Lords of the Stratosphere

"Lords of the Stratosphere" by Arthur J. Burks is an early science fiction story centered on aviators Lucian Jeter and Tema Eyer. The story kicks off with their colleague, Franz Kress, mysteriously vanishing during a high-altitude flight, sparking a mix of fear and ambition among the pilots. Jeter and Eyer, driven by a blend of personal ambition and scientific drive, gear up to follow Kress's path into the stratosphere if he doesn't return. As they prepare, a series of weird global events hint at a bigger mystery tied to Kress’s disappearance. When Kress vanishes without a trace, Jeter and Eyer launch their own quest to find the truth behind the strange happenings, including eerie columns of light seen across the world, putting them on a dangerous collision course with unknown powers that could decide the fate of humankind.