Survival had become a way of life since Co-opComm first launched VADER. Thirteen years had passed, and yet, Abby remained . . . she and the others prevailed where many had surrendered. And died. Abby is tired. Tired of running and hiding. Tired of struggling, tired of fighting. Ultratron has a new secret weapon¿a better, improved version. And the government-sponsored company has a new target, a more heinous plan. Traveling to Chicago, the heart of the current regime, they come face-to-face with a new threat¿or is it? Who is this mysterious Riley, and what does she know about the St. Louis compound? And how? Shadowy inhabitants arise from the depths of the city, but are they friend . . . or foe? But Abby has only one objective: to defeat the government. Regardless of the cost.