How did she come here, to this place in her life? A once shy girl, without an athletic bone in her body, overweight, a little antisocial. A gamer, more comfortable in front of her computer monitor than under sunlight. How could it be she, now, with a gun, going into a foreign land to find another programmer, a brilliant but troubled mind, and share his discoveries with what remains of the world?

The world has all but fallen, and Melody is beginning to realize there is no happy ending. Too much has already been lost. Too many have already surrendered to evil. Now she must look inside herself. Why does she keep going? For what does she fight, if not victory? What is her life worth?

The enemy's objective will be discovered, on the far side of the planet and buried deep, and the remaining free people of the world will try to take it from the enemy's clutches. This will be their last, desperate play for any advantage, any leverage that might let them preserve a spark of liberty in the coming night of worldwide totalitarian dominion. Melody will be there, along with those of her allies who are not already dead. She knows already that she will hold nothing back. She has only her life left to give, and she will give it.

The only question left, now, is what the world will look like when the dust settles.