99942 Apophis, a massive asteroid: two football fields long, weighing 60 million tons. On Friday, February 13, 2029 it flies by the Earth close enough to be viewed with a pair of binoculars. It circles the sun and returns again on Friday, April 13, 2036. And again in 2068. And so on. With the potential to wipe out one-third of the world's population Katie Peterson is the gifted college student with a knack for astronomy. At her side are Howard Bell, the ubersmart graduate student, and Robert Acey, Professor of Astrophysics. Working with the brightest that JPL and NASA have to offer, they combine efforts to keep Apophis in their crosshairs. Katie meets her match with the arrival of Yelena Orlova, the Russian rocket scientist with a dark past and hidden agenda. In Orlova's shadow lurks the brooding General Ivanov. Katie is determined to keep Apophis from colliding with Earth, and to keep Orlova and Ivanov in her sights. Who can she trust? If she can trust anyone at all