Vanessa Reyes thought she was joining a top-secret academic program called Brain Gain-a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the smartest high school students in the world. But when she and her friends arrive at Area 1, a mysterious military base, they discover the truth: they're not there for school. They've been recruited to pilot alien spacecraft in a desperate mission to defend Earth. But as they fight to protect Earth, the students begin to suspect that not everything is as it seems. Strange signals, hidden messages, and eerie patterns point to something bigger-and more mysterious-than a simple invasion.