ONE PERCENT

Harold Finch: "Classic black, satin notch lapel, bespoke, of course. And I assume you know how to tie one of these?"

...He does. He also tends not to appreciate events for which he's supposed to wear one.

Logan Pierce: "I'm sorry. I thought you were interesting. My mistake."

Ah, yes. Beaucoup you can judge someone from the first sentences they tell you – of course, Pierce's first impression was the right one, for a certain definition of the word "interesting", but he's still quick to make his mind when he has no need to. Well, then, John guesses it means there's nothing wrong with judging the billionaire by his first sentence to him. Superficial, mercurial, and unsufferable.

Harold Finch: "Mr. Reese, this is not petty cash."

John isn't the one who gave himself a hundred-millions-dollars bank account. And anyway, Finch will probably appreciate the auctioned letters.

John Reese: "It's against the law to take off from a rooftop in Manhattan. Finch, how do we keep up with a guy who breaks all the rules?"

Suggestion: lock him up where no one will ever find him, watch who benefits from his disappearance, handle the assholes, and then let loose the public menace.

Harold Finch: "Someone has hacked into the car's ECU and installed malware, locked the car in third gear at 50 miles an hour."

And then people wonder why not everyone is convinced by the addition of electronics to absolutely everything. No one will ever be able to hijack your old car's controls if you're seating in it.

John Reese: "I'll make this quick. I have it on good authority that your life's in danger. And normally I'd just follow you around, help behind the scenes, but – well, you've got too much money and too many resources. I can protect you, but only if you let me stick with you for the next 48 hours."

Pierce's comment about him being "interesting" gave him the idea: the billionaire will be too curious to find out more not to let him do his job, even if John puts it so crudely. Add to that the fact that he's just proved he's more efficient than Pierce's security – good security, ex-Mossad, probably, but as Mark once put it, "John is John and the others are not" – and there's no reason left for the billionaire to refuse.

Logan Pierce: "You saved me. In the Chinese culture, you'd be responsible for me for life."

This sounds like the worst idea in the world. John would be responsible for so many people, by now, and there's no way he could handle that.

Logan Pierce: "Of course it'll happen. But if you accept change is inevitable, it doesn't crush you when it does. Every technology ages, John. The only thing that never gets old is connecting with people. That's what everyone wants, a real connection."

Well. Pierce can't exactly say he excels at that. So, good philosophy, John guesses, but terrible application.

Logan Pierce: "I'm awake. And just who are you?"

And here John had been thinking it was almost too easy for dealing with a lawless billionaire. Of course Pierce had been faking it – despite having been poisoned in the last hours – to satisfy his curiosity. John would feel guilty about having started Pierce's interest, but he's also almost certain the billionaire would have caught onto something at some point – or would have been killed because John was too far behind.

Logan Pierce: "That's okay. I already know. Tell me, how did you make a bug small enough to fit inside this? Your voice too. You hacked into my car's computer and you remotely accessed the accelerator and the brakes. So I guess that makes you the brains of the operation. No offense. And judging by your bespoke suit, you're also the bank. And there's you, John. You took out my security guard Zvi. He's a former Mossad agent and an expert in Krav Maga. So what is it, John? Former Special Ops? Ex-CIA? And you, just a very rich hacker?"

Perception and memorizing of details, analysis of known intel, conclusion, etc. Pierce doesn't seem to have the usual blindspot geniuses do – the one where they are so focused on their area of expertise and either lacking in all others or blind to them. Except that he's completely lost – the billionaire has no goal, no drive except survival. Not being caught by change – and, maybe that's why he's so perceptive of everything around him. He reminds John of Root, in a way, but without the grudge against the world – but just as disconnected from his reality.

Jeremy Campbell: "You threatening me?"

If the murderous lawyer needs words to understand, at this point, there isn't much John can do for him. It's not a threat, it's a warning, and the asshole is no match for John.

Logan Pierce: "Uh... Full disclosure, I might have mentioned our little trip to one or two people. I mean, you can't expect me to be all business, can you?"

Ah. So it wasn't only curiosity that allowed John to keep the billionaire safe for a time, it was also a short-lived attempt at seriousness. But Pierce, despite his longing for survival, despite the fact that he doesn't seem much surprised by anything except John and Harold's intervention in the attempt on his life – Pierce is lost, adrift, and there seem to be nothing that can efficiently anchor him.

John Reese: "If you're not gonna take your safety seriously, why should I?"

After all, it's already been dealt with. The lawyer is going to jail, there is no danger left – except Pierce's own recklessness.

Harold Finch: "Logan Pierce. There's another threat against him, or else someone is conspiring with the lawyer. All I know for certain is that Pierce is in immediate danger."

…It begs the question: did someone else decide to kill him? Pierce can be horrible enough for two unrelated people to decide they want him gone at the same time, or is it the Machine's way to tell them it's not finished? That they missed something?

Logan Pierce: "You know, I finally figured it out, why you do what you do. Altruism."
...That's the first time someone tells John that. Generally they prefer to blame PTSD and other mental conditioning.

Harold Finch: "Our friend is just curious enough to be dangerous."

So much like Root, indeed – Pierce wants to know, no matter the price, the danger to himself. But he's not malevolent, he won't resort to the same tactics she did – he is just, maybe, dangerous in his curiosity. Attracting unwanted attention, onto himself, and onto them. John hopes nothing more will come of it.