After defeating their attackers and reaching the mountain, Six, Seven and Ten have to face three of Vishnu's avatars, which are used as a way of testing whether they are really members of the Garde.

Once Number Eight realizes that they are Loric, he tells them his story; his Cêpan Reynolds was killed by Mogadorians after being betrayed by the love of his life, a human named Lola.

They discover that one of Eight's legacies is the ability to teleport, which they plan to use to reach New Mexico, where they can easily make their way to Number Four.

The Mogs then burst into the cave and kill Crayton, forcing the group to perform a hurried teleportation together from the Himalayas.

Six is dehydrated due to desert heat but manages to make it to an abandoned town, where she is captured by FBI agents.

After intense questioning she manages to break out and in the process comes across Sarah Hart, Four's girlfriend who supposedly turned him in to the FBI in the previous novel.

Nine reveals that his safe house is in the top floor of the John Hancock Center, including training rooms, weapon cabinets and citywide surveillance systems.

The fight goes to the roof where, after a long battle, Nine holds Four over the edge and demands that he stop claiming to be Pittacus Lore (which he had told Nine during one of their arguments) and that they go to Paradise.

In the meantime Seven, Eight, and Ten are able to teleport to Stonehenge and then on to New Mexico, after Ella contacts Six through telepathy (developing her first legacy) and learns her location.

They eventually reunite after defeating the FBI who were attacking Four and Nine and enter the base where Setrákus Ra and Number Six are fighting.

Setrákus Ra manages to use his power of removing a Garde member's legacy and overpowers Six but, instead of killing her, he uses a whip-like weapon to turn her into black rock.

Ella, out of nowhere comes and throws a red object at Ra, allowing the Gardes to gain back their powers.

The Rise of Nine suffered brief setbacks after the departure of Hughes from the project, stating differences of opinion for the direction of the series.