Citadel (Book 1): Training in Necessity

by Clevenger, J.

  "What?" she asked.

  "As I said, Kelly's attack left me powerless. In addition, his venom is paralytic and quite painful. When Samantha's bullet struck Hector, I was likely moments away from killing him in the hope of relief."

  Jenny's mouth hung slightly open for a moment. "What... what would that have done. I mean... would that have killed just the one or..."

  "I am not certain." Jason told her. "It is possible that only the one body would have died. I think it slightly more likely that all of his bodies would have died. If I target a blade of grass, the entire organism dies, despite the fact that I can only see a relatively small portion of the plant. I suspect the same principle would have applied."

  "It was... was just training. Why..." Jenny did not complete her question.

  "It would have been a poor decision. If I received a single life, it would have done no more than heal a single one of the dozens of wounds I still had at the time. Even if killing Hector yielded me a life for each of his bodies, it still would have ended poorly for me. Director Shift has made it clear to me that such an act on my part would yield a lethal response from the Citadel. Our group session on Friday was the first combat training where I could act without restraint. To put it simply, Jenny, I was frightened."

  Jenny nodded, slowly.

  "That is why I said thank you." Jason smiled. It was not spontaneous, but it was sincere.

  "I wonder..." again, Jenny spoke more slowly than normal. "Do you think, did my power push her into that to protect you?"

  "I do not know. Your power's... motivations are often difficult for me to understand. I have noticed that you have recently been kinder to me in public, especially around large groups."

  "Huh, that's true. After that time Hector had to separate us, Duncan started ragging on you pretty hard. He's never been exactly popular, but it's gotten a lot worse since we started the group exercises. The guy's so disruptive that everyone kind of hates him now. Him making fun of you actually seems to have made people like you more."

  Jason smiled, almost chuckling. "Well, that is not the form of acceptance I hoped for when I applied to the Citadel, but I suppose it is still a step forward."

  Jenny smiled as well, then asked him a question. "So if being powerless bothered you so much, have you thought about how to keep it from happening again? Maybe you should ask Hector for advice. He's pretty good at the planning stuff. Or maybe Instructor Bruce?"

  Jason reached down and withdrew a plastic tube from his pocket. It was large enough to hold easily, about the length of his palm. He held it up so that Jenny could see its contents more easily.

  "I have been breeding flies since shortly after I arrived here. Every morning, I absorb the life from a vial like this one and I make sure to always have another on my person."

  "Wow." Jenny said. "How many is that? And won't you go through however many you have left pretty quick at that rate?"

  "It varies a bit, but at least several hundred. The ones I use are amongst the older flies, those least likely to produce more young. Also, I have enough now that their numbers still increase steadily, despite losing two vials a day." he told her.

  "Huh," she said, an unusual tone in her voice. "That's pretty clever. I don't know if I would have thought of something like that."

  "Thank you," he returned the fruit flies to his pocket. "I cannot take the credit though. It was my mother's idea."

  After that, they sat in comfortable silence for a time.

  * * *

  Private Residence

  Isaac took a sip of his coffee, using the mug to hide his smile. He hadn't bothered to keep up his act around the house. Hector wouldn't buy it. Jason... Isaac was starting to think there might be something off about the boy. He didn't react quite right to too many things. As for Kelly... Isaac wouldn't risk hurting his feelings for the world, or hers, whichever. Even so, he didn't think showing the broad smile, still trying to fight its way free, would be a good idea. Hector might not react well.

  The duplicator was making breakfast, that same combination of eggs and salsa he'd served on the first morning. His eyes were red-rimmed, obviously the after effects of crying, but everything about him shouted that it was a good thing. The energy in his movements, the enormous grin, he was practically bouncing with joy. Isaac brought his expression under control before breaking the morning's silence.

  "I take it your mother's doing better?" Isaac asked.

  Hector handed him a plate, heavy with eggs and bacon.

  "She's asleep." he said.

  Rather than answer, Isaac just cocked his head quizzically.

  "Isaac, she hasn't slept, really slept, in as long as I can remember. The closest she's come is... well, just a sort of drugged stupor."

  There were tears in the boy's eyes. Again, they were obviously happy tears. Isaac took a bite of bacon. It was good.

  "Glad to hear it." Isaac let the smile out now. "Does Jason know?"

  "Do I know what?" their roommate asked.

  Isaac hadn't heard him come in, but that was pretty common. The boy was quiet. It wasn't sneaky, more like he just moved in a very controlled manner. Something like the way a dancer or martial artist moved, very aware of his own body, but not quite the same. More like... it was more like Jason didn't make any unnecessary movements.

  "We were just talking about your and Hector's mothers. He said that she was able to help." Isaac told him.

  Jason nodded.

  He was wearing his normal outfit, pressed slacks and button-down shirt in dark colors, complete with dark sunglasses. The only time he'd ever taken them off, so far as Isaac knew, was during the first day's ranking matches. At least, that Anna Insight girl had mentioned something about it. He was pretty sure the young man's Empowerment had come with some sort of physical change. Those weren't exactly common, but he wouldn't be the only one in their class. Everyone had seen the angry kid with the scales and wings, and Isaac knew of another boy, an energy absorber, with metallic silver hair. Some Empowered with altered features wore them with pride, others tried to conceal them.

  "I spoke to my mother last night. She said that she had been successful but that there were likely to be weeks or months of work still required. I was more than a little surprised. A little research was enough to inform me of the severity of Chemo's... toxin, I suppose. I had not realized that my mother's healing capability was so advanced." Jason said.

  Hector set a plate in front of him as Jason took a set, then rested a hand on his shoulder.

  "Jason, I... I can't thank you enough. My mom means everything to me, and..."

  Isaac looked away. This wasn't any of his business and it seemed far too personal for him to interrupt.

  "... if there's ever anything I can do for you... please, I can't possibly pay you back for this."

  Isaac heard the sound of chewing before Jason answered. "In truth, I believe that any debt you might owe is more properly owed to my mother. But if you insist, I need some oatmeal."

  What? Isaac had to restrain the urge to ask.

  "What?" Hector said.

  "My food supply has been diminishing more quickly than I expected. The commercial version is a mixture of cornhusks and oats, with some blue dye to make the larvae more visible." Jason told him.

  "What?" Hector asked again.

  Isaac remembered the packages he'd helped Jason carry in, as well as the descriptions of some of the bio majors he'd known in college, and put it all together just as Jason explained.

  "I have been breeding fruit flies. Recently, their numbers have been increasing at a greater and greater rate. I know that you keep a large supply of oatmeal and, as I said, my food supply is unexpectedly depleted. Oatmeal should serve well enough, if you could spare some."

  Isaac had no idea what to make of that. Fly breeding was... kind of an unusual hobby. Normally he'd have asked but, coming on the tail of the heavier topic, he still didn't want to interfere. Bemusedly, Hector agreed to supply the oatmeal. Jason only need
ed a couple large cups, as well as some baking yeast. After that was taken care of, the three sat in silence as they ate their breakfast. Hector held back about half the eggs and bacon for Kelly.

  Their third roommate joined them after a time. Isaac tried not to stare, but it was unusual to see Kelly as a female in the house. Her appearance changed from time to time, but right now she was petite, though a little taller than her usual, with blonde hair in shoulder length pigtails and a dusting of freckles. Odd as the thought seemed, given that Isaac saw her daily, she looked familiar. She also looked tired. That was pretty odd too.

  "Morning guys." she said. "You save some for me, Hector?"

  Still baring his enormous grin, Hector loaded a pair of plates down with the remaining food and served it up to her. She started eating but, unusually for the shapeshifter, didn't seem to have any enthusiasm for the food.

  "Are you okay Kelly?" Isaac asked.

  She took a moment to finish chewing before she answered. "Yeah. Just... I had kind of a weird night."

  There was something strange in her voice. Isaac's impulse was to press her, find out what was wrong and protect her, but he bit it back. Kelly was more than capable of taking care of herself and didn't appreciate it when he overstepped.

  "I- um, I mean we- we went out to eat yesterday. Jim and I wanted to celebrate the no holds barred free for all on Friday, you know?"

  Isaac didn't remember anything more than their instructors' explanation of the rules, minimal though they were, and Coach Achala speaking to them after it was over. By what they'd been told, that meant he hadn't survived the fight and had had to be resurrected by Retcon. Apparently, her power let her 'save' a group of people, just like a video game, and restore them to that point. As long as she had the opportunity to use her power within an hour or so of the injury, she could undo anything. Even death.

  "Well, the place got held up." Kelly continued.

  "Heh. That must've been a surprise for the poor guy." Hector said with a smirk. "What'd you two do to him?"

  Kelly shook her head. "Nothing. Me and Jim were afraid the bystanders might get hurt. We were waiting for him to leave before we jumped him, but..." her voice went vague for a moment, "But for some reason, we invited Don along. I don't remember why. Maybe he just seemed like he needed cheering up? Anyway, Don showed up in the middle of the thing and took him down."

  "Was anyone harmed?" Jason asked.

  "No, just the guy. Don's gotten a lot better and he, the robber, he wasn't Empowered. He was just some guy with a gun." Kelly hesitated for a moment. "Jim and I, we both got killed during the training match earlier that day. My head exploded one time and I watched one of my best friends," she nodded towards Hector, "get shot in front of me a while back. Violence isn't exactly a new thing to me at this point, you know?"

  Isaac nodded and the others made similar gestures of acknowledgement.

  "But... that healer from Prime wasn't there. Neither was anyone else who could've put the guy back together. Don didn't kill him, but... he was hurt really bad. We had to stay there for hours while the cops took statements from everyone. They didn't let us go till someone from San Francisco's Stationary team showed up. I don't think we're in trouble or anything, but... it was really messed up. I couldn't sleep last night. I just kept thinking, “That was what it was like, what we're training for.” It wasn't a fight. Don just saw a guy with a gun and put him down, hard."

  No one had anything to say about that. All Isaac could do was watch as she finished her breakfast, utterly lacking her normal cheer and energy.

  * * *

  Sparring Field

  "Are you just going to stand there?" Duncan asked.

  Arms crossed, back straight and a look of contempt plastered on his face, Isaac didn't bother to answer. Duncan Nightmare hit him again, and again. Isaac's shield flared a little brighter, but that was his only reaction.

  "Fuck." Duncan swore as he stepped back. Rather than continue his ineffectual attack, he tried a different tactic. He could feel the threads, the little tendrils of fear, nervousness, anger and even outright hate from everyone watching the fight. It was easy to reach out and grab the ones nearest to him.

  Simultaneously, the dozen Hector clones that were spread around the inside of the dome gasped and tried to move away from him, only to find themselves trapped against the gently curving stone wall. That was all it took, just a moment's effort on Duncan's part, and the normally collected young man went from vaguely nervous to genuinely frightened. Duncan could feel that same fear pouring into him, boosting his strength and toughness.

  Isaac still hadn't moved.

  "C'mon big man. I know you're all badass, but you can't win if you won't throw a damn punch." Duncan mouthed off. The crude statements were more or less a reflex by now. He reached out a bit further, to all the trainees watching the challenge match, and gave a little tug. It was enough to make them jittery, nervous and restless, but not enough to cause panic. The last thing he wanted was to start a riot. Juggernaut would never let him hear the end of it.

  The extra trickle of energy from the spectators joined the strength he was drawing from the frightened Hectors. Duncan really hoped Jason wasn't out there. He normally skipped challenges entirely, forfeiting by default, and spent most of the day with Jenny Awesome if he could. It seemed like a safe bet but if Duncan was wrong... well, it could be a massacre.

  Distracted by that worrying thought, Duncan missed the tiny change in stance that would have warned him that Isaac wouldn't be standing still for much longer. The big man lunged, a movement made startlingly graceful by his time as an amateur boxer and honed by the Akido that Bruce had insisted he study. Before Duncan realized what was happening, a large hand had wrapped itself around his upper arm.

  "Shit!" he cried out and kicked at Isaac's knee.

  His opponent still didn't bother to dodge. With as much energy as he'd drawn in by now, Duncan should be somewhere between the middle and upper tier of Strong types. Isaac's shield flared again, but that was it. He kicked out again, as quick as he could, but Isaac just twisted his knee a little to the side and let his foot pass by without making contact. Duncan looked up and saw him smirk, just before the big man casually threw him across the dome.

  Not quite as casual as he seems, Duncan decided, as he slammed into the wall and fell to the ground between two Hectors. If he'd hit just a little to either side, he would have collided with one of the "bystanders" and probably killed him. That would have lost Isaac the match.

  A little groggy from the impact, Duncan let out a string of obscenities as he picked himself up. Isaac was on him before he'd finished the motion. Duncan took a single blow to the face and collapsed to the ground. It had looked like a simple jab, but even William Power didn't hit that hard. The world seemed to spin around him as Isaac picked him up, one handed, and pushed him against the wall. He was using his left hand to hold Duncan in place, a foot or so off the ground. Duncan could feel Isaac's right hand covering his mouth, gripping his jaw just hard enough to be a reminder of just how much damage the Strong type could do to him right now.

  Isaac leaned in, close enough that Duncan could feel the man's breath on his ear, and spoke in a disturbingly calm and even tone. "There's something I'd like to talk to you about. I'd prefer to keep it private. Can you tune that fear effect enough to disable Hector without affecting me?

  Duncan's eyes went wide in surprise. He tried to nod but couldn't move his head. Instead, he reached out to those threads again. Most of the class outside were still at the level of nervousness he'd left them with, maybe a little stronger. He couldn't stop his power's tendency to escalate, one of the reasons he was so rarely given a field assignment, but he could direct its stronger effects with relative ease. He took a mental grip on the lines of fear connecting him and Hector and pulled on them, hard.

  Moments later, the dome was filled with panicked screaming as a dozen Hectors, suddenly terrified of him, ran to the far side of the dome.

>   "The other trainees, the ones watching, did you hit them the same way?" Isaac asked.

  Duncan tried to speak and found that the man had loosened his grip enough to allow it.

  "No. They're getting a little nervous but they should be fine." He answered.

  "And I barely feel anything. So you do have better control over your power than you've been letting on." Isaac was holding him at eye level. Given the difference in their heights, that left Duncan's feet dangling. "Now, I'd like to have a private discussion with you, Duncan."

  He felt his eyes widen as the Strong type continued.

  "You don't make any sense to me, don't quite fit."

  The world spun crazily as Isaac threw him once more, towards the center of the dome. Duncan sprawled as he hit the ground, cracking the stone. Again, Isaac was on him before he could get to his feet. Isaac placed a foot on his neck and leaned in. The weight of the man's body wasn't enough to choke him, not as strong as he was right now, but it was a clear message.

  Duncan didn't try to get up this time. "So what the fuck do you want?" he asked, drawing in strength from the panicky Hectors and the watching crowd.

  Isaac crouched down, keeping his weight on Duncan's throat. His windpipe held him easy enough, but it had to look pretty brutal to anyone watching. "I want answers." he said, resting a single finger on Duncan's left shoulder. "And I had better like them." With no indication of effort, Isaac pushed down with the finger. Duncan felt, quite clearly, the moment when bone broke.

  He screamed.

  * * *

  Isaac raised his bloody finger and stepped back. Duncan stopped screaming after a few moments and immediately rolled away from him. Once he had opened up a little distance, the boy used his good arm to get to his feet. A little shaky, but he was standing. There were plenty of nasty things you might say about Duncan, but no one could deny that the kid was tough.

  "What the hell-" Duncan spat, "this kind of thing isn't anywhere in your psych profile."