Chapter 3
Living in a high rent area of NYC had its perks and Zoe Morgan had lots of perks: private parking for her car and space for another, private entrance to the penthouse apartment. As their joint business had really taken off since their association with Harold Finch, Zoe had moved to this new location a couple of months ago. Elise had only been here once but remembered it being beautiful, sophisticated and secure. Zoe hadn't said that Bear couldn't come, so Elise brought him right along with her. All she had with her was one small bag and the 20 lb. bag of dog food she'd picked up on her way out of town. Bear had to be really hungry by now.
Making herself at home in the guest bedroom, Elise fed Bear and took a shower. Washing her hair did make her feel somewhat better. Her mind felt clearer. She wrapped her hair in a towel and put on a big fluffy bathrobe that had been hanging on the back of the bathroom door. Elise smiled. It was like Zoe had prepared this guest room just for her. There was even a laptop for her to use. Signing in, she sent Harold an email to let him know where she was and that she was available anytime he found something he thought she needed to see.
A knock on the door caught Elise by surprise. She didn't think Zoe ever had anybody come here; she always met clients away from her home. Walking over, Elise used the security camera to see who was at the door. Seeing who it was, she unlocked the door and threw herself into Grace's waiting arms.
Turning his attention back to the matter at hand, Harold along with Zoe, Carter and Fusco tried to work out a plan as to who was going to tackle what in the search for John. A many pronged attack was going to be their best choice to cover so many possibilities. Thank goodness Carter had access, limited as it was being a new agent, to the FBI files. That alone would save Finch an immeasurable amount of time. Fusco could handle watching the police blotter for anything out of the ordinary. Zoe still had her contacts in the underworld who may have heard something useful.
After another hour they felt they had exhausted every scenario they could come up with for the moment. The unknown factor of Stanton made any move almost a shot in the dark. She obviously had an agenda and needed John to complete it. But what WAS that agenda and was she working alone or for someone? Saying good night, Carter and Fusco left the library with the promise to check in if anything at all showed up.
Zoe was packing up her things, ready to get home to Elise, when Harold called her name.
"Ms. Morgan… " he began.
"Harold, you promised to call me Zoe. We've been through too much together, professionally and personally, to stand on formality." She said with a smile.
"Quite right Ms. Mor...um… Zoe. My apologies. I wanted to thank you for opening your home to Elise." Looking surprised that he knew about that, Zoe raised one perfectly arched eye brow and looked at him, waiting for his explanation. "I saw the two of you talking and I knew she would not be able to handle going home alone to John's loft. It was a perfect and logical thing to do. You are a very good friend to her. She needs her friends right now. I'm very worried about her. We need her and her specialized skills, to find and ...um, retrieve John. I don't want to say rescue because that implies that he is helpless. And I don't believe that for a second."
"I think you are right to be concerned about her, Harold. I know I am. She's been on her own for most of her life. Very self-contained, very hard and very, very lonely. She finally opened herself up to John and let him in. She's not handling his abduction well at all. I really want to get home to her, but I'm not sure what I can do for her." Zoe sighed.
"That's why I took the presumptuous move and called Grace and asked her to go see Elise. They've become very close after their experience with the kidnapping and… torture." Finch said the last with a catch in his voice. Whenever he spoke of that time, he couldn't help reliving the ordeal and seeing the condition that Grace and especially Elise, were in when they'd been rescued. But he'd also watched the closeness grow between Elise and Grace and felt that Grace was the perfect person for Elise right now.
"If it is ok with you, I'll be by to pick up Grace in a little while. There are some things I need to take care of before I call it a night."
"Not a problem Harold. Grace is welcome to stay as long as you both think she needs to." Zoe said goodbye, picked up her things and left the library.
Harold sat with his hands in his lap for a few moments, trying to get his thoughts in order. He was very much disturbed by the fact that Stanton had survived and had been living somewhere while he'd had no knowledge of it. Why had The Machine not seen her? Had it hidden her from him? He honestly couldn't remember if he'd ever actually sent an inquiry to The Machine about Stanton. He had assumed, like everyone in the CIA, that she'd died in the firestorm she called down on herself and Reese. He realized he needed to tweak The Machine in order to obtain more info about Stanton and to teach it what should look for. He felt that Stanton would be making a move soon, not necessarily her main objective, but to test how much control she actually had over John. Bending to the computers once more, he concentrated on the job at hand and began to rapidly type commands into the computer.
Zoe let herself into the apartment and was met at the door by Bear. Ears up, tail down and slightly wagging...but effectively barring her way further into the apartment. Remembering the word that Carter had used for friend, she did a pretty good job of pronouncing the word and held her hand out and down for Bear to sniff. He immediately seemed to remember her and her apartment smelled like her, so she passed the 'test'.
Walking down the hall, she paused outside the guest bedroom and looked in. Grace was sitting on the side of the bed and Elise was curled up under the covers. Zoe could just make out her dark hair fanned out on the pillow and the side of her face. Careful to stay as quiet as possible she stepped into the room. Grace was softly stroking Elise's hair and murmuring something too low for Zoe to hear.
Grace looked up at Zoe's approach and held her finger to her lips. Looking over Grace's shoulder, Zoe could finally see Elise's face. It was obvious that she'd been crying, and crying quite a bit. Her eyes, even thought they were closed, were swollen. Even as she watched, a tear slid out from under one eye and dropped to the pillow. Her heart hurt terribly for her friend. She knew how deeply Elise was feeling the pain and loss because she'd only seen her cry one other time since they had met, when Elise had told her about her boyfriend dying in her arms at the Prom and about losing her partner in HRT.
Grace stood up and motioned Zoe to follow her out of the room. Carefully closing the door, she watched as Bear walked to the side of Elise's bed, sniffed her once, and lay down on the floor next to her. No one would harm Elise with Bear on guard.
Walking back into the living room, Grace turned and hugged Zoe. They held onto each other, each needing the strength of the other to help them help Elise.
Stepping apart, Zoe said "Harold will be by to get you soon. He had some things he wanted to check out before he left." Grace nodded, knowing that Harold would be working overtime to try and find John.
Harold found himself hesitating before he hit the 'enter' key. He was doing something to The Machine that he'd promised himself never to do…altering its program to suit HIS needs. He was piggy-backing on the government's inquiry mode to make one small program change. Part of him was horrified that he'd even considered this, another part of him was urging him to hurry and get the altered program working as soon as possible.
What was he doing? Was the need for help from The Machine worth breaking all the protocols he'd instituted when he agreed to build The Machine? Finding out there was information out there, that he needed to know but which had not been readily given to him, had unsettled him. He'd been so confident in his creation, of what it could do, what it would do, that he'd never considered what it may NOT do. It was performing just like he'd programmed it, never wavering. But finding out that Stanton did survive the bombing on Ordos when he'd been monitoring John Reese, surprised him. She'd been a major player in John's life since he'd joined the CIA and Harold thought The Machine would have reported her surviving.
From what he'd been able to figure out, he'd not asked The Machine outright to verify Stanton as alive or dead so it told him neither. He'd assumed she'd died, the CIA final report showed Stanton and Reese dead by friendly fire, which was why it was not publicly reported. His only interest at that time was Reese and apparently had Stanton slipped under his radar. Being a man of detail, it disturbed him that he had not pursued verification of her death. But now when he specifically ASKED for information on her, the information flowed freely.
And now he was about to change the program slightly, not enough for the government to notice, but enough to get the information he needed. Breaking his own 'golden rule' was not something he was comfortable with but he felt he had no other choice. Closing his eyes, taking a deep breath, he hit the enter key.
While The Machine absorbed the new program and processed the change, Harold went to work on the same problem but from a different angle. Using the date, time and location information that Carter had told him about her meeting with Snow, Harold began his search for the meet so that he could perhaps find a pattern. Because the 'bomb scare' was public knowledge he was able to access a great deal of information very quickly. But what he was searching for would come from the security cameras. Now that he was actively 'searching' for Snow, thanks to the new program, Finch found him in the security feeds very quickly. He also was able to pick up Carter.
Typing in some more commands, the monitor changed aspects and actually 'followed' Snow into the basement area and he was able to see Carter following him. There were two cameras down in the area where Snow and Carter had stopped and were talking. Watching Snow open his shirt and show the bomb vest caused Harold hit the pause button. Adjusting his glasses on his nose, he leaned closer to the monitor to get a better look at the vest. Clearing up the image he was able to tell it was a very sophisticated looking bomb, possibly remotely controlled. Releasing the pause he watched the rest of the security feed, up to and including the shots being fired and the lights being shot out. Watching the shadows of Snow and Carter seek shelter, Harold became aware of a blur in the direction that the shots were coming from. Using a couple of different programs to lighten and clean up the video he tried to increase the resolution but the blur would not come into focus.
The lack of clarity on the security feed was disturbing and very telling. Harold had developed two of the clarity programs used by the government's spy agency, the CIA. They could clear up an image from military satellites tens of thousands of miles in space, so that they could film encampments in North Africa showing how many new terrorists were being trained. But it too could not clear up the blur. He could tell there was a person, but he could not tell if that person was male or female. The more he zoomed in, the more clicks he used with the mouse, the more the image blurred. He was certain the shots came from this individual but his inability to get a good view of the shooter was frustrating. There was something more going on here than simply a bad camera angle or the condition of the camera, but what was it?
The Machine came back on-line with the information gathered thanks to his program change. He'd asked The Machine to 'find' Stanton. There were definite gaps in the information he was being given. Not because it was being withheld but because there seemed to be times that the Machine had lost track of Stanton. It couldn't 'see' her; it couldn't locate her. Watching the video information being provided, Harold was able to track Stanton from the time she'd re-entered the US, about four months ago until this morning, or was it yesterday now?; when she'd popped back up on the security cameras in grocery store where she'd grabbed John. And that brought up another set of problems. Why could he see her in the grocery store security feed but not in any others? Worrying about the inconsistency of the video, Harold rolled the problem around in his mind. There was something he was missing. Why could he see her in a grocery store but not down in that tunnel where Snow and Carter were fired upon?
"OF COURSE! Of course! That's GOT to be it!" Harold almost yelled as he brought his hand down hard on the armrest of the chair. Leaning back toward the monitor he began to type furiously into the computer, gathering info about the grocery store and its security system. Somehow, his ability to see Stanton and then NOT see Stanton was going to be the key to finding John. Sitting back in the chair, Harold waited patiently to see if he was correct. As soon as the information was verified, Harold leaned back in and read the information displayed. The security camera in the grocery story was analog, the one in the basement with Snow and Carter was digital. Whatever was blocking the image of Stanton only worked on digital cameras not the older analog ones.
Now that he knew what to look for, it was going to be a lot easier to find Stanton. But first, they needed to get Snow and bring him in. Harold felt that whatever knowledge Snow had about the woman and her agenda, all of it would be a huge help in finding Reese and bringing him home.
Grace and Zoe were busy themselves, having a meeting of the minds. They knew each other through John and Elise but not that all that well. Each held a certain part of Elise close to their hearts. Talking about their mutual concerns about the young woman they both loved, they began to forge a stronger bond. Each gave up a little of 'their' Elise to the other, helping to paint a more complete picture of the fragile piece of pure steel that they both knew and loved.
Both felt that Elise would use this down time to give into the emotional pain she was feeling. And it was best done in private. Elise was not one to show weakness in herself in front of anyone. They were also in agreement that this would be a one-time occurrence, necessary for Elise to come to grips with what had happened to John and what would she would need to do to get him back.
Sharing time together over drinks, Grace with tea and Zoe with a Manhattan up, they got to know each other better. They found out, despite being as different as they were, Grace being more down to earth and Zoe more worldly, that they liked each other. Mutual respect would be the bedrock of this new friendship.
At about midnight, Grace realized that Harold would not be coming anytime soon, that he must be working on something concerning John. She knew Harold well enough to know that he would not leave until he found or fixed whatever he was working on. Zoe brought out blankets, sheets and a pillow for Grace to use on the couch, since Elise was in the only guest room. Zoe had offered to share her room with Grace but Grace declined. She felt that Harold would still come for her, no matter what the time and she'd rather be in the living room so she could hear him and not wake the others. Zoe reluctantly agreed and hugged Grace good night.
Walking by the guest room door, Zoe opened it so she could check on Elise. She was immediately met with a low growl as Bear stood up when the doorknob began turning. Once he saw her, his tail began to wag but he did not leave the side of the bed where Elise lay sleeping. Elise looked very small and delicate curled up in the king size bed. Her hair was spread out on the pillow like a black veil, and she barely made a bump under the covers. But she seemed to be sleeping ok. Zoe held her finger to her lips and smiled at Bear and slowly shut the door.
Knocking quietly on the door to Zoe's penthouse, Harold was more than anxious for someone to let him in. He felt he was onto something and needed to share what he'd found immediately. A sleepy Grace looked at the security camera and saw that it was Harold outside the door. Unlocking it, she opened the door and stepped into Harold's welcoming arms. Each of them knowing how horrible it would be if they'd lost each other like Elise had lost John. It had them embracing longer and harder than normal.
Harold finally shut the door behind him and walked into the living room with Grace, hand-in-hand. Seeing the blanket and pillow on the sofa, he realized that the women had been asleep. He was sorry to have woken Grace but he really needed to talk to her, Zoe and Elise.
"Nononononono…" Elise thrashed around in the bed. Images of John dead or dying flashed through her mind. The empty feeling of great loss made it difficult to breathe. She could see John, but he was just out of her reach. Then suddenly he was lying dead in a pool of blood. She was holding him in her arms as his life's blood spilled out and all over her. The images were getting worse, relentless in the pain that was being driven deep into her body. The feeling of helplessness was the worst, of not being able to do anything to save John.
It was the sensation of her tears being licked off her face by a soft tongue that brought her awake. Bear's face was right next to hers. With a low whimper, deep in his throat, he was trying to comfort her in her obvious distress. Reaching over and hugging the big dog, Elise fully woke from the dark place in her dreams. Bear pulled away and faced the door, obviously hearing voices. A low growl emanated from him as he placed himself between Elise and the door.
Listening closely, Elise recognized Grace's and Harold's voices. Then she heard a door open and heard Zoe's voice as well. Harold must have found out something! That's why he's here! Throwing back the covers, Elise scrambled out of bed, almost tripping over Bear who had not relaxed his protective stance. "It's ok Bear, 'friend'", she said in her own version of Dutch. Thank God he seemed to understand what she was saying because he visibly relaxed.
Throwing a sweatshirt over her clothes, she opened the door motioning for Bear to stay. Walking barefoot into the living room, Elise found Harold, Grace and Zoe talking in low voices. Harold noticed her first and broke away to reach her before she got very far into the room.
"Elise..." was all Harold was able to say before Elise threw her arms around him. Hugging him tightly, Elise closed her eyes and felt a measure of peace. Not being used to physical contact with anyone but Grace, Harold was caught off guard but recovered quickly enough to look over at Grace who motioned him to hug Elise back.
"I'm so sorry" murmured Harold. "So very sorry I wasn't able to warn you about Ms. Stanton's presence and the danger she represented."
"I know Harold, I know." Elise mumbled as she held onto Finch. Pulling back she looked Harold in the eyes, searching for the answer she hoped he'd uncovered. There was something there, something that was going to help. "What did you find Harold?" she asked him quietly.