Person of Interest s05e10 Episode Script

The Day the World Went Away

1 (Finch) You are being watched.
The government has a secret system secret system (Greer) A system you asked for to keep you safe.
(Finch) A machine that spies on you every hour of every day.
(Greer) You granted it the power to see everything to index, order, and control the lives of ordinary people.
(Finch) The government considers these people irrelevant.
We don't.
(Greer) But to it, you are all irrelevant, victim or perpetrator, if you stand in its way.
(Finch) We'll find you.
I wanted to talk to you.
No one else would really understand.
Not much of a conversation, as you can't talk back.
That's my fault, but I've been thinking, and I know you have too, about how all this plays out.
About what happens next.
I'm sure you've made a million different versions.
I know some very bad things are coming.
I know I'm probably going to die.
I accepted that a long time ago.
But I was wondering, if in any of those many versions, the people that I've roped into helping me, my friends whether they get out alive.
Is that a path that we're on? [electronic beeping.]
[electronic beeping.]
I suppose I may have made that impossible.
Even if you could tell me, it's probably too late.
Double shot, and a cappuccino.
Glad to see you back.
It's been a while, hasn't it? I'm afraid that you are confusing me with someone else.
This is the first time I've been to this establishment.
Oh, sorry, it's just thought I recognized your order too.
What a coincidence.
[ominous music.]
[electronic beeping.]
Good-bye and thank you.
[electronic beeping.]
Morning, Ms.
Groves.
How is Ms.
Shaw faring? Great.
How's she really faring? It's gonna take some time.
Is there anything else the matter? We finally have open access to the Machine, and now you're planning to close it.
Go back to talking in numbers.
Unless you've added telepathy to your long list of talents, there's no way that you could have known that I had chosen today to end our dialogue with the Machine.
You built her to predict people, Harry.
And she's very good at it.
Starting with you.
She respects your decision.
She believes in you so much.
You don't agree.
You built God, Harry.
Who am I to question your judgment? Or hers? But? But we're gonna lose.
You know that.
We have the most powerful ally in the world, but you're too high-minded to let her help us.
So, we're gonna end up the most principled corpses in Potter's Field.
We've stayed alive so far.
We're not living.
We're surviving.
We're human.
Eventually, we'll make a mistake, and she'll die too.
I know why you didn't give her a name.
You don't name something you may have to kill.
You had to kill the first 40 versions of her.
But like it or not, Harry, she's your child.
And she's gonna die unknown, unmourned.
She'll simply vanish without a trace.
And you couldn't even give her a real voice to ask you if it needs to end like this.
I didn't give the Machine a name because I imagined that one day it might wish to choose one for itself.
And a system doesn't have to be open to be given a voice.
Whose voice would you prefer? She's a big girl.
Like you said, let her choose.
I'm locking us out of the system.
[keys clacking.]
As for a voice, we'll see what she chooses.
[keys clacking.]
[electronic beeping.]
[dramatic music.]
[phone rings.]
(computer voices) Sierra, tango, bravo, Lima, x-ray, Lima, November, golf, Charlie I looked up your credentials, Professor Whistler.
Your work on discourse analysis is impressive.
- Thank you.
- You're quite welcome.
[phone rings.]
But you've yet to be published on the subject of word sense disambiguation.
Knowing that, how are you qualified to give me a B-minus? Office hours are over.
Professor Whistler was just about to change my grade.
This paper's a C-minus at best.
And that man is not your professor.
He's an architect of the future.
Mr.
Reese, what's going on? We have a new number.
Whose? Yours.
Excuse me, what about my grade? You failed.
[gasps.]
Sorry, Harry.
Professor Whistler's taking early retirement.
Ah! Ah! Ah! [gasps.]
Who wants to go quietly? Nice doing business with you, Trevor.
Let's get out of here before more of his colleagues show up.
Good to be alive.
Isn't it, Harry? We haven't survived this yet, Ms.
Groves.
[electronic beeping.]
[dramatic music.]
Harold's cover's blown.
- And yours, Detective? - Don't know yet.
Which is precisely why you should put some distance between us, John.
It's not worth the risk.
Street's clear.
- You weren't followed.
- Ms.
Shaw.
It's good to have you back home.
Harold, do you know how they found you? I don't know.
I do.
I'm back a week, your cover's blown.
(Reese) This place could be blown too.
We need to take what we can guns, ammo, cash and get the hell out fast.
We're going on the offensive.
Temporary Resolutions.
Starting at that office and working right up their chain of command.
They can't get to Finch if we get to them first.
[lock rattles.]
Yeah, I love you too.
Grab some guns, Sameen.
You'll feel better once we shoot some people.
There'd be a better way to fight this war if we hadn't closed the system.
If I believed that, I wouldn't have done it.
What if I said I hard-coded a little something extra into the system before you closed it for good? I gave her the capacity to defend herself.
There are rules, Ms.
Groves.
Rules I did not arrive at casually.
Don't worry.
I added a safeguard.
She'll only act if you ask her to.
It's entirely your decision.
[tires squealing.]
Party crashers.
You want to stick around, give 'em a proper welcome? Thought you'd never ask.
Offense works for me.
What about Glasses? He's not exactly Indiana Jones, you know.
Leave Harold with me.
You think you can hide him from an all-seeing eye? I used to be the all-seeing eye.
I know just the place to keep Harold out of sight.
Good.
Sorry to miss the party, ladies, but we need to move.
I wish you wouldn't do this on my account.
I'm just protecting a number, Harold.
It's what you hired me to do.
[electronic beeping.]
These are the Double B high-rises.
Are you sure the place is safe? - Hey, boss.
- For me, yes.
For an outsider, of course not.
[indistinct muttering.]
Pardon the smell.
Used to be a meth lab.
Well, the escort is much appreciated, but I'll take it from here.
I'm sorry, Harold.
This isn't just your fight.
We have a common enemy, one that murdered a dear friend.
I'm in your corner till the end.
I confess, I'm not a fan of boxing, but have you ever been to a match where everybody knows the fighter is done except for the fighter himself? It's never done.
We've lasted too long to give up now.
I'm afraid you're signing your own death warrant.
Be that as it may, I'd rather die on the mat than throw in the towel.
[electronic beeping.]
[ominous music.]
It's more peaceful than I'd have imagined.
I negotiated a truce between the two gangs warring over the territory.
Enjoy it.
Nobody's getting in here.
You've thought a few moves ahead, but our opponent has thought a thousand.
You were always quite the chess player.
Did you ever game out where you would be at this point in your life? I must admit, a meth lab was low on my list of possibilities.
I was fairly certain I'd end up in prison.
Strange.
Me too.
Oh, the lives we could have led.
It's funny, when we met, John was protecting a teacher named Charlie Burton in this exact housing project.
As I recall, that protection ended when Charlie pulled a gun on John.
A youthful indiscretion.
I was living underground three years, but I got sloppy and was caught on a surveillance camera.
Everything all right, Harold? Excuse me.
- Root? - Hey, Stranger.
- Just finishing up here.
- Ah! (Finch) I'm afraid I've made a grave miscalculation.
I went back to the place I took Grace on our first date.
It had been ten years to the day since I bought her that first cappuccino.
Samaritan isn't just watching everything we do now.
It's monitoring everything we've ever done.
You said this morning we were just surviving.
By then my fate had been sealed.
But not yours.
I would hate for my mistake to mean punishment for the rest of you.
And please tell Ms.
Shaw this is not her cross to bear.
This lapdog has the same card.
Temporary Resolutions.
You want to tell me how this all-seeing eye thing doesn't see us coming? It does.
We're two homicide detectives investigating a campus shooting.
Temporary Resolutions? Is it just me, or is dispatching hit men more of a permanent resolution? Ready or not, Lionel.
[phones ringing.]
Welcome to Temporary Resolutions.
How can I help you gentlemen? Detective Riley, NYPD.
My partner and I are investigating a shooting involving one of your employees.
A shooting? Oh, my God.
We need to see your employee files.
I'm afraid you're gonna need a warrant for that.
Can we speak to your supervisor? Are you sure you want to do that? We'll take our chances.
Of course.
Right this way.
Can I offer you gentlemen any water while you're waiting? Coffee maybe? We're good.
Our supervisor will be right with you.
[phone beeps.]
That was Harry.
I gathered.
He think I'm the reason his cover's blown? He knows you're not.
He slipped up.
He went back to the place he and Grace had their first date.
Harold has a weakness.
We all do.
It'd be nice if we could go back.
I guess none of us Has the life we want.
Actually, Sameen? I've been hiding since I was 12.
This might be the first time I feel like I belong.
[tires squealing.]
These guys don't quit.
[indistinct chatter.]
Guess we might get a workout after all.
Would you care for some dinner, Harold? I make a killer puttanesca, even in a kitchen that's only been used to cook meth.
They're here.
Shame, I don't think we'll have enough place settings.
The two gangs' normal behavior is to fight all day, every day, so today is an anomaly.
That's how they found us.
In that case, the puttanesca will have to wait.
[suspenseful music.]
I'm beginning to think the supervisor's never showing.
Lionel.
What do you hear? Nothing.
That can't be good.
They sent 50 employees packing.
So they could send in the big guns, and we're their targets.
Get ready, Lionel.
Chain of command's coming for us.
- Move in! - They're cornered! Ah! Ah! - Nice shot, Lionel.
- Keep moving! They're still back there! But I'm afraid it's time we wrap this up.
- Take cover! - [explosion booms.]
Ah! Do me a favor and push the elevator button, would you, Harold? Who's to say they won't be on the elevator? - Oh, they're on the elevator.
- [elevator bell dings.]
They're just not alive.
[elevator bell dings.]
[gunfire.]
Ah! You hand him over now, and we'll let you go.
(Elias) No, thank you.
You're not gonna be able to take both of us out.
You know what? You're right.
- But he can.
- [gunshots.]
Good thing you brought the mop.
Don't travel without it, boss.
See, Harold? Even old boxers have a few tricks.
My man William is going to take us out of the city.
[somber music.]
Elias! Ah! Ah! Get in.
[gasps.]
[electronic beeping.]
[ominous music.]
No sign of Finch.
(man) Yo, you the cops? Got something for you.
Let him through.
Everyone around here respected Elias.
Elias's killers left the scene in this vehicle? Yeah.
One killer, and one guy who Elias respected.
[suspenseful music.]
[electronic beeping.]
(Reese) Root, RTCC got a hit on the vehicle transporting Finch.
(Root) The machine beat you to the punch.
Shaw and I are already on the way.
Don't worry, Harold.
This won't take long.
I should hope not.
I won't give you the location of my friends or the Machine.
So please, go ahead and kill me now before more people die.
My dear Harold, Samaritan doesn't want you dead.
So why has it gone to all this trouble to bring me here? Because Samaritan needs your help.
Granted, Samaritan knows that you won't hear its appeal in your current state.
One day, a day you may not be able to see now, you will work for Samaritan of your own accord.
Take him.
If you could just follow me, sir.
Have a pleasant journey, Mr.
Finch.
[electronic beeping.]
[dramatic rock music.]
[bystsanders screaming.]
[grunts.]
Ah! So I was thinking about your thing.
My thing? Your whole "I'm crazy and the world's just a simulation" thing? It's a little like when Harry had me locked up and I was questioning everything.
Can we talk about this after the whole lethal shootout thing? No time like the present, Sameen.
Besides, if this is just another simulation, who cares if we die? Anyway, Schrodinger said at its base level, the universe isn't made up of physical matter, but just shapes.
I thought that might make you feel better.
Seriously? [gunfire.]
A shape, you know? Nothing firm.
What it means is the real world is essentially a simulation anyway.
You are the last person I should have confided in about this.
I liked that idea.
That even if we're not real, we represent a dynamic.
A tiny finger tracing a line in the infinite.
A shape.
And then we're gone.
That's supposed to make me feel better? I'm a shape? Yeah.
And, darlin', you got a great shape.
I swear to God, you flirt at the most awkward times.
- I know.
- Take it! [gunfire.]
Listen, all I saying is that if we're just information, just noise in the system we might as well be a symphony.
Hey, Harry.
Need a lift? [electronic beeping.]
Get back! Get in the car.
I'll draw the fire! I'm not leaving you again! Get him out of here now, or I'll shoot you myself! Go! Go! [suspenseful music.]
(Samaritan) Stop.
Right.
On foot.
Three blocks.
You should have just left me.
Not gonna happen, Harry.
You're bleeding.
Ugh! Please, we need to get you to a hospital.
Not a chance.
It's the first place they'll be looking for you.
You can patch me up when we get back to the subway.
You've had plenty of practice with John.
I'm so tired of this.
Everyone we've lost.
Elias They all made choices.
They all died for something they believe in.
And anyway, the way I see it they're not gone, Harry.
I mean, they're dead, but they're not gone.
[horn honks.]
You must have figured this out.
I'm not in a metaphysical mood.
I'm not talking metaphysics, Harry.
You built it, but you refuse to accept what you created.
I mean, Shaw's a little screwy right now, but she's not wrong.
We're all simulations now.
In order to predict what we do she has to know us.
And she's gotten better and better at it.
And the people she watches the most, she knows the best.
Better than we know ourselves.
Nathan Elias, Carter they're all still in there.
The Machine's still watching over them.
She's watching over us too.
And she thinks you should take this.
- Now.
- May I ask why? Might want to duck, Harry! (Samaritan) Right.
5G.
Upstairs.
Vacant.
[gunfire.]
[horns honking.]
These guys are really pissing me off.
Can you get me the .
338? - .
338? - The really big gun.
And a hair scrunchy.
Thanks.
Okay.
[horn honks.]
[tires screeching.]
He'll be done in three two Amateurs.
As I was saying, this is the next world, Harry.
The world you built.
And as long as the Machine lives, we never die.
Relax, hot shot.
It's the cavalry.
Get in.
(Samaritan) Plate number: 5KSKU.
Target? (Samaritan) Priority target: passenger.
Secondary target: driver.
Listen, I know you have apprehension about what the Machine is.
About what she will become.
And I trust you, Harold.
I walked in darkness for a very long time until you guided me to light.
And I wouldn't change any of it.
But we're not going to win this way.
And we can't afford to lose.
When the time comes, you'll know what to do.
And I know this is an ugliness you never wanted, but sometimes you have to fight a little.
We're fighting a war that's already over.
All this mayhem? It isn't some plucky underground resistance movement.
It's an extinction burst.
No! Are you hit? I'm fine, Harry.
I'm just fine.
Keep your eyes out.
I need to drive.
[over loudspeaker.]
NYPD! Stop the vehicle! Root, we have to stop.
We're not in any immediate danger.
We have to take our chances with the police.
All right, they're stopping Move in.
(man) Put the weapon down! We're not armed.
We're not armed! Root, put your gun down.
Root? (man) Out of the car! [somber orchestral music.]
[ominous music.]
[camera shutter clicks.]
(man) Prints came back positive.
15 homicide scenes in the last 5 years.
Who the hell is this guy? Don't know, but after you ran 'em, the Feds called.
They're sending someone over.
And get this.
Case on file from nineteen-seventy-friggin'-four.
What are the charges? Treason.
[electronic beeping.]
All right, Sarge, thanks.
[sighs.]
These guys are clueless.
It's like a war zone out here.
Said they pulled two people out of the car.
One of them's in custody down in central.
One of 'em One of them's at St.
Mary's in critical condition.
Samaritan won't give up.
They're both in danger.
We need to split up.
I'll go to the hospital.
Shaw, you come with me.
Be careful, Lionel.
Yeah.
[door opens and closes.]
Harold.
That's as far as we've gotten.
Harold.
That and a file number.
Quite a few file numbers, in fact.
We've got records of records of you going back nearly 40 years.
But no actual records.
Isn't that funny? We digitized them all ten years back.
Brass said all the files were taking up too much room.
Me? I thought it was a bad idea.
I mean, pieces of paper going missing every once in a while? For the most part, they turned up.
But now? Little bits in a hard drive? Who's to say when they disappear? They're just gone.
Now all of yours just went up in smoke.
Poof.
And all I've got is a cover page to a file.
An interview with an unnamed man in a retirement home talking about his son.
Harold.
But lucky for me, in treason cases, they keep the files.
I've got an agent headed to Washington with a flashlight.
It'll probably take him a couple of hours to dig yours up.
Unless you want to save him the time.
My friend.
What happened to her? Well If you talk to me I'll tell you about your friend.
I would like my phone call.
Phone call? No, it doesn't work like that.
You give us the name of an attorney, and we will contact them on your behalf.
In the meantime, you and I just wait.
Unless you have something to say to me.
I have played by the rules for so long.
Not from where I'm sitting.
No.
Not your rules.
You work at the behest of a system so broken that you didn't even notice when it became corrupted at its core.
When I first broke your rules, a sitting president had authorized assassination squads in Laos, and the head of the FBI had ordered his men you to conduct illegal surveillance on his political rivals.
Your rules have changed every time it was convenient for you.
I was talking about my rules.
I have lived by those rules for so long.
Believed in them for so long.
Believed that if you played by the right rules, eventually you would win.
But I was wrong, wasn't I? And now all the people I cared about are dead.
Or will be dead soon enough.
And we will be gone without a trace.
So now I have to decide.
Decide whether to let my friends die, to let hope die, to let the world be ground under your heel all because I played by my rules.
I'm trying to decide.
I'm going to kill you.
But I need to decide how far I'm willing to go how many of my own rules I'm willing to break to get it done.
Look, you want to add threatening the life of a federal agent to your file, I will draw up those charges right now.
No waiting is required.
I wasn't talking to you.
[electronic beeping.]
[whispers indistinctly.]
No, no.
No damn chance of that.
No, this guy is ours.
I don't care who the hell those suits think they are.
Get him back into holding.
This case is way out of your jurisdiction.
There's no way we're gonna give up this prisoner.
This is a very high-value prisoner, and he's ours.
[chatter continues indistinctly.]
[buzzer blares.]
[suspenseful music.]
Hey, Dennis? They said they're calling Washington.
Meanwhile, anyone remands this guy to anyone [chatter continues indistinctly.]
[phone rings.]
(Root) Can you hear me? Root? (Root) No, Harold.
I chose a voice.
Make sure this is completely locked down.
[indistinct chatter.]
This place can you get me out of it? (Root) You created me.
I can do anything you want me to.
["The Day the World Went Away" by Nine Inch Nails.]
[men shouting indistinctly.]
NYPD homicide.
What happened here? Someone cut the power, opened all the cell doors.
At last count, 600 prisoners escaped out the back door.
National Guard being called up.
You got any weapons in that thing, we're gonna need you.
- [phone vibrates.]
- Fusco.
I listened to The words he'd say But in his voice I heard decay The plastic face We need to get to Finch.
Forced to portray I got a feeling Finch isn't here anymore.
Samaritan didn't want him dead, at least not if they could capture him.
Then why did his number come up? That still remains I think it was warning us about what he might do to them.
It eats the pain [gunfire.]
The sweetest price He'll have to pay The day the whole world Went away [dramatic music.]

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