After being dropped off to a car with Sterling, Aria is now fast asleep in the front seat as Sterling drives towards DC. After several hours, Aria rouses from her slumber to the smell of the coffee that Sterling has placed in the cup holder. "Thanks." She looks a little worse for the wear and his bet is it's not the alcohol. "You okay? Sorry to do that do you but it had to be done."
"I know." Aria's answer is vague and haunted. Sterling knows this look too well. Aria's whole life is topsy turvey. He knows she misses Mack as her partner. She misses Shelley for other reasons. Eliot and the others are all at different places in their lives. Even he has his daughter in his life. He knows Aria is feeling quite alone but there is a job to be done and there is no one else that Sterling would rather be with than her.
Aria and Sterling have been gone for over 6 months. The boys are worried since Aria has rarely disappeared for this long without so much as a bread crumb. Shelley has been beside himself for how things were left at Eliot's wedding. Eliot, Mack and Vance have been in regular contact for the last couple of months since none of them have heard from her. They thought she would at least reach out to Mack out of habit or Shelley out of the emotion she never speaks of. Aria always has reached out no matter where she was or what mission she was on in the past. If Mack wasn't with her, he knew at least that she was safe. Initially their conversations entertain the worst possible outcome until they get a message from a most unexpected source.
Sterling has seen the toll the last few months has taken on Aria. They have been on the longest operation he has every participated in. He knows that she needs them whether she cares to admit it or not. Aria needs her boys, all of them. Sterling has never seen her so focused, so in tune. It is almost to the point of being disturbing. When she had Mack or Eliot at her back, they tempered the assassin within her, he does not possess that quality or that ability. They have been on impossible mission after impossible mission. Eliot was quite right when he said that impossible has a price. The price was a life for a life. Aria's for theirs and the agency is collecting on Aria's promise in spades. Their adventures have gone from something out of the Bourne Identity to something out of Dr. Who. This world is a very strange place indeed.
This is one of the rare moments in the last year when Aria has been recalled to Washington for a briefing. Her feet haven't touched US soil since they left. The briefing is not until tomorrow, Aria heads to familiar spot to gather her thoughts. It is the one place that feels like home. She heads to the mall and sits on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The last two years are running on a loop in her brain. She takes in the summer air and late day sun. She finds a fleeting sense of peace by being here as the thoughts collide at random in her brain.
She can hear his approach. Aria figured that Sterling would take the liberty of alerting someone that she was in town and she figured it would Eliot. Aria does not turn since she knows it is one of them, one of her boys. It actually doesn't matter which one. Part of her desperately misses the bygone days of one for all and all for one. She knows that the world is as it should be. She doesn't have to like it. Out of reflex, her and slides to her Sig as the person gets closer. She was right. it is Eliot.
"Eliot, what are you doing here?" As Eliot takes a seat next to her. "Hey, Stranger." Aria gives him a smile. "So how did you know?"
"A little birdy told me." Aria gives Eliot a look. "A little Brit Bird, I can assume." Eliot laughs at Aria's loving yet thoughtful distain of Sterling. They have similar relationships with him. What she can't figure out is why Sterling went to Eliot. Mack and Vance are right here and he knows better than to go to Shelley.
"Talk to me baby girl." Eliot gives her a nudge. "If Sterling is worried about you… something is obviously up." Eliot can see it in her eyes. She is most definitely weary. Sterling provided some rather graphic details of how Aria has been occupying her time. He suspects that she may have used a whole deck of the Azrael cards with their last six months of adventures.
"I'm fine Eliot. I promise." Eliot puts his arm around Aria's shoulder. Aria wants to bury her head in his shoulder and let go… but she can't. "Don't lie to me. Why did they call you stateside?" Eliot's tone has left the casual conversation range and is heading towards interrogation. "I haven't had the briefing yet, Eliot." She knows Eliot knows. He has to or he would not be here right now.
At the Pentagon, Vance is in a high level meeting with the brass of the brass. The meeting is intense. His sense of dread increases with every word he hears. There is chatter. Too much chatter. There is a going to be an attack an attack on US soil. It is going to take more than the FBI and NSA to stop this. At least if Aria is stateside, they can help her. The words that Vance does not want to hear have been thrown towards the resident spooks. "I need someone who is not afraid to play dirty, someone who colors outside of the lines. Bring me that little black sheep of yours."
Vance knows in his gut that the CIA black sheep is Aria. She specializes in the ridiculous. He remembers when they sent her after Moriarty, Quinn and Damian. She has written and rewritten history both with them and on her own. The last mission they were together on was supposed to be the last. Funny how last is a relative term in their world. He is really hoping that Sterling got to Eliot and Mack. If not he has to find a way to get to them without anyone knowing it is him. Sterling is still with Interpol, this alliance would be a "favor" and off the books. He is a Senator now... he is out of ops, this is side of politics that sucks.
Back at the mall, Eliot knows that the he needs to find out what is going on with Aria. If Sterling is reaching out to him over Mack with their history… it's big. "Talk to me baby girl. You don't get off that easy. What is going on with you." Eliot uses some of the tricks that Sophie taught him on Aria. Aria gets a faraway look in her eyes as she looks away before she answers him. "We have all taken lives Eliot. You, Mack Vance and Shelley have all taken lives. I have taken lives, Eliot but I got worse… I got clever… I have manipulated others to take their own." He knows what she did with Quinn or he thinks he knows. The Glock stills throws him. Aria would only use a Glock if it was the only available weapon and he knows she had her Sigs. He doesn't follow where this is going now. There is movement behind them. Aria instantly reacts by prepping her weapon. Eliot grabs the only thing in his pocket. "Eliot that is a screwdriver… what are you going to do assemble them?"