Two intruders break into Eric's apartment. Eric climbs out the window in his pajamas and goes goes down a rope ladder. The intruders shoot him with a tranquilizer dart. He gets arrested by cops after he throws a cell phone through their car's back window. Hetty has sent Sam and Callen to San Francisco to pick up Eric. Two fake NCIS agents take Eric from the police. Nell tells Kensi that she and Eric haven't been in contact in two weeks. Sam and Callen find out Eric's gone when they arrive. A chattering Eric gets on his kidnappers' nerves. Sam and Callen discover Eric's apartment had been bugged through his electronic assistant. Kensi interrogates Hetty about Eric's assignment in San Francisco. Eric was funneling intel to Hetty about the shady think tank that had recruited him. The fake female agent tries to interrogate Eric. He gets drugged from his coffee but fakes vomiting and escapes through the bathroom window. Sam and Callen gets stonewalled at the think tank. Nell angrily confronts Hetty about what she had Eric doing in San Francisco. Kensi interrogates Sean Reynolds, the think-tank CEO, about Eric's disappearance. Six armed thugs arrive at Reynolds' house. Kensi and Sean run into his panic room until help arrives. Eric wakes up in a dumpster. Nell and Kensi threaten to take Sean back to his house if he doesn't tell them why someone is pumping millions into his company. The fake agents catch up to Eric but he escapes into a playground. Then Sam and Callen arrive, taking out the fakes. Chinese intelligence was behind Sean's think tank, hoping to sell technology with a backdoor to the military. Callen refuses to second-guess Hetty's decision to send in Eric. She offers Callen her job since Nell backed out.