Slaying the Hydra- DAY SIX The Afternoon

Dolen let Jason drive and he gave him directions with the oddest feeling of inevitable doom tightening his belly. It was not the way the other man drove with an alertness that bordered on hyperactive nor was it the circuitous route the man used to drive from Alexandria to Reston; no, it was the certainty that Aaron Cross was going to be pissed when he showed up on his doorstep. After he liberated Pamela Landy from the hospital he met up with Marta Shearing at the hotel again. After a tense discussion about why she really did not want to be revealing the location of the home she shared with Aaron Cross to an NSA agent she eventually relented.

This was probably going to end in blood shed and Brad would bet dollars to donuts that it would be his, but he still pointed out the house as they reached the quiet neighborhood. There was a work truck in the driveway that appeared to be for a private security firm. Hell, Cross was already home; Brad had been praying for the last twenty minutes that his flights were delayed. He really should learn to think before offering to bring government assassins to other government assassins' homes.

Jason didn't waste time parking down the street he just pulled into the driveway and turned off the vehicle. He studied the front of the structure for a few minutes and then he turned slowly to the passengers.

"Exit the vehicle slowly," he advised, "No sudden moves and keep your hands visible." That said he opened his door and stepped out placing his hands on the roof of the car.

"Jason," Nicky murmured as she got out of the backseat. She would have touched him but Jason shook his head.

"Go knock," he told her coolly with his detached manner, "and don't worry I won't let anything happen to you."

"Jason," she murmured again and his eyes softened and he spared her a slight smile.

"Nick, you'll be okay," he soothed.

"It isn't me I am worried about," she hissed and then muttered, "idiot!"

"They will ask you and Dolen in and after they are sure you both pose no threat," he flicked his eyes toward the house, "Cross will come out and we'll—talk."

"Talk," she sighed, "right."

"Come on, Nicky." Dolen stepped away from the car and waited for Nicky to precede him.

Nicky did as Jason told her and slowly made her way to the front door where she knocked. Silence greeted her first knock and nervously Nicky knocked again. This time a voice called out, "Its open."

It was a common enough practice Nicky's own mother had done it a number of times, but the steely voice that uttered the words this time were not some harried mother or negligent teen. The man issuing the invitation had a voice that embodied emotion and right that moment his timbre was calculatingly deadly. Glancing over her shoulder and meeting Jason's eyes for a moment's reassurance Nicky turned back and slowly turned the knob.

The house was old but the door was well oiled and it glided open smoothly when she pushed it gently. The man at the foot of the stairs appeared unarmed, but the stance he was in was a familiar one to Nicky who worked closely with a lot of deadly men. He may not have a gun trained on them but he was still lethal. Right now all his deadly intensity was centered on Brad Dolen as he stood slightly to the right of her.

"Mr. Cross," Nicky said as calmly as she could muster trying to draw the man's attention away from Brad.

Aaron ignored the woman as he pierced Dolen's skull with his penetrating gaze, "You're skating awful damn close to the edge of rule number one, Bradley."

"Bourne is on our side," Dolen said as he stepped closer to Nicky. "Nicky can help with the analysis of the data and logistics."

Aaron let his eyes slide away from the former Marine and onto the woman beside him. She was skittish, but most people would not have noticed the tension in her stance. Aaron wasn't most people and the girl knew that; which was interesting to Aaron. Her stance was relaxed to the untrained eye and her face was open and she tried to radiate calm; it was not working.

"Treadstone logistics and psychological analyst Nicolette Parsons," he watched her reaction as he continued. "Four years under Dr. Albert Hersch and Alex Conklin you started with Treadstone at its inception and were carried over into the Black Briar operation working under Neil Daniels when Alex Conklin was gunned down in Paris. During your stint with Treadstone you handled logistics exceptionally well and acted in a limited capacity as psychologist to the assets being run from your office. It was suspected but never confirmed that you and first gen asset Jason Bourne had a more than professional relationship, but when Bourne's brain got scrambled you did everything you could, in the eyes of your superiors, to apprehend Bourne. Even going so far as to activate and direct several program assets with kill-on-site directives."

"Yes," she nodded. She did not try to explain her position at the time. It was a slippery place she had been perched when it came to light that Jason Bourne was off the reservation. She would not apologize to anyone except Jason for the things she did to survive.

Aaron liked the spine she stiffened when he called her morality into question. Instead of showing shame she toughened up and gave him a look that seemed to say, 'nice shot want another go?' Yeah, she was a moral quagmire, but hell there was not one person involved in the programs that wasn't. Nodding, Aaron gestured them toward the door at the end of the hallway.

"Doc," he called, "Three more for lunch."

Dolen sighed and Aaron watched as he relaxed minutely, putting a hand on Nicky's lower back to guide her toward the kitchen. As they passed he reached out and stopped Dolen with a hand on his arm so he could admonish, "You took a very big chance."

"I know," Dolen nodded.

"Don't do it again," Aaron ordered.

"I won't," Dolen agreed, "Thank you."

Aaron did not bother to respond he just released the man and headed for the door. When he stepped outside he found Jason Bourne conversing with the kid next door, Jeremy. It was a strange sight watching the teen laugh at something the man said. Somehow he had not pictured Bourne as the jocular-type.

"Hey, Jeremy, you did a nice job on the lawn." Aaron called as he approached the pair.

"Charlie," the boy smiled and bounded over to him. "I was just telling your friend here that I got my hands on some nice bougainvillea bushes; they make nice barrier hedges to keep unwanted people from traipsing through the yard." The boy laughed, "My mom planted one underneath the trellis of Kimmie's bedroom."

"I bet that was an experience for some little prick," Aaron laughed. "Thanks for doing such a great job with the yard." He pulled his wallet out and pulled out a couple twenties. "Here is for the lawn and as for the bushes I have to talk to the boss-man," he gestured toward the house.

"No doubt," Jeremy pocketed the money and started backing toward his own yard. "My mom told me to make sure to ask you to remind the Doc to come to her Jewelry party next week."

"I'm not sure she will have the time," Aaron frowned, "What day was it again?"

"Thursday," the boy rolled his eyes, "I think it is really just an excuse for them to all get together drink too much wine, talk about the men in their lives and spend way too much money on gaudy jewelry." Both Aaron and Jason laughed at the look on the boy's face.

"I'll remind the Doc," Aaron waved, with a genuine smile on his face, as the boy turned and jogged back to his house and went inside. Turning back to Bourne the smile slid off his face and his eyes were deadly as he looked the man over. "No, weapon," he questioned.

"I don't really need one to kill you," Jason replied.

"Yeah," Aaron acknowledged, "That is something we have in common."

"One of the few things the program gave me that I appreciate," Jason added.

"That and the killer retirement plan," Aaron agreed.

"So," Jason glanced around with his hands still planted on the hood of the car, "How is this going to go down?"

"Well," Aaron let his eyes glance over the quiet neighborhood before coming to rest on Jason once more. "I would love to kick your ass for being the impetus for the hell that has been raining down on us for the last year, but it would be hypocritical of me to act like I wasn't planning to slip my reigns before they decided I was ready for retirement."

"I did not intentionally fuck up your life," Jason growled, "I was injured and I couldn't remember who the hell I was."

"Or who your girlfriend was apparently," Aaron made the dig to see how Bourne would react. "Of course that probably saved her life; they had eyes on her like she was a damned reality television star. She probably doesn't know this but the bastards even had her bathroom jacked in."

Jason's hands clenched into fists and Aaron almost smiled at the slight sign that Bourne was indeed human. According to all the reports and ground cables they referred to Bourne as a machine in the field, but Aaron had scored a hit against the man's human side and it was comforting to see.

"You watched the recordings," Jason asked.

"Hell, no, but Byer seemed to enjoy the show." Aaron answered. "That man is one stupid ass piece of work that thinks he is fucking Einstein."

Jason was quiet for a while before he nodded and met Aaron's gaze with a calculating smile that Aaron recognized from the mirror. He and Bourne really were cut from the same cloth. "Dolen says you got him detained in Bangkok," Jason alleged.

"Yeah," Aaron nodded, "I have some pretty well connected friends in Palawan that helped me set that up."

"I want my swipe at him," Jason told him coldly. "I can't do that from here."

"He'll be on his way home by this evening," Aaron informed Bourne, "His face will be on every channel and when his plane touches down at JFK there will be so many reporters waiting for him you would think Elvis was back from the dead."

"You know this for sure," Jason questioned.

"Yeah, Edgar is making sure the Thai media and Reuters is on hand for his walk of shame in Bangkok and Dolen took care of chumming the waters here in the States."

"So," Jason questioned, "That is it? You are going to make the world think he is a serial killer?"

"Nah," Aaron scoffed, "That is just making him hurt; the real plan is a little more permanent than that."

"Which is," Jason asked.

"You really can't get more permanent than death," Aaron answered.

Marta came to the door and watched the two men conversing as if they were old friends, but she could see that Jason Bourne was still in the same position he had been in from the moment he got out of the car. Aaron was leaning against the side of the car and the effect was that it appeared natural for them to be posed as they were. Taking a moment to gauge their expressions she wiped her hands on the hand towel she carried.

"Lunch is getting cold," she called and both men turned matching expressions of intensity on their faces. Aaron was the first to relax and look away from her as he turned to the other asset and gestured toward the house.

Seeing them making their way to the door Marta turned and went back to the kitchen. The table was littered with papers and the computer set up at one end, but the side closest to the door was set with plates and bowls. Nicky was seated at the computer with a mug of tomato soup and a rapidly cooling grilled cheese. Pamela Landy was sitting, limply, in a chair to her right with a mug of soup in her hands and Dolen was to Nicky's left dipping his sandwich in the soup in front of him.

When Jason stepped into the kitchen Marta directed him to the chair across from hers, "I'm afraid I don't cook much," she explained when he looked at the bowl of soup and the grilled sandwich beside it.

"No," he shook his head, "This is fine."

Marta smiled and spooned up some of her soup as Aaron sat down beside her. She smiled at him and he took her hand lifting it to his lips.

"Thanks, Doc." Aaron smiled as he picked up one of the sandwich halves and took a big bite.

The room was silent except for the tapping of computer keys and the occasional scrape of spoon on bowl as they ate. For long moments after everyone had finished eating they simply sat staring at each other until Pamela sighed, "This is ridiculous!"

Dolen laughed at her perturbed expression, "We are on the same side," he agreed.

"Okay," Aaron nodded, "Dolen why don't you tell me what you plan to do now that you are on the kill list?"

"I have a meeting set up tomorrow morning, one I can't miss."

"With whom," Marta asked.

"General Don Greene and President Davis," he answered, "I baited the trap like you suggested, "he nodded toward Aaron and then continued, "Jacobs and two others left the office almost immediately after I informed them Byer was in custody and being held for multiple counts of murder."

"Names," Nicky asked. She didn't bother to look up as she sifted through the data streaming through the computer before her.

"Chuck Tibbs and James Charles," Dolen answered. It was killing him to know that men and women he once respected were neck deep in this shit.

"You trust General Greene," Jason asked.

"Yes," Dolen nodded. "I don't think he is innocent in this, but the same can be said about everyone at this table. None of us are innocent bystanders we all have in one form or another been complicit."

"True enough," Aaron nodded. "I think Bourne and I need to be present at that meeting tomorrow."

"I don't think—," Dolen tried to disagree, but Landy spoke up interrupting him.

"Me, too," she set her cup aside and shifted gingerly in her chair. "I think it would be a very good idea to make the meeting as public as possible. Politically, even if Davis is the driving force behind the whole damned thing, which I doubt, it would be a layer of protection we all sorely need."

"I agree," Nicky said from her spot, "Can you get us all into the White House?"

"All," Dolen asked alarmed.

"All," Nicky agreed, "We need to make sure all of our faces are seen as being participants in a Presidential Investigation. Insinuate that Eric Byer has been under investigation for the last few months and that his extracurricular activities include serial torture, murder and treason."

"The President could put a seal on that more permanent solution you have planned," Jason murmured.

"He could also pardon the lot of us," Landy agreed, "That is something we should actively seek."

"Then we are agreed," Aaron asked as he looked from one person to the next and each answered with a definitive yes.

Aaron's cell phone rang and he stood up from the table taking his dishes to the sink before turning to them and saying, "Dolen set it up," he pulled his cell from his pocket and accepted the call. "This is my man in Palawan I need to take it." He stepped out of the room speaking in rabid fire foreign sentences.

Dolen pushed himself to his feet as he pulled out the cell phone Marta gave him and pushed a few numbers, "Well, I have a miracle to work so I hope you will excuse me; lunch was delightful." Dolen left the same way Aaron did leaving the rest of them staring after him.

The silence once again descended around the table as they each contemplated this next step. It had the potential of either setting them free or imprisoning them for the rest of their lives, but to a one they each knew this was the step they had to take.