Hey, wait! I'm in here! Open the door!
Hey!
Ah!
One or two ends in an oculi?
One.
The man says one.
How do you spell lightning?
What report are you filing?
He's not. He's doing a crossword.
Okay, it's a word search. Thank you.
It helps keep my intellect razor sharp.
Yeah, well, it's pronounced lightning.
There's no e, razor.
Lightning?
Lightning.
I think it's a silent e.
Never fails.
You guys give us a four-hour delivery of lightning.
Always show up at the last minute. What's up with that?
You know, when a girl says that she likes a man in uniform,
I don't think this is what she had in mind.
Don't push it. I'm so over this.
This is the worst assignment ever.
Ah, come on, Sam. Can't be worse than the puppy park.
Jay?
Oh, do tell. What's the puppy park?
Sam had to go undercover as a dog walker.
Only he forgot the baggies.
Five dogs. Big dogs.
No baggies.
Oh, ooh.
Scooping aside, though, going undercover is the best part of our job.
I mean, you get to be somebody you're not.
For you, that's an improvement.
And also, you like to lie.
No, I thought we were picking on Sam.
Secondly, it's not lying.
It's truth reimagined for the higher good.
Houston, we have a problem.
Uh-oh, that can't be good.
Ollie Drewitt, 52, an expert in rocket engineering.
And founder of Drewitt Space Technologies.
He got trapped in a satellite test chamber.
And it looks like he didn't pass the test.
Here he is, showing off his latest rocket
with his partner, Harlin Holt, and his daughter, Ariel.
She's head of operations.
They're basically a rocket for higher service.
You bring them a payload, and they put it in orbit for a price.
What's up with the giant Rubik's Cube?
That's the satellite being tested.
More specifically, a micro-satellite.
Looks like it fit in the overhead.
Miniaturization.
After Reagan deregulated satellite launches
for the private sector in the 80s,
the industry, well, it took off.
Satellite's got smaller and cheaper.
The one in question,
was designed and built by an American consortium
for a Turkish telecommunications company.
As a favor to our NATO ally,
the US government agreed to build the satellite
using the latest classified technology.
Or Tom communications pays for it,
but they never get to actually see what makes it tick.
At least that's the agreement.
Anything useful on Drewitt's cell phone?
Uh, it froze and melted.
So it frelted?
You smell that?
I managed to hack into Drewitt's IM account.
Five minutes before he entered the chamber,
he sent a text to his daughter.
One last shake and bake.
But it was an unscheduled test.
After the chamber is blast-chilled to the low zero,
it then heats up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
All the air is sucked out of those vents,
and it creates a vacuum.
Like space in the shake?
The satellite stand is designed to vibrate at a high speed
to test if the satellite will hold up.
Which I'm guessing has been postponed.
Uh, no, actually.
They're still scheduled to launch in five hours and 22 minutes.
Which is why the DOD wants us to make sure
that this was an unfortunate industrial accident
and not something which might compromise
the security of our technology.
Amigos, vamos.
Driver fly.
To Lancaster?
No, tell me that's not a serious question.
Space technology is a pretty specialized field.
I mean, you really need someone who speaks their language
to get them to open up.
Someone with the power to shut them down wouldn't hurt either.
An FAA inspection wouldn't be out of place
considering the circumstances.
Yeah, but the question is who.
I mean, there's a lot to learn and not much time.
There's a secret.
Why are you looking at me like that?
Mr. Beale, I think it's time for you to take a little field trip.
Uh, field trip?
Yeah.
Gentlemen, ma'am.
Welcome to Lancaster area spaceport, right this way.
See, now that is seriously cool.
We'll take passengers into space next year
if you've got 200K burning a hole in your pocket.
Does that include the baggage fee?
I wonder if they have jet packs out here.
They talked to Hattie about getting us some jet packs.
Settle down, space cadet.
You guys here about Ollie?
You knew him?
Yeah, I knew him.
At least we know the locals are friendly.
Photo IDs, please.
Thanks.
It's Holland Hole. Through its business program.
We'll start with him.
See if we can find Druitt's daughter, Kens.
She lost her father last night.
A little female bonding may go a long way.
Got it.
So after about 15 seconds,
hopefully the timing is right.
Mr. Holt? Yes?
Ages Hannah, Callen, NCIS.
I'm sorry, did we have an appointment?
No, but here we are.
Well, can this wait?
These gentlemen have come a long way or on a strict schedule?
Pretty business as usual considering your partner was just killed.
Ollie Druitt's death was a tragedy,
but we have a contract to uphold
and a small launch window which is getting smaller
every second I stand here talking to you.
Look, I'm sorry.
We're all dealing with Ollie's death
and the stress of launch and the satellite.
Feel free to look around
and I'll see you have full access to our facility.
Excuse me.
Who are you?
Special Agent Bly, NCIS.
This is Detective Marty Deeks, LAPD.
I already spoke to the police.
I'm an LAPD liaison, but this is an NCIS investigation now.
You're very, very sorry about your father.
Why is NCIS interested in this?
Department of Defense Request.
Oh, protecting your classified technology, is that it?
We're just trying to safeguard that it hasn't been compromised.
Well, it hasn't.
Where's the satellite now?
It's at the launch site.
It was made about two hours ago.
Made it?
Put on top of the rocket?
Ah, yeah.
Made it.
Who would have done that?
It would have been my father.
But, uh...
Harlan Holt took his place today.
Your father's business partner?
Yes.
Any tension between those two?
Only about everything. 24-7.
My father didn't have a malevolent on his body.
Every person that worked here loved him and respected him.
But not Holt?
Different story.
How different?
We were in software checks on the computer that controls the test chamber to see if there was a fall.
There wasn't.
So you're saying that your father's death wasn't an accident?
I'm saying someone had to close the airlock and then activate the test systems.
Okay, so you're saying that Harlan Holt murdered my father?
Definitely.
Okay, Mehmet Osip and Ali Yilmaz are here representing the trickish telecommunications conglomerate that bought the satellite.
We're running backgrounds.
These are Harlan Holt's career stops.
Any red flags?
Yeah.
Back in the 90s, Holt started an export company with a guy by the name of Curtis Roby.
Not long after, they were cited for shipping parts and software on our military critical technologies list.
Recipients included Libya, Syria, North Korea, all national security threats, so lost their license.
Holt then left the company and started a new one with Druitt.
Where's Roby now?
He runs his own space tech company at Lancaster, a direct competitor to Holt and Druitt's.
So, did you finish forensics on the stress chamber?
So working.
The data at Druitt's a hard nut.
A lot of their intel's on a closed system.
No online access.
Which is why they need you out there.
Yeah, I guess.
I thought you're gonna do great.
Really?
Why was your father alone during the testing?
Isn't there some sort of safety protocol?
Yeah, it's built into the chamber program.
If there's a malfunction, it shuts down automatically.
It didn't, because there was no malfunction.
Who else had access to the control system besides your father?
Me, Holt.
Some of our ground systems engineers.
Why do you think Holt did it?
My father was all about vision.
Holt, all about profit.
And our company was losing money.
Holt wanted to sell.
My father found out he put feelers out to several companies.
How'd your father feel about selling?
He said, over his dead body.
Ariel Druitt said Harlan Holt was trying to sell the company.
Her dad was not on board.
And by not on board, she means that Holt killed him.
You guys find anything?
Nothing's solid.
Holt's stalling us.
Yeah.
Well, he is just about out of time.
Undercover work is a matter of confidence.
Right.
Were you ever in a school playing, Mr. Beale?
Twice. A tree and a horse.
Rich Anne.
When you're in your chair, up in Ops,
you are one of the most confident people I've ever known.
Can I bring my chair?
A case of nerves is understandable.
You're going into the field for the first time.
It's not that. It's just...
Out with it. What?
Black Ops. Call of duty.
I've wiped out entire platoons in an afternoon.
Rolled of Warcraft. God knows how many...
Mr. Beale.
I don't have to bring a gun, do I?
I don't think I can actually really kill someone.
Heaven forbid.
I have no intention of making you carry a weapon.
Relax, Mr. Beale.
This isn't rocket science, after all.
Well, actually, in this case, I guess it is.
You'll do fine.
Neil will be listening in on you at all times.
At all times?
What if I have to use the restroom? I have a shy bladder.
Ollie was being stubborn.
Is that what you're calling that, wanting to hand over his life's dream for a payday?
There wasn't going to be a dream or a payday.
They kept running the company the way he was.
Are they, um...
Are they questioning them?
Just taking the tour.
Look, Ollie was an idealist.
All his right stuff fantasies weren't making the overhead R&D payroll.
This is a business. An expensive one.
So you still have to lose your shirt if you didn't go along with the sale?
What are you implying?
No one's implying anything.
Just asked you a question.
I was in a meeting when the accident happened.
That's not what he asked you.
With four other people who can verify that.
How's that for an answer?
Sounds more like an alibi to me.
Gary Clay, FAA.
I don't understand why the FAA would be involved in this.
The accident occurred in the testing chamber.
Which raises safety issues that could affect a flight.
I've got a work order here.
It's a pre-flight data audit.
Okay.
I want to speak to your supervisor.
Fine, but, you know, if I can't do my job,
I gotta make a phone call.
And the guy I call makes a phone call.
And the launch is scrubbed, so...
We're here.
I'll have one of our systems engineers escort you to the test chamber.
Awesome.
Cool. I mean, great.
That'll be very helpful. Thank you.
She's in place.
You used to be in business with Curtis Roby selling things you weren't supposed to.
To people who weren't supposed to have them.
This business is expensive.
Your words?
I'm not selling anyone's technology.
You might want to take a look at that satellite.
Well, then you'd better come back with an army of lawyers,
because we launch in four hours,
and if that payload doesn't go up in time, it'll ruin this company,
not what Olly Drood would have wanted.
And that's something Ariel and I can agree on.
She thinks you killed her father.
Well, then she's wrong.
He goes landed.
Eric, you're going to be great.
I got your back.
Colin Benson.
Gary Clay.
Honest kid.
Great.
Everyone's looking for the launch site for me.
Where'd you go to school?
Uh, UC Boulder.
Couldn't make the cut at Caltech, huh?
Undergrad. Got my masters at MIT.
So did I.
Professor Gordon Ellis.
What a hard-ass.
He sure knew his aerospace.
Yeah.
You know, I really didn't need this today.
New fuel feed system has this generating seven megahertz
that lift off.
Have to completely refigure the pogo effect.
Oh, yeah.
Hang on.
I'm searching pogo effect.
You do know what I'm talking about, right?
Still searching.
Actually, no.
Because anything over five megahertz,
you shouldn't be launching.
Nicely done.
I'm going to need access to your system.
Hey, you can go to the launch site.
Eric, got something for you on Gordon Ellis.
Oh, and by the way,
Gordon Ellis hasn't thought at MIT for 10 years.
And we're in.
I've got the data stream and scanning for bugs in the software.
All right, good.
I'm going to inspect the chip.
All right.
All right, good.
I'm going to inspect the chamber.
No.
No, we've got a problem.
No, you've got to help me.
No!
Somebody help me!
Oh, my God, Eric.
The problem is Jones.
It's the testing chamber.
Eric's locked inside, and I can't shut it down.
Mr. Callan, we have an emergency.
Now, emergency shut up.
What am I looking for?
It's an override button.
It's red protected by a clear cover.
Clear cover.
You're sure Eric is all right, Mr. Callan?
He's a little shaken up, but Sam thinks he's going to be fine.
Where was Holt when Eric got trapped?
The launch site with everyone else.
Very convenient, Alibi.
Much as I understand your cynicism, Mr. Callan,
it still begs the question, who set the chamber in motion?
Holt is either working with someone else
or there's another suspect we're just not seeing.
Eric wants to stay here and keep fishing around.
Kenzie and Dix are going to keep an eye on him.
Sam and I are headed back.
Very good, Mr. Callan.
I'm going to have to get frozen or melted again
until we get back on it.
It's melted.
So, Eric, bad idea?
No.
Not yet.
All right, Eric.
I read assistance check on the test chamber.
No sign of a software malfunction.
What about Callan Benson?
He was with me right before I went in.
Well, he wasn't back on his computer yet,
unless he logged in from another site.
Look, I'm still sweeping the system.
I'll let you know if I find anything.
Sorry, you almost got frilted.
I hate that word.
She said, frilted, didn't she?
See, Kenzie, he's catching on.
Yeah.
I heard what happened.
Is he okay?
Yeah, he seems to be.
Is it possible for someone to remotely activate the test chamber?
No, not that I'm aware of. It's a closed system.
So where were you 15 minutes ago?
I was at the launch site.
Druitt fired at least a dozen employees after the last launch.
One of them filed a wrongful termination suit, Jeff Kinto.
Kinto lives near the spaceport.
He claimed that DST was violating some safety standards.
Got the FAA involved, but the suit was settled.
FAA investigation never came to anything.
FAA, huh?
Maybe it's time the FAA reopens the case and view of Druitt's death.
You think Eric's up for another assignment after you almost got killed once today?
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?
We're talking about Eric.
Intellectual fortitude is just as important as physical strength.
I'm just saying, in the short time that I've been working with Mr. Beal...
Ooh.
Now it's Mr. Beal.
He seems much more resilient than he may appear to be.
Books can be deceiving, and since deception is one of the key aspects of being a good undercover...
No.
Do you have something for us?
Well, I was going over Holt's phone records.
Seven phone calls to Curtis Roby in the last two weeks.
Ariel said Holt was putting out fillers to sell a company.
Roby's probably a potential buyer.
True.
Holt and Roby also worked together ten years ago,
when they were convicted of selling restricted parts to hostile nations.
I think it's time we talked to Roby.
Let's see if he's got the wrong stuff.
So this guy fancies himself as an artist.
Not exactly Rodin, is he?
Coming from a guy who decorates his living room with a portrait of dogs playing poker?
It's intentional.
I'm fully aware of the catch factor at the statement of irony.
Is that what you tell the girls when you take them back to your place?
Just the art history majors.
Okay, Eric. It's showtime, buddy.
He looks nervous.
Well, you would be, too, if you almost got frelted.
Mr. Kidzo.
Gary Clay, FAA.
I need to talk to you about Druid space technologies.
They settled.
We reopened the case.
Because of what happened to Druid?
You claim they fired you without cause.
They did me a favor.
Now I build what's really important.
All right.
Quite a 180 for an aerospace engineer.
Why did they fire you?
They modified the guidance system, ran a stationary engine test.
And it didn't turn out so good.
New parts were substandard.
But you ordered them?
Yes.
But it was Holt who said he knew where to get one for a cheaper price.
And Ariel Druid approved it.
But when it was discovered, they put the blame on you.
You getting this, Hedy?
Loud and clear.
Uh-oh.
You want me to elaborate on uh-oh, Ms. Jones?
Well, I've been cross-checking background information on everyone associated with this case.
Seems that one of our Turkish friends has some glaring discrepancies in his personal history.
Ali Yolmaz did not attend Ankara University as the CV suggests.
Well, everybody lies in the resume, or at least that's what Sam told me.
His passport record shows recent travel to Tunisia, Syria, and Libya.
Telephones brought down the Egyptian government.
In the wrong hands, a communication satellite can crush a revolution by controlling the airwaves.
I'm just saying.
I think we need to have a chat with our friend Mr. Yolmaz.
Druid Technologies is scheduled to launch that rocket in exactly 26 minutes.
They need to delay until we can confirm that neither their satellite nor their rocket have been compromised.
Patch me into Mr. Callum.
We're on it, Hedy.
Callum, you're gonna have to wait.
This thing going any faster?
Final checks are complete. All systems are green.
Resume countdown.
Resuming countdown.
Seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
We have ignition.
End lift off.
All systems look good.
We are in the green.
Too late.
Ten seconds sent to flight.
Positive tracking.
Burn rate is steady.
We have vehicle failure.
There's not much left.
Yeah, thank you.
Nothing left.
Determine the cost?
Take weeks, my father.
All these test mock-ups, people thought my father kept him around for his vanity.
He told me they reminded him of how far we had come and how hard we'd worked.
He saw every single one of them as a sacrifice.
What did you see, Mass?
Something that he and I did together.
And now we're...
I lost my father, too.
He was an amazing man, strong, principled.
And you still miss him?
Every day.
But I found a way to move on.
It's what he would have wanted.
And it's definitely what I needed.
Eric Beale returning from the field.
Is there a debrief? Do I write a report?
I'm not exactly sure what the protocol is.
You can return your FAA credential to me and go back to Ops.
Right.
Mr. Beale, I'm most appreciative of your efforts.
Really?
You brought us valuable intelligence at great risk to your own personal well-being.
That's what I call solid undercover work.
And without the aid of a weapon.
So, what now?
Now we find out who sabotaged that launch and why.
Your cell phone records indicate you called Curtis Roby one hour after your partner died.
Our company was devalued, but we still had assets.
Better to get something than nothing, which is certainly what we have now.
Druitt found out you bought parts for the launch vehicle that were substandard
and potentially unreliable.
It's not a reason to kill someone.
Besides, Druitt replaced everything.
Maybe he saw the installation himself.
One of the Turkish representatives, Ali Yilmez,
has links to a half a dozen countries barred from military trade with the U.S.
You have a history of selling sensitive technology to bad people, Mr. Holt.
Maybe you let Yilmez get a look at the classified technology in that satellite.
And Druitt found out about it.
Now that's a reason to kill somebody.
You remind me of every guy who looked me in the face and said,
I'll call you.
Did you see through that?
Really?
So, Kenzie thinks he looks hinky.
Now, looking hinky and being hinky are two different things.
You think Ariel is wrong about Holt?
Maybe.
Holt was nowhere near that test chamber when Eric almost got fried, fralted.
Why try to kill Eric? That doesn't make any sense.
I'm misdirect.
Putting the focus on a software malfunction instead of the murder,
which we know it's not.
Okay, so the operating system was remotely activated,
which could indicate Holt has an accomplice.
Or that he does and we're looking for somebody else.
Well, whoever locked the chamber and started the test had to have Eric go inside,
and Druitt too.
Cameras?
There's only one.
Feeds to a closed-in security system.
Unless...
My old desk.
Just as you left it.
My chair.
Untouched and unswibbled.
Are you okay?
It's just not easy coming back in after you've been out there.
Yeah, I guess I understand.
I mean, even if you were out there for only seven hours,
you must be hooked.
Yeah.
No.
It was challenging and...
exhilarating.
But ultimately...
Unsatisfying.
Yeah.
Well, we have a ton of data to go through.
I'm back now.
I'm glad, Eric.
Accessing Druitt's computer.
I got emails.
They are hidden in a cloud file.
This one's recent.
Okay, Holt to Druitt. New mems are here.
Microelectromechanical systems. It's special chips.
Druitt to Holt. Great.
Holt to Druitt.
I'm happy to install.
Druitt be my guest.
But Holt told Callan and Sam that Druitt installed them.
Well, he must have lied.
Why?
Because maybe he never swapped them out.
Oh.
Camera within a camera. Sneaky.
Just like we did in Kosovo.
Question is, who put it there?
We're missing something.
In my case, a fortune.
But how is that possible?
Because you have no future.
Just saying.
We've analyzed the telemetry data on all three launches.
The first two were test launches. They went perfectly.
The third, carrying the satellite,
went kaboom after 15 seconds.
But the graphs and data on all three are the same.
Which is weird. What kind of weird?
Well, the first two didn't carry a payload.
The third carried the satellite.
It's small, but it's heavy.
There would have been a weight differential.
Which would have skewed the telemetry data?
Unless it wasn't carrying a real satellite.
A dummy.
Like the mock-ups that weigh practically nothing.
The rocket failure was a cover.
The final shaking big test wasn't scheduled.
It was Druid's idea.
Checking things one last time.
The moment he started that test,
he would have found out that the satellite had been replaced.
And there's your motive.
The launch goes ahead, the rocket explodes,
destroying the evidence.
And someone walks off with a state-of-the-art satellite
led with classified U.S. technology.
Sellers market.
You're fitting an overhead.
Stealing a satellite is one thing, but selling it?
Not easy to get one through security.
It's not the satellite that's so important,
but what's inside?
Satellite. Solar panels, battery, transponders.
But in here?
Nanotechnology.
Tiny machines, smaller than the hair on a fleet.
And very classified.
Chop-chop.
Strip it down, walk up the parts, or the trace.
And Holt has to be working with somebody else.
He's got an alibi for when Druid was killed.
So he gave someone remote access to the test chamber.
Someone who could have monitored and activated it
from his computer or smartphone.
Whoever was watching the micro-camera.
Curtis Roby?
He and Holt do have a history
of selling restricted parts to the wrong people.
Kenzie, Diggs, find him. Check him out.
Curtis Roby?
NCIS?
I know who you are.
How'd you find me?
Smartphones.
Law enforcement's friend.
That's an invasion of my privacy.
Well, maybe you should have answered when we called you.
Why? Got nothing to talk about.
Not even Ollie Druid?
Okay. Let's talk about Harlan Holt.
You and Holt do have a history of being naughty, don't you?
That was a long time ago.
Holt's calls weren't a long time ago.
Seven calls in the space of two weeks.
The most recent being an hour after Druid died.
He wanted me to buy into Druid's company.
That would have been a sweet payback.
Payback for what?
For not making me a partner in his company,
like he did Holt.
Well, I guess two guys with a history of illegal sales
wouldn't look good in the company profile.
Druid wasn't gonna let the deal go through.
Pretty good reason to get him out the way, wouldn't you say?
I was nowhere near that building when Druid was killed.
And I can prove it.
You are a software engineer who specializes in remote operating systems.
You didn't have to be there.
You and Holt team up again? This time get real naughty?
You've got it wrong.
Do we?
I hated how he Druid.
But I did not kill him.
What did you read in the eye when he said it?
I didn't even blink.
Which leaves us with...
Mr. Hinky.
Holt.
Kenzie, ready?
We're in position. On your mark.
Three, two, one.
Claire.
That's funny.
Didn't really see him as a country music fan.
Now, Holt's dead. Where's Yomas?
At his motel.
He hasn't been anywhere near Holt's place since the launch.
And Roby?
Nothing on Roby's computer suggests that he could have been monitoring the chamber
or had any remote access to control it.
This rules out Holt.
Somebody knew Druid went into that chamber.
Well, you can't sit around watching a camera feed all day.
Druid's text to Ariel said he was gonna do one last test.
Maybe someone hacked into our phone.
The intercept the text.
Check the monitor. See Druid.
Activate the system.
Murder by remote.
And we've got our hacker.
Jeff Kinto.
Who better to help Holt screw over the company
than someone the company screwed over?
Only Kinto decides to kill Holt,
sell the satellite technology himself.
If he hasn't done so already.
We could be in luck, guys.
Kinto rents a booth at the Saugus Speedway flea market.
It starts at 7 a.m. tomorrow morning.
10 bucks? Really?
What did you pay for yours?
It's good this way.
Eyes on Kinto.
Coming up on his booth now.
They've made contact.
Can't be the sculptures they're interested in.
More likely what's attached to him.
They're hiding the satellite chips in plain sight.
Wait for the exchange.
Kenzie Deeks, take the buyers.
Kenzie Deeks.
We've got Kinto.
Everybody down!
Power system.
Fueled and ready.
Pre-flight checks complete.
Rotor systems go.
Structural and engine post assembly check go.
Lodge area cleared and ready.
Vehicle power on.
Engaging.
Remote flight control system.
This is going to be so cool.
Initiate countdown.
Initiating countdown.
10.
9.
8.
7.
Just a little something to show my appreciation
for helping me through my first and hopefully last
undercover assignment.
This is so sweet.
Couldn't have done it without you guys.
Especially you, Sam.
Me?
Yeah, well after Callan told me about how he found
you puking your guts out in the bathroom
before you went on your first undercover assignment,
I figured I could do this no sweat.
I had full poison.
Think of it as
the truth reimagined for the higher good.
Oh, that's nice.
I almost forgot.
I heard you're going back on your, uh,
delivery job tomorrow.
Figured I'd save myself some time.
Is that right?
It's not a problem, is it?
No.
Stretch off?
Uh, very.
It's in short?
Of course.
That was a very smart decision.
Oops.
That was a very smart decision.
Yeah.
Phew!
I'm done.
Thank you.