An admiral finds the body of a long-time friend; Gibbs and company investigate. Tony and Ziva pick up Tony's father, who appears to have become connected with the victim. Sr. does a favor, and Ziva accompanies him. The gang figure it out.

A Metro cop in Washington, DC, finds a set of severed fingertips which prove to be those of a Marine corporal; Gibbs and company investigate; McGee finds the corresponding body in the local morgue; Ducky concludes that the corporal was a victim of stretching to death on a rack. McGee and Ziva meet Max, who used a credit card of the dead Marine; excitement occurs while McGee interviews her; Tony and Ziva meet and interview another interesting chick; McGee pursues with Max. Gibbs asks whether the corporal died because Max, a former girlfriend, made a record score on a video game. Ziva gets a lead on a major game programmer, but he has disappeared; Gibbs meets an arms dealer. Tony and McGee find the body of the missing programmer, with mutilations identical to those on the Marine. Gibbs and McGee get a confession, then the gang search for a particular computer; McGee guides Gibbs, who finds it and announces "game over". Tony makes a date for McGoo.

When Gibbs meets with a Navy chief petty officer and his attorney (to make a deal), the CPO collapses and dies; while the gang investigate, they find a connection to an illicit arms dealer. The team figure it out, and everything works out.

The NCIS cyber case turns into a united global effort after evidence confirms "The Calling," an international terrorist group that recruits children through the Internet, has been purchasing German S-mines off the black market.