The Syndicate - 38. Chapter 38 - Taran

Taran woke up well before his alarm, as usual. Today, a sharp beam of early sunlight peeked through a crack in the curtains, cutting across the room to land on his face. Shielding his eyes with the comforter, he rolled over with a grumble. He found Ronnie sprawled across the other half of the bed, sound asleep on his back with one arm tucked behind his head. Sandy brown hair had fallen over his eyes, and his face was set in a peaceful smile. It was hard not to be jealous of how Ronnie effortlessly slept, even in such weird positions. Taran shifted his weight closer and gently placed a hand on Ronnie's chest, careful not to disturb him. Skin warmed under Taran's fingertips, and the steady rise and fall of Ronnie's breathing eased him back against the pillows.

Given the previous night's events, Taran was shocked he had been able to sleep at all. He replayed them in his mind for the umpteenth time: his father knew about everything, now, and just the thought made Taran's heart want to burst. True, it hadn't been the ideal way to come out, but it was over and done with… and it ended up not being as earth-shattering as the years of worry had led Taran to believe. The burden that Taran had carried for so long was lifted, and he felt weightless in a way that was almost annoyingly cliche. His father already seemed to be coming to terms with the situation, or at the very least, any lingering tension could be healed with more time and understanding. Open and honest feelings didn't come easy to the Webber family, but Taran was sure they'd make it through.

Taran's mood was quickly overshadowed by his mother's absence and the horrific thought that she may never get to share in his happiness. The regret of not being strong enough to tell her before clawed at his gut. He would do everything in his power to bring his family together again.

Taran did his best to push the darkness away to focus on things within his control. He couldn't help but look at his life and future in a fundamentally different way. Now that Warren knew his secret, what reason did Taran have to hide at all? He was in love with a man who stood up to an angry Crimson Cosmonaut! Who fought for Taran when he had been too unwilling to fight himself. Ronnie had the heart of a true hero, and it was enough to make Taran shout his feelings from the rooftop. Bring on the reporters and all those horrible interviews he had done as a teen; he was ready for the truth.

Ronnie suddenly stirred, interrupting Taran's daydream. "Good morning," he murmured, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He turned to face Taran. "Wait, were you watching me sleep?"

"Uh, of course not," Taran blushed. "That would be creepy and weird!"

Ronnie snorted. He reached up towards Taran's jaw. "I love how your cheeks get dark when you're flustered. It's very cute."

"What can I say? I'm adorable," Taran leaned in for a kiss when his phone's alarm rang out from the nightstand. He collapsed into Ronnie's shoulder and groaned. "We need to get moving."

They took turns showering, and Ronnie had coffee waiting in the kitchen by the time Taran was dressed. "Damn, he really is perfect," Taran thought, taking a sip to calm his nerves. He leaned against the counter and mentally ran through the speech he prepared for the team. It was a struggle to balance inspiring the group while not downplaying the genuinely terrifying odds against them. Taran's fingers trailed along a deep gash in the countertop, the sole evidence remaining from his power outburst. He supposed that was another thing he'd have to share with them. "Hey all, if saving the Syndicate from a secret threat isn't enough, I'm apparently going through a second puberty!"

Taran and Ronnie arrived at Training Room A to find Ari already waiting, stretched across a section of bleachers and tapping absently on his phone. His ears perked up at their arrival.

"Morning, guys!" he moved to make room on the bench and held his fist out for Ronnie to bump. "Everything, okay?" His almond-shaped pupils dilated, and he gave them both an inquisitive stare. "You both are stressed out!"

"We'll get to it in a bit once the others arrive." Taran swallowed hard. It was going to be a lot more challenging to appear confident if his damn body was betraying him.

The rest of the team filed in. Carmen arrived in full training gear, her blonde curls tied into a tight bun. The duffle bag she carried across her body clanked with the sound of training weapons and equipment. "Ah-ha, I'm not late!" She cried in triumph. "I wasn't sure what surprise you had in store for us so early, so I brought a bit of everything just in case!" She snagged a seat on the row of benches and gave Taran a determined smile.

Maya and Lydia showed up together, and Taran was shocked at their appearances. Maya looked utterly exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes. Lydia was wearing a Support jumpsuit streaked with grease and carried what looked like a heavy toolbox.

"Uh, busy nights?" Taran said.

Maya yawned but tried to wave it off. "Agent Quinn finally kicked us out of Control around midnight, but I didn't get much sleep. The spirits in the necklace were restless again. They're worried about you."

Taran eyed the loops of beads that Maya wore. "Tell them, 'Thank you,' I guess?"

"And I was up early to help repair some equipment on the roof," Lydia added. "The thunderstorm last night knocked out a couple sensors. It's bizarre because we typically prepare for bad weather, but this came out of nowhere. Pretty localized, too." She put a hand on her hip and narrowed her eyes at Taran.

"That… may have been me," he replied sheepishly. "You know this is still new!"

Lydia chuckled. "Just let Control know so we can get the Faraday cages powered up next time. Or else, you'll be on the roof with me!" She took her seat with the rest of the team.

Taran was suddenly all too aware of the eyes on him. His words caught in his throat as the team looked on expectantly.

"Good Morning, everyone," He coughed, trying to bring his voice back. "Thank you for meeting me here so early. Some things have happened, and I need you all to keep quiet as I get you up to speed."

He told them everything he had learned over the last 48 hours: Zephyr's disappearance and its relation to the six other missing heroes. How the only thing linking them seemed to be the lunar calendar. That the team, a thus-far untested group of trainees, was selected for the secret rescue mission over anyone else.

"This is coming straight from Crimson Cosmonaut, and nothing is to be discussed outside the group." Taran paused. "I know this is a lot to take in… which is why I'm giving you all a chance to walk away."

A bout of silence hung in the air as the team exchanged glances with each other. Finally, Maya spoke up.

"Are you fucking kidding me, Taran?" She stuck out her chin in determination. "Do you honestly think we'd let you do this alone?" The others nodded in agreement, sitting up straighter in their seats.

Taran exhaled. In his heart, he knew they would have never refused the mission. It had been one final, desperate attempt to keep them safe from the unknown. They were truly an incredible group, and his only wish was to be the leader they needed. He felt Ronnie's eyes on him but couldn't bring himself to meet the gaze. Taran would have done anything to keep him far away from this.

"We have about four weeks to prepare," He steeled himself and continued. "That's when the new moon will return, and we can expect another abduction. Until then, we'll be training hard and doing everything possible to figure out who's behind all of this. Fortunately, we have a couple of new tricks," Taran reached out with his arm as a wave of crackling sparks gathered in his fist, earning excited gasps from the team.

"I'll be training alongside you to figure this out," Taran shook the electricity out of his arm. "We have a real chance to do something great for the Syndicate and for the world. I'm counting on each of you. Cosmonaut believes in you, and so do I." Taran blinked away the burning in his eyes and did his best to stamp his emotions down. "Let's bring them home."

"What's next?" Maya asked. She may have been tired, but her face was pure determination.

Taran was thankful for the excuse to shift into order-barking mode. "We're splitting up for now. Rampart, Phosphra, and Battle Cat: I want you in the training room running through field routines until you know them by heart. Sister Shadow, you'll be with Lydia and me in the archives. We need to do more research to figure out exactly who or what we're dealing with. Let's regroup at lunchtime."

The team immediately sprang into action. Carmen rummaged through her bag and started pulling out equipment. "We're starting warm-ups in ten!" she called to Ronnie and Ari, who ran to the locker room to change.

Lydia was already furiously tapping notes into her tablet and handed it over to Maya to analyze. Taran followed them out of the room and finally gave himself a moment to take a breath. They might just pull this off after all.