"There must be an easy way of proving you can see the future," Julia persisted as the three of them walked up the stairs toward the study. Rachel had gone back to the butler's pantry, satisfied Greg and Gabriel posed no threat.

"I can give you a short-term localised prediction, but you must remember that you possess the ability to alter that future. Nothing is a certainty. For instance, I could tell you what I see you eating for dinner tonight; but it would be singularly pointless as you could order the cook to prepare something else just to prove the prediction wrong."

"So make it something I won't alter." She glanced at Greg to see if he approved of her badgering. He must've understood how intrigued people would be.

Eighth time you've looked at him.

Wipe OtherEyes.

The abrupt silence was like an empty hole, torn out. She felt a fragment of guilt, this was Grandpa she was punishing. But he shouldn't abuse the privilege, he had to learn that.

Gabriel's eyes had that distant focus, just like Greg. As though the gland lifted them out of this universe for a while.

"This afternoon, four o'clock, you'll get a call from your precision cybernetics division in London. The manager will submit the last quarter returns; and he'll keep emphasising the efficiency figures, they're up by five per cent."

"All right," Julia said enthusiastically. Four o'clock, an hour and a half, she could wait that long. Typical of regional managers to fish for compliments.

"Unless you call him first and ask for the report," Gabriel pointed out.

"I won't. I think I believe anyway. You'd never be so bold if you weren't certain."

Greg and Gabriel both seemed content with her answer. She showed them into the study, walking straight to her seat at the head of the table.

"Look, Grandpa, Greg's come to visit us, and he's brought a friend."

Julia noticed Gabriel's reticence as she sat down. The woman's gaze never left the black column on the table as she perched on the front edge of the wooden seat. If she really could see the future how could anything shock her?

Julia listened to her grandfather saying hello in a civil tone, giving away nothing. Then Greg started to report on his progress to date. Her eyes wandered while he was speaking and she saw Gabriel was using the gland again.

"Bugger," Philip Evans exclaimed when Greg had finished. "That fucking Ministry of Defence, more bloody trouble than it's worth. I never knew it leaked that badly. The whole hacker circuit, you say?"

"'Fraid so, they all know you've cracked the giga-conductor, and been awarded development contracts."

"So it could be any of the kombinates," Julia said. "You've no leads."

"A lot of negatives, which is cutting down the field considerably. At the moment my personal suspicion is Kendric di Girolamo and a highly placed mole. Place as much emphasis on that as you wish."