Things have changed for Atticus Higginbottom. After the near catastrophe
in the Fourth Reality, Tick's being homeschooled in the fields of
science, trying to master the mysterious Chi'karda. But just as he
begins to make progress, Mistress Jane reappears, now hideously scarred
and much more powerful. She has tapped into the universe's darkest
secret to create the Blade of Shattered Hope, and in her quest to attain
a Utopian Reality for the future of mankind, she's ready to risk
billions of lives--including those of Tick's parents and sisters--to set
her plan in motion. Her vengeance knows no bounds and when rumors begin
to circulate about the secret scientific experiments taking place at the
Factory, Tick and his friends--Sato, Sofia, and Paul--are faced with
their most dangerous task yet. And they must not fail; for if they do,
the entire universe could cease to exist.