You'll find no vampires or werewolves in this tale. It's about something far more sinister. The Braca, a malignant humanoid species held in check for eons by a clandestine society of full-humans, now need a newly discovered element, "126+," to rise and dominate Earth. Standing in their way is Fifth Squad, nine triple-crossed American soldiers deserted by their country. Very quickly the squad members learn their mission is a sham, one of them is a Braca infiltrator and murderer, and all of them are sentenced to termination by the US military. Lena Wong, the squad leader by default, realizes Fifth Squad's only hope for survival is to get to the "126+," buried high atop a mountain peak in war torn Bosnia, and use the mineral to bargin for their lives. Fifth Squad soon finds itself on a collision course with a pack of ghoulish Braca, two divisions of Serb rebel troops, and a battalion of US air cavalry. All paths intersect at the "126+" location. The squad's only hope lies in weapons expert Deke Yaskin, who is not what he presents himself to be. Is he to be believed when he declares his intent to keep the gene mutating "126+" out of the hands of the military and the Braca? All life on Earth came from space. It would have been better for humankind if some species had stayed in space.