'“If we could only get in touch with them. If they could only hear us.” The Overlord's eyes ran over the remote faces.

“Maybe they can. Ruth, Ruth, can you hear me?” Tomi knelt down, his face close to Ruth's. The green mist was acrid, choking; Ruth's face was smooth, shining with Sweat. Then the lips moved clumsily, as if she were a statue speaking.

“Yes?”

“You must spare some of your energy to help us drive the gas out of the room.”

“I can’t.”

“It's destroying the Web. Luke will be trapped.”

“I…will…try.”

“I will help.” Tomi heard the Initiator's voice, though her lips did not even move. “I will give you extra energy. Together we can do it.”

Tomi and the Overlord saw a small whirlwind suck the green vapour across the floor and out of the door. Little tendrils turned back, but they were sucked out. Before long the source had dried up and the room was clear.

The Overlord shut the door and leaned against it. ''What next, I wonder?” he said under his breath.

Five-thirty.

RUTH CONCENTRATED on holding up the gate. She felt as if she were rooted to the ground like the trees of the forest, while her shoulders and arms, like great branches, bore the stupendous weight. “Luke, are you there?”

“I'm coming.”

There he was, tiny, very far away, coming closer, getting larger, running towards her along the grey passage of the circuit board. Now he was beside her under the gate. Now he was past her.

“Come on, Ruth. I've done it. It's all right.”

She could no longer hear him. She was trapped in the computer. She watched the grey walls recede as she seemed to grow smaller and smaller - or was the space around her growing larger and larger? Whichever it was she was now no larger than a grain of sand. Soon she would vanish entirely. But she had held the gate and Luke was safely through.

“Ruth!”

What was that?

“Ruth, Ruth!”

The unchanging grey light was suddenly charged with particles of shimmering gold. They danced, vibrated, came together in a pattern. It was a mesh in front of her. It was all around her pulling her backwards. She did not struggle within it. There was not enough left of her to struggle. She felt herself pulled gently backwards out of the greyness into ...

Light? She opened her eyes. She was on the floor looking up at the anxious loving faces of her friends.

“We've done it,” she heard Luke say. “You and I.”

“And the computer is no more than that. Just a system to retain and retrieve knowledge, and a system to run the physical plant of Ark One.” It was Tomi's voice. “No more infopaks. No instant knowledge. Or power. The Lords will be furious.”