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Hearing that voice again filled her with a strange sense of relief. Shaw wasn’t sure what she even expected when she answered the ringing payphone in the middle of the street. But there she was. Listening to a string of numbers. A beat. Then directions. Go north 3 blocks. Await further instructions. She was momentarily put off by the unfamiliarity of the tone. It was her voice still, undeniably, but it was…lacking. The flirtation, the slight airiness around it, it was missing. Instead she heard something more reserved, mechanical. The Machine didn’t even give her a hello.
Her mind started to catch up with her scrambling thoughts, reciting the first line of numbers. Digit after digit. Her eyes widened in recognition. She knew that number, but it was impossible unless-
The Machine must be glitching. Maybe that reboot didn’t go as planned. It would certainly explain why It gave her that number. An error. Or It could be just fucking with her, she thought briefly, as she lowered the receiver back in its place. Although there was still another possibility she dreaded to consider. The possibility that all of this was this was simply not real.
Either way, Shaw couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face as she locked her eyes on a street camera.
Only one way to find out.
__
She’s been walking for a bit more than around five minutes when The Machine came through her earpiece again. She put it in right after she left the intersection. Sameen glanced at Bear by her feet, obediently following her. It hadn’t told her anything about not bringing her companion along, or even where they were going. In fact, It hadn’t told her a single thing apart from brief commands of lefts and rights. Still with the voice she recognized yet didn’t quite know at the same time.
“Hey! You there?” It was worth a try.
Silence. Another 2 minutes passed.
“Left at the next intersection.”
Now it just seemed like It was ignoring her. Great. Just what she needed. She kept going, took the turn and listened. Straight ahead for another block, right. Where was she even heading to? And why? This was getting ridiculous. Normally she wouldn’t care, going in blind and receiving information last minute wasn’t new. She adapted easily. She might have even liked the thrill it gave her, infiltrating places she knew next to nothing about it. It was dangerous, and challenging.
But this? She didn’t feel comfortable waiting around for this. It had to be resolved. As soon as possible.
“Not that I’m against going straight back to business, but this number- I have to ask.”
She was met with silence once again. Alright then. Shaw stilled her movements for a brief second then strolled up to the nearby camera looking over the street.
“Hey!” Nothing.
“You already know what this is about, no need to dance around it. So just tell me. Is she-“
“Please follow the instructions.”
Oh now that was rich.
“Yeah I’m not taking a single step until you answer me.” Two could play that game. Another few seconds passed before the reply came.
“I will answer any question you have, but first, I need you to follow the instructions.”
Followed by a please and a trust me. Shaw sighed. Fine. She didn’t really feel like she had a choice anyway. She might be chasing a ghost, or an error in the system, but The Machine wouldn’t give her an answer. And the only way to get to the end of it was to play along.
So she did.
__
The Machine was definitely just screwing with her, she concluded. Sameen followed each direction she was given, with Bear by her side. Until she came face to face with even more streets and houses she was no strange to, ultimately reaching her supposed destination the-
“-Safehouse?” Glitching, it had to be.
“You sent me around the city to get to the safehouse? You couldn’t have just told me to go there?” She asked, bewildered and agitated.
“I’m sorry.”
“Instructions had to be followed.”
Sure.
“Please go inside.”
And here she thought she would just stand in front of it. She kept the remark to herself. Still-
“It’s not compromised?”
“Positive.”
Shaw let herself in, going through the corridor, reaching the familiar metal door with the keypad. Her fingers hovered above the buttons as she remembered the combination. Sameen pushed number after number expecting the well-known sound of the locks opening- but heard nothing. Invalid. She frowned and took out her gun. Not compromised? Whatever was going on, the precaution still wouldn’t hurt.
“I’m going to take a wild guess and say you know the new code.”
“4-1-6-9”
Of course. She punched them in and surely, she was met with the choir of locks turning. Shaw commanded Bear to ‘Stay’ and slowly opened the door, gun slightly raised.
As she made her way down the steps she took notice on how everything seemed to be the exact same as they left it. Shaw didn’t think much about the safehouse after Samaritan found it. There was nothing left there apart from memories. She kept looking around. Everything looked the same except-
They sure as hell didn’t leave a jacket and a helmet on the dining table.
Which meant-
“I don’t suppose an ‘I brought lunch’ is going to cut it this time, huh?”
-that The Machine was working fine after all.
__
Shaw knew that logically this is what she was supposed to expect. The Machine didn’t give out numbers of the dead, did it? But that was irrelevant now anyway.
Despite that she was still somewhat surprised by the tall figure emerging from behind the wall, hands raised above her hips, palms slightly facing the ground. A defensive position. Right, she was still holding the gun, she realized.
“Hey, sweetie.”
There she was. Standing in front of her in black jeans and a dark purple T-shirt. Face like a deer’s in headlights, shoulders somewhat slumped.
“Root,” she said, unwavering.
The other woman let out a whiff of air and broke into smile reaching her eyes.
“Are you gonna lower that gun or-,” Root cautiously asked, expression still unchanging.
“I’ll think about it,” Came the quick reply.
“Okay.”
They kept staring at each other for long seconds, both waiting for the other one to make the first step. In the end, it was Shaw who lowered the gun first. Still holding it, she moved her other hand to brush a finger behind her right ear. No pain, no flashes. Seemed real enough. She finally put it down on the table, as Root lowered her hands too.
“So,” Sameen started, turning slightly away, looking passively at the wall instead, “you really are alive.”
Root took a step towards her. Then another. “I am,” she sighed, briefly averting her eyes. “And you are too,” she breathed, looking back at Shaw again, shooting her another gentle smile, looking simply glad.
Shaw could only hum at that. She contemplated the facts. Root was alive, and The Machine led her to her. And that was real, even if it didn’t seem like it. That was all. Not much to go on but-
“Okay,” she said, nodding her head, “okay.” Turning back around, taking one big breath and- Fuck it. She quickly crossed the distance between them, grabbing Root by her arms and pulling her into a bruising kiss. It was all too familiar. But this time, she didn’t pull away and Root responded with the same fervor. They pulled away at once, breathing heavily. The frustration building up in the past few weeks coming down in waves.
“I thought you’d be a bit more mad at me,” Root panted, still a bit high on what just happened.
“Oh I am mad,” Shaw breathed, moving her hands towards Root’s shoulders, “but I’ll let you explain why you thought it would be a good idea to fake your goddamn death,” she let out, in the calmest way possible.
“If that’s any consolation,” Root leaned closer, eyes skimming back and forth between Shaw’s eyes and mouth, “I did technically die.”
Joy.
“Is that supposed to help?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure,” she said hastily pulling their lips together once more, biting and pulling. They needed to talk. But they also both missed this a bit too much. It could wait a few more minutes. Shaw moved her hands, tightened her grip and-
Root suddenly pulled away with a short cry, followed by a wince, hand clutching at her chest.
Well then.
In retrospect Shaw should have noticed sooner. Sunken eyes, hunched body…she looked tired. And in pain. The medical report apparently wasn’t fake; Root really was shot. And if the bullet matched too-
“You need to lie down,” she was already pushing her backwards towards the couch, seating her on it. “You shouldn’t even be up.” Much less riding motorcycles, she muttered under her breath, upon thinking back to the helmet she saw.
“Can’t fault a gal for trying to make an entrance, can you?” Root asked with a slight smirk, obviously trying to conceal her pained expression with it, and slowly laid back down. Sameen quickly backtracked towards the door to let Bear in, shredding her own jacket on the way. The second she opened it the dog whipped past her, darting towards the couch as well. So much for ‘stay’. She couldn’t really hold it to him though. She went to grab a pillow from the closet as well.
Once she reached the couch again she found Root on her back, eyes shut, breathing heavily, right arm trying to pet Bear’s relentlessly moving head. Shaw called him off, and he – reluctantly – did so, sitting down in the middle of the room. “I’m going to take a look.” Root nodded. Having room once again Sameen tried to inspect the wound, pulling Root’s shirt down from the collar and her shoulder blade. The bullet definitely left a mark on her, but the stitches weren’t torn. The treatment looked professional, at least, even if a forming scar was evident. Shaw gently tugged at her right shoulder to put the pillow behind her.
“Thank you.” Root said in a small voice, tired eyes looking at her again. She slowly moved her right hand, inching closer to Shaw’s own. When Sameen didn’t pull away Root intervened their fingers together and Shaw returned the notion, locking their hands together. Just like the last time.
“You have a lot of explaining to do.”
“I know.” Root replied, lifting her other hand to rest on her forehead. They really couldn’t delay this any longer. She certainly wanted to though. She was content on staying like this for another couple of hours. Days even. Still and quiet. She was already feeling exhausted again as the rush from their meeting was starting to wear off. She must have contemplated this far longer than she thought, because before she could utter another word, Shaw’s voice came registering in her left ear.
“We thought you died, Root.” Sameen said, fingers still laced together but she was looking away, seemingly indifferent. She wasn’t angry per say, but there was a sort of uneasiness pooling in her stomach. She wanted to know what was going on. Wanted to understand it.
“I was meant to.” And I did, Root mentally added.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” It certainly wasn’t the reply Shaw expected.
Root let out humorless chuckle at that. “Let’s just say Harold’s number wasn’t the only one that came up that day.”
Wasn’t the only- A newfound ire started blossoming in her. She let go of her hand and took a step back. Stupid Root and her stupid self-sacrificing tendencies. “And you didn’t tell us this because…?”
“Harold took priority.” Talk about adding fuel to the fire.
“That’s bull-“
“Besides Samaritan trying to kill me wasn’t exactly news,” Root cut her off while easing herself into a sitting position, leaning against the pillow and the armrest. “Ever since this war started it was only a matter of time, really. I was prepared for it.” She looked at Shaw meaningfully. “I was okay with it.”
Sameen huffed out a breath and looked away. Okay, there was nothing to be okay about. That was very far from okay. “So…you knew. Then the talk about the simulations-“
“I meant it. Everything I said. I did…I do,” she started eyes filling with a strange fervor. “The concept of it is so…” the passion quickly faltered though as she saw Shaw’s passive state. She gulped down the remaining words of the sentence. Sameen didn’t want to hear about metaphysics. Not now at least. She looked down, licking her lips.
“I wanted to make you feel at ease.”
Shaw looked back at her, gritting her teeth. “You still should have told us.” Or at least me, she thought.
“I’m sorry.” Root said, keeping her head down, not daring to look at Sameen.
“What happened exactly?”
“After she informed me, we uh…we did what was necessary. I changed her code, allowing her a chance to finally fight back at full force. I didn’t know when or how it would happen…and once I saw the sniper I didn’t even think about it.” Root said as reached up with a hand to wipe at her eyes. She didn’t want to cry, there was no reason to. This whole ordeal might have gotten to her a lot more than she initially realized. “Then it was over just as quickly as it started. The bullet hit…I lost consciousness. And then I died,” she chuckled, “it’s almost funny, saying it out loud.”
Shaw certainly couldn’t find anything funny about that, but judging from her still wet eyes, neither really did Root. Death was painful, she knew that. She did that to herself over seven thousand times after all. Talking about it wasn’t easy either, and Shaw didn’t enjoy being the inquisitor, but it had to be cleared up. The sooner the better. Like ripping off a band aid.
“Then how did you-?” This was a big thing to pull off. Shaw knew a thing or two about faking your death but…this was on another level. And a different situation. Normally, actually getting a fatal injury isn’t part of the plan.
“She didn’t tell me but…She prepared a Plan B of sorts,” Root gave a quiet laugh again, “should the worst come to pass…” She looked up at Shaw, sporting sad smile. “Have you ever heard of EPR?”
Sameen couldn’t say she did. Samaritan wasn’t keen on keeping her up-to-date with…well, anything. Her expression must have been enough, because Root continued;
“It’s a…medical process designed to treat trauma victims. It’ more of a theory, actually. Has never been tested on human patients.” The until now went unsaid. “Turns out it’s hard to give consent to an experiment when you are clinically dead…” She trailed off, but composed herself in a few seconds.
“I only know what I’ve been told but…the gist is that once you go into cardiac arrest they uh…pump cold saline solution into your bloodstream. It apparently freezes the body down from the inside in minutes…causing-“
“Hypothermia.” Shaw huffed.
“50F,” Root nodded. “No circulation…no brain activity. No need for oxygen. You’re…dead. For a few hours at least.” She turned away then, with a far-away look in her eyes. “They shut you down then turn you back on. Like a cold reboot…” She quickly gathered herself. “She said I was pronounced dead after 15 minutes of CPR,” Sameen once heard in her residency years, that you should always wait until ‘they are warm and dead’. Guess they didn’t get the memo. “then taken to the morgue. Lucky it was effective by that time.”
Sameen let out a sigh. “Lionel saw your body you know. Identified you.” Root felt her eyes water even more. Mouth still dry, she licked her lips again and gulped.
“I…I know. I suppose I owe him an apology.” That would be another awkward conversation. Still not the greatest prize to pay for coming back to life, Root concluded as she looked up again. Shaw was staring at her expectantly, waiting for her to continue. “Once he left I was taken to a doctor…You know Dr. Enright, I think?” Shaw nodded. “She’s really good- Maybe not as good as you but…,” Root had to add “she managed to patch me up and get my vitals back in less than 2 hours.”
“I was still out of commission for a while though…” Root sighed. Even now she didn’t feel like being at the top of her game. Despite taking the painkillers her chest and lungs ached at any sudden movement or impact, and she could only stay on her feet for a couple hours before exhaustion got a hold on her.
“How long?” Shaw wasn’t sure if that was actually important to her or not, but she felt like she needed to know.
Root looked remorseful; guilty, almost. “Eleven days.” She chuckled “I slept right through the apocalypse.”
“It was all so confusing…When I woke up I- “she faltered “The doctor filled me in as much as she could but- “Root let out a heavy breath. “The Machine was gone and I didn’t know about any of you. She left me a phone and a message with it, on the day the virus hit. Told me about this…contingency plan and about what happened up until then. That She didn’t know when I would wake up…If ever. That you were all convinced I was dead. And that Samaritan had to be defeated even if She went with it too. That was the last I heard from Her. Until this morning.” She locked eyes with Shaw again.
“Sameen…I wanted to find you as soon as I was awake but- It took me days just to be able to walk around again for a short time and I- I didn’t know where to start. But this morning…I got another text. Telling me where to go and when.” She gave a small smile. “I knew She would lead me to you again.”
“And now I’m here. I’m sorry for making you wait this long.” Root looked down at her hands as she felt her eyes starting to water again.
Shaw kept staring at the other woman in front of her. It was still a bit hard to believe that Root was truly there. She felt a slight tug inside her, urging her to touch behind her again. She tried to resist…she wanted to stop feeling the need to keep doing that- But she also knew the tug wouldn’t really leave her alone until she gave in, keeping her in a constant anxious state. She finally brushed her fingers over the point and-
Nothing. She let out a breath. So, this was still definitely not a simulation. And Root was alive, injured, but alive. The Machine was also apparently up and running fine again. No more Samaritan either. “That’s…a lot.” Root solemnly nodded along. “But I’m glad you’re back.”
Root snapped her head back up, delighted. Shaw also shot her a small but reassuring smile. They went quiet then, for what seemed like minutes, just simply looking at each other, enjoying the calm. But thoughts became louder in the silence, and Root couldn’t help it as the happiness slowly wore off her face. “Sam…the others…?” She asked, concern palpable in her voice.
Shaw blinked back at her. “Lionel’s fine…alive, at least. But John and Harold we- we haven’t heard from either of them since.” Root nodded, she also knew what that meant, there was no need to say it out loud. The Machine didn’t lead them to the safehouse today either, so there was only one option left, really.
They remained silent for another few seconds before something hit Shaw. “You said…that you haven’t heard from The Machine?”
Root shot her a confused look, not seeing where Shaw was getting at. “We haven’t directly talked since the shooting, no. My implant was fried anyway, while I was unconscious…to prevent Samaritan from finding me I guess.” Her hand unwittingly scratched at the scar. “I’m not even sure if it can be repaired…” she added gravely.
“Then you don’t even know.” Sameen went on, looking dazed herself.
If that was possible, Root felt even more puzzled. “Know what?”
“The Machine…She…uh, She choose a voice.”
Root let out huff of air, something akin to a chuckle. Still a tad shocked but happy as well. “A voice. That’s- That’s amazing! What kind of a voice?” Shaw opened her mouth to speak but-
“I am really glad to see you again.”
Root managed to keep her crying in check since she arrived, but this time she couldn’t stop the tears escaping her eyes. She kept gawking for a few seconds before managing a stutter. “M-Mine?” She gulped, trying to compose herself, blinking away another row of tears. “You choose my voice…” she whispered, stunned.
“Does it bother you? I could change-“
“No- No! It’s fine, it’s fine I’m just-,” another deep breath, “surprised.”
Shaw felt more baffled than surprised. Did The Machine really wait for a grand entrance? Showoff.
“And flattered,” Root continued “I- Thank you. I’ll just- I’ll need a bit of time, is all.”
“Understandable.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll leave you two alone then.”
Root quickly turned her head back at Shaw, guilt immediately flashing across her features. “Sam-“
“It’s fine.” It really was. Root obviously had this…thing with The Machine. Shaw still remembered how she looked when the two of them couldn’t talk freely. This…connection was important to her. “I need some space anyway.” That also wasn’t a lie. This was a lot to digest, and her mind was still full of questions. “Here,” she reached into her pocket, pulling out a spare ear piece. She handed it to Root.
“Thank you,” she whispered. Shaw nodded and headed to the kitchen, calling Bear to go with her.
--
She found Bear’s bowls and kibble where they were supposed to be. She wasn’t sure why she even expected them to be anywhere else. The whole safehouse really did seem the same. Like it was never charged by armed operatives working for Skynet 2.0.
As Bear occupied himself with this food Shaw went to find herself something to eat as well. The past couple of hours really drained her, she was getting hungrier by the minute. She hoped Root wasn’t just joking when she said she brought lunch. Fortunately, she found 3 full containers of Thai takeout on the counter and some beer in the fridge. Which was pretty much the only thing inside it. Guess that remained the same as well. Sameen was weirdly grateful Root didn’t bring her a sandwich. It was still quality food of course, even more so if the extra ingredients were in place too, but- as childish as she found it, she couldn’t help feeling like Samaritan had…tainted it. She tried to shrug off the thought.
She noticed Bear padding out of the room as she opened her first box. Well, spicy food upset his stomach anyway, maybe it was actually better if he wasn’t asking for scraps. She finished the two boxes and the drink relatively fast, all the while mentally preparing herself for the conversation she was about to have.
--
Once Shaw exited the room she found Root asleep on the couch, Bear curled up by her feet. She considered moving the woman to the bed, but thought against it. She didn’t want to disturb her, even though she looked like nothing could wake her up. An injury like that required a lot more rest than what she supposed Root let herself have. Sameen took one last glance at the sleeping figure and quietly retreated back into the kitchen area. She needed to have that one-on-one with It too.
“Why the change of tone?” No point in beating around the bush. She knew The Machine was listening. And she’s been waiting for answers long enough.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Your voice…Root’s voice. You keep using it but it’s...different from what it was. Why?”
A beat. Then,
“Would you prefer it that way, sweetie?”
“I- no! I mean,” she sighed, fingers pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration, “I don’t know. Can’t you just…answer the question? I think you owe me that much.”
“My apologies.”
“Sure.” That was going to be a long day. She turned her back towards the counter and rested her hands against the surface.
“You asked why I was talking ‘differently’. But it is my preferred way of talking. My personal trait, if you wish.”
“Then why did- “
“I thought it would bring you closure. I know her. I can simulate her behavior with almost perfect accuracy.”
“I hoped it would help you. The way it helped me.”
Help her. Shaw couldn’t argue with that one. But the way it helped-? So The Machine missed its analog interface as well huh. Up to the point where it would try to keep Root as close to it as possible. Simulating her. She really did wonder about the extent to their relationship. Root was devoted to The Machine. Maybe it wasn’t exactly one-sided.
“But I also find her personality rather…charming.” She snorted. That was one way to put it. “I could use another voice while talking to you, if you would like.”
“No…it’s” she honestly wasn’t sure. Root was okay with The Machine using her voice. Shouldn’t she? “it’s fine.” It will still take some time. Getting used to hearing the same sound on two fronts. It was…weird, to say the least, but she could live with it. If they didn’t annoy her to death that is. There was still something that had to be cleared up, something she still wanted to learn the rationale behind. “You know; I wouldn’t have needed ‘closure’ If you had just told us she was alive. You shouldn’t have kept it a secret, we could have helped.”
“Negative.”
What? “Why?”
“It was necessary to keep you in the dark.”
“Screw you.” She couldn’t help it. ‘Necessary’? She was genuinely starting to get annoyed.
“Current technology does not make this possible. However, you will be pleased to learn that resea-“
“Are you shitting me?” The Machine was making dirty jokes at her? Now? Unbelievable.
“I find that humor can be beneficial in certain tense situations.”
“Unless your aim is to lose a few servers, this isn’t that situation.”
“Understood.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll keep it in mind,” followed a second later.
Whatever. She still hadn’t received a real answer. Shaw took a deep breath. “Why was it necessary?” she asked, hoping they won’t get off track this time. She had a feeling The Machine was delaying this conversation on purpose.
“I ran simulation after simulation until I found the right course of action. All of you had a designated role. If you had learned Root survived, you would have most likely changed that role, leading to another unknown number of possibilities. There was no time for such.”
Shaw was baffled. They had a role? And-
“‘Most likely’?”
“You are an anomaly.”
“Excuse me?”
“I cannot always predict your behavior accurately.”
“It is frustrating.”
Thanks, Shaw thought. This was still so perplexing. And was The Machine implying that…
“Ignoring the fact that you used all of us as puppets- “
“I did not- “
“-you are saying, that Root had to die in order to defeat Samaritan?”
“No. I predicted the chances of fatal injury occurring. It was virtually unavoidable. The simulations continued on with this variable in place.”
Root said she was ‘meant to die’. This was what she had in mind. Statistics. Bad odds. But-
“You saved her.”
“I did everything I could. The procedure was a great risk. The first step was a success, but even so, her recovery was never guaranteed.”
As grateful Shaw as was that The Machine saved Root, the implication still didn’t sit fully well in her gut. “What about John and Harold? Were they ‘unavoidable’ too?”
“John and I had a deal. He volunteered on his own to being a necessary sacrifice. It was his choice.”
Sameen couldn’t say she was surprised. Reese was always just as reckless with his own life like Root, if not more. “And you just let him?” She still had to ask.
“I cannot go against one’s free will.”
Shaw let out a breath. “And Harold?” The Machine went quiet. “Hello?”
“Father is alive,” came the reply a good fifteen seconds later, “he’s convinced I’m dead.”
She raised her eyebrows. Okay now that actually caught her off-guard. So Harold survived and simply left? “What does he think about the rest of us?”
“I have no knowledge of that.”
In other words, he doesn’t care. Shaw was never one to be sentimental, but she would have definitely appreciated a stray ‘hey are you alive?’ from him, at least after…everything that went down. There was no point in being hung up about that though. She briefly contemplated whether she should tell Fusco about this. He was grieving as well, and he deserved to know the truth, even if it might affect him a lot more than it did her. Finch’s deed was – to simply put – an asshole thing to do…comrades just don’t do that. Not to mention she definitely had to tell Lionel about Root anyway. Shaw rubbed her eyes in frustration; forget long day, this was going to be a long couple of weeks. The aftermath of war was never easy.
The Machine seemed to be affected by this as well though. “It took you a while to answer that. You weren’t sure if you wanted to let me know this, huh?”
“You are as perceptive as ever.” Shaw could swear she actually heard a slight taunt in the Machine’s otherwise rather monotone voice. So…maybe there was more to this “personality” than what She initially let on. Interesting. Still, Shaw let it go.
“So why did you?”
“Your trust is important to me. We cannot work effectively without it.”
Shaw snorted. “It’s funny you talk about trust…after keeping me in the dark for all this. And that thing in the cemetery…rings a bell? You told me Samaritan dug Root up for her implant. Lying isn’t the greatest way to build ‘trust’.”
“I’m sorry about that.” It may be sincere, but to be honest, Sameen was getting a little bit tired of The Machine’s apologies. “You were too observant, I had to throw you off the trail. But in the strict sense of the word I didn’t lie. Samaritan did dig out the site. Or rather, a small freelance company, Decima occasionally employed, did.”
“And I’m supposed to believe they didn’t realize the body wasn’t Root’s?” Most Samaritan agents she came across were, to put in bluntly, not the sharpest tools in the shed. But they couldn’t have been this stupid.
“There was no body buried.”
“Then how-“
“Samaritan has been trying to get a hold of Root’s cochlear implant ever since they learned about it.” Shaw gritted her teeth at the thought. That damn implant. Was it simulation 3,745- or 47…somewhere along there, she wasn’t sure anymore but- She was still angry at herself for letting this slip. Honestly, she just brushed Root’s hair behind her ear and when she couldn’t find the device, or the scar…her mind immediately started working to fill in the blanks. It was just a few seconds, really. But the simulations never made that mistake again. “They wanted to find me through it. I used that to our advantage.”
‘Our advantage’? Then-
“The company Decima employed…was yours.” The pieces were starting to come together.
“My assets dug up the site, then proceeded to sell an implant containing the information Samaritan desired…along with a small parting gift. A worm. Just to be sure.”
Realization dawned on her. “You led them to the Subway.”
“I had to. They needed to be convinced the device was the real one. It also caused Samaritan to separate its forces.”
That part definitely worked. “Yeah, we met them, remember? You threw the enemy right on our backs,” she snapped.
“An escape plan was prepared. Which you used, remember?” Sameen was once again taken aback by the edge in Her voice. The more they talked, the more Shaw felt like The Machine was truly just a cheeky asshole using the façade of a boring professor or something.
It all, relatively, made sense though. Annoyingly so.
“What can I do to earn your trust back?”
The reserved tone was back. Shaw sighed, for what she felt was the millionth time that day. “Look. I don’t need you tell me absolutely everything…random trivia about pedestrians, whatever, or even where to aim I- I don’t need that. But if my friends are in danger- You tell me. I don’t care about what you deem ‘necessary’ and whatnot. I wanna know. Then we’ll figure the next step out together. That’s my…condition, I guess.”
“Understood. If I agree to the condition, we can keep working together?”
“Sure just…give me some time. But yeah…yeah I’ll keep doing the numbers if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Of course. Thank you.”
“I will not fail you again.”
Shaw shook her head…she felt another longer conversation lingering in the close future. Well, at least she finally got some answers. She still couldn’t say she was ecstatic about the situation but…she could see where it was coming from. Even if she didn’t agree with everything, all things considered, it could have been a lot worse than learning 2 out of 3 of your friends turning out to be alive…no matter the circumstances. She also had a feeling the numbers would soon start to be pouring in as well. Things would get busy again, fast. Hopefully without an ASI apocalypse this time. But they needed more people…they should probably start recruit-
“Hope I’m not interrupting anything?”
Shaw swiveled around immediately, shaking herself out of her deep thoughts. Root was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed. Her eyes were not only tired but also slightly red and puffy. From crying, probably. “No, we were just finished, actually.” Shaw said. She was sure the microwave blinked at her. Root shot her a gentle smile. “You should be in bed.” She only thought about the unfortunate wording after the sentence left her mouth. And surely, there it was, the reaction Sameen still wasn’t quite ready to admit that she missed. The sudden glint in Root’s eyes as the words registered, the way the corner of her lips eased higher turning into a knowing smirk.
“Aren’t you gonna join me?”
Shaw felt herself smiling too. This was going to be oh so sweet. “Okay.”
Root’s smile froze and her eyes fluttered. She was already flustered. “I- what?” Ah, this was still so easy, catching Root off-guard and turning her game back on her. That was something Shaw could never get tired of. It was just too amusing.
“I said okay.” Sameen answered then took off towards the bedroom, leaving a still dumbfounded Root behind.
--
“You know when you said you would join me, I thought you meant something else…”
“Can’t imagine what gave you that impression.” Shaw smirked into her pillow, eyes still closed. They were both lying in bed fully clothed, facing each other. The only article of clothing missing was their shoes, much to Root’s – repeatedly vocalized – disdain. “You should be sleeping anyway.”
Root shot her an unimpressed look. “I just did.”
Shaw opened one of her eyes. “Are you really trying to convince me you aren’t tired?” That was a good joke.
A coy smile spread across Root’s face as she started to lean in. “I’m sure I could find a way to convince you-“
“Nope.”
Root fell back with a huff. Followed by a badly concealed wince. Shaw finally opened both of her eyes at that. “Let me guess, you didn’t bring any of your prescribed painkillers.” She received a sheepish smile at that. Of course. “Are you gonna be okay?”
Root’s face softened even more. “Sure. It only hurts when I move or breath…” She might have been a tad bit too excited this morning to even think packing medicine. But it wasn’t that unbearable anymore, it could wait till tomorrow.
“See? Then you should just sleep. Problem solved.” Shaw still hadn’t told Root that she wasn’t planning on letting her up from the bed in at least the next two weeks. And not in the fun way either. But judging from this petulance it might be harder than she thought. Sameen buried her head in her pillow.
They talked a bit right after they laid down, Shaw figured it might wear Root down a bit, but no such luck. Apparently that earlier nap was still holding. But at least she heard about Root’s conversation with The Machine. Shaw was genuinely grateful to learn she didn’t have to be the one to break the news about Harold. The robot got a plus point for that at least.
“Sam?” Shaw hummed at that. “Are you sure you’re…okay with all this?” She lifted her head, Root was busy examining the ceiling.
“What could have possibly changed since the last two times you asked this?” Shaw was starting to get confused. They went through this already. Twice. She told Root exactly what conclusion she reached after talking to The Machine herself.
Root looked back at her with a small smile. “Sorry.”
“There’s still one thing I don’t get though. Who helped you…apart from Dr. Enright?” Shaw realized they never cleared that up.
“I don’t know.” Well that didn’t bring her closer either. “The Machine has assets everywhere. Most of them are private contractors…mercenaries. They do what they’re paid for then fall off the grid until they are needed again. Very few actually know who they’re working for…You met the team in DC, didn’t you?”
Shaw widened her eyes at that. “You knew about them?”
Root looked back at her like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Of course I did.”
“And you never mentioned them…”
“It never really came up.”
“Anything else I don’t know?”
Root gave her another bright smile. “Oh sweetie, I think,” she moved her hand, trying to find Shaw’s own, “there’s a lot we still don’t know about each other.” She laced their fingers together and started drawing circles with her thumb. Sameen didn’t pull away this time either. Root hoped they wouldn't get interrupted this time. Third time’s a charm, afterall.
Shaw gave a quiet snort. “I’m supposed to believe The Machine hadn’t told you everything there’s to know?” She felt herself chuckle again at the thought. But catching Root’s expression- “What? Seriously?”
“I read your file but that’s about it…I- wanted to find out most things by myself.” Root admitted, head slightly buried into her own pillow. Shaw was a bit surprised to hear that. Root thrived on information. Especially on the kind she wasn’t supposed to know. But it also made sense, she always pushed and pushed but rarely did Root actually cross the lines Shaw set up. Sameen let out a huff of breath and slightly squeezed Root’s hand that was intervened with her own.
“Well uh…good thing we have time, I guess.” Shaw said, causing Root to grin back at her from the pillow.
There was a lot to be done still. They had to set up a new HQ for starters. Tell Lionel about all this…see if he was even willing to take part in it. They needed new people too, fresh blood, tech and guns alike. Recruit them, train them. Maybe even set up smaller teams. Create a network. It could work, if they were organized well. Samaritan might have disappeared but some of its agents must be around still, they had to be neutralized as well. She wasn’t about to risk them putting another one together, if that was even possible. And she had no idea if anyone was actually in sole charge of the relevant numbers now…
Sameen rubbed her eyes. She was getting tired. She glanced to her side and found Root fast asleep, hand still gripping tightly Shaw’s own. She felt a smile tugging at her lips as she closed her eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep herself.
Sure, there was still a lot of work to be done. But…they had time.