Stratospheric Abyss

At 120,000 feet, on the silent edge of space, the only thing protecting atmospheric test pilot Alden Firth from the lethal "Armstrong Limit"—where human blood boils instantly—is the thin metal hull of the prototype capsule Aetherius-9.

The mission was supposed to be a solitary test of endurance. But then came the metallic thud on the roof.

Alden is not alone. A figure in a high-altitude pressure suit is clinging to the capsule's exterior, meticulously cutting through the main parachute cables...