Eleanor surfaced, keeping the water level above her shoulders, bracing herself for the graphic warning again. It remained off. Treading water. Somehow she'd turned round to face the waterfall. A dark figure shot over the lip, arms flapping at the air. The curving torrent of water behind it boiled furiously again as the manor's Bofors masers fired.

"Check in," a voice called out.

"Teddy? Teddy, I'm here, it's Eleanor."

"Christ, gal. OK, you still got the Rockwell?"

Eleanor paddled her one free hand, cumbersome in the thick garment, turning until she spotted him, a small mound protruding from the lake's gently rippling surface. "I've got it."

"Thank you, sweet Jesus."

"Father, Suzi here."

"Victor held the power unit."

"Terrific."

Eleanor saw Teddy bring the message laser out of the water.

"Shit," Des's voice, high and panicky. "Being lasered."

There was a splash somewhere off to Eleanor's left.

"Nicole, 'nother unit."

The façade of the manor seemed to flicker, its brightness oscillating. Tiny points of bright-red light twinkled from the second-storey windows.

LASER ATTACK. The photon-amp image went completely white.

Eleanor drew a deep breath and sank below the surface. The photon-amp image reverted to blue with slashes of black. This time she could make slightly more sense of it; three intense dots of brighter blue above her, where the lasers from the manor were striking the surface, bubbles fizzing up around her. She kicked with her feet, moving away.

"— look you bastards," Teddy was shouting as Eleanor came up. "Christ," he ducked below the lake.

White. LASER ATTACK.

The blueness was speckled with red and green, throbbing. Her lungs burnt. Can't do this many more times.

Up again.

Droplets of water came in with the air. Eleanor coughed, swallowing some. It tasted foul.

"They've stopped," Suzi called out.

"Now what?" Des asked.

"Wait," said Teddy. "Eleanor, you and Victor come over to me, slow and easy. I wanna get that Rockwell sorted."

Eleanor rolled over, letting herself float on her back with the water lapping round her chin. Waving her feet, creeping towards Teddy. Will they think grouping together is hostile?

Eleanor was about five metres short of Teddy when a voice boomed out from the manor. "Who the hell are you people?" It sounded angry.

Teddy began to flash the laser again. Eleanor stopped moving. Whatever morse code was, it seemed incredibly ponderous.

"You want to come in and talk about Mandel? Who've you got as a guarantee?"

"Do your thing, Victor," Teddy grunted.

"Right." He submerged.

Eleanor felt insufferably weary. Just wanted it all to be over. The infusion must be wearing off, she thought.

Victor came up without his hood, hair plastered across his forehead.

"Smile, man."

"Victor," the voice blared, "Hell, it is you. Are these people genuine? We've got them covered if they try and force you. Nod for yes. Shake for no."

"Jesus wept," said Teddy. "Paranoid or what."