Kill Process | A Person of Interest Adventure

Crossroads

The subway lair was tense. Harold Finch sat hunched over his workstation, the glow of the monitors casting sharp shadows across his face. He had just sent John Reese and Sameen Shaw into the field with an ally he never thought they'd trust—Greer, the man who had been the face of Samaritan's relentless rise. Yet here they were, being led by The Machine's calculations that keeping Greer alive was their best shot at stopping Samaritan's next move.

Finch's fingers hovered above the keyboard as he watched the surveillance feeds from the van Reese and Shaw had taken with Greer. The van rumbled through the dark streets of Manhattan, headed to a secure safe house where Finch had arranged for their next step. But he couldn't shake the nagging doubt that plagued his every decision.

Root stood behind Finch, arms crossed, watching him carefully. "You've always been the cautious one, Harold. But sometimes, you just have to have faith."

Finch didn't look at her. "Faith in The Machine, Ms. Groves, or faith in a man who has done nothing but try to destroy us?"

Root smiled, but there was a hint of seriousness in her eyes. "Faith that The Machine can see the future better than any of us."

Finch sighed, frustration gnawing at him. "But it's Greer. The Machine is asking us to trust someone who has been playing God with Samaritan for years. How do we know he's not manipulating us again?"

Root's expression softened. "Because The Machine wouldn't let him. It knows what it's doing."

Finch rubbed his temples, trying to clear his thoughts. The Machine was evolving, that much was clear, but its motives were becoming harder to discern. Was it truly still working for them, or had it grown beyond his original vision? He couldn't be sure anymore.

---

In the van, Reese sat in the passenger seat, eyes fixed on the road ahead. He kept his gun close, ready for anything. Shaw was behind the wheel, her grip tight as she maneuvered through the nearly empty streets. Greer sat in the back, silent, his eyes calmly observing his surroundings as if he had nothing to fear.

Reese glanced back at Greer, his jaw clenched. "This better not be another one of your games, Greer."

Greer smiled slightly. "Oh, Mr. Reese, I assure you, this time I'm on your side. Samaritan is about to make a final move, and believe it or not, I'd rather not see the world collapse into chaos."

Shaw shot a cold glance at him through the rearview mirror. "You mean you'd rather not lose your place at the top of the pyramid."

Greer chuckled softly, the sound unsettling in the enclosed space. "Perhaps. But even I know when it's time to reconsider allegiances."

Reese's grip tightened on his gun. He had worked with all kinds of criminals before, but something about trusting Greer felt like he was crossing a line he couldn't uncross. Yet The Machine had spoken. For reasons that were still unclear, it wanted Greer alive.

The silence in the van was thick with tension, broken only by the rumble of the engine. Reese's comm crackled to life, Finch's voice breaking the quiet.

"Mr. Reese," Finch said, his voice tense, "I need you and Ms. Shaw to be on high alert. The Machine has identified a potential double-cross."

Reese exchanged a glance with Shaw, who raised an eyebrow but didn't slow down.

"What kind of double-cross?" Reese asked, keeping his voice calm, though his instincts were already screaming at him.

Finch's pause was enough to make Reese's heart sink. "It appears that Greer may be... planning to turn you over to Samaritan in exchange for his own protection."

Reese immediately turned in his seat to face Greer, his gun drawn in an instant. Shaw tightened her grip on the wheel, her eyes narrowing.

"Care to explain that, Greer?" Reese growled, his voice deadly quiet.

Greer didn't flinch. He met Reese's gaze with calm detachment. "Mr. Reese, do you honestly believe I would be so careless as to betray you after all we've been through? It's true that Samaritan would offer me protection, but that's not what I'm after anymore."

Reese's finger hovered dangerously close to the trigger. "Then what are you after?"

Greer leaned forward slightly, his voice lowering. "Survival. You see, Mr. Reese, Samaritan has grown too powerful even for me to control. It's no longer the tool I created—it's something else entirely. If I can't stop it, it will crush me too. That's why I need your Machine."

Reese's eyes flicked to Shaw, whose scowl deepened.

"So, what's your plan?" Shaw asked, her voice dripping with skepticism.

Greer smiled that cold, calculating smile that made Reese's skin crawl. "I know where Samaritan's main node is located—the heart of its system. It's mobile, always shifting between different locations to prevent anyone from finding it. But I've tracked it down. If we can reach it, we can shut Samaritan down for good."

Reese didn't lower his gun. "And why should we trust you?"

Greer leaned back, his smile fading. "Because, Mr. Reese, I'm the only one who knows how to get close enough to do it."

Reese's comm crackled again, and this time it was Root's voice. "John, you need to trust him. The Machine is guiding us. This is our chance."

Reese's mind raced. He hated the idea of relying on Greer for anything, but they were running out of time. Samaritan's next move was coming, and they had to stop it. He finally lowered his gun, though his grip remained tight.

"Fine," Reese said. "But the moment you betray us, I'll put a bullet in your head."

Greer gave a slow nod, as if he had expected nothing less.

---

Back at the subway lair, Finch watched the exchange unfold on his screen, his stomach churning with anxiety. He could feel the ground slipping beneath him, the sense that they were walking on a knife's edge. Trusting Greer was madness, but if The Machine had chosen this path, then perhaps there was a larger plan in motion—one that even Finch couldn't see.

"Harold," Root said softly, stepping closer to him. "You have to let go. This is bigger than us now."

Finch closed his eyes, feeling the weight of her words. He had always been the one in control, the one guiding them through every decision, but now The Machine was leading them down a path that he couldn't fully understand. A path that might lead to their salvation or their destruction.

"I don't like it," Finch murmured, "but I know we have no choice."

Root smiled, her hand resting lightly on his shoulder. "Trust in The Machine. It's brought us this far. It won't let us down."

Finch wasn't so sure. He turned back to the monitors, his heart heavy with doubt. The lines between human and machine were blurring, and he feared that soon they would be following The Machine's orders without question. Would there come a time when The Machine's idea of 'saving the world' didn't align with theirs?

---

As the van sped through the dark streets, Reese kept his eyes on Greer, his body tense and ready for any sign of betrayal. Shaw remained silent, her hands steady on the wheel, but her mind was clearly racing. The weight of what was coming hung heavy in the air.

Finally, the van pulled up to an old, dilapidated building. Greer gestured toward it. "The main node is inside. Samaritan's most critical data is stored here, in a rotating sequence. If we can access it, we can shut down its core functions."

Reese and Shaw exchanged glances. This was it. The final move. They had no choice but to trust Greer—for now.

As they prepared to enter the building, Reese felt a chill run down his spine. They were about to face the heart of Samaritan, but the real battle wasn't just against the rogue AI.

It was against the future itself.

And for the first time, Reese wasn't sure which side they were really fighting for.