The Persona Protocol - By Andy McDermott Page 0,108

Before long he arrived at the cutting and cautiously crouched behind some snow-covered logs at its edge.

At the shore end of the jetty were several buildings, all in disrepair, with broken windows and missing planks. The workings were long abandoned. A line of battered, corroded mine carts, some of them overturned, was not far to his right; he had been right about the railroad track. Further away was another little train. He looked up the hill at the mine entrance. The purpose of the machinery there was now clear. It had been a simple gravity-assisted system, full carts being sent down the slope under their own weight, using a cable and pulley to bring the other, empty train back up to be loaded.

He also saw Sevnik leading the way into the mine. Once al-Rais confirmed that the RTG was genuine and the money was exchanged, the terrorist leader would load his prize into the seaplane and leave. ‘Holly Jo, how far away is Baxter?’

‘They’re still about four miles from you. I’ve told Tony the situation – they’re trying to get there as quick as they can.’

That surprised him. ‘Tony’s with them?’

‘Yes, he wanted to even up the numbers. There are a lot more of them than us.’

‘I’d noticed. Look, al-Rais is going to take possession of the RTG. I’m going to delay things for as long as I can.’

‘How?’

The mine carts gave him an idea. ‘Just tell Kyle to keep watch.’ The noise of the Beriev’s engines grew louder as it pushed through the drifting ice towards the pier. Keeping low, Adam headed for the nearest row of carts.

A steel cable, scabbed with rust, was attached to the leading wagon’s frame. When the mine was operational, the line would have led all the way up to the entrance, then looped around the pulley to link up to the other train.

He gave the cable an experimental tug. Coils of it popped up from under the snow like a startled snake. It had been broken or cut. Another wary glance uphill. A couple of men were at the mine entrance, but the others had all gone inside.

Still crouched, he followed the line of the cable, staying close to the trees. The skeletal remains of a tractor lay beside the tracks, surrounded by discarded scrap. ‘Heavy metal . . .’ he muttered.

‘Say again?’ said Holly Jo.

‘Nothing. Am I still clear?’

‘Yeah,’ said Kyle. ‘The plane’s coming up to the jetty.’

He had to act fast. Gripping the cable with his gloved hands, he pulled more of it free of the snow and headed along the edge of the cutting to the tractor. He brought the rusted line around the front of the machine, then crouched by its rotted tyre and looked up the hill.

The two men, one Russian soldier and one of al-Rais’s followers, were still at the mine entrance. The Beriev was holding their attention as it moved towards the dock. He needed to get to the other side of the cutting, but if he crossed the open, snow-covered ground they would spot him immediately . . .

Both men turned, looking down the darkened shaft. The others were coming back out. Adam seized his chance. Running the cable through his hands, he bolted across the tracks.

The steel line twanged, resisting him. He yanked at it. More coils burst from the snow. He headed for a mound of mouldering logs. Twenty feet to go, the cable heavier with each step. Ten feet, five. The Russian soldier turned back round—

Adam dived behind the logs, the Geiger counter’s case digging hard into his side. Had he been seen? Heart thudding, he flattened himself against the wood. ‘Kyle! The men at the mine – what are they doing?’

No alarm in the younger man’s voice. ‘Looks like they’re coming out. I can see Zykov, al-Rais . . . Sevnik’s waving to the guys by the helicopter.’

He was safe – for now. But he still had to set up his plan. He reeled the cable in to pull it semi-taut across the cutting at ground level. One log had the large stump of a severed branch jutting from it. He formed the metal line into a loop and hooked it around the wooden stub, then wedged the cable under the log itself.

The whine of the Beriev’s engines died down – and at the same moment, he heard the growl of the Vityaz setting off. As he’d hoped, al-Rais was going to use the all-terrain vehicle to carry the RTG to