RISK (1.16)

The next number that the Machine dispenses belongs to Adam Saunders (Matt Lauria), a proprietary trader with the Wall Street investment firm Baylor Zimm. Adam is seemingly a high roller who likes to play big and win big, all with the company's money. Reese approaches Adam as an asset manager for Finch, and finds the factors in whatever incident will be happening are deeper than originally believed – Adam is having a clandestine relationship with one of the company's managing partners, Sydney Baylor (Noelle Beck); Adam is being interrogated by Inspector Doug Rasmussen (Scott Cohen) of the SEC, who seems to think that Adam and/or Baylor Zimm as a company are involved in some securities illegalities; and Adam's uncle, Bob Sowoski (John Scurti), a food truck operator, has placed all his life savings into a shady company called Tritak, whose financial investment is increasing. Ultimately, it is established Adam is the target of Rasmussen and Paul Ashton (David Furr), a colleague of Adam's, who are using Tritak to defraud thousands of people out of tens of millions of dollars, as they are aware it will go bust due to a recently passed state legal bill that undercuts its business. Reese is able to protect Adam from assassins sent to kill him, Finch uses his unlimited funds to keep Tritak in operation and save all of the investor's money, and, exposed, Rasmussen and Ashton are arrested – however, only Ashton makes it to Carter's interrogation room, Rasmussen having apparently committed suicide. All parties involved realize Rasmussen and Ashton were working for Carl Elias, who has returned.

Air Date: February 23, 2012
Written by Sean Hennen and directed by Jeff T. Thomas.

BLUE CODE (1.15)

The latest number that the Machine dispenses belongs to Michael Cahill (Michael Aronov), who on the surface is an unassuming and upstanding but solitary citizen, which masks the fact of being involved in a major smuggling ring led by a man named Vargas (José Zúñiga). Members of the ring will not hesitate to kill if anyone gets in their way. Reese quickly infiltrates the smuggling ring as one of their own. But when Reese follows Cahill away from the group, Reese finds that his former name is Daniel Tully, and that he is a husband, father and undercover cop, who is deep undercover. Cahill could have long ago put Vargas away, but is waiting to nab the ringleader, a man (Michael Berresse) going by the code name L.O.S. Reese also learns that Vargas probably has a connection working inside the police force. While Finch gets Carter to provide information on the police workings of undercover cops, Reese gets Fusco to re-establish his connections with the dirty cops to flush out Vargas' connection.

Air Date: February 16, 2012
Written by Denise Thé and directed by David Von Ancken.

WOLF AND CUB (1.14)

Finch and Reese return to the library for the first time since Finch's encounter with Root. Reese receives the next number of Darren McGrady (Astro). However, upon arrival at Darren's home, Reese finds that Darren's older brother was murdered three days before, and their apartment a crime scene. With Carter's help, he learns that the perpetrators were three males tied to a local comic-book store owner, whose really a drug dealer, called Andre (Malik Yoba). Darren's brother was killed for kicking out the youths for harasing a waitress at a local chicken shop, they then followed him home and murdered him, Darren saw them leaving and called the Police but they didn't come for ages. In the present, Darren, desperate for justice, pawns his television set and trumpet to buy a gun, and is about to shoot one of the men (Jon Michael Hill) just as Reese finds him and calls Carter. The suspect is arrested by Carter as Reese and Darren rush off in her car, but due to a lack of evidence and at the insistence of a corrupt police captain (Michael Mulheren), is released in less than a day. Reese leaves him at a convent with Fusco, who is still trailing Finch, but Darren escapes. Reese finds him and Darren tries to hire Reese is then hired by Darren to avenge his brothers death, but Reese just keeps a dime and tells Daren he will work to put his brothers killers behind bars, which means no killing. Reese and Darren bond over Sun Tzu's The Art of War and Darren calls Reese a Ronin, A samurai who should have died but now travels the land helping people. Darren also asks Reese if he killed anyone to which Reese replies yes both bad people and good. Darren tells him it sounds like he was tricked into killing good people by his master, which reflexes Reese's back-story with the CIA. Reese uses the techniques from The Art of War to take down the baddies and captures them, he places one of them into a police car with a load of bottles and threatens the other one by burning the drug money until he discloses the location of the murder weapon. However, before he is able to send the gun off to the police, Darren takes the gun runs off in an effort to kill his brother's murderers. Reese and calls Carter and she and Fusco rush off to help Reese, who with the help of Finch, who cuts the power, uses a bean bag gun to take out the killers. Carter and Fusco arrive in time to save Darren and capture the killers but Fusco ends up getting shot in the ass when Andre tries to kill Darren. With Darren Safe Reese drives him to meet his new foster family, Reese gives him a trumpet and tells him his brother would want him to carry on playing. Darren gives Reese a drawing of them both as a sign of gratitude as Reese and Fusco watch him go to live with his new foster family.

Air Date: February 9, 2012
Written by Nic Van Zeebroeck & Michael Sopczynski and directed by Chris Fisher.

ROOT CAUSE (1.13)

Reese and Finch are alerted to Scott Powell (Myk Watford), a dedicated family man and city construction project manager, who was laid off in the face of budget cuts advocated by Congressman Michael Delancey (Victor Slezak). They find he has secretly applied for a weapon permit and sending death threats to Delancey, and they conclude that Powell is planning to assassinate the Congressman. However, as Reese tries to intercept Powell, Finch realizes that the evidence against him has been planted, and they are unable to stop the real assassin from killing Delancey. Powell is arrested by the FBI in the face of overwhelming evidence, forcing Reese to help him escape. With the help of Zoe Morgan (last seen in "The Fix"), Finch identifies Peter Matheson (Damian Young), Delancey's business partner and chief of staff, as the man who hired the assassin and a hacker to kill Delancey and frame Powell, thereby covering up Matheson's corruption. Finch acquires a recording of a conversation between Matheson and the hacker, exonerating Powell. After Matheson is found dead, the hacker, identifying herself as "Root", admits to Finch that she had him killed to tie up loose ends. Root acknowledges Finch, by name, as a worthy adversary.

Air Date: February 2, 2012
Written by Erik Mountain and directed by Richard J. Lewis.