AS MARTIN CLINGS TO LIFE FOLLOWING A SHOOT OUT, JACK, SAMANTHA AND DANNY SEARCH FOR THE MERCENARY RESPONSIBLE FOR OPENING FIRE ON MARTIN, DANNY AND THE TERRORIST IN THEIR CUSTODY, ON THE FOURTH SEASON PREMIERE OF "WITHOUT A TRACE," THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK

"Showdown" -- Jack, Samantha and Danny search for the mercenary who escaped after killing the terrorist in Martin and Danny's custody and leaving the bullet-riddled Martin at death's door, on the fourth season premiere of WITHOUT A TRACE, Thursday, Sept. 29 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. John Showalter directed the episode written by David Amann, one of the series' co-executive producers.

Picking up where the third-season finale ended, Martin and Danny attempt to dodge a hail of bullets as a mercenary and his cronies attempt to kill their true target, an F.B.I. detainee whom Martin and Danny were transporting. Despite some quick thinking from Martin, who uses the car as a weapon against the shooters, and Danny, who manages to shoot one of the perpetrators, their prisoner is killed and Martin is left gravely injured. Now, Jack, Samantha and Danny try not to let their concern for Martin hinder their efforts to hunt down the mercenary -- which becomes more complicated once Martin's father, F.B.I. Deputy Director Victor Fitzgerald, and the Department of Homeland Security take active roles in the case. Meanwhile, Vivian's heart-surgery appears to have been a success.

WITHOUT A TRACE is a riveting procedural drama about the New York Missing Persons Squad of the F.B.I. The sole responsibility of the special task force is to find missing persons, by applying advanced psychological profiling techniques to peel back the layers of the victims' lives and trace their whereabouts in an effort to discover whether they have been abducted, been murdered, committed suicide or simply run away. The team reconstructs a "day of disappearance" timeline that details every minute of the 24 hours prior to the disappearance and digs into every facet of the victim's life, following one simple rule: learn who the victim is in order to learn where the victim is. Senior agent Jack Malone (Anthony LaPaglia), a tough but compassionate, seasoned and astute professional, heads the dedicated team that knows too well that every second counts when someone vanishes. His squad includes Samantha Spade (Poppy Montgomery), an agent whose blonde good looks belie a tough, complex approach to her work; Vivian Johnson (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), a no-nonsense investigator with a special insight into victims' families; Danny Taylor (Enrique Murciano), whose sensitivity is often covered up by his street smarts; and the strait-laced Martin Fitzgerald (Eric Close), who joined the team as a result of his father's connections but has since earned his stripes. As the agents work on varied and complicated cases, details about their own lives continue to unfold.

WITHOUT A TRACE is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer Television, in association with Warner Bros. Television and CBS Productions. Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman and Hank Steinberg are executive producers.

Jack Malone: Anthony LaPaglia
Samantha Spade: Poppy Montgomery
Vivian Johnson: Marianne Jean-Baptiste
Danny Taylor: Enrique Murciano
Martin Fitzgerald: Eric Close
Paige: Anna Belknap
Adisa: Jason George
Dornvald: Charles Mesure
Nuru: Charles Parnell
Lila Green: Napiera Groves
Victor Fitzgerald: Ray Baker
Paramedic #1: Natalie Gold
Paramedic #2: Paul Borghese
2nd Shooter: Andre Ward
Resident: Burt Bulos
ER Doctor: Jeff Marlow
Owen: Adam Paul
ND Agent #1: Eric Scott Gould
Ted Banes: Ned Vaughn
Uniformed Cop: Larry Mitchell
Receptionist: Carla Barnett
Nurse: Kate Connor
Dr. Klein: Beth Tapper
Tech: Ty Miller
ND Agent #2: Dean Cudworth
William Nuru: Demond Robertson

RATING: To Be Announced