1.

Root smirked as she read the obituary in the paper. Really, the old man should have known better. Everyone knew smoking was bad for your health.

Especially if your cigars were poisoned.

2.

Greer was on his way in, planning his next move and enjoying his morning coffee when his towncar was suddenly rammed by a black SUV barreling out of an alley. It flipped and rolled before coming to a rest on its side. Grice climbed out of the SUV and ambled over to the wreck. A few quick shots and the mission was successfully concluded. He got back into the truck and drove off. He would switch vehicles at a nearby garage. A few more such car changes and he would finally be in the clear to contact Control that the threat had been eliminated.

3.

Root, Reese, and Fusco had been ambushed by Decima agents when they walked into a trap. Now they sat, tied to their chairs, waiting for what would come next. Only Finch was still free, and the old man in charge was sure that he would soon be in their clutches. In fact, he sent his little minions off to a rendezvous while he stayed behind to gloat. Fusco supposed he should be insulted that the baddie was focused on Coco Puffs and Wonderboy. Hell, the man didn't even know who Lionel was and didn't seem to care to learn either. But that was ok. Lionel was used to being underestimated. He had been in a much worse predicament when HR had grabbed him. These guys hadn't even tied his legs to the chair! While the old guy was monologueing at the other two, Fusco carefully and quietly got to his feet, chair still attached, and then launched himself at the man from behind. The two went down in a tangle, and Fusco heard a crack from the old guy as he wriggled around trying to get loose from the now broken chair. Once he was free he untied the others. Reese seemed a bit incredulous when he checked on their captor and found that his neck was broken. But that was nothing to the shock Fusco felt when Coco Puffs gave him a big hug at the news.

4.

Most people wouldn't think of Shaw as a patient person, but she could bide her time if necessary for a mission. She had played possum as much as reasonably possible after waking up in the infirmary, taking stock of her physical condition and the security setup while feigning bouts of unconsciousness. She felt her condition while not great was no longer serious enough to prevent her from physical exertion, and the security around her was perfunctory at best. She was easily able to wriggle out of her restraints and detach the iv. Then it was just a question of waiting for the right moment. She was faking sleep when Greer came in for his regular gloating session. She shifted in bed, mumbling under her breath. As Greer leaned over her she took the opportunity to whack him in the side of the head with the metal bedpan. She kept him positioned over her as a possible shield while she rummaged in his suit pocket for the weapon she was sure he kept there. When her blonde nemesis stuck her head into the room Shaw placed two shots right between her eyes. She then shoved the old guy off of her onto the floor, and emptied the rest of her rounds into his unconscious body before stalking over to retrieve a fresh weapon from the blonde's corpse. The rest of the escape was ridiculously easy. Taking out a few poorly trained rent-a-cops and forcing the nursing staff into a supply closet before locking them in. Now she just had to make contact with the others to arrange a safe pick up and transport to the subway.

5.

Elias had rather been expecting John to come to his rescue once again. Things had been coming to a head with the Brotherhood, and John had come with a warning that Elias was in danger. Nothing new there; Elias already knew Dominic was making a move against him. He told John he had business he had to take care of, so John decided to accompany him and his men to the meat packing plant where a shipment of weapons was being delivered. Those weapons played a key role in Elias' plans for the Brotherhood.

Of course Dominic and his men showed up, as Elias' own men had sold him out. With just the two of them, not even John could hope to come out on top in a fight. Emboldened by his success, Dominic wanted to make a clean sweep of the board by demanding John give up his mysterious employer. Elias knew John would never sell out Harold, so when Dominic gave an ultimatum he volunteered that he had a way of contacting the man. John looked furious when Elias gave Dominic an email address, even though Dominic had been threatening to kill them both. Dominic snapped a picture of John's battered face with his phone and sent it to the address Elias had supplied in order to arrange a meeting.

Greer had been a bit puzzled by the message "I have something you might want" and the picture of some man he had never seen before. But Samaritan's response to the picture was most interesting. It became clear that this must be one of the operatives of the enemy. Greer quickly sent a reply asking to set up a meeting, while his own agents traced the current location of the phone that sent the message. They were on the move while the trace was still being performed.

When a reply came in Dominic had Elias and John dumped into the meat locker while they prepared for the arrival of their mystery guest. As soon as the freezer doors closed John had Elias shoved against the wall, snarling in his face "You're dead meat."

Elias shook his head at the bad pun and said "John, you know I would never sell out Harold so easily. Who would I find to play chess with? For all his bluster Dominic just isn't one to focus on the long game."

"Then who's coming?"

"Let's find out shall we" and Elias began to rummage in one of the meat carcasses, pulling out a small ipad encased in protective plastic. With a few quick swipes Carl had it turned on and displaying the feeds from the cameras in the main room. It was only a short time later when their mystery man and his entourage made an appearance. Elias didn't recognize him but from his quick indrawn breath he was sure John did. The two groups of gunmen eyed each other with suspicion as their bosses began negotiations. Time for his next move. The C4 packed under the layers of guns in the bottom crate exploded when the signal was received. The gasoline that had replaced the water in the sprinkler system turned the whole place into a roaring inferno. If anyone had managed to escape the blast and the fire, the snipers Elias had posted outside would have made sure that the escapees didn't survive long. Surrounded by thick walls, and with the refrigeration and air vents situated at the back of the freezer, Elias and John would be able to wait out the conflagration until the fire was under control and they could be safely released.

Elias had of course been suspicious when that pretty little grifter had put him in touch with a new player in the game. But this Ernest Thornhill's opening move had certainly got Carl's attention: he had siphoned the money from Dominic's accounts and transferred it to Elias' offshore accounts. The move had gotten Dominic's attention as well. The man had been provoked into making some rash moves, and Elias had capitalized on that. He also felt reasonably sure that Dominic would not execute him right away, but rather try and recover his funds, when he made his preparations.