A retired intelligence operative is drawn back into peril when an old adversary and a brilliant NSA cryptographer bring separate crises that converge into a deadly conspiracy. Investigation uncovers a clandestine pact between a rogue faction of Russia's military and Japanese crime bosses centered on a hypersonic spaceplane capable of delivering catastrophic force. Racing against time, the operative assembles an international team of maverick intelligence specialists, follows leads from archaeological sites to spacecraft, and untangles money laundering, codebreaking, and corporate secrecy to prevent the scheme from triggering global nuclear catastrophe.