The Persona Protocol - By Andy McDermott Page 0,160

said in a quiet voice. Then, more firmly: ‘Give me the shot and start the transfer. Let’s get this over with. However it turns out.’

‘Okay.’ She took the jet injector from the medical case. ‘Are you ready?’

‘Do it.’

‘Good luck.’ She positioned the nozzle against his neck and pulled the trigger, then watched the now unsettlingly familiar sight of all expression fading from his face. Thirty seconds passed. ‘I’m going to start the transfer,’ she whispered. Adam’s only response was a slight nod.

She touched the controls. The PERSONA’s screen came to life, beginning to feed the recorded memories back into their owner’s mind.

43

Know Thyself

Morgan’s mood had not improved by the time he reached his office.

‘Right,’ he said, glowering at the three young specialists lined up before his desk. ‘I want answers, and I want them now. All three of you were working to help Adam get away. Why?’

Holly Jo, Levon and Kyle exchanged unhappy looks, none wanting to be the first to speak. ‘Let me spell it out for you,’ Morgan continued. ‘You deliberately impeded an operation to capture a rogue agent who had stolen highly classified information – and assaulted a senior STS official in the process, in case you’d forgotten. That means you can be charged under the Espionage Act! We’re talking a good thirty years in federal prison here – assuming you aren’t all packed off to Guantanamo. So this is your last chance. Why did you help Adam?’

Tony spoke before any of them could answer. ‘Because I told them to.’

It took Morgan a moment to fully process what he had heard. When he did, his tone was calmer, yet more dangerous than ever. ‘Would you care to explain that?’

‘I ordered,’ Tony placed emphasis on the word, ‘them to help Adam evade capture. They were acting under my instructions as their superior, so the responsibility for everything they did is mine.’

‘Very noble of you,’ said Morgan. He looked at the trio. ‘And would you all back up that statement?’

‘Yeah, totally,’ Kyle gabbled. ‘I mean, it’s Tony – he’s our boss, we all trust him, and we do what he says, right?’ He took in the disapproving expressions of his companions. ‘What?’

‘He’s right,’ said Tony, before Holly Jo or Levon could add anything. ‘They were following my orders.’

‘While disobeying mine,’ Morgan replied. He regarded Tony in silence for several tense seconds. ‘All right, if that’s how you want to play it . . . You three,’ he snapped, turning back to the specialists. ‘You’re all relieved of duty pending further investigation. Report to the security office and turn in your IDs, then get out of my agency. I’ll deal with you later.’

They mumbled shamed affirmations, then left the room. ‘You asshole,’ Holly Jo hissed at Kyle.

‘What?’ he protested. ‘That’s what Tony wanted!’

Morgan waited for the door to close behind them. ‘So, what do you want, Tony? Why have you decided to risk your career – your freedom – for Adam?’

‘Because he deserves to know the truth about himself,’ Tony answered.

‘But you don’t know what that truth is.’

‘Do you?’

‘No,’ Morgan admitted. ‘But the Admiral vouched for him as an ideal candidate to replace you – and whatever the reasons Adam had for wanting to forget his past, he asked to forget it.’

‘But he’s changed his mind. Now he wants to remember – or at least to find out why he wanted to forget. He wants to learn who he really is, and what we took away from him. I think he has a right to know.’

‘You don’t have the authority to give him that information,’ Morgan said sternly. ‘And nor do I, for that matter.’

‘You’re saying it’s entirely Harper’s call?’

‘It is.’

‘You can’t tell me you agree with that.’

‘Whether I do or not is irrelevant. And for God’s sake, Tony, even if I sympathise with Adam’s motives, he’s gone about this in the wrong way. He assaulted Kiddrick, stole classified data, sabotaged a government facility and wreaked havoc in the capital! You know we can’t tolerate that. And I can’t tolerate insubordination.’

Tony took a deep breath, then nodded. ‘I understand. What are you going to do?’

‘I don’t know yet. For now, you can wait in holding until I figure that out.’ The phone on his desk rang. ‘Yes?’ He listened, expression hardening. ‘Right.’ He put it down and regarded Tony grimly. ‘Speak of the devil. Harper is here.’

The Director of National Intelligence was in Morgan’s office barely a minute later. ‘I want to know what in the name of the good