NUMBER CRUNCH

John Reese: "Where did you come from?"

He hasn't heard Finch arrive, and from someone with the man's reduced mobility, it's something. So John wonders if perhaps he doesn't know all the ins and outs of the Library.

Harold Finch: "I did sense my privacy being invaded."

Finch should know better than to let any evidence in the Library, though.

Harold Finch: "What plurals usually mean. More than one."

Thanks so much, Finch. He couldn't have guessed that alone – what he wants to know is if the plural has a specific meaning here, or if four completely unconnected people are going to need their help today. Because if that's the case, then John will need to cook up a way to handle the four of them separately, and that won't be easy.

Harold Finch: "Claire Ryan's number came up first if only by a millisecond."

Is Finch being literal here, or is it only a figure of speech? Does it mean anything about the way the Machine sends the number to his partner? He needs to keep it in mind, to see if there's any usable info to deduce out of it.

Harold Finch: "Speaking of privacy. Careful what you look for, Mr. Reese, or you might find it."

Finch says that as if anything he has done could horrify John. Or worse, make him scared of the crippled man. It's hilarious – John's not saying Finch absolutely, definitely can't be someone bad, only, he knows a thing or two about doing horrors, and the worse he could discover would be that his current employer is in fact a bastard. That would only make him angry. Played. But if it's the case, he'd rather know and put an end to it than pretend everything is alright. If it's not, he doesn't see what could terrify him so much – partly because John and fear don't really go together. Besides, he needs to know – not everything, but enough. And no one can determine how much is enough for him except him – even if he might, perhaps, regret it in the end.

John Reese: "You said the Machine would give us the number and time. It didn't."

It's the first time he doesn't get there on time to even try and save a number. He'd almost prefer to be able to blame himself, a failure on his part. Because this, this means nothing could have been done anyway.

Lionel Fusco: "You didn't kill her, did you?"

Why do people always assume he's the killer? True, he killed more than once, but he doesn't exactly go around and murder people for fun, does he?

John Reese: "I know she won't, because you'll throw yourself in front of the bullet."

He's not asking for so much, really. Fusco should be able to prevent things from going that far; it's his job, after all. And if John was the one trailing Paula Vasquez, and there was no other way to save her, he would throw himself in front of the bullet. Except he can't be everywhere, and this time he has to rely on Fusco.

Wendy McNally: "Hi. Can I help you?"

Uh. Abort mission. Now – seriously, he doesn't have the time to get his hair cut, even if it would allow him to keep an eye on the young woman directly. If someone comes in and tries to kill her... John is able to fight in about any situation, but if he could, he'd rather avoid going hand to hand with his face full of shampoo. So, abort. Now.

Wendy McNally: "I'm sorry, but I'm not letting you back out on the street looking like this."

Aborting procedure failed.

John Reese: "You lost her and she weaponed up? You better stick to your... day job."

Alright, Fusco might not have volunteered for this, so it's a bit unfair, but nothing tells John that the corrupt detective really tried either. Maybe he did. Maybe he didn't – John doesn't have the time to dwell on it, considering his own mark slipped away too. She didn't buy a gun off the street, at least.

John Reese: "Finch, are you okay? Harold!"

Finch, in essence, is a civilian. In hiding, perhaps, and not the usual civilian, but a civilian. He doesn't have the instinct to report, to tell his partner he's fine, John tries to reason. Just like he didn't have the sense to keep away from the exploding stroller when he knew he couldn't have gotten there in time – and even if he had, Finch was in no physical condition to get away soon enough. Finch is a civilian, and that's why he's not reporting... or he's seriously injured – dead. If he is...

John Reese: "Finch. You couldn't have saved him. You have to let it go. We have to concentrate on the ones still alive. Wendy and Paula."

It's true for him too. Later, John will find a way to blame himself. Later. For now, he has to put it on the side and focus, or he'll lose the two others too.

Harold Finch: "Paula's online footprint is minuscule, so she's either the paranoid sort or she likes to fly beneath the radar – both of which I can relate to. But I..."

Civilian. Sometimes John almost forgets, because Finch kind of seems to know what he's doing.

Lionel Fusco: "Yeah, right. Hi to you too. Like I was about to say, there were two sets of prints on Jamie Hallen's car."

That's one of the things John likes about Fusco as an asset. The guy might not be perfect, but he knows how not to question certain things, at least not until they're dealt with.

Paula Vasquez: "We're not telling you anything, till we know who you are and why you're following us."

Sensible enough... Considering the situation, not the most efficient approach, though. But he likes it better than being yelled at, run away from, or even shot at when he's only trying to help.

(Dayne): "I know, I know, but the thing is – is my phone just died and the kids are getting kind of scared, so if I could just use your phone? I... I'll pay for the call."

Too many coincidences, eh? These things do happen, of course, but never when someone's gunning for the house residents on top of it – if it did, then the unlucky guy would be really, really unlucky. Your car broke down, your cellphone's dead, the kids are scared, and you stumble in a dangerous situation? That's called being cursed.

John Reese: "At least they took the money for a reason."

Perhaps not the most sensible thing to do, but well... Civilians might know better, intellectually, than to take money from a drug deal just because it's laying there, yet that doesn't mean they actually realize the extent of the danger. Someone who does something stupid because they need the money isn't the same as someone who does it only to be able to buy an expensive pair of shoes; these people, at least, have other worries balancing out the danger, and an excuse not to think about it more.

Wendy McNally: "We were worried about you."

He's not sure if she's completely honest here, but it's a nice change of pace.

Wendy McNally: "It was wrong. We knew it was wrong. We should have... Called 911, and walked away."

At least she's acknowledging it. Most people wouldn't.

(Dayne)'s male partner: "Come alone – No muscle – If you want your friend to live."

Damn. Muscle's here already. And John is really, really bad at pretending he didn't hear what he did – he's good at pretending he's not here, though.

Joss Carter: "Maybe you can come in here, help me explain some things."

He's not stupid, thank you. And she knows that, too. She's mostly trying because she has to.

Joss Carter: "Wait. Thank you... For saving my life."

There's something wrong, here. John would like to believe she means it, and maybe she does, but there's something... He watched Carter long enough. She wouldn't thank him for saving her life as long as she believes he's doing something wrong, as long as she wants to catch him. She's too black-and-white for that. And she won't change her mind so easily about him – maybe he's thinking about it too much, but still. It sounds like there's a silent apology in there. Probably because she'll continue to pursue him despite everything.

John Reese: "I thought you were nice."

It's not that he doesn't know women can be villains, or even simply lethal. But he does tend to see them first as a potential good person, then as a potential threat if proved otherwise. Unlike what he does when confronted with a man.

Mark Snow: "Time to come home, John. Slate's been wiped clean."

Impossible. On their side, and on his. It's not that he resents the CIA – maybe he does, a bit, but not to the point of wanting revenge – or that he can't trust the Agency to do what's necessary anymore. He can. Only, he can't trust them with his life, no after last time, and even if he could, he shouldn't. Because they wouldn't trust him not to want revenge. It's impossible. And Mark knows that.

Harold Finch: "They got to her."

He wonders about what they told Carter, exactly. That he's broken? That he's a monster? That it's not his fault, he's not a bad guy, but his morals got skewed along the way? That he did this and that, as if they hadn't ordered him to to begin with? That they're only doing this for everyone's sake, his included? It doesn't really matter. Carter's not to blame; after all, she doesn't know him.

John Reese: "No. You stay away. Don't even risk it."

It's not even that he isn't worth it. Just that it's too dangerous – and if they're both taken, who will be left for the numbers?

Joss Carter: "Go."

Something's breaking in Carter's mind, he can tell. He's not sure in what manner, but he knows what: her certitude about how the different parts of the story fit together, now that she saw Finch / Burdett with him.