Cold War: Before The Bell

Chapter 28

England
MI6
1981

"I think we can agree on the fact that Perseus was involved in this case." Bell cut into his steak.

"Clearly. What I don't understand was how Thomas got into trouble with Perseus?" Park sat across from him, taking a sip from her glass. They had both just returned from the day's errands and were due to leave the next afternoon back for Berlin, per Adler's orders. He was beginning to grow tired of the same restaurant within the HQ.

"Only you know what kind of man he was, I can only provide ideas in this part of the case. How secretive was your brother?"

"He never appeared to come off as secretive except maybe once or twice. But now that I think about it, I believe he rarely ever appeared to act so was because of how good he might have been at hiding his business."

"What about his morals? Was he a softy? Willing to help out someone's granny cross the street even if it meant he'd be late for an event? Or was he a bit of a, shove someone's granny out of the way to get to where he's going?" He took a bite of his food.

"He was always gentle and kind with everyone he knew. And he loved, deeply. So much so that he went to extreme lengths to make people happy. One time he traveled to the U.S and back just to find the perfect Christmas gift for me...." Her smile faded away as she said it out loud, realizing that didn't make sense.

"What did he buy you?"

"A pair of exclusive boots. He couldn't find any back home."

"Park, people don't go to different countries just for a pair of boots.."

"I know."

"It's not logical."

"Love isn't logical"

"What things made him angry?"

"When events didn't go as he planned. He was very much a provider and protector."

"Surely you must have thought of the fact that he somehow got involved with Perseus. Perhaps he had a target on his back. He must have done something that upset Perseus, why else would they kill him?"

"I have." Her glance seemed tired and sorrowful, yet no tear was shed, not a sign. "It's been in the back of my thoughts I just didn't want to say it."

"You hear that?" He set his drink down after taking one last sip, a sharp pain rushed to his head.

"Ringing?" She assumed, looking at her watch and realized it was getting way past time for his dosages. The doctors had shared the possibility of this side affect taking place. There were other subjects before "Bell" that had contributed to studies showing that patients could only go so long without their dosages and each person was slightly different in their reactions and dosage amount.

"Yes."

"Probably just from the battlefield, I get it too sometimes." She said trying to ease his paranoia. She started talking to him about what time they were scheduled to leave in an attempt to distract his mind as they finished eating.

He didn't feel real. It was an odd experience. The more she talked the more unintelligible her words became. Her voice joined the mixture of the other distorted sounds he was hearing all around him. Like someone taking every color in existence and blending them together, he felt he was experiencing every sound at once and not at the same time. The sounds of clinking silverware, the gulping of food and drinks, quiet conversations at other tables, everything he could hear in the background seemed to become heightened by ten.

He looked up from his plate after being silent for the past few minutes of Park rambling on. She saw the look in his eyes and knew something was horribly wrong. She could see beads of sweat beginning to form  around his face and his eyes a bit heavy looking.