Trance

Jack Deth, a retired police trooper in the 23rd century, is called back into service to pursue the criminal mastermind Martin Whistler. Whistler wields psychic powers that turn ordinary people into mindless Trancers who follow his commands. Deth's mission hinges on his ability to detect trance targets with a special bracelet.

Trancers appear as normal humans until Whistler triggers them; their features twist into savage expressions when under his control. Deth explains how the bracelet identifies trance states, making it a crucial tool for hunting Whistler's victims. The hunt relies on distinguishing free minds from controlled ones.

Whistler uses a drug-assisted time-travel technique to slip back to 1985. His consciousness travels down his ancestral line to inhabit Los Angeles police detective Weisling. With Weisling's body under his control, Whistler begins a murder spree that crosses time.

Deth locates the possessed Weisling and destroys Whistler's vessel in the past, effectively leaving Whistler stranded there with no body to return to. He then chases Whistler through time, eventually ending up in the body of his ancestor, journalist Phil Dethton. The act sets up a new chase across generations.

Now in Phil Dethton's body, Deth partners with Lena, Phil's date from the night before, to pursue Whistler across 1985. Lena brings street-smart grit and loyalty, helping them navigate a city where minds can be bent to another's will. Together they begin tracking Whistler's influence on new trance victims.

Whistler expands his control as more victims fall under trance, feeding his plans for the future of Angel City. Deth relies on the bracelet to identify trance victims and track Whistler's spread. The chase intensifies as Whistler's power grows in the city.

Whistler reveals a broader aim: kill the ancestors of Angel City's future governing council to erase the council from history. Deth learns Hap Ashby is one of those key ancestors, forebear to Chairman Ashe. The threat grows as Whistler targets a lineage critical to the council's survival.

Deth is supplied with futuristic equipment in the past: a sidearm containing two time-drug vials and a long-second wristwatch that slows time. The watch stretches one second into ten, giving him a crucial edge in the time-bending chase. He later receives a second watch to enhance his options.

In the climactic confrontation, a vial breaks, leaving only one vial to reach the future. Deth must choose between killing Weisling, who is still Whistler's host, or using the vial to send Whistler back to 2247 and risking his own stranded future. He injects Weisling, saving the lieutenant but dooming Whistler to an eternity without a body.

With Whistler defeated for now, Deth decides to stay in 1985 with Lena, continuing the fight from the past. The future boss McNulty appears to observe from the shadows, having traveled down his own ancestral line and now inhabiting the body of a young girl.

Despite Whistler's murder spree, Hap Ashby—the ancestor linked to the council’s last surviving member—is safeguarded by Deth. This act preserves a vital ancestral line that could ensure a future council's continuity in Angel City.

Whistler remains stranded in the past, unable to return without a vessel, effectively ending his immediate threat to the future. Deth's choice to stay in 1985 ensures the mission continues, while McNulty's presence hints that time travel's consequences will echo across generations.