Person of Interest

You are being watched.

The government has a secret system,

a machine that spies on you every hour of every day.

I designed The Machine to detect acts of terror but it sees everything.

Violent crimes involving ordinary people.

The government considers these people irrelevant. We don't.

Hunted by the authorities, we work in secret.

You'll never find us,

but victim or perpetrator, if your number's up, we'll find you.

911. What is your emergency? I need you to calm down!

911. What's your emergency? Shut up! Shut up!

911. What's your emergency? 911. What's your emergency?

911. What's your emergency?

You gotta help me. They've broken into my car.

Are you in the car now, sir?

No. Thank God. I'm across the street.

Good. Please do not attempt to approach the vehicle.

Now do you see any weapons?

They're ripping up the interior! They're everywhere!

All right, and are they attempting to steal the vehicle?

What? Don't be ridiculous. Squirrels can't drive.

I'm afraid squirrels fall outside the purview of 911.

Let me connect you to a non-emergency operator.

Good job, Harold.

You sure you've never done this kind of thing before?

Not quite, although I do have some applicable experience.

I don't know, Finch.

Maybe we should get Fusco to question those squirrels.

Reese is right. Could be a whole rodent carjacking ring.

Keeping entertained, are we?

I'd be happy to trade places, Ms. Shaw.

I admit, I'm not sure what makes me the best fit

for this particular undercover mission.

At a desk, surrounded by monitors, helping people in danger.

All you're missing is the dog.

Besides, would you really want someone to call 911 and get me?

Point taken.

These calls represent the numbers we never get.

Crimes that unfold too quickly for the Machine to detect.

So, it's a win-win, Finch.

You get to help them, while looking into our latest number.

Sandra Nicholson.

911 operator and trainee supervisor.

She's got a stack of commendations. So what's the threat?

911 operators are often witnesses at trial, targets of lawsuits,

and now that I've hacked the routing system,

I can monitor every call she gets.

Sandra? Her car went off a bridge into the water.

She's sinking. I don't know what to do.

Okay. Hello, ma'am, can you hear me? What's your name?

Jackie. I'm trapped. Oh, my God.

All right, Jackie, just relax.

We're gonna get you out of there, okay?

Cars can float for up to two minutes, so we got a little time.

The doors are stuck and the windows have shorted out. Please help.

- Jackie, are you wearing heels? - Yes, these stupid four-inch pumps.

All right, those pumps are gonna save your life.

Your car window's weak spot is up front near the door hinges.

I want you to kick that spot as hard as you can

with your heel, okay? Go!

It worked!

Unit 1234 arriving on scene.

We have eyes on the car. We'll take it from here.

All right, Jackie. Rescue team's on the way.

She's good.

At handling other people's emergencies.

I wonder how she'll hold up when she's faced with one of her own.

Murder weapon on the Kipling case.

What do you think, Fusco? Right size, right shape?

Wrong edge. Wound was serrated, remember?

Hey, Fusco, hold up a second.

Suspect's guilty as hell,

but we can't get his DNA without a warrant.

- The DA wants to kick him. - Ever hear of dumpster diving, Kane?

Excuse me. Det. Fusco?

Jake Harrison. Just transferred over from the 12th,

and I caught this case.

Tara Cooke, 29.

Found by the East River yesterday morning.

Head bashed in, wallet stolen. Mugging gone bad, right?

Everyone said you were the guy to talk to.

Look, kid, they bumped you up to Homicide Task Force for a reason.

They don't all come with instructions. Figure it out.

You want something from me too?

- Is this a bad time, Detective? - It ain't good.

My brain's being picked on everything

from interrogation to evidence collection.

Hardly surprising.

Your arrest of Officer Simmons brought you

no small amount of esteem. Perhaps you should be flattered

that your peers are soliciting your advice.

Speaking of which, did you receive the name I sent?

Yeah, it was, uh... Sandra Nicholson.

Yeah, I mean, other than a couple of parking tickets, she's clean.

But she did have a sealed juvie record.

She must have gotten into some kind of trouble as a kid.

I don't suppose you could take a peek behind that seal.

I'm sorry, pal. With the whole HR takedown, hit the force pretty hard.

The whole department's under scrutiny.

So, unless you got a court order, I guess I'm gonna have to say "no."

Understood. I thank you for your time, Detective.

And as for your newfound popularity, you've earned it.

Yeah.

See these bruises? Livor mortis.

It happens when a body stays in one place, okay?

Tara was found on her right side. These bruises are on the left.

And look, Forensics found industrial carpet fibers stuck in the wound.

But she wasn't wrapped up in any carpet.

Body was moved. This isn't a mugging at all.

Let's get to work. Show me what else you got.

Uh, yeah.

- 911. What's your emergency? My name is Aaron.

Some men are trying to break into my apartment.

Hi, Aaron. I'm Sandra.

I'm gonna help you out, okay? Are you alone?

The sitter wasn't here when I got home from school

and Mom's at work.

All right, I'm sending the police right away.

All units, 10-31 in progress.

216 Bakersfield Way, Unit 4-E. Code Three. Repeat, Code Three.

Mr. Reese, Ms. Shaw, he may not be our number, but...

We got it, Finch. We're on our way.

Sandra, they're breaking through the door.

Is there any place you can hide?

There's a crawlspace behind the panel in my closet.

Perfect. Go there now.

Okay, Sandra, I'm in. - Okay, you're doing great, Aaron.

Now I want you to stay super quiet, not a sound.

Sandra? It worked. They're leaving.

- No! - Aaron?

No, no, no! No!

- Aaron, are you all right? Aaron! - No! No!

Sandra? The men want me to tell you something.

- What? What is it? - Answer your phone.

What?

- Hello? So nice to meet you, Sandra.

I apologize for calling you on your personal cell phone,

but for what we're about to do together, I need you mobile.

- And what are we about to do? Anything I say.

You see, I've just taken this boy hostage,

and unless you follow my instructions precisely,

little Aaron is going to die.

Who is this? What's your name?

Really, Sandra?

A boy's life is at stake and you want proper introductions.

How do I know Aaron is even real? That this kidnapping wasn't staged?

I'd be happy to cut off Aaron's hand

and dump it outside your apartment at 3621, 17th Avenue.

Take a look at your phone.

Now tell me exactly which body part you'd like him to lose first.

- No! I believe you. - Good.

Now, for the ground rules.

Alert anyone to the situation, disobey any of my commands,

attempt in any way to disconnect this call,

and Aaron dies.

- Sounds simple enough. - I'm glad you think so.

Command number one:

Call off the police you've dispatched to Aaron's home. Now.

All units, disregard 10-31 at 216 Bakersfield Way.

The call was a hoax. Repeat, there is no emergency.

Copy that. Sector Charlie canceling response.

Excellent, Sandra. You're gonna do just fine.

Finch, we're entering Aaron's apartment building. Any news?

Aaron's been abducted by a man

who was able to hack into the 911 private branch exchange

and ensure that the boy's call went directly to Sandra.

Any idea why he'd single her out?

Could be a grudge. One of Sandra's 911 calls gone bad.

Doesn't explain the kid, though.

Why would Sandra's number come up, if Aaron's the one in danger?

If the machine gave us Sandra's number,

her fate and Aaron's are entwined.

- Finch, no sign of them or the kid. - Try the webcam.

I used a remote administration tool to access Aaron's computer.

There he is.

Guys who took him were pros.

They're not military. No sweep and clear.

Flashy chrome pistol. And that ring, a Gothic cross.

Templarios.

Express kidnappers from a Mexican cartel.

Best at what they do.

I've pinpointed the GPS signal from the mystery caller's phone.

It's in a car cruising Upper Manhattan.

I'm on it.

I'll see if I can track down the cartel.

Looks like your dead girl worked at a private equity firm.

Let's go check out her office.

We'll run the usual tests. But first glance?

Carpet fibers aren't a match. Your girl wasn't killed in her office.

Hey. Didn't Glasses give you the message? My dance card's booked.

I'm helping a rookie with a homicide.

So unless the world's coming to an end...

For a ten-year-old boy it is, unless we save him.

Why didn't you say so? What do you need?

The Templarios.

Any idea where they've been hanging out lately?

I can't say for sure.

They used to frequent a bar up in Bedford Park called El Cetrero.

That's where I'd try. Good luck.

- And you are? - Brent Holm.