In the bustling Atlanta, Georgia, facility of the pioneering aerospace startup Hermeus Corporation, a crack team of scientists and engineers armed with a vast array of high-performance power tools make all-important tweaks to their revolutionary new aircraft, the Quarterhorse. Having already developed the turbine-based combined cycle Chimera engine, a machine as innovative as it is powerful, Hermeus is now busy creating the perfect vehicle to put its abilities to the test.A sleek, sophisticated jet of the future, the Quarterhorse is being built with one clear objective: speed. As the prototypes zoom through the clouds at hypersonic velocities, pushing the limits of aviation technology, the Quarterhorse keeps its eye on the grand prize: the airspeed record set by the Blackbird SR-71 in 1976. Nearly 50 years later, the Blackbird remains number one, with no aircraft able to better its impressive feat. Yet, as the Quarterhorse project steams ahead, it seems there may finally be a challenger for the Blackbird’s crown.