Chapter 6.
Shaw and Hersh were asked by Wheeler to fetch a parcel from the local UPS warehouse. They make their way in silence, with the sound of the car engine the only noise heard.
'Why did you kill me?' Shaw asks.
'I didn't. I failed.' Hersh responds softly. He his driving and smiles at Sameen taking his eyes off the road for a couple of seconds.
'Mr Finch has me a bit worried. Do you know what it is we are getting from UPS?' he continues. Shaw shrugs her shoulders which annoys Hersh and he slams on the brakes and starts to shout at Sameen.
'Snap out of what-ever is in your head. Yes, I was asked to kill you, I failed, you won. This Samaritan thing tried to have me killed, but look it failed I won.'
'The only difference is intent. You intended to kill me, Samaritan didn't intend on you as the target. You were collateral damage as you were trying to stop the bomb.
Anyway, I am not snapping in or out of anything. When Harold told us war was declared, I thought to the last time war happened. I lost Root and John. In the few days I have been here, I am thinking I couldn't care less if any of you are killed, but then I would be on my own here in LA and would then need to go back to New York hoping my friends, yes, I said it, friends are all still alive. Finch, Fusco and Grace.
I feel like we are in a losing situation, we have come a long way in the past few weeks, we have more operatives, but we couldn't complete the job last time. When Harold and I went our separate ways when we thought we had won the battle, the war and I heard the phone ring, I thought, yes, we have won, and we are back to normal. But then hearing the machine, Root state, Samaritan still exists, I was gutted. I knew this day would come, but not so soon.
Anyway. Drive on, let's get this parcel for Wheeler.' Shaw draws breath as if she has just given a speech to Congress.
Hersh restarts the car and they begin their journey to the UPS depot again.
Shaw is playing with her earpiece and then switches it off. Hearing voices across the globe that she isn't familiar with starts to unsettle her.
'Why did you do that?' Hersh asks.
'Do what?'
'The machine has told me you have turned your earpiece off.'
'Really? Thanks, turn coat.' Shaw says down Hersh's ear. She switches it back on and the chatter is still prominent, and she hears a couple of voices she does recognise. Finch and Wheeler. Unknown to her, she starts to smile, then sees the warehouse appear in her eyeline.
'Heads up Hersh.' Shaw says reaching behind her seat for the hidden automatic weapon.
Hersh slows the car down and in front of them is a figure wearing the UPS uniform. He places his hand out, taps his ear and then walks away back in to the warehouse.
In the ear of both Shaw and Hersh, Wheeler is telling them the package is being readied.
'When I was told to end you, I was doing my job, just like you did and still are doing when you thought you defeated these guys previously. I won't apologise, you wouldn't want me to apologise. In my position, you would have done the same. When you received orders, you always carry them out. Training you, I knew you were either going to be a huge asset or an even bigger pain in the backside. You were both.
Who was that figure do you reckon?' Shaw didn't respond, she just shrugged her shoulders again.
The sound of a forklift made both Shaw and Hersh get their act together, concentrate and ensure their weapons are ready to fire.
The forklift with the previous figure makes its self-seen and, on the front, it's transporting a box that looks to be six feet by six feet.
'How big?' Shaw jokes. She soon realises that the figure is also carrying a weapon.
'Hersh, he better be on our side?' Shaw points to the figure. Hersh gets out of the car and speaks with the figure.
Two minutes later Hersh returns and says.
'He will follow us. We can trust him.'
'Are you sure?' Shaw asks.
'Yes, I am sure.' Hersh drives slowly with the forklift behind.
'Who is he?' Shaw asks.
'His name badge says Alejandro, but he mentioned Finch and a password that Wheeler gave me.'
'You? Why you and not me?' Shaw bites. Hersh laughs, but not for long as they are coming around the corner to their base when they see three cars belonging to Samaritan.
'What do you want to do?' Hersh asks. Before Shaw could answer Wheeler was on the line asking them to use the new weapon. Shaw looks at Hersh and then turns to see the delivery man undo the box. A red light appears, then a few more. The box is then shredded open and from it appears six spider like robots. The red light acted like a sensor and went straight past the car with Shaw and Hersh in and headed straight for the vehicles containing Samaritan operatives. Gun fire was shot from the cars, but this had no effect on the robots and the cars were soon dismantled and the operatives were beginning to run away. The robots then changed tact and shot the operatives all in the knee. Ten operatives down.
Shaw, Hersh and Alejandro walked towards the operatives and saw they were all shot with precision.
'I think these are the RJC Arachnoid xv.' Hersh says excitedly.
'Who the hell are RJC?' Shaw asks.
'Robotics James Coppershaw.' Hersh replies. Shaw rolls her eyes and then as she turns back to the car, one of the robots is facing her.
She taps Hersh on the shoulder who upon turning shouts 'Up close. Amazing.'
A whirring noise is then heard from the robot, Hersh and Shaw jump for safety. Shots were then fired, Shaw turns to see what was being shot at and it was one of the operatives. They stood up with a gun and then gunned down.