I just added the word ?nowFor God?s sake, put yourself in my placeI
can?t pretend to understand, but this ancient boulevardier beside me casually mentions that he?ll
call in the Deuxi?me?the Deuxi?me, Monsieur Bourne! For some that is no less than France?s
Gestapo! Even if I survived, I?m marked by that infamous branch of the governmentI?d no doubt
be sent to some horrible penal colony halfway across the world?oh, I?ve heard the stories of the
Deuxi?me!?
?Really?? said BernardineSounds positively marvelous
?Besides,? continued Lavier, looking hard at Jason as she yanked the pointed white hat off her
head, a gesture that caused the driver, seeing it in the rearview mirror, to raise his eyebrows
?Without me, without my presence in decidedly different clothing at the Meurice, Carlos won?t
come near the rue de Rivoli Bernardine tapped the woman?s shoulder, bringing his index finger to
his lips and nodding toward the front seatDominique quickly added, ?The man you wish to confer
with will not be there
?She?s got a point,? said Bourne, leaning forward and looking past Lavier at the Deuxi?me
veteran?She?s also got an apartment on the Montaigne, where she?s supposed to change clothes,
and neither of us can go in with her
?That poses a dilemma, knock off tiffany jewelry doesn?t it?? responded Bernardine?There?s no way we can monitor the
telephone from outside in the street, is there??
?You fools! I have no choice but to cooperate with you, and if you can?t see that you should
be led around by trained dogs! This old, old man here will have my name in the Deuxi?me files the
first chance he gets, and as the notorious Jason Bourne knows if he has even a nodding
acquaintance with the Deuxi?me, several profound questions are raised?once raised by my sister,
Jacqueline, incidentallyWho is this Bourne? Is he real or unreal? Is he the assassin of Asia or is he
a fraud, a plant? She phoned me herself one night in Nice after too many brandies?a night perhaps
you recall, Monsieur le Cam?l?on?a terribly expensive restaurant outside Parisin the name of powerful, unnamed people you threatened her! You demanded that she reveal
what she knew about a certain acquaintance of hers?who it was at the time I had no idea?but you
frightened herShe said you appeared deranged, that your eyes became glazed and you uttered
words in a language she could not understand
?I remember,? interrupted Bourne icily?We had dinner and I threatened her and she was
frightenedShe went to the ladies? room, paid someone to make a phone call, and I had to cartier love get out of
there
?And now the Deuxi?me is allied with those powerful unnamed people?? Dominique Lavier
shook her head repeatedly and lowered her voice?No, messieurs, I am a survivor and I do not fight
against such oddsOne knows when to pass the shoe in baccarat
After a short period of silence, Bernardine spoke?What?s your address on the avenue
Montaigne? I?ll give it to the driver, but before I do, understand me, madameIf your words prove
false, all the true horrors of the Deuxi?me will be visited upon you
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
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Marie sat at the room-service table in her small suite at the Meurice reading the newspapersHer
attention constantly strayed; concentration was out of the questionHer anxiety had kept her awake
after she returned to the hotel shortly past midnight, having made the rounds of five caf?s she and
David had frequented so many years ago in ParisFinally by four-something in the morning,
exhaustion had short-circuited her tossing and turning; she fell asleep with the bedside lamp
switched on, and was awakened by the same light nearly six hours laterIt was the longest she had
slept since that first night on Tranquility Isle, itself a distant memory now except for the very real
pain of not seeing and gucci backpack hearing the childrenDon?t think about them, it hurts too muchNo, think about Jason Bourne! Where? Concentrate!
She put down the Paris Tribune and poured herself a third cup of black coffee, glancing over at
the French doors that led to a small balcony overlooking the rue de RivoliIt disturbed her that the
once bright morning had turned into a dismal gray daySoon the rain would come, making her
search in the streets even more difficultResigned, she sipped her coffee and replaced the elegant
cup in the elegant saucer, annoyed that it was not one of the simple pottery mugs favored by David
and her in their rustic country kitchen in MaineOh, God, would they ever be back there again?
Don?t think about such things! Concentrate! Out of the question
She picked up the Tribune, aimlessly scanning the pages, seeing only isolated words, no
sentences or paragraphs, no continuity of thought or meaning, merely wordsThen one stood out at
the bottom of a meaningless column, a single meaningless line bracketed at the bottom of a
meaningless page
The word was Memom, followed by a telephone number; and despite the fact that the Tribune
was printed in English, the French in her switchable French-thinking brain absently translated the
word as MaymohmShe was about to louis vuitton mahina turn the page when a signal from another part of her brain
screamed Stop!
Memom mommy?turned around by a child struggling with his earliest attempts at language
Meemom! Jamie?their Jamie! The funny inverted name he had called her for several weeks!
David had joked about it while she, frightened, had wondered if their son had dyslexia
?He could also just be confused, memom,? David had laughed
David! She snapped up the page; it was the financial section of the paper, the section she
instinctively gravitated to every morning over coffeeDavid was sending her a message! She
pushed back her chair, crashing it to the floor as she grabbed the paper and rushed to the telephone
on the deskHer hands trembling, she dialed the numberThere was no answer, and thinking that in
her panic she had made an error or had not used the local Paris digit, she dialed again, now slowly,
preciselyBut it was David, she felt it, she knew it! He had been looking for her at the
Trocad?ro and now he was using a briefly employed nickname only the two of them would know!
My love, my love, I?ve found you! She also knew she could not stay in the confining quarters of
the small hotel suite, pacing up and down and dialing every other minute, driving herself crazy with
every unanswered chanel jewelry

?That old man made a lot of money during those years; he was special
?Every officer in Command Headquarters who was connected to Medusa had oneThey were
like manic kids who?d found secret code rings in cereal boxes
?They weren?t kids, AlexManic, you can bet your ass on it, but not kidsThey were infected
with a rotten virus called unaccountability, and more than a few millionaires were made in the
ubiquitous Command SaigonThe real kids were being maimed and killed in the jungles while a lot
of pressed khaki in the South had personal couriers routed through Switzerland and the banks on
Zurich?s BahnhofstrasseYou could be speaking of some very important people in our government
?Who are they?? asked Webb quietly, his glass poised in front of him
?The ones I knew who were up to their necks in garbage I made damn sure faded after Saigon
fellBut I was out of the field a couple of years before then, and nobody talks very much prada bags online about
those months and nothing at all about Snake Lady
?Still, you?ve got to have some ideas
?Sure, but nothing concrete, nothing even close to proofJust possibilities based on life-styles,
on real estate they shouldn?t have or places they go they shouldn?t be able to afford or the positions
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
36
some hold or held in corporations justifying salaries and stock options when nothing in their
backgrounds justified the jobs
?You?re describing a network,? said David, his voice now tight, the voice of Jason Bourne
?If it is, it?s very tight,? agreed Conklin
?Draw up a list, Alex
?It?d be filled with holes
?Then keep it at first to those important people in our government who were attached to
Command SaigonMaybe even further to the ones who have real estate they shouldn?t have or who
held high-paying jobs in the private sector they shouldn?t have gotten
?I repeat, any such list could be worthless
?Not tiffany toggle necklace with your instincts
?David, what the hell has any of this to do with Carlos??
?Part of the truth, AlexA dangerous part, I grant you, but foolproof and irresistible to the
Jackal
Stunned, the former field officer stared at his friend?In what way??
?That?s where your creative thinking comes inSay you come up with fifteen or twenty names,
you?re bound to hit three or four targets we can confirm one way or anotherOnce we ascertain
who they are, we apply pressure, squeezing them in different ways, delivering the same basic
message: A former Medusan has gone over the edge, a man who?s been in protective custody for
years is about to blow the head off Snake Lady and he?s got the ammunition?names, crimes, the
locations of secret Swiss accounts, the whole Caesar saladThen?and this?ll test the talents of the
old Saint Alex we all knew and revered?word is passed on that there?s someone who wants this
dangerous, disgruntled turncoat more chloe dior than they do
?Ilich Ramirez Sanchez,? supplied Conklin softlyAnd what follows is
equally impossible: Somehow?only God knows how?word gets out calling for a meeting
between the two interested partiesThat is to say, interested in a joint assassination, the parties of
the first part unable to participate actively, due to the sensitive nature of their high official
positions, is that about it??
?Just about, except that these same powerful men in Washington can gain access to the identity
and the whereabouts of this much desired corpse-to-be
?Naturally,? agreed Alex, nodding in disbelief?They simply wave a wand and all the
restrictions applicable to maximum-classified files are lifted and they?re given the information
?Exactly,? said David firmly?Because whoever meets with Carlos?s emissaries has to be so
high up, so authentic, that the Jackal has no choice but to accept him or themHe can?t have any
doubts, all thoughts of a trap gone gucci watches for women with their coming forward
?Would you also like me to make baby roses bloom during a January blizzard in Montana??
?Close to itEverything?s got to happen within the next day or two while Carlos is still stinging
from what happened at the SmithsonianI?ll set up shop here and have Langley send me what I need
Four Zero security, of courseI hate like hell to lose whoever it is at the Mayflower
?We may not,? said Webb?Whoever it is won?t fold so fastIt?s not like the Jackal to leave an
obvious hole like that
?The Jackal? You think it?s Carlos himself??
?Not him, of course, but someone on his payroll, someone so unlikely he could carry a sign
around his neck with the Jackal?s name on it and we wouldn?t believe him
?Chinese??
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
37
?MaybeHe might play that out and then he might notHe?s geometric; whatever he does is
logical, even his logic seems illogical
?I hear a man from the past, a man who never omega automatic seamaster watch

He was confused and slow?he
didn't have much of a brain to work with, but it was enough that he knew I was his friend
?I had to ride him to the crystal city?to hold the wound closed on his neck until we could reach
a HealerThat caused quite a stirFor a while they called me Rides the BeastI
made them go back to my other name
I'd been staring ahead, toward the lights of the hospital and the figures of the souls crossing in
front of those lights, as I told the storyNow I looked at Jared for the first timeHe was gaping
at me, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open
It reallywas one of my best storiesI'd have to get Mel to promise that she'd tell it to Jamie
when I was?
?They're probably finished unloading, don't you think?? I said quickly?Let's finish chanel jumbo bag this and get
back home
He stared at me for one more moment, and then shook his head slowly
?Yes, let's finish this, Wanderer, Lives in the Stars, Rides the BeastStealing a few unguarded
crates won't present much of a challenge foryou, will it??
CHAPTER 52
Separated
We brought our plunder in through the south vent, though this meant that the jeep would have
to be moved before dawnMy main concern with using the bigger entrance was that the Seeker
would hear the commotion our arrival was sure to causeI wasn't sure if she had any idea of
what I was going to do, and I didn't want to give her any reason to kill her host and herselfThe
story Jeb had told me about one of their captives?the man who had simply collapsed, leaving no
external evidence on the prada handbags sale outside of the havoc wreaked inside his skull?haunted my thoughts
The hospital was not emptyAs I squeezed myself through the last tight bubble of space out
into the main room, I found Doc preparing for the operationHis desk was laid out; on it, a
propane lantern?the brightest illumination we had available?waited to be litThe scalpels
glinted in the duller blue light of the solar lamp
I had known that Doc would agree to my terms, but seeing him thus occupied sent a wave of
nervous nausea through meOr maybe it was just the memory of that other day that sickened
me, the day I'd caught him with blood on his hands
?You're back,? he said with reliefI realized that he'd been worried about us, just as everyone
worried when someone left the safety of the men's omega watch caves
?We brought you a gift,? Jared said as he pushed himself free behind meHe straightened up
and reached back for a boxWith a flourish, he held it up, displaying the label on the side?How much did you get??
?Two casesAnd we've found a much better way to renew our stores than to have Wanda
stabbing herself
Doc did not laugh at Jared's jokeInstead he turned to stare at me piercinglyWe both must
have been thinking the same thing:Convenient, since Wanda won't be around
?Did you get the cryotanks?? he asked, more subdued
Jared noticed the look and the tensionHe glanced at me, his expression impossible to readIt was all the car could hold
While I spoke, Jared yanked on the rope behind himWith a clatter of loose rock, the second
box of Heal, followed by the chanel j12 tanks, tumbled onto the floor behind himThe tanks clanked like
metal, though they were built of no element that existed on this planetI'd told him it was fine
to treat the empty cryotanks roughly; they were built to withstand much worse abuse than being
tugged through a stone channelThey glinted on the floor now, looking shiny and pristine
Doc picked one up, freeing it from the rope, and turned it around in his hands
?Ten?? The number seemed to surprise himDid he think it too many? Or not enough? ?Are
they difficult to use??
?No
Doc nodded, his eyes examining the alien constructionI could feel Jared watching me, but I
kept my eyes on Doc
?What did Jeb, Brandt, and Aaron say?? I asked
Doc looked up, locked his eyes on mine?They're? in agreement with your tiffany toggle necklace t

Hope was a
silly thing in my situation, but it seeped into me anyway, coloring my perceptions more brightly
than before
?Jeb??
?Yeah??
?Am I the frog or the water??
He laughed?I'll leave that one for you to puzzle overSelf-examination is good for the soul
He laughed again, louder this time, as he turned to leave
?Wait?can I ask one more??
?SureI'd say it's your turn anyway, after all I've asked you
?Whyare you my friend, Jeb??
He pursed his lips for a second, considering his answer
?You know I'm a curious man,? he began, and I nodded?Well, I get to watch your souls a lot,
but I never get to talk with 'emI've had so many questions just piling up higher and higher
Plus, I've always thought that if a person wants to, he prada clutch can get along with just about anybodyI
like putting my theories to the testAnd see, here you are, one of the nicest gals I ever metIt's
real interesting to have a soul as a friend, and it makes me feel super special that I've managed
it
He winked at me, bowed from the waist, and walked away
Just because I now understood Jeb's plan, it didn't make things easier when he escalated it
He never took the gun anywhere anymoreI didn't know where it was, but I was grateful that
Jamie wasn't sleeping with it, at leastIt made me a little nervous to have Jamie with me
unprotected, but I decided he was actually in less danger without the gunNo one would feel
the need to hurt him when he wasn't a threatBesides, no one came looking for gucci backpacks me anymore
Jeb started sending me on little errandsRun back to the kitchen for another roll, he was still
hungryGo fetch a bucket of water, this corner of the field was dryPull Jamie out of his class,
Jeb needed to speak with himWere the spinach sprouts up yet? Go and checkDid I remember
my way through the south caves? Jeb had a message for Doc
Every time I had to carry out one of these simple directives, I was in a sweaty haze of fearI
concentrated on being invisible and walked as quickly as I could without running through the
big rooms and the dark corridorsI tended to hug the walls and keep my eyes down
Occasionally, I would stop conversation the way I used to, but mostly I was ignoredThe only
time I felt in immediate omega seamaster de ville danger of death was when I interrupted Sharon's class to get JamieThe
look Sharon gave me seemed designed to be followed by hostile actionBut she let Jamie go
with a nod after I choked out my whispered request, and when we were alone, he held my
shaking hand and told me Sharon looked the same way at anyone who interrupted her class
The very worst was the time I had to find Doc, because Ian insisted on showing me the wayI
could have refused, I suppose, but Jeb didn't have a problem with the arrangement, and that
meant Jeb trusted Ian not to kill meI was far from comfortable with testingthat theory, but it
seemed the test was inevitableIf Jeb was wrong to trust Ian, then Ian would find his
opportunity soon enoughSo I went with old omega watches Ian through the long black southern tunnel as if it
were a trial by fire
I lived through the first halfHe seemed unsurprised to see Ian tagging
along beside mePerhaps it was my imagination, but I thought they exchanged a significant
glanceI half expected them to strap me to one of Doc's gurneys at that pointThese rooms
continued to make me feel nauseated
But Doc just thanked me and sent me on my way as if he were busyI couldn't really tell what
he was doing?he had several books open and stacks and stacks of papers that seemed to contain
nothing but sketches
On the way back, curiosity overcame my fear
?Ian?? I asked, having a bit of difficulty saying the name for the first time
?Yes?? He sounded surprised that I'd addressed men's gucci wallet

?Compared to similar departments in the governments of our adversaries,? went on Carlos, ?we
here in Moscow have lagged far behind when we should be ahead, and we are behind because your
talents have been suppressed by entrenched officeholders who care more for their office privileges
than they do for the functions of their departments!?
The response was immediate, even electric, with the three women openly if softly applauding
?It is for that reason, these reasons, that I and my associate comrades here in Moscow have sought
you outFurther, it is why I have sent you funds?to be used totally at your discretion?for the
money you?ve received is the approximate value of the privileges your superiors enjoyWhy
should you not receive them and enjoy them as they do??
The rumble of why not? and he?s right rippled through the audience, now actually looking at one
another, eyes locked, and heads nodding firmlyThe Jackal then began to reel off the eight major
departments in question, and as each was named successively, there was an enthusiastic nodding of
heads?The ministries of Transport, Information, Finance, Import/Export, Legal Procedures,
Military Supply, Scientific Research and hardly the least, Presidium AppointmentsThese are
your domains, but you have been cut out from all final decisionsThat is no longer acceptable?
changes must be made!?
The vintage gucci handbags assembled listeners rose almost as one, no longer strangers but, instead, people united in a
causeThen one, the obviously cautious bureaucrat who had closed the door, spoke?You appear to
know our situations well, sir, but what can change them??
?These,? announced Carlos, gesturing dramatically at the file folders spread out across the low
tableSlowly the small group sat down, singly and in couples, looking at one another when not
staring at the folders?On this table are secretly gathered confidential dossiers of your superiors in
each of the departments represented hereThey contain such injurious information that when
presented by you individually will guarantee your immediate promotions, and in several cases your
succession to those high officesYour superiors will have no choice, for these files are daggers
aimed at their throats?exposure would result in disgrace and execution
?Sir?? A middle-aged woman in a neat but nondescript plain blue dress cautiously stood upHer
blond-gray hair was swept back into a stern bun; she touched it briefly, self-consciously, as she
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
383
spoke?I evaluate personnel files on a daily basis and frequently discover errors how can you
be certain these dossiers are accurate? For if they are not accurate, we could be placed in extremely
dangerous situations, is that not so??
?That chanel jumbo bag you should even question their accuracy is an affront, madame,? replied the Jackal coldly
?I am the monseigneur from ParisI have accurately described your individual situations and
accurately depicted the inferiority of your superiorsFurther, and at great expense and risk to
myself and my associates here in Moscow, I have covertly funneled monies to you so as to make
your lives more comfortable
?Speaking for myself,? interrupted a gaunt man wearing glasses and a brown business suit, ?I
appreciate the money?I assigned mine to our collective fund and expect a moderate return?but
does one have anything to do with the other? I am with the Ministry of Finance, of course, and
having admitted that, I absolve myself of complicity for being clear about my status
?Whatever that means, accountant, you?re about as clear as your paralyzed ministry,? interrupted
an obese man in a black suit too small for his girth?You also cast doubt on your ability to
recognize a decent return! Naturally, I?m with Military Supply, and you consistently shortchange
us
?As you do constantly with Scientific Research!? exclaimed a short, tweedy professorial
member of the audience, the irregularity of his clipped beard due, no doubt, to poor vision, despite
the thick spectacles bridging his nose?Returns, indeed! What about allocations??
?More than sufficient for your grade-school chanel white j12 watch scientists! The money is better spent stealing from
the West!?
?Stop it!? cried the priest-assassin, raising his arms like a messiah?We are not here to discuss
interdepartmental conflicts, for they will all be resolved with the emergence of our new elite
Remember! I am the monseigneur from Paris, and together we will bring about a new, cleansed
order for our great revolution! Complacency is over
?It is a thrilling concept, sir,? said a second woman, a female in her early thirties, her skirt
expensively pleated, her compact features obviously recognized by the others as a popular
newscaster on television?However, may we return to the issue of accuracy??
?It is settled, ?said the dark-eyed Carlos, staring in turn at each person?How else would I know
all about you??
?I do not doubt you, sir,? continued the newscaster?But as a journalist I must always seek a
second source of verification unless the ministry determines otherwiseSince you are not with the
Ministry of Information, sir, and knowing that whatever you say will remain confidential, can you
give us a secondary source??
?Am I to be hounded by manipulated journalists when I speak the truth?? The assassin caught
his breath in anger?Everything I?ve told you is the truth and you know it
?So were the crimes of Stalin, sir, and they were? buried along with twenty million corpses for
thirty louis vuitton china years
?You want proof, journalist? I?ll give you proofI have the eyes and the ears of the leaders of
the KGB?namely, the great General Grigorie Rodchenko himselfHe is my eyes and my ears, and
if you care to know a harsher truth, he is beholden to me! For I am his monseigneur from Paris as
well
There was a rustling among the captive audience, a collective hesitancy, a wave of quiet throat
clearingThe television newscaster spoke again, now softly, her wide brown eyes riveted on the
man in priest?s clothes
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
384
?You may be whatever you say you are, sir,? she began, ?but you do not listen to Radio
Moscow?s all-night stationIt was reported over an hour ago that General Rodchenko was shot to
death this morning by foreign criminalsIt was also reported that all high officers of the Komitet
have been called into an emergency session to evaluate the circumstances of the general?s murder
The speculation is that there had to be extraordinary reasons for a man of General Rodchenko?s
experience to be lured into a trap by these foreign criminals
?They will tear apart his files,? added the cautious bureaucrat, stiffly getting to his feet?They
will put everything under a KGB microscope, searching for those ?extraordinary reasons ? The
circumspect public official looked at the killer in priest?s clothes?Perhaps they will find buy chanel purse you,