NCIS Los Angeles s05e15 Episode Script
Tuhon
May I help you? Yes, sir.
Uh, I need to speak with Mr.
Atugu, please.
What's this about? The president of your country is going to be murdered in 24 hours.
Check him.
He specifically requested you.
Sounds like a hoax.
Who is he? No I.
D.
, no weapons.
I say we wait, call Malabo for orders.
In America, I give the orders.
Well, then you know something about an alleged coup d'état? He, uh he says good-bye.
Pardon me? Mr.
Atugu, there is Not now.
Who says good-bye? Tuhon.
Hey.
Hey.
What's up? You really gonna play it like this? Last night, Joelle-- dirty martini, that dress? Oh, Joelle.
She's world-class, G.
Ah, national level, maybe.
Regional, for sure.
She's an undisputed ten.
Come on.
I didn't say she wasn't hot.
But she's not a ten? A solid nine.
That magically appeared into your li without you making any effort.
So? So that "no effort" thing should count for at least one point.
She's more your type than mine.
So what's wrong with my type? Nothing.
I love your type.
Your taste is great.
Michelle is the best.
Uh, don't think; just react.
Scale of one to ten.
Go.
Eight.
Nine.
Look closely.
Hmm? Ten.
She's a ten.
She's a ten.
She's hot.
Thank you.
All day, it's a ten.
All day.
Yeah.
I know.
That's a stone-cold fox right there.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Well, that's interesting.
It's Joelle.
Sheâs texting you? I asked her to rate last night from a scale of one to ten.
And? Am I interrupting something? That was, of course, a rhetorical question.
Let's go to Ops, lover boy.
Ah head shrink on deck.
He must be here for Deeks.
No.
Actually, Hetty pulled me off my deployment for this case.
Where were you deployed? Well, I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.
Oh, he has been waiting his whole life to say that to someone.
Well, I'd try to kill you.
Probably unsuccessfully.
In which case, you'd have to kill me, and then you'd never know where Hetty brought me in from.
Which is the whole point.
Why are you here, Nate? It's better if I just show you.
This happened at Equatorial Guinea's consulate in Los Angeles this morning.
The three victims: Leonard Atugu-- he's a diplomatic envoy to the United States-- and the two security guards.
And get this-- the murder weapon is a T-shirt and two batteries from the wall clock.
He didn't mind the security pat-down 'cause he knows how to improvise.
And you thought Colonel Mustard in the study with a candlestick was a badass.
Play it with the audio, Eric, from earlier.
Who says good-bye? Tuhon.
Who's Tuhon? Anyone can say a name.
Saying that name has consequences.
Killer's too good to get caught on camera by accident.
What else do we know about him? He's still missing.
His name's Michael Santos.
He's a U.
S.
citizen suspected of several contract killings since 2010.
Let's take a closer look, shall we? Check out his ink.
A bikking tattoo.
Tribal.
Specific to the Kalinga headhunters from the Northern Philippines.
Yeah, that's not the kind of ink you pick up on Hollywood Bould.
There's one Kalinga headhunter left in the world.
We know him.
Man named Tuhon.
It was our first case together.
That's why Hetty brought you in.
She's waiting for you.
The killer's a professional, but he did everything on camera.
Tuhon wanted to be seen.
He made us a promise, Hetty.
Said he was retired for good.
No more hits.
No more killing.
No one ever truly knows a man like this.
People say about Tuhon that he won't smile at you until he's figured out exactly how you're going to die.
He ever smile at you? I smiled back.
Tuhon was Hetty's weapon of choice for wet-work Ops during the Cold War.
Which is the CIA's polite way of saying "assassinations"" Isn't this the place where we usually get a photo on the big screen? Some sort of mug shot or secret file, surveillance pic? Something to give a human face to this guy? No one has any photos of him.
Tuhon's the type of patriot that doesn't make it into the history books.
His file was permanently wiped in 2007.
No backups exist.
Wiped by who? Hetty.
Tuhon's guys don't get caught on camera.
Yeah, and they definitely don't say his name in a room that's wired for audio.
Unless he's sending a message.
He's gonna know we're coming.
hon hasn't seen us for seven years.
We've evolved.
He's evolved, too.
In 2007, mercenaries tried to overthrow Equatorial Guinea.
The same Equatorial Guinea that lost - a diplomat this morning.
Mm-hmm.
Oil-rich, terrible human rights record.
Unstable regime.
Tuhon led the coup, but it failed.
Someone betrayed him from the inside.
He was too old to run, no one to trust except Hetty.
The first agent she sent in to rescue him was killed within 24 hours.
The next two agents Hetty sent in were strangers Callen and Sam.
We extracted him from Equatorial Guinea in '07.
Our intel's had him in Mexico City ever since.
Yeah, he's retired.
He's managing some underground bar there.
We'll find him.
If he's innocent, bring him in.
And if he isn't? Act accordingly.
Hetty is sending Sam and Callen to Mexico City.
I'm gonna go to the EG consulate, talk to whoever's in charge.
Atugu was targeted for a reason.
We got to know why.
The killer's still out here.
The hotel hasn't changed since we crashed here seven years ago.
Still the slowest elevator in Mexico.
Yeah.
We won't have to stay here too long.
Our old asset's in play.
The same asset from 2007? Wow.
I remember it took me a week to figure out what to call you.
Callen.
G, G.
Callen.
G.
C.
Thought Hetty was playing a joke on me.
Don't apologize.
Took me a week to stop calling you "Teddy.
" Who Teddy anyway? I don't know.
You look like a Teddy.
I look like a Teddy.
Yeah, right, okay.
You remember what Tuhon used to call you? "Tyrant with a Trident.
" I was "The Tribe of One.
" Yeah.
Back then, he was right.
Well, maybe he's innocent.
Maybe it'll be just like the old days.
Maybe.
Kalinga tattoos.
Tuhon's men.
Just like the good old days.
So, Hetty, Equatorial Guinea's consulate's on foreign soil.
So if I roll in there asking questions about a triple homicide, they're just gonna slam the door in my face, drown us in red tape.
They'll welcome you with open arms.
You are not going alone, my friend.
Wow.
That is a lot of plaid.
Houndstooth.
It it's houndstooth.
Mm-hmm.
It's enough to give me a seizure.
What's your plan here? Huh? You gonna blind security while I sprint past them? Dr.
Nathan Getz, special assistant to the undersecretary of foreign affairs, State Department.
Yuh-huh.
Why are you looking at me like you're terrified? Because I feel like I'm about to be swallowed by a giant kilt.
Oh, drop the fabric phobia, Mr.
Deeks, and find out why Atugu was killed.
With Downton Abbey over here? You watch it, too.
Come on.
So how's Kensi? Well, she's not lonely.
She's got Granger, Sabatino, a whole crew.
Well, that sounds like fun.
Yeah, except for she doesn't trust any of them.
What are we looking at? Just a map of the area.
Hmm.
No.
Do you know the region? Yeah, I've worked it.
Did you make any contacts or? Not really.
What does "not really" mean? It means any contacts I made are not really worth talking about.
Oh.
Know what? Pack your gear.
Why? We're going dancing.
No.
We got a lead on some movement.
Where? I'll show you when we get there.
You said you were a good tracker, right? Yes, I did.
Good.
Let's roll.
There's no surveillance.
We're clean.
Sisters really did well for themselves.
Invested their beauty pageant winnings wisely.
Martina knows where Tuhon is? Well, we gotta work up to that.
Slowly.
If she doesn't know, Rita will.
Wait a second.
Rita's in here? It says "Dos Hermanas Salon.
" "Two Sisters Salon.
" What do you think? I think Rita's the crazy sister.
More your type than mine.
Guess who's back.
Teddy! Hola.
Hola.
¿Cómo estás? Hola Señor Carl.
Rita I can explain.
Explain what? Hmm? You said you were gonna take me to the Jamaican Riviera on your yacht with Teddy Did I really say there was a Riviera in Jamaica? But I guess Señor Carl has Miss Universes lined up for days, since you vanished on me like that! Okay, okay.
Okay.
But Señor Carl came back for you, baby.
For me? Mm-hmm.
Oh, Rita said she was gonna murder your buddy right here in our salon.
Oh, yeah? You shouldn't have kept that from me.
Shouldn't have waited seven years to come back.
Last time I helped you and Señor Carl, lots of dead bodies got left behind.
Lots of danger for me.
I promise you, when this is over, we'll go out with Rita, we'll get the yacht, just like we always talked about.
Caught her trying to Google the Jamaican Riviera just the other day.
Still don't have the heart to tell her the truth.
What does Teddy need? Teddy needs to see Tuhon.
Oh! I told you he'd come back for me.
How's Teddy? Scale of one to ten.
We're about to find out.
Every man in this city spends his life avoiding Tuhon, and you want to waltz up to his front door? Yeah.
Better be some yacht you got.
Oh, baby, you're gonna love this yacht, believe me.
Mm-hmm.
Tell her about the yacht.
It's unbelievable.
Trust me.
Has the undersecretary considered the prime minister's proposal? P uh, proposal? Of course.
Wh Why would someone want Atugu dead? First, we discuss the proposal.
- In detail.
- Detail.
I'm waiting, Dr.
Getz.
Well, let's talk about your country's military budget from last year.
The $152,998,324 you spent last year just won't cut it.
A little foreign aid might help.
Maybe even some American-made hardware.
It takes a dapper man to pull off plaid, Dr.
Getz.
It's houndstooth.
Houndstooth.
And first, you answer the questions about Atugu.
He had enemies, especially after the failed coup in 2007.
And why is that? Some say he worked with the mercenaries, until he betrayed them to our president at the 11th hour.
It's rumored that Atugu's reward was this diplomatic post.
You think Tuhon and his merc buddies are the type to hold a grudge? Well, the story about Atugu's big promotion checks out.
After the coup fell apart, he went from errand boy to diplomat overnight.
Huh.
He sold Tuhon for a better deal.
Why wait seven years for revenge? I don't know.
Okay, so Tuhon escaped, but not all of his men did.
Most were killed.
One was taken alive South African merc Steven Carter.
Huh.
Ex-military turned private contractor.
Yeah, Black Beach is the worst prison in Africa.
Well, Carter did not have it easy.
Torture, dehydration, bout with cerebral malaria.
before a run-in with the military had them flee the country.
According to this, he was released six months ago.
So where's Carter now? Time to find out.
Tuhon made that for you.
Oh, a lifetime ago.
You care about him.
You didn't bring me out here just to be Deeks's partner, did you? We're spread a little thin here at the moment, with Callen and Sam in Mexico and Kensi in Afghanistan No one can be a tribe of one.
Not even me.
And you're worried about how this ends.
It can only end one way.
How we get there is the question.
What is this? Well, can't look like tourists where we're going.
Only the two of us? Yeah, just a happy couple out for a ride, right? Let me guess, you gotta pee one more time before we leave.
No, I'm fine.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Can't go looking like that.
Gotta cover that head.
Happy? I can see the appeal.
Bite me.
This is it.
You really want to go in there? No security cameras.
No secondary security perimeter.
You know what we're gonna do? We're gonna make this like a little surprise party.
Huh? All right? Señor Carl's always trying to make it a party, baby.
That's right, baby.
Surprise reunion.
Like the good old days.
Wow.
Well, I guess the years really have changed you, huh? They change all of us.
Your weapons.
Okay.
Now it's a party.
Damn! Let me try again.
Give Mack another chance, right? I'm ready.
Okay, now, the minute you see my hand move, grab your money.
You're closer, younger and faster.
Yeah, I know how it works.
Go.
You really thought I was gonna kill you? The thought had occurred to us.
Heard you guys had an elevator problem.
Your guys had the problem.
Told this tribe to stay clear of you two.
That's the truth.
Then this tribe's getting weak.
Not weak; just poor.
You know, I retired.
Running this place doesn't pay like my last trade.
The two guys you busted up saw two Feds thought they could get some ransom.
What about the murdered diplomat in L.
A.
? Killer set me up.
Why should we believe you? Thoughts, words, deeds.
His name is Michael Santos.
He's crashing at the, uh Marquee Motel in North Hollywood.
Call it in.
Callen, what's up? Eric I think I got a lead for us.
Only a matter of time before Santos shows.
Eh, I don't like this.
Oh, right.
You're here in L.
A.
and Kensi's all the way in Afghanistan doing who-knows-what with who-knows-who.
Why does everyone assume I'm always thinking about Kensi? You're fondling her knife.
It's the op I don't like.
You know, acting on a tip from Tuhon, aka Dah Vader.
Stalking on a psycho who's capable of killing people with Fruit of the Loom products.
Well, when you put it like that I mean, everybody's got to go at some point, right? I just don't want my cause of death to be another man's underwear.
There he is.
Santos, our underwear assassin.
Let's do it.
Federal agents! On your knees! On your knees! Put your hands behind your head! You okay? Yeah.
He's alive, but he's bleeding out fast.
Remember Steven Carter, our South African merc? Yeah, Tuhon's old cohort.
Fresh out of Black Beach prison.
Yeah.
Well, he flew from Johannesburg to LAX a week ago.
One-way ticket.
Could be in town to settle some old debts.
You think he's working with Tuhon? Needs surgery, but he's gonna live.
When can we question him? Not until doctors work on him and the drugs wear off.
Deeks? That tattoo's fake.
He's not one of Tuhon's guys.
All right, thanks, Eric.
Killer's tattoos were fake.
He wanted us to think he was part of Tuhon's crew.
Which means that everything that came out of his mouth at the consulate was part of the act.
A South African merc named Steven Carter was just released from Black Beach Prison.
He's in L.
A.
Ask Santos about Carter.
We can't.
He's in surgery.
Carter wanted Equatorial Guinea's oil money in '07.
Still wants it.
He can't get it without me.
Why you? Plenty of killers for hire out there.
Is that all I am? Someone who can walk into this bar, kill every man in it? Or maybe that's not me at all.
Maybe I'm someone who can, uh, make sure that every man in this bar's dead before I ever walk through the door.
All I see around us are guys with guns and blades.
Yeah, alive and well.
And a lot of them.
They're all dead.
They're just waiting to tell us how they want to go.
What do you want, Tuhon? I want to hang out with Hetty.
Well, that means working with NCIS.
And taking down this Carter guy.
Got to clear your name.
Show us that you kept your promise to stay retired.
Yeah, I still got my glass heels.
I can do the dance one more time.
I was hoping that you'd come to your senses, Tuhon.
It's too bad.
Tribe ain't what it used to be.
Nah.
You guys have been kicking ass for seven years.
My tribe's never been stronger.
So who are these guys in the bar? Just a story we'll tell someday.
Weapons on the table.
You're on Carter's payroll now? There's a lot of money in Equatorial Guinea.
We were hoping that you'd wake up, get back in the game.
Carter said to be patient, give you a chance.
Unless you sided with the Feds.
Look at you.
Looking at my maniwat.
Like it's already yours.
Guess Mack gets the trick now.
It's a hell of a story so far.
Can't wait to see how it ends.
So where do we stand? Callen, Sam and Tuhon made it out of Mexico.
They landed in L.
A.
an hour ago.
And they're on the move.
Unfortunately, an anonymous source called the FBI and told them Tuhon was here.
The FBI then informed the White House, who then informed the president of Equatorial Guinea.
And we've been ordered to hand him over immediately? Yes.
It's the FBI's case now.
You're not gonna hand Tuhon over, are you? Not even close, Mr.
Beale.
How's Santos doing? Uh, he's stable.
His doctor's moving him to a private facility.
What the hell is this? You've heard of Obamacare? This is "We Don't Care"" Seriously, this is a palace of post-op infection.
I suggest you start talking.
Cut me a deal.
What are you offering? Steven Carter.
And the fake tattoos? Saying Tuhon's name on camera? Leverage.
If you went after Tuhon, he'd have no choice but to come out of retirement for Carter and go back to being an outlaw.
He's telling the truth.
Yeah, but is that the whole truth? So, we got a plan? Right now, we wait.
Hetty's contact is en route with keys to a safe house.
It's a favor from a Russian mobster who owes her one.
FBI knows you're in town.
Figure Carter does, too.
We need to dump our phones and go low-viz.
Hetty will meet us at the safe house.
All comms go dark.
Starting now.
How safe is the safe house? It's the only one we've got.
Dump your phone, Tuhon.
Starting to sound like you're running things.
It's gonna take some getting used to.
It's not what I remember.
Oh, yeah? What do you remember? Fear.
Two strangers who were afraid to trust their training.
Afraid to trust each other.
What do you see now? Ask me in another seven years.
We trust each other.
And I suggest you do the same because right about now we're the only friends you got.
A man with no friends doesn't have to worry about them turning into enemies.
Why are we stopping? Because this is the place.
What place? The place where we settle this.
Who are you working for? I'm NCIS.
Hmm.
So, you're telling me Granger asked you to spy on me? What are you talking about? Don't play me, Blye.
I'm not.
I Okay, you know what? You have been in country way too long.
It messes with your head.
You're losing perspective.
So, what are you trying to do now, handle me? Save your breath.
No, I'm just saying Shut up! What the hell are you trying to do, huh? What are you up to? You're poking around my bank accounts.
You sent a drone to follow me.
What? You think you're the only one with connections? I thought we were on the same team, Blye.
So did I.
Wouldn't know it by the way you've been sneaking around behind my back.
Why are you here?! I told you-- I was brought in as a shooter.
Oh, come on, even you can't believe that.
There are a million guys more qualified than you.
Why did you have Harris taken off the assignment? I didn't.
What happened to Sanders? I already told you.
He got his head cut off.
Yeah, that part I know.
What I don't know is where you were while that was happening.
Okay.
This is crazy.
Here.
Go back to base camp.
What are you gonna do? My job.
As CIA Officer Sabatino? Or as the White Ghost? You think I'm the Ghost? Are you? Are you insane? I've been hunting him for weeks.
And yet nobody has seen him, and somehow Sanders gets his head cut off while you two are together! What the hell are you doing?! You leave now, you can make it back to base camp before this thing dies.
Don't try to follow me.
I mean it.
Sabatino.
Sabatino! What if Hetty doesn't show up at the safe house? She'll be there.
You can count on that.
What if she never shows up again? One day, it could happen.
Nobody lives forever.
Hetty's not going anywhere.
Who leads the tribe when she does? Is it gonna be you, Callen? How about you, Sam? Haven't planned on it, huh? It scares you.
I thought she trained you two better than that.
It's your fire.
Enough with the mind games.
Hmm? You're in a dark room.
Everyone you love is in there.
All your family, all your friends.
A flame comes out of nowhere.
It's hot.
Gets hotter.
Your heart starts bobbling.
You can only take one person by the hand and lead them out.
Who do you choose? My house is burning down, who do I save? My kid.
I wasn't exactly thinking about my house.
Just a room from this old orphanage.
Special people? I'm walking out of there alone.
What about you, Tuhon? Who do you save? My flame is on the end of a candle I just placed on my son's birthday cake.
Whole family.
We watch him make a wish and blow out the candle.
Then I get him by the hand, lead him to the next room where all his presents are waiting.
The flame was on the end of a candle on your kid's birthday cake? You didn't say we could answer the question like that.
I didn't say you couldn't.
It's your fire.
It can be whatever you want it to be.
Look, Carter covered all of his bases.
Okay? He paid off Tuhon's crew in Mexico, and he planned on ratting them out to the FBI if he ever made it back here, which means you can't hide him in federally-sanctioned safe houses.
Right? You know what he did next? He paid off every organized crime group in Los Angeles so that if Tuhon goes there for safe haven, who's he gonna find waiting for him? Carter.
Deeks? Hetty got a safe house from the Russians.
We got to warn Callen and Sam before they get there.
We can't get in touch with Callen and Sam.
They dumped their phones, and Hetty just left to go meet them.
Now she's gone dark, too.
Deeks and Nate? They're headed for the safe house now.
They'll never get there in time.
Hetty? She's here.
Lord Jim? You don't strike me as a Conrad guy.
I only read first editions.
Uh-huh.
Man of letters.
I can respect that.
Letters have killed more men than any blade of mine.
Blades are a woman's tool.
Sneaky and underhanded.
Glad I got to say that to your face, Tuhon.
They seem like the kind of guys that'll fall for the $100 bill trick? Nope.
I've got five hostiles in that house with Callen, Sam and Tuhon.
Deeks and Nate are still ten minutes out.
Come on, Hetty.
Kill these guys.
Bury them out back.
I'll handle Tuhon.
Room feeling a little crowded to you? I was just about to say the same thing.
It's locked.
This one's secured as well.
These are all new locks, Carter, high-end.
Custom stuff.
Military-grade, actually.
Try blowing a hole in the wall.
It'll be easier.
What is this? Looks like a trap to me.
You were dead before you even walked in the room.
Let us go and I won't kill you.
Those are bold words from an old man armed with a book.
Oh, this book? He was already dead.
Yeah.
We were just waiting for him to show us how he wanted to go.
In my tribe, we salute warriors with the mano po.
It's respect for the knowledge passed down to us through men and women who paid the price in blood.
Hello, Tuhon.
It was a perfect plan, Hetty.
Oh, you can thank Callen and Sam for that.
The perfect plan was theirs.
Looks like you two grew a little faster than I thought.
Yeah, we're still growing.
Always will be.
You'll always be the master to us, Tuhon.
Today, you were more Tuhon than me.
Cavalry's here.
Did, uh, you get bagpipes with that suit? So, you, uh, leaked the address to Carter? Lure him out? Nice knife, kid.
Oh, yeah? You like it? I made it.
A long time ago for a friend.
You made it? It's not, um It's not mine; I just, uh I'm just taking care of it for somebody.
Maybe it's taking care of you.
Friend had a daughter.
I don't remember her name.
Sweetest little girl I ever met.
Where have you been? Out with Sabatino.
Where is he? He took off on his own after he disabled our car and warned me not to follow him.
Yeah, that's right.
Your boy's off the reservation.
He has his own way of doing things.
Did you ever consider that maybe he's the one we're after? That's ridiculous.
Is it? Sanders was killed mysteriously under his watch.
We never know where he is or what he's up to, and I caught him meeting with three armed locals on a drone feed, which he basically denied.
You're getting paranoid, Blye.
Listen to me, I back Sabatino Maybe you've been in country too long.
Yeah, maybe.
But what if I'm right? You aren't.
What if Sabatino is the White Ghost? He isn't.
But what if he is? You are here with one mission and one mission only: to take out the Ghost, whoever he is.
All right.
Who's down for a beer? Well, you can count me in.
Next time.
Where do you deploy next, Nate? Well, I could tell you, Sam, but then I'd have to It's classified.
He's learning.
Ah.
Interesting.
It's Joelle.
She's revising her score.
You can't do that.
A score's a score; it's permanent.
Until it's not.
She revised it.
Oh.
Okay, Teddy.
- What's my new score? - Wait, what? Did you just call him Are you Teddy? Unless you're a former Miss Universe contestant, keep Teddy out your mouth.
Well, I think Teddy's very sophisticated.
Goes with houndstooth.
You can't have fun not saying it.
You know, like, "Hey! Teddy! Teddy"" Gentlemen.
I cannot remember the last time you left here before us.
I cannot remember the last time I had a friend in town.
Where's Tuhon go now? He won't tell me.
And I won't ask.
Yeah.
The tribe's in good hands.
Is it? No matter what.
That's a promise.
Well, let's not get carried away.
I'll be back before you can burn this place down.
Tuhon's right.
It's our fire.
Yeah, but on the end of a birthday candle? Come on, that's cheating.
I mean, what if I said it was me setting his pony tail on fire? It can be anything we want it to be.
Yeah, okay.
Uh, I need to speak with Mr.
Atugu, please.
What's this about? The president of your country is going to be murdered in 24 hours.
Check him.
He specifically requested you.
Sounds like a hoax.
Who is he? No I.
D.
, no weapons.
I say we wait, call Malabo for orders.
In America, I give the orders.
Well, then you know something about an alleged coup d'état? He, uh he says good-bye.
Pardon me? Mr.
Atugu, there is Not now.
Who says good-bye? Tuhon.
Hey.
Hey.
What's up? You really gonna play it like this? Last night, Joelle-- dirty martini, that dress? Oh, Joelle.
She's world-class, G.
Ah, national level, maybe.
Regional, for sure.
She's an undisputed ten.
Come on.
I didn't say she wasn't hot.
But she's not a ten? A solid nine.
That magically appeared into your li without you making any effort.
So? So that "no effort" thing should count for at least one point.
She's more your type than mine.
So what's wrong with my type? Nothing.
I love your type.
Your taste is great.
Michelle is the best.
Uh, don't think; just react.
Scale of one to ten.
Go.
Eight.
Nine.
Look closely.
Hmm? Ten.
She's a ten.
She's a ten.
She's hot.
Thank you.
All day, it's a ten.
All day.
Yeah.
I know.
That's a stone-cold fox right there.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Well, that's interesting.
It's Joelle.
Sheâs texting you? I asked her to rate last night from a scale of one to ten.
And? Am I interrupting something? That was, of course, a rhetorical question.
Let's go to Ops, lover boy.
Ah head shrink on deck.
He must be here for Deeks.
No.
Actually, Hetty pulled me off my deployment for this case.
Where were you deployed? Well, I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.
Oh, he has been waiting his whole life to say that to someone.
Well, I'd try to kill you.
Probably unsuccessfully.
In which case, you'd have to kill me, and then you'd never know where Hetty brought me in from.
Which is the whole point.
Why are you here, Nate? It's better if I just show you.
This happened at Equatorial Guinea's consulate in Los Angeles this morning.
The three victims: Leonard Atugu-- he's a diplomatic envoy to the United States-- and the two security guards.
And get this-- the murder weapon is a T-shirt and two batteries from the wall clock.
He didn't mind the security pat-down 'cause he knows how to improvise.
And you thought Colonel Mustard in the study with a candlestick was a badass.
Play it with the audio, Eric, from earlier.
Who says good-bye? Tuhon.
Who's Tuhon? Anyone can say a name.
Saying that name has consequences.
Killer's too good to get caught on camera by accident.
What else do we know about him? He's still missing.
His name's Michael Santos.
He's a U.
S.
citizen suspected of several contract killings since 2010.
Let's take a closer look, shall we? Check out his ink.
A bikking tattoo.
Tribal.
Specific to the Kalinga headhunters from the Northern Philippines.
Yeah, that's not the kind of ink you pick up on Hollywood Bould.
There's one Kalinga headhunter left in the world.
We know him.
Man named Tuhon.
It was our first case together.
That's why Hetty brought you in.
She's waiting for you.
The killer's a professional, but he did everything on camera.
Tuhon wanted to be seen.
He made us a promise, Hetty.
Said he was retired for good.
No more hits.
No more killing.
No one ever truly knows a man like this.
People say about Tuhon that he won't smile at you until he's figured out exactly how you're going to die.
He ever smile at you? I smiled back.
Tuhon was Hetty's weapon of choice for wet-work Ops during the Cold War.
Which is the CIA's polite way of saying "assassinations"" Isn't this the place where we usually get a photo on the big screen? Some sort of mug shot or secret file, surveillance pic? Something to give a human face to this guy? No one has any photos of him.
Tuhon's the type of patriot that doesn't make it into the history books.
His file was permanently wiped in 2007.
No backups exist.
Wiped by who? Hetty.
Tuhon's guys don't get caught on camera.
Yeah, and they definitely don't say his name in a room that's wired for audio.
Unless he's sending a message.
He's gonna know we're coming.
hon hasn't seen us for seven years.
We've evolved.
He's evolved, too.
In 2007, mercenaries tried to overthrow Equatorial Guinea.
The same Equatorial Guinea that lost - a diplomat this morning.
Mm-hmm.
Oil-rich, terrible human rights record.
Unstable regime.
Tuhon led the coup, but it failed.
Someone betrayed him from the inside.
He was too old to run, no one to trust except Hetty.
The first agent she sent in to rescue him was killed within 24 hours.
The next two agents Hetty sent in were strangers Callen and Sam.
We extracted him from Equatorial Guinea in '07.
Our intel's had him in Mexico City ever since.
Yeah, he's retired.
He's managing some underground bar there.
We'll find him.
If he's innocent, bring him in.
And if he isn't? Act accordingly.
Hetty is sending Sam and Callen to Mexico City.
I'm gonna go to the EG consulate, talk to whoever's in charge.
Atugu was targeted for a reason.
We got to know why.
The killer's still out here.
The hotel hasn't changed since we crashed here seven years ago.
Still the slowest elevator in Mexico.
Yeah.
We won't have to stay here too long.
Our old asset's in play.
The same asset from 2007? Wow.
I remember it took me a week to figure out what to call you.
Callen.
G, G.
Callen.
G.
C.
Thought Hetty was playing a joke on me.
Don't apologize.
Took me a week to stop calling you "Teddy.
" Who Teddy anyway? I don't know.
You look like a Teddy.
I look like a Teddy.
Yeah, right, okay.
You remember what Tuhon used to call you? "Tyrant with a Trident.
" I was "The Tribe of One.
" Yeah.
Back then, he was right.
Well, maybe he's innocent.
Maybe it'll be just like the old days.
Maybe.
Kalinga tattoos.
Tuhon's men.
Just like the good old days.
So, Hetty, Equatorial Guinea's consulate's on foreign soil.
So if I roll in there asking questions about a triple homicide, they're just gonna slam the door in my face, drown us in red tape.
They'll welcome you with open arms.
You are not going alone, my friend.
Wow.
That is a lot of plaid.
Houndstooth.
It it's houndstooth.
Mm-hmm.
It's enough to give me a seizure.
What's your plan here? Huh? You gonna blind security while I sprint past them? Dr.
Nathan Getz, special assistant to the undersecretary of foreign affairs, State Department.
Yuh-huh.
Why are you looking at me like you're terrified? Because I feel like I'm about to be swallowed by a giant kilt.
Oh, drop the fabric phobia, Mr.
Deeks, and find out why Atugu was killed.
With Downton Abbey over here? You watch it, too.
Come on.
So how's Kensi? Well, she's not lonely.
She's got Granger, Sabatino, a whole crew.
Well, that sounds like fun.
Yeah, except for she doesn't trust any of them.
What are we looking at? Just a map of the area.
Hmm.
No.
Do you know the region? Yeah, I've worked it.
Did you make any contacts or? Not really.
What does "not really" mean? It means any contacts I made are not really worth talking about.
Oh.
Know what? Pack your gear.
Why? We're going dancing.
No.
We got a lead on some movement.
Where? I'll show you when we get there.
You said you were a good tracker, right? Yes, I did.
Good.
Let's roll.
There's no surveillance.
We're clean.
Sisters really did well for themselves.
Invested their beauty pageant winnings wisely.
Martina knows where Tuhon is? Well, we gotta work up to that.
Slowly.
If she doesn't know, Rita will.
Wait a second.
Rita's in here? It says "Dos Hermanas Salon.
" "Two Sisters Salon.
" What do you think? I think Rita's the crazy sister.
More your type than mine.
Guess who's back.
Teddy! Hola.
Hola.
¿Cómo estás? Hola Señor Carl.
Rita I can explain.
Explain what? Hmm? You said you were gonna take me to the Jamaican Riviera on your yacht with Teddy Did I really say there was a Riviera in Jamaica? But I guess Señor Carl has Miss Universes lined up for days, since you vanished on me like that! Okay, okay.
Okay.
But Señor Carl came back for you, baby.
For me? Mm-hmm.
Oh, Rita said she was gonna murder your buddy right here in our salon.
Oh, yeah? You shouldn't have kept that from me.
Shouldn't have waited seven years to come back.
Last time I helped you and Señor Carl, lots of dead bodies got left behind.
Lots of danger for me.
I promise you, when this is over, we'll go out with Rita, we'll get the yacht, just like we always talked about.
Caught her trying to Google the Jamaican Riviera just the other day.
Still don't have the heart to tell her the truth.
What does Teddy need? Teddy needs to see Tuhon.
Oh! I told you he'd come back for me.
How's Teddy? Scale of one to ten.
We're about to find out.
Every man in this city spends his life avoiding Tuhon, and you want to waltz up to his front door? Yeah.
Better be some yacht you got.
Oh, baby, you're gonna love this yacht, believe me.
Mm-hmm.
Tell her about the yacht.
It's unbelievable.
Trust me.
Has the undersecretary considered the prime minister's proposal? P uh, proposal? Of course.
Wh Why would someone want Atugu dead? First, we discuss the proposal.
- In detail.
- Detail.
I'm waiting, Dr.
Getz.
Well, let's talk about your country's military budget from last year.
The $152,998,324 you spent last year just won't cut it.
A little foreign aid might help.
Maybe even some American-made hardware.
It takes a dapper man to pull off plaid, Dr.
Getz.
It's houndstooth.
Houndstooth.
And first, you answer the questions about Atugu.
He had enemies, especially after the failed coup in 2007.
And why is that? Some say he worked with the mercenaries, until he betrayed them to our president at the 11th hour.
It's rumored that Atugu's reward was this diplomatic post.
You think Tuhon and his merc buddies are the type to hold a grudge? Well, the story about Atugu's big promotion checks out.
After the coup fell apart, he went from errand boy to diplomat overnight.
Huh.
He sold Tuhon for a better deal.
Why wait seven years for revenge? I don't know.
Okay, so Tuhon escaped, but not all of his men did.
Most were killed.
One was taken alive South African merc Steven Carter.
Huh.
Ex-military turned private contractor.
Yeah, Black Beach is the worst prison in Africa.
Well, Carter did not have it easy.
Torture, dehydration, bout with cerebral malaria.
before a run-in with the military had them flee the country.
According to this, he was released six months ago.
So where's Carter now? Time to find out.
Tuhon made that for you.
Oh, a lifetime ago.
You care about him.
You didn't bring me out here just to be Deeks's partner, did you? We're spread a little thin here at the moment, with Callen and Sam in Mexico and Kensi in Afghanistan No one can be a tribe of one.
Not even me.
And you're worried about how this ends.
It can only end one way.
How we get there is the question.
What is this? Well, can't look like tourists where we're going.
Only the two of us? Yeah, just a happy couple out for a ride, right? Let me guess, you gotta pee one more time before we leave.
No, I'm fine.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Can't go looking like that.
Gotta cover that head.
Happy? I can see the appeal.
Bite me.
This is it.
You really want to go in there? No security cameras.
No secondary security perimeter.
You know what we're gonna do? We're gonna make this like a little surprise party.
Huh? All right? Señor Carl's always trying to make it a party, baby.
That's right, baby.
Surprise reunion.
Like the good old days.
Wow.
Well, I guess the years really have changed you, huh? They change all of us.
Your weapons.
Okay.
Now it's a party.
Damn! Let me try again.
Give Mack another chance, right? I'm ready.
Okay, now, the minute you see my hand move, grab your money.
You're closer, younger and faster.
Yeah, I know how it works.
Go.
You really thought I was gonna kill you? The thought had occurred to us.
Heard you guys had an elevator problem.
Your guys had the problem.
Told this tribe to stay clear of you two.
That's the truth.
Then this tribe's getting weak.
Not weak; just poor.
You know, I retired.
Running this place doesn't pay like my last trade.
The two guys you busted up saw two Feds thought they could get some ransom.
What about the murdered diplomat in L.
A.
? Killer set me up.
Why should we believe you? Thoughts, words, deeds.
His name is Michael Santos.
He's crashing at the, uh Marquee Motel in North Hollywood.
Call it in.
Callen, what's up? Eric I think I got a lead for us.
Only a matter of time before Santos shows.
Eh, I don't like this.
Oh, right.
You're here in L.
A.
and Kensi's all the way in Afghanistan doing who-knows-what with who-knows-who.
Why does everyone assume I'm always thinking about Kensi? You're fondling her knife.
It's the op I don't like.
You know, acting on a tip from Tuhon, aka Dah Vader.
Stalking on a psycho who's capable of killing people with Fruit of the Loom products.
Well, when you put it like that I mean, everybody's got to go at some point, right? I just don't want my cause of death to be another man's underwear.
There he is.
Santos, our underwear assassin.
Let's do it.
Federal agents! On your knees! On your knees! Put your hands behind your head! You okay? Yeah.
He's alive, but he's bleeding out fast.
Remember Steven Carter, our South African merc? Yeah, Tuhon's old cohort.
Fresh out of Black Beach prison.
Yeah.
Well, he flew from Johannesburg to LAX a week ago.
One-way ticket.
Could be in town to settle some old debts.
You think he's working with Tuhon? Needs surgery, but he's gonna live.
When can we question him? Not until doctors work on him and the drugs wear off.
Deeks? That tattoo's fake.
He's not one of Tuhon's guys.
All right, thanks, Eric.
Killer's tattoos were fake.
He wanted us to think he was part of Tuhon's crew.
Which means that everything that came out of his mouth at the consulate was part of the act.
A South African merc named Steven Carter was just released from Black Beach Prison.
He's in L.
A.
Ask Santos about Carter.
We can't.
He's in surgery.
Carter wanted Equatorial Guinea's oil money in '07.
Still wants it.
He can't get it without me.
Why you? Plenty of killers for hire out there.
Is that all I am? Someone who can walk into this bar, kill every man in it? Or maybe that's not me at all.
Maybe I'm someone who can, uh, make sure that every man in this bar's dead before I ever walk through the door.
All I see around us are guys with guns and blades.
Yeah, alive and well.
And a lot of them.
They're all dead.
They're just waiting to tell us how they want to go.
What do you want, Tuhon? I want to hang out with Hetty.
Well, that means working with NCIS.
And taking down this Carter guy.
Got to clear your name.
Show us that you kept your promise to stay retired.
Yeah, I still got my glass heels.
I can do the dance one more time.
I was hoping that you'd come to your senses, Tuhon.
It's too bad.
Tribe ain't what it used to be.
Nah.
You guys have been kicking ass for seven years.
My tribe's never been stronger.
So who are these guys in the bar? Just a story we'll tell someday.
Weapons on the table.
You're on Carter's payroll now? There's a lot of money in Equatorial Guinea.
We were hoping that you'd wake up, get back in the game.
Carter said to be patient, give you a chance.
Unless you sided with the Feds.
Look at you.
Looking at my maniwat.
Like it's already yours.
Guess Mack gets the trick now.
It's a hell of a story so far.
Can't wait to see how it ends.
So where do we stand? Callen, Sam and Tuhon made it out of Mexico.
They landed in L.
A.
an hour ago.
And they're on the move.
Unfortunately, an anonymous source called the FBI and told them Tuhon was here.
The FBI then informed the White House, who then informed the president of Equatorial Guinea.
And we've been ordered to hand him over immediately? Yes.
It's the FBI's case now.
You're not gonna hand Tuhon over, are you? Not even close, Mr.
Beale.
How's Santos doing? Uh, he's stable.
His doctor's moving him to a private facility.
What the hell is this? You've heard of Obamacare? This is "We Don't Care"" Seriously, this is a palace of post-op infection.
I suggest you start talking.
Cut me a deal.
What are you offering? Steven Carter.
And the fake tattoos? Saying Tuhon's name on camera? Leverage.
If you went after Tuhon, he'd have no choice but to come out of retirement for Carter and go back to being an outlaw.
He's telling the truth.
Yeah, but is that the whole truth? So, we got a plan? Right now, we wait.
Hetty's contact is en route with keys to a safe house.
It's a favor from a Russian mobster who owes her one.
FBI knows you're in town.
Figure Carter does, too.
We need to dump our phones and go low-viz.
Hetty will meet us at the safe house.
All comms go dark.
Starting now.
How safe is the safe house? It's the only one we've got.
Dump your phone, Tuhon.
Starting to sound like you're running things.
It's gonna take some getting used to.
It's not what I remember.
Oh, yeah? What do you remember? Fear.
Two strangers who were afraid to trust their training.
Afraid to trust each other.
What do you see now? Ask me in another seven years.
We trust each other.
And I suggest you do the same because right about now we're the only friends you got.
A man with no friends doesn't have to worry about them turning into enemies.
Why are we stopping? Because this is the place.
What place? The place where we settle this.
Who are you working for? I'm NCIS.
Hmm.
So, you're telling me Granger asked you to spy on me? What are you talking about? Don't play me, Blye.
I'm not.
I Okay, you know what? You have been in country way too long.
It messes with your head.
You're losing perspective.
So, what are you trying to do now, handle me? Save your breath.
No, I'm just saying Shut up! What the hell are you trying to do, huh? What are you up to? You're poking around my bank accounts.
You sent a drone to follow me.
What? You think you're the only one with connections? I thought we were on the same team, Blye.
So did I.
Wouldn't know it by the way you've been sneaking around behind my back.
Why are you here?! I told you-- I was brought in as a shooter.
Oh, come on, even you can't believe that.
There are a million guys more qualified than you.
Why did you have Harris taken off the assignment? I didn't.
What happened to Sanders? I already told you.
He got his head cut off.
Yeah, that part I know.
What I don't know is where you were while that was happening.
Okay.
This is crazy.
Here.
Go back to base camp.
What are you gonna do? My job.
As CIA Officer Sabatino? Or as the White Ghost? You think I'm the Ghost? Are you? Are you insane? I've been hunting him for weeks.
And yet nobody has seen him, and somehow Sanders gets his head cut off while you two are together! What the hell are you doing?! You leave now, you can make it back to base camp before this thing dies.
Don't try to follow me.
I mean it.
Sabatino.
Sabatino! What if Hetty doesn't show up at the safe house? She'll be there.
You can count on that.
What if she never shows up again? One day, it could happen.
Nobody lives forever.
Hetty's not going anywhere.
Who leads the tribe when she does? Is it gonna be you, Callen? How about you, Sam? Haven't planned on it, huh? It scares you.
I thought she trained you two better than that.
It's your fire.
Enough with the mind games.
Hmm? You're in a dark room.
Everyone you love is in there.
All your family, all your friends.
A flame comes out of nowhere.
It's hot.
Gets hotter.
Your heart starts bobbling.
You can only take one person by the hand and lead them out.
Who do you choose? My house is burning down, who do I save? My kid.
I wasn't exactly thinking about my house.
Just a room from this old orphanage.
Special people? I'm walking out of there alone.
What about you, Tuhon? Who do you save? My flame is on the end of a candle I just placed on my son's birthday cake.
Whole family.
We watch him make a wish and blow out the candle.
Then I get him by the hand, lead him to the next room where all his presents are waiting.
The flame was on the end of a candle on your kid's birthday cake? You didn't say we could answer the question like that.
I didn't say you couldn't.
It's your fire.
It can be whatever you want it to be.
Look, Carter covered all of his bases.
Okay? He paid off Tuhon's crew in Mexico, and he planned on ratting them out to the FBI if he ever made it back here, which means you can't hide him in federally-sanctioned safe houses.
Right? You know what he did next? He paid off every organized crime group in Los Angeles so that if Tuhon goes there for safe haven, who's he gonna find waiting for him? Carter.
Deeks? Hetty got a safe house from the Russians.
We got to warn Callen and Sam before they get there.
We can't get in touch with Callen and Sam.
They dumped their phones, and Hetty just left to go meet them.
Now she's gone dark, too.
Deeks and Nate? They're headed for the safe house now.
They'll never get there in time.
Hetty? She's here.
Lord Jim? You don't strike me as a Conrad guy.
I only read first editions.
Uh-huh.
Man of letters.
I can respect that.
Letters have killed more men than any blade of mine.
Blades are a woman's tool.
Sneaky and underhanded.
Glad I got to say that to your face, Tuhon.
They seem like the kind of guys that'll fall for the $100 bill trick? Nope.
I've got five hostiles in that house with Callen, Sam and Tuhon.
Deeks and Nate are still ten minutes out.
Come on, Hetty.
Kill these guys.
Bury them out back.
I'll handle Tuhon.
Room feeling a little crowded to you? I was just about to say the same thing.
It's locked.
This one's secured as well.
These are all new locks, Carter, high-end.
Custom stuff.
Military-grade, actually.
Try blowing a hole in the wall.
It'll be easier.
What is this? Looks like a trap to me.
You were dead before you even walked in the room.
Let us go and I won't kill you.
Those are bold words from an old man armed with a book.
Oh, this book? He was already dead.
Yeah.
We were just waiting for him to show us how he wanted to go.
In my tribe, we salute warriors with the mano po.
It's respect for the knowledge passed down to us through men and women who paid the price in blood.
Hello, Tuhon.
It was a perfect plan, Hetty.
Oh, you can thank Callen and Sam for that.
The perfect plan was theirs.
Looks like you two grew a little faster than I thought.
Yeah, we're still growing.
Always will be.
You'll always be the master to us, Tuhon.
Today, you were more Tuhon than me.
Cavalry's here.
Did, uh, you get bagpipes with that suit? So, you, uh, leaked the address to Carter? Lure him out? Nice knife, kid.
Oh, yeah? You like it? I made it.
A long time ago for a friend.
You made it? It's not, um It's not mine; I just, uh I'm just taking care of it for somebody.
Maybe it's taking care of you.
Friend had a daughter.
I don't remember her name.
Sweetest little girl I ever met.
Where have you been? Out with Sabatino.
Where is he? He took off on his own after he disabled our car and warned me not to follow him.
Yeah, that's right.
Your boy's off the reservation.
He has his own way of doing things.
Did you ever consider that maybe he's the one we're after? That's ridiculous.
Is it? Sanders was killed mysteriously under his watch.
We never know where he is or what he's up to, and I caught him meeting with three armed locals on a drone feed, which he basically denied.
You're getting paranoid, Blye.
Listen to me, I back Sabatino Maybe you've been in country too long.
Yeah, maybe.
But what if I'm right? You aren't.
What if Sabatino is the White Ghost? He isn't.
But what if he is? You are here with one mission and one mission only: to take out the Ghost, whoever he is.
All right.
Who's down for a beer? Well, you can count me in.
Next time.
Where do you deploy next, Nate? Well, I could tell you, Sam, but then I'd have to It's classified.
He's learning.
Ah.
Interesting.
It's Joelle.
She's revising her score.
You can't do that.
A score's a score; it's permanent.
Until it's not.
She revised it.
Oh.
Okay, Teddy.
- What's my new score? - Wait, what? Did you just call him Are you Teddy? Unless you're a former Miss Universe contestant, keep Teddy out your mouth.
Well, I think Teddy's very sophisticated.
Goes with houndstooth.
You can't have fun not saying it.
You know, like, "Hey! Teddy! Teddy"" Gentlemen.
I cannot remember the last time you left here before us.
I cannot remember the last time I had a friend in town.
Where's Tuhon go now? He won't tell me.
And I won't ask.
Yeah.
The tribe's in good hands.
Is it? No matter what.
That's a promise.
Well, let's not get carried away.
I'll be back before you can burn this place down.
Tuhon's right.
It's our fire.
Yeah, but on the end of a birthday candle? Come on, that's cheating.
I mean, what if I said it was me setting his pony tail on fire? It can be anything we want it to be.
Yeah, okay.