Cracked - Recap

A young woman is running down the street. She seems paranoid and
obviously fearful, hanging on by a thread. She can't let them find her,
she mutters. She also can't wait for the light to change, and winds up
face-first in the front end of a bus.

Tony has a new woman, Ethel. McGee and David tease him unmercifully. He
says this is special, they're even talking role-playing. He'd wear a
tutu and leotard for her. She's so awesome, Gibbs probably would too.
Except no he wouldn't, and they have a crime scene to attend.

They have a dead navy lieutenant on their hands, Clea Thorsen. Ducky
starts analyzing the scene. She was thrown 15-20', which means the bus
was going 15-20 mph. They find scratches on her hands, which leads them
to further discover her arms and abdomen are covered with equations of
some sort. Tony takes pictures.

Background indicates that Thorsen was an amazing young woman, who
graduated first in her class from MIT. She was recruited by every
bio-tech firm in the country. She chose Gen-1 Biotech, Inc. in D.C. She
was there until two weeks ago, when she was fired. She had a spotless
military record. Never married, no children. Only relative is her
mother. McGee found a bank account registered to her in Maryland, and
three deposits in excess of $20k were made to said account over the past
two weeks.

Abby thanks Ducky for letting her take more pictures of the body. She
needs more specifics than what Tony's photos provided. Jimmy thinks the
picture Abby took looks strangely "Diane Arbus" to him. Abby loves Ms.
Arbus, and takes Jimmy's words as complimentary. They bond a bit over
their favorite Arbus photos. Ducky is tired of being put off and
attempts to dismiss Abby, but she is picking up on a pattern on the
body. Gibbs arrives to see if they're getting anywhere. Did the victim
write on herself, or did someone else? Abby doesn't know, but she
intends to find out.

A lot of what Ducky is discovering is very disturbing. The bottom line
is she was poisoned, and whoever did it knew exactly how to do it so
that they wouldn't be caught.

The team is checking Thorsen's emails. There is a man calling her an
ungrateful bitch, and if she leaves him, he will make her life hell.
David notes that there was no evidence that Thorsen had a boyfriend.
McGee runs the IP address. The man wasn't her boyfriend, it was her
boss, Martin Stillwell. When they confront Stillwell, he claims that he
had nothing to do with her death, but Tony tells him they have video
proof to the contrary. He stops walking and starts talking. Clea was the
most brilliant engineer he'd ever met. But such brilliance is of course
accompanied by certain challenges. Such as, David asks. Clea was not a
team player. She wanted to do things her own way. She became impossible
to deal with, especially during her research project. This was a Navy
project, they wanted Gen-1 to help them become fuel independent.

April Farris approaches the discussion. She is an engineer who worked
with Clea for five years. It was awful what happened to her. Tony wants
to ask more questions, but April has a meeting she needs to attend.
Stillwell excuses himself as well. Any further questions can be answered
by his attorney. David tries to stop them, but they walk away.

Gibbs discusses Clea with her mother. She says Clea was fine until she
lost her job, then she changed. At first she thought it was the meds,
but this was different. She was sending money, told mom to hang onto it
in case anything happened to her. Gibbs asked about the meds. The
symptoms started when she was four, and she struggled until her early
teens. That was when they found the right doctor and medications; she
got a diagnosis. Bipolar. Everything was good until recently. Gibbs
notes that that had to be hard. Mrs. Thorsen knows something happened
that shook Clea up, and she doesn't believe it was her illness. She asks
Gibbs if he has children. He takes a moment, and then says "Did". She
asks him to tell her the pain goes away.

Abby comes to the conclusion that Clea did the writing herself, and
she's ambidextrous. If the killer had done it, it would all be the same
- but it varies from arm to arm. Abby declares herself officially a fan
of Clea. She shows Gibbs more. The picture; it's a formula. Either that,
or pieces of a longer, more elaborate chemical formula. Abby is stumped
because it's a code within a code, and it was written so that only Clea
could understand it. Abby says this is Pure Brilliance, with a capital
B, or a capital PB. It's one part of a bigger equation, and Clea did
this for a reason. She wanted to protect it. Abby shows him more. The
numbers written in the crook of Clea's elbow are coordinates. Abby
enters them in the computer and comes up with an address: 1649 Delaney
Street SE.

David and Tony arrive there, guns drawn. The place is covered with
papers and post-its. Tony says they should get Abby there. David calls
Tony over to see a paper that has "They're going to kill me" completely
covering it.

Abby and McGee have arrived. David is concerned because Abby is so -
"Quiet" is the word Tony supplies. McGee says she's fine. She's just
thinking. He notes that there are three security cameras he's found so
far. They should be able to get some footage showing who's been in the
bunker. Abby jumps when McGee approaches and speaks to her. Is it the
same formula? She thinks so. NOT the same, but part of it is. It's a
continuation, actually, of what Clea wrote on her body. It's the second
piece of the formula. She's never seen anybody so focused before. McGee
tells her he has (referring to Abby). His next two sentences are
complete nonsense-speak, and she doesn't even notice. She waves him away
so she can go check the hard drive.

David tells McGee that Clea journaled that Stillwell was watching her
every move. McGee asks about the Norfolk project, but there's nothing.
Maybe Stillwell had her too frightened to even mention it?

Tony approaches, waving several bottles of pills and commenting that
maybe Alice took too many pills in Wonderland. Abby sharply reprimands
him to show some respect. Maybe her paranoia was imagined? Not so much.
Somebody used a remote device to erase Clea's hard drive. McGee states
that somebody was stealing Clea's work.

Tony introduces the Green Hornet. The first F-18 jet fighter ever to run
on 50% bio fuel. Gibbs asks if Stillwell's company is involved, and Tony
says yes; his and about 20 other companies. The Navy is pouring billions
into research. Whoever gets the patent first makes a fortune. Well worth
it to get their hands on Clea's work. Gibbs asks McGee for a money trail
update. All deposits were strictly cash. Whoever was paying her did not
want to be found. As far as Clea's bunker goes, the only prints in there
are hers. She's the only person on the security footage, for the entire
two weeks. She was dedicated to her cause, but Gibbs says obsessive.

David is going over the handwritten notes. There are several references
to a Mr. K. Gibbs wants him found.

Abby is talking to Clea's body. She can see a kindred spirit in her. Not
that she can see her spirit, because that would be weird. But they
communicate in the same way. Abby could tell the first time she saw all
the bodywriting. Everyone else saw chaos, but Abby saw patterns. She
brushes back Clea's hair from her forehead and promises her that
whatever Clea is trying to tell her, Abby will understand. Ducky
startles her when he tells her to be careful, sometimes they talk back.
He says Clea was fascinating, and they could study her brain for years
yet never know or understand what made her tick. On the other hand, that
could probably be said for any one of us.

He asks Abby if she's alright. She looks a little peaked. He sends her
home to get some rest. Lieutenant Thorsen will still be here in the morning.

McGee arrives in Abby's lab. She's had some breakthroughs. As she
rattles on, he asks how many energy drinks she's had that day.
Eleventeen. Did she even go home last night? She doesn't answer, but
continues with what she's found out thus far. It's not the code, It's
her. She doesn't need to crack the code. She needs to crack Clea. In
going through her journal notebook, she's discovered a college
confidante. Maybe he can tell them about Mr. K. McGee's closed face
indicates that Abby is not making a whole lot of sense. She says she
can't do it alone.

David is watching the videos and notes that every day like clockwork,
Clea does the same things at the same times. Tony makes an exasperated
noise, and David says it's the sound of things not boding well for poor
Ethel. Tony doesn't want to talk about it. Is it about the role-playing?
Yes. She wants him to dress up like - no. He can't. It's sacrilege. He's
going to have to end it. David says cmon, it's only been two days.
That's short, even for him. Tony says there are some things a man should
never do. David counters that they're not talking about a man, they're
talking about Tony.

April Ferris arrives. She called and Tony told her to come in. Stillwell
doesn't know she's there. He keeps everyone on a very tight leash. David
asks about Lt. Thorsen, and April says that relationship was very
complicated, and that's all she'll say. With regard to their
relationship, April says they were the only two women engineers at
Gen-1, and Clea was much braver than she was. She wasn't afraid to stand
up to Martin or anyone else. April wishes she had known Clea better, and
how her mind worked.

She brought a box of April's office belongings with her. Hopefully
they'll help NCIS find some of the answers she never could. Her daily
planner is included. There is a final meeting with Mr. K scheduled to
take place later this afternoon.

Abby and McGee have been on five buses in the last two hours. She
doesn't know what she's looking for, but she knows Clea took this path
all the time, and Abby needs to find out why. Abby gets on yet another
bus, but the doors shut while McGee is standing there talking to her.

McGee and Gibbs are trying to track Abby. She must have turned her cell
phone off. Gibbs says she didn't just disappear into thin air. McGee
knows. They'll find her.

It's a clear, sunny day but Abby is carrying a black lace parasol. She
meets with Professor Rudner. He asks how Abby found him, and she tells
him it only took her eight different buses and 10 miles on foot to
follow Lt. Thorsen's path. She tells him that Clea was scared. Somebody
was following her. She was on her way to see Rudner when she was killed.
He can't believe she's gone. Abby says she's not - not really. She
shows him the writings. He picks up bits and pieces, but the rest means
nothing to him. Abby is insistent. Clea trusted him, surely she confided
something that could help them. He recognizes the name "Mr. K", but
that's all he knows, is the initial.

Clea gave him something several years ago, a book called "Leaves of
Grass". They would read from it during her visits, and it seemed to calm
her. Maybe it will do the same for Abby. She's reluctant to accept it.
He feels the book would be in good hands, and passes it to her.

Security footage from the restaurant shows Clea meeting and talking
vehemently to absolutely nobody. The seat across from her in the booth
is empty.

McGee says Abby's cell is back on, and he's going to try to nail down
her location. DiNozzo says that's the last time we let you two out on a
field trip. They take several more snipes at each other, despite Gibbs
having snapped at Tony when he made his comment. He says he'll call and
tell Abby. She walks in and starts talking a mile-a-minute to Gibbs
about the Professor. She doesn't stop talking the first time Gibbs tells
her to stop, but she does when he raises his voice and says it again.
She says he raised his voice to her, and he never raises his voice to
her. He shows Abby Clea's delusion, talking to someone that is not there.

Abby says she was wrong. About Gibbs. He doesn't understand, none of
them do. She leaves.

Gibbs goes to talk to Ducky about the Abby-Clea connection. Ducky makes
the point that when you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss will gaze
into you. Gibbs wants to get Abby back. Ducky says they will. On another
note, he's still awaiting results from the outside lab as to what type
of poison was involved. He pulled a piece of tissue out from under
Thorsen's nail. Gibbs hopes there was a fight. It wasn't found at first
because it was deeply embedded. He just got back an ID.

Tony and Gibbs arrive at Gen-1, looking for Stillwell. He's in his car,
and it looks like he's on the move. Tony and Gibbs have their guns drawn
and demand he get out of the car. He does, but he's not looking for a
fight. He croaks "help me!" before he hits the ground, dead.

David tells Gibbs that Ducky's initial autopsy findings point to poison.
If both Thorsen and Stillwell's deaths were over Clea's formula, then
that means Abby is the only one that can break this case. They need to
get through to Abby. Gibbs thinks he knows someone who could help, and
he brings in Mrs. Thorsen. Clea's mom talks to Abby about her daughter.
Abby says her daughter had a mission, and nothing was going to stop her.
Mrs. Thorsen says she understands Abby feels the same way. Abby tells
her that she promised Clea she'd finish this for her. Clea's mom wonders
at what cost, though. Clea's science fed her, but it also drove her to
the brink. Abby says she's not on the brink. Mrs. Thorsen says that
after 29 years and all the love a mother could give, not even she can
tell Abby how Clea's mind worked. Does Abby really want to help Clea?
Then she needs to do what Clea would have done. Put emotion aside. Abby
needs to let Clea go.

Abby is back in her right mind and very excited at the progress she's
making. However, they've hit a wall. McGee shows Gibbs where the trail
ends. Gibbs sees something top, left that looks like a plant. Abby says
not a plant - a leaf. Like the book Rudner gave her. She shakes the
book, and a memory card falls out. Clea was a genius. She figured out a
way to create fuel from bacteria. Gibbs points out "Avaxis" at the
bottom of the page, and McGee pulls up the company roster, inclusive of
a Rupert Kritzer, aka Mr. K.

Gibbs questions why Kritzer paid Clea under the table. He says it's a
cutthroat business, he did what had to be done. To keep Stillwell from
knowing? Gibbs tells Kritzer that he knows about the Navy energy plan,
and that Stillwell was one of his main competitors. Kritzer says it's
complicated. Two people are dead, he's the chief suspect - doesn't get
much more complicated than that. Kritzer says that biotech is this
generations dot-com. Everybody is looking to hit it big. When Clea got
fired, Kritzer pounced. Told her to keep it to herself. Clea's formula
just netted him $2,000,000,000 and he was just about to hire her for
another project. Why would he want her dead?

Ducky tells Gibbs that Martin Stillwell's throat was burned by
swallowing a significant amount of something. So much, in fact, that you
can still smell it. It smells like gasoline to Gibbs. Close - it's a
highly refined version of ethanol, mixed with traces of formaldehyde.
Palmer says that with Abby's help, he found a patent filing from three
years ago for a product called Nanethol. The patent was never issued,
because when burned, there was a deadly byproduct left behind.
Formaldehyde. Gen-1 filed the patent. Gibbs tells Palmer to find out who
was responsible for creating the product.

Ducky says that though they were killed by the same poison, it wasn't in
the same way. Clea's came in through her skin, by shower or lotion.
Whoever did this knew her rituals. David watches the tapes again, and
sees the one thing that changed about Clea's ritual. When she got out of
the shower the day before she died, she collapsed. McGee finds what
looks like a thermos at Clea's that leads right into the water supply.
She never stood a chance.

The team arrives to have a word with April Farris. Her facade begins to
crack as Tony, Gibbs and David make points about how she'd never be
Clea's equal. David reads a quote from Clea's journal that outlines how
lonely she was at Gen-1. April made things easier, though. Maybe they
could be friends. She trusts her. April looks conflicted. Clea never
told her ... she stops talking, then starts again. Clea didn't care
about her. People fawned over Clea, like she was the second coming. How
do they think that made April feel? Gibbs thinks it must have made her
feel bad enough to kill. He cuffs her.

Tony arrives at work dressed as, well; Tony. Saturday Night Fever. David
and McGee stare. David thinks he's supposed to be Fat Elvis. He tries to
carry it off, but he's too embarrassed. When he leaves, David cracks up.

Abby is decorating her lab for Halloween. Gibbs likes it. She
apologizes, and he kisses her on the temple and accepts. They leave
together, but she runs back in for Clea's book.

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