The Persona Protocol - By Andy McDermott Page 0,14
Holly Jo, as Baxter crouched and lifted Syed’s left wrist.
‘We’ll have to live with it. Roger, the amnestetic.’
Albion replaced the injector’s vial with one containing a paler liquid. ‘I assume you want the blackout to start before he was captured?’ Tony nodded. ‘Five millilitres of Mnemexal should do it.’
The big man waited for Baxter to adjust the watch, then injected the terrorist’s neck. Syed’s eyes closed and he went limp.
‘How long before he wakes up?’ asked Perez.
‘Ten minutes or so, but you’ll have adequate warning.’
‘Get those ties off him and take him back to the van,’ Tony ordered. ‘Kyle, is the square clear?’
‘A couple of people went through, but I don’t think they were Syed’s guys,’ Kyle reported. ‘Neither of the two I can see have line of sight on the square.’
‘What about the third one?’
‘He hasn’t come back out.’
Tony examined the screen. The surrounding structures directly abutted each other. The missing man could be anywhere inside. ‘The clock’s ticking – we’ve got to move him now. We’ll keep the op centre running until you’ve made the drop. Roger, go with John and keep an eye on Syed.’
Albion removed the skullcap from the terrorist. He gestured at the machine. ‘What about the PERSONA?’
‘I’ll pack everything up.’
Adam plucked the tiny tracker from Syed’s sleeve. ‘I’ll open the front door.’ He left the room. Baxter and his men picked up Syed and followed, Albion behind them.
Tony looked back at the images from the drone. Khattak and Marwat were checking the nearby buildings.
The third terrorist was still nowhere to be seen.
Adam opened the door and looked out cautiously into the little square. Nobody was in sight. A chatter came from the van as Lak restarted the engine. ‘Where are the bad guys?’ he said.
‘Two of them are still on the next road,’ Tony replied via the earwig. ‘Can you see the third one?’
He surveyed his surroundings. The rain had picked up again, but other than that there was no movement. ‘Nobody in sight.’
‘Okay. Go if you’re sure.’
Another check of the exits from the square. Still no sign of Umar. ‘Looks clear.’ Baxter strode past him to the back of the Mercedes and pulled the doors wide.
The three other men from the snatch team pressed close together to hide Syed’s slack form between them. They quickly climbed into the van. Adam stayed in the doorway, but it was not wide enough for the oversized Albion to squeeze past him. He stepped outside to let the bigger man through.
‘Sorry,’ said Albion, smiling. ‘Guess I could stand to lose a couple of pounds.’
Adam made no comment. His gaze followed the doctor as he passed.
Movement through the rain, a face behind a second-floor window. Umar—
Adam threw himself back through the doorway as gunshots echoed across the square. One bullet struck the wall behind him.
Another hit Albion.
Blood spurted from a hole in his lower back. He fell to the wet mud, too shocked even to scream.
Baxter and his team were already reacting to the attack with highly trained efficiency, dropping Syed and drawing their own weapons. Perez and Ware jumped from the Mercedes as Baxter and Spence stood at its open rear doors. All four had their pistols up, firing as one.
Umar had pulled back, but that did not save him. The wall around the window was wood and plaster – giving no protection against the hail of .45 calibre rounds from the team’s handguns. A chunk of his forehead exploded away from his skull amid a spray of brain matter.
‘Shots fired!’ roared Baxter, free hand pressed to his earpiece. ‘Man down!’
Adam stared at the motionless figure on the ground. Part of him felt a sudden, malicious glee: an American is dead! It wasn’t even exultation that a specific target had been hit – the death of any American would have received the same response. He angrily drove the thought back, jumping up and rushing outside.
Perez was already checking Albion’s neck for a pulse. ‘He’s still alive!’
‘Get him back inside!’ Tony ordered.
But Adam spoke over him. ‘Baxter! Get Syed to the drop point! We’ve got to complete the mission.’ He looked past the bullet-pocked building towards the road. Khattak had heard the shots and raced back to the intersection to investigate.
Their eyes met.
Khattak shouted a warning to Marwat, then ran, disappearing from view.
Adam made an instant decision. He drew his own gun and sprinted after the fleeing terrorist. Marwat flashed through the intersection ahead, following Khattak.
‘Adam, what are you doing?’ Holly Jo said in concern.