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...