The Persona Protocol

50


Requiem


Kyle watched gloomily as the Bullpen’s video wall was switched off. ‘So. We’re suspended. Again.’

‘Cheer up, man,’ said Levon, clapping a hand on his shoulder. ‘At least it’s a paid suspension.’

‘Rather than the “thrown in a cell awaiting possible criminal charges” kind,’ Holly Jo added. She gave Morgan an embarrassed look. ‘Thank you for letting us off with just a reprimand, sir.’

‘Don’t think I didn’t consider taking matters further,’ Morgan replied sternly. The three young specialists wilted under his gaze – until he unexpectedly winked at them, a small smile breaking through his stony mask.

‘Well, I still think it’s an outrage,’ said Kiddrick, glaring at him. ‘I mean, I was assaulted in my own office! I suffered injury and emotional trauma, to say nothing of the—’

‘Oh, come now, Nate,’ boomed a stentorian voice from the back of the room. Everyone turned to see Albion enter, riding in an electric wheelchair. ‘Consider it an injury sustained in the line of duty. It’s a badge of honour! I got shot by a terrorist; you got a bump on the head. Practically the same thing.’

The others laughed – with one obvious exception. ‘I’m not going to let this lie,’ Kiddrick whined. ‘I deserve recompense. I should sue!’

Morgan’s unsympathetic eyes turned upon him. ‘I would seriously advise against anything that might expose STS’s operations in an open court, Dr Kiddrick.’

‘Well, I should – I still intend to take this higher,’ spluttered the scientist.

‘To whom?’ said Albion, rolling up alongside him. ‘The Deputy DNI? He’s got enough on his plate right now, trying to deal with all the fallout. And I don’t think trying to sully Adam’s name will win you much favour with Alan Sternberg.’

Kiddrick glowered at him, then looked around for support. He found none. Face twitching, he stalked away. ‘Don’t forget we have a meeting,’ Morgan called after him.

Kyle made a rude gesture behind Kiddrick’s back, stopping when he caught Morgan’s disapproving look. He hurriedly tried to camouflage his hand movement by brushing imaginary fluff from his chest. ‘So, Doc! Welcome back!’

‘How are you feeling?’ Holly Jo asked Albion.

‘As good as anyone who can see daylight through their torso can feel,’ he replied. ‘But I should be up on my own two feet in a few weeks.’

‘And until then, you’ve got that sweet ride,’ said Kyle, eyeing the wheelchair. Holly Jo tutted.

Albion grinned. ‘No, he’s right. It is rather cool.’ He nudged the joystick, the chair doing a full three-sixty spin in place. ‘And it grants me unlimited licence to quote Dr Strangelove.’ He turned again, more slowly, to survey the Bullpen. ‘So. Did I miss anything while I was away?’

Groans and giggles came from his co-workers. ‘Nah, nothing worth commenting on,’ said Levon. ‘We barely noticed you were gone.’

‘Mm-hmm,’ added Holly Jo. ‘Dr Childs filled in for you really well.’

‘Some might say, almost too easily,’ said Morgan. Albion blinked up at him with an expression of total innocence. ‘Speaking of Dr Childs,’ he added, looking at his watch, ‘I’ve got a meeting to attend. In the meantime, the Persona Project will be officially placed on administrative suspension until further notice, so if anyone’s got any personal effects in the facility, make sure you’ve removed them by eighteen hundred hours. Otherwise, you won’t be able to get at them for some time.’

Levon glanced at the toys cluttering his workstation. ‘Any idea how long that’s likely to be, sir? Days, weeks?’

‘Months?’ Kyle said hopefully. ‘You know, since we’re on paid leave and all . . .’

‘I should have an answer shortly. Until then, carry on in here. Roger, are you coming?’

‘Let’s roll,’ Albion said with a chuckle. He and Morgan left the Bullpen and headed to one of the briefing rooms.

Waiting for them were Bianca, Tony . . . and Adam, his left arm in a sling and a bandage around his right bicep bulking out his shirt sleeve. More dressings covered the cuts on his forehead and cheek. Kiddrick was also present, sitting at the opposite end of the table from them and frowning in sullen silence. ‘Well, now,’ said Morgan, regarding the trio, ‘between you you’ve caused a very complicated situation. I don’t know what’s going to come of it.’

Adam stood. ‘Sir, I accepted all along that there would be consequences for my actions. I’m fully prepared to take them.’

Tony joined him. ‘So am I.’

Morgan’s gaze turned to the Englishwoman. ‘Dr Childs?’

‘Well, I . . . yeah, I’ve got to take responsibility for what I did,’ she said unhappily. ‘But I’d really rather not go to prison for the rest of my life.’

‘That’s not up to me.’ He gestured for the two men to sit back down, then took his place at the head of the table and made a phone call. ‘This is Martin Morgan at STS. Tell Mr Sternberg that we’re ready for him.’

There was a delay of a couple of minutes, which did nothing to ease the tension in the room, before the screen on the wall came to life. Alan Sternberg looked down owlishly at them. He didn’t bother with small talk. ‘I’ll get straight to the point – the Persona Project has caused the biggest political nightmare for any administration since Iran–Contra. Agent Gray, Agent Carpenter, Dr Childs: you deliberately engineered a major security breach . . . which in turn exposed a conspiracy to commit an act of outright treason at the highest levels of the US government. It’s a catastrophic intelligence failure and a diplomatic disaster, and if the truth got out to the world it would cause immeasurable damage to the United States.’ He was silent for a moment, staring down at his uncomfortable audience like Big Brother. ‘Which is why it never will get out.’

Morgan was first to speak. ‘What do you mean, sir?’

‘I mean, none of this ever happened.’

‘You’re going to cover it up?’ said Bianca.

‘Yes, Dr Childs, we’re going to cover it up,’ said Sternberg scathingly. ‘What, did you really think we’re going to proclaim to the world that the Director of National Intelligence personally subverted a black operation in order to supply classified information to al-Qaeda, so that they would assassinate his political rival to promulgate the War on Terror?’

‘Well, not when you put it that way,’ she mumbled, abashed.

‘Damn right. Harper committed a terrible crime that cost hundreds of lives, but exposing it would cost thousands more – terrorist groups around the world would be emboldened, and the United States’ credibility in fighting them would be shattered. And there’s no telling where the loss of confidence in America’s democratic institutions would lead. Harper was approved by Congress, remember. This isn’t something either side can make political capital out of; everyone’s in it together.’

‘How are you going to cover it up?’ asked Tony. ‘Harper killed himself one block from the White House in front of dozens of witnesses. There’s probably a video on YouTube already.’

‘NSA can take care of that,’ said Sternberg, the statement ambiguous enough to suggest that the intelligence agency might already have done so. ‘But we can handle it; it’s just a matter of presentation. Harper was divorced, in a high-pressure job, the assassination of the Secretary of State took place on his watch, et cetera. A storyline that ends in a self-inflicted gunshot wound practically writes itself.’

Bianca was appalled. ‘So the truth just gets buried?’

‘As the saying goes, Dr Childs, the truth hurts.’

‘So do lies,’ Adam said quietly. ‘Harper will get a eulogy that paints him as a patriot and a loyal servant of his country, won’t he?’ Though his tone was even, the bitterness behind it was unmistakable.

Sternberg at least had the courtesy to look uncomfortable before quickly changing the subject. ‘Anyway, that’s one side of the matter. The other is you. Only a few people know the full story. The President has made it very clear that he expects that to remain the case. In return for a promise of absolute silence on the subject, he’s willing to grant all three of you full pardons.’ Kiddrick made a flustered sound, but Morgan’s stare muted him before he said a word.

Bianca hesitated before asking: ‘And the alternative?’

The National Security Adviser laughed sarcastically. ‘I hear it gets very hot in Cuba. Especially at a certain US military facility on the southern coast. Lots of insects carrying tropical diseases.’

She sighed. ‘Yeah, I thought it would be something like that.’

‘What about the Persona Project?’ said Tony. ‘Is it being shut down permanently, or is this just a temporary suspension?’

‘A lot of that depends on Agent Gray,’ replied Sternberg. ‘If he’s fit to return to duty . . . and if he’s willing. I can understand that after what he discovered, he might have certain reservations.’

Everyone turned to Adam. ‘I haven’t made a decision,’ he said softly, not meeting anyone’s eyes.

‘As for the Persona Project itself, it’s definitely proven its worth – even if not in the way anyone expected,’ Sternberg continued. ‘You stopped the RTG plot – and the whole affair provided a kick in the pants to the Russians that they need to step up their nuclear security, thank God – but al-Rais is still out there somewhere. He won’t give up, so we can’t afford to either. An intelligence asset like Persona is too valuable to relinquish, so I’m sure it’ll be reactivated in one form or another. So, Dr Kiddrick, Dr Albion – good to see that you’re recovering, by the way – don’t send out any résumés to the private sector just yet.’

‘I wouldn’t dream of it,’ said Albion cheerily.

‘I’ll send over the paperwork regarding the President’s offer,’ Sternberg went on. ‘The option is open for Agents Gray and Carpenter and Dr Childs to go through it with a USIC-approved lawyer, but,’ steel entered his voice, ‘I would strongly advise that they just sign it, because the terms are not going to change.’

‘I’m sure they’ll do that,’ said Morgan, giving the three a warning look.

‘Good. I’ll be in touch.’ Sternberg’s image vanished from the screen.

Morgan leaned back in his chair. ‘Is all that acceptable?’ There was general, if in some cases begrudging, agreement from around the table. ‘I’m glad to hear it. Now, is there anything else?’

‘What about the PERSONA equipment?’ asked Bianca. ‘Was it recovered?’

‘What was left of it,’ complained Kiddrick. ‘The main unit was badly damaged. I don’t even know if it’s repairable – we’ll probably have to build a new one.’

Albion gave him a wry smile. ‘Try to make it lighter this time.’

‘And what about the disk?’ said Adam.

Morgan and Kiddrick exchanged glances, the former hesitating before answering. ‘We found it at Harper’s. It had been destroyed.’

‘Oh, no,’ said Bianca, dismayed. She turned to Adam. ‘I’m sorry . . .’

He was stone-faced, at least on the surface. ‘It told me what I needed to know.’

‘But there was more on it than just—’

‘I know. It’s okay.’

Unwilling to accept that, she turned to the two other scientists. ‘Is there any way Adam might be able to recover his memories without the disk?’

‘No,’ said Kiddrick firmly. ‘Not a chance.’

Albion made a scoffing sound. ‘Ah, that renowned can-do spirit! Don’t be so quick to write him off, Nathaniel.’ He looked at Bianca and Adam. ‘There might be a way – a modified version of Hyperthymexine to force recall, maybe. I’d have to put some work into it, but all might not be lost.’ Kiddrick still displayed clear antipathy to the mere idea, but said nothing.

‘Anything more?’ said Morgan. Nobody replied. ‘All right. Tony, you and I have a lot of paperwork still to do. Everyone else, I hope to see you again if and when the project’s restarted.’

The group left the room. Albion paused outside the door. ‘Bianca? I’m sorry I dragged you into all of this.’

‘Thanks, Roger,’ she replied, letting the others past. ‘Although, while I wouldn’t exactly say it’s been fun, it’s certainly been an interesting experience. Even if I’m not allowed to tell anyone about it on pain of death.’

‘Oh, I’m sure they wouldn’t actually kill you. Just waterboard you for a couple of decades.’

She cringed. ‘You say that as a joke, but . . .’

‘What’s the situation with Jimmy’s company?’

‘The sale’s still going ahead, but everything’s bogged down with legal and financial stuff – just like you said. I wouldn’t have been able to do any work even if I’d stayed there.’

‘Good, good. So are you going back to England?’

She looked down the corridor at Adam and Tony. ‘Yes, but not right away. I want to do something here first.’

‘Help Adam through this?’

‘Yes.’

He smiled. ‘That’s another reason why I knew you were the right person to do my job.’

‘Don’t expect me to make a habit of it, okay? It’s far too stressful.’ She kissed his cheek. ‘I’ll see you around.’

‘Always a pleasure,’ he replied.

She hurried to catch up with the two men. ‘Hey.’

‘Hi,’ said Tony. ‘Something up?’

‘No, I just wanted to let you both know that I’ll be staying in the States for a little while longer.’

‘Finally taking up that offer of an apartment?’ Tony said, grinning. ‘Let me know if you need a hand moving in.’

She smiled. ‘I may do that.’

He stopped as they reached an office door. ‘Sorry, I’ve got some bureaucracy to deal with,’ he told her. ‘That’s what happens when you let someone wreck a building. But whenever you need me, just give me a call.’

‘I will. Thanks.’ Another smile, then he entered the office, leaving Bianca and Adam alone.

‘So why are you staying?’ Adam asked her. ‘The project’s suspended, and Roger will probably be able to work again by the time it resumes.’

‘I’m staying because of you,’ she told him.

He looked surprised. ‘Me?’

‘Yeah. Adam, I know it’ll be difficult for you to talk about what happened with other people – like your mother – because of the whole secrecy thing, but I want you to know that you can come to me. For anything.’

‘Thank you,’ he said.

She waited for him to expand on that, but he remained silent. ‘That’s it?’ she exclaimed when her patience ran out. ‘That’s all you’ve got to say?’

‘I don’t know what else to say. I’m still trying to come to terms with everything. And without the disk . . .’ A resigned sadness filled his eyes. ‘I had it back, Bianca. I had everything back. But now nearly all of it’s gone again. Like Michael. I know I had a brother, but . . . I don’t remember him. Not in the important ways.’

‘But at least now you remember enough to mourn him. Don’t you?’

He sighed, then managed a faint smile. ‘Yeah. I guess I do. That’s a start, I suppose. Thanks.’

‘I’m here to help.’

He nodded, regarding her thoughtfully – then his smile suddenly widened. ‘I know something you can do to help me.’

‘What’s that?’

‘My apartment’s kinda . . . empty.’ She arched an eyebrow. ‘No, I didn’t mean that to sound suggestive!’ he said, amused. ‘There’s a big space in the corner, so I was thinking maybe you’d help me buy a TV. So I can become a normal American again.’

Bianca laughed. ‘I’d love to.’