Chapter Text
FBI agent Jocelyn Carter was having dinner in a small restaurant in Washington DC, when she heard a feminine voice behind her: “Hello, Joss, long time no see … “
“Root?”
“The one and only! Can I sit down?”
“Uh … yeah, of course; I expected someone else would come … “
“Hope you are not disappointed.”
“Jesus, no. Listen, I will never forget that you saved my life; and I think that you might be a bit … unhinged, but I don’t dislike you; so be my guest. Haven’t you eaten yet?”
“I’ve had a sandwich, so I’ll settle for a coffee … but please, don’t mind me, go on with your meal. Of course you are not carrying your phone now, right?” Then she motioned for a waiter to place her order, while Joss Carter nodded, answering silently her question.
They waited until they were alone, then Joss asked: “Are you alright? All of you?”
“Well, we are alive, but do you remember that menace I told you about? It’s more defined now; it has even a name … Samaritan.”
“Is it a menace for me too? For my son?”
“I don’t think so; but we have to keep it unaware of your connection with us.”
“And you will need my help.”
“Probably; sooner or later.”
The other woman sighed “I hope you are not here to tell me the bullshit that I am safer if I am kept in the dark.”
“That was Finch. I am here to tell you everything.”
“Okay, let’s get started then.”
“You will believe me, I guess?”
“You promise to tell the truth?”
“Absolutely!”
“Then I will believe you.”
“Okay. Harold Finch built an artificial intelligence, the Machine, that can use every electronic device to spy on everyone, and determine if there is a threat to the national security. He sold it to the Government, for one dollar … well, you should see yourself now, Joss, you really look weird.”
“It’s a lot to swallow, I guess.”
“Really? I have just begun!”
The other woman groaned “Go on, then.”
“Okay. The Government used the Machine only to detect the relevant threats, meaning threats to national security, but the Machine could predict every act of violence; the so-called irrelevant threats.”
“Oh … I see … Harold wanted to take care of those too, so he hired John.”
“Exactly.”
“And when they thwarted you, you knew there was something big looming.”
Root smiled “Yes, and I wanted to see what it was.”
“And you kidnapped him … “
“Well, Joss, that was the past … “
“Okay, but I heard you kidnapped him again, after that; anyway, go on.”
“Oh well, the second time I tried to reach the Machine, but I wasn’t lucky; besides, Shaw shot me, and they locked me up. In the funny farm.
And there, the Machine contacted me, making me Her analogue interface.”
Carter frowned “Meaning what?”
“That She speaks to me.” Root stated, proudly.
“Oh. I have two questions, then … first, why ‘She’?”
“She is a sentient being, intelligent, and caring; a life.”
“Really? Mmh, I am not sure I should buy this.”
“You’ll see that yourself, someday; and the second question?”
“What you said … you mean this Machine doesn’t speak to Finch, or to the Government, instead?”
“Exactly. Harry is afraid that someone might abuse the Machine, should She fall in the wrong hands, so he curtailed Her power; as for other people, She gives only SSNs; they don’t even get to know if the number is a victim or a perpetrator. For him, an A.I. must be only an instrument in the hands of mankind.”
“A third question, then: why did … She choose you of all people?”
The brunette shrugged “I guess She found the good that is in me.”
Carter smirked “Or maybe, She thought you were the only person enough insane to listen to Her.”
“Aww, Joss, you say the sweetest things.”
“Whatever. But you were telling me about this … Samaritan?”
“Yes, it’s another A.I.; an evil one.”
“And what, exactly, is making it worse than your Machine?”
“Simply the fact that, in this case, it’s people that are its instruments, not the other way around.”
“What? You mean that a supercomputer is … the boss?”
“Basically, yes. It has apparently legitimate goals, like peace and order, but it has no regard for human life if someone interferes, or simply is in the wrong place at the wrong time. It gets to decide, and its decisions are often nefarious; Like that building that was bombed with a lot of people, reporters and cops.”
“It was Samaritan, you mean? Not that bunch of privacy terrorists … Vigilance?”
“Samaritan had created Vigilance; they needed an enemy to give the Government a reason to … hire a new A.I.”
“So, you are saying the Government thinks Samaritan is working for the nation, but it’s the nation that is working for Samaritan instead.”
“Exactly! By the way, I am sure it’s infiltrating every branch of it; I bet the FBI has Samaritan agents too, so keep your eyes open.”
“I see; your plight looks desperate, I am afraid; the Government and Samaritan against you, how come you haven’t surrendered yet?”
An amused smirk appeared on Root’s lips “You don’t know us, do you? Well, Harold is irresolute at times, and he is not a great fighter, I must admit, but Reese and Shaw are true soldiers. Destroying Samaritan is their new mission, and they will do just that, or die trying.”
“And you?”
“Me? Let’s say that before the Machine my life was pointless; indeed, I had nothing and nobody worth to live or die for. Now I have a purpose and a … family of sorts.”
“A family? Seriously?”
“Seriously, Joss. Harold is the father I never had, John is like a big brother … I didn’t value him much, earlier, but I was wrong. And Lionel is the funny cousin.”
“I see; and Shaw is like a sister, I guess.”
“Uh … no, not exactly … “
“Oh, my God, you are blushing; I can’t believe it, you like her … in a romantic way, I mean!”
“Please, don’t tell her, if you happen to see her.”
“Of course not, because YOU will tell her, right?”
“Not a good idea now; you know Shaw, she’s not the romantic type; but I think she reciprocates someway.”
“Yeah? What makes you say that?”
“She could be in Barcelona as we speak, but decided to stay.”
“For you?”
“For the mission, she says, but I am hopeful about the future.”
“A future with Shaw and without Samaritan?”
“Not so likely, huh? But what is life without a bit of optimism? But now, tell me about Taylor; John asked me to inquire about him.”
“So eager to change subject, I see. Well, he is a good student, and I think he has a crush.”
“Oh, really? Didn’t he tell you, though?”
“No, but this girl came to our place to study with him, more than once, and I perceived something.”
“Do you want to know if it is serious?”
“How could you know that?”
“Well, if they have talked about their feelings, or kissed, near a phone or a street camera, the Machine would know … “
“God, you really want to ask the Machine about this?”
“Why not? If it’s serious, you may want to give him some cautionary advice.”
“What do you mean?”
“Come on, Joss, you are way too young to become a grandmother, don’t you think?”
“Oh, my! Well, thanks but no thanks, I won’t spy on my son for such a trivial reason … or let someone else spy on him.”
“As you wish. Okay, then; I am giving you a small booklet, and I expect you to keep it.” And Root gave it to her.
“What is it?”
“A cipher book, concocted by the Machine Herself; when you want to relay some information to Her, or to our team, you call Paul in New York and use this; I know you are on better terms with him now.”
“Wait, Samaritan will hear too, right?”
“Right, but it will not understand that a line like ‘Have you slept well tonight?’ means also ‘I have to meet with one of the team’. Or ‘Our son is running a temperature ’ means ‘This is urgent’. And Paul knows about this, so if you happen to tell him something weird, he’ll play along. So, no need to worry.”
“Okay, then. I really hope I will have an opportunity to help you soon.”
The brunette smiled “I am sure you will. It was nice to meet you again.” She said, getting ready to leave.
“Stay safe, Root, and give the others my best.”