"T.A.H.I.T.I. was designed to revive a fallen Avenger. That's how it got started."
"Uh, Captain America, Iron Man – those Avengers?"
"Those are the ones."
―Skye and Alphonso Mackenzie
"That's exactly what I'm worried about," Fury said, his expression serious.
He understood exactly what Hill meant.
The so-called "Tahiti Project" was actually a secret program to study the use of a Kree corpse that S.H.I.E.L.D. had unexpectedly acquired.
Initially, Fury assigned Coulson to oversee the project, and it went smoothly. They successfully extracted a liquid from the Kree corpse, which they named "GH-325.
This liquid had the ability to bring people back from the brink of death.
The only problem was that those who underwent the treatment experienced unimaginable pain—so extreme that they would rather die than endure it.
Because of this, Coulson had once suggested shutting down the project. Anyone who witnessed the treatment process could see how cruel it was.
Fury listened to Coulson's advice and temporarily halted the project.
But after Coulson was killed by Loki during the Chitauri invasion, Fury went against his own decision. Desperate to revive Coulson, he restarted the "Tahiti Project" and brought him back to life.
However, like the previous patients, Coulson could not endure the inhuman suffering. Even though his body recovered, his mind was shattered.
To help him regain his sanity, they had to erase his painful memories through hypnosis and implant false ones to make him believe he had spent time recovering on a peaceful vacation in Tahiti.
After that, Fury decisively shut the project down again, erased all related records, and enforced a strict gag order.
Most of the people involved in the project voluntarily underwent hypnosis to erase their memories of it. Only a small handful of people retained any knowledge of what had happened.
So very few people knew about the "Tahiti Project". Even Coulson, who had originally been in charge, had no memory of it.
This was exactly why Fury had sent Coulson away earlier. Bringing him back to life had been Fury's decision, but it might not have been fair to Coulson himself.
Had Fury not been unwilling to let Coulson die, the "Tahiti Project" might have remained buried forever.
Because of this, the number of people who knew about the project was extremely limited. Forget outsiders—even within S.H.I.E.L.D., only a select few knew about it.
But now the secret was out.
And that could only mean one thing—there was a leak inside S.H.I.E.L.D.!
Hill hadn't said it out loud, but the weight of the situation was clear.
"What do we do now?" Hill asked, unsure of Fury's next move.
Fury thought for a moment. "We don't know exactly how the information got out yet, so we'll put that aside for now. The most important thing is to make sure the 'Tahiti Project' doesn't resurface."
Hill nodded. "Tell me what you want me to do."
Fury's tone was firm. "Whoever hired the Rising Tide has probably already received the leaked data. They could use it to track down everyone involved with the project—one by one."
"The number of people directly involved in the 'Tahiti Project' was small, and most of them voluntarily underwent hypnosis to erase those memories. Only a few still remember.
"Even among those few, almost all work at headquarters, making it difficult for anyone to reach them—except for one person..."
Hill's mind immediately pictured someone.
"Yes, the one you're thinking of—the psychologist in charge of the 'Tahiti Project's' mental recovery and hypnosis, Dr. Raymond," Fury said slowly.
"But isn't he undergoing treatment?"
Fury sighed. "If it weren't for this data leak, I wouldn't have wanted to disturb him. After all, he got sick because of what happened back then."
"But given the current situation, we can't leave him out there. If the enemy finds him, his life will be in danger. They won't spare him just because he's sick."
"So I need you to bring him back. If he needs further treatment, I'll arrange for specialists at headquarters."
Hill agreed without hesitation. "Consider it done."
"Thank you," Fury nodded, showing his appreciation.
Technically, even as Director, he shouldn't have sent someone of Hill's rank on a field mission.
But there was no choice.
The mission had to be handled by someone who knew about the 'Tahiti Project'. Sending an outsider would only complicate things. And among those few who did know, one might be the traitor responsible for the leak.
With no way to confirm who that was, Hill was the only person Fury could trust.
He trusted her despite their frequent disagreements, such as her opposition to his Avengers Initiative.
Hill believed S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't rely solely on goodwill to ensure superheroes' cooperation; there had to be control measures in place.
Fury, on the other hand, had a different philosophy.
But in the end, their differences were about strategy, not loyalty.
Hill was placed in S.H.I.E.L.D. directly by the World Security Council, essentially as their watchdog over Fury.
Between the two, the Council trusted Hill more.
After the Chitauri invasion, they had even considered removing Fury as director, given how often he had disobeyed their orders during the crisis.
But Hill had stood firmly by him, preventing them from using that incident as an excuse to replace him.
If she had been ambitious, she could have easily taken his position. Yet she chose to back him instead.
That was why Fury trusted her completely.
Among everyone who knew about the 'Tahiti Project,' she was the only one he could count on.
If he didn't send her, he'd have to go himself.
But as the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., he was under constant surveillance.
If he acted personally, it would be an obvious giveaway.
So in the end, he entrusted the task to Hill.
"I've sent all the details to your personal terminal. The rest is up to you—I won't interfere," Fury said, forwarding the information.
Hill glanced at her specialized wristwatch and gave an "OK" gesture to confirm receipt.
"Clockwork Psychiatric Hospital..."
She unconsciously read the name out loud.
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