Citadel (Book 1): Training in Necessity

by Clevenger, J.

  "We can't bury our fear. We have to pull it into the open and deal with it. We lost a city when a solar plant blew. That's a tragedy. So what can we do to make sure it never happens again? Can the other plants be moved to safer locations, maybe underground? What if we switched to safer power sources? Wind, Empowered and photo generated electricity aren't effective enough to fully replace solar, but can they reduce our reliance on it?

  “More than that, the Interruption showed us where we're weak. We can use that to improve, to get stronger, ready for next time. Cities can be redesigned so we're not dependent on fallible autos. Emergency services can be decentralized. I don't know what else. I'm just one person and there's a limit to what I can do.

  “But you, you're a nation. I sincerely believe that if you act together, there's nothing you can't do. Write your congressman, your governor and your city council. Ask your questions and make suggestions."

  Suzy stared, in awe at what she'd just heard and what she could still feel. Without warning, that implacable determination was... not gone, any more than a sword vanishes when it's sheathed, but it was replaced again by that terrible joy. The girl was smiling again.

  "And please, Richard Day is paralyzed. No one's happy about that. But he wasn't stealing bread to feed his starving family. Richard Day is a meth addict who carried a gun into a restaurant full of innocent families so he could score. Donald Dust was there to share a meal with friends. He saw people in danger so he protected them. He's still a trainee, but that's what an operative is for. If you feel bad for Mr. Day, don't make yourself feel better by attacking Don. Donate money to a rehabilitation center or volunteer at a clinic.

  “Donald feels really bad about this, even though he did the right thing. That's a distraction and he can't afford to be distracted the next time people need his help."

  Slowly, very slowly and as calmly as she could, Suzanne Nguyen reached up and turned off her headset.

  "I... I think I've got what I need from you."

  The girl nodded, then rose to leave. Just before her hand touched the door's handle, Suzanne spoke up again.

  "Thank you. For what you said... thank you for that."

  She turned back to face Suzy. "Do you think it'll help?"

  When she answered, Suzy wasn’t entirely sure if she was talking about what she’d heard or what she’d felt. The two had mixed together in her head until… "I think it may have been one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard."f

  The girl grinned and Suzy felt another brief spike of that awful misery. She didn't know what it meant. Maybe some sort of lingering reaction to Achala Juggernaut? Perhaps there was some other Citadel member nearby, one in truly dire need of therapy? With a mental shrug, she turned off her power and forgot about it.

  "Awesome." the girl said, smiling brighter than ever.

  * * *

  CHAPTER 16: REALIZATION

  * * *

  Private Residence

  Jason shut the door of the incubator. Final yields were slightly greater than his earliest projections, though not so great as he might have hoped. It should be enough. More to the point, it would have to be. Finished with the private portion of his daily routine, Jason left his room and went down the stairs to join the others for breakfast.

  Unusually, Jason was the last to arrive. This was not the meal's only unexpected feature. Kelly was female. It was far more common for the shapeshifter to be male at home and, conversely, female during the majority of public social activities. Jason had not noticed any particular pattern when it came to combat training. Hector was at the table, eating, rather than at the stove or serving the others. This might have been due to the lateness with which Jason had arrived but he thought it was more likely related to the meal itself.

  Hector had prepared a large quantity of eggs in a variety of styles. Jason also saw bacon, sausage links, patties and what he believed was skirt steak. There were pancakes, waffles, an item he did not recognize but seemed like a cross between tortillas and pancakes, all accompanied by honey, syrup and a selection of crushed fruit.

  Isaac was drinking orange juice rather than coffee.

  Jason could have asked Kelly about her atypical appearance. He could have commented on Isaac's choice of beverage or Hector's deviation from standard behavior. Normally, he would have given them a polite greeting and then done so. Today... Jason did not wish to do so. The idea of interacting with these people in such a way, as if he were reading from a script his mother had prepared.... it seemed unsatisfying.

  In slightly more than a week, each of these people would most likely have graduated. In truth, Jason believed himself to be the one with the highest probability of being held back, at least at the moment. He expected that to be changed by the day's end. Jason thought of Hector as his friend. They had shared confidences and exchanged aid on more than one occasion. Jason trusted him. He did not feel the same label fit his relationship with Isaac or Kelly... still, with his thoughts turned towards graduation, he realized he was likely to part ways with them. The Citadel was a relatively small organization with a large area of responsibility. The idea of that coming separation left him... unsettled.

  Jason sat in relative silence and shared a meal with his companions. Rather than allow his mind to dwell on that pending separation, he chose to concentrate on this moment and its feeling of comfortable familiarity. If he had known that the others were doing much the same, each in their own way, he would have been shocked. Or as close as he could come to that state of mind.

  Eventually, the meal came to an end. As another Hector came in and began clearing the table- Jason noticed he was setting the uneaten food aside rather than disposing of it- the four housemates discussed their plans for the day. It did not take long for two of them to discover that they had something in common.

  "Hey Jason, I've got a challenge from you?" Kelly had been the first to speak. "Congrats man! I didn't realize you'd gotten so far up the ranks. Last I saw, you were in the mid-thirties."

  "Thank you Kelly. However, I am currently ranked last in the class." Jason had little trouble interpreting the look of confusion that his statement elicited, nor was it difficult to intuit the cause. He decided to explain. "Coach Achala told us that multiple challenges on the same day were allowed. I believe it was part of his initial description of the challenge system. The only requirement is that each challenge must individually be acceptable. Of course, a loss negates any further challenges that are pending."

  Kelly's brow furrowed for a moment, then she spoke. "Huh. So you challenged whoever's five ranks above you then five above them and so on, up into the twenties? That's really smart. You could end up with a good ranking and only have to fight a few times, especially if you spent some time figuring out who's likely to skip out on their challenges."

  "That's not what he did." Isaac said. Jason turned his head slightly, so that he could see the other man. Kelly did as well. "He challenged me too."

  Kelly's eyes were slightly wider than normal and her voice was higher as she said, "Wait, what? No offense Jason but... well, Isaac's really high up right now. I'm not sure..."

  Hector, the one at the table, laughed. "Kelly, you didn't look at the full schedule for the day, did you?"

  Kelly shook her head. "No, I saw it was a lot busier than normal and figured that since this was the second to last weekend, a bunch of people would be desperate to make sure they ended up with decent ranks. I just paid attention to my own fights."

  Hector wore the same smile, or perhaps it should be called a grin, that he usually did. Jason thought that it might be a little more... well, a little more something than usual.

  "I challenged everyone." Jason said. Isaac nodded. The Hector at the sink laughed. Kelly sat back, eyes even wider while her mouth was slightly opened. "While the strategy you proposed," he said, inclining his head towards Kelly, "would have likely resulted in a high rank for me, I believe that fully displaying my capabilities is more important if the Citadel is to place
me in a position to properly utilize them."

  "Wha- but... Jason, are you sure you're-?" Kelly seemed to be having trouble expressing herself.

  Isaac interrupted her. "Just how much have you been holding back?"

  Jason thought that this would be an appropriate time to give a smile, so he did so. He intended it to imply confidence. "A great deal."

  Four Hectors entered the room, each carrying a large pack that Jason knew were filled with a variety of implements. The one at the table spoke. "I've been helping him get ready. I even suggested to a few people that they coordinate challenges to make sure he ended up at the very bottom of the list. It would've been a lot easier if Anna hadn't yielded to him during the first day."

  Neither of Jason's other roommates seemed to have anything to say at this point.

  "I've got all the stuff we talked about Jason. Is there anything else you need?"

  Jason considered Hector's question for a moment. "No. I will go to my room for a moment, then we may depart."

  * * *

  Jason looked at the racks in his incubator. Each held six hundred tubes. There were seven racks. Each tube contained, he thought, a minimum of two hundred flies or larvae. Caring for the insects had been simple, at first. As their numbers grew, it had taken up more and more of his day. Another person might have found it amusing that so much work had gone into something that was over in a fraction of a second.

  His gaze went from the top of the incubator to the bottom. Where it had passed, roughly a million fruit flies simply ceased. Their lives extinguished so that Jason could prove his worth.

  * * *

  Gate Room

  Suzy looked up at the gate, nervous. On this side, the one she was meant to step through, it was... creepy. A large black square, she thought it was maybe eight feet by eight feet. The sides were traced in blue light, like a diagram drawn in the air. The surface of the gate itself, the face of that square, was black. A pure, empty darkness... it was like being told to step into the void.

  She knew it was silly. It hadn't bothered her on the way here. Plenty of Citadel personnel used them every day and she'd never heard of anyone being hurt, unless you counted all the operatives that used them to get to a combat zone. Suzy tightened her grip on the little flash drive they'd given her. She'd taken some time to skim through it earlier and, as far as she could tell, they'd left everything on it. They hadn't removed anything. This was going to be one of the best assignments of her career, even if her producer wouldn't let her run the juicy stuff. She'd still know it, could use it later. Whether it was part of a later story or just leverage, that footage would make her career.

  Suzy Nguyen gathered her courage, took a deep breath, then she stepped into the darkness.

  * * *

  Sparring Field

  Jason and the Hectors carrying his equipment arrived before their roommates. Isaac had an appointment and would not need to fight until later in the day. Kelly had not challenged anyone or been challenged by anyone other than Jason. The shapeshifter had elected to spend the intervening time in flight.

  One of the packs proved to hold several camp chairs. Jason and the Hectors sat in comfort while they waited. Jason's matches would not begin until all other challenges had been resolved. Had he realized this he would have waited to consume the flies' lives. He did not know their exact number but it was more, far more, than he had ever held before.

  Each animal life he took gave him additional strength, added roughly half his base level. Four lives made him three time as strong as his body should be. This did not come with any corresponding durability. However, each life, plant or animal, allowed him to instantly recover from one injury.

  Jason did not know how many lives he currently contained. There were far too many to count. If he did not move with exceeding caution, he could easily squander lives by injuring himself. Even a careless breath could do it at this point. He had killed every piece of plant life that he and Hector had passed on their way here, hoping that his power would expend that before the more useful animal lives.

  "Hi Jason." Jenny said, smiling. She was the first of their classmates to greet him or Hector. "I saw the challenge schedule so I just wanted to congratulate you." His friend spoke louder than was her habit, at least when they were alone.

  He hoped her actions were deliberate. He didn't like the idea of her power causing her distress in relation to him.

  "I know you've had a hard time figuring out how to use you talent in a fight." she said. "Without hurting someone too badly, I mean. So, you know, congrats on that and good job!" she smiled. Then she leaned forward and kissed him on the lips.

  What?

  She returned to the larger group of trainees that were talking amongst themselves. Many of them, especially the females, seemed to be watching him rather than their conversational partners.

  "Well, I guess you two made up." the nearest Hector said.

  Jason turned to look at him. He did not care that the motion cost him a life.

  "You know, after that fight you two had in Coach Achala's class?"

  Jason nodded to indicate that he remembered the incident. Jenny had apologized profusely. Her power had obviously caused the incident. She had believed that it was simply another action meant to ingratiate her to their classmates. It made sense to him. Jason, in no small part because of his ranking, was perceived as the weakest member of the class.

  Jason realized that Hector had continued speaking. "I do not wish to talk about that." he said.

  "Sorry man, didn't mean to step on your toes or anything. I just wondered how long you two had been dating."

  Jason did not reply.

  "She's pretty cute." Hector said.

  Jason reached for his glasses. Hector stopped speaking. Jason returned his hand to his lap, leaving the sun glasses in place.

  * * *

  Elsewhere

  The reporter stumbled as she stepped out of the gate. Its exit side was a few inches off the floor. James Lacuna stepped up to her side and placed a hand on her wrist while he reached across her back to grip her shoulder with the other. At first, she probably thought he was just trying to keep her from tripping.

  "Thank you." she said.

  The look on her face went from vaguely confused and wary to sleepy relaxation as he used his power. She slumped back and feel into his arms.

  "You're welcome, Ms. Nguyen." he muttered.

  Modifying a series of memories that covered the better part of a week would normally be both difficult and time consuming. But this time it should be a simple job. After all, he had a video record of just about everything she'd done in that time.

  "Which reminds me..." he said.

  He took a moment to search her, replacing the flash drive she was carrying with one prepared by Analysis and making sure she didn't have a backup.

  * * *

  Sparring Fields

  On paper, George Dragon should have been one of the class's most dangerous combatants. Like William Power, he was a Parker type. Strength, flight, enhanced senses, claws, scales and fire breath, it sounded impressive. Unlike William Power, his individual powers were, to put it simply, weak.

  Literally every other trainee with enhanced strength could hit harder. His claws and scales were less effective than a flak jacket and a good knife. Night vision was useful but it didn't make much difference in the average fight. He had to rely on his wings to fly, which left him relatively slow and awkward in the air. The flame breath... well, it certainly looked cool but, from a practical stand point, he was better off with a good gun as often as not.

  The young man had been bitter at first, even considered dropping out of the program. The inevitable comparisons to the class's other Dragon hadn't helped. His session with Bruce Richards had changed that. The experienced instructor had told him that while his powers might be weak, at least by an operative's standards, their variety still gave him something valuable: flexibility.

  His strength wasn't a useful we
apon, but it let him carry a ridiculous amount of equipment. His flight might be slow and ungainly, especially with the extra weight, but George still had more battlefield mobility than most. The scales, claws and flame breath were now useful back-ups to his new, custom made inch-thick steel armor and M nineteen automated grenade launcher.

  George regained his confidence and soon found that while his new approach still left him ineffective in a one on one confrontation with most of his classmates, he was invaluable in the group exercises. There are very few scenarios that don't get easier with the application of a few forty millimeter grenades. It helps when the grenadier is highly mobile and too tough to be taken out easily.

  All this goes to explain why George was the second lowest ranked combatant in the class. His talents simply lay elsewhere. He knew it and was comfortable with the fact. This is also why he considered letting Jason win. He didn't know the guy but George had seen him in action enough to realize he was the only trainee less suited to a straight fight than George himself. Worse, he was completely lacking in useful, indirect combat skills.

  That budding sympathy vanished when the fight started and Jason took off his sunglasses.

  * * *

  San Francisco Citadel Branch Office

  Suzy Nguyen stumbled as she stepped out of the gate. Its exit side was a few inches off the floor. After regaining her balance, she turned to face the gate. From here, it seemed like she could see right into the Tower's Gate Room. She reached out to touch the gate's surface and her hand just stopped. She could see her skin compress but there was no sensation of resistance, no feeling of contact. Incredible.

  After a time, Suzy left the gate room. She'd enjoyed examining the office's single arrival gate, but the outgoing... That darkness was just creepy and she needed to call her office. They'd be happy to know that she had more than enough footage for a feel good special. It was a pity though, she'd been hoping for something more. Not necessarily a scandal or anything like that. Suzy just enjoyed knowing things. The right info on the Citadel could've given her leverage, maybe even made her career... ah well.