- Donald Mallard: It's a microscopic dart.
- Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Where'd it come from?
- Donald Mallard: I extracted it from Corporal Beck's arm here. This contusion alerted me to the injection site. The dart is designed to be left behind, beneath the dermis. It's so small, sharp, and thin that it would've felt like... well, nothing more than a bug bite.
- Abby Sciuto: [entering] Botulinum toxin.
- Leroy Jethro Gibbs: What?
- Abby Sciuto: He didn't ask yet?
- Donald Mallard: Mere seconds away.
- Abby Sciuto: My timing is off today.
- Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Abs, what was in the dart?
- Abby Sciuto: Now is when I'm supposed to swoosh in and say...
- Donald Mallard: Botulinum toxin. The most poisonous natural substance known to man.
- Alex Quinn: What is going on with you and McGee? You've been weirder than ususal.
- Ellie Bishop: We heard a rumor that at FLETC, you had... relations with Torres.
- Alex Quinn: Really? Me and Torr... that's hilarious.
- Ellie Bishop: So it's not true?
- Alex Quinn: Bishop, if I had spent any amount of time underneath that man, I'd be crushed to death by his ego.
- Alex Quinn: You notice McGee and... and Bishop acting weird?
- Nick Torres: Nerds are weird.
- Alex Quinn: No. No, th... they were looking at us funny at the crime scene and in the squad room. I'm telling you, something's going on, and it's about us.
- Clayton Reeves: [entering Gibbs' house] Gibbs, tell me you've got him. Where is he?
- Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Hello, Reeves. I'm guessing you lost Henry.
- Clayton Reeves: I heard about your family, Gibbs. And I am sorry for what happened to them, but that doesn't make you an expert on me.
- Leroy Jethro Gibbs: I didn't say it did.
- Clayton Reeves: You got your memories. I was three years old when my parents died. I haven't got a clue how it feels to have somebody care about me.
- Leroy Jethro Gibbs: I'm not saying you do.
- Clayton Reeves: This is how I am. Because this is all I ever was.
- Leroy Jethro Gibbs: I've got more than memories. Got the people I let in afterwards. I got the family I chose to make. You, me, Henry... all the same guys. You're just a few decades behind. Man, you lose everything, you make a choice: where to go from there. He made his choice. I made mine. What about you?
- Timothy McGee: Bishop, you're here. Good.
- Ellie Bishop: Yes, I lost the bet, Tim. I failed to get Gibbs to try a tofu steak. And yes, I will buy everyone drinks tonight.
- Timothy McGee: No, no, no, no, no. Forget about all that. Where are Torres and Quinn?
- Ellie Bishop: I don't know. They're not here yet. Your eyes are bulgy.
- Timothy McGee: It's 'cause I got big news. I got big news. I'm talking big like "Whoa!".
- Ellie Bishop: Use your words, Tim.
- Timothy McGee: You know my friend Val?
- Ellie Bishop: REACT Team Val, yeah.
- Timothy McGee: Had dinner with her last night, all right? She did basic school at FLETC the same time that Torres was there, and Quinn was one of their instructors.
- Ellie Bishop: So?
- Timothy McGee: So, Val said that during one of the weeks of training, Torres and Quinn had a fling.
- Ellie Bishop: No.
- Timothy McGee: Yes, they did. It's true. Val said it was over quick, but, I mean, we're talking sweaty, "Top Gun", hotshot rookie, sexy instructor...
- Ellie Bishop: No.
- [McGee nods]
- Ellie Bishop: No. I mean, I don't... I just can't even...
- Timothy McGee: Use your words, Bishop.
- Leroy Jethro Gibbs: What do we know, Duck?
- Donald Mallard: Paramedics surmise heart attack.
- Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Why call us?
- Donald Mallard: Well, as you know, Jethro, in many military circles, having "seen the elephant" is a metaphor for having experienced combat. I was in Laos on exchange with the U.S. forces. That's where I actually saw an elephant. Yeah, it was transporting supplies for the North Vietnamese.
- Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Does the elephant have a point?
- Donald Mallard: Oh, yes. Often, there is more than one type of beast lurking in the jungle. First responders noticed foaming at Corporal Beck's mouth. That suggests there's more to this story than just a heart attack.
- Leroy Jethro Gibbs: [noticing a mark on the vic's shirt] That a coffee stain?
- Donald Mallard: Well, it could be. Nothing is certain 'till I get him back to Autopsy.
- Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Well, let's get him back.
- Abby Sciuto: Botulinum was the main ingredient, but the injection was a mixture of inhibitors...
- Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Abs, less words.
- Abby Sciuto: Uh, it... has stuff in it that mask the symptoms of the poison.
- Donald Mallard: So it hit all at once.
- Abby Sciuto: Yeah, and it hit hard. I mean, there's people all over the Dark Web selling this kind of concoction, along with compressed-air guns to fire it into the skin. I mean, they only work at close range, but they're even selling silencers.
- Donald Mallard: A discreet killing device in the palm of one's hand.
- Abby Sciuto: Exactly. And there's no way to trace who's buying them.
- Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Same kind of dart as the one used in Corporal Beck?
- Donald Mallard: Yes, the injection site was here. And Abby confirmed that the botulinum cocktail was once again the means to the end.
- Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Time of death?
- Donald Mallard: Approximately 8:00 this morning, which puts the injection some time in the two hours prior.
- [seeing Gibbs' expression]
- Donald Mallard: Ah, there it is, the classic Jethro look of query and frustration, mixed with a dash of "someone is gonna pay for this."
- Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Two victims, same M.O. The only connection is she calls the hotline and the corporal picks up.
- Donald Mallard: Precisely, which begs the question "What was that call about?".
- Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Precisely.
- Donald Mallard: [to the victim as Gibbs leaves] Did you hear that? He used a three-syllable adverb. I daresay my years here have made an impact.
- Henry Rogers: [to Gibbs] I'd rather sit here with you, Marine. Far as I can tell, at least you keep your mouth shut.