"I think he's smashing the computer." he answered.
"Should we run?"
He kept his eyes clenched shut and shook his head. "No! No, I think we're safe as long as we don't anger him."
The crashing stopped and Mr. Soon heard his bat fall to the concrete floor.
He waited until the bell above the front door rang to open his eyes. The man was gone.
"I think it's over. He's gone." he told his wife.
"What did he want?"
Mr. Soon looked at the dead man and the discarded sandwich wrapper.
"Lunch." he said.
* * *
CHAPTER 11: ORIGINS
* * *
Instruction Area
Jerome Ferrous was a rarity: a retired operative. He looked like a fairly typical, fifty something male: receding hairline, small paunch and a bit of a squint that implied he should be wearing glasses. Jerome also had dark grey, metallic skin and walked with the kind of slow, shuffling gait that would have seemed better suited to someone twice his apparent age.
"I'm not like your other Instructors." His raspy voice carried through the room with ease. "I remember what it was like. A bunch of strangers telling you about how much damage Empowered can do, how it's your job to stop them and everybody's depending on you..." he trailed off.
Isaac found the effect of human eyes in a metal face disturbing. His white teeth and greying hair didn't make it any better.
"No." With a visible effort, he pulled his thoughts back to the present. "I'm here to tell you about the price of your job, the one you'll end up paying." He raised trembling hands and fumbled with the buttons of his shirt. "Director Shift called you 'Those who cannot afford to fail,' right?" He sneered as he spread the shirt wide. "You're still human. You can't live up to that. No one can."
Isaac stared. The former operative's chest was covered with dozens of shiny patches. Most were long and narrow, but the one in the center, right over his heart, was roughly star shaped and bigger than Isaac's outspread hand.
"This is part of my price. And yeah, if you're wondering, those are scars. Any questions?" He pointed as Don raised his hand. "Yeah, you."
"Are you solid iron? Cause I've got a pretty good idea how tough that’d make you, and..."
"Spit it out kid."
"What happened?" Don asked, simply.
"Anyone ever heard of Razor Wind?" Jerome asked. After a moment of silence, he continued. "Not surprising. He was an Empowered criminal that spent a month or so robbing grocery stores and gas stations. He had a kind of weird telekinesis. All he could do with it was cut things, like he was throwing out these invisible blades." Absently, he fingered one of the longer scars, running along his collarbone.
"He'd show up, trash the place a bit, grab the money and run. A bunch of people got hurt, but no one got killed and he didn't take hostages. Not enough to make the news or get a Hunter team sent after him, but it made him a priority for us. I was on a Stationary team in the same city, San Diego, and after a couple weeks we managed to catch up to him."
Isaac looked around, curious, and saw that the rest of the room was hanging on every word.
"It was me, Sally Swift and our shadow, Mary Vector. We didn't want to catch anyone in the crossfire if we could help it so we waited for him to come out of the place and jumped him in the street. Sally-" he gave a sigh, it had a strange, whistling quality.
"Sally was basically a low end Speed type, but she could share it with anyone she touched. Basically, she let us all run about as fast as a car. Me and her went in first. I caved in his chest before he even knew we were there. He dropped without a fuss. Job done, right?"
No one was stupid enough to take that up.
"Yeah, we didn't know he had high end regeneration, too. And those telekinetic blades? He didn't need to wave his hands or anything, just threw them with his mind. We found out both of those things when he took Sally's head off, less than a second after I put him down."
Jerome Ferrous was practically snarling the words, but he kept talking.
"The new girl froze up, but I went for him right away." He traced the shiny scars as he spoke. "He cut me, well, he cut me a bunch, but I'm pretty tough. Every time I hit him, he went down again and then he got back up. I wasn't winning, just keeping him busy." He closed his eyes.
"Mary Vector. I guarantee a few of you've heard of her. I never really understood her power. She could… sort of… mess with people's bodies. Didn't work on me, but she could make Sally even faster and she could give the bad guy a stroke or a heart attack, if she wanted. She was brand new, right out of training, so I guess I can't really blame her for freezing. But what she did after that..."
He opened his eyes and clenched his hands.
"She tried to take him out the usual way, but I guess a regenerator doesn't worry too much about heart attacks. So she focused on the bacteria in his body. Something you may not know, people with enhanced healing don't usually have any special resistance to disease. They never get sick, but that's just because their bodies heal the damage as fast as it shows up. Basically, they're like the perfect carriers."
Oh, fuck. Isaac hadn't paid any attention to the Empowered world, but even he knew about Typhoid Mary.
"Mary gave them a boost, sped them up. The whole time I was pounding on him and he was cutting me up, she was using him as a breeding ground. After a few minutes, he started coughing. She'd made something so nasty his body couldn't keep up with it. That was enough to give me the edge"
Jerome's voice was quiet, but not so quiet that Isaac couldn't hear the guilt.
"I pulped the guy and that was that. Mary was smart enough to kill off the germs in his body and I didn't have to worry about it, but... She didn't think about the blood. I was covered in it and every drop was full of that damned plague she made."
He looked out at the class, his voice as hard as his skin.
"Razor Wind never killed anyone, but he was damned careless with his power. The way he was going, it was only a matter of time. We had him down as a Class Four. Mary Vector made a mistake and killed almost two hundred people. I was messed up enough that they had to patch me up, like a busted up car. My body doesn't work right anymore. Mary was forcibly retired and came damned close to being executed. They put her under some kind of probation, restricts how she can use her power, what kind of job she can have, where she can live... all sorts of stuff. Claimed it was for her own good."
Jerome Ferrous looked over the training class and said one more thing, bitterness dripping from his voice.
"Welcome to the Citadel."
* * *
Sparring Field (Simulation Area)
Anna could see everything.
Even the hood over her head didn't make any difference. Well, it was making her nose itch. She reached up to scratch it through the thick cloth. She adjusted her glasses while she was at it.
The starting tone sounded, followed by Coach Achala's voice.
"You may remove your blindfolds now. There will be a short period before your opponents enter the field. Treat them as rogue Empowered, with a history of violence. Your objective is to contain them and minimize civilian casualties. I suggest you first take the opportunity to familiarize yourself with your surroundings."
Anna already knew the field, so she spent the time examining her teammates instead.
Samantha Soar: tall, slender, wide set eyes. Her powers were flight and enhanced perception, primarily visual acuity and awareness of her surroundings. The intensity of her power was shocking, especially for something so seemingly simple.
"I'll scout the area." she said, vanishing too quick for any eyes but Anna's to follow.
Bruce's training had already vastly enhanced Anna's ability to interpret emotion and motivations. Even without that training, she wouldn't have had any trouble recognizing Samantha's newfound confidence, or her burning desire to prove herself.
"Anna, can you tell who we're up against?" Jenny asked.
Jen
nifer Awesome: involuntary reality manipulation. Her power wasn't under her conscious control, instead it operated on some kind of conditional basis that Anna couldn't quite understand. She was... troubling, on more than one level.
"Drew, Kerry, Michael and Fred." she answered. They were waiting just outside the massive dome.
Jenny's power was almost constantly active, but what it altered most often was Jenny herself. Her apparent personality and mannerisms were constantly shifting. Anna was afraid that the girl was far less stable, and far more powerful, than any of her other classmates realized. There was only one other that worried her more.
"We are all familiar with Drew and Keridwyn. I do not know what the other two are capable of."
Jason Grim: his power was horrifying, both in scope and in nature, but that wasn't why Anna was scared of him. There was something wrong with his mind, his emotions.
"Michael is a Jordan type. He creates and manipulates forcefields. Individually, they’re low strength but versatile. Fred is a selective Ghost type. Very dangerous in close combat and hard to hurt. He'd probably be near the top of the rankings if he hadn't gotten unlucky in his first round. He hasn't fought outside of training since."
Jason gave a slight nod, a look of determined concentration on his face. It was every bit as fake as all the other expressions she'd seen him wear. She didn't think it was directly connected to his Empowerment but his feelings were almost nonexistent. Anna hadn't been nearby, but she'd still seen his reaction to Duncan's influence. Everyone else within range had been mildly nervous but Jason had been terrified.
He wasn't evil or malicious, but he had no ability to deal with strong emotion and enough power to kill a city. Anna couldn't understand why Director Shift hadn't put him down.
Samantha appeared so suddenly that it was like teleportation. Anna had seen her coming but, if it had been an attack, she wouldn't have had enough time to respond.
"The field... It's just incredible." she said, hovering just above their heads. "There's, like, sixteen city blocks, four by four. The far half is really heavily populated, all condos and apartments and stuff, but the near side looks kinda like high end retail. It's got a bunch of jewelry and clothing stores. Oh, and a couple restaurants and a bank."
"Wait, populated? What do you mean?" Jenny asked.
"Well, the buildings and stuff are all fake. Like, they're solid stone, kinda looks like the dome material, but there's no doors or windows, just the openings for them, and everything's the same color. It's actually really neat!" she interrupted herself, smiling widely. "But there's a bunch of Hector's duplicates walking around everywhere! It's really freaky because they're all wearing the same thing. I even looked in some of the apartment windows and there's a couple of them watching TV and stuff."
"Whoa." Jenny said, softly. "I mean, I get it; that's a great training tool and all, but that's... How many can he make?"
"There's no practical limit." Anna answered. "His power is... impressive."
"Okay, that means we can't engage as soon as they come in, not unless they start something. We need to get them over here, where it's less crowded."
"Can we just have Samantha spread the word to flee the area?" Jason asked.
The others stared at him for a moment.
"I realize this is a training exercise, but would that not be consistent with real world behavior?"
"Well... yeah. I guess I could do that." Samantha said.
"Do it, Sammy." Jenny told her.
She vanished as quickly as she'd arrived.
A moment passed.
"It's working." Anna told them. "I don't know how accurate this is though. None of Hector's duplicates are arguing, just leaving as soon as she talks to them."
Jenny shrugged. "I'm fine with that. Fighting Kerry in a city would be a nightmare."
"It could be worse, at least we are not facing Duncan." Jason added, "His effect increases with time and I have yet to see him refrain from using it in combat. A sustained fight with his involvement could easily lead to a panic."
Jenny looked at him. "That's... actually a good point. How are they possibly expecting to use him as an operative?"
"They've started." Anna said, as their opponents entered the massively oversized dome. "They're heading straight for the bank, right down the main street."
"Okay." Jenny paused for a moment, a look of concentration on her face. "Anna, are they attacking anyone or just walking?"
"Kerry is walking, the others are riding on her. But no," she shook her head, "no violence so far."
"If we hurry, we can beat them there, get everyone out and get ready to fight them inside. Kerry will have to use a smaller form if she wants to rob the place."
They moved out as quickly as they could. For the first time, Anna found herself grateful for Coach Achala's insane level of physical training.
* * *
Evacuating the simulated bank was easier than Anna had expected. Just as with Samantha's efforts, Hector's duplicates left the area at a run as soon as they were told about the incoming "rogue Empowered."
Anna selected a hiding spot in the bank's lobby and readied her weapons. To all appearances, Jason was standing in the center of the room, examining the potted plants and the bushes across the street. She could tell that all of the plants in question were now dead, including the grass. The act left him holding hundreds of lives.
"Wait-" Jenny said, from her post by the vault door, "Why aren't we dead?"
"Explain." came Jason's monotone reply.
Anna understood at the same moment that Jenny began her reply. Why hadn't she seen it sooner?
"Even without that Richards made knife, Drew could drop all three of us in a second or two. How come he hasn't?"
There was an immense crashing noise as great green hands, tipped with black claws, ripped through the bank's front wall.
"They're here!" Anna shouted, too late. How had she not noticed they were that close?
"Something's wrong." Jenny said.
And then, ignoring Anna and Jason both, the long, wingless green dragon gave a cry and lunged for her.
* * *
Jason did not kill the dragon. Instructor Bruce had given him a list of situations under which he could act against the other trainees without restraint. Killing Keridwyn's dragon form was allowed. For some reason, it did not feel like the appropriate action just now.
Instead, he attacked the nearest of the figures which had followed in the dragon's wake. He trusted Jenny to handle Keridwyn. She'd already beaten her once and, given what he knew of her power, should be capable of handling her again.
His target was a humanoid figure, made up of semi-translucent orange and gold blocks with a dark shape at its center. Michael, he assumed. Jason held a great many lives at the moment, so had little to fear. However, the majority of them were plants. His strength was little more than an ordinary man's.
Jason struck at Michael in the same manner he had practiced under Coach Achala's guidance. He did not fully understand how the force field manipulator's power worked, but the blocky covering proved sufficient to keep his blows at the throat and joints from having any visible effect. Luckily, his opponent seemed unusually clumsy. Jason avoided his return attacks with ease.
"WHERE'S YOUR ARROW NOW, JENNY?" he heard the dragon bellow. The question was followed by a series of impacts, presumably the dragon destroying chunks of wall or flooring as Jenny avoided its attacks.
Michael took advantage of his momentary distraction, punching him in the center of his chest. Jason felt an instant's flash of pain over his sternum, before a life was expended to repair the damage. Staggering back, Jason took a moment to study the fight.
Drew had attacked Anna, moving with such speed that Jason could not follow the pattern of his strikes. She bled from several light cuts on her arm, but defended herself with remarkable skill.
Keridwyn's current body was approximately thirty feet long, low to the ground and coiling about like a serpe
nt. It had green scales and a clump of thick black hair at the tip of its tail, as well as a similar mane around its head. There was no fire but she lashed out with quick swipes of her hand-like claws, interspersed with sudden lunges of her jaws.
"It's not Drew!" Anna shouted.
Jason turned to face her, just in time to see Drew cock his left arm at an odd angle. He held it in place for a moment, then... Jason was not sure what happened next.
He heard a noise, like the cracking of a whip but much louder. There was a sharp impact across his neck and the side of his face, hard enough to at least break his neck and possibly crush his skull. That did not concern him, since it cost him only a single life to fix. The countless tiny pin pricks that covered that same area were a different matter.
Each wound, tiny though they were, cost him the same resource as a broken neck. He didn't have enough and he couldn't stop himself. At a stroke, every life in his store was ripped away.
"No." he said, his voice slurring.
Jason heard a series of rapid gunshots from the street and the golden fields around Michael vanished.
He couldn't move. Why couldn't he move!? His body contorted as he spasmed.
"What- what's happening?" he tried to say.
The obscuring force fields gone, a body collapsed to the floor. No, not a body. Though its arms and legs were obviously broken in multiple areas, Jason could tell it still lived. He recognized it, Hector, not Michael. Some sort of trick. Beyond him, Drew's arms were stretched out and distorted, more like tentacles than human limbs. Anna was on the grounding, twitching. Drew's skin was chalk pale and his face melted into a featureless... Jason didn't know what.
Jason was frightened, almost as badly as under Duncan's influence. At least this time he knew the reason, understood it.
He could hear a series of muffled explosions from the back of the bank and the dragon cried out again, loud and shrill. Jason recognized the pain and fear in it. What should he do?
Jason was badly injured. He could feel the beads of blood on his skin, the tiny wounds that weren't healing. There was some kind of poison in his bloodstream. His allies were occupied, disabled or absent. This was only a training exercise... but he couldn't remember the last time he'd been without the shield of at least a few stolen lives.
Citadel (Book 1): Training in Necessity Page 20