A Root Shaped Problem
Shaw dug Fusco in the ribs as they lay contentedly in bed afterwards "There's someone in here" she breathed.
"Where'd I leave my gun?" he replied softly in the darkness "I got... distracted"
She smiled, remembering her part in his distraction "Same place as always, to your right on the bedroom cabinet. I've got one taped underneath here but I'll work the light, you scare the shit out of them"
The plan agreed, Fusco quietly retrieved his holstered gun, put the safety off, and readied himself. Shaw snapped the light on and she and Fusco were startled to see Root regarding them solemnly, her lower lip quivering slightly.
"What the hell are you doing here!" demanded Shaw.
"I saw you and Fusco come in, all over each other, so I thought I'd see what was happening"
"Have you been here the whole time?" said Shaw
"Pretty much; you're a lot noisier than with me, Sameen"
"You weird little psycho freak!" spat Shaw furiously and clenched her fists in anger but Fusco tried to damp down any trouble "Honey, it's not nice to spy on your friends like that" he said gently "I know you don't care for me but you like Sameen, right? You know she doesn't like me the same way as she does you; it's just that sometimes she likes to... be with me. And I like to be with her"
Root said nothing, she seemed very pale and a vein pulsed at her temple.
"Ok, I'm going to make everyone some hot chocolate" said Fusco, feigning a cheerful tone that he didn't feel "Close your eyes, Root, while I get outta the bed"
"You'll never look at Italian salami the same again" said Shaw, smirking rather cruelly and letting the sheet drift down to reveal her upper body. Root sniffed and turned her head while Fusco got into his boxer shorts. He ambled over to the kitchen area and turned his head "Do you want some Shaw or just..."
Root shot him in the back.
He dropped to his knees with a grunt and leant his head against the breakfast counter, a confused look in his eyes. Shaw exploded from the bed; taking the gun from Root's hand, clubbing her viciously to the floor, and rushing to his side.
"Lionel, don't die on me" she begged "I can't bear it again"
"Hey Sameen" he said weakly "You sure are pretty, I..." His breath rattled in his throat and he went limp.
Shaw's eyes narrowed and she took a deep breath. She went over to a groggy Root and lifted her into a kitchen chair, then zip-tied her arms and legs to it.
"Sameen, what are you doing?" she said in confusion "You didn't need Fusco; I'm the one for you. You know that! No more Mr. Blobby!" She giggled horribly but Shaw said nothing and stuck some duct tape over Root's mouth to silence her.
The activity had settled her somewhat and she went to the bathroom to clean up. She was still naked and some of Fusco's blood was smeared on her. She washed, scrubbing at the blood vigorously, and dressed. She looked in the mirror "Yeah, I got killer looks" she said sourly "Right Fusco? Right Cole?" Why had Root spoilt it? Fooling around with her was OK. Fooling around with Fusco was OK. None of it meant much. Fusco was OK about it. Why wasn't Root?
She phoned Reese "I need you to come over now" she said calmly "We have a problem. Well, 2 problems actually" Reese asked no questions, just saying he'd dress and be there soonest.
Shaw waited, drinking whiskey and looking thoughtfully at the iron sitting on the kitchen work surface.
oooooooooo
Finch was roused from his sleep by his phone playing a tune that he'd never heard before, indicating that a very important message from the Machine had arrived.
"Oh no" he groaned as he saw that his special app had translated the numbers into names: names that had triggered the alert.
FINCH
REESE
SHAW
GROVES
"All of us?" he wondered "But we cleared everything up earlier. How is my name there at all?"
He phoned Reese "Mr. Reese, the Machine says that you, Miss Shaw, and Miss Groves are in danger. Is everything alright? Where are you?"
Reese's reply seemed... odd, there was some tension in it and he didn't answer the second question. Finch decided to check that Miss Shaw, who lived nearer, was safe. He would go personally and scout the area, just in case, then see what she thought. God knows where Miss Groves was, the Machine sent her all over the place. He dressed quickly and left his apartment building.
oooooooooo
Reese looked at the NYPD shield, sitting alone on the table, and the bed-sheet covered object on the floor.
"Is that who I think it is, Shaw?" he asked
"Take a look" she said slurring slightly. She put the bottle back in the cabinet - she'd need a clear head for the rest of the night, for what needed to be done. Afterwards she'd go back to it, need to go back to it.
Reese looked at Fusco sadly and put the sheet back over him "What happened?" although a bound and gagged Root said it all. Shaw told him through tight lips.
"She goes in the freakin' ground, Reese, so help me" she said forcefully.
The call from Finch interrupted them "Stall him" urged Shaw "He doesn't have to know about all this, not till it's over"
"Maybe we can put her in a hospital" said Reese "Like last time"
"Like last time?" scoffed Shaw "She took out the whole goddamn place! The doctor looking after her had a freaking breakdown himself, for Chrissake. No, we end her like we shoulda done at Hanford, like I shoulda done. If I had, maybe…"
"Take it easy Shaw" advised Reese "You know regrets don't help in this sort of work"
"I know but it's different. This is about people we know" she was getting more agitated "Who's going to flip next? You? Finch? Bear? I thought we were a team, a family even. I don't want to be looking over my shoulder for you guys, and you sure as hell don't want to be looking for me"
They argued for a while, Root's eyes mutely switching between them, but a banging on the front door brought a temporary halt.
"Miss Shaw" called Finch "Are you alright?"
"Oh great" muttered Shaw, letting him in "Come in Harold, you shoulda stayed home"
Finch looked in shock at the corpse of Fusco and the bound Root. He sat down and took the whiskey glass from Shaw with shaking hands as she told him what had happened "I thought our names meant 4 victims but it's 3 perpetrators and 1 victim, isn't it?" he whispered in horror.
"First off, we need to get rid of Fusco unless Shaw wants the CSI types all over the place" Reese said "Better do it tonight while it's still dark. Do you think we should dismember him? It'd make disposal easier" he added callously.
Shaw cursed him in no uncertain terms "We oughta dress him, he looks... undignified. I don't want him found in just his shorts - what'll his kid think?"
Reese shrugged "He got robbed by a hooker or a pimp. Happens all the time"
"You know what, John? You're a real asshole" said Shaw "He was our colleague, our friend. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"
They went back to what to do with Root. As expected Finch wanted to keep her alive, he believed that she could be redeemed.
"As long as she's hooked into the Machine" reasoned Reese "She can escape from anywhere eventually"
"OK then" said Shaw "We'll cut her ear open and take out the implant thing". She began to examine kitchen knives for a suitable tool and Root started a muffled yelling, her eyes bulging.
"Please Miss Shaw" said Harold grasping her hand "Not that. She'd be lost without the Machine. She'd descend into a hole so deep that we'd never get her out"
"I don't care" insisted Shaw "She killed Lionel and she's gotta pay"
Shaw smiled fondly "Fusco was always sticking up for her, you know? Said she was mixed up 'cos of what happened to her friend down in Texas. He'd always tell her that she looked nice if she was in a dress and stuff instead of those crappy jeans and t-shirt. He thought talking to her like a normal person would help make her be normal too. He wasn't even jealous that she had a crush on me - said it all helped. Look where it got him: the poor, dumb sap!"
"Reese or me, we'd do it quick" she wheedled "She wouldn't suffer". She snapped a biscuit to illustrate her point and Finch shuddered. Root shook her head rapidly, understandably not in favour.
"Perhaps we can keep her confined, like we did in the library" he proposed hopefully. Root nodded eagerly in agreement from the chair.
Shaw was dismissive "To what end Harold? None of us are qualified shrinks so we can't fix her. We'd have to watch her like hawks too which would affect us helping the numbers. We'd have to take her out sometimes to get some air and sunlight as well. OK, maybe not that last bit" she added vindictively.
Root was making muffled noises and banging about in the chair so Shaw went over and partly peeled back the tape "What?" she said roughly.
"Please can I use the bathroom?" asked Root in her meekest voice. Shaw relayed the request to the others and Reese and Finch looked at each other. "I'll take her" said Reese; both had seen Shaw palm a kitchen knife and neither wanted Root "killed while trying to escape". Reese took Root to the bathroom leaving Finch and Shaw alone.
"She's a danger to us all, Finch" said Shaw fiercely "Maybe not you, she's only kidnapped you twice. But you kept her in the library for a while, so maybe you owe her one. Trouble is, you're kinda soft on her – I think you like her too much"
Finch sighed "She has a brilliant mind and the Machine obviously sees value in her so yes: I like her. In another life maybe she and I could… It doesn't matter" he ended sadly.
Shaw rolled her eyes "Men!" she said in exasperation "She'll use that affection, Harold, and twist it against you. That could harm all of us"
"I know, Sameen" said Finch desperately "But when I look into her eyes I feel… different. I feel more than I am, if that makes sense"
"It just means you're horny" said Shaw brutally.
There was shouting from the bathroom "Help! Murder! Rape! They want to kill me! Help!", then Reese's voice shouting about "too many cocktails" to reassure the neighbours. He came back in with a struggling Root doing her best to kick and bite him but they eventually got her back in the chair and tied-up again.
"If someone calls the cops and they find a dead NYPD detective on my floor it won't look good for any of us" warned Shaw "We need to decide soon and tidy things up. You know my vote"
Finch said "I can't go along with that, I say keep her alive under supervision of some sort. I'm sorry John; it looks like you have the casting vote"
Reese sighed and put his head down on his folded arms to make one of the hardest decisions in his life. Root looked on, her eyes flicking between them; waiting for her fate.