- Tony, during his task for the SecNav, took fire and sustained a concussion, and he acquired the bloody badge of some other NCIS agent; however, he has no memory of his activities. Gibbs and a shrink help Tony to begin to regain his memory.
- During Tony's task for the SecNav, Tony took gunfire and sustained a concussion, and he acquired the bloody badge of some other NCIS agent; however, he has no memory of his activities; Gibbs puts him in touch with a shrink. Flashbacks abound, and conversations with the shrink continue; Ducky tells Gibbs about EJ's having removed a microchip from Levin's body. In a flashback, while Gibbs talked with the SecNav, a Navy captain staggered toward the official, and the officer fell dead; the victim had an incision similar to Levin's. In another, Tony found EJ, and they took gunfire but evaded. Slowly, with coaxing, Tony begins to recall; he, EJ, and Cade met in a dark alley, with each believing that one of the other two had sent a summons to the meeting; someone else opened fire. Later the Metro PD found Cade's body along the Potomac River. Gibbs tells Tony the rest of the story, and Tony recalls who the shooter is. EJ remains missing.—DocRushing
- Previously on: Ray tells Ziva he has to go overseas, Gibbs says good-bye to his mentor Mike, the Sec Nav resigns and DiNozzo gets put on a special case investigating a mole in NCIS.
Kate's psychiatrist sister, Dr. Rachel Cranston, comes to see Gibbs at the hospital. Someone has been shot in the chest and has a concussion. Gibbs wants her to talk to him about whatever happened. Gibbs opens the door, it's Tony.
Gibbs confirms Tony was shot in the chest, but it hit the vest. Tony's making jokes about it. Tony fired two shots and there was a lot of blood, but no body. She asks him who he shot.
Gibbs comes in. He holds up a badge with blood on it. It's not Tony's. "You shot another NCIS agent?" Cranston asks. Tony says he can't remember any of it.
Tony remembers he had orders from the Sec Nav. Gibbs hasn't heard from the rest of the team yet, it's the middle of the night. The shrink thinks he'll get his memory back. Tony says he was following orders, but Gibbs says they weren't from him.
Dr. Cranston asks about his assignment.
Flash back to late May, Tony on the golf course with the Secretary of the Navy Clayton Jarvis. He doesn't want the rest of the team's help, just Tony. "You saw the photo, who know who the problem is. Make it happen," Jarvis says.
Tony explains no one suspected his mission at first. Ziva emails Ray on his assignment, even though he can't write back. Gibbs gives Ziva her official NCIS badge, she's no longer a probationary agent. Ziva thinks they should all go out. Tony says he'll take a rain check.
Gibbs visits Tony on the shooting range, warning him if Jarvis needs his help to keep his eyes open. Tony says he became a cop because he thought it would make the lines of good and evil clear. Gibbs asks what's on his mind, but Tony nonchalantly says he's just doing his job.
Dr. Cranston clarifies that when Tony was told to "handle" something it could mean killing someone. Tony says it started with a photo, but he can't remember of whom. He remembers he destroyed it.
Flash back to May. Ziva heard he was given a new assignment. She's going to Central America soon to meet an old friend, a woman. Ziva wants her advice.
Ziva tells Tony she doesn't need to know what he's up to but NCIS has been through a lot. She says "we" need some time. She tells him to look out for himself.
Gibbs visits Duckie, who is aggravated by something he found in the autopsy of Levin, the member of Barrett's team who was killed in last season's finale. He found a small cut made after Levin died. He checked security footage and found EJ Barrett digging something out of his wrist. It was a small microchip. Gibbs thinks the timing of DiNozzo's mission could explain it.
Gibbs confronts Vance about DiNozzo's orders. He wonders again if Jarvis can be trusted.
Abby, Ziva and McGee examine security footage of Tony with his secret picture, trying to figure out what they see. McGee just hopes Tony's target isn't anyone they know.
Gibbs confronts Jarvis at a state function, where he tells Gibbs he can have DiNozzo back after the mission. As they're talking outside a country club a Navy officer named Felix Wright pulls up in a car, stumbles out bloody and collapses at Jarvis' feet. Dead.
Duckie finds an incision just like the one Levin had. Gibbs mentions that fact to Jarvis, who tells them not to talk about Wright's death with anyone. Vance tells Gibbs to look into their connection quietly.
Tony wasn't at the scene because he was working on his assignment. Tony tells Dr. Cranston he had to follow Barrett, but she was hard to find. He tracked her to a tropical island, where she told him she was going to meet a friend. She says they'll talk about it when she gets back. He tells her people are looking for her. She says the microchip isn't hers to give back. He says he can help if she'll let him but she's not sure she can trust him.
Back at NCIS, McGee finds that both Levin and Wright used to be in the office of naval intel, working for the director of special operations, Sean Latham. He leads an armada of surveillance vehicles calls the "watcher fleet."
Back at the hospital, FBI agent Casey Stratton (Scott Wolf) asks Gibbs about Tony's shooting, but he's not talking.
Barrett tells Tony she promised Levin she'd get the microchip to the right person. She claims not to know what's on it, but Tony doesn't believe her. She says she was going to meet Felix Wright. Just then they're shot at. They get in the car and race off.
Hearing the story, Dr. Cranston thinks it means EJ was the traitor, but Tony says EJ needed his help. Dr. Cranston asks Tony why he keeps getting involved with dysfunctional women.
Abby has done some microchip research and finds they were implanted around the same time and emitted low frequency waves, like garage door openers.
At NCIS, Gibbs is called in to meet with Jarvis and Latham, the director of the Watchers group. He confirms Levin and Wright worked for him as part of a group called "Phantom Eight," a group that tried to stop acts of terrorism before they happened. The microchip let them into the secure Watcher database. They're worried Barrett is trying to sell it.
Gibbs comes home and finds Tony and EJ waiting for him. They relax around dinner and finally EJ turns over the microchip, saying again she doesn't know what it does. She wants to know who to give it to.
Tony says he's worried about Barrett's team member Cade, who was close with Levin. Gibbs tells her to reach out to him.
In the hospital, Cranston and Tony are talking when FBI agent Stratton barges in, all smiles and friendship. He pretends like Gibbs said he could talk to Tony. Tony doesn't seem to know him as Stratton takes the temperature in the room, then he excuses himself.
September Tony returns to work and to questions from the team. Abby interrupts with a video from Cade. He's in trouble.
Gibbs comes in to Tony's hospital room, saying he talked to his FBI pal Fornell, but he didn't know anything about Stratton. Gibbs tells Tony there were two other types of blood found at the scene. Gibbs asks Tony who he was handling.
Flash back to Tony meeting with Jarvis on the golf course again. He asks for permission to speak candidly. "This mission blows," Tony says. He cites Rule No. 36: "If you feel like you're being played, you probably are."
Tony wants off the assignment because people close to him are getting hurt. He says if Jarvis doesn't take him off, he'll quit. Jarvis tells Tony he owns him. Tony walks off and Jarvis sits down to drinks with Sean Latham, the Watchers guy. He's not impressed with how Jarvis is handling Tony.
In the hospital room, Tony tells Gibbs that EJ was blindsided.
Flashback to the alley and EJ walking alone. She sees someone in the shadows. It's Cade. He tells her life's been different since he got shot; since he can't work.
Tony comes out of the shadows with his gun drawn on Cade, telling Cade to 'fess up. Tony accuses him of taking Wright's chip. Cade says he only came because EJ texted him. She didn't. They realize they all got the same text message luring them there.
Suddenly shots ring out. Cade is hit first, then EJ. Tony is able to get his gun out before he is hit, too.
Cade's body was found by Metro PD. The badge was his, but Tony's bullets in his body were post mortem. Someone else killed him and planted his badge on Tony. They're still looking for EJ.
Gibbs says the photo was always Cade. Tony remembers he needed EJ to bring Cade in. They were all used after EJ took the microchip.
Dr. Cranston gently prods Tony, reminding him he saw the shooter in the alley. Tony thinks back and realizes he saw Stratton.
Gibbs puts Cade's badge and the microchip recovered from EJ on Vance's desk, reporting to Stratton and Latham. They know Gibbs is still at risk, but they have no idea who Agent Stratton is.
Out on a ship at sea, Latham uses his own microchip to get into a secret room. He has two others. He turns and congratulates Stratton, telling him Jarvis is none the wiser. He tells Stratton to find EJ. Stratton promises he will. Latham opens up video conferencing and asks who would like to start the bidding on the microchips.
Gibbs digs deep into Mike Frank's old records and finds a file on the Phantom Eight. There's a photo of them including Latham, Levin, Wright... and Stratton.
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