‘I’ll live. Assuming we actually get out of this alive.’ He flipped the remote around in his hand, thumbing open a panel in its base. ‘Okay, let’s see. Ford, Ford…’ He turned a small knurled wheel, then pushed it. A sliver of metal sprang out of the remote with a click. He slid it into the ignition slot and turned it. The Mustang’s five-litre V8 started up with a rumble that echoed through the garage. ‘All right!’
‘That’s the happiest I’ve seen you since we ran out of that pub,’ Bianca said, almost teasing.
‘Apparently I like my wheels. You ready?’ She nodded, and he pulled out of the space, turning back towards the ramp. He accelerated up it, the exhaust note booming in his wake.
‘There!’ said Morgan, pointing at the screens. A dark shape emerged from the bowels of the office building the drone was observing. ‘Someone’s leaving. Kyle, follow it.’
‘We don’t have his tracker,’ said Kyle. ‘It could just be some dude going home early.’
‘He went in there to disable the tracker. We can’t risk losing them.’ He glanced at the map. Baxter and his men had been released, the three STS Suburbans now racing with the police vehicles towards Adam’s last known location — but they were still two blocks distant.
‘It could be a decoy,’ Tony cautioned. ‘They might be splitting up.’
Morgan shook his head. ‘Adam somehow persuaded Dr Childs to help him do this, even though she must have known the consequences. They’ll stick together.’ He looked back at the view from the UAV’s camera. ‘Kyle, why isn’t the auto-tracking on that car yet? And zoom in closer — we can’t even tell the model from this height!’
‘There’s, uh, some sort of glitch in the system,’ Kyle replied unconvincingly. ‘I can’t get a lock on it — uh-oh.’ The image rocked as the drone slewed around. The black car swept off the edge of the screen. ‘Must be turbulence or something! A jetstream, maybe.’
‘Over Washington?’ spluttered Kiddrick.
‘Air’s a weird thing, brah.’ He waggled the controls, putting the UAV into a spin.
‘I see we do need some more security guys in here,’ growled Morgan. ‘Hamilton, take over from him. Kyle—’
‘I know, I know,’ said Kyle, standing. ‘I’m busted.’
‘Just stand over there and wait for the SPOs. Hamilton! Where’s that car?’
Kyle’s replacement took over the controls, stabilising the drone. The office building came back into view — but there was no sign of the target vehicle. ‘I can’t see it, sir.’
‘Search wider. We’ve got to find it.’
‘I don’t even know which way it was heading, sir. It could have gone in any direction from the nearest intersection.’
‘We can’t exactly tell Metro to put out an APB on “a black car”,’ said Tony. The camera panned across another block — revealing at least half a dozen vehicles that would fit the description.
Morgan simmered, glaring at the wall screens. ‘Okay. Tell them to search that building, just in case they’re still inside. It’s a long shot, but we have to check. Then get MPD to set up roadblocks — ten-block radius.’
Tony looked at the capital’s expansive grid on the map. ‘That’s a hell of a lot of streets. They’ll never be able to close them all off.’
‘We have to try, damn it!’ He turned and glared at Kyle, who was being escorted away by a pair of guards. ‘Wait, don’t take him to holding. Take him to my office. And bring Voss and James, too. I want to know what the hell’s going on here. Tony, come with me.’ He started towards an exit, then stopped as he realised the Bullpen’s staff were staring at him in confusion. ‘Well? You’ve got your orders — get on with them! Find that car! Find Adam Gray!’
‘Put your head down,’ said Adam as he saw a police car approaching from the other direction. ‘They’re looking for two people, not one.’
Bianca squirmed lower in her seat, dropping below the window line. The MPD cruiser drew closer, the driver’s eyes flicking towards the Mustang — then it passed. Adam checked the mirror. The cops disappeared into the distance. ‘Okay, they’re gone. They’re not looking for this car.’
She cautiously lifted her head. ‘What now?’
‘Go somewhere quiet, then use the PERSONA to see what’s on that disk.’ He glanced at the bag in her lap. ‘Find out what was in my mind.’
He looked ahead. An alley led between some run-down commercial buildings. He slowed and turned into it. ‘The neighbourhood’s a bit grotty,’ said Bianca.
‘We’re not going to get carjacked by drug dealers in broad daylight.’ He slowed the Mustang. ‘This should do.’
It was a brick structure with a small loading dock set into its rear, real-estate signs proclaiming that the property was available to rent. The windows were boarded up. Adam turned the car into the space and stopped. They were completely hidden from the main street; anyone looking for them would have to come down the alley to find them.
If someone did do that, the Mustang would be blocked in by their vehicle. But it was a chance he had to take.
He twisted to get the cases from the back seat — and let out a grunt of pain. ‘Stay still, I’ll do that,’ Bianca told him. ‘Let me see.’ He reluctantly shifted position. ‘Oh, God. You’re still bleeding — it’s all over your back!’ A blotchy dark patch had swollen outwards from the wound, soaking his clothing.
‘It’ll look worse than it is,’ he said, trying to reassure her — and himself. ‘It’s just spread because I’ve been pressed against the seat.’
‘Are you sure? How do you feel?’
‘I’m feeling… that I wish I’d used anaesthetic. But I’m okay. Really.’ He managed a small, strained smile. ‘Get the PERSONA set up.’
It was awkward doing so in the confines of the coupé, but after a few minutes Bianca had connected both units of the PERSONA device and switched them on. Despite its rough treatment since leaving the STS building, the system appeared to be in working order. She took out the memory module. ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’
Adam finished donning the skullcap. ‘I don’t know if I’m going to like what I find out. But I’ve got to find out.’ He faced her. ‘Is this on okay?’
She reached up to adjust the electrodes. ‘There. You’re good.’ Her hand stayed against his skin for an extra moment as she regarded him with concern. ‘What are you going to do if it really is something bad?’
‘I don’t know,’ he said in a quiet voice. Then, more firmly: ‘Give me the shot and start the transfer. Let’s get this over with. However it turns out.’
‘Okay.’ She took the jet injector from the medical case. ‘Are you ready?’
‘Do it.’
‘Good luck.’ She positioned the nozzle against his neck and pulled the trigger, then watched the now unsettlingly familiar sight of all expression fading from his face. Thirty seconds passed. ‘I’m going to start the transfer,’ she whispered. Adam’s only response was a slight nod.
She touched the controls. The PERSONA’s screen came to life, beginning to feed the recorded memories back into their owner’s mind.
Chapter 43
Know Thyself
Morgan’s mood had not improved by the time he reached his office.
‘Right,’ he said, glowering at the three young specialists lined up before his desk. ‘I want answers, and I want them now. All three of you were working to help Adam get away. Why?’
Holly Jo, Levon and Kyle exchanged unhappy looks, none wanting to be the first to speak. ‘Let me spell it out for you,’ Morgan continued. ‘You deliberately impeded an operation to capture a rogue agent who had stolen highly classified information — and assaulted a senior STS official in the process, in case you’d forgotten. That means you can be charged under the Espionage Act! We’re talking a good thirty years in federal prison here — assuming you aren’t all packed off to Guantanamo. So this is your last chance. Why did you help Adam?’