Disclaimer: Credit to Jonathan Nolan, Greg Plageman, and the POI writing team. Bolded sections are straight from the episodes.


QUEENSBRIDGE PARK

Chapter 44: beginning of Control-Alt-Delete


Reese, Finch, Root, and Fusco had successfully deployed the countermeasure at the stock exchange, stabilizing the wildly fluctuating market. Samaritan agents had been lying in wait for them, and things had been particularly dire until Shaw arrived to save the day.

She hadn't been able to save herself, though.

She'd sacrificed her own safety to get the rest of Team Machine, including an injured Reese, out of the stock exchange, and the last they'd seen of her, she'd fallen in a hail of gunfire as Martine, Samaritan's lead operative, had closed in.


They take Reese, who'd been shot in the back while protecting Finch, to Dr. Megan Tillman's apartment for treatment.

"He needs to rest," Tillman tells Fusco and Finch. "You need to rest," she repeats to Reese, since he's already sitting up and trying to get to his feet. "That's a serious injury, John. You've lost a lot of blood."

"I'm fine. Our friend isn't," Reese says shortly, finally getting to his feet and wavering only slightly. He tests his shoulder and winces.

"John, I really must insist —"

Root, who had been waiting outside, appears. She locks eyes with Reese. "You ready?"

"Yes," he says, following her out.

"Mr. Reese," Finch protests, hurrying after them.

On the sidewalk outside of Tillman's apartment, Reese rounds on Finch, using his height to its fullest advantage. "Root and I are going to find Shaw. You're either in or you're out, Harold." His eyes flick to Fusco. "Same goes for you, Lionel."

Finch gives him a look of dismay. "John ..."

Reese nods, his expression cold. "All right then, you're out." He turns to Root and jerks his head toward the car. "Let's go."


They stop by the subway to pick up the missile they'd been saving — just in case — and then Reese's apartment to pick up the Plan B bag, and so Reese can change, since his bloodstained suit with bulletholes is likely to draw attention they won't want. At least not at first.

He's handing the bag off to Root in the hall when Elena's door opens. Unsteady on her crutches, she pokes her head out and just avoids falling out into the hallway by catching hold of the doorway.

"John?" she calls softly.

He hears Root make a sound of impatience and start off down the hall with his guns. Though he knows they can't waste anymore time, he also can't just leave Elena standing there.

"Give me one minute," he tells Root.

Elena's already regained her balance and has limped with her crutches a few steps into her apartment, leaving the door open for him. He steps inside and closes the door, though he knows it won't deter anyone who really wants to listen.

"John, what's going on?" she asks, face pale and strained in the darkness. "I haven't been able to reach you — any of you — all day. What's —?"

She really is a terrible liar. His eyes land on the phone lying on her coffeetable. The screen is still lit. "You know already," he realizes.

She meets his gaze. "I know Sameen is missing, and I know you want to get her back, but you can't just run around, guns blazing —"

"Who told you? Lionel?"

"Harold," she admits.

He nods once. "That sounds like him," he says bitterly. "He wants us to think about it, to come up with a strategy, take the time to plan something? Every minute we waste is another minute Shaw's life is in danger."

"I know," Elena says desperately. "But you're not thinking straight, and neither is Root —"

"No, you don't know," he cuts her off. "I'm not leaving Shaw behind. Finch knows better than anyone how that feels, so you remind him of that when he calls again, if he's not already listening right now."

"John —"

"And you also tell him I didn't think he'd stoop so low to have you do his dirty work for him. Now, I'm going to go save Shaw from the mess he created," he adds, before turning on his heel.

"John, this isn't like you at all," Elena blurts out.

That stops him. He turns to face her again, and she inadvertently takes a step back. "That's where you're wrong, Elena. This is exactly who I am."

Already unsteady on her crutches, Elena backs into the side of her couch and nearly topples over. His hand shoots out to steady her, and she flinches, bracing herself as if for a blow.

Reese freezes at the look of terror that had crossed Elena's face in that split-second.

Elena realizes her mistake immediately, but it's too late. He turns away, and she desperately reaches out and grabs his arm.

"John —"

He stops short and turns, towering over her. "You're right to fear me, Elena. This is who I am. I kill people. People around me get hurt. You should stay away."

She draws herself up as much as she can. "You know that's not going to happen." That's when she notices the blood starting to stain his new shirt. "Please, John, you're hurt. Let me help. You can't —"

"No." And she's never heard him use such a sharp tone with her. "Let go, Elena."

She just tightens her hold, so he twists his arm out of her grip and strides to the door. She struggles to follow.

"John. John! Where are you going?" she doesn't bother trying to hide the panic in her voice. "Please don't do this! John, wait — oh!"

She trips and falls clumsily to the floor. Reese freezes, every instinct in him straining to go help her, to make sure she's all right. But he forces himself to step out of her apartment and closes the door behind him.

"Are you ready for this?" asks Root.

"Let's go get Shaw back."


"The mayhem on Wall Street continued with a break-in at the security firm that houses the surveillance footage for the stock exchange. The suspects, a heavily armed man and woman in ski masks, shot a security guard inside the building, then made off with numerous sensitive surveillance hard drives."

"Guy comes out of nowhere, shoots me right in the knee," the security guard says. "I go down, they step over me like they're Bonnie and Clyde or something, said, 'Sorry, we're looking for a friend'."

"Authorities say both assailants are still at large and should be considered armed and extremely dangerous."

As Elena watches the news reports the next day about the pair creating havoc across New York and four other states, she thinks maybe John was right and she was wrong. That this is exactly who he is.

And she has no idea who that is.