Adam half-expected the ambush to come before they even left Pacific City.

  Their convoy took the roads down out of the mountains and merged with the traffic heading east. One BASTION mobile operation vehicle led the way, then Adam’s two-story RV, the truck hauling WATERSHED, the support van, and another BASTION carrier making the tail. Altogether they were a long, coordinated body cruising the flow of vehicles out of town.

  Adam sat beside Wicky in the spacious driver’s cabin. The older man tapped his fingers on the wheel as he hummed along to some easy cruising tunes. Adam kept his eyes on the road ahead. People turned and watched their convoy pass, but that was to be expected. They came to a stop at a traffic light not too far from Cyrus’s casino in progress. Adam’s roving gaze stopped as he saw a familiar face.

  It was the vagrant he had given money to the night his foundation was raided. He trundled down the sidewalk in the shadow of the RV, pushing a battered shopping cart. The tall man had his duster on. He turned and spit into the gutter. His head peered up until he saw Adam.

  His words came back all at once: Calamities happen from young boys who think they’re men. It’s the way of things.

  Well, it wouldn’t be the way of things today.

  The light turned green. They lurched forwards. Adam knew the vagrant watched them leave.

  He only let himself relax slightly when Pacific City disappeared in the rear-view mirror. Gaining distance from the city and Cyrus Null was only an illusion of comfort. They were leaving both allies and enemies behind. But only one was allowed to follow. The real journey began here, the road turning to a freeway through hills of conifer trees, which would slowly strip back to dusty scrubland.

  Adam unbuckled himself and went to go check on his team. They had settled themselves into various nooks in the RV. There was plenty of space for everyone, between a full kitchen, two bathrooms, four bunk beds, a master suite, laundry and dryer, a storage closet, and probably more Adam hadn’t found.

  Abigail was closest, sitting at the booth and dining table squared next to the kitchen. She had dressed for the trip more casually than he had ever seen her before, in jeans and a t-shirt with a baseball cap over her neat hair. It was a good look for her. She tinkered with some sort of half-complete device the size of her hand.

  Adam slid in the booth across from her. She glanced up and smiled.

  “You look cheery,” Adam noted.

  “Things are going well, I think,” Abigail said. She twisted a screwdriver into the corner of her device. “We’re getting done what we need to. I think our worries will be over soon.” She gave him a look loaded with something. “Leaves us time to think about the future.”

  He didn’t dwell on whatever implication she tried to pass on. There was too much on his mind. Most of all Annabelle. His heart was still in pieces over her. He could only hope she was gone before they returned. He couldn't be around her anymore, and she shouldn't be left around the school.

  "What's on your mind?" Abigail asked.

  Annabelle. But he chose something more practical to share. He checked over his shoulder to make sure no one was behind him before leaning in.

  “I’m still not sure I feel good about this. Twenty-four BASTION agents is nice, but…”

  “I’m the only one with useful powers,” Abigail said. “I planned on being the heavy.”

  “What do you have?”

  She turned the device over in her hands. “Something a bit more substantial than my usual combat matrix. I have a folded exoframe in the storage compartment. For weapons I brought a grenade launcher, beam emitters, sonic disruptors, a chainsword—”

  “Chainsword?” Adam interrupted.

  She shrugged. “Why not?”

  Fair enough. He was just glad she was prepared. He thought of something else to ask.

  “Have you ever heard of a villain called Scavenger?”

  That perked Abigail’s attention. “The Reno Ransacker? I have. Appeared after Invasion Day. Strips any tech they get their hands on to the bone. Some kind of entropy effect. Would be bad news to run into them.”

  “My assistant Kieran told me about them,” Adam said. “That’s why we’re cutting further south. I’m guessing you’d be powerless against them?”

  “Most likely,” Abigail agreed. “My specialty is building, while theirs is destroying. Their job is easier than mine. But I wouldn’t worry too much. We’re outside of their usual territory, and they haven’t been heard from in a while.”

  Something about that gave Adam a funny feeling.

  Miles passed outside. Kenny and Nathan paced about the cabin, while Abigail focused on her tinkering and Reagan confined herself to the lowest bunk bed except to use the restroom. They ate premade microwaved meals. Drivers coordinated on the radio. Everything went smoothly so far as they left California and the sun began to dip low behind them.

  They stopped briefly at a gas station to refuel, stretch, and to switch drivers. While the others milled around outside, Adam went to check on Reagan. She stared out the window of her bed, assault rifle resting across her abdomen. Despite her injury, she was taking the whole security thing seriously at all times.

  He bent beside her. “You doing alright?”

  She glanced over at him. “Mhm.”

  “Can I get you anything?”

  “Nope.”

  He lingered. She sighed, seeming to know what he was going to ask next.

  “Where do I know you from?”

  It was at the back of his thoughts ever since he had come by to pick up Annabelle for Cyrus’s gala. He knew he recognized her from somewhere. But it must have been a long time ago.

  “You really don’t remember?”

  Adam shrugged. “I’m sorry. There were so many faces growing up. I think I remember you as a kid though. Give me a hint?”

  Her head rolled over to stare at him. Her eyelids were heavy. She wasn’t mad he didn’t remember. But the memories made her tired.

  “It’s probably better you don’t remember.”

  “Bad, huh?” he asked. “Did my family do something?”

  “No,” she said quietly. “Just leave it, Adam.”

  She said his name with familiarity that came from more than just Rosewell. Why couldn’t he remember her? He tried to run through the young faces of his past. None of them seemed to match. He left her alone. Maybe Thalia would remember if he prompted her.

  They passed through Oasis in the night. A city of dazzling lights and debauchery in the middle of a vast, dark desert. Now this was a place for casinos. They passed a score of them, along with gaudy hotels, restaurants, bars, and everything else a tourist in a daycare for adults could want for. Adam kept up his guard again, knowing Oasis had a thriving criminal network. Kenny begged for them to stop. Adam shot it down, and he pouted out the window as they left the city of color behind for another dark highway.

  By morning they had reached Colorado. The roads climbed steadily in elevation. Vistas of rocky landscapes and wide-open sky out every window. Adam drank coffee in the kitchen booth with Abigail and Kenny. Nathan was still asleep in his bunk.

  The further they got into this trek, the better things felt. Everyone was still going strong. No sign of trouble yet. The BASTION base in Denver was only another five hours out. An attack seemed less likely the nearer they came, especially with such clear sights in every direction. He worried more about the latter half of the trip, when they’d be travelling through thick forests and at times narrow roads.

  While Adam was rinsing out his coffee cup, Wicky called for him. He left the booth and came forward to find his driver. Wicky was fresh for the day, having slept in the support camper van overnight.

  “What’s up?” Adam asked.

  Wicky gestured to the radio, which was crackling infrequently.

  “It’s the radio signal, sir. There’s interference. I’m not sure from what. But I can hardly coordinate with our escorts like this. No cellular either. It isn’t safe.”

  “Doesn’t sound safe,” Adam said. “What do you suggest?”

  “There’s a town coming up. Simone Springs, quiet resort place. I think it would be safer to stop and figure things out there than here on an empty road.”

  Adam sighed as he thought. Stops beside refueling weren’t in the plan at all. It left them exposed. But not being able to communicate wasn’t an option. He’d feel a lot safer if they could make it all the way to Denver, but five hours was too much of a risk.

  “Alright. Let’s figure it out in Simone Springs.”

  Wicky nodded and signaled to pull over.

  . . .

  Half an hour later, the convoy parked in an empty lot of a hotel on the edge of town. Kenny was the first one out of the RV. A towel draped over his shoulder.

  “Finally! Some proper vacation on this trip!” Kenny said. He had read up on Simone Springs after Adam announced to the team they were stopping. Kenny told the rest of them excitedly that the town was a popular year-round destination for its hot springs. It wasn’t long before he was changing and raring to be the first one off.

  Adam stepped off the RV next. Kenny was already walking away toward the streets of town. Columns of steam billowed into the air from multiple sources somewhere beyond the roofs.

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  “Don’t get distracted!” Adam called after him. “We’re only stopping until we get this interference fixed.”

  He waved over his shoulder, clearly not listening. Adam sighed again.

  Reagan limped off the RV, followed by Nathan. Abigail was the last off. She stood beside Adam. Unlike Kenny, they waited for his orders.

  “Well… we might be here for a bit,” Adam said. “Captain Hackett and her team will be around to watch things, so I guess it wouldn’t hurt to range a little.” He checked his phone. No service. “Just… stay nearby. Keep an ear out. I don’t want to be here any longer than we have to.”

  Nathan nodded and walked off. Reagan leaned against the RV.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Reagan said. “I’ll keep an eye out with the squad.”

  “Alright. Thanks for taking this seriously,” Adam said to her. She nodded, eyes already on their surroundings.

  That left Abigail.

  “Maybe we should just stay too,” he said to her.

  “Oh, come on, let’s go look around,” Abigail said. “We won’t go far.”

  He expected her to be on board with caution. She really was in a cheery mood this trip. If she felt good about things, maybe he could too. Adam allowed her to take his arm.

  Before they left the convoy behind, Adam checked in with Captain Hackett. Her team was in gear, spreading around the perimeter of the trucks. She assured him everything was under control. Wicky was talking with the BASTION team technician, while the other drivers stood around smoking. If anything went wrong, there would be plenty of commotion.

  He and Abigail spent some time together wandering around Simone Springs. It was a picturesque place. It clearly wasn’t a big town, but it was lively with people enjoying the day. There were several boulevards with offerings of cafes, trinket shops, and other artisanal places. A constant pleasant steam hung in the air. A wide and slow river ran through the center of town, crisscrossed with walking bridges. Beyond the buildings, hills of small trees and bushes made for a visually rich backdrop. The grounds of a few resorts containing the springs dotted the outskirts.

  Adam came to a stop under the awning of a store and breathed in the fresh air. This was no epic excursion, but he felt a bit of his long-dormant spirit of adventure inside. Cruising across the country was more his speed, anyway.

  “This is nice.”

  “It certainly is,” Abigail agreed. “I almost wish this could last forever.”

  “Hey, this is just the start,” Adam said to her. “We’re gonna do great things together. After this, you'll always be welcome at Atlas West. We're gonna get you a real salary, too.”

  She smiled at the thought, but said nothing.

  Adam looked across the street and chuckled. He nodded Abigail’s attention to Kenny. He stood casually against a post, chatting up two teenage girls in shorts and bikini tops. They shared a laugh.

  “I think he needs this. Girls that don’t get sick of him,” Adam said.

  “And girls that don’t know he can hypnotize them with words,” Abigail added.

  Adam frowned. “You don’t think he does that to girls, do you?”

  Abigail shrugged. “I think I’m going to check out this place. Want to come in?”

  Adam looked back at it. It was a jewelry boutique. Considering he didn’t have someone to shop for right now, he was good.

  “Nah, I’ll go walk around a bit more, then check on the progress back at base.” He looked up at the sun nearing its zenith. “We shouldn’t be here all day.”

  They split, and Adam headed down the street. He roamed until he found Nathan sitting outside a coffee shop. He sat at a table alone, his posture scrunched and practically screaming how uncomfortable he was in public. He sipped an energy drink. He was the picture of a loner with his guard up against the world.

  Feeling gregarious, Adam decided to join him. He took a chair next to Nathan, positioning it to face the street and not have Nathan feel like he was staring him down. He thought Nathan might appreciate some company, even if he didn’t say it. He was a rough guy to know. On campus at least, he didn’t want anyone close to him. Like Reagan, he just put out an aura of wanting to be left alone. Adam still wanted to give him a chance to make friends if he wanted to. He had been given a chance at Rosewell even though he felt like an outsider. Nathan deserved the same. And if he wasn’t interested, that was fine too.

  They sat together quietly for a while.

  “Thanks for inviting me,” Nathan said suddenly. He looked away from Adam as he spoke. “I know you probably wanted someone stronger. This has been… fun. I don't get out much.”

  “Sure. No problem,” Adam said. After the stress and frustration of recruitment had passed, he really was gratedul for at least a few students being able to come along. It would have been much lonelier without them. “The more I have watching my back the better.”

  That seemed to ease Nathan slightly. A minute passed, then Nathan spoke up again.

  “I think they’re going to be kicking me out of Rosewell soon.”

  Adam sat up, startled. He looked around to make sure no one was in earshot.

  “What? Kicking you out? Why would they be kicking you out?”

  “Because I don’t play by their rules,” Nathan said. His tone started bitter, but then it softened. “I… I don’t use my powers very often. They’re kind of embarrassing. BASTION barely even knows what my powers are. Just that they aren’t very strong. And if I don’t use them much, I don’t think they’re going to keep me around much longer.”

  Adam processed that. “BASTION… put you in the school without knowing what your powers are?”

  Nathan shook his head. “I think they mostly took my parent’s word for it. Cause they need all the help they can get, you know? But it’s hard to use my powers around other people. And I don’t trust them. They’re probably starting to think I don’t have powers at all. And I’m not important enough to keep around like you are. Anyways… I’m saying all this because I think this might be my one and only superhero adventure. So, thanks.”

  Eyes down, he picked at his sleeve.

  “But… you do have powers?” Adam checked.

  “Yes!” Nathan insisted. His guard was up again. “It’s just, I’m not ready to talk about them.”

  “Okay, okay,” Adam said, holding his hands up placatingly. “Well if you ever do want to talk about them, I’m the master of having shitty powers. Yours can’t possibly be worse than mine.”

  “I didn’t say mine were shitty,” Nathan said.

  “Okay, well, either way, we can talk if you want to,” Adam said. He stood. “I should go check how things are going. You good?”

  “Yeah,” Nathan said. He hesitated. “Thanks for listening. You aren’t as bad as people say.”

  “People say I’m bad?”

  Nathan shrugged, embarrassed. “People online talk shit. You know how it is.”

  “Yeah. You better not be feeding them any inside gossip,” Adam joked.

  Nathan chuckled.

  Adam headed back to the convoy. Abigail found him along the way.

  “Find anything nice?” he asked her.

  “Not yet,” she said. “But the day isn’t over.”

  They rounded the corner to where the convoy was parked. Abigail saw trouble a moment before Adam did.

  She gripped his arm. “Adam…”

  The BASTION guards were slumped against the vehicles. He spotted two of them, and then Wicky lying on the pavement.

  Adam’s breath caught. He rushed over, praying the worst hadn't happened.

  Wicky was on his back, arms limp at his sides. His eyes were closed. Abigial scanned for danger while Adam checked his driver’s pulse. He couldn’t find it. He tried in vain to shake some life into him. Fear ran cold through him.

  “No, no no no…”

  There were more BASTION agents still on the ground in between the parked mobile commands. Abigail tried one of the doors. She found it locked shut. She stepped back. Something jutted out of her sleeve, and a small laser zapped the lock. It took a moment for the laser to melt through. When it did, the door fell open. Another BASTION agent in armor fell limp out of it, as if they were propped against the door.

  Adam forced himself to abandon Wicky’s body for now. He joined Abigail at the doorway to the command vehicle, praying their was anyone still alive and conscious.

  A plume of some sort of gas poured out of the top of the doorway. It billowed like steam. Like the steam all around Simone Springs, but in a more concentrated cloud. The vapor gathered at the roof of the vehicle. Then it condensed, forming the shape of a person.

  The cloud turned into a solid boy. He sat on the roof above the doorway, grinning wickedly down at them. He had short, dark hair and a devilish face. His costume was a lavender color, loose and silky.

  “Is it done?”

  Adam and Abigail jumped at the voice. There was a girl at the other end of the vehicle. She wore a dark, padded combat suit with a black mask covering her whole head and neck. A utility belt around her waist held small weapons and gadgets. A hood covered the back of her head. Two dark orange lenses stared at them.

  “That’s all of them,” the boy on the roof said. “Just leaves Z-team here to mop up. Stygian wanted to speak to Adam.”

  “Then let’s take them.” The girl started walking toward them. Abigail touched something under her sleeve.

  Knives of sound stabbed deep into Adam’s ears. An impossibly high whine took his ability to form coherent thoughts. His head jerked back involuntarily. The pain was blinding. It was a scorching hot nail hammered into his brain. He fell to the ground. The costumed girl did too. The boy fell from the roof and faceplanted. His nose smashed against asphalt. All Adam could do was twitch.

  Abigail was the only one left standing. She ran to the RV parked nearby. As she rounded the corner, the whine faded in intensity. Adam brought his hands up to clutch his head. That had to have been the most painful three seconds of his life. He touched his ears with shaking fingers, not feeling any blood.

  The girl was the first one back on her feet. She lept over Adam’s prone form to chase after Abigail.

  So this was the ambush. The interference must have been deliberate to get them to stop here. Whatever vapor the boy could form had to be some kind of toxin or paralyzing agent, or something to that effect. He could insidiously approach as a cloud of steam. Again, Adam’s plans had been foiled ahead of time. How could Annabelle have known the route he took? He locked her out of the loop. This was something else entirely. He couldn't think about it now. The trap was sprung.

  The girl came back around. “She locked herself inside with the crippled girl. Breathtaker, get in there.”

  The boy was just getting himself up. His nose spurted blood. Gravel peppered his face.

  “Fuck,” he moaned. “I just fucking fell off the roof. Give me a moment.”

  The girl came over and roughly hauled him up by his shoulder. “Get in there right now and choke her before she’s able to get her gear.”

  “Fine, fine,” he grumbled. He turned into vapor again and floated upwards.

  The girl grabbed Adam next. She pulled him to his feet. The tip of a knife pressed against his ribs.

  “Walk,” she commanded.

  He walked in her strong grip away from the convoy and back to the streets of town. The lively mood of the place had died. People ran away from the center of town. Some took shelter inside buildings. No one wanted to be on main street. Adam soon saw why.

  A trio of other villains stood in the center of the street. A circle of fire surrounded them, their forms wavering in the heat. The tallest was in black armor resembling that of a knight. He was menacingly tall, and hefted a huge sword over his shoulder. Two wicked horns curved from his helm that glowed with ghostly green light, which also glowed from circles on his gauntlets and chest plate. To his left was a boy in a black costume with red highlights, his hair red and spiky. To his right was another in gray motorcycle leathers and a helmet.

  Wailing sirens approached from down the opposite street. A police cruiser skidded to a halt thirty feet away from the blaze. Two officers stepped out, both brandishing their firearms. They took cover behind the vehicle.

  “Drop all weapons and extinguish the fire!” one of the officers demanded in a shaky voice.

  The boy in the red and black costume made like he was pitching a baseball. A ball of concentrated fire flew from his hand and spiraled toward the cruiser. When it hit it exploded into a massive fireball that engulfed the vehicle. It continued to burn, the officers lost somewhere beyond the flames.

  The circle of fire around the trio died down as Adam and the girl approached. The black knight stepped forward. His heavy boots thundered against the ground.

  Adam looked up at him, trying to feel defiant. Out of the corner of his eye, he looked for Kenny or Nathan. With Reagan and Abigail unaccounted for, they might be the last members standing of this team. Maybe Kenny could think of some way to talk to them for long enough to enthrall one of them. Maybe Nathan had some sort of secret amazing power. Hoping for those two to mount a rescue wasn't much of a plan. He tried to think of some way to get free. The knife on him made it tempting to stay where he was.

  “Adam.” The knight’s voice was echoey and impossibly deep. A gauntlet rose and brushed off Adam’s shoulder with surprising gentleness. “I hope we didn’t frighten you. We’ve just come to relieve you of that burden you’re carrying.”

  “Who are you?” Adam demanded to know. If he couldn’t do anything else, he’d try to buy time for anyone who might be coming, if there was anyone left.

  “Of course. Where are my manners?” The knight touched his own chest. “In costume, you can call me Sir Stygian. My compatriots today are Anthracite and Nomad,” he gestured to the boys at his side, “and of course Nightstrike and Breathtaker, whom I believe you’ve met.”

  Adam glanced at Nightstrike holding the knife to him. “So this is Cyrus’s next best team to steal my property?”

  Sir Stygian chuckled, his shoulders heaving. “You’ve figured that out, did you? Cyrus suspected you were getting wise. It doesn’t matter. You were left with a predictable set of options. You could only choose poorly. Now, where is the rest of your team? We seem to have lost track of them. Let’s all gather together, and we’ll take what we need and leave the rest to you. Otherwise,” he lifted his sword out and pointed to a group of cowering people. “We may have to take some encouraging measures.”

  “Breathtaker should be back by now,” Nightstrike said.

  “Yes,” Sir Stygian mused. “He’s always been slow. Why don’t we go see how he’s getting along?”

  Adam had been counting the seconds in his head since being led away. Seconds had turned into minutes. Minutes Breathtaker wouldn’t need to knock out Abigail and come find them. Minutes Abigail would need to don her armor and collect her gear. Adam held out hope the wait was a good sign. Because he remembered something Abigail had said to him on their first outing together: she never left home without a breathing filter.

  His hope was confirmed as Abigail, decked in full armor, appeared in the sky with her chainsword out and revved. Her hover-boots stalled her momentum, and she came rocketing down toward Adam and the villains.