MUSIC IN:
INT. CONVENIENCE STORE - DAY
(MUSIC OVER ACTION/TEENS PLAY VIDEO GAMES)
(SFX: VIDEO GAMES B.G.)
VIDEO VOICE: (V.O.) Near miss. Near miss. Target not acquired! Taking fire! Near miss! Taking fire. Reload.(SFX: VIDEO GAME GUNFIRE B.G.)
LEO: You so suck!
DAVE: This machine sucks! It's impossible!
VIDEO VOICE: You're hit, game over! Insert fifty cents to continue.
LEO: No way. You still owe me three bucks for the tacos.
DAVE: Screw it. You know what? The damn thing's rigged to make you lose anyways.
VIDEO VOICE: Kill shot! Kill shot! Target destroyed! Kill shot! Kill shot! Kill shot! Bonus level! Kill shot! Kill shot! Kill shot! Kill shot! Kill shot! High score. Mission accomplished. You are the new high scorer. (SFX: VIDEO GAME GUNFIRE B.G.)
MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:
INT. RECRUITING CENTER - DAY
DAVE: So you're telling me if we sign up now, you can guarantee us we go to Hawaii?
ALVAREZ: Let's just say, you sign an open contract, I will bust my ass to get you any duty station you want. Hawaii, Italy, Spain...
DAVE: Iraq?
ALVAREZ: I ain't gonna lie to you, boys. Iraq might be a problem. What with boot camp, S-O-I, follow-on schools.... we're talking over a year and a half of training. Iraq will be pretty much be over by the time you boys graduate. Sorry. You were talking about wanting to go there, right?
LEO: Yeah. Yeah sure.
ALVAREZ: The truth is most Marines don't see combat. I mean, look at me. Been in the Corps sixteen years. Closest I've ever come to a bullet is...
(SFX: GLASS BREAKS)
(ALVAREZ SLUMPS OVER HIS DESK DEAD)
(MUSIC OUT)
(THEME MUSIC UP OVER OPENING TITLE/ SCENES/ CREDITS AND OUT)
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. RECRUITING CENTER - DAY
(SFX: POLICE SIREN B.G.)
DUCKY: (V.O.) If it's any consolation, Gibbs, Gunnery Sergeant Alvarez's death was almost instantaneous.
GIBBS: C.O.'s on the way down here, Ducky. Can we move him yet?
DUCKY: We can't place him on the gurney until we take pictures and Gerald has the camera and he's nowhere to be found.
GIBBS: Can we hurry it up? I don't think Gunnery Sergeant Alvarez would appreciate being seen like this.
DUCKY: You knew the man?
GIBBS: No.
DUCKY: But if it's any consolation, Gunny, he's the absolute best we've got. My assistant on the other hand... Excuse me. But that's the problem today, isn't it? The technological advances of the so-called Internet generation. M-P Three players, and IPODS and video games. Spinning themselves into a self-induced state of attention deficit disorder. Barely absorbing one cluster of information before the next one strikes their fancy.
GIBBS: DiNozzo, where's my bullet?
TONY: Hopefully in this box or the wall behind it. Got your knife on you, boss?
GIBBS: Rule number nine, never go anywhere without a knife.
KATE: (OVERLAP) ...go anywhere without a knife.
TONY: Are you sure about that? I thought nine was never ask a girl her weight on the first date.
KATE: Well that depends entirely on if you want a second one or not, Tony.
GIBBS: What've you got, Kate?
KATE: Well, the kids can't tell us much except for where Alvarez was sitting when he was popped. Several people reported hearing a gunshot around thirteen hundred, but no eyewitnesses.
TONY: I bet you had no problem getting dates wearing one of these, Gibbs.
GIBBS: Dating was not exactly my problem in the Corps, DiNozzo. What did the LEO say?
KATE: It might be gang-related. Alvarez had a couple of run-ins with the locals. Last month they threw a cinder block through the window here.
TONY: Well, if it was gang-bangers, they're packing serious heat. It went straight through the sheet rock into what looks like some kind of toy warehouse.
GIBBS: Give me my knife back. You two better get moving. Don't come back without my bullet.
(GIBBS WALKS O.S.)
TONY: You think he'd let me borrow his uniform for a weekend?
KATE: I don't know. I just hope I'm there when you ask him.
MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:
EXT. BUILDING - DAY
DUCKY: Where on earth did he put the gurney? I swear if he's lost inside that MP Three again...
GERALD: I got the rest of those photos that you asked for. Gibbs said that he wanted Gunnery Sergeant Alvarez out of there quick, so I staged the gurney near his body.
(DOOR CLOSES)
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. WAREHOUSE - DAY
(DOOR OPENS/ CLOSES)
TONY: Did you ever play with one of these as a kid?
KATE: Do I look like the doll type, Tony?
TONY: Well maybe if you smiled more, did something with your hair.
CARL: Can I help you?
KATE: Oh, yes. We're with NCIS.
TONY: It stands for...
CARL: Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Yeah. Yeah, I'm Carl. A.W.M., assistant warehouse manager.
KATE: You've heard of us.
CARL: I watch Forensic Files on Court TV. They profiled a case your department did a few years ago.
TONY: Really?
CARL: Yeah. You guys couldn't solve it, so they brought in the FBI and those guys-
TONY: I don't have cable, Carl.
KATE: We're here on official business.
CARL: Oh, about the murder next door - not that we know it's a murder yet, but from all preliminary indications it appears that it's probably...
TONY: (OVERLAP) The bullet went through the common wall into your warehouse. We need to forensically trace its trajectory.
CARL: Not a problem. You gonna use the laser pointer or the more outdated string technique?
MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:
INT. RECRUITING CENTER - DAY
GIBBS: Major Dougherty?
DOUGHERTY: Yes?
GIBBS: Special Agent Gibbs, NCIS.
DOUGHERTY: Five months in Iraq, I didn't lose a single man.
GIBBS: What can you tell me about the Gunnery Sergeant?
DOUGHERTY: He was a legend. A career recruiter who never missed a quota.
GIBBS: Any ideas?
DOUGHERTY: We've had some trouble with gangs in the neighborhood. Vandalism, mostly. They don't like it when the kids around here choose a career over hanging out on the street corners.
GIBBS: What about complaints filed from the kids he did recruit?
DOUGHERTY: There were a few.
GIBBS: I'll need to see those.
DOUGHERTY: Not a problem.
GIBBS: The real ones, Major. The one that tend to surface when you don't make your quota.
DOUGHERTY: Hell, if it helps you catch his killer, I'll give you his whole damn filing cabinet, Agent Gibbs.
GIBBS: All right.
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. TOY WAREHOUSE - DAY
KATE: Where the hell's the bullet? It's like it just disappeared.
TONY: I'm going to need you on your knees over here, Kate. It's time to get dirty.
KATE: What?
TONY: We have to sweep the floor for marks. It may have lost velocity and dropped.
KATE: Right. I knew that.
CARL: That's not how they do it on CSI.
KATE: You really need to get off that couch more, Carl.
TONY: Was there a pallet or display like right around here, say one o'clock this afternoon? (SHOUTS) Carl!
CARL: Uh... uh yeah. It went out about an hour ago. It was a load of dolls heading for Richmond.
TONY: Can you contact the driver?
CARL: Sure.
TONY: Good, because we've got a new address for the drop off.
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY
GIBBS: I got a present for you, Kate.
KATE: Okay? What is it?
GIBBS: Seven years worth of Gunnery Sergeant Alvarez's personal and professional correspondence. It's sorted by category.
KATE: Which are?
GIBBS: I'm going to leave that part of it up to you.
KATE: Oh, come on, Gibbs. At least tell me what I'm looking for?
GIBBS: Same thing we're all looking for, Kate. A murderer.
KATE: Oh, why didn't I take the damn dolls!
MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:
INT. LAB - DAY
TONY: Is there a reason you pulled all their heads off, Abby??
ABBY: It's so we know that we've checked them.
TONY: Yeah, but the one with the round in it was sitting practically on top. You emptied the entire box.
ABBY: Well, it was kind of fun.
TONY: And they're naked?
ABBY: Shh! I am about to perform my first autopsy.
(ABBY SLICES THE HEAD OPEN)
ABBY: Ha! Gerald, to Abby, please.
GIBBS: Does Ducky know you do that?
ABBY: Hey Gibbs. I was just about to run this through the ballistics lab.
GIBBS: Good, because when you're done, I want to see that mock-up of the trajectory on the computer.
ABBY: Then I'm gone.
GIBBS: Why are all these dolls naked?
TONY: Don't look at me, Boss. Must be a goth thing.
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. BALLISTICS LAB
ABBY: It definitely wasn't a pistol, Gibbs. Seven point six two millimeters.
KATE: A rifle.
ABBY: The problem is I can't tell which kind. Hopefully I can to look it up on the plates.
GIBBS: Why don't you start with what it's not, Abby?
ABBY: Well, I know it's not an AK forty seven. There's lots of those floating around D.C. The grooving's all wrong. Without knowing the exact make of the rifle, I'm going on guess work, but I think it explains why there's no eyewitnesses. Every rifle has a certain range where they experience maximum penetration power. It has to do with the ammo load, the length of the barrel, and the rifling. We know our round went through a Marine, ricocheted off an office chair, through a box, a sheet rock wall, and ended up in our doll's head. There's no way that shot came from just outside the window or even across the street. The shooter was long range. Really long range.
GIBBS: Our shooter is a sniper.
(MUSIC UP AND OUT)
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT
KATE: Relax your hand or you're never going to get it in your mouth.
TONY: I'm trying, but this thing's too damn slippery.
KATE: You're never going to impress a girl like that.
TONY: Oh, whatever. Just promise me the next time we decide to do this, Kate, make sure that they don't forget the forks. No one likes a showoff. Screw this. Do you have any soup? Ah...
(KATE CHUCKLES)
(DOORS SLIDE OPEN)
GIBBS: That had better not be mine, DiNozzo.
TONY: Gibbs ordered soup? Great! (TO GIBBS) If it's any consolation, it's not very good.
GIBBS: Whose chow mein?
KATE: Tony's.
GIBBS: Good. So anything interesting in Alvarez' complaint file?
KATE: Well it seems he had a gift for exaggerating the opportunities available in the Marine Corps.
TONY: You'll like this one, boss. One guy wanted to be a paramedic, so Alvarez guaranteed him the Corps would train him to save lives.
KATE: What's wrong with that?
GIBBS: The Marine Corps doesn't have medical personnel.
TONY: They're all Navy.
GIBBS: Technically he was correct. I mean, Marines do save lives mostly through the use of superior firepower.
KATE: Well, that's pretty much his M.O. The bait and switch. This kid wanted to be a pilot. Alvarez told him that he'd be sitting in a cockpit by his second year.
TONY: Plane mechanic?
KATE: Close. Ejection seat technician.
GIBBS: Any of them contain threats?
KATE: No. Not yet at least.
TONY: You know, come to think of it, you never told us why you enlisted, boss.
(PHONE RINGS)
GIBBS: That's because it's personal. (INTO PHONE) Gibbs.
KATE: You think his recruiter told him a fast one?
TONY: I doubt it.
KATE: Why?
TONY: Can you imagine someone lying to Gibbs and getting away with it?
GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) Yeah. (TO TONY AND KATE) That's our authorization for the building Abby thinks the sniper fired from. DiNozzo, you're with me.
KATE: What about me?
GIBBS: No. I need to see if there's a murderer hiding in that sack of files.
TONY: Good luck.
KATE: Alone eating Chinese food again. Oh, what a refreshing change, Kate.
MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:
EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT
TONY: It's a nice neighborhood. A couple of coats of paint, maybe a bulldozer.
GIBBS: You're looking at the reason Alvarez made quota every month.
TONY: Actually, I think I'm looking at vomit.
GIBBS: He was trying to give these kids a real chance to get out of here. The problem is that some of them were too young or ignorant to realize it.
TONY: Maybe. But you've got to admit he had a unique approach.
GIBBS: You got a key?
TONY: Right here.
(TONY TRIES TO UNLOCK THE DOOR)
TONY: The thing is stuck.
GIBBS: Give me a try.
(DOOR OPENS)
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. ELEVATOR
(SFX: METAL ELEVATOR DOORS SLIDE OPEN)
GIBBS: Hey, DiNozzo. Kind of reminds me of your apartment. Except for that minty fresh urine smell.
TONY: For your information, I have a maid now.
GIBBS: You can afford a maid?
TONY: It's amazing what you can do when you don't have to pay three alimonies. Ow! Oh, this doesn't make any sense. Are you sure this is the wall facing the recruiting station?
GIBBS: Yeah. Northeast.
TONY: Abby's trajectory's got to be wrong. How could a guy fire from here? There isn't even a window.
GIBBS: I don't know. That's what we're going to find out. Let's get busy.
TONY: Minty fresh urine smell.
(SFX: CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS)
TONY: Well, I don't know what we got, but I'm done. Gibbs?
GIBBS: DiNozzo! Hey, you got your knife?
TONY: Rule number nine. Never go out...
GIBBS: Yeah yeah. Just testing you - seeing if you were paying attention.
TONY: What exactly are we looking for here?
(GIBBS REMOVES THE BRICK)
GIBBS: This right here. Okay, let's bag it. Oh boy, we've got a major problem.
TONY: What do you see?
GIBBS: A shooter who is highly intelligent and methodical. Out of a thousand bricks in this wall, he only removed the one he needed.
(SFX: CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS)
MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:
INT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY
KATE: Did you have fun last night?
TONY: Oh yeah. Got in around four a.m. and filed evidence for another hour.
KATE: Really? Was Gibbs with you?
TONY: Oh, god! Thanks for reminding me. I'd better call and make sure he's up.
GIBBS: Hey, you're late!
TONY: And a good morning to you, Sir.
GIBBS: Kate, get those files sorted?
KATE: Looks like we might have had our Gunny figured wrong. These aren't complaints. They're letters thanking him. He kept in touch with a lot of his recruits even after graduation. The middle ones are mostly bitching and moaning along the lines of last night. And these are the two that stood out. This one sounded the most promising.
GIBBS: Ooh, I'll say. This guy is threatening to cut off Alvarez's head.
KATE: Yeah. He's dead. Six months ago in Iraq. This one is our best bet. Sergeant Aaron Barnes. He claims that Alvarez told him that if he signed up for a six year hitch, he'd qualify for the Marine Enlisted Commissioning Program.
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. RECRUITING STATION - FLASHBACK
ALVAREZ: Listen, son. You want to be an officer someday, you've got to show the Marine Corps you're committed. Between you and me? Nothing shows commitment like a six year hitch. Hell, I can even see myself saluting you some day.
(END FLASHBACK)
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY
KATE: It turns out Barnes' high school GPA wasn't high enough to qualify for MECP. And when he found that out, he wanted to break his contract.
GIBBS: That's not going to happen.
KATE: Yeah. And when that got shot down, he fired off a personal letter to Alvarez, promising to look the Gunny up again when his contract was up.
TONY: That's not exactly a death threat.
KATE: Well his contract's up this year. But here's the kicker. Two years ago he was selected for sniper school and he was so good that they brought him back as an instructor. He's there now.
GIBBS: Let's roll.
(GIBBS WALKS O.S.)
TONY: Did you have any of that shrimp last night?
KATE: How could I? You shoved them all in your mouth.
TONY: Consider yourself lucky.
MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:
EXT. TARGET RANGE - DAY
(SFX: GUNFIRE B.G.)
BARNES: Adjust your mil scale. You're shooting up-slope with a variable ten knot wind! Close doesn't count in combat, Corporal. Even a half inch off your mark, the target gets the opportunity to live and return the favor!
MARINE: (V.O.) Yes, Sir!
GIBBS: Sergeant Barnes?(SFX: GUNFIRE CONTINUES)
BARNES: Stand by, gentlemen.
GIBBS: Special Agent Gibbs, Todd, DiNozzo, NCIS.
BARNES: What can I do for you, Sir?
KATE: We want to talk to you about Gunnery Sergeant Freddy Alvarez.
[SCENE_BREAK]
EXT. SNIPER SCHOOL AREA - DAY
BARNES: I guess he couldn't get away with it forever.
GIBBS: What?
BARNES: Promising things he knew he could never deliver on, Sir.
GIBBS: The thing is, we're not here to talk about his recruiting methods.
KATE: He was killed yesterday.
TONY: Shot by a sniper.
GIBBS: How many people can make that shot? Six hundred meters. Through glass. Down angle.
BARNES: You think it's me.
(BARNES UNFOLDS THE LETTER)
BARNES: I can't believe he kept this letter. You've got to believe me, Sir. It's not what you think.
TONY: It never is.
GIBBS: Where were you, Sergeant, yesterday between noon and fourteen hundred?
BARNES: Individual PT, Sir. I ran the loop around Lunga Reservoir.
KATE: Can anyone corroborate that?
BARNES: Corporal Stenson. We work out together every Wednesday.
TONY: Where's the Corporal now?
BARNES: Running a Land Nav class in the field. I can have him call you when he gets back.
GIBBS: I've got a better idea. Why don't you give me his grid coordinate... and a map?
MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:
EXT. COURSE - DAY
KATE: Are you sure you know where you're going?
GIBBS: I used to do this for a living.
TONY: They had maps back then?
(MUSIC OVER ACTION/ ALL RUSHING THROUGH THE BRUSH)
STENSON: Number one rule if you're lost, you've got to find a mountain and shoot a back azimuth off it.
MARINE TWO: Yes, Sir.
GIBBS: Corporal Stenson?
STENSON: You two work out the next azimuth. I'll be up with you in a minute.
GIBBS: Special Agent Gibbs, NCIS.
STENSON: What's up, Sir? You and your people working on some land nav?
GIBBS: Among other things. Did you PT with Sergeant Barnes yesterday afternoon?
STENSON: Yes, Sir, every Wednesday between noon and fourteen hundred.
KATE: What'd you do?
STENSON: We um... we were running the obstacle course, Ma'am.
MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:
INT. INTERROGATION ROOM - DAY
BARNES: Here it is, okay? Gunny Alvarez lied to me. It pissed me off so I wrote him that stupid letter. But joining the Marine Corps is the best thing that ever happened to me.
GIBBS: It's sixty eight degrees in here, Sergeant. Are you hot? Or do you always sweat this much?
BARNES: I am not a murderer, Sir.
GIBBS: You'll excuse me if I don't take your word for it.
BARNES: My contract was up the end of this year, Sir. Why would I reenlist for another six years if I hated the Marine Corps?
GIBBS: Maybe you just enjoy being a sniper.
(INTERCUT RECRUITER SCENE)
GIBBS: You get a thrill out of the fact that your target is totally unaware of your presence
(INTERCUT RECRUITER SCENE)
GIBBS: Their lives in your hands.
(INTERCUT RECRUITER SCENE)
GIBBS: You choosing the exact moment you plan to end it.
(INTERCUT RECRUITER SCENE)
GIBBS: Do you think that Alvarez felt those cross hairs lining up on his chest?
(INTERCUT RECRUITER SCENE)
BARNES: I didn't shoot him, Sir!
MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:
INT. RECRUITING CENTER - DAY
(MUSIC OVER ACTION)
(SFX: GUNSHOT)
(RECRUITER FALLS ONTO THE DESK)
(MUSIC OUT)
MUSIC IN:
EXT. PARKING AREA - DAY
KATE: Next time drive a little faster, Tony. I think my glands still have an ounce of adrenaline left.(CAR DOORS OPEN/CLOSE)
TONY: Responsible crime scene investigation demands a timely arrival, Kate.
KATE: Yeah, well it'll help if the investigators don't puke all over it.
GIBBS: That brings back memories.
KATE: Memories of what?
GIBBS: Marriage.(CAR DOORS CLOSE)
TONY: Second Marine Recruiter was killed while Sergeant Barnes was in custody. Why are we still holding him?
GIBBS: He's not telling the truth. I just don't know about what.
KATE: Well, he could have a partner. Snipers like to use spotters.
GIBBS: Why don't we see if these two shootings are even connected?
(SFX: CARS BRAKE TO A STOP OUTSIDE)
TONY: Boss, are you expecting company?
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. RECRUITING CENTER - DAY
GIBBS: The victim was a Marine. That puts it in our jurisdiction, Agent Kramer.
KRAMER: Maybe, but the second shooting was in Maryland which puts it across state lines and in ours.
GIBBS: According to who?
KRAMER: The Director of the FBI.
GIBBS: Oh, is he here somewhere?
KRAMER: Look, if you pull your people back, I promise you'll get copies of everything we find.
GIBBS: And if I don't?
KRAMER: Well, I wouldn't worry about that. You'll be receiving a call from your director any minute now. And one more thing, Agent Gibbs. Fornell warned me about you. Do not try and remove the body.
TONY: Oh, you're not still using laser. (TO KATE) They're still using laser.
KATE: Maybe they didn't get the memo.
TONY: You didn't get the memo, did you? D.O.J memorandum. Twelve August. Ballistic laser calibration devices. The health warning... may lead to impotence. Maybe he doesn't have to worry about that anymore.
KATE: We can get the trajectory, no problem.
TONY: The competition's going to be for the bullet.
DUCKY: I don't think the unfortunate Staff Sergeant Allen is going to be of much use there. The bullet passed clean through.
GIBBS: Then I suggest we help our good friends, the FBI, find it. Tony, make a hole.
TONY: Scalpel.
GIBBS: Kate, find the bullet.
DUCKY: I know you find the departmental turf wars as tedious as I do. People of serious intent should never allow the frivolous to deter them from the pursuit of justice, should they? Don't you think?
TONY: I've got the secondary bullet hole, boss!
FREEMAN: All right, we'll take it from here.
TONY: Ah, no. I'll wait for my boss. He's the good looking guy with all his hair.
GIBBS: Tony. I'll handle this.
FREEMAN: You still haven't heard from your director yet?
GIBBS: No. Until we do... that bullet in the wall behind us belongs to NCIS.
FREEMAN: Well, from where I'm standing you're a little outnumbered.
GIBBS: Well, from where I'm standing, I'm not real worried about it.
FREEMAN: All right, listen, Gibbs, I don't have time for this bull! Will somebody please give me the damn NCIS director on the phone?
GIBBS: Well, that may be a bit of a problem. Thursday's his golf day.
FREEMAN: Listen, I am not fooling around anymore, Gibbs.
GIBBS: I'm not either. The man has a mean handicap.
(SFX: CELL PHONE RINGS)
GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) Yeah. Gibbs.
[SCENE_BREAK]
EXT. RECRUITING CENTER - DAY
TONY: (INTO PHONE) Kate's got the bullet, boss.
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. RECRUITING CENTER - DAY
GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) Yes, Sir. Yes, Sir. It won't happen again, Sir. (TO FREEMAN) It looks like you win this one. Don't get used to it.
FREEMAN: Don't take it personally, Gibbs. We all have our orders.
GIBBS: Listen, when you see Fornell, you say hi for me.
FREEMAN: My pleasure. You have a nice day now.
(MUSIC OVER ACTION/GIBBS PICKS UP THE FEATHER)
GIBBS: Hathcock.
[SCENE_BREAK]
EXT. PARKING LOT - DAY
KATE: (V.O.) Who's Hathcock?
GIBBS: (V.O.) Carlos Hathcock. (ON CAMERA) A Marine sniper legend. Thirty nine confirmed kills in Vietnam.
KATE: What's that got to do with pigeon feathers?
GIBBS: It's not a pigeon feather. Look. Shaft's too small.
KATE: Okay. That white bird feather.
TONY: The V.C. nicknamed Hathcock after a small white feather he kept in the band of his hat.
KATE: History Channel?
TONY: His biography.
KATE: You read his biography?
TONY: I watched his biography on The Biography Channel.
KATE: So do you think it's somehow connected to the shooter?
GIBBS: Don't know. If we find another one of these that matches it in Gunnery Sergeant Alvarez's office...
TONY: We'll strip search the roaches, boss. (GIBBS/KATE AND TONY CLIMB INTO THE TRUCK)
KATE: You realize what this means, if it is some kind of a calling card?
GIBBS: `Yeah. It means he likes to meet the recruiter before he kills them.
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. NCIS LAB - DAY
ABBY: The second bullet's in way better shape than the first. Some of the rifling patterns are matching up like the Glam Slam Techno Twins. Oh, sorry! Wrong generation. Think the Andrew Sisters.
GIBBS: Going back a little far there, Abby.
ABBY: So I don't have enough to be a hundred percent certain that it's the same gun, but I am one hundred percent sure it's the same model.
GIBBS: You back-track the shooter's location yet?
ABBY: It looks like our shooter might be mobile. Following the trajectory in reverse, there isn't a building or a structure that makes any sense as a shooting position. There's only road.
GIBBS: The shooter fired from a car?
ABBY: Or a truck or a van.
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. RECRUITING CENTER
KATE: What's up?
TONY: This whole sensitivity to women in the workplace thing backfired.
KATE: What are you talking about?
TONY: I'm talking about how we divide up our tasks. I always get the floor. Up close and personal, floors are scummy.
KATE: It's no big deal, Tony. I would have done it.
TONY: Hah! But you didn't.
KATE: Floors are scummy.
TONY: My point exactly. You would never volunteer to take the floor. I would have to suggest it, and I would be met by lots of comments about my chauvinism and insensitivity.
KATE: Hah. I don't need a floor for that.(CLOSET DOOR OPENS)
TONY: Cute. But my point is in order for me to be P.C., I've got to take the floor.(DOOR CLOSES)
KATE: Do you want me to take the floor?
TONY: Ah, you're just saying that to humor me.
KATE: No, you have a point. And if it bothers you that much, I'll take the floor. I insist.
TONY: Thanks.
KATE: No problem.
(SFX: CLOSET DOOR OPENS)
(TONY SHOUTS)
(KATE LAUGHS)
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. OBSERVATION ROOM - DAY
BARNES: I've been here for three hours without anybody telling me what's going on.
GIBBS: You'll be here another three hours if that's what it takes.
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. INTERROGATION ROOM - DAY
BARNES: It takes for what, Sir? You said you weren't charging me.
GIBBS: Not yet.
BARNES: What did Corporal Stenson say when you found him?
GIBBS: That you two were P-T-ing yesterday.
BARNES: And that's exactly what I told you, Sir.
GIBBS: Yeah, you did, Sergeant. Running the Lunga reservoir loop between noon and fourteen hundred.
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. OBSERVATION ROOM - DAY
GIBBS: (FILTERED) A long route...about nine miles.
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. INTERROGATION ROOM
BARNES: Yes, Sir.
GIBBS: So how come Corporal Stenson doesn't remember making it? You don't have an alibi, Sergeant. Whether you're the shooter or not, you lied during a criminal investigation. Hey, let's discuss those charges.
BARNES: Rachel Hauser.
GIBBS: What was that?
BARNES: Rachel Hauser, Sir.
GIBBS: When and where?
BARNES: Noon to fourteen hundred. Motel just outside the main gate.
GIBBS: Does Rachel Hauser have a phone number?(BARNES WRITES ON THE PAPER)
BARNES: Sir, my wife... she doesn't know.(DOOR OPENS)
GIBBS: I'm just checking an alibi, Sergeant. The rest is between you and her.
(DOOR CLOSES)
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. RECRUITING CENTER - DAY
TONY: Gunnery Sergeant Alvarez must have recruited the cleaning crew, because they obviously haven't been here in a while.
KATE: Maybe it blew away after the first time we swept. A feather is light. A slight breeze could have taken it across the room.
TONY: I think I'd have to be a pretty strong breeze. There's no cross-ventilation in here. Ventilation.
(MUSIC OVER ACTION/TONY REMOVES THE FEATHER FROM THE VENT)
MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:
INT. STAIRS - DAY
KATE: Are you still thinking this guy is in the military?
GIBBS: Something tells me you don't believe it.
KATE: It's the profile. This feather is our shooter's calling card. It's like a signature.
TONY: But a white feather for all we know could mean he has a Forrest Gump fixation.
KATE: Well, it doesn't matter if other people know what the feather means. He knows. I just think this guy is living in a fantasy world, and I can't picture him functioning in some highly organized military environment.
TONY: So you think he's ex-military, like the beltway sniper?
KATE: Possibly. But why target only Marine recruiters?
GIBBS: Because they turned him down. This guy isn't military. He's a wannabe.
KATE: Now that fits the profile.
TONY: How many people do the Marines turn down every year?
GIBBS: Thousands. By the time we get a chance to check them out, this guy's going to shoot again.
KATE: If he continues his pattern, we have less than twenty four hours.
GIBBS: Maybe it's time we got more pro-active.
MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:
EXT. RECRUITING CENTER - DAY
DOUGHERTY: And our heartfelt prayers and wishes go out to the families of Gunnery Sergeant Alvarez, Staff Sergeant Allen. We are continuing to work with law enforcement to bring the person or persons responsible to justice.
REPORTER: Will the Marine Corps suspend recruiting?
DOUGHERTY: Never. Marines don't run from danger. This recruitment office will re-open tomorrow morning, manned by one of our finest, Gunnery Sergeant Thomas.
REPORTER KENT: How do you feel about being selected for this assignment, Gunnery Sergeant?
GIBBS: I wasn't selected, Sir. I volunteered.
(MUSIC UP AND OUT)
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY
GIBBS: Welcome to the Marines, Kate.
TONY: Kate's gonna be your C.O.?
GIBBS: That's the plan.
TONY: I didn't realize Kate knew so much about being a Marine.
GIBBS: Kate doesn't know squat about being in the Marines. She doesn't have to.
KATE: I won't be interacting with the recruits, Tony. I'll just be there to focus on how they interact with Gibbs. One of them might be our sniper.
TONY: You're not the only one around here who knows how to profile.
KATE: Maybe. But with that haircut, you wouldn't pass for a ROTC student.
GIBBS: The vest is going to hardly even show underneath this. You need your ribbons. What do we hear back from the FBI?
TONY: Besides Agent Freeman's extreme dislike for you? Uh... they'll cooperate, but he's not too keen on the visible part.
GIBBS: Our shooter isn't a moron. If he doesn't see police and FBI presence in the neighborhood, he's going to think something's wrong.
TONY: I have a problem with that part too, Boss. What's the point of setting a trap if he knows about it?
KATE: Part of a sniper's mission is to infiltrate enemy territory. Our guy wants to prove himself, validate his skills. He's not going to pass up an opportunity like this.
TONY: What if he succeeds?
GIBBS: He won't.
TONY: Don't take this the wrong way, but... you actually make that look good.
KATE: Thanks. Have you tried yours on yet?
TONY: Tried what?
KATE: Gibbs said you'd be in uniform too.
TONY: He did?
KATE: Mm-hmm.
[SCENE_BREAK]
EXT. TELEPHONE POLE - DAY
TONY: Gibbs gets Dress Blue Charlies. I look like one of The Village People.
(BEGIN TELEPHONE INTERCUTS)
(SCENE CUT)
ABBY: Hah hah. Maybe you can find a local cop and get a dance routine going.
(SCENE CUT)
(TONY LAUGHS)
ABBY: (FILTERED) How are you doing?
TONY: I'm hardwiring the main microphone to the D-S-L line. I've already got the other two on a wireless relay. There we go.
(SCENE CUT)
TONY: (FILTERED) You know if this works, Abs, you're a genius.
ABBY: Oh, Tony. Tell me something I don't know.
(SCENE CUT)
TONY: I once dated my high school music teacher.
(SCENE CUT)
ABBY: Really? What was his name?
(SCENE CUT)
TONY: Hah. Cute.
(SCENE CUT)
ABBY: Okay, all mics are operational. I'm set here.
(SCENE CUT)
TONY: All right. I'm coming down now.
(SCENE CUT)
ABBY: You're a macho macho man, Tony.
(END TELEPHONE INTERCUTS)
(SCENE CUT)
INT. RECRUITING CENTER - DAY
DOUGHERTY: The new window looks good.
GIBBS: Yes, it does.
DOUGHERTY: How does it feel to be back in uniform, Gunny?
GIBBS: It's a little tighter than I remember.
DOUGHERTY: You really think this will work?
GIBBS: I don't know. If it doesn't, no sense worrying about it.
DOUGHERTY: Spoken like a true Marine.
(DOOR OPENS)
DOUGHERTY: Good morning, Captain.
KATE: Major. Gibbs. I mean, Gunny.
GIBBS: Kate, the cover is off inside.
KATE: Ah.
GIBBS: You're looking good. Ah... these are out of order.
KATE: I spent an hour trying to get it right.
GIBBS: It's okay. A common newbie mistake.
DOUGHERTY: Maybe I should take her place. Your whole plan rests on this guy believing that you're both Marines.
GIBBS: We have it under control, Major. She'll do fine.
DOUGHERTY: Well then I'll just stay and help out. There's nothing wrong with another set of eyeballs.
GIBBS: Not a good idea. The best thing that you can do is leave this to us.
DOUGHERTY: I lost two of my men to this psycho. You really think I'm passing up on a chance for payback?
GIBBS: Major, your mission is to protect our country. Our mission right now is to protect you and your Marines. Allow us the honor of doing our job.
DOUGHERTY: Good luck, Gunnery Sergeant. Captain.
(DOOR OPENS)
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. CAR
TONY: (INTO PHONE) Comm check.
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. VAN
FREEMAN: (INTO RADIO) Loud and clear. Over.
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. RECRUITMENT CENTER
KATE: Hear you fine, Tony.
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. NCIS LAB
ABBY: Crystal.
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. RECRUITING CENTER
KATE: Comm's up, Gibbs.
GIBBS: Now for the hard part....waiting.
KATE: You really think we're going to get any potential recruits today?
GIBBS: Yeah.
KATE: A man was murdered here three days ago. Who'd choose today to decide to join up?
GIBBS: A Marine.
KATE: Good point.
GIBBS: Get ready to profile.
(DOOR OPENS)
GIBBS: Can I help you?
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. CAR - DAY
TONY: What are you doing? Giving away free X-boxes...
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. RECRUITING CENTER - DAY
TONY: (V.O./FILTERED)... in there? That's the tenth kid this morning.
KATE: He's really good at this. I'm even thinking of signing up.
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. CAR
TONY: What about potential snipers?
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. RECRUITING CENTER - DAY
KATE: You'll be the first to know.
TONY: (V.O./FILTERED) No, Gibbs will.
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. CAR - DAY
TONY: Just tell me he's still wearing his vest.
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. RECRUITING CENTER - DAY
KATE: He said it was visible under his shirt.
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. CAR - DAY
TONY: I knew it. If that sniper doesn't kill him I will. What a stupid idiotic thing.
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. RECRUITING CENTER - DAY
GIBBS: You realize we have an office in Richmond. Why drive all the way down here to see a recruiter?
RECRUIT: Well, I was watching the news and I thought I'd check it out.
GIBBS: The sniper doesn't scare you?
RECRUIT: Well, I figure he's shooting recruiters, not recruits, right?
GIBBS: So you'd drive all the way here to see if I get shot or not?
DELIVERY MAN: (V.O.) If I could get a signature.
KATE: No problem.
DELIVERY MAN: (V.O.) See you later.
GIBBS: Good luck to you.
RECRUIT: Thanks.
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. VAN - DAY
FREEMAN: (INTO RADIO) It's four thirty. I think this guy's a no show. The last two attacks were between noon and two. So I say we call it a day, Agent DiNozzo.
TONY: (V.O./FILTERED) Negative.
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. CAR - DAY
TONY: Office isn't supposed to close for another thirty minutes. We close early, it'll look suspicious.
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. RECRUITING CENTER - DAY
GIBBS: What do you think, Kate?
KATE: That you have at least one more day as a human target.
(DOOR OPENS)
GIBBS: Hello. Gunnery Sergeant Alvin Thomas. How can I help you there, son.
YOUNG MAN: Yeah, I don't know. I've been thinking about it a little I guess. You got some pamphlets or something?
GIBBS: Right here. The Marines offer a wide variety of choices. What kind of things interest you? Sit down.
YOUNG MAN: Not sitting around in an office like this.
GIBBS: Can't say that I blame you. Are you interested in something more active?
YOUNG MAN: Yeah.
GIBBS: You seem like a combat arms kind of guy to me. Artillery? Combat engineers? Infantry? Sniper teams?
YOUNG MAN: Yeah. I don't know. Like I said, I'm not really sure. I just... maybe I should come back.
GIBBS: I'll be here.
(YOUNG MAN WALKS TO THE DOOR)
(DOOR OPENS/ CLOSES)
KATE: Tony, the kid who just left.
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. CAR - DAY
KATE: (V.O./FILTERED) Six four, blond hair...
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. RECRUITING CENTER
KATE: ...black jacket and jeans. Early twenties. We think he might be our man.
(INTERCUT FLASH BACK SCENES)
GIBBS: He was already here.
KATE: Forget the kid, Tony! The sniper is the water delivery guy! I repeat! The sniper is--
(MUSIC OVER ACTION/SNIPER FIRES THE RIFLE)
(F/X BULLET TRAVELS SLOW MOTION TO THE CENTER GLASS)
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. NCIS LAB - DAY
ABBY: The mics picked up the shot! (V.O.) I'm triangulating now! Done! He's at the merchant building on the (ON CAMERA) corner of Sixth and K. Tenth floor.
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. VAN - DAY
FREEMAN: Right there.
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. NCIS LAB - DAY
ABBY: The building has an alley in the back. It's the most likely exit from where he's positioned.
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. CAR - DAY
TONY: I'm on it!
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. RECRUITING CENTER
GIBBS: Go get him, Tony.
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT. VAN - DAY
FREEMAN: We'll take the southern entrance.
[SCENE_BREAK]
EXT. ALLEY - DAY
(SFX: CAR BRAKES TO A STOP)
(MUSIC OVER ACTION)
TONY: (SHOUTS) Federal Agent, drop the weapon! Drop it! Drop it!
(SFX: CAR TIRES SCREECH TO A STOP)
TONY: Drop the weapon!
(CAR DOORS OPEN/CLOSE)
TONY: Hey!
(SFX: RAPID GUNFIRE)
FREEMAN: Thank you, Agent DiNozzo. We'll take it from here. Back me up. Secure the weapon.
(SFX: POLICE RADIOS AND SIRENS B.G.)
GIBBS: Hey.
TONY: We got our guy. The FBI is taking the credit, of course.
GIBBS: Kate, where is your cover?
KATE: What?
MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:
INT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY
KATE: Kyle Hendricks. Twenty two. Rejected by Sergeant Gordon Mackenzie, eleven August, two thousand two, at the Rockville recruiting center. Failed the personality profile assessment. Sociopathic tendencies with anti-social behavior. His stated goal for joining the Marine Corps, he wanted to be a Marine sniper.
GIBBS: Yeah, well you've got to admit, he was one hell of a marksman. DiNozzo. Captain.
TONY: So what was it like?
KATE: What like?
TONY: Being his superior officer.
KATE: You mean, did I get to boss him around? Make him salute me? Call me, Ma'am?
TONY: Basically.
KATE: It was great!
TONY: You're lying.
KATE: Am I? Abby said you looked really good in a uniform too.
TONY: Did she?
KATE: Yeah. She said you'd fit right in with a biker boy, and a Indian chief, a cowboy and all the other macho macho men!
(MUSIC OUT)
(KATE LAUGHS)
(FADE OUT)
Plan: A: an over-embellishing marine recruiter; Q: Who was killed by a highly intelligent and skilled sniper? A: NCIS; Q: What team quickly discovers that a highly intelligent and skilled sniper is behind the attack? A: the attack; Q: What did the NCIS team discover was a highly intelligent and skilled sniper was behind? A: the team; Q: Who realizes that the killer left a "calling card" in the form of a white feather at each scene? A: a grudge; Q: What did the NCIS team believe the sniper had against the recruiter? A: the investigation; Q: What takes on a wider scope when a second attack occurs? A: direct conflict; Q: What does the FBI investigation bring Gibbs into with Fornell? A: Fornell; Q: Who is Gibbs' old friend? A: several dead ends; Q: What did the team hit before they realized the killer left a "calling card"? A: recruiters; Q: Who did the killer target? A: the Corps; Q: What organization did the killer want to get back at? A: his old Marine uniform; Q: What does Gibbs wear to lure out the killer? A: his new "commanding officer; Q: What does Kate become when Gibbs takes over the recruitment office? A: DiNozzo; Q: Who is the FBI team that lies in wait for the killer? A: the FBI team; Q: Who is called in to help with the investigation? Summary: When an over-embellishing marine recruiter is killed, the NCIS team quickly discover that a highly intelligent and skilled sniper was behind the attack. Initially, the team believes the sniper had a grudge against the recruiter, but when a second attack occurs the investigation takes on a wider scope and as a result, the FBI are called in, bringing Gibbs into direct conflict with his old friend Fornell. After hitting several dead ends, the team realize that the killer had left a "calling card" in the form of a white feather at each scene and was most likely targeting recruiters in revenge for being rejected by the Corps. Hoping to lure out the killer, Gibbs dons his old Marine uniform and takes over the recruitment office with Kate as his new "commanding officer", while DiNozzo and the FBI team lie in wait.