3. Truth Be Told

In flashbacks to 2010, Reese and his partner Kara Stanton from the CIA are told to investigate a soldier and kill him after confirming that he sold information to the Taliban. In present day, The Machine gives the number of Alex Duncan ( Stephen Plunkett ), who turns out to be the brother of that soldier and who has found himself in trouble with the CIA through investigating his brother's death, since doing so could expose an off-book operation. Reese rescues Duncan from his old boss, Terrance Beale ( Keith David ), the very same agent who sent Reese and Kara to kill Duncan's brother, and they both lie to Duncan about his brother's ignominious death.

Reese leaves on good terms with Beale, who agrees to keep Reese's existence a secret. Meanwhile, Finch and Root investigate malware that Samaritan has been using to infect the firmware of electronic devices. Root runs the malware on an airgapped laptop disconnected from any external sources. Reese decides he can no longer see Dr. Iris Campbell for the time being, claiming that he is unable to lead a "normal life," after which he receives another number from Finch.