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Dr. Robert Borden, born Nigel Thornton, is a Sandstorm member who worked as an FBI psychologist in order to pass intel to his terrorist organization.

Events[]

Nigel Thornton was born in London, England, there he received his MD from Hardyshire University School of Medicine where he also completed his residency in Psychiatry. 

He married Chris and they both volunteered with Doctors Without Borders and were placed in Afghanistan where they helped build a hospital and helped injured and sick people, victims of the constant insurgents’ attacks.

Afghanistan, 2013[]

Somehow, Chris stumbled across an injured female Navy SEAL in the woods and took her home to treat her wounds against her husband’s protests for aiding a fugitive. However, Nigel helped Alice during her recovery and took her for a hike through the woods a few miles away from the village. Once on top of the hill hey had just reached, both Nigel and Alice heard explosions nearby only to realize that American drones were attacking several houses and the hospital, killing everybody inside, including Chris.  

As he saw how the village was being bombed, Nigel wished to help his wife, but Alice argued that their overall mission at the moment was to escape alive from the forest. At night he sat on the ground, too conflicted from what he had just witnessed and was reluctant to follow Alice deeper into the woods. In order to take them both out of there, she finally confessed being a Navy SEAL working in a black op ran by the CIA where she found out that her country only cared about power and money. She promised Nigel that she'll help him avenge his wife if he came back to the States to fight alongside Alice's family. 

Back in the U.S., Nigel joined Sandstorm and was placed into the FBI as a psychiatrist under the name of Robert Borden.

Jane Doe Case[]

When Remi arrived to the FBI as Jane Doe with no memory of who she was, Borden introduced ZIP to Bethany Mayfair and Kurt Weller as the drug given to Jane in high quantities that caused a permanent state of amnesia. 

After David Wagner’s death, Borden approached Patterson with whom started a relationship, which ended when he was identified as Sandstorm’s mole. 

Trying to escape before anyone could link him to Sandstorm, Borden packed a bag and decided to wear his old wedding ring, however, he was surprised by Patterson who recognized the ring from one of Jane's sketches from her flashbacks. The two of them fought and he accidentally shot Patterson. After taking her to one of Sandstorm's safe houses, he patched up her wound and watched Shepherd torture Patterson.  

Borden's ring

Borden wearing his wedding ring.

Borden managed to break free from Kurt Weller and left, leaving no trace behind. 

Presumed Demise[]

Lured by a staged conversation performed by the team, Borden and some Sandstorm members arrived at the place Weller mentioned hours before. From the car, Borden witnessed a fake fight between Cade, Patterson, and Reade. He ordered his men to go in pursuit of Cade but hidden lamps alerted him that it was a trap set by the FBI.

Aware of the danger, he ran in the opposite direction but got intercepted by Patterson who was waiting for him at gunpoint. He hid inside of the house trying to scape Patterson but she shot him in the vest; unable to keep moving, Borden fell to the floor and threw a grenade next to some propane tanks that exploded, consuming the place.

Further Undercover[]

It was revealed that he survived the explosion by jumping out a window, although he sustained burns to over 30% of his body while doing so. He performed field medicine on himself for 46 hours straight, though he kept passing out from the pain. Afterward he managed to flee the US and remain hidden until his discovery by the CIA a year later.

The CIA tracked Borden to a Mumbai hospital when he used a known alias for identification. Borden was unable to escape this time due to being convalescent. When he came around he initially refused a deal offered by Jake Keaton, undercover work in exchange for immunity, though Natasha Zapata leaned on the memory of his wife to convince him otherwise.

Borden infiltrated one of Goran Gorovich's terrorist cells as a medical torturer and used the alias Dragonfly164 to communicate via online forum with Atlantic17 (Zapata), his handler. Roman became aware of their correspondence and subsequently added a dragonfly among Jane's ultraviolet tattoos, to be triggered later.

Borden returned to the US as part of his undercover duties a year after the CIA deal, though he killed the new handler assigned to him when Zapata rejoined forces with the FBI. The FBI and subsequently Weller's team became aware of his activities when Zapata confessed them, and took him into custody when they found him.

He explained that his handler had been exposed and caught by the terrorists. Borden's cell was planning major bombings on US soil, so he killed his handler to put him out of his misery. Weller's team promptly thwarted the terrorist threat, but in the aftermath Borden's deal was terminated by Zapata. He was then incarcerated for life without ever getting his wish to speak with Patterson again.

Therapy Catharsis[]

Borden's knowledge of Jane before and after her memory loss made her seek his help in an attempt to understand her Remi and Jane personalities. He was reluctant to help since he got figuratively burned the last time, though as he listened to Jane's issues he reminded her of her role in his wife's death and his subsequent recruitment to Sandstorm. Essentially, he advised her to accept both sides as a whole to move forward.

Relationships[]

Patterson[]

They made a connection after spending a whole day taking care of Maya Ahmadi and started dating a few months later.

Even though they had some trouble with Patterson's workaholic personality, they managed to maintain a normal relationship until she realized he was Sandstorm's mole.

Involvement with Sandstorm[]

Afer Nigel's wife, Chris, rescued a dying Remi from a drone attack, she decided to keep the Navy SEAL on their house until her full recovery. When Remi got back on her feet, she and Nigel went on a hiking excursion through the woods, from where they heard some bombings that destroyed Nigel's home and killed his wife.

Nigel

The only information Patterson was able to find on Borden's real identity.

Trying to keep Nigel away from the bombing site, Remi urges him to stay as away from the town as possible until she admits having been part of Orion and stating that something wasn't right with U.S. Law Enforcement. She promised that if they found their way back to America, they could fight back alongside her family. Once back in the United States, Nigel changed his name to Robert Borden to use it as a cover.

Borden was an active Sandstorm asset inside of the FBI working as a psychologist. This job granted him access to all kinds of personal information from his patients. He made his way inside of Jane’s mind since the day he met her. His job was to brief Shepherd about Jane's and the rest of the team members' thoughts, problems and movements. 

Quotes[]

"Sometimes the best we can do is to try to feel alone together." - to Jane 2.02 Heave Fiery Knot


"Running from your problems doesn’t fix them." - to Jane 1.14 Rules in Defiance 

Trivia[]

  • He speaks Arabic and French.

Images[]

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