The Persona Protocol

by Andy McDermott

  Their eyes met.

  Khattak shouted a warning to Marwat, then ran, disappearing from view.

  Adam made an instant decision. He drew his own gun and sprinted after the fleeing terrorist. Marwat flashed through the intersection ahead, following Khattak.

  ‘Adam, what are you doing?’ Holly Jo said in concern.

  Tony’s voice was far harder. ‘Get back here! Roger needs medical help!’

  ‘We can use the emergency persona—’

  Adam cut her off. ‘We’d have to wipe Syed’s. And if you don’t get him to the drop point before he wakes up, Roger will have been shot for nothing.’ He reached the intersection and rounded the corner. The two men were still running from him. Khattak took something from his clothing.

  Not a gun; a phone.

  ‘Levon!’ Adam shouted as he ran. ‘The cell network – shut it down! Khattak’s going to warn the others!’

  The satellite delay meant that Levon took a moment to respond. ‘What? I can’t— Adam, I haven’t got that much access yet!’

  ‘Anything you can do to jam his phone, anything!’ Khattak was struggling to enter a number from memory as he ran, his group’s contacts too risky to commit to a SIM card – but it still would not take him long to thumb in eleven digits.

  Tony spoke. ‘Levon, can you give us a map of the local cell towers?’

  ‘Yes, but—’

  ‘Do it, quick! Kyle, find the nearest cell tower – and use the UAV’s self-destruct to take it out.’

  ‘Seriously?’ said Kyle, surprised – and thrilled. ‘Awesome!’

  ‘Is Syed moving yet?’ Adam asked.

  Holly Jo gave him the answer. ‘The van just left. But what about Roger?’

  ‘Either you can stabilise him, or you can’t.’ He didn’t know if the coldness of the statement was from Syed’s persona or his own.

  He was closing on Marwat, but not quickly enough, the young man’s fear fuelling him. Beyond him, Khattak was forced to lower the phone to keep his balance as he wove between people coming the other way, but he brought it back up the moment he cleared them, his thumb finding another digit on the keypad.

  In the office, Perez and Ware began first aid on Albion’s wound. Tony reluctantly looked away to Kyle’s screens. ‘Levon, where’s that damn map?’

  ‘It’s coming, it’s coming!’ came the frantic reply. ‘Okay, it’s on stream seven . . . now!’

  Holly Jo overlaid the incoming data on the satellite image of Peshawar. Dozens of dots popped up. She zoomed in on those around the green symbol marking Adam’s position. ‘Kyle, I’m sending the nearest towers to you.’

  ‘Got ’em,’ Kyle replied. ‘Okay, closest one is . . . rooftop, a hundred and twenty metres west of the drone.’ He glanced at Tony for confirmation.

  ‘Take it out,’ Tony snapped.

  ‘All right!’ He took the UAV’s controls, re-angling its camera so that instead of looking down it showed the view ahead, and swung the drone round on a new course. ‘Can’t believe you’re finally letting me do this . . .’

  The little aircraft dropped towards the rooftops. ‘There,’ said Tony, pointing. A six-storey building was home to a skeletal tower.

  ‘I see it.’ The phone mast grew rapidly as Kyle swept the drone in on its kamikaze run, aiming for the crown of antennae. But instead of crashing, he slowed the quadrotor sharply just before impact. It was built of lightweight materials, so simply ramming it into a target would have done little more than glancing damage.

  The self-destruct unit would deliver far more. The explosive running through the UAV’s fuselage was intended not merely to wreck the machine but to completely obliterate it, preventing its sophisticated camera and computer systems from falling into the wrong hands.

  Kyle flipped up a protective cover on the control console to reveal a red button. He stabbed it down, hard. ‘Bickety-boom!’

  The feed from the drone’s camera went blank.

  Khattak entered the final digit. He clamped the phone to his ear, looking back as he raced into an alley. Marwat was not far behind him; Toradze was catching up fast.

  A voice from the other end of the crackling line. ‘Hello?’

  ‘Nasir, it’s Muhammad!’ Khattak gasped. ‘Tor—’ He broke off as a loud bang came from somewhere nearby, echoing off buildings. A grenade? ‘Toradze is working with the Americans! They’ve captured Syed!’

  There was no answer. ‘Nasir? Nasir, can you hear me?’ Still only silence; even the crackle had gone. He looked at the phone’s screen. NO NETWORK. But he was in the middle of the city!

  The explosion. Toradze’s associates must have destroyed the nearest phone mast, cutting him off.

  But they would only have taken such drastic measures if they had been unable to shut down the entire network. If he got close enough to another mast, he could get a connection. The towers were dotted all over Peshawar – surely one couldn’t be far . . .

  A rooftop! If he were clear of the surrounding buildings, he would get a better signal. Khattak reached the end of the alley, emerging on a street. He looked up.

  An apartment block across the road stood five floors high, taller than its neighbours. Rain-soaked washing hung heavily from a line on its roof. There was a way up there. He swerved around a passing autorickshaw and ran for the building’s entrance. ‘Don’t let him get to the roof!’ he called back to Marwat.

  ‘The cell tower’s down,’ Holly Jo told Adam. ‘We cut off his call.’

  Adam didn’t reply. It wouldn’t take Khattak long to get into range of another mast.

  Marwat angled right as he ran out from the alley’s far end, following Khattak. Adam was only seconds behind, gaining on the two men. He had the SIG in his hand, but knew that the chances of hitting a running target while he himself was sprinting were practically zero, even with his training. Instead, he rushed into the open—

  To see a car coming at him.

  The battered Nissan was barely doing twenty miles per hour, but still slithered on the wet road, ill-maintained brakes shrilling. Adam banged both hands down on its hood to absorb some of the impact, taking a painful blow to his hip. He staggered before regaining his balance and continuing after Marwat. The driver yelled angrily as he ran past.

  The collision had cost him several seconds. Khattak had disappeared into a building. Marwat went through its entrance.

  A woman cried out. His gun had been seen. He ignored the spreading alarm and ran to the entrance.

  A small lobby area floored in dirty red tile. He heard the rapid thud of footsteps from the narrow wooden staircase.

  They’ll set an ambush on the stairs . . .

  Adam’s own assessment of the situation was the same as Syed’s. But he had to make the ascent to stop Khattak from warning the rest of the terrorist cell. He ran up the stairs, gun at the ready.

  When would the attack come? Marwat would be waiting – but on which floor?

  The stairwell was confined, dark. He pounded up it, the umbrella’s handle scraping against the wall. Nobody on the first landing. He could still hear hurrying feet above as Khattak headed for the roof.

  He continued upwards. Was Marwat waiting for him on the next landing, or the one after?

  This one—

  The Pakistani lunged into view, pointing his gun down the stairs – but Adam was prepared and had his own weapon raised. He fired just as Marwat saw the danger and jerked back. The bullet narrowly missed and hit a wall, scattering scabs of shattered plaster.

  He reached the landing. Marwat’s pistol came up—

  Adam swept his own gun arm across Marwat’s chest to knock the muzzle away as the terrorist pulled the trigger. The shot was painfully loud in the confined space. The American drove his shoulder against the other man’s sternum, slamming him back against the wall.

  With his right arm holding his opponent’s gun at bay, Adam couldn’t get a shot with the SIG. Instead he drove his left fist into Marwat’s stomach. Two punches, three. The te
rrorist gasped in pain.

  Adam shifted his weight, about to drive his elbow into the other man’s groin—

  Marwat threw himself forward.

  The impact made Adam stumble. As he fought to stay upright, Marwat charged, forcing him across the landing.

  They crashed against a door. It burst open, the lock splintering from the frame. Adam tripped as he reeled into the room. Both men fell, the American taking the brunt as he collided with a small table. It collapsed beneath him. Marwat landed heavily on top of him, knocking the breath from Adam’s lungs . . .

  And the gun from his hand.

  Marwat immediately saw his advantage. He pushed himself off Adam.

  Adam swept his hand over the floor to search for the P228. He found no metal, only wood—

  The crouching terrorist brought up his gun – only to screech in pain as one of the broken table’s legs smashed against his wrist like a baseball bat. The shot went wide. Before he could recover, Adam’s heel hit his knee. He tumbled on to his back.

  Adam threw the makeshift club at him and rolled to search for his gun. It had ended up a few feet away. He scrambled for it.

  Marwat sat up, enraged. He saw his adversary moving and took aim—

  Adam was faster, snatching up the SIG and twisting to fire in a single fluid motion. The bullet hit Marwat in the right side of his chest, a rope of dark blood gushing out as he fell backwards.

  ‘Adam!’ It took him a moment to register Holly Jo’s voice in his ear over the adrenalin surge. ‘Are you okay?’

  He got to his feet. ‘I’m fine. One terrorist down. Tag this location – Imran’s people need to get a clean-up team here to remove the body. Third-floor apartment, on the left.’

  He went to the door. Marwat lay by it, bloodied hands pressed against the bullet hole. The terrorist groaned, looking up as Adam approached . . .

  The SIG roared twice.

  Wet starbursts of red and grey exploded across the floor from the exit wounds in Marwat’s skull. Adam stepped over the corpse and returned to the landing, resuming his run up the stairs.

  He would have compromised the mission if he had been left alive. Again, Adam and Syed shared the same cold, pragmatic view on the termination. But there was something else; part of it regret at the death of a comrade in the war against the infidels, another part . . .

  An almost visceral joy in taking a life.

  That was Syed. It was all Syed.

  It had to be.

  More floors passed, sounds of concern and confusion coming from the apartments as the residents reacted to the shots. On the top landing, a woman peered out timorously through her door, only to slam it shut as Adam rushed past.

  The last set of stairs led to the roof. Daylight from above – the door at the top was ajar.

  He ran towards it.

  6

  The Only Way Is Down

  Khattak had also heard the shots. He didn’t know if Marwat or Toradze had fired last, but was taking no chances, his gun covering the stairs as he held up his phone, trying to get a signal. There had to be another mast in range, there had to be . . .

  He reached the roof’s edge, the ground several vertiginous floors below. Still no network. He glanced at the stairwell. No movement. Back at the phone—

  An icon appeared. He had reception! Only one bar, but that was all he needed. He redialled the last number.

  Adam stopped just before the top of the stairs. He peeked through the doorway. The residents obviously considered the rooftop as much a part of their living space as their apartments. It was strung with washing lines, padlocked wooden boxes stacked beneath a makeshift shelter of corrugated metal.

  But Khattak was out of sight.

  With the drone destroyed, Adam had no extra eyes to help him. It was him versus the terrorist, and the other man had the advantage: there was only one place from where his pursuer could appear.

  But he heard a voice, somewhere to the left. Khattak. Syed recognised it instantly. He will be warning Nasir about the Americans!

  Adam rushed up the last steps and out on to the roof.

  He spun to the left, gun raised in a two-handed grip. Khattak was at the edge of the roof, pistol pointed straight at him – but the mere act of speech had slowed his reactions. Only by a fraction of a second, but enough for Adam to drop and roll sideways. The bullet seared past him.

  He jumped up to return fire as Khattak ran along the roof’s edge. Sodden washing on the lines blocked Adam’s line of sight. He aimed at where he thought the other man would be and pulled the trigger, but hit nothing except wet cloth.

  There was a chimney-like brick structure near the rooftop’s corner. Khattak darted behind it, pressing his back against the wall. He returned the phone to his ear. ‘Nasir, I’m being—’ Three beeps interrupted him: a dropped call. The chimney had been enough to block the weak connection. ‘No!’

  Adam heard the cry of dismay, immediately guessing its cause. He ducked past the washing and advanced on the chimney—

  Khattak burst out from behind the brickwork at a sprint – and leapt off the roof.

  Adam didn’t have time to fire before the other man fell out of view. A thump and a pained yell reached him. He ran to see where Khattak had gone.

  Another apartment block, a storey lower, came into view below. The two buildings were separated by an alley about twelve feet wide. The Pakistani had made a hard landing on the roof, which was even more cluttered than the one he had just left. He scrambled behind a pigeon loft.

  Adam knew he had to follow. But he would be vulnerable in mid-air, more so immediately after landing. Easy prey for the terrorist.

  Unless—

  He backed up, then made a running leap across the gap . . .

  And opened fire in mid-air, unleashing every remaining round in the SIG at the wooden loft – not with any expectation of hitting Khattak, but to force him to stay in cover.

  The trigger clicked, the gun’s slide locking back. Empty. The roof rushed at him—

  The impact sent a hammer-blow of pain through his legs. He rolled. The umbrella in his coat pocket dug hard into his side as he came to a stop and looked up.

  Khattak was just a metre away, having ducked as bullets tore through the pigeon loft. He blinked in surprise at the sight of the American.

  No time to reload. Adam dropped the P228 and sprang at him, tackling the Pakistani back against the wooden structure. Birds flapped in panic inside their cages. Khattak staggered, his gun clattering away across the roof.

  But he was far from incapacitated, delivering a vicious kick to Adam’s stomach. The American lurched back. Khattak straightened and reached into his jacket.

  He pulled out a knife.

  Adam stared at the nasty little blade. It was only about four inches long, but it was serrated, sharp, strong.

  And Khattak knows how to use it.

  Syed’s memories provided proof. The terrorist was well-practised with a knife, both for fighting and for his own personal pleasure. More than one man had been tortured with it, finally meeting a bloody end at Khattak’s hands while his leader watched approvingly. The image of flesh peeling away from bone as easily as the skin of an orange flashed through Adam’s mind.

  Khattak read the wariness on the American’s face. His mouth twisted into a cruel smile as he swept the blade in a series of swift, measured movements, a cobra swaying before the strike. He stepped closer.

  Adam kept his gaze fixed on the knife. Syed’s knowledge of his comrade was betraying him. Khattak would be overconfident—

  The blade thrust at his face.

  He jerked back. Another stab forced him to sidestep. Khattak advanced, jabbing the knife. Adam dodged each time, but realised that the Pakistani was trying to corner him. He had to fight back or be trapped.

  Weight in his coat. The umbrella.

  He snatched it out, wielding it like a truncheon. Khattak let out a mocking laugh. He lunged, the knife aimed at the American’s chest—
<
br />   Adam whipped up the umbrella. The terrorist yelped in startled pain as it cracked against his hand. Hard. The flimsy-looking cylinder was solid as a cosh.

  It was no ordinary umbrella.

  Anger drove him to attack again, the knife slashing at Adam’s throat. The umbrella blurred to intercept with another heavy thud. Khattak gasped through bared teeth.

  Adam watched him closely, reading his face, his body movements. Khattak was still angry, but now cautious too, knowing that his advantage had shrunk. Another stab – but this stopped short, a feint, changing direction as Adam moved to block. The blade’s tip sliced through his sleeve . . . and the skin beneath.

  This time it was Adam who let out an involuntary gasp. The cut was not deep, but it burned like a thin line of acid.

  Khattak’s malevolent smile returned. Adam suppressed Syed’s anger, controlling his own.

  Another stab—

  Adam batted his arm away – then slammed the umbrella against the side of Khattak’s head.

  The Pakistani lurched back. Before he could recover, Adam hit him twice more, rapid yet brutal blows to his face.

  Khattak retreated, expression now fearful. Adam kept pace as the pair circled. The terrorist made an experimental jab at him, but it was easily deflected. ‘Who are you?’ demanded Khattak. ‘Who are you really?’

  Adam had no answer. He continued circling, waiting for the next strike . . .

  Khattak made his attack – but not the one Adam expected.

  He didn’t stab with the knife. Instead he roared and rushed at the American, the blade leading his charge like a rhino’s horn.

  Adam delivered a fierce hit to his head with the umbrella, but not hard enough to fell him. He twisted to dodge the knife.

  He was only partly successful. It ripped through his coat, slashing across his chest. Khattak ploughed into him, knocking him backwards. They crashed against the pigeon loft. Cages broke open, terrified birds blinding Adam in a swirl of flapping wings. His foot caught something and he fell. He sensed as much as saw Khattak through the maelstrom and kicked as hard as he could. The Pakistani stumbled away from him.