The Persona Protocol - By Andy McDermott Page 0,44

the previous day, there was little going on. Bianca recognised some of the people she had been introduced to – Holly Jo, Levon, Kyle – at their workstations. ‘Hey, brah,’ said Kyle, swivelling to face them as they approached. ‘Dr Childs.’

‘Hi, Kyle,’ Tony replied. He looked round. ‘Where’s Adam?’

‘In the Cube.’

‘The Cube?’ Bianca asked.

Kyle nodded towards a door on one side of the chamber. ‘Adam’s personal chill-out room. He meditates in there, or something. Me, I prefer playing Xbox in the break room. They won’t let us hook up to Xbox Live for security reasons, though, which kinda sucks. Oh, hey, Tony,’ he added, sitting upright with sudden excitement. ‘I just got off the phone with Brad. He’s got the new UAVs ready to test, says his guys figured out a way to increase speed without costing too much battery life. I’m going over later to play with ’em.’

‘Let me know how they perform,’ Tony said as he headed for the Cube, Bianca following. ‘And don’t forget to fill out the assessment documentation this time!’

‘Yeah, brah,’ Kyle replied with a dismissive wave.

‘What’s this “brah” thing?’ Bianca asked.

‘It’s like calling someone “bro”, but more annoying. It’s what all the hip young kids are saying today, so I’m told.’

‘You hardly look any older than him.’

‘I’m flattered! No, he’s only twenty-four, twenty-five, something like that. Actually, most of the project staff are pretty young – the ones in the Bullpen, anyway. They make me feel like a kindergarten teacher.’

She made a minor show of examining his handsome features. ‘I’d say you were about . . . thirty-five.’

‘Okay, I’m slightly less flattered than I was a moment ago. Only a little, though.’

They shared a smile as they reached the door. Tony knocked. ‘Adam? You in there?’

‘Yes,’ came the reply. They entered.

The Cube didn’t quite live up to its name, being rectangular in plan. It did fit the bill as a meditation room, however. The walls and ceiling were plain white, lit by soft recessed spotlights, while the carpet was a neutral cream. A low leather couch, similar to a psychiatrist’s, occupied the centre.

Adam, however, was seated on one of the matching chairs at the room’s far end. If he had been meditating, his pose showed no evidence of it; it looked to Bianca more as if he had simply been staring into space. His eyes fixed upon the new arrivals. ‘Tony. Dr Childs.’

‘You can call me Bianca, you know,’ she said. ‘Both of you. Now that we’re working together.’

‘Bianca, then. What can I do for you?’

‘We need to introduce Doc— I mean, Bianca,’ Tony gave her a sidelong grin, ‘to the exciting world of international espionage – or, as we call it, reading directives and filling out forms.’ The joke was only mildly funny, but still enough to produce a smile from Bianca. Adam’s expression – or lack thereof – remained unchanged, however. ‘I want to bring her up to speed on what we do and how we do it. Gently, though. I think there might be some culture shock.’

Adam nodded. ‘When?’

Tony checked his watch. ‘It’s coming up on lunchtime, so there’s no point doing anything until after then. How about we meet at two, in briefing A?’

‘Okay. I’ll see you both then.’

That was clearly the end of the conversation. Bianca and Tony exited. ‘So, is that what Adam does when he’s not on a mission?’ she asked facetiously as they crossed the Bullpen. ‘Sits in a plain room staring at the wall? I mean, he didn’t even have a newspaper to read.’

Tony was defensive. ‘He does a lot more than that. Assessing intelligence reports, briefings, physical training, weapons training – anything that can make him even better at his job. The personas he uses are only a boost to his abilities; he still has to be a top-flight agent in his own right. The Cube’s just where he goes for some peace and quiet. But,’ he said, in a more apologetic tone, ‘if he asked for anything else in there, we’d give it to him. He just hasn’t asked.’

‘Oh. Sorry, by the way. I didn’t mean to be rude. I know he must be your friend.’

‘Yeah. I suppose . . .’ For a moment, it didn’t seem as if Tony was actually sure. ‘Anyway, as I said, it’s close to lunchtime. How about I treat you to something from one of DC’s fine range of franchised sandwich shops?’

Bianca laughed. ‘How could I refuse?’

Kyle leaned over Holly Jo’s workstation, watching Bianca and Tony as