The Persona Protocol - By Andy McDermott Page 0,97

the sky, and these change colour to match it. So if the sky’s blue, the drone turns blue as well. It’s like the Predator’s cloaking device, brah! It’s awesome.’

‘He’s actually not exaggerating, for once,’ said Holly Jo. ‘It’s really cool.’

Kyle beamed with enthusiasm. ‘Show her, show her.’

Holly Jo leaned over to his workstation and tapped the keyboard. After a moment, the UAV’s shrouded belly turned from a neutral grey to a much lighter beige – matching, Bianca realised, the colour of the bulkhead behind Kyle. ‘That is quite neat,’ she said.

‘Check this out.’ He moved one hand over the little aircraft’s dorsal surface. A second later, the hexagonal cells changed colour again – to a tanned pink. ‘Give it a few years, you’ll be able to put these on your car. Bored with red? Push a button and it turns blue, or green, or anything you want. I can’t wait.’

‘You’ll have to, unless you want to pay a million dollars per square foot,’ said Tony. ‘Okay, switch it off. Save the batteries.’ Holly Jo entered another command and the UAV flicked back to a dull grey.

‘You know what else it needs, though?’ said Kyle. ‘A gun! Seriously, Tony, suggest it. Next time we see someone chasing Adam, pa-pa-pow, boom! Death from above!’

‘You do know that flying a helicopter in Grand Theft Auto isn’t a tactical simulation, right?’ scoffed Holly Jo.

He gave her another sarcastic look, then continued to assemble the UAV. ‘Okay,’ said Tony when he was done, ‘send it out.’

‘Don’t I get a coat?’ Kyle moaned as Adam opened the hatch on the side of the aircraft facing away from the terminal building. A biting wind blew into the cabin. ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa!’ Kyle yelped as he ducked out on to the steps. He held up the little quadrotor, thumbing a switch. The translucent propellers blurred almost to nothing as the machine’s underbelly changed colour to match the iron clouds overhead.

Kyle hesitantly eased his hold, leaving the UAV hovering in mid-air. Satisfied, he rushed back into the cabin. ‘Okay, okay, close it!’ he gasped as he scurried back to his workstation. ‘God damn, it’s cold out there! No wonder Russians drink so much vodka – they need it to stay warm.’ As Adam shut the hatch, he took the controls. ‘Okay, let’s go have a look at some boats . . .’

The UAV tipped forward and glided away from the plane, gaining height. The camouflage really did work, Bianca saw; while it wasn’t a perfect match for the surroundings, it was effective enough to confuse the eye. At cruising height, the drone would be almost impossible to spot from the ground.

‘Okay, Adam, Bianca,’ Tony said, ‘I think you should imprint the persona now.’

‘So soon?’ said Adam. ‘Zykov isn’t even here yet.’

‘I know, but I want everyone to be ready the moment he touches down. We don’t know where the RTG is being kept – for all we know, it’s right here at the airport. We can’t afford to lose any time.’

‘Okay,’ said Bianca, opening the cases. ‘Let’s meet Dr Eugene Browning.’

‘What is your name?’

‘Eugene Browning. Middle name, Marcus.’

‘Your date of birth.’

‘That would be November fifth, 1955.’

‘Your place of birth.’

‘Riverside, California.’

‘Your mother’s name.’

‘My mother’s name was Florence.’

‘Her birthday?’

‘July tenth. I think. I was only seven years old when she died. Viral pneumonia. Very sad.’

‘And your most guilty secret?’

Adam’s eyes flicked evasively before he answered. ‘That would be taking a ten-thousand-dollar bribe to overlook some safety infringements at a nuclear plant, when I was an inspector for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Nothing major!’ he quickly qualified. There was a hoarseness to his voice, further increasing the oddness of his staccato speech pattern. ‘They were fixed within a week. The plant owner just didn’t want to risk a shutdown. And it was back in 1985!’

‘I think the statute of limitations applies in this case,’ said Tony. Bianca continued with the rest of the standard test questions. All the answers were as expected. ‘Are you okay?’

‘Yes. Fine.’ Adam stood, looking around the cabin as if he hadn’t seen it before. ‘Very plush. It beats flying commercial.’

Tony and Bianca exchanged glances. Browning was more eccentric than any persona Adam had previously used. ‘So long as he knows his stuff . . .’ Tony muttered.

‘Oh, I do, young man, I do,’ said Adam. ‘I’ve worked with these generators before. I’ll be able to assess this one for you. We just have to find it.’

‘I’ve got something,’ Holly Jo announced. ‘I tracked down the ships in