NCIS New Orleans (2014) s01e02 Episode Script
Carrier
(playing lively jazz music) (whoops) Hey, Lieutenant, you okay? Take a load off, man! Relax! I'm, uh I'm fine.
Yeah! (whoops) Hey.
How you doin' tonight? You look like you could use something cold.
Yeah.
Just some water, please.
That's all.
Thank you.
Darlin', why don't you go get some air, okay? Relax a little.
Hey.
Navy.
Navy, you all right? My God! (grunts) Whoa, easy.
(panting) (yells) (tires screeching) (crowd gasping) (excited chattering) Boom, boom, boom, boom Bang, bang, bang, bang Boom, boom, boom, boom How, how, how, how Hey, hey You gotta come on.
You concentrate any harder, you're gonna strain a muscle.
I am learning about New Orleans.
Coming from the Great Lakes, I want to soak up all the history and culture that I can.
It'll make me a better agent.
Well, you don't need a book to do that.
I'm new to the Gulf.
I need all the help I can get.
Tell me one thing you know that I can't read about.
Chicken Fried Raymond.
Who? Chicken Fried Cornelius Raymond.
Street musician.
Corner of Dauphine and Conti.
Been standin' there for years.
Got kicked in the mouth by a buggy horse.
Tooth flew into the newly repaved concrete.
Still there now, crown and all.
That's disgusting.
You can't find that in a history book.
Got another one.
Streetcar 952 that ran on the Desire line started right here.
A little slice of Americana.
(phone rings) In all the nooks and crannies.
Pride here.
When? Call the morgue.
Tell 'em we'll be right there.
What we got? USS Geronimo's in port, and the crew's on liberty.
One of her officers got hit by a taxi early this morning in the French Quarter.
Are you going to speak to his XO? Next on my to-do list.
Grab your things.
Did you know in 1923 there was a train accident? This horse-drawn delivery truck was crossing the rails when out of nowhere Are you gonna do this all day? Do what? (exhales) (camera shutter clicking) My mother always said, "Look both ways before crossing.
" Now I realize she meant physically and metaphorically.
Why did the chicken cross the road, Loretta? In this instance, "to get to the other side" is clearly a misnomer.
LASALLE: A simple case of man versus car.
Bartender says Navy Lieutenant Lewis Collier was behaving erratically, having trouble focusing.
Seem like he was on something? Drugged? I won't know till I do a full blood panel back at the morgue.
Something had him jacked-up.
Had to be something in his system.
Either he took it Or was forced to.
WADE: Blood alcohol levels indicate he wasn't inebriated.
Petechial hemorrhaging could have been from impact but the whites of his eyes, yellow and jaundiced like he overdosed.
The lieutenant is a plethora of contradictions.
Let me rephrase the question.
Why did the sailor cross the road? Let me rephrase the answer.
The sailor crossed against his will.
Something made him do it.
Now he's dead.
(sighs) Anything? Collier's XO, Commander Bates, is currently back on board the Geronimo.
We're meeting in an hour.
Details from Loretta? She and Sebastian have started the autopsy.
Anything on the lieutenant? (phone rings) LASALLE: Lieutenant Lewis Collier, Born and raised in Chatham, Virginia.
Straight "A"s in college.
No flags on the play.
Engaged to be married.
Navy record? Spotless.
Not even a rental car parking ticket.
Somebody could've had their eye on Collier the minute he stepped ashore.
Could've followed him, drugged him at dinner.
It's happened before.
It fits the M.
O.
Wait for the drugs to kick in, follow him back to port, mug him along the way.
He just never got that far.
It'll show up in the labs.
Maybe.
Pride, Collier's fiancée just flew in.
Let's see what she can tell us.
WOMAN: You didn't know Lewis.
He was so sweet, so gentle.
You're right.
I-I didn't know the lieutenant.
But I know his shipmates were having a good time last night.
A-And I know he might've taken something accidentally.
Or someone gave him something.
Lewis liked to have fun, but he was super careful.
He worked out, watched his diet, took great care of himself.
Navy records don't disagree.
He was the most responsible man that I've ever known.
And yet something happened.
When he was in that bar, everything changed.
Lewis cared about us.
He wanted a family.
He wouldn't do anything stupid to risk that.
Something made him run in front of that car.
Autopsy's happening as we speak.
I loved him.
(sobs) I'm truly sorry for your loss.
Agent Pride, my fiancé's dead.
Please find out why.
Talk to me, Loretta.
Steinbeck.
Pardon? Gone are the days when people died of working too hard in the fields, and old age was a legitimate medical diagnosis.
I bring up Mr.
Steinbeck because those were simpler times.
Now it's all about peeling back the layers.
Cases like this are mysteries wrapped in complex enigmas.
I take it you're curious about this one.
So far all I can determine of the lieutenant is that he had some kind of upper respiratory infection.
Labs back? Yeah.
A basic analysis.
Nothing out of the ordinary.
White cells, slightly elevated.
Antihistamines were found in his system.
Decongestants.
He must have been feeling flu-ish.
As I said before, no alcohol and no hallucinogenics.
What about a chemical imbalance or TIA? Something to account for the behavior.
A stroke's doubtful but worth checking.
Pride, Hmm? you know, there's a snowball truck in the parking lot.
Is that you being polite? You want me to go? I appreciate You know I appreciate the guesswork, but you need to let us do our jobs.
Why are you so antsy about him anyway? He was a good man, good officer.
No signs of bad behavior.
I got a feelin' there's more to it.
As do I.
Mango or chocolate? (chuckles): Neither.
Until the lieutenant provides me with some much-needed answers, I prefer to remain sugar-free.
Go.
(ship horn blows) I think the immigration monument is not far from here.
It's just down the road from here.
I used to patrol this area when I was a deputy.
You know, the late 1800s was a very interesting time in local history.
Yesterday I was reading about the Italian community in New Orleans You're really gettin' into this.
There's just so much.
I'm like a sponge.
I want to soak up everything I can.
Don't believe everything you read, Brody.
History's fun, but it's not always accurate.
I want to hear about your days in the sheriff's department.
Nothing much to hear.
Alabama boy moves to New Orleans and does some good.
You're being modest.
Got to be more to it than that.
Some things are better in small bites.
I guess I'm one of 'em.
Commander Bates.
Agent Lasalle, Agent Brody, NCIS.
You're here about Collier.
He was a gifted officer and a good man.
It's a terrible loss.
This is Dr.
Mitchell Hufcutt, one of our medical consultants.
He was just offering some grief counseling to my crew.
Glad I was here and available to help.
How are they doing, Doctor? Wounds take time to heal, whether they're accidental or during times of conflict.
Posttraumatic symptoms will surface eventually.
All we can do is address them one day at a time.
If there's anything more I can do for you, Commander, don't hesitate to ask.
People say Collier was behaving erratically last night, like he was on something.
Does that surprise you? Very much.
Collier was a pro.
All business.
Does he have any enemies? None, as far as I know.
But we work under a lot of pressure.
Issues come up on occasion.
What are you getting at? Wondering if the lieutenant was targeted.
By whom? We're all mourning this loss together.
You know, I've been in the Navy 15 years, and I've never lost a sailor until now.
You always know it's a possibility in war time, but not during a port visit.
And not like this.
Sebastian? Oh, nice to see you, Agent Pride.
Everything all right? Well, yes and no.
Mind telling me about the "no"? (sighs) For thousands of years, Agent Pride, people have been reaping the benefits of yoga.
Scholars have traced its roots back to Stone Age shamanism.
It increases blood flow to the brain.
Helps me and others focus in times of trouble.
You troubled about something? There are certain things that I've come to count on in life.
The Rebirth at the Maple Leaf every Tuesday, the fact that I can do a speed run of Super Mario Bros.
2 in eight and a half minutes, and my trusty Mass Spectrometer, though, not necessarily in that order.
What are you getting at, Sebastian? Well, I had prepped a sample of Lieutenant Collier's stomach contents for analysis, but I'm getting readings that don't make any sense.
A bacteria that I didn't expect to encounter.
What kind of bacteria? Oh, I'm not talking about a good kind of bacteria, like in live yogurt cultures, or that Jamie Lee Curtis stuff, but like a real nasty-looking bacteria.
The kind that destroys small cities in Japanese monster movies.
So, anyway, I thought I'd take a moment, center myself, do dolphin pose.
Did it help? Not especially, no.
But it did give me time to focus and prepare to explore the accuracy of my data.
Something's-something's definitely miscalculated.
How far along is Loretta? Concluding her autopsy.
She should be handing me all kinds of pertinent information in a matter of (alarm sounding) Uh-oh.
Dr.
Wade.
Stop right there! Go back! Both of you, get back! You need a mask in here.
Loretta, what is it? Are you all right? Go on, get back! Both of you! Wh hold on.
I've detected septicemia and bacteria in the decedent's lungs.
The sinuses are full of bloody mucus, the bleeding is into the dermis and the internal organs.
Can you make a hypothesis, Mr.
Lund? Well, I mean, it-it could be any number of things really.
Although, the bacteria that you're mentioning explains my Mass Spec concern.
And? But without definitive sampling I could Oh, my.
I got to get my orange vest! I'm very focused right now.
I know the protocol.
Loretta, what the hell is this? This man isn't drugged.
He has bubonic plague! VANCE: Before I continue, were you all checked? Head to toe.
Vaccinated, too.
This is the first confirmed case of bubonic plague in a U.
S.
metropolitan city in decades.
Course of action is Yumen, China.
Happened in Yumen last July.
Man died of the plague, and they closed down the whole city.
Quarantines, roadblocks, you name it.
Swift action prevented an outbreak.
Of course, we're not there yet, but we need to follow it.
We need to track Collier's path through the city.
Figure out all the people he came in contact with, where he ate, even which bathrooms he used.
Hospitals are on alert.
BOLO's out on anyone showing symptoms.
New Orleans knows how to take on a crisis.
It should.
You've been to hell and back.
And yet, we're still here, Director.
Can't get rid of us that easy.
All right, we're following standard, bio-attack emergency protocol.
Where are we with the Geronimo's Ship is on lockdown, and we're rounding up sailors from liberty.
Round faster.
Enlist the help of local law enforcement.
If the contagion happened on board, they're all carriers.
I'm on it.
PRIDE: We're gonna need help from the CDC.
Details on symptoms and treatments.
Incubation is two to six days.
Since the crew just started liberty, that means it had to originate on board at sea.
Doc Wade said flu medication was in Collier's blood work.
He was sick, just didn't know how bad.
Mayor, governor, who else knows? The goal is to keep this orderly, calm and focused.
Sir, it says here that the bubonic plague, going back to the late Middle Ages, was primarily spread by fleas associated with mice and rats.
Water rat could have been on board the whole time.
Or snuck on with food or supplies.
Pride, it's clear we need to contain this situation fast.
If word gets out, a citywide panic would be just as deadly as the plague itself.
(quietly): Yeah.
PRIDE: That'd be 34 unaccounted for, right? (Wade speaks indistinctly) I got them, I got them.
All right, can I have everybody's attention, please? We have the full support of the Navy, the Pentagon, and the national health organizations.
Now, as of roll call half an hour ago, there are 34 sailors from the Geronimo still at liberty in the city of New Orleans.
They're all being contacted.
NCIS, in conjunction with local law enforcement, is looking to pick up each and every one of them.
And I can assure you that we won't stop until every crew member is safely returned to the ship and tested.
Doc Wade.
Have there been any reports at local hospitals of civilian patients exhibiting symptoms? None.
We're in constant communication with the emergency rooms, and there's nothing yet.
HUFCUTT: We've gathered as much antibiotic and live-attenuated EV76 vaccine as we can.
Bubonic isn't something we had stockpiled.
No one saw this coming.
All we can do is hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
Copies of my autopsy on Lieutenant Collier are being distributed.
As laboratory specifics are determined, you'll be the first to know.
Based on your initial examinations, Dr.
Wade, how physically destructive is this bubonic strain? It's the worst I've ever seen.
(indistinct chatter) Six crew members from the Geronimo were found in the Garden District.
No visible sign of illness.
That's good news.
Sheriff offering air support? Mounted officers in the Quarter, air and patrol units everywhere else.
Why is finding sailors like herding cats? I got to say-- murderers, drug dealers, terrorists-- I can take 'em all down.
But chasing a germ scares the hell out of me.
We'll do it together.
Let's get out there and stop this.
We're gonna stop it before it stops New Orleans.
That was Pride.
They just picked up five more from the Geronimo.
Fishing trip on a charter in the gulf.
All of 'em was together.
Any symptoms? Nothing yet.
Docs are checking.
Local sheriff and NOPD units divided the city into different search quadrants.
Hospitals got phone banks going.
Reaching out to locals, asking if they've seen anything.
We put tracking software on every sailor's cell phone.
Brody, you've been a big help.
Pride and I want you to know we kind of like having you around.
There's been way too much testosterone in this office for too long.
Oh.
You two know I needed a change.
I guess I got lucky.
(beeping) Cell tracker.
Got a bead on one of the missing crewmen.
It's trying to lock in.
(beeping) Phone belongs to Ensign Jerome Diggs out of Cleveland, Ohio.
Somewhere on the bayou.
It'll be daylight before we reach him.
I'll call Pride, tell him to meet us there? Let's move.
(music playing) (coughing) (coughs) (laughs) Another hand.
No limit, Texas Hold 'Em.
Little blind's 25, big's 50.
Antes doubled every 15 minutes.
Little late to be upping the stakes, hey, big man? It's my game, my rules.
Hey, look, we're just trying to have some fun.
(coughing) Fun.
You want fun, there's a casino downtown.
Boy, I am prepared to advance you some betting money.
(clears throat) What's the vig? (coughing) Double the advance every hand.
It's too rich for my blood.
You here to complain or win? (door bangs open) NCIS.
Hands where I can see 'em.
You Ensign Diggs? Yes, sir.
What's going on? More than you realize.
Come on.
Let's go, everybody up.
Come on, let's go, everybody! You too, Junior.
Get a move on.
I ain't going nowhere.
Not with all my money sitting here.
I had a feeling.
(laughing): We were just playing a friendly game.
It really smells awful in here.
Smells like stupidity to me.
You know what, uh I think you best leave.
You need to put your hands up.
We're shutting this game down.
You're under arrest.
(grunts) Damn, Christopher.
(grunting) That was pretty.
But if he's infected, we're gonna have some sick gators on our hands.
Talk to us, Brody.
That's what I'm talking about.
Also heard from the quarantine at the vets hospital.
Ensign Diggs did test positive for bubonic, but they got to him in time.
Fatality rate decreases by 50% once the antibiotic is administered.
They're pretty sure he'll make it.
Let's find us some sailors.
(phone rings) Call coming in.
PRIDE: That's the crisis center.
Update, Doctors.
Agent Pride, the antibiotics seem to be working with the crewmen showing positive symptoms.
The EV76 vaccine is being administered to everyone else on board the ship.
So far we have only one isolated civilian case connected to a woman, a tourist, staying at a downtown hotel, but we think we got to her in time.
How far outside of the city does the vaccine need to reach? We're prepared, pharmaceutically, to go all the way to the state border if necessary.
All of the manufacturers have been contacted and they're standing by.
But we still haven't found ground zero.
Agent Lasalle's right.
We can't guarantee it's controlled until we know where it started.
Thank you, Doctors.
We need to get back on that ship.
If it started there, we have to forensically determine the origin of the bacteria.
Okay, I like y'all and I love this job, but Relax.
I already volunteered.
When? As long as the Hazmat suit fits, I'm good to go.
And Director Vance has sent some qualified help down, too.
Who? Someone who's built up a possible tolerance having been exposed to bubonic plague ten years ago.
And he's willing to roll the dice again? I don't know if that agent's brave or just plain pigheaded and foolish.
BATES: Are you some sort of infectious disease expert, Agent DiNozzo? Ah.
Do I detect sarcasm, Commander? I've had my brush with a particularly virulent strain a few years back, but I came through smelling like a daisy.
Ah.
You're a lucky man.
I've heard that.
Well, every time something like this pops up, they call me in.
They call me the plague whisperer.
Ah.
Agent Pride.
Don't you look protected.
I feel like an andouille sausage in an extra small casing.
All I heard was "sausage.
" But you're dressed correctly because, of course, you have a daughter and this is ground zero, which makes it dangerous.
By the way, Commander, did you shut the ventilation down all over the ship? Of course.
We followed all standard operating procedures.
What's the status of the crew, Commander? Everyone remains on lockdown in their assigned berthings.
Our corpsmen are still making rounds, giving every person a thorough exam and administering the vaccine as necessary.
So where was the ship recently? We've been conducting training exercises nonstop the last few months.
Started off Cape Horn, up the Peru-Chile Trench to the Panama Canal.
Passed Cuba to the Tropic of Cancer and back into the Gulf.
Make any stops along the way? Just for fuel and supplies but no one left the pier.
New Orleans was the first liberty the crew has had in weeks.
We're going to need to see the manifest and ship's log.
That's not a problem.
We should start with Lieutenant Collier's stateroom.
Well, that's in O-Country.
All right.
Here we go.
Appreciate the company.
I appreciate you coming down.
Not exactly a social call.
You kidding me? Every time I get a gig like this, they double my vacation time.
Is it worth it? You've never been on vacation with me.
Hello.
You must be Sebastian Lund.
I could spot a forensic geek from a mile away.
Sebastian, allow me to introduce Carol Wilson, lab tech extraordinaire from the CDC.
You keep laying on that Southern charm, Doc, and I might not leave when this case is over.
(chuckles) It's nice to meet you, sweetie.
Pleasure.
Look, I'm sorry.
I'm not used to working with strangers in my lab.
Especially not on a case as significant as this.
Oh, well, Carol is no stranger.
She's probably one of the sharpest minds in bacterial immunology.
And who doesn't get excited about a plague? Best in the business.
Dr.
Wade's been filling me in.
Look, I'm here to help in any way I can.
See, the thing is what we need is an expert in Yersinia pestis.
So Well, that's funny because I minored in pestis in college.
If there's a bad germ out there, this bad girl's gonna find it.
Well, if you'll excuse me, I have some equipment to decontaminate.
No You two carry on.
All right.
Uh, well, let's dive in.
Ms.
Wilson, feel free to get acquainted with my equipment.
Uh, no.
Well, I wasn't (clears throat) I wasn't trying to suggest that you actually Let's get these synapses fired up, Lund, okay? Uh, mm Lieutenant Collier was something of a neat freak.
Collier led by example.
He was always a squared-away officer.
Wish I could have seen this coming.
Nothing you could have done about it, Commander.
I'm responsible for everyone on this ship.
If the contagion started here, I want to know how and why.
Trash collecting.
Who knew there'd be a Fred Sanford element to my very special career? Bad news, gentlemen.
Come with me.
Any vitals? Same signs.
Same plague.
And no one noticed? Duncan apparently said he was tired.
He went to sleep.
He never woke.
We're gonna have to search his whole quarters.
(soft squeaking) Top to bottom.
Shh.
Hold on.
(soft squeaking) What is it, DiNozzo? Do you hear that? Something Is it coming from the walls? (squeaking, scratching) It's like a scra It's over here.
(scratching) What is that? Oh, boy.
Oh! Hey, look out! Look out.
There it is.
Get it.
BATES: Where is it? Here here it goes.
(squeaking) Well, well.
Look what the cat dragged in.
Can I go home now? How can something so small be so dangerous? Actually, Agent Brody, he's innocent.
And totally healthy.
Blood work came back negative.
No plague at all? That's right.
No sign of bacterial infection.
Well, if it wasn't a rat, what else could it be? (computer beeping) Uh-oh.
BRODY: What's uh-oh? I don't like "uh-oh.
" Skin samples from both Lieutenant Collier and the ensign appear to be the same.
Both men were infected by the same strain of plague.
That's not exactly a surprise.
Yeah, but the purity of the strain is.
Guys, this is a version of the plague that couldn't have come from a flea or a cute little rat.
This abomination didn't occur naturally.
It happened in a lab.
It's a synthesized and manufactured bacteria.
So neither of our victims were infected by accident.
This ship was targeted, as in military terrorism.
And by sending them out on liberty Our own sailors become weapons of mass destruction.
(low, indistinct chatter) I've been calling your cell.
You're not answering.
Left my phone on my desk.
Sorry.
You want some coffee? There's a fresh pot.
The beans are from Spitfire.
You're clearly not planning on getting any sleep.
Too much on my mind.
Didn't sleep in 2005.
No point trying now.
Two dead.
How many more infected? How much can the city take? How much more can the city handle? Dwayne Cassius Pride, you listen to me.
You want to see strength? You ain't seen nothin' yet.
I'll get the coffee.
ABBY: Only a handful of laboratories in the world have access to a strain this powerful.
The question is, which one did it come from? I know the bubonic and this offspring are crazy potent.
Don't you just love her? We know for sure that the Geronimo was circling South America, right? In Chincha, Peru, it's common to eat cat.
Cats can carry Toxoplasma that can cause toxoplasmosis.
Okay, okay, okay.
True but gross.
And why? Well, toxoplasmosis just happens to be one of the many diseases Navy Medical Research Unit 6 studies in their lab at Lima.
Including plague.
Number Six is like the Fort Knox of bad germs.
It's like the world's most secure petri dish.
Yeah, and no one on the ship had any business being there.
How did it get on board? I mean, it didn't just hitch a ride.
Or did it? The evidence that Agent Pride brought in-- what did the victims have in their trash cans? Well, there was some dental floss, gum wrappers, one questionable magazine.
Someone left some chewing tobacco gnawed up in a big ball.
That's nasty.
And there were muffin wrappers in both.
One blueberry and one bran.
Uh-huh.
Now prove they were tampered with.
Yeah, running them.
Looks like both foil wrappers had tiny needle punctures in the outer paper.
Yeah, and I'm picking up a high concentration of Yersinia pestis in the remaining crumbs.
They must have come from the ship's galley or ward room.
Okay, so connect baked goods to darkest Peru.
Sebastian, you're a genius.
Namru Six in Lima had a security breach two weeks ago.
They kept it on the down low, but someone entered the live contagion unit.
Muffins? Bad ones.
Filled with the plague.
Where'd they come from? The galley.
It says in the manifest Culinary Specialist, Second Class Petty Officer Linus Warren signed for supplies in port in Lima.
Who is he? Petty Officer Warren.
One of the three sailors still missing.
Linus is up to his eyeballs in debt.
Headed for bankruptcy.
That's motive.
Yeah, but he's got a history of charity work.
He volunteers all over the world, including a place in Central City the last time he was here.
Café Reconcile.
Read about it in one of my books.
It was started years ago as a youth support center.
PRIDE: Call them.
Find out if he's there.
(siren chirps) Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Hands in the air! Don't move! Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! NCIS! Hands up! Turn around! Petty Officer Linus Warren, we've been looking for you.
Why? What did I do? I was on liberty; I didn't do anything wrong, I swear! What happened to these guys? They're dead.
Bubonic plague, not pretty.
You a baker, Linus? Yes, sir, that's what I do.
Hm, and I'm sure you not answering a dozen calls from your XO, NCIS and Navy HQ is just a coincidence.
My phone broke.
I was planning on being back at the ship when liberty ended.
People are dying, Petty Officer Warren, and we think you're responsible.
We think you poisoned them.
How? Namru Six ring a bell? Nam I don't know what you're talking about! I didn't kill anybody.
I just bake.
I needed to chill and unwind.
I called some friends at the café here in town, and they said to come on over.
This is messed up, man.
This is crazy.
I couldn't kill anybody.
You just bake.
Yes, sir, I just bake.
What do you mean, it came from the mess? Muffins, to be exact, Commander.
And somebody had to get to them.
And you think one of my crew did this? Somebody from my ship? It had to be somebody on board.
You tell me.
Agent Pride, I don't understand what you're asking.
Did anybody else board the Geronimo, Commander? No.
All crew and passengers aboard were registered in the manifest.
Then forgive my redundancy, but could you please run me through things one more time? As we discussed, the ship stopped in Lima to refuel and get supplies.
And no crew left the pier? No one.
But there was an adjustment.
There was an adjustment to the ship's medical team.
Dr.
Hufcutt? You offer rides to civilians sometimes? He transferred via helo.
While we were already at sea, not in port.
But close enough, Commander.
Can you tell me where I might find the doctor? Well, if he's not at the crisis center, he lives in Baton Rouge.
That's where his pharmaceutical company is based.
You don't think I don't think, ma'am.
I know.
Give me something.
Dr.
Mitchell Hufcutt, founder of Hufcutt Pharmaceuticals.
The company smartly made alliances with the military, providing combat meds to field hospitals for the past few years.
His reputation alone gave him access to the labs in Lima.
How's business now? Terrible.
Several bad investments have him on the verge of collapse.
Is that a big ol' motive I hear around the corner? Hufcutt takes advantage of the navy to steal and create a plague he can vaccinate against.
Like the bird flu scare a few years ago.
He'd make hundreds of millions on the antibiotics alone.
He manufactured the vaccine, too.
Doesn't sound like a coincidence to me.
So where is he now? No one knows.
We called his home, his office.
He's vanished, fell off the grid.
All right, track everything, credit cards, cell phones.
I want to know when he unzips his fly in the men's bathroom.
Find the son of a bitch.
Where you going? Need to see a doctor, stat.
DR.
HALEY: Look, I'm sorry, Agent Pride, but I don't know.
I came home to take a shower.
The last two days have been difficult, to say the least.
I need to get back to the crisis center.
I don't doubt that, Dr.
Haley, I just You and I have been through plenty over the years.
I just need to know if there's anything you talked with Dr.
Hufcutt about.
(sighs) He mentioned he had an important event to go to in Jackson.
A convention of some kind.
Something he said we actually relevant to our dire situation.
What kind of convention? I assume something medical.
There's a gathering of physicians from all over the world happening.
I suppose it's possible.
But why now? Why when he's needed so badly here? Germs travel, Doctor.
Bigger crisis means more vaccine.
More medicine means more money.
(car door closes) Tell me about the convention in Jackson.
An organization called Doctors International Outreach.
Doctors from around the globe get together and share cases.
And then they go home.
Infected and carrying a bacteria Hufcutt's company can medicate.
Treating thousands of victims.
The doctor's going global.
And the clue trail is next to impossible to track.
Not if we can stop him.
Dr.
Hufcutt just turned his cell phone on for a minute.
I got him.
Can you track it? I can do one better.
I can run his ass off the road.
(bells clanging) NCIS.
Where the hell do you think you're going, Doctor? Hey, what are you doing?! Huh? I didn't do anything.
Let me go.
Dr.
Mitchell Hufcutt, you are under arrest for murder and domestic terrorism.
What? Where's the bacteria you stole? And be careful what you say, because I might just ram it right down your pathetic little throat.
I don't know what you're talking about.
This is crazy! Let me go! Wait Hey! Hey! Hey, you can't do this.
Hey, whoa, whoa.
Stop! I can't swim! No! No! Please.
Please don't do this.
I made a mistake.
The bacteria's safe; it's in the car.
Aah! King.
Please.
(Hufcutt panting) BRODY: This place is kind of beautiful.
I'm getting some serious reading done.
LASALLE: Well, I'm getting some bites.
A lot to be grateful for.
People are healthy, bacteria's contained.
Catfish don't know I'm using my secret weapon.
What is it? Moldy cheese and fatback.
And you expect me to eat what you catch? If you don't, I will.
Come on, baby.
Come on.
You know you want it.
Take it.
Come on, baby.
Come to Daddy.
Come on now.
I'm right here waiting for you.
Is he really talking to that fish like he's Barry White? LASALLE: Come on.
Called foreplay, Brody.
Every good fisherman knows how to tease with the best of them.
(phone ringing) This is Pride.
One marine's been shot? Call the morgue.
We'll reach out to the family.
This is an NCIS case now.
And we're back to work.
Yeah! (whoops) Hey.
How you doin' tonight? You look like you could use something cold.
Yeah.
Just some water, please.
That's all.
Thank you.
Darlin', why don't you go get some air, okay? Relax a little.
Hey.
Navy.
Navy, you all right? My God! (grunts) Whoa, easy.
(panting) (yells) (tires screeching) (crowd gasping) (excited chattering) Boom, boom, boom, boom Bang, bang, bang, bang Boom, boom, boom, boom How, how, how, how Hey, hey You gotta come on.
You concentrate any harder, you're gonna strain a muscle.
I am learning about New Orleans.
Coming from the Great Lakes, I want to soak up all the history and culture that I can.
It'll make me a better agent.
Well, you don't need a book to do that.
I'm new to the Gulf.
I need all the help I can get.
Tell me one thing you know that I can't read about.
Chicken Fried Raymond.
Who? Chicken Fried Cornelius Raymond.
Street musician.
Corner of Dauphine and Conti.
Been standin' there for years.
Got kicked in the mouth by a buggy horse.
Tooth flew into the newly repaved concrete.
Still there now, crown and all.
That's disgusting.
You can't find that in a history book.
Got another one.
Streetcar 952 that ran on the Desire line started right here.
A little slice of Americana.
(phone rings) In all the nooks and crannies.
Pride here.
When? Call the morgue.
Tell 'em we'll be right there.
What we got? USS Geronimo's in port, and the crew's on liberty.
One of her officers got hit by a taxi early this morning in the French Quarter.
Are you going to speak to his XO? Next on my to-do list.
Grab your things.
Did you know in 1923 there was a train accident? This horse-drawn delivery truck was crossing the rails when out of nowhere Are you gonna do this all day? Do what? (exhales) (camera shutter clicking) My mother always said, "Look both ways before crossing.
" Now I realize she meant physically and metaphorically.
Why did the chicken cross the road, Loretta? In this instance, "to get to the other side" is clearly a misnomer.
LASALLE: A simple case of man versus car.
Bartender says Navy Lieutenant Lewis Collier was behaving erratically, having trouble focusing.
Seem like he was on something? Drugged? I won't know till I do a full blood panel back at the morgue.
Something had him jacked-up.
Had to be something in his system.
Either he took it Or was forced to.
WADE: Blood alcohol levels indicate he wasn't inebriated.
Petechial hemorrhaging could have been from impact but the whites of his eyes, yellow and jaundiced like he overdosed.
The lieutenant is a plethora of contradictions.
Let me rephrase the question.
Why did the sailor cross the road? Let me rephrase the answer.
The sailor crossed against his will.
Something made him do it.
Now he's dead.
(sighs) Anything? Collier's XO, Commander Bates, is currently back on board the Geronimo.
We're meeting in an hour.
Details from Loretta? She and Sebastian have started the autopsy.
Anything on the lieutenant? (phone rings) LASALLE: Lieutenant Lewis Collier, Born and raised in Chatham, Virginia.
Straight "A"s in college.
No flags on the play.
Engaged to be married.
Navy record? Spotless.
Not even a rental car parking ticket.
Somebody could've had their eye on Collier the minute he stepped ashore.
Could've followed him, drugged him at dinner.
It's happened before.
It fits the M.
O.
Wait for the drugs to kick in, follow him back to port, mug him along the way.
He just never got that far.
It'll show up in the labs.
Maybe.
Pride, Collier's fiancée just flew in.
Let's see what she can tell us.
WOMAN: You didn't know Lewis.
He was so sweet, so gentle.
You're right.
I-I didn't know the lieutenant.
But I know his shipmates were having a good time last night.
A-And I know he might've taken something accidentally.
Or someone gave him something.
Lewis liked to have fun, but he was super careful.
He worked out, watched his diet, took great care of himself.
Navy records don't disagree.
He was the most responsible man that I've ever known.
And yet something happened.
When he was in that bar, everything changed.
Lewis cared about us.
He wanted a family.
He wouldn't do anything stupid to risk that.
Something made him run in front of that car.
Autopsy's happening as we speak.
I loved him.
(sobs) I'm truly sorry for your loss.
Agent Pride, my fiancé's dead.
Please find out why.
Talk to me, Loretta.
Steinbeck.
Pardon? Gone are the days when people died of working too hard in the fields, and old age was a legitimate medical diagnosis.
I bring up Mr.
Steinbeck because those were simpler times.
Now it's all about peeling back the layers.
Cases like this are mysteries wrapped in complex enigmas.
I take it you're curious about this one.
So far all I can determine of the lieutenant is that he had some kind of upper respiratory infection.
Labs back? Yeah.
A basic analysis.
Nothing out of the ordinary.
White cells, slightly elevated.
Antihistamines were found in his system.
Decongestants.
He must have been feeling flu-ish.
As I said before, no alcohol and no hallucinogenics.
What about a chemical imbalance or TIA? Something to account for the behavior.
A stroke's doubtful but worth checking.
Pride, Hmm? you know, there's a snowball truck in the parking lot.
Is that you being polite? You want me to go? I appreciate You know I appreciate the guesswork, but you need to let us do our jobs.
Why are you so antsy about him anyway? He was a good man, good officer.
No signs of bad behavior.
I got a feelin' there's more to it.
As do I.
Mango or chocolate? (chuckles): Neither.
Until the lieutenant provides me with some much-needed answers, I prefer to remain sugar-free.
Go.
(ship horn blows) I think the immigration monument is not far from here.
It's just down the road from here.
I used to patrol this area when I was a deputy.
You know, the late 1800s was a very interesting time in local history.
Yesterday I was reading about the Italian community in New Orleans You're really gettin' into this.
There's just so much.
I'm like a sponge.
I want to soak up everything I can.
Don't believe everything you read, Brody.
History's fun, but it's not always accurate.
I want to hear about your days in the sheriff's department.
Nothing much to hear.
Alabama boy moves to New Orleans and does some good.
You're being modest.
Got to be more to it than that.
Some things are better in small bites.
I guess I'm one of 'em.
Commander Bates.
Agent Lasalle, Agent Brody, NCIS.
You're here about Collier.
He was a gifted officer and a good man.
It's a terrible loss.
This is Dr.
Mitchell Hufcutt, one of our medical consultants.
He was just offering some grief counseling to my crew.
Glad I was here and available to help.
How are they doing, Doctor? Wounds take time to heal, whether they're accidental or during times of conflict.
Posttraumatic symptoms will surface eventually.
All we can do is address them one day at a time.
If there's anything more I can do for you, Commander, don't hesitate to ask.
People say Collier was behaving erratically last night, like he was on something.
Does that surprise you? Very much.
Collier was a pro.
All business.
Does he have any enemies? None, as far as I know.
But we work under a lot of pressure.
Issues come up on occasion.
What are you getting at? Wondering if the lieutenant was targeted.
By whom? We're all mourning this loss together.
You know, I've been in the Navy 15 years, and I've never lost a sailor until now.
You always know it's a possibility in war time, but not during a port visit.
And not like this.
Sebastian? Oh, nice to see you, Agent Pride.
Everything all right? Well, yes and no.
Mind telling me about the "no"? (sighs) For thousands of years, Agent Pride, people have been reaping the benefits of yoga.
Scholars have traced its roots back to Stone Age shamanism.
It increases blood flow to the brain.
Helps me and others focus in times of trouble.
You troubled about something? There are certain things that I've come to count on in life.
The Rebirth at the Maple Leaf every Tuesday, the fact that I can do a speed run of Super Mario Bros.
2 in eight and a half minutes, and my trusty Mass Spectrometer, though, not necessarily in that order.
What are you getting at, Sebastian? Well, I had prepped a sample of Lieutenant Collier's stomach contents for analysis, but I'm getting readings that don't make any sense.
A bacteria that I didn't expect to encounter.
What kind of bacteria? Oh, I'm not talking about a good kind of bacteria, like in live yogurt cultures, or that Jamie Lee Curtis stuff, but like a real nasty-looking bacteria.
The kind that destroys small cities in Japanese monster movies.
So, anyway, I thought I'd take a moment, center myself, do dolphin pose.
Did it help? Not especially, no.
But it did give me time to focus and prepare to explore the accuracy of my data.
Something's-something's definitely miscalculated.
How far along is Loretta? Concluding her autopsy.
She should be handing me all kinds of pertinent information in a matter of (alarm sounding) Uh-oh.
Dr.
Wade.
Stop right there! Go back! Both of you, get back! You need a mask in here.
Loretta, what is it? Are you all right? Go on, get back! Both of you! Wh hold on.
I've detected septicemia and bacteria in the decedent's lungs.
The sinuses are full of bloody mucus, the bleeding is into the dermis and the internal organs.
Can you make a hypothesis, Mr.
Lund? Well, I mean, it-it could be any number of things really.
Although, the bacteria that you're mentioning explains my Mass Spec concern.
And? But without definitive sampling I could Oh, my.
I got to get my orange vest! I'm very focused right now.
I know the protocol.
Loretta, what the hell is this? This man isn't drugged.
He has bubonic plague! VANCE: Before I continue, were you all checked? Head to toe.
Vaccinated, too.
This is the first confirmed case of bubonic plague in a U.
S.
metropolitan city in decades.
Course of action is Yumen, China.
Happened in Yumen last July.
Man died of the plague, and they closed down the whole city.
Quarantines, roadblocks, you name it.
Swift action prevented an outbreak.
Of course, we're not there yet, but we need to follow it.
We need to track Collier's path through the city.
Figure out all the people he came in contact with, where he ate, even which bathrooms he used.
Hospitals are on alert.
BOLO's out on anyone showing symptoms.
New Orleans knows how to take on a crisis.
It should.
You've been to hell and back.
And yet, we're still here, Director.
Can't get rid of us that easy.
All right, we're following standard, bio-attack emergency protocol.
Where are we with the Geronimo's Ship is on lockdown, and we're rounding up sailors from liberty.
Round faster.
Enlist the help of local law enforcement.
If the contagion happened on board, they're all carriers.
I'm on it.
PRIDE: We're gonna need help from the CDC.
Details on symptoms and treatments.
Incubation is two to six days.
Since the crew just started liberty, that means it had to originate on board at sea.
Doc Wade said flu medication was in Collier's blood work.
He was sick, just didn't know how bad.
Mayor, governor, who else knows? The goal is to keep this orderly, calm and focused.
Sir, it says here that the bubonic plague, going back to the late Middle Ages, was primarily spread by fleas associated with mice and rats.
Water rat could have been on board the whole time.
Or snuck on with food or supplies.
Pride, it's clear we need to contain this situation fast.
If word gets out, a citywide panic would be just as deadly as the plague itself.
(quietly): Yeah.
PRIDE: That'd be 34 unaccounted for, right? (Wade speaks indistinctly) I got them, I got them.
All right, can I have everybody's attention, please? We have the full support of the Navy, the Pentagon, and the national health organizations.
Now, as of roll call half an hour ago, there are 34 sailors from the Geronimo still at liberty in the city of New Orleans.
They're all being contacted.
NCIS, in conjunction with local law enforcement, is looking to pick up each and every one of them.
And I can assure you that we won't stop until every crew member is safely returned to the ship and tested.
Doc Wade.
Have there been any reports at local hospitals of civilian patients exhibiting symptoms? None.
We're in constant communication with the emergency rooms, and there's nothing yet.
HUFCUTT: We've gathered as much antibiotic and live-attenuated EV76 vaccine as we can.
Bubonic isn't something we had stockpiled.
No one saw this coming.
All we can do is hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
Copies of my autopsy on Lieutenant Collier are being distributed.
As laboratory specifics are determined, you'll be the first to know.
Based on your initial examinations, Dr.
Wade, how physically destructive is this bubonic strain? It's the worst I've ever seen.
(indistinct chatter) Six crew members from the Geronimo were found in the Garden District.
No visible sign of illness.
That's good news.
Sheriff offering air support? Mounted officers in the Quarter, air and patrol units everywhere else.
Why is finding sailors like herding cats? I got to say-- murderers, drug dealers, terrorists-- I can take 'em all down.
But chasing a germ scares the hell out of me.
We'll do it together.
Let's get out there and stop this.
We're gonna stop it before it stops New Orleans.
That was Pride.
They just picked up five more from the Geronimo.
Fishing trip on a charter in the gulf.
All of 'em was together.
Any symptoms? Nothing yet.
Docs are checking.
Local sheriff and NOPD units divided the city into different search quadrants.
Hospitals got phone banks going.
Reaching out to locals, asking if they've seen anything.
We put tracking software on every sailor's cell phone.
Brody, you've been a big help.
Pride and I want you to know we kind of like having you around.
There's been way too much testosterone in this office for too long.
Oh.
You two know I needed a change.
I guess I got lucky.
(beeping) Cell tracker.
Got a bead on one of the missing crewmen.
It's trying to lock in.
(beeping) Phone belongs to Ensign Jerome Diggs out of Cleveland, Ohio.
Somewhere on the bayou.
It'll be daylight before we reach him.
I'll call Pride, tell him to meet us there? Let's move.
(music playing) (coughing) (coughs) (laughs) Another hand.
No limit, Texas Hold 'Em.
Little blind's 25, big's 50.
Antes doubled every 15 minutes.
Little late to be upping the stakes, hey, big man? It's my game, my rules.
Hey, look, we're just trying to have some fun.
(coughing) Fun.
You want fun, there's a casino downtown.
Boy, I am prepared to advance you some betting money.
(clears throat) What's the vig? (coughing) Double the advance every hand.
It's too rich for my blood.
You here to complain or win? (door bangs open) NCIS.
Hands where I can see 'em.
You Ensign Diggs? Yes, sir.
What's going on? More than you realize.
Come on.
Let's go, everybody up.
Come on, let's go, everybody! You too, Junior.
Get a move on.
I ain't going nowhere.
Not with all my money sitting here.
I had a feeling.
(laughing): We were just playing a friendly game.
It really smells awful in here.
Smells like stupidity to me.
You know what, uh I think you best leave.
You need to put your hands up.
We're shutting this game down.
You're under arrest.
(grunts) Damn, Christopher.
(grunting) That was pretty.
But if he's infected, we're gonna have some sick gators on our hands.
Talk to us, Brody.
That's what I'm talking about.
Also heard from the quarantine at the vets hospital.
Ensign Diggs did test positive for bubonic, but they got to him in time.
Fatality rate decreases by 50% once the antibiotic is administered.
They're pretty sure he'll make it.
Let's find us some sailors.
(phone rings) Call coming in.
PRIDE: That's the crisis center.
Update, Doctors.
Agent Pride, the antibiotics seem to be working with the crewmen showing positive symptoms.
The EV76 vaccine is being administered to everyone else on board the ship.
So far we have only one isolated civilian case connected to a woman, a tourist, staying at a downtown hotel, but we think we got to her in time.
How far outside of the city does the vaccine need to reach? We're prepared, pharmaceutically, to go all the way to the state border if necessary.
All of the manufacturers have been contacted and they're standing by.
But we still haven't found ground zero.
Agent Lasalle's right.
We can't guarantee it's controlled until we know where it started.
Thank you, Doctors.
We need to get back on that ship.
If it started there, we have to forensically determine the origin of the bacteria.
Okay, I like y'all and I love this job, but Relax.
I already volunteered.
When? As long as the Hazmat suit fits, I'm good to go.
And Director Vance has sent some qualified help down, too.
Who? Someone who's built up a possible tolerance having been exposed to bubonic plague ten years ago.
And he's willing to roll the dice again? I don't know if that agent's brave or just plain pigheaded and foolish.
BATES: Are you some sort of infectious disease expert, Agent DiNozzo? Ah.
Do I detect sarcasm, Commander? I've had my brush with a particularly virulent strain a few years back, but I came through smelling like a daisy.
Ah.
You're a lucky man.
I've heard that.
Well, every time something like this pops up, they call me in.
They call me the plague whisperer.
Ah.
Agent Pride.
Don't you look protected.
I feel like an andouille sausage in an extra small casing.
All I heard was "sausage.
" But you're dressed correctly because, of course, you have a daughter and this is ground zero, which makes it dangerous.
By the way, Commander, did you shut the ventilation down all over the ship? Of course.
We followed all standard operating procedures.
What's the status of the crew, Commander? Everyone remains on lockdown in their assigned berthings.
Our corpsmen are still making rounds, giving every person a thorough exam and administering the vaccine as necessary.
So where was the ship recently? We've been conducting training exercises nonstop the last few months.
Started off Cape Horn, up the Peru-Chile Trench to the Panama Canal.
Passed Cuba to the Tropic of Cancer and back into the Gulf.
Make any stops along the way? Just for fuel and supplies but no one left the pier.
New Orleans was the first liberty the crew has had in weeks.
We're going to need to see the manifest and ship's log.
That's not a problem.
We should start with Lieutenant Collier's stateroom.
Well, that's in O-Country.
All right.
Here we go.
Appreciate the company.
I appreciate you coming down.
Not exactly a social call.
You kidding me? Every time I get a gig like this, they double my vacation time.
Is it worth it? You've never been on vacation with me.
Hello.
You must be Sebastian Lund.
I could spot a forensic geek from a mile away.
Sebastian, allow me to introduce Carol Wilson, lab tech extraordinaire from the CDC.
You keep laying on that Southern charm, Doc, and I might not leave when this case is over.
(chuckles) It's nice to meet you, sweetie.
Pleasure.
Look, I'm sorry.
I'm not used to working with strangers in my lab.
Especially not on a case as significant as this.
Oh, well, Carol is no stranger.
She's probably one of the sharpest minds in bacterial immunology.
And who doesn't get excited about a plague? Best in the business.
Dr.
Wade's been filling me in.
Look, I'm here to help in any way I can.
See, the thing is what we need is an expert in Yersinia pestis.
So Well, that's funny because I minored in pestis in college.
If there's a bad germ out there, this bad girl's gonna find it.
Well, if you'll excuse me, I have some equipment to decontaminate.
No You two carry on.
All right.
Uh, well, let's dive in.
Ms.
Wilson, feel free to get acquainted with my equipment.
Uh, no.
Well, I wasn't (clears throat) I wasn't trying to suggest that you actually Let's get these synapses fired up, Lund, okay? Uh, mm Lieutenant Collier was something of a neat freak.
Collier led by example.
He was always a squared-away officer.
Wish I could have seen this coming.
Nothing you could have done about it, Commander.
I'm responsible for everyone on this ship.
If the contagion started here, I want to know how and why.
Trash collecting.
Who knew there'd be a Fred Sanford element to my very special career? Bad news, gentlemen.
Come with me.
Any vitals? Same signs.
Same plague.
And no one noticed? Duncan apparently said he was tired.
He went to sleep.
He never woke.
We're gonna have to search his whole quarters.
(soft squeaking) Top to bottom.
Shh.
Hold on.
(soft squeaking) What is it, DiNozzo? Do you hear that? Something Is it coming from the walls? (squeaking, scratching) It's like a scra It's over here.
(scratching) What is that? Oh, boy.
Oh! Hey, look out! Look out.
There it is.
Get it.
BATES: Where is it? Here here it goes.
(squeaking) Well, well.
Look what the cat dragged in.
Can I go home now? How can something so small be so dangerous? Actually, Agent Brody, he's innocent.
And totally healthy.
Blood work came back negative.
No plague at all? That's right.
No sign of bacterial infection.
Well, if it wasn't a rat, what else could it be? (computer beeping) Uh-oh.
BRODY: What's uh-oh? I don't like "uh-oh.
" Skin samples from both Lieutenant Collier and the ensign appear to be the same.
Both men were infected by the same strain of plague.
That's not exactly a surprise.
Yeah, but the purity of the strain is.
Guys, this is a version of the plague that couldn't have come from a flea or a cute little rat.
This abomination didn't occur naturally.
It happened in a lab.
It's a synthesized and manufactured bacteria.
So neither of our victims were infected by accident.
This ship was targeted, as in military terrorism.
And by sending them out on liberty Our own sailors become weapons of mass destruction.
(low, indistinct chatter) I've been calling your cell.
You're not answering.
Left my phone on my desk.
Sorry.
You want some coffee? There's a fresh pot.
The beans are from Spitfire.
You're clearly not planning on getting any sleep.
Too much on my mind.
Didn't sleep in 2005.
No point trying now.
Two dead.
How many more infected? How much can the city take? How much more can the city handle? Dwayne Cassius Pride, you listen to me.
You want to see strength? You ain't seen nothin' yet.
I'll get the coffee.
ABBY: Only a handful of laboratories in the world have access to a strain this powerful.
The question is, which one did it come from? I know the bubonic and this offspring are crazy potent.
Don't you just love her? We know for sure that the Geronimo was circling South America, right? In Chincha, Peru, it's common to eat cat.
Cats can carry Toxoplasma that can cause toxoplasmosis.
Okay, okay, okay.
True but gross.
And why? Well, toxoplasmosis just happens to be one of the many diseases Navy Medical Research Unit 6 studies in their lab at Lima.
Including plague.
Number Six is like the Fort Knox of bad germs.
It's like the world's most secure petri dish.
Yeah, and no one on the ship had any business being there.
How did it get on board? I mean, it didn't just hitch a ride.
Or did it? The evidence that Agent Pride brought in-- what did the victims have in their trash cans? Well, there was some dental floss, gum wrappers, one questionable magazine.
Someone left some chewing tobacco gnawed up in a big ball.
That's nasty.
And there were muffin wrappers in both.
One blueberry and one bran.
Uh-huh.
Now prove they were tampered with.
Yeah, running them.
Looks like both foil wrappers had tiny needle punctures in the outer paper.
Yeah, and I'm picking up a high concentration of Yersinia pestis in the remaining crumbs.
They must have come from the ship's galley or ward room.
Okay, so connect baked goods to darkest Peru.
Sebastian, you're a genius.
Namru Six in Lima had a security breach two weeks ago.
They kept it on the down low, but someone entered the live contagion unit.
Muffins? Bad ones.
Filled with the plague.
Where'd they come from? The galley.
It says in the manifest Culinary Specialist, Second Class Petty Officer Linus Warren signed for supplies in port in Lima.
Who is he? Petty Officer Warren.
One of the three sailors still missing.
Linus is up to his eyeballs in debt.
Headed for bankruptcy.
That's motive.
Yeah, but he's got a history of charity work.
He volunteers all over the world, including a place in Central City the last time he was here.
Café Reconcile.
Read about it in one of my books.
It was started years ago as a youth support center.
PRIDE: Call them.
Find out if he's there.
(siren chirps) Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Hands in the air! Don't move! Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! NCIS! Hands up! Turn around! Petty Officer Linus Warren, we've been looking for you.
Why? What did I do? I was on liberty; I didn't do anything wrong, I swear! What happened to these guys? They're dead.
Bubonic plague, not pretty.
You a baker, Linus? Yes, sir, that's what I do.
Hm, and I'm sure you not answering a dozen calls from your XO, NCIS and Navy HQ is just a coincidence.
My phone broke.
I was planning on being back at the ship when liberty ended.
People are dying, Petty Officer Warren, and we think you're responsible.
We think you poisoned them.
How? Namru Six ring a bell? Nam I don't know what you're talking about! I didn't kill anybody.
I just bake.
I needed to chill and unwind.
I called some friends at the café here in town, and they said to come on over.
This is messed up, man.
This is crazy.
I couldn't kill anybody.
You just bake.
Yes, sir, I just bake.
What do you mean, it came from the mess? Muffins, to be exact, Commander.
And somebody had to get to them.
And you think one of my crew did this? Somebody from my ship? It had to be somebody on board.
You tell me.
Agent Pride, I don't understand what you're asking.
Did anybody else board the Geronimo, Commander? No.
All crew and passengers aboard were registered in the manifest.
Then forgive my redundancy, but could you please run me through things one more time? As we discussed, the ship stopped in Lima to refuel and get supplies.
And no crew left the pier? No one.
But there was an adjustment.
There was an adjustment to the ship's medical team.
Dr.
Hufcutt? You offer rides to civilians sometimes? He transferred via helo.
While we were already at sea, not in port.
But close enough, Commander.
Can you tell me where I might find the doctor? Well, if he's not at the crisis center, he lives in Baton Rouge.
That's where his pharmaceutical company is based.
You don't think I don't think, ma'am.
I know.
Give me something.
Dr.
Mitchell Hufcutt, founder of Hufcutt Pharmaceuticals.
The company smartly made alliances with the military, providing combat meds to field hospitals for the past few years.
His reputation alone gave him access to the labs in Lima.
How's business now? Terrible.
Several bad investments have him on the verge of collapse.
Is that a big ol' motive I hear around the corner? Hufcutt takes advantage of the navy to steal and create a plague he can vaccinate against.
Like the bird flu scare a few years ago.
He'd make hundreds of millions on the antibiotics alone.
He manufactured the vaccine, too.
Doesn't sound like a coincidence to me.
So where is he now? No one knows.
We called his home, his office.
He's vanished, fell off the grid.
All right, track everything, credit cards, cell phones.
I want to know when he unzips his fly in the men's bathroom.
Find the son of a bitch.
Where you going? Need to see a doctor, stat.
DR.
HALEY: Look, I'm sorry, Agent Pride, but I don't know.
I came home to take a shower.
The last two days have been difficult, to say the least.
I need to get back to the crisis center.
I don't doubt that, Dr.
Haley, I just You and I have been through plenty over the years.
I just need to know if there's anything you talked with Dr.
Hufcutt about.
(sighs) He mentioned he had an important event to go to in Jackson.
A convention of some kind.
Something he said we actually relevant to our dire situation.
What kind of convention? I assume something medical.
There's a gathering of physicians from all over the world happening.
I suppose it's possible.
But why now? Why when he's needed so badly here? Germs travel, Doctor.
Bigger crisis means more vaccine.
More medicine means more money.
(car door closes) Tell me about the convention in Jackson.
An organization called Doctors International Outreach.
Doctors from around the globe get together and share cases.
And then they go home.
Infected and carrying a bacteria Hufcutt's company can medicate.
Treating thousands of victims.
The doctor's going global.
And the clue trail is next to impossible to track.
Not if we can stop him.
Dr.
Hufcutt just turned his cell phone on for a minute.
I got him.
Can you track it? I can do one better.
I can run his ass off the road.
(bells clanging) NCIS.
Where the hell do you think you're going, Doctor? Hey, what are you doing?! Huh? I didn't do anything.
Let me go.
Dr.
Mitchell Hufcutt, you are under arrest for murder and domestic terrorism.
What? Where's the bacteria you stole? And be careful what you say, because I might just ram it right down your pathetic little throat.
I don't know what you're talking about.
This is crazy! Let me go! Wait Hey! Hey! Hey, you can't do this.
Hey, whoa, whoa.
Stop! I can't swim! No! No! Please.
Please don't do this.
I made a mistake.
The bacteria's safe; it's in the car.
Aah! King.
Please.
(Hufcutt panting) BRODY: This place is kind of beautiful.
I'm getting some serious reading done.
LASALLE: Well, I'm getting some bites.
A lot to be grateful for.
People are healthy, bacteria's contained.
Catfish don't know I'm using my secret weapon.
What is it? Moldy cheese and fatback.
And you expect me to eat what you catch? If you don't, I will.
Come on, baby.
Come on.
You know you want it.
Take it.
Come on, baby.
Come to Daddy.
Come on now.
I'm right here waiting for you.
Is he really talking to that fish like he's Barry White? LASALLE: Come on.
Called foreplay, Brody.
Every good fisherman knows how to tease with the best of them.
(phone ringing) This is Pride.
One marine's been shot? Call the morgue.
We'll reach out to the family.
This is an NCIS case now.
And we're back to work.