Firefight (2015)

Firefight is a fantasy novel written by American author Brandon Sanderson released in 2015 as the second book of The Reckoners series, which was preceded by Steelheart and the short story Mitosis. It was followed by the novel Calamity, and the audio book special Lux. The Reckoners series was published by Random House Children's Books (US) and Gollancz (UK).

Synopsis
Newcago is free.

They told David it was impossible, that even the Reckoners had never killed a High Epic. Yet Steelheart--invincible, immortal, unconquerable--is dead. And he died by David's hand.

Eliminating Steelheart was supposed to make life simpler. Instead, it only made David realize he has questions. Big ones. And no one in Newcago can give him answers.

Babylon Restored, the city formerly known as the borough of Manhattan, has possibilities, though. Ruled by the mysterious High Epic Regalia, Babylon Restored is flooded and miserable, but David is sure it's the path that will lead him to what he needs to find. Entering a city oppressed by a High Epic despot is risky, but David's willing to take the gamble. Because killing Steelheart left a hole in David's heart. A hole where his thirst for vengeance once lived. Somehow, he filled that hole with another Epic--Firefight. And now he will go on a quest darker and even more dangerous than the fight against Steelheart to find her, and to get his answers.

Plot Summary
After the events of Steelheart and Mitosis, David Charleston, dubbed as the infamous 'Steelslayer' by many, is searching for something to fill the hole left now that his revenge had at long last been fulfilled. Firefight, otherwise known as Megan, has since left the Reckoners knowing her cover as Steelheart's spy was blown. With the attacks on his team from Mitosis and Sourcefield, Jon Phaedrus, or known as Prof throughout the book, has eyes set on the common connection between them and Regalia, the Epic who rules Babilar, formerly known as Manhattan, and who has sent multiple subordinate Epics to confront the Newcago Reckoners. Jon sets out to Babilar with David and Tia (leaving Abraham and Cody behind to defend the city of Newcago) to face Regalia, whom David suspects has a long-term connection between Jon and Tia, due to their seemingly knowledgeable information of each other.

Upon arriving in Babilar, a ruined NYC flooded up to the top of the skyscrapers, which are used by the citizens as homes, connected by ladders, Prof, David, and Tia meet with Val, the tough-headed operations leader of the Babilar Reckoners, Exel, the extremely large and friendly giant of the team, and Mizzy, the spunky and clumsy point/repair and equipment manager. Together, they go out on boat to the city, where they discuss Regalia's powers of being able to control the water and water level, as well as being able to project herself upon the water's surface and see things near the water surface. The group finds it odd that she's turned the city into a less restricted community, turning it into more of a free haven. Suddenly, nearby rooftops blaze and explode, and it's revealed that Regalia has brought in Obliteration, an incredibly strong and cryptic Epic who has a flair for the theatrics and is famous for desolating Houston, San Diego, and Albuquerque, not wanting to rule, but simply to destroy. With the abilities to absorb and disperse amazing amounts of heat, teleport in the wake of danger, as well as enhanced strength, he runs rampant throughout the city, killing citizens seemingly joyously while the Reckoners try to exploit a weakness. While fighting him, David notices bandages on his chest, as if he were recently injured. The lopsided scuffle ends with David being thrown into the depths with a ball and chain, before Obliteration graciously thanks him for slaying Steelheart, saying it's simply an obstacle averted in his quest to destroy everything in his path.

David is drowning, when he feels someone miraculously save him and put him ashore. When the other Reckoners return to him, Jon is missing, and it's understood that Prof had to use his powers to stave off Obliteration, but it's also understood that the Epic was not defeated. While escaping to a submarine with the others, David catches a glimpse of Megan in wet clothes in a crowd, and soon realizes that she saved him. The Reckoners' submarine takes them to an underwater mansion, where they are hidden from Regalia's view. David, who is obviously uneasy about water, sees Prof return, and implores that perhaps Regalia is trying to resist the Epic powers, to which Tia agrees. However, Prof believes something bigger is happening, convinced the assassins were a call for help to kill her instead of having her powers take over and destroy the city, and takes David aside to warn him that Regalia is the primary target, and to not let his feelings for Megan get in the way of the mission.

Exel and Mizzy help David learn to use the spyril, a piece of Knighthawk machinery that allows the user to use it as a jetpack of water. After plenty of training on this, David and Mizzy are sent to a Babilar party to spy on Newton, a gang leader in the city and an Epic working for Regalia. However, Mizzy and David end up connecting, and it's revealed that Mizzy wants to kill 'Firefight' (Megan) for killing Sam, an old member of her team. David tries to spy on Newton, but suddenly realizes that Megan is following him and draws her out when they are alone. Megan, who is trying to resist her Epic temptations, tells him that she finds it easier to control herself around him, and the two have a laugh in the wake of a bad metaphor by David. Megan gives David a motivator, which is a small object that helps Knighthawk technology work, before leaving him, threatening him with a gun when he tries to kiss her. However, David notices that she has the safety on, and believes that it is love.

David continues to practice with the spyril, and improves his skills greatly, until suddenly Regalia's water projection appears. The two discuss the morals of Reckoners and Epics, and while David tries to figure out her location by triangulation, she states that he has only hurt society by killing Steelheart, and that he will be the end of his own people. She disappears, and David contemplates how the Epics' weaknesses may possibly be connected to events from their past, like Mitosis' weakness was his own rock music from the past. David and Exel delve into the lore of 'Dawnslight', a believed good Epic who watches over the city and grants it with glowing lights on the spraypaint on the side of the walls of buildings, as well as filling the interiors of the city's skyscrapers with luscious, jungle-like greenery and fruit to feed the people. However, the conversation is cut short when it's discovered that Obliteration is sitting on top of a rooftop in Babilar, collecting up heat from the sun, most likely in an effort to vaporize the city.

David keeps in touch with Megan via text, and Prof (who is thinking of a plan to stop Obliteration from destroying the city) becomes suspicious that he's putting her in front of the mission to end Regalia's reign over Babilar, and even threatens to send him back to Newcago. Prof leaves David still unsure if his presence helps or hinders the Reckoner team. While going out with the others to scout Obliteration's spot, David goes into the interior of a building and notices odd fortune cookies hanging off of vines from the large vegetation, with notes inside asking for help, saying that "She has me captive". The group sets up around Obliteration to spy on him, when Newton is noticed nearby, as well as Knoxx, another Epic thug who can change into a pigeon (among other animals, it is later revealed). It's realized that the two are planning on blowing up buildings around Obliteration as to keep anyone who could threaten his absorption away. It's assumed that all of the innocents inside died, but Prof steps up and conjures a force field to protect them. The refugees are led safely out of the city, and David ponders why Regalia plans to destroy the city she has seemed to care for and help grow all along.

After finally being able to connect with Val and meeting with Prof, who is in isolation to keep his powers at bay (they nearly overtook him after greatly exerting them), David runs into Megan, who snuck into the Reckoner base via their submarine, the two talk, and it's revealed that Megan hasn't been using her powers, and her Epic powers have been at bay. David and Megan finally embrace and kiss. Megan reveals that she is not, in fact, an illusion-making Epic, but can pull semi-real objects and people from alternate universes, and her weakness was fire.

Val catches David in contact with Megan, and her bullets are deflected by Prof, who plans to take out Newton and Megan at once to draw out Regalia. David is imprisoned at the Reckoners base by Prof. To escape Prof's shield wall, David puts a bullet hole in the window and talks to Regalia, exposing the location of the base, and she brings him high enough to see Calamity, who is not a star but a male Epic. Calamity attempts to gift David with powers, but he refuses as he had already faced his aquaphobia and is brought back down to Earth. David is able to kill Newton with her weakness, compliments, as the black sheep in her family, she was afraid of being perfect, with Mizzy's help, who was on point to assassinate Newton, after convincing her that Regalia knew their plans and they would fail. He then rushes to Megan's aid at a burning building, where Prof gifts him with some of his shielding powers to save her. David is too late, but discovers that Megan had rigged the high-tech gun Tia gave him to shoot her future self should she die of fire, which was her weakness and would disable her reincarnation abilities, and had succeeded. He then finds Regalia through shooting at Obliteration and grabbing onto him as he automatically teleported away, and finds her actually dying of cancer in a hospital bed next to Dawnslight, a benevolent Epic in a coma he's been in since childhood, who grants the city its eccentric ways, light and food, partially from an image of a city he's had in his mind as a child. Obliteration teleports away when David reveals that what Epics dream of in nightmares are their weakness. As he watches a projection of where Prof is and Regalia tells him that all the energy Obliteration had been gathering and the part she cut out of the Epic in exchange for more power was for a bomb — one she knew Prof could contain with his powers. As she planned, Prof does so and loses control, killing Val and Exel. David kills Regalia in rage. Prof arrives and uses his power with the intent to kill David. Before he can, a revived Megan appears and rescues David with her reality-warping powers. They escape and Prof flies away from the city. Megan realizes she is in control of herself, and David discovers that an Epic confronting their fears is the secret to remaining in control. With this knowledge they begin to prepare for their next confrontation with Prof.