Mark IV was something of a legend among the artificial life forms that Citadel had met. He was neither the most powerful nor the most intelligent, but he had broken free of Crey Industries and charted a course for his own destiny. He did not work for humans or with humans; he did not define himself in terms of what he did for mankind. He was free.
And that was something that not even Citadel could say.
Mark IV provided for his needs by constructing and selling devices to Technological heroes to aid them in enhancing their abilities. What he could not build himself, he had the contactsofficial and notthat could help him locate a desired item. It was for this reason that Citadel had come to him.
I have constructed the device you requested, brother, Mark IV had told him. The little robot didnt call every other construct he met brother; he used that term because Citadel had also been originally constructed by Crey. Are you certain that this is what you desire?
It is a vital part of my plans. I require that device, Mark IV. The price has been agreed upon. Why do you seek to alter our bargain?
The device will do as you ask, Citadel. It will prevent all known forms of detection from determining that you are not a human being. You will look, sound, and feel like an organic being. Only the most sophisticated telepaths will be able to get past the artificial telepathic screen to discover your nonbiological origins. But in human terms, there is a catch.
A catch? I am familiar with the term. What sort of problem does this device have?
It will do all these things, but the power requirements are such that your offensive abilities will be offline while it is in use.
I see.
That will not dissuade you from your objective?
No. I am prepared to accept the risk.
I calculated that would be your response, brother. May your experiment be successful. The little robot handed a ring-sized box over.
Thank you for your assistance, Mark IV. If you require, I will gladly share any insights that arise from my experience.
I do not think there is much you will be able to tell me about the human condition, brother, Mark IV told him, a curious undercurrent in his voice.
There was nothing more to say; they were not humans to waste time in frivolous farewells. Citadel nodded once more to his companion and then took to the air.
The logical choice would have been to simply fly to the Green Transit Line and take that to Talos, but Citadel preferred to take the long route and fly back. Aside from the possibility of spotting someone who might need his assistance, he simply enjoyed flying. Of course, being an android, he did not know if he appreciated flying for its own sake or because he had been designed to do so.
Obviously I am much more visible from the airnot only does this make it easier for me to render assistance where needed it also would have enabled my Crey handlers to have kept track of me.
Thats true, Citadel, the curiously warm voice of Sister Psyche murmured into his mind, but it could also simply be something that you enjoy it because its fun.
Greetings, Sister Psyche, Citadel thought back courteously. He remembered how surprised that Rick Davies had been when he told him that Sister Psyche was able to communicate with him telepathically.
You can call me Shalice, Citadel. You have known me long enough. Sister Psyches laughter was warm and rich in his mind. I was just thinking about you when I caught your thoughts and decided to say hello.
You do not wish to dissuade me from my plans, do you? Citadel asked curiously.
Of course not.
Manticore does not approve, Citadel noted, surprised.
Justin and I do not see eye to eye on everything, Citadel, Sister Psyche told him in a level tone of voice. But that does not mean that we are not both concerned for your welfare. Justin is simply afraid that you might come to physical harm. Both as a member of the Freedom Phalanx and as an individual you have made many enemies, Citadel. There are many people who would enjoy having you at their mercy.
I will be careful, Sister Psyche. I am not the same naïve entity I was when I first met the Freedom Phalanx.
You have come very far, Citadel. We are very proud of you. You do not have anything to prove to anyone. You are our friend
you are part of our family. And you are loved.
Thank you, Shalice.
I know that you feel this is something you must do in order to grow as a person, Citadel. That is why I support you in this undertaking. But do not forget that you are not alone, and call on us if you need us.
It is physically impossible for me to forget
Sister Psyche laughed. Oh, Citadel. Do be careful. You will, wont you?
I will, Shalice.
Good luck, my friend. Well miss you.
And with the equivalent of a mental kiss on his cheek, she was gone.
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Nice story, keep it up. I look forward to more.
50's (Only most important)
Zuraq (53 EM/SR Brute)
Stagmalite (50 Granite/Fire TanK)
(Couple of other's I don't care about.)
Rick and Caitlin Davies lived in an upper floor apartment in Steel Canyon. It was not as expensive as the residences in Talos Island or Founders Falls, and was closer to their places of employment in Galaxy City and Atlas Park. (At least that was the reason Citadel assumed they had chosen to live in Steel Canyon as neither of them had ever told him anything else. Human motives often surprised him, and he would not have been shocked to discover that his reasoning was completely in error, but it had never been a subject of conversation between them.)
Citadel landed on the balcony of their apartment and tapped on the sliding glass door to announce his arrival. He was wearing a suit that he had purchased from Icon because he had read that one should dress up for dinner. He had also brought with him a bottle of liquid refreshment and some flowers for Caitlin.
Rick smiled up at him as he opened the door. Hello, Citadel. Right on time
though we were expecting you to come up the elevator.
I felt that would draw undue attention to my arrival.
Rick laughed. Because the sight of you flying through Steel Canyon in a tuxedo is something that people see every day.
Citadel smiled
not because he understood the humor in the situation but because he found that a blank look of incomprehension tended to make his human companions uncomfortable. I have brought liquid refreshment and some flowers for the lady of the house.
Come on in, Citadel. Caitlin! Our guest is here. Have a seat, Citadel.
Citadel stepped through the door and looked around for a piece of furniture that seemed capable of supporting his bulk. Fortunately, Rick Davies was a longtime friend of the major heroes of Paragon City, and there was a chair that looked sturdy enough to support Back Alley Brawler
that one should suffice for Citadel as well. Bottle and flowers in hand, Citadel sat down as directed.
Citadel! Caitlin Davies walked out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel. How lovely to see you
She took in Citadels outfit. Rick, didnt tell you that this was to be a casual dinner, did he?
Rick shrugged helplessly under his wifes glare.
These are for you. Citadel thrust the bottle and flowers into Caitlins hands.
Why thank you, Citadel. She handed the bottle to Rick and brought the flowers to her face. Theyre
plastic?
It seemed more economical to provide you flowers that would not die. This way you will not have to replace them.
Thank you, Citadel. Thats very thoughtful of you. Caitlin smiled at him gently.
Why dont I get thisRick looked at the bottlesparkling cider on ice so that we can have it after dinner?
Given that you will be adjusting my internal mechanisms I did not feel that alcohol would have been appropriate, Citadel explained.
Rick covered his face with his free hand. Its fine, Citadel.
Are my gifts adequate? Citadel inquired uncertainly. He was not sure, but it appeared that the evening was not proceeding as he had expected.
Theyre wonderful, Citadel, Caitlin told him firmly. Thank you very much. She patted his arm. Would you like something to drink while we wait on dinner?
Lemonade, Citadel said instantly. I like lemonade.
Lemonade it is, then, Caitlin told him with a smile. Rick?
Lemonade sounds fine to me too, dear. Thank you.
Ill be right back. Excuse me, boys.
I just about have everything set up for you, Citadel. Ive got you a job lined up in a small teleservices office. Youll be helping people with their computers. There wont be a lot of people there, but itll give you a chance to observe normal people on a long term basis.
I appreciate that, Rick. You do not mind my request to use the alias Cole Davies while I undertake my observations?
Im honored, Citadel. Davies smiled. Do you have it?
Yes. Citadel reached into his jacket and pulled out the device. Once you have installed this, I will be able to successfully impersonate a normal human being with no one being the wiser.
Rick whistled as he opened the case up and looked at the device Mark IV had given him. Citadel, this is an amazing piece of technology. Ive never seen anything like it. Where did you get it?
I would prefer not to say.
Rick nodded briefly. I understand. As the former hero called Horatio, he had often kept not only his own secrets, but those of others as well. Are you sure you want to go through with this?
I am sure. As you know, my understanding of humanity is
limited. I feel that this is my best way to truly understand the human race. As long as I am obviously an outsider, I will never be able to achieve true comprehension.
Luminary seems to do all right.
Luminary has an exemplary ability to interact with human beings.
Is everything all right, Citadel?
I am functioning within normal parameters. Why do you ask?
You reacted when I mentioned Luminary. It was pretty slight, but Ive known you too long not to be able to read you. Whats going on between the two of you?
There is nothing going on between the two of us.
Citadel, there is something bothering you. You can talk to me. You know you can trust me, dont you?
Of course. Citadel paused. He had not mentioned this to anyone else because he did not feel that it was of concern to his teammates. As you know, my personality was based on the public perception of Marcus Cole. My voice, my manner of speaking, the phrases that I useall were culled from recordings and analyses of Statesman.
Rick nodded.
But I was not programmed with a human template as its basis. He paused. Luminary, on the other hand, was designed to imitate Jeanette Rafter, the wife of the original human Luminary. She is as artificial as I am, but her ability to assess the motives of and interact with human beings far surpasses mine. Recently, when I have advised her on her behavior, she had refuted my statements by asserting that I am incapable of understanding human beings
or her programming. She has told me that I am nothing more than a machine.
Thats not true! Rick said angrily. Why that heartless mechanical
I am not offended, Rick Davies. I do not dispute my artificial origins. I accept what I am, and I have no desire to be other than what I am
But--?
But I have to know if I am nothing more than my programming. I have to know if I am what I am because I was programmed to be so.
You already have the answer to that, Citadel. Crey designed and built you to be a tool, a weapon of their power. You became more than that. You became a hero.
But am I a hero because I chose it or because there was something faulty with my programmingthat perhaps they made me more like Statesman than they anticipated?
Citadel, you have friendsthe Freedom Phalanx care greatly about you
The human capacity to empathize is well known, Rick Davies. Soldiers in battle often become emotionally attached to the bomb defusing robots they employ. I wish to know that I truly deserve human friendship and respect. I want to know that I am not just a machine, Rick Davies. I desire to find out whether or not I can become more than I am.
I think youve already proven the answer to that question, Citadel. Rick Davies smiled gently. But after dinner, Ill do what you want. And tomorrow
tomorrow you start your new life.
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I see this one's been here a while, and I've become seriously intrigued with the slightly absurd notion with Citadel, mighty hero of Paragon, as tech support, "Have you tried rebooting?"
Please continue, as you have my attention!
www.paragonwiki.com is a great source of information for this game.
New or returning to the game? Want advice from experienced players who want to help YOU?
The Mentor Project: Part of the New Player Council.
Waiting for the next installment!
Citadel is such a cipher to me. Crey built him to emulate Statesman in some fashion, but nothing about him reminds me of Marcus at all.
I thought it would be fun to show the life of the "average" Paragon citizen using one of its android defenders.
I did think it would be a neat idea to have it come out that Citadel sounds EXACTLY like Statesman. If I had found the time, I would have loved to have shown Ms. Liberty becoming closer to Citadel after Marcus' death because he was the closest thing she had left to Statesman.
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You’d think that after more than a century there wouldn’t be much in life that could surprise me any longer, Marcus thought to himself as he stared at the imposing figure before him. On the other hand, Bastion—I mean Citadel—has made a history of surprising everyone who thinks they know him. “Let me get this straight. You want a vacation, Citadel?”
“Not exactly, Statesman.” For the longest time, Statesman had been irritated by the sound of Citadel’s voice. It was something that he couldn’t pin down until Shalice—Sister Psyche—told him that Citadel’s sounded exactly like him. Apparently when Crey had created him, they had wanted the former Bastion to sound like a trusted public figure. A compliment, of sorts, he supposed, but one that had taken some getting used to. “I wish to take an extended leave of absence to study the human condition in a way that was heretofore unavailable to me.”
“What do you mean?” Marcus smiled at the android, encouraging him to continue. Sometimes Citadel would be annoyingly verbose in his explanations; other times you would have to practically blast the information out with dynamite.
“I believe that the recent breakthroughs at Icon will enable me to thoroughly disguise my artificial nature when interacting with the public. This will give me an opportunity to experience human relations in an entirely new way.”
It’s almost a pity that Synapse isn’t here to hear that straight line, Marcus thought with a grin. “So you want to go undercover, is that?”
“Essentially, yes.”
“What about your duties in Talos? And your mentoring of Luminary?”
“The hard light holography developed by Positron will ensure that my absence is not missed by the public. I will have my communicator if my services should be required by the Freedom Phalanx. As for Luminary …” Citadel paused. “Luminary is a Hero in her own right now, and is fully capable of performing her duties as a Trainer without my supervision. Should she need assistance, she can always call on her fellow Vindicators.”
“Is everything all right between the two of you?” Marcus asked suddenly, unsure himself as to why the question had come up.
“We are fully capable of cooperating with each other in our assigned tasks,” Citadel replied, and there was something about the way he said it that dissuaded Marcus from asking for elaboration.
“How long do you think you’re going to need?” he asked finally, rubbing his chin in contemplation. Having been in the public eye for more than 75 years, he well understood the desire to get away from it all … though he wasn’t sure that “desire” was a word that applied to his android teammate.
“I estimate that a minimum period of 60 days will be required for me to fulfill all the objectives that I have established for myself. Rick and Caitlin Davies have agreed to help me install the necessary technology and establish a civilian identity for myself. Rick Davies has also arranged for me to obtain a position of employment.”
“Rick Davies? Not Positron?” Marcus respected Rick Davies’ talents, but even the erstwhile Horatio would admit that he could not match Positron’s genius.
“Much of the current technology that has been implemented in me was salvaged from the Horatio battle suit,” Citadel replied. “In this particular instance I calculate that he would be the best choice for performing the necessary hardware modifications.”
“It’s your body,” Marcus shrugged. He hoped that Positron wouldn’t feel slighted by his teammate’s decision, but the android was a sentient being; the choice was his. “Have you told the others?”
“I wished to obtain permission before I announced my intentions to the rest of the Freedom Phalanx.”
Marcus sighed as he rose to his feet. Everyone always comes to me for these things. Some days I feel more like their father than their teammate. “You’ve served Paragon well, Citadel. You’ve more than earned the right to some time off. Come on, we’ll go tell the others.”
“Thank you, Statesman.”
I just hope that he knows what he’s doing, Marcus thought to himself. I know that Citadel can look after himself in a fight, but trying to deal with the human race on equal terms may be a lot harder than he bargained for!
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