Agent Gibbs z NCIS a jeho tým mají opět plné ruce práce. Tentokrát jde o práci profesionálů, kteří se vydávali za dopravní policisty a zavraždili dva námořníky poté co je zastavili za překročení rychlosti. Jednomu z námořníků byly useknuty ruce.

Agent Dinozzo přišel nedávno skoro o život a měl by ještě pár dnů ležet v domácím ošetření. Gibbsovi však oznámí, že se už cítí lépe a chce nastoupit zpět do práce.

Právě Dinozzo objeví při obhlídce místa činu nastraženou bombu, která se aktivuje otevřením kufru na automobilu, a tím zachrání život svým kolegům. Gibbsovi je jasné, že šlo o past. Někdo chtěl, aby se do případu zapojili jeho lidé. Použil vojenské výbušniny extra třídy z dobře utajeného zdroje, aby je zlikvidoval.

NCIS také zjistí, že z letecké základny byl ukraden speciální letoun. Letoun je sice pro dnešní potřeby námořnictva zastaralý, pro teroristický útok je však dostatečný. Vzápětí NCIS získá informaci, že Ari Haswari je ve městě a chystá se nejen na teroristický útok, ale též zavraždit Gibbse. Gibbs zjistí, že útok je namířen na vracející se námořníky z Iráku.

Útoku se sice podaří zabránit, při akci je však zastřelena Kate kulkou, která patřila Gibbsovi...

Two sailors in Mustang speeding down Route 17 in Virginia are pulled over by a police officer who then shoots both of them.

Kate is at her desk sketching, McGee asks her if its Tony she is sketching. They talk about Tony almost dying from the plague, they talk about all the things Tony had done to them. They talk about how much they miss him then Kate tells McGee that Tony told all the "girls" downstairs that McGee was gay to cut down on competition and he tells Kate that Tony said Kate tried to sleep with him in Paraguay.

Tony and Gibbs are arriving in the elevator, Gibbs asks Tony if he is up to returning to work, reminds him he has another week of sick leave. Tony tells Gibbs he needs him back and that Kate and McGee miss him. They give him the cold shoulder. Kate gets call about the two dead sailors off Route 17 in Fredericksburg, Gibbs tosses keys to McGee to gas the truck and they grab their gear. Gibbs gives Tony headslap and says "Welcome back Dinozzo".

Kate and Gibbs are checking the bodies in the car, Gibbs removes towels from drivers lap to reveal they removed his hands. Tony comes to report info on the rental car and tumbles down a little hill. Kate asks "did that hurt", DiNozzo "Yep", Kate "Good" and takes picture.

We see someone is watching the team has scope on Gibbs head as Ducky and Palmer arrive arguing about getting lost on the way.

Kate confronts Tony about what McGee told him and Kate is getting angry when Tony points out a snake at Kate's feet. Tony pretends it is a poisonous snake and he grabs it to "save" her. Just as Kate is feeling grateful McGee comes and blows it for Tony by telling her it is not poisonous, Kate knocks him down and as McGee goes to open the trunk of the car, Tony sees that the car is wired to explode and the detonator is tied to the trunk. Tony takes over and tells Kate and McGee to run. They run, yell to Gibbs about the car being wired just as it explodes and a flaming tire lands near where they all hit the ground. Tony crawls up to the edge of the road "Boss, remember when I said I never felt Better, I lied" and he collapses over the police tape. (Foof)

Ducky is checking Tony out back at NCIS, tells him his blood pressure is too high for him. Tells him he needs a rest. Gibbs comes in and Ducky give ID info to him about the two badly burned bodies - Navy Lieutenant's Dean Westfall and Curtis Jansen. Tony says the car rental says the Mustang was rented by Westfall two month prior. As Gibbs heads out he tells Tony to go lay down before he passes out.

McGee talks to Tony as he lies on the floor by his desk. Plays games with him telling him Kate was worried about him and that maybe she has feeling for Tony. Kate comes and plays along and as Tony starts to fall for it she pours water on him. Gibbs comes in and sends Tony out of the squadroom to lay down. Abby is putting samples in the mass spec. Tony comes in and she jumps in his arms giving him a huge hug which hurts him. He asks to lay down and she gives him Bert the Hippo as a pillow. They talk about the farting hippo and then Abby lays down next to him to discuss the bomb. Tells him she cannot trace the components as Gibbs comes in. They discuss the untraceable components and detonator and then Gibbs gets Tony and they leave.

McGee tells Gibbs the 911 call reporting the bodies was anonymous and untraceable. Kate tells us about the Lieutenants, that they are both pilots, that they were on leave. Gibbs points out that they were set up and that someone was really trying to kill them. He goes to discuss with Director Morrow and Morrow asks him to keep his suspicions to himself. When Gibbs leaves, Morrow calls the director of the FBI.

Back in the squadroom, McGee offers chinese food to Tony which he passes on. Gibbs comes in says he wants to know what Westfall was doing at Aberdeen by the time he gets back, tells McGee to come up with reasons why they would chop off the guys hands and tells Tony to eat something (hands him McGees food) as he heads out for coffee.

As Gibbs heads into his coffee shop, a motorcycle revs its engine nearby.

Back in the squadroom, they are talking about reasons for taking the hands and McGee says "we go trouble" as Agent Fornell of the FBI comes in. He asks for Gibbs, wants to know where he is, tells them Ari Haswari is back in town!! He is supposed to be in the States helping the FBI uncover an Al Qaida cell in DC but he things he is there to kill Gibbs.

Gibbs comes out of coffee shop and sees Ari reading the paper. (Foof) Gibbs is sitting with Ari accuses him of trying to kill his team. Says he is taking him in. Ari tells him he hid a bomb under a table so Gibbs cannot take him in. Ari tells him he is there to stop a terrorist attack, that Al Qaida is testing him, wants him to kill Gibbs. He tells Gibbs that he has 24 hours to find and eliminate the cell or he will carry out the test and kill him to get the info. He asks about Kate, Gibbs warns him not to go near her. Ari leaves, Gibbs finds the bomb under the table and runs and throws it in a dumpster just in time.

Tony is calling Gibbs as he comes in and they tell him about Ari. He tells them he just had coffee with him and Ari tried to kill him. He asks about Westfall, he was working with a Aerospace Company, Danborne Avionics. FBI sent a team to investigate. Gibbs goes to MTAC to talk to Fornell. He is told he is not allowed to go after Ari. Director Morrow tells him Ari is off limits, NCIS will have no further involvement and Gibbs is in Protective custody. Gibbs offers his resignation, Morrow says after your current case. He hands Gibbs over to Kate who is in charge of protecting Gibbs and he is to follow her orders. Kate is coordinating the security for his home and Gibbs tells them to go home because he will stay at NCIS. They all stay with him. Gibbs is only one awake, looking at crime scene photos and he looks over his team sleeping in their cubicles, he covers up Kate who is sleeping on the floor.

Kate wakes up, sees Tony and McGee sleeping, then sees Gibbs with his throat cut, Ari touches her shoulder "did you miss me", Kate is dreaming, wakes up saying "Gibbs!" Tony "you dream about Gibbs", tells McGee.

Kate makes Gibbs wear a vest for their trip to check out Danborne Avionics. They are looking at the modular UAV prototype and Gibbs notices that a target drone is missing. Kate asks about if they use fingerprint or biometric scanning for security, explains about Westfalls hands being chopped off. The Danborne Avionics guy tells them the radio flight controls require fingerprint scan to fly the aircraft.

We see men working on putting explosives in the stolen drone as Ari comes into the warehouse they are in.

Abby is showing schematics of the drone, she tells them it has a 40 mile range. She says she has the program codes and they can jam the done as long as they are within the 40 miles. Tony and McGee have footage of the theft of the drone and we see a man who is holding his shoulder, who they recognize as Ari. Gibbs tells them to get Fornell, tell him he is about the make the 2nd biggest mistake of his life.

Fornell comes into MTAC, asks what the 1st biggest was, he reminds him "when you married my 2nd wife". Tony is laughing. He tells him about the stolen target drone, tells him Ari is playing him. Fornell does not know where he is, says all he has is a spook cell number. Gibbs calls Ari, tells him he was taken off the case, tells him he resigned. Tells him next they meet will be the last. They trace the cell phone grid to 2 block radius in Norfold. As they are heading to Norfold, Tony tells them Paula Cassidy's ship is arriving in Norfolk today, that the entire Marine amphibious strike group arrives also, all heading to Norfolk and the pier will be packed with Navy families. We see the pier and the ships arriving. Ari gives a teddy bear with a locator beacon in it for the drone.

Gibbs and team are at the warehouses and Gibbs fires a shot that get the attention of the terrorists who fire back giving away their position. Everyone but McGee heads into the warehouse and we see the terrorists launch the drone. Gibbs, Kate and Tony are in a massive gun battle with the terrorists and McGee is trying to jam the drone which is heading for the pier. Tony is climbing the fire escape to the roof and Gibbs and Kate come up the stairs and they kill the terrorists on the roof, Tony and Gibbs get to the flight control and as McGee is about to jam the drone, he is under fire and the transmitter is shot. Gibbs shoots the terrorists flight transmitter and the drone goes into the bay. A terrorist comes out the door onto the roof and fires at Gibbs, Kate dives in front and takes a shot to vest. As they help her to her feet, a shot rings out, hitting Kate in the forehead and killing her. Across the way on another roof, Ari says to himself, "Sorry Kate." Tony is in shock while Gibbs draws his weapon, looking around for Ari.