AllMovie

Scott's battle spirit has been rejuvenated. Not only does he have a fully functional Alpha fighter plane to supply him with more firepower, he also has four experienced allies (and one mouthy kid) to help him in his mission to find and destroy the Invid Reflex Point -- though the city-bred Rook and country-born Rand find themselves constantly at each other's throats. The Alpha fighter forces them to make more supply runs, and it seems that no matter where they turn they find themselves under attack by the Invid. During their desperate attempt to make it back to the Alpha after their latest raid, Rand makes an important discovery. The Invid, attuned as they are to protoculture, can detect the bioenergy given off whenever protoculture-powered weapons and energy cells are activated, even from a distance. But this knowledge won't do them any good if they don't survive long enough to use it.