A killer holds an entire planet hostage. Brock Marsden uses Galactic technology to incorporate alien DNA into his body—gaining super-human abilities. As a member of the Moreau Society, Brock knows the risks, the dangers of using such advanced technology. Those reckless, ignorant, or simply unlucky risk becoming Dumpties, scrambled beyond saving, dying a horrible death. Now a rogue ex-member of the Moreau Society has twisted the Galactic technology into a horrible weapon capable of murder by mutation. The killer holds the entire planet hostage to his demands for a Galactic to surrender to him—something that the Glittering Throng will never do. With everything at stake, Brock Marsden must track down the killer and stop him before the unthinkable happens. In a case that demands everything, how much will Brock sacrifice to save a world?