He checked his watch one final time and saw that he was one minute beyond the time set to trigger the shutdown. He climbed onto his feet and over the wrought iron fence. There was no sound and no lights went on. He kept low and moved quickly toward a rear window that the plans had identified as a guest room. For what seemed like a mile, he felt totally exposed and vulnerable, but there were no immediate effects: no flashing lights, no sirens and no one emerging from the estate. When he reached the window, he knelt down and looked around. There was no movement other than his own. He was in darkness and all was according to plan.
* * *
Sarah heard the click of the door as John stepped out into the early morning darkness. She reached out to find that he was no longer next to her. She sat up
