Taboo Online

The apparent married couple went last.

The woman formed transparent barriers, while her husband released heat through his hands. They stayed close and moved cautiously, using the barrier to protect both of them while he searched for an opening.

For nearly half a minute, they performed better than either previous pair.

Then Red Hound attacked the husband.

The woman immediately shifted the entire barrier toward him, leaving herself unprotected. Red Hound changed direction before the wall finished moving and stopped two fingers against her throat.

Her husband fired a burst of heat in panic. Red Hound pulled her out of its path, and the attack passed close enough to singe the edge of her sleeve.

Both of them froze.

"You were so afraid of letting your partner get hurt that you stopped thinking," Red Hound said. "Protection without judgment becomes another weakness."

Luke listened carefully because the words struck closer than he wanted to admit.

Red Hound was not only testing what their abilities could do. He was watching what pride, fear, panic, and concern for a partner made each of them do under pressure.

Luke had treated every vision as permission to commit fully because Lauren would warn him if something went wrong. Whenever danger appeared near her, he reacted before considering whether his choice might create an even worse opening.

Watching the pairs fail made the pattern easier to see. Abilities did not automatically create teamwork, and caring about someone did not automatically make a person good at protecting them. Without control and experience, even useful powers could become liabilities.

Luke soon began paying more attention to Red Hound’s feet than his hands. The hero rarely made large movements. He shifted only as far as necessary, maintained his balance, and remained prepared to respond from any direction.

Every action had a purpose, and he never committed more strength than the moment required.

Comparing that control with his own attacks made Luke realize how reckless he had been. Each thrust carried his entire body forward, leaving him overextended whenever it failed. Even with Lauren showing him the future, he had treated every possibility as a command rather than information.

Red Hound only committed when he already held the advantage.

The tests ended less than an hour later. None of the other pairs had forced Red Hound to move as far as Luke and Lauren had. The half inch they had taken from him remained the best result of the group, though Luke did not feel particularly proud of it.

They had surprised Red Hound once. That did not make them a real threat to him.

After dismissing the other candidates, Red Hound spoke briefly with the officials supervising the testing floors. Luke waited until the conversation ended, then immediately headed toward the Bureau’s medical section.

The medical room smelled faintly of antiseptic, and a low hum came from the equipment lining one wall. Lauren sat upright on a narrow examination bed. The sensor remained attached near her temple, but its light had returned to green.

Her blue eyes looked tired, and one hand rested near the side of her head.

A plain black blackout blindfold lay on the table beside her.

Luke crossed the room quickly. "How are you feeling?"

"The worst of it has passed."

"Completely?"

"There’s still a mild ache."

Luke looked toward the medical worker.

"Her neurological readings have returned to a safe range," the woman said. "The headache has weakened considerably, and we found no signs of lasting damage. She still needs rest and observation."

Luke finally released some of the breath he had been holding and sat beside the bed.

"What caused it?"

"We have a theory," Lauren replied.

Before she could explain, the door opened and Red Hound entered. The medical worker straightened so quickly that she almost dropped her tablet.

"Sir."

Red Hound gave her a small nod. She bowed, then apparently decided one bow had not been enough and bowed again.

"I’ve completed the preliminary examination. Her readings are stable, and I can send you the full report once the remaining tests are processed."

"Later."

"Yes, sir."

She bowed a third time before hurrying from the room.

Luke watched her leave. Once the door closed, Red Hound turned toward Lauren.

"How are you feeling, Miss Lauren?"

Luke blinked at the sudden change in tone. The sneer and provoking edge were gone. With no audience around them, Red Hound sounded surprisingly respectful.

Lauren appeared equally caught off guard, though she recovered faster.

"Much better. There’s still a mild headache, but we believe we understand the spike."

Red Hound crossed his arms. "Go on."

"Sharing Oracle’s Glimpse with Luke appears to follow the connection we created through partner resonance," Lauren said. "Reaching you meant forcing the ability beyond that connection. The neurological spike began the moment I succeeded."

"That matches the sensor data."

Lauren glanced toward the blindfold. "Closing my eyes helps me concentrate, but it doesn’t completely block my ordinary sight. The doctors tested my readings with that blindfold, and the pressure decreased almost immediately."

Luke picked it up and examined the thick, opaque fabric.

"So the blindfold Yvonne wore may not have been only part of her appearance."

Her lips curved faintly at the name. "Perhaps Powerforge understood what Oracle’s Glimpse required before I did."

"That is possible," Red Hound said, "but I wouldn’t assume the game provided anything solely for your benefit."

Luke did not like the reminder, but he could not argue with it.

"Does she need to wear this every time she uses Oracle’s Glimpse?"

"Until further testing proves otherwise," Red Hound replied. "It should reduce the normal strain, but it won’t protect her if she pushes the ability beyond its current limits."

"And no forcing visions into strangers," Luke said.

"Not without supervision."

Lauren accepted the restriction with a small nod.

Luke still did not like what had happened, but at least the explanation made sense. The blindfold reduced the strain. Lauren had simply pushed Oracle’s Glimpse into unfamiliar territory by targeting someone outside their connection.

Red Hound shifted his attention toward Luke.

"You don’t appear to suffer the same neurological strain."

"Could that be because of Reinforce?"

"Probably. The Bureau’s current theory is that awakening energy naturally strengthens the body enough to survive the stress created by an ability. Reinforce specializes in that process and pushes it much farther."

"Then everyone has a weaker version of it?"

"Something similar. The degree and concentration of your reinforcement may be unique."

Luke leaned forward. "How far can mine improve?"

"That depends on you. With proper training and continued leveling, your strength, speed, durability, and reflexes may all increase."

"I’ll do it."

Red Hound laughed.