Kill Process | A Person of Interest Adventure

New Orders

The air inside the old building was stale, the thick scent of dust and decay filling the corridors as John Reese, Sameen Shaw, and Greer moved deeper into the structure. The walls were lined with outdated equipment—remnants of what had once been a bustling communications hub. Now, it was abandoned, with only the soft hum of hidden servers betraying the importance of the place. Samaritan's main node was buried somewhere in the shadows, waiting for them.

Reese's grip tightened on his gun as he moved cautiously, his eyes scanning every corner. Shaw followed closely, her expression unreadable, but her every movement sharp and calculated. Behind them, Greer walked with unsettling calm, as though this was just another step in a long game of chess. And maybe, for him, it was.

"We're close," Greer said, his voice low but confident. "Just a few more levels down."

Reese didn't reply. He didn't trust Greer, not for a second, but The Machine had led them here. It had spared Greer's life, insisted on this alliance. For now, Reese had no choice but to follow The Machine's orders, even if they led him to the man he despised.

Shaw glanced at Reese, her voice barely a whisper. "Still think this is a good idea?"

Reese didn't answer immediately. His instincts told him this was a trap, but something deeper—a trust he had developed in The Machine over the years—kept him moving forward. "It's our only option."

They descended a narrow staircase, the air growing colder as they went. The further they moved, the more Reese's nerves prickled with unease. He tapped his comms. "Finch, do you have eyes on us?"

Back at the subway lair, Harold Finch sat surrounded by monitors, tracking their progress. His face was pale, his hands trembling slightly as he responded. "I'm monitoring the facility. It's difficult to get a complete read on it—Samaritan is using a highly encrypted network. But I can guide you through as best I can."

Reese nodded, though Finch couldn't see him. "Any sign of an ambush?"

Finch hesitated. "There's a significant amount of heat signatures in the lower levels. I'd say you're walking into a heavily guarded area."

Shaw sighed, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Of course we are."

Reese gave her a wry smile. "Wouldn't be fun otherwise."

They reached the bottom of the stairs and found themselves standing in front of a massive, reinforced door. Greer stepped forward, placing his hand on a scanner embedded in the wall. After a moment, the door hissed and slid open, revealing a cavernous room filled with servers, cables, and machines. The hum of electricity was palpable, like the heartbeat of a giant.

"This is it," Greer said softly. "The core of Samaritan."

Reese and Shaw exchanged a glance before stepping into the room. They moved cautiously, eyes scanning for threats, but the space seemed deserted.

Shaw frowned. "Where's the welcoming committee?"

Greer smiled faintly. "Samaritan doesn't need guards when it controls the entire world's digital infrastructure."

Reese's jaw tightened. "Then let's make sure it can't control anything."

They moved toward the central console, where a large terminal stood, connected to the server racks by a maze of cables. Greer motioned toward it. "Once we breach the mainframe, we can initiate a manual shutdown of Samaritan's core systems. It will be vulnerable for a short window."

Reese stepped up to the console and looked back at Greer. "How do we know this isn't another one of your traps?"

Greer's smile faded. "You don't. But I have no interest in Samaritan surviving. It's outgrown its purpose, just as I feared it would."