In a flashback episode, we meet Finch's first employee and Reese's predecessor, Rick Dillinger, a former soldier with an attitude. Finch receives a number for Daniel Casey, a gifted computer hacker who works with tiger teams to test the security of companies' software and security. Dillinger begrudgingly begins to tail Casey, only to find that the POI is also being followed by two CIA assassins – Kara Stanton and our hero, John Reese. Dillinger gets into a standoff with Reese and Stanton grabs Casey, but the group is blindsided by a team of Decima operatives. In the ensuing firefight, Dillinger slips away with Casey and brings him to the library, where Finch learns why Casey is a wanted man. Casey was unknowingly brought in to search for a way into the Machine's programming and managed to find a backdoor, but has no idea what he uncovered. After overhearing that Casey possesses a laptop with invaluable information about the machine, Dillinger drugs Finch and steals the laptop, offering to sell it to the highest bidder. When the sedatives wear off, Finch goes after Casey in an effort to save him, but Reese has already caught up to him. Much to Finch's surprise, Reese only pretends to kill Casey, opting to make him disappear in Mexico instead. Later, Dillinger is killed by the CIA's newest agent, Shaw, as he sells the laptop to a group of Chinese nationals who escape with it to Ordos. Later, in present day, Root locates an older, more grizzled Casey in his new home and tells him that the Machine has a higher calling for him.
