"So it was aimed at the security gear rather than Grandpa's NN core?" Julia asked.

"That's what I think. There would be no point in directing it at a bioware core; as you've seen, the programs stored inside won't actually suffer any damage. The hotrod who squirted it in must have known that."

"Which implies that we're going to have visitors sometime soon," Morgan Walshaw said.

"Then why are we still here?" she asked. "The finance division offices are just as secure. And they won't know I'm there if we move fast."

Ryder took an awkward breath. "Miss Evans, Wilholm's defences will shoot anything larger than a rabbit which moves inside the grounds, apart from the sentinels."

"Including us?" Julia asked incredulously.

"If anyone were to step outside, then yes."

"We're perfectly safe," Morgan Walshaw said. "Just can't get out, that's all."

"All!"

"And no one can get in. The attack has failed, Julia."

"You hope."

"We're patrolling the manor on the inside. I've got lookouts with photon amps scanning the gardens. If anyone does get past the sentinels and the defence gear they'll be sitting ducks for our hand-lasers."

"Oh." Julia tried to spot a flaw in his reasoning, and couldn't, to her immense relief. "Guess we're going to be all right, then."

"Good girl. We'll just sit it out in here for the rest of the night."

Julia realised that there was something Ryder hadn't said. "How long before your team finishes the antithesis program?" she asked him.

"There's only me here," Piers Ryder replied. "I can't do anything by myself, you need a lightware cruncher to write an antithesis."

"Haven't they even given you an estimate?"

"We can't talk to anyone outside, Julia," Morgan said.

"Why not?"

"The virus has contaminated all the communications consoles. Your grandfather's NN core was plugged into every landline, ours and English Telecom's."

"Well, what about the satellite uplinks?"

"Same problem," said Piers Ryder. "Even the dish servos are glitched."

"So use a cybofax."

Piers Ryder looked crestfallen, he glanced at Morgan Walshaw for support. The security chief responded with an empty wave.

"One of the security systems protecting the manor is an all-spectrum electromagnetic jammer," said Piers Ryder. "We thought a tekmerc penetration squad would have to be equipped with some kind of military-grade communication gear to co-ordinate their assault. A commercial cybofax couldn't possibly break through the jamming blanket. I'm sorry."

Julia felt a pang of sympathy for Ryder. "Don't apologise, I had no idea I was so well protected."

"The security office in Peterborough will know exactly what's happened," Morgan said smoothly. "They'll be working on it now."

"All they need is the antithesis," Ryder said earnestly. "Once they've cracked it, they'll load it into the company datanet and send it into our communications consoles through the optical cables, it'll flush the virus in seconds."

"Right then." Julia gave them all a bright smile.