Huge thanks to everyone who is still reading and who has reviewed. Your comments have inspired me to keep writing this which lately has been hard to do, so thanks! (I know it may not seem like it, but I am making slow and steady progress with this )….so here's the next chapter...

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE: It's okay Root. I can do this…

Shaw heard the gunshot, she saw the bullet enter Control's forehead but somehow the whole event felt strangely surreal, like some strange out-of-body experience. She stared into Control's expressionless eyes, her shaking arm outstretched, her green fingers fighting hard to not clasp around the trigger once again. Consciously, Shaw acknowledged that Control was dead, but she couldn't find a way to shake off that overwhelming desire to shoot her over and over again.

However, Root understood Shaw's mental struggles long before Shaw could figure them out. She took a gentle step towards Shaw and placed a soft hand on Shaw's outstretched arm. "Sweetie, give me the gun…." she whispered into Shaw's ear, her words soft and reassuring, hugging Shaw from afar. "It's over…" she added.

Shaw remained silent but she submitted, leaving Root to guide her arm down to her side. Root collected the gun from Shaw's hand with a few soft strokes of her long fingers, her anxious eyes never leaving Shaw's face.

Feeling the weightlessness, Shaw's gaze dropped to her empty hands. She examined them with deep puzzlement and then looked up at Root with a million silent questions. Root held her breath; never before had she seen such raw, open, emotion in those magical brown eyes.

Suddenly, the familiar click of the door filled the silence in the room. Root spun on her heels and aimed the gun at the door, making sure that her body protected Shaw from any oncoming gunfire.

"John?" mumbled Shaw with surprise whilst peering from behind Root's shoulder. "Finch?..." she added as both men entered the room.

"Good to see you too Shaw.." replied John, who gave the room a quick visual inspection and tucked his gun into the back of his pants.

"Oh dear…" said Finch as his gaze examined Control's body "It appears that we've arrived a little too late, Mr Reese."

Root closed the door and turned to Finch with a rather nervous expression. "Harold, what are you doing here?"

"The Machine kinda spat out her number.." stated John flatly whilst pointing at Control and immediately received a silent, reprimanding glare from Finch.

"Wait, what?" asked Shaw as she neared John's position "You came here to save her?"

"Harold, what's going on?" probed Root once again, hoping that a more lengthy explanation would prevent Shaw from hurting John.

Finch exhaled a deep sigh and pulled out a transparent plastic bag from his coat pocket. Root grinned at the small ear-piece inside it. She snatched the bag from Finch's hand and inserted the small implement into her ear with trembling hands.

"Oh great…" said Shaw, her voice dripping in sarcasm "Here comes the human-machine reunion…" she added with an accompanying eye-roll.

Root smiled as she noted the bitter tone of Shaw's voice, but remained silent. She closed her eyes and exhaled a long slow breath of relief as The Machine launched into a long explanation of recent events.

Shaw fought hard to give Root the time she needed to gain all the information they were missing, but that silly the-machine-is-talking-to-me smile on Root's face would drive a Saint to insanity.

"Well?" questioned Shaw impatiently, interrupting Root's rendezvous with The Machine.

Hesitantly, Root's gaze met Shaw. "The Machine's plan against Samaritan required Control and her software..." stated Root flatly, knowing full well that this wasn't going to calm Shaw.

"Seriously?" mocked Shaw, turning about to address both Root and Finch. "You're telling me that your all-seeing-super-God needs her to defeat another one of its kind?"

"Sameen, it doesn't matter anymore…" explained Root gently, her tone stern yet comforting. Then her gaze broke away and she announced "We need an escape route…"

Whilst Root silently studied The Machine's proposed escape options, John observed Control's body with a grim expression. "What the hell happened here anyway?" he asked.

"I shot her…" answered Shaw flatly.

"Oh Miss Shaw…" muttered Finch, his voice laced with disappointment. "I wish you wouldn't have done that..."

Shaw swallowed an imaginary lump in her throat and her gaze dropped to her feet. However an unexpected commotion behind the door quickly awoke everyone from their thoughts.

John pressed an ear to the door. "Sounds like we've got company..."

Shaw turned to face Root. "I'm gonna need my gun back…" she said as her eyes shyly met Root's.

Root didn't answer, the hesitation she felt clearly evident on her face. "It's okay Root. I can do this…"added Shaw confidently and offered Root a short, but honest smile.

Despite her reservations Root gave the gun to Shaw with the best supporting and encouraging smile she could muster.

Then, Root approached the laptop that was still sat on the bed before them. "We can't leave the premises until the software download is complete…" she explained, her eyes dancing about the screen anxiously.

John and Shaw exchanged exasperated glances "Ok, any ideas on when that will be?" asked John

Finch read the computer screen over Root's shoulder. "40% remaining…."

"I don't know what that means.." muttered Shaw as she finished counting her ammo supply "but I doubt I have 40% worth of bullets.."

"That's okay.." announced Root in a confident, self-assured tone, catching Shaw's attention quickly. "You won't need many…." she added with a wide smile and that twinkle in her eye that had only one possible meaning.

Shaw rolled her eyes. "Let me guess.." she said mockingly with a lopsided smile "She has a plan.."