The Persona Protocol - By Andy McDermott Page 0,144

traitor, then he’s involved in concealing it . . .’

‘And if you’re not, then there’s a lot more to whatever’s going on,’ Bianca finished excitedly. ‘I know which I believe.’

‘I know which I prefer. One way or another, though . . . I’ve got to find out the truth.’

‘How are you going to do that?’

He thought for a moment – then made what he knew was a fateful decision. ‘The only person who knows what really happened is me – the original me, before I had my memory wiped. I’ve got to get that disk. Are you still willing to help me?’

She nodded. ‘Yes, of course.’

‘Whatever I have to do?’

Another nod, though somewhat hesitant. ‘Yeah . . . although I’d be happier if I knew exactly what you had in mind.’

He gave her a lopsided grin. ‘Really, you wouldn’t. But we’re going to need the PERSONA gear again. Can you get it from the lab?’

‘The whole lot?’

‘Yes. Do you know where the emergency stairwell is?’

‘The one past the break room?’

‘That’s right. Take the gear there and wait for me – I’ll meet you in about ten minutes. Oh, and . . . put your foot in the door to keep it open.’

She cocked her head, puzzled. ‘Why?’

‘Just a precaution.’ He collected a jacket from the wardrobe and donned it.

‘And what do I say if somebody wants to know why I’m standing there with my foot stuck in the fire door?’

‘Tell them you thought you smelled smoke. Okay, I’ll see you there.’ He went to the door, then looked back. ‘Thank you.’

‘Glad to help.’ Her smile faded. ‘I hope . . .’

He left the room, making his way out of the Bullpen and heading for the armoury. His ID card opened the security doors; as lead agent, he had full access to STS’s inventory.

He made use of it, first collecting a few items from the equipment storage area and putting them into a holdall before opening another locked door to enter the weapons room. A couple more objects went into the bag, then he collected a SIG-Sauer P228 and a magazine. He loaded the weapon and pulled back the slide to chamber the first round. He very much hoped that he wouldn’t need to use the gun, but he had a horrible suspicion that once he committed to his goal, matters would escalate very quickly . . .

The door opened behind him.

He didn’t look round, somehow knowing who it was. ‘Tony.’

‘Adam. Not planning something else crazy, are you?’

‘That depends on your definition.’ He slipped the gun into his jacket and turned to face the new arrival. While Tony appeared tired from the long night, his eyes were anything but, watching him intently. ‘I thought you’d gone home.’

‘I was on the way. Kiddrick called me. From the way he was ranting, it sounded like I needed to get back here.’ His gaze flicked to the angular bulge beneath Adam’s lapel. ‘I guess I was right.’

‘I’m not planning to hurt anyone.’

‘Glad to hear it.’

‘But I need to know the truth,’ insisted Adam. ‘I need to know who I am. This is the only way I can do that.’

‘Are you sure of that?’

‘Kiddrick threatened me with erasing my memory again if I didn’t drop this. He’s part of it – he’s actively trying to stop me from finding out what really happened to me in Islamabad.’

‘So you did get something from Qasid.’ Tony didn’t sound surprised – but there was clear disappointment at not having been trusted enough to be told.

‘Yeah. And I didn’t like any of it. Qasid had met me before – right before the Secretary of State was killed. I was connected to it, somehow. I’ve seen Qasid’s side of what happened – now I need to see mine.’ His voice became imploring. ‘Tony, please. I have to know what really happened. Someone’s trying to keep the truth about the bombing hidden.’

Tony looked concerned. ‘Who?’

‘I don’t know. It might even . . .’ He hesitated. ‘It might even be me.’ At the other man’s shock, he continued: ‘That’s why I have to do this. Kiddrick has a recording of my persona from when I joined the project. The truth’s on that disk. But he’s never going to give it to me voluntarily.’

‘So you’re going to threaten to shoot him if he doesn’t give it to you? What if he calls your bluff?’

‘He won’t. This is Kiddrick we’re talking about.’

‘Point taken,’ said Tony with a wry smile. ‘But have you thought about