Raymond knew exactly what was going on with Coulson. He had only brought it up to change the subject and avoid continuing the conversation with May.
Even though he had a general understanding of the original body's past, talking too much about it might reveal inconsistencies in the details.
Although he could always use "mental illness" as an excuse, he didn't want to be treated like a lunatic all the time. So the less he talked about the past, the better.
"Dr. Raymond, when I told you earlier that you were in danger, you didn't seem very surprised. Did you already sense something?" Hill asked suddenly.
Finally we're getting to the point. I've been waiting for this...
Instead of panicking, Raymond felt relieved when Hill brought it up.
After all, his calm reaction earlier was intentional—he wanted Hill and May to notice something was off. Otherwise, he wouldn't have made such an obvious mistake.
They hadn't mentioned it the whole trip, and he almost thought his efforts were wasted.
Fortunately, Hill didn't disappoint him.
"Oh, that... Yes. Even if you hadn't come today, I would have found a way to contact you soon," Raymond said thoughtfully. "A woman named Raina came to see me earlier..."
"Can you tell us more about what happened?" Hill's expression sharpened, sensing something important.
"She wanted to make a deal."
Raymond shrugged. "She said if I told her everything I knew about 'Project T.A.H.I.T.I.,' she could get me out of the hospital. She even promised me a huge sum of money—enough to ensure that my family and I would never have to worry about finances again."
"You turned her down?" Hill guessed.
"Of course." Raymond replied as if it were obvious. "I witnessed the rise and fall of 'Project T.A.H.I.T.I.' firsthand. I know how inhumane it was...
"If this research falls into the wrong hands, it will only lead to more tragedy. How could I share such information with a woman of unknown background? It wouldn't make any sense, no matter how you look at it."
Hearing this, Hill quickly asked, "Did she mention anything else? Like who she worked for or what kind of organization was behind her?"
Raymond gave Hill a surprised look. "Are you investigating her too?"
"No, this is the first time I've heard that name. I have no idea who she is," Hill shook his head. "But just two days ago, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database was hacked, and a large amount of classified data—possibly related to 'Project T.A.H.I.T.I.'—was stolen.
"We suspect it was done by a civilian hacking group called 'Rising Tide.'"
"But based on our analysis, there's a mastermind behind them pulling the strings. And their ultimate goal is most likely 'Project T.A.H.I.T.I.'"
"When we realized that, Director Fury predicted that you, Dr. Raymond, could be their next target. That's why he immediately sent me to protect you."
"So I have every reason to believe that the woman who tried to make a deal with you might be connected to this mastermind. Even if she's not a direct subordinate, she at least works for them!"
Hill shared all the details with Raymond without holding anything back.
Hearing this, Raymond finally understood why Hill and May had shown up at the perfect moment—it was all connected.
The mastermind behind Rising Tide that Hill had mentioned was undoubtedly Hydra, or at least one of its offshoots, such as Centipede, the group Raina was affiliated with.
Logically, since Hydra had already infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. to the core—even the former director was one of them—they could have simply accessed the database using their own authority.
However, they may have been concerned that doing so would leave a trail and alert Fury.
That's why they hired Rising Tide to attack S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database and extract any potentially relevant data about "Project T.A.H.I.T.I." from the outside.
After obtaining the data, their next step was naturally to turn Raymond to their side.
But they clearly overestimated Raina, never expecting Raymond to be completely uncooperative.
Which led to the hospital attack.
Of course, Raymond had also played a role in escalating the situation, but one thing was certain—Hydra was never going to let him go easily.
Nick Fury truly deserves to be Hydra's biggest headache. His reaction was incredibly quick. If I hadn't deliberately provoked Raina, even if Hydra had decided to make a move on me, it wouldn't have been this soon…
And by then, Hill and May would have taken me away in advance, making Hydra a step too late no matter what.
Now that he understood the full picture, Raymond couldn't help but give Fury credit.
Without his extensive intelligence network and keen instincts, it would have been impossible to deduce so quickly that Hydra was after Project T.A.H.I.T.I.
With a cunning old fox like Fury in charge, it was no wonder Hydra had been so hesitant to act.
Seeing Hill still waiting for his answer, Raymond gathered his thoughts and said, "She was very careful and didn't mention anyone by name. She only hinted that she had a powerful organization behind her. I think that organization is probably the mastermind you were talking about..."
"Maybe because I refused her, she got angry and threatened me. So I already had a feeling that I might be attacked soon."
"I see," Hill nodded in understanding.
Although she was a little disappointed that Raina hadn't given them any useful information, the successful rescue of Raymond still made this mission a success.
"I noticed some bodies in the backyard of the hospital earlier," Raymond asked suddenly.
"That's right. They sent people after you, just as you predicted," May replied.
"Was it you two who dealt with them? That must have been a hassle..."
Raymond switched to his acting mode and put on a surprised expression.
"Not entirely us," Hill shook her head. "We're not sure of all the details yet. We'll figure it out later and let you know."
"Oh, and when we get back, could you help us make a sketch of this woman? I want to see if we can track anything down."
Hill knew that was probably a long shot.
Just like they hadn't found any useful information about the attackers, it was unlikely that Raina would be any easier to track down. Still, it was better than doing nothing.
"No problem, leave it to me," Raymond readily agreed.
Now that things had come this far, he knew he could finally enjoy some peace—at least for a little while.
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