The six Hawaiian researchers currently in Pakistan studying the Grand Collectice have had a split in the group. Two of them want to continue with the task they flew half a world away to accomplish - studying the Grand Collective in its own territory

The Pakistanis have been extrememly polite in their sharing of intelligence, but they have stubbornly refused any intrusion into the Collective's territory. While the other four researchers are content with what they have now, the other two are insistent on speaking to it "in-person".

The two renegades are attempting a daring crossing of an extremely militarized border into hostile land, fully understanding that their own lives are at risk in the process. Even if they make it, their return is not guaranteed. They are willing to make this sacrifice in the name of science, because they believe that Pakistani intel is both incomplete and heavily biased.