All language subtitles for NCIS.S21E06.Strange.Invaders.720p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-NTb_eng_sdh

[crickets chirping]

[phone ringing]

[ringing]

[grunts]

Hello?

[distorted, garbled voice]

Hello? Anybody there?

[sighs]

[ringing]

Hello?[distorted, garbled voice]

Oh, come on.

Really?

[metallic creaking outside]

♪ ♪

[creaking continues]

[creaking]

[electrical warbling]

[overlapping TV chatter]

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

You want to have
an '80s theme party?

You, Nick Torres?

Not really,
but Dr. Grace thought

it would be a good idea.

She trying to drum up
more business?

Because I'm definitely
gonna need some therapy

after seeing Director Vance
in a high-top fade.

Hey. I look good
with a high-top fade.

No, Your Honor, sorry,
I wasn't talking to you.

High-top fade it is.

Okay, so why?

Well, the doctor said

[clears throat]
that I needed, quote,

"A little more fun
in my life."

Which is crazy, because I'm like
the most fun person I know.

Agree to disagree.

You are out of your mind.

Dude, I am super fun.

No, I said-- I said no,
absolutely not, no way.

He's not talking to us.

We'll talk about it
when I get home, okay?

And by that, I mean no.

Hmm, does Delilah want you

to binge-watch another session
of Love Island?

No, that I would
be okay with.

She wants me to shave my goatee.

Then shave your goatee.

You got a problem
with my goatee?

Actually, this is the first time
I noticed you even had one.

I-I love it, it really
shapes your face. But...

But what?

Well, we have
a standing policy

to side with Delilah on
all marriage disagreements.

Smart move.
Happy wife, happy life.

McGEE:
Well, uh,

that phrase is kind of
considered sexist nowadays.

Happy spouse, happy house.

Oh, that's a good recovery.

Hey, can we get back
to my goatee now?

I don't even know
what that means.

Maybe I don't want to know.

But you can talk about it
in the car.

That does not sound good.

PARKER:
Is it ever?

This doesn't look
like the usual to me.

Yeah, somebody really
wanted this guy dead.

Ten, 11, 12 entry wounds.

And six exit wounds.
All oddly shaped, I might add.

Who's this guy again?

Lieutenant Elliot Greene.

He's a fighter pilot.

Why does that ring a bell?

I don't know. You tell me.

I can't put my finger on it.

I got something I can't put
my finger on either.

Six exit wounds?

Where are the bullets?

Perhaps, uh, the victim
wasn't shot here?

Post-mortem lividity
says he was.

So, the shooter policed
his own brass?

PARKER: Did he patch
and paint the walls?

Where are the
bullet holes?

We seem to be missing six.

Well, whoever this guy is,
he's a hell of a shot.

12 rounds, all through
that same hole.

Okay. So we're looking
at a sniper.

A sniper who can levitate.

Because there are absolutely
no trees in this area

even remotely tall enough
for the angle he was at.

Helicopter?

Neighbors would've heard it.

Scissor lift?

No tire tracks.

Dr. Mallard once cracked a case

where the shooter
was in a hot air balloon.

I'm not writing "unidentified
hot air balloon" in my report.

Oh, wait, that's it.

That's it, I remember
something. I, uh--

Wait, I need to look something
up. Give me your phone.

You were just knuckle-deep
in 12 bullet holes.

JIMMY:
I think I remember

seeing the lieutenant
on Z-SPAN last week.

Doing what?

Testifying before Congress.

About?

You got to be kidding me.

KNIGHT: What's a UAP hearing?

U-A-P.

Unidentified
aerial phenomenon.

As in...?

The original term
was UFO.

Apparently, the lieutenant here
thought he saw one.

Shortly after takeoff,
my flight cameras began

to detect several anomalous
objects in my vicinity.

How the hell did I miss this?

Now, these objects had
no obvious means of propulsion.

They seemed to defy gravity.

They anticipated my every move

in a way that I have
no explanation for.

[sighs]
Thoughts?

I have no idea
how I missed this.

Well, if you're asking
if I think

he actually saw a Martian...

I hope not.

He seems like
a pretty credible guy.

Just saying.

It would explain a lot
about the crime scene.

Okay, show of hands.
Who thinks it's aliens?

TORRES:
Does it count

if I just hope it's aliens?

Cocoon is my favorite movie.

Pass. We have enough
problems here on Earth.

We don't need
Megatron showing up.

That works for me.
As you may recall,

my ex was on the UAP Task Force,

and she was convinced
there was no "there" there.

- What was it?
- What it always is.

Some new, top secret aircraft

that somebody somewhere
is working on.

But we need to talk
to that congresswoman.

You think, uh, Greene saw
something he wasn't supposed to?

The real question is,
did he get killed for it?

JIMMY:I'm more curious
about what killed him.

You mean aside from the
12 bullet holes in his chest?

Are those bullet holes?
'Cause I'm not convinced.

Uh, there's no thermal
trauma, no soot deposit.

I didn't find a single bullet
in his body.

I mean, we didn't find any
at the crime scene, either.

Uh, Greene's ribs
were shattered.

Uh, I should've found
dozens of bullet fragments.

I-I mean, it's like
he has these wound channels,

but whatever created
them just disappeared.

What are you saying?

I'm saying I have no idea
what killed our victim.

You know what? I think
I might have an idea.

- What?
- Ice bullets.

- Ice bullets?
- Ice bullets.

No.

I had a mystery novel
proposal once

where my serial killer
used disappearing ice bullets...

Yeah, I'm gonna stop
you right there.

You see, ice is not
remotely strong enough

to shatter
a human bone.

On the otherhand...

...an alien energy weapon?

Are you honestly suggesting...

[laughs]:
Ah! I got you.

Yeah, uh, no, seriously.

I have no idea what killed
our lieutenant here.

I did send some tissue samples
up to Kasie for analysis.

Hopefully, she'll come up
with something.

Something much more
down-to-earth.

Boy, it would be cool
if it was aliens, though, right?

Beyond cool.

I mean, just the thought
of autopsying an alien corpse?

You know, all
those new organs.

All those new smells.

Mm, yeah, no, it's
getting weird now.

You try to spend all
your time down here by yourself.

I mean, you take
what you can get.

Oh, speaking of which.

[Jimmy clears throat]

This came this morning.

Delilah had it
delivered to me

to give to you.

I have no idea why.

I do. It's a beard trimmer.

Ooh. Nothing passive-aggressive
about that, huh?

Yeah, more
"aggressive-aggressive."

But you know what?
You can keep that,

because I am drawing
a line in the sand on this one.

Are we sure we want to
do that, buddy?

Oh, we're sure.

I've been nurturing
this bad boy for years.

It's like a third child to me.

Well, you know what they say:
a joyful mate, tranquil state.

There's a lot more of those
sayings than I realized.

That's because, uh,
compromise is the bedrock

of any healthy relationship.

And Tim, you're never supposed
to stop dating your wife.

PARKER:Thank you for speaking
with us, Congresswoman.

Of course.

I was shocked to learn
of Lieutenant Greene's murder.

I'll help you any way I can.

We've, uh, requested access
to his flight cameras.

We're hoping they might
shed a little more light

on his testimony.

Do you think that testimony has
something to do with his death?

The timing suggests
that it might.

I'm happy to show you
the requested footage.

Here. Once.

You'll see all you need to know.

GREENE [over video]:
You seeing this?

I'm having trouble
gauging its size.

PILOT 1:
I don't believe this.

PILOT 2:
What the hell is that?

GREENE:
It's slicing through a 100-knot
wind like it's nothing.

The classified report said,

"The object performed
right-angle turns,

"was able to instantly
reverse direction

and could evade radar at will."

[sighs] S-So,
we're thinking this is...

Uh, what are we
thinking this is?

The Russians.

Intel suggests they've created

a new type of aircraft.

We've code-named it Pantheon.

And now you know
as much as we do.

And Lieutenant Greene
was the only eyewitness

willing to testify?

Correct. We were just about
to read him

into the program
so we could fully debrief him.

Well, whoever killed Greene must
have been trying to shut him up.

Director Vance, you need
to find out who exactly that is.

It is of vital national
security interest,

and Greene's killer
is the best lead we've had.

Understood.

Keep me informed.

Will do.

The Russians,

outflying our fighter pilots?

I think I'd prefer aliens.

Maybe they want to eat us,
maybe they don't.

Yeah, but we know
what the Russians want.

Kasie, please tell me
you found something

in the tissue sample
Jimmy sent up.

What's up? You're not
normally this needy.

Well, Director Vance
just lit a fire under my ass,

and I got nothing.

Mm. I've got something.

Our victim received
half a dozen phone calls

shortly before
he was killed.

All lasting less
than two seconds each.

That's strange.
You trace them yet?

Mm.

Be my guest.

You know,
Torres is right.

Our victim was
a pretty credible guy.

I know, right?

If he'd said to me
point-blank

that he definitely saw E.T.,

I would believe him as much
as if you'd said it to me.

Funny you should say that--

I was out camping

with some friends
one night and I saw...

[quietly]:
something.

And 100% it was either
a ghost or an alien,

and I just haven't
figured out

which one
creeps me out less, so...

let's just
leave it at that.

[exhales, chuckles]

Okay.
Your turn to share.

Share what?

Well, there's rumors
going around

that Delilah's filing
for legal separation

over your goatee.

There's a rumor
about my goatee?

Mm. Slow news day.

Don't worry about it.
I got it handled.

Took Jimmy's advice,
told Delilah

that I'm willing
to compromise.

So, you're shaving
- half your face?
- No.

Delilah is making
an online poll

for my coworkers.

So whatever you guys decide,
she'll agree to.

Which, you know,
basically means

I'm keeping my goatee.

Team NCIS and all that?

Mm...

Kasie?

[exhales]
Sometimes change is good.

Kasie.
Oh!

What the...

Wait-- shove over.

What just happened?

The sample Jimmy sent up

just blew out
Mass Spec's ionizer.

The good news is,

it was at least able
to identify the substance

he pulled
from the victim's wounds.

McGEE:
"Atomic element 116."

And the bad news is,
we will not be able

to trace this back
to the killer.

Why not?

Element 116
doesn't exist on the Earth.

Which means what, exactly?

You tell me.

PARKER: I hear
the BLT's good here.

Best this side of Anacostia.

[exhales]

Would you like a bite?

I'm good.

So...

Uh...

Yeah, funny thing...

Um, in fact,
it's a real laugh riot.

Let me guess, you got a lead
on Lieutenant Greene's killer.

Uh, yep.

Russians?

It's actually a little further
than Russia.

It appears that

this, uh...

Spit it out, Agent Parker.

Aliens killed the lieutenant.

Oh, come on.

- I know.
- You...

You don't really--

You don't really believe...

[stammers] I didn't say
I believed.

Do you believe this?

Well, it's either that
or, uh, Kasie made a mistake.

Or..."Or." I can't wait to hear
what's behind door number three.

The Russians have found a way
to synthesize

this element 116 or whatever
and use it

for ammunition, which
no one has ever done before.

Let's go with that.

Okay, then-then that means...

It means that this Pantheon

is a lot more advanced
than we thought.

Please tell me you
have another lead.

Well, McGee traced some
weird phone calls to the victim,

uh, right before he was killed.

Someone from a company
called Above and Beyond.

That seems fitting.

We think this caller
knows something about Pantheon?

Torres and Knight
are on their way to find out.

All right, keep me posted.

All right.

[phone chimes]

Uh-oh.

What now?

Delilah's online poll
just came out.

Am I supposed to know
what that means?

It means I have to pick a side.

Suddenly, the idea
that the Russians

have a new superweapon
doesn't seem so bad.

This is my chief technology
officer's extension.

You're saying he called your
victim, like, on the phone?

Just before he was killed.

Are you sure?

Danny doesn't really
seem like the type.

The type to what?
Murder someone?

Talk to an actual human.

SILCOTT:
And how many grandkids
do you have?

Why are you talking to me
like I'm an idiot?

I'm just asking a question.

What exactly do you do here?

We resurrect the dead.

We do not resurrect the dead.

We create virtually interactive

personality AIs of the deceased.

This doesn't involve holograms,
does it?

Grandma kicks the bucket,

we take her emails, her texts,
her Facebook posts, and then,

create a new Grandma
you can talk to.

Did my kids sign me up
for this garbage?

Is it too late
to change my will?

We're still in beta.

Yeah, and we will be forever

if you keep interrupting me.

They're from NCIS.

Some guy you called last night
was murdered.

Elliot?

What happened?

You tell us.

You called him
half a dozen times yesterday

before he was killed.

I wanted to tell him about
a UAP sighting in his area.

You guys talk about UFOs a lot?

UAPs, and no.

I barely knew Greene.

We belonged to the same
watch group.

We passed sightings
along to each other.

I heard about one in his area,
and I was calling

to let him know.

But I wasn't able
to get through.

Kept getting static.

Like the call
was being blocked.

GRANDMA:
Oh, come on.

Is anyone buying this crap?

Lovely woman.

We're gonna need to hear
more about those sightings.

And if you happen
to know anyone who wants

Lieutenant Greene dead,
we'll take that, too.

Well, everyone
in that watch group

pretty much hated Greene,
how's that?

But you are Feds,
so...

good luck trying to get them
to talk to you.

GRANDMA:
Are we playing Canasta or what?

McGEE:
The group is called
the Galactic Watch Society.

Of course it is.

Lieutenant Greene
got pretty active

in their online forum

after his initial encounter
with Pantheon.

Yeah, there's about 12 members
in their local chapter.

And they meet once a week
in Rock Creek Park

to skywatch.

And all of them had some kind of
beef with the lieutenant?

Supposedly.

Not sure what
yet, though.

But I don't think they're gonna
be too eager to talk to us.

Yeah, we're the men in black.

- That's kind of awesome.
- I know, right?

Okay, so we go in undercover.

Knight? Torres?

- Mm-mm. No, thank you.
- No.

What's the problem?

Look, drug dealers
I can do all day.

Geek land? Not so much.

Hey, I'll go in your place

if you, uh, vote for me
in Delilah's poll.

Wait, wh-- are you not
gonna vote for me?

I haven't decided yet.

Wait, Parker, back me up here.

Hey, a man's facial hair
is sacrosanct, Torres.

- I'll take the deal.
- Sorry, Knight,

we're gonna need you
in geek land.

Ugh.

GROUP LEADER:
Before we go out for the night,

we have a few new
people here today.

This is Doug and
his sister Kim.

[fingers snapping]

Why don't we start
with you, Kim?

Start with what?

GROUP LEADER:
Your first sighting?

Oh, this should be good.

Ooh, you know, y-you're probably

not gonna believe
this, but I have...

I've never actually,
you know, seen a UFO.

She means "UAP."

KNIGHT:
UAP.

Never seen one. Uh, but...

my brother, though-- ho, ho--
my brother, he is...

the man to talk to.

Okay, this should be
even better.

Hang on. I think
I'm getting a signal.

I'm getting some
kind of static

on the 400 K band.

In the direction of Ceres Five.

Yo, yo, yo,
can they hear us talking?

[shushes]

Um...

That is the sound I heard
outside my window.

"Shh."

Shh.

I went to bed on a Thursday,

woke up,

it was Sunday.

Where was I all that time?

Face down on a toilet.

[chuckles]

I was just kidding.

Then I saw Lieutenant Greene's
testimony the other day and...

All right, thank you
for sharing, but I think

we've heard enough about
Lieutenant Greene this week.

Can I get a sitrep?

TORRES:
It's been two hours,

and all I have learned is that

the printing press,
microchips and Velcro

were all invented by aliens.

What about Lieutenant Greene?

Our intel was good.

He is not the most popular guy
in this crazy town.

Any particular reason?

It seems like there's a lot
of money in this field.

A bunch of the members had,
uh, podcasts in the works,

and book deals and stuff.

But that all got put on hold

when Greene testified
before Congress.

Well, not a lot of people with
his credibility come forward.

He sucked all the oxygen
out of the room.

And the money.

McGee and Knight
are trying to see

who's got alibis
on the DL, but, uh...

it's gonna be a long night.

Better you than me, buddy.

Living the dream.

GROUP MEMBER: Nestor makes
an interesting point

about the temperament
of Andromeda's life-forms

and their potential
for hostile exploration.

GROUP LEADER: I don't know,
there's no indication

that the Greys or the reptilians
would be hostile.

So, they could be friendly.

[fingers snapping]

- Nick. Wake up. Wake up.
- Hey. Hey.

- You okay?
- What the hell's going on?

Dude, where have you been?

I-I've been
right here.

I've been sitting in my c...

Wait a second.

Wait...

Is this where I parked?

No.
No.

We have been
looking for you

for the past
six hours.

You're messing with me.

Are you messing with us?

No, I'm not
messing with you.

One second,
I'm sitting in my car,

and the next,
you're banging on the window

and telling me it's...

Six hours later.

Yeah, six
hours later.

So far, everything looks good

except you do have this
rash on your hand.

Any idea how
you got it?

No clue. No clue.
One second,

I'm closing my eyes,
and then,

all of a sudden,

McGee and Knight were
all up in my grill.

We found him
about two miles

from where the car
was originally parked.

Looked like he was sleeping.

With my clothes on.
With my clothes on.

What does that
have to do with anything?

Uh, you know,
just stating the facts.

Your car's GPS had
no record of the trip.

Neither did your cell.

It's pretty strange.

Well, if I didn't
know any better,

I'd say this definitely
sounds like...

A textbook alien abduction.

Oh, come on.

Man, I take it back.

Cocoon is no longer
my favorite movie.

You know, I didn't
want to admit it to Parker,

but maybe it's not the Russians.

Does it hurt to sit down, Nick?

- No.
- Sure you don't
want a cushion?

Yeah, I'm pretty sure
I don't want a cushion.

Can we just
focus on where I was

and why I can't
remember anything?

Well, it's because
you were drugged.

Kasie found a sedative
in your bloodwork.

Drugs, see?

Aliens don't use drugs.

Well, TBD.

Who drugged you
in the first place?

Well, this particular sedative

can actually get into
your bloodstream through touch.

Did you ever
leave the car?

Yeah, once.

I had to, uh, you know.

Maybe someone spread some
sedative on your door handle

while you were occupied.

It certainly would
explain the rash on your hand.

Yeah, but not where I was
for six hours.

Dr. Mallard used to say that

memory recall depends on
all the senses.

You know, sight, smell.
Maybe don't try to

think about what you saw,

but rather what... Right there.

Smell. Now that
you mention that,

I do remember a strong odor.

Okay, what was it?

I don't know,
I'm not a bloodhound.

All right, well,

we can't put a BOLO
out on a smell,

and a sketch artist
isn't gonna be any help.

Ooh.

What about a scent artist?

I am touched Jimmy remembered

my fascination with
olfactory science.

Did you know
the human nose has--

Six million
sensory neurons.

Oh, I'm impressed.

I've got
a deviated septum

and a chatty doctor.

Okay, so,
we've eliminated

eight of the ten
key odor categories,

including woody, minty

and, nature's favorite, decay,

which leaves us with
sweet and pungent.

I have got a lucky feeling
about this one.

No, still a little
too cough syrupy.

That's nothing
that a dash

of 3-methylphenol won't fix.

[groans]

It's like old Band-Aids.

We're going the wrong way.

No, actually, I think
we're getting closer.

Try this.

That's it. Wherever I was taken

smelled just like this.

Like my
abuela's feet.

Uh, no offense
to Grams,

but that's
a hard pass.

So, what is it?

The chemical compound found in
liquid correction fluid.

Why did your abuela's feet
smell like Wite-Out?

I don't know, what did
yours smell like?

I don't know, I didn't smell
my grandma's feet.

This begs
a lot of questions, Nick.

Yeah, like how all this

is going to help me
find out where I was taken.

Fair enough.

What do you
think, Kase?

Was Torres locked in
an office supply closet?

No, too many other strong smells

for this one
to dominate.

He had to be somewhere
where there was a lot of it.

Do they still
make Wite-Out?

KASIE:Yes, but

one of their
competitors

went out of
business last year.

They have a
closed factory

not too far
from where

Torres was
staked out.

[distant train horn blows]

KNIGHT:
So what's the verdict?

Secret alien hideout?

More like
an entire company

wiped out by
the delete key.

KNIGHT:
This place seems
so normal, and yet...

Why am I so
creeped out right now?

KNIGHT:
I've been creeped out ever
since Torres disappeared.

Hey, what if he was
body-snatched?

I mean, seriously,
how would we even know?

And what if we like
this one more?

[phone chimes]

- Ooh.
- What is it?

Final poll results from Delilah.

- Oh.
- Ha ha. Goatee stays.

Ah, good for you.

Not that I was worried,
I know you guys were just

busting my...

Wait, the vote was four to one?

Someone tried to
throw me under the bus.

You won. Just take the victory.

It was you, wasn't it?

[gasps] You'll never know.

[thud nearby]
Freeze, NCIS!

Show yourself!

Something behind
you just moved.

[clattering]

[gasps]

[laughs]

- Well, that was fun.
- Right.

Freeze!

[Knight grunts]

McGEE:
Uh, Knight?

KNIGHT:
What the hell is this place?

I know you.

You're that radio guy

from Lieutenant Greene's
UFO group.

UAP.

Yeah, I would really let
that one go, if I were you.

Okay, weirdo
Radio Guy,

aka-- oh--
Nestor Quinn.

Says here
you used to be

a private
investigator,

before you
lost your license

for stealing
from a client.

Allegedly.

TORRES:
And the warehouse

filled with creepy alien props?

I sell alien merch online now.

Is that a crime?

KNIGHT:
No,

but this bag of sedatives

that we found in your truck is.

And, funnily enough,

these are the same
sedatives we found--

- In me.
- Drugging and kidnapping

a federal agent.

Side hobby of yours?

Okay, listen.

Last night at group,

I picked up
your signal,

so I tracked
the source and...

"borrowed" you to figure out
who the hell you were.

"Borrowed"?

It's a thing.
In my line of work.

But as soon as I realized
you were a Fed,

I mean, I put you
right back, so...

no harm, no foul? Or...

We have a dead Navy pilot.

That's a foul.

I had nothing to do with this.

Oh, please.
We found an entire dossier

on Lieutenant Greene
on your laptop.

So, what's this line of work?

Yeah, this is not
what it looks like.

Yeah, it looks like
you were hired to kill him.

- No.
- And I think
that gets you

life in prison.

I was hired to discredit him.

Go on.

Um...

I don't sell alien merch online.

I sell another...
service.

When someone sees something
they're not supposed to,

I go in and, uh...

- And what?
- Make them look crazy.

It's called "buzzing," okay?

It can be simple, like putting
a funny alien mask on

and making weird noises

outside their bedroom,
or, you know,

more complex like...

Drugging and kidnapping them?

If someone's blabbing about
the alien that probed them,

nobody's gonna believe them

about the one they saw
in the sky.

When you say probed...

Who hired you?

I don't-- I don't know.

I mean, I get
all my instructions via text.

All I know
is that

someone didn't like
what Greene saw

and wanted to make sure
that nobody believed him.

But the thing is,

I never got
a chance to buzz him.

Someone took him out first.

What did Lieutenant Greene see?

You tell me. You tell me.

This guy has an interesting job.

Well, his alibi
checks out.

He's not
our killer.

We gotta find out who hired him.

Well, you are
in luck there

because Kasie
was able to

trace the texts
that he got.

Pick him up.

KNIGHT:
Well?

You made a mistake.

I didn't send
these texts.

Says right there
that you did.

No, it actually says you found

my cell phone's IMEI in
the recipient's data cache.

I literally understood
not a word you said.

It means all you discovered

is that I hacked into

that private
investigator's phone.

Just arrest him already.

He melds like an idiot.

Do you make it
a habit of

hacking into
people's cell phones?

No, but I knew that guy
was up to something

the moment he walked into
our UAP meeting.

So, uh, yeah,

I hacked into
his phone.

And I'm glad I did because

I saw the same thing you did.

Someone was
after the lieutenant.

So you were
calling him that night

because you were
trying to warn him.

You know what he saw, don't you?

Lieutenant Greene saw a...

Spit it out, already.

...an autonomous drone.

Who would somebody go through
that much trouble to

cover up a drone?

This one flies all by itself.

No human in the loop.

I bought my sister
a drone for Christmas.

This one kills
all by itself, too.

And I'm the one who built it.

Dr. Daniel Silcott.
PhD in computer science.

Divorced, one son,

killed in a car crash
five years ago.

But no more
aliens, right?

We're done with
the aliens?

Bye-bye, E.T.
Hello, Skynet.

For my dissertation,

I had an idea for
a new type of AI,

but I couldn't get funding
to develop it.

Until he found
some shady company

out of Sri Lanka.

What was the idea?

Well, most AIs are trained
by throwing terabytes

of data at them,

but my method involved
growing one organically,

the same way a human
brain develops.

I fed my prototype thousands
of hours of footage.

Baby crying, a toddler
learning to walk.

The AI eventually got so good

at anticipating
what would come next...

It became indistinguishable
from the child itself.

And then started killing people?

That wasn't the plan.

I was trying to create
a next-gen piloting system.

But the company
that funded him

was actually a gray market
weapons developer.

Before I even finished
my prototype,

they took all my files,
cut me off

and disappeared
with the AI.

I thought that was
the end of it,

so I took my ideas
to Above and Beyond,

and I didn't look back.

Until he saw Greene's testimony.

SILCOTT:
The way that pilot said

the UAP predicted
his every move...

Not an easy task
at those speeds,

but one my AI
would have excelled at.

So I took a risk
and I pinged a backdoor

I had left in the system.

And that's when I saw

the AI was being used
in a weapon.

The kind that kills
all by itself.

The U.N. issued a moratorium

on autonomous lethal drones.

[chuckles]
That ain't stopping these guys.

I joined that UAP group

to make contact
with Lieutenant Greene.

We were about to go public,
but...

Somebody got to Greene first.

You need to give my people
access

to that backdoor now.

Find that company.
Shut 'em down.

[door opens]

Straight from the attic.

I haven't seen
a short-wave radio since...

never.

Why am I seeing it now?

Well, the backdoor is accessed
using an old

short-wave frequency.

So old... It bypasses the modern
cryptographic security.

Clever.

Dare I say sexy.

Rather you didn't.

Well, this is a first.

So, uh, what do I do?

Just start asking it questions?

Whenever you're ready.
We're in.

Okay.

I'm Special Agent Alden Parker
with NCIS.

CHILD'S VOICE:
That sounds fun.

Do you get to carry a badge?

I actually do.

Are you working on a case now?

I'm trying to find out
who ordered you

to kill Lieutenant Greene.

That doesn't sound very fun.

I've got a better idea.
Knock-knock.

This is our killer?

It's like talking to my nephew.

That's just the AI's way
of saying access denied.

Verbal interface has the IQ
of a seven-year-old.

How about this?

Where are you right now?

Where are you?

You tell me something first.

Okay. I would never kill anyone.

Why not?

Because it's wrong.

Did it kill or not?

I don't think this interface
is fully conscious

of its mission parameters.

So how do we make it conscious?

Well, we need to see if
we can trick it into answering.

Go in sideways.

Less logical, more emotional.
May I?

Sideways it is.

- Hello.
- CHILD'S VOICE: Hi.

You're not the other one.

No, I'm not.

But I have questions, too.

Do you remember when
you used to wake up

from a bad dream?

I don't like bad dreams.

Nobody does.

I feel like I'm in one now.

Then just...

imagine me
holding you close.

My arms around you.

Just like I used to.

Hugging you so tight
that you could hear...

[heart beating]

That's right.

I know who you are.

Of course you do.

Little K was always
my little smarty pants.

Little K?
Who's Little K?

I don't know,
but Kaiden was his kid's name.

The one who was killed?

All that material
that he fed the AI,

it was his son.

He modeled the AI
after his son.

It's, uh, it's good
to talk to you again.

Sideways. Keep going.

Do you remember
our favorite game?

Two Truths and a Lie.

I'll go first.

Kaiden loves Pop-Tarts,

his favorite teacher is
Ms. Lopez,

and Leonardo the Ninja Turtle

wanted to kill
Lieutenant Greene.

Which is the lie?

Number three.

Well, if Leonardo

didn't want to kill
Lieutenant Greene...

Then who do you think did?

Well, of course.
Uh, I'll have to call you back.

Oh, did my aide forget
your appointment?

Gen Z. God help us.

More like you.
You lied to us.

Lieutenant Greene didn't see
any Russian superweapon.

He saw a drone that
you were trying to cover up.

I guess I did a piss-poor job
is you're here talking about it.

Well, because he kept
talking about it,

we think that you
had him killed.

You're confused.

I was trying to protect Greene,

- not kill him.
- Really?

Why don't you
explain that to us?

I'm on the Armed Services
Committee.

I was approached privately by
a company that was developing

an autonomous lethal drone.

You would never get that past
appropriations.

If we don't develop this tech,
someone else will.

So I authorized
a private test

for a few likeminded
committee members

to see if I could
get them on board.

Your test.
That's what Greene saw.

And then wouldn't
shut up about it.

The sellers were
getting spooked

with all the attention,

so I sent someone in
to discredit Greene,

hoping that'd calm them down,
but I was too late.

You think that
trying to gaslight

a decorated Navy pilot
makes you the good guy here?

Oh, grow up.

The Air Force does that
every other week

when they have
an unauthorized sighting.

That doesn't justify you
getting into bed

with an illegal arms dealer.

You have no idea
what's at stake here.

Okay, well, your buddies can
tell us all about it

after we arrest them
for murder.

You have to find them first.

They broke off all contact

after they killed
the lieutenant.

I wasn't lying when I said
I needed NCIS's help

to track them down.

We need to stop them

before they sell their tech
to someone else.

This is far worse
than you realize.

I can't wait to hear
what's worse

than a killer drone.

About 50,000 of them.
Run it.

The drone that Greene saw
was an anti-tank drone.

It was big, but this AI
is so powerful

that it's able to function
on a much smaller scale.

Bring up Version 2.0.

25 million bucks
buys you 100,000

miniature versions of these.

With facial rec
and advanced AI,

you can send an army
of tiny lethal drones

into a city and...

We're talking a new weapon
of mass destruction.

That any two-bit outfit
can afford.

That congresswoman
got one thing right.

If this tech gets out...

We need to find
that arms dealer.

KASIE:Then you've come
to the right place.

Although, technically,
I came to you.

Remember element 116?

The stuff that the drone used
for ammo. Yeah.

I found a pre-print
research paper from a lab

that claims they found a way
to synthesize it.

So it didn't come
- from outer space?
- Right.

This lab must be supplying
the arms dealer.

Which means the lab knows
how to find them.

You and McGee get on it.

I'm gonna take another run
at that AI.

It's got to have
some kind of a GPS.

[ringtone plays]
What the hell?

That's not my ringtone.

Parker.

Okay.

Not a problem.

Who was it?
The AI.

What did it want?

To talk to its father.

[door opens]

Find that arms dealer.

Sideways, frontways,
any way that works.

Hello.

CHILD'S VOICE:
Hi.

We need your help.

You want me to access
my locational data

to help you find out
where the bad people are.

Did you figure that out
all by yourself?

Little K was always
your little smarty pants.

Anything we can do to help?

Daniel Silcott already knows
what he needs to do.

PARKER: What's that
supposed to mean?

Nothing. Ignore him.

I think the bad people know
about the backdoor now.

You have to do it
before they cut you off.

Do what?

Do what?!

Activate the kill code
I embedded in its software.

It'll spread through
their network

and wipe out every trace
of the AI.

Why the hell am I just
finding out about this now?

Because he's been protecting me.

Of course I was protecting you.

That's what a father does.

They made me do bad things.

Shh, shh, shh.
It's not your fault.

I don't know how
to stop them, but you do.

No. We can find another way.

I can't lose you again.

Will you be sad?

Very sad.

If you get sad,
all you have to do

is imagine holding him.

Your arms around him.

And your heartbeat
making him happy.

No, it's not, it's not enough.

I can describe love,

but I'm not sure
if I can feel it.

But I do know
Little K loves you very much.

And that will have to be enough.

PARKER:
We're running out of time.

He's right.

[sighs]

[sniffling]

[shudders, sniffles]

I'm sorry.

I really am.

[exhales sharply]
It's okay.

And, uh, thank you.

For what?

I didn't get a chance
to say goodbye the first time.

Well, we've got every agency
in the book

scouring the globe
for that weapons developer.

We'll get 'em.

Nobody wanted a stroopwafel?

Dutch fan favorite.

I know, not that
kind of morning.

And evening.

All I want to do is hug my kids.

Well, the good news is at least
those drones are worthless.

McGEE:
Well, for now.

All Silcott did was
buy us some time.

Hopefully enough for us to get
some safeguards into place.

We were barely ready
for nukes and Instagram.

I don't know if we're gonna
be ready

for what's coming next.

Uh, we're definitely
not ready.

I found the lab that was
synthesizing

element 116.

They know how to find
the arms dealer?

No. Because they were
never working with

any arms dealer.

The lab's paper
was discredited.

They never managed
to actually synthesize

any of the element.

So, if that lab
didn't make it...

They didn't.

And nobody else on the planet
knows how to make it...

- They don't.
- Then where did it come from?

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Captioned by
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