| Director | Robert Lee |
|---|---|
| Budget | $2 million |
Haunted by memories of the murder of his partner by anarchist terrorist Nassim, former policeman Nick James has become a debt-ridden shell of his former self, and works as a janitor for computer science firm Quantum. Quantum's top research team is led by the father–daughter team of Phillip and Alex Royce, who are on the verge of a groundbreaking discovery: a computer virus that has been injected with organic components to become a highly efficient anti-hacking "vaccine", capable of protecting the world's computer networks with an unparalleled degree of intelligence. However, despite the reticence of Quantum's boss Neil Jervis, Alex insists that the program is highly unstable and not ready for commercial release. This is confirmed when it escapes the company's mainframe and invades the city's transportation system, causing one of its SkyBus shuttles to crash into a skyscraper with its passengers.
Showing no regard for the risks, Nassim takes over the Quantum headquarters with a heavily armed commando unit, killing several high-ranking officers including Jervis and Alex's father. He then demands to be injected with the virus, which he hopes will grant him the ability to control all of the world's computer infrastructures. James, who has escaped the attack, is Alex's only hope on the inside. Meanwhile, the police has gathered outside the building and activated its "Cyclop" sentry bots, but these make little difference between James and the terrorists.