[In a restaurant. A couple and a child]
WOMAN: Sweetheart, just try it. It's not fried leeks.
MAN: It doesn't make any sense to me either.
[He chuckles but the woman sighs…and smiles]
MAN: Here. Try a bit of mine. Ah.
[They laugh; a woman walks over their table, staring at the man]
WOMAN: It was a pretty big fight.
[She laughs again; the man doesn’t anymore; he stands up]
MAN: Be right back.
[He kisses the boy]
MAN: Too much coffee.
[He goes downstairs—the door opens on armed guys]
AGENT1: FBI! FBI!
AGENT2: Don't move.
[They’re breaking in with automatic weapons; the woman who stared at the man before he left his table, pulls out a gun]
FEMALE AGENT: Downstairs.
MAN: FBI. Stay in your seat. Stay where you are. Stay down.
[One of the agents waves at the woman and the boy]
AGENT: Don't move.
WOMAN: What the hell is going on?
[Downstairs]
AGENT: Federal agents! FBI!
[They search the kitchen, the lavatory, the cubicles…They speak quietly]
AGENT: Bathroom, clear.
AGENT2: We're clear.
[They go back up; diners are murmuring]
FEMALE AGENT: He's gone?
AGENT: Afraid so, ma'am.
[She’s disappointed—the woman and her son worried…]
♫♫NCIS: LA 5x11 ♫♫ Iron Curtain Rising ♫♫
♫♫Original air date on December 10, 2013 ♫♫
[NCIS office. At the gym – G is snoring quietly: he’s asleep on a workout bench, his bag for a pillow. Sam appears; he drops his bag noisily]
SAM: This is how we're working out now?
CALLEN: I'm just resting...between sets. You taught me that.
SAM: Right.
CALLEN: Just taking a little power nap.
SAM: You were snoring.
CALLEN: I'm not snoring. Those were deep breathing exercises. Something you also taught me.
SAM: You know, this is the third morning this week I caught you here... resting.
[ G sighs]
CALLEN: What can I tell you? I'm always in the gym. Just trying to stay lean and mean, baby. (
[Sam laughs]
SAM: No, I'm always in the gym.
CALLEN: Uh-huh.
SAM: You know you have a house now. You can sleep there. That's what normal people do.
CALLEN: I sleep there. I do.
SAM: You're like a cat that keeps going back to its old place, even though the owners moved.
CALLEN: What do you want me to say? I'm a creature of habit.
[Sam scoffs]
SAM: Yeah, you're a creature, all right. Of bad habits.
CALLEN: What is your deal this morning? Did the kids eat your Cocoa Puffs again?
SAM: Don't go trying to change the sub...
[Hetty clearing her throat over speaker interrupts him. They stare at..]
SAM: What the...?
[Hetty’s face is on a monitor moving on its own…]
HETTY: Good morning. Sorry to interrupt your workout, gentlemen.
SAM: We weren't working out.
CALLEN: I was working out.
SAM: He was sleeping.
CALLEN: Resting.
HETTY: We have a case.
[They move towards the exit- “Hetty” is following them. They speak quietly]
CALLEN: I'm not sure I'm comfortable with this.
SAM: She's already in three places at once.
CALLEN: That's what I'm worried about.
[Sam chuckles]
HETTY: I can still hear you, gentlemen.
[They stop]
HETTY: Embrace the future.
[…]
[OPS center.]
ERIC: Today's special is former Romanian Communist leader, and suspected war criminal, Anton Zevlos.
[On screen: the face of the man who escaped the FBI in the restaurant]
ERIC: He allegedly helped mastermind Romania's human trafficking ring.
NELL: Now, there was already a market for young women, but Zevlos used his position to create false adoption papers for the trafficking of children and babies.
CALLEN: Now, a lot of those adopted kids ended up being used as organ donors. At least that's the rumor.
NELL: Zevlos disappeared after Romania's Communist regime fell in '89, but Romania believes he's been living in Los Angeles under an assumed identity, John Vasile, for the last 20 years.
DEEKS: How did he go so long without being found? I mean, it can't be that hard to track down one Romanian ex-pat.
ERIC: Well, it is if no one's looking for you. The Romanian government wasn't even sure he'd ever left the country.
SAM: Lots of war criminals stayed behind in Romania after Ceausescu was overthrown. They got generous pensions, luxury apartments for their service to the Republic.
CALLEN: It doesn't help that there's still strong nostalgia for the Communist era back there.
SAM: That's part of why Romania basically ignored its brutal past.
NELL: Until now. Romania finally wants to bring charges against their war criminals.
DEEKS: And they want us to deliver Zevlos.
ERIC: Well, now, they do. They initially went through the State Department, who sent the FBI to bring him in. That didn't go so well.
[He puts up into screen footage from the restaurant]
ERIC: Zevlos walked out on his wife and kid, and left the restaurant moments before the SWAT team moved in. Now, we've been asked to help find him, help finish the job.
DEEKS: Well, so much for the element of surprise.
SAM: Yeah. Now that Zevlos knows we're after him, he's not gonna come up for air many more times.
CALLEN: Well, let's make this one count. Start with his wife.
[He and Sam leave the OPS. Deeks follows them]
DEEKS: Hey, uh, do you want me to ride with you guys?
CALLEN: I think we got this.
SAM: We're taking the Challenger.
DEEKS: Oh. Okay.
CALLEN: Yeah, we'll, uh... we'll call you if we find something.
DEEKS: Or if you need backup, 'cause if you need me, I'll be there. I'll be there, like, uh...
SAM: Uh-huh.
DEEKS: Like...
SAM: Cool.
DEEKS: Yup. Like, boom! If you need...
[They’re gone]
DEEKS: Okay.
[Sam parks the Challenger in Vasile’s (big) house alley. The agents head to the front door – FBI agents are in the garden]
SAM: Maybe we should have brought Deeks along.
CALLEN: For what?
SAM: Uh, I don't know. Clearly, the guy's a little lost without his partner.
CALLEN: Oh, I get it. You're feeling bad for him, so you feel like you gotta go easy on him. I mean...You've lost your favorite chew toy.
SAM: The guy's been through a lot.
[G presses the doorbell button]
SAM: And he saved my wife's life.
CALLEN: Once. I've saved your life, what, a hundred times?
SAM: A hundred?
CALLEN: How many?
SAM: Not a hundred. And definitely not as many times as I've saved your life.
CALLEN: Are you kidding me? I've saved your life way more times than you've saved mine.
SAM: No way.
CALLEN: Fact of life, baby.
SAM: Stop it.
[The door opens. A blond woman smiles at them- FBI agents are also inside]
SAM: Good morning.
WOMAN: Morning.
SAM: Agents Hanna and Callen, NCIS.
[He shows his badge]
CARLA: Carla Shear. I'm the Vasile's attorney. Please.
SAM: Thank you.
[He speaks quietly]
SAM: Not a hundred.
CALLEN: Dreaming.
[Sam is speaking with Mrs. Vasile (Maggie) - G is looking around]
MAGGIE: This has to be a misunderstanding.
SAM: I wish it were, for your sake, ma'am. But your husband's real name is Anton Zevlos.
[He shows a photo: Zevlos is wearing his Romanian officer uniform]
SAM: He's wanted for war crimes he committed as a high-ranking official in Communist Romania.
MAGGIE: No, no, see, you have it backwards. John came to America to flee Ceausescu. He was penniless. He left everything behind for a chance at a better life. Found his way into commercial real estate, and...look what he's achieved.
CALLEN: Classic American Dream. He's a real inspiration.
[He opens a drawer]
CARLA: Agent Callen, you realize you are conducting a search without a warrant.
SAM: We're just trying to help the missus find her husband.
CARLA: I thought you said you were looking for a war criminal.
CALLEN: Same thing.
MAGGIE: My husband is not a war criminal.
[G finds a button under the desk – he presses on it and the books shelves behind him vanish in the wall. Carla looks really surprised. Sam gets up]
SAM: What have we got here?
[Weapons, Communist Romania’s flag, a photo of Officer Zevlos…G looks at Maggie]
CALLEN: You were saying?...
------------------ ZAPPING -----------------
[Vasile’s house. Things are moved from the hidden office. G is checking papers. Sam appears]
CALLEN: How's Mrs. Zevlos...Vasile doing?
SAM: I'm seeing some trust issues and some therapy in her future. She claims this was his personal space--she never came in here. What we get?
CALLEN: About September of 1998, Zevlos felt like he was being watched. He started keeping records of anyone around him who he felt was suspicious.
SAM: Healthy dose of paranoia doesn't hurt, especially when you're a war criminal in hiding.
CALLEN: Liked to keep tabs on his friends. His enemies, too.
SAM: Not to mention enough arms to start a small war.
CALLEN: Looks like he took two of those with him.
SAM: Armed and psychotic. Perfect…
[OPS center.]
NELL: Here it is. John Vasile died of necrotizing enterocolitis in 1993 at the age of six months.
ERIC: Zevlos must have assumed his identity.
[Deeks sneaks up on them]
DEEKS: That old chestnut. What else we got?
NELL: Well, uh, Callen and Sam found a secret stash of files and weapons at Zevlos's-slash-Vasile's house.
DEEKS: Now we're cooking. What else?
NELL: That's all we're working with at the moment.
DEEKS: Okay. All right, no worries. Let's, uh... let's change gears for a second, shall we? Let's try something else. Where is, uh... where's Kensi right now?
ERIC: We don't know.
[Deeks looks incredulously at them]
NELL: We don't.
DEEKS: No, I... I mean, I can just...It's classified, but how do we get in touch with her?
NELL: I don't think we can.
DEEKS: Right, of course, and I'm not suggesting that we do, but if I were to need to speak with her...
NELL: Yeah, you couldn't.
[Deeks sighs heavily]
HETTY: Mr. Deeks?
DEEKS: Yes, Hetty.
[He looks at her – and sees the robot! He jumps on his feet]
DEEKS: Oh. Danger, Will Robinson. What the hell is that?
HETTY: It's advanced telepresence. It allows me to be in several places at once. I'd like to see you in my office, Mr. Deeks.
DEEKS: Uh...
[Afghanistan. A base camp at the bottom of mountains…A vehicle stops, a soldier opens the back door – Kensi gets out]
MAN: Ma'am.
KENSI: Thanks.
[She pulls off her helmet, grabs her gears. She exhales in her hand: it’s cold, obviously. She heads to the “office”. She groans when she closes the door behind her. She freezes: people stare at her…]
MAN: Hey.
WOMAN: Hi, there.
KENSI: Hey.
[A blond woman comes in from another room]
WOMAN: Can I help you?
KENSI: Yeah. Hi. I'm Kensi Blye.
RACHEL: Rachel Harris. Are you...you looking for someone?
KENSI: I was told to report here.
RACHEL: Uh, okay. By whom?
KENSI: By Assistant Director Granger and my operations manager Hetty Lange.
RACHEL: You work for Hetty?
KENSI: Yeah.
RACHEL: What's that like?
KENSI: It's interesting.
RACHEL: I bet. So, do you know what your assignment is?
KENSI: No.
RACHEL: Well, that makes two of us. Anyone here got a heads up on the arrival of Special Agent...
KENSI: Blye.
RACHEL:...Blye?
WOMAN1: No.
WOMAN2: Mm-mm.
RACHEL: Am I about to be replaced?
KENSI: I don't think so. I have a partner and ongoing cases in Los Angeles, so...
RACHEL: All right, well, um... make yourself at home, and...I will try and figure out what's going on.
KENSI: OK. Thanks.
[NCIS office. Hetty’s desk]
HETTY: How are you, Mr. Deeks?
DEEKS: I'm good. I'm really good. I'm great. But now that you mention it, I could, uh...I could be better.
HETTY: How so?
DEEKS: Well, for starters, I could have my partner back.
HETTY: Ah. Well, unfortunately, she's...on a rather important assignment.
DEEKS: Which is what again?
HETTY: It's classified.
DEEKS: Can you at least tell me if she's in danger?
HETTY: No more than usual.
DEEKS: All right, I'm just gonna ask. I-Is this because of me? You sending her away like that-- is that because of me? Because if it is, this is simple. I can just... I can just walk. You know? I'll just go back to LAPD. Because you don't have to punish Kensi for something that-that I did... or something that you think that we did. So if there's a problem here, I take full responsibility for that.
HETTY: That's very admirable of you, Mr. Deeks.
DEEKS: So is that it?
HETTY: I think I have everything I need.
[He smiles…]
[Nell is working downstairs on a computer. Deeks appears]
DEEKS: Any idea where Zevlos might be headed?
NELL: Uh, not yet, but we may have an idea of how he'll get there.
DEEKS: Hit me.
NELL: Okay. This is a leasing agreement from Million Air Charter.
DEEKS: Wow.
NELL: Yep. Million Air. It's a private charter company out of Burbank. Company's owned by this guy...Michael Bell.
[His picture pops up on screen]
NELL: Now, I looked into him. Turns out his real name and the name he used in the KGB is Mikhail Brantov.
DEEKS: Hello, there, Comrade.
[Eric interrupts them]
ERIC: Guys, I, uh, I found him. I got a hit on Zevlos's Range Rover.
DEEKS: Let me guess-- he's headed to the Burbank Airport?
ERIC: Uh, no, actually, he's circling around Santa Monica.
DEEKS: Maybe he's waiting to pick up someone or something.
NELL: Mmm.
ERIC: Sending his location to Callen and Sam now.
DEEKS: Okay. I'm gonna head to Million Air Charter in case he gets past 'em and makes a break for it.
NELL: Yeah.
DEEKS: Good work.
NELL: Thanks.
[The Challenger is running in Santa Monica]
ERIC: [Over com] He's traveling south on E Street. Should be coming around the corner any moment.
[A Range Rover takes a roundabout too fast; it almost hits a car]
CALLEN: We got him, Eric.
[Sam stops the Challenger in the middle of the road; the Rover turns left, runs too fast - at the next junction it crashes a fire hydrant and stops…The agents get out of the Challenger and go checking the vehicle very carefully; Sam opens the door and grabs the driver (a young guy)]
SAM: Federal agents! Get out of the car! Get out of the car!
[The passenger is a scared girl; she gasps when Sam aims at her with his gun…]
SAM: Put your hands on the dashboard!
SAM: Where's Zevlos?
MAN: Who?
CALLEN: The guy whose car you just crashed.
MAN: Some lady gave us the keys and said it was her cheating husband's and told us to have fun. That's not stealing. She gave it to us!
[Sam looks at the back; the girl is panting, whimpering…The agents step aside]
SAM: FBI's been watching Maggie Vasile since the raid, so it couldn't have been her. Which only leaves...
CALLEN: Carla Shear. Zevlos's lawyer…
------------------ ZAPPING -----------------
[Santa Monica - The tow truck is about to lift up the Range Rover; the police is here. G is speaking with an officer]
CALLEN: Mm-hmm.
[To Sam]
CALLEN: Witnesses at a food truck on Melrose corroborated the kids' story.
SAM: Any idea where Shear is?
CALLEN: With Zevlos, for all we know.
[He pulls out his phone]
DEEKS: [Over phone] Go for Deeks.
CALLEN: Yeah, the Range Rover was just a distraction. Any chance you got eyes on Zevlos?
[Deeks, in his car]
DEEKS: Not unless he's had facial reconstruction surgery. All I've seen so far is an overzealous bridal party I'm assuming is going to Vegas for the night and an old guy with a dog.
[A black BMW arrives]
DEEKS: Wait a minute. Uno momento, por favor. Stop the press.
[He takes photos of a man in suit getting out of the BMW]
DEEKS: We have a new player. Go ahead and check your e-mails.
[Sam and G looks at the photo]
SAM: Who the hell is this guy?
[OPS center.]
NELL: His name is Donald Banks-- and get this, he's been with the CIA almost three decades.
[Santa Monica]
SAM: CIA might be tracking Zevlos, too.
CALLEN: Check him out anyways.
NELL: [Over com] You got it.
CALLEN: Eric...contact Homeland Security and the FAA. Have 'em shut down Million Air Charter. Also, see if you can locate Carla Shear.
ERIC: [Over com] She's back at Zevlos's house. Showed up in a cab. And we've got some new intel on her.
[Off to…]
[NCIS office. Sam and G are back; Eric is waiting for them]
CALLEN: What do we know about her?
ERIC: Carla Shear, 36. Single. Admitted to the California Bar in 2003. Specializes in high net worth individuals, in personal matters.
SAM: So a high school kid gets a DUI, his rich parents pay her to make it go away.
ERIC: Exactly. But, looking at last year's tax return, we think she's being paid under the table.
NELL: Carla Shear reported earnings of $115K last year, but that wouldn't cover half her mortgage on her Ocean Avenue condo, the new lease on her fancy App Type or her Louboutins.
CALLEN: Her what?
NELL: & DEEKS: Her shoes.
DEEKS: What? My partner's a woman. Or at least she was. I mean, she's still a woman. Actually, I'm not sure if she's still a woman. I'm sure she's still a w...Not that I know that from any sort of intimate experience. I'm just saying that...right now, she's not here with... me.
CALLEN: We got it. Do any of Carla Shear's other clients fit Zevlos' profile?
NELL: Uh...
ERIC: What, uh, war criminals on the run? He's her only client with that particular legal problem.
DEEKS: So then the question is how much did she really know about him.
SAM: Was she taking orders when she gave away his Range Rover, knowing that it would throw us off his tail? Or was she in on the plan from the get-go?
NELL: Either way, she's still our best bet to finding him.
CALLEN: I think we need to ask her. [To Deeks] You go get the lawyer?
DEEKS: On it.
CALLEN: Why don't you find out everything you can on Zevlo'' business dealings. If he's gonna want to run, he's gonna want to liquidate as much as he can as fast as he can.
NELL: Yep.
[Afghanistan. Kensi opens the fridge. There’s a paper: “Booker’s – Do not touch!”]
KENSI: Really?
[She takes an apple, starts peeling it with her knife. She notices a laptop on the table; she starts typing— a man interrupts her]
MAN: Do you mind?
[He sits down]
KENSI: Just wondering what you were working on.
MAN: It's classified, so...
KENSI: Well, I'm an NCIS agent, so...
MAN: First I'm hearing about it.
KENSI: Let me guess. You must be Booker.
[He stops typing, stares at her, and goes back to work]
KENSI: Good talk.
[Boatshed. Interrogation room. Deeks and Carla]
DEEKS: Please, take a seat.
CARLA: I want it on the record that I came here willingly to cooperate with your investigation and to help you find Mr. Vasile and prove his innocence.
DEEKS: You mean Zevlos.
[She chuckles]
CARLA: You're cute. That's off the record.
DEEKS: You should probably save that charm for the jury, counselor.
CARLA: Grumpy much? This why you work alone?
DEEKS: I don't work alone. I have a partner.
CARLA: Mmm. He watching us?
DEEKS: No, she's not.
CARLA: Where's she?
DEEKS: I don't know.
CARLA: So you...are a lawyer.
DEEKS: Yep.
CARLA: Who works for the LAPD and NCIS?
DEEKS: You got it.
CARLA: Who has a missing partner?
DEEKS: Bingo.
[Observation room.]
SAM: She's good.
CALLEN: She's very good.
[G’s phone rings]
CALLEN: What do you have for me, Nell?
NELL: [Over phone] Well, we found some new information on Zevlos that you guys might want to take a look at.
CALLEN: Send it to my phone.
NELL: [Over phone] Yep.
[Interrogation room.]
DEEKS: What about Zevlos's Range Rover?
CARLA: You mean Vasile's Range Rover?
DEEKS: You say Vasile, I say Zevlos. Tomato, "tom-ah-to." War criminal, criminal lawyer.
[She chuckles]
CARLA: Oh. I like you. I do. So, I'm sorry there's been so much confusion. Let me try to straighten things out.
DEEKS: Please do.
[She clears her throat]
CARLA: Yes, I gave...
[Observation room.]
SAM: We got something?
CALLEN: Yeah. We got something…
[Interrogation room.]
CLARA:...what a generous man he is and his ongoing charitable involvement. He's always pulling stunts like that. It's crazy.
DEEKS: It's really crazy.
CARLA: Right.
DEEKS: It's crazy like..."sleeping with a client" crazy.
[He opens a file]
DEEKS: Zevlos didn't call you from his regular cell phone this morning 'cause he has a separate line just for you.
CARLA: Hope you had a warrant for that.
DEEKS: Does his wife know?
CARLA: …
DEEKS: Wow. I didn't think so. So when did he let you in on his real past in Romania?
CARLA: We're done here.
DEEKS: I don't think we are.
[She gets up -G and Sam come in]
CALLEN: Please, sit.
CARLA: Not unless you're gonna charge me with something and arrest me. Good luck, counselor.
CALLEN: How 'bout aiding and abetting an international fugitive, filing fraudulent tax returns, interfering with a federal investigation. Should I keep going?
DEEKS: Your only real move here, Carla, is to cooperate because prison would do a number on that fancy manicure.
[Sam waves to the chair; she sits down]
CALLEN: The guy you're helping is a human trafficker.
[She scoffs]
CALLEN: Young girls, children, babies, all sold into slavery under his watch.
CARLA: No, that's a lie. I mean, he-he may have...been an arms dealer.
SAM: He probably told you he was an arms dealer. Thought it'd be easier to accept. But he made his money in human flesh.
[G has given her a phone – she reads: “Anton Zevlos wanted by the Romanian Judicial Authorities of the following offenses: People Smuggling, Trafficking and Illegal Immigration. Kidnapping. Conspiracy. Crimes against Children]
SAM: Kids...babies...Now...where the hell is he?
[Carla is stunned- she stares at the screen, speechless]
CALLEN: He have money to run?
CARLA: …He has $68 million invested in real estate. He likes a certain lifestyle. He's not walking away without it.
[OPS center. Eric is briefing Sam and G]
ERIC: Zevlos's legitimate finances are a web of shell corporations and holding companies. He started buying up commercial buildings in the mid-'90s and has made a killing.
SAM: Are you seeing many sell-side transactions? Or was Zevlos mainly buying property?
ERIC: Looks like mostly acquisitions.
CALLEN: So he's rich on paper but...maybe too cash poor to be an international fugitive.
SAM: Who financed his loans?
ERIC: Um...Wahr Geld Bank Munich.
CALLEN: He's going to be looking to liquidate assets and fast.
SAM: Pull out as much money as he can, even if it's pennies on a dollar. Doesn't help that he doesn't have access to his lawyer.
CALLEN: Well, he's either desperate enough to do it on his own, or he's willing to forgo his fortune and run.
SAM: Let's hope he's as greedy as he is deranged.
[Afghanistan. Base Camp. Kensi is throwing knives at a paper shade target. A vehicle stops behind her – she stares with great surprise to the man getting out: Granger!]
GRANGER: You bored?
KENSI: Hey. I didn't know you were here.
GRANGER: I'm not.
KENSI: Does that mean I'm not here either?
GRANGER: What do you think?
KENSI: Okay. So maybe you can tell me why I'm "not here" since no else seems to know.
GRANGER: Come on.
[She follows him to the back of the vehicle. He opens the door, a box: it’s a sniper’s riffle]
KENSI: That isn't mine.
GRANGER: Is now.
KENSI: What's the target?
GRANGER: The locals call him Spin Pairay, the "White Ghost." We don't know who he is or where he's from, but we think he's a Westerner who's working with the Taliban.
KENSI: American?
GRANGER: Maybe. It's possible he's a private contractor that went native. Initially we thought it was disinformation or tribal legend, but the insurgents have been employing advanced combat tactics that someone's been teaching 'em.
KENSI: You want me to find him?
GRANGER: No. The task force is gonna find him. You're gonna kill him.
[Sam and G are waiting in the Challenger—not far from the Wahr Geld Bank Munich front doors]
SAM: There's our guy.
CALLEN: Only branch in town. Had to show up eventually.
[Zevlos enters the bank; the agents follow]
SAM: One o'clock.
[Zevlos and a man are speaking indistinctly in an office; its door is open. Zevlos spots G and Sam and understands who they are – he pushes back the man, pulls out a gun and shoots a guard. Sam and G dives behind desks, people are screaming.]
SAM: Get down! Everybody get down!
[Zevlos shoots again and hits a woman in the leg]
CALLEN: Federal agents! Everyone stay down!
[Zevlos throws something in their direction- the wounded woman is crawling to a safe place]
CALLEN: Grenade!
[He and Sam run as far and fast as possible – it explodes soon, the blast throws them up in the air. Zevlos drags the bank employee as a shield – there’s a lot of smoke]
CALLEN: You got him?
[Zevlos shoots his hostage]
SAM: I can't see anything.
[Zevlos takes the back door and runs; grunting, coughing, Sam and G step forwards; they find the body]
CALLEN: Go. Go. I got this.
[Sam gets out in the back alley; he checks it – nobody…an ambulance siren is wailing]
------------------ ZAPPING -----------------
[Boatshed. Sam is coughing – G wears fresh clothes]
DEEKS: Here.
[He wants to give him some oxygen]
SAM: I'm fine.
[The door shuts: Hetty comes in]
HETTY: I understand Zevlos got away.
CALLEN: We'll find him.
HETTY: I don't think so. SECNAV shut it down.
DEEKS: What are you talking about? Why?
HETTY: All I know is that we are no longer to pursue Mr. Zevlos.
SAM: He shot three people! He practically blew up a bank!
HETTY: It's over, Mr. Hanna.
CALLEN: Not for me. Not after what he did to those kids.
HETTY: I'm not going to repeat myself. Mr. Deeks, release Ms. Shear. Good day, gentlemen.
[She leaves them- the door shuts behind her]
SAM: Zevlos still has ties to the former Soviet Bloc. He has friends in positions of power. He'd leverage those relationships to put pressure on our government.
CALLEN: Could've convinced them to turn a blind eye.
DEEKS: That and $68 million buys you a lot of favors in this country.
CALLEN: Only he doesn't have the $68 million. Without the money, there's nothing keeping him here.
SAM: This time, Zevlos really is leaving.
[Eric appears on the screen]
CALLEN: What do you have, Eric?
ERIC: Okay, Donald Banks, the CIA agent who was at Million Air Charter this morning-- he wasn't always based in L.A. Uh, he was stationed in a bunch of places, but...he spent a good chunk of the '80s in Romania.
CALLEN: Maybe that's why the CIA assigned him to find Zevlos. Could've been a personal vendetta.
SAM: Or a personal relationship.
CALLEN: How many flights going out of Million Air today?
ERIC: Just one, uh, to Costa Rica leaving at 3:15. Two unlisted passengers.
SAM: Zevlos and his CIA buddy?
CALLEN: After what went down at the bank today, Zevlos is not going anywhere near an airport. He doesn't know who he can trust.
DEEKS: Banks doesn't know that. I mean, he's still waiting at the airport.
CALLEN: I think it's time we...lifted the lockdown at Million Air Charter.
[Million Air Charter.]
WOMAN [over P.A.]: Welcome to Million Air Charter, where our commitment is to first-class service.
[Banks heads to the counter – he clears his throat to call the employee—Nell!]
NELL: Ah, good afternoon. May I help you?
BANKS: Yeah. I'm booked on a flight today, 3:15 to Costa Rica.
NELL: Okay. You are...?
BANKS: Victor Brown.
NELL: Great. May I see your...I.D.-- thank you.
BANKS: I'm supposed to be meeting someone here today.
NELL: And who might that be?
BANKS: Robert Taylor.
NELL: Oh, yes-- Mr. Taylor. He left a message saying he is delayed and you should go on ahead without him.
BANKS: He did?
NELL: Yes. He is booked on a flight later this evening, also to Costa Rica. Wow. Wish I was going with you guys.
[She chuckles; he smiles; she clears her throat]
BANKS: Looks like we have an empty seat.
NELL: Oh... that's awfully generous.
[She chuckles]
BANKS: No, my treat. A little sand, sun and fun.
NELL: Mmm. Thank you. I wish I could, but I am chained to this desk.
BANKS: Aw, come on. What's a few days? I bet you deserve a vacation.
NELL: I do. But my mom, she is just so sick right now. Colitis. It's getting pretty messy. You know what, though? She could really use the trip.
BANKS: No, no. Um... I understand. It's probably not good for her to travel.
NELL: You're probably right. Okay. You are all set. Your plane is first on the tarmac to the right. Have a great trip.
BANKS: All right, thank you.
[He sighs and walks out]
NELL: Banks is coming towards you. He's travelling under the name Mr. Brown. He was waiting for a Mr. Taylor.
[in the plane: Deeks is wearing a steward uniform]
DEEKS: Probably Zevlos travelling under a new identity as well.
[Banks appears at the door]
DEEKS: Ah, good afternoon, Mr. Brown. I can take your bag and your jacket for you.
BANKS: Ah, sure. I'll take a drink as well. Bourbon, neat.
[He’s carrying…Deeks notices the gun in his back]
DEEKS: Of course. Why don't you go ahead and buckle up and I'll grab that bourbon for you.
[Banks obeys; Deeks goes to the front and closes the door.]
[The plane takes off. Banks calls the steward: he has finished his drink]
BANKS: How 'bout another one of these?
DEEKS: Already in my hand, sir.
[He leans forwards to hand the glass and grabs Banks’ weapon; the guy stands up- G and Sam appear, in pilot uniforms]
DEEKS: Sit down.
BANKS: What the hell is this?
CALLEN: This is about to be a tragic aviation accident, killing everyone onboard.
[Deeks throws the agents parachutes…]
SAM: Except they're only gonna recover one body-- yours. Yeah. Autopilot's gonna disengage in about two minutes and the plane's gonna crash.
DEEKS: Feel free to use your seat as a flotation device in the event of a water landing.
CALLEN: This will be a water landing.
SAM: Splash.
BANKS: I knew I couldn't trust that bastard. That Romanian bastard. How much is he paying you guys? I'll double it.
CALLEN: With what? He's paying us out of your cut, genius. We good?
SAM: We're good.
DEEKS: Good!
[G starts to unlock the door]
BANKS: Wait, wait!
[The door is ajar- the plane pitches; they shout to be heard]
BANKS: Look, Zevlos is in trouble! They're on to him, okay? He-he may even be caught already! Look, I'm CIA. I can help.
SAM: Why would Zevlos work with the CIA?
BANKS: I'm the one who snuck him into the States. I provided him with intel, with names of operatives. Look, I can move just about anything in or out of the country. Now, I can do the same for you. So... so let's just land this plane and talk this through.
[G stares at him – the latch clicks: the door is closed again…Banks pants in relief…]
BANKS: Oh, thank God. You won't regret this.
CALLEN: No.
[He shows his badge]
CALLEN: But you will.
DEEKS: Okay, yeah, that was fantastic. Now can one you please go back to the cockpit?
[Sam chuckles]
SAM: Relax, Deeks. I fly better than I drive.
CALLEN: That's not saying a whole lot. I'll fly.
SAM: I'm a better pilot than you are.
CALLEN: Since when?
SAM: Since last summer, the Catalina Operation. There's no way you could've landed that plane.
CALLEN: Please. That was a float plane, and it was pure luck that we got shot down over water.
SAM: Luck had nothing to do with it. I was in complete control the entire time.
CALLEN: That proves nothing.
SAM: That proves everything.
DEEKS: Okay, listen, I'll let you guys work that out. I'm just gonna go ahead and leave my chute on.
[He sits down – still aiming at Banks]
DEEKS: How's that bourbon?
------------------ ZAPPING -----------------
[Boatshed. Banks is alone in the interrogation room. Sam, G and Deeks are in the observation room]
DEEKS: So, according to the Wonder Twins, Donald Banks' financial history shows that Zevlos has been giving him generous kickbacks since '89.
CALLEN: Buying the names of CIA operatives abroad doesn't come cheap.
SAM: Zevlos may have threatened to expose CIA assets in Eastern Europe, which is why the State Department told SECNAV to stand down.
DEEKS: So what do we do with him?
CALLEN: We hand him over to the Agency. He's their problem.
[He chuckles bitterly]
CALLEN: They will be more than happy to take care of this without mentioning our involvement.
DEEKS: Spook-on-spook punishment? Spooky. And it keeps the Hetty-bot happy.
SAM: Yeah. Still doesn't get us any closer to Zevlos. Soon as we were told to stand down, he could've been out of here.
CALLEN: Yeah, but he doesn't know that. If I'm Zevlos, all I know is I'm a wanted man. I'm playing it safe.
DEEKS: So what does that mean?
CALLEN: Means I'm laying low until I'm guaranteed safe passage.
SAM: Hmm. The kind of thing perhaps you'd have your lawyer get for you.
DEEKS: Or somebody that loves you.
CALLEN: And if that's the same person...
[He dials on the phone on the table]
CALLEN: Eric?
ERIC: [Over phone] Callen.
CALLEN: Where's Carla Shear?
[OPS center. Eric types]
ERIC: Okay, I got her cell phone moving south on Pacific Avenue between Navy and Rose.
[Boatshed.]
DEEKS: So where's she headed? Santa Monica Airport? LAX?
[OPS center.]
NELL: No, the marina. She cashed out her bank account an hour ago. So I checked the bank's phone records. It turns out someone placed a call to Carlyle Yacht and Boat Rentals right after that.
[Boatshed.]
NELL: [over speakers] Carla chartered a boat, slips 16 through 21.
[Deeks is already going out]
CALLEN: Alert Coast Guard, LAPD and the harbormaster.
[Marina. Carla stops her car – Zevlos was waiting for her; he gets out of his vhicle]
ZEVLOS: You made it. I was getting worried. Good girl.
[He hugs her but she doesn’t]
ZEVLOS: What's wrong?
CARLA: John, they told me... they told me you were a human trafficker.
ZEVLOS: No. They would have told you I eat children if they thought it would turn you against me.
[He kisses her lips – she kisses him back]
ZEVLOS: Come. Let's go. We have to hurry.
[He grabs her hand, a bag in the car and they head towards the boats; but tires screech: Sam parks the Challenger and he and G follow Zevlos and Carla on the pontoons]
SAM: Deeks, coming your way.
DEEKS: I'm in position.
CALLEN: Zevlos!
[Carla yelps: Zevlos has pulled out a gun; he shoots in the agents’ direction and runs again, dragging her]
ZEVLOS: Come on.
[Deeks appears on the yacht]
DEEKS: Drop it!
[Zevlos steps back – he keeps Carla tight against his chest, like a shield]
CARLA: John! John!
ZEVLOS: Shut up.
CARLA: What are you doing?
[Sam and G block his way back]
DEEKS: Let her go. It's over.
ZEVLOS: Back off or I'll kill her. You know I will.
CARLA: John?!...
SAM: Killing her won't help you get away. In fact, it'll ensure I kill you.
CALLEN: Come on, Zevlos. You're smarter than this. You're connected. Guy like you will be wired in prison within a week. You'll probably have an escape plan within a month.
ZEVLOS: You don't want to call my bluff. She will die.
CARLA: John...John, please...
[Carla is crying]
CARLA: Please.
CALLEN: Take the shot.
[Sam shoots, hits the gun – Zevlos screams and lets Carla goes- Sam shoots again, in the arm. Carla flees and stops at Deeks’ side. Sam cuffs a groaning Zevlos]
CALLEN: Of course, that was only if you went to jail here. I have no idea what's in store for you at a Romanian war crimes tribunal.
SAM: I'm so glad I didn't have to kill you. So you can spend the rest of your life rotting in a cell.
[Deeks cuffs Carla]
CARLA: I'm sorry. I just wanted to see him one last time. I was afraid I would never see him again.
SAM: You good?
DEEKS: Yeah, I'm good. I'm good. Let's go.
[Afghanistan. Kensi is checking her riffle]
GRANGER: How is it?
KENSI: I feel like the new kid.
GRANGER: No, I meant the rifle.
KENSI: Oh. Rifle's fine. It'll do the job. Do the others know about my assignment?
GRANGER: Unless they're complete idiots, they should've gotten a pretty good idea once you started carrying that cannon around.
KENSI: Well, I feel like they resent me being here.
GRANGER: Why would they? And even if they do, so what?
KENSI: Well, some of us don't relish being disliked.
GRANGER: … Let's focus on the mission, Miss Congeniality.
[NCIS office. Hetty’s robot is running the corridor]
HETTY: Mr. Callen? Mr. Hanna?
[A door opens in its back: Sam and G quietly hurry away. The robot turns over – Hetty sighs (on screen))
[They reach the armory – and stop dead: Hetty is working here, on her laptop…]
SAM: Oh, come on. That's not fair.
HETTY: What's not fair, Mr. Hanna?
SAM: Nothing.
HETTY: Huh. Well, I just got off the phone with SECNAV. It seems the CIA has arrested one of its own, a man named, uh, Donald Banks.
[They try to look puzzled…]
HETTY: Mmm. No? Nothing?
CALLEN: Never heard of him.
HETTY: Evidently, he was tied in with Zevlos, who's also been taken into custody. Imagine that.
SAM: CIA is good.
HETTY: Mm-hmm. "And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." That's their motto.
SAM: Mmm.
CALLEN: That's a good motto.
HETTY: You disobeyed my orders.
CALLEN: Hetty...
[He sighs]
CALLEN: there were extraordinary circumstances.
HETTY: There always are.
CALLEN: Would you have preferred that we let him get away?
HETTY: That's not the point! I give you both a lot of rope, and I would hate to see you hang yourselves.
[She sighs]
HETTY: Where's the third blind mouse?
SAM: He had some paperwork to catch up on.
HETTY: Another likely story. You know, I don't want to see you in here tomorrow.
[She smiles; Sam chuckles]
CALLEN: You're giving us tomorrow off?
HETTY: Yes.
SAM: Nice.
HETTY: Without pay, of course!
SAM: Whoa.
HETTY: No, suck it up. Unless you want to have an extended unpaid vacation.
SAM: No, tomorrow's good.
[G snorts quietly]
HETTY: I don't play favorites, gentlemen. Even under extraordinary circumstances.
[She leaves the room – G sighs]
HETTY: I can still hear you, Mr. Callen!
[They exchange a look…]
[Bullpen ♫ Deeks is watching photos on his laptop ♫ Kensi…He’s moved by her smile ♫ Afghanistan: Kensi is on her bed – a gun at her side; she’s watching photos… ♫ Deeks on the camel – the team at the gym, exactly the same photo Deeks was staring at… ♫ she zooms like he did on her and him ♫ she’s on the verge of tears… ♫ she looks at her watch ♫ turns the light off…♫ black screen…♫]
KENSI: Good night, Deeks…
----------------- THE END ---------------
