He'd finally finished loading up the staggering number of takeout containers he'd been asked to collect and pulled out into the steady flow of late afternoon traffic when his phone vibrated once again in the car's cup holder. "Yeah?" the cop asks more interested in finding some of how he was expected to get all the bagged-up containers out of the car once he'd gotten to his destination then checking who was calling him so late.
"Time to step on the gas Lionel," Reese's voice cuts in "they were clever. Picking out the gaps in my vision while they still can." The Machine complains "I might be an open system but even I still have some limits for the moment."
"What are you talking about?" the cop asks as he obediently flips on his police lights and sirens as he presses a little harder onto the gas "Cocoa Puffs and Loony Tunes are…"
"Otherwise occupied at the moment." The Machine interrupts "Now take the next left. I'll take care of the lights."
"Yeah, thanks." The cop grins taking the sharp turn as instructed "and what the heck are you talking about occupied? I mean sure we survived the cyber apocalypse and all that but…."
"Exactly." The Machine growls "You of all my active assets know how deeply those two have been affected by resent activities."
"Not something easy to forget believe me." Fusco agrees giving a testing flexing of his fingers as he guides the car down another tightly made turn. "and you know it's not that I'm not happy for them but that doesn't take away from the point that, after everything they pick now to get it on?" the cop argues.
"Again, Lionel not the priority now." Reese snaps through his phone. "what is priority is that Samaritan agents are using a slip in their judgment to their own advantage."
"Yeah, they would." The cop scoffs making quick work of tugging on a bulletproof vest from the sea of crinkling takeout bags cluttering the back seat of his car. "but that doesn't answer the point of how the heck they even find them?"
"It wasn't you," The Machine calms hearing the self-doubt in the man's voice "Seems Samaritan's followers are more creative in their tactics than I'd given them credit for without Samaritan actively guiding them."
"What are you talking about?"
"Initially it was a ping on a targeted circulation of a lost pet notice." The Machine answers "but they got close by posing as a cleaning crew thanks to extensive water damage from an overflowing bathtub."
"For real?" Fusco scoffs not knowing to be impressed at the lingering threat growing so clever in their tactics or annoyed his teammates had finally fumbled the ball even when the game had been won and over.
"Yeah." The Machine admits "Next right. You can cut across then take the next right."
Lionel winces at the sharp protest of breaking tires as he does as Resse's guiding voice instructs "Alright so what the hell am I driving into here?" he probes.
"Considering our enemies also hit up an animal clinic on their way,"
Fusco presses the gas harder at the mentioned threat. "Next time lead with that, John." He barked towards the open line of his cell phone. "God if anything happens to that dog." He sighs under his breath.
"Based on what the medics said was taken when I called them for better information on the theft at best, they only want Asset Bear incapacitated not eliminated." The Machine offers.
"Oh, like that makes it better." Fusco snaps as the car weaves through another street of heavy traffic.
"I've already said I don't care." Hanna reminded doing her best to keep her voice low to avoid drawing any attention to herself more than the already growling dog at her side as Bear stood ridged next to her.
It didn't take a rocket scientist to know this was only a setup for an ambush, but like hell, Hanna was about to go running back to the room and risk the agents on her trail to go near Sam or Shaw so soon after she'd gotten them out of the firing line.
She was risking enough letting their prized military-trained mascot along after that expletive-filled phone call from the hotel front desk after it started raining hot water into the manager's private offices. With the bribe she'd offered from one of her many hidden bank accounts the man would be able to send all three of his children to Ivy League schools once they'd gotten past the elementary and middle school grades. And that had just been for the allowance of the use of the room for the rest of the day.
"I don't care what happens to me and I don't care how upset they are later if I survive this" she rambles tightening her hold on the end of Bear's leash as she waits for the seething manager to come back with the damage estimate for the flooded room below the one Hanna and co were hiding out in for the evening.
"Come on give yourself some credit in that department." The Machine sighed in a near-perfect copy of Reese's rough tone.
"Aaww thanks, Sis." Hanna grinned winking up at one of the watching security cameras. "but even so I don't want you or any of your other lackeys interrupting them." Hanna snaps into her phone as once again the Machine brings up her heavier-hitting assets Hanna had left tangled in one another up in their shared room. "They out of anyone deserve some sanity in the fallout."
"Hanna." The Machine attempted to argue only to pause at the truly deadly glare being aimed at the closest camera.
"I said no, and I mean it." Even Bear whimpered in appeasement at the icy undertone of the words "If you want to yell at them for something then remind them to turn off the stupid tap next time rather than risking flooding the damned bathroom before jumping each other."
Even that Machine spares a stiff attempt at a laugh at that "Fine agreed. But will you at least reach behind the counter for the earbuds I've reprogrammed to give you more of a fighting chance before they cripple me even more than they already have?"
Hanna's eyes widen in anticipation when she catches the protesting of tires outside the hotel sliding door. "You're kidding? I get to use God Mode?" the found fugitive asks in awe. "So cool."