She wanted to break up everything we’ve got. So, no, I’m not going to hurt her, but.’ They pondered for a moment what ‘but’ might mean, then...Elspeth raised an important point. ‘When you think about it, James, it was a very narrow escape. I mean, suppose it had been a man that worked out that something was going on, or an ugly woman.’ ‘I know,’ I replied. ‘I’ve thought of that. Sooner or later it’s going to happen. It’s not just the unusual set-up that might attract attention. It’s the physical. Stopping before I reached the group, I gestured with my sword to the male leader in an obvious invitation to join me. He made a quick decision, grabbing the females and throwing them at me, he and the rest of his party quickly disappeared.The females, girls really on closer inspection, were human, about 15 or so from the looks of things and, well, I wouldn't throw them out of bed for eating toast. Nervously looking at me they all started talking to each other and me at once. This was a language. Before I can see them, you spring, covering more ground in your few steps than I can keep up with, and I am sprinting to catch you. The rabbits are startled by your approach, and all I see of them are tails and paddle-like feet as they bound away in a flurry of shifting grass - until you turn, holding a small one by the ears, for me. The fire in your eyes as you hold it in front of me - your chest heaving with your breathing - is disarming, and I reach for the rabbit, following my instinct to. Taking the bare strands, she pushed them against the end of her finger, wincing as blood flowed around the wound. The copper conductors brushed against her internal circuitry and a connection was established. She probed the network, surprised to find only the most rudimentary security policy. The network only traversed the upper deck before passing through Quantum firewalls to systems elsewhere on the yacht. The Quantums in the surveillance room received feeds from a battery of cameras and.