Part 1 of the 4-part ''Outer Dark.'' Something moves under the surface of the Moon. One man-made satellite goes dead, then another. Ballistic spores take on a coat of flame during re-entry before pollinating the plains of Africa as flaming seeds. Something blocks out the sun. The real owners of the Earth are back, and human life is surplus to their requirements. Now The Authority is humanity's last line of defense versus what is, to all intents and purposes...God.