In the early 23rd century, an emergency is declared on a mining station O.I. Infini and a search and rescue (SAR) team is sent in using Slipstream, a form of teleportation that allows near instantaneous travel. The location of O.I. Infini is proximal to a number of black holes meaning the mission operatives will experience severe time dilation. A team sent returns 30 seconds later in a berserk rage. Whit Carmichael, a new member of West Coast SAR, on his first day, teleports to Infini using an illegal teleporter after West Coast HQ activates a lethal lock down to contain the crisis. Before leaving for work that day, his wife tells him to do whatever it takes to return safely.
Less than a relative hour later, East Coast SAR is informed about the outbreak and the destruction of the West Coast SAR. They are informed a payload of something from the station has been programmed by a deranged survivor to teleport soon to Earth, which will destroy the planet.
The SAR is ordered to halt the payload and recover the one surviving member of the West Coast SAR, Whit. Arriving, they find a frozen slaughterhouse, eventually reuniting with Whit, who has had a week to figure out how the station operates.
Whit explains that the mining staff slaughtered each other, tearing off their skin and killing one another. Whit is able to shut down the payload, but the deranged survivor suddenly attacks. Everyone is sprayed with the survivor’s blood after he is shot and they become violently enraged. Whit hides from the others, then searches the station for remaining SAR personnel and anything he can learn about the infection.
Finding a lab, he discovers a medical log that reveals the planet is entirely composed of alien organic material that when thawed forms a so-called “primordial ooze”. It is capable of infecting, mimicking, and finally dominating any biological tissue. He further discovers the ooze is aggressive, predatory in nature, and driven by self-preservation.