PERSON OF INTEREST.

Chapter one.

Two weeks after the battle.

Harold Finch is sitting in a café along with Bear the dog and his recently reunited fiancé Grace Hendricks. A waiter arrives at the table and tops up their drinks.

'Harold? I am sure if this Shaw woman was to turn up, she would have been here by now.' Grace looks at Harold still with sadness in her eyes.

'Please. Give her five more minutes.' Harold says. Grace nods, but is aware Harold was likely talking to the machine.

Harold and Grace haven't slept since their reuniting. Harold explained the whole thing about the Machine and also about Samaritan. Grace eagerly listened and even put two and two together regarding her kidnapping and she asked if he was the one who rescued her. Harold explained it was his people, but he stopped her from tripping.

'Harold.' Said a familiar voice.

'Miss Shaw.' Harry excitedly replied. He offers her a seat and she obliged.

'Hi Grace.' Shaw says whilst looking at the menu. Hesitantly Grace responds with a hello and a small wave through her hair.

Harold bends down to a bag and whips out a tatty file and brings to the table. He pushes it towards Shaw to the point she is forced to stop reading the menu. Shaw slowly looks at Harold with a death stare and asks. 'What is this?'

'Read it. Samaritan may have lost their leader, well human leader, but he has been replaced and the machine has a plan.' Harold responds.

'Grace and I will remain in New York, Zoe Morgan is on board as well as Taylor Carter.' He continues.

'Wait! Taylor Carter as in Joss Carter's son?' Shaw asks surprisingly.

'The same one. Yesterday I was contacted by Zoe and then the machine led me to an antiques shop where Taylor was fixing a computer. I told him that John Reese was dead, and he was wanted. They'll both be here soon.'

'What about me?' Shaw asks.

'There is a lawyer who six months ago was contacted by her royal highness and he has been running the LA operation. James Wheeler is expecting you.'

'LA? Really?'

'Yes.'

'Bear?'

'The dog stays with me. Thank you for bringing him back. But answer me this. Why did he have concrete dust all over him?'

Bear groans in excitement, Shaw smiles and says.

'Samaritan. Walking through Central Park and six of their operatives blew a bridge that we were walking near, or under.'

'And you survived?' Grace replies. Shaw looks at her and then at Harold but didn't say anything.

'You have been booked on a flight tomorrow. I have your new alias and your new partner.' Harold confirmed.

'I don't need a new partner. They are like hamsters. They are loyal, but then die on you.' Shaw replied with some nonchalant in her voice.

'Yes quite. Look the machine has it all planned out and tomorrow you will be sitting next to them.'

'Name?'

'You will be known as.' Harold opens up and envelope and coughs with a sort of laughter.

'I better have a better name than last time you decided to send me away. What was it? Oh yeah! Betty Harris. To make it worse her…'

'Farah. You'll be known as Farah Day.'

'Cool. I like that. Wait, why did you snigger?'

'The machine remembered I used to keep Root locked in the library in a Faraday cage. Well not a cage, but the, well she wasn't to be trusted back then.' Harold confirms. He saw how Shaw was squinting her eyes after every word he spoke.

'May I interject?' Grace asks, whilst having her hand up like a school pupil.

'Look I know you were pretended to be a college professor, Whistler, but getting you girlfriend to put her hand up when she wants to speak is a bit much Finch.' Shaw jokes. No-one laughed but stared at Grace to continue.

'Well you have a new alias, and I see a envelope with your name Harold. Where is mine?' Grace continued.

'It was sorted years ago, which is why you do not have an envelope. You are to us Grace Hendricks, to the authorities you are Grace Ellsworth. But the machine gave you the perfect alias. I have had these stashed – Yes Miss Shaw I used a word I would not likely use again – away ever since I met you. She had you become an amalgamation of two of your favourite people. The machine has you now known as Jane Dickens.'

'What do you mean since I met you? You didn't know I liked Jane Austin or Charles Dickens until we had a few dates.'

'Count yourself lucky. He could have called you Charles Austin.' Shaw quips.

'Not helping Miss Shaw.' Shaw lifts her hand in defeat and goes to order food.

'I am sorry. I did know you liked both Austin and Dickens. I wish I could have told you everything straight away, but I needed to protect you.' Grace smiles at Harold but he wasn't convinced.

Sameen, Harold and Grace were all eating when they were approached by a tall man in a suit. Nothing was said and until Shaw got annoyed and asked the man what he wanted. A brown envelope was placed on the table and the man walked away.

'It's not ticking at least.' Grace said trying to add some humour.

'Miss Shaw. Do you know who that was?' Harold asked. Shaw with a mouthful of food nods in disagreement and attempts to talk. Harold stops her.

'That was a former member of the Brotherhood. I am not sure how he found us, but he was shot by John and after Fusco had a word, he turned to join Fusco and Reese and become their informant. But ever since Fusco went on holiday, and won't be back for a few more weeks, all information from him dried up.' Harold first opens up his envelope with his alias.

'Harold Swann. As expected.' He then opens up the brown envelope, he pulls out a piece of paper and reads it.

NO NOIR YACHTSMAN.

The letters were crudely cut out from different newspapers and magazines.

'Okay! What does that mean?' Grace asks

'It's an anagram. Of what, I have no idea.' Harold responds. Sameen grabs the envelope and a small piece of paper falls out.

'Missed one professor Swann.' She smiles. Harold grabs the piece and looks at that and the anagram.

'It can't be. He is dead.' Harold says muttering under his breathe.

'Who? Who are you talking about?' Shaw asks.

'Quick we have to go. We may have a powerful ally in hiding. But thanks to this piece of paper, I know where he is.' Harold goes to stand as does Grace, but Shaw doesn't move.

'Still eating guys.' Shaw says. Grace once again puts her hand up and responds.

'That's my leftovers.' Shaw looks is disgust and annoyingly stands up to leave.

'I still don't get it.' Shaw says looking at the smaller piece of paper. It read. 8025 Morior Invictus.

'I will reveal all soon enough Miss Day.' Harold says. Shaw stops, looking slightly confused and Harold explains why he has started calling her that.

'We are out in the open. Whoever has taken over from Greer will continue looking for us. Samaritan is weak, but it will gain its strength back. In the meantime, they still have strength in numbers. So, from now on, You, are Miss Day, Miss Dickens and I am Mr Swann.' Shaw nods in agreement puts her black hat on and walks with Harold and Grace.

They arrive at a derelict building which Shaw recognises as where the explosion that killed a few members of the Brotherhood, but also Scarface, who was the right-hand man of Carl Elias.

'Wait! Is Carl Elias still alive? No, he can't be, I saw his body. The bullet hole in head proved otherwise.' Shaw says.

'Bruce? Are you there?' Harold shouts as they enter the building. There is no answer, but then Harold holds his ear in agony and removes the earpiece to which he has contact with the machine.

'How many?' A voice shouts back.

'Three.'

'Name them.'

'Harold Swann, Farah Day and Jane Dickens.'

'Come forward. Stop when I say so.' The three begin to walk and then stop when they hear the shout.

'Is it true about the man in the suit. John? Is he really dead?'

'No body has been found, but when a cruise missile hits you, I doubt it would leave much behind.'

'Elias. Is he dead?'

'Bruce. You saw the body.'

'I am not Bruce.' A shadow begins to appear with a gun pointing in the direction of the trio.

'Bruce is still out there. Not knowing I am still alive.'

'Wait! If you are not Bruce, then who are you?' The voice coughs, badly and then he talks again.

'What, my anagram too good for ya?' The voice says in a strong New York accent.

'Anthony?' Harold replies. The figure shows himself to be Anthony S Marconi.

'I thought you would enjoy my puzzle.' Anthony says. He offers his hand to Harold and in doing so, shows his heavily scarred hand and burnt face.

'I survived. Thanks to the Brotherhood. I knew what was going to happen, so as I said my goodbye to the boss, I pushed myself back and landed on the floor sill in a chair. As the Brotherhood were running one tripped over me and as he did so he protected me. As you can see, I didn't get away from the explosion fully. But a policeman saw the Brotherhood and assumed I was an innocent kidnap victim. I gave him the name of Rees John. That must have flagged up as you man and the short fat dumpy one got me out of there and the next thing I know, I have a guy called Leon looking over me.'

'I am so sorry. I never knew.'

'I asked John to hide me and not tell anyone. He agreed. But what was even stranger, was this package arrived a few months back. I was still suffering with heat on my face, so I stayed in and this woman was talking to me. The voice changed about two weeks ago and ever since then she has told me what do. I am now part of your team.'

Harold looked shocked. They now had a member of Elias's men working with them.

'Oh! I don't come alone. Fusco.' Out of the shadows Fusco reappears and greets everyone like an old friend.