Dr. Ingrid Seastrom was once a respected American physician. Whispr, whose body has been transformed to preternatural thinness, was once a streetwise thief. Now, in a world on the edge of catastrophe from centuries of environmental exploitation, they are allies{u2014}thrust together by fate to unravel an impossible mystery{u2014}even as they are stalked by a relentless killer. Ingrid and Whispr are hunted fugitives bound together by a thread: a data-storage thread made of a material that cannot exist, yet somehow does. Their quest to learn its secrets, and in Whispr{u2019}s case sell them to the highest bidder, has brought them to South Africa{u2019}s treacherous Namib desert. Beyond its dangers waits a heavily guarded research facility that promises answers, if they can survive long enough to get there. But that won{u2019}t be easy, not with Napun Molé on their trail. They{u2019}ve already escaped the assassin twice, and as far as Molé is concerned, finishing them off isn{u2019}t just a job anymore . . . it{u2019}s personal.