"Contact front!"
Marcus processed the threat through carefully rationed tactical enhancement. Two weeks after his collapse, the new protocols had become standard operating procedure. No precognition unless absolutely necessary. Limited tactical enhancement duration. Physical abilities used sparingly.
The attacking force moved with military precision through the abandoned office complex they'd chosen for today's training. Maya led the opposing team, putting her SWAT experience to full use. Even without his powers running hot, Marcus could appreciate the elegance of her breach technique.
"Bobby, give me options," he subvocalized through their comm system.
"Three exit routes," their scout reported from his elevated position. "But they've got overwatch on the obvious ones. Might have time to rig something creative if—"
The distant crack of rifle fire cut him off. Not part of the exercise.
Marcus's precognition flared to life before he could stop it: incoming fire, multiple angles. Real threats.
"Live fire!" he snapped. "All teams, this is not a drill. Bobby, confirm!"
"Three shooter teams," Bobby reported, professional focus replacing his usual levity. "Different positions than our training opponents. They were waiting for us to be distracted."
Maya's voice cut through the channel. "My team's moving to support. Doc, get our package secure."
The "package" was Sarah and Morgan's latest research breakthrough – a potential way to track the virus's engineered markers before symptoms showed. Critical intelligence that could help prevent the outbreak entirely.
Marcus forced his tactical enhancement to focus through the growing pressure in his skull. "They timed this perfectly. Must have been monitoring our training schedule."
"Which means we have another leak," Maya concluded. "Fun. Bobby, how sure are those escape routes now?"
"About that..." Their scout's voice held controlled tension. "They're using our own tactics against us. Every obvious exit is covered, and they've got counters for most of my parkour routes."
Marcus processed this through burning tactical circuits. "They've been studying us. Learning our playbook." A grim smile touched his lips. "Time to write a new one."
"Marcus." Maya's warning carried clear meaning. "New protocols, remember?"
"Sometimes you have to risk the queen to win the game." He keyed his radio. "Sarah, that test you wanted to run on my neural patterns during combat? You're about to get live data."
"Marcus, don't—"
He opened the floodgates.
All three abilities surged at once. Precognition mapped incoming fire patterns. Tactical enhancement processed terrain and threat data at impossible speeds. Enhanced physical capabilities pushed his body past normal limits.
The world crystallized into perfect clarity.
"Bobby, that maintenance shaft you mentioned last week? The one that seemed too unstable?"
"Yeah, but—"
"Plot me a route. Maya, I need your team to make a lot of noise on the south side. Doc, when I give the signal, take our people out through the sub-basement. They'll be too focused on me to maintain coverage there."
Pain sparked behind his eyes, but he pushed through it. They had maybe two minutes before his system crashed completely.
Time to make them count.
Marcus burst from cover as Maya's team opened fire, drawing attention with textbook SWAT tactics. His enhanced abilities let him flow through the chaos like water, each movement predicted and planned through overlapping power use.
The attacking force responded exactly as his tactical enhancement had predicted – shifting focus to the most visible threat. To him.
Bobby's voice guided him through a series of impossible maneuvers, each one burning more neural resources but successfully drawing fire away from the real evacuation route.
"Package is moving," Doc reported quietly.
Marcus pushed harder, letting his opponents see him use his abilities. Let them think they were learning his limits.
The first neural spike hit like a lightning bolt.
"Marcus!" Maya's voice seemed to come from very far away. "You're redlining!"
"Package... clear?" he managed through gritted teeth.
"Clear," Doc confirmed. "Get out of there!"
Marcus tried to access his tactical enhancement for an escape route, but the ability stuttered and died. Precognition followed, leaving him stumbling as his enhanced physical capabilities tried to compensate.
Then Maya was there, supporting his weight as Bobby provided cover fire from above.
"I've got him," she reported. "Bobby, get us an exit."
"Path's clear to the rally point," their scout confirmed. "But he's not going to like how we get there."
"He doesn't get a vote right now."
Marcus tried to protest but couldn't form the words. The last thing he registered was Maya's grip tightening as Bobby led them through some acrobatic escape route.
He came to in the back of their medical transport, Doc's worried face swimming into focus.
"Before you ask," the medic said, "the research is secure. Sarah's already analyzing the new data. And Maya is planning exactly how she's going to kill you once you're stable."
Marcus attempted to access his tactical enhancement to gauge the threat level but found only static.
"How bad?"
"You'll live." Doc's expression hardened. "But Sarah says you burned through about a month's worth of neural reserves in two minutes. No powers for at least a week. Non-negotiable."
"The attackers?"
"Professional enough to withdraw when they lost the initiative. Good news is, they think your powers are more degraded than they actually are. Bad news is, they now know our training schedule and several of our protocols."
Marcus closed his eyes, letting the implications sink in. "We need to change everything. Routes, schedules, communication codes."
"Already happening. Maya's handling it."
"Maya's handling a lot these days."
Doc's voice softened slightly. "That's what a good second-in-command does. Especially when her CO is busy trying to burn out his enhanced brain."
"Point taken." Marcus forced his eyes open. "Where are we headed?"
"New safehouse. Bobby found us an abandoned server farm. Good cooling systems for the medical equipment, lots of power infrastructure, and enough space for Sarah's lab." Doc checked something on his tablet. "Maya says to tell you that next time you decide to play neural roulette, she'll shoot you herself. Save the bad guys the trouble."
Despite everything, Marcus felt himself smile. His team wasn't just adapting to his limitations – they were surpassing them.
Maybe that was the real enhancement all along.