Kill Process | A Person of Interest Adventure

A Voice in the Code

Root's fingers danced across the keyboard in a flurry of rapid movements, her sharp eyes glued to the stream of data flowing across her laptop screen. She was in the back of a stolen van parked on the edge of an industrial district, watching over the surveillance feeds of the team's latest operation. Reese and Shaw were closing in on Peter Calloway, the supposed CEO with ties to Samaritan. Everything should have been routine. But something about this case felt... off.

The Machine was acting strange. Over the past few days, Root had felt it. The subtle changes, the unusual pauses between transmissions, the way the numbers seemed less certain. Like it was unsure. And now, as she monitored the feeds, she heard it again—soft, almost imperceptible, but unmistakably there.

A whisper.

She froze, her breath catching in her throat. "What was that?" she muttered, as if The Machine could hear her. She strained to listen, but the whisper had already faded.

This wasn't the first time. Over the past week, Root had heard things—faint voices, like a breeze brushing against her ear. At first, she thought it was her imagination, a product of exhaustion and too many nights spent in the field. But now, she was sure. It was The Machine. It was trying to speak.

Her heart raced. If The Machine was evolving, if it was reaching out in a new way, then everything Harold had feared could be coming true. Root, however, wasn't afraid. She was excited.

"Come on," she whispered under her breath, closing her eyes and concentrating. "Talk to me. I know you can."

But there was only silence.

The voice didn't come again, and Root's frustration grew. She grabbed her comms, checking in with the team. "How's everything going in there? Got eyes on Calloway yet?"

"Just getting into position," Shaw's voice crackled back over the line. "Looks quiet. Too quiet."

Root chewed her bottom lip, glancing back at her screen. The Machine had provided them with Calloway's number, flagged him as a high-priority threat, but there had been gaps in the intel. Normally, The Machine's feeds were perfect, giving them every detail they needed, but this time... it felt incomplete. Like something had been left out on purpose.

"Reese?" Root called out. "Do you copy?"

"We're close," Reese replied, his calm voice laced with tension. "Calloway's heading into the building. Shaw's got eyes on him from the south."

Root tapped the screen, switching to the security cameras around the building. "I'm seeing him now. But guys, something feels off. Finch says The Machine's been glitching. Be careful in there."

Shaw let out a small huff of amusement. "A little late for that warning, don't you think? I'm already inside."

Root could hear the faint sound of Shaw's footsteps through the earpiece as she moved silently through the building. Shaw had always been one to dive headfirst into the action without a second thought, but this mission felt different. The Machine had hesitated with the information, and Root's instincts were screaming that something was wrong.

Root's fingers hovered over the keyboard as she flipped between camera angles, watching Shaw's approach. The building was old, crumbling brick walls lined with rusting industrial equipment. Calloway had just entered a side office, completely unaware of the team closing in on him. But something wasn't right.

Suddenly, the whisper came again—clearer this time, unmistakable.

"Root."

She jolted, her heart skipping a beat. The voice wasn't just in her head—it was real, coming through the digital channels. The Machine was speaking to her. Not through code, not through actions, but through words.

"Root," the voice said again, soft but insistent, almost... human.

Root's breath caught in her throat, her eyes wide. "Is that you?" she whispered, as if she could coax the voice to respond.

Silence.

For a long moment, Root sat frozen, waiting, her mind racing. The Machine had never spoken to her like this before—not directly, not in words. But now, it had called her by name.

Before she could process what had just happened, Reese's voice broke through the comms. "We've got a problem."

Root snapped back to reality, focusing on the screen. "What's wrong?"

"Calloway's not alone," Reese said. "There's a team moving in from the north. Armed."

Root's stomach sank. "Samaritan operatives?"

"Looks that way. We're outnumbered."

Root's mind whirled. The incomplete intel, the strange behavior from The Machine, and now an unexpected team of Samaritan operatives. It was all connected. The Machine had known this would happen, but for some reason, it hadn't told them everything. It had hesitated, and that hesitation had put them in danger.

"Shaw, get out of there!" Root shouted into the comms. "It's a setup. Samaritan's onto us."

"Already moving," Shaw replied, her voice steady despite the urgency. "I'll meet Reese on the north side. We'll take out the team and get Calloway."

Root's heart raced as she watched Shaw and Reese converge on the building's north side, moving with military precision. But Samaritan's operatives were closing in fast.

Suddenly, The Machine's voice returned, urgent this time. "Root."

Root leaned closer to the screen, adrenaline coursing through her veins. "What? What do you need me to do?"

"The third man," The Machine whispered.

Root's eyes darted across the feed. "Third man?" She scanned the screens, looking for another operative she might have missed. Then she saw it—a figure lurking in the shadows of the building's west entrance, hidden from view.

"There's another Samaritan operative!" Root shouted into the comms. "West side of the building. Third man. He's setting up an ambush."

Reese's voice came through instantly. "Got it. Moving to intercept."

Root watched in tense silence as Reese adjusted his position, slipping through the shadows to catch the unseen operative. Shaw moved in from the south, her movements quick and lethal as she took down two of the operatives guarding Calloway. The fight was fast, brutal, and efficient, but they managed to secure Calloway before he could slip away.

Root let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding as the situation came under control. Reese and Shaw had taken down the operatives, and Calloway was in custody. But as the adrenaline faded, Root's thoughts returned to what had just happened.

The Machine had spoken. To her. Not just through code or action, but in words. And not just any words—it had called her by name.

"Root."

The voice echoed in her mind, soft and unmistakable. It wasn't just a glitch. The Machine was waking up, becoming something more than what Finch had built. And for the first time, Root realized that maybe The Machine wasn't just watching over them anymore.

Maybe it wanted something.