In a stellar prequel to CLOUD 9, the tech-conglomerate Delphi Corp. is making 2086 a year to remember. The firm's supercomputer software has reached into a parallel universe where a reptilian race - Yhemlen - are in a fiery battle against the Greys for supremacy over Earth. When business tycoon Ellis Bartram realizes the blunder, people around the country are already dead from a viral epidemic that Delphi Corp. has caused. As the economic crisis worsens, a classified project arises in Washington, D.C., to fix the automated failures. Scientists delve into the Cloud source code using a neural-link, though what they discover is an alternate timeline on prehistoric Earth that forever alters their vision. Once humans enter the fray, they're forced to solve an ancient mystery before their world is destroyed.