GET CARTER
Lionel Fusco: "What the hell are you doing here?"
Well, for once, nothing except walking and unexpectedly finding a crime scene. He does happen not to be doing shady things all the time, you know?
Harold Finch: "I'm sorry, Mr. Reese. The machine detects acts of premeditation."
It's better than nothing, John supposes. But it won't resurrect those who never even made it on the irrelevant list, no matter how great the Machine is.
Harold Finch: "Didn't know you cared."
It's not exactly that he cares, or, at least, no more than for any other number's family. He'll do his best to keep everyone alive, like always. If Carter dies, it's also her son who suffers. But aside from that, John mostly thinks it suspicious that Finch didn't tell him absolutely everything about Joss Carter as soon as they got the detective's number; after Judge Gates and his son, both endangered but only one number coming down, Finch should know better. It's almost as if Finch is trying to keep him... at a distance, perhaps, from the current number. John doesn't know exactly what to make of it.
Harold Finch: "Almost got it."
But almost is never enough, for someone who doesn't have field skills. If Finch is caught...
Harold Finch: "As you know, I collect rare books, Mr. Reese. 180-gram vinyl and a Xerox Alto when I can find one."
He almost smirks, as Finch acknowledges John's investigation on him. The two of them are putting limits, what's alright to discover about the other, what doesn't exactly matter, even if it does, but in another way... They're making progress, trusting each other about personal details, if not with relevant information.
John Reese: "Fusco's into dolls?"
He broke into the detective's place a while back, and he thinks he would have noticed.
John Reese: "Impressive lady. Honest to a fault."
Which can be a problem, because this kind of people tends to think they're always right, and while they might often be, the few times they aren't... But it's still a good thing. Mostly.
Harold Finch: "And then there's Elias – ruthless killer, organized crime boss, who's already taken a shot at her."
Speaking of which, it's a bit weird, considering. Elias is not the one who usually holds the gun... But perhaps the retired detective was too much of a personal case, perhaps that's the explanation. Still...
Harold Finch: "What will you do if she catches you?"
He'll trust Finch to get him out, and, if nothing can be done, to hire someone else to do the leg work. But, more to the point, John can't go around choosing who he'll save and who he won't. If it's uncomfortable for him, but not endangering to, say, national security, he'll do it nonetheless. Carter wants to stop him because she thinks he's doing whatever he wants and that the lives he saves are only collateral advantages; if he decided to let her be killed, that would become the truth.
Lionel Fusco: "You know something I don't?"
He doubts the detective wants him to start an exhaustive list right now.
Lionel Fusco: "Whoa, wait a minute. I can't be involved in something like that."
Let's say he can't be deeply involved, but he will get involved enough to get intel. That's how it works: Fusco doesn't do what he wants, because he is dirty to begin with, and John doesn't get him in more trouble than the man can deal with on his own, unless there's an emergency. Keeping the extremes at bay is the better way to deal with an asset: if you ask too much of them, they always draw back at the worst time, and John can't have that happen with Fusco.
John Reese: "Finch, I don't like the looks of this."
There's something wrong, something that doesn't fit. Carter isn't the kind of cop to simply walk to someone, even if it's obvious they're not exactly clean, and start something like that – yet again, John is forced to remind himself that the detective, even if she follows the letter of the law, knows how to hold on a grudge, how to pursue someone until it's too late. She's doing it with him, and while she's not completely wrong to consider John a criminal, one day someone might die because she'll be keeping him from doing his job... He doesn't like to think that, maybe, Detective Carter could be unreasonable about some things, but he has to consider it. If only to make sure it isn't the case.
John Reese: "Maybe she's like us. Trying to prevent something bad from happening."
Which makes it all the more ironic that she can't keep herself from trying to send him to jail.
Lionel Fusco: "Yeah, thanks, look, I'm just saying, if she wasn't around, it would probably solve a lot of your problems, now, wouldn't it?"
Except John's problems aren't worth Carter's life. Even John's life isn't worth Carter's life.
Harold Finch: "Carter's going to the Kovachs' house. He's armed, sounds extremely agitated. Reese? Where are you?"
No time to answer – here, it's not about Carter. It's about Kovach's wife. Her murder might not be premeditated, but she still doesn't deserve to die.
Joss Carter: "I'm not the one who's hiding. Look, you keep playing God, and sooner or later, an innocent person's gonna get hurt. I can't let that happen."
There's a number of things he wants to say in answer to that. That he's not hiding – even if he isn't surrendering himself to her – not from her at least; and she can't do anything to protect him from the CIA, even if she thinks otherwise. That he's not playing God, but playing against the odds. That he'd like to see her sitting on the same intel he has, that someone's going to get hurt, and he'll know even if he doesn't intervene. That, if she continues to go after him, she might become the very reason the innocent person she's talking about gets hurt. That he can't let that happen either – but he won't do what she wants, because he'd rather deal with the fallout of her getting in his way than with the consequences if he gives her one too many hints.
John Reese: "Elias can't kill a cop without permission. Run this up the chain of command. Permission's been revoked."
It will never be given again. He's taking that responsibility. Someone has to. Someone who has the means to make it a reality.