It took me 4 years to finish this chapter and I'm *still* not entirely happy with it, but it's finally here. As usual, apologies in advance for any remaining clunkiness.
I had to reread the previous chapters about 500 times to make sure I didn't contradict anything I previously wrote; if I somehow still missed something, feel free to let me know.
Also, you might notice that Aftermath has been deleted. That's because I decided to revamp the idea of how time travel works in this story to make things less complicated, and so Aftermath and the plans I had for it wouldn't make sense anymore. I might post my scrapped ideas for it in a "Misc scrapped fanfics" thing someday, once I finish Temporal Fates.
9 August 2013
4.15 pm
Motel Room
"Agents Bruno and Bernard. I'm glad to hear you're safe." The Director's calm voice carried an undertone of worry, mingled with relief.
Giorgio winced. Their earlier communication with the Director had been abruptly cut off by a Terror Bite attack; between escaping from the airport and rushing to intercept a weapons trade, the agents had not gotten a chance to confirm their status until now.
"My apologies, sir. We've been… busy."
"Yes, so I gathered," the Director replied dryly. "What's the situation so far?"
As Giorgio recounted what they'd learned, Evan glanced at his partner. Although Giorgio was firmly in work mode, there was a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes; the same look he'd had once they were safely on the chopper and heading away from the airport.
Though Giorgio wouldn't admit it, Evan knew that he and his partner were both unnerved by the enemy's ambush, which would have succeeded if Captain Rush hadn't rescued them.
As Giorgio finished his report, he locked eyes with Evan. The partners knew they were both thinking the same thing:
How did they know we were coming?
"Very well then." The Director paused for a moment. In a gentler voice, he added, "I probably don't have to tell you this, but please be careful. Something about this doesn't feel right."
Giorgio swallowed nervously. "Yes sir."
Upon hanging up, he let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through his hair.
"…How many people do you think… I mean…" Evan was tapping his fingers nervously against the small table in their shared motel room. "That was a pretty huge crash we caused earlier, wasn't it?"
Giorgio thought about the out–of–control truck skidding through the junction after they'd shot its tires out, smashing into cars as drivers desperately attempted to veer away.
Screeching metal and squealing tires…
Bursts of flame from damaged and destroyed cars…
Panicked screaming from injured drivers and passengers as chaos exploded around them…
He squeezed his eyes shut, forcing himself to swallow the sick feeling rising in his throat and shutting away the memories of those moments after the crash.
He and Evan wouldn't face any disciplinary action from the VSSE, he knew. It had been a true emergency, and there had been no other choice; their unplanned pursuit of the truck had unfortunately left them no time to issue an evacuation order for the area.
Letting the truck escape instead of pursuing it through the busy streets wouldn't have helped either. Allowing the truck to get away would have robbed them of their only lead, leaving them powerless to stop whatever the terrorists had planned.
Nonetheless, the crash was an abject failure on their part.
They'd had no choice, but they should have been better anyway. They should have found a way to catch up with the terrorists without hurting anyone. There should have been another way, a better way to prevent the fresh tragedy they'd created while trying to save the world.
But they were still on a mission now. There would be time for guilt and self–loathing and recriminations later, once they were safely back at HQ after saving the day (after saving the people who they hadn't already killed).
If he started thinking about it now, he would break apart under the weight of his guilt.
"Let's not talk about that right now… Please," Giorgio told Evan. "We have to focus on what we're going to do next."
Evan frowned but dropped the subject anyway. By now, he knew his partner well enough to know that Giorgio was forcing himself to compartmentalise as a coping mechanism rather than simply not caring about the issue at all.
Giorgio would have more ghosts haunting his nightmares after this mission; for now, he was laser–focused on the task at hand.
Evan understood this, even as he disagreed. Where Giorgio tended to bury everything and let it add to the burden of his guilt and self–loathing, Evan preferred to talk his problems through with sympathetic listening ears.
Alan and Wesley, in particular, always understood what he was going through and offered words of advice for him to help him cope with the stress and guilt that often came from missions going wrong.
But now was not the time to dwell on Giorgio's unhealthy coping mechanisms and tendency to blame himself. Someday, he would try to find a way to help his partner. For now, their ongoing mission came first.
"So, what are we going to do?" Evan asked, his usual confidence tempered by worry.
"We should sleep in shifts," Giorgio responded. "In case something happens."
"Is that really likely?" Evan was startled.
"I'm not taking any chances," Giorgio said flatly.
His partner eyed him for a long moment.
"Fine, but I'm taking the first shift."
Before Giorgio could protest, Evan gave him a look. "Knowing you, if I let you take the first shift, you'll insist on staying awake the whole night by yourself and pass out from exhaustion tomorrow. Get some sleep. I'll wake you in a few hours."
Looking somewhat annoyed at Evan's perceptiveness, Giorgio reluctantly acquiesced.
Still tense with worry, it was a long time before he drifted off into an uneasy sleep.
Both Giorgio and Evan were rather on edge the next day as they fought their way through the Hamelin Battalion's forces. Upon managing to take down Gregory Barrows and stopping the missile launch just in time, their relief was palpable.
Evan practically collapsed to the ground, looking exhausted. Though Giorgio's reaction was more subdued, Evan could see the tension draining out of him as he let out a breath, visibly relaxing.
After a moment, Giorgio offered Evan a hand, a hint of gentle concern in his eyes.
"Come on, we've still got things to do."
Taking Giorgio's hand, Evan slowly got to his feet.
The partners exchanged a weary look, knowing that with the mission over, their real work was just beginning.
VSSE Director's Office
As the agents finished delivering their report, the Director frowned contemplatively.
"Did you notice anything else unusual during the rest of the mission?"
"No, sir," Giorgio responded. "Just the ambush when we arrived."
"But that was already weird enough!" Evan interjected. "How could they know we were coming? Not only that, but the exact time and place we were arriving?"
"It does raise some disturbing implications," the Director agreed. "Considering that aside from us, only Captain Rush's superiors should have known about your involvement…"
There was silence for a moment.
"Could it… have been a leak on the US Army's side?" Evan asked hesitantly. "I mean, we were dealing with military traitors…"
"I doubt it," Giorgio replied. "If that was the case, Captain Rush would have been ambushed during his own investigation, before we even arrived. Which means…"
This was an inside job. Someone in the VSSE tipped off the Hamelin Battalion beforehand.
Evan swallowed, feeling sick as the thought filtered into his mind.
The Director chose that moment to speak up.
"Thank you for your time, gentlemen. I trust I don't need to tell you this, but keep quiet about what happened. Don't talk about it to anyone, not even the other Crisis Agents."
Exchanging a nervous look, Giorgio and Evan agreed before exiting the office.
A few hours later
"You wanted to see me, sir?" Christy slipped into the Director's office, quietly closing the door behind her.
The Director inclined his head as she took a seat. "Yes, I did. I have a new assignment for you."
Christy looked surprised for a moment, though she tried to hide it. Assignments for the intelligence officers usually came through their department; the Director rarely handed them out in person.
Whatever this is, it must be serious.
"I need you to investigate a possible traitor within the VSSE."
Her heart almost stopped. "I'm sorry?"
"Agents Bruno and Bernard were ambushed by enemy troops upon arrival during their latest mission," the Director replied flatly. "I think you'll agree that can't possibly have been an accident."
"And if this leak was deliberate, it's unlikely to be the only instance of unsanctioned activity undertaken by the culprit," Christy finished, realising what the Director was trying to say.
He nodded, looking grave. "Considering the circumstances, I'd like you to keep this entirely under the radar. Covertly look into any leads or traces of evidence you can find, and report whatever you find directly to me. Nobody else should know the details of your investigation. Not your fellow intelligence officers, and definitely not the Crisis Agents."
"If I may ask, sir, how do you know you can trust me?" Christy asked curiously.
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you suggesting I shouldn't, Officer Ryan?"
Christy blushed but stood her ground, waiting.
"I trust you because you have an exemplary record of service, including several counts of long–term undercover missions. Given the extensive psychological evaluations you are required to undergo before and after every such assignment, I trust the comprehensive psychological profile we have on you, and so I trust that you can be trusted."
She swallowed nervously. "What's my deadline on this?"
"Work as quickly as you can… But unless our culprit is particularly sloppy, I understand that it will take you some time. I expect you to be thorough and unbiased about this. Don't rule anybody out, no matter how much you think you can trust them." The Director fixed Christy with a meaningful look.
"Of course, sir." A flash of heat coloured her cheeks. "My personal relationships have no bearing on my professional duties."
The Director gazed at her for a long moment, then nodded. "Very well. You are dismissed."
The investigation went frustratingly slowly. Christy couldn't find any evidence of tampering related to the Terror Bite incident. (1)
But gradually, she began to uncover other small discrepancies. A file accessed where it shouldn't have been. A subtle alteration here and there in the database.
She couldn't trace the source of the issues, but the fact that they were present at all only served to confirm that the traitor actually existed.
Life went on for the VSSE.
In November, Giorgio and Evan were sent to investigate a series of disappearances in a small village in England. Though they discovered a research facility hidden in the forest, the scientist in charge managed to blow up both himself and the building before the agents could retrieve any of the data stored onsite. The villagers' fates and the researchers' goals remained a mystery, and the agents returned to Headquarters feeling disappointed by their failure.
On their way back, they ran into Richard Miller, who was in a considerably better mood than them. Having taken some time off after a few months of being swamped with work, Richard had just returned from a day out with his wife. Upon seeing Evan's uncharacteristic despondency, Richard asked the agents what happened. Hearing their story, he tried to console them, noting that no matter how skilled an agent was, there would always be missions that ended in a less than satisfactory manner.
With too many questions and no answers, the VSSE's investigation into the research facility dried up, and the incident soon faded from Giorgio and Evan's memories.
As Christy's investigation into the traitor's identity wore on, she began to spend more and more time away from HQ.
Thanks to its network of connections, the VSSE had a series of safehouses located across the country.
Some of them no longer existed on account of having been compromised, such as the safehouse Christy had retreated to (and subsequently been abducted from) after her cover was blown during the Neodyne incident.
Others, such as apartments she'd used in her various undercover identities on past assignments, were still around.
It was one such apartment that now served as Christy's second home while she investigated.
As much as she loved Keith and the apartment they shared, she needed a safe place away from HQ where she could work without the risk of interruption or further data leaks.
Alone in the safehouse, she chased leads and trawled through the VSSE's recent assignments, searching for hints of sabotage in missions that had gone off the rails in some way or another.
As far as the rest of the agency was concerned, her long absences from Headquarters were simply part of another undercover assignment. After all, in the weeks or sometimes even months leading up to her undercover assignments in the past, Christy would already be away from HQ laying the groundwork for her cover identity to begin existing.
Of course, as her boyfriend, Keith knew better.
In the past, even though Christy couldn't divulge details about her impending undercover operations, she would at least inform Keith while preparing to go undercover so that he would be in the loop before she vanished for months without contact.
This time, however, Christy was strangely tight–lipped about her mysterious assignment. She would vanish for days or even weeks without a word, and then return to their shared apartment in HQ just as abruptly.
What struck Keith as even stranger than her absences was the fact that she came back. Surely, if she was meant to be going undercover, she would not risk returning to HQ and potentially blowing the operation before it even started?
Certainly, during her past undercover assignments, once she informed Keith that she was about to go undercover, she would leave even before the mission officially started and not return until she was back as Officer Christy Ryan, no longer undercover but once again herself.
Yet, this time, she continued to leave for weeks at a time, returning for a day at most before leaving again. The rest of the VSSE outside the Crisis Agents remained unaware, as she didn't head into the Intelligence Division for work. Oddly enough, the only place she went, aside from the apartment she shared with Keith in the Residential Wing, was the Director's office.
Worrying about Christy's odd behaviour, Keith began probing into her comings and goings. However, the clash between his worry and Christy's stubbornness soon resulted in a massive argument between them.
December 2013
"Which part of "classified" do you not understand, Keith?" Christy threw her hands up in exasperation. "I told you already, I can't talk about what I'm doing!"
"I'm not asking you to tell me what your assignment is, I'm asking why the hell you keep leaving without a word and then coming back weeks later!" Keith retorted.
"Sometimes, I fall asleep in our bed and wake up the next morning to find you're already gone. I feel like I'm living with a ghost, Christy. Why bother coming back at all if you need to keep leaving? You don't even bother to say goodbye before you do!"
"Because I miss you, you idiot!" Christy shouted, then clapped her hands over her mouth. Of all the replies she could have made, she hadn't intended to let that slip out.
"Christy, I…" Keith stopped, unsure of what to say.
"And… And I know that if I wake you up to say goodbye…It'll be that much harder for me to leave," Christy added quietly.
Keith was silent for a long moment.
"…You're not going undercover at all, are you?" He finally asked. "Whatever this assignment is, you don't need to establish a cover for it. You just need a safehouse away from HQ to work. That's why you can afford to keep coming back."
Christy glanced at him, startled, but said nothing.
"And whatever it is you're doing, it's serious enough that you're reporting directly to the Director. That's why you've been going to his office and nowhere else, and it's also why you keep coming back at all."
"That's not true, Keith," Christy protested. "I can't tell you anything else about what I'm doing, but you're right that I'm reporting my progress to the Director."
"But if I simply needed to contact him, I could do so from the safehouse instead of coming back here. I chose to return and report my findings in person because I miss seeing you."
"I wish I could stay with you and not have to leave, but our jobs come first. You know that as well as I do. But that doesn't change the fact that I miss seeing your smile, or waking up in the morning with your arms around me."
"Until this assignment is over, these fleeting moments we have together are all I can afford to enjoy. That's why I keep coming back."
Slowly, Keith wrapped his arms around Christy, pulling her into a gentle hug.
"If that's the case, let's make the most of our time together while we can," he said. "I'm sorry we argued. You know I just worry about you, Christy."
"I know," Christy assured him. "And I'm truly thankful to you for that. But this is just something I need to do alone."
"If there's anything I can do…" Keith began to say.
"It's enough that you're here when I can come home," Christy interrupted. "I'm sorry for not saying goodbye before I go. Sometimes, duty calls in the middle of the night, and I can't bear to wake you. But you're my home, Keith. And I'm always thinking of you, I promise."
Pressing a gentle kiss to Christy's forehead, Keith nodded wordlessly.
The uncertainty and worry he'd had was still there, but he would respect Christy's wishes and drop the subject.
They both knew that as much as they loved each other, their duty to the VSSE came first. And as long as Christy's job required her to come and go, Keith would be waiting for her in those stolen moments when she could be off duty and come home.
February 2014
Though it has taken some time, I believe I can confirm the reason for Christy's erratic behaviour as of late. I believe the other Crisis Agents have also noticed her coming and going without a word, since we all live in the same Residential Wing, but nobody else seems to suspect what she's up to.
However, having seen her visiting the Director's office whenever she returns, I am now reasonably certain that Christy's disappearances are related to a specific assignment she's working on.
Given the secret nature of said assignment, her need to work on it away from HQ, and the fact that she's reporting directly to the Director, I can only conclude that Christy has been assigned to look into my recent activities.
It's a pity she became caught up in this. Christy is one of the few people here for whom I still retain a modicum of respect. Nonetheless, I cannot allow her to stand in my way. She will have to be dealt with.
However, I cannot afford to make my move yet. As it stands, Christy barely has proof that a traitor exists. If I were to act now, it would lend credence to the VSSE's suspicions and heighten their scrutiny. I need a scapegoat to take the fall, so that the VSSE will set its sights on someone else.
Perhaps my dear ex–partner might make a worthy fall guy. All I need is to plant a few seeds of doubt about Keith's trustworthiness.
After that, examining his final assignment before his demotion from the right perspective might begin to point to a pattern of deliberate sabotage…
May 2014
"I heard that he…"
"…Selling intel to enemy organisations…"
"…Involved in suspicious activity…"
Keith gritted his teeth, doing his best to ignore the whispers as he walked through the halls of Headquarters.
He didn't know when or how the rumours had started, but they had spread thick and fast, becoming the newest addition to the office gossip circulating Headquarters. (2)
At first, he hadn't thought anything of the odd glances he got from the other VSSE personnel, or the way they would sometimes start whispering about him as he walked past. Ever since his demotion a few years ago, he had gotten used to being the subject of gossip; the disgraced Crisis Agent, kept on in a reduced role out of pity.
The circumstances surrounding his demotion had been kept quiet, but that had only led to wild speculation about what sort of colossal mistake he must have made to warrant such a punishment. (3)
But this time, something seemed different. The looks seemed less pitying and more hostile, the whispers sharp and urgent.
Before long, the subject of the rumours had reached Keith's ears as well. Somehow, allegations of misconduct on Keith's part had arisen. The most prevalent rumour posited that he had been selling classified intel on the side. After all, everyone knew he was in a relationship with one of the senior intelligence officers. Wouldn't it have been so easy for him to take advantage of the situation to fulfil his own agenda?
The first time Keith had heard that, he'd snapped, turning on the gossiping agents furiously.
"You can think whatever you want about me, but don't you dare accuse Christy of being negligent! Christy is a bloody good officer, and she wouldn't let her personal life compromise her professional integrity like that!"
The agents had looked shocked before scurrying off, but their words weighed heavily on Keith.
Christy had, of course, heard the rumours, just like everyone else. After hearing the agents' conversation, Keith had considered breaking up with her to protect her.
However, as soon as he brought up the subject, Christy had firmly told him to knock it off.
"If the rumours were just about me, that would be one thing. You shouldn't have to get dragged into this as well," Keith insisted.
"Let them talk. I'm not subordinate to them." Christy paused, her eyes softening as she looked at Keith. "This whole mess is hard enough for you as it is. I'm not leaving you to deal with it alone, especially when we know it's baseless."
Keith swallowed, feeling a few tears escape as Christy pulled him into a hug.
"Thank you, Christy. Truly, I'm so happy I have you," he said quietly.
"I wish I could be around HQ more to help you deal with this," Christy admitted. "I hate leaving you, especially during a time like this."
Keith shook his head.
"No, you said it yourself: Our jobs come first. Your assignment is more important. I can handle this myself."
"You're important to me too, Keith," Christy said fiercely. "If there's anything I can do… Anyone I can shout at…"
"I'll let you know, I promise. Thank you for supporting me." Keith gave her a small smile.
Keith shook off his bittersweet reminiscing as he quietly entered his empty apartment…
Which turned out to be not so empty after all.
"Christy? You're back!" He exclaimed in surprise. His girlfriend had only left a few days ago; to have her return so soon was unusual these days.
Christy, who was working at her desk, shut her laptop briefcase with a click as she looked up.
"I'm currently waiting for someone to get back to me," she explained. "Since I'm at an impasse until then, I figured I can just as easily wait here rather than at a safehouse."
Looking at Keith more closely, Christy took in his exhausted countenance, and the hint of bitter anger that seemed to cloud his expression more and more often these days.
"Long day?"
"Better than usual, if you'd believe it," Keith replied sarcastically.
He'd been sent on an assignment with a squad of Robert's men today. Though none of them had said anything to his face, Keith could feel their distrust even as they worked alongside him.
Robert had said nothing either, but Keith had caught his former partner looking at him occasionally, his expression inscrutable.
While he and Robert were still not on speaking terms, Keith found it bitterly ironic that Robert was one of the few agents left who wasn't actively gossiping about him or attempting to avoid him around Headquarters.
Even the other Crisis Agents, who he mostly saw around the Residential Wing after working hours, had been giving him odd looks ever since the rumours started.
"Where the hell did these rumours even come from?" Keith let out a frustrated huff, running a hand through his hair. "Hasn't it occurred to them that if I really were doing stuff like that, the Director would probably have taken action by now?"
Christy was silent for a few moments.
"If you've done nothing wrong, you shouldn't worry about it," she finally replied, not looking at Keith. "You haven't been doing anything that might lead to rumours like this, have you?"
Keith blinked, staring at Christy in disbelief.
"Of course I haven't! Why would you even—"
"If that's the case," Christy interrupted smoothly, "there's nothing to worry about. Unless the Director thinks you're up to something, there's nothing the other agents can do to you. I agree the rumours are a pain in the ass, but they're ultimately just hot air."
Keith hesitated for a moment, looking at his girlfriend.
"Christy… You trust me, don't you?"
Christy looked at him, and for a moment Keith thought he saw a flicker of uncertainty flash across her face. But it was gone so quickly that he was sure he must have imagined it.
"Of course I trust you," she replied firmly. "I know you, and I know you wouldn't do something like this."
Brushing off his lingering unease, Keith pressed a soft kiss to Christy's forehead, letting her presence wash away his frustration.
As Keith vanished into the bathroom, Christy waited until she could hear the shower running before opening up her laptop briefcase again.
Her fingers flew across the keyboard, bringing up Keith's past mission reports, which she had been looking through before Keith returned.
I'm sorry, Keith. I want to trust you… But I can't.
The truth was that she wasn't just waiting for communication from her contacts at the moment. Rather, she had returned early to stay by Keith's side…
Because her relationship with him gave her an ideal position from which she could investigate him and his activities.
Her heart said that Keith was a good person; her head reminded her that she couldn't trust anyone, even Keith.
She didn't want to believe that her boyfriend could be the traitor she was looking for, but Christy was a consummate professional above all else.
Only her aching heart betrayed the agony she felt at her choice.
August 2014
Keith's status as a social pariah in the VSSE is serving me nicely. With everyone scrutinising him and even Christy beginning to turn her attention to him instead, I have been able to put the finishing touches on my own plans without attracting undue attention.
Having considered the possibilities available to me, I find myself in the unpleasant position of needing to form an alliance with Wild Dog. Loathe as I am to admit it, I will need far more men than I am capable of recruiting on my own, and Wild Dog does have a large and well–organised mercenary force.
Through my network, I have managed to get a message to Wild Dog. The madman seemed sceptical but agreed to meet at a neutral location and hear me out.
The bar they were in would be considered disreputable, if its existence had been sufficiently known for it to have a reputation in the first place.
With most of the other patrons bearing old scars and menacing demeanours, nobody batted an eyelid at the odd duo sitting in a corner, eyeing each other suspiciously.
Wild Dog sneered at his companion, disdain written all over his face. "Of all the people who might want to meet me, I hadn't expected to see you, Mr Baxter."
Robert scowled right back at Wild Dog, adjusting the purple sunglasses he had donned to hide his face. "Believe me, I wouldn't be here if I had a choice. As mentioned, I wish to hire you for a job."
Wild Dog barked out a harsh laugh. "Are you out of your mind? What makes you think I'd even consider helping you?"
"Because you may hate me for being a VSSE agent, but you hate the VSSE even more. I'm offering you the chance to destroy the VSSE for good," Robert replied flatly.
The older man stared at him for a long moment, interest warring with distrust in his eyes. "And you expect me to believe you? For all I know, you could be leading me into a trap planned by your agency!"
Silently, Robert slid a picture across the table.
With a suspicious glare, Wild Dog picked it up and studied it. Eyes widening, he glanced up at Robert. "This is…"
"A drug the VSSE wanted destroyed. Someone attacked the site where it was being stored and stole it before that could happen," Robert answered in a bored, almost conversational tone.
Slowly, Wild Dog broke into a wicked grin. "I see. And what do you suppose this someone might want to do with it?"
"If the VSSE manages to retrieve the drug, it would be rather… inconvenient. It might be prudent to find a safer place to store it, until it's ready to be used. At just the right time, this drug will be used to cure the world of the sickness that plagues it… starting with the VSSE." Clasping his hands, Robert settled back into his seat and waited.
Wild Dog started laughing uproariously. "To think that a stick in the mud like you is capable of coming up with such colourful ideas! Alright, fine. What do you need from me?"
"Somewhere isolated, where I can store the drug away from the VSSE's eyes. Something in the middle of the ocean, perhaps. Weaponry for contingencies. Mercenaries to guard the place in the meantime."
"Heh, fine. I'll have my men contact you to work out the details." Giving Robert a final smirk, Wild Dog stood and walked out of the bar without a backwards glance.
Despite the unorthodox nature of this arrangement, Wild Dog seems to be holding up his end of the bargain. The drug is safely sequestered in one of his weapons factories, being guarded by his forces. As it so happens, the factory in question is hidden in a jungle on an island near the island laboratory I have been monitoring.
Given the circumstances, I thought it prudent to follow up on my earlier thought about seizing the laboratory. Since Agents Bruno and Bernard's mission hit a dead end, the VSSE has no reason to know about it. With Christy's investigation still ongoing and the rumours about Keith continuing to spread unabated, this is as good a time as any to clean out the laboratory and gain control over it, before the VSSE has a chance to start paying attention to anything other than its immediate worries.
October 2014
Christy has been working faster than I thought she would. (4) Although she is still focused on investigating Keith, my contacts report that she has been trying to dig up information on the failed mission that resulted in Keith's demotion 2 years ago.
I had been hoping to buy more time before making my move, but I have been prepared for this eventuality. I must take her out of the equation before she discovers anything unfortunate about the circumstances surrounding the drug's theft.
Notes:
1. Considering the culprit is a time traveller, he probably didn't need to access any files to be able to tip off the Hamelin Battalion. Hence why Christy can't find evidence directly relating to that.
2. It certainly made for much juicier gossip than the ongoing betting pool about when Giorgio and Evan would finally get together.
3. I forgot to mention this in the last chapter, but in canon, Catherine says "there was no mission 3 years ago" when Keith asks her to look up the last mission he headed.
Although she was the one to assign him the mission brief in the previous chapter, Catherine doesn't remember it because it's just one mission out of many for her, and since nobody knows the exact circumstances of Keith's demotion, Catherine wouldn't have any reason to recall the details of the Zombie Drug mission.
After Robert subsequently messed with the files and deleted everything on the Zombie Drug incident, Catherine wouldn't be able to dig up anything either, hence her saying that she couldn't find anything.
(And, let's be honest, TC5 is full of plot holes and contradictions. I'd need a plumber's certification to plug all of them. Let's just pretend this is good enough.)
4. A year and a bit might seem a long time to spend investigating a traitor, but keep in mind that Christy is starting from scratch and working entirely alone. Not to mention, Robert has been covering his tracks quite well, making it harder for her to dig up anything useful.
