TO BE "DIFFERENT" IS TO BE DEAD

Turned into two armed camps by the accidental release of a deadly virus, the United States has become: the Federation, where the Normals live; and the Zone, a forbidden territory housing the mutated members of humanity known as Undesirables. Now, sixty-three years after disaster first struck, the terrorist mutant rights organization known as the Front is striking back, and for Front leader Sara Ford, Zone pilot Duvall may prove the perfect means to keep her most precious weapon out of the Federation's clutches.

His cargo skimmer hijacked by Ford and shot down over the Zone, Duvall and his passengers are immediately caught up in a war for survival. And while Duvall could care less whether Sara Ford lives or dies, her daughter Emily is another matter.

To Sara, Emily is a tool to be used for her cause. To the Federation, this mutant is the rare kind of commodity they've been searching for. To the Zone warlord, Emily is something to sell to the highest bidder. But to Zone pilots Duvall and Betsy, she is a frightened child in need of protectors. Yet what none of them can see is that Emily is either the world's worst nightmare—or this divided country's last, best hope for peace....