After a little more thought, it was decided Bug would be the one to tell Nigel what they had discovered, with Lily there incase Nigel needed to be calmed down. Garret would tell Julia alone, while Woody worked on identifying the shooter and Jordan tried to make the morgue into a makeshift operating room.
"Hey Nigel, can I talk to you out here for a moment?" Bug asked softly from the office doorway.
"Um, I'm kind of busy here, mate. Can't it wait?"
"I need to talk to you out here."
Garret walked into the
office and stood next to Nigel. "I can take over for a little bit."
Nigel reluctantly got up and went with Bug. Garret sat down where
Nigel had been.
"How're you doing, Julia?"
She was silent. After looking at Garret for a while, she finally spoke.
"So you found out?"
"You did know, didn't you?"
"Yes. I was secretly
researching what they were doing with the formula."
"They?"
"They're a group that branched off the KGB, quiet rebels, who would go along with anything as long as it didn't interfere with their goals. Originally, the formula was meant to work as a interrogation device…in stead of wasting time drugging their wounded prisoners, the drug would already be in them so all they had to do was ask questions. That was about 15 years ago."
Garret sat listening intently. Julia continued.
"My father and Nigel
were in the same unit of the Royal Navy at the time. The unit was
ordered to raid a laboratory and gain information about the research
going on there. Things didn't go as planned. One of the older
scientists got jumpy, pulled a gun and fired it, everything went into
chaos. Everyone of the researchers stayed and fought back, except
one."
"Today's gunman?"
"Exactly. He was young and
his father was the scientist fired the first shot, and the first to
be shot down. The guy from today ran away, which made him the only
one who escaped that day. The Navy had only 3 fatalities, but
unfortunately, my father was one of them."
"I'm sorry to
hear that"
Julia nodded and waved pity aside. "Since my mother
had died during childbirth and my father was now gone, Nigel took me
in and looked after me until he came over here. I wouldn't let
myself be the reason that he was held back, and by that time I could
take care of myself anyway. Since then, we've kept in contact in
any way possible. I've been undercover, so to speak, keeping an eye
out on what the son had been up to. He's changed the formula so
that instead of loosening people's tongues and tearing down
inhibitions, it now tears down the body of whoever the bullet has
been shot into, as well as slightly affecting those around the
target. He's been able to "seek revenge" on everyone who was in
that unit, except Nigel. I came here hoping that since Nigel had been
out of the country for so long, the gunman wouldn't be able to find
him, and in the event that he did find him, that I would somehow be
able to protect him. I suppose I did, but not completely."
Garret sat back, amazed at what he had just been told and what was happening now. It occurred to him that Nigel, his coworker and, yes, even though it was hardly ever admitted, close friend, was an intended hit, and could possibly be dead now if it had not been for his niece. Eventually, he jerked himself back to reality, trying to focus hard on what was happening now.
"We're going to try to take the bullet out. From what we can tell, the longer it's in there, the longer the formula is emitted and can affect the body, is that correct?"
Julia nodded.
"It won't be easy,
but at least you might have a better chance. We should really hurry
though."
"Don't let Nigel know the whole story. The vengeful
gunman and everything… I'll tell him."
Garret agreed and called Jordan to let her know they were almost ready.
