MUSIC IN:
INT. NCIS GARAGE – DAY
(MUSIC OVER ACTION/VAN BACKS INTO THE GARAGE)
(SFX: BEEPING)
TONY: Good God Almighty! Get me out of here. My head is about to explode. That was the longest three hours of my entire frickin’ life.
ZIVA: Well, you’re the one who said no to the muzzle, Tony. I wanted to shut his pot hole two hours ago.
BRIAN: It’s pie hole. And by the way, we went through the Arby’s drive through. No such thing as a ride-through. How long have you lived here anyway? Man, get off me!
ZIVA: I’ll pay you to take him upstairs. Just name your price.
TONY: My rock beat your scissors. Besides, I’ve got five million in heroin.
BRIAN: That’s nothing.
TONY: Really? I have a feeling your South African suppliers won’t feel the same way.
ZIVA: Yeah, considering how much money you owe them, you should be thankful you’re in our custody.
TONY: We’re your new best friends!
BRIAN: I don’t care what you do to me. I’m not talking!
TONY: I find that really hard to believe. All yours, Agent David.
BRIAN: Come on, man!
TONY: Yeah.
BRIAN: Yeah. Take off the cuffs! Yeah, what’s his problem, huh?
ZIVA: You! You’re insulting, you’re crude, and most of all you are extremely annoying.
BRIAN: I’m annoying? He was the one rambling on and on about Top Gun, giving me a freakin’ migraine! I didn’t realize I had to sit in silence the entire trip. Last time I checked, the First Amendment guaranteed my--
ZIVA: (SHOUTS) Enough!
(SFX: ELEVATOR DINGS/DOORS SLIDE OPEN)
ZIVA: Get in.
BRIAN: No.
CUT TO:
INT. SQUAD ROOM – DAY
GIBBS: He’s a newbie. (SFX: ELEVATOR DINGS/DOORS SLIDE OPEN)
ZIVA: He’s dead.
(MUSIC UP AND OUT)
(THEME MUSIC UP OVER OPENING TITLE/SCENES/ CREDITS AND OUT)
MUSIC IN:
INT. SQUAD ROOM – DAY
“JEOPARDY”
DUCKY: I’ve been traveling to crime scenes for a great many years, but I can say with complete confidence, this is the shortest commute I have ever had.
JIMMY: And one of the first times I didn’t get us lost.
DUCKY: True.
TONY: All yours, Duck.
MCGEE: Sure appreciate all the help, Tony.
TONY: That’s a nice outfit, Probie.
MCGEE: Okay, the handbook says that we are required to wear this outfit at all active crime scenes. You know that.
TONY: Yeah, but not in our own building. That’s like wearing a nametag in your own apartment.
DUCKY: Tony? Come here. How is she holding up?
TONY: Oh, I uh… I don’t know. I haven’t talked to her yet.
DUCKY: May I ask why?
GIBBS: Because I told him not to, Ducky.
JIMMY: Excuse me.
GIBBS: Right now she’s a suspect, not an investigator.
MCGEE: Boss, you don’t think Ziva’s really capable of this, do you? Well, I mean she’s capable of it, but… you don’t really think that she would just…
GIBBS: Kill someone?
MCGEE: Not without a good reason.
TONY: Look, we all know that Ziva has crazy ninja skills but, I mean, she’s got some self control, right? Not a lot, some? Never mind.
DUCKY: Forgive me for overstepping, Jethro, but you and I both know that this is far beyond Officer David’s character.
GIBBS: It’s not me or you I’m worried about right now, Duck. We have a cause of death?
DUCKY: Well, at this point I’d only be speculating. We won’t know anything specific until I get him back… well, downstairs, I suppose.
GIBBS: No bruising?
DUCKY: Yeah, well the only injury I’ve been able to find is this on the top of his head here. Ow! Sorry.
(DUCKY AND GIBBS BUMP INTO EACH OTHER)
GIBBS: I’ll zig, you zag.
DUCKY: Here, allow me.
GIBBS: It looks recent.
DUCKY: Yes, well based on its location, it appears that he struck his head on one of these rails when he fell. Oh, come on, Jethro. I mean there’s no sign of any physical altercation.
GIBBS: Duck, with her training, there wouldn’t be. (TO ZIVA) Hey!
CUT TO:
INT. CORRIDOR – DAY
ZIVA: You ready to hear my side of the story?
GIBBS: We’re not going to get a chance to hear his.
ZIVA: I didn’t touch him. Hardly at all. When the elevator doors opened, he refused to get in. If this would have been a year ago, I would have snapped his little neck. But it’s not and I didn’t. I asked him several times to step into the elevator. He wouldn’t cooperate. And that’s when I struck him.
GIBBS: How?
ZIVA: With my fist.
GIBBS: Where?
ZIVA: In the jugular.
ABBY: Can you guys believe I’m about to go to my first crime scene? (BEAT) It’s not a good time.
ZIVA: It was just a little love tap. Choked him up for a couple of seconds, that’s all. Look, I know this looks bad. I also know with Brian Dempsey dead, it’s nearly impossible to bring down his South African distributors, much less prosecute his brother.
GIBBS: That’s not our biggest problem here, Ziva.
ZIVA: It appears there’s only one way to fix this. I’ve seen it in your American movies. This is where I resign.
GIBBS: Next time you hand me your badge, you had better be prepared to lose it.
CUT TO:
INT. SQUAD ROOM – DAY
ABBY: Wow, after all these years I’m finally losing my crime scene virginity.
TONY: Wow. I don’t think that’s ever been said before.
ABBY: Oh.
MCGEE: I think we’ve got enough crime scene pictures.
ABBY: Sorry, McGee. I just … maybe your hat is turning me into some sort of super agent.
TONY: That’s weird, because it never had that affect on McGee.
ABBY: Why do I feel like everyone’s staring at me?
MCGEE: Probably because they are.
ABBY: Did I do something wrong?
TONY: Have you ever been to Disneyland, Abby?
ABBY: Every summer.
TONY: Yeah. You know those camera-toting tourists with the tall white socks up to their knees wearing fanny packs?
ABBY: Well, yeah. We’d spend half the time laughing at – (LONG BEAT) Oh, my god! I’ve turned into my Uncle Larry!
CUT TO:
INT. AUTOPSY ROOM – DAY
JIMMY: This man doesn’t look a year over thirty, Doctor.
DUCKY: According to his arrest report, he would have been twenty-five next month.
JIMMY: So assuming Ziva didn’t kill him, that means he just dropped dead?
DUCKY: It would appear that way, wouldn’t it?
JIMMY: He’s so young.
DUCKY: Yes, as my father used to say, “We must live for today, because yesterday is gone, and tomorrow may never come.”
JIMMY: Wow, that’s really beautiful, Doctor.
DUCKY: Yes, unfortunately, he never practiced what he preached. He was always a bit of a penny-pincher, a Papa Scrooge, if you like. That was one reason that he and my mother went their separate ways.
JIMMY: Yeah, most people don’t know this, but financial disputes are the second leading cause of divorce.
DUCKY: Really? What’s number one? (SFX: DOORS SLIDE OPEN)
GIBBS: Marriage.
JIMMY: Actually, I’m pretty sure it’s infidelity. See, the study I read said that – never mind.
DUCKY: I understand your sense of urgency, Jethro, but my examination is still underway.
GIBBS: Just tell me what you know, Duck.
DUCKY: Well, so far I found no life-threatening abnormalities.
GIBBS: What about his throat?
DUCKY: Well, we did, in our internal examination, find a slight irritation of the anterior jugular, perhaps caused by a physical blow.
GIBBS: Mm-hmm. Was the blow fatal?
DUCKY: It didn’t appear to be. Look, I won’t know the cause of this man’s death until I’ve completed my work. MRI’s, Abby’s tox screen, and they’re all forthcoming. I know what you want to hear, Jethro, but Officer David is not off the hook here.
(SFX: DOORS SLIDE OPEN)
CUT TO:
INT. SQUAD ROOM – DAY
(ZIVA MOANS B.G.)
TONY: Hey! Will you stop doing that? You’re making me nervous.
ZIVA: How long can it possibly take?
TONY: Well, I don’t know, Ziva. It’s an autopsy, not an oil change.
MCGEE: You know, I don’t think we’re supposed to be talking about the case with her.
ZIVA: It’s a simple conversation, you know? What do you have, Ducky? Well, Jethro, this reminds me of the time back at Scotland Yard when I… The point, Ducky? Well, based on my preliminary findings, Ziva did not kill this man. (BEAT) What? What?
(ZIVA BUMPS INTO GIBBS)
ZIVA: So? Did you talk to Ducky?
GIBBS: Yeah.
ZIVA: And?
GIBBS: And now I have to go and talk to the director.
TONY: Oh. Maybe she really did kill that guy.
ZIVA: Hey Gibbs, what did Ducky say?! Gibbs! Hey, are you going to tell me anything, or not?
GIBBS: There’s nothing to tell yet, Ziva.
INT. SHEPARD’S OFFICE – DAY
CYNTHIA: (INTO PHONE) Stan, it’s Cynthia again. I’m really starting to get worried. Please call me as soon as you get this.
GIBBS: Is she in?
CYNTHIA: Still not back from lunch, and he’s been waiting for a half an hour.
GIBBS: He’ll survive.
CYNTHIA: It’s not like her, Agent Gibbs. She’s never been late for a meeting.
GIBBS: You try her driver?
CYNTHIA: Stan’s not answering his cell or pager. I’ve left him four messages. I really don’t know what else to do. I’ve been calling her cell…
CUT TO:
INT. CAR – MOVING
SHEPARD: (INTO PHONE) Agent Gibbs?
GIBBS: (V.O./FILTERED) Director? (BEGIN TELEPHONE INTERCUTS)
(SCENE CUT)
GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) We’ve got a major problem here.
SHEPARD: (V.O./FILTERED) Sorry to hear that…
(SCENE CUT)
SHEPARD: (INTO PHONE) Jethro. I have quite a serious problem myself.
(SCENE CUT)
GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) I’m pretty sure you want to hear mine first.
SHEPARD: (V.O./FILTERED) I’m not entirely…
(SCENE CUT)
SHEPARD: (INTO PHONE) … sure that’s true.
JAMES: (INTO PHONE) You really should be listening to her problem, Jethro.
(SCENE CUT)
JAMES: (V.O./FILTERED) You’re holding my heroin and my little brother.
(SCENE CUT)
JAMES: (INTO PHONE) If I don’t get both back in two hours, she dies. I’ll call back with the details.
(MUSIC OUT)
MUSIC IN:
INT. SHEPARD’S OUTER OFFICE
CYNTHIA: She called in at eleven forty-five when she arrived at the Whitmore Hotel. According to the Senator’s assistant, lunch was over at twelve fifty – ten minutes ahead of schedule. She never checked in again.
GIBBS: I need to see her itinerary.
CYNTHIA: I can’t do that, Agent Gibbs.
CUT TO:
INT. SHEPARD’S OFFICE – DAY
(DOOR OPENS/ CLOSES)
CYNTHIA: I’m not trying to be difficult, but the Director’s been very clear. Her schedule is confidential. Even to you.
GIBBS: Are you done? Director Shepard has been kidnapped. I need to know where she was when it happened.
CYNTHIA: Okay. Here’s everything. Nine a.m. at the G.A.O. Ten thirty with the A.T.C.C….
GIBBS: And after lunch, a meeting with the B.O.B.
CYNTHIA: Uh, that’s Congressman Bob Sommers. He’s a friend.
GIBBS: It doesn’t say where she’s meeting him.
CYNTHIA: I’m not sure. She has the car wait at the hotel. Gets coffee nearby. You think Bob’s involved?
GIBBS: No. But it’ll give me a search radius. Give me a copy of this, will you?
CYNTHIA: What else can I do?
GIBBS: Keep quiet.
CYNTHIA: She’s gonna be okay, right?
(DOOR OPENS)
CUT TO:
INT. SQUAD ROOM – DAY
ZIVA: If you have a question, ask it.
TONY: I’m afraid you’ll put the Vulcan death grip on me.
ZIVA: I’m considering it.
TONY: Where did you learn to do that, anyway? Years of training on a secluded desert island? Blind Master Po always one step ahead of you. “When you take the pebble from my hand, then it will be time…” Oh ho, do that again. Show me. Oh!
GIBBS: DiNozzo!
TONY: Yeah, Boss. I was just…
GIBBS: Shut up. Get over here. James Dempsey has taken Director Shepard hostage. He wants his drugs and his brother back or she dies. We have two hours. Last contact was at the Whitmore Hotel. Driver’s not responding, DiNozzo.
TONY: On it.
GIBBS: Dempsey used the Director’s cell phone.
MCGEE: I’ll start a trace.
ZIVA: What about me? This is the Director’s schedule.
GIBBS: Start making calls.
ZIVA: Desk work? Put me in the field.
GIBBS: No, not happening.
ZIVA: You need me out there.
GIBBS: Not happening. I need you at your desk making calls. Go! Hey! Clock’s ticking, people!
ZIVA: Jenny can take care of herself, Gibbs! She was a good agent.
GIBBS: Still is.
CUT TO:
INT. MTAC – DAY
CASSIE: (ON MONITOR) I’ve been investigating James Dempsey for nine months, Gibbs. Seems like a frat boy on the surface, but the guy’s brutal. We’ve linked him to half a dozen unsolved homicides. But still, kidnapping the Director of NCIS? Takes guts I didn’t know he had.
GIBBS: He’s gonna kill her, Cassie. Nothing to be impressed by.
CASSIE: (ON MONITOR) I’m not impressed. I’m worried.
GIBBS: Any intel from those squids you busted?
CASSIE: (ON MONITOR) They’re just mules moving product for the South Africans, didn’t even know who they were working for.
GIBBS: Get down here.
CASSIE: (ON MONITOR) Be there in a couple hours.
GIBBS: Hold on! Base Commander has got a chopper waiting.
CASSIE: (ON MONITOR) The only thing James Dempsey loves more than money is his baby brother. As long as you’ve got Brian in custody, James should be easy to manipulate.
GIBBS: Brian Dempsey is dead. You still think he’ll be easy to manipulate, Cassie?
CASSIE: (ON MONITOR) I’m on my way.
MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:
INT. LAB – DAY
ABBY: This is totally disturbing.
MCGEE: Yes, it is.
ABBY: I mean, who would treat their feet like that?
MCGEE: Feet?
ABBY: Yeah, look at these soles. You know what that does to somebody’s arches? Heel spurs, torn ligaments, not to mention the effect on spinal alignment.
MCGEE: Abby, he was a drug dealer.
ABBY: McGee, there is no excuse for poor foot care.
MCGEE: You wear platforms, and I’m trying to work here.
ABBY: Are you still tracking the Director’s cell phone?
MCGEE: Well, I tracked it to a half a dozen different cell towers.
ABBY: He called from a car.
MCGEE: Driving down the Three Ninety Five.
ABBY: Were there any other calls?
MCGEE: Phone was turned off. Probably tossed it. I pinpointed the GPS to its last location.
ABBY: Great. Not great?
MCGEE: It’s a major interchange. He could have taken any of four highways out of there.
ABBY: So much for plan “A.”
GIBBS: Better have a plan “B.”
ABBY: Gibbs! Are you okay? I was really worried about you because of the Director and all. I know that you guys are really close. Plan “B.” I am running samples on Brian Dempsey’s clothing and personal effects to Sherlock where he’s been hanging out.
GIBBS: And?
ABBY: And it’s going to take some time. Which we don’t have, so I’ll hurry up now.
MCGEE: Uh, I’m working a different angle. Collecting Brian Dempsey’s credit cards and phone records. By creating a simple algorithm using his personal data, I constructed a computer model of his buying patterns, juxtaposed with his calling patterns.
GIBBS: I don’t care. Get it done.
MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:
EXT. AIRPLANE HANGAR – DAY
(DOOR OPENS/ CLOSES)
ALEX RUDD: Get out.
JAMES: Easy there, Rudd. She’s not one of your dates.
ALEX RUDD: She wouldn’t even be here if your idiot brother didn’t get caught.
JAMES: I apologize for Alex. He takes some getting used to. Once you get to know him, you’ll really learn to hate him.
(DOOR OPENS)
CUT TO:
INT. STORAGE ROOM – DAY
(DOOR CLOSES)
JAMES: On your knees. Please.
SHEPARD: You’re wasting your time.
JAMES: I’m just trying to make you more comfortable.
SHEPARD: I meant taking me hostage. They’re never going to negotiate.
JAMES: Well, don’t sell yourself so short.
SHEPARD: They’re not allowed to.
JAMES: I don’t know. Agent Gibbs seems fond of you. Maybe he’ll make an exception.
SHEPARD: Gibbs thinks of me like a wife.
JAMES: See?
SHEPARD: He’s had three. We busted your brother with five million in pure heroin. Do you think the Navy’s just going to give him back?
JAMES: Stand up. Now. On the chair. Lean back. I’m sorry about this. (TIES SHEPHARD UP) My brother’s always had a way of getting us in trouble. I’m the one who bails us out. (MUSIC OVER DIALOGUE)
SHEPARD: You didn’t break someone’s window with a baseball. You kidnapped the head of a Federal agency.
JAMES: Yeah. You got a point. But look on the bright side. This’ll be over soon. One way or the other.
SHEPARD: Stanley.
JAMES: Excuse me?
SHEPARD: My driver.
JAMES: He’s fine. Might be a little uncomfortable. We stuck him in the trunk of your car. See? I’m not a bad guy. I just want the drugs you stole from me and my brother back.
CUT TO:
INT. SQUAD ROOM – DAY
ZIVA: (INTO PHONE) Yes, I know it’s confidential information. But… but please don’t put me on hold!
MCGEE: Are you all right?
ZIVA: I’m doing desk work.
MCGEE: Could be worse.
ZIVA: What part of desk work don’t you understand?
RECEPTIONIST: (V.O./FILTERED) Agent David, are you there?
ZIVA: (INTO PHONE) Yes, hello. Hello, yes. Yes, all I want is – no, no. Don’t!
MCGEE: I know what you’re going through.
ZIVA: Really?
MCGEE: Mm-hmm.
ZIVA: Are you making pointless phone calls and following up dead leads?
MCGEE: That’s not what I mean. When I shot that cop, I felt like everyone doubted me. But after a while…
ZIVA: Are you trying to make me feel better?
MCGEE: Is it not working?
ZIVA: It’s not necessary, McGee. (CHUCKLES) Our only concern should be the Director.
MCGEE: You’re right.
RECEPTIONIST: (V.O./FILTERED) Officer David, Master Sergeant Clay will be with you momentarily.
ZIVA: (INTO PHONE) You put me on hold again, and I’ll jump through this phone and I will strangle you!
RECEPTIONIST: (V.O./FILTERED) Hold please.
ZIVA: Hey, McGee! Nobody ever doubted you.
MCGEE: Just like those calls you’re making aren’t pointless.
CUT TO:
EXT. PARKING STRUCTURE – DAY
TONY: We’re looking for a black Town Car.
KEMPER: You’re going to have to be a little more specific.
TONY: It’s got Federal plates.
KEMPER: You’ve just described half our clientele.
TONY: Look, the car belongs to the Director of NCIS. She comes with a driver. She’s here twice a week.
KEMPER: Director Shepard.
TONY: Yeah.
KEMPER: Why didn’t you say so?
TONY: I was trying to be discreet.
KEMPER: Is she all right?
TONY: She’s just peachy. She just left her keys in her car.
KEMPER: Here we are. Looks like the door is open.
TONY: Hold on!
(SFX: TRUNK DOOR POPS OPEN)
KEMPER: Is this a crime scene, Agent DiNozzo?
TONY: It is now.
(MUSIC UP AND OUT)
MUSIC IN:
INT. SQUAD ROOM – DAY
ZIVA: The Director’s driver was taken by surprise then shot in the back of the head. Dempsey then kidnapped the Director and is demanding the return of his drugs, his brother, or she dies.
CASSIE: Let’s hope we find him before that happens, Officer David. Here’s everything I’ve got on the Dempseys, Gibbs. Nine months of surveillance, wiretaps, buy/busts. Uh… where do I sit?
GIBBS: Any of this going to help me find the Director?
CASSIE: Probably not. Wish I could tell you I had someone inside his organization.
GIBBS: You never flipped an informant?
CASSIE: I was hoping to flip his brother. Obviously that’s never going to happen.
(PHONE RINGS)
ZIVA: (INTO PHONE) Officer David. Got it, Tony. (TO GIBBS) Tony’s uploading the Whitmore Hotel security footage right now. He’s got Dempsey leaving the garage.
CASSIE: Dempsey’s had less than a day to target the Director. He’ll have been sloppy, left a trail.
ZIVA: James Dempsey’s in the passenger seat. The Director must be in the back. Who’s driving?
CASSIE: Alex Rudd. Point man for the cartels running drugs through South Africa. The guy’s a serious psychopath, Gibbs. I… didn’t know he was in the country. But I know fifty places he usually likes to hang out. I’ll start knocking down doors.
GIBBS: No, I need you here. Get somebody else to do it.
ZIVA: I’ll start doing s--
GIBBS: No, you’re not going anywhere. You sit down. Run a BOLO on that car.
CASSIE: We’ll get her back, Gibbs.
(CASSIE WALKS O.S.)
ZIVA: You think she’s already dead.
CASSIE: I think… today’s a real bad day to be the Director of NCIS, Officer David.
MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:
INT. STORAGE ROOM – DAY
SHEPARD: That’s a nice plane out there. G Three, right?
JAMES: I wouldn’t know.
SHEPARD: Range, forty-one hundred nautical miles, unless you risk refueling. But you don’t look like the European type to me. I’m thinking more Mexico or the Caribbean.
JAMES: Yeah, Mexico would be great. My baby brother’s always wanted to see Cabo.
SHEPARD: Maybe you can take him there… in thirty to forty years.
(DOOR OPENS)
ALEX RUDD: Where’s your pilot, Dempsey?
JAMES: I told you. He’s on his way.
ALEX RUDD: What the hell? You’ve got her in full view of the window, mate!
SHEPARD: I tried to tell him.
JAMES: No one’s gonna see her.
SHEPARD: That’s a dangerous assumption. Who knows how many people saw you stuff me into the back of your car. You kidnapped the head of a Federal agency. They take that very seriously.
ALEX RUDD: Look, I know you’re tight with your brother, mate, but you are not thinking!
JAMES: She’s just messing with you.
ALEX RUDD: Well, she’s doing a good job of it. How exactly do you see this thing working out? We should’ve just shot her like her damn driver.
JAMES: I gave NCIS two hours. We’ve only got fifty eight minutes left. Just relax.
ALEX RUDD: We’re gone as soon as your fly-boy shows up.
JAMES: We’re not leaving without my brother.
ALEX RUDD: It’s your brother who screwed up! Now I’ve got to explain to my bosses how you lost our product and you don’t have the money to pay for it.
JAMES: I’m getting it back!
ALEX RUDD: Yeah? Good luck with that because I’m not sticking around to find out.
(DOOR OPENS/ CLOSES)
SHEPARD: Looks like you have a difficult decision, James. It’s either him or your brother.
(SFX: JAMES KICKS THE CONTAINER)
CUT TO:
INT. LAB – DAY
(SFX: DOORS SLIDE OPEN)
DUCKY: I trust you remembered my tea this time, Mister Palmer.
ZIVA: It’s only me, Ducky. And I’m empty-handed.
DUCKY: Uh… well, the coffee stand is unable to master the art of brewing a decent cup of Earl Grey.
ZIVA: Those are from Brian Dempsey?
DUCKY: Yeah. I cannot discuss it with you, my dear. I don’t mean to be rude.
ZIVA: Oh, I understand, Ducky.
DUCKY: And you probably shouldn’t be down here.
ZIVA: I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t be in the field. Can you please, please tell me where I should be?
DUCKY: Well, I can understand your feelings of alienation.
ZIVA: Everyone’s avoiding me! Do they think I’m going to lose control, just enter the building and massacre everyone? I mean, I’m being treated like a leopard.
DUCKY: I believe the phrase is “like a leper.” Look. Look, Ziva, you mustn’t start blaming yourself.
ZIVA: I don’t. I know where I hit Brian Dempsey. I know how severely I hit him. And Ducky, I know… I know I didn’t kill him.
DUCKY: Then why are you here?
ZIVA: Because… I need for you to tell Gibbs that.
GIBBS: Tell me what, Ziva?
ZIVA: That the BOLO came back on the car the Director was kidnapped in. It was abandoned three miles from the hotel. It’s in route to NCIS. It should be here…
GIBBS: Go back to your desk.
ZIVA: I am of no use chained to a computer, Gibbs. I should be out looking for her. I…
GIBBS: It wasn’t a suggestion, Officer David.
(ZIVA WALKS AWAY)
ZIVA: I…
GIBBS: I don’t care.
(ZIVA WALKS O.S.)
DUCKY: Don’t you think you’re being a bit hard on her?
GIBBS: Not the time to hold hands, Ducky.
DUCKY: Even though you feel she’s blameless?
GIBBS: Do you have anything to back that up?
DUCKY: I found blood on Mister Dempsey’s brain tissue. He may have died of an intracranial hemorrhage.
GIBBS: May have?
DUCKY: Yes, well I sent the tissue up for a full neural report. If that turns out to be the case, the hemorrhaging could be the result of a pre-existing condition.
GIBBS: Or a well-placed strike to the jugular.
DUCKY: Yeah. At this point, Jethro, the truth is anybody’s guess.
CUT TO:
INT. LAB – DAY
MCGEE: I thought you didn’t believe in voodoo.
ABBY: This isn’t voodoo, McGee. It’s tarot. The ancient art of divination.
MCGEE: So you’re using tarot cards to find the Director?
ABBY: Of course, not. It just helps me think.
MCGEE: We have less than an hour, so uh… I mean, you could be working.
ABBY: I am identifying the mystery goo from Brian Dempsey’s sneaker. And don’t forget the old saying, “A watched G.C. mask…”
TONY: Never boils.
ABBY: Well, I was going to say never compares well to the concentration of atomic mass, but where’s my Caff-Pow?
TONY: We’re sort of in a time crunch here, Abs. You’re going to have to do this one caffeine free.
ABBY: Bite your tongue! Rule number nine, always keep a spare.
TONY: I thought Gibbs said nine was always carry a knife?
ABBY: Not Gibbs’ rules. Mine.
TONY: Hmm. I got the physical evidence from the Director’s Town Car. Cigarette butts, empty coffee cup, and a half-sucked breath mint. Nothing that gets us any closer to James Dempsey’s location. Ah! Tarot. The ancient art of divination.
MCGEE: Guys, I’ve got something. I’ve got something here. I’ve plotted on the map the locations where Brian Dempsey made credit card purchases in the last six months. Its gas, ATM withdrawals, motel rooms – everything. Then I cross referenced the cell towers that his phone interfaced with. I can literally map out his life.
TONY: Strip clubs, escort services, off track betting. The guy had so much to live for.
MCGEE: According to my program, Brian Dempsey spent the majority of his time in this fifty square mile area.
TONY: And this helps us find the Director how?
MCGEE: It helps us narrow down the search radius.
TONY: Do you have any idea how long it takes to search fifty square miles, McGee? Too long.
CUT TO:
INT. STORAGE ROOM – DAY
SHEPARD: His name was Stanley. The man you murdered in the parking garage, James.
JAMES: I didn’t kill your driver. I tried to stop it.
SHEPARD: Good. Then you still have a chance of getting out of it. It’s more than I can say for your boss out there.
JAMES: He’s not my boss. He’s a business partner.
SHEPARD: Well, I’d keep an eye on your business partner if I were you.
JAMES: Yeah? Why’s that?
(SFX: ENGINE B.G.)
SHEPARD: Because it sounds like he’s about to take off without you.
CUT TO:
INT. HANGAR – DAY
JAMES: What are you doing?!
ALEX RUDD: The pilot’s here. We’re leaving.
JAMES: I’m about to make the call.
ALEX RUDD: You really think the Feds are going to negotiate with you, mate?
JAMES: Yeah, I do.
ALEX RUDD: Then you’re even dumber than your kid brother.
JAMES: They’ll bring him and our drugs if they want to see their Director alive again!
ALEX RUDD: That’s what’s holding you back, huh? Easy to fix.
CUT TO:
INT. STORAGE ROOM – DAY
(MUSIC OVER ACTION)
(SFX: GUNSHOT)
JAMES: I just shot him to get my brother back. What do you think I’ll do to you?
CUT TO:
INT. SQUAD ROOM – DAY
TONY: Tick tock, McGee.
CASSIE: James Dempsey should be calling any second.
ZIVA: Tactical’s pre-positioned in the search grid.
MCGEE: Okay, trace program’s almost ready. Just need another computer for back-up. Ooh, Ziva. You’re not using this, are you?
ZIVA: I’m being wasted here. You’ll need me when James Dempsey finds out his brother’s dead.
GIBBS: We don’t need the brother. Once we have a location, we take him out.
ZIVA: All the more reason why I should be --
(PHONE RINGS)
MCGEE: Okay, we’re connected. Trace starts when you pick up, Boss.
GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) Yeah, Gibbs.
JAMES: (V.O./FILTERED) Listen carefully. (BEGIN TELEPHONE INTERCUTS)
(SCENE CUT)
JAMES: (INTO PHONE) One car, one agent in the back.
(SCENE CUT)
GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) Put Director Shepard on.
JAMES: (V.O./FILTERED) You’re wasting…
(SCENE CUT)
JAMES: (INTO PHONE) … Time, Agent Gibbs. Time you don’t have.
GIBBS: (V.O./FILTERED) Put her on…
(SCENE CUT)
GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) …. Or the deal’s off.
(SCENE CUT)
JAMES: (INTO PHONE) He wants to know if you’re still alive. Play nice and you’ll stay that way.
SHEPARD: (INTO PHONE) I’m fine, Jethro.
(SCENE CUT)
SHEPARD: (V.O./FILTERED) Wish I had my coat!
JAMES: (V.O./FILTERED) Enough! One car. One agent in the back.
(SCENE CUT)
JAMES: (INTO PHONE) Drugs in the trunk. Brian drives.
(SCENE CUT)
JAMES: (V.O./FILTERED) See you in forty-five minutes.
(SCENE CUT)
GIBBS: (V.O./FILTERED) Where are we driving?
JAMES: (INTO PHONE) Leave that to my brother. He knows where.
(SCENE CUT)
JAMES: (V.O./FILTERED) Don’t be late.
(END TELEPHONE INTERCUTS)
(MUSIC UP AND OUT)
MUSIC IN:
INT. SQUAD ROOM – DAY
MCGEE: Boss, Dempsey made the call over a V.O.I.P. system. That’s voice-over internet protocol. It’s a wireless signal converted to analog.
GIBBS: How long to trace it, McGee?
MCGEE: Three hours, maybe two if we’re lucky.
TONY: He said forty five minutes, Probie.
GIBBS: Find another way!
CASSIE: How, Gibbs? The only person who knows where they are is lying dead in autopsy. Did Brian Dempsey say anything to you before you killed him? I mean, before he collapsed and died while in your custody?
ZIVA: I told you once, I did not kill that man. So stop making accusations that you can’t --
GIBBS: Hey! She said she wanted her coat.
CASSIE: Is she trying to tell us something?
MCGEE: Maybe she’s cold. Someplace cold.
ZIVA: Perhaps she left something in her coat?
(INTERCUT FLASHBACK SCENES)
GIBBS: She left it on the plane. She’s at an airport!
TONY: How do you know she’s at an air --
(PHONE RINGS)
TONY: Of course. She’s at an airport.
MCGEE: Pulling up every airport forty five minute drive from here.
(PHONE RINGS)
GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) Gibbs.
CASSIE: There’s got to be at least a dozen. (ABBY FILTERED B.G.)
TONY: We’ll never have time to sweep them all.
GIBBS: Maybe we won’t have to. DiNozzo, McGee, with me.
TONY: On your six, Boss.
CUT TO:
INT. LAB – DAY
ABBY: I got the results back from Brian Dempsey’s shoe goo. It’s a smorgasbord of Juicy Fruit, chewing tobacco, dog poo…
GIBBS: What’s the point, Abby?
ABBY: There are also trace elements of diolane and hexylene glycol. It’s fire suppression foam. So I’m thinking - a manufacturing plant or a firehouse.
GIBBS: Abby, they’re at an airport!
ABBY: Or an airport. Because they use it on the runway for emergency landings.
MCGEE: You remember a few weeks ago there was a commuter plane with faulty landing gear?
TONY: Yeah, we watched it for hours on ZNN waiting to see if it was going to crash and burn.
MCGEE: He was diverted to a small airfield…
GIBBS: Which one, McGee?
(SFX: COMPUTER BEEP TONES)
MCGEE: It’s Potomac Air – Potomac Airport.
CASSIE: We’ve got the airport layout, Gibbs. I recommend we seal it off, go through building by building with tactical assault.
ZIVA: It’s an airfield. Do you expect to sneak up on him?
CASSIE: We don’t exactly have a choice here. Maybe if his brother wasn’t--
ZIVA: Wasn’t dead? Yes, I think we’ve established that. Thank you.
GIBBS: David’s right. We go in small. Cassie, McGee, you two find out what building they’re holding the Director in.
MCGEE: How?
GIBBS: I don’t care, McGee. Trace the call. Find out what planes are scheduled to take off. Just find it!
MCGEE: On it.
GIBBS: Hey! Hey! Come on!
TONY: Uh… one problem, Boss. He’s expecting his brother to drive.
GIBBS: Well, then we give him what he wants. Give him his brother.
CUT TO:
INT. STORAGE ROOM – DAY
JAMES: Well I guess I should thank you.
SHEPARD: For what?
JAMES: For him. Friends are important, but in the end, family’s all we really have. Alex never understood that. You did me a favor.
SHEPARD: Well, let me do you another one. You’re a smart guy, James. You know, this isn’t going to end well. They are going to kill you, maybe even your brother. Are you willing to risk Brian’s life?
JAMES: Well, that all depends. Is NCIS willing to risk yours? You try something like that with me again, I will send you back in little pieces.
MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:
EXT. TARMAC – DAY
TONY: This is the second stupidest thing I’ve ever done. Want to know what the first was?
GIBBS: No. Less talking.
TONY: Ah, right. We should just tape the dead guy’s hands to the steering wheel. On it, Boss. Here we go. It’s showtime, Bernie.
ZIVA: Three and eleven.
TONY: Two and ten. And that explains a lot. Okay, all right. I need you to hold his head up here, all right?
ZIVA: Okay.
GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) McGee?
MCGEE: (V.O./FILTERED) Yeah, Boss.
GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) We’re at the airport. Got my location yet?
MCGEE: (V.O./FILTERED) I’m still working on the trace, Boss.
CUT TO:
INT. LAB – DAY
MCGEE: We’ve localized the DNS servers.
ABBY: Having a little bit of trouble matching the computer’s profiles and subnets.
GIBBS: (V.O./FILTERED) Cassie! What about you?
CASSIE: (INTO PHONE) I need every scheduled flight. No, today’s flight plans!
MCGEE: Uh, Boss, she’s still working on the flight plans.
CUT TO:
EXT. TARMAC – DAY
GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) Work faster!
TONY: They never had this much trouble with Bernie.
ZIVA: Who the hell is Bernie?
TONY: Weekend At Bernie’s! A cinematic masterpiece. It’s a, you know, blend of the comedic and the macabre – thumbs down from the Boss man.
(GIBBS HITS TONY)
GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) We’re out of time.
CASSIE: (V.O./FILTERED) Gibbs.
CUT TO:
INT. LAB – DAY
CASSIE: The only non-commercial aircraft cleared to leave Potomac is from…
ABBY: Hangar number three!
CUT TO:
EXT. TARMAC – DAY
MCGEE: (V.O./FILTERED) We’re sending out the coordinates.
TONY: Are you sure this isn’t the stupidest thing you’ve ever done, DiNozzo?
TONY: We’re ready to go.
CUT TO:
INT. STORAGE ROOM – DAY
JAMES: Time’s up! You were right. Looks like your people don’t care about you after all.
SHEPARD: I told you. NCIS does not negotiate with criminals, James.
JAMES: Well, you’d better hope they’re willing to make an exception for you.
CUT TO:
INT. CAR – MOVING
ZIVA: Are you trying to make me sick or something, Tony? (SFX: CAR DRIVING IN SPURTS B.G.)
TONY: You know what? I can’t see out the windshield. I’m driving with my hands. And I still think I’m driving better than you.
ZIVA: To the left! The other left!
TONY: It’s kind of hard to concentrate when your head is three inches from a dead guy’s --
ZIVA: (SHOUTS) Look out!
TONY: Which way!? Which way?!
ZIVA: You’re driving straight into an airplane hangar.
TONY: Could you be a little more specific, please? Which way?
ZIVA: Make a left! Now go straight. Tony, straight!
CUT TO:
INT. STORAGE ROOM – DAY
JAMES: Looks like your people came through for you after all.
SHEPARD: So you’re home free.
JAMES: I’m not stupid. I know they’ll have people following. But in five minutes, I’ll be twenty thousand feet over the Atlantic. Get up!
CUT TO:
EXT. TARMAC – DAY
TONY: You see him?
ZIVA: Not yet.
TONY: Just remember, Gibbs doesn’t want you taking a shot until the Director is clear.
CUT TO:
INT. HANGAR – DAY
JAMES: (SHOUTS) You! Out of the car! Hands on your head! Cuff yourself. Hands behind your back. I said cuff yourself! Now lie down. Very clever. Brian, get the drugs and take them on the plane! They’re right behind you. Get the damn drugs, Brian! Brian! They killed him. You killed my baby brother! (DOOR OPENS/ CLOSES)
(SFX: GUNSHOT)
ZIVA: It’s actually a pretty interesting story.
MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:
INT. AUTOPSY ROOM – DAY (B.G. – What’s that? It’s the report….)
(SFX: DOORS SLIDE OPEN)
SHEPARD: I’m fine, Jethro. Really. It’s a probie mistake. I should’ve known better. Never should have let my guard down. How many times have we said that? Stanley was a hell of an agent. He didn’t deserve this. And I know what you’re going to say. I’m the Director now. It comes with the territory. But I hope to God I never get used to it. (SIGHS) Are you ever going to say anything?
GIBBS: Have a drink.
DUCKY: I have the results of Brian Dempsey’s neuropath report. The hemorrhaging was caused by a congenital defect in the subarachnoid artery.
SHEPARD: He died of a brain aneurism?
DUCKY: Present since birth. The young man was a walking time bomb.
GIBBS: Every time bomb has a trigger, Duck.
DUCKY: Well, anything could have precipitated his death. A cough, a sneeze…
GIBBS: A blow to the throat?
SHEPARD: Sounds like natural causes to me.
DUCKY: Exactly the way I ruled it.
(MUSIC UP AND OUT)
(ENDING CREDITS UP AND OUT)
(MUSIC UP OVER ENDING CREDITS AND OUT)
* * * * * * * *
Prepared by C.C. Printed in USA
Calvert Continuities Aired 5/2/06