Tiesto ft. Andain - Beautiful Things.
{
SIM X = EVENT (ASSET_S_SHAW.(OPERATIVE_SAMARITAN));
ASSIGN.VAR(SIM X);
START.SIMULATION(SIM X);
The abandoned alleyway was dark and ominous, and Root was cold and miserable, all the blood drained from her face. She didn't know what to trust - The Machine had been offline for a considerable amount of time and now knew as much as she did about what was going to happen. The Machine had given her this address - the address where she was hopeful to meet Shaw, alive and still on Team Machine - but right now it was all just looking on the bright side. It could still be an ambush, Samaritan's operatives could easily jump out of nowhere and kill her - but she decided to trust the Machine, like she always did. Except this time - she was scared, utterly unconfident and constantly worried that the Machine could be wrong.
Root did her best to hide her agitation, leaning against the hard wall and staying as still as she could - not that it would help. If this were an ambush, staying still wouldn't be much help against Samaritan.
Root was feeling an intense mix of emotions - she was the anxious lover waiting for her love to get back to her safe, she was the heroine ever so prayerful that Shaw hadn't turned against them and she was the struggling hero battling to win a terribly one-sided war. Root was having a hard time swallowing all these confusing emotions - when she heard footsteps from the otherside of the wall.
A door opened, dim light glowing from inside the building - and Root gasped softly as she made out Shaw's face. The glee that came over Root was terrific, and she couldn't stop herself as she slowly walked towards the door. The Machine informed her that Shaw was there alone and hearing that made Root pick up her pace. Root rushed towards Shaw - and sure enough as Shaw heard the muffled footsteps towards her she turned around to see who it was.
"You're alive!" Root exclaimed, flinging herself onto Shaw - who looked battered and terrible, but alive all the same. Shaw merely grunted in her normal fashion, but hugged Root back tight, as Root almost wept into her arms.
The two of them were walking along the paths of the shadow map, the Machine guiding their every step, catching up with all that had happened whilst they were apart.
"Harold was one of the first to lose hope that you were alive - " Root chuckled, walking alongside Shaw, ecstatic that for once - the situation seemed hopeful.
"Then let's go scare him." Shaw replied, eager to get back to the old grove of things.
At precisely that moment, the Machine had completed reviewing all the data she could find on Shaw whilst she was offline - and had come to a rather horrible conclusion.
"Kill Shaw now."
At that, Root stopped in her track and pulled out her pistol, ready to fire - but immediately froze. Shaw, who had realized that Root had stopped - turned to see her aiming her gun right in her face.
"Root?"
Root was speechless, breathing heavy and staring back at Shaw with a lost expression, utterly torn between the Machine and her own heart. She understood that the Machine wouldn't ask her to do this unless it was absolutely necessary - but at the same time, could not bring herself to obey the one force she never disobeyed.
"Is this a game or something?" Shaw inquired, quite unfazed seeing Root as she was. She knew she could take care of Root - if she had to.
"She asked me to kill you." Root breathed, barely audible, her voice trembling in the cold and her knees buckling from the tension she felt.
"So - you're going to kill me now?" Shaw muttered, slightly annoyed - which was a rather subtle reaction to the scene that was unfolding.
"She asked me to kill you." Root repeated, her hand starting to shake from the strain and the nerves.
"Okay then kill me." Shaw snapped, taking a few steps towards Root, her temple level to the muzzle of Root's pistol.
"What?"
"Come on Root, you know you're going to do it - now that's she's told you to, so kill me. Let's not drag this out."
Root was visibly crying, Shaw's face as impassive as ever, and the silence lingered for a minute longer.
"Sameen - I can't - "
"I know I mean nothing to you, and you are going to end up doing whatever the Machine tells you to - so come on. SHOOT me." Shaw spit out, biting her words from her rage.
"That's not true Sameen - I lo-"
"Whatever Root." Shaw huffed - turning and walking away, leaving Root behind, tears streaking down her face.
Seeing Shaw walk away, realizing that she could not carry out the Machine's instructions as simply as she could once do - made Root's heart go cold. She lowered her pistol, trembling violently and almost faint.
"Take me home." she softly requested the Machine, not remembering that the force she loved so was not a person who could take her home, and that she did not have a place she could call home in the first place.
The Machine had been quite literally screaming "STOP" at Root, but Root was determined this time. Not to mention, extremely drunk. Sloppily, she loaded the fresh magazines into her pistol and checked them. Drunk as she was, she was still good at rigging up her guns.
"Tell me where she is and I'll kill her." Root called out to the Machine, stumbling out of her loft, armed with her two guns.
"I can't do this when you're drunk." the Machine replied, repeatedly asking Root to stop pursuing Shaw.
"I am your Analog Interface and I can do this - now tell me where she is!" Root screamed back, not caring in the least for all the weird looks she got from the other people on the sidewalk.
The Machine knew Root was relentless and would not give up until she had Sameen's address- and had no choice but to give it to her.
Root barged right through the door, and in her drunken haze could make out Shaw carefully changing the bandage to her side. She held up her gun once again - her hand unusually unsteady.
"You've come here to kill me?" Shaw questioned, barely moving from the chair she was sitting on.
Root, on the other hand - seeing Shaw's bullet wound from where Martine had shot her at the stock exchange - came to the sorrowful conclusion that she could not do this. She could not kill Shaw - and this realization made Root jump to the one logical conclusion in her head.
Slowly - she moved her arm, pointing the gun to her own head this time.
At that, Shaw sprung up - desperate to get Root to stop. Shaw was calm as long as it was her in the firing line, she could easily protect herself from Root, but protecting Root from her own whims and fancies was a different thing.
"Root, put the gun down." Shaw calmly instructed, not sure if this was helping.
"I can't do it - I can't kill you and I can't obey her - there's only one thing left to do now." Root slurred, her finger pressing the trigger tighter.
"Root - just stop this and put the gun down!" Shaw repeated, but Root slowly closed her eyes and finally pulled the trigger before Shaw could stop her.
OUTCOME(SIM X) = (DEAD(ANALOG_INTERFACE),ALIVE(ASSET_S_SHAW));
OUTCOME_VAR(SIM X) = "UNDESIRABLE";
PROBABILITY(SIM X)= 0.12e-23;
NECESSITY(SIM X) = 0;
END.SIMULATION(SIM X);
RETURN();
}
"How about Cocoa puffs sleeps underneath the sheets, and Shaw sleeps on top of them." Fusco offered as he was the one that forgot the extra sheets, as Root pushed him out the door.
"We'll manage Lionel - now don't make me kill you." Root grinned, slamming the door on Lionel's face. She turned around to smile at Shaw, who looked quite weak but as determined as ever. She still hadn't completely recovered from her torture session with Samaritan - but was eager to make things get back to the way they were.
"We're not doing that - right?" Shaw asked, pulling back the sheet and falling on the bed, waiting for Root to come over to her.
"Lionel doesn't really understand how we work sweetie." Root chuckled, climbing on top of Shaw and ready to kiss her.
At precisely that moment, the Machine had completed reviewing all the data she could find on Shaw whilst she was offline - and had come to a rather horrible conclusion, one she hadn't thought was likely to happen.
"Kill Shaw now."