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Wow.
Really something, isn't it?
It's absolutely horrible.
It's not, though.
Fire's a miracle.
Naturally clears the forest,
recycles nutrients into the soil
and stimulates new plant growth.
Ugh.
That is a load of
hippie, tree-hugging nonsense.
How'd you become a forest ranger
if you don't love the outdoors?
Because I hate the indoors.
Hey.
I got nothing against nature.
But it can be argued
that it was a good thing
a meteor hit the Earth
and wiped out all the
dinosaurs, so they weren't here
to eat us when we came along.
But I think we'd all
agree it'd be a bad thing,
however natural, if a
meteor were to hit us now.
- Huh?
- Jake?
What the hell?
Oh, my God! He's all burned up.
Oh, he must have gotten
caught in the blaze.
What was he doing up here?
Don't touch him!
He's only burned on one side.
How could that possibly happen?
Miracle of fire?
There is nothing good
on the Internet anymore.
Yeah, I think that Internet thing
has just about run its course.
Pop-up ads, banner
ads, video ads--
I think this whole page may be an ad.
Ad for what?
Hair loss pills?
This is a pill that makes
people lose their hair?
It's for growing hair.
Why would I need more hair?
Not you.
Men.
Like I need more men?
Men need more hair.
Women need less.
Must be an industry if
you put those together.
Take the hair from the
women.
Put it on the men.
This is a prescription eyelash wand.
Yeah, Ziva, I think your
morning Internet routine
needs a little bit of tweaking.
That is that thing.
That thing
where people tell complete strangers
whether they started their day
putting on both socks and then
both shoes or one sock and one shoe
or the other sock or the other shoe.
Tweaking, not tweeting.
Tweeting.
There's one on there that's really good.
Guy's talking about
everything his roommate's doing
and the roommate doesn't know about it.
It's highly entertaining.
I'll send you the link.
Ooh, I got a link for you.
No more links.
I haven spent my entire morning
sifting through all of this nonsense,
looking for something that matters.
How hard is it for someone to tell
me the news and bring it to me?
There must be a better way.
What?
Hey, boss, I got an article
here that you may want to read.
I can send the link to your email
or text the link to your phone.
Or I can just print it out on paper
and give it to you in your hand.
It's a revolutionary concept, McGee.
Where're we going, boss?
West Virginia.
The Appalachians.
Got a dead Navy pilot.
Pack your hiking boots.
Breathtaking.
Yeah, it was for Lieutenant Commander
Brad "Hondo" Sayers, U.
S.
Navy.
Granted extended leave
from Pax a week ago.
- Fighter jock.
- He's a test pilot.
Can't believe I'm
getting a signal out here.
Rangers flipped him
over to identify him.
Who's going to identify the rangers
when Ducky gets through with them?
You're not supposed to touch the body.
What do you think, McGee?
This guy eject out of a plane or what?
Carbon fiber helmet's
designed for skydiving,
but the suit is flame-retardant.
Well, it only did half the job.
Other half of him's crispy.
McDLT.
I don't get that one.
That's not a McNickname.
The McDonald's McDLT.
Hot side hot.
Cold side cold.
That's very tasteful.
Forest rangers say this
area has been off-limits
to hikers since it burned a month ago.
Winter fire season.
Now, forest fire didn't kill him.
Some fire did.
A high-temperature explosion
blew his arm right off.
Ah, animals could have pulled that off.
You are awfully close
to that body, Timothy.
I'm just trying to get a
look at what's on his back.
Look with your eyes, McGee,
not your hands.
You have a long ride
coming up here, Palmer?
He wouldn't let me drive.
I begged and begged.
What is it that makes you so anxious?
Flight suit.
Helmet.
Dead man's a pilot.
And this doesn't look like
a parachute on his back.
You think he fell from the sky, McGee?
Without a parachute.
Well, there should be a lot
more metal pieces around here.
Okay.
Look around.
Got an arm or here.
Well, the flesh kind or the metal kind?
Metal.
Hmm.
Got a nozzle.
I got another body.
Oh, don't move it.
Here I come.
Bag it up, Palmer.
Mother lode.
Fuel tank?
Yes, that is a fuel tank.
Interesting reading, Jethro?
Yeah.
McGee seems to have an
instinct for this one.
Perhaps baby bird is
ready to leave the nest.
Well, boss, we're a few
fingers short of a hand,
but we got some good stuff here.
Guy pulled a Scarecrow.
Pieces of him everywhere.
Here you go, Ducky.
Hey, look at
you, Palmer--
you bagged yourself a flying monkey.
It's a squirrel.
Fuel tank.
Control arm.
Joystick.
So, McGee, do you know what
killed Lieutenant Commander Sayers?
Yeah, I think I do.
You think?
Or you know?
I know one thing.
His jet pack exploded.
Jet packs.
Yeah.
It's gonna be a weird one.
Lieutenant Commander Brad Sayers.
Naval Academy grad,
primary aviation training at Pensacola.
Advanced at Lemoore,
Top Gun at Fallon.
Unmarried, no kids.
Call sign "Hondo"
Vo�la John Wayne.
I thought he was "The Duke.
"
He is.
He was.
Always will be.
Sayers was part of a squadron
of test pilots at
Patuxent River Air Base.
The first to fly experimental planes.
Military experiments with jet packs?
No.
I wouldn't--
well, yeah.
They did, but
After years of testing various designs,
ultimately they decided
helicopters were more practical
for earth-atmosphere flight.
Although NASA's compressed
gas-powered Manned Maneuvering
Unit evolved from Bell
Systems' rocket belt technology.
"Rocket belt" being
the original terminology
rather than the more
colloquial "jet pack.
"
McGee's very passionate
about the subject.
We spend a lot of time
her, just the three of us.
I was telling him
about the bonus features
on the Thunderball DVD,
which were pretty interesting,
and he says, "Um, Tony, bonus
features aren't science,"
and so he
He schooled you.
Yep.
Where is he now?
He's, uh, down with Abby.
We cannot tear him
away from the evidence.
Hmm.
Well, I'll see you both there
when you get back from Pax River.
The August 1928 issue of Amazing Stories
first stirred the national imagination.
It featured the Skylark
of Space on the cover.
And then you got Buck Rogers.
What's really amazing
is how much more fascinating
jet pack trivia gets
the 11th time you've hear it.
Did you know that the original
rocket belt was propelled
by a chemical reaction and
not traditional jet fuel?
I know!
You showed me your
PowerPoint presentation,
like, five years ago.
But I've updated it.
To include recent breakthroughs
in single-man flight.
Oh.
Good.
Yeah, the Swiss pilot
and engineer Yves Rossy
and his four-engine glider.
And the Kiwis.
See, everyone thinks that
they are going to be the ones
to crack the commercially
viable prototype with the Martin.
Ooh.
What do you got?
It's residue from the flame suit.
Hydrogen peroxide
That makes sense.
And kerosene.
Kerosene?
Strange use those two in combination.
Doesn't sound like any
prototype I've studied.
Maybe they got
Oh.
What do you got now?
McGee
that's the elevator.
McGee!
I Thought you'd want to see that.
I can't believe the Mexican auorities
dropped the charges
against Colonel Bell.
Colonel Bell.
Wonder if there's any
relationship to Bell Labs.
Bell Labs-- inventors
of the rocket belt.
Rocket belt's an amazing model.
It's a catalyst
that decomposes hydrogen
peroxide into pressurized
steam and oxygen.
You get significant thrust from
lightweight rockets
for about 30 seconds
I got it, McGee.
You know
a lot about jet packs.
Boss, when I was a kid,
stationed in Alameda,
my parents took me to
the opening ceremonies
of the '84 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Right.
And the guy flew over the crowd.
Bill Suitor.
Flew right over my head, I swear.
All right.
I believe you.
You got the lead on this one.
I knew it.
I just knew it.
I mean, Hoo'd never go a week
without getting up in the air.
Off base, against navy regulations.
Your men are subject
to the same restrictions
as the average pilot?
I don't know exactly what an
average pilot is, Agent David.
None of them are naval aviators.
These boys-- they operate
under extreme stress.
Some of them find relief in taking jobs
outside the squadron.
We allow that.
As long as it doesn't
interfere with combat readiness.
Hondo-- man, he
was a rare breed.
He'd drink six or seven cups a coffee,
and he'd strap himself to
anything that goes fast.
Who was he closest to?
Commander Peter Sheridan.
Hey, Banshee!
Sir.
I'll catch up with you.
Yes, sir?
Banshee, we got some bad news.
Hondo?
Yes, sorry, Commander.
He died in some sort
of explosion or crash.
What did he crash?
You assume he was at the stick?
Hondo never takes a backseat to anyone.
Control freak.
I think it'd be more accurate
to say he was careful.
He's got to be.
With these machines and
their power and speed,
slight movements have
major consequences.
We try not to think about
it too hard, but it happens.
So, what did he crash?
Believe it was some sort of jet pack.
Crap.
Victor Tillman.
That's
who you want to talk to.
Came to me first.
Aerospace engineer.
Company's called Tillman Air.
Banshee went up the ladder
for a waiver, navy rejected it.
Didn't want to support his research.
Tillman must've gone to Hondo next
and convinced him it was worth
ignoring regulations in
order to have the chance
to fly something like that.
Thank you.
Hey.
Was there anything left of him?
If you're sure I'm ready, Doctor.
Mr.
Palmer, the time has
come for you to fly solo.
The body is all yours.
Dr.
Mallard, I am suddenly
overcome with the desire
to share a story of only a
peripherally relevant nature.
It's a hazard of the
profession, Mr.
Palmer.
So, you'd advise I refrain under the
"gotta learn to walk
before you run" column?
Not at all.
As long as it doesn't impede your focus.
Think of it as spreading your wings.
Though, bear in mind,
the fate of young Icarus,
who disregarded the warnings
of his father, Daedalus,
and flew too high.
And the wax that held his
feathers on was melted by the sun.
And he fell to his death.
Fall was the cause of death?
Ah, Jethro, for once, you have failed
to pick up the threads
of our conversation.
I was not speaking of, uh, dear departed
Lieutenant Commander Sayers.
Fall wasn't the cause of death?
Yet to be determined.
What were you guys just talking about?
Mr.
Palmer was about
to regale me with a tale
that is only tangentially connected
to his first solo autopsy.
Of a squirrel.
Um
Work through your fear, Mr.
Palmer.
This, uh, this reminds me
of my junior year abroad.
I was staying with a
family outside of Lyon
who spoke only French,
and my French was okay at best.
And whatever you might think
of the people of France,
these squirrels are
extraordinarily friendly.
So, I had to explain to them
my fear of squirrels.
You see, in D.
C.
there are brown squirrels
and there are black squirrels
and at the time, black
squirrels carried rabies.
So, my mother used to
bait traps with peanut
butter, capture the squirrels
and release them on the
other side of the river,
so they wouldn't bite any of the kids.
But I confused the words
acureuil, which means squirrel,
with the much less accurate
requin which means, uh, shark.
How they must have pictured
your strange homeland
with your shark-hunting mother.
What's the point of the squirrel?
Oh, um, we believe his cause of
death may be related to Sayers.
In desperate situations
when the food supplies are scarce,
squirrels will eat almost anything,
including human flesh.
Fire eliminated all the other options.
Yeah, and we have to
inventory Rocket J's stomach
to confirm its contents,
but initial dental impressions
suggest that his last meal
was Sayers' soft tissues.
Yes, hypovolemic shock.
Massive internal bleeding.
This squirrel was likely poisoned.
Secondary poisoning.
This squirrel died from
eating Sayers' toxic organs.
Sayers was poisoned?
Then we can't yet say if it
contributed to his fall to Earth, but
Somebody was trying to kill him.
Since the dawn of time,
man has dreamed of flight.
Is it gravity or nature,
or merely the limitations
of our imagination that
has kept us grounded?
This is a public demonstration in 1961.
Functional technology
nearly half a century ago.
Measure that against
progress in other arenas.
Internal combustion engine,
radio, television, the Internet.
In 50 years, they go from impossible
to practical, to ubiquitous.
Meanwhile, they keep
the jet pack relegated
to the world of science fiction.
They?
The jet pack conspiracy?
Well, boss, if you look at it, it's
really the only logical explanation.
Hey.
The primary obstacles to
a commercially viable model
are weight, flight time,
distance and simple controls.
Did we miss the part about
the motorcycle parking spaces?
Imagine a jet pack landing and
refueling area at your office.
Apparently not.
The average daily commute
is 16 miles one-way,
but the variance in travel time is huge,
because of roadway congestion.
- Slow drivers.
- Bad drivers.
What is so hard? You
go as fast as possible.
When something gets
in your way, you turn.
You're quoting Better Off Dead.
I told you to watch that.
Thirty-mile radius.
Simple enough that you don't need to be
a helicopter pilot to fly it.
Patent that, and we are
all living like the Jetsons.
Or dying like burnt-out bottle rockets.
There is a thin margin for error, yes.
Sayers had rat poison in his system.
Abby confirmed it.
He was impaired while he was flying.
In Commander Cody's brave new world,
we're gonna be pulling people
out of the sky for FUIs.
F.
U.
I.
s.
So, the crash did not kill him?
Well, it didn't help.
What'd you guys find?
Uh, Sayers was test flying on the side
for a Victor Tillman.
Tillman Air.
Put out a press release
a couple months ago,
saying they were getting
close to an unveiling.
Sayers' death in one of those jet packs
would not be good for business.
Smacks of a cover-up.
All right, gonna need to get
a look at Tillman's financials.
I'm gonna stay here, you
two go out and talk to him.
So, McGee is not coming?
To the jet pack factory?
Okay.
Well, you get your homework done,
and then you can go out and
play with the neighbor kids.
Good boy.
The price of being in charge.
It's gotta be a punishment.
Some kind of motivational technique.
McGee staying behind?
I don't get it.
It's like the carrot.
You know, the carrot
in front of the horse?
Israeli drivers ed must
really be something.
He's still there.
Who is?
I got a tail.
Wow.
Hmm.
I can't believe he bit it.
B
- But I can.
You know what I mean? I
mean, it's like those guys who
raise bears and then you
find out they get eaten by one
and you say, "Oh, yes, of course.
"
But Hondo-- oh,
fireball is exactly
how he would've wanted it.
Oh, man you know, it
just doesn't make any sense.
Why's that?
You said you found a pack.
Where did he get the pack?
Well, yeah, that's why we're here, Vic.
Right, right, right.
Uh, we're going this way.
She's fine.
Oh.
This is a secure area.
Uh
The card's in my pocket.
I'm not touching you.
Yeah.
I got it.
After you.
Thank you.
Smile!
Safety is my primary concern.
I try to stay away from the
more combustible fuel sources.
Makes it a challenge to
manufacture sufficient
vertical thrust while
keeping it compact.
Yeah, how's that coming?
We've maintained level flight
at an altitude of seven to ten
meters for up to nine minutes.
As you can see,
the controls are
extremely sophisticated.
These are my babies.
Bravo, Juliet and Oscar.
Huh, my Bologna has a first name.
Sounds like you're missing some letters.
Not every model makes it
to the final testing phase.
Some of them never
even get off the ground.
Well, seeing a few similarities
to our model here, Vic.
Each piece is extensively
logged, branded,
patented and kept under lock and key.
Believe me, no one is
taking anything from me.
- Again.
- Excuse me?
Sounded like you cut yourself off
before you could say "again".
So, who stole from you, Vic?
This is your area of expertise, McGee.
I'm down here trying to put together
a jet pack jigsaw puzzle,
and I don't even know what
- it's supposed to look like.
- Abbs, you know that's what
I'd rather be doing,
but I gotta go right now.
What, McGee, Tillman's financials
- not thrilling you?
- Not at all, boss.
As an individual, the
guy's got $47 to his name,
but he has corporations
inside of corporations,
hiding cash since his
divorce from Vanessa Tillman.
That the ex-wife?
And former chief financial officer.
They split, he fires her, turns
into a messy fight over everything
from the house to the company's
proprietary technology.
Where's his money?
I cross-referenced payments
from his corporate account
against the time Sayers wasn't at Pax.
Tillman was paying
Sayers five figures a pop.
Yeah, he was up to his elbows in it.
And he wasn't the only one.
Sayers wasn't just collecting checks
from Uncle Sam and Victor Tillman.
For some reason, Vanessa Tillman
had him on the payroll as well.
Hey!
Come on!
I don't know what you
think happened here.
Talk to him.
We think your test pilot is dead,
and we think that you
had motive to kill him.
I liked Sayers.
He was a great guy.
What motive would I
have had to kill him?
It wasn't even my pack.
He was being paid by your ex-wife.
That son of a ***!
So, you didn't know?
No, I didn't know.
Of course I didn't know.
If I had known, I would have
I would have fired him.
She was my top competitor.
- Locally.
- Well, yeah.
The Kiwis got a big jump on me.
And the Swiss.
Oh, come on.
A collapsible wing?
It's great for distance
But without hover capability,
it'll always be for
professionals, I know.
This is a patent for a
mixed-fuel propulsion system.
It's a hybrid of H2O2 and kerosene.
Lab tests show that mixture was found
on Sayers' body.
Has your name on it.
Is it yours?
Yes.
No.
Can't have it both ways.
Vanessa got it in the divorce.
Nice candid.
You got a plate?
Of course.
Lanny Carothers.
Hmm, Maryland P.
I.
license.
Somebody hired a private
investigator to follow us.
Maybe it is not us.
Maybe it's you.
Maybe it is you.
Hello.
I believe you're holding my client.
Oh, I'd be happy to
hold anything you need.
Charming, Mr.
DiNozzo.
Please take me to see Victor Tillman.
M.
Allison Hart, attorney
for Victor Tillman.
This looks cozy.
Have you read my client his rights?
Uh, he hasn't been charged with a crime.
Then release him.
Charge him or release him.
What's the confusion?
Were you planning to interrogate him
without an attorney present until he
incriminated himself in some way
that you find beneficial
for your investigation?
Oh, man, what a car wreck.
He didn't ask for a lawyer.
And you didn't offer.
Chick's mowing McGee down;
he doesn't even know it.
She seems to be enjoying it.
You've already violated my
client's right to his privacy.
His financial records
were accessed today
without proper authorization.
And I have reason to believe
that you were the source.
Maybe you're the one who
should be charged with a crime.
McGee.
Let's go, Tillman.
Miss Hart
your client
hiding behind
a lawyer--
it makes me wonder why.
I can see your mind
is spinning, Mr.
Gibbs,
but once the hamster gains
some traction on the wheel,
and you figure out the
questions you want to ask,
you feel free to contact me directly.
Not my client.
Were you ever a redhead?
'Cause it sure feels like I know you.
No.
But I know you.
I know you take any
shortcut to a conviction.
Really? Doesn't sound like me.
You look the other way
when your team hacks
privileged information,
when they break into a police
impound lot and steal evidence,
when they start a bar fight.
Just out of curiosity
do you have any
respect at all for the law?
You and your client are
free to go, Miss Hart.
I know.
What kind of name is Mallison?
It's M.
Allison Hart.
I think they're missing
some punctuation.
Oh.
So, a guy dies in
a jet-pack explosion,
and she won't let us talk to the
guy that manufactures jet packs?
That's just mean.
We don't know that he
died in the explosion.
He was poisoned.
I found that.
But you didn't determine
whether he was poisoned
to death or just to
some level of discomfort.
Well, the thing about poison
is that the human body doesn't want it,
so when it's ingested, it
does its best to expel it.
See, there was a high level
of warfarin in Sayers' system,
but his organs are so destroyed,
it's impossible to tell whether
it was the cause of death.
You don't see the flaw
in this logic, Palmer?
You mean the part about how he
strapped himself to a jet pack
and flew around and blew up and that
he couldn't have done all
that while already being dead?
Yeah.
Yeah, I don't know.
It's a neat trick, though.
Ooh.
Ooh, what?
Ooh, this.
Okay, we know the fuel source.
Combination of hydrogen
peroxide and kerosene.
Definitely combustible, but
what was the source of ignition?
What causes a catalytic reaction?
Well, you mix them
together the wrong way.
Bingo.
Redirect the flow of kerosene
from the exit port of the motor
Back into the H2O2 tank, and
Kaboom.
All you'd need is a movable valve,
and this rocket belt
would self-destruct.
So, how does this valve get reversed?
This isn't a valve, Palmer.
Right.
It's our smoking gun,
and whoever made it
is our killer.
I'm just getting settled in.
Victor dragged his feet as long
as possible through the divorce.
You split everything equally?
We split.
There was nothing equal about it.
We shared a home, an office, ambition
Whenever two people try
to extricate their lives
from each other, friction is inevitable.
Hmm.
Is that true, boss?
These are Victor's designs?
Victor's a genius, sure.
Great.
Do you have any
idea how annoying it can be
to spend all your time with
a quote, "brilliant man"?
No.
What is that like?
He could never listen to
an idea that wasn't his.
So stubborn.
Oh.
I do know what that is like.
Huh.
He ever get violent with you?
No.
You ever get violent with him?
It wasn't like that.
I wanted to experiment with fuels.
Victor was myopic.
Tunnel vision on his prototype.
Just so we're clear,
your marriage fell apart
because of jet packs?
Because of communication.
We could no longer communicate.
You hired Sayers to test your version.
Yes, and I know what that looks like,
but the last test flight
was over a month ago.
I can show you the records
if I could find them.
He also kept you informed
on what Victor was up to.
Since you could no longer communicate.
Sayers had experience.
He was skilled.
These are complicated
machines, whatever the design.
They all look the same.
There are a myriad of
differences, believe me.
This one uses the same fuel
source that killed Sayers.
I didn't give him the pack,
if that is what you're implying.
Is that what you were
implying, Mr.
Gibbs?
Don't say another word, Ms.
Tillman.
You are entitled to legal counsel.
She's your client, too?
If she wishes to be.
And I would advise her at this time
to refrain from speaking to you.
You also represent her ex-husband.
That's not a conflict of interest?
My interest is justice, Mr.
Gibbs.
Mine, too.
Then we should get along just fine.
If you have any other inquiries
for either of my clients,
feel free to contact me.
No, thanks.
I already got one.
Lone samurai playing both
sides against the middle.
It's like Yojimbo, or
A Fistful of Dollars,
which is the Western remake of Yojimbo,
so it's really like Yojimbo.
Sayers was test flying for both camps.
And the pack that kills
him is made of pieces
of both of their designs.
Oh, yeah, you're right.
Why do you sound surprised?
You just said the same thing.
No, I was talking about
the lawyer, not the pilot.
She must have represented
the Tillmans as a couple.
I don't think that's
the connection here.
Figure it out.
I want to know the endgame.
Which one, the lawyer or the pilot?
Both of them.
I'm confused.
Time of death, Duck?
I'm trying to determine
the sequence of events
that ended Sayers' life.
There are so many threads
left to disentangle.
You got no time of death?
You haven't even given me
a definitive cause of death.
It-it is a frustrating case.
That lawyer woman, Ducky.
She's trying to keep me from talking
to anybody that matters.
If I didn't know better,
I would say she's getting to you.
Oh.
She acts like she hates me,
but she talks like she likes me.
Ever been married to her?
Yeah, that would
explain it, wouldn't it?
Come on, tell me you got something.
Well
Sayers' helmet shielded his face
from the burst of the explosion
and the subsequent
attention his corpse drew
from the native wildlife.
However, I found acidic erosion
inside his throat and
inside his nasal cavities.
It appears to be stomach acid.
- He vomited.
- Violently.
Profusely.
However, Abby found
no corresponding acid
on the inside of his face shield.
What does that mean?
Somebody cleaned him up and
then put the helmet back on him?
Likely.
I strongly doubt that he was conscious
when he was strapped into the harness.
He was
Well, it's possible he was
He was what?
Flying dead?
Well, explain that.
It's a remote control receiver?
Yes, it is.
What is the range?
Almost a kilometer.
I don't speak Canadian.
How far is that?
Sayers' pack could be
remotely operated or
remotely detonated.
We did not see anything like this
in either of the Tillman designs.
It has to be one of them.
Does it? Maybe we're looking for
a completely different fabricator here.
Maybe it's neither of the Tillmans'.
Yeah, boss?
Hey, I want the Tillmans
and that lawyer person there.
Okay, right away.
Let's find out.
We recovered this RF
receiver from the wreckage.
I want to know which one
of you this belongs to.
An RF receiver.
What a stupid idea.
Oh, because you didn't think of it?
Oh, this is your dumb idea?
No, it's not mine, but it's not dumb.
Mr.
Tillman, Ms.
Tillman, please.
We're gonna need to see your
inventory lists and blueprints
so that we can confirm
that neither of you manufactured it.
I will consider your request.
It's not a request.
Well, look at that.
A court order.
Was that so hard?
Wait a minute, does he still
think one of us murdered Sayers?
Oh, he was working both of you.
Well, you insist that
you didn't provide him with the
equipment, he must've stolen it.
Well, then he was very good at it,
because that's news to me.
You knew he was stealing
from your husband.
You
Mr.
Gibbs, clearly, your
intention here is to stir up
some animosity in the hopes
that an emotional outburst
will reveal some insight
into your investigation.
Or have you uncovered some
facts that need corroboration?
I would hate to think that you brought
us in here under false pretenses.
Time of death was 13 days ago.
I was in the Bahamas.
That's your idea of a
traditional winter vacation?
No, it was Steve Bennett's idea.
Where were you?
New Hampshire.
With that ***, Laura Truftin?
- At least she likes sex!
- I like sex!
I just don't like sex with you!
Enough!
I assume that's all.
That's all? Fantastic.
- Jerk.
- After you.
Well, one of them ends up
dead, we won't have far to look.
Would it be impossible
for you to apologize
for implicating them in Sayers' death?
Yeah, they're off the hook.
I expect we've seen
the last of each other
as far as this case goes.
I don't know.
I might have to keep my eye on you.
Why?
It doesn't seem like you
have a clue what you're doing.
I think he's about to have a thought.
I think blood is about to
come out of his eyeballs.
No, this is gonna be impressive.
All right, this is a
remote control jet pack.
That is what we're looking at here.
Okay, that wasn't very impressive.
Hmm.
Excuse me, it's very impressive.
Do you understand the
countless tiny adjustments
have to be made manually in
order to maintain level flight?
It's an art flying a jet pack.
That's why both the Tillmans
hired an expert pilot.
- But
- Wait, let him go.
He's building up to something.
See, without a pilot you'd need
a modified fly-by-wire system
with computer assisted stabilization.
But to build that,
you would have to be an expert engineer.
So, are we looking
for a pilot or are we
looking for an engineer?
Oh, there's a lightbulb.
We're looking for both.
Palmer, hand me those blueprints.
Yeah, that's right, boss.
It's everything we found on her.
- Got it.
- It was his!
What was?
The pack.
It didn't belong to
either of the Tillmans.
It belonged to Sayers.
He built his own jet pack?
The pack uses fighter jet engineering.
That's the missing piece.
Sayers ripped off the technology
from both of the Tillmans and
He borrowed from the navy, as
well, to build his own version,
which used the best of all three.
But it crashed.
So, it was not very good.
That was the intention.
The intention was to crash.
To dispose of the body where
it wouldn't be discovered.
It was pretty far off the beaten path.
Any decent pilot could've flown it.
How about a great pilot?
Sheridan wanted the job with Tillman.
He petitioned the navy for it.
But Sayers took that, then
picked up a second one.
Sheridan loses out twice,
probably doesn't respond well to that.
Gonna pull the
squadron's psych profiles.
Let's double-check their paperwork,
scan their files for
engineering backgrounds.
I need to talk to Gibbs.
Where is Gibbs?
Right here, Elf Lord.
Boo!
You're following me?
You had my people followed.
So you had to even the score?
No, I do my own legwork.
So, what'd you find?
A patent filing.
Five years ago, you billed
Victor Tillman $400 an hour.
My rates have gone up since then.
I bet, but on this case,
you waived your fees.
You took them both pro bono.
In my experience,
the money is a by-product
of doing the right thing
and doing it quite well.
You know what, you weren't
looking for a big payday at all.
- No?
- No, no, you were looking for me.
Egocentric.
You were looking to pick a fight.
I didn't pick this fight.
But now that I met you,
I'm glad to be in it.
I just can't believe it, Agent Gibbs.
There was money to be made, Captain.
Sheridan wanted the job,
and Sayers took it from him.
There was another job to be had as well.
Sayers got that one, too.
I knew Banshee was competitive,
but I never imagined
it would turn violent.
Might not.
Yeah.
Sayers was killed with poison.
Likely slipped into his food or drink.
It's really not all that violent.
- More common with female killers, actually.
- Really?
Yeah, really.
We got a court order to
search the base for evidence,
uh, starting with Sheridan's locker.
You sure?
Yeah.
Commander, a word.
I got a hop in ten.
Yeah, you're not gonna make that.
You're proficient with
fly-by-wire technology?
'Course I am.
Is this about Hondo?
You know what happened to him?
He was stealing tech secrets
from the Tillmans and the Navy.
Using pieces of all three
to build his own prototype.
Complete with
fly-by-wire.
Could be controlled with
a remote like this one.
He built this? That's impossible.
Hondo, he was a great flyboy, but
Better than you?
In some ways.
But that's all he was.
He couldn't build a soapbox derby racer.
Right, no engineering background.
That's why he needed a partner.
That's who killed him.
You were just saying
I was his competition.
Now you're saying I'm his partner?
No.
If the guy partnered up with
Sayers to build a prototype,
he wouldn't have destroyed the only one.
There's got to be another
one around here somewhere.
Here he comes.
We just need it to look
like you're our man, Banshee.
He is going for it.
Where is he?
He's inside.
This is the only way out.
Wow!
This is unbelievable!
McGee, you got him?!
I'm scanning frequencies.
McGee!
All right, I'm locked on.
Got him.
Bringing him back, boss.
Oh, here he comes.
It works!
Oh, this is sweet.
- He's like a hummingbird.
I want to fly him!
- No.
Tony, stop it!
You're gonna break it!
- Get him down!
- All right, I'm bringing him down, boss.
He's coming.
Hands in the air!
Let's go, Rocket Man.
Hey, where's McGee?
Hey, boss.
He's, uh, resting his fried circuits.
I don't know what the big deal is.
Just a little rocket science.
Yeah, it's not like it's brain surgery.
I want to see more pictures of her.
Yeah, me, too.
All right.
I get your fascination, boss.
She's a spellbinder.
You could get lost in
those icy blue eyes.
You know what was a
little weird, though?
How she seemed to know me before we met.
Not just me, either.
You.
Us.
That one right there.
Is that her and Colonel Bell?
Bell sent her.
How did you know?
Her hand, his shoulder.
Photo's been cropped.
Huh.
You got that off a pinkie?
What do you think they're up to?