The Persona Protocol - By Andy McDermott Page 0,106

PERSONA gear were partly visible under the sheets, the clean metal contrasting sharply with the dirty surroundings. If the terrorists noticed that they looked out of place and investigated . . .

One of the men closed the tailgate. Outside, the helicopter started up. The Vityaz’s engine snarled, the ATV lurching back into motion. All Adam could do was hold himself in place and endure the journey to their final destination – and hope Bianca could do the same.

‘The crawler’s moving,’ Kyle said. His main monitor showed the Vityaz turning south-east across the valley, the Hind lifting off in a whirling cloud of rotor-blown snow behind it.

‘God, I hope they’re okay,’ said Holly Jo anxiously. ‘How many bad guys got into the back?’

‘Four.’

‘I would so not want to be in there. Bianca’s braver than I thought.’

‘Or stupider.’ Kyle looked up as Tony hurried past him – wearing a heavy coat and carrying a handgun, to which he was attaching a silencer. ‘Brah, uh . . . what’re you doing?’

‘That’s a good question,’ said Baxter. His team had assembled at the front of the cabin, Fallon peering through binoculars at the terminal. ‘We can handle this, Tony.’

‘You’re outnumbered at least two to one,’ Tony countered as he shoved the pistol inside his coat and donned a radio headset. ‘You need all the help you can get.’

‘That’s not—’

‘This isn’t open for discussion, John,’ he said firmly. ‘If al-Rais gets the RTG on to a seaplane, it could end up anywhere. We’re only sixty miles from US soil. No matter what, we’ve got to stop that plane from taking off.’ He picked up a G36 rifle and loaded it. ‘Are we being watched?’

‘Doesn’t look like it,’ replied Fallon.

‘Good.’ Tony looked back at Kyle. ‘Get the UAV to the coordinates at the lake – I want to know what we’re dealing with. Okay, everyone grab your skis. We’ve got eight miles to cover, and we need to do it fast!’

29

Enemy Mine

The second leg of the Vityaz’s journey was as uncomfortable as the first; all the more so for the two stowaways. The vehicle made another steep ascent out of the valley. It took considerable effort for Adam to hold himself in his hiding place.

Making matters worse, one of the cases slid out from under the sheets as the Vityaz climbed. Several heart-stopping moments passed – would any of the terrorists be curious enough to look inside? – before a man irritably kicked it away, but it ended up jammed against Adam’s legs. Each time it moved, it tugged at the tarpaulin. If it slithered loose again, it would expose his feet . . .

Fortunately, the ATV eventually reached more level ground, before dropping sharply back down on the hill’s far side. Another long trudge across the snowy landscape, and finally the torment ended as the Vityaz rattled to a halt. The tailgate clanged down, and the four men jumped out.

Adam waited until he was sure they had moved away before raising the tarp. ‘Bianca?’ he whispered. ‘Are you okay?’

She hesitantly looked out from her own cover like a small animal emerging from its nest. ‘I haven’t been killed, so . . . yes. What’s happening?’

‘Baxter and his team are on their way. Holly Jo?’

‘Yes?’ came the reply through his earwig. There was even more interference than before.

‘Where’s John?’

‘They’re about five miles out.’

‘That didn’t sound like a good answer,’ said Bianca, seeing his grim expression.

‘It wasn’t. At that rate, it’ll take them well over an hour to get here.’

‘They’re on skis, so they’ll make better time once they reach the downhill slopes,’ Holly Jo assured him. ‘They can follow a valley down to the lake and approach your position from the south.’

It was better than nothing. ‘Is the UAV here?’

‘Yeah,’ said Kyle, ‘but the signal’s pretty weak ’cause of the distance and the hills.’

‘Do the best you can. What do you see?’

‘You’re about a quarter-mile from some buildings by the lake, but they’re wrecks. The chopper’s landed not far from you.’

‘What are the bad guys doing?’

‘They’re walking to the helicopter. They didn’t leave anyone guarding the ATV, but the driver’s still inside.’

‘Okay.’ Adam crawled out from under the bench, standing and stretching with relief before moving to the open tailgate. Bianca got up behind him. He gestured for her to stay put, then looked out.

Beyond were the first trees he had seen since arriving in Russia, a stand of stunted, snow-heavy conifers. The Vityaz had stopped on relatively level ground between the long lagoon and the