The opening scene takes place late in the day in the ID portal terminal for the city of New York. The last group of travellers arrives through the portals and disperses into the city.

The terminal is quiet and one of the duty technicians is watching a television interview which is being given by President Daniel Thompson. The interviewer asks President Thompson about the presidential election which will take place in the near future. Thompson tells the interviewer that there will be a clear choice, because for the first time, the voters agree that there is only one election issue, that of humanity's relationship with the Taelons. The suave Thompson says that if elected, he plans to expand on the relationship which he has formed with the Taelons.

Ralston, the technician who has been watching the interview, tells his partner that when the campaign begins in earnest, Thompson will be trumpeting his involvement with Zo'or in the portal program. His partner agrees and notes that one final test must be run on a new portal before their shift ends and they can go home. They place a crash test dummy named "Hank" in the portal and send him to Bangkok. As they work, they talk about the new passageways being opened by the Taelons in areas of interdimensional space which have never before been charted or explored. These uncharted areas are now being accessed because existing passageways are becoming overcrowded as ID travel becomes popular on earth.

"Hank" returns through the ID portal in the usual manner, but is not entirely unscathed by his trip. The dummy's head is somewhat skewed and the two technicians make a joke about it, saying that Hank "lost his head" on his journey. Ralston decides to remain in the terminal to run a few additional tests and calibrate one of the portals. He climbs inside the portal and is performing his task when he notices a small incandescent creature moving swiftly toward him . Ralston is frightened and tries to blast the unknown creature with his calibrating device. When the energy blast hits it, the creature multiplies into several identical creatures which attack Ralston simultaneously. He screams in pain, goes into cardiac arrest and dies.

In Liam's office in the Taelon embassy, the surviving technician explains to Liam that his partner died from a heart attack. There is no evidence of foul play in the technician's death so the new ID portals will not be shut down. Liam is sceptical and tells the technician that Ralston seemed to be fighting something off at the time of his death. Examination of Ralston's body has revealed that he received burns to his arms and legs. The technician speculates that the burns could have been caused by Ralston's calibrator which puts out a lot of energy.

A power failure has occurred across the country, and President Thompson contacts Zo'or to inform him about it. Sandoval and Lili are both present, and Sandoval asks if there is any explanation for the blackouts, but President Thompson has none. Speaking for Zo'or, Sandoval tells President Thompson that the Taelons will help in any way they can. Thompson thanks them both and signs off. Sandoval and Lili turn to Zo'or, and Sandoval asks him if the Taelons are causing the blackout. Lili gives him a curious look, and Zo'or asks Sandoval what his reason for such a course of action could possibly be. Sandoval replies carefully that if the Taelons created this problem, then they have an opportunity to come to President Thompson's aid in solving it, which will boost his standing with the voters. Zo'or is unperturbed by Sandoval's words and tells him that it would be expending a great amount of effort to ensure a result which has already been assured. Lili asks Zo'or if he doesn't think anyone stands a chance against Thompson. Zo'or says that Thompson himself is irrelevant and that the American people will support any candidate who is endorsed by the Synod. In concluding, he notes that as a crisis has presented itself, it would be foolhardy to ignore the opportunity it provides.

Liam goes to the Resistance Headquarters under St. Michael's Church. On entering he notices that all the lights are on as usual and remarks to Augur in a jocular tone that he sees the power shortage has forced them to conserve. Augur replies in the same jocular tone that he did turn the lava lamp off, then he explains to Liam that thanks to Doors' paranoia, the RHQ has a totally independent power supply which is insulated from the city power grid. Liam asks if Augur has any idea what is causing the blackouts. Augur thinks that Zo'or may be behind the power failures, and Liam says that although it was his first thought, he has his doubts. Augur tells Liam that he has been thinking about the portals since Liam told him about his suspicions concerning Ralston's heart attack. Liam is sarcastic and says it is not like Augur to be so concerned. On his computer screen, Augur shows Liam his substantial stock holdings in the company which runs the portal program. Liam is disgusted and remarks that Augur is only concerned about his investments and that he has a one track mind. Augur retorts that Liam is lucky he has a one track mind and shows Liam a second computer screen which indicates that the power failures are only occurring in those cities which contain portal terminals. They agree that this could not be a coincidence.

On the mother ship, Sandoval and Lili meet with Zo'or. Lili explains that Taelon engineers believe that the Taelon technology being used in Earth based systems has become incompatible and that the incompatibility is responsible for the power failures. Sandoval remarks that many of the Taelon systems have been in place for years without any incidents occurring. Lili agrees with him and says that is why the human engineers and the Taelon engineers disagree. She tells Zo'or that the human engineers are complaining about the Taelon ideas, but that they have no explanations of their own to offer. Zo'or feels that Lili's information is not much help. She ignores him and continues, saying that Taelon engineers have designed a buffer which can be installed in the Earth based systems, and that the buffer is designed to eliminate the incompatibility between the two systems and eradicate the blackouts. This pleases Zo'or and he appoints Sandoval as liaison between the Taelons and President Thompson during the crisis. Sandoval accepts the role and Zo'or tells him that with a presidential election looming on the horizon, it is essential for the American people to see how important human beings are in the Taelon hierarchy. He also cautions Sandoval not to make any decisions without his (Zo'or's) approval. Sandoval agrees, but in a flat tone of voice which makes Lily look at him suspiciously.

In her forensic laboratory at Resistance Headquarters, Dr. Park examines Ralston's body and confirms that he died of massive heart failure. She tells Liam that Ralston did not suffer from heart disease and that there was no history of heart disease in his family. She suggests that the heart attack may have been triggered by a number of conditions including fear, and says that the severe bruising on Ralston's legs looks as though it was caused by Ralston thrashing about in panic rather than a seizure. Liam remarks that the autopsy report stated the burns on Ralston's arms were consistent with the tools he was using at the time of his death. Dr. Park says this might have been true if Ralston had been an extremely careless technician. Ralston's arms are covered in circular burn marks, and Liam examines them closely, using a magnification device. Each burn mark contains four puncture wounds placed at regular intervals in the centre of the burn. When he points them out to Dr. Parks, she says that the regular spacing of the punctures and their depth is consistent with bites of some kind, rather than burns.

Liam goes to the New York terminal to inspect the portal terminal himself. When he arrives, he instructs the duty technician to shut down everything so that he can perform his inspection. He climbs into the same length of conduit in which Ralston was working and notices a glowing light behind a door panel at the end of the conduit. He shouts at the duty technician, saying that he wanted the entire unit powered down and the technician replies that the entire unit has been shut down. Liam crawls forward to the end of the conduit and opens the panel door. Inside, huddled around the power supply are several incandescent creatures which resemble scorpions.

President Thompson has arranged a video conference with other world leaders, and has asked Sandoval to sit in on it. Sandoval explains that Taelon engineers have designed buffers to facilitate the compatibility of Taelon and human technology. The other world leaders are not interested in the Taelon engineering plan and are adamant about wanting all Taelon technology removed, so that the blackouts will end at once. President Thompson argues that they should work with the Taelons. Sandoval interrupts him and says the argument is irrelevant because it would take weeks to extract all the Taelon technology which is currently installed. He tells the world leaders that installing the buffers is the only timely alternative. One world leader remarks that it is the only timely alternative according to the Taelon engineers. Sandoval reassures everyone in attendance that the only goal of the Taelons is to assist them alleviating the crisis. He asks if their engineers have come up with any recommendations, and when they are silent, he suggests that they allow the Taelons to install the buffers so that power can be restored.

Liam has captured one of the creatures in a glass receptacle and brings it to Augur for examination. He asks Augur if he has any idea what the creature is. Augur wants to know if Liam has shown the creature to either Sandoval or Zo'or. Liam replies that he wanted Augur's opinion first, since Zo'or may be involved in the situation. While he talks, Augur is tracking the performance of his portal company stock on his computer screen and he wants to call his stock broker before examining the "scorpion". Liam impatiently asks him to get back to work, and Augur reluctantly turns back to the creature as Liam removes the lid from the glass receptacle. Augur abruptly sticks his hand into the receptacle and the creature stings him, causing Augur to cry out in pain. Liam belatedly apologizes for not telling Augur that the creatures attack when threatened. The furious Augur thanks him for nothing while nursing his injured hand.

Augur picks up an energy generating device, and gives the creature a blast of energy. The creature absorbs the energy and grows much larger and brighter before their eyes. Whatever the creature is, and wherever it came from, it obviously lives on energy, and they agree that it is imperative to discover its origins. Since the creatures were first seen in the New York portal terminal, Liam gives Augur the transport data for the terminal and asks him to see what he can do with it.

Lili is walking through a corridor on the mother ship when Sandoval appears and pulls her aside. The startled Lili shakes herself loose of Sandoval and asks him what he thinks he is doing. After he satisfies himself that nobody else close by and can hear their conversation, Sandoval tells her that he is seeking information about the blackouts, information which is stored in secure Taelon files on the mother ship. Lili flippantly remarks that as Sandoval is Zo'or's right hand man, he can access any file he needs. Sandoval replies that he doesn't want anyone to know that he is accessing the files, including Zo'or. Lili asks him what he is looking for, and Sandoval tells her that he is looking for evidence that Zo'or caused the blackouts to coincide with the presidential election campaign. He gives Lili a key which can be used to anonymously access secured files from any terminal on the ship. Lili wants to know why he can't perform the task himself. He tells her the keys are not foolproof and that he can't risk detection. Lili is angry that he would ask her to risk her neck rather than taking the risk himself. Sandoval tells her that if she is caught, she will be brought to him, but that if he is caught, he will answer to Zo'or. Lili asks again why Sandoval is doing this, but his global beeps to summon him to the bridge, and he tells Lili abruptly that she is his subordinate, before giving her the key and leaving.

Liam shows the creature to Da'an who cannot identify it. Liam thinks that Zo'or is responsible for releasing the creatures, that they are part of a plan to boost Thompson's standing in the election polls. Da'an says that such a plan would never be approved by the Synod. Liam tells Da'an that Zo'or did not consult the Synod before launching his plan. Da'an says that although Zo'or may be the head of the Synod, he requires its approval. Liam interrupts him, saying that Zo'or has the full resources of the Taelons at his disposal, and that he can hide anything he wants to, especially from Da'an whom he views as a threat.

Da'an wants to challenge Zo'or in front of the Synod to learn if he is the architect of the crisis, but Liam is of the opinion that to do so would be an exercise in futility since Zo'or has the full support of the Synod on every issue. Da'an says that Zo'or does not have the full support of the Synod (meaning himself) on every issue. With brutal frankness, Liam tells Da'an that his (Da'an's) support of humanity is meaningless without the power to influence the Taelons, and that he has lost that power to Zo'or. Da'an is hurt and looks away.

Lili finds her way to a system console on the mother ship. One of the implanted human workers nearby asks her if he can be of assistance. She fobs him off by saying that Sandoval has asked her to verify data on the blackouts. The worker asks her if the information required is not more accessible from the bridge, and Lili tells him that Sandoval wants to keep lines of communication on the bridge open in case any of the world leaders need to contact the Taelons. She is nervous and unconvincing and the worker is suspicious. He smiles at Lili and walks away, looking at her distrustfully. Lili accesses the databases, but is unable to find any evidence of Zo'or's involvement in the blackouts. She finishes her task and is removing the key which Sandoval gave her, when she is apprehended by two security agents who then attempt to contact Sandoval. Sandoval is in conference and they are instructed to bring Lili to Zo'or on the bridge. En route to the bridge, Sandoval suddenly appears and dismisses the two agents, saying that no one goes to Zo'or without going through him first. Sandoval walks away and the angry Lili follows him.

A television reporter tells viewers that her station will simultaneously broadcast on radio until power is restored. Several hundred casualties have been caused by the power failures, but most people are choosing to remain home as advised. The glowing scorpion-like creatures have now been seen by hundreds of people, and there have been reports about the creatures attacking people and causing serious injuries and deaths around the globe.

Sandoval and Lili find a quiet corner and she asks him angrily if he could cut it a little closer the next time. Sandoval ignores her display of temper and asks her for any evidence which she found. Lili replies that she discovered nothing to link Zo'or with the creatures, and that if Zo'or is behind it, he is covering his tracks very well. She asks again what Sandoval is up to and again he refuses to tell her anything. Lili is convinced that Sandoval is pursuing his own agenda and says so. Sandoval loses his cool, saying that if he is pursuing his own agenda, then she can be assured that he will be more determined than ever that nothing gets in his way. Then he calms down, dismisses Lili and walks away.

At RHQ, Augur tells Liam that he has a theory. He explains that the portal project became a success rapidly and that known ID pathways became overcrowded in a short time. Liam is thoughtful and tells Augur that the technicians were testing unexplored ID space just before Ralston's death. Augur believes that the creatures originate from one of the unexplored dimensions which were being tested. They both glance over at the creature. Its glow has dimmed considerably and it appears to be dying. Augur gives it another blast of energy and as they watch, it multiplies into several glowing creatures. Augur makes a face; Liam looks at him and says, "Guess that makes you the proud mama."

In a local hospital, emergency generators have been activated, and surgeons and medical staff are working feverishly in an operating room to save the life of a patient before the generators fail. Several of the creatures climb into the generator and the operating room is plunged into darkness.

President Thompson addresses the nation. He cautions viewers, telling them that the creatures do not attack unless threatened and asking them to remain in their homes. He tells them that both Taelon and human engineers are working together to solve the problem.

At RHQ, Liam and Augur watch President Thompson's speech. A sombre Liam points out that conventional weapons cannot succeed against the creatures because all weapons are based on some form of energy, and that is what the creatures live on. Liam says he wishes they could just send the whole lot of them back to their home. His words strike a chord with Augur who says that it might be possible to do so if they use a portal to open an ID passage back to the creatures' own dimension and show them the way home. Augur is certain that the creatures would take advantage of the opportunity to return to their own dimension. Liam says that the portals are all located in large cities, and that they would have to find a way to lure the creatures away from the major population centres. He suggests that they use a shuttle, and Augur agrees that using a shuttle might work. The shuttle's ID drive can be used to open a passageway, and it would be easy to land the shuttle in an unpopulated area, but the problem of how to attract the creatures remains. Augur tells Liam that the lure will have to be the most powerful energy source on the planet. Liam says that he knows where it is, and they both glance at the computer screen which is displaying the image of the mother ship.

Sandoval reports to Zo'or that the Taelon buffers were not successful in repelling the creatures, which are feeding off Taelon energy as well as human power sources. Zo'or is concerned about whether the mother ship is safe. Sandoval states that all incoming flights have been halted, but that supplies have been arriving and departing since the power failures began. The shuttle bay is sealed off, but Sandoval fears that the Taelons are in danger. Zo'or doesn't understand what Sandoval is saying. Sandoval explains to him that the creatures do not attack humans unless provoked, but that they feed off energy, and that the Taelons are an energy based life form. Zo'or is quiet for a moment and Sandoval inquires of a nearby Taelon technician whether the shuttle bay has been sealed. The technician replies that the answer is yes, assuming that conventional techniques are effective against the creatures. As the technician speaks several creatures appear, engulf him and consume him.

Lili and several colleagues converge on the shuttle bay, and those equipped with a Sha'karava begin firing their skrills at the creatures which begin to multiply rapidly as they absorb the energy blasts. Lili uses her global to tell Sandoval that they cannot contain the creatures in the shuttle bay and that the whole ship is becoming infested. She and her colleagues leave the shuttle bay area, sealing it closed behind them. She tells Sandoval that the creatures are attacking Taelons and that seven Taelons are already dead.

After Lili's report, Sandoval explains to Zo'or that the only way the Taelons can survive is to reduce the levels of the energy which is emanating from their physical forms. Zo'or understands what Sandoval is suggesting, that the Taelons should place themselves in Samhaad, a near death meditative state which they can induce within themselves. Zo'or had not considered this option and asks Sandoval if he thinks it will work and that they will no longer attract the creatures. He is worried about who will command the mother ship while he is in the Samhaad state and Sandoval tells Zo'or that he will perform this function. Zo'or reluctantly rises from his chair and leaves the bridge. Sandoval walks over to Zo'or's chair and is standing there when Liam contacts him and reports that he has a plan. Sandoval gives Liam clearance to land and seats himself in Zo'or's chair with a pleased expression. He turns and sees Lili watching him.

Lili is waiting for Liam in the shuttle bay when he lands. She tells him that Sandoval has convinced the Taelons to enter some kind of stasis, a meditative state that reduces their energy emissions. Liam understands what she is talking about and says, "Samhaad?" She tells him that the Taelons are very vulnerable in this state and pulls out her global to contact Doors. When Liam inquires what she is doing, she tells him that she is contacting Doors and that they have a perfect opportunity to eliminate all the Taelons right now. Liam says, "Eliminate? You mean we could ‘kill' all the Taelons." When she admits it, he tells her that he will grant her the honor of personally eliminating Da'an. He walks away, and Lili stops, realizing the magnitude of what she was about to do.

Sandoval is checking on Da'an and Zo'or's condition. He asks one of the implants who is monitoring their vital signs if Zo'or is cognizant in this state. The technician tells him that they shouldn't be, and he describes the state as being similar to that of human unconsciousness. Sandoval instructs the technician, who is an implant, to leave the chamber. The technician is reluctant to go, telling Sandoval that Zo'or was very specific about his orders to personally monitor Zo'or's readings until he returns from the Samhaad state. Sandoval is insistent and the technician leaves.

Liam carefully removes the auxiliary coil, which is the mother ship's backup power. The coil is the most powerful energy source in the solar system, much more powerful than any power source on earth.

In the chamber where the Taelons are slumbering in the Samhaad state, Sandoval monitors Zo'or's condition using the system monitors nearby. Using a portable scanning device, he approaches Zo'or and captures a precise image of the palm of Zo'or's hand. He glances at Zo'or with fear and loathing as he does so. As he finishes, he looks up to see Lili watching him. He asks her what she wants, and she tells him that Liam is at that moment installing the mother ship's auxiliary coil in the shuttle. Sandoval tells her that he was just on his way.

Liam installs the auxiliary power coil in the shuttle and ties it into the ID drive; this renders the coil very unstable, but it is necessary because the creatures are draining the power from the shuttle's own conventional drive. When Sandoval and Lili arrive on the scene, Liam tells Sandoval that he needs Lili to pilot the shuttle while he handles everything else. Sandoval tells them to proceed. Lili tries to power up the shuttle, but she has difficulty doing so, and tells Liam that the creatures have already caused a lot of damage to the shuttle and she can't tell which operations are still functioning. The conventional drives are not operating and she is unable to power up the shuttle. Liam suggests that they use the ID drive, and Lili tells him that jump-starting into interdimensional is risky at any time, but that with the drives in the condition they are in, it's a little like Russian Roulette. Liam says, "Well then, Russia it is." When Lili asks him what he is talking about, he tells her that they have to land in an isolated spot anyway and that Siberia is isolated. He asks her if she can guarantee him a nice soft landing in the snow. She tells him that they will be lucky to land up on the right planet. They are able to make the jump into ID space from within the shuttle bay, but it is a rough take off.

When they exit from ID space, they are in New York city, hovering several feet above an office building which Lili recognizes. Liam asks Lili if she can pull over a little closer to the curb and Lili tells him that with the drives as damaged as they are, they are lucky even to be able to hover.

Liam secures one end of a coil of rope to the shuttle and hands the other end to Lili, telling her to leave the shuttle and saying that he will join her on the roof below when all the creatures have passed through the passageway. Lili wants him to exit with her and tells him that he will be able to activate the power coil from the roof. Liam cannot keep the ID passageway open from the roof because it is too volatile, and he insists on remaining in the shuttle. Lili exits and drops onto the roof below. Hearing a strange sound she looks over the edge of the roof and sees the creatures streaming toward the shuttle. She reports this to Liam and implores him to leave, but he is initiating a fusion reaction in the auxiliary coil and refuses to exit. Lili is terrified that the coil will overload and Liam will be incinerated. The creatures are assembling from every corner of the globe and are swarming into the ID passageway. Finally there are no more creatures left, and as the coil begins to overload, Liam jumps out of the shuttle onto the roof several feet below. A moment later the shuttle explodes, and as Lili helps Liam get to his feet, the lights come on in the city.

On the mother ship Da'an and Zo'or awaken from the Samhaad state and look around.

A television reporter asks President Thompson if the crisis has altered his position on the Taelons. Thompson squirms a bit and justifies his position, telling the reporter that there is an element of risk in interdimensional travel, just as there is in all other forms of travel.

Sandoval is watching the interview when Lili enters and approaches him. She tells him that they have a conversation to finish, and without taking his eyes from the screen, Sandoval replies that he was finished. As Lili glares at him, he tells her that she wants an understanding which he is not willing to provide. Lili says it is not good enough. Sandoval tells her that she must be loyal to him and him alone. If she does so, she will survive. If she betrays, him she knows what will happen. Lili tries to reason with Sandoval, telling him that she knows he has the same questions that she does, and that Zo'or and Da'an may argue about the best way to prepare humanity for the Jaridian invasion, but that they both base their strategy on the assumption that the Jaridians are their enemy. Sandoval replies that Lili has no facts with which to dispute the Taelons' assumption. Lili retorts that there are no facts to support the assumption either, except the words of Da'an and Zo'or. She begs him to keep an open mind, just as she is.

After Lili leaves, Sandoval places his global which contains the image of Zo'or's palm on the system console and accesses Zo'or's protected files. Sandoval's image appears on the monitor. Also on the screen are the words, 98% NON-FUNCTIONING. Behind him, Lili is also watching the screen.