S012E15 - “The Flight Of The Jewels” - Plot

Act One

A man, Nick, (Linwood Boomer) drives up in a green Pinto where a remote controlled airplane is being flown. Once it's landed, it stops at his feet. The pilot/controller is Jerry (Mike Miyashiro) with a third guy (Jeff Daniels) pulling out a bottle of gel that is "my own formula" and putting on board an airplane. A girl, Cathie, (Kathy Paulo) asks if they're done with their experiments yet as they unload the airplane with the gel in it. Jerry gets it airborne and runs it into a bunker like shelter where everything explodes. Cathie realizes the "boy geniuses" are for real rather than a simple challenge.

At a Royal Jewel Exhibit, McGarrett and Kimo walk through with Mr. Mohai (Tommy Fujiwara) whose company is underwriting the insurance on $10 million worth of jewels and historical artifacts. Mr. Larkin (Christerpher Neddels) is the security chief and he feels the systems in place are fool proof. Larkin has Nick demonstrate a hit and run theft but the alarm sounds and the door slide shut when Nick reaches for the jewels. Larkin's palm print on a panel will turn off the alarm and open the doors. McGarrett wants HPD radio cars as backup and Kimo tells them they want a patch from their alarm system to the nearest HPD substation. McGarrett and Kimo leave.

The group has a beach shack where they work on their experiments. The third guy tests a gas on Nick and Jerry while wearing a disposable gas mask. Everything works as planned and Jerry grabs an airplane from his car. As Jerry starts the airplane, the third guy says, "today is graduation day".

Act Two

The exhibition is a great success with numerous crowds filing by the jewels. Kimo and Larkin are present as well. The third guy is among the crowds and attaches the smoke detonator on a fire extinguisher. Larkin is still confident about the security system and Kimo is cynical about it. He leaves though to come back in the morning. Neal files out with others in the crowd just in front of Kimo as Nick watches it all.

Jerry has two airplanes on a nearby rooftop. The third guy joins him as they're on schedule. Jerry figures it will be a minute and 20 second trip with no wind. The exhibit closes for the day and the lat of the crowds make their way to the exit. At 5:03:40, the airplane takes off with Nick still at his station. The airplane arrives, exploding as it hits the wall. The smoke detonator works and as other guards run to the building, Nick who is wearing the disposable gas mask warns it's "poison gas". After they disburse, Nick gets to work bagging up the jewels as the guards inside and Larkin are incapacitated. Meantime, Jerry flies the second model airplane to the scene. Once landed, Nick loads up the jewels and the mask into the airplane, turning it around for the return trip. The airplane takes off between the guards flying to the rooftop but not before causing a wreck between a Pedi cab, a station wagon and an HPD car forcing the last in a rollover. Back at the exhibit, Nick forces Larkin's hand to the plate so the doors can be opened. Larkin who is armed, joins Nick and other guards in aiming their guns at the hole in the wall.

McGarrett dumps a box of rubble onto his desk in front of Kimo, Duke and Truck. McGarrett doles out assignments: Duke checking every fence in town while Kimo and Truck look into the model airplane angle. Luana buzzes in saying the videotape are ready.

McGarrett watches the tape with Nick. No clues are seen outright when the video is watched. McGarrett finds it strange no one went into or came out of the smoke. Nick verifies every room was searched and adds all the guards were searched "thoroughly". Larkin walks into the film library stating the jewels must have been put onto the airplane. McGarrett theorizes whoever stole the jewels had to be wearing a gas mask and it couldn't be big in size, otherwise it wouldn't fit on the airplane. McGarrett timed the robbery too: 64 seconds. McGarrett wants all the videotapes and Larkin says the personnel records will be there tomorrow.

At the beach house, the guys plan their next move. They want to stay clean and not deal with any fences, "is not only unprofitable, it's very dangerous". Nick mentions there is a minute and a-half missing off the tapes. Nick's story will be the machine malfunctioned. The plan is to turn the jewels over to the insurance company for $500,000. Cathie walks in telling them about the rollover accident involving the police car responding to the robbery. Cathie doesn't like Neal's (who is the third guy) laid-back attitude "he may die". Jerry asks if he has a family and Cathie says he does. Frustrated with the group, she runs out. Jerry finds himself agreeing with Cathie: the jewels aren't worth someone's life.

Mohai shows up at McGarrett's office. They discuss leads and if anyone has called about the jewels. McGarrett informs Mohai that 80 percent of cases like this are cracked because of the drop. He hands Mohai a homing device to put into the moneybag. After Mohai leaves, McGarrett and Kimo find themselves on the same page: Mohai has been contacted and a drop is imminent. McGarrett orders Kimo to tail Mohai.

Mohai drives out to a landing strip. Kimo watches from a stand of trees shortly joined by McGarrett. Kimo picked him up at the bank where Mohai withdrew $300,000 in exchange for the jewels back. Mohai exits his car looking around for the thieves. Truck is in a helicopter standing by. A model airplane buzzes in the sky, making an approach. It flies just over Mohai on its first pass, then lands. Neal talks to Mohai through the radio.

Act Three

As McGarrett and Kimo watch, Neal tells Mohai the airplane is filled with explosives but if he does everything "by the numbers" nothing bad will happen. Neal and Nick are set up in another set of trees themselves watching Mohai's every move. Neal tells him to open the package and put it to where they can see the bills. Mohai wants to know where the jewels are. Neal answers the jewels are in one of the jars under the right wing but he wants the money put onto the airplane first. As he does so, Neal picks up the bug and Mohai takes it out but before he can get the jewels, the airplane takes off! Mohai chases after it as McGarrett tells Kimo to have Truck move in with the helicopter that's been waiting close by. Truck and the pilot give chase and as Truck watches the scope, the blips get bigger. The airplanes have been swapped! The airplane landing on the beach doesn't have the jars. Jerry runs out of the woods with the loaded airplane that not only has the jars but also has the money in its main compartment. The left jar had only water as Jerry tosses it in the air as he loads the airplane in his car.

In McGarrett's office, Kimo briefs there are "four registered model airplane clubs with a membership of over 300". Kimo says the computer is crunching on the information. Going around the room, Duke reports the street sources "nobody knows nothing". Truck says, "there's 609 mail-order places that sell radio control model kits, but the one we got was a handmade special. I'm still checking on the motor". The lab report comes back describes both the explosive and the smoke bomb "were special formulas" created by a genius chemist. There is also the possibility the tape was edited and that would have taken "an electronic expert". McGarrett wonders aloud if they're actually looking for professional scientists rather than professional thieves and they should start at the university. Truck mentions there used to be a radio-controlled airplane club at the university but it broke up a couple of years before. McGarrett sends Kimo and Truck to the university while he wants Duke to run the security personnel and find any with a college background.

At the beach house, Neal, Nick and Jerry ponder their next move. Nick is still amused by Mohai chasing the airplane while Jerry says Cathie is leaving. Neal has a number to a fence. They know Stanley who deals with stereos and he gave Neal the name Yamura (Kwan Hi Lim). Jerry isn't happy reminding them, "what happened to all that "We're clean and we're gonna stay clean" snow job?" Reality is they can't deal with the insurance company anymore. Jerry didn't want to go this far because the original idea was to the start a business, "science for sale". Nick starts to twitch because "McGarrett has seen my face". Neal lays down a cold fact: they don't need Jerry's "air force" anymore and they can get the money from Yamura and split it in half instead of three ways. Jerry leaves.

At the university, Kimo and Truck start their inquiry at an administrative office where Cathie works. They ask about the model-airplane club that folded a couple of years before. She tells them it was popular among the engineering students. Kimo asks for a membership list as Cathie becomes nervous. Kimo threatens to obtain a warrant. Cathie offers to make a copy and send it to their office but Kimo and Truck would rather wait. Walking out with the list, Truck notices matching addresses for Jerry Otami and Nick Zano. Kimo blows it off because the membership list is two years old.

Cathie drives out to the beach house warning Neal and Nick about the police wanting the model-airplane club membership. Neal isn't concerned because he wasn't a member but they will connect Jerry and Nick because they were roommates at one time. Neal makes his move and calls Yamura, dropping Stanley's name along the way. They arrange a meet at Crown Point at 4:00 p.m. but Neal's asking price of $1 million doesn't fly. Yamura offers $200,000. Yamura doesn't play around as he plans to steal the jewels outright and/or kill Neal.

Act Four

Five-O tracks down Jerry's new address and McGarrett and Kimo pay him a visit. Jerry lets them in and they look around to the various model airplanes Jerry has. They're straight up with him: they know he's not alone in the heist and they want to know where they are. McGarrett isn't amused because a police officer was hurt while responding to their escapade and if he dies, it's murder. Jerry comes clean, saying Neal may have already fenced the jewels to Yamura. McGarrett immediately recognizes the name and knows this is no longer the territory of pranksters. McGarrett tells Jerry the stakes are life and death and Jerry is willing to show them where the guys stay. Kimo grabs a box of explosives and one of the airplanes.

Neal drives to Crown Point to meet Yamura. The meeting goes badly as two guys (Gus Rethwisch, Norris Shimabuku) exit the limousine and holds Neal as Yamura looks over a sample Neal brought. Neal tells them his partner has the rest and is expecting a phone call from him. Yamura has had enough and pulls a gun. Afterward, the two guys find Nick by a phone booth, chasing him down and putting him into the limousine.

McGarrett, Kimo and Jerry drive to the beach house. Cathie eventually tells them about the meet at Crown Point. She knows she's blown their plan but McGarrett and Kimo know if they donÕt' intervene Neal and Nick are dead.

The two guys bring Nick and the jewels to Crown Point. Yamura takes the jewels and tells the two guys Neal and Nick "need a bath. You know, in the ocean. Far out". Neal has to climb out of a ravine Yamura put him and once at the turn out, McGarrett comes speeding down the road. One the guys sees McGarrett and they dive behind the bushes as a gunfight starts. Yamura and his guys move toward the limousine using Neal and Nick as shields but McGarrett changes the rules ramming the Marquis Brougham toward them even with a flat tire. Everyone scatters as Kimo shoots one guy while Yamura and the other guy get in the limousine and take off. Kimo fires at the car but it's too late. McGarrett puts the boys to work putting together the airplane and rigging the explosives.

Yamura drives down the road as the airplane is rigged. Jerry eventually puts the airplane in front of the limousine and crashes it causing the car to go off the road. McGarrett radios Truck who takes Yamura and his other guy into custody as well as taking possession of the jewels. McGarrett and Kimo arrests Neal, Nick and Jerry for their plan but not before McGarrett lectures them thoroughly.