Lieutenant Art Burkett, US Rangers Airborne, is called up to take part in an urgent rescue mission, using an innovative insertion from orbit. Three scientists have been kidnapped by the terrorist group Thieves in Law and their combined knowledge could result in worldwide devastation.

The rescue is swift but violent. Art and his team return to SubOrbital 7, the military space-plane they landed in, intending to return to safety with hostages rescued and prisoners in tow. But Thieves in Law are not the only people looking for SubOrbital 7 and its occupants. With casualties onboard the orbiting craft and a dwindling oxygen supply, Art and his team must fight an ever-growing threat before time runs out for them, and possibly for the rest of the world.