The chaotic collapse of the Ash Sky Rail has left S.I.Haven reeling, but for teen prodigy detective Mark Taper, the real work is only beginning. While the city's residents prepare for the Mayor's upcoming birthday festivities, Mark is buried in forensic reports and neural breakdowns of a reality-warping threat he was forced to end... the "Ember Child" known as Context Ash.
Having halted a plot to rethread the entire universe into a singular, maddened vision, Mark finds himself haunted by the origins of the girl he shot (a victim of a cruel circus upbringing and the twisted experiments of the enigmatic Dr Vostok). But the peace bought by her death is fragile. As Mark investigates whether her reality-forming powers can be exploited from beyond the grave, a new threat emerges closer to home.
A classmate's desperate bid for popularity takes a horrific turn when a sudden genetic mutation transforms him into a laser-firing prehistoric predator. Forced into a precarious chase through the city streets and parks, Mark and his stoic companion, Glim, must navigate mob hits, snipers, and the volatile evolution of the "Ember" gene.
