Here once again after the rush of classes have temporarily ceased! This chapter's a bit shorter but the next one will make up for it. Wishing you all a happy Advent!

"...for all thine impious proud-heart sophistries,/unlawful magic, and enticing lies."

~John Keats, "Lamia".

The fugitive can hide for a time, but ultimately, with all the odds stacked against him, it's only a tease of safety. Kane has made it her mission to know everything about Aaron Cross—oh he's good, she'll give him that, but he's already starting to make mistakes. The first is staying too close to the CIA. He can't seem to resist the temptation of taking out the corruption in one swing. She only had to go within a radius of about 50 miles, narrowing down the hotels until she found a positive lead in Park Central.

"Two men and a woman," confirmed that attendant. "They claimed their car had been stolen. One was Brian James; the other was Daniel Webster. I asked if he'd argued the devil recently and he said he'd buried that dirt to the depths of hell."

Kane smiled at the joke. "Was there anything unusual?"

She tapped away at the keyboard, her earlier reluctance gone. "They stayed two nights. On the second, Mr. Webster got a second room."

Now that was a welcome bit of information. That meant that Aaron and the scientist had been alone together. Based on her research on Marta Shearing, the woman's past life was nothing but shambles—she could never go back to Outcome or the CIA for that matter. Any place that received her information would forward it to the authorities. She had no future except running for the rest of her life. Or she could start a new life with Aaron. He'd been taught that love was a weakness, passion could be used as manipulation; they all had, but he seemed to be the only one unable to take it seriously. Oh yes, she knew all about LARX 2.

"May I see the room?" To emphasize her point, Kane displayed her CIA badge again.

Aaron would know that a group of three was more vulnerable, particularly with the scientist who wasn't trained to survive. She was the key. Threaten her and Aaron would do anything.

Kane enters the room slowly, eyes sweeping across the floor and counter to find clues that aren't there. Too clean, too precise. "Is this what you wanted, Cross? Did you want your trail to be followed and dead-ended?" She shouldn't say it aloud; it gives him too much satisfaction to admit it.

The only clue is Marta Shearing's driver's license. Left, not dropped. Tucking the license in a pocket, she calls it in.

"They cleared out quickly a few hours ago but he stripped away any evidence. Not that it matters. He knows we're coming and all he can do is try to throw up obstacles to slow us down."

"Is there another lead to follow?"

She hesitates on the answer, shutting out Vosen's voice to think rationally. Aaron had taken his shot at the CIA and now would have to lay low until he had better chances. "I'll need a list of known allies to him and Bourne. Parsons might know something. I'll want to question her…"

You have no resources, no chance and two people in tow, one of which can't defend herself. You know the outcome, Aaron Cross. It's in our favor.

"You need to tell us about Jason Bourne. You remember Jason. He needs to be stopped before more people die."

"He was never a danger. He was just trying to escape from the program that destroyed the man he used to be."

"You know that's a lie—he was always on board with this."

"Not Jason."

"Don't be difficult with us. You supported everything this organization did until Bourne came along."

"You and everyone else have used the CIA as a front for lying, murdering and performing inhumane experiments on soldiers who just wanted to fight for what they believed in. You took men like Jas—David Webb and made them into assassins and for what?!" After the chem haze, the agent's mind was finally becoming free and she appeared determined to make the most of every second.

Vosen took it in, unfazed by the lack of cooperation. He'd expected as much from this woman. "It's unfortunate you feel that way about your employers. I would like to help you, Ms. Parsons, but there's only so much I can do when you refuse to cooperate. I could let you escape…"

"Liar."

"Contrary to your perceptions of other colleagues, I can be reasonable. The last thing I want to see is you treated like a prisoner after you've been part of this family."

Nicky only tightened her jaw.

"You think this is only about Jason? I could let Jason go on a warning, but I want the scientist and Outcome agent with him." Vosen studied Nicky as she considered this bit of information. "Shouldn't that scientist be brought to justice for murdering Eric?"

"I know all about your methods for administering justice."

"Not this time, I promise you." Knowing her cooperation was still to be earned, Vosen set a laptop on a table and watched Nicky's eyes lock onto it. "Feel free to check for tracking equipment on it before contacting Bourne." He forced a smile and left her alone with the computer.

Mandy's glare was the first thing he met outside the room. "She should've been kept on the chems. Now she'll have to start all over and hope some of the programming remained locked at the cellular level."

"We don't want her drugged; we want her compliant." He glanced back at Nicky through the one-way windows. "We could program her like any other assassin and send her after Bourne, but he'll get to her before we can and this way…" Vosen paused as he saw Nicky move towards the keyboard. "…this way Bourne comes to us."