NCIS: Origins (2024) s01e09 Episode Script
Vivo o Muerto
1
WHEELER:
NIS has arrested the sniper
known as Sandman.
FRANKS: Your wife witnessed the
murder of a marine in a gas station
in Oceanside.
She ID'd the triggerman:
Pedro Hernandez,
a drug dealer working
for a Mexican cartel.
We lost him.
GIBBS: Hernandez,
he took the shot himself?
FRANKS: Yeah, it was him.
Aah!
OLDER GIBBS:
For a while, I stopped eating.
I stopped eating because
I couldn't find him.
I searched,
I hunted,
but he was nowhere.
But never in line for dreams ♪
Head over heels ♪
When toe to toe ♪
This is the sound of my soul ♪
Eventually, you got to start
eating again or you die.
I bought a ticket to the world ♪
Dark days turn into normal ones.
But now I've come back to ♪
The dark thoughts
still come sometimes.
But you do what you can
to drown them out.
The next line ♪
Oh, I want the truth to be said ♪
(INCREASES VOLUME)
("SET ADRIFT ON MEMORY BLISS"
BY P.M. DAWN PLAYING)
Baby, you send me ♪
Set adrift on memory bliss of you ♪
A careless whisper
from a careless man ♪
A neutron dance for ♪
You imagine a person across town.
Are dangerous things ♪
I thought of all
the trouble they bring ♪
You picture her living
her life, happy.
Rubber bands expand
in a frustrating sigh ♪
Tell me that she's not dreaming ♪
She's got an ace in the hole,
it doesn't have meaning ♪
Reality used to be ♪
You wonder what she thinks
about the dark that's around you.
Christina Applegate,
you got to put me on ♪
You wonder
if she thinks about you at all.
I told her whispers
in my heart were fine ♪
What did she think she could do? ♪
I feel for her, I really do. ♪
- (BEEP)
- CARL: Uh, hey, Mary Jo,
maybe you left for the night.
Uh, listen, can you look
in my top drawer, see if there's
a fishing lure in there? It's yellow.
My cousin wants to borrow i
Do I look like your wife, Carl?
(BEEP)
Hey, uh, Carl again. Wondering
if you had a chance to look for
that lure? It's yellow
(BEEP)
- (DOOR OPENS)
- Mary Jo, Carl.
- (DOOR CLOSES)
- Look, I'm not sure if you had a chance
to look in my drawer.
Could you call me back
and let me know if you g
- Morning.
- What can I do for you?
Kid's Navy. Seaman Nathan Porter.
He had an eventful night.
- I see that.
- It was the pot of grease.
Hey, I need you in Admin.
What the heck happened?
Drove off the road,
hit two parked cars and a mailbox.
Blew the top off the breathalyzer.
Chula Vista PD turned him over to us.
You should be taking him to the MPs.
This was closer.
You guys got a spot for him
in holding, don't you?
Come on.
He puked three times
in my squad already.
Mary Jo, what do we got?
Doing the Navy proud.
Swerved off the road in Chula Vista.
You should be taking him to the MPs.
Can't you just take him,
let him sober up?
- (TELEPHONE RINGS)
- Oh. Hello?
Hi. I just pulled a double.
I'm meeting this girl for brunch.
I've been trying to get
in her pants for a year now.
Oh, okay. Yeah, man.
I'm picking up what you're putting down.
What's going on?
Drunk sailor swerved off the road.
- What are we, MPs now?
- Told the petty officer here
we'd do him a solid.
I'll book him, you do the paperwork.
I'll book him. Paperwork is on you.
She said it was fine.
It was the pot of grease.
Okay, up you go. Come on.
Ooh.
Holy hell, you stink, man.
Sign here.
Ah! Gibbs.
Give me a hand here, will you?
That it?
Yep, we got it from here, bro.
Good luck with brunch
and, you know, the other stuff.
- Appreciate it, man.
- Yeah.
- Blessings.
- (DOOR OPENS)
Morning, Rando. What's the word?
Not much. Lala and Gibbs
just booked a drunk sailor
so that guy you passed
can go get some action.
What?
Franks, Tish called. She wants to know
if the painter should start
in the kitchen or the bathroom.
Painter ain't coming till Tuesday.
She says he's there's now.
Kitchen or the bathroom.
Give her a call, let her know.
I, uh
I got to go. Dominguez here?
- Yeah.
- Anything comes up,
she's on point till I get back.
Okay.
I think I would have just
went with the bathroom.
- (DOOR CLOSES)
- Hundred percent.
Hey. Whoa.
LALA: Okay. Get him over there
and you're doing the prints.
What, you ditch class
the day they taught
you that in FLETC? Let's go.
Fake it till you make it, dude.
(MUMBLING)
Were you out shooting hoops, Gibbs?
I told her not to go
Hey, hold still, man.
What do you mean, before?
No. I went for a run.
Without a Walkman?
I don't get people like you.
(INHALES SHARPLY)
Yeah, that's awful.
What's wrong with it?
It's, like, a solid blob.
It's all in the wrist.
You got to roll it.
Grab a new card.
Roll it.
Come here. (MUTTERS)
Whoa. What happened here?
Did you get these today,
when you drove off the road?
Gibbs.
These were in his wallet.
Scratches on his arms.
I told her, no.
- Hey!
- Hey, hey.
Porter! Nate.
Where'd you get these?
Who is Dana Rogers?
I told her no.
I
She went in the pot of grease.
She went in.
Tish?
(QUIET, INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Tish?
Mike. What are you doing home?
Mary Jo said the painter's here.
Hey, there.
Good to meet you, sir.
You said Tuesday on the phone.
He had a cancelation.
I thought it'd be nice
to get going on yours early.
Thanks, Gus. Don't let us hold you up.
What's wrong with you?
I took Tuesday off.
I was gonna be here.
I was gonna surprise you.
I didn't want you being alone with him.
(SIGHS)
He's fine. He did Angela's house fine.
Yeah, Angie says he's great, but
it's not like I know the guy.
I've talked to him on the phone twice.
Mike, he's 60 years old.
What, you don't think 60-year-olds
have sick thoughts and working parts?
Don't be mad at me.
I'm not.
I thought about being here
alone, too. Course I did.
I I can't live my life like that.
These are things I need to do for me.
For me to move on.
I'm ready.
Well, I ain't.
I'm trying to do a welfare check.
Dana Rogers. She's a corpsman
at the Navy hospital.
When's the last time you saw her, then?
Okay. Yeah. Thanks.
I had Franks holding,
waiting for one of you
to get off the phone.
That's three minutes of my life
I wish never happened.
- Sorry.
- He said to tell you
he's taking today off
instead of Tuesday.
Everything all right?
It's something to do
with his house getting painted.
He said you're in charge,
call him if you need him.
(SIGHS)
Dana Rogers' command
said they haven't heard
from her, but she wasn't due
to report to work until tomorrow.
No criminal record for Seaman Porter.
Dude had scratches on his arms
and was talking about her
going into a pot of grease. I mean
Should we try questioning him again?
No way we're gonna get anything coherent
until he starts to sober up.
Blood sample's at Forensics.
I'm guessing his BAC
will be through the roof.
Okay, thanks so much.
Bunkmate says Dana Rogers
left the barracks last night at 8:00p.m.
with Seaman Porter.
The two of them are friends.
They were headed to a club in Tijuana.
No idea which one.
Cops picked up Porter
down in Chula Vista.
He was probably on his way home.
He left her there in Mexico?
La Puerta Gris.
Come again?
La Puerta Gris.
The Gray Door.
Porter wasn't saying
she went into a "pot of grease,"
he was trying to say
La Puerta Gris.
It's one of the oldest clubs in Tijuana.
We need to get down there.
Randy, you hold down the fort.
Question Porter soon as you can.
Copy.
Gibbs, with me.
I'll get us a liaison at the Tijuana PD.
Okay. Should we call Franks and
Nope. He took the day off
to paint his house,
left me in charge,
and this is what he would do.
Let's go, gunny.
Gear up, grab some snacks.
Road trip to Mexico.
LALA: We'll head straight
to the Tijuana police station,
get whatever intel they have.
Our liaison is Officer Rogelio Cuevas.
You worked with him before?
Don't know him.
WOODY: San Diego Forensics to PE
Damn it, what's their number, Phil?
Go for PE-20.
Oh, hey, El Gibbs-o. (CHUCKLES)
Headed to the land of the mariachi, huh?
Yeah.
Phil! Put the test tubes
in the sink! No, Phil, the sink!
Listen, Gibbs, I rushed the blood work
on your guy Nate Porter.
Porter's blood alcohol
broke the lab record,
but the crazy part is four milligrams
of some super strong Mexican benzo.
I wouldn't even try to pronounce it.
But I know it's not a party drug.
It's a "go night-night."
So, you think he was drugged.
Phil! In the sink, buddy!
I will get aggressive, you piece of
(STATIC)
Sorry, Gibbs.
Yeah, your guy was drugged.
Look, I got some stuff
to take care of here. Over and out.
Porter goes down to Mexico
to party with Dana Rogers.
So he gets drugged and she disappears.
(SCOFFS)
World is nuts.
This happen a lot? You going to Mexico?
Well, I am half Mexican.
People never know what I am.
My dad lives near Tijuana.
I drove down to see him last month.
But you were asking if work
brings us down to Mexico.
Yeah, sometimes.
She's just one
of those corners in my mind ♪
And I just put her
right back with the rest ♪
That's the way it goes Great song.
- I guess ♪
- Baby, you send me ♪
I like the original.
Baby, you send me ♪
Set adrift on memory bliss of you ♪
(RADIO STATIC)
(CHANGING STATIONS)
(SINGING IN SPANISH)
RANDY:
Nate, we tested your blood.
You were drugged last night.
Dana is missing.
You have to find her.
We're trying.
I need you to tell me what you remember.
I picked her up.
She'd just made E-4,
we were going out to celebrate.
We drove down to Tijuana
and we were walking
to a bar on Revolution
and this girl came up
to us, real friendly.
She said she'd take us to the best club.
She was a local?
Her name was Emilia.
The club was called
s-something something Gris.
La Puerta Gris?
Yeah.
We had a drink there
and we were dancing.
And that's the last thing I remember.
Except I keep seeing
this picture in my head.
Two guys dragging Dana away
and she's screaming my name
and she's trying to hold on to my arms,
but I'm too out of it to hang on to her.
I was hoping that wasn't
real, but
she was trying to hold on to me.
Nate.
Can you describe the men that took her?
I can't remember.
What about the girl that
took you to the club Emilia?
She had long, dark hair.
She was wearing a white shirt and jeans.
Dana
I think Dana took some
pictures of the three of us.
She had a disposable camera.
I don't know what happened to it.
Can I help you?
If you wouldn't mind switching
to English for my partner.
This is Special Agent Gibbs.
Agent Gibbs. Nice to meet you.
Your colleague, uh,
called and left a message.
Agent, uh, Randolf.
He said your missing girl and her friend
were approached by a woman named Emilia.
We believe her to be a scout.
For trafficking?
Sí.
Every woman in these files
have gone missing
under similar circumstances
to your sailor.
Most in the last year.
Please forgive
the, uh, state of the files.
I've gone through them
so many times, they get worn.
Cases are increasing?
Yes, but most of them
you don't care about.
I-I only mean that they are locals.
Apologies. I'm harsh in English.
Not too much vocabulary.
That's her. Dana Rogers.
Mm.
These traffickers used to feel that
taking a tourist was too risky.
But they've become more brave.
Girls like this
are a bigger prize.
She was last seen
at La Puerta Gris.
CUEVAS: You've heard of him?
You-you know Pedro Hernandez?
♪
Uh, I'm almost done in here.
Starting on the kitchen soon.
If you're gonna be hanging around here,
least you can do is help me fold.
I'm paying bills.
Got a whole list I'm gonna get done.
I'm gonna clean out the toaster next.
Really? That's incredible.
- (LAUGHS)
- (GASPS)
- Where you going?
- New plan.
I'm not letting you waste
a good day off on the toaster.
- Uh-uh. No way.
- (CHUCKLES) Rematch.
Nope. Not gonna happen.
Get it out of here.
- (SCOFFS)
- No. You're too strict with the rules.
"Cay-ote" is not a word,
not the way you spell it.
- (HOWLS)
- (LAUGHING)
(TELEPHONE RINGS)
I'll get it. You rack 'em up.
Hello.
Hey, it's me. I got Lala for you.
She ain't in the office?
No. Her and Gibbs are in Tijuana.
The hell's she doing there?
Hang on.
Franks?
You're on with Lala.
LALA: Hey.
The hell you doing in Mexico?
The drunk guy we booked.
He was drugged at a club in Tijuana.
The girl he was with is missing.
She's a Navy corpsman,
and her name is Dana Rogers.
It's looking like trafficking.
I told Mary Jo to tell you to call me.
I did tell her.
Mary Jo, what are you
still doing on the line?
MARY JO: If I hang up,
the call will disconnect.
LALA: She did tell me, Mike.
I told her
You said call if I need you.
And you take that to mean you can just
pick up and run to Mexico?
You said call if I need you,
that's what I'm doing.
FRANKS: Did you line up a liaison?
- LALA: Mike. Mike.
- Where are you? We ain't got
jurisdiction down there.
Mike! Oh, my God, man.
Listen to me.
- What?
- LALA: This ring
this trafficking ring
that took our sailor
it's all under the Reynosa cartel.
It's headed up by two guys now.
One of them is Pedro Hernandez.
MARY JO: Hang on.
I'm gonna step away from the phone
and loop in Randy. Randy!
Randy!
You got probie with you?
Yeah.
What did he have to say about it?
Nothing.
He put his head down and kept working.
Mike, jurisdiction or not,
we have an American sailor missing.
We're not leaving here without her.
This is it.
This is our chance to get Hernandez.
Liaison set up an HQ for us
at a motel a few blocks down.
They'll get you the address.
When can you get here?
Mike?
Soon.
Go.
Vera.
VERA: You never mentioned
how you got that name Bugs.
People always said I was showing
up to places I wasn't wanted
and said I'd make 'em squirm. Feel off.
Vera!
- (GASPS)
- (EXCLAIMS)
Damn it!
Randolf, what are you touching me for?
I need your help.
Remember this guy?
Bugs, aka Sandman.
I am interviewing him
for my new program.
He is my new best friend.
Listen, Pedro Hernandez
we're close to getting him.
I need you, JJ, Roger
I need all hands on deck.
Wait, Hernandez you mean Gibbs' guy?
Yeah. Reynosa cartel
has new routes to Ensenada.
We need to figure out where they are.
Okay. Well, uh, Roger and JJ are out.
Herm's on the window, I think.
Carl. Let's get him.
He was DEA before this.
No, he was Fish and Wildlife.
He was DEA. You just think
he's Fish and Wildlife
'cause he won't shut up about sea bass.
- Randy.
- Yeah?
Woody just called,
says he's got something for you.
We didn't send him anything, did we?
Nate Porter's disposable camera.
Yeah, that's-that's great. I'm just
How did you end up with it?
Chula Vista PD.
They said you left them a message.
Anyway, they were too lazy to drive it
all the way up to Pendleton,
so they dropped it here.
Yeah, I asked them
to search Porter's car for it,
but I never expected them to do it.
Chula Vista hates me.
Yeah, well, maybe
they have cause to, Phil.
We had a little misunderstanding earlier
about the correct handling
of test tubes in the sink.
(SIGHS)
Anyway, he owes me
for the rest of the day,
so I had him develop your film for you.
We're looking for a woman in the photos.
WOODY: Yeah, we know.
I had Phil get the lowdown
from Mary Jo, keep us up on the latest.
That's your missing sailor.
That's the scout you're looking for.
- Emilia.
- Yeah.
Long hair, white shirt.
That's what Porter said.
But what, Phil?
But I did some research on
the fax machines
at the Tijuana police station.
They don't support gray scale.
If he faxes the photo,
it'll look like crap,
so he's making a composite from
it here with the Decipher-Kit.
Oh, wow!
- I appreciate that, Phil. Thanks.
- Mm-hmm. Not a problem.
It's from Randy.
It's the composite of the
scout he told us about.
He said he got it to Cuevas, too.
They're putting out a BOLO.
Randy's trying to pinpoint
Reynosa's new route.
They change 'em up every few months.
How do you know that?
What else Randy say?
"Me and Vera and Carl
"will pull an all-nighter if we have to.
"Yeah, that's right,
I got Carl on it, too.
"DEA in the house. Anyway,
"when Franks gets there,
tell him Tish called
"and said the painter is done and gone.
Miss you all. Come back safe. Kisses."
He writes like he talks.
Mm.
And when's Franks getting here?
He told me soon.
Gibbs.
I lied to you.
My dad does live down here, but
I haven't seen him in three years.
I came down here last month
to look for Hernandez.
I came down every month
since we lost him.
Failed every time.
I failed you.
I failed your family.
There was jurisdiction BS,
there were politics,
but those are excuses.
He got away on our watch.
That's not on you.
It is. It is on me.
Listen.
We're almost there.
And when we get close to Hernandez,
Franks will pull you off the case.
He'll say that your judgment
has been compromised.
But I'm telling you right now, Gibbs
we're gonna get him.
I'm gonna get him.
I'm gonna get him for you.
- (HEAVY GUNFIRE)
- (GRUNTS)
The Reynosa cartel knows you're
here trying to find your sailor.
That puts their operation at risk.
All of it.
Drugs, trafficking and whatever else.
So they send you a message.
Yeah.
My advice for you both
is to return home.
Let us move forward and
keep you informed.
You can come back when
things have settled.
We're staying.
-
- FRANKS: Hey, that's my team in there.
Hey, stop Dominguez?
- Hey, hey. We're good. We're good.
- Probie?
Good.
- Huh?
- We are good, boss.
You sure?
Yeah.
Officer Rogelio Cuevas,
your, uh, liaison.
- The hell do you think you're doing?
- Mike.
You gonna put my agents in here,
facing the damn street?
Step back, or there's
going to be a problem.
Oh, there's a problem, buddy.
- How the hell
- LALA: Hey! Franks.
- Mike. Mike!
- How did the cartel know
- to hit 'em here?!
- Hey, hey!
- Stop!
- Huh?!
Reynosa has eyes everywhere,
and you know that.
Don't talk to me again about
"we're gonna have a problem."
I'm harsh in English.
Don't have too much vocabulary.
If you spoke Spanish, you'd love me.
- Hmm?
-
Oh.
Uh
The BOLO came in.
The federales have found
your scout, Emilia.
They are transporting her
back to the station.
I can, uh, find you
another room to shower.
Then you can ride back with me.
Your car was, uh,
shot to pieces out there.
Vocabulary seems fine.
They'll be riding with me. Gracias.
RANDY: No, no, no, no, no,
wait, wait, wait.
- It's not east.
- Yes.
No, it's not east. Vera, stop. Stop!
What?
They wouldn't go east.
Their new hub is south in Ensenada.
They moved it last month
in the reorganization.
It says all of that in one
of these faxes from the liaison.
They transport the girls to their hub,
so it has to be
one of these routes going south.
Where is Carl?
You're not listening to me.
He went to call one of his DEA buddies.
Uh This is the first
time I seen you get angry.
Yeah, gunfire in Tijuana has me all
(SHUDDERS)
Looks good on you.
- I have your route.
- All right, which one is it?
(SCOFFS) None of those.
(VERA CHUCKLES)
You got to be friggin' kidding me.
The totoaba.
Native to the Gulf of California.
Endangered and highly sought-after
in the States and China
for its swim bladder.
- People pay a lot for it?
- A boatload.
My buddy at the DEA
has documented reports
of two separate trucks in the last week,
believed to be Reynosa,
stopped and searched near San Felipe.
No drugs, but one of them
contained frozen fish fillets.
The totoaba bladders
were hidden underneath.
I have so many questions right now.
Call around. Check the stats.
It tracks. Reynosa's known
for switching routes.
And their new hub is not in Ensenada.
DEA hasn't tracked
anything there for weeks.
It's in San Felipe, near the fish.
Intel says that's your route.
East to go south.
Told you it was east.
(DOOR OPENS)
- (DOOR CLOSES)
- Rando checked in.
Carl helped him narrow
down Reynosa's route.
You know, you can turn the sound on.
Wouldn't be able
to understand it anyway.
Did you get the message from Tish
something about the painter being done?
Yeah, I stopped to call
her on the way down.
Doing okay with all this?
(DOOR OPENS)
She confirmed it Saul Ortega
and Pedro Hernandez
are running the ship.
Rogelio.
Dana Rogers was taken to an
old gas station for holding.
They keep the girls there
until they have a full
group ready to transport.
She thinks it's about 40
minutes outside of the city,
but no idea in which direction.
They're blindfolded for travel.
If your agent is right
about the new hub,
40 minutes east along Highway 2
This gas station, it's important
to their organization.
She said that she's seen
Hernandez there before.
I have it.
40 minutes east, near Arbolito.
There's, uh, an abandoned
gas station off the highway.
Make a plan for daybreak.
Mike.
If Hernandez is there,
you can't expect Gibbs
to have a clear head.
Probie will be fine.
Let's make a plan.
♪
GIBBS: One outside with an AK.
Gas station looks empty.
If the women are here,
they're in the garage,
but I can't get eyes inside.
FRANKS: Copy that.
Grabbing a position back here.
Hang on.
He's gonna call plan C.
Probably.
Okay, we got a door back here,
one guy posted, same deal as yours.
Idiot's got himself a Game Boy.
Scratch that. Gave him too much credit.
Ain't a real Game Boy.
Thing's a damn knockoff.
CUEVAS: I got an opening back here.
If we can move in, we
can take a look inside.
All right. We're calling plan C.
Dominguez, you good?
Repeat it back to me.
I draw their attention out front,
you go in for a look,
you call it when you move inside.
Gibbs gives me cover.
Probie, I can't have you taking a shot
before I give the go.
We got to get a look
inside there first,
see how many guys there got.
You take a shot before I give my go,
it could set 'em off, get us all killed,
including the girls.
Probie.
Copy that.
(VEHICLE APPROACHING)
(ENGINE STOPS)
♪
Boss, where are you? She's in.
I can't be on the damn radio.
FRANKS: This fool ain't moving yet.
Be patient, probie.
Dominguez will draw him.
Let her do her thing.
(CHUCKLES)
You hear me, probie?
She knows how to handle herself.
GIBBS: He's grabbing her, Franks.
They ain't gonna hurt her.
She's worth something to 'em.
(BOTH SHOUTING IN SPANISH)
Let it ride till I call it.
I'm not losing eyes on her.
You got to trust her.
She'll be okay.
(SPEAKING SPANISH)
FRANKS: Come on. (CUEVAS MUTTERS)
He's up.
He's on the move, he's headed your way.
Moving in for a closer look.
(MAN CONTINUES SHOUTING IN SPANISH)
FRANKS: Eight or nine women inside.
Third guy with an AK.
(BREATHING SLOWLY)
Rogelio and I are going in.
Probie, stand down till we get inside.
The girls are too close.
Stand down.
- Freeze!
- Franks, door!
- (GUNSHOT)
- FRANKS: Shots fired. One down.
- (GRUNTING)
- (BREATHING SLOWLY)
Probie, we're in the clear.
(QUIET, INDISTINCT CHATTER, CRYING)
Dana Rogers?
We got you.
You're safe.
(KNIFE CLICKS)
(GRUNTS SOFTLY)
Carmen Ibarra?
Leticia Flores?
(CRYING)
(SPEAKING SPANISH)
Hernandez?
(CUEVAS SPEAKING QUIETLY IN SPANISH)
(WOMEN CRYING)
Marta Serrano?
LALA: Saúl Ortega.
Pedro Hernández.
Can't understand it anyhow.
You know, probie, there's
a chance he don't know nothing.
(DOOR OPENS)
(DOOR CLOSES)
He said Pedro Hernandez
was killed six months ago.
Cartel covered it up
so they wouldn't look weak.
He was shot by a sniper.
♪
(GRUNTING)
♪
("TRUE" BY SPANDAU BALLET PLAYING)
♪
So true ♪
Funny how it seems ♪
Always in time ♪
But never in line for dreams ♪
Head over heels ♪
When toe to toe ♪
This is the sound ♪
Of my soul ♪
This is the sound ♪
I bought a ticket ♪
To the world ♪
But now I've come back again ♪
Why do I find it hard ♪
To write the next line? ♪
Oh, I want the truth ♪
To be said ♪
I know this ♪
Much is true. ♪
WHEELER:
NIS has arrested the sniper
known as Sandman.
FRANKS: Your wife witnessed the
murder of a marine in a gas station
in Oceanside.
She ID'd the triggerman:
Pedro Hernandez,
a drug dealer working
for a Mexican cartel.
We lost him.
GIBBS: Hernandez,
he took the shot himself?
FRANKS: Yeah, it was him.
Aah!
OLDER GIBBS:
For a while, I stopped eating.
I stopped eating because
I couldn't find him.
I searched,
I hunted,
but he was nowhere.
But never in line for dreams ♪
Head over heels ♪
When toe to toe ♪
This is the sound of my soul ♪
Eventually, you got to start
eating again or you die.
I bought a ticket to the world ♪
Dark days turn into normal ones.
But now I've come back to ♪
The dark thoughts
still come sometimes.
But you do what you can
to drown them out.
The next line ♪
Oh, I want the truth to be said ♪
(INCREASES VOLUME)
("SET ADRIFT ON MEMORY BLISS"
BY P.M. DAWN PLAYING)
Baby, you send me ♪
Set adrift on memory bliss of you ♪
A careless whisper
from a careless man ♪
A neutron dance for ♪
You imagine a person across town.
Are dangerous things ♪
I thought of all
the trouble they bring ♪
You picture her living
her life, happy.
Rubber bands expand
in a frustrating sigh ♪
Tell me that she's not dreaming ♪
She's got an ace in the hole,
it doesn't have meaning ♪
Reality used to be ♪
You wonder what she thinks
about the dark that's around you.
Christina Applegate,
you got to put me on ♪
You wonder
if she thinks about you at all.
I told her whispers
in my heart were fine ♪
What did she think she could do? ♪
I feel for her, I really do. ♪
- (BEEP)
- CARL: Uh, hey, Mary Jo,
maybe you left for the night.
Uh, listen, can you look
in my top drawer, see if there's
a fishing lure in there? It's yellow.
My cousin wants to borrow i
Do I look like your wife, Carl?
(BEEP)
Hey, uh, Carl again. Wondering
if you had a chance to look for
that lure? It's yellow
(BEEP)
- (DOOR OPENS)
- Mary Jo, Carl.
- (DOOR CLOSES)
- Look, I'm not sure if you had a chance
to look in my drawer.
Could you call me back
and let me know if you g
- Morning.
- What can I do for you?
Kid's Navy. Seaman Nathan Porter.
He had an eventful night.
- I see that.
- It was the pot of grease.
Hey, I need you in Admin.
What the heck happened?
Drove off the road,
hit two parked cars and a mailbox.
Blew the top off the breathalyzer.
Chula Vista PD turned him over to us.
You should be taking him to the MPs.
This was closer.
You guys got a spot for him
in holding, don't you?
Come on.
He puked three times
in my squad already.
Mary Jo, what do we got?
Doing the Navy proud.
Swerved off the road in Chula Vista.
You should be taking him to the MPs.
Can't you just take him,
let him sober up?
- (TELEPHONE RINGS)
- Oh. Hello?
Hi. I just pulled a double.
I'm meeting this girl for brunch.
I've been trying to get
in her pants for a year now.
Oh, okay. Yeah, man.
I'm picking up what you're putting down.
What's going on?
Drunk sailor swerved off the road.
- What are we, MPs now?
- Told the petty officer here
we'd do him a solid.
I'll book him, you do the paperwork.
I'll book him. Paperwork is on you.
She said it was fine.
It was the pot of grease.
Okay, up you go. Come on.
Ooh.
Holy hell, you stink, man.
Sign here.
Ah! Gibbs.
Give me a hand here, will you?
That it?
Yep, we got it from here, bro.
Good luck with brunch
and, you know, the other stuff.
- Appreciate it, man.
- Yeah.
- Blessings.
- (DOOR OPENS)
Morning, Rando. What's the word?
Not much. Lala and Gibbs
just booked a drunk sailor
so that guy you passed
can go get some action.
What?
Franks, Tish called. She wants to know
if the painter should start
in the kitchen or the bathroom.
Painter ain't coming till Tuesday.
She says he's there's now.
Kitchen or the bathroom.
Give her a call, let her know.
I, uh
I got to go. Dominguez here?
- Yeah.
- Anything comes up,
she's on point till I get back.
Okay.
I think I would have just
went with the bathroom.
- (DOOR CLOSES)
- Hundred percent.
Hey. Whoa.
LALA: Okay. Get him over there
and you're doing the prints.
What, you ditch class
the day they taught
you that in FLETC? Let's go.
Fake it till you make it, dude.
(MUMBLING)
Were you out shooting hoops, Gibbs?
I told her not to go
Hey, hold still, man.
What do you mean, before?
No. I went for a run.
Without a Walkman?
I don't get people like you.
(INHALES SHARPLY)
Yeah, that's awful.
What's wrong with it?
It's, like, a solid blob.
It's all in the wrist.
You got to roll it.
Grab a new card.
Roll it.
Come here. (MUTTERS)
Whoa. What happened here?
Did you get these today,
when you drove off the road?
Gibbs.
These were in his wallet.
Scratches on his arms.
I told her, no.
- Hey!
- Hey, hey.
Porter! Nate.
Where'd you get these?
Who is Dana Rogers?
I told her no.
I
She went in the pot of grease.
She went in.
Tish?
(QUIET, INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Tish?
Mike. What are you doing home?
Mary Jo said the painter's here.
Hey, there.
Good to meet you, sir.
You said Tuesday on the phone.
He had a cancelation.
I thought it'd be nice
to get going on yours early.
Thanks, Gus. Don't let us hold you up.
What's wrong with you?
I took Tuesday off.
I was gonna be here.
I was gonna surprise you.
I didn't want you being alone with him.
(SIGHS)
He's fine. He did Angela's house fine.
Yeah, Angie says he's great, but
it's not like I know the guy.
I've talked to him on the phone twice.
Mike, he's 60 years old.
What, you don't think 60-year-olds
have sick thoughts and working parts?
Don't be mad at me.
I'm not.
I thought about being here
alone, too. Course I did.
I I can't live my life like that.
These are things I need to do for me.
For me to move on.
I'm ready.
Well, I ain't.
I'm trying to do a welfare check.
Dana Rogers. She's a corpsman
at the Navy hospital.
When's the last time you saw her, then?
Okay. Yeah. Thanks.
I had Franks holding,
waiting for one of you
to get off the phone.
That's three minutes of my life
I wish never happened.
- Sorry.
- He said to tell you
he's taking today off
instead of Tuesday.
Everything all right?
It's something to do
with his house getting painted.
He said you're in charge,
call him if you need him.
(SIGHS)
Dana Rogers' command
said they haven't heard
from her, but she wasn't due
to report to work until tomorrow.
No criminal record for Seaman Porter.
Dude had scratches on his arms
and was talking about her
going into a pot of grease. I mean
Should we try questioning him again?
No way we're gonna get anything coherent
until he starts to sober up.
Blood sample's at Forensics.
I'm guessing his BAC
will be through the roof.
Okay, thanks so much.
Bunkmate says Dana Rogers
left the barracks last night at 8:00p.m.
with Seaman Porter.
The two of them are friends.
They were headed to a club in Tijuana.
No idea which one.
Cops picked up Porter
down in Chula Vista.
He was probably on his way home.
He left her there in Mexico?
La Puerta Gris.
Come again?
La Puerta Gris.
The Gray Door.
Porter wasn't saying
she went into a "pot of grease,"
he was trying to say
La Puerta Gris.
It's one of the oldest clubs in Tijuana.
We need to get down there.
Randy, you hold down the fort.
Question Porter soon as you can.
Copy.
Gibbs, with me.
I'll get us a liaison at the Tijuana PD.
Okay. Should we call Franks and
Nope. He took the day off
to paint his house,
left me in charge,
and this is what he would do.
Let's go, gunny.
Gear up, grab some snacks.
Road trip to Mexico.
LALA: We'll head straight
to the Tijuana police station,
get whatever intel they have.
Our liaison is Officer Rogelio Cuevas.
You worked with him before?
Don't know him.
WOODY: San Diego Forensics to PE
Damn it, what's their number, Phil?
Go for PE-20.
Oh, hey, El Gibbs-o. (CHUCKLES)
Headed to the land of the mariachi, huh?
Yeah.
Phil! Put the test tubes
in the sink! No, Phil, the sink!
Listen, Gibbs, I rushed the blood work
on your guy Nate Porter.
Porter's blood alcohol
broke the lab record,
but the crazy part is four milligrams
of some super strong Mexican benzo.
I wouldn't even try to pronounce it.
But I know it's not a party drug.
It's a "go night-night."
So, you think he was drugged.
Phil! In the sink, buddy!
I will get aggressive, you piece of
(STATIC)
Sorry, Gibbs.
Yeah, your guy was drugged.
Look, I got some stuff
to take care of here. Over and out.
Porter goes down to Mexico
to party with Dana Rogers.
So he gets drugged and she disappears.
(SCOFFS)
World is nuts.
This happen a lot? You going to Mexico?
Well, I am half Mexican.
People never know what I am.
My dad lives near Tijuana.
I drove down to see him last month.
But you were asking if work
brings us down to Mexico.
Yeah, sometimes.
She's just one
of those corners in my mind ♪
And I just put her
right back with the rest ♪
That's the way it goes Great song.
- I guess ♪
- Baby, you send me ♪
I like the original.
Baby, you send me ♪
Set adrift on memory bliss of you ♪
(RADIO STATIC)
(CHANGING STATIONS)
(SINGING IN SPANISH)
RANDY:
Nate, we tested your blood.
You were drugged last night.
Dana is missing.
You have to find her.
We're trying.
I need you to tell me what you remember.
I picked her up.
She'd just made E-4,
we were going out to celebrate.
We drove down to Tijuana
and we were walking
to a bar on Revolution
and this girl came up
to us, real friendly.
She said she'd take us to the best club.
She was a local?
Her name was Emilia.
The club was called
s-something something Gris.
La Puerta Gris?
Yeah.
We had a drink there
and we were dancing.
And that's the last thing I remember.
Except I keep seeing
this picture in my head.
Two guys dragging Dana away
and she's screaming my name
and she's trying to hold on to my arms,
but I'm too out of it to hang on to her.
I was hoping that wasn't
real, but
she was trying to hold on to me.
Nate.
Can you describe the men that took her?
I can't remember.
What about the girl that
took you to the club Emilia?
She had long, dark hair.
She was wearing a white shirt and jeans.
Dana
I think Dana took some
pictures of the three of us.
She had a disposable camera.
I don't know what happened to it.
Can I help you?
If you wouldn't mind switching
to English for my partner.
This is Special Agent Gibbs.
Agent Gibbs. Nice to meet you.
Your colleague, uh,
called and left a message.
Agent, uh, Randolf.
He said your missing girl and her friend
were approached by a woman named Emilia.
We believe her to be a scout.
For trafficking?
Sí.
Every woman in these files
have gone missing
under similar circumstances
to your sailor.
Most in the last year.
Please forgive
the, uh, state of the files.
I've gone through them
so many times, they get worn.
Cases are increasing?
Yes, but most of them
you don't care about.
I-I only mean that they are locals.
Apologies. I'm harsh in English.
Not too much vocabulary.
That's her. Dana Rogers.
Mm.
These traffickers used to feel that
taking a tourist was too risky.
But they've become more brave.
Girls like this
are a bigger prize.
She was last seen
at La Puerta Gris.
CUEVAS: You've heard of him?
You-you know Pedro Hernandez?
♪
Uh, I'm almost done in here.
Starting on the kitchen soon.
If you're gonna be hanging around here,
least you can do is help me fold.
I'm paying bills.
Got a whole list I'm gonna get done.
I'm gonna clean out the toaster next.
Really? That's incredible.
- (LAUGHS)
- (GASPS)
- Where you going?
- New plan.
I'm not letting you waste
a good day off on the toaster.
- Uh-uh. No way.
- (CHUCKLES) Rematch.
Nope. Not gonna happen.
Get it out of here.
- (SCOFFS)
- No. You're too strict with the rules.
"Cay-ote" is not a word,
not the way you spell it.
- (HOWLS)
- (LAUGHING)
(TELEPHONE RINGS)
I'll get it. You rack 'em up.
Hello.
Hey, it's me. I got Lala for you.
She ain't in the office?
No. Her and Gibbs are in Tijuana.
The hell's she doing there?
Hang on.
Franks?
You're on with Lala.
LALA: Hey.
The hell you doing in Mexico?
The drunk guy we booked.
He was drugged at a club in Tijuana.
The girl he was with is missing.
She's a Navy corpsman,
and her name is Dana Rogers.
It's looking like trafficking.
I told Mary Jo to tell you to call me.
I did tell her.
Mary Jo, what are you
still doing on the line?
MARY JO: If I hang up,
the call will disconnect.
LALA: She did tell me, Mike.
I told her
You said call if I need you.
And you take that to mean you can just
pick up and run to Mexico?
You said call if I need you,
that's what I'm doing.
FRANKS: Did you line up a liaison?
- LALA: Mike. Mike.
- Where are you? We ain't got
jurisdiction down there.
Mike! Oh, my God, man.
Listen to me.
- What?
- LALA: This ring
this trafficking ring
that took our sailor
it's all under the Reynosa cartel.
It's headed up by two guys now.
One of them is Pedro Hernandez.
MARY JO: Hang on.
I'm gonna step away from the phone
and loop in Randy. Randy!
Randy!
You got probie with you?
Yeah.
What did he have to say about it?
Nothing.
He put his head down and kept working.
Mike, jurisdiction or not,
we have an American sailor missing.
We're not leaving here without her.
This is it.
This is our chance to get Hernandez.
Liaison set up an HQ for us
at a motel a few blocks down.
They'll get you the address.
When can you get here?
Mike?
Soon.
Go.
Vera.
VERA: You never mentioned
how you got that name Bugs.
People always said I was showing
up to places I wasn't wanted
and said I'd make 'em squirm. Feel off.
Vera!
- (GASPS)
- (EXCLAIMS)
Damn it!
Randolf, what are you touching me for?
I need your help.
Remember this guy?
Bugs, aka Sandman.
I am interviewing him
for my new program.
He is my new best friend.
Listen, Pedro Hernandez
we're close to getting him.
I need you, JJ, Roger
I need all hands on deck.
Wait, Hernandez you mean Gibbs' guy?
Yeah. Reynosa cartel
has new routes to Ensenada.
We need to figure out where they are.
Okay. Well, uh, Roger and JJ are out.
Herm's on the window, I think.
Carl. Let's get him.
He was DEA before this.
No, he was Fish and Wildlife.
He was DEA. You just think
he's Fish and Wildlife
'cause he won't shut up about sea bass.
- Randy.
- Yeah?
Woody just called,
says he's got something for you.
We didn't send him anything, did we?
Nate Porter's disposable camera.
Yeah, that's-that's great. I'm just
How did you end up with it?
Chula Vista PD.
They said you left them a message.
Anyway, they were too lazy to drive it
all the way up to Pendleton,
so they dropped it here.
Yeah, I asked them
to search Porter's car for it,
but I never expected them to do it.
Chula Vista hates me.
Yeah, well, maybe
they have cause to, Phil.
We had a little misunderstanding earlier
about the correct handling
of test tubes in the sink.
(SIGHS)
Anyway, he owes me
for the rest of the day,
so I had him develop your film for you.
We're looking for a woman in the photos.
WOODY: Yeah, we know.
I had Phil get the lowdown
from Mary Jo, keep us up on the latest.
That's your missing sailor.
That's the scout you're looking for.
- Emilia.
- Yeah.
Long hair, white shirt.
That's what Porter said.
But what, Phil?
But I did some research on
the fax machines
at the Tijuana police station.
They don't support gray scale.
If he faxes the photo,
it'll look like crap,
so he's making a composite from
it here with the Decipher-Kit.
Oh, wow!
- I appreciate that, Phil. Thanks.
- Mm-hmm. Not a problem.
It's from Randy.
It's the composite of the
scout he told us about.
He said he got it to Cuevas, too.
They're putting out a BOLO.
Randy's trying to pinpoint
Reynosa's new route.
They change 'em up every few months.
How do you know that?
What else Randy say?
"Me and Vera and Carl
"will pull an all-nighter if we have to.
"Yeah, that's right,
I got Carl on it, too.
"DEA in the house. Anyway,
"when Franks gets there,
tell him Tish called
"and said the painter is done and gone.
Miss you all. Come back safe. Kisses."
He writes like he talks.
Mm.
And when's Franks getting here?
He told me soon.
Gibbs.
I lied to you.
My dad does live down here, but
I haven't seen him in three years.
I came down here last month
to look for Hernandez.
I came down every month
since we lost him.
Failed every time.
I failed you.
I failed your family.
There was jurisdiction BS,
there were politics,
but those are excuses.
He got away on our watch.
That's not on you.
It is. It is on me.
Listen.
We're almost there.
And when we get close to Hernandez,
Franks will pull you off the case.
He'll say that your judgment
has been compromised.
But I'm telling you right now, Gibbs
we're gonna get him.
I'm gonna get him.
I'm gonna get him for you.
- (HEAVY GUNFIRE)
- (GRUNTS)
The Reynosa cartel knows you're
here trying to find your sailor.
That puts their operation at risk.
All of it.
Drugs, trafficking and whatever else.
So they send you a message.
Yeah.
My advice for you both
is to return home.
Let us move forward and
keep you informed.
You can come back when
things have settled.
We're staying.
-
- FRANKS: Hey, that's my team in there.
Hey, stop Dominguez?
- Hey, hey. We're good. We're good.
- Probie?
Good.
- Huh?
- We are good, boss.
You sure?
Yeah.
Officer Rogelio Cuevas,
your, uh, liaison.
- The hell do you think you're doing?
- Mike.
You gonna put my agents in here,
facing the damn street?
Step back, or there's
going to be a problem.
Oh, there's a problem, buddy.
- How the hell
- LALA: Hey! Franks.
- Mike. Mike!
- How did the cartel know
- to hit 'em here?!
- Hey, hey!
- Stop!
- Huh?!
Reynosa has eyes everywhere,
and you know that.
Don't talk to me again about
"we're gonna have a problem."
I'm harsh in English.
Don't have too much vocabulary.
If you spoke Spanish, you'd love me.
- Hmm?
-
Oh.
Uh
The BOLO came in.
The federales have found
your scout, Emilia.
They are transporting her
back to the station.
I can, uh, find you
another room to shower.
Then you can ride back with me.
Your car was, uh,
shot to pieces out there.
Vocabulary seems fine.
They'll be riding with me. Gracias.
RANDY: No, no, no, no, no,
wait, wait, wait.
- It's not east.
- Yes.
No, it's not east. Vera, stop. Stop!
What?
They wouldn't go east.
Their new hub is south in Ensenada.
They moved it last month
in the reorganization.
It says all of that in one
of these faxes from the liaison.
They transport the girls to their hub,
so it has to be
one of these routes going south.
Where is Carl?
You're not listening to me.
He went to call one of his DEA buddies.
Uh This is the first
time I seen you get angry.
Yeah, gunfire in Tijuana has me all
(SHUDDERS)
Looks good on you.
- I have your route.
- All right, which one is it?
(SCOFFS) None of those.
(VERA CHUCKLES)
You got to be friggin' kidding me.
The totoaba.
Native to the Gulf of California.
Endangered and highly sought-after
in the States and China
for its swim bladder.
- People pay a lot for it?
- A boatload.
My buddy at the DEA
has documented reports
of two separate trucks in the last week,
believed to be Reynosa,
stopped and searched near San Felipe.
No drugs, but one of them
contained frozen fish fillets.
The totoaba bladders
were hidden underneath.
I have so many questions right now.
Call around. Check the stats.
It tracks. Reynosa's known
for switching routes.
And their new hub is not in Ensenada.
DEA hasn't tracked
anything there for weeks.
It's in San Felipe, near the fish.
Intel says that's your route.
East to go south.
Told you it was east.
(DOOR OPENS)
- (DOOR CLOSES)
- Rando checked in.
Carl helped him narrow
down Reynosa's route.
You know, you can turn the sound on.
Wouldn't be able
to understand it anyway.
Did you get the message from Tish
something about the painter being done?
Yeah, I stopped to call
her on the way down.
Doing okay with all this?
(DOOR OPENS)
She confirmed it Saul Ortega
and Pedro Hernandez
are running the ship.
Rogelio.
Dana Rogers was taken to an
old gas station for holding.
They keep the girls there
until they have a full
group ready to transport.
She thinks it's about 40
minutes outside of the city,
but no idea in which direction.
They're blindfolded for travel.
If your agent is right
about the new hub,
40 minutes east along Highway 2
This gas station, it's important
to their organization.
She said that she's seen
Hernandez there before.
I have it.
40 minutes east, near Arbolito.
There's, uh, an abandoned
gas station off the highway.
Make a plan for daybreak.
Mike.
If Hernandez is there,
you can't expect Gibbs
to have a clear head.
Probie will be fine.
Let's make a plan.
♪
GIBBS: One outside with an AK.
Gas station looks empty.
If the women are here,
they're in the garage,
but I can't get eyes inside.
FRANKS: Copy that.
Grabbing a position back here.
Hang on.
He's gonna call plan C.
Probably.
Okay, we got a door back here,
one guy posted, same deal as yours.
Idiot's got himself a Game Boy.
Scratch that. Gave him too much credit.
Ain't a real Game Boy.
Thing's a damn knockoff.
CUEVAS: I got an opening back here.
If we can move in, we
can take a look inside.
All right. We're calling plan C.
Dominguez, you good?
Repeat it back to me.
I draw their attention out front,
you go in for a look,
you call it when you move inside.
Gibbs gives me cover.
Probie, I can't have you taking a shot
before I give the go.
We got to get a look
inside there first,
see how many guys there got.
You take a shot before I give my go,
it could set 'em off, get us all killed,
including the girls.
Probie.
Copy that.
(VEHICLE APPROACHING)
(ENGINE STOPS)
♪
Boss, where are you? She's in.
I can't be on the damn radio.
FRANKS: This fool ain't moving yet.
Be patient, probie.
Dominguez will draw him.
Let her do her thing.
(CHUCKLES)
You hear me, probie?
She knows how to handle herself.
GIBBS: He's grabbing her, Franks.
They ain't gonna hurt her.
She's worth something to 'em.
(BOTH SHOUTING IN SPANISH)
Let it ride till I call it.
I'm not losing eyes on her.
You got to trust her.
She'll be okay.
(SPEAKING SPANISH)
FRANKS: Come on. (CUEVAS MUTTERS)
He's up.
He's on the move, he's headed your way.
Moving in for a closer look.
(MAN CONTINUES SHOUTING IN SPANISH)
FRANKS: Eight or nine women inside.
Third guy with an AK.
(BREATHING SLOWLY)
Rogelio and I are going in.
Probie, stand down till we get inside.
The girls are too close.
Stand down.
- Freeze!
- Franks, door!
- (GUNSHOT)
- FRANKS: Shots fired. One down.
- (GRUNTING)
- (BREATHING SLOWLY)
Probie, we're in the clear.
(QUIET, INDISTINCT CHATTER, CRYING)
Dana Rogers?
We got you.
You're safe.
(KNIFE CLICKS)
(GRUNTS SOFTLY)
Carmen Ibarra?
Leticia Flores?
(CRYING)
(SPEAKING SPANISH)
Hernandez?
(CUEVAS SPEAKING QUIETLY IN SPANISH)
(WOMEN CRYING)
Marta Serrano?
LALA: Saúl Ortega.
Pedro Hernández.
Can't understand it anyhow.
You know, probie, there's
a chance he don't know nothing.
(DOOR OPENS)
(DOOR CLOSES)
He said Pedro Hernandez
was killed six months ago.
Cartel covered it up
so they wouldn't look weak.
He was shot by a sniper.
♪
(GRUNTING)
♪
("TRUE" BY SPANDAU BALLET PLAYING)
♪
So true ♪
Funny how it seems ♪
Always in time ♪
But never in line for dreams ♪
Head over heels ♪
When toe to toe ♪
This is the sound ♪
Of my soul ♪
This is the sound ♪
I bought a ticket ♪
To the world ♪
But now I've come back again ♪
Why do I find it hard ♪
To write the next line? ♪
Oh, I want the truth ♪
To be said ♪
I know this ♪
Much is true. ♪