The Persona Protocol - By Andy McDermott Page 0,36

thank Dr Albion for it. But this is where we oversee missions when our people are out in the field.’

‘It’s impressive,’ she had to admit. ‘Looks expensive, too.’

‘It wasn’t built just for the Persona Project, if that’s what you’re thinking. It’s an existing facility that Persona has been assigned. We don’t like to throw money away on black projects, whatever the public perception may be.’ He led Bianca, Tony and Kiddrick through the room. ‘Here, I’ll introduce you to the team.’

Of the twenty or so people present, most were clustered around one particular workstation. An enthusiastic male voice was the focus of their attention. ‘Levon must have a new puzzle,’ Morgan said.

Kiddrick was not impressed. ‘Don’t your people have anything better to do?’

Tony gave him a half-smile. ‘You’re only saying that because you can’t solve them.’ They stopped at the edge of the group to listen.

Bianca peered through the crowd. The speaker was an overweight young black man with a shaved head, eyes darting behind Coke-bottle glasses as he swivelled his chair to make sure everyone was taking in his words. ‘So, that’s the assignment. The diamond will be taken out of the vault by its owner in exactly twenty-four hours. You have to get that diamond. Question is . . .’ a broad smile, ‘how are you going to do it?’

‘Bribe the guards,’ Tony suggested.

The question master – Bianca assumed this to be Levon – shook his head. ‘The guards are very loyal to their employer. It would cost more to bribe them than the diamond is worth.’

Another man, older and rougher-looking, had an alternative approach. ‘Tactical assault. Eliminate the guards and blow the safe, then withdraw before local law enforcement arrives. Five minutes after the alarm’s set off, you said. That should easily be enough time.’

‘Wow, bloodthirsty,’ said a slender woman with long blond hair, shaking her head.

‘Uh-uh,’ said Levon to the man. ‘You’ve got selective hearing, Mr Baxter! Like I said, it’ll take at least an hour to force your way into the safe by any means you have available.’

Baxter wasn’t giving up on his idea. ‘A shaped charge would do it.’

‘My puzzle, my rules. You’ve got to work inside the limitations of the scenario. That’s kinda the whole point. Doesn’t matter what you use – explosives, drills, lasers, whatever – it’ll take sixty minutes to break that safe. I set the hard limits; now you gotta figure out ways around them.’

A dismissive grunt. ‘Sounds like some sort of unrealistic Mission: Impossible crap. Count me out of this one.’

‘I’ll take your place if you like, John,’ said Morgan. ‘Make sure you copy me in on the rules, Levon. What was the solution to the last one, by the way?’

‘The power lines,’ said a tanned twenty-something man with a heavily gelled haircut. ‘Take out the substation in the town to cut off the juice, then climb along the lines to get over the perimeter defences. Simple.’

‘Yeah, Kyle, so simple you didn’t think of it until two days after Tony,’ said Levon. ‘And a day after Holly Jo. And—’

Kyle waved his hands dismissively. ‘Yeah, yeah. The point is, that was the right answer. And I got it. Just like I’m going to get this one.’

‘Not before me,’ said the blonde. ‘And I’m going to beat Tony this time as well. A huge diamond? That is so mine.’

‘Just don’t spend too much time thinking about it while you’re on duty,’ said Morgan. The undertone of fun’s over, now get back to work was faint, but firm. It had the desired effect; the group began to disperse. ‘Not all of you – there’s someone I want the chief specialists to meet.’ He waited until only six people remained. ‘This is Dr Bianca Childs. She’s agreed to stand in for Roger until he’s fit to return to work.’

‘“Agreed” is rather a simplistic way of putting it,’ said Bianca.

Baxter was instantly suspicious on hearing her voice. ‘She’s not an American? Isn’t that going to be a security issue, sir?’

‘For the moment, Dr Childs has been granted limited security clearance on the authority of the Director of National Intelligence,’ Morgan replied. ‘In due course, she’ll receive whatever she needs to carry out her role.’ Baxter didn’t seem entirely mollified, but nodded. ‘Dr Childs, these are the senior members of the Persona Project.’

He made the introductions. The slender blonde in expensive stilettos was Holly Jo Voss, communications specialist. John Baxter, tactical commander; Bianca assumed from his general demeanour that he was a soldier. The puzzle-setting