Original subtitles

JEREMY: Do you like Mom's new boytriend?

SEAN: Haven't decided yet. - I like him.

You only like him because he bought us PSPs.

JEREMY: So you don't like him?

SEAN: I didn't say that. I'm just saying--

I wouldn't be too nice to him.

We play it cool, an Xbox could be right around the corner.

What's up?

It's already March, Sean.

It's still frozen, see?

Come on.

Oh, chicken.

[CLUCKING]

[SEAN LAUGHING]

Whoo-hoo!

Who's the chicken now?

I'm coming.

Hurry up or I'm gonna tell Mom.

Come on, Sean.

[GASPS]

Apricot oil, aloe vera, shea butter?

I didn't know you were so interested in skin care.

Yeah, it's not mine. It's McGee's.

Maybe the probie is gay.

I'm not gay, Tony.

Are you saying there's something wrong with being gay, Timothy?

McGEE: No, that is not what I am saying.

TONY: Bi-curious.

I suppose now you're gonna tell us that a lot of your friends

are of the homosexual persuasion and that I should be more sensitive.

No, actually, I was gonna tell you to stay out of my desk.

Right, because you wouldn't want word spreading

that you're "deep moisturizing to bring out your feminine glow."

I have dry skin, okay?

My doctor recommended it.

[LAUGHING]

TONY: Well, you're walking a slippery slope there, probilicious.

Before you know it you're gonna be taking bubble baths with your clogs on.

What is wrong with bubble baths?

GIBBS: Load up.

Just got a break in the Ryan Downing case.

ZIVA: Downing? - Weapons company first sergeant.

Went UA last November on leave from Iraq.

Not a peep since. What's the break, boss?

GIBBS: Two kids found the first sergeant

- floating under six inches of ice. TONY: Ice? That means--

You're now going to make a really juvenile cold-case joke?

It was a really good one too.

- Something wrong, boss? - Just admiring your feminine glow.

[ZIVA LAUGHS]

TALBOT: Can't say I'm disappointed this one's yours.

We'll leave the lights if you guys return them.

Hey, we've worked with NCIS before.

MAN 1 : Okay, guys, up. Here we go.

GIBBS: What do you got?

DUCKY: Hopefully not pneumonia.

That could be the death of me.

GIBBS: I'm talking about the dead guy, Duck.

Well, technically, paramedics have a saying

concerning cold-water drownings, Agent Gibbs.

They say the victim isn't dead until he's warm and dead.

DUCKY: I think we can make an exception in this case, Mr. Palmer.

GIBBS: Not a drowning.

This pond's barely six feet deep.

DUCKY: Yes, I once conducted an autopsy on a man

who drowned in his kitchen sink.

Yes, apparently he couldn't loosen the drain plug

and he attempted to use his teeth.

Thought you were cold.

DUCKY:Yes, well, it will be impossible to determine the exact cause of death

until he thaws.

These three holes in his coat could be crucial.

GIBBS: How about time of death?

DUCKY: Yeah, well decomposition suggests, well,

- anywhere from two weeks to-- PALMER: Four months.

Depending on how many times the pond has thawed out this winter.

DUCKY: Very good, Mr. Palmer. PALMER: Thank you.

DUCKY: Of course, I'll have to check the meteorological data for the area

before we speculate further.

Let's strap him up.

TONY: I'm just saying, probie,

the whole metrosexual thing isn't working for you.

- I got it, Tony. Joke is over. - I'm not joking, man.

We all know that the ladies love a macho man

who's in touch with his feminine side.

But I gotta tell you, I think you're coming off a little gay.

Because he uses body lotion

- and likes to take bubble baths? TONY: Did you forget the manicure?

The manicure was only once and it was because I tore a cuticle.

You just set off gaydar across the entire Atlantic seaboard.

Tony, I am not gay.

TONY: This isn't about orientation.

- This is about image. - So now your image is homo-pubic?

TONY: The term is "homophobic." And no.

Prejudice of any kind is an ugly thing.

Listen, girls like guys who like guys but they like guys who like guys--

- No, Tony, back it up. - I know.

It's thick soup here, man.

The flashlight. Back it up.

What? Tree branch?

GIBBS: Wearing a steel-toed boot?

- Eagle eye, boss. GIBBS: Mark it.

ZIVA: Got another one.

TONY: These things always come in threes.

GIBBS: Already got three, DiNozzo.

McGEE: Make it four.

[SNEEZES]

I supposed a "bless you" is too much to ask for.

PALMER: Oh, bless you, doctor.

I wasn't talking to you, Mr. Palmer.

You know, the interesting thing about the sternutatory reflex

is that no one knows exactly when it first began.

Many theories abound.

And you know them all don't you, Dr. Mallard?

Know them? I once wrote a sonnet on the subject for an old flame.

She suffered from the most horrendous allergies.

Yes, how did it go?

- "Doth thy heart skip a beat--" - I'm not a big fan of poetry, Duck.

Well, as it turned out, neither was she. In fact--

- Why am I here? - Why?

- Why am I here? - You were correct earlier on, Jethro.

Our first sergeant didn't drown.

- None of our bodies did. PALMER: They were all shot.

DUCKY: First Sergeant Downing received the most damage.

Three in the chest.

Here, here and here.

And one to the back, just below the heart.

GIBBS: That's the kill shot.

Yes, well it ruptured his inferior vena cava.

As to our walking pictograms, one bullet each.

- Are these gang tats? - That's not my field of expertise.

But I've had Mr. Palmer document the entire line for further investigation.

Some of them were quite explicit.

Jethro, this young man was shot in the front, just below the left clavicle.

And this young man...

was shot in the back.

This young man...

...was also shot in the back like our first sergeant.

Back, front. Front, back.

The pattern is quite random.

- I believe the phrase is "turkey shoot." - More like massacre.

TONY: Definitely gang tats.

McGEE: How can you be sure?

Just a feeling.

I'm sure you know what those are like.

GIBBS: Feeling, DiNozzo?

That, and I faxed a copy to a buddy at the Baltimore P.D.

He's sending the intel that he's got back.

What do you got?

I have got an upper limit on the time frame.

It's an ATM receipt.

It used to be an ATM receipt. The ink's washed off,

but the dimensions matched the receipt paper used

by Sergeant Downing's bank. I checked his records.

Last withdrawal November 18th.

- The day he was reported missing. - No ID on the other ice cubes yet.

But the dredge team did find a weapon. H.P. Browning.

- Ziva brought it down to Abby. GIBBS: Brass.

Nothing. It's pretty far off the beaten track,

about 500 metres from the nearest main road.

- You know what that means. - The bodies were dumped.

McGEE: By who? - That's a good question, McGee.

Why don't you find me an answer?

Good question. Find me an answer.

Okay, if you slide your heel further back it'll decrease your exposure.

ABBY:Won't that throw off my lateral balance?

Balance isn't usually the primary concern on a mission.

ABBY: What is? GIBBS: The guy shooting back.

Which is what I'm gonna do if you two don't get back to work.

Gibbs, I was the one waiting for you.

What are you waiting for now, Abs?

I ran ballistics on the Browning.

Rifling patterns indicate it didn't fire any of the slugs

Ducky pulled from the first sergeant.

ABBY: Three 9 mm Parabellums and a .45.

ZIVA: Which means Downing was shot by

at least two unaccounted for weapons.

- I got that part. - The dredge crew is still looking.

Hopefully more weapons will turn up.

The good news is

I matched the Browning to the slugs pulled from the other three victims.

- Any prints? - No, not by a long shot.

And GSR would be pointless because it's been underwater for so long.

But I did run the serial number.

The gun is registered to First Sergeant Ryan Downing.

Looks like he went down fighting for his life.

Or committed triple homicide.

MAN 1 [OVER RADIO]: MTAC, are you receiving my video feed now?

MAN 2: Yeah, coming through.

- Which kid are we talking about here? MAN 1 : Should be on your screen.

Jethro.

The three bodies found with First Sergeant Downing--

Were killed with his personal weapon. I heard.

- Where are your glasses? - Oh, I forgot them.

SHEPARD: I don't like what it says either.

First Sergeants don't go looking for this kind of payback.

SHEPARD: You would. - I was only a gunny.

SHEPARD: The Marine Corps is worried

his company is gonna come back

from Iraq and look for revenge.

It could be a bloodbath.

Ew! How do you drink that swill?

GIBBS: How much time do I have?

SHEPARD: They were to return this week.

Were?

Their rotation's been held up till your investigation's over.

They're still in a war zone instead of with their families, Jethro.

I don't care if First Sergeant Downing killed those gang-bangers.

If he didn't, find out who did.

If he did, close the case.

You're wrong, Jenny.

You do care.

Ziva, if I ask you a question, you'll be honest with me, right?

Of course, McGee.

What Tony was saying about me before, you know...

Do I come off as unmanly?

I think Tony was jerking your brain.

Chain? Jerking my chain?

Whatever. I think you are appropriately masculine.

However, perhaps not macho.

Tony and Gibbs are tough guys, yes? They're--

So I'm not tough?

If you have to ask... These the other victims?

Alejandro Marquez, Jorge Rubio, and Hector "The Hammer" Menendez.

All members of the L.V.M.

- L.V.M., boss, that stands for-- GIBBS: La Vida Mala.

- El Salvadorian street gang. ZIVA: Not just a street gang, Gibbs.

They have 30,000 members worldwide.

They deal drugs, run guns.

GIBBS: They also hire themselves out as hit men.

Which is what two of their members were allegedly doing a year ago,

when they mistakenly shot a Private First Class--

Martin Reggio. A Marine from First Sergeant Downing's company.

- We couldn't prove it. - Downing was on a revenge mission.

First sergeants don't go on revenge missions, Officer David.

I would. Why not a Marine first sergeant?

They have more control than you do.

Do either one of you have anything new to offer to this?

Yeah, boss. I think I do.

These three here, they weren't just members of L.V.M.

According to the FBI here,

they are all lieutenants in L.V.M.'s Manassas chapter.

- The boss? - Miguel Sosa.

- Why are we standing here? - He's missing.

He's been MIA since these three disappeared a few months ago.

GIBBS: Let's go meet his replacement. DiNozzo!

Where the hell have you been?

TONY: I come bearing gifts.

Spent the night at Rock Creek Park

and I found these when they drained the pond.

ZIVA: Oh, that's a big one.

- Were you expecting an attaboy? - I thought it would be nice.

Attaboy.

- I was just doing my job, boss. GIBBS: I know that.

McGEE: You wouldn't think it's the headquarters

of a worldwide crime syndicate.

ZIVA: What did you expect, McGee?

Corporate headquarters building?

ZIVA: They're all armed. - Keep your eyes open.

Spread out.

Who's el jefe?

You are, officer.

Hey.

We're not local cops.

We're federal agents.

Federales?

[GANGSTERS CHATTERING]

- Who's in charge? - In charge?

In charge of what?

McGEE: The Manassas chapter of La Vida Mala.

Inside.

TOMAS: You're either DEA or Immigration.

You're not FBI. They wear suits.

NCIS.

Navy cops.

What did we do to piss you off?

Come on, man.

We get blamed for everything these days.

Help me out.

- We steal the admiral's car? - Or his calzoncillos?

[GANGSTERS LAUGHING]

You killed two Marines.

The first in a drive-by shooting, the other in Rock Creek Park.

Take me away.

You want one of them instead?

Go with the federales.

They need a suspect.

We know who did it.

You can keep those.

GIBBS: Don't look surprised.

I never seen them before.

They used to run your organization.

Organization?

[TOMAS LAUGHS]

We're a social club.

[GANSTERS LAUGHING]

You're not el jefe.

No? Who am I?

GIBBS: El Gordo.

[GANSTERS LAUGHING]

See? Nobody laughs at the boss.

You have el jefe give me a call,

or I book him the next seat on the flight to Gitmo.

You can't do that. We're not terrorists.

- Ziva. - I'll have Tel Aviv produce an intercept

between Al Qaeda and this social club.

- You want photos? - That would be good.

- It might take me 24 hours. - Okay.

Twenty-four hours.

Get a surveillance team on this taco shack.

McGEE: Actually, it's a pupusa shack, boss.

- I'm just saying, tacos are historically-- GIBBS: Ziva, make sure they're visible.

Okay, McGee, you come back here.

You pick up anybody who's got a La Vida Mala clown tat.

McGEE: What for, exactly? - I don't care, McGee.

Driving around the block. I don't care, McGee.

Okay, you want us to shake them up.

ZIVA: If they're worried we're on to something

they'll start talking to each other.

GIBBS: Get me intercepts on their cell phones, computers,

pagers, smoke signals, any way they communicate.

How are we gonna get a judge to sign?

Didn't you hear, McGee?

La Vida Mala has ties to Al Qaeda.

Well, yeah, but weren't we just saying that--?

[GIBBS CLEARS THROAT]

Unbelievable.

TONY: Heard you rumbled with the sharks.

ZIVA: The sharks? TONY: You know:

[TONY SNAPPING FINGERS]

- West Side Story. - Yes, McGee was quite impressive.

You didn't threaten them, did you?

Sort of.

I had a buddy on the Baltimore gang unit, did that to the local L.V.M.

They found his head in Crawford Park.

Never did find the rest of him.

- Think I'd lie to you? - Yes.

To McGee I would lie. Never to you, sir. Never to you.

Look out. Look out.

[ZIVA LAUGHING]

GIBBS: I hope you've earned this.

ABBY: Oh, the director already hooked me up.

She wanted an update. But I didn't tell her anything, I swear.

She's been on her phone since she got here.

Oh, that's mature.

You have something for me?

ABBY: As a matter of fact, I do.

GIBBS: You looking over my shoulder again, director?

- Why? You feel a little crowded? - Yeah, a little.

- How's that? - Better.

These are the four rounds taken from First Sergeant Downing's body.

Three 9 mm Parabellum and one .45.

I matched the .45 to the Colt. That's a no-brainer.

The nine-millimetres are trickier.

But I got a definite match on the Beretta and the TEC-9.

That leaves us with this final round.

The runt of the litter. Ducky said it went in through the back

- and lodged in the chest plate. - Kill shot.

The rifling was almost stripped.

It made it almost impossible to find out which weapon it came from.

- But I did it. SHEPARD: Which one was it?

Neither.

We're missing a weapon.

Then we're missing a shooter.

[ON MONITOR] I understand you got a job to do, Agent Gibbs.

My Marines have done theirs. It's time for them to come home.

- I agree, captain. - Why is my company still in Iraq?

You lost two Marines to a Virginia street gang, skipper.

Would you like me to spell it out for you?

Headquarters is afraid of reprisals.

Not only headquarters.

PFC Reggio was killed in a drive-by shooting

one week before your deployment.

Now your first sergeant turns up dead?

You think First Sergeant Downing was out for revenge?

His body was found in a frozen pond with three dead gang-bangers.

His weapon was used to kill them. You tell me, captain.

No way. Not his style, Agent Gibbs.

What was he doing back on leave in the States?

His father had cancer. Terminal.

He wanted a chance to say goodbye.

I hope he got it.

He was shot four times.

Kill shot was in his back.

You're a Marine.

Do you know any first sergeants that would leave their men in combat

to go chase after some street punks?

No, skipper. I don't.

Neither do I.

What are you gonna do about it?

We're working on the case on this end.

- As soon as I know, you'll know. SILVA [ON MONITOR]: Sir!

You people had a year to catch Reggio's killers and you didn't do it!

At ease, Lance Corporal Silva.

SILVA: But, sir. ARVIDAS: At ease, Marine.

SILVA: Sorry, sir.

- I didn't mean to-- ARVIDAS: Your watch is over.

- We'll talk about this later. - Yes, sir.

I got 182 other Marines wondering the same thing, Agent Gibbs.

Don't let them down this time.

You looking over my shoulder again, Jen?

SHEPARD: Not exactly.

He's right, you know.

You can't let them down.

McGEE: El Gordo's cell phone again.

Probably his mamacita.

[TOMAS SPEAKING IN SPANISH OVER SPEAKERS]

TONY: For a gangster, this guy leads a pretty boring life.

Ziva, habla español?

Sí, mucho.

Bueno.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Tomas Zepeda.

He's all yours. Kill the speaker phone.

They are exchanging greetings.

The plan for lunch.

Oh, and a double feature is scheduled.

- Movies? ZIVA: Nope.

Two ho's are coming over for something called a rainbow party.

- Rainbow-- TONY: It's tough to translate slang.

- It's my speciality. I'll take over. ZIVA:I know my cholo from my chile.

I'll give you the summary. I'll give you the summary.

TONY: Is that man-lotion working for you there, probie?

McGEE: I didn't shave today.

I'm trying a new look.

When you say today, you mean the last couple of minutes or...?

Abby seems to like it.

- Like what? - It looks nice, McGee.

It's very manly.

May I?

GIBBS: DiNozzo.

- Hey, boss. - Why are you touching his face?

TONY: I don't know. It feels good, like a bunny rabbit.

GIBBS: Don't. - Sorry.

GIBBS: What are the wiretaps telling us?

Not much.

Zepeda, the big guy, U.S. citizen, made five calls today.

Twice to his mother, two for food, and one just now concerning--

ZIVA: Ho's. Slang for-- - I know what it's slang for, Ziva.

The rest of the gang's conversations are even less promising.

The only member we've been unable to listen to is Cesar Bernal.

Almost invisible, boss.

- Almost, McGee? McGEE: He never talks on the phone.

Only sends and receives text messages.

Twenty-two since yesterday.

All of them from Miguel Sosa in San Salvador.

Texts are coded, but it looks as though Sosa's still making

the day-to-day decisions for the gang.

Then Bernal is his number two.

- Tony, get him in here. - On it, boss.

GIBBS: Use your contacts. Find out everything about Sosa

- and what he's doing in El Salvador. - Done.

- McGee? - Yeah.

You're trying too hard.

On it.

GIBBS: Your friend Zepeda's a chump.

You're probably right. Zepeda's an idiot.

But last I heard, being stupid wasn't illegal.

I'm more interested in who killed my first sergeant.

You're talking to the wrong cholo, señor.

I'm just a small fish.

- Talk to thejefe. - I would.

But I can't type.

How about you?

Why?

Do you want to hire me as your secretary or something?

No. No, because I can't pay you

as well as your current employer, Miguel Sosa. No, I can't do that.

You tell him I wanna speak with him.

Sí.

I delivered your Gitmo threat.

Sosa said to ask you why you let your people live so far from work.

That vato McGee, and the Israeli chica, all the way out in Silver Spring?

A long way, sí?

What if they need you pronto?

Threatening my people is never a good idea.

I'm just the messenger.

A messenger that knows what happened at Rock Creek Park.

Estoy muerto if I talk to you.

Estås muerto if you don't.

Two Marines called Sosa to help unload captured Iraqi weapons.

- Two Marines? - Sí.

He sent our people to do a deal.

Figured maybe the Marines would back off, for,

you know, what happened before.

Who was the other Marine?

They don't invite me to these things.

I'm just a messenger.

I don't know.

Three Marines from the company were on leave

at the same time as First Sergeant Downing.

Of those three, two were nowhere near D.C.

Which leaves Lance Corporal Jose Silva.

Juvenile record, suspected pre-Corps gang activity.

He was also with PFC Reggio the night he was murdered.

I want him on a plane. Yesterday.

[WHISTLING]

[McGEE CLEARS THROAT]

Timothy, I suppose you're here for the DOD?

Department of Defence?

- No, no. Date of death. - Yes.

Absence of larvae from airborne insects

indicate the bodies were thrown into the water soon after death,

and were immersed for months based on the presence of adipocere,

otherwise known as mortuary fat.

The first sergeant was stateside on leave from mid-November.

The meteorological reports from the area

indicate that the first hard freeze was December 9th.

Is that aftershave I smell?

Old Spice. I had to shave midday.

Yes, I've heard about your infatuation with lotions.

The lotions were-- It was for a skin condition.

Oh, it's quite all right, Timothy.

Skin care is something we should all take more seriously.

In my opinion, there's absolutely nothing gay about it.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

I've heard.

So a hard freeze December 9th?

Our key is that the bodies were not frozen inside the ice,

but were below it.

So they died after the 9th?

No, no, no. No, human bodies sink

until the gases created by the internal putrefaction

have had time to accumulate.

GIBBS: How long does that take?

Under the forecasted weather conditions, ten to 14 days.

Bodies went into the water between November 25th and December 9th

or they would have resurfaced and ice would have formed around them.

Precisely.

Have we any idea what our Marine was doing there yet?

No, Duck, I don't. But we're gonna find out in 11 hours and 30 minutes.

Hey.

[GIBBS WHISTLE]

GIBBS: How was the flight, lance corporal?

It was long, sir.

- How much trouble am I in? GIBBS: Trouble?

Why would you say that?

SILVA: Four NCIS agents escorting one lance corporal?

You got it all wrong, Marine. She's Mossad.

I hope you slept on the plane, lance corporal.

TONY: Yeah. It's gonna be a long night.

You wanna get the cash first or the Iraqi weapons?

[CAR ACCELERATES]

[HORN HONKING]

- I'm not scaring you, am I? - I'm fine.

SILVA: I don't know what you're talking about, sir.

Really? Because you were on leave with First Sergeant Downing.

Then you were with PFC Reggio

the night he was killed in the drive-by shooting.

- I can't help a coincidence. ZIVA: A coincidence, lance corporal?

Five dead bodies. You're our only link.

[HORN HONKING]

Your company, your fellow Marines, are stuck in Iraq

until we solve this case.

- You don't think I know that? - He knows. He just doesn't care.

GIBBS: Hey, Silva, you know what?

We had a name for guys like you when I was on active duty.

Bravo Foxtrot.

It's an explicit term for a sexual--

- It wasn't supposed to happen like this. - Like what?

[TIRES SCREECH]

If a drive-by killing isn't solved right away,

the cops forget it.

NCIS forgot about it.

Private Reggio was my best friend. He died in my arms.

I couldn't just let that go, sir.

- So you decided to turn a quick buck? - No.

I called Sosa to meet but not to sell him any weapons.

I wanted blood.

And your first sergeant found out about it.

SILVA: I don't know how, but he did.

He yanked my leave and restricted me to base.

GIBBS: And he went to the meeting in your place.

He didn't go down there to kill anyone, sir.

He went down there to make peace.

To end it.

He didn't want anyone else to get hurt.

If I could, I'd switch places with him.

I would.

Yeah.

Yeah, I think you would, lance corporal.

McGEE: It checks out.

Quantico gate log shows that Downing restricted Silva to base

on November 26th for the duration of his leave.

Lance Corporal Silva wasn't at the pond.

He didn't kill anyone.

ZIVA: Thank you. I owe you one, Simon.

That was my contact in San Salvador.

- He locate Sosa? ZIVA: No. He's not there.

McGEE: He has to be. Bernal's texting there a dozen times a day.

ZIVA: If Simon says he's not in San Salvador, then he's not there.

- He has to be. ZIVA: Gibbs, I'm--

If not, we've wasted three days.

I am not wasting one more to bring those Marines home.

You find him. Now.

Men, we are here today for three reasons.

One, we can't find Miguel Sosa.

Two, I'm not even sure that he exists.

And three--

Who were you talking to?

You will address me as "sir," soldier.

Sorry. Who were you talking to, sir?

My army.

Major Mass Spec.

Captain Comparison Microscope.

- Ensign-- - Isn't an Army rank.

It's actually Navy.

What do you want, McGee?

To go over the old text messages

between Cesar Bernal and his boss, Miguel Sosa.

- They're in code. - I know. But if we break them,

we might find where Sosa's hiding.

- He's in San Salvador. - Ziva's people say no.

Oh, so if Ziva's people say no, then we--

- Abby, please, just run them. - Okay.

My Spanish is a little rusty.

Mine's not.

Okay, in this one they're asking Sosa if they should--

- Wait a minute. - What?

It's too long.

SMS text messages are limited to 150 characters. So that means--

It means that it was e-mailed from a computer, not a cell phone.

ABBY: Can you backtrace it to a physical location?

Just a simple matter of accessing the e-mail-to-SMS gateway,

pulling an IP, linking to an ISP.

That's a Virginia address.

Ziva's people were right.

Let me see if we can get a name of the account holder.

ABBY: Cesar Bernal?

That doesn't make any sense.

Why would he send messages to himself?

Because he was pretending he's Miguel Sosa.

Okay, but that's stupid.

Because Sosa would totally find out and kill Cesar.

Not if Cesar killed him first.

Uh-oh. What is this meal gonna cost me this time?

Didn't cost you any last time.

You mean aside from the thousand extra calories I didn't need?

I can leave.

I didn't say that.

Salvadorian food?

How fried.

Sit. I'm sorry.

Another Marine was injured in Captain Arvidas' group.

I know.

I heard you found the man responsible for First Sergeant Downing's death.

His name is Cesar Bernal.

Can you make a case?

I knew this meal was gonna cost me.

Okay, what do you have so far?

Cesar is making a power play for control of his crew.

He's been faking orders from Miguel Sosa

to the rest of L.V.M. for the last four months.

And Sosa?

He's dead.

It's the only way Cesar could have gotten away with it.

So First Sergeant Downing wasn't the target.

He was Cesar's lure.

The real targets were the three L.V.M. Iieutenants.

Cesar was taking out the leadership.

Do you have any physical evidence?

Nothing linking Cesar to the crime scene.

Jethro, you're gonna need more than motive

to get a jury to convict.

Depends on the jury.

This is harassment.

When I get out of here, I'm going to get me a fancy lawyer

and shove him all the way up your--

TONY: Come on, it was just getting good.

ZIVA: Okay, who wants to take him first?

- I'm gonna take him. TONY: Oh, no, no, no. I got it, probie.

[McGEE CRACKS KNUCKLES]

What, do you think I can't handle this guy?

Gibbs said keep him on ice.

Not show him the warning signs of osteoarthritis.

[CRACKS KNUCKLES]

Tony, I can break this guy.

You keep cracking your knuckles like that,

you're gonna break a finger, probie.

I'm senior. I go first.

- You're always gonna be senior. - Nice thing about being senior is that--

[ZIVA SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

[SPEAKS IN SPANISH]

CESAR: So I cooperate with you and this is the thanks I get?

Hauled in like a pescado muerto?

If by cooperate you mean lie, yes.

What did I lie about?

We know you were at the Rock Creek Pond the night of the murders,

and we know you've been killing off the L. V.M. Ieadership to assert control.

You must think very highly of me,

because the man who can pull off something like that,

must be a very smart man.

You like smart men, bonita?

Ugh!

Sorry. You're not my type.

You're playing with fire, bonita.

Ugh!

- Is that a threat? - No.

I'm just saying, my éses get very lonely when I'm not around.

And they're not going to be too happy with the one

that's keeping me from them.

I wouldn't worry about it.

I'm sure your éses will find something to do while you're gone.

The autopsy of First Sergeant Downing revealed four entry wounds.

However, of interest is the fact that the three frontal wounds

showed no sign of internal haemorrhaging.

The shots were fired after First Sergeant Downing was dead.

GIBBS: Each of your buddies...

...put a bullet in his corpse.

TOMAS: Your point?

The point is if your buddies each fired a round into the first sergeant

after he was dead, who shot them?

I want to talk to my lawyer.

McGEE [OVER SPEAKERS]: No can do, punk.

[CRACKS KNUCKLES]

You've been watching too many cop shows, know that?

Yeah, well you've been watching too many gang-person shows.

[CRACKS KNUCKLES]

I don't think probie's been watching enough cop shows.

McGee is a capable interrogator.

He can be quite intimidating when he wants to be.

[CRACKS KNUCKLES]

You can't keep me here like this.

McGEE: No, actually, I can.

You see, La Vida Mala has suspected ties to Al Qaeda.

So all I have to do is say the word "terrorist,"

and I can keep you in this room till you grow old and die.

That actually was intimidating.

ABBY: We can tell from the rifling patterns

that the slugs pulled from your three dead L.V.M.'s

were from the Browning found at the scene. Nice tat.

- Huh? - Your Draconkreuz?

- The symbol of the ancient order of-- GIBBS: Abby.

Sorry, Gibbs. The point is that whoever shot your guys

used First Sergeant Downing's gun.

He wanted to make it look like our first sergeant

smoked your muchachos.

Of course, your crew probably would have only turned their backs

to the shooter if it was someone they really trusted.

[PHONE BEEPING]

Argh!

[TONY CHUCKLES]

[TONY GROANS]

[PHONE BEEPING]

So, like, you don't got no questions for me?

- That's a double negative. - Huh?

"Don't got no" is a double negative.

It's a non-standard use of two negative words in the same sentence.

They cancel each other out and create a positive.

In Shakespeare's day, the double negative was used as an emphatic.

But now it's just considered a mistake. Oh!

Don't know if that's what you intended. Pretty sure it's not.

We'll go with the colloquial idiomatic thing. This is hard.

I'm pretty sure you meant: "Do I have any questions?"

And the answer to that question is: "I have no questions."

I do have some observations, though.

Cesar. That's an interesting name.

Obviously derived from Caesar. That was a powerful dude.

My name's Anthony. Friends call me Tony.

Which backwards is "why not."

Anyway, in the pecking order,

I'm guessing that you're somewhere between the guy that goes out

and buys the spray paint that you use for tagging

and the guy who digs it out from under your boss' nails.

[SPEAKS IN SPANISH]

You don't know who you're messing with.

One word from me and my crew will have you splattered--

- Your crew? - Yes.

Well, that's funny. I thought L.V.M. was Miguel Sosa's crew.

[TAPPING]

Interesting.

McGEE: Miguel Sosa.

Word on the street is he is hiding out in El Salvador.

Except the FBI has no record of him leaving the country.

Salvadorian authorities have no record of him coming in.

So the only trail we have is the SMS text messages he's been sending you.

The problem is, he hasn't been sending them.

El Salvador country code has been falsified.

Someone faked them to make them look like they came from Miguel Sosa.

Messages originated from an e-mail account registered to Cesar Bernal.

He killed your boss.

Played you for a fool.

Us too.

He'll never get a conviction in court with what I have on him.

Hey, boss.

Right. I see.

You were all trying to throw me off balance.

Soften me up for the big guns, eh?

Actually, I didn't know you were still here.

Come on, I'll drive you home.

TONY: Wear your safety belt.

CESAR: Door-to-door service.

I could get used to this.

What's the matter?

You're pissed because whatever game you tried to play didn't work?

You got a lot to learn about the streets, cabrón.

Loyalty means everything in our world. Without it, estås muerto.

Thanks for the lift.

Semper fi.

Goodbye, Cesar.

[CESAR SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

These NCIS pendejos just won't quit.

I got a message from Sosa.

He thinks we ought to teach them some manners.

What?

WOMAN [ON TV]: The victim, a male in his early 20s,

was found in this dumpster, shot repeatedly at close range.

Police have identified him as Cesar Bernal,

a native of El Salvador,

and say they believe he has close ties to gang activity in the Manassas area.

In fact, police say he--

[TV TURNS OFF]

You don't have work to do, I'm sure I can find some.

- No. I got a lot of work to do, boss. - There's lots of work.

Good.

I'll be in MTAC.

GIBBS: Captain.

[ON MONITOR] Agent Gibbs.

I hope you have some good news for me.

Bring our boys home.