Book excerpt: When chronic misfit Isaac Winter walks out into the freezing cold of a January night, he only has one thing on his mind: ending his own life. Instead, he encounters something in the darkness that makes life worth living. Something strange. Something scary. Something not of this world – an extraterrestrial machine of unknown origin and intent. After developing an obsession with this other-worldly entity, events are set in motion that lead Isaac to a secret military organisation, strangers with superhuman powers, and – ultimately – a revelation about his own past he could never have dreamt of.