Original subtitles

Bobby, Bobby, Bobby.

How many times I gotta tell you?

I don't do water-filled.

Well, because--

at best, they leak, and at worst,

you get black mold, that's why.

Yeah.

Yeah, you got some, uh,

buckwheat-fill you want to unload,

I could trade a case of corduroy pillows.

They're great for making headlines.

Get it? Head lines?

[chuckles]: Pillow humor.

Hmm.

Let me call you back, all right?

[phone beeps]

[sighs]

[phones ringing]

Not smart. [gasps]

Tony catches you snooping, he'll...

You know what?

I don't even want to get inside his head to guess.

I wasn't snooping.

I-I-I wasn't. I wasn't snooping.

I just came up, uh, for a signature

from Agent DiNozzo and something on his desk caught my eye.

Yeah? Something on my desk ever catch your eye?

[laughs]

I'm sorry, is this a trick question?

Jimmy, we need to respect each other's privacy.

I'm surprised at you.

I know, it's just I couldn't help myself.

Tony's not the kind of guy that writes a handwritten note.

And who's Jessica?

Tony says that she's a wonderful person

and she deserves...

"Nothing but happiness.

I'm incredibly sorry for..." For what?

He doesn't say.

TONY: That's because it's not done.

And it's none of your business.

Jim. Tim.

I'm a little surprised, snooping at my desk.

Particularly you, James Palmer.

I'm very angry with you, and I will get more angry

in five, four, three...

What?

Jessica is that dancer you dated.

Like, four years ago.

No comment.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

What are you, in some kind of

12-step program for recovering misogynists?

These past few weeks have been...

interesting, haven't they?

It's just got me thinking about

the choices that we make

and the people, you know, that we let in

or don't let in and... just trying to make it better.

Any more questions?

Yeah, what'd you do with the real Tony?

Maybe this is the real Tony.

WOMAN: Grab your gear.

McGEE: Excuse me?

Who let you out of the polygraph room?

Agent Gibbs.

He called and asked me to help you two

collect evidence at your crime scene.

We don't have a crime scene.

You do now.

But you don't collect evidence.

Well, the times they are a-changing, boys.

That's the third person in the last week

Gibbs has had tag along with us.

Almost makes me think he doesn't trust us by ourselves.

The store owner who leased out the apartment

says her name is Patricia Moreno.

Officers responding

to the 911 found this and called us.

Thanks.

It's worse than we thought.

She's applying for a full-time position.

Criminal Investigator.

Gibbs is conducting the preliminary review.

[whispering]: What's the plan?

She's not going to be as easy to chase away as the others.

TONY [whispering]: Listen, we can't

let Gibbs know that she annoys us.

He'll think we feel threatened.

Which he'll like.

The owner see anything?

No, he leased her the apartment

two-and-a-half years ago,

sold Sergeant Moreno a pillow...

Then barely saw her again.

Says she kept mostly to herself.

We overheard your interview.

It was very well done.

Really? How so?

Well, um...

See, it had

all of the, uh...

Oop, look, there's Ducky.

DUCKY: Yeah, the first recorded use of a pillow

was in 7,000 B.C.

Of course, back then,

only the wealthy could afford such luxury.

And now look at what 30 bucks can get you.

[Jimmy chuckles]

Oh, I've always wanted a body pillow.

You done shopping, Palmer?

Well, actually, I have a buckwheat knee pillow on hold.

Yeah, you see, the interesting thing

about buckwheat is that...

Well, never mind.

Oh, hello.Hello.

What have we here?

A mess.

DUCKY: Oh, dear God.

This is clearly the result of some kind of acid.

And since I doubt she would have sat still for it,

probably dispensed post-mortem.

JIMMY: Could make the cause of death difficult to determine,

especially if it was head trauma. DUCKY: Yeah.

Perhaps the point.

Well, let's get this young lady back

before we speculate further on how she died.

We can speculate on why, Duck.

Nothing appears to be missing...

which suggests this wasn't a robbery.

McGee, where was she assigned?

Nowhere.

Sergeant Moreno died in Afghanistan

almost three years ago.

Well...

then who the hell is she?

TONY: The real Sergeant Moreno was killed by an I.E.D.

in Afghanistan three years ago.

Her body was sent back through Dover

and buried in her Kansas hometown.

Best we can tell, somewhere along the ride home,

her military I.D. was stolen

and then used by whoever this is to create a new identity.

McGEE: The imposter used the I.D.

to get her credit card, driver's license,

even an Amazon Prime account.

TONY: Same height, same build.

How'd the imposter get the I.D.?

We confirmed that it was sent home

with Sergeant Moreno's possessions

after she was killed.

But Susan spoke to the family, and they said it never arrived.

She's asking around,

but I wouldn't hold my breath.

Wouldn't hold my breath? Why?

He means that Susan's a polygraph lady,

not really a people person.

But we love her.

We think she's great, so...

we're cool with it.

You're cool with what?

[groans]

It's obvious you're looking to hire a replacement.

Motive?

I don't know, maybe you think we need the help.

Three's a magic number? Who knows?

But we don't need anyone else, boss.

And we don't want anyone, either.

I was talking about the murder.

But if you two feel threatened...

No! Not threatened.No. No, no, no, no, no.

What's the motive?!

Right.

One of the neighbors said the victim

was working as a maid at a nearby motel.

A lot of drug deals going on around there.

At least a few homicides a year.

We're thinking maybe she saw something that got her killed.

DiNozzo, motel.

McGee, find out if Ducky

has decontaminated the body.

Who is she? Find out!

McGEE: Hey, Abby.

Ducky said you pulled some prints on our Jane Doe.

Any luck?

Luck.

Is that what you think happens in here?

No, I just meant...

It's Tuesday, so no backtracking.

Our victim's fingers were too badly burned for a positive I.D.

However, I did identify what chemical was used.

Hydrofluoric acid is its name,

and dissolving skin is its game.

Too bad it's readily available

as a wheel cleaner in pretty much every auto-parts store.

However, I did have some "luck" with the victim's necklace.

There is DNA on here,

which could belong to the killer, so stay tuned.

But I learned something interesting

about the stone itself.

It's a lapis lazuli,

mined almost exclusively in Afghanistan.

And on the back there's an inscription.

"To Nadira."

What language is that?

It's Pashto. Also out of Afghanistan.

So now we have a country of origin.

Yeah, and we might have more,

because Tony just emailed me

a job application from a motel where she worked.

She filled this out last year.

She used her Sergeant Moreno identity. Yeah.

Whoa!

Look who she has listed

as her "In Case of Emergency."

Leyla Shakarji. Isn't that...

Mike Franks' daughter-in-law.

TONY: Motel manager didn't have much to say about the victim

except she showed up on time and worked hard.

It was a dead end.

Gibbsy!

Hey, hey.

Come on, I got you.

[playful grunting]

Getting big.

Are you coming over?

Can we play Twister again?

Oh, we'll see.

Let me talk to your mom for a minute.

Go and play on the swings, Amira.

I'll be with you in a moment.

Why do I have a feeling

this is not a social call?

I want to ask you about a case.

Of course.

Anything.

You know her?

No.

Leyla, she put you down

as her emergency contact on a job application.

Has there been an emergency?

Yeah, she was murdered.

How?

I only met her a few times.

Mike introduced us.

He asked me to look out for her when he was gone.

TONY: Who is she?

I don't know.

How did Mike know her?

He wouldn't say.

And I never saw her again after he died.

He must have told you something about her.

He didn't tell me anything. And I didn't push it.

You know as well as I do, when Mike asks you to do something,

it's better not to ask too many questions.

I'm sorry, I wish I could tell you more.

Come for dinner soon?

What was Mike Franks into, boss?

FRANKS: How's it coming?

Slow.

I could stop smoking and buy you some more time,

but don't know if my lungs could take the shock.

What is that? German Renaissance?

Just give me something flowery.

I like flowers.

Anything else?

Actually, I... need another favor.

[quietly]: Hey. Come on.

It's okay.

Come on.

Gibbs, this is Elina.

I need to leave her with you for a few days.

Excuse me?!

Oh, I bet you heard it just fine.

Don't worry, she speaks less English

than you do Pashto.

Mike... this is not a hotel.

I'm right in the middle of a case.

I know.

There's no one else I can trust.

It's... it's like that.

Oh...

All right... all right... but I... but I got...

No questions!

I can't just take in a teenage girl,

no questions asked.

You come to me all the time for help, probie.

Now I'm coming to you.

I need help.

TONY: Is it me, or did it seem like

Leyla was holding out on us?

I know she's almost family but...

wouldn't be the first time.

Plus, anytime you add Mike Franks to the mix,

anything's possible.

She could be Mike Franks' daughter... girlfriend, maybe.

Although, that's kind of creepy.

Almost as creepy as you playing Twister.

[laughing]

[coughs]

Something on your mind, boss?

Yeah.

[phone ringing]

I got it.

McGee.

You're on speaker.

No bad-mouthing the boss.

What?! I've never...

GIBBS: What do you got, McGee?

Um, we got a hit on the DNA from our victims' necklace.

McGEE: His name is Farshad Sarabi.

He emigrated from Afghanistan ten years ago.

He have a record?

McGEE: Just a history of domestic violence.

"Just"?

He just happens to work at an auto parts store,

which just happens to sell hydrofluoric acid.

Put out a BOLO; get a warrant to search his place.

McGEE: You got it, boss.

Bye.

Sure you don't want to talk about it?

Guess that means you don't want any fries, either.

[railroad crossing bell dinging]

[train horn blowing]

Hmm?

No. No.

Mm.

GIBBS: Mike should be here soon.

He told me to meet him here.

Mike...

good.

[chuckling]

Mike good.

Depends on the day.

Hm.

[laughs]

But he does have his moments.

[toy clicking, whirring]

Where are your parents?

Your mother? Your father?

Sold me.

To man.

What man?

Hu-Hu-Husband.

Old.

L-Like you.

[laughing]

It's okay.

[laughs quietly]

It is all right.

Hm.

DUCKY: Acid attacks were all the rage in 19th century Europe.

It wasn't until acid shortages in World War II

that they started to decline.

See? There's a bright side to everything.

Even global war.

What do you got, Duck?

Well, contrary to Mr. Palmer's

crime-scene speculation,

acid was not used to cover up the cause of death.

PALMER: No, it was the cause of death.

In high enough doses, hydrofluoric acid

can cause cardiac arrest.

You're saying her death was an accident?

The goal was to maim this woman, Jethro.

And if she died, she died.

We may have stumbled on an honor killing.

PALMER: I'm sorry-- a what?

An honor killing, Mr. Palmer,

is when a relative is murdered

for bringing dishonor on the family.

It's a brutal custom.

Women can be killed for refusing an arranged marriage;

for infidelity...

or just for being a lovesick teenager.

Being caught kissing a boy.

DUCKY: It's a misnomer, if I ever heard one.

I mean, there is no honor involved.

Whoever did this is a stone-cold killer.

Who's about to feel the pain.

BOLO came back on our suspect, boss.

Rockville PD's got him.

Okay.

So what are you doing here?

Leaving.

I sincerely hope you put the screws to this one, Jethro.

Will do.

Well, this may help you with your interrogation.

Our victim has scars from a lifetime of beatings.

She was persecuted simply for being a woman.

[conversing quietly, indistinctly]

You, too, kid.

MAN: Thank you very much.

FRANKS: See you soon.

[car door opens]

[groans, sighs]

What's going on?

Why the fake I.D.?

About a year ago, some former--

let's say associates--

come up to me because they had a 12-year-old Afghan girl

who they were helping smuggle into the U.S.

Okay, stop.

I can't hear any more of that.

You need to.

This girl had been raped repeatedly

by her uncle.

When she finally went to the police,

they arrested her.

For what?

For being outside without a male escort.

Without her uncle, for Pete's sake.

I was just supposed to help with the one.

But when I met the kid--

this sweet, innocent child--

it ain't something you let go.

So I hooked up with this group

that runs women's shelters in Kabul.

I kind of run their underground railroad.

You know, helping them relocate their hard cases.

Mike, I can hear the "but" that's coming a mile away.

[chuckles] Butwith all this border fence talk,

it's getting to be harder and harder

to get the girls in.

Even harder to get them set up with the fake I.D.'s.

What do you want?

[sighs]

I need you to put a space "A" travel request in the system.

Authorizing military transport

from Kabul to El Salvador.

This is for six people.

Six refugees.

I'll take care of everything else.

That's all you need to know.

I can't wait for Gibbs to give this guy hell.

McGEE: Same here.

You'll...

have to settle for me.

You?

Why you?

Gibbs wants me to talk to the suspect.

TONY [scoffs]: Look...

this isn't taking pictures at a crime scene,

this is an interrogation.

Yeah.

If only I had experience

asking people questions

and trying to figure out if they were lying.

And the investigator job I want is in San Diego.

We are gonna miss you.

I'm sure.

Now, let's get started.

We found a list of names in the suspect's apartment.

All Afghan, all women.

McGEE: Each name is linked to the name

of a deceased servicewoman.

We think the Afghan girls are using them

as fake identities, just like our victim did.

She's on the list too-- crossed off.

So are two others.

This is a hit list.

[mouthing]

She's pissing him off, Tony.

How do I look?

You look stupid.

Like a painted clown.

Prefer something more...

like... this?

She was living in the U.S.,

hiding under a stolen identity

when you somehow found out what it was,

tracked her down and killed her.

That about right?

I assume...

that's the plan for everyone on your list.

List?

I don't know what you're talking about, list?

Okay, cut the bull--

We have hydrofluoric acid in your trunk,

your handwriting on a hit list,

and your DNA at the crime scene.

I've not only got you dead to rights

on this one, I'm gonna make it

my life's mission to pin these other two on you.

You're here 'cause I just need to know one thing.

I need to know why.

Can't stand that

women are smarter than men, yeah?

Or maybe

it's 'cause we see you

at your weakest

and most vulnerable.

Don't talk to me that way.

They brought shame and dishonor to their families.

They were punished in accordance to God's law.

Is that who you work for?

I provide a service to those who need it.

Where did you get this list?

It does not matter where.

What matters is

we have the names they're using to hide in this country.

We will find them.

You may have been able to stop me,

but someone else will come for them.

All these women were smuggled into the US

and given fake identities?

By whom?

It's not our priority right now.

Who has been leaking these new identities

to those hit men?

You think it's someone here in Afghanistan?

It's why I'm calling you.

You are the liaison to the only

UN women's rights group in the country.

If these are honor killings,

the girls' families probably got together

to hire your hit man,

which means any of a thousand people

could be the source.

The targets are all on this same list.

They've got to have something in common.

They do.

My records show that at one time or another,

they all stayed at the same women's shelter outside Kabul.

I know it well.

Okay, let's start there.

Prepare a rack.

I'll be there in 18 hours.

You going to Afghanistan, boss?

You just got back from the Middle East.

I'm sure they can handle this.

[door closes, sighs]

[horn honking]

[engine stops]

[dog barking distantly]

Here we are.

Noor Women's Shelter.

Oh, it looks more like a bomb shelter.

GORMAN: They're lucky to have this.

They get zero support from the community.

That's putting it mildly, Tom.

The locals think women's shelters

are fronts for brothels,

which is why they're all run by foreign NGOs.

You must be Agent Gibbs.

Catherine Tavier.

I manage this shelter.

Well, let's talk inside

before someone thinks you're customers

and shoot at you.

[speaking Pashto]

The girls don't know about Nadira.

They don't speak English.

Are you sure it was her?

You tell us.

How did her family find her?

You really think one of Nadira's family members had her killed?

They're the only ones who'd care enough.

If you can forgive my choice of words.

But even if you find out who it was,

you'll never get a conviction.

Not here.

There are women in danger.

Women that you know.

Were you aware that after Nadira left here,

she was smuggled into the US

and living under a false identity?

On the record, no.

Off the record, I may have heard a thing or two.

Though, sadly,

that conduit to the US has closed.

Nadira was found

because someone leaked her real identity.

We're bringing those women into protective custody,

but to really protect them,

we're gonna need to find out who's leaking their cover names.

I'm the only one who knew them all,

aside from the girls here.

We were the only ones who could be trusted.

Gonna need to talk to them.

There is simple no way

they would have shared that information.

They know what it could mean.

Still gonna need to talk to them.

Lieutenant Gorman and I can translate.

Yeah.

McGee, go with the lieutenant.

It's nice to finally meet.

Mike Franks spoke very highly of you.

FRANKS: I need you

to put a travel request in the system.

GIBBS: It's for six people.

Six refugees.

[sighs]

♪

[speaking Pashto]

She says she doesn't know who would leak any names

and she would die before doing so herself.

Please tell her thank you.

[speaking Pashto]

[sighs]

You get anything?

Yeah, some of the most horrible stories

I've ever heard.

I tell you, though, I got my eye

on that girl in the bottom right bunk.

She's been squirrely ever since we got here.

[phone rings]

Oh, there's Tony.

Maybe he's had better luck.

[indistinct conversations]Ah, finally.

Ladies, please,

can you keep it down.

This is long-distance.

What do you got, DiNozzo?

I have a headache, boss.

Susan and I

got all the women from the hit list.

She's looking into safe houses,

and, uh, [clears throat]

I got a call into immigration.

Why?

Well, because all these women

are here illegally, boss.

We're not sending them home, DiNozzo.

McGEE: They're not safe here, Tony.

You call DHS and you request temporary asylum.

That'll keep them busy for a while.

Okay, that's why we call you the boss.

[speaks Pashto]

[shouting in Pashto]

Mormeans mother.

Her daughter was sent

to America first.

The mother was to follow.

Unfortunately, that never happened

when Mike Franks died.

[crying]

[speaking Pashto]

It's the first time they've seen each other in two years.

[glass shattering]

[screaming]

Tony, I'll call you back.

Wait, McGee...

Boss, you see anything?

No.

Everybody's okay.

CATHERINE: It's been a rough week.

This is nothing.

Though, this late probably means it's going to be a rough night.

FRANKS: Have you lost all shred of human decency?

This is not a game.

This is life or death to these women!

You don't know that.

The hell I don't!

These girls are in danger.

Even in the shelters.

And when the US finished its military pull-out,

it's game over for them.

Look at them.

Look at their faces.

I'm a federal agent,

and I cannot lend material support

to a human smuggling operation.

When did you start caring about the rules?

My rules.

Yeah? Which ones?

Rule ten.

Never get personally involved on a case.

Rule 14, bend the line,

don't break it.

Human smuggling breaks it.

You already got involved once.

Or don't you remember how Leyla and Amira got here?

How do you choose, Mike?

Huh? Who do you pick?

You can start it,

but how do you stop it?

You're not God.

He's sitting this one out.

I can't do it.

Can't do it.

Easy, easy. You'll break the frame.

That's all of them, boss.

You find the leak?

No.

Think maybe Catherine was right.

These women would never sell each other out.

[phone ringing]

Girl I was talking to was almost beaten to death

by her father for kissing a boy.

The one in the back right ran away

from an arranged marriage when she was 13.

13, boss. Yeah.

Yeah, I get it.

On the other hand, if they're the only ones

that had the info,

the leak has to be here.

Yes, sir.

We have to leave.

Now.

What's going on?

My office just got intel that a group of locals

is planning something after sundown tonight.

That's almost now.

Planning what?

It sounds like another bonfire.

They're usually a little too close for comfort.

Well, we need to call the police.

Not a good idea.

They usually bring the gasoline.

My office has already dispatched

an urgent request to any UN forces in the area,

but we've been ordered back to base.

Maybe your girls

can find someplace else to go as a precaution.

Well, you know as well as I do,

they don't have any place else to go.

We wait for backup.

Agent Gibbs, we're prohibited by our rules of engagement

from lending any support in these situations.

It's very tricky geopolitically.

We have our orders.

We need to leave.

I'm staying.

GORMAN: Look, this isn't the first time

we've gotten intel like this.

The girls will be fine.

But if we stay, it is guaranteed to turn violent.

We need to leave now.

Come on, McGee. Get out of here.

Boss...

Now.

Go.

♪

Thank you for flying NCIS Airlines.

We know you have a choice

when it comes to government agencies,

and we hope you can discover the joys of a U.S. passport.

Or green card.

Don't worry.

Everything's going to be okay.

[elevator bell dings]

[speaks Pashto]

You're welcome.

[cell phone ringing]

Tony DiNozzo, friend of the ladies.

Tony, we've got a problem.

We've got intel that there might be an attack on the shelter

and orders to bug out, but...

Let me guess.

Actually, I don't even need to.

Agent McGee, we have our orders.

We need to leave now.

Then go.

I'm staying.

What is it with these guys from NCIS?

What do you need?McGEE: Well, supposedly,

there's reinforcements on the way, but...

I'll see what we have

in the area.

All right, when you're done,

go by MTAC,

check satellite coverage on our location.

Maybe you can see something that we can't.

Okay. On it.

Be careful, Tim.

Yeah.

[hammering]

Wet some blankets.

We can stuff them under the doors

if we need to get the smoke out.

Rear is secure.

Anything else I can help with, boss?

I.D. all lines of sight.

Cover all approaches, McGee.

McGEE: You know, I don't see why we all just don't

take a walk around the block till the cavalry arrives.

It's too risky. This could all be

just a gambit to get us to leave the shelter.

We're safer inside.

McGee, ammo.

Got a full mag in my SIG.

Two extra in my pack.

You have access to any weapons?

I'm not so fond of guns,

but I've been keeping one around.

Don't shoot yourself.

[gunfire, women screaming]

Everybody down.

McGee.

McGEE: I got nothing.

[cell phone rings]

[sighs]

Tony, it's a bad time right now.

Just got off the horn with a U.N. commander.

They're sending a team your way.

Well, they better be quick. We just got fired on.

Satellite's coming online.

TONY: Okay, there we go.

We got five bogeys inbound, McGee.

On foot, moving slow.

I don't see 'em.

I got 'em.

TONY: Are you still there, McGee?

McGEE: We're here, Tony.

They've got Molotov cocktails.

They're not planning a bonfire.

Well, you're not going to talk your way out of this,

and if you start shooting,

you're going to have a mob on your hands.

The locals aren't big fans of Americans.

REPORTER: This just in:

Outside Kabul, there has been yet another car bombing.

The target this time was a women's shelter

run by a French group called Les Femmes Déterminée.[door creaks open]

Six Afghan women were reportedly killed during the blast.

The only survivor was a French national,

Catherine Tavier, who ran the shelter.

I could've got them out, probie.

Some of them were just kids.

McGEE: We can't run.

We can't negotiate. We can't fight.

So what are we going to do?

TONY: All right, they're coming, McGee.

We stand.

Which means what exactly?

These guys are bullies.

You stand up to bullies, right, McGee?

Cover me. What?

Boss, you're going out there?

TONY: McGee, what is he doing?

He's doing what he does, Tony.

Where's our backup?

Working on it.

Well, work faster.

[chuckling]

[speaks Pashto]

He's going to get himself killed.

I think I may die of a heart attack first.

[men chuckling, murmuring quietly]

[gunshot]

[men yelling]

Grid 097... Where's our air and ground support?

We need it now. We're out of time.

There's too many of them.

If I shoot one of them, Gibbs is dead.

He's already dead.

What's going on? Sitrep, McGee.

You've been on the other side of that look, Tony.

Take a guess.

[speaks Pashto]

[yelling]

[speaking Pashto]

[man continues speaking Pashto]

[sighs]

Hey, gunny... got a call you needed some backup?

Thank you.

I can't believe it.

That was incredible.

Boss, you saved the shelter.

For now, McGee.

What about tomorrow?

SUSAN: Agent Gibbs took quite a risk

with what he did.

That's how he rolls.

I heard they found the leak.

Yeah.

One of the girls who moved out of the shelter was threatened.

She had no choice.

You all really care.

About the job, but...

also about other.

Well, sometimes it's a pain in the ass.

SUSAN: Why do you think Gibbs did it?

TONY: I don't know.

Because he likes breaking rules, maybe.

I hope he has a better answer for Immigration.

'Cause he's going to have some explaining to do after this.

Mor?

[gasps]

Mor!

[sobbing]

Mike would be so proud of you.

Captioning sponsored by CBS

and TOYOTA.

Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org