The sudden knock on the door left Raymond a bit confused.
What was going on?
He had just walked in and now someone was knocking. This was too much of a coincidence.
"Could it be 'David' following me?" Raymond's face darkened.
If it really was 'David' at the door, it would mean that he had been discovered after all.
"I shouldn't have been so curious... Curiosity really does kill the cat," Raymond thought bitterly.
But if he didn't open the door now, it would look suspicious, which wasn't a good idea either.
With that thought, he braced himself and asked, "Who is it?"
To his surprise, a woman's voice came from outside. She lowered her voice and spoke in slightly awkward Mandarin, "Dr. Raymond, it's me, Agent May."
Agent May?
As soon as he heard the voice, fragments of memory surfaced in his mind—scenes of past interactions between the original owner of his body and this Agent May.
"It's actually her... The legendary S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Melinda May?"
Piecing together the memories with what he already knew, Raymond finally connected the name to the well-known Asian agent.
In the original timeline, Coulson would soon form a special team, and Agent May was one of its core members.
When Raina visited earlier, he had "seen" many past moments between the original Raymond and S.H.I.E.L.D. because of the keyword "Project TAHITI". Agent May had also been there.
Maybe it was because the original Raymond's father was also Asain, but he and Agent May had shared a decent friendship.
It was probably one of those "seeing a fellow countryman makes you emotional" kind of things.
When he realized that it wasn't "David" but his "old acquaintance" Agent May at the door, Raymond breathed a sigh of relief, but was also a bit surprised.
Fury's people sure acted fast…
He had barely caused a disturbance and the bodies downstairs probably hadn't even gotten cold yet. But Agent May was already here?
With this doubt in his mind, Raymond quickly went to the door and opened it.
As soon as he did, he saw that Agent May wasn't alone. Standing next to her was another familiar face.
"Miss Hill?"
Raymond instinctively called out the name.
In an instant, his mind processed the memories of Maria Hill. There weren't many, so it didn't take long.
He had to admit that the sight of this sharp yet stunning woman took him by surprise.
In his past life he had met many beautiful women due to his profession, but this striking, confident woman still managed to make a lasting impression.
However, Hill didn't seem to notice his reaction—or maybe she simply didn't have the time to care.
As soon as she saw Raymond, she got right to the point and explained the situation.
"Dr. Raymond, you are in danger right now. Staying here could endanger your life. We're under orders from Director Fury to take you back to headquarters."
"I understand."
Raymond didn't waste words. He simply nodded decisively. But then, as if he remembered something, he asked, "Are we leaving right now? What about the situation at the hospital...?"
Before he could finish, Hill interrupted, "Don't worry, we'll take care of everything here."
"All right, then I'll leave it to you," Raymond said politely.
"It's time to go. We can talk on the way," May reminded him.
"Dr. Raymond, please follow us."
Hill nodded and led the way.
-
Thirty minutes later.
Raymond and the two agents were now aboard a small S.H.I.E.L.D. combat aircraft. These planes were usually reserved for high-level agents on missions.
Of course, this was nothing special for May and Hill.
One was a legendary agent and the other was a deputy director. If they wanted, they could even requisition one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s rare custom Airbuses without any trouble.
But for a rescue mission like this, a smaller plane was the better choice.
Finally.
Once the plane was in the air, both Hill and May were able to relax a bit.
May hesitated for a moment before asking, "Dr. Raymond, how have you been lately?"
Raymond smiled. "You mean, how's my condition?"
"As expected of a psychology expert—nothing gets past you," May admitted without hesitation.
"Actually, I've recovered quite a bit. I've undergone some rehab tests. If you had come a few days later, you might not have even found me," Raymond said casually, making things sound better than they were.
If Dr. Beth were here, she would probably be embarrassed that she once admired someone like him.
But unfortunately for her, the two agents in front of him didn't know the truth. No one was there to call him out.
When they heard that he had almost recovered, neither of them doubted it.
May even breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear... To be honest, we've been feeling guilty ever since your accident. If you hadn't accepted our offer back then, you wouldn't have..."
She trailed off, not wanting to bring up bad memories and risk triggering another episode.
But she was overthinking it.
Raymond had 'seen' the memories related to the 'Project TAHITI', but to him it was like flipping through an old slideshow. There wasn't much emotional connection.
Besides, he was much more mentally resilient than the original owner of this body.
Even if their roles were reversed, he didn't think he would have lost his mind.
"The past is the past, May. You don't have to blame yourself. After all, it was my choice. I don't blame anyone," Raymond reassured her.
"It's good that you've moved on."
"All right, let's change the subject," Raymond said with a smile, changing the subject. "How is Coulson? Has he recovered well?"
"He's doing great. He's pretty much the same as he was before."
"That's good... At least everything we went through wasn't in vain. Even if it can't be widely used, it wasn't completely meaningless."
Hearing their conversation, Hill, who was piloting the aircraft, suddenly spoke up.
"Dr. Raymond, because of what happened last time, Coulson has completely forgotten about 'Project TAHITI'. He doesn't remember you either..."
"If you see him again, please be careful not to mention anything about the project. It might bring back some bad memories."
"I understand. Don't worry," Raymond replied with a slight smile.
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