[Afghanistan]
HETTY: Previously on NCIS: Los Angeles.
[5x11: Kensi meets Granger there for the first time]
KENSI: What's the target?
GRANGER: The locals call him Spin Pairay, the White Ghost. You're gonna kill him.
[5x16: Kensi is aiming at the White Ghost]
GRANGER: You see him?
KENSI: Yeah, I see him.
GRANGER: Take the shot, Agent Blye. Agent Blye, take the shot.
[She takes it – misses the target]
WG: Ah!
[His partners shout in Pashto]
KENSI: Oh, my God.
[The guys shoot at her with automatic gunfire]
[Base camp]
GRANGER: What the hell happened?
KENSI: I'm not even sure it was him.
GRANGER: I want a detailed report in my hands within the hour.
KENSI: Fine.
------------------ ZAPPING -----------------
[In a garage. A man grunts in pain and falls down in front of a recording camera; his face is bloody, he’s been severely beaten. He groans when people put him back on his feet. He’s pushed back against a pillar and tied with ropes. He’s panting; his attackers turn a bright spotlight on. A gun cocks…]
VICTIM: Please. Let me make this right.
[A guy shoots – the bullets hit the pillar above the man.]
MAN: Say it. Into the camera!
CLARK: I'm ATF Agent Kevin Clark. And like a-a cowardly snake hiding in the brush, I've been conducting an undercover operation. I am what is wrong in this world of hypocrisy. Our federal ranks have been infiltrated and my kind will be eliminated. I will not be the last.
[He’s sobbing]
CLARK: I...am a rat. And like all rats, I will be properly exterminated.
MAN: Do it!
[Guns cock]
CLARK: Wait. Wait, wait. No!
[But they shoot…and don’t miss this time…]
♫ ♫ NCIS: LA 5x17 ♫ ♫ Between the Lines ♫ ♫
♫ ♫Original Air Date on March 18, 2014 ♫ ♫
[NCIS office. G, Sam and Deeks are back at the armory, carrying bags]
DEEKS: Boom! In and out before 9:15 a.m. That is how you close a case. And I understand that saving the day is just part of my job, but you can thank me later with bottomless pitchers at O'Malley's.
SAM: What was that?
DEEKS: What was... what was what?
CALLEN: Out there. Why'd you go?
DEEKS: Why did I go? Two reasons: one, there was an F-150 filled with explosives barreling down at us, and two, you said, "Go, go, go."
SAM: He didn't mean go.
CALLEN: I said "go" so that they'd show their hand.
DEEKS: Yeah, but that's not what you said.
SAM: It's what he didn't say.
DEEKS: Why didn't you just say, "I need more time."
SAM: Because then the bad guys would know the plan.
DEEKS: But shouldn't I know the plan?
CALLEN: Yeah, you should know the plan.
SAM: And you should know that sometimes the plan changes.
DEEKS: Okay... here's the deal. We won, okay? We should be feasting on the enemy's finest meats and cheeses. What is the problem here?
SAM: We need to know you're on the same page.
CALLEN: We need to know you can read our intent.
DEEKS: You mean your minds? Okay, listen, I do recognize that you guys have developed some sort of mutant telepathic, like, connection here, but I...
CALLEN: Did you hear that, Sam?
SAM: Oh, yeah. That was cute.
DEEKS: What was cute?
SAM: He misses her.
[Deeks laughs]
DEEKS: Oh, my God. Right, you're gathering that from what I just said?
CALLEN: Yeah.
SAM: Well, your intent was pretty clear to me.
CALLEN: Like, it's not what you're saying, it's...
SAM: It's what you're not saying.
CALLEN: Exactly.
DEEKS: You know what? I've always wondered what it'd be like to have two older brothers...that I hated. Now I know.
[Eric is coming in – in their backs]
ERIC: That sounds like a cry for help from a lonely childhood.
DEEKS: Oh, you want to play this game, too, Beale?
ERIC: Well, if it's about the case on deck in ops, yes. Your childhood's gonna have to wait. [He clicks his tongue] Chop-chop.
[He walks out)
DEEKS: Okay, isn't there some sort of agent union mandate that prohibits, like, multiple cases without, like, a massage in between?
SAM: Yeah, but it doesn't matter. You're not an agent.
DEEKS: I just keep opening doors, you just keep walking through 'em.
CALLEN: It sounds like someone doesn't like his job.
SAM: I think Hetty should be informed.
[G points a “great-idea” and they leave the armory]
DEEKS: No, no. No informing Hetty of anything. No, no. That's not...what my intent said. What I-I meant was...
SAM: Look, if you're not cut out for the job, I mean, I understand.
DEEKS: Son of a...!
[OPS center. Eric comes in, grabs his tablet and put footage from the opening scene onto screen- frozen]
ERIC: This went viral two hours after it was posted this morning. They pulled it, but not before it got 12,000 hits.
NELL: Warning: it's pretty graphic.
[Eric approves with the head and it plays]
MAN OVER VIDEO: I'm a rat...and like all rats...I will be promptly exterminated.
MAN1: Do it!
MAN: Wait. Wait, wait. No! No!
[Gunfire…]
ERIC: ATF has confirmed the identity of the victim as Agent Kevin Clark.
CALLEN: All right, why us? Why not ATF?
NELL: Hetty asked the same question.
[Hetty appears on screen]
HETTY: Agent Clark was part of a joint task force investigating the Navy's concern about sailors on shore leave engaging in criminal activity.
ERIC: Ships come into port, guys want to see L.A. for a little R&R.
NELL: Next thing you know, a sailor's in over his head with gambling debt. When he can't pay, his family's threatened, forcing him to smuggle guns or fork over launch codes for the latest nuclear subs.
ERIC: Easy target for anyone willing to take advantage.
SAM: Hmm.
HETTY: Keep me abreast of your findings.
CALLEN: Will do, Hetty.
[She vanishes from screen)
DEEKS: So, who kills a Fed and puts it on YouTube?
SAM: Someone who wants to send a message--"Back off or else."
CALLEN: You got to have some serious muscle to send a message like that.
SAM: Somebody who thinks they have the power to take us on.
DEEKS: We have any idea where this happened?
ERIC: No, some sort of garage. And, uh, no report of a body yet.
NELL: The support beams in this garage are from the 1920s. They're not retrofitted for seismic activity.
ERIC: We were able to identify the buildings of that area yet to be retrofitted-- they're all in a three-block radius of downtown's Little Tokyo.
SAM: What was Agent Clark investigating?
ERIC: Uh, still waiting to hear from the ATF.
DEEKS: Little Tokyo's run by the Black Dragons, Gaki Boyz and Yakuza.
CALLEN: Check out ATF, see what you can find. Talk to anybody who knows Agent Clark.
DEEKS: On it.
SAM: We need those addresses, Eric.
ERIC: Got it.
[They leave the OPS)
[Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, LA Field Division. The receptionist hangs up]
RECEPTIONIST: Agent Stone is finishing a call. He'll be right with you, Detective.
DEEKS: Thank you so much.
[A man dressed like a biker helps himself with coffee]
DEEKS: Really taking advantage of that Casual Tuesday, huh?
[He has a badge: agent Bower]
BOWER: I'm working a biker gang moving a ton of meth out in Palmdale.
DEEKS: Mm.
BOWER: Unfortunately, most of them will get away.
DEEKS: Why is that?
BOWER: Not enough budget for the manpower. We can only go after the top guys.
DEEKS: They do make it difficult, don't they?
BOWER: Only if you ask permission.
DEEKS: Yeah, better to beg for forgiveness, right?
BOWER: Mm. Are you here about Clark?
DEEKS: I am. You, uh...you have any idea what he was working on?
BOWER: Clark didn't like to share. Hated to divvy up the glory. Hopefully, that's not what got him killed. Not that it matters. Either way, he's dead. No one deserves to go out like that.
STONE: Sorry to keep you waiting, Detective.
[They shake hands]
DEEKS: Not a problem. Agent Bower was just filling me in.
STONE: You're taking over Clark's caseload.
BOWER: Because I don't already have enough of a backlog.
[He leaves them]
DEEKS: Interesting creature. So, you got a little tension in the ranks, huh?
STONE: Some short fuses from too much work and not enough bodies, that's all.
DEEKS: Right. Agent Clark have any leads in his investigation?
STONE: We busted some sailors moving guns over the border. Clark said the joint task force had a lead, said he'd brief me when they could. Never happened.
DEEKS: Who else knew that?
STONE: Only me.
DEEKS: Is that pretty standard?
STONE: I'm covering 50 operations. 12 in L.A. Sometimes they intersect. In an emergency, it gives our guys plausible deniability.
DEEKS: Right. So they can't, uh, tell what they don't know.
[Stone looks at his watch)
STONE: I get to go do damage control. I'll be happy to answer any of your questions later.
DEEKS: Call me if you think of anything. Thank you so much for your time.
STONE: Oh, Detective.
DEEKS: Yeah?
STONE: Here's something. Clark was working without a partner when he should've been. Budget cuts. Report that to the suits upstairs.
DEEKS: I will. Thank you, sir.
[Afghanistan. A road in the mountain. Granger is back to the base camp, in the office]
GRANGER: Any sign of that convoy?
BOOKER: No, sir.
GRANGER: Got a drone in the air?
BOOKER: We're flying a search radius from the disabled vehicle they abandoned. Still nothing.
GRANGER: Where's Blye?
BOOKER: Haven't seen her yet.
[Granger heads to her room door]
GRANGER: Hey, Blye, we need to talk.
[He knocks]
GRANGER: Blye?
[He opens the door, sees the riffle on the bed]
GRANGER: All right, she's not here. You didn't see her go out?
BOOKER: No, sir.
GRANGER: Anybody seen Blye this morning?
MAN: No.
MAN2: Mm-mm, no.
WOMAN: Mm-mm.
GRANGER: Find out if any vehicles have been checked out, or if anybody saw her leave the base.
------------------ ZAPPING -----------------
[In a garage; Sam and G are searching the place. Sam sighs]
SAM: Number five. I'm starting to think whoever killed Agent Clark took the body with them.
CALLEN: I'm getting way more familiar with the underbelly of Little Tokyo than I'd like to.
SAM: Yeah. Upside is, we're near some of the best udon in L.A.
CALLEN: You know where the best udon in L.A. is, don't you?
SAM: I know where you think the best udon is--30 miles from the nearest FDA office, in an industrial park next to a strip club.
CALLEN: It does have character.
SAM: Yeah, it probably has botulism, too.
CALLEN: Sam Hanna doesn't support the little guy.
SAM: I support the little guy. I'm just not gonna pay him to poison me.
CALLEN: Mm-hmm.
[A bloody pillar appears in his light]
CALLEN: Hey. Fifth time's a charm?
SAM: If you're looking for bullet hits.
[They come close)
SAM: It's definitely blood. Where's the body?
[They step forwards]
CALLEN: Got drag marks.
[They keep walking]
SAM: G.
[He has found Clark…He kneels down near the body]
SAM: His tongue was cut out.
[Callen takes a photo]
CALLEN: What do you think blew his cover?
SAM: Could have slipped up.
CALLEN: Yeah, or he was served up.
[Sam checks a card]
CALLEN: What do you got? Possible lead?
SAM: Blank on the other side. Except for the matrix barcode.
[G scans the code with his phone; it loads a window: “enter password”]
CALLEN: It's asking for a password. Sounds like a job for Eric and Nell.
[They hear noise: they’re not alone! They pull out their guns and check around. A man runs]
SAM: Stop! Federal agents!
[They chase him]
SAM: Split up!
[The guy is obviously great in parkour. He reaches the exit door, slightly up, and rolls under it. He can’t stands up then: Sam’s foot flattens him on the ground]
SAM: Like I said, federal agents.
[Boatshed. Interrogation room. Sam, a file in the hands, comes in, G on his heels]
SAM: Jason Anakawa. Vandalism, petty theft, public indecency? Really?
CALLEN: What were you doing down at the garage?
JASON: Practicing my Parkour?
SAM: Yeah? You need to start practicing your lying, too.
CALLEN: I guess we can add murder to the list, huh?
JASON: I didn't murder Agent Clark.
[G raises the head, looks at Sam]
SAM: Who's Agent Clark? I didn't mention Agent Clark. Did you?
CALLEN: I didn't say a word about an Agent Clark. I got to admit, now I'm curious.
JASON: I'm a member of the 3rd Street Gaki Boyz. I was Agent Clark's in.
CALLEN: You're a snitch?
JASON: Informant.
CALLEN: Excuse me. Informant.
JASON: Couldn't say anything at the garage. They have eyes everywhere.
CALLEN: So, what are you doing down there?
JASON: Heard what happened. I was looking for him.
SAM: How'd you know where to find him?
JASON: A suspected gang informant got merc'd two weeks ago at that same spot.
CALLEN: Who killed Agent Clark?
JASON: I don't know for sure, but that's the Gaki Boyz style.
CALLEN: Why would the Gaki Boyz want Agent Clark dead?
JASON: They don't. If it was us, we were just carrying out orders.
SAM: Carrying out orders from who?
JASON: The Yakuza. They run everything from 3rd Street to Broadway.
CALLEN: You seem to know the area pretty well.
JASON: Grew up there. My dad owned a bar and worked his ass off for 30 years, but barely saw a profit. Paying protection to gangs like the Yakuza. It literally killed him.
CALLEN: So, how did you end up with the Gaki Boyz?
JASON: After my father died, I lost it for a while. Got in with the wrong crowd. Made mistakes. You know?
SAM: So, why the sudden change of heart?
JASON: Some of the Boyz were shaking down a store owner, and it all came rushing back. What those guys did to my father. At that moment, I promised myself I'd do something about it.
CALLEN: How'd you meet Agent Clark?
JASON: He had a chance to bust me, and let me go. Said he saw something in me. Reached out one day and asked me to work for him. Said I could redeem myself.
CALLEN: You have any idea how his cover got blown?
[Jason shakes the head]
JASON: I'll tell you what I know, but you got to get me back to the streets ASAP. The longer I'm in here, the worse it's gonna be.
SAM: If somebody saw you, then, you're probably safer in here with us.
JASON: Yeah, I'd rather take my chances out there. Clark was good to me. If I can help you take down who did this, I will.
[♫]
[NCIS office. Tech room. Deeks joins Nell]
DEEKS: Hey, any news?
NELL: Yeah, I checked it out. Seems Agent Clark and Agent Bower had a beef. Clark notified the media of a bust which tipped off the bad guys. No arrests were made.
DEEKS: So, maybe Bower had an axe to grind. Anything else?
NELL: Nothing yet. But, look, whoever killed Agent Clark knew that building was a security camera blind spot. Anything from ATF?
DEEKS: I think Clark may have fallen through the cracks. They have a lot going on over there. You know, actually, Stone mentioned that Clark was working without a partner. Maybe he tried to alert somebody when things started to go bad.
NELL: Mm. Well, if ATF is backlogged, then, yeah, they could have missed it. All right, so, I'll search for any transmissions or phone messages that were sent by Clark before he was killed.
DEEKS: Great.
NELL: Okay.
[She’s typing; Deeks takes a few steps and stops, lost in thoughts]
NELL: Is there anything else?
DEEKS: Um...yeah. Did...? Sorry. Um, have you...? Have you had any contact with Kensi?
NELL: Uh... no, actually. I haven't heard from her for a day or two. Why? What's up?
DEEKS: Nothing. I just, I can't reach her.
NELL: Well... I imagine she's safe.
[Deeks snorts]
NELL: I mean, she's a big girl.
[Afghanistan. Hoof beats- a hooded rider stops: the path is blocked with a burned car carcass. Men appear, surrounding the horse. They speak Pashto, their gun chambers click – one of them waves to order the rider to dismount. He obeys; hands up, he faces the men; they carefully come close; one pulls down the rider’s scarf: Kensi!]
------------------ ZAPPING -----------------
[NCIS office. Tech room. Nell is working, Deeks is watching. Sam and Callen are back]
CALLEN: Anything?
DEEKS: Yeah, we thought the ATF may have missed something.
NELL: And they did. Agent Clark had to know the meeting place, because he set up a surveillance camera that automatically uploaded the photos to a drop box.
[She zooms over one of many photos: Clark is speaking with a man in his car]
NELL: The photos were never opened.
SAM: Who's the guy talking to Agent Clark?
NELL: I'm pulling it up now.
[Her computer beeps: in ID pops up on screen; Nell sighs]
NELL: I got a facial match. Meet Tommy Walker. Career criminal in the making.
CALLEN: Can you find him?
NELL: I can try.
DEEKS: How'd you guys make out?
CALLEN: Agent Clark was looking into the Yakuza. Turns out, they own the building where we found his body.
SAM: He also had an informant embedded with the Gaki Boyz.
DEEKS: Gaki Boyz. That's hardcore.
NELL: Okay, Walker just used his debit card at a bar in West Hills 26 minutes ago.
DEEKS: Well, let's hope he drinks slow. I'm on it.
[He rises]
ERIC: Wait. You guys have to see this.
[He puts footage onto the screen]
ERIC: This happened 30 minutes ago.
[4 men are waiting for a car; they open the back door; actually 3 men are abducting a fourth one: Agent Stone!]
ERIC: The guy in the black shirt running the show--that's Takashi Shiro, fastest rise to boss within the Yakuza family.
SAM: Who's this guy they grabbed?
DEEKS: Agent Stone. ATF.
[Zoom on Stone’s face]
[Afghanistan. Men speaking Pashto are leading Kensi into a cave. It’s really dark. Deeper, there’s fire light. The men pull out the bag from Kensi’s face. She gasps quietly, looking around]
[NCIS office. Eric is briefing Sam and G, with photos and files on screen; Nell is on phone]
SAM: What do we know about Shiro?
ERIC: Bad Guy Hall of Fame candidate. Wanted globally for racketeering, arms smuggling and murder. The big guy next to him--that's his bloodthirsty bodyguard, Cho Yamamoto. And no I.D. on the third guy.
NELL: [On phone] Okay. Thanks. LAPD's on the scene. They're going to call us if they find anything.
CALLEN: All right. I want access to every available camera in the area.
[G and Sam walk toward the exit)
CALLEN: Think. Why Stone? Why now?
SAM: Well, Stone told Deeks he was the only one privy to Agent Clark's investigation. They could have forced Agent Clark to give up Stone before they killed him.
CALLEN: Stone was working on dozens of different undercover ops.
SAM: And if they torture Stone to give up those other operatives...
CALLEN: We could be looking at gangland executions of dozens of agents.
SAM: We're going to have to shut down every operation we're running with the ATF.
CALLEN: Years of undercover work wasted.
HETTY: I'm open to suggestions.
CALLEN: …
SAM: …
[Sam sighs]
HETTY: Very well. We have no choice. We can't risk the chance that they've been made.
CALLEN: Hetty, give us a little more time.
HETTY: Time is the one thing we don't have very much of.
SAM: At least give us till end of day before you pull the trigger.
HETTY: All right, but if any other operation is compromised...
CALLEN: I know. You pull 'em out.
[Sam and G leave her.]
HETTY: [To herself] If it's not already too late.
[Boatshed. Interrogation room. Tommy Walker is waiting; Sam and G come in]
SAM: Don't waste our time, we won't waste yours.
CALLEN: We know you set up Agent Clark.
[Walker chuckles]
WALKER: Whatevs, man. I have no clue what you're talking about.
[G shows him the photo of his meeting with Clark on his phone]
CALLEN: You know him. You got a federal agent murdered.
WALKER: I'm talking no parole.
SAM: Mm. Once he's locked up, maybe he can start his own reality show. Real Housewives of Cell Block 2.
WALKER: Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. I didn't know dude was a Fed. Straight up, you know?
SAM: No?
WALKER: No.
SAM: You're dumber than you look.
CALLEN: What do you do for the Yakuza?
WALKER: Look... look, man. I'm just a street-level independent contractor, all right? The "company" provides a service that targets sailors looking for thrills. When they hit the shores looking for a good time, boom! The company gives it to 'em. Big-time. Anything you can think of. Gambling, girls...
SAM: Drugs?
WALKER: What are you into anyway, big man? Hmm? Goth Lolitas? We got them, too.
CALLEN: What is this?
[The card with the barcode – Walker chuckles]
WALKER: Just the key to the best time of your life. The cards get passed out when the ships come in. If they're interested, they zap that with their phone and it's on and poppin'.
SAM: Where do we get the password?
WALKER: Yours truly. You enter the password, choose what you want from a dropdown list and, blam, you get hooked up. Easy peasy. 20th century technology, baby.
CALLEN: This is the 21st century, baby.
WALKER: Whatever, man. Look, all I know is that it works. We got a pickup service and everything. Guys can't navigate Obamacare but they can get a hooker in two minutes. [Happily] Know what I'm sayin', big man?
[He raises his wrist]
SAM: Put your hands down.
WALKER: Okay.
SAM: [To G] I'm starting to see why they take guys to the garage.
CALLEN: How'd they make Agent Clark?
WALKER: I don't know, man, but this time it was different.
CALLEN: How so?
WALKER: Usually the guys hit me up for the password and I send 'em on their way. I was told to pick up that dude personally.
SAM: By who?
WALKER: Seriously? This is the Ya-ku-za. Cool suits, missing fingers, appetite for murder?
[He scoffs]
WALKER: You don't ask guys like that questions. I just answer the phone and do whatever the dude on the other end tells me to.
SAM: Excuse me, G.
[He opens the drawer, grabs a paper and a pen; puts them down on the table]
SAM: Password. Now.
[Walker writes]
WALKER: Check out them Goth Lolitas, bro.
SAM: Shut up and write the password down, man.
WALKER: Hey, man, dang. Come on. Look, just know that if you go into one of their buildings, you're in. I'm talking lockdown.
SAM: This better work.
WALKER: It will.
[Sam and G leave the room; join Deeks in the observation room.]
DEEKS: You believe him?
SAM: Eh, it's the best lead we got. Besides, he's not smart enough to lie.
[G scans the code, types the password and a window pops up: you’ve choice between sex, drugs and gambling]
CALLEN: All right, Sam, what are you thinking? Underage girls, overpriced drugs or crooked dice?
SAM: Let's roll the dice.
[G chooses blackjack- no limit craps in Los Angeles…and an address pops up onto screen]
CALLEN: Damn, he wasn't kidding. This is high-tech. We're set for a pickup in Hollywood in one hour.
Off to…]
[1260 Harkman Street in Hollywood. Sam is waiting…watched by Deeks and Callen in the car]
SAM: How we looking, fellas?
DEEKS: Well, it's quiet on this end.
CALLEN: I still think I make a better sailor than you.
SAM: I am a sailor.
CALLEN: Exactly. Too close to it.
SAM: Nobody's buying you as Navy. Unless it's Old Navy.
[Deeks chuckles]
DEEKS: If you guys are done talking about your feelings, you should probably pay attention to the town car approaching from the west.
CALLEN: Why don't you get yourself in character, huh?
SAM: It's not a character.
[G chuckles. The car stops; Sam shows the card and gets in]
SAM: [Over com] Thank you. Whew. Feeling lucky today, you know?
[G follows the car until it turns on the left into an alley: 2 guards check it]
CALLEN: Guys, get us everything you can on that building.
[OPS center.]
CALLEN: [Over com] We're pulling in to a garage across the street.
ERIC: Activating Geospatial Information Fusion Technology.
NELL: Uh, wouldn't it be easier to just say "GIFT"?
ERIC: Yeah, but it's not nearly as Star Trek-ish.
NELL: You're right. Okay, so the building has seven floors. Uh, most all access points were sealed years ago except, of course, for the side entrance where they took Sam.
ERIC: And it looks like the Monroe Group owns that building and all the surrounding buildings as well.
NELL: Okay, guys, just so you know, it looks like there's been nearly a dozen investigations trying to implicate the Monroe Group as a front for a Yakuza crime family.
[Car]
CALLEN: Thanks, Nell.
DEEKS: Okay, I'm going crazy sitting in here. I think I'm gonna do a lap, see what I can see.
CALLEN: Don't talk to strangers.
DEEKS: Thanks, Dad.
[Deeks gets out of the car; and takes a walk. He checks the back of the nearest building – a door opens]
DEEKS: Damn it. I got company.
[He jumps head first into a garbage container]
MAN: Clear in the back. Heading to the front.
[Deeks lights the container…and sees a hand out of a plastic bag…]
DEEKS: No, no, no. Um, guys, we got a little bit of a situation here.
[Cut throat, Jason is dead…]
DEEKS: Yeah, Clark's informant, Anakawa? They killed him.
------------------ ZAPPING -----------------
[Deeks is back to G, out of the car too. He shows a photo on his phone)
CALLEN: So much for redemption.
DEEKS: How do you think they get on to him?
CALLEN: Maybe Stone's talking.
DEEKS: Yeah, but Stone hadn't heard from Agent Clark, so there's no way he could've known that Clark was using Jason as an informant.
CALLEN: Then either Clark gave up Jason before he was killed...or the Yakuza saw Jason talking to us at the garage.
DEEKS: Which could mean...
CALLEN: Sam could be walking into a trap.
[Sam is wandering among gambling tables; music is playing; he pulls out bills]
CROUPIER: Seven out!
SAM: All right. Here. Take care of me, baby. Hook me up.
CROUPIER: My pleasure.
[He chuckles]
CROUPIER: Or yours.
[Both chuckle]
CROUPIER: Handsome new shooter coming out.
SAM: Mm. Let me see, let me see, let me see. Let me see.
[He mumbles, picking up the right couple of dice]
SAM: Thank you, Betty.
[He kisses his hand; people are cheering]
SAM: Gonna make some money? You look like you need some money.
[He chuckles; throw the dice…7!!]
CROUPIER: Winner!
SAM: Oh! Oh! Huh? I'm just getting started.
[Back alley]
CALLEN: Sam, we just found Jason Anakawa's body behind the building. We may have been made at the garage. Let's get you out of there.
[Dice table]
SAM: Ooh... kay.
[Again a “7”]
CROUPIER: Winner!
[People cheering]
SAM: Oh! Oh!
[Outside]
CALLEN: Sam, do you copy?...
[Deeks shakes the head]
DEEKS: Nobody's home.
CALLEN: Eric, I need eyes and ears.
[OPS center.]
ERIC: I'm working on it. Looks like the building is using a scrambler. I'm trying to boost the signal but... this is gonna take time.
[Alley across the building]
DEEKS: We can't just leave him in there.
CALLEN: Comms go down, no matter what, you get three cycles to check in before we go in guns blazing.
DEEKS: To hell with cycles. These guys have no problem killing people.
CALLEN: We have to give Sam a chance to do his job.
DEEKS: Okay, okay. We also need to find a way to get in there if he needs us.
[He has a point…G raises the eyes…]
CALLEN: Keep an eye on the front.
DEEKS: Got it.
[G stands up and walks to the back of the building]
CALLEN: Eric, I need roof access at my location.
[Gambling place. A man (Shiro) is speaking in Japanese to 2 others]
MAN1: it’s a good night. Keep it that way. Double security at the door. Man nods approvingly]
SAM: All kind of action in here.
CROUPIER: You have no idea.
SAM: Really?...Ready? You ready? Yeah?
[And…seven again! More cheering!]
CROUPIER: Lucky seven!
SAM: See? That's what I'm talking about. I do this all day. I do this all day long!
CROUPIER: A man with staying power.
SAM: You have no idea, all right? You know what? For the table. Here, all right. That's for you.
CROUPIER: Aw.
SAM: Uh, bathroom?
[She points his left]
SAM: All right, pass my roll. I'll be back, okay?
CROUPIER: Don't be long. We don't want the dice to cool off.
SAM: That's impossible. I'm on fire, baby. Don't you agree?
[He chuckles, strokes the arm of a woman teasing him since the beginning]
SAM: Yeah.
[He heads to the bathroom; walks by Shiro and his guys]
SAM: Gentlemen.
[Alley]
ERIC: [Over com] Callen, the door on your right, it leads to the roof.
[G looks at the door; and notices a wheel hidden under a cover]
CALLEN: Deeks, back to me.
DEEKS: [Over com] All right, copy that. Right behind you.
[G pulls out his gun – opens the door]
[Hallway. A man is blocking the way]
SAM: Yo, how much to get back here?
MAN: VIPs only.
SAM: Come on, man. You got the Goth Lolitas back there? How much? Come on, man.
[He raises a hand full of bills; the guy can’t help looking at them. Sam strikes his throat, grabs his neck and drags him backwards but didn’t notice a man coming from the corner. There’s a buzzing, Sam grunts and takes a punch right in the chin. He stays motionless on his back…]
[Roof. A wan is watching the gambling building with a monocular. He doesn’t notice Deeks and G moving close]
CALLEN: Federal agents. Put your hands where I can see 'em and you turn around slowly.
[The guy turns round – it’s Bower; he speaks quietly]
BOWER: I'm ATF. And get down, so they don't see you.
DEEKS: Bower, what the hell are you doing here, man?
BOWER: After Stone got grabbed, I took a look through Clark's files. His notes led me to this building.
[He sighs]
BOWER: Clark may have been an ass, but I'm not gonna stand by while it's open season on our agents.
CALLEN: We still got a man inside.
BOWER: Well, I hope you can get him out. Something's got them buzzing.
[G takes the monocular; Bower points discreetly]
BOWER: Right there.
[The 2 men watching the alley]
BOWER: Third guy just bolted back inside.
CALLEN: Two guards left out front. This might be our best chance.
[A panting and grunting man is thrown down into a room where Sam is on the ground, fainted. The door closes behind him]
MAN: Hey.
[It’s Stone. He kicks Sam’s leg]
STONE: Hey, hey.
[Sam softly grunts]
STONE: Hey, hey, please tell me that you're a cop.
[Sam groans, opens the eyes. Stone spots a chair with a rope]
STONE: Is that what I think it is?
[Sam raises the head, sees a camera; and sighs]
SAM: Yeah….It's an execution station.
------------------ ZAPPING -----------------
[OPS center. Eric sighs]
ERIC: I can't reestablish communication.
[Nell looks at her watch]
NELL: Sam's missed his third check-in cycle. I'll notify Hetty.
[She starts walking to the door but Hetty is already here]
HETTY: Consider me notified. Contact the ATF task force. Inform them they've been compromised. I want every undercover agent extracted immediately.
NELL: Which operation?
HETTY: All of them.
NELL: Okay.
[She grabs a phone]
[Roof]
DEEKS: Time's up. No word from Sam.
CALLEN: There's got to be another way in to this place...and I think I just found it. I'm gonna need a diversion.
DEEKS: That's what I'm talking about.
BOWER: Is there a plan or we freestyling?
DEEKS: Oh, there's always a plan.
[“Execution room”. Stone is trying to free his wrists from tape; he’s pnating]
STONE: My name is John Stone. I'm an ATF agent. Please tell me that someone knows you're here.
SAM: I'm just a Navy guy with a dice addiction.
STONE: Then why'd they throw you in here?
SAM: I was up pretty big. Maybe they thought I was cheating.
STONE: I-I don't know how much longer I can hold out. I already...I already gave up two names. They killed them both. They cut one of my guy's tongues out.
[Sam can’t help wincing]
STONE: Look...I understand the importance of maintaining an undercover, but if you are a LEO, we...we have got to get out of here. We've got to get out of here.
SAM: You're right about one thing. It's... time to get out of here.
[He painfully raises; grabs Stone]
SAM: Get up.
[Callen is just above the men; looking at wires from a balcony. He pulls off his belt]
[OPS center.]
ERIC: Um, Callen, if... if you're thinking what I think you're thinking, I highly advise against it. That is a live power line that hasn't been serviced in years.
NELL: Besides, the line is not designed to hold your body weight.
[Balcony]
ERIC: [over come] Not to mention, if you touch an exposed section, you're toast.
CALLEN: Can you shut it down?
[OPS center.]
ERIC: I mean... Not without shutting down the power in the whole building. It'll alert them all inside.
CALLEN: [over com] Keep working on trying to contact Sam. Deeks, now would be a good time.
[Bower on his bike and Deeks behind the wheel of the car exchange a look. Bower nods. Both move off side by side, fast; the bike closes to the car; Deeks “loses” control of his vehicle and it hits a parked car – just in front of the men guarding the alley. Deeks groans, opens the door; falls down on the ground; groans again]
DEEKS: You got to call an ambulance, man.
MAN: You have to get out of here, now.
DEEKS: I think I have some internal bleeding.
MAN: Not my problem. Now, move.
[Deeks is on the ground, on his back, in pain]
DEEKS: I know I'm, like, bleeding out. I think I punctured a lung.
MAN: Get out of here, right now.
DEEKS: I can't. Everything's going black. I think... I'll pass out...
MAN: Let's move him to the alley.
[Meanwhile, using his belt for handle and the wires like a zip-line crosses the alley. He looks down: the men are carrying Deeks]
MAN: We got to move that car, too.
[Up, G is stepping slowly on the ledge…He reaches a window. In the street, Bower is reaching the alley entrance; Deeks kicks the man carrying his legs and Bower grabs his neck; Deeks fights with the other guy. At the end, Deeks and Bower each cuff on of the guards while G uses an ajar window to get in the building]
DEEKS: Got three agents inside, we can't wait for backup.
BOWER: Let's do it.
DEEKS: On me.
[They pull out their guns and run]
[Inside the “execution room” Sam is untying Stone’s hands – the lock clicks outside; Sam hides himself behind the door and strikes the man who had knocked him down]
MAN: Aah, oh!
[Sam knees him]
MAN: Oh!
[The guy passes out. Sam takes his weapon and heads to the plastic curtain at the bottom of the room. Stone sniffs. His hands are free]
SAM: No way out. Here. You're hurt pretty bad. You take it.
[He hands him the gun; checks the door and wheels round]
SAM: Help me get this tape off.
[But Stone is threatening him with the weapon]
SAM: What are you doing?
STONE: Only a cop moves like that. Or an agent. How much do they know?
SAM: Nice plan. You bust yourself up, play victim. Then, if I'm a cop, I save you.
[G is running down the stairs; reaches the 2nd floor. A man opens the door to the staircase – they fight. Another guy spots the scene from the 3rd floor and shoots. G’s opponent, used as shield, takes all the bullets; G takes the shot and the 2nd man falls down]
[Execution room]
STONE: Sounds like the cavalry.
[G picks up the man’s weapon and opens the 2nd floor door]
[Execution room]
STONE: Turn around.
[Sam obeys]
[Gambling rooms - whooping, indistinct conversations… Deeks and Bower are in.]
DEEKS: There's Shiro.
BOWER: I see him.
[They split. One of Shiro’s guy spots Bower. He tries to pull out his gun]
BOWER: Federal agents.
(He shoots, hits the guy. People scream, flee or hide behind the table. Shiro looks for his gun]
DEEKS: Don't even think about it. On your knees, right now. Put your hands up.
[Shiro has to do as he’s told. Bower cuffs him]
BOWER: Hands.
[Stone pushing Sam frontwards head out of the room. G appears in the hallway]
CALLEN: Drop it, Stone.
STONE: If you want him to live, I suggest you drop it.
[He aims at Sam’s back]
STONE: Last chance. Gun down, now.
SAM: Don't. He can't shoot a federal agent.
STONE: I can. And will.
[G raises the hand.]
CALLEN: Okay.
[He takes the mag out of his gun; puts both parts on the floor – another weapon is in his back pocket…]
STONE: Hands up. Walk to me. Walk to me. In the room.
[Sam nods slightly at G]
STONE: Go. Go, go, go. Move.
[All three are back in the room. Stone closes the door]
CALLEN: Why?
STONE: I'm tired of fighting the fight. Never enough money, never enough men, it's never enough. Do you have any idea how much money they're paying me? A lifetime's salary for a little bit of information.
CALLEN: What about your brothers in the field, huh?
STONE: We knew what we signed up for, right?
[G looks at Sam]
CALLEN: I think we got enough.
SAM: Yeah, it was pretty cut ‘d dry.
[He pulls out his 2nd gun – Stone shoots but there are only clicks]
[Sam opens the hands: bullets clatters on the floor]
SAM: Bullets help.
[He hits him, several times, angrily. Frees his hands from the tape and cuffs Stone]
CALLEN: That's pretty slick.
SAM: When did you know?
CALLEN: Stone was the only possible link between Clark and his informant.
[Sam is twisting Stone’s arm in his back]
STONE: Aah!
CALLEN: You?
SAM: Yeah, I had my suspicions. Agent Clark's tongue. No way he could've known about that without being there. Who else did you give up?
STONE: Aah! Nobody.
CALLEN: I don't believe him, Sam.
SAM: [Loudly] How many other agents did you give up?
STONE: Just the two, it was just the two. The Yakuza were supposed to send payment and I promised them other names after the payment. Aah.
SAM: If another agent turns up dead, we're gonna make a video of our own.
STONE: Aah…
[Afghanistan. Kensi is sitting on the ground in the cave near the fire. A man puts a plate in front of her; he says a word in Pashto, kneels at her side]
KENSI: Do you speak English? My name is Kensi Blye.
[She repeats it in Pashto]
KENSI: [In Pashto] I need to speak to the one they call the White Ghost.
[The guy rises and leaves]
KENSI: Wait a minute, wait. I need to speak to the one they call the White Ghost.
[He’s gone. She looks at her plate, sniffs and drops it onto the ground]
KENSI: Ugh.
[NCIS office. Lockers. Deeks slams the door and goes back to the desks]
DEEKS: Oh, man, I would have paid anything to see the look on Stone's face when you dropped those bullets.
CALLEN: Classic.
HETTY: Bravo, gentlemen. Our undercover operations are secure. Thanks to you all.
SAM: Just doing what we do.
DEEKS: If Eric shows up with another case, just do me a favor and shoot him. Yeah? 'Cause I'm exhausted.
[He sits down with a groan]
DEEKS: I did more work today than the Beverly Hills PD do in a week.
HETTY: I'm sorry, Mr. Deeks, I didn't realize that you were feeling... overloaded.
[Sam and G get up and pack their gears]
DEEKS: No, no... I didn't mean...
HETTY: It would appear that you don't appreciate your employment status.
DEEKS: Uh... No, no. That's not what I... I meant, I just meant that... Little... Can I have some help here, guys?
[G and Sam are about to leave]
CALLEN: Hetty, I-I just wanted to say: we love our jobs.
SAM: Headed home to finish some paperwork right now.
CALLEN: Mm-hmm.
DEEKS: We got... You guys got my six, right? Hey, what happened to "brothers in arms"? Guys?
[They’re gone]
DEEKS: You do realize my six is behind my back and not down the tunnel, right?
HETTY: You were saying?
DEEKS: Uh...I was... Yeah, no, I was just saying how much I...care and appreciate my, uh, employment status.
HETTY: That's what I thought.
[Black screen]
HETTY: Now, get your damn feet off the desk.
-------------- THE END --------------
