The Director arrives in Abby lab while the satellite linkage is up. Gibbs provides his rundown on the deceased and Ducky opines that the cause of death was some type of viral hemorrhagic fever to which the NCIS team has all been exposed. Ducky further considers the virus to be fatal to all exposed. Ducky further surmises that the NCIS group will be dead within 24 hours. This prompts the Director to contact Navy Cmdr. William Skinner via satellite where she proceeds to squeeze him for information (Cmdr. Skinner proved earlier in the episode that while he may be an officer, he is no gentleman, indelicately coming on to the Director). The Commander refuses to provide any information regarding the purpose of the Chimera causing the Director to threaten to go over his head to his superiors.
Ducky and Gibbs conduct the autopsy of Lt. Cmdr. Takada, using mostly what was available. DiNozzo is playing Abby on site with the exception of demonstrating science was never his long coat. Abby must instruct DiNozzo what to do via remote instruction from her on satellite linkage. Ducky gets a patch through to the commander, informing him of his intention of placing the ship under quarantine, displeasing the Commander. The Director loses her composure and patience demanding the Commander reveal the Chimera’s mission. The commander again declines. In response, the Director orders her NCIS team to investigate the entire ship without regard to what is and is not classified. The Director ends the conversation.
The NCIS Team meets and elects to search the ship. The team leaves Ducky to his work with the body and a walkie-talkie. Ducky converses with the deceased as always. They go looking for anything: A dead and hemorrhaging rat is found at the same time as the biohazard room. DiNozzo secures the rat for Ducky and the team begins to hear things. It turns out to be McGee. Gibbs urges McGee to get the lights back on. Ziva finds the biohazard room and out springs a terrified crewman, the cook, She was right. He is the cook (Craig Gellis). When questioned why he was hiding and why did the crew abandon ship? The cook revealed that the the crew abandoned ship because they felt that Takata had recovered something infectious from the ocean bottom and when he vomited, contaminated the ship. The cook further revealed that there was someone else on the boat that had knocked him unconscious and he assumed it was a member of the NCIS team. It appears that the team has not located everyone left on the ship.
Article comments
1 - Jason French
It seems to me that portraying our military in any fashion such as this where it was clearly inferred our military forces knowingly and intentionally attempted to take out some of our own is more than distasteful. It is revolting and unworthy of what otherwise would be an entertaining series. The American military does not eat it's own despite the so-called entertainment factor. Lest we forget, there are impressional minds watching that often truly believe this sort of thing is close to if not reality based and can't fathom the difference at times.
2 - C. Michael Bailey
Clearly.