He soon had it working.

Bill-boy, who was sentry, looked at him and winked. Travis got up and rummaged in his pack. Time for his pills.

First he took Bio-lok(TM) for his arm, a drug to suppress his immune system's natural urge to reject the complex neural linkages that enabled him to control an arm of teflon, kevlar and fibre-optic nerves. Next a neurotransmitter enhancer which enabled the protein based computer at the top of his spine to take orders from his brain and transmit them to his limbs. Finally some vitamin tablets. Just to keep him fit and healthy. The first two were the chains the CIA used to bind him, keep him coming back.

Without the drugs he would be a cripple.

His preparations had disturbed the Greens who came awake instantly and quietly around him. It astonished him that they could do that. Go from being completely at rest to combat readiness in a moment. Still it was only part of the design that made them into what the Pentagon believed was the soldier of the future.

He reviewed the facts; grown by accelerated cell division in culture vats, educated by neural induction helmet. They had stomach bacteria modified to enable them to digest cellulose, live off the land. They could eat wood if necessary. They had sub-dermal pigmentation sacs which gave them natural camouflage.

They were stronger, faster and cheaper to mass produce than comparable human soldiers. At least such was the hope. These were the field trials, he was the observer.

The Greens had clustered around something, watching with alert fascination. He strolled over to look. On the ground a raiding party of ants were locked in combat with a large beetle several times their size.

The beetle was massively armoured with huge jaws but it was doomed; the ants swarmed over it spraying formic acid.

Travis watched the reactions of the Greens closely. Bill-boy smiled and nodded happily, Carlo shook his head and walked away. Chad's face might have been carved from stone for all the expression it carried. Stef looked puzzled.

"Watch them," Saunders, the CIA man, had said back in the Camp. "Anything unusual, no matter how trivial, report it."

The ants had finished the beetle. Bill-boy stood up and looked around pleased. Then he brought his foot down and ground the ants under his heel.

He smiled.

"Let's eat," he said. Travis stared at him. A prototype, he reminded himself. He's just a prototype. A small, mocking voice inside his own head said just like you were. His feelings of unease increased.

4. Ambush.

The Sandinista never knew what hit them. They had been following the trail, straggling along in a line, three men on point.