CIA safehouse

Berlin

Feb. 25, 1981

He heard someone open his door. He reached over to his nightstand for his pistol and aimed it not even thinking about where he was. He didn't care.

"Daniel." Park said gently, raising her hands to show she had no intention on drawing her own weapon.

He kept his weapon on her, his hand shaking. Fear was painted on his face.

Each step was taken with care as she inched closer. She slowly took the barrel of his gun and moved it aside, until the weapon was in her possession.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled.

"It's part of the life we live." He was behaving quite unlike himself this morning. She suspected something may have triggered feelings or possible memories in his mind. Perhaps she could get him to talk about it before Adler did something about it. "What's bothering you?"

"Why is Perseus looking for me?" He asked her, confused. "I don't even know him."

"Well you and Adler did nearly capture Perseus years ago. One of the very few who were able to. He probably remembers you and wants you out of the picture." She lied.

"Maybe." It didn't make sense to him. If that were true then Volkov or Kraus would have for sure killed him. He bought into another lie and brushed the idea away. "You know I don't even remember decrypting that intel after we went over DaNang. Adler claims I did but I have no recollection."

"You can remember, I think your just tired is all."

"Did Greta make it out alright?" He sat up a bit too quickly, a grimace forming on his face from his ribs.

"Shes fine. We let her retreat to safe and disclosed location where she can lie low for a bit."

"Good."

"Its a wonder you didn't get her killed." She teased.

"How do you mean?"

"I've come across many people who would never had put up with a joker like yourself."

"Thats why I take advantage of the ones who I know will tolerate it."

"Your taking advantage of me?"

"No." He laughed nervously. "Can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"How long have you known Adler?"

"We met back a few years ago. I was sent to protect British scientists as they met with the CIA for a joint project. Adler at the time was a key figure involved and so while we had different duties we somewhat worked alongside each other. Although this time around we're working more closely." She explained.

"Do you trust him?" He looked at her, a blank expression on his face.

"I don't trust anyone."

"I trust you."

"You shouldn't."

"Then why work with Adler?"

"I was assigned to him. It really wasn't up to me. Adler isn't the worst collegue I've ever collaborated with but, he's certainly not the most pleasant either. He can be fairly easy to agitate."

"Beleive me... I know." Bell said, his brain fetching and feeding him false memories.

"Whatever you do.." she looked behind her and back to him, lowering her voice. ".. never ask him about his scar."

"Well now that you mention it, how did Adler get that scar?"

"Do you really think if I knew I would tell you?" She tried to fool his brain with her choice of words.

"I think if you knew you would tell me how Adler got that scar, because we're friends. And friends gossip. They do that.. right?"

"Your cute," she said, amused by his oblivious train of thought.

"I'll ask him myself then." He smiled, sliding his feet over the bed and onto the floor.

"You'll be sitting out for a bit until your body has healed enough. So I wouldn't exactly move around more than you have to." She advised him as he slowly stood to his feet, pain clearly on his face.

"Nonesense. I'm apart of this team. If I can't operate out in the field, the least I can do is help out around the safehouse for a few days." He winced.

"Bell." Adler called for him as he came into the room. "How are you?"

"I'm alive."

"Good to hear. Get dressed, we've got a job to do." His words distracted him from the daily dosage of drugs that Park injected into his arm.

It was shortly after Adler uttered those words that my memory becomes hazy before my mind replaces the haziness with false interpretations. Theres several points in my memory that are hazy like that. I've concluded those are moments when Adler must have triggered MKUltra.

After that day I didn't start to form questionable thoughts concerning my own identity or even have much recollection about possessing my Redeemer. However I did find something to make me question what was happening around me. The problem also ended up being resolved with drugs just two days later.

The team had been hard at work decrypting and carrying out other tasks all day. Park had said she was finishing up some final codes before she too would head to her bunk. Or at least thats what he overheard her tell Lazar when he went to bed. That was nearly two hours ago. He looked up from his desk to see her unconsciouss at her work station, her head turned away from Adler's office area.

He quietly got up from his seat and appraoched the door, feeling the knob to see if it was locked. He pulled a tool from his pocket and picked the lock. The door popped open and Bell slid inside, softly shutting the door behind him. He looked around the dark, cold office trying to find that brown bag. 'Did you just call me an optimist?' He recalled Adler saying before he picked the bag up from underneath the table. His paranoia and anxiety made his hands swet while he unzipped the bag. He picked up one of many small tubes that was inside the leather bag. They were all light yellow liquid, labeled with numbers and letters that made no sense to him. What was this? And why did Adler have tons of these stowed away?

"You must have gotten in trouble alot when you were a child, didn't you, Bell?" He didnt even realise Park had opened the door until he turned around to see her standing there.

"What is this?" He asked her.

"What does it look like?"

"Drugs."

"Then it must be."

"Does it have something to do with me?"

"No. But its how Lazar and Sims create the ammo needed for the tranq gun. They buy this on the side to make the sedatives in the dart even more effective." She lied, making sure to let her lie slip through the cracks of her tone.

"That's a lot of ammo." Bell set the luquid vile back inside the leather bag. "Why does Adler hide it?"

"Well if you found it so easily then is it really hidden?"

"It was behind a locked door..."

"One you were never supposed to open."

"You don't ever wonder why he's got this door locked?"

"We're spies Bell, locking doors is our equivilent to our bodies maintaining homeostasis in order to survive. Its part of the job, and a habit." She reasoned with him. He paused, staring at the bag. The light from outside the office door shone on his face, highlighting his expression. He was silent for a moment, considering her words before she spoke again. "Come on, you need to get bed Bell, its late."

He didn't respond, just zipped up the leather bag, and walked towards the door. "Go on, I'll get the supplies to treat your bagndages." She watched him walk past her with a silent nod. Making sure he was out of sight, she grabbed a dose of MKUltra from one of the boxes sitting on the shelves infront of her along with the other drugs and medical supplies.

Somehow, she managed to get his honest feelings out. He told her what he experienced in Berlin when they caught Volkov.

"He was familiar. And when I took his life I wanted to cry. But I didn't. It was strange. All I could do was be confused. I don't think much of it, but theres moments where it eats at me and I'm confused about this stranger all over again." He mumbled.

"Theres nothing to be confused about. Your just having trouble burying those strange feelings of guilt down with every kill. Some people master it quicker than others, and thats okay. We'll get you there." She explained to him, knowing full well that was not the case. She knew that his heart was filled with wicked carnage the first time she met him during interrogation. Its why she found it so odd to see him this way as Bell. He was a peculiar sight. The program seemed to bring out a side of his personality that had been burried deep down, long forgotten. Theres no telling how long ago he disposed of this side of himself, or why he did. Perhaps not a why, but a who.

Once she changed his bandages and injected his bloodstream with his meds, she returned to her workstation. Grabbing her notepad soley for keeping daily tabs on Bell, she began to write about the new amounts of meds she gave him.

Feb. 26 1981:

He's been off lately. It took a day or so to discover why that was. I uped the sedatives some for proper rest given his imjured state, which has significantly inproven with a mix of special stim shots to boost the healing process. I also gave him a dose of the MKUltra formula, placing his mind deeper into the state we programmed him to be in. As long as he is regularly medicated he won't ask questions that have us dodging left and right. His subconsciouss should fill in the missing gaps, and stablize him within the hour as he sleeps.

She closed the small book, tucking it into her jacket before heading to her own bunk to rest for a few hours.