himself with how the world works. "Fuck, my leg hurts."
"You were shot, you lost some blood, but you'll be fine."
"Right." Then something in his face changed and a shudder passed through him as if the memories of recent events had resurfaced. He turned to Bourne. "Listen, I'm sorry. I've acted like a shit."
Bourne said nothing as he continued to drive.
"I was sent out to find you."
"I figured that out."
Marks rubbed his eyes with his knuckles in an effort to clear his head of the last cobwebs. "I work for Treadstone now."
Bourne pulled the car over to the side of the road. "Since when has Treadstone re-formed?"
"Since Willard found a backer."
"And who might that be?"
"Oliver Liss."
Bourne had to laugh. "Poor Willard. Out of the frying pan."
"That's it exactly." Marks's tone was mournful. "The whole thing's a total fuckup."
"And you're part of the fuckup."
Marks sighed. "Actually, I'm hoping to be part of the solution."
"Really? And how would that work?"
"Liss wants something you have - a ring."
Everyone wants the Dominion ring, Bourne thought, but he remained silent.
"I was supposed to get it from you."
"I'd be curious to know how you were going to do that."
"To be honest, I don't have a clue," Marks said, "and I'm no longer interested in that."
Bourne was silent.
Marks nodded. "You have a right to be skeptical. But I'm telling you the truth. Willard called just before I arrived at the house. He told me the mission had changed, that I was now to get you to Tineghir."
"In southeast Morocco."
"Ouarzazate, to be precise. Apparently, Arkadin is being brought there, too."
Bourne was silent for so long Marks felt compelled to say, "What are you thinking?"
"That Oliver Liss is no longer calling the shots at Treadstone."
"What makes you say that?"
"Liss would no more order you to get me to Ouarzazate than he would open a vein." He looked at Marks. "No, Peter, something's changed radically."
"I felt that myself, but what?" Marks took out his PDA and went on a number of government news sites. "Jesus," he said at last, "Liss was taken into custody by the Department of Justice pending an investigation into his role in illegal Black River dealings." He looked up. "But he was cleared of those charges weeks ago."
"I told you something's radically changed," Bourne said. "Willard is taking orders from another source."
"It has to be someone very high up the food chain to get the investigation reopened."
Bourne nodded. "And now you're as much in the dark as I am. It looks like your boss sold you down the river without even a second's thought."
"Frankly, this comes as no surprise." Marks rubbed his leg. His pain-filled exhale was a whistle of protest.
"There's a doctor in London who'll be discreet about the gunshot wound." Bourne put the car in gear and, checking for traffic, pulled out onto the road. "Just so you know, Diego led me into a trap. There were enemies waiting for me at the club."
"Did Moreno have to kill him?"
"We'll never know now," Bourne said. "But Ottavio saved my life back there. He didn't deserve to be shot down like a dog."
"Which brings me to who the hell was firing at us."
Bourne told him about Severus Domna and Jalal Essai without going into detail about Holly.
"I was attacked in London. I pulled an odd gold ring off the forefinger of my assailant's right hand." He fished around in his pockets. "Shit, I seem to have lost it."
"Scarlett found it. I gave it to her as a souvenir," Bourne said. "Every member of Severus Domna carries one."
"So this is all about an old Treadstone mission." Marks seemed to consider the implications for a moment. "Do you know why Alex Conklin wanted the laptop?"
"No idea," Bourne said, though he thought he did know now. Was there anyone besides Soraya and Moira he could trust? Though he knew Soraya and Peter were good friends he still didn't know whether he could trust Marks.
Marks shifted uncomfortably. "There's something I need to tell you. I'm afraid I roped Soraya into joining Treadstone."
Bourne knew that Typhon could not run successfully without her, so he assumed that Danziger was systematically dismantling the old CI and remaking it in the image of Bud Halliday's beloved NSA. Not that it was any of his concern. He hated and distrusted all espionage agencies. But he knew the good work that Typhon had accomplished under its original director, and later under Soraya. "What is Willard having her do?"
"You won't like this."
"Don't let that stop you."
"Her mission is