Ariel told her boss that she’d never get in via the front door of the system without being detected. The only ice Ariel had ever seen that was worse was the kind Renraku Computer Systems had protecting some of their important hosts. Renraku had always been known for its cutting-edge ice, but lately their systems had been getting even smarter, a lot smarter. Adaptive architectures, cascading party ice, the worst. Word on the street said Renraku’s best systems couldn’t be broken, and even legendary deckers like Fastjack and Black Isis had tried and failed against them. Fortunately, Ariel didn’t have to worry about Renraku ice on this run.