Author's Note: Alright, folks, this is it. The second-to-last chapter. Hope it holds up.
Lisa: LOL! I'm glad the Wednesday surprise was well-timed. I'm just ready to finish posting the story, and I've been so busy lately that writing anything new has been tough. But things are picking back up writing-wise, so I'm able to get more chapters out. Marta and Aaron always struck me as the type to be comfortable with others knowing about their relationship, and I'm glad that came across. And Nicky owning a coffee shop. . . .Well, the idea stuck in my head and wouldn't let go. So very glad you're enjoying the story!
Guest: LOL! No worries on the fangirling. :) And thank you for the compliments. I would love to see a movie with all three of these guys in it, too.
As always, I hope everyone enjoys the chapter! ~lg
oOo
"Strike teams, move in." Landy's firm order echoed through Jason's ear. Without a glance to Aaron, he burst out of the trees and tackled Vendel. The gun in the other asset's hand went flying as Aaron made his move, getting the tech out of the way as Vendel's attention was turned to Jason. Over their comm links, they heard the strike teams coordinating their attack, and the entire forest erupted in a chaotic blend of shouts and gunfire.
Vendel kept his eyes on Jason as the pair of them circled one another. Jason watched the other asset's eyes, seeing the deadness there and realizing he faced an enemy who would do whatever he could to survive. Vendel had no morals, and he didn't care who got hurt in the process. Aaron had been right in saying Vendel's programming made him one scary person.
Then, Vendel made his move, striking out so quickly Jason almost missed it in the dark. He leaned out of the way, feeling the rush of air that passed his face from Vendel's fist. As he bent back, he grabbed Vendel's arm and planted his hand on the guy's elbow, wrenching it out of joint. Instead of shouting in pain like any other human being would, Vendel grunted and threw a second punch with his left hand. That one connected to Jason's head and sent him flying through the air.
For just a second, Jason was stunned. He shook his head to clear it, surprised at Vendel's strength, and blinked when he saw Aaron dart out of the forest. The Outcome agent moved so quickly Jason had a hard time following him, but Vendel's attention had been diverted from Jason. It gave Jason the time he needed to get back into the game.
When he saw Jason back on his feet, Vendel swatted at Aaron, pushing him away as if he were nothing more than a troublesome bug. Jason had just enough time to block an incoming blow before he managed to deliver a solid punch to Vendel's midsection. He followed it up with a quick kick that threw the asset off of him.
Over the comms, one of the strike team leaders shouted that Byer had managed to slip their net. Not inconceivable given the short amount of time the CIA had to plan this sting. Aaron shared one quick glance with Jason before he took off through the woods, leaving Jason to face Vendel alone. Vendel took advantage of his momentary distraction and attacked again.
The fight continued, neither man gaining any level of dominance. When Jason drew his sidearm, Vendel knocked it out of his hand. When Vendel rolled close enough to one of the two guns on the forest floor, Jason tackled him to get him away from it. Vendel shoved Jason into a tree, and Jason felt his back pop as his head cracked against the bark. He used the leverage the tree provided, however, to lift both feet off the ground and shove Vendel backward with a powerful kick.
Vendel tripped on a branch and fell, cracking his head on a rock. Jason watched as the man paused, blinking and shaking his head as if stunned. The confusion on Vendel's face made Jason wonder if a little cognitive recalibration was all the other man needed. The confusion cleared quickly, however, and Vendel roared as he surged to his feet. He attacked so quickly Jason could do nothing more than block his blows for a few moments before he sacrificed an opening to his kidney to grab on to Vendel's waist and twist, throwing the other man to the ground. Then, climbing onto him, he returned the favor Vendel had given him by raining quick, powerful jabs into Vendel's face.
But something was different. Vendel seemed to shake off everything Jason put into his attacks, and he bucked with his hips, throwing Jason off balance. When Jason tried to compensate, Vendel sat up suddenly, head-butting him and sending him back, his arms pinwheeling. For the first time in a very long time, Jason had been outclassed in a fight, and he landed on the ground—again—as his breath left him.
He needed to do something to end this. During the last two weeks, he'd read everything he could on the LARX program and knew only permanent death stopped them. Which meant Vendel was likely the same way unless he found the man's trigger phrase. Unfortunately, the files didn't contain that bit of information, and throwing out random phrases was about as effective as shooting in the dark and hoping to hit his target.
His fist closed around a fallen branch, and Jason struck out. He caught Vendel off guard enough to throw the man backward. Using the momentum he'd gained, he rolled to his feet and pressed his advantage. The branch gave him reach and leverage, adding more power to his strikes. He saw blood stream down Vendel's face and knew he'd broken skin. But it wasn't enough to stop Vendel. Not without rendering him unconscious. And, based on what he knew about LARX agents, that would take a lot of power.
Something changed after Jason got ahold of the branch. Up until then, Vendel had done a great job of defending himself and keeping Jason off balance. But the inclusion of the branch seemed to change the game. Vendel still tried to strike with his fists and the occasional rock, but Jason had the advantage. All he could figure was that Vendel's training had been lacking somehow. Or that first blow—the one where he seemed disoriented—had left him concussed. Either way, Jason used the change to his advantage, driving Vendel backward and into a tree. Pure instinct took over, and he turned the branch until he could press it against Vendel's throat.
Vendel kicked out, performing a similar maneuver to what Jason had done just moments before. It was enough to loosen Jason's hold on the branch, giving Vendel room to maneuver. Seeing that he was out of time, Jason dove for the location where he thought the gun might have fallen. His head ached, and he couldn't take much more thanks to Vendel's superior strength and speed. But he had everything he needed the moment his fingers closed around the stock of a gun. Rolling onto his back, he brought it up to bear in time to see Vendel had already found the second gun.
The shot echoed through the woods.
oOo
After glancing at Jason and seeing the Treadstone operative had Vendel under control, Aaron took off through the woods. The previous day, he'd scouted the path that led to the lake and now found it in the moonlight, knowing Byer would make a run for the boat. The strike teams had the house covered, most of those inside being techs or analysts. The roving patrol of guards had been neutralized first, and the teams would scour the area to find anyone that might have slipped their net.
But Byer would not escape. Not when Aaron was so close to putting the man who had hunted him and Marta down for good. Landy was under no illusions about Aaron's intentions concerning Byer, and she had said nothing about keeping him alive. Aaron knew he should try to take Byer into custody if he could, but he doubted the other man would let him. Not when he'd gone so far to revive NRAG and had actually managed to capture Marta. None of them would be able to move on if Byer lived.
As the path curved around toward Ranger Lake, Aaron caught a glimpse of Byer. The taller, thinner man responsible for Outcome glanced over his shoulder, slowing down slightly as he recognized Aaron. He whirled and ran for all he was worth, trying desperately to put distance between himself and the Outcome agent behind him. Aaron held steady, knowing Byer didn't have the same stamina and would eventually slow down.
And he did. Aaron managed to close the gap before Byer put on another quick burst of speed. They arrived at the dock, then, with Byer jumping into the boat. He yanked on the cord that would start the engine, cursing under his breath when it failed.
Then, Aaron was on him. He launched himself from the path, knocking Byer out of the boat and into the water. The resulting splash and sudden cold startled both men, though Aaron recovered quicker. He found his footing and yanked Byer to his feet with every intention of cuffing the man and taking him into custody.
Byer had other ideas. He had gone for a gun while he fell, and he now pressed it into Aaron's stomach. Aaron batted it away just as it went off, and he felt the bullet crease his side. With the first blood drawn between them, he had no problems defending himself. He slammed Byer's wrist against the edge of the boat, dislodging the gun and sending it tumbling into the dark water. Byer brought up his other hand and slammed it directly into Aaron's ear, causing him to stumble at the sudden pain.
Disengaging from one another, Byer took a couple steps backward as Aaron shook his head to clear the pain from his ear. The moonlight illuminated the calculating expression, and Aaron waited. Byer was a strategist, and he never made a move without having a plan. It had kept him alive all this time and had helped him stay on Aaron's trail for so long. The only reason Aaron and the CIA had gotten this close was because Byer's tech had made a foolish move.
But Aaron could also wait. He'd been enhanced just for this purpose, and he knew his and Marta's future rested on what he did right here and now. He had to be able to live with his actions, and he could cope with killing Byer in cold blood. But Marta couldn't. And Aaron couldn't bear to see the disappointment in her eyes.
The standoff lasted for three minutes. Aaron counted them, and they felt a lot longer. Byer moved to his left, slowly trying to turn Aaron so he had a chance to make a run for the forest. If he could do that, then he'd lose Aaron in the darkness. With his overly-sensitive hearing, it would be easy to confuse Aaron.
But Aaron didn't give. He simply kept his eyes on Byer, turning his head as needed. Then, when Byer finally made his move, he was ready. He swept out one leg and brought Byer down and into the rushes and mud at the side of the lake. Blinking water out of his eyes, Aaron pounced on the man, grabbing hold of his leg as Byer tried to crawl to shore. Byer kicked out at him, connecting with the side of Aaron's face, and Aaron felt the man's shoe scrape his head. But he didn't let go. Instead, he followed Byer to shore and got to firmer footing than the muddy edge of the water.
Byer sneered at him. "You think it's over with my death? You have no idea."
Aaron barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes at the drama of it all. "It is over. After this, I'll go back to my life, and you'll go back to prison."
"I'm not going to prison." The cold, almost emotionless way Byer said that told Aaron everything he needed to know about his state of mind. Aaron knew it was pointless to explain how the CIA would place him in a maximum security facility and throw away the key, if they didn't just outright execute him for killing so many of their agents in Chicago.
Instead, he stepped back. "I won't kill you in cold blood."
Byer blinked at him, obviously surprised by the statement. "Why? You've never had a problem with it before."
"Maybe you don't remember our conversation about sin eaters." Aaron's stomach still turned as he thought about how Byer had once justified the murder of innocent civilians so their "cause could stay pure." "But I do. And no matter how guilty you are, I won't murder you. I won't give you the satisfaction. But I'm not letting you escape, either."
Byer charged him then, trying to tackle him and throw him off balance. Aaron sidestepped the charge, using Byer's own momentum to crack his head against the side of the boat and shattering the old windshield in the process. Byer shook off the blow, whirling and bringing a sharp piece of broken glass to bear. He swiped at Aaron several times, slow enough the Outcome agent was able to dodge the blows. Aaron knew Byer's game. Byer wanted to goad him into making a mistake. But Byer didn't quite understand Aaron's game.
Wrestling the man to the ground, Aaron managed to get to the zip ties he'd tucked into one pocket, tightening them around Byer's wrists until they cut into his skin. He hauled the man to his feet and, with a deep sigh, marched him down the path to the cabin where Byer had taken refuge for the last few weeks.
It was over. Byer was back in custody, and Aaron intended to see to it that he stayed that way.
oOo
In the crisis suite, Marta paced while she listened to the strike teams over the comms. She heard Aaron's soft statement, making his call sign "Outcome 5," and understood. Aaron had fully accepted who and what he was, and he planned to use it against Byer.
The rest of the op went quickly, with the strike teams moving into the cabin and herding up the techs and analysts that Byer had hired. All of them were placed under arrest for conspiracy to commit treason, and they'd be executed if convicted. Landy intended to add the deaths of the two strike teams killed in Chicago to those charges. But Marta couldn't relax with the successful execution of the sting. Not until she heard two specific voices over the comms. Beside her, Nicky waited with the same tension as a gunshot rang through the speakers, and then they heard Jason's tired sigh.
"Vendel is down," he said with a grunt. Nicky breathed a deep sigh of relief, but Marta couldn't. Not yet.
Landy glanced at her. "Outcome 5, report."
For a long moment, nothing came over the speakers. Then, Aaron keyed his mic. "This is Outcome 5. I've got Byer in custody and heading back to camp."
The relief that flowed through Marta made her knees shake, but she refused to sit down. Aaron hadn't killed Byer. A large part of her was thankful he'd made that call, but a small portion of her mind wished he'd pulled the trigger. Byer could always escape from another prison, but he couldn't escape death. But that wasn't Aaron. That wasn't the man she'd fallen in love with, and she knew why he'd held back on his own need to avenge everything done to her. He loved her, and he'd give everything for her.
Just as she would for him.
oOo
Jason and Aaron's return was greeted with cheers and celebrations. Both men had taken a beating, with Jason's condition the worst of the two, and they were completely exhausted. Nicky watched from the edge of the room as Aaron smiled tiredly while hugging Marta. The virologist buried her face in his neck, thankful the man she loved was going to be okay, and Nicky wished she was free to do the same thing. But she and Jason had not discussed their relationship since the night he warned her about Aaron's hearing. So, she settled for allowing her eyes to rove over the cuts and bruises from his fight with Vendel as he moved across the room to her.
After the initial cheering, Landy turned her people back to packing their equipment for their trip home. Byer had already been escorted back to the United States under heavy guard, where he'd be placed in CIA custody until his transfer to a maximum security prison. She had already explained that she'd oversee it personally, thus ensuring that both Aaron and Jason could return to their lives.
Nicky listened to all of this with one ear as she stared at Jason. He stopped in front of her. "You okay?"
She nodded. "Yes."
"Good." For a long moment, he didn't quite look like he knew what to do, then he turned to Landy. "You need us anymore?"
Landy glanced between Jason and Nicky. "No. Just make sure your report is submitted to me within twenty-four hours. I'll expect to see you back in Chicago in no more than one week for a full debrief. At that time, we can discuss your continuing status with the agency."
Nicky saw the slight smile that touched Jason's face, and she had only seconds to prepare before he took her hand and dragged her out of the room. Aaron and Marta had already vacated the premises, likely headed back to their hotel so Marta could assure herself that Aaron would be okay. She wanted to do the same with Jason, but he didn't stop moving until he reached their room. Then, he simply said, "Pack."
Even as she grabbed her bag and began tossing things inside, she frowned. "Jason?"
He had slipped into the bathroom to collect his toiletries and now returned, stopping to settle his hands at her waist while glancing at the walls around them. "I made you a promise about Aaron's hearing, remember?" He grinned when she did. "I figured I'd keep that promise."
Nicky needed no further prompting to finish her packing. Within the hour, Jason had checked both of them out of the hotel and tucked her into a car, turning them in the same direction he'd just come. For the next two hours, Nicky enjoyed the Canadian scenery, not saying a word but holding Jason's hand just the same. The way his thumb moved across her knuckles every now and then was enough for her, and she grinned when he stopped in front of a quaint-looking bed and breakfast. Byer's arrest made international news, turning Jason and Aaron into celebrities overnight. But here, at this white clapboard two-story house, they were just another young couple.
Once upstairs, however, Jason dropped the strong and silent act. He allowed Nicky to set her bag on the bed before he reached for her hand. Tugging her into his arms, he then kissed her the way she remembered from Paris. This time, he didn't stop them or complain when she needed to see that he really would be okay. And, when she finally fell asleep that night, she smiled as she realized she'd managed to discover something she'd never thought she'd find: a love that spanned the years and changed with her life. In the end, she loved Jason Bourne, but she loved this Jason more than she'd loved the one she'd known in Paris. This Jason was her Jason, unlike the first one. Back then, he'd belonged to Treadstone and had simply discovered her along the way. This time, Jason had come to find her in Seattle, and she had never been so grateful that he had.
oOo
Like Nicky and Jason, Aaron and Marta spent the night in one another's arms, reassuring themselves that it really had ended. Aaron told Marta everything about his confrontation with Byer, ending with his reasons why he didn't kill the man who had chased them across the world. In the end, it came down to what Marta would want. She had listened with her head propped in her hand as he worked through the reality that he had spared the life of his mortal enemy. The concern on his face gave way, however, when he turned to look at her with her hair around her shoulders and the smile she'd been unable to hide. She had him back in her life, and they were once again free to be together. This time was different than the last. Back then, they'd been thrown together out of circumstance. This time, they chose their path.
When Marta pointed that out to Aaron, he grinned and hitched himself up on his elbow. A long, slow kiss reignited the passion that had taken over the minute they reached they hotel room, and they decided to forget Byer, Landy, Jason, Nicky, and anyone else associated with anything that didn't have anything to do with that moment. Right then, they had each other, and that was the only thing that mattered.
oOo
Leaving two very happy couples in Canada, Pamela Landy returned to the United States with Ric Byer's arrest under her belt. After bringing down NRAG and all of the corrupt CIA officials attached to the Treadstone and Blackbriar programs, she'd become something of a celebrity. Now, she had another impressive capture to her name. She hadn't done it for the glory, however, and she refused to take much credit. Cross and Bourne had done most of the work, going into Byer's compound and getting the intel they needed to make the arrest. But she happily escorted Byer to prison.
This time, Vendel wasn't around to create a diversion or aid in an escape. This time, Byer's armored van was met with a police escort, and Landy watched out the front of her car as he was driven directly to Langley. The deaths of her teams in Chicago along with his crimes against law-abiding citizens of the United States—including but not limited to the kidnapping of Dr. Marta Shearing—made Byer a prisoner to be kept under very close guard. At Langley, she watched as a heavily armored set of guards hauled a cuffed Byer from the van and toward his new home for the near future.
Things changed in just a few moments, however. Byer yanked his arm away from the guards and took off at a run. Until that moment, he hadn't shown any sign of resisting, so they hadn't thought to put shackles on his feet. It wasn't Landy's call, and she had warned the officers guarding Byer not to underestimate him.
With the prisoner on the loose, the guards reacted as they should have. They opened fire. Byer stopped and turned around, looking directly at Landy with that same arrogant smirk he'd always worn. And she knew. Reaching for her personal sidearm, one she always carried with her in the field, she drew it and shouted a warning as Byer started running at her. He didn't stop, and she pulled the trigger. The bullets hit their target, and he fell.
The sick feeling in her stomach was only mitigated by her sense of duty to her country. She hated killing, but she had no problems doing so to protect herself or her nation. Taking a deep breath, Pamela Landy left the facility, letting them clean up the mess, and found a private corner where she could retreat and let herself grieve for the men she'd lost in Chicago. Their deaths—and the chaos Ric Byer had caused Aaron Cross and countless others—had finally been avenged.
~TBC