The Persona Protocol - By Andy McDermott Page 0,104

is the world’s most wanted terrorist,’ she pointed out.

‘No, it’s more than that. It felt . . . personal.’

She leaned closer, concerned. ‘You think you might have met him before you joined the Persona Project? Before your memory was . . .’

‘Wiped? I don’t know.’ He was silent for several seconds, brooding. ‘Maybe I had him in my sights once before, and for some reason I didn’t take the shot. If I had done . . . it could have saved lives.’ Another pause. ‘Is that why I volunteered to have my memory erased? Because I felt guilty about missing the chance to take out al-Rais?’

‘I don’t know,’ Bianca said softly. ‘But . . .’

‘What?’

‘If seeing him provoked a response like that, then maybe your memories haven’t been erased. Not fully, anyway. They might still be there, just buried. There could be a way to get them back.’

‘How?’

‘I don’t have the slightest idea. I’m just the hired help.’

He realised that this time, she was the one not being entirely serious. ‘I suppose I was asking for that.’

‘Just a little. But I don’t even know what they did to you in the first place, so I’m not the one to ask. You’d have to talk to Kiddrick, I suppose.’

‘Somehow I don’t think he’ll tell me anything.’

‘You could always beat it out of him.’

‘Now I’m not even sure if you’re joking.’

‘Maybe I’m not!’ She grinned. ‘But I suppose—’

Adam suddenly waved her to silence, hearing something over the Vityaz’s engine. A moment later, a bleep sounded in his ear. He reactivated the transceiver. ‘What is it? Sounds like we’ve got company.’

‘You have,’ Tony replied. ‘The UAV just saw a helicopter. A Hind, it looks like.’

‘It must be Sevnik. What’s it doing?’

‘It flew in for a closer look at your ride, then turned east towards the valley. Landing at the rendezvous point?’

‘That’d be my guess too. Tell Kyle to keep a watch on it.’

‘Will do. What’s your situation? Why did you go off-comms?’

‘Just something I wanted to ask Bianca, that’s all. How far are we from the rendezvous coordinates?’

‘About a mile,’ said Holly Jo. ‘You’re approaching a steep hill down to the valley, so you might want to hold on to something.’

‘Thanks for the warning. Okay, I’ll leave the link open. Out.’

Bianca’s nervousness had returned in full force. ‘What’s happening?’

‘A helicopter just flew past. Probably Sevnik’s. Looks like Zykov is about to introduce his buyer and seller for the first time.’

‘Okay, so . . . what do we do when we get there?’

‘To quote you, I don’t have the slightest idea.’

‘I’m not reassured,’ she said sulkily.

The trailer jolted violently, one of the cases bashing against the side wall, then tipped sharply downhill. ‘Hold on to me!’ said Adam as he braced himself, stretching one leg across the cabin to pin the escaped case in place. Bianca clung to him, trying to keep the other from sliding away.

The descent lasted for several uncomfortable minutes before finally levelling out. Adam pulled the case across the trailer with his heel, then went to the back of the cabin. ‘What are you doing?’ Bianca demanded.

‘Reconnaissance.’ He peeled the flap aside, then leaned out and cautiously raised his head above the roof to look ahead.

The wind that hit his face was simultaneously hot and cold, exhaust fumes mixed with the biting gusts rolling across the landscape. He grimaced and narrowed his eyes. The flat-floored valley ran roughly north to south, hills rising steeply on each side. There was not so much as a tree in sight, or even shrubs, just the occasional boulder poking out above the snow.

The helicopter had landed, the Vityaz plodding towards it. It was a Hind, as Tony had said: an ugly and deadly Mil Mi-24P gunship, its stubby wings laden with rocket pods and a cannon mounted on its nose. Unlike its American counterparts, it also doubled as a troop carrier, a compartment in its fuselage able to carry up to eight people.

Some of them had debarked. Even from this distance, he could tell they were soldiers, his sharp eyes picking out their AKs. Sevnik was obviously as untrusting of al-Rais as vice versa.

He withdrew. ‘The chopper’s landed,’ he told Bianca. ‘Get under the bench – I’ll cover you up.’

The prospect didn’t please her. ‘What about the cases? And what about you?’

‘I’ll put them under the sheets. Go on.’

Bianca reluctantly crawled under the bench. Adam took one of the grubby tarpaulins and draped it over her. In the half-light inside the trailer, it was