1

The sun peeked over the horizon like the head of a giant radioactive manatee. I crouched, hidden in a tree of all places. I'd forgotten how weird the things smell.

We good? I whispered over the line. Instead of using mobiles, we were relying on old radios we'd rigged to work with headsets. The audio snapped and popped as I spoke. Primitive technology, but essential for this job.

Wait a sec, Megan said. Cody, you in position?

Sure am, crackled the reply, laced with a calm Southern drawl. If anyone tries to sneak up on you, lass, I'll put a bullet up his nose.

Ew, Mizzy said over the line.

We'll move in five, I said from my perch. Cody had called the contraption I was using a tree stand, which was really a glorified camp chair strapped some thirty feet up the trunk of an elm. Hunters had used them back in the day for hiding from game.

I put my Gottschalk--a sleek, military--style assault rifle--to my shoulder and sighted through the trees. Normally, in this sort of situation I'd be sighting on an Epic: one of the super-powered individuals who terrorized the world. I was a Reckoner, same as my team, dedicated to bringing down dangerous Epics.

Unfortunately, life for the Reckoners had stopped making sense about two months ago. Our leader, Prof, was an Epic himself--and had been caught in a rival's intricate plot to find a successor. Consumed by his powers, he had left Regalia's empire in Babilar, but had taken with him her hard drives, complete with notes and secrets. We intended to stop him. And that led me here.

To a large castle.

Seriously. A castle. I'd figured those were just in old movies and foreign countries, yet here one was hidden in the woods of West Virginia. And despite the modern metal gates and high-tech security system, this place looked like it had been around since long before Calamity appeared in the sky--lichen covered the stonework, and vines twisted up one of the weathered walls.

Pre-Calamity people had been weird. Awesome too--evidence: castle--but still pretty weird.

I looked away from my scope and glanced at Abraham, who was hiding in a nearby tree. I could pick him out only because I knew exactly what to look for. His dark outfit blended well into the dappled shades of morning, which was--our informant said--the besttime to assault this particular location: Shewbrent Castle, also known as the Knighthawk Foundry. The world's primary source of Epic-derived technology. We'd used their weapons and tech to fight Steelheart, then Regalia.

Now we were going to rob them.

Everyone have their mobiles off? I asked over the line. Batteries out?

You've asked that three times already, David, Megan replied.

Check anyway.

They all gave the affirmative, and I took a deep breath. So far as we knew, we were the last cell of Reckoners. Two months in and we still had no sign of Tia, which meant she was probably dead. That left me in charge--though I'd gotten the job by default. Abraham and Cody had laughed when I'd asked if they wanted it, while Mizzy had gone stiff as a board and almost started hyperventilating.

Now we were putting my plan in motion. My crazy, foolhardy, incredible plan. Honestly, I was terrified.

My watch buzzed. Go time.

Megan, I said into my radio, you're up.

On it.

I shouldered my rifle again, peering through the trees toward where Megan would launch her assault. I felt blind. With my mobile, I could have tapped into Megan's view to follow her attack, or I could have at least brought up a local map and watched my teamrepresented as blips. Our mobiles, however, had been built and distributed by Knighthawk--who also maintained the secure network they ran on. Usi