Q & A

We 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.

Claire Mahoney's not just another number.

Chess grandmaster at the age of 16.

- Do you recognize this? - A nautilus shell?

They're the symbol for a very dangerous competition.

The creator of the game isn't a hacker, it's Samaritan.

Uhh!

_

Sorry for the precautions, Professor.

You're getting a tour from the founders,

and you wouldn't believe the freaks that try to get in here.

What's the word, Riley?

No weapons.

Mild-to-moderate freakiness.

Enjoyed that, did you?

Incoming!

Welcome to nerd nirvana.

Fetch & Retrieve is one of the hottest Internet companies

in the world, John.

They know how to attract appropriate talent.

Why else would they hire a moonlighting NYPD detective

for their security team?

To protect all the limited edition action figures.

And some of the most valuable search algorithms

in the industry.

There's a reason why people choose Fetch & Retrieve

when they need to find something online,

and this man coming down the hall is a large part of it.

Calvin Mazer, Chief Technical Officer.

Professor Whistler!

You didn't tell me on the phone

that you did research into neuro-evolutionary systems.

'Cause I can talk AI all day.

I hope so.

My new book on algorithmic decision-making

could benefit from your expertise.

And in return for our time, we get first crack

at your most promising students, right?

That is why Lauren is our CEO.

We got this.

Perhaps now is a moment

when you might get eyes on our latest number.

Anna Mueller, moved here from Munich

with her sister Jill when she was 14.

Anna works here as a transcriber for something called VAL.

Any idea what that is?

I believe we're about to find out.

And here's how we're transforming

the world of search.

Our latest app... VAL.

For Voice Activated Lookup. Here.

Where does country originate?

Are tomatoes vegetables or fruits?

VAL's a personal assistant on your phone.

You wanna find anything online, just ask it a question

like the ones you're hearing right now.

VAL, how's Fetch & Retrieve doing in the market today?

Fetch & Retrieve is up $1.87 today.

Congratulations.

Thanks to our algorithm and our transcribers,

VAL is the most accurate and the most popular

voice-activated search app in the country.

Here comes Anna, Harold.

So the transcribers

create a record of each user's questions

and check VAL's responses... a human intelligence

backing up an artificial one.

Exactly.

Now let's find a spot where we can chat.

Yes, by all means.

I'll take it from here, Harold.

_

Harold, Anna just got a text from someone named Alek.

_

Could be a boyfriend.

Though from Anna's reaction,

I'm guessing they're out of the honeymoon phase.

Looks like she's been knocked around by someone.

_

If Anna's in a relationship, it's anything but healthy.

_

Yeah, Harold?

How goes the moonlighting, Mr. Reese?

Uncover any hidden threats?

Do empty carbohydrates count?

Pretty much the only thing here

that's not shiny happy geeky is Anna.

Any idea who her lunch buddy is?

Naresh Prasad.

He's a mid-level coder.

Naresh,

I think we should talk to someone

about that user abnormality.

There's nothing to talk about.

I've already spent more time on that than I should.

Let's just do our jobs.

You're saying I should just drop it.

Honestly, as a friend,

yes.

Well, something's certainly eating at her, but what?

I'm afraid Anna may not be the only one

who's researching an abnormality.

A new nautilus puzzle

has appeared that is nearly identical

to the very first one I encountered,

down to a phone number

that decodes to a set of GPS coordinates.

Maybe Samaritan's recycling puzzles.

Unlikely, Mr. Reese.

The coordinates are in the Shadow Map.

Samaritan wouldn't send players to a spot

where it couldn't observe them.

Well, if Samaritan didn't make the puzzle, who did?

_

Oh, wait.

There's something embedded in the image on the poster.

"You were right."

Mr. Reese, I'm afraid you may have to

handle Anna on your own at the moment.

I think I know who created the puzzle,

and if I'm correct, I need to hurry.

Finch, Anna's leaving work.

Let's see where she has to be at 9:00.

- Get in! - Sorry, Alek.

And now, let's introduce our contenders.

Weighing in at 130 pounds,

from Astoria Heights,

put your hands together

for Melinda "Jay Jay" James!

And, from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn,

give it up for Anna "The Annihilator" Mueller!

The Annihilator?

Ready?

Ready?

Fight!

Ow!

Yeah!

See? All that hard work paid off.

- Thanks, Alek. - Yeah.

Finch, Alek is Anna's trainer.

And now we know how she got that bruise.

She's not a victim of abuse. She's doling it out.

She's an MMA fighter.

Which means she may be a perpetrator after all.

Be careful, Mr. Reese.

Careful with that phone!

They're always listening.

Claire...

what's happened to you?

The people behind the Nautilus game

were worse than anything I could have imagined.

They used me.

But with your help, maybe I can

break free...

They found me!

Please help me.

About time you called.

I was gonna send a dog on a search and rescue.

Apologies, John, but that matter I was looking into

took an unexpected turn.

But I found Claire.

Is everything okay?

I'm endeavoring to make it so

by looping a few security feeds.

Can you manage without me for a while longer?

Sure thing.

Turns out Anna won honors

in both judo and kick-boxing in college.

Must be taking it to the next level

by hopping in an MMA ring.

She may find it more difficult than she thinks.

Professional mixed martial arts are illegal in New York,

and amateur fights are plagued

by gambling, organized crime, and a lack of regulation.

Any threat against Anna is probably coming from there.

Be sure to take Detective Fusco if you need backup.

Speaking of needing backup,

you sure you got things covered with Claire?

Yes.

But I'm afraid she needs my full attention.

Finch, while Anna's at work,

I'm gonna check out her and Jill's house.

_

"5-Fluorouracil."

Jill's getting chemo.

Anna's not the only one with a fight on her hands.

_

Forgive the morbid overtones,

but this mortuary was the closest place I could find