NCIS: Sydney

Special Agent Mackey? Colonel Richard Rankin.

- Heard great things. - And you're already lying to me.

Not a good start, Colonel.

We need to get her help quick.

- I need a doctor! - You need a lawyer.

What should we call you?

My name is Ana Niemus.

Your guest is of extreme importance

to the US intelligence community.

If you want to disappear,

you have to have your hands tied.

Jack!

Whoa, whoa, hey. What do you mean, they took Jack?

Where the hell's my son?

She's important enough for someone

to kidnap a 9-year-old boy...

Yeah, my 9-year-old boy!

And this guy? He's not planning on rescuing you.

He's planning on killing you.

His name is Yaroslav.

Each of them discovered dead

with a painted conifer in their hands.

Turns out it's an obscure pagan tradition

within the Russian Orthodox Church.

Dad, that you?

I'm sure your team will arrive soon enough.

And if they don't, phone a friend.

You might be surprised who answers.

You gonna get that, Colonel?

I think it fair to say that given the choice

between fight and flight,

most of us will run from danger.

It's the rare few who run towards it.

But when you volunteer to defend the nation against all enemies,

foreign and domestic,

that's the deal you make.

To place duty above family...

..hardship above comfort.

Tragically, for some,

it means paying the ultimate price.

Don't make me ask again, Colonel.

Answer the damn phone.

JD, we clear?

That's not supposed to happen, is it?

- Get up! - Mackey.

Get up, now.

On your feet.

Now, Colonel!

Oh, shit.

Lidocaine syringe in my kit and call paramedics!

Come on, you're not buying this, are you? He's faking!

It's very hard to make your heart stop beating

if it doesn't want to.

Hey, it's me.

Mackey? What?

I don't under...

You just called Rankin's phone.

Mackey, why did my son's kidnapper

have Rankin's number in his phone?

I don't know, but we're gonna find out.

I got this. Call you later.

There you are, boy.

- Come on. - You back with us, Colonel?

You... you have to help me...

Once you tell me why your number's

on a Russian assassin's phone.

My kids...

W-what's happening?

Well, his heart rate's gone from zero to 200bpm

in a matter of seconds.

Adverse reaction to the lidocaine?

- It's that bloody thing there. - Pacemaker?

- Pacemaker, yes. Gimme a hammer. - A hammer?

Hammer and Blue's portable sound thingy there on the shelf.

That'll do me! It worked.

Pacemaker runs on a battery. Magnet disables the battery.

It's an old battlefield hack.

- So he's gonna be okay, then? - Him? No, no, no.

I've stopped his heart from temporarily exploding,

but by the time the paramedics get here

and we get him to the hospital, then...

..old mate will be as dead as disco.

I need a cardiac team! He's crashing!

All right, out of the way, please. Thank you.

Thank you. With me. Let's go.

Code blue. Room 3.

- Do you wanna take a seat? - No, I'm... I'm fine.

Just take care of him.

He's in good hands, I promise.

I need to ask you a few questions, okay?

Starting with the patient's name.

Ma'am?

His name is David Simons.

"Dippy smiled and closed his eyes,

"curled his tail around the campfire...

"..and went to sleep."

Dad?

Easy, mate.

I'm right here.

Hey? Just go back to sleep.

Everything's okay.

Promise?

There's two more AFP officers out the front.

Suits this time.

Apparently it couldn't wait until tomorrow.

Special Agent Mackey.

Sir.

I, uh... didn't know we were expecting you.

You weren't.

I just flew in from Singapore

after I got a call from our friends at Quantico.

Deputy Director of the FBI wants to know why his grab team

flew all the way to Sydney

to render an international assassin

who is no longer in your custody.

Right. Yep.

That was unfortunate.

Deputy Director used a different adjective.

Sir, we had Niemus isolated in the interview room

while we worked the abduction of Sergeant Dempsey's boy,

but by the time the grab team got here,

she'd picked her cuffs and fled the scene.

That's what I'm supposed to tell the Deputy Director?

She just strolled on out of here?

It's a new office, sir.

We have no dedicated holding cells on site.

So it's the building's fault?

I don't know what else to tell you.

Fine.

You're relieved of your duties pending a 2B investigation.

Zero communication with your team until I'm done.

Am I clear?

- Are you kidding me? - It's fine, D.

My watch...

..my responsibility.

I'll be interviewing each of you regarding Niemus's escape.

Jackson!

You're Acting Supervisory Special Agent in Charge.

Since you're calling the shots, you get to go first.

Seriously? He made you boss?

Can I be benched too?

I'm not doing it.

Excuse me?

I resigned my JAG commission

over the way Mackey was treated during her court martial.

I'm not about to throw her under the bus now.

I don't think you're grasping

the existential nature of the situation.

Word from DC is if Niemus isn't recaptured, and quickly,

you can all pack your bags.

I'm talking end of days.

So why waste time with me when I could be out looking?

'Cause there's blood in the water,

and in the event she's not recaptured,

I need to know exactly who's taking the fall for it.

Because it sure as hell ain't gonna be me.

Okay, just so I'm clear,

you say you drove her to the swap site

as instructed by the kidnapper.

My son's kidnapper, yeah.

But when you got there, she somehow disarmed you.

That's right.

But then instead of shooting you,

Niemus shot the guy who was there to rescue her

before escaping.

I underestimated her, what can I say?

Not my finest hour.

Seriously?

You think we're idiots, mate?

You really expect us to believe that?

What, that she escaped or that you're an idiot?

So you transported an international tier-1 HVT

to a potential swap site without briefing AFP.

When was I meant to do that, mate?

Huh? We only arrested her last night.

Well, she's been on your radar for months, no?

Along with the rest of the intel community.

You know, NCIS just happened to be

the first ones that caught her.

Momentarily.

Well, momentarily more than you.

Well, it's your funeral.

Administrative leave, effective immediately.

I'll let the 10th floor know.

They'll likely wanna speak with Canberra.

Send me the Zoom link, yeah? You've got my email.

Laugh it up, sport, but you're gonna need a bloody good lawyer.

For your own sake, stay away from NCIS.

I'm gonna need your badge and your gun.

Come on, Jim.

Take a look at the badge. You're one of us.

Time to pick a side, mate.

Yeah.

Gun's at home.

Didn't think I'd need it amongst mates, you know?

Hey.

How's Jack?

He's still asleep.

Poor thing's exhausted.

Are you all right?