Joshua Keene, who works in a real estate developer's office, leaves a message for his grandfather's answering machine, and is then confronted by a mysterious man who hauls him up to the roof and drops him to his death. The grandfather, Wahota, an elderly Indian tracker, comes to Chicago and believes his son's death was not a suicide as the police claim. After he talks to Joshua's boss, Logan Dunn, the same mysterious man tries to kill him, only for Cole to intervene. Dunn(who we later learn is a DESSERIAN) and the other man are both alien prisoners involved in some real estate scam for Zin. Cole confronts the killer, Marak(who is a VARDIAN and a old friend of ZIN'S), and imprisons his life energy as Wahota looks on. Wahota is pretty cool with the whole thing, and he and Cole team up to take out Dunn. Dunn flees into the woods, where Wahota's tracking skills prove useful. When Cole is caught in a strangle-noose trap, Wahota shoots through the rope with an arrow, giving Cole the break he

A young girl, Jamie Swenson, miraculously recovers from an illness and subsequently heals an electrocuted boy. This catches the attention of Cole, who investigates. Jamie has been taken over by Lontoria, a Cyrrhonian prisoner (of the same race as Cole). who escaped from Satrap. She was a political prisoner who thought Zin would give her a second chance on Earth, and she's been attempting to help humanity once she arrived. Zin (passing as a movie producer) wants her to use her powers for his own ends, and the local sheriff is another of the escaped prisoners. Cole is conflicted because he and Lontoria were friends. Meanwhile, the local priest, Father Creighton, believes that ""Jamie's"" powers are God-given, and tries to give her refuge in a church. Zin and the sheriff go after Jamie and Cole intervenes, defeating the sheriff but being fatally wounded by an energy gun Zin employs that was based on Lonotonio's weapon research. Zin is forced to flee and Lonotonio gives up almost all of her