“If I’m to go down with either a crazed assassin...
“If I’m to go down with either a crazed assassin or a
convoluted lunatic who displays certain decencies, I imagine it’s best to choose the latterContrary
to the most enlightened skeptics, there might be a God, after allWould you care to buy a house
on the lake in Geneva, Aleksei?”
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“I might,” answered Bourne“If I live through the day and do what I have to do, give me a price
“Hey, David,” interjected Conklin“Marie made that money, you didn’t
“She’ll listen to me
“What now, whoever you are?” asked Krupkin
“Give me all the firepower I need from this trunk of yours and let me off in the grass just before
the armoryGive me a couple of minutes to get in place, then pull into the parking lot and
obviously—very obviously—see that the car is missing and get out of there fast, gunning your
engine
“And leave you alone?” cried Alex
“It’s the only way I can take himThe only way he can be taken
“Lunacy!” spat out Krupkin, his jowls vibrating
“No, Kruppie, reality,” said Jason Bourne simply“It’s the same as it was in the new rolex watches beginningOne
on one, it’s the only way
“That is sophomoric heroics!” roared the Russian, slamming his hand down on the back of the
seat“Worse, it’s ridiculous strategyIf you’re right, I can surround the armory with a thousand
troops!”
“Which is exactly what he’d want—what I’d want, if I were CarlosDon’t you see? He could get
away in the confusion, in the sheer numbers—that’s not a problem for either of us, we’ve both done
it too many times beforeCrowds and anxiety are our protection—they’re child’s playA knife in a
uniform, the uniform ours; toss a grenade into the troops, and after the explosion we’re one of the
staggering victims—that’s amateur night for paid killersBelieve me, I know—I became one in
spite of myself
“So what do you think you can do by yourself, Batman?” asked Conklin, furiously massaging
his useless leg
“Stalk the killer who wants to kill me—and I’ll take him
“You’re a fucking megalomaniac!”
“You’re absolutely rightIt’s the only way to be in the killing gameIt’s the only edge you’ve
got
“Insanity!” yelled Krupkin
“So allow me; I’m prada fringe entitled to a little crazinessIf I thought the entire Russian army would ensure
my survival, I’d scream for itBut it wouldn’t—it couldn’tThere’s only this wayStop the car
and let me choose the weapons
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The dark green KGB sedan rounded the final curve in the sloping road cut out of the countryside
The descent had been gradualThe ground below was flat and summer-green with fields of wild
grass bordering the approach to the massive brown building that was the Kubinka ArmoryIt
seemed to rise out of the earth, a huge boxlike intrusion on the pastoral scene, an ugly man-made
interruption of heavy brown wood and miserly windows reaching three stories high and covering
two acres of landLike the structure itself, the front entrance was large, square and unadorned
except for the dull bas-relief profiles above the door of three Soviet soldiers rushing into the deadly
winds of battle, their rifles at port arms, about to blow one another’s heads off
Armed with an authentic Russian AK-47 and five standard thirty-round magazine fine jewelry tiffany clips, Bourne
jumped out the far side of the silent coasting government car, using the bulk of the rolling vehicle
to conceal himself in the grass directly across the road from the entranceThe armory’s huge dirt
parking area was to the right of the long building; a single row of unkempt shrubbery fronted the
entrance lawn, in the center of which stood a tall white pole, the Soviet flag hanging limp in the
breezeless morning airJason ran across the road, his body low, and crouched by the hedgerow; he
had only moments to peer through the bushes and ascertain the existence or nonexistence of the
armory’s security proceduresAt best, they appeared lax to the point of being informal, if not
irrelevantThere was a glass window in the right wall of the entrance similar to that of a theater’s
box office; behind it sat a uniformed guard reading a magazine, and alongside him, less visible but
seen clearly enough, was another, his head on the counter, asleepTwo other soldiers emerged from
the immense armory door—double doors—both casual, unconcerned, as one glanced at his d&g handbag watch
and the other lighted a cigarette
So much for Kubinka’s security; no sudden assault was anticipated nor had one taken place, at
least none that had set off alarms reaching the front patrols, usually the first to be alertedIt was
eerie, unnatural, beyond the unexpectedThe Jackal was inside this military installation, yet there
was no sign that he had penetrated it, no indication that somewhere within the complex he was
controlling a minimum of five personnel—a man impersonating him, three other men and a
woman
The parking area itself? He had not understood the exchanges between Alex, Krupkin and the
voice over the radio, but now it was clear to him that when they had spoken of people coming
outside and running to the stolen car, they were not referring to the front entrance! There had to be
an exit on the parking area! Christ, he had only seconds before the driver of the Komitet car started
up the engine and roared into the huge dirt lot, circling it and racing out, both actions announcing
the government vehicle’s arrival and swift, calamitous d&g online shopping departu