Seventy-five years after a devastating war, the United States has become a police state where security, efficiency, and control are paramount. Allen Lancaster, a top scientist, is recruited by the government to develop a top secret weapon. To ensure the highest confidentiality, Lancaster is taken off of Earth to a space lab where he joins a motley team of researchers, including a native Martian. After successfully finishing the project, Lancaster returns to Earth only to find that his absence placed him in the government's crosshairs. ( )