Original subtitles

[DOGS BARKING]

[BABY CRYING]

Anybody got a spare ampicillin?

WOMAN 1: Yeah.

How can we be out of gauze?

WOMAN 2: We're not, check my duffel.

- Thank you. WOMAN 1: You got it.

How long has she had the rash?

[CONVERSING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

She say itching start four days.

Lizzie, you're a life saver.

Yeah, right, not lately.

Kidding, Bahar.

Tell Zayah she'll be fine. It's infected, but we've got medicine that'll help.

[SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

Dave, I don't suppose we can expect the lights back on anytime soon.

Not unless you stashed a new generator in your duffel too.

Oh, well, then, where would I keep all my extra gauze?

[ENGINE RUMBLING]

[MAN SHOUTING AND GUNSHOTS]

Everybody down!

[SCREAMING]

Medical to NCIS. Stan, can you hear me?

It's Liz. I am in Togu, South Sudan.

Mayday. Mayday.

Stan, send help.

Send help. Help us!

[ELEVATOR DINGS]

I honestly haven't noticed, McGee. He seems the same to me.

He's not, I'm telling you.

Hey, Bishop, have you noticed...?

Hey, uh, I've gotta get to work.

Yes, they are.

Okay.

Love you.

Jake?

Jake says hi.

How is Tropical Storm Jake this morning?

- Tropical storm? - Yeah. As in unpredictable,

given your daily forecasts since he cheated death in Dubai.

Well, today, I'd say Jake is more partly sunny

- with a slight chance of rain. - And you with no umbrella.

Bishop, have you not noticed how extra quiet Gibbs has been lately?

You see, he's on about this. I don't agree with you.

- Lately? - Thank you.

When you normally get two words, now you get just one.

I'm telling you, something's up.

Now that you mention it, I guess, yeah,

he didn't say a word in yesterday's interrogation,

just a bunch of grunts and shrugs.

Grunts and shrugs that had the bad guy confessing

from a foetal position?

- Ixnay. Morning, boss. - Hey, Gibbs.

Beautiful autumn morning. Looking wonderful in that suit.

And there you have it.

Point, a shrug, no grunt.

The man has not changed.

- I'm glad I could reach you guys. TONY: It's been a long time, Stan.

- I'd ask how you're doing, but... - Yeah, not great.

I'm in South Sudan, a little village called Togu.

McGEE: And what brings you there?

I've been stationed at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti

for the last several months

and I got a mayday call last night from a good friend,

Navy doctor, Lieutenant Liz Cortland.

- Is she okay? - I found her right... Right there.

Along with, uh... Along with two others in the back room.

I already sent the bodies to you guys on a rush for Ducky to autopsy.

- Who were the other two? - I can't ID them here, Gibbs.

They're all burned up. Look, if I can...

If I can find some paperwork in all this mess,

there should be a list of doctors that IDG sent over here.

- IDG, Agent Burley? - International Doctors Group,

it's kind of a Doctors Without Borders-type outfit based out of D. C.

That Liz had been volunteering with for a while.

- We'll find it, head over. - I'd appreciate that.

See what they know about all this,

and I'm gonna see what I can get out of the locals.

Hang in there, Stan.

You need anything else right now?

How about a time machine?

Burley out.

WOMAN: IDG, please hold.

She's gonna have to call you back. Yes, we need to cancel all of those.

Yes, can I help you?

TONY: NCIS Special Agents DiNozzo and Bishop.

We'd like to speak with Dr. Woods.

- Is this about Togu? BISHOP: It is, yes.

There are two Dr. Woods listed as founders here.

Is either one of them available?

I'll see. It's a really bad time.

Thank you.

Wonder what constitutes a good time in a place like this.

What do you mean? Places like this do so much good in the world.

Of course they do, Bishop.

I'm just saying, being a doctor is hard enough.

What kind of doctor would sign up to get dropped into a war zone?

A very noble one.

Or a crazy one. I'm just saying.

JEANNE: Excuse me. You know something about Togu?

Who did you say you were?

Jeanne.

Tony.

It's been a long time.

Very.

What can you tell us about Togu?

What?

Oh.

We sent five volunteers there last month.

We were in contact until yesterday when we received this 911 text.

We haven't heard from anyone since.

We've reached out to relief organisations

and what passes for law enforcement over there,

but no one's getting back to us.

Just 911, nothing else?

We only use it in emergencies and it's never good,

especially in South Sudan.

- What do you know about this? TONY: There's been an attack

- and unfortunately some fatalities. - Who?

Three are confirmed dead, Navy Lieutenant Elizabeth Cortland.

- Lizzie. - Two more we have yet to identify.

What do you mean, "yet to identify"?

- Is David one of them? - Who's David?

My husband, Dr. David Woods. He's the team leader.

BISHOP: We don't know at this point. The bodies are en route to NCIS now.

You sent five volunteers, Jeanne.

- Chances are good... - Where is he?

The chances are two-in-five and he isn't picking up.

We'll need any names or information you have on them.

Rose, can you help them with this?

ROSE: Yes, Dr. Woods.

I'll pull them up.

Jeanne Benoit? Really?

- Oh, wow. - All I got out of Tony

was "good friends," but I know there's more.

Oh, there's more, believe me.

So much more, I don't even know where to start.

Just nutshell it.

Who is she?

Okay.

Jeanne is... Was the daughter

of an arms dealer named La Grenouille.

Now, she didn't know that her father was an arms dealer,

and he's dead now, but back then, he was alive.

And Jenny Shepard...

She's the director we had before Vance came in.

Jenny Shepard sent Tony

to date Jeanne as a way to gather intel.

Wait. Forget nutshelling, just bottom-line it for me.

Bottom line is Tony got too close.

He fell pretty hard for Jeanne, and apparently, it was mutual.

It was definitely mutual.

But the entire relationship was built on a lie about who Tony was,

so it ended badly, and I mean super beyond badly.

Tony has hated himself ever since.

He told you that?

Heh. No, he doesn't have to.

Anytime that you bring up Jeanne with him,

he won't discuss it. Not with me, not with anyone.

Nothing to discuss, McGossip Girl.

Really, Tony? Jeanne Benoit?

So much for old friends.

Old friend, girlfriends, whatever, McBishy-body. Heh.

You know how many I run into on a regular basis?

BISHOP: I saw your face, Tony.

There was nothing regular about it.

The woman just lost friends and maybe a husband,

and that is what you saw on my face.

- She's married now? - She's the other Dr. Woods.

Okay. You know what? You two have fun.

- I'm done talking about it. GIBBS: Not me.

Update.

BISHOP: Of the five medical volunteers...

Stop.

Jeanne Benoit? Really?

Go.

Sent by IDG into Togu last month,

two were Navy. One dead, Lieutenant Elizabeth Cortland.

The other, Ensign Joni Ryan.

Both volunteer when not on active duty.

Dr. David Woods,

team leader and cofounder of IDG along with his wife.

She maintains the headquarters and she, of course, is also a doctor.

- Why Togu? McGEE: Village has zero access

to healthcare. About a hundred miles away

from the closest thing to a city, Juba.

It's the capital of South Sudan.

TONY: Which became an independent country in 2011,

leaving a whole bunch of ethnic groups to beat each other bloody over territory.

Burley is in the middle of all of it.

All right, you two,

keep these doctors' families in the loop. McGee, you're with me.

I wish I could say I had more luck with these villagers.

The few that are left are afraid to talk.

We got a call into Special Ops, see if we can't get you backup, Burley.

Could really use it, Gibbs.

- And we're coming too, Burley. - We are?

GIBBS: We got a missing Navy officer.

Get two seats on the first transport out.

That's great, Gibbs. Just make sure you're up-to-date on your vaccines.

Boss, who exactly do you have in mind for those seats?

- Yeah. On my way down, Duck. - Malaria, Tim. Seriously, be sure.

Angels on earth, Mr. Palmer.

Volunteers who risk life and limb to help those in dire need

or in the worst possible conditions.

"Humanitarian" is a woefully inadequate word.

Do I detect a hint of pride in your voice, doctor?

Yes, I'm very proud to have been part

of the first groups sent into Biafra in 1971

by the original Médecins Sans Frontières.

Doctors Without Borders.

GIBBS: Who do we have, Duck?

This is Agent Burley's friend, Lieutenant Cortland.

And we're definitely going to need dental x-rays and DNA samples.

- Boss. - What is it, DiNozzo?

TONY: Uh... - Jeanne Benoit? Really?

Yes, really, Ducky.

So she's outside the door and she does not wanna wait.

Hello, Agent Gibbs.

Doctor, does your husband have any defining characteristics?

Broken bones, surgical scars?

No surgeries,

but he did break his left collarbone skiing last winter.

It's still hard to say without x-rays.

Indeed. You get them started.

What about braces? Did your husband have orthodontia?

No. David's teeth are...

Oh, God. Felix.

Dr. Pitts wore braces.

And this?

Is your husband, by any chance, an amputee?

No. That's Dr. Norm. James.

He lost his leg during the First Gulf War.

And Liz.

Oh, Lizzie.

I'm so sorry.

This just doesn't make any sense.

Warring tribes rarely target outside doctors, if ever.

Well, that's good news, right? For David and the other volunteer?

Joni? Then where are they?

Doc? What are you doing here?

Joni Ryan, is she alive?

- What? - Ensign Joni Ryan,

she's a surgical tech. Is she in Autopsy or not?

- Uh... No. No, she's not. - You certain?

Well, yeah. Why? Is she a friend of yours?

A good one. We served together on the Daniel Webster.

Matter of fact, she assisted on your surgery.

Comfortable, Agent Gibbs?

BISHOP: Tony, you remember Dr. Taft?

Mm. The man, the myth, the legend. Nice work, doc.

Well, thank you. Gibbs did his part.

Not that he's done much since.

- Skips a lot of checkups. - Busy.

Are you Dr. Cyril Taft?

Joni was recruiting you for our relief mission.

I'm Dr. Woods. We spoke on the phone.

Oh, hi. Um, of course.

Your husband was leading the trip, wasn't he?

Is he all right?

We don't know.

David Woods and Joni Ryan are still unaccounted for.

Not for long. McGee.

Secured some seats for us on a cargo plane headed for Juba,

South Sudan in two hours.

DiNozzo and I will meet up with Burley in South Sudan.

McGee, you and Bishop provide support here.

TONY: Good to go, boss. - Whoa.

South Sudan? That's... That's rugged country for anybody,

much less a guy six months out of major surgery.

Funny, I don't recall asking.

- Send me a postcard. - What about me?

I'm not staying.

I can't help that.

No room.

Look, I've been to South Sudan many times.

I know the region, the people, the dialects better than any of you.

I'll fly myself there whether you take me or not.

Having an experienced doctor come could be to your advantage, Gibbs.

TONY: Might not hurt. McGEE: It is a cargo plane.

- I mean, there's plenty of seats. - Okay. Fine.

Fine. Book her a seat.

It's okay. You can come.

Just make sure that...

McGEE: Boss?

- Gibbs? - Just... Just... Just a...

Gibbs? Gibbs.

Gibbs, look at me. Look at me. Look at me.

Call 911!

- Gibbs, look at me. Look at me. BISHOP: We need an ambulance...

I know you dig the sporty gown, Gibbs.

There's no need to keep pulling stunts to get one.

Get me unhooked, so I can get out of here.

Maybe, after a few more tests.

Phew. You know, I was fine until you showed up.

Oh, is that right?

Because your team seemed to think that you've been a little too quiet lately,

like John-Wayne-biting-the-bullet quiet.

- So? - So I called Director Vance

at his conference in Geneva

and he has agreed to put you on limited duty from home,

pending my discretion.

Where's my phone?

Call, but he won't budge.

Does he know about South Sudan?

Does he know about your missing friend?

We want Ryan found, but right now, you're in no condition.

You forget about South Sudan, mister. You're not going anywhere.

- Abby... - Don't "Abby" me.

You collapsed in the squad room, Gibbs.

- What part of that is okay with you? - Were you there?

I did not collapse.

- Yeah, you kind of did, Gibbs. - Oh, swell.

Where's DiNozzo? Where's McGee?

Let's bring the whole gang in here.

Actually, they're somewhere over the Atlantic about now.

- What? - Next flight to South Sudan

wasn't for another two days,

so they made an executive decision knowing that you were in good hands.

So you listen to Dr. Taft

and let them worry about Burley

and Jeanne Benoit. Really?

Wow.

TONY: Thanks.

They say Gibbs is recovering.

He's in recovery.

How crazy was that?

How crazy is this?

So when are you gonna go talk to her?

There's nothing to talk about.

I'm sorry about what happened, but I was doing my job. That's it.

Of course it bothered me that I lied to her.

I was in love with her.

But it was a long time ago and her husband is missing

and there is nothing to talk about.

So when are you gonna go talk to her?

[SIGHS]

Hey. They just told me Gibbs is...

I heard. Good news.

So how did you meet, you and David?

I had just finished a six-month fellowship in Gabon.

Oh, right.

I remember that. It was around the last time we spoke.

- Sorry you got caught in the middle. - Was any of it real?

No.

I wish I'd never met you.

Right before, yeah.

After that, I joined Doctors Without Borders.

Spent a few years in Indonesia, Bolivia,

the Congo, and that's where I met David.

The Congo? Wow.

There was a cholera outbreak there, we helped stop it,

got married a year later,

started IDG a few months after that.

That's impressive.

Well, he sounds like a... Like a good man.

The best I've ever known.

Okay. Well, I, uh...

I think we got about ten more hours.

I'm gonna grab a little shut-eye.

[SIGHS]

Thanks, McGee, that was a good call.

Morning, guys. Got your message. You been working all night?

Yeah. Yeah, we kind of got on a roll.

Any news of our patient?

Dr. Taft had him spend the night for more tests. I know that.

Jethro was not a happy man when I spoke with him.

I know he's overdoing it.

- Uh... Is that all you needed? - Not remotely.

Causes of death were as expected,

high-caliber gunshot wounds at close range.

PALMER: That's not the weird part. - Well, I prefer "intriguing."

Come here.

It's these posthumous puncture wounds

- to each of the victim's feet. - Punctured after they were dead.

All three. But in the case of the other two doctors,

before they were left to burn in the backroom.

And since they were delivered posthumously,

one can assume that they may have been ceremonial in nature.

PALMER: Like some kind of tradition or superstition

that we could link to a specific tribe or ethnic group.

Which could help Tony and McGee. Nice.

I'm off to Abby. I'd be happy to research

African tribal traditions for you, Agent Bishop.

That'd be great, Jimmy. Thanks, but...

[ELEVATOR DINGS]

- For me? - Eleanor, has it not occurred to you

that you are now running point?

Well, maybe by default, uh, only until Gibbs gets back.

[CELL PHONE RINGS]

Which might not be long. Morning, Gibbs.

Bishop, SITREP. What's going on?

- Ducky found something that... - No, I didn't.

There's nothing to report, Jethro. Go take a nap.

You take a nap.

Why aren't McGee and DiNozzo answering my calls?

Well, their flight should be landing just about now. No cell reception?

And it's not much better here.

You're... You're breaking up, Jethro.

We'll call you later. Bye.

BURELY: I know Gibbs reached out to Special Ops

to send backup, but so far, you guys are it.

We'll try to be just as special.

Have you talked to any village elders, Agent Burley?

A man named Abdel?

His wife is Minoo.

No. If they've stayed, I haven't seen them.

There's not many locals left.

- Where'd they all go? - After the attack,

most ran off to a refugee camp in Mambe.

Others are said to be hiding in the bush, wherever that is.

It's nowhere.

"In the bush" means a nomadic existence,

anywhere but here.

Where is "here" exactly?

It's a few more miles. There's not much there.

[KNOCKING ON DOOR]

You don't answer your phone?

I didn't hear it.

Right. Oh.

What a lovely brunch, very healthy.

Look, I'm at home, doc.

Doing what you said. Isn't that enough?

Forgive me for caring.

And you're right, it should be enough,

since all your tests turned out normal.

Blood work, EKG,

PET scan, CAT scan, everywhere a man can be scanned.

- You're humming like a turbojet. - Okay, then.

Wanna share this steak? I gotta get to work.

No, thanks. Uh...

And, no, you don't.

Or rather, you can't work.

- Not yet. - Why not?

I saw you go down, Gibbs.

You did collapse.

The pain you felt was very real

and it literally knocked you on your ass.

You just said you didn't find anything.

Which leads me to believe what you were experiencing

was likely stress-related,

a physical manifestation of an emotional response.

So you think this is in my head?

Not exactly.

"In your head" suggests that you imagined it.

It's more cellular than that.

- It was real. - Cellular?

Your body has a memory, Gibbs.

And people who've been shot and nearly died don't get

to just go on with their lives like nothing ever happened.

You have to talk about it.

Go to therapy or group counseling.

Yeah.

- No. - That's it? Yeah, no?

The only therapy I need is my job.

Mm. I'll be sure to put that on your tombstone.

So you're not even gonna entertain the possibility

that the psychological toll you went through might be bigger

than you're aware of or are willing to admit?

Doc, you want some of this steak or not?

I'm gonna take that as a no.

People who've been shot don't eat like nothing happened, either.

As your doctor, I'm not gonna watch you kill yourself.

BURLEY: They Molotov'd what used to be a room back there.

It's where I found the other two bodies.

And your friend Liz was here?

Yeah.

She, uh...

She loved working with you guys.

I seem to recall her saying nice things about you too.

I'm gonna go take a look outside for anyone I might know.

Uh, I'm not sure I'd recommend that.

- Yeah. I can't let you do that. - Excuse me? You're telling me I can't?

I know you know your way around here,

but you're my responsibility now.

Well, then maybe we can go take a look around together.

- Get away! Do not touch me! - Don't shoot!

I know her.

I was here three years ago with Dr. David.

You were much smaller then.

Your mother, her name is Nefy.

Nefy is dead.

Like everyone.

I run when bad man come.

Only come back now.

When I hear voice, I hide.

I do not know it is you.

TONY: When the bad men came, Bahar, you were here?

I helping Dr. Liz, no light to see.

She fight bad men and they shoot. Shoot more, take others.

They took David?

Dr. David and Joni, they took them?

Who took them? What bad men?

I do not know.

JEANNE: Sure you do.

What tribe, Bahar?

Was it the Murle? Nuer? Azande?

I do not know.

- We're here to protect you, Bahar. - No.

You leave. Always leave.

We stay.

They kill me if I talk to you.

Like they maybe kill Dr. David and Joni by now.

I'm sorry.

You are too late.

You go now.

It's better for you, you go.

Better for me.

It is too late.

Hey, Jeanne, let me give you a hand.

No.

Come on now. Hey.

McGEE: Hey, Jeanne.

Symbol on this handle.

Any idea what that means?

JEANNE: No idea.

It's not a local dialect, and there are a lot of them.

Bahar said one of the bad men dropped it during the attack.

Maybe Abby can figure it out.

[ENGINES RUMBLING]

- Where's Burley? - He was outside.

[MAN SHOUTING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

It's okay. The cavalry has arrived.

MAN: I don't know about that.

Commander Pete Grady, SEAL Team Bravo.

That's enough cavalry for us.

Your boss Gibbs must have some friends in high places

or we would've passed you folks right by.

- So you know our situation? GRADY: Uh-huh.

No sign of your missing doctors?

TONY: Not yet. Planning on expanding the search tomorrow morning.

Now that you're here, we'll gladly follow your lead.

Yeah, you could if we were staying,

but unfortunately, this is just a courtesy call.

We're headed to Juba now

to be airlifted to Rwanda by morning, priority orders.

- Missing doctors aren't a priority? - Not my call, ma'am.

It's a large continent. We're spread thin as it is.

If you can wait a few days, we may swing back,

help you with your search.

- We don't have a couple days. - Copy that.

We'll secure the perimeter before we go.

- Let's go. MAN: Go, come on, let's go.

This is so something Gibbs should know, but not in his condition.

And I hung up on him once today, so I'm not telling him.

Tell me what?

Gibbs. What are you doing here?

No, no, no. You can't be here. You looked terrible yesterday.

Well, today, I got a clean bill of health.

What can I say?

Hey, listen, about that phone call...

What was it you didn't wanna tell me?

Um... The SEALs, they got sent elsewhere.

Our guys are getting no love in South Sudan.

Nice triglycerides, by the way.

- I heard all about the SEALs. BISHOP: How?

What's with the machete?

McGee sent it a little while ago.

It was used in the attack, though it doesn't match

the puncture wounds in any of the victims' feet.

- Puncture wounds? - Yeah,

and each wound contained a dose of diamphotoxin.

It's an organic poison derived from beetle larva.

BISHOP: Once commonly used for hunting by African Bushmen,

it's now considered pretty old-school.

ABBY: And if we can find the old-school tribe

that likes to poison their victims after they're dead,

then it would probably point to who took our doctors.

Any luck with that, Jimmy?

Agent Gibbs, welcome back.

- Should I not be talking to him? - He's fine. Look.

Nice triglycerides.

- Any luck with what? - Beetle larva poison, and no luck yet.

It's nearly impossible to trace it to a specific tribe.

Did you know there are over 60 indigenous ethnic groups

in South Sudan, over 80 different dialects?

Keep digging. I'll be back.

I'll bet he knew that.

Hey.

You okay?

After I found out the truth about my father

and about you,

all I could do was look for something that made me feel good.

And I found that in work...

and in David.

I know there's nothing I could ever say or do...

to make you forgive me.

I won't rest until we find him.

You have my word.

DUCKY: A doctor of Taft's caliber would at the very least have prescribed

a day of bed rest following your collapse.

I didn't collapse, Duck. Anything else about the case or not?

Yes, this Lieutenant Cortland reminds me

of a young nurse I met in Biafra. Her name was Claire.

As I recall, she had a difficult home life from which she required distance.

Helping those in need provided that distance.

None of us is immune, Jethro.

We're all running to or from something at various times in our lives.

But no matter your speed,

the truth is always just that bit faster.

Gibbs, Gibbs, I think we have it.

- Tell me what you got. - The tribe that took the doctors,

it's the engraving on the machete handle.

PALMER: The dialect is Juba Arabic,

that's one of five dialects used by the Shilluk ethnic tribe,

however you pronounce it.

This roughly translates to "ferocious animal,"

which is interesting because the Shilluk are a peaceful people

known for their cattle herding.

ABBY: Except there's these old-school Shilluks

that have this odd custom of poisoning the feet of their dead,

so they can't walk the earth again like zombies.

I mean, how crazy is that?

The tribal infighting there has created several violent subgroups of Shilluk,

- one of which is led by... ABBY: General Ajak Gadet.

He likes to refer to himself as Ferocious Animal.

Got a small rebel army of outcasts with no home village.

Bishop's been trying to find their last location.

Which I think I have, and something more.

So according to NSA intel,

General Gadet was critically injured just three days ago

in a battle with a rival ethnic group, the Tunjur people.

Did the Shilluks take our doctors to save their general?

BISHOP: This general earned his nickname, and his soldiers

have a pretty ferocious track record themselves.

- Location? - After the battle,

the Shilluk reportedly escaped to a village called Lenka,

- about 40 miles east of Togu. - Tell DiNozzo and McGee. Call them.

- Where are you going, Gibbs? - Tell them.

Hey, let me call you back.

Oh, no.

Is it Ensign Ryan?

No, no, we're still looking.

I wanted to ask you something, though, doc, um,

kind of personal, it's about your son,

if that's all right.

Paul.

His name's Paul.

So, uh...

when you lost Paul, doc,

did you go right back to work on the hospital ship?

Uh, not right back.

It was, uh, after almost a year,

and lots of talk.

My test results, you're sure they're right, right?

I mean, I'm good?

Are you thinking that maybe you're not?

No. No, I don't know.

I'm thinking, uh...

if, uh, talking helps...

why not?

Good. Heh. Great.

Really, Gibbs.

You know, I know a very good therapist.

No, no. I... Not...

Not that. I'll talk.

I don't need my head examined.

Oh, no. Uh... Perish the thought.

[TAFT CHUCKLES]

In which case, that leaves...

me?

After my fiancée split, there was...

There was Liz.

We could only get together every few months.

I should've made more of an effort.

You know, guys like us, Tony,

we can't play the field forever, you know.

- I'm not playing the field, Stan. - Like your friend here.

This one, you know, Liz had that same spark.

And I never told her enough how I felt.

This husband we're looking for, he knew he had a gem and he jumped.

He's a smart man.

Could that be what I think it is?

- Gadet's men were here, all right. McGEE: Yeah,

leaving scorched earth in their wake, literally.

[DOG WHIMPERS AND BARKS]

This has to be one of ours.

David was here.

It might be a message.

I think the message is they're still alive.

So we keep looking.

BISHOP: McGee sent them an hour after you left.

He and Tony are sure the Shilluk are with the missing doctors,

but there's nothing to indicate where they went next.

- What are they running from? - Who, the Shilluk?

They shot up one village. Burned down another.

They left nothing behind for whoever's trailing them.

- We're the only ones trailing them. - Yeah, but they don't know that.

Who was it that wounded their general? What tribe? Where?

It was a firefight with the Tunjur

in a village called Kala about 60 miles southeast of Togu.

Okay. So they take doctors to save their general and they keep moving.

They go from here to here, and now to here.

I'm starting wonder if Bahar was right.

What if we are too late? What if they're already dead?

No, they're not dead. Look.

The glove means they're still alive.

They're alive as long as they're useful.

Sorry. That kind of came out wrong.

At least you're being honest.

It's your D.C. office. Special Agent Burley.

GIBBS: Talk to me. McGEE: Boss, you're back?

- Still in Lenka? BURLEY: We are.

- You hear about the SEALs? - I'm working on that.

- It's time for you to move on. - We're ready.

We don't know where to move to.

There's a town called Pehtok about 35 clicks northwest.

It's barely a town.

- Are you sure the Shilluk are there? - Got a feeling. I'll explain later.

- He's got a feeling? - Never doubt the Gibbs gut.

BURLEY: We'll leave right away. - I'll be watching.

It may take some time to get a satellite link.

How much time? They're leaving now.

In that case, I'll be back.

Come on, come on, come on. Pick up, pick up.

[MEN SHOUTING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

I love the smell of Pehtok in the fall.

I count eight, who knows how many more inside.

This is suicide without backup.

Whatever Gibbs is working on, now would be a good time.

What are they doing?

McGEE: Guessing that's the general.

Looks like he's still alive.

Oh, my God, that's David and Joni.

- All right. What do you say, guys? - Well, we've come this far.

It's just us, isn't it?

Seems to me a diversion never hurts when you're outnumbered.

You still a good shot, Burley?

Better than most. Why?

Gas cans.

[JONI WHIMPERING]

You fix general.

- You fix him. - We will, we will, Ramses.

We've been fixing him for days. It's just he needs more.

No more. You fix.

JONI: He needs surgery, you understand?

An operation.

We need other instruments.

He live or you die.

[GUNSHOTS]

[SHOUTING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

- Where are we going? - Keep going, move.

Just keep moving. Keep going.

- Talk to me, Bishop. - I got them on satellite.

It's not good. They're in real trouble.

Get in the Humvee. Come on, keep moving.

Come on, come on. Get there, get there.

[DAVID GRUNTS]

JEANNE: David?

MAN: Engage. Cover for the Humvee. - Yes, sir. We're watching now.

- All targets facing east. - Perfect timing.

McGEE: Thank you, boss.

MAN [OVER RADIO]: Santa Maria.

Copy. Flight level 280.721...

This has gotta be weird for you on some level.

Yeah.

I think the word is "totally surreal," all of it.

The truly weird part is...

I'm happy for her.

You should be happy for yourself too.

You don't have to carry all that guilt anymore.

Maybe, maybe not.

[INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER]

It's all been such a blur, I haven't had a chance to say thank you.

Yes, you have. And you're welcome.

Thank you, Tony.

- I owe you. - No, you don't.

We're good.

[SIGHS]

TAFT: Why do I concern myself with the health of someone

who does not even bother to lock his door?

Well, then quit concerning yourself.

Ensign Ryan sends her undying gratitude.

And I put a replacement steak in your fridge.

Nice New York strip, actually.

- Didn't have to do that. - Yeah, I kind of did.

Not only is your cholesterol crazy low for your caveman diet,

but I got some more of your tests back today.

Yeah, and...?

Turns out, you have a tiny patch of scar tissue in your chest cavity

that just might be causing you some discomfort.

No bigger than the size of a dime.

Some people refer to it as ghosting.

A cough, a sneeze, even the slightest aggravation

can feel like you might be having a heart attack.

But it's not.

- So it's not in my head? - No, I didn't say that.

No, this will heal eventually.

The scar tissue will fade with time.

But this, the stress, the panic, the uncertainty...

Yeah, that'll fade too with time.

And with talk.

Are you gonna start now?

Doc, I'm right in the middle of something here.

- What are you afraid of, Gibbs? - Nothing.

Heh. Cut the crap.

Life threw you a major-league curve.

You have a lot of support. But at the end of the day,

when your head hits the pillow, it's just you.

Admitting at least that much might be half the battle.

Everybody's afraid of something.

Even the great Leroy Jethro Gibbs.