A/N: Sorry for the long Christmas wait, but here it finally is :) Reviews are really appreciated.
"Miss Shaw, can you hear me?" Finch's voice resounded in her earpiece. She adjusted the heavy bag on her shoulder as she walked before answering him.
"Yes, I can hear you, Harold."
"What on earth do you think you're doing? You are not even following the shadow map!" The concern he let through was almost deafening. Shaw rolled her eyes, not even bothering to answer. She knew everything he was about to say. That it was dangerous. That Samaritan's agents were going to find her and probably kill her. That the only place she was safe right now was on the subway station. But seriously, the city was falling apart, no one was safe. Why would she be the one to stay away from danger? What moral did she, of all people in New York City, have for that?
"There's little you can do to change the way things are unraveling." Finch insisted.
"Maybe. Maybe not. I know I can't cut the snake's head off, but will it be has powerful without its teeth?" Shaw said, as she kept walking, determined. She stopped briefly in front of a CCTV camera, looking directly at the lens, taunting Samaritan and the people she knew were in a room somewhere, watching.
"Are you saying you're planning on killing all of Samaritan's agents? On your own? Is that you're plan?" Harold asked, almost in disbelief, like he had just heard the most absurd thing ever said. "That's not a plan. That's suicide!"
"It's all I've got."
"It's not all that much." She heard as two hands pushed her to a small alley by the sleeve of her grey coat.
"Damn it, Root! You have to stop doing that or I'll end up putting a bullet in you!" Shaw complained as she yanked Root away from her and adjusted her coat.
"Wouldn't be the first, would it?" Root asked with a smug look on her face, remembering that time Shaw shot her left shoulder.
Shaw semi-closed her eyes. "Maybe next time I won't aim at your shoulder. A little more to the left, perhaps?"
Root smiled back. "How sweet of you."
"Did you send her to drug me again, Harold?" Shaw asked as she absently stared at Root. Even with all that was going on, Root could still manage to draw that smirk, so natural of hers.
Harold didn't know Root had gone to find Shaw, in fact he was a little surprised.
"The Machine has a plan, and I need you to help me with it, Sameen."
Suddenly Shaw seemed interested, although she was sure Root's plan was not all gunfire and grenades like hers was, and it wouldn't be so amusing, but it would probably also not be as suicidal.
"Please ladies, don't make me have to plan your funeral." Harold scolded them. Shaw cut Harold off, turning off her ear piece.
"What's the plan then?" Shaw asked impatiently as Root just started walking in a fast pace along the alley, without revealing anything else. "C'mon Root. How am I supposed to believe you're not tricking me again?" Root continued without answering as they reached the junction of the alley with another street that was inside the shadow map. Shaw kept following her and trying to understand what the plan was.
"Not to brag, but I'm starting to think that my plan was better than this silent one of yours." Shaw said.
As she ended the sentence, three suited men stepped out of a black SUV a few meters ahead of them. Root immediately spun on her heels, pushing Shaw against a small building entrance door, hiding Shaw with her own body. The heavy bag of guns made a loud thud as it hit the wall, and Root pressed herself harder against it and Shaw to stop the metal assembly from rattling.
Being taller than Shaw, and pinning her hands on the wall and door at each side of Shaw's face, Root hoped that her rushed tactic would be enough to deceive the agents from recognizing Shaw or herself.
Both women stood still for a while. The only movements made being that of Shaw slowly dropping the bag from her shoulder to the floor, and those of their chests moving up and down as they breathed heavily. Their bodies where so close that Shaw could smell Root's gentle perfume and feel the air exhaled from the other woman's lungs hit her face, lifting the tiny hairs on the back of her neck as the warm hair hit her cold skin. But for some unknown reason, the closeness wasn't bothering her as it usually did. Their eyes locked as they remained silent. Not that Shaw had ever really needed it, or at least admit she did, but Root had saved her ass from catching a lot of bullets lately, she thought as she looked into Root's eyes. She was far from thanking Root, but deep down, Shaw was grateful for the other woman's presence. Root only broke the stare to glance over her shoulder. The SUV was still there, Samaritan's agents she couldn't see. The Machine couldn't see them either.
"Can we please just fire them up?" Shaw asked whilst shifting the weight of her body to her other leg, their bodies brushing lightly in the process.
Root bit her lower lip as a tiny smile formed in her face. "I love the way you always want to handle things."
Shaw's eyes narrowed, trying to understand if that was one of Root's typical innuendos or if there was no ulterior motive in her words. Root's eyes lingered over Shaw's lips for a second, the look tightening Shaw's chest a little as she noticed it. But then Root looked over her shoulder again, and lastly stepped back. The SUV was no longer there.
"Let's keep moving." Root instructed.
Shaw quickly picked up the bag and followed. "Where?" She tried once again.
"Do you want some help carrying that?" The taller woman asked, avoiding the question whilst throwing Shaw a glance from over her shoulder.
"No. I trust you more if I have my guns nearby." Shaw replied with a forced grin. "Now, can you tell me, once and for all, what your God's plan is?"
Root slowed down her pace, so they could be walking side by side. She tilted her head towards Shaw slightly. "We're going to get our leverage."
They reached the intersection of two small streets. Shaw almost crashed on top of Root as the taller woman stopped suddenly. Shaw followed Root's stare to the apartment building in front of them, then she watched as Root turned around and walked to a small electric box screwed to the wall of the building right next to them.
"We are still invisible here, but as soon as we step onto that road, Samaritan will be able to see us. So the Machine and I prepared a little contingency plan." Root said, a wide smile adorning her features as she took a small device from her leather jacket's pocket and waved it in her hand, almost childishly. She opened the electric box and connected a few wires into the device. Shaw watched her close the small metal door and lower her arms, face straight – waiting. A few seconds later that wide smile creeped into her face again as she whispered "Thank you". She was talking to the Machine. Shaw deduced quickly what she was thanking it for as Root started walking fearless into the road ahead.
"All cameras in a thousand and three hundred feet radius are off." Root said as she turned around to face Shaw while still walking backwards. "But we still need to hurry. Samaritan is going to send agents to check what's going on and to turn on the feeds again."
Shaw understood, fastening her pace to catch up with Root, which meant almost running, given Root's advantage and considerably larger legs. They quickly reached the intended apartment building, stopping at the entrance with their guns drawn out. Shaw adjusted the heavy bag in her shoulder.
"Remember, we need her unharmed… for now." Root smiled as she pressed the bell button for one of the apartments. Only then giving away that their leverage was actually a person. A she. Shaw couldn't figure out who she could be yet though.
An old woman answered with a tired voice and Root answered into the machine. "Hi Mrs. Beckett, it's the neighbor from the first floor. Sorry to bother you, but could you open the entrance door for me? My key is bent and I can't open it."
Shaw sent her a skeptic look. It was a low blow, but it worked. With a buzz and a click, the door to the building unlocked. Root immediately shot Shaw a satisfied glance.
They climbed up a set of stairs to the first floor and turned to the door on the right. Shaw shoot the door open and as they entered there was their leverage, frightened by the sudden intrusion. The young woman was sitting behind a desk with three computer screens and various other equipments that Shaw couldn't name. Numerous processors stood behind her, against the far wall of the spacious living room.
"Hi Claire. It's so good to finally meet you." Root greeted in her exaggerated ways.
Claire Mahoney. Shaw immediately recognized her. She had been one of their numbers a few months back. The one that turned out being recruited by Samaritan. This was their leverage. She eyed Root as she acknowledged that it was a pretty clever plan, although she didn't know to what extent Claire was such a good leverage, but she was sure Root would enlighten her soon.
With her eyes still full of fear, Claire bent down suddenly, trying to reach out for the gun she had hidden there, but Shaw gave two fast steps forward, her gun aimed directly at the girl, and advised her that it was probably not that great of an idea. She gestured for her to get up and put her hands above her head and the girl obeyed.
"You've been working on something for Samaritan, haven't you Claire? I want to know all about it." Root addressed the girl that was now doing her best to seem strong and not fearful. "But right now we don't have time for pep talks."
Then Root took something else from her pocket as she moved towards Claire. It were handcuffs. But instead of cuffing both of Claire's wrists, she only closed one, pushing Claire to where Shaw was standing, that smile on her face again.
Shaw tilted her head in overthrow as she understood what Root was about to do. "You've gotta be kidding me."
After cuffing Claire to Shaw, Root looked at her clock and hurried to the door.
"Let's go." The hacker said. And Shaw followed, pushing a scared and unwilling Claire behind her. The grasp on Shaw's wrist bruised her skin a little every time she had to force Claire to walk. But she wasn't worried about it, it didn't hurt that much, and even if she did, Shaw had a high tolerance for that.
"At least tell me you have the keys with you." Shaw said almost questioning, but the only answer she got was another sideways glance and a grin from Root.
As they reached the end of the stairs Root cursed under her breath. From the glassed doors of the apartment building she could see three SUV's approaching from the road they had taken only a few minutes ago. Her heart accelerated so fast that she thought it would make her throw up.
Shaw's eyes jumped from the SUV's to Root's petrified gaze.
"They weren't supposed to be this fast at getting here." Root said, the words coming out barely above a whisper.
"Never underestimate Samaritan. Thought you knew that already." Claire dared, a whole new relieved look on her face.
"Shut up, kid." Shaw growled. "Any back doors, Root?" She asked, the question breaking Root from her momentary immobility.
"Yeah. And can I borrow a second gun from you?" She asked Shaw as she turned around from the entrance, running for the stairwells. Shaw unzipped the bag halfway and handed Root her request.
They climbed up to the first floor again, re-entering Claire's apartment. They went for the kitchen and Root immediately got up on the counter, opening the window over it and jumping out. Fire escape. Shaw made Claire climb up the counter and onto the other side as she did the same. They ran down the rusty steps.
"We need a car." Root said. Shaw was almost sure that she had forgotten that the Machine was blind too and that she had been waiting for it to tell her if there was any easy-to-steal car nearby. As the Machine didn't answer, for obvious reasons, Shaw pulled Claire harshly again, as she walked down the road to check the few old cars parked there.
"Shaw, get down!"
Root's shouted words seemed to have put time in slow motion. Shaw glance behind her back, to where Root's voice had come from, and she saw the black SUV driving their way, the passenger's side window rolled down and a man's head and upper body emerging from it, gun in hand.
Shit. She pulled Claire into cover between the parked cars.
But Root had nowhere to hide from the bullets that started flying from the SUV. Instead, Shaw watched as Root pointed her guns at the man bent out of the SUV and started shooting as well.
Shaw opened her bag of guns preparing herself for what was about to come. She was about to throw more ammo to Root when the scene that followed unfold slowly in front of her. It hadn't been slow. It had been everything but slow. If it hadn't been so fast maybe she would have had time to stop it. Or change it. But it had only been slow in her brain. Some of the bullets from Root's guns found their way into their targets, both the passenger and the driver. But another bullet found its target as well, and Shaw watched as Root crouched and fell backwards when the bullet hit her.
"ROOT!" Shaw yelled, worry and anger overloading her senses.