Considering this was just the beginning of her first true taste of a Samaritan simulation it was a natural wonder why the crumbling AI's agents didn't immediately attempt to snatch her right when Root had landed on her conclusion of being a prisoner. Then again Root reminds herself as she catches another protesting screeching of SUV tiers all she had to do now was wait and watch and when the chips stopped falling maybe she'd have enough strength left in her to give the real Sameen one last 'Hey Sweetie,' greeting before succumbing to that irritating Samaritan backed sniper bullet.
She always loved the particular eye roll Shaw would give whenever Root used that greeting.
"The Machine wouldn't have given up our location if she'd thought they'd track her."
"Okay but what about our not-so-good buddy Je…"
"Couldn't have been Blackwell." Root catches from the not-so-low talk going on beside her bed as more spare clips were passed between Shaw and Leon as the one, she'd yet to name kept nervous watch at the window.
"And how the heck would you…." Fusco starts to ask at the same time a wheelchair was positioned beside the bed obviously intended for Root to move to if she hadn't been so preoccupied in her eavesdropping.
Besides this was her simulation. And what better way to draw out Samaritan's waiting than spending her last few moments appreciating every detailed beauty of a battle readying Sameen Shaw currently tucking away a more favored compact into her waistband?
"After what he'd done, at least what I'd thought he'd done," Shaw cuts off around the soft clicking of a gun magazine being fastened into her chosen gun once her backup piece had been tucked away. Her tone dropped to that deadly cool way that would have had Root's legs weak if it wasn't for the fact she was about to have to watch again as Shaw faced down a mini army of armed Samaritan agents. "he didn't deserve to live."
The way both sets of her friend's eyes slip towards Root at the confirmation has the hacker herself curious as to this little addition to Samaritan's newest mind game. But she holds her tongue against the "Aaww did you kill for me sweetie?" questions vibrating on her tongue.
Real Shaw knew as well as Root the Machine's stance on killing 'for the hell of it'. They leave that for Samaritan. They were better than that. Even if this was just another simulation Root knew even a Samaritan-created version of Shaw would grudgingly go along with the Machine's orders just as she had or at least until Root showed her hand of being onto their new twisted mind game.
"Well, when you put it like that…" Leon relented accepting the offered earpiece as Shaw finished putting in her own. "but come on, you didn't think they'd send someone to check the guy?"
"We can play the blame game later. The point is they found us so right now, we all need to get the hell out of here before they decide to just blow up the building or something."
At this Root and Shaw both roll their eyes at the suggestion.
"I think I'd come up with something far better than death by building explosion for my ending." Root coughed out earning another offering of water from Shaw for her trouble. "Humm but it does give me other ideas." She muses once the small paper cup had been drained, enjoying far too much the tensed rippling of Shaw's muscles as the shorter woman's arms slid under and around her once the leads for the medical monitors had been so gingerly removed.
"Mind out of the gutter Root," Shaw grunts earning an exaggerated pout from Root as she was lifted from the bed. Bear already pacing next to it. Alert and ready to pounce. The case Root guess was meant to be housing the simulation copy of the Machine now half dangling half dragging from the dog's mouth.
A good sign Root thinks not wanting to draw too much attention towards the battle-ready k9. If Bear was a manifest of her own subconscious, then maybe she could fight Samaritan on two fronts.
"She's had to jam the elevators so don't bother." Sameen declares when she like Root notices the offering of a wheelchair being rolled closer to them.
"And given the staircases are keycard access only I'm guessing the baddies are already trying to bust their way in as we speak?" Hanna questioned now toying with said keycard as she asks.
Shaw gives a stiff nod of confirmation gingerly strengthening her hold on the groggy hacker.
It's the determined twisting of the dark-haired woman's lips in a wolfish smile that follows when those equally searching eyes land on the window that finally captures Root's fading attention then as she gives an almost sinfully teasing "Maybe" in reply.
Angry, heartbroken tears blur her vision but give her a much-needed burst of adrenaline as her mind spirals back to one other time a smile like that had burned itself into her memory.
Even now she can feel the tickling wind against her skin, the sun-warmed kiss of the due wet grass under her sprawled-out body as her best friend then laying so close beside her rolled onto her side to face her properly as they lay side by side in the back open courtyard of the local library.
Maybe. Her lost friend had finally agreed bringing an end to some dead-ended back and forth.
Her hair had been so dark that day. Darker even than the shade Root had finally chosen to dye her own hair after making the final move out of Nowhere Texas. Then the sunlight had peaked out giving her a halo-like glow as she'd looked over at her with her giggled laughter lost in the dry humidity of the day.
And her smile.
God that smile….
Or maybe you just don't wanna admit that I know who your first real crush is Sammy.
Of course, Hanna hadn't picked the right answer, but it had been so amusing watching her attempt to try. Not as fun as say teasing Shaw in any sense of the term but fun non the less until Root had finally taken some pity in providing a distraction conversation on coming up with a better strategy for Hanna's next attempt at beating Oregon Trail.
"Long as it gets her out of here, I don't care how crazy this idea of yours sounds." Shaw grumbles in a sense of agreement drawing Root's wondering thoughts back to the lesser than average odds of them walking out of this unscathed simulation created or not. "even having to lower her out a freaking window."
Again, if Root had been a tad less hazy on the details, she would have openly gaped at the so un-Shaw-ness of the point the Shaw clone had yet to drop the-bridal carry style of her hold on Root's so tired body. Her grip was more delegated as if she were holding the most precious thing in the room.
"Okay, maybe I should start calling you Cocoa Puffs," Fusco says his tone oozing his nerves as Root watches the dark-haired one tugging something small and furry from an inner pocket of her coat. "Who the heck just walks around with live mice in their pockets?"
Again, the soft breath of giggles and laughter tugs at something deeply buried in Root's mind as the chocolate-colored furred mouse was gingerly lowered to the floor "Having pocket-sized backup like this saved my life once." The human being of a mystery admits as she finished fixing a near microscopic-sized earpiece around the mouse's tiny head "Now you follow Papie here out to one of the side street passages and get us something fast for our getaway."
"Liking this plan even less now."
"Papie?" Fusco says at the same time as Shaw so the two talk over one another.
"Short for Paperwork." Root answers in a yawn sagging a little more into her pillows. "Yah know the fun kind from school?"
"Can't believe you actually remembered that." The words were so soft Root almost missed them as more of the bedding was ripped apart for their makeshift ladder. "oh, and take the dog with you. Fewer targets for the baddies to go after if we split up."
Bear growls his own unhappiness at this idea "Stop arguing okay, kind of life and death right now doggie-o so go with your other person and I'll make sure these two get out of this." she translates tugging a tighter hold on the last securing knot.
Next thing Root knows she's laying across the back seat of a speeding car. Her more upper body pillowed against Shaw's tempting figure as the woman herself keeps keen watch of the blurring city speeding past the window.
"So, were, we headed?"
"My place, darlin' where else?"
Groggy as she was Root doesn't miss the nervous swallowing Shaw gives at the hummed phrasing of the answer from the driver's seat.
Again, Root relents to the less puzzling darkness of rest lulled more from Shaw's massaging fingers playing with her hair during the drive than the normal groaning engine might any other time.
A fast sucked in breath drags Root back to a more aware mindset next time.
"Shoot, sorry. I should have warned you about it being a little bit familiar for you."
"Understatement." Shaw glowered back as Root clawed her way back enough to drag her eyes open same time Shaw was carefully carrying her over the apartment threshold.
Judging from the lingering, hungry look in her partner's eyes Root can only assume the decor must've matched something from Sameen's own trip down the Samaritan run rabbit hole.
Especially the way she picked up on the lingering glances Shaw gives the apartment kitchen table as she was carried past. Not that the stop they made at the sofa was any better. Or the bedroom. Even a few spots on the floors or wall spaces gained the same hesitantly familiar spark glowing brighter in Shaw's dark eyes.
"After the first few hundred or so failures I thought you'd like the upgrade to Sim Sam's digs." The one Root was back to shooting out her kneecaps first opportunity relays. "Also hoping the sudden change up in backdrop would help you fight somehow." The words trail away with a halfhearted shrugging of the shoulders.
"So, you mirrored it from your own apartment?" Shaw pushes still unwilling to put Root down. A fact Root found herself enjoying a little too much as she snuggled as much as she could into Shaw's offered warmth without tipping the bickering pair off that she was awake.
"Parts of it,"
Shaw finally settled on dropping herself down into a recliner armchair Root tucked up securely in her arms as Hanna too sinks down to sit on the very edge of one of the sofa cushions. "came to regret it a few times after that."
"Guess I have you to thank for making my not-so-private time with her all the more real."
But there was something in her voice that had Root's heart seizing up or that might have been the suddenly very real feeling of Shaw's lips pressing a kiss against her hairline as she held her.
"I'm only sorry it took me so long to realize what Samaritan was really using my research for."
"Don't be." Shaw cuts in her tone low. Guarded. "Those times." She tries again but once more Shaw hesitates, her breathing far less controlled against Root's shoulder as Shaw gathers her thoughts. "my only true regret out of anything she and I did together was finally realizing the fact that not a single one of those stolen moments were true with her."
Before Root can scrape together enough brain or mobility function beyond the genuine rawness of the confession the other one was talking. Spoiling her moment. "Doesn't mean you can't have them with her now, Sam-inator. Once she's all healed up that is."
"Seriously?"
"What? Come on you are like a walking Terminator even you have to admit it fits."
Root cracks her eyes into slits just in time to catch one of Shaw's more real-seeming eye rolls for the tag name. "And we've proven this isn't her own trip into the Samaritan simulation world." Shaw agrees with one of her more usual grumpy groans. "Truthfully even I'm doubting things so that's going to be an even tougher sell for her."
"And that, yeah." A low breath was blown out before yet-to-be-named talks again. "for now how about the three of you take the bedroom? I'll crash here on the couch and wait for any more word from L on your other friends."
Root feels herself being gingerly lifted again as Shaw stands to her full height. "I already know the way." Shaw reminds when Root guesses the woman draws in another breath to give directions.
"Again, sorry about that."
"Whatever, just attempt to get some rest, we're going to need it."
