and the screams of the wounded
inside
The glistening vehicle shot forward on the boulevard Lefebvre as Bourne sprang to a crouch and
raced toward the deserted storefronts on the east side of the streetHe was nearly across the wide
avenue when the impossible happenedThe impossible!
The Jackal?s van blew up, the explosion firing the dark Paris sky, and the moment it happened a
brown limousine screeched around the nearest corner, the windows open, men in the black spaces,
weapons in their grips, spraying the entire area with thunderous, indiscriminate fireJason lunged
into the nearest recess, curling up into a fetal position in the shadows, accepting the fact?not in
fear but in fury?that it might well be his last moments of lifeFailed Marie and his
children! He spun off the concrete, the weapon in his handHe would kill, kill!
That was the way of Jason Bourne
Then the incredible happenedA siren? The police? The brown limousine shot
forward, skirting the flaming wreck of the Jackal?s van and disappeared into the dark streets as a
patrol car raced out of the opposing darkness, its siren hermes borse screaming, the tires screeching as it skidded
to a stop only yards from the flames of the demolished vehicleNothing made sense! thought Jason
Where before there had been five patrol cars, only one had returnedWhy? And even that question
was superfluousCarlos had mounted a strategy employing not one but seven, conceivably eight,
decoys, all expendable, all led to their terrible death by the consummate self-protectorThe Jackal
had sprung himself from the trap that had been reversed by his hated quarry, Delta, the product of
Medusa, a creation of American intelligenceOnce again, the assassin had outthought him, but he
had not killed himThere would be another day, another night
?Bernardine!? screamed the Deuxi?me official who less than thirty minutes ago had officially
disowned his colleagueLeaping out of the patrol car, the man shouted again?Bernardine! Where
are you? My God, where are you? I came back, old friend, for I could not leave you! My God,
you were right, I see that now for myself! Oh, Christ, tell me you?re alive! Answer me!?
?Another is dead,? came the reply from Bernardine miu miu bow bag as his gaunt figure walked slowly, with
difficulty, out of the storefront two hundred feet north of Bourne?I tried to tell you but you would
not listen??
?I was perhaps too hasty!? roared the official, running to the old man and embracing him as the
others in the patrol car, their arms crossed in front of their faces, surrounded the burning van but at
a considerable distance?I?ve radioed for our people to return!? added the official?You must
believe me, old friend, I came back because I couldn?t leave you in anger, not my old comradeI
had no idea that pig from the newspaper actually assaulted you, struck youHe told me and I threw
him out! I came back for you, you see that, don?t you? But, my God, I never expected anything
like this!?
?It?s horrible,? said the Deuxi?me veteran, while cautiously, his eyes straying rapidly up and
down the boulevard, he surveyed the areaHe specifically noted the many frightened, intense faces
in the windows of the three stone buildingsThe scenario had blown apart with the van?s explosion
and the disappearance of the brown limousineThe minions were omega seamaster replica watches without their leader and filled
with anxiety?It?s not entirely your error alone?my old comrade,? he continued, a note of apology
in his voice?I had the wrong building
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
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?Ah ha,? cried the Deuxi?me associate, relishing a minor triumph of self-vindication?The
wrong building? That is indeed a mistake of consequence, eh, Fran?ois??
?The consequences might have been far less tragic had you not abandoned me so hastily, as you
so aptly phrased itInstead of listening to a man with my vast experience, you ordered me out of
your car only to have me witness the horror moments after you fled
?We followed your orders! We searched the building?the wrong building!?
?Had you remained, if only for a brief conference, this might have been avoided and a friend
might be aliveI shall have to include that judgment in my report??
?Please, old friend,? broke in the associate?Let us reason together for the good of the Bureau?
? The interruption now came with the shrill appearance of a fire truckBernardine held up his hand
and led his protesting former comrade across replicas bolsas the boulevard, ostensibly to get out of the way of the
firemen, more purposefully to be within earshot of Jason Bourne?When our people arrive,? went
on the associate of the Deuxi?me, his voice rising with authority, ?we shall empty the buildings and
detain every resident for thorough interrogation!?
?My God,? exclaimed Bernardine, ?don?t add asininity to incompetence!?
?What??
?The limousine, the brown limousine?surely you saw itThe driver said it raced away
?That?s all he told you??
?Well, the truck was in flames and there was so much confusion radioing for personnel??
?Look at the shattered glass!? commanded Fran?ois, pointing at the storefronts away from the
recess where Bourne was hiding?Look at the pits on the pavement and in the streetGun fire, my
old comradeThose involved escaped believing they had killed me! Say nothing, do nothing
Leave these people alone
?You are incomprehensible??
?And you are a foolIf for any reason whatsoever there is the slightest possibility that even one
of those killers is ordered to return here, there can be no impediments
?Now you are vuitton pink bag inscruta

It was precisely 2:35 in the morning; he opened the heavy door and
limped out into the dark street, which was devoid of any signs of lifeAccording to their plan he
turned left, maintaining the pace agreed upon; he was to arrive at the comer as close to 2:38 as
possibleSuddenly, he was alarmed; in a shadowed doorway on his right was the figure of a man
Unobtrusively Alex reached under his jacket for his Beretta automaticThere was nothing in the
strategy that called for someone to be in a doorway on this section of the street! Then, as suddenly
as he had been alarmed, he relaxed, feeling equal parts of guilt and relief at what he understood
The figure in shadows was an indigent, an old man in worn-out clothes, one of the homeless in a
land of so much plentyAlex kept going; he reached the corner and heard the low, single click of
two fingers snapped apartHe crossed the avenue and proceeded down the pavement, passing an
alleywayanother old man in disheveled clothing moving slowly
out into the street and then omega usa back into the alleyAnother derelict protecting his concrete caveAt any
other time Conklin might have approached the unfortunate and given him a few dollars, but not
nowHe had a long way to go and a schedule to keep
Morris Panov approached the intersection still bothered by the curious telephone conversation
he had had ten minutes ago, still trying to recall each segment of the plan he was to follow, afraid to
look at his watch to see if he had reached a specific place within a specific time span?he had been
told not to look at his watch in the street and why couldn?t they say ?at approximately such and
such? rather than the somewhat unnerving term ?time span,? as if a military invasion of
Washington were imminentRegardless, he kept walking, crossing the streets he was told to cross,
hoping some unseen clock kept him relatively in tune with the goddamned ?time spans? that had
been determined by his striding back and forth between two pegs on some lawn behind a garden
apartment in Vienna, VirginiaHe would omega aqua terra watch do anything for David Webb?good Christ,
anything!?but this was insaneYet, of course, it wasn?tThey would not ask him to do what he
was doing if it were
What was that? A face in shadows peering at him, just like the other two! This one hunched over
on a curb, raising wine-soaked eyes up at himOld men?weather-beaten, old, old men who could
barely move?staring at him! Now he was allowing his imagination to run away with him-the
cities were filled with the homeless, with perfectly harmless people whose psychoses or poverty
drove them into the streetsAs much as he would like to help them, there was nothing he could do
but professionally badger an unresponsive WashingtonThere was another! In an indented space
between two storefronts barricaded by iron gates-he, too, was watching himStop it! You?re being
irrationalOr was he? Of course, he wasGo on, keep to the schedule, that?s what you?re
supposed to doGood God! There?s anotherKeep going!
The vast moonlit grounds of the Smithsonian dwarfed the two figures as cheap chanel purses they converged from
intersecting paths, joining each other and proceeding to a benchConklin lowered himself with the
aid of his cane while Mo Panov looked around nervously, listening, as if he expected the
unexpectedIt was 3:28 in the predawn morning, the only noises the subdued rattle of crickets and
mild summer breezes through the treesGuardedly Panov sat down
?Anything happen on the way here?? asked Conklin
?I?m not sure,? replied the psychiatrist?I?m as lost as I was in Hong Kong, except that over
there we knew where we were going, whom we expected to meet
?You?re contradicting yourself, Mo,? said Alex, smiling?You told me I was cured
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
26
?Oh, that? That was merely obsessive manic-depression bordering on dementia praecoxThis is
nuts! It?s nearly four o?clock in the morningPeople who aren?t nuts do not play games at four
o?clock in the morning
Alex watched Panov in the dim wash of a distant Smithsonian floodlight that illuminated the
massive stone structure?You new omega watches said you weren?t sureWhat does that mean??
?I?m almost embarrassed to say?I?ve told too many patients that they invent uncomfortable
images to rationalize their panic, justify their fears
?What the hell does that mean??
?It?s a form of transference??
?Come on, Mo!? interrupted Conklin?What bothered you? What did you see??
?Figures some bent over, walking slowly, awkwardly?not like you, Alex, incapacitated not
by injuries but by ageWorn out and old and staying in the darkness of storefronts and side streets
It happened four or five times between my apartment house and hereTwice I almost stopped and
called out for one of your men, and then I thought to myself, My God, Doctor, you?re overreacting,
mistaking a few pathetic homeless people for what they?re not, seeing things that aren?t there
?Right on!? Conklin whispered emphatically?You saw exactly what was there, MoBecause I
saw the same, the same kind of old people you saw, and they were pathetic, mostly in beat up
clothes and who moved slower than I vintage chanel jewelry mov

We all have to, in case of
an emergencyI even performed the emergency procedure once, when I was a Bear
I stared at him, waiting for his responseIt took him a long moment, and his eyes grew wilder
every second
?Why are you telling me this?? he finally gasped
?Because I? I am going to give you the knowledge you need I held up my hand again?But
only if you will give me what I want in returnI'm warning you right now, it won't be any easier
for you to give me what I want than it will be for me to give you what you want
His chanel jewellery face was fiercer than I'd ever seen it
?You can't kill them?the souls you removeYou must give me your word?your promise, your
oath, your vow?that you will give them safe conduct on to another lifeThis means some
danger; you will have to have cryotanks, and you will have to get those souls onto shuttles
off-planetYou have to send them to another world to liveBut they won't be able to hurt you
By the time they reach their next planet, your grandchildren will be dead
Would my conditions mitigate my guilt in this? Only if Doc could prada handbags sale be trusted
He was thinking very hard as I explainedI watched his face to see what he would make of my
demandHe didn't look angry, but his eyes were still wild
?You don't want us to kill the Seeker?? he guessed
I didn't answer his question because he wouldn't understand the answer; I did want them to kill
herThat was the whole problemInstead, I explained further
?She'll be the first, the testI want to make sure, while I'm still here, that you're going to follow
throughI will do the separation myselfWhen she is safe, I'll teach vintage omega watches you how it's done
?On who??
?Kidnapped soulsI can't guarantee you that the human minds will come
backI don't know if the erased can returnWe'll see with the Seeker
Doc blinked, processing something?What do you mean, while you are still here? Are you
leaving??
I stared at him, waiting for the realization to hitHe stared back, uncomprehending
?Don't you realize what I'm giving you?? I whispered
Finally, comprehension slammed home in his expression
I spoke quickly, before he could?There's something else I'm going to ask you quilted chanel bag for, DocI don't
want to? Iwon't be shipped off to another planetThis is my planet, it truly isAnd yet, there's
really no place for me hereSo? I know it might? offend some of the othersDon't tell them if
you think they won't allow itBut I'd like to be buried by Walt and WesCan
you do that for me? I won't take up much space I smiled weakly again
No!Melanie was howlingo, no, no, no?
?No, Wanda,? Doc objected, too, with a shocked expression
?Please, Doc,? I whispered, wincing against the protest in my head, which was getting tiffany toggle necklace loude

He was silent long enough for the tears on my skin to dry, leaving a fine, salty dust behind
?Is everybody like that?? Jamie whispered long after I thought he'd fallen asleep?Does
everybody stay??
?No,? I told him sadly
?She's strong and brave
?Do you think?? He paused to sniff?Do you think that maybe Dad is still there, too??
I swallowed, trying to move the lump farther down my throatNo, I
don't think so
?Why??
?Because he brought the Seekers looking for youWell, the soul inside him didYour father
wouldn't have let replica chanel earrings that happen if he were still thereYour sister never let me see where the cabin
was?she didn't even let me know that you existed for the longest timeShe didn't bring me here
until she was sure that I wouldn't hurt you
It was too much informationOnly as I finished speaking did I realize that the doctor wasn't
snoring anymoreI could hear no noise from his breathingI cursed myself internally
I whispered into his ear, so close that there was no way the doctor could possibly overhear
?Yes, she's very strong
Jamie strained to louis vuitton neo hear me, frowning, and then glanced at the opening to the dark hallHe must
have realized the same thing I had, because he turned his face to my ear and whispered back
softer than before?Why would you do that? Not hurt us? Isn't that what you want??
?NoI don't want to hurt you
?Why??
?Your sister and I have? spent a lot of time togetherShe shared you with meAnd? I started
to? to love you, too
?And Jared, too??
I gritted my teeth for a second, chagrined that he had made the connection so easily?Of course
I don't want pink vuitton bag anything to hurt Jared, either
?He hates you,? Jamie told me, plainly grieved by the fact
?You might, after you think about it more
?But you weren't even here when they took overYou didn't pick my dad or my mom or
MelanieYou were in outer space then, right??
?Yes, but I am what I am, JamieI've had many hosts before Melanie, and
nothing's stopped me from? taking lives
?Does Melanie hate you??
I thought for a minute?Not as much as she used toI don't hate you at all
?She says she doesn't hate me at all anymore,? I murmured chanel jumbo flap bag almost silently
?How? how is she??
?She's happy to be hereShe's so happy to see youShe doesn't even care that they're going to
kill us
Jamie stiffened under my arm?They can't! Not if Mel's still alive!?
You've upset him,Melanie complainedou didn't have to say that
It won't be any easier for him if he's unprepared
?They won't believe that, Jamie,? I whispered?They'll think I'm lying to trick youThey'll just
want to kill me more if you tell them that
The word made him shudder
?But you're not lyingI know it,? he said after a tiffany co jewelry mome

?My English not good,? announced the uniformed man, nodding at his visitors, ?but is
understandingAlso, for you I have no name, no official positionCall me colonel, yes? It is below
my rank, but all Americans think all Soviets in Komitet are ?colonel,? da? Okay??
?I speak Russian,? replied Alex?If it?s easier for you, use it, and I?ll translate for my
colleague
?Hah!? roared the colonel, laughing?So Krupkin cannot fool you, yes??
?Yes, he can?t fool me, noHe talks too fast, da? Even in Russian his words come like stray bullets
?In French, also, Colonel
?Speaking of which,? intruded Dimitri, ?may we get to the issue at hand, comrade? Our
associate in the Dzerzhinsky said we were to come over immediately The KGB officer walked to the huge ebony console, picked up a remote
control, and turned to the others?I will speak English?is good practice
Everything is on one cartridgeAll material taken by men and women Krupkin select to follow our
people who speak the French
?People who could not be compromised by the tiffany heart tag necklace Jackal,? clarified Krupkin
?Watch!? insisted the peasant-colonel, pressing a button on the remote control
The screen came alive on the console, the opening shots crude and choppyMost had been taken
with hand-held video cameras from car windowsOne scene after another showed specific men
walking in the Moscow streets or getting into official vehicles, driving or being driven throughout
the city and, in several cases, outside the city over country roadsIn every case the subjects under
surveillance met with other men and women, whereupon the zoom lenses enlarged the facesA
number of shots took place inside buildings, the scenes murky and dark, the result of insufficient
light and awkwardly held concealed cameras
?That one is expensive whore!? laughed the colonel as a man in his late sixties escorted a much
younger woman into an elevator?It is the Solnechy Hotel on the VarshavkoyeI will personally
check the general?s vouchers and find a loyal ally, da??
The choppy, cross-cutting tape continued as Krupkin and the two gucci women's watches Americans grew weary of the
seemingly endless and pointless visual recordThen, suddenly, there was an exterior shot of a huge
cathedral, crowds on the pavement, the light indicating early eveningBasil?s Cathedral in Red Square,? said Krupkin?It?s a museum now and a very fine one,
but every now and then a zealot?usually foreign?holds a small serviceNo one interferes, which,
of course, the zealots want us to do
The screen became murky again, the vibrating focus briefly and wildly swaying; the camcorder
had moved inside the cathedral as the agent operating it was jostled by the crowdsThen it became
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
370
steady, held perhaps against a pillarThe focus now was on an elderly man, his hair white in
contrast to the lightweight black raincoat he was wearingHe was walking down a side aisle
pensively glancing at the succession of icons and the higher majestic stained-glass windows
?Rodchenko,? said the peasant?colonel, his voice guttural
The man on the screen proceeded into what appeared to chanel jumbo flap be a large stone corner of the cathedral
where two thick pedestaled candles threw moving shadows against the wallsThe video camera
jerkily moved upward, the agent, again perhaps, standing on a portable stool or a hastily obtained
boxThe picture grew suddenly more detailed, the figures larger as the zoom lens was activated,
thrusting through the crowds of touristsThe white-haired subject approached another man, a priest
in priestly garb?balding, thin, his complexion dark
?It?s him!? cried Bourne?It?s Carlos!?
Then a third man appeared on the screen, joining the other two, and Conklin shouted
?Jesus! ?he roared as all eyes were riveted on the television set?Hold it there!? The KGB
commissar instantly complied with his remote; the picture remained stationary, shaky but constant
?The other one! Do you recognize him, David??
?I know him but I don?t know him,? replied Bourne in a low voice as images going back years
began filling his inner screenThere were explosions, white blinding lights with blurred figures
running new chanel bags in a jungle and then a man, an Oriental, being shot repeatedly, screaming as he was
hammered into the trunk of a large tree by an automatic weaponThe mists of confusion swelled,
dissolving into a barracks-like room with soldiers sitting behind a long table, a wooden chair on the
right, a man sitting there, fidgeting, nervousAnd without warning, Jason suddenly knew that
man?it was himself! A younger, much younger self, and there was another figure, in uniform,
pacing like a caged ferret back and forth in front of the chair, savagely berating the man then
known as Delta OneBourne gasped, his eyes frozen on the television screen as he realized he
was staring at an older version of that angry, pacing figure in his mind?s eye?A courtroom in a
base camp north of Saigon,? he whispered
?It?s Ogilvie,? said Conklin, his voice distant, hollowMy God, they did link
upMedusa found the Jackal!?
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
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36
?It was a trial, wasn?t it, Alex?? said Bourne, bewildered, the words floating, louis vuitton scarf hesitant