Vivienne Adkins, a former vitaic Soldier known as a CRUSADER, wakes confused and afraid as emergency medical droids barge into her home. She and her family are rushed to the hospital when it is confirmed they have a mysterious virus and it's not long after that her husband and oldest daughter fall victim to the novel pathogen. Vivienne learns that her cybernetic implants are helping stave off the effects of the virus, but only borrowing her time. Because of her status as an Agent of the Office of the American Homeland (the futuristic equivalent of the CIA) the doctor treating her and the lead scientist of the American Center for Disease Control reveal to her their suspicions that this virus is man-made. With the recent death of her husband and her oldest daughter, as a result of the virus, and the life of her surviving daughter hanging in the balance, Vivienne springs into action and uses her investigative prowess to uncover the truth behind the virus.
Shortly into her investigation, the plot thickens when a mysterious terrorist organization, known as the Brotherhood of Illumination, claims responsibility for the virus and broadcasts their message of disdain for the new world government, the Council of Nations. Her ire now focused on the people she deems responsible for the fate of her family, Vivienne calls her former CRUSADER squad together to bring the Brotherhood, and its leader, the Enlightened One, to justice. Pursuing lead after lead, the Brotherhood appears one step ahead of Vivienne and her team at all times. Vivienne's lack of attention to the remainder of her family, primarily her brother, Thomas, causes an already tumultuous relationship to worsen and when another tragedy strikes the family and Thomas seeks solace in the very same organization his sister is seeking to destroy.
Without warning, the attention of the Council suddenly shifts from bringing down the Brotherhood, back to the DC Virus when it's revealed the pathogen is mutating, rendering the recently developed vaccine useless. Afraid that the human race will become extinct, the Council makes the tough decision to enact the Exodus Protocol: a military program conceived and implemented at the end of the last great war when the fear of nuclear annihilation was looming on the horizon. Vivienne and her team get reassigned to defending the Council's assets and the humans selected to leave the planet in order to establish a new home on the planet dubbed Orbus Novus.
Fighting for the very survival of humanity, Vivienne begins to suspect they have a mole in their midst. Even worse, a rogue agent of the Council leads her to believe that the very Council itself is involved beyond their understanding. This chapter of the story comes to a close with the final confrontation between Vivienne and Jayce Blackwood, deranged ex-CRUSADER and one of the Enlightened One's second in command, who comes to the fight with more than weapons in tow, and her younger brother Thomas - now turned vitaic for the Brotherhood.
