Horrified at the memory of what he'd done during the Los Angeles riots, Ian tries to commit suicide. But his body turns out to be simply too durable. Injured but alive, he's taken in by the inhabitants of the city's slums. Meanwhile, the rest of team 21, along with Ian's creators, are summoned to the Pentagon where a rather unusual general orders them to help the American government locate the android... and destroy him!

While the members of team 21 are enjoying a night off together in Los Angeles, a terrorist group manipulated by a nihilist billionaire triggers a bloody riot downtown. Ian and the other SRS agents are ordered to secure a highly exclusive mall and its wealthy customers - ignoring any danger to the rest of the population. A decision that is not at all to Ian's taste, as his programming is quite clear: help others.

In the near future, a prototype of artificial intelligence-controlled robot joins an elite military Search & Rescue team. To prove himself, he'll have to demonstrate his skills and abilities... and his humanity. Intelligent Artificial Neuromechanoid... Ian. It's the name of the newest recruit in Team 21 of the SRS - the 'Special Rescue Section'. Ian is an android, impossible to tell from a human being with the naked eye, and his creators claim that he's controlled by a true artificial intelligence - capable of learning, adapting, and even of experiencing emotions. Not every member of the team is happy about their new partner, but their higher-ups aren t giving them a choice - and the mission comes first...

A year has passed since the Los Angeles riots, but Ian is still being hunted by the Pentagon. Extremely hostile treatment by the media has also made him a favoured target of a majority of American citizens. Tracked down by an ambitious reporter, the android gets in touch with an eccentric billionaire who promises to tell him what the Nome is - that super-powerful artificial entity with whom he seems to have a mysterious bond... A merciless cascade of new revelations follows.