15-year-old Ran Kenelm can fix anything! He can talk smart machines into repairing themselves. Faced with conquering his phobia for virtual reality before he can continue in school, Ran opts to escape foster care and find a job. But no one will hire him. Hallie Pollard's rush to finish school gets sidetracked when she witnesses a bombing and, against orders, investigates its cause. Pel Teague bikes to Dodge, on the trail of unexplained disappearances. Unbelievable disappearances. In an age when everyone is chipped and accounted for, how can people just disappear? Then he gets a chance to pose a question to the national computer. A fateful picnic results in an attempted kidnapping of Hallie. Ran's rescue leaves him severely burned, Hallie is in the hospital with a loss of memory, and Pel locked up as complicit in the deaths of two kidnappers. All three are ordered aboard a starship, destination unknown. When Pel discovers several orphans are also aboard, being returned to their parents, Pel is sure it's because of his question. While the others undergo space sleep, Ran, still healing from burns, finally confronts his VR phobia. But there are saboteurs who don't want the ship to arrive.