In preparation for NaNoWriMo, I decided to do some more writing for this story, so please enjoy this new part to my story. As always, please read and enjoy!
5:38 PM
French Countryside outside Paris
Jason Bourne had been driving for hours. Relying only on memory, he guided the small rental car along the rough roads of the Parisian countryside. Sonia sat next to him, scanning the trees beside the roads for threats. Jason wondered why she bothered; any assailant worth his salt could sneak within a meter of their car without them noticing.
In the backseat James seemed tense as well, continuously fiddling with his pistol. "Are you sure this man will take us in?" Bond asked.
Jason nodded; best not to worry about the details now. They came upon the entrance to their destination. Bourne noted that the house hadn't changed. In the driveway sat a battered Jeep; it seemed he was home.
Jason climbed out of the car and held up his hand. "Wait here."
Bourne crept up to the house, and paused at the entrance. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door. Jason could hear grumbling in French on the other side of the door. Opening the door, Marie's step-brother Eamon stood in front of Jason, eyes wide in shock.
Before Jason could speak, Eamon let out a yell and charged at him. Bourne could have dodged the blows, but allowed himself to get hit. Eamon spoke a mixture of French and English as he hit Jason, shouting, "You bastard! You bastard! You show up here after what you have done?"
Tired, and with his arms hanging limply at his side, Eamon continued to glare at Bourne. "Why do you come to my house? To remind me of what you did?"
Jason sighed, and spoke calmly in French. "My friends and I need a place to stay for a while. I'm sorry, but we have no other choice."
Eamon looked sullen, but he could see the desperation in Jason's eyes. "Fine, you may stay," Eamon said. "But only because that's what she would want me to do."
He marched back into the house, but left the door open. Jason motioned to Bond and Sonia. They began to retrieve their bags from the car.
Bourne sighed as he looked around the house. It reminded him too much of Marie. He knew why Eamon had acted that way, he felt the same way about himself. Forcing the emotions back down, Jason focused on the task at hand.
They needed to hide the vehicle, it was too easily tracked. They also needed someone on guard at night. He remembered his last experience at this house.
Walking over to the car, Jason retrieved the rest of their bags. From the weight, the bags were full of their newly-acquired weapons. Even in Paris, one didn't need to look far to find weapons.
Jason was careful not to meet Eamon's eyes as he set the bags down in the entryway.
"Is it just you here?" Bourne asked, still not meeting Marie's stepbrother's eyes. Eamon gave a grunt of confirmation. This would be a cheery stay for sure.
"Well, I'll go cover up the car then," said Bond, sensing the awkwardness.
"I'll go check the perimeter," Sonia said. "To watch for, uh, something."
Jason sighed, again alone with the man who still hated him. Eamon opened a beer in front of him and drank in large gulps.
"How did she, you know?" He said to no one in particular.
"It was a sn-," Jason paused. "She went fast, she didn't feel any pain."
His eyes once more glazed with tears, Eamon nodded. "Good, good."
Eamon shakily took another drink from the can. "She loved you, you know. More than I had ever seen her love someone."
Jason said nothing and let Eamon continue, to let him get it all out.
"She could have done something with her life, been whoever she wanted. She was smart. Could have fallen in love with anyone: a doctor, a lawyer, or a business executive." Eamon said, now entirely in French. "But she fell for you, and now she's dead."
He took another swig. "The world sucks."
Jason left as Eamon was opening another beer, better to leave him alone for now. He walked outside, and saw James had finished covering their rental in an old tarp.
"That'll hold her," Bond said. He turned around as Jason approached. "What the hell was that about, then? I haven't seen anyone that angry since, well, a week ago at least!"
"Old disagreements," Bourne said. James rolled his eyes, but let the matter drop. He had more important matter to discuss, anyways.
"So where do we go from here?" Bond said.
"Nice, as soon as possible," Jason replied. "We can hit ARES there."
James nodded, remembering what he had learned from the computer. "What's in Nice, exactly?"
"Corporate office," Jason replied.
Bond looked at him quizzically. "And how exactly does that help us in beating ARES?"
"Every company needs to keep track of their money; destroy the cash flow and you destroy the company," Jason said. "Plus, we'll probably be able to find much more information on ARES. Names, dates, numbers, whatever."
"Sounds like a plan," James said, nodding. "When do we leave?"
Recalling his last confrontation, Bourne replied, "As soon as we can. We just need to stay here for a few days until we can find somewhere in Nice."
"Don't forget a pilot willing to fly us there," Bond said. Both men agreed to hammer out the details soon.
As the two men rose to their feet, Sonia returned from patrol. "Looks clear, but I wouldn't be too sure." She patted the pistol holstered at her side. "Can't hurt to be too careful."
James nodded, feeling the familiar weight of his own pistol tucked into his trousers.
"Did you two decide to go to Nice yet?" asked Sonia. Both men nodded.
"Good," Sonia said. "Then one of you can take watch while I go get some rest."
She walked backed into the house. "Well, that just leaves us to decide-" James began.
Bourne held up a hand to stop him. "You go ahead and go in, I'll take first watch." Bond nodded and headed inside.
Jason climbed onto the roof of the house; finding a flat area, he settled in. Sighing, he contented himself with watching the road and surrounding trees. Guard duty was much more simple than going back into the house.
