Some people have a Guardian Angel. Some aren't so lucky, and have a Guardian Devil.And lifelong green campaigner Verity Player of York has just come face-to-face with hers: evil genius Stan 'Satanic' Mills.He's the mastermind behind the spread of an idea so simple - and so fundamental to everyday life - that few people would think to question it.But Verity has long ago grasped its infernal logic. She knows it as the mechanism that lurks behind humanity's apparent death wish. And now, facing its creator, she's the only mortal who can fight to make him halt it before its final, devastating phase.Her struggle pitches her into a surreal game.Desperate, she bargains for a sporting chance. But this comes at a price: the forfeit of her precious conscience if she fails to strike the first blow by New Year...