A killer holds an entire planet hostage. Brock Marsden uses Galactic technology to incorporate alien DNA into his body-gaining super-human abilities. As a member of the Moreau Society, Brock knows the risks, the dangers of using such advanced technology. Those reckless, ignorant, or simply unlucky risk becoming Dumpties, scrambled beyond saving, dying a horrible death. Now a rogue ex-member of the Moreau Society has twisted the Galactic technology into a horrible weapon capable of murder by mutation. The killer holds the entire planet hostage to his demands for a Galactic to surrender to him-something that the Glittering Throng will never do. With everything at stake, Brock Marsden must track down the killer and stop him before the unthinkable happens. In a case that demands everything, how much will Brock sacrifice to save a world?