The Syndicate - 25. Chapter 25 - Taran

"We're going to be trying something a bit different today, but I promise it'll be fun!" Taran pushed Ronnie into the training arena with a sly grin. They had just finished breakfast, and he was once again feeling energized. "I have a theory I want to test out, and we need some space." He tried not to snicker as Ronnie's eyes went wide at the arena's high ceilings and glass roof. Taran brought them to the center of the room and began some warm-up stretches.

Ronnie started to mirror his motions and winced. "All of you have been pushing me nonstop for days! Everything hurts! Was it like this for you when you started?"

"You forget, I was born into this job, so I had practice even before I became a junior member—"

"You mean a sidekick!"

"Ugh, sure whatever," Taran rolled his eyes, ignoring Ronnie's use of crass civilian terms. But two could play that game. "You have a lot of catching up to do, late bloomer!"

"Rude! So, why did you bring me here? This all—" Ronnie gestured to the cavernous space, "—seems like overkill."

"Well, like I said, I have a theory. We've established that you can project a forcefield around objects and move them a fair distance away from your body."

"Yeah, and?"

"Well, what if you tried to move something… that say WAS your body?"

"Wait, what are you saying exactly?"

A wind kicked up around them. "I'm saying come get me, Bubble Boy!" Taran spread his arms wide and nudged the gust upward, rising off the ground. He swiftly ascended, stopping just below the glass ceiling.

"Oh, you're shitting me!" Ronnie swore. He stretched out his arms, and in one smooth motion created a perfect, Ronnie-sized force field bubble.

Taran was impressed at how fast Ronnie was able to call up constructs. "That's nice! You're getting much better!" He called from up above. "Now, try moving it around!"

Ronnie started a slow roll around the center of the room. He had to trot along inside the orb, and Taran was glad no one could see him grinning at just how ridiculous it looked.

"I don't think this is gonna work, Taran. I'm basically in a giant hamster ball right now!" Ronnie complained. "This feels pretty unstable." He waved his arms, struggling to keep his balance as the bubble rose and fell with the motion.

"That's true, you'd be a major target too. Maybe something else?" Taran began making slow circles in the air as he tried to think of other ways to help.

Ronnie dropped his arms, and the bubble dissolved. After a few moments of thought, he reached out again as a thick, flat circle appeared in the air by his feet. He spread his fingers apart, and the disk stretched at each end until it formed an elongated oval shape. Using another sweeping gesture, Ronnie sent the construct zipping around him in a wide arc. His gaze was steady and already showing a higher degree of control. With a final wave, he called the force field back until it was just off the ground in front of him. With only a second of hesitation, Ronnie stepped onto what Taran suddenly realized a platform.

"Oh nice, I like where your head's at!"

Ronnie cocked his head to the side. The surface of the construct stretched upwards to cover both of his feet, effectively securing them to the flat surface. "Okay, here goes nothing."

He gave Taran a look of determination, and the force field began to rise. Taran let out a whoop, and then a gasp when the board pitched sharply forward, nearly throwing Ronnie off the front. Before he could swoop down to help, Ronnie managed to stabilize himself.

"Easy now!" Taran called, hoping to settle his nerves just as much as his boyfriend's. Ronnie hovered a few feet off the ground, brow furrowed in concentration. Both of his hands began to glow with a green light as he took a few low laps around the gym. Taran watched him work, getting more comfortable with the effort and gaining more control over the board's movements. He made a mental note of the development. At close proximity, Ronnie held an incredible degree of command over his forcefields. He figured that warranted further study.

Ronnie spun back towards the center of the room, eyes alight. He pointed at Taran with a grin and shot up into the air.
"Woah!" Taran cried and dove out of the way. Ronnie had barreled towards him at an almost alarming speed. It was time to turn up the heat. "Okay, let's see how you handle this!" Taran pulled a large capsule out of his pocket and broke it open. Sparkling red dust fell through his fingers and was caught in the wind that kept him aloft. Ribbons of air, now tinged scarlet streaked around him.

"A training technique I developed," Taran called out to Ronnie. "Now you'll be able to see what's coming at you!" He flicked his wrist outward, and a ribbon spiraled tightly together before hurtling away with a whoosh.

The cyclone hit Ronnie square in the chest, knocking him off-kilter. He banked sharply to recover, and so Taran pulled the wind back for another pass. Ronnie pushed a shimmering emerald wall through the wind storm, disrupting the cyclone and causing the red dust to fall harmlessly to the floor.

"Aha!" Taran laughed, once again impressed by the skill that Ronnie was showing. He pulled more air from around him and began to spin two additional cyclones in an attempt to flank Ronnie. As those were released in looping trajectories, he threw a heavy gale straight ahead.

Ronnie directed another force field in front of him as a shield from the new assault. The red wind slammed against it, dust exploding in all directions. He threw his left hand out to the side, again trying to break apart a small tornado. For a split second, the board under Ronnie's feet wavered, his altitude dropping. He glanced down to will it back to full strength. In that momentary lapse, Ronnie's left shield dissolved, and the cyclone it was blocking hurtled towards him with a roar.

Taran was too late to redirect the cyclone and accidentally clipped Ronnie in the back. The force left him reeling, enough to break all concentration.

Ronnie plummeted face-first fifty feet. He screamed and threw his arms out in front of his body. Half of a shield formed around him just as he hit the hardwood floor. The force field exploded on impact, sending a wave of green energy and red dust radiating in all directions. Ronnie thudded against the floor. He didn't move.

"No, no, no!" Taran dove towards the ground and landed a few yards away. He raced over, hand resting above Ronnie's shoulder. "Oh my god, Ronnie," he cried. There was still no movement. Taran activated the communicator in his ear. "Medical emergency in Training Arena A!"

He heard a snicker from below him, which quickly rose to a full-on belly laugh. Taran grabbed Ronnie's shoulder and rolled him over.

"Gotcha," Ronnie stuck out his tongue.

"Cancel that order. We're fine here." Taran snapped off the communication and glared at Ronnie. "You're an asshole!" he smacked his shoulder, which just made Ronnie laugh harder. Taran's panic fizzled away into relief, and he couldn't help but crack up himself. He collapsed on the floor next to Ronnie with a sigh.

Taran looked over at Ronnie with a grin, "That was awesome. I haven't seen you control that many fields before."

Ronnie shrugged. "Thanks, I guess I have a pretty good teacher."

Their eyes met. Taran couldn't get over just how brilliantly green Ronnie's were. Had they always been that vibrant, or did it have something to do with his powers getting stronger? There was so much he wanted to say in the moment, but it was impossible to find the right words. Instead, he just smiled.

Ronnie's gaze narrowed. "Whatcha thinking?"

"I'm not sure exactly. A lot of things, I suppose."

Ronnie reached over and brushed his thumb gently across Taran's jawline. Taran closed his eyes as emotion fervently flared in his chest. He still wasn't accustomed to being touched this way, to being so at ease with anyone. All he wanted to do was fall into that feeling, to freeze the moment.

Taran inched closer to lay his head on Ronnie's chest. He sighed contentedly and watched as Ronnie reached up towards the ceiling. Three small orbs materialized in the air. He wiggled his fingers to make them bounce around each other in a joyful little dance, their emerald light pulsating to the rhythm of Ronnie's heartbeat. Then, one bubble swallowed up the other two, growing larger each time. The constructs bobbed and weaved above them in an almost playful manner, which made Taran wonder how much they were powered by Ronnie's emotions.

"Something to put in the case file," he thought. Ronnie flicked his wrist, and the orb split into three once more.

"That's really impressive," Taran whispered. He reached up and stroked Ronnie's cheek.

"Shh, don't talk," Ronnie said through gritted teeth. "This is taking so much concentration!" The balls wavered in the air as Ronnie spoke.

Taran jumped up and planted a kiss on Ronnie's cheek. The green bubbles above him fell from the air as Ronnie's attention was diverted.

"Gah! You jerk!" Ronnie wrapped his arm around Taran's neck and kissed him back. Once again, Taran's chest filled with buzzing energy. Would it always feel like this?

A breeze shifted in the air that made Taran break away in panic. "Someone's coming!" He jumped up off the floor. A few moments later, a group of trainees entered the gym, each lugging a large duffle bag over their shoulder. They waved to him and continued on their way. Taran's heart was still pounding, but fear and shame had managed to seep into his chest, choking out the brighter emotions. The spell was broken.

Ronnie sat up with a groan, hair mussed, and cheeks flushed. "Help me up," he said, extending a hand.

Taran grabbed on and pulled him off the ground. "We shouldn't have done that," he whispered. "There's definitely cameras in here, that was way too close for comfort!" He instinctively reached for every thread of air in the room, searching for anyone who might have spotted them.

Ronnie's shoulders slumped. "Babe, I'm sure it was fine, I don't--"

"Shh!" He gestured to the group of trainees. "We better go. You have other classes, and I need to debrief last night's mission with Control. We'll chat later, okay?"

They gathered their belongings and left the gym in silence.