Brilliant renegade hacker Mike Cleary and his crack team have finally debugged Guardian, his software program designed to block government cyber snooping. It's going to make them all rich. Now it's time to celebrate with a game of paintball, played in rugged wilderness far from the digital devices of their everyday lives. Not even an ominous encounter with a militia-style survivalist can dampen the weekend warriors' spirits. But someone is playing for keeps. Instead of getting hit with paintballs, soon they're getting splattered for real. As the body count climbs, Cleary discovers he's at the center of a worldwide web of deceit, aimed at gaining control of the program at any cost. Stalked with high-tech weapons, betrayed by trusted friends, only his programming savvy and a bizarre strategic alliance forged on the battlefield can keep him alive. If he fails and Guardian falls into the wrong hands, the game is over for everyone in the nation.