Ray was, of course, well aware of Coulson's current condition. His sudden question had merely been a way to steer the conversation away from May and their shared past.
Although he knew the original owner's experiences quite thoroughly, talking too much always risked exposing a slip-up in the details.
And while the excuse of "mental illness" was a convenient shield, Ray had no desire to be treated like a lunatic forever. Better to avoid the topic altogether.
"Dr Raymond, when I mentioned earlier that you were in danger, you didn't seem surprised. Did you already suspect something?" Hill asked suddenly.
At last, we're getting to the point... Took you long enough.
Rather than flinching, Ray actually felt a sense of relief when Hill brought up the question.
After all, his calm reaction had been entirely deliberate — a performance designed to raise exactly this kind of suspicion. Otherwise, he'd never make such a basic mistake.
He'd begun to think he'd overplayed it when the topic hadn't come up.
Fortunately, Hill didn't let him down.
"Oh, that... Yes. Even if you hadn't shown up today, I would've tried to contact you soon," Ray replied thoughtfully. "A woman named Raina came to see me not long ago..."
"Could you be more specific?" Hill asked quickly, sensing something important.
"She came to propose a deal," Ray said with a shrug.
"She claimed that if I shared everything I knew about the Tahiti Project, she could get me out of the hospital. She even offered me a hefty sum — enough, she said, that my family and I would never have to worry about money again."
"You turned her down?" Hill guessed.
"Of course," Ray answered, as if it were obvious.
"I witnessed the rise and shutdown of the Tahiti Project firsthand. I know how unethical it was…
If that research ended up in the wrong hands, it would lead to disaster. There's no way I'd hand it over to some woman with no clear identity. It wouldn't make sense — not morally, not logically."
Hill pressed further:
"Did she mention anything else? Like who she was working for, or what kind of organisation was behind her?"
Ray raised an eyebrow.
"You're investigating her too?"
"No, this is the first I've heard of her. I don't know who she is," Hill said.
"But a few days ago, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database was breached. Some major data — possibly related to the Tahiti Project — was stolen.
We suspect a civilian hacker group called Rising Tide was responsible."
"But we also believe Rising Tide is just a front, manipulated by someone much more powerful. That entity's true goal appears to be the Tahiti Project."
"Once Director Fury realised this, he immediately suspected you'd be their next target. That's why I was sent to bring you in."
"So I have good reason to believe the woman who approached you was working for that hidden force. Even if she wasn't a direct subordinate, she was clearly hired for the job."
Hill laid everything out clearly, without holding back.
Now Ray finally understood why Hill and May had appeared at such a "convenient" time — everything was connected.
This "hidden force" behind Rising Tide was undoubtedly Hydra — or one of its offshoots, like the Centipede Organisation to which Raina belonged.
In theory, Hydra had already infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. extensively — even the previous director had been one of them.
They could've accessed the database directly through internal channels.
But maybe they'd worried that using their internal access would leave traces and alert Fury.
So instead, they'd outsourced the breach to Rising Tide, stealing the data from the outside.
Once they had the data, the next step was clearly to try and recruit Ray.
They'd simply overestimated Raina's persuasive abilities — Ray had no intention of cooperating.
And when he refused, they escalated to an armed attack on the hospital.
Ray himself had fanned the flames, pushing Raina into making a move.
But Hydra was never going to leave him alone, with or without provocation.
"Fury really is the man Hydra fears most. That quick reaction...
If I hadn't provoked Raina, Hydra might've waited a little longer.
And if that were the case, Hill would likely have extracted me before they struck. Hydra would've been one step too late."
Having pieced together the full chain of events, Ray couldn't help but admire Fury's instincts.
Without his own knowledge of this world, he wouldn't have understood the enemy's target so quickly.
With someone like Fury in charge, it was no wonder Hydra hesitated for so long.
Seeing Hill waiting for his response, Ray gathered his thoughts and said:
"She was extremely cautious. She didn't name anyone, just hinted that she had powerful backers.
I assume that's the entity you mentioned — the one pulling the strings behind Rising Tide."
"After I rejected her offer, she got angry and threatened me. That's when I realised an attack was probably imminent."
"I see," Hill said, nodding. She understood.
Though she was a little disappointed that Raina hadn't revealed more, the mission was still a success. Ray had been secured.
"I think I saw some bodies in the hospital courtyard earlier?" Ray asked then.
"Yes. They already made their move. Your instincts were spot on," May confirmed.
"You two dealt with them? I appreciate it..."
Ray switched to his performance mode, playing the role of the surprised academic.
"Not entirely. It wasn't just us. We're still not sure what exactly happened. Once we figure it out, we'll update you," Hill replied.
"Also, when we're back, I'd like you to sketch a rough portrait of that woman. Maybe it'll help us track her."
Hill knew it was probably a long shot.
Just as they hadn't uncovered anything from the dead operatives, Raina was unlikely to be any easier to trace.
Still, it was worth a try.
"No problem, leave it to me," Ray said easily.
At this point, he understood that things would finally calm down for a while.