Root's plan was very precise. She would replace someone from the IT-department at th
e insurance company Shaw currently worked at. They'd run into each other like co-workers and go from there. Nothing out of the ordinary, nothing Samaritan would pick up. Just two people meeting at work.
But she was totally unprepared when she ran into Shaw at a coffee shop across the street while scouting the area. And she literally ran into her, coffee spilling over both their coats.
"I'm sorr-," the rest of Root's words chocked in her throat when she locked eyes with Shaw and the little coffee shop suddenly became even smaller.
Shaw, whose name was Sam Hall now, was the first to recover and slip back into her role.
"It's okay," Shaw mumbled, busying herself and avoiding eye contact. She walked to the counter and picking up paper napkins, handing a handful to the hacker who gladly took them, their hands briefly touching.
Why hadn't the Machine warn me? Root wondered while Shaw was eyeing her curiously, waiting for her to say something other than an apology for the coffee spill. But Root didn't. She couldn't.
So Shaw shrugged and left the store. Outside in the cold morning, she paused for a moment, surprised at the sudden adrenalin rush.
It had been five weeks since the team had separated and she hadn't had contact with anyone since. She had started a job as an investigator at BT&W insurance and while it wasn't the most thrilling job, it kept her occupied.
Root had looked startled, like a deer caught in headlights even, Shaw mused while she crossed the road. She figured that this "meeting" wasn't planned.
Although she would never admit it, Shaw had missed the team. It was only after they were all gone that she realized how much she came to depend on them. She was lost without a purpose, the guidance of Harold and the Machines missions.
And Root, her inner voice nagged, but that was less about guidance, she missed the action the hacker brought along, among other things. But Shaw didn't dwell on that.
"Sam!" Brian, one of the assistants called out, waving at Shaw when she walked to the elevators on her way home a couple of days later. It was dark outside, most of the staff had already left the building but Shaw had been staying late, studying files to find a new lead on her case. Dropping off a file at the front desk, she crossed the empty floor.
"You've got news?"
"Yeah, they send someone new from tech department to help with that burnt laptop you recovered," Brian looked smug.
"And?" Shaw's face stayed expressionless even though she had recognized the second person in the office right away.
"This is Linda Ford. Linda, this is Sam Hall, our investigator." He introduced them, knowing little how well they knew each other.
"Nice to meet you, Sam!" Root smiled at her charmingly.
"Likewise." Their eyes locked for a moment and a hint of a smile played around Shaw's mouth. Brian probably couldn't tell, but Root caught it.
"So, what did you find?"
"We've been able to recover a couple of emails so far," Root aka Linda took lead and handed Shaw printouts. "It's not much, but the hard drive was pretty fried." Their fingers touched again and Root had a glint in her eyes, nothing like the other day when she had barely spoken. She was back in the game.
"I hope you're right, the boss is asking for us to close this quickly." Shaw held eyes contact for a moment and then turned to the assistant. "I'll follow up with this, give me a call when you find anything else."