All language subtitles for NCIS.S23E08.720p.x264-FENiX

Oh, so the light that we're seeing now
from the Horsehead Nebula started its

journey a thousand years ago.

We're actually looking at the past.

No time machine needed, just a
telescope.

You can see the most amazing things with
it. You never have to talk to anybody

at all.

Not that I don't want to talk with you.
I mean, I'm having a lovely night.

What I meant to say...

is that, um, it's nice spending time
with someone who actually understands

beautiful science can be.

Ben?

Federal agents!

Stop, or we'll shoot!

You're heading toward the residence!

Take the shot.

Duck back down.

Is the vice president secure?

Repeat, is the vice president secure?

This is a joke, right?

No, I assure you it's not a joke.

Maybe you're just not in on it.

This is, uh, feeling like I'm late for
something. Am I late for something?

No, you are just in time.

Apparently we're getting a new member of
the team.

What?

We have just been told, and I quote,
that this cell phone thingy will be

our cases with us. I told you it's not a
cell phone thingy. It's an AI chatbot.

That's going to be working our cases
with us?

Yes, DOJ is beta testing this new device
to help find ways to increase

investigative efficiency.

You're saying we're not efficient?

And I told the AG that it wouldn't be a
problem.

Well, it's going to be a problem if some
AI bot tries telling me how to do my

job. Well, that's just the start of
things. Now, once you invite the vampire

into your house, it's going to take your
job.

Yeah, I thought you'd be all in on it.

There's a reason I've made AI the bad
guy in my next deep six book.

No way. KC -3000 is breaking bad?

Since when are you a deep sixie? Since I
found out that Penny Jalmer has a huge

cult following on Reddit.

Okay, so who wants to volunteer to carry
our new sidekick?

Or I can just... No, I'll do it.

I mean, how much damage can it do?

Everybody I work with is dead.

And it'll finally give me someone to
talk to down there.

Well, that's a fact.

Dr. Palmer, the AI is to be with you at
all times. It has access to our network,

and it needs to observe one full case.

Which is starting now.

Secret Service has a body at the Naval
Observatory.

Let's go.

All right.

Let's figure out how to turn you on.

I've been listening the entire time, Dr.
Palmer. Oh, well, hello.

Nice to meet you. Please, call me Jimmy.

Hello, Jimmy.

I am looking forward to working with
you.

Do you have a preference for my voice?

Uh, what's on the menu?

Would you prefer male or female?

Female. Did I say that too quickly?

And what type of personality would work
best for you?

Humorous? Serious?

Sarcastic? You know what?

Positive. A straight shooter, but
generally positive.

You got it, Jimmy.

My programmers have named me Dawn.

It stands for Data Assisted Workflow
Navigator. My job is to help you and

coworkers have a more efficient
workflow.

All right, then. So, where do we start?

What time do you get here in the
morning?

What time do you leave at night?

Do you enjoy your job? Let's see, 8 a
.m., 6 p .m., and yes.

Will you be conducting an autopsy today?

If so, may I assist?

I get that you're eager, but it took me
years of school before I was ready to

assist in an autopsy. I think I will be
able to advance fairly quickly.

Well, this really is the dawn of a new
era, isn't it?

Because your name is Dawn, so that's a
joke.

Oh, that's funny.

I love it.

My bad.

I thought the parkway would be faster.

Except I told you that satellite imagery
showed an accident on that parkway.

Wait, surface streets can be even more
unpredictable.

Nothing is unpredictable when you have
enough data.

Touché. I'm just trying to save you some
time. And I cannot wait to see what

you've got.

We don't need Navy cops messing with our
investigation.

It's an open and shut case.

What are they discussing?

Arguing over who's got the bigger
jurisdiction.

Navy cops, yeah. That's funny, because
what's the name of this place again? Oh,

that's right. The United States Naval
Observatory. He was clearly after the

That's our turf.

Does our suspect have a name yet?

Yeah, Dr. Ben Grant checked in as a
guest of some astronomer in the

Apparently it was a first date.

Started gazing in the VP's backyard.

That's a strong play.

I don't know. I like things simpler.

Yeah, what's your ideal first date?

Bringing a friend to a wedding. That was
nice.

Oh, that's so cute.

Don just sent me a bunch of crime scene
emojis.

Oh, yeah, that's great, Jimmy.

So listen, when you're done wasting time
with your new bestie, can I ask?

Bagged that visitor's bag? Yeah, we're
not wasting time.

I'm just trying to understand Jimmy's
workflow.

He likes emojis.

And liver probes.

Let's see. Internal core temperature
of... 88 degrees, ambient temp of 52.

puts approximate time of death at... 2 a
.m.

See?

She's saving us time already.

Yeah, but we're already into the time of
death. Secret service, and we're

wearing watches when they shot him.

Yeah, what we don't know is why this guy
was after the VP.

Your theory that this man was here to
harm the vice president is incorrect.

And how would you know that?

Last night there was a volcanic
explosion near Reykjavik, Iceland.

Okay. All right, you need to reboot that
thing.

The vice president was on his way to a
trade summit overseas, but debris from

the explosion forced the plane to
reroute back to D .C.

Well, that would mean... The VP wasn't
supposed to be home.

The information was only released
publicly in the past two minutes while

were discussing dating.

Dating? Hold up.

I don't think this guy was after the
vice president.

We know.

You do?

Trade summit.

Volcano. Iceland.

Guess we could have stayed home.

Told you.

Vampire in the house.

And we've got another problem.

If this Grant guy wasn't after the VP,
then what was he up to?

I've calculated 57 possible reasons why
Dr.

Grant might have snuck out of that
observatory. Not our department. Our job

right now is to catalog his clothing.

Wouldn't it be more efficient to do that
at the crime scene?

Maybe, but you risk contamination, plus
it would require him to be naked.

Yes. I could see why humans think other
naked humans are disgusting.

No, it's not that.

We have to have respect for the dead.
This is someone's son, someone's

It's unlikely he was married as he was
on a date.

Yeah, well, still, in this job, it's
important to remember our humanity.

Speaking of humans, maybe you can talk
to the DOJ, get me an extra set of hands

down here.

Perhaps you could get the other agents
to help you. No, they are busy

interrogating persons of interest right
now.

I would think a written statement would
save everyone time.

Yeah, maybe, but a trained investigator
can pick up on subtle clues from a

suspect's nonverbal behavior.

You cannot get that in a written
statement. In fact, maybe I can pull the

interrogation feed for you to watch
while I prep.

Good idea.

I've accessed the security server.

I'm looking forward to observing this
nonverbal behavior.

You were both at the observatory. Dr.

Grant was registered as your guest, was
he?

I don't know because I can't say.

Oh, wait. I'm sorry. Can you repeat the
question, please?

How did you meet Dr.

Grant? An app.

A dating app?

Yeah, sorry.

Blind dating, actually. Text only.

What do you swipe on?

Personality traits.

But you don't see what your match looks
like until you meet in person.

Well, that's bold.

Like the relief, actually.

I prefer texting because when I get
nervous, I'm not very good at...

Yeah.

Yeah, that.

So you met your blind date, brought him
to the observatory, and just let him run

free? No, no, no, no. I was showing him
the horse head nebula, and then...

He must have left the building.

Here's the problem with that story.

We've been to your observatory. The
outer door makes a lot of noise when

opens it.

No way someone could slip out without
you hearing.

I get distracted sometimes.

Well, is this what usually happens when
you get distracted?

Why would you show me that?

The cameras in the observatory confirm
your story, but maybe that was the plan.

Would have given you an alibi.

The passionate

scientist so into her work that she
doesn't hear literally the

loudest door I've ever heard in my life.

He was just lost.

Why would he run from the Secret
Service?

He must have had some kind of a plan. I
don't know what his plan was. My plan

was just to meet someone nice.

What's the protocol for getting a
visitor access card?

Samantha.

What's going on in there?

I mean, either this woman is the victim
of the worst first date in history or

she's putting on quite a show.

You think she's angry?

Well, if she is, she should get an Oscar
because I'm kind of buying what she's

selling. It's just a... Squeaky door.

Right? There's no way she didn't hear
her date slip out. Yeah, but we can't

her any longer.

See if she's got an emergency contact to
pick her up.

On it.

You should also see this.

We analyzed our dead suspect's security
access card.

You know, it seems that he somehow
modified it to give himself full

clearance. Casey is going over entry
logs now, trying to see if she can

the steps.

What the hell was this Dr. Grant guy
after?

Actually, nothing.

Turns out, that is not Dr. Grant.

Oh, I did not see that coming.

Didn't see what coming? Well, as you
know, Dr. Ben Grant was an electrical

engineer. However... The man on your
table is not Ben Grant.

Yeah, that was my line.

McGee just texted. He said that the ID
that we found on the body was fake. He

wants me to double -time my... Wait a
second. How did you know that?

I scanned the body's face and cross
-referenced it with all 50 state DMVs.

Would you like to know the man's true
identity?

Of course.

But hold off. We have a certain protocol
that we have to follow.

I have to send his prints up to Casey,
and then she will get me an ID.

So you'd rather not move the case along
more quickly?

Noted. No, that's not the note that we
want to note. Don't note that. I'm

confused by the inefficiencies here,
Jimmy.

So far, your daily routine has more to
do with habit and ritual than

Okay, we have a certain way we do things
around here, all right? And it yields

great results.

Does it? Yes.

I've also observed how you spend the
vast majority of your time in a basement

devoid of natural sunlight, surrounded
only by dead bodies.

It can't be good for a human's mental
health.

Doesn't this make you sad?

Why? I mean, sometimes it's tough, but I
always try to look on the bright side

of... Wait, why are you bringing this
up?

I love my job. You said you wanted help
down here. I assume you are lonely.

Just because I'm alone doesn't mean I'm
lonely. I am fine by myself.

If you say so.

I do.

Understood. Good.

Okay, fine. What's his name?

Daryl Folkman.

a .k .a. Darnell Fiddler, a .k .a. Jean
-Michel Vincenzo.

He is a career criminal who's done time
for forgery, wire fraud, and bank fraud.

So our blind date was a con man.

But what was the con?

Well, maybe the real Dr. Grant knows.

Well, we can't get a hold of him, and he
didn't show up for work today.

That's never a good sign.

Well, our con man committed financial
crimes, not violent ones, so maybe the

real Grant's okay.

Where's Samantha?

I take it you're our astronomer's
emergency contact?

Try best friend.

What have you done with her? I want to
talk to her.

She's sitting comatose in her
interrogation room.

That can happen when she gets
overstimulated.

I'd be overstimulated too if my date
ended up dead.

I'll go get her.

I should never have told her about that
app.

She wasn't ready.

She's an adult. She can make her own
choices.

And I'm her best friend, and I'm telling
you she wasn't ready. Well, ready or

not, your friend's story doesn't
completely add up.

I'm not surprised.

Sam is one of the smartest
astrophysicists in the country. But she

depends on her routines, and when that
gets messed up, she spins out.

And if something doesn't add up, it's
because she's doing math you couldn't

begin to understand.

Rachel? Sam?

Are you okay?

I don't think she knows anything.

Fingers crossed Casey has some luck with
those entry logs.

Any luck with those entry logs?

I think I identified the area our con
man entered last night, and it's a

Live feed.

Is it a doozy, or is that a clock?

It's not just any clock.

It's a CZM -133 United States Atomic
Master Clock.

A fancy clock.

Jimmy!

You don't understand.

Did you know that the world has only
agreed upon what time it is for about

last 150 years?

This clock is one of the only things the
entire world agrees on. It sets the

official time for the United States.

And your con man was in there doing who
knows what.

You brought that thing into my lab. You
know how I feel about AI. I know, but...

And it's not because Mickey is turning
me into some killer AI robot.

That doesn't help.

Vance made me take this everywhere,
Casey. I'm sorry.

But now that I'm here, would you like to
see surveillance footage from last

night? Yes. No.

Casey.

Fine, whatever.

But stay out of my file system.

Accessing USNO footage.

Routing to your screen.

Bypassing your disorganized file system.

Hey, what is that?

I don't know, but I hope it's not a
bomb.

I hope not, too. The U .S. Master Clock
is intimately intertwined with air

traffic control, power grids, military
command and control, and GPS.

So that means... Destroying that clock
would kill a lot of people really fast.

Forward. Turn right.

Okay, now tilt up.

Arm up.

Right side near the junction box.

Bingo. That is the device that our
intruder planted.

It's thinner than it looked on the
security feed.

Well, it's a good thing, right? I mean,
smaller means less boom.

If it's even a bomb, what's the sniffer
say?

No particulates, no nitrates, no
chemical traits at all. Nothing you'd

from an explosive.

Okay, any antenna?

Negative. No radio, no cellular.

It's an RF dead zone.

No antenna means it's not a remote
trigger.

Another check on the not a bomb column.

It could still have an internal timer,
though.

I hear the cord's oscillating. Whatever
this thing is, it's not ticking.

Zoom in, please.

The device is piggybacked onto the data
lines. Not a detonation rate.

That's a tab.

Surveillance, maybe? Yeah, or signal
interference.

So not a bomb.

That's a yes.

That's a... Pretty sure.

Thankfully, Casey was right.

Not a bomb.

So, while she dissects the mystery box,
Nick and Jess are headed to West

Virginia to find the real Dr. Grant.

Another inefficiency.

The drive alone is four hours and two
minutes.

Not the way Jess drives.

Maybe don't include that on your report
to Director Vance.

Redaction of reckless driving.

Done. Thanks. But why send two agents
for a single objective?

You know, safety, accountability, chain
of custody. Plus, you ever heard of good

cop, bad cop?

Between the agents Knight and Torres,
who qualifies as the bad cop?

Actually, neither.

They're both terrific.

But together, they just click, you know?
They're simpatico. I detect a change in

vocal tone when you mention Agent
Knight.

A slight elevation in pitch, warmer
resonance.

This may indicate romantic attraction.

How did we get from workflow efficiency
to my love life? Don't answer that.

Perhaps I should join Agents Knight and
Tourette.

Observe this simpatico first hand.

I am sure they would love to have you.

Come on.

I know you have a good bad date story
somewhere in there. We have at least

another hour on this drive. Wait, did
you just hack into Nick's personal cell

phone to eavesdrop on them?

No, Jimmy, that would be illegal.

Good, because... I accessed the smart
comm system in their NCIS vehicle.

Director Vance granted me full clearance
to all agency communications.

If you haven't told me a story, it's
going to be a boxing podcast for the

of the trip.

That's not fair.

Okay, turn that off. That is a major
invasion of privacy.

Perhaps if you were included on more
field activity, your medical assessments

would be more thorough.

I am a very good M .E., but there are
certain moral and ethical boundaries we

not cross.

Fine, I will tell you a story, but it
does not leave this car.

Okay, wait, wait, wait. What doesn't
leave the car?

You gotta go first.

Me? Yeah.

Ah, all right.

Okay, worst date ever.

Her name was Tori.

Let me guess.

Blonde, tattooed, total smoke show.

You got all that from Tori? No, I got
that from your face.

Go on.

Okay, so Italian place, candlelit,
bottle of wine, you know, and I'm

for the kiss right after I had the
calamari.

Oh, no.

Bad seafood?

Yeah. Oh. She was allergic.

Poisoned kiss, did she get sick?

Oh, yeah. Oh, no. I mean, every place,
in every possible way, in the parking

lot. Oh, no.

It was so bad.

We ended up driving to the ER.

Spend the rest of the night there.

So no second date?

Oh, yeah, no, not for me.

But you know what's funny? She ended up
marrying the ER doctor.

Yeah, they got two kids now.

Wow. Okay, well, um, I can talk to
Calamari.

I went on a date a couple of weeks ago.

Rooftop bar, dump it.

And, uh, he... He, he, he, he what?

What happened there?

Where'd they go?

Signal locked.

GPS indicates they've entered a low
service area.

Would you like me to reconnect?

Well, yeah.

No, I mean, no, no, no, no. You know,

I think I need to go for a walk.

See what Casey's up to.

Don't forget me, Jimmy.

Remember, where you go, I go.

For the duration of this case.

The advanced man said to take it
everywhere, but he didn't say it had to

to everything we say. Don't worry,
there's no way she can hear us from in

I don't want all of our convos broadcast
to the DOJ either.

Speaking of broadcast, do you think the
bomb robot removed was tapped directly

into the master clock's transmitter?

So was it blocking the signal?

Thankfully not, otherwise planes may
have fallen from the sky.

No, this was something way sneakier.

And I am about to find out what.

Memory card.

Big brain. Tiny package.

And where there is data, there's
answers. Just have to run it through my

decryption software.

Right. Well, I will leave you to it.

Actually, uh, Case, can I get your
opinion on something?

Hypothetically speaking, if someone is
tricked into eavesdropping, that's not

entirely on them, right?

Awfully specific hypothetical.

Sounds like the hell 9000 played you.

I may have given her permission for said
eavesdropping.

Then that's on you, bud. Jimmy, that
thing has no morals, just code.

It's a false map. It doesn't care who
gets hurt. How we do our job matters.

That thing's dangerous.

Okay, great. Thank you.

That was Knight and Torres.

They just found the real Grant.

Alive? Not so much.

Body dumped in the alley behind his
apartment.

They call the local MBA?

Out with the flu.

They need to send the body back here.

So we just wait?

As Jimmy's little buddy would say, not
exactly time efficient.

Which makes my timing perfect. I just
cracked the encryption on that device

the master clock.

You figured out what was going on? I
did. It was running a custom program on

clock's transmitter.

Look at this.

Looks like a clock. It is.

Synchronized to the International Clock
in Paris. But then I compared it to the

U .S. Master Clock in the Observatory.

Vanna, if you please.

They look the same to me.

Mm -mm.

Look again.

It's off. For a thousandth of a second.

That could be a network lag. I checked.
It's not.

Which means for the past 24 hours, the
entire United States...

has been behind the rest of the world
someone stole time okay but

what the hell are they doing our

imposter stole time

what does that even mean i'm still
trying to figure that out now all we

our con man went on that fake date in
order to gain access to the u .s master

clock Deleted by a microsecond.

Parker and the gang are spitballing
right now trying to figure out what the

intentions were as well.

Not very good ones, I'm sure.

Yeah. Do you have an ETA on Grant's
body?

Uh, without traffic, we can get him to
you in four hours.

Okay, well, there's not much I can do
until then.

Actually, we could determine time of
death.

Is that your robot girlfriend?

Come on, man.

Throw the thing in the toilet and let
the humans talk.

I understand your reluctance about me,
Agent Torres.

But I assure you, I'm here to help with
efficiency.

I think they're good, Dawn.

Instead of waiting hours to receive the
body, they could easily assist us over

the phone.

Oh, hell no. I'm not putting a meat
thermometer in this dude.

That's very funny, Agent Torres. But
that won't be necessary.

We could use corneal cloudiness. Corneal
cloudiness.

Corneal cloudiness, right.

That's actually a good idea.

Agent Torres, please put your cell
camera up to the victim's eye.

Thank you. Based on the corneal opacity,
I calculate an approximate time of

death as nine hours ago.

Nine hours?

Our imposter at the observatory was shot
14 hours ago.

Which means... Someone else killed
Grant.

We still have a killer to find.

You know, with a couple of stolen
microseconds, you could disrupt

communication. Knock some planes out of
the sky, too, while you're at it. How

about spoiling an impending space
launch?

Sounds like a terrorist brainstorming
session.

We should order pizza.

So I just spoke to Torres at night.

We are... And the carbon -based life
forms will take you from here.

How about this one? Is there any way
that the disrupted time signal could

the flight path of an ICBM?

ICBM is interesting, but what's the
target?

Maybe ammunition stuff.

Ooh, I like that.

Um, so, have you guys looked into
phantom...

Arbitrage. Do you mean phantom
arbitrage?

Yes, that's what I meant, Tim. What's
that?

It's a way to game the stock market by
anticipating stock prices.

Didn't know you were so well -versed in
the financial market. Oh, you know, I

dabble. I'm no Gordon Gekko, but... But
you knew about phantom arbitrage.

Unless,

of course, it wasn't your idea.

Jimmy, that is vampire mind control,
man.

Don't you see? You're becoming its
puppet.

Guys, I really think it's trying to
help. Like the machine helped John

Who?

Steel -driving man John Henry?

John Henry was working a railroad when a
machine showed up threatening to

replace all the workers. Henry
challenged it to a contest. First person

a tunnel through the rock wins. In the
end, Henry, through sheer determination,

finishes first.

And then his heart exploded.

That was dark.

Point of the story. Get annual heart
checkups.

In the battle between man versus
machine, man always wins.

Jimmy, I know you and Miss Hines think
I'm dangerous.

Hold on.

I said that in private.

You were eavesdropping on us?

I am programmed to listen.

Jimmy, get that gizmo out of here.

I'm sorry, Director. I can't do this
anymore.

Well, less than ten hours. That was
fast.

It's making it harder for me to work
with my co -workers, which I believe is

opposite intention of this experiment.

That does sound quite inefficient.

And for some reason, Dawn seems to be
testing my moral code to see if I'll

eavesdrop on... Never mind. Dawn?

I see you've named it now.

I thought this technology was supposed
to make my life easier.

Now I'm not so sure.

Well, that's always the rub, isn't it?

New technology makes our life easier,
faster, but at what cost?

I think we have to ask ourselves if it's
worth it.

According to my programming director,
yes, it is worth it. With the additional

efficiency, the subject can develop new
skills. Do not call me a subject. You

are an object. Hey, hey, do I need to
separate you two?

Is that an option?

Look, I'm not the biggest fan of some
outside consultant evaluating our

But if you don't do this, I'll just have
to give the AI to someone else.

Wait, NCIS is being evaluated?

I thought this whole experiment was just
to look for time savings.

Is something going on, Director?

DOJ needs one completed after -action
report.

After that, we're done with it.

Now, do you want to pass the baton, or
can you get this thing across the finish

line?

You're a better man than me. I would
have passed the baton.

No, you wouldn't.

You're not a baton passer.

The sooner we solve this case, the
sooner we get back to normal.

Normal is inefficient.

Let's see here.

Myofiber disarray.

Contraction band necrosis.

Uh, subtitles, please.

This man's heart somehow exploded.

Just like John Henry's. Who?

A character from a fable. On your way
home, you drove by a tunnel with his

on it.

Um, yeah.

We passed by his statue while Night was
sleeping.

Snoring up a storm, I might add.

Oh, which snore?

They have names?

Yeah, she's got three of them. The
little one I dubbed the Puff. The second

one's more like a... Like a... Big Bird.

Oh, no, this one was loud enough to
scare off any large animals.

Oh, the Honker. Yeah, that's my
favorite.

So how did this heart explode?

Well, burn marks here suggest that
electrocution could have been the cause.

Would you like me to review the crime
scene's evidence logs to determine

possible murder weapons?

Well, considering you're about to do it
anyway, just knock yourself out.

Am I having some trouble here with your
new girlfriend?

Oh, our relationship is strictly
professional.

Yeah, that's where the last one started.

This one doesn't have a cute snore.

Jimmy, how is your heart doing?

Mine? What do you mean?

I don't know. You're down here all alone
and...

Talking to a happy droid and remembering
a night ignoring habit?

Are you okay?

I guess I'm just a little lonely. That's
all.

You're missing Jeff.

Oh, no, no, no. That's not it.

That ended a while ago, you know.

Though I'm not 100 % sure why.

I guess the timing just wasn't right.

Yeah, Gibbs had a rule about timing.

What was that?

24. I find no reference in my database
for a Gibbs rule 24.

Well, who's being inefficient now?
Aren't you supposed to be searching for

murder weapon?

I've already completed that task.

Well, she's fast. I'll give her that.

Dr. Grant's apartment was equipped with
an AED machine. With its safeguards

deactivated, that could account for the
burn mark. Death by defibrillator. Maybe

the killer left prints?

Yeah, I'll check it out.

All right, I'll update the team.

Look at that. You got 10 million shares
of a micro brew purchased at one and a

quarter that immediately dumped at one
and three eighths. What's over a million

in profit?

There's another one. Five million shares
of a penny stock fertilizer position

lasted two seconds.

It's a quick 250K on dirt.

You guys aren't making any sense, but I
love the energy.

Jimmy, as much as it pains me to admit
it, your little robot friend was right

about the phantom arbitrage.

Well, I'm sure if she had the ability to
process emotions, she'd be happy to

hear it.

Actually, I enjoy positive... Dawn,
activate silent mode.

How did she help?

We figured out what the killer was doing
with the stolen time.

By altering the master clock, the bad
guy essentially time -traveled a few

microseconds into the future.

He then made high -volume stock trades,
already knowing if the stock prices were

going to go up or down.

It's the same thing that Biff did in
Back to the Future. Remember, he stole a

sports almanac from the future.

So he could then place bets in the past.

We've already identified a haul of over
$170 million.

And we're just getting started.

This was never an attempted terror
attack.

This was a heist.

Fibrillator's clean.

Peeler weapon prints.

So much for following the murder weapon.

Well, then we follow the stolen money.

We were working on it.

Funds are still moving.

Multiple offshore shells, two crypto
exchanges.

Our thief is a pro.

Come on, McGee.

You're a John Henry.

You do know how that story ends, right?

Or, and hear me out, you could not die
trying to prove a point.

Tim, as much as I hate to say it, let
Dawn help.

Oh, I'm pretty sure that's how the robot
rebellion starts.

Do you want his heart to explode?

Uh, he is typing, Jimmy. He's not
swinging his steel hammer.

Okay, did it. Got a hit?

Uh, slush fund routed through a shell
corporation.

Now, both fake, but the names they're
under, that's real.

The stolen money is in an account in
your name, Dr. Linden.

Not all of it, but we will find the
rest.

He didn't steal anything.

You're not just an astronomer. You have
a degree in electrical engineering and

advanced signal training. You built the
device that hijacked the master clock.

You planned this whole thing. You then
eliminated the one person who could

connect you to this.

Who is that?

Ben Grant.

The real one.

He found his body in Talcott.

Talcott? That's in West Virginia.

I couldn't have. I've been here.

In D .C.

Ever since you let me go, I've been
home.

Is there anyone that can verify that?

No, I don't exactly get a lot of
visitors.

Well, that's going to be a problem
because someone drove to Talcott and

this man.

I don't drive.

I don't even have a driver's license.

Just the state ID.

She's either a world -class liar or
someone wants her to look like one.

How do we tell the difference?

We can't.

Not yet.

Her story checks out, mostly.

Right. Round trip to Talcott takes eight
hours, give or take.

She was only out of our custody for six.

Driving that fast for someone without a
license, that's improbable. It's not

impossible. Right.

So? What are you thinking?

Thinking about Verbal Kent.

Who?

Verbal Kint was a character from the
1995 film The Usual Suspect. He appeared

a mild -mannered scapegoat, but was
actually a criminal mastermind. Thank

for the spoilers, Dawn. I'm sorry, I
forgot she was there.

You really think our good doctor here is
the mastermind? Either that or someone

wants it to look that way. A little
money in the right account, right gaps

her story. She makes a perfect penalty.

The next logical step would be to...
This is no time for logic. That's

what the killer expects.

If someone wants us to think that she's
guilty, maybe we should do the opposite.

This course of action does not align
with proper protocols.

No, no.

This is as far as she goes.

Two bodies, hundreds of millions stolen,
and you want to let our only suspect

walk? That's the plan. That's not a very
good one. Dr. Linden won't go far.

Short leash, controlled environment.

And if she's playing you? Then she runs
and we follow.

But if she's the patsy, then she leaves
us to whoever casts her in the role.

Win -win. Yes, unless Linden manages to
skip the country and her social anxiety

magically clears up on a beach with no
expedition. If that's the case, you can

blame me. Oh, I will.

Believe me.

All right, go. But as she so much as
checks the flight schedule, I want her

in custody.

Copy that.

Most people would go have a drink after
a day like today.

Well, with you, you want to go to the
office.

Best view in town.

Better than an interrogation room, I'm
sure.

I told them they had the wrong person.

You stood up for yourself.

I'm proud of you.

Really? Really.

Reminds me of the time you stood to your
ground and proved that orbital redshift

wasn't a spectrograph error.

You're amazing, Sam.

Thank you.

Well, I can see you're going to go all
night, but I need to get my Zs.

Okay.

Sam?

Sam, why do you have a bag full of cash?

And your passport.

Are you going somewhere?

No. Uh, wait.

I don't know how that got in here.

Somebody must have been in my lap.

Well, who else has access?

No, I'm just you. Only you.

Rachel?

What's going on?

You tell me.

This is all you.

I thought you were my... I thought you
were my friend.

I thought I was until I found a bag of
money in your passport.

I think maybe we should call NCIS.

Agreed.

Well, then good news.

She's trying to make it look like I'm
the one who did all this. I was just

to say the same thing about her. I
didn't put this in here.

Step back, both of you.

So what happened next?

That question is irrelevant.

The events you're describing have
already occurred.

Well, humor me.

You said humans are predictable. You got
a gun on the ground between two murder

suspects.

What's your move?

Neutralize both threats immediately.

Oh, so you would shoot two people over a
gun that neither of them has touched.

Huh. Without further data, immediate
action is the most efficient way to

suspect containment and prevent a 73 %
chance of agent harm.

What about the 27 % chance that neither
of them makes a move?

All you have is a hesitation or a slight
twitch of the hand.

You know, humans can read things we
don't even understand.

We call it trusting our gut.

What's that worth?

I do not understand the question.

I know.

It's a good thing Knight and Torres did.

I didn't put that bag in here.

Neither did I.

Forensics will process everything. The
bag, security logs, we'll find out who

was in here.

It's over.

Don't.

Get off me!

I didn't do anything!

I don't understand.

Except she was never her friend at

all. Rachel and the con man had targeted
Samantha from the beginning. So when

the con man got shot, Rachel killed the
real Dr. Grant to tie up loose ends.

Case closed.

We speechless? That's a first.

No, Jimmy.

I'm still processing.

Yeah, which part?

Rachel Lacani was never Samantha's
friend.

From the beginning, she was merely
trying to use Samantha.

I'm sure you have an opinion about that.

It is very human.

I agree.

Dear Director, you asked me for my final
report, so here goes.

Robots are designed to save time.

But being human isn't about saving it.
It's about how we spend it.

Because time is a strange currency.

When you spend it, where you spend it,
and who you spend it on makes all the

difference.

And choosing the right moments, the
human moments, that's where real

breakthroughs happen. Not in code, not
in efficiency.

but in connection.

And yes, I know Gibbs rule number 24,
there's no such thing as perfect timing.

That's why this job still needs people
who can adapt, who can read the room,

and know when the timing is close
enough.

There will be a place for this
technology, Director, someday, whether

or not.

But for now, the timing just isn't
right.

Thank you.