Z námořní nemocnice uteče desátník Damon Werth a jako rukojmí si vezme svého ošetřujícího lékaře Dr. Adriana de la Casu. Voják, který se nedávno vrátil z Iráku a léčil se tu z post-straumatického stresu, holýma rukama roztrhal svěrací kazajku. Pikantní na tom je to, že mu měl za tři dny předat řád stříbrné hvězdy sám senátor Hawkins. Je totiž hrdina. Jeho jednotku zajali a jeho mučili. Dokázal svého mučitele zabít a osvobodit sebe, včetně všech svých mužů z jednotky.

NCIS vystopuje Dr. Adriana de la Casu pomocí jeho telefonu. Najdou doktora živého. Následně se jim podaří zatknout i samotného Wertha, ale dá jim zabrat. DiNozzo má zlomený nos a McGee vykloubené rameno. Při výslechu vypovídá Werth, že si vůbec nic nepamatuje. Dr. Mallard zjistí, že Werth nemá příznaky post-straumatického stresu, ale mohl být pod vlivem drog. V jeho těle se našli stopy steroidů, které dostával několik let. Někdo měl zájem testovat na vojákovi drogy za účelem vyšlechtění supervojáka. Werth je však v ohrožení, protože ti, kteří ho testovali, nezanechali žádné stopy. Jediným důkazem pokusů je samotný Werth.

In the squad room, Tony is trying to incite McGee to test Tony's six pack by punching as hard as he can. McGee, patiently sitting at his computer, refuses because he is more interested in his comic book. Tony threatens damage to the valuable comic but McGee merely suggests that Ziva, who has just arrived, be the tester instead. Ziva at first mistakes Tony's references to his abs and six pack as a story about going drinking with Abby. However, she agrees to punch him. Tony psychs himself up for the blow, just as Gibbs arrives to say that a mental patient has escaped. Gibbs and McGee head for the lift while Tony still wants Ziva to throw the punch. Ziva does, but pulls it at the last second. Tony nevertheless gives all the grunts and groans that he expected to have to give. Ziva shows her admiration for muscle and points out that Tony's is not bad but Gibbs' abs are better.

At the hospital, they establish that the marine with mental problems is incredibly strong. Ziva is impressed that he tore a straitjacket with his bare hands. Gibbs realises that the person whose car was attacked has not reported in and realises that they have a kidnap and hostage. McGee identifies the hostage from CCTV footage whilst Ziva is outdoors photographing the scene of the crime. Tony does his "The Fugitive" Tommy Lee Jones reenactment (for which Ziva keeps correcting the details, seemingly not realising that Tony is role playing, rather than recapping the actual crime). McGee and Gibbs arrive: McGee inquires whether Tony is going to reenact the same scene every time they have to pursue a fugitive. Tony merely looks slightly uncomfortable (and seems to be thinking that it is a perfectly reasonable thing to do). McGee has Corporal Werth's file and recites his symptoms (paranoia, depression, aggression).

A PR-type suit arrives, talking into his earphone incessantly and full of his own self-importance. He swans around informing Gibbs that the major issue is that a senator was due to award the silver star to the missing marine/mental patient in 3 days' time, because the marine is a war hero.

Back in the squad room, Tony is trying to get inside the head of the marine on the run, by running through movie scenarios (which Tony thinks is appropriately loony for someone from the looney bin (sic)). McGee and Ziva tell the story of Corporal Werth: he had a medical glitch early on but then improved his body and mental performance steadily and has worked his way up the ranks and was due to make sergeant. His only vacation from the marines was a stint in Britain with the British SAS. He aced the course. Gibbs arrives and informs the team that the marine's nickname is Corporal Punishment. The team concentrate on working out where the Marine will have taken his hostage, Dr de la Casa. The doctor's home means he uses a toll road for a commute, so they track the car by its toll tags. Team gets to the doctor's home and find him in the boot/trunk of the car, and the garage rigged to have a CCTV webcam so that the marine can identify his "enemy".

Back at NCIS HQ, Ducky and the Doctor are debriefing and debating the Marine's condition. This allows them to describe the nature of post traumatic stress disorder and to discuss whether the marine is in current reality or reacting to the voices in his head. The Doctor says that the marine asked about his buddies...so Gibbs decides to go find the buddies and hope they lead to the marine. As he leaves the conference room, Tony reports to Gibbs that McGee has found that the marine hacked computers to find the files of his buddies, so he knows that one of the buddies is in Walter Reed Army rehab hospital. Gibbs keeps finishing Tony's sentences, which freaks Tony out. Ducky nabs Gibbs' attention and describes how PTSD works. He recounts the Buffalo Creek coal mine disaster where the whole town ended up with PTSD and that is where the disorder finally got recognised (instead of being called shell shock, a la WW1). Ducky warns Gibbs to be careful.

At Walter Reed, we see that the marine buddy is in rehab for having lost his leg in Iraq. The marine buddy realises Gibbs is a marine. The marine buddy is fiercely loyal to Corporal Werth but Gibbs manages to persuade the buddy that Cpl Werth needs help. Meanwhile, Ziva and McGee have been reviewing the W. Reed CCTV security tapes and spot Cpl Werth in the building. They warn Gibbs: too late: Werth is pointing a gun at Gibbs and Tony and the marine buddy start trying to persuade Werth that Gibbs is ok and "one of us, he's a grunt".

Gibbs goes softly but McGee and Ziva arrive and, just as Gibbs is getting Werth to disarm, McGee slaps handcuffs on him...which triggers a fight response. Werth breaks Tony's nose, dislocates McGee's shoulder and blackens Ziva's eye. Ziva is the only one who can fight Werth but she struggles to get him down. Once on the mat (in the rehab physio gym) the whole team have to sit on him to restrain him. A civilian in a suit watches the event: a woman, with whom Werth makes eye contact, and so does Gibbs.

Back in the squad room, Ziva is at her desk, eye going purple.

Abby rushes in, doing a very fake panic attack, venting her concern for Tony and McGee (but not Ziva). She overreacts against the "animal" who did the harm to Tony and McGee. Ziva forces Abby to sit down and talks her down from the panic and points out that the marine is a victim not an animal. Abby does not take kindly to this rationality and, in a peeved voice, sneers at Ziva and accuses her of being a machine with no feelings. "I'm not like you, I am not some totally emotionless (Ziva?)" Abby stalks out in a huff. Ziva sits and looks shell shocked. (It is a rare scene where we are meant to think Abby is horrible, because, in this scene, she is self-centred, uncaring and a drama queen who can turn it on and off like a tap. (Character development for Abby: Hurrah! even if it's not the character we expect). (but we all know Abby would act as champion for any of the men if necessary and would have done so for Kate, but her and Ziva aren't exactly palsy-walsy...except she DOES apologise later on: Abby is being truly horrid in this scene. When she was good, she was very very good, but when she was bad, she was awful.).

Up in the director's office, the civilian from BioTech, who witnessed the Marine's attack. Biotech woman says she is personally interested because BioTech develops therapies for injured soldiers (physical and mentally injured). Gibbs is sceptical as to why the woman is interested. She wants to know what Gibbs is going to do to Werth (and doesn't want him to be charged with assault). Gibbs says he will just talk to the marine.

Ducky and Ziva are in the observation room, watching the handcuffed marine who is waiting for interrogation. Ducky tries to reassure Ziva. Ziva looks quite tense on behalf of the marine. In the interview room, Gibbs uses a soft/hard approach to win the Marine's confidence and the marine confides that his urges to kill are not right and that he feels as if he is suffering from needles and pills which cloud his head. He can't see inside his own head (mind). He doesn't know who is doing it to him: can't remember. He asks for help. Gibbs offers it.

Ducky, outside interrogation room, tells Gibbs that the Marine's symptoms pre-date his capture in Iraq. He requests urine and blood samples. Gibbs says that he intends to keep his promise to the marine.

In Abby's lab, Abby is still throwing a tantrum about the mean marine who hurt Tony and McGee and she refuses to do the tests to check if the marine has been drugged. "I don't wanna help him". Ducky points out that she needs to think of the marine as a victim. She ponders for two seconds, smiles and then asks "what are we looking for?

Ducky says they are looking for masking agents that can hide other drugs.

In the squad room, Tony with bandaged nose and McGee with his arm in sling, arrive. Tony is imagining that he looks like Jack Nicholson in Chinatown. McGee tries to open a soft drink can one-handed and cannot, so Ziva intervenes and helps him (she opens the can somewhat violently). Tony ponders whether they have a case, having rescued the hostage and arrested the kidnapper. Tony is over the top: McGee points out "They gave him painkillers" (i.e. Tony is on a drug high).


The PR Man arrives and clashes with Gibbs over what they care about. The PR Man congratulates them because now the Senator can give the man his medal. The PR Man wants to sell the war and supports the troops and their mission and Gibbs is against the war and wants to support the troops but not their mission. PR Man - "You support the war don't you agent Gibbs?" (Pregnant pause) Gibbs - "I support the troops who fight it." Gibbs anti-war statement is made credible because he is replying to a very unsympathetic character and Gibbs character is a grizzled old vet. The scene might have played differently if the person talking to Gibbs was one of the wounded Marines in a prior scene. The producers, directors and writers have successfully made their anti-war statement for the week. Ex marines John Murtha and Jim Webb will be guest stars in a future episode.

Ducky catches Gibbs and reports that the drugs are steroids and have been administered for years. Werth has steroid-induced psychosis and he thinks "someone has been using that marine as a lab rat".

Squad room: the Giblets discuss drug testing and why/how/who has been trying to create a super soldier. They realise the significance of him failing his original medical for the marines by having anaemia. They try to work out who could have been injecting him to build a marine who can pass the medical and turn into a superman. Gibbs orders them to check out the BioTech company.

They visit the civilian woman (the researcher) at her BioTech office. She has a lab full of stuff intended to benefit injured Marines, including a light-emitting diode that speeds healing (the way sunlight does). She reveals that she has checked out Gibbs and notes that he had a silver star whilst a marine and the Werth is about to get a silver star. Gibbs says there is "no such thing" as an ex-marine. She says it sounds like a religion. He says no, but it's "a faith". (semper fi...always faithful).

In the squad room, Abby is draped around McGee's neck, hampering his ability to type on the computer.

He tries to persuade her off him to no avail but, when Tony arrives back from BioTech, she runs to him...only to stop because he stinks...from going through woman researcher's garbage. Abby is now in the presence of Tony, McGee and Ziva.

Abby notes that everyone is going to extreme lengths for this guy and she turns to Ziva and says "I now realise that no true warrior should be felled by invisible forces: it's dishonorable."

and then she looks at Ziva and says "And that other thing I said? I know that's not true". Abby leaves. Tony and McGee interrogate Ziva as to what was the other thing? Ziva says that Abby accused her of having no feelings. Ziva says that it is untrue. She does have feelings. Tony and McGee pick up on nuance and interrogate further: Ziva admits that she felt overwhelmed when fighting the marine. She had a moment. Tony and McGee think that Ziva has feelings for the marine.

Gibbs arrives. McGee and Ziva report on Karen Sutherland, the woman from BioTech: she really does care about people and volunteers for doctors without borders in her vacations. She uses her company's products to the benefit of landmine injured children. The team uses her unauthorized use of company property to blackmail her into handing over secrets: she already had the info they wanted loaded onto a memory stick and says they could have just asked nicely. Gibbs looks shocked: "This IS nicely". (oh, she really doesn't know how un-nice Gibbs can be).

Abby and McGee have gone through the files on the memory stick. Karen had gone through and vetted her employer to check that they were not doing experiments on real people: they did not. So it is not their obvious suspect. So who is supplying the steroids to the marine and pumping him?

They decide to go and protect him in the hospital, where the PR man is lurking. They have a run-in and Tony accidentally, but on purpose, manages to smash the man's earphone piece. Team tells the Dr de la Casa about the steroids diagnosis and Casa admits that he has too many patients and cannot do the job he would like to in spotting their problems. Ziva asks to see the marine. Casa says no but Gibbs warns him that it is not a good idea to stand in her way. Ziva, Gibbs and Casa go into the Marine's room. They wake him to ask him who did the steroids to him. Casa realises that he is being drugged and that he is going to die...his system is crashing. The heart will stop, so they have to give him adrenaline: turns him into the hulk. He slams out of bed, tosses the men aside and slams Ziva against the wall...and she looks him in the eye and he calms down.

Anyway, he slides down to the floor, distressed by what is happening to him, his inability to recall events. He ends nuzzled against Ziva's breast as she strokes his head.

Team works out that the person who could have reset the drugs to fatal level is the orderly (the one who originally was injured when the marine busted out of hospital). Ziva takes him down, watched by Tony and McGee, who enjoy the scene. They interview the orderly and he confesses to supplying steroids but he doesn't inject them into his clients. They realise that the marine was self-dosing.

In the Marine's hospital room, a calm Cpl Werth is confronted by Gibbs and Ziva. They point out that they have to investigate Werth's team, because someone was giving him steroids. Werth confesses (indirectly) that he has to be a marine, and so he did what he had to to be a marine. Gibbs has been tweaking the Marine's dress uniform and pressing his "buttons" to get the confession

Outside, the PR man is saying the medal ceremony is off. The marine is a publicity nightmare because he is a druggie. He will be lucky to just get a dishonorable discharge.

Back at the HQ, Gibbs goes to Tony's desk and gets out his medals, looking for his silver star. He finds it, and smiles (finally he has a purpose for it).

Back at the hospital, at night, he enters the Marine's room. Marine is in bed, in the dark, looking sad at a future of being an ex-marine. Gibbs merely enters, without fuss, places the Silver Star (in its presentation box) on the nightstand beside the bed, and leaves. Silently.