The gym Shaw visited wasn't a fancy one, they didn't have security cameras and nobody was walking around with a cell phone glued to their hands. Just a dingy place to blow of steam and get a good workout.
Warming up, Root filled her in on everything she'd found out so far, about the other's covers and how they were doing until Shaw stepped their game up a notch and the hacker didn't have enough air to actually talk much. She was to focused on doing the exercises right.
"You do this every day?" Root was panting, sweat running down her face, her shorts and t-shirt soaked. She put her hands on her knees and tried to catch her breath. She'd do maybe half of the routine Shaw did and was completely beat and could feel her muscles protest already.
Shaw dried of her face with a towel and grinned, taking great joy in bringing Root to her limits. She wasn't even fit enough to make snarky comments anymore.
Shaw left for the locker room satisfied. If she couldn't go out in the streets and fight terrorists, a good workout was the second best thing. And she was looking forward to a big fat steak as a reward. Bringing the hacker to a point where she was defeated was the cherry on top.
Maybe she'd go easy on Root the next time. Just maybe.
Then the old payphone in the hallway rang. The two woman exchanged a quick look and Shaw grabbed the receiver before Root could say something.
"Can I ask now?" Shaw tossed her gym bag in the trunk. "How are we supposed to, you know, number and all?"
"Not here," Root scold her and had trouble lifting her arms far enough to her own bag.
"Where to then?" Shaw smirked, hurling the bag in for her.
"My place."
"Your place it is," Shaw had been waiting every single day since they went into hiding for this. The Machine had given them a new number, so they were back in business, right?