"Why not?"
"Anyone from the other two groups can attack you on sight. It means you'll end up dying all the time, makes the front end of the game really tough. I think some of the best players go that route but since you're just starting out..."
"Very well, hero, I suppose. I will likely find out what the operative path is like soon enough." he said, using the game's controller to move his avatar to the correct location. He entered the name he had chosen as soon as the prompt appeared.
"Paragon?" Jason was able to recognize the gentle amusement in Jenny's voice. They had spent only a few hours together, so far, but he could tell he was already getting better. Her public expressions had always been easy for him to decipher but he had found that, when they were alone, that was not always the case. Initially, this had concerned him but he was beginning to see it as an opportunity.
"Is that not an appropriate name? I realize that most vigilantes are no different than regular people, aside from the obvious, but do they not often see themselves as such?"
Jenny laughed and he found himself smiling in response. "I can't believe you put so much thought into something like that and still came up with something so cliché." Strange, he hadn't meant to display his happiness. Such unintended actions were very rare for him.
"I do not understand. Why would I prefer Paragon three two seven?"
She laughed again.
"It's cause the name's already in use. If you want one without the extra stuff, you'll need to come up with something more original."
"I... my choice... it was the same as many others'?"
She nodded, slowly. "Uh huh."
"That is... uncommon for me." He felt the smile but, again, it was involuntary.
Jenny did not reply but she did move a little closer on the couch. At this point, they each had a leg and an arm pressing lightly against each other.
"What did you say the name of this game was?" he asked, accepting the game's suggested changes to his name.
"A Hero's Craft."
"Is it popular?"
"Oh, well, kinda? I used to play it a lot, back before I… you know. It was a way to interact with people that felt safe. No big deal if they didn't like me because they weren't really interacting with me, I guess? There's a whole bunch of people that play it but it's not really cool. Except for the people that think being nerdy is cool. Geek culture, I guess. That's been getting more popular lately."
"I do not know what that means."
"Oh, well, it means lots of people play it but it's not like football or something where you can brag about how good you are. Not unless you're talking to other people that play it too. Most people wouldn't know what you mean and some people would think it's something that you should be ashamed of, or at least a little embarrassed about."
"Ah," he said, "so it is like most niche activities. Very important for those who care about it but of little interest to others?"
She shrugged. "Pretty much. Why'd you pick the power set you did? Healing and debuff is great in a group but that takes a long time to develop."
On the screen, he saw a woman dangling from the side of a building and moved his character to assist. "It was similar to my mother's ability. She has often spoken of the regret she felt that some early mistakes cost her a promising career with the Citadel. I thought it might be interesting to see what would happen in this game if I picked something reminiscent of her power but made different choices."
"Your mom was an operative? That's kinda cool, Jason. I know it's pretty common for Empowered people to have at least one close relation with similar abilities, but I'm the first in my family. Probably part of the reason it took me and my parents so long to figure out what happened. Guess it didn't go that way for you."
He climbed a nearby fire escape and pulled the woman to safety. He read the hovering text, which explained that her boyfriend had gone mad after gaining powers and thrown her off the roof.
"No. I first used my powers in a way that was quite evident to my parents. Also, my mother was never a full operative. She completed the same training that we are undergoing, though her description leads me to believe that there have been significant changes in the curriculum. She made a mistake during field training which led to her removal from the program."
A red glowing man approached Paragon237, presumably the boyfriend. He began shouting nonsense symbols and attacked with energy blasts the same color as his aura.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up a sore point." Jason smiled at the worry in Jenny's voice. He took no pleasure in her distress. He was just happy that it made sense to him.
The red man was dealing more damage than Jason's character, but he found that he could easily heal himself faster than he was being harmed.
"Please, do not be concerned. If my mother was present, she would likely be quite unhappy. However, the event was a matter of public record and holds little meaning for me."
"Okay. If you don't mind me asking then..."
The attacker fell and Jason watched, momentarily confused, as his character posed over the defeated foe.
"Is that normal?" he asked Jenny, ignoring the question she had clearly been about to ask.
"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that. Hero characters always do that after they beat a villain or finish a quest."
"That is... odd." he said. "Do the others have a similar behavior?"
"Not the operatives, but I think villains have a chance to gloat or monologue in the middle of a fight."
He set the controller down. "You were asking about my mother?"
"Oh, yeah. Just wondering what her power is. You don't see many Healer types that are eligible for operative status, much less interested."
"As I understand it, she is able to speed or slow biological processes in those around her. She could do some healing by accelerating the body's natural processes but it was less effective than most Healer types. If she used it selectively, she could impair the function of her opponents' bodies, so it made her quite desirable as an operative."
"So she could make someone clumsy or weaker by messing up their muscles? Sounds really useful" Jenny said.
"It is my understanding that she more commonly targeted the heart or brain."
"Oh. I guess that fits your power better." she said quietly.
Rather than answer verbally, Jason tilted his head and raised his eyebrows. He had seen others do something like it but had never been completely certain of when it was appropriate to use.
"Well, it's just that... your eyes... and Anna forfeited to you. It's pretty obvious that she can tell what other people's powers are. She challenged Greg when everyone else thought he was some kind of powerhouse and beat him pretty easy. Even though she gave up rather than fight Kerry."
"What does that have to do with my mother?" he asked.
"Most kids with powers are similar to their parents." she said. "I know you haven't done real well in the rankings, but I figured that was because you didn't care or you had something too dangerous to use casually."
"You are not wrong. I was challenged yesterday, but simply notified Coach Achala that I would not contest it."
"That could be a bad idea. I mean, with the way my and Kerry's challenges worked, you could end up with a chain of people challenging you at the same time. What if you get dropped really low?"
He looked at her for a moment, before answering. Jason had to decide whether or not he should include her. "I expect that I will be the lowest ranked in our class before long." he said. "Hector has actually begun to suggest something similar to many of the people that I currently outrank."
They were interrupted by a loud thump from the front of the house.
"What-?" he began, before being cut off by the look of disgust on Jenny's face.
"Kerry's back. You should go. I... I'm sorry but you're not very well liked by a bunch of the others and I'm afraid..."
"I understand. You do not wish to lose your popularity."
"No! It'
s not that. Remember, I literally don't get a choice in what I'll do if I'm around the wrong people. What if they think it'd be cool for me to make fun of you or something?"
Jason considered that. "You... wish to protect me?" She nodded. "Then I will go."
He left the couch and headed for the back door. If Kerry and him being in the same room might cause Jenny distress, it would be better if he left from a different route than she would take to enter the house.
* * *
The Sparring Field
Melody Shift appeared, only to find Bruce Richards and more than forty identical trainees waiting for her in the combat dome. No, not quite identical. The majority of them were wearing a mixture of Citadel issue combat gear, but a dozen or so were in civilian clothes.
"Bruce, was it really necessary to meet here, of all places?"
"Sorry ma'am. Needed a spot big enough to hold all of him, one that was private and, preferably, one that you knew well enough to jump to."
She sighed. "I wish Juggernaut would stop using that video. Maybe Sasha Strong would get over it if half the interns I send didn't freak out when they met her."
Bruce just shrugged. "Find him a better demonstration and he will."
Melody's hand hurt. She'd been gripping her cane a little too hard. "Fine. Now tell me what this is all about."
Her deputy's posture changed dramatically, feet spread to shoulder width, hands clasped behind his back and standing straight. "Hector Hive. First phase operative trainee, scheduled to switch to second phase tomorrow. Duplicator, obviously, power scale is practically off the chart. Basically a one man army, and smart, too."
"I recognize the boy, Bruce. Now quit singing his praises and tell me what he's done."
Bruce answered with a grimace, "He shot Nightmare."
"Tell me I'm here because he gota shaky hands during a training match."
"No ma'am, it was right after one."
"Go on."
"Ma'am, the boy beat Juggernaut-"
"What!? Achala's one of the best we've ever had! How did that child...?"
Bruce dropped his gaze. "Was, ma'am. I don't like it any more than you, but you know what he's gone through. He's not what he was."
Melody fought back a snarl.
"Hector managed a win against Achala. Duncan acted... incensed. The others likely believed it was because Achala beat him, rather casually, during his own challenge."
"Duncan, he scared off two of our candidates during the ranking matches?"
"Yes ma'am. Achala spread the word that he had him interviewed by one of our Reader types, that it was an unintentional side effect of his power. The class believes that he should be able to reign in the fear effect, but he's never bothered to learn how. It’ll play into one of the points I'm planning to address during phase two." Bruce shook his head, disgust evident on his face. He never could understand why most Empowered didn't bother training themselves, not without Citadel direction.
"Anyway, Duncan made an unprofessional comment and Hector took exception. Two in the chest and one in the face, it was as smooth a draw as I've ever seen, pure reflex action. Beautiful."
"I'm getting the impression that this young man was going to be one of your protégés, Bruce."
"I think he's got promise, ma'am."
"If not for Duncan’s… status, he’d be looking at attempted murder charges, Bruce. He'd be lucky to avoid jail time. Continuing at the Citadel would be out of the question."
"Attempted murder? Director, Nightmare has been harassing him and the rest of that class since day one. They’re under a lot of pressure by now."
"Doesn't matter. We can't have an operative who lashes out because of a few harsh words."
He looked right at her. "He said that Achala threw the match, implied Hector had a... relationship, with him. I'd just shown him my video of the Carson City incident. He hadn't known about the connection, not before that."
She thought about it for a moment. "You think, if it had just been him, that he would've been fine. It was the insult to Senior Operative Juggernaut that did it."
"Yes ma'am."
"Hm. Not enough on its own. You’ll need some sort of justification."
"What about Operative's Privilege, ma'am?"
"That's a discretionary power, Bruce. Not a license to commit murder. Besides, neither one of them is officially an operative, not yet."
"Not him, ma'am, me."
Melody's eyebrows raised. "Go on."
"If we're treating this as a criminal act, then I was the operative on site. In my judgment, it was a class five. Maybe not even that. Duncan's tough enough that he wasn't in any real danger from a pistol and I’m certain Hector knew that."
She considered it. Operative's Privilege granted a lot of leeway when it came to determining whether or not to make an arrest, provided the subject didn't pose a future threat. "It works on paper, but I don't like the message it sends to the other trainees. He can't be seen getting off scot free."
Bruce smiled. There was nothing cheerful about it. "No ma'am. Let me have him as a training assistant. I guarantee, none of the others will think he's getting off lightly. By the end of their training course, I promise you, it’ll be obvious Duncan got the better end of the deal."
She just looked at him for a moment. She had a very good idea how creative the Richards type could be, when given free reign. She looked over the assembled Hectors before answering. "Fine. Don't let me regret this, Bruce." Then she vanished.
Bruce made an adjustment to the device on his belt, canceling the privacy field, then turned to face his new assistant. "Good news, Hector."
Forty three faces shot up, desperate eagerness showed on all of them.
"You're still in the Citadel, and I've been given leave to make your life more interesting."
"What... what does that mean, sir?" the nearest asked.
Bruce's smile was predatory.
* * *
CHAPTER 9: MENTORING
* * *
The Sparring Field
"One of the most dangerous men who ever lived was fond of saying, 'There are only two things that really matter about a guy. What he wants and what he's willing to do to get it.' Good morning class and welcome to Personalized Conditioning."
Isaac didn't trust their newest instructor, despite his friendly seeming smile. He couldn't put his finger on what, but there was something off about the man. Rather than meet in the training area or one of the lecture rooms, they'd been instructed to assemble in one of the combat domes. Among the first to arrive, Isaac had considered speaking to the others. That idea ended when he saw the looks on their faces as he approached.
He couldn't afford to let his reaction to that show. Instead, he focused on the new instructor. The man had arrived, exactly on time, accompanied by four of Hector's duplicates. That had been a surprising relief. Isaac hadn't seen the likable young man since Saturday and had been more than a little worried about him. If he hadn't received an e-mail telling him that everything was under control, he'd have gone to one of their instructors with his concerns.
Between them, the Hectors had carried a large table, evidently quite heavy. The instructor had been carrying an oversized metal briefcase.
"I am Bruce Richards and what I want is to turn you into operatives. What you want, well, that varies. This is a table. It doesn't really want anything."
The instructor set his case on the table and opened it, keeping the inside pointed towards himself and away from the class. The four Hectors took up a position just behind him.
"What you're willing to do. That's what the last weeks have been about." He began to pace, still keeping the table between himself and the majority of the class. "Don't get me wrong, what we've been teaching is important for you. But we needed to make sure you have something else, something that can't be taught in a few months." He stopped pacing and faced the class again. "Drew Stasis, please come here."
The boy just appeared in front of the table.
<
br /> "Now, this is made from an unusually heavy wood and I don't have any physical powers." The instructor raised his hand and made a fist, then slammed it into the table. If the blow had any effect, on the table or the man's fist, Isaac couldn't see it. "Now you try, Drew." The boy mimicked the action, though he flickered immediately after his own blow hit. "Okay class, who can tell me what we did wrong?"
"You're punching a fucking table?" offered Duncan Nightmare.
"Good point Duncan." replied Instructor Bruce, without any sign of offense. He reached into the case, withdrew a pistol, and calmly shot Duncan. The boy dropped and the instructor continued as if nothing unusual had occurred. "If your target is harder than you, use a tool. That's what they're for."
Isaac watched as the other trainees reacted. Most pulled back, showing a mixture of fear and surprise, but a few crowded in around Duncan. The instructor withdrew another object from the case and handed it to Drew, ignoring his wide eyed look of shock.
"This is a knife. Now, attack the table again."
Drew did, stabbing more or less the same spot he'd punched before. The knife sank in, no more than a fraction of an inch, and Drew pulled it free. He still looked a little dazed.
"Sir! Why would you-?" Jenny called out, kneeling over her fallen classmate.
"Get off me, dammit." Duncan pushed her aside as he got to his feet.
The instructor ignored him. "Not bad Drew, but why just once? That table is your enemy, kill it."
It wasn’t exactly superspeed, just stepping in and out of stasis in time with his attacks so that he was only in real time while his knife was striking the table. Drew flickered, reappearing as the knife hit the table again. Over the next second or so, he flickered so many times that Isaac couldn't follow it and a noise like a heavy branch in a wood chipper filled the dome. When it was done, there was a gouge more than half way through the table's surface, almost an inch deep and wide enough to fit a fist.
Citadel (Book 1): Training in Necessity Page 17
