did time on the FBI's Most Wanted list, including Albertson.

ERIC: His fingerprints were found at the scene of a 1973 explosion at Naval Base San Diego. Killed three sailors.

NELL: Albertson hadn't been heard from since.

SAM: Any reason to think his death is connected to his former activities?

ERIC: Well, we found this.

NELL: It's a manifesto claiming that the Gun Barrel Party plans to, quote, "reemerge from the shadows to attack institutions of American injustice and fire the first shots in a revolution that will bring about our own Arab Spring."

HETTY: So, if the GBP is coming back, it's a...

SAM: Matter of national security.

HETTY: It certainly is, Mr. Hanna. It certainly is.

 

                                 -------------------- ZAPPING -------------------

 

[OPS center.]

ERIC: The manifesto was posted from a coffee shop in the Valley, so it could've been anyone on their Wi-Fi.

CALLEN: If the Gun Barrel Party is thinking about making a comeback, it's not gonna be easy to put the band back together.

[They’re all watching a photo on screen: 8 members of the GBP]

NELL: So there were eight members of their group. Albertson died last night. Flatt went down in a shootout with police 20 years ago. Franklin, he died of cancer in the '90s. And these four all died when bombs they were making exploded at a cabin in Oregon.

SAM: Okay, so this guy's the only one left.

DEEKS: So he's our number one suspect.

CALLEN: Not quite. Jim Mullins is serving life at Oakville for killing two people during a bank robbery in 1979.

SAM: Well, we got to start somewhere.

CALLEN: All right, Sam and I will go visit Mullins, see what he knows. Kensi, Deeks, why don't you check out the crime scene? See if LAPD missed anything.

KENSI: All right, I'll get my hiking boots.

DEEKS: Um, see, no. See, this is... this is not cool.

[Hallway]

SAM: What's the problem, Deeks?

DEEKS: Crime scene's out in the middle of the woods. You know how I feel about the woods.

SAM: You want to go to a prison?

DEEKS: Uh, actually, yeah.

SAM: Okay, I'll play you rock, paper, scissors for it.

DEEKS: Seriously?

[He asks Callen]

CALLEN: Why not?!

DEEKS: All right, ready?

[Sam: rock; Deeks: paper]

DEEKS: Boom! Kensi, put on your prison shoes, 'cause we're going to prison.

SAM: Why are you celebrating?

DEEKS: Paper beats rock.

SAM: Paper beats rock? Rock tears paper.

DEEKS: Since when?

SAM: Since always.

DEEKS: That's not how we played it.

SAM: Well, you were raised out here. I play East Coast rules.

DEEKS: East Coast rules?

SAM: Yeah, step your game up.

CALLEN: Don't be a sore loser, Deeks.

[They leave the office]

DEEKS: All right, have fun at prison.

[Kensi is putting her hiking shoes on]

KENSI: East Coast rules, really?

DEEKS: Don't worry, it's all part of my plan.

KENSI: What plan?

DEEKS: Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance.

[Kensi chuckles]

KENSI: This was you pretending inferiority?

DEEKS: That's classic Sun Tzu.

KENSI: Since when do you read Sun Tzu?

DEEKS: Since Hetty gave me The Art of War for Christmas.

KENSI: Hetty also gave me an ancient textbook for Christmas.

DEEKS: She did? What'd she give you?

KENSI: I'm not gonna tell you.

DEEKS: She gave you Kama Sutra, didn't she? Come on, was it Kama Sutra?

KENSI: Are you serious?

DEEKS: Please tell me it's Kama Sutra. Maybe we should start a book club, just you and I.

 

[Angeles National Forest. Kensi sighs]

KENSI: Okay, so Albertson fell here. What was he doing? Hiking?

DEEKS: Nothing good happens this deep in the woods. Out here, it's nothing but banjo-playing rednecks and mass murderers in hockey masks.

KENSI: Well, according to the coroner's report that Eric sent, the cause of death was a heart attack.

DEEKS: So the knife didn't kill him? Maybe he heard banjo music and died of fright.

KENSI: No, the knife did do it, it just took a while. It turns out the blade missed all the important stuff and nicked the pericardium.

DEEKS: Pericardium-- look at you. Triple word score.

KENSI: The blood filled the sack around the heart. Eventually pressure caused cardiac arrest.

DEEKS: Ouch.

KENSI: Yeah, that would explain why there's no blood on the ground and no splatter leading in.

DEEKS: So this guy could have been walking for miles, just looking for help.

[Kensi watches something]

DEEKS: What do you got there, Pocahontas?

KENSI: Albertson came from there.

[She starts walking]

DEEKS: Came from... what? Where? Where are you going?

KENSI: I am backtracking. Finding out where he came from.

DEEKS: How can you even see his trail?

KENSI: I am at one with nature.

DEEKS: Yeah, no, I'm one with nature. Oh! Oh, my God.

[Kensi laughs: he has stepped into excrement]

KENSI: Oh, come on! People who are at one with nature do not step in number two.

DEEKS: That is so gross, and this is so huge. Maybe there is Bigfoot out here, 'cause I think I just stepped in his poo.

KENSI: No, it is not a Bigfoot. That belongs to a black bear.

DEEKS: Wow, you really know your poo. Wait, are there really bears out here?

KENSI: And mountain lions.

DEEKS: See, this is why I don't leave the city.

[A bird screeches; she steps away]

DEEKS: Kens? Kensi! All right.

[He follows his partner]

 

 [At the prison. Mullins is brought into an interrogation room -buzzer sounds]

GUARD: Open 3.

[Sam and Callen are already seated at the table]

GUARD: Sit down.

[Guard leaves the room]

MULLINS: Well, it's been a while since I had a couple pigs visit me.

SAM: Clearly, since no one's used the word "pig" since 1978.

CALLEN: Old friend of yours, Dean Albertson, turned up last night with a knife sticking out of his chest.

MULLINS: Well, I'm pretty sure I got a good alibi.

CALLEN: Me, too. But an online manifesto claims your former terrorist organization's making a comeback.

MULLINS: Maybe as a charter member, they'll give me a break on the dues.

SAM: You have anything to do with it?

MULLINS: What little computer time I do get here is pretty closely monitored. You check with Big Brother.

SAM: You have any idea where Dean Albertson's been all these years? Who might want to kill him? You don't seem too broken up about it.

MULLINS: How many lives have you taken?

SAM: What?

MULLINS: You're a soldier. I can smell it on you. How many lives have you taken?

SAM: I prefer to think about the lives I've saved.

MULLINS: Me, too.

SAM: You murdered two security guards.

MULLINS: Casualties of war.

SAM: War? It was a bank robbery.

MULLINS: No, an expropriation. I was stealing money from the enemy government.

SAM: Keep telling yourself that.

CALLEN: Look, somebody stabs and old buddy of yours, and they may be using the Gun Barrel Party's name for their own purposes. I'd think you'd want to be a part of this investigation.

MULLINS: Albertson stopped being a buddy of mine the day he deserted the cause. As far as the GBP's resurrection goes, I got a feeling it's in pretty good hands. So... if you have more questions, ask my lawyer. We're through here.

[He stands up- heads towards the door]

GUARD: Open it up.

[Buzzer sounds: he’s out]

CALLEN: He knows something.

SAM: Guy's got life without parole. We don't have any leverage on him.

CALLEN: Somebody reached out to him.

SAM: Such a pleasant guy, I can't imagine why they wouldn't have.

[Callen pulls out his phone]

CALLEN: Eric.

ERIC: G.

CALLEN: Get me a list of Mullins' recent visitors.

ERIC: Yeah, I'm on it.

CALLEN: Thanks.

 

[In the woods]

KENSI: Albertson was seriously out here. There isn't anything for miles.

DEEKS: Yeah, this place could really use a sushi bar or a mini mall, like a movie theater.

[Kensi smiles]

KENSI: Or a cabin.

DEEKS: I was thinking more of a sushi bar, you know what I mean? A little slice of salmon, but whatever tickles your pickle.

KENSI: No, dummy. Cabin.

DEEKS: Right. Now I see it.

[It’s more like a small house in the woods than a hut]

KENSI: Wait. "Tickles your pickle"?

DEEKS: I was trying it out. What do you think?

KENSI: I think it's inappropriate.

DEEKS: I think it's strong to moderately strong.

[They’re near the cabin]

KENSI: So, what does Sun Tzu say about breaking in doors?

DEEKS: He says, "Left side, safe. Right side, safe. Middle, squished like a grape."

[They stand at each side of the door- guns out]

KENSI: I'm pretty sure that's not Sun Tzu.

DEEKS: That's Karate Kid. It's still damn good advice. Ready? One, two, three.

[Kensi kicks the door open]

KENSI: Federal agents!

[™here’s only one room; no-one inside; but a lot of stuff…]

DEEKS: This is nicer than your apartment. Cleaner, too.

DEEKS: What?!

DEEKS: "What?"…

KENSI: You have a point. I happen to like my stuff.

DEEKS: That's what the hoarders say.

KENSI: I'll tell you one thing, Albertson was definitely living here. And I don't think he was alone.

[She has found a bra]

DEEKS: Could have been a cross-dresser. What? Never judge a man till you walk a mile in his pumps.

KENSI: Oh, I don't think so.

[A woman is standing at the door; she carries a basket and has stopped dead because of surprise; she throws his basket to Deeks and meanwhile kicks him into his crotch. He groans; she flies. Kensi runs behind]

KENSI: Hey! Federal agent!

[Deeks groans; he can’t move]

KENSI: Federal agent! Stop!

[She catches the woman and tackles her down on the ground; both grunt]

KENSI: Get down!

DEEKS: Uh, good, good, you got her.

[He’s still in pain…]

KENSI: Hold still!

DEEKS: I'm coming. I just... ah...

KENSI: Give me your hands.

[She smiles]

KENSI: How you feeling, buddy?

DEEKS: That is a stupid question.

KENSI: Looks like she tickled your pickle.

[He laughs]

DEEKS: That's, uh, that's clever.

KENSI: Yeah?

[She grunts while pulling the woman up on her feet]

DEEKS: How you doing?

WOMAN: What are you looking at?

DEEKS: No!

WOMAN: Young girl.

[He chuckles]

 

[Boatshed. Observation room: Callen, Sam and Deeks are watching Kensi in the interrogation room with the woman]

KENSI [over intercom]: He was pronounced dead at the scene.

[The woman starts crying]

WOMAN [over intercom]: I'm sorry. I just need a minute.

KENSI[over intercom]: Of course. Take your time.

CALLEN: Leah Dewhurst, 52 years old, no permanent address. She was arrested on shoplifting and drug charges a few times, but... nothing violent.

SAM: Anything in there about her being a former Rockette or a placekicker for the Giants?

DEEKS: That's right. Laugh it up. Mock my trauma.

[Door opens: Kensi comes in]

KENSI: You heard it. She was Albertson's girlfriend, and she had no idea that he had died until I told her.

[She grabs a tissues box]

SAM: You believe her?

KENSI: Yeah, I do.

 

[Interrogation room.]

KENSI: Here you go.

LEAH: I shouldn't have left him.

KENSI: Where did you go?

LEAH: Into town for supplies. He wasn't feeling good, so I went alone. It's a long trip. And I spent the night at the shelter.

KENSI: Which one?

LEAH: The Santa Clarita Women's Center.

[Observation room]

CALLEN: Nell, did you get that?

[OPS center.]

NELL: Checking.

[Interrogation room.]

KENSI: Who would have wanted Albertson dead? Leah, we know his past.

LEAH: Then you tell me. He wouldn't talk about it. The Dean Albertson I knew was a sweet man. Whatever he did back then was all behind him.

[Observation room. On screen]

NELL: Yep, her story checks out. She was at the shelter during the time the coroner says Albertson was killed.

SAM: So, we're back to square one.

[OPS center.]

ERIC: Maybe not. I talked to Oakville Prison. Mullins had two visitors recently. One was his sister, who lives in Ohio. The other was a Glen Forest University history professor, Dr. Roy Hale.

[Observation room]

CALLEN: Sam and I will pay him a visit. Deeks, why don't you help Kensi get Albertson's girlfriend squared away?

SAM: You might want to wear a cup.

[They leave the boatshed- Deeks chuckles]

 

[Glen Forest University. Roy Hale’s office]

HALE: So, you met Jim Mullins. He's a charming guy.

CALLEN: Why'd you go see him?

HALE: I'm writing a book on the Gun Barrel Party. One of my areas of research interest is civil disobedience.

CALLEN: The Gun Barrel Party's disobedience was hardly civil.

HALE: They liked to stir the pot.

SAM: Stir the pot? You're talking bombings and mass murders.

HALE: They believed they had the moral high ground which justified their actions, however extreme.

SAM: It's the same thing al-Qaeda's selling.

HALE: I'm merely explaining their point of view.

CALLEN: Did you talk to Dean Albertson?

HALE: My understanding is that no one's seen him since the '70s.

SAM: Until last night. He was found stabbed to death.

HALE: Really? Do you know what happened?

CALLEN: We're working on it.

HALE: Well, I'm sure whatever you find will make for a very interesting chapter in my book.

[Knocking interrupts him]

GUY: Time for class, Dr. Hale.

HALE: Oh, thank you, David. Gentlemen, if you'll excuse me, I have a lecture hall filled with fresh young minds waiting to ignore me and text incessantly. Nice to meet you.

[He shakes Callen’s hand]

CALLEN: Nice to meet you.

 

[Sam and G are walking in a hallway, heading to the exit]

SAM: Why do I feel like everyone we've talked to today knows more than they're saying?

CALLEN: What else is new?

SAM: G, take a look at this.

[A leaflet pinned onto a board says “It’s US vs Them; don’t be a silent majority; break the chains – Rally on the quad Friday 2pm”]

SAM: Occupy rally on campus. Recognize the tag?

CALLEN: I'll send that Eric.

 

[OPS center. Eric and Nell are briefing Hetty, Kensi and Deeks]

ERIC: Graffiti belongs to an anarchist group called Red Tide.

DEEKS: LAPD has had trouble with these guys before. They show up and rampage through otherwise peaceful demonstrations. Assault, vandalism.

HETTY: Not unlike the early tactics of the Gun Barrel Party.

ERIC: Look at this.

[They watch RT graffiti; and a text]

KENSI: "The revolution is not a warm fire in the hearth. It's an inferno that consumes the world. Today at Glen Forest University, the Gun Barrel Party strikes the match."

DEEKS: Where'd it come from?

NELL: Uploaded to an anarchy board via a Wi-Fi server at the university.

HETTY: Ms. Blye, Mr. Deeks, it looks like you're going back to school.

 

[NCIS office. Wardrobe]

HETTY: Try this on, Ms. Blye. See if it makes you feel like a student again.

KENSI: Great.

DEEKS: That's fantastic. What about me?

KENSI: You get to make yourself useful.

[She throws him the handbag and gets into the change room]

DEEKS: Really? We're at this stage in our relationship now?

KENSI: What stage might that be, Deeks?

DEEKS: The stage where I just stand around holding your purse.

KENSI: Does that threaten your manhood?

DEEKS: No. Not unless the purse matches my shoes.

KENSI: What?

DEEKS: Nothing. Totally secure out here with my man purse. My murse. Hetty, what do you, uh, what do you got for me? Am I gonna be a brainiac or a jock or lazy college senior?

HETTY: How about custodial engineer?

KENSI: Ha!

DEEKS: Really? I'm a janitor again? Come on!

HETTY: Oh, Mr. Deeks, don't complain. It's a noble profession. And besides, this is the perfect camouflage for you to slip in and out of Professor Hale's office unnoticed.

[She hands him shoes and uniform]

DEEKS: Also a fantastic way for you to amortize the price of the disguise.

HETTY: I believe that's called a win-win.

DEEKS: Yeah, for you, maybe.

[G and Sam are just back]

SAM: That's a nice purse, Deeks.

CALLEN: Yeah, it matches your shoes.

SAM: The damage from that kick must have been worse than we thought. It's cute.

DEEKS: Hetty, could I please have a tool belt or something to wear with this? With, like, a belt sander on it?

[Kensi is changed; she shakes her head]

DEEKS: Hey, nice pants.

 

[University. In the grounds. Sam and G spot David speaking to girls; students are singing indistinctly at a protest]

CALLEN: Guy up ahead is Hale's TA, David.

KENSI: Copy.

[Indistinct demonstrators’ chanting continues- Kensi heads towards the TA]

KENSI: Hey, David.

DAVID: Yeah. You are...?

KENSI: Uh, Laura. I am in Dr. Hale's History 101.

DAVID: I'm pretty sure I'd remember you.

KENSI: Aren't there, like, 300 of us in that class?

DAVID: Still.

KENSI: Okay. Well, maybe I shouldn't tell you this, 'cause you're the class TA and all, but, um, sometimes I miss classes. A lot, actually. Sorry.

[She chuckles]

DAVID: When I was an undergrad, there were some classes I only went to on exam day.

KENSI: Ah.

DAVID: What's your last name? I'll check you in.

KENSI: Check me in?

DAVID: Extra credit for coming to this thing. It's why you're here, right?

KENSI: Yeah, of course. Duh. Chomsky.

DAVID: There it is. Laura Chomsky.

[He chuckles]

KENSI: See? I'm not that memorable.

DAVID: You're not related to Noam Chomsky?

KENSI: Yeah. He's my dad's second cousin.

DAVID: His books changed my life. They're-they're why I stopped skipping class.

KENSI: His potato salad changed my life. Um, it's the reason why I don't eat mayonnaise anymore. Family reunion, 1995. Absolutely disgusting. A day which will live in infamy.

[David chuckles]

DAVID: Dr. Hale hosts some of us once a week at his house. The discussion gets a lot more interesting than what you hear in class. It's supposed to be for grad students only, but I'm sure he'd make an exception.

KENSI: Um, I don't know.

DAVID: The bar is always well-stocked.

KENSI: Mm...

DAVID: We never serve potato salad.

KENSI: Done.

DAVID: Okay, give me your phone.

KENSI: All right.

DAVID: Here's my number. Text me and I'll send you the details.

KENSI: Great, thanks.

DAVID: Just don't mention to the professor all the classes you've skipped.

KENSI: I will not. Um, speaking of which-- where is Dr. Hale?

DAVID: Oh, no, he doesn't come to these things. He gave up on the Occupy Movement.

KENSI: Why?

DAVID: Well, last year there were hundreds of protesters and now there's what-- 20? Guess Occupy's already over.

KENSI: Yeah. Okay, well, um, thank you.

DAVID: Yeah, thank you.

KENSI: See you later.

DAVID: I'll see you there.

 

[Inside the building; Deeks is whistling; he enters Hale’s office]

DEEKS: All right, I'm in Professor Hale's office. Wow, looks like this guy and Kensi share a decorator. All right, let's see what he's not telling us. Eric, you ready for this? 'Cause it's coming your way.

[OPS center.]

ERIC: Oh, yeah. I-Is this a new computer?

[Hale’s Office. Deeks finds a lot of dust on it]

DEEKS: Uh...Gonna have to go with no on that one. Why?

[OPS center.]

ERIC: Uh, there's nothing on it. That's odd.

[Outside]

CALLEN: See what else you can find.

[Hale’s Office]

DEEKS: I'll keep digging...literally digging. Think I probably should've brought a shovel.

[Outside]

SAM: I was in that office. You should've brought a backhoe.

[He stares at new comers]

SAM: Red Tide?

[They’re wearing red hoodies, they hide their faces behind bandanas – they carry bats…]

CALLEN: Unless Albert Pujols is having a really bad day.

[one of the guy shouts]

GUY: Red Tide!

[People scream as the RTs run towards them, shouting “Red Tide”, and start crashing tables and assaulting protesters; security guards try to stop them but are struck as well. But one picks Kensi as his victim- he ends lying on the ground. Same for the one coming close to Callen, he’s knocked down. A 3rd guy wants to use his bat onto Sam’s head]

SAM: Hey, hey...

[He grabs the bat, strikes the guy and another one joining the fight. They grunt; one has a bloody nose obviously painful…

SAM: Turn over. Turn over! Put your hands behind your back.

[Hale’s office]

DEEKS: Uh... guys?

[Sam is cuffing the guy]

SAM: We kind of busy, Deeks.

DEEKS: Yeah, but I found something.

[Callen is cuffing one too]

CALLEN: Yeah, it better be a smoking gun.

DEEKS: I can do better than that. I got a ticking bomb. I got an explosive device. Dynamite, propane and wires.

SAM: You see a timer?

DEEKS: No, but it's got a cell phone trigger. This thing could go at any second.

CALLEN: We got to get people out of that building.

DEEKS: With pleasure.

[OPS center.]

ERIC: Bomb squad's on its way.

SAM: You get out, too, Deeks.

[Deeks hurries out the office]

DEEKS: Copy that, I don't want to leave little Monty Junior, Junior all alone on that future beach by himself.

[He grabs the fire alarm; it rings]

DEEKS: Let's go, people. Let's go, now, everybody out--there's a bomb in the building. Come on, people, we got to go right now. We got a bomb in the building--everybody out!

[Kensi joins Sam and Callen]

KENSI: Hey, David said Professor Hale never comes to these rallies.

SAM: Well, maybe someone knew that and counted on him being in his office.

[OPS center.]

ERIC: Hale's phone is turned off.

[University grounds]

CALLEN: Somebody wants him dead. We'll check his house.

KENSI: Okay.

 

[Callen’s Jaguar XKR S COUPE stops near Hale’s house]

CALLEN: The professor's car is still in the driveway.

SAM: Maybe this guy poked the wrong hornet's nest.

CALLEN: There's a right hornet's nest?

SAM: That's a good point.

[They’re not far from the house when there’s a huge explosion: it blows up]

CALLEN: Whoa. That was really the wrong hornet's nest.

 

                             -------------------- ZAPPING -------------------

 

[Hale’s house. Firemen, LAPD and forensics are at work – Sam and Callen watch the scene]

SAM: Maybe I should be a fireman.

CALLEN: Fire's hot. And they don't firemen shoot guns.

SAM: I mean for my daughter's school thing. Instead of an astronaut. Kids love firemen.

[Deeks and Kensi join them]

CALLEN: What did you find out about the bomb in Hale's office?

DEEKS: Updated version of the same type used by the Gun Barrel Party.

KENSI: Eric found a death threat from the GBP on Hale's hard drive.

CALLEN: So Hale's doing research for his book on the GBP, obviously finds something they didn't want found.

SAM: Whoever's reviving the group sent Hale a threat, he didn't stop whatever it was he was doing, so they blew him up.

CALLEN: They tried to--we still don't know for sure if he was in there.

SAM: We need to know what Hale found out about the Gun Barrel Party. Anything else on that hard drive?

DEEKS: Eric's still looking.

KENSI: How does Dean Albertson's murder fit into all this?

[G’s cell phone rings]

CALLEN: I wish I knew. What do you got, Nell?

[OPS center.]

NELL: Well, it turns out one of the members of Red Tide you busted, he's a grad student of Hale's--Alan Sanderson.

ERIC: According to his transcript, Hale gave Alan a "D" last semester.

[Hale’s house]

KENSI: That's motive to plant a bomb in the professor's desk?

SAM: When I was a kid if we had a bad teacher, we put a tack on their seat.

ERIC: [Over phone] This isn't Sanderson's first offense.

[OPS center.]

NELL: Charges predate his suspected involvement with Red Tide. Assault, drugs, drunk driving.

ERIC: His parents bailed him out. His father owns Sanderson Genesis.

[Hale’s house]

CALLEN: It's one of the largest construction companies in Southern California.

SAM: Yeah, they just got the contract to build the new football stadium.

[OPS center.]

NELL: So we tracked the serial numbers on the dynamite from the bomb in Hale's office. It was reported missing from a building site.

ERIC: Guess what company's working on the construction?

[Hale’s house]

KENSI: Daddy's?

[OPS center.]

ERIC: Circle takes the square.

NELL: Here's the scary part. We estimate that the bomb in Hale's office and the blast at his house account for only a fraction of the missing explosives.

ERIC: There's a good chance there are more bombs out there.

[Hale’s house]

CALLEN: Send Sanderson to the boatshed.

ERIC: [Over phone] Okay.

CALLEN: Sam and I are on our way.

KENSI: I'll talk to Hale's T.A., find out what he knows.

CALLEN: Deeks, see if Albertson's girlfriend knows Sanderson. Maybe we can tie him to this.

DEEKS: Uh, or I got a better idea. I could talk to Sanderson, you can go talk to Leah.

SAM: You afraid she's gonna kick you again?

DEEKS: Maybe. I tell you what. I'll rock, paper, scissors you for it.

SAM: Okay.

DEEKS: You ready for this?

SAM: I'm always ready.

DEEKS: Round two, baby.

SAM: Let's do it.

[Sam: paper; Deeks: rock]

DEEKS: Boom. Rock beats paper-- I win.

SAM: You win? Paper covers rock.

DEEKS: What about your East Coast rules?

SAM: You said you wanted to play West Coast style.

DEEKS: You...I didn't... we're...

CALLEN: Try and do a guy a favor.

SAM: Don't hate the player, hate the game.

[Sam and G head towards the Jaguar]

KENSI: You do know Art of War is Sam's favorite book, right?

DEEKS: It's all part of my master plan. Don't you worry.

KENSI: Okay. Let's go Sun Tzu.

DEEKS: What? I do-- I have a master plan here.

 

[Boatshed. Interrogation room. Sam and G enter- Alan Sanderson has a bandage on the nose]

ALAN: You broke my nose.

SAM: You tried to hit me with a Louisville Slugger.

ALAN: That's police brutality.

SAM: Do I look like a cop to you? Does this look like a police station?

ALAN: I want my lawyer.

CALLEN: You want your lawyer? This isn't like all the other times you were in trouble, Al.

SAM: Red Tide has been listed by the government as a terrorist organization.

CALLEN: Means you're a threat to national security.

SAM: That means you're ours until we say otherwise.

ALAN: People like you are what makes people like me necessary.

CALLEN: People like him?

SAM: Does he mean trust fund anarchists?

CALLEN: I think he means people who have no idea how much trouble they're in.

SAM: Tell us about the bomb in Dr. Hale's office, Al.

ALAN: What bomb?

[He looks really surprised- the agents exchange a look]

 

[University. Kensi is on a bench with David]

DAVID: So, what kind of cop are you?

KENSI: NCIS-- it's a federal agency.

DAVID: Have you found Dr. Hale?

KENSI: Not yet.

[David sighs – he looks worried]

KENSI: Were you guys close?

DAVID: He saved me.

KENSI: How?

DAVID: My dad was basically murdered a few years ago. When something like that happens, it can push you to a dark place.

KENSI: What happened to him?

DAVID: The insurance company denied him a treatment that would've saved his life. Just so they could make a couple extra dollars profit. The stuff Dr. Hale was saying in class started making a whole lot more sense after that. I talked to him about it and he kind of took me under his wing. I don't think I could've gotten through it without him.

KENSI: He was writing a book about the Gun Barrel Party, right?

DAVID: Not that I know of.

 

[Boatshed. Observation room. Leah is watching Alan on footage with Deeks]

LEAH: I don't recognize him. Maybe it's the busted nose.

DEEKS: All right, try this.

[He puts onto the screen the photo of students with Professor Hale. He zooms on Alan]

DEEKS: That's him.

LEAH: No, I never saw him before, but I know the guy next to him on the right. He came out to see Dean a few times.

DEEKS: That's Professor Hale.

LEAH: No, Dean called him, um...Johnson.

DEEKS: You're sure?

LEAH: Yeah.

 

[OPS center.]

CALLEN: Oliver Johnson was a member of the Gun Barrel Party.

SAM: Now, I thought he died years ago.

NELL: Well, according to this, Johnson was one of the four members of the GBP who were killed when bombs they were building exploded at the cabin in Oregon.

DEEKS: He could've survived--I mean, I saw a guy blow himself up at a carnival once-- Human Bomb. It was almost as cool as this monkey they had riding on the back of a dog. He had these little chaps, this little vest, cute little hat. I mean, he was hilarious.

[Neither Sam nor G find this appropriate…]

NELL: Hmm, maybe not.

DEEKS: No, it was-- they put a clip up on YouTube.

NELL: No, no, I mean Johnson's death. It says here that the hikers came upon the scene and notified authorities weeks after it had happened. So with the explosion, then the fire, animal scavengers and the natural decomposition, the bodies would be very difficult to identify.

ERIC: Let me try something. I'm gonna run age progression software.

[On screen young Johnson loses his beard and long hair, and his face ages…]

CALLEN: Professor Hale is Oliver Johnson.

DEEKS: How did we miss that?

[The aged face matches Hale’s photo with 91%]

CALLEN: Those 40 years took a toll on him.

SAM: That and the whole "he died in the '70s" thing.

CALLEN: Well, there is that.

NELL: And I just got word from crime scene techs. The professor's body was not in the house.

DEEKS: Human Bomb does it again.

 

                                      -------------------- ZAPPING -------------------

 

[Boatshed. G and Sam are back in the interrogation room]

CALLEN: We know Professor Hale is Oliver Johnson.

SAM: He getting back into the terrorism business with you and your buddies?

ALAN: The men who founded this country were terrorists, but you call them heroes.

CALLEN: I must've skipped that day in history class where they talked about Thomas Jefferson blowing up innocent people.

ALAN: Were you there when they talked about John F. Kennedy? He said, "Those that make peaceful revolution impossible only make violent revolution inevitable."

SAM: Your professor teaches you that?

ALAN: Yeah, he taught me a lot of things.

SAM: Did he teach you that Kennedy also said, "Only respect for the law makes it possible for free men to dwell together in peace and progress"?

ALAN: Well, he taught me about the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution.

[Callen’s phone rings]

ALAN: So I think I'll exercise my right to remain silent now.

CALLEN: What do you got, Eric?

[OPS center. Deeks is still here]

ERIC: Looks like our professor might be running again.

[Boatshed. G leaves the interrogation room]

CALLEN: All right, go ahead.

ERIC: His neighbor reported his car stolen. Police spotted and then lost it in Culver City.

DEEKS: LAPD thinks there's a print center down there that makes fake IDs.

ERIC: I checked security cam footage from the parking lot.

DEEKS: And it looks like Hale picked one up.

[Boatshed.]

ERIC: [Over phone] Sending some of the video to your phone.

CALLEN: Where is he now?

[OPS center.]

ERIC: I'm running a Kaleidoscope search.

[Boatshed.]

CALLEN: All right. Keep us in the loop.

ERIC: [Over phone] Will do.

[Phone chimes: G has got the video. He goes back into the interrogation room and shows Alan Hale’s photo looking at his new ID]

CALLEN: There's your mentor, getting himself a new identity. He's running away, just like he did 40 years ago.

SAM: Leaving you holding the bag.

CALLEN: He'll be sittin' pretty while you rot away at Gitmo.

ALAN: You can't do that.

CALLEN: Apparently Professor Hale didn't teach you about current events. You should read the National Defense Authorization Act. We can do that.

SAM: You still want to exercise your right to remain silent?

 

[Sam’s car is running in the streets]

CALLEN: Sanderson said Hale has a storage unit in Hollywood. I sent you the address.

[OPS center.]

ERIC: Checking security cameras.

[Car]

SAM: Well, check it fast. That's where he keeps the explosives.

CALLEN: Look, according to Sanderson, Hale plans on blowing up a Southern California Fortune 500 company. The kid didn't know which one.

[OPS center.]

NELL: That makes at least ten to 15 possible targets, but if you factor in satellite offices, it means...

[Car]

CALLEN: If we lose him, people die.

[OPS center.]

ERIC: Hale is at the storage facility now.

[Hale is putting a gas bottle into his trunk]

[In the car, the engine revs: Sam speeds up]

 

[Storage facility: Hale is emptying his storage unit; he puts the last boxes in the trunk. He hears tires screeching: he raises his head, spots the agents braking at the top of the alley. Sam backs and their car runs towards him. He hurries into his vehicle and backs too. Deeks stops at the bottom of the alley, blocking his way]

CALLEN: Deeks, you know that thing's full of dynamite, right?

[Deeks aims at Hale’s car]

DEEKS: I just hope he knows it.

SAM: I don't think he's gonna stop.

[It was very close, but he does…tires screeching, his car stops at the very last second. G, as well as Sam and Hale himself, sighs in relief. Hale gets out of his car, starts running away. Deeks’ door is blocked by the other vehicle. He takes the passenger door and chases the teacher]

DEEKS: Freeze! Damn it! Guys, next alley!

SAM: Roof?

CALLEN: Beats going around.

[And moment later he jumps from the roof in front of Hale, with his gun; guy stops]

CALLEN: Don't move.

[Deeks has stopped in his back]

DEEKS: Put 'em up!

[Sam is still on the roof, covering his partners]

SAM: The Gun Barrel Party is finished.

DEEKS: Looks like Morgan's not the only one retiring today.

CALLEN: I still don't know which one's Morgan.

[Deeks has cuffed Hale]

DEEKS: Let's go.

 

[Boatshed. Hale is with G and Sam in the interrogation room]

HALE: I wasn't at the cabin when it exploded. Police found my things at the wreckage and assumed I was dead. I saw it as an opportunity. I'd realized that both the generation in charge of this country and my own were lost causes. I wanted to reach the ones who weren't born yet. So I got myself a new identity, went back to school and became a history teacher.

SAM: What made you decide to get your hands dirty again?

HALE: I realized that the current generation needed a more direct approach. Big Business takes over this country while they tweet about the latest episode of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.

CALLEN: So you came out of retirement and recruited Sanderson and his anarchist buddies to help you.

SAM: What about Dean Albertson?

HALE: That was a terrible accident. I went out to ask him to join us. I didn't realize his mind was going. He pulled a knife. We struggled, he fell on it. Nothing I could do.

CALLEN: Except let your friend die so that you didn't draw attention to yourself.

SAM: But we showed up in your office anyway. So you faked a death threat, blew things up to cover your tracks as you ran away.

HALE: To return and fight another day.

SAM: Your fighting days are over.

HALE: Maybe. But I sowed many seeds during those years in the classroom. Some... might yet take root…

 

[NCIS office. Armory. Callen is cleaning his gun; Hetty comes in]

HETTY: There you are, Mr. Callen.

CALLEN: Hale confessed to the crimes he committed with the Gun Barrel Party. In addition to the explosives he was carrying, we found photos and blueprints in his car.

HETTY: Mm.

CALLEN: He was planning an attack, and we have enough to put him away for the rest of his life.

HETTY: And yet you don't seem entirely satisfied.

CALLEN: It's just something Hale said, about influencing kids. How much damage could he have done?

HETTY: Did you ever hear of...Dietrich Eckart?

CALLEN: What, uh...Hitler's mentor?

HETTY: Yes. Eckart's twisted beliefs molded Hitler into the monster he became. Without him, there might never have been a Holocaust.

[Footage is from David’s place.]

CALLEN: That's just it. Hale taught...how many classes, for how many years?

[David is reading Hale’s arrest news]

CALLEN: Touched the lives of how many students? He had the potential to be the wrong influence at the right moment, for someone at a tipping point.

[David is hurt; then angry; he types on his keyboard- “How to make a bomb” website pops up on screen]

CALLEN: One nudge from him, and some...confused, lonely kid goes down a very dark path.

[Knocking on the door: David’s eyes leave the website, stare at the door]

[Armory]

HETTY: That may be, but I'd like to think that the opposite is also true.

[David’s place. He stands up, heads to the door, opens it: Kensi smiles]

KENSI: Hi, David.

DAVID: Hi.

KENSI: Just wondering if you wanted to go for coffee, talk?

[He hesitates…]

DAVID: Okay.

KENSI: Okay.

DAVID: I'll grab my coat.

[He closes the site, his laptop…]

HETTY: A good friend at just the right time...

KENSI: Ready?

DAVID: Yeah

[They leave the room]

HETTY: can make all the difference in the world.

 

[Armory]

HETTY: Speaking of which, all your friends are just out there, enjoying Mr. Morgan's retirement party. A little, um, social interaction wouldn't hurt.

CALLEN: I'm interacting with you.

[Hetty chuckles]

HETTY: And when I'm gone? You know, I will retire one of these days, Mr. Callen, and when I do, I don't want to be thinking about you alone.

[He sighs]

SAM: He won't be.

[He joins them, carrying 2 plates]

SAM: He'll be right next to me in the stands at one of those football games.

CALLEN: My man! Thank you.

[Sam gives him one of the plates: chocolate cake!]

SAM: You're welcome.

NELL: That is, if you have time for football games.

[She enters, wearing a pointy hat- Deeks on her heels]

SAM: Yeah?

NELL: Because you two will be serving on the cabinet in the Blye-Jones administration.

DEEKS: And somebody's got to help me walk Monty Junior, Junior.

CALLEN: Deeks, you're walking your own dog.

DEEKS: Fair enough. Wait...is that the last piece of cake?

SAM: Yep.

CALLEN: Mm-hmm.

[He’s enjoying a mouthful]

DEEKS: Uh...I'll, uh, rock, paper, scissors you for it.

NELL: Oh...

[G chuckles, Hetty smiles; Sam laughs]

SAM: Okay. But this time, when I win, you gotta shave your head.

DEEKS: Shave my head?

SAM: Yeah. And the eyebrows.

DEEKS: Done.

NELL: Ah!

[She laughs loudly]

SAM: Okay.

DEEKS: West Coast rules.

SAM: West Coast rules.

DEEKS: I just want you to know that I am gonna be, uh, throwing rock. You ready?

SAM: Go.

[Sam: scissors; Deeks: rock]

SAM: Ah...

[Deeks chuckles]

DEEKS: Rock beats scissors. A little chocolate cake. How's it taste? It all right?

NELL: Mm-hmm.

[He whistles]

HETTY: "All war is based on deception."

DEEKS: One of the main principles of Sun Tzu. And when you're dealing with somebody who knows the Art of War as well as you do, I guess the best deception sometimes is just telling the truth.

[Eric joins them, tooting]

ERIC: Who moved the party in here?

NELL: Wait, Sam, how was the thing at your daughter's school?

CALLEN: Oh, yeah. Were you the, uh, coolest dad?

SAM: I was the second coolest dad.

ERIC: Uh, who could impress a bunch of kids more than the father who came dressed as an astronaut?

[Screen becomes dark]

SAM: The guy dressed as a Navy SEAL.

[All laugh!]

                                       ------------------ THE END ----------------