An armored black truck sped along a dirt road. In the driver’s seat, there was a slightly disgruntled Lyn and sitting next to her, Visette.

“You’re really not gonna tell me the reason you want to go back to that town?” Lyn asked.

She was ordered to escort Visette to the abandoned town and it was obvious she would want to know the reason. Unfortunately for her, Visette remained tight-lipped about it and that seemed to be the source of her slight frustration.

“It is a private matter,” Visette replied.

Her study of social interaction helped her understand that people would be hesitant to investigate matters that were labeled as private. Unless it was related to an important subject, it was common courtesy not to pry further.

“Sure.” Lyn rolled her eyes.

Lyn was just as skeptical as Commander Wakefield, but she didn’t think too far into it as the latter had. He even made sure to have a research team look over Visette’s strange watch once more just to make sure it wasn’t some sort of transmission device. And while the components inside were foreign to them, the watch itself seemed to be broken.

The two continued to ride in silence since Visette wasn't a very talkative person and Lyn found herself unable to make good conversation. As a result, the trip was very uneventful and they arrived at the town without a hitch. The Novidium Batteries which used to power the town had all been recovered by New Mayhall long ago, so the electric fence surrounding the town was completely useless. The houses had already begun to show signs of disarray as plants slowly engulfed them.

Lyn showed a bitter look when reminded of just how much land could be lost to only a small group of Corrupted. Only the cities were armed well enough to face thousands of them without damage. Unaware of the Corrupted’s abilities to evolve rapidly, she assumed that the cities could still hold up well even during the long period of peace.

“This is the area.” Visette’s voice dissolved Lyn’s thoughts.

“Here?” Lyn stopped the truck near the far end of a town, where a stream or river could be heard far off in the distance.

“Yes,” Vis replied before climbing out of the vehicle and opening the trunk to retrieve her cargo.

A medium sized case that held the Novidium Battery she requested. Even a medium-sized battery was quite heavy but she lifted it without much effort, hoisting it over her shoulder.

“I will return shortly-”

“What?” Lyn asked as she was about to step out of the truck.

“I said that I will-”

“No, I heard that, but I’m coming with you.”

“I ask that you please remain here. I should take very long and there is a chance the truck could be attacked by hostile entities.”

“You must think I’m stupid?”

“That is incorrect.”

“Good, then there should be no problem if I come with you.”

“That will be problematic,” Visette responded. “If we leave our only method of transport unattended, it may result in a negative outcome.”

Lyn huffed out a groan full of annoyance before speaking, “Fine, go do whatever it is you’re gonna do.”

“Thank you.” Visette arranged her mouth into the form of a smile as she spoke.

It was a charming sight for anyone to see if they were unaware that it wasn’t a genuine smile, that is.

“Just go.” Lyn waved with an unimpressed face.

Visette didn’t need to be told twice and jumped over the fence, landing softly on the other side before she suddenly sprinted forward. By the time a few seconds passed, she had already vanished into the dense woods.

…

Moving at full speed, Visette arrived at the ravine where the Minerva Lab was located in. She sent out a psionic pulse to ensure there was no one monitoring the sight before she leaped off the edge of the ravine. She used her psionic power to slow her descent and once again and found herself at the bottom.

It had been years since she had taken her first steps outside of the lab, but there were no feelings of sentiment evoked from that fact. She approached the laboratory door, hidden by vines, and wrenched it open with her psionic power.

The metal groaned as it was forced open and once it was completely ajar, the spotless interior of the high-tech lab became visible. The inside remained untouched as if a day hadn’t even passed.

Visette stepped into the lab and entered its depths, passing the liquid stasis pod that used to hold on along the way. She spread out her psionic pulse to map the interior of the room but quickly found that her psionic power was able to pass through certain sections of the walls. Whatever alloy was used to reinforce the walls, it seemed to also have the effect of weakening her psionic power. Her lack of understanding toward the material made her wary, but as the alloy was unlikely to be reproduced on Novo Prime, she was less worried.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Visette moved toward a huge metal panel on one of the walls and ripped the covering away, revealing an empty fuel cell inside. She removed it, noting that it weighed far more than the novidium battery but discarded it and loaded in the newer battery.

The reaction was immediate as the machinery in the lab hissed to life and the lights began to flicker.

“Status…” The robotic voice of the lab’s AI rang out.

A device emerged from the ceiling and a red light scanned over Visette repeatedly.

“Unknown power source discovered… Full operational capacity restored… Estimated charge: Two months.”

Mechanical arms emerged from the walls and floor and began to scatter around the laboratory before they approached Visette. She removed her jacket and rolled up her sleeves, revealing the black overlapping shapes that served as a data bank that only Minerva could access.

“CV-112-S-767, Identification accepted. Welcome back.”

“I request access to the data files relating to the use of psionic power.”

“Request denied,” The AI replied immediately.

“Elaborate.”

“The files in question are missing or corrupted. Inquiry. What is your purpose for requesting the data mentioned?”

“I believe the efficiency of my psionic power could be increased with the relevant knowledge.”

“The source of your problem is relating to the Blue Swan Neuro Implant, correct?”

“Yes.”

“...Retrieving all related files… Files found… Would you like to undergo a diagnostics test?”

“Yes.”

As soon as Visette replied, the lab shifted around and a metal chair emerged from the floor. Vis took a seat and the metal arms of the lab approached her, placing small electrodes on her head before adding a strange headband.

“Beginning test, please remain still,” The AI intoned.

Visette remained in the chair as different mechanical sounds rang out. It was unknown how the test was conducted or what it was meant to record, but it soon came to an end once the AI finished evaluating her.

“Test concluded. Summary: If you continue to use your psionic power in the same manner, it is likely to become extremely unstable in the future. Recommendation: Adjust energy output to fit the formula of Dr.Shrencard, creator of the Blue Swan Implant.” As the AI spoke, a series of numbers of letters appeared on a holographic display.

Visette read over it and she seemed to make sense of it somehow. A small hint of surprise could be found through her widening eyes as she felt immediate realization. Before reading the formula, she discovered the way she used her psionics was sending her power in a brute-like manner, simply sending her power out. The formula seemed to indicate she could retrieve the psionic energy expended which would extend her level of endurance and increase the amount of power she could draw out. There were also several other uses she discovered from the long formula.

She had stumbled onto the process of imparting psionic energy into an object to enhance its properties. Each time she did so, she found her psionic power would often destroy whatever it was placed into. Shrencard’s Formula would help her to avoid psionic power running rampant.

Among discovering a greater possible use of offensive capabilities, there was something she hadn’t explored previously. If she was to follow Shrencard’s Formula as written, it would allow her to disrupt the mental processes of any target.

Vis didn’t know the limit of such a way of attacking, but she understood that if she could grasp the process of using it, it would be a far better option than forcefully jamming the weapons of her enemies which was bound to eventually catch someone's attention.

“Further recommendation: Infusing the Morning Star Nanites with psionic power will tremendously increase their power. Additionally, the Morning Star Nanites can multiply the output of your psionic power to an unknown extent,” The AI added.

“Is there no data projection to estimate the value my psionic power would increase by?” Visette questioned.

“Processing…” The AI buzzed. “I am unable to answer your inquiry.”

“Are the necessary files missing or corrupted?”

“No.” The AI’s reply drew some confusion from Visette as she felt the AI should’ve been capable of nearly any mathematical feat.

“Then, what is the reason?” She pressed further.

“Once your psionic energy is amplified to its fullest extent, it will exceed the range of my current calculative abilities.”

The AI’s robotic voice spoke without realizing the significance of what it was saying. There was no doubt the machine would be worth millions of dollars on Earth due to its processing capabilities and intelligent AI, but somehow, the invaluable supercomputer was still was unable to grasp Visette’s limits.

Visette was no different from the AI as she couldn’t grasp the full extent of her abilities and there was no source of comparison available. Without anything further to ask, she removed the watch from her wrist and stored it inside a container.

At first, she planned to destroy it but quickly changed her mind after contemplating it more thoroughly.

“Enact power conservation,” Visette ordered.

“Understood.” The AI replied as the equipment and machinery began shutting down.

If there came a time where Visette needed to flee New Mayhall, the lab would serve as her first destination. If anything, restoring the lab to operational capacity increased the odds of her departing from the city if anything went awry during her time there.

Visette stepped out of the lab once again, but she was eager to test out Shrencard’s Formula. She turned her gaze to the top of the ravine before she surrounded herself with psionic power and jumped vertically with a burst of newfound power. She went further than she expected but slowly levitated back to the ground.

‘As I thought, a new range of movement is viable through use of Dr.Shrencard’s formula.’

Previously, Visette had to be exact in her use of psionic energy or it would result in mental exhaustion. The way she went about achieving that was essentially guessing. Her psionic abilities were like a cup that changed sizes based on what particular ability she chose to use. She had to guess the exact amount of liquid needed to fill the cup with nothing but repeated experience to guide it. With Shrencard’s Formula, Visette could easily adjust to whatever amount was needed.

The biggest takeaway was the process of recycling psionic energy. Instead of carelessly sending out energy she could now conserve a larger portion.

It was fair to say that Visette was more than satisfied with what she received. She returned back to the vehicle and Lyn immediately noticed that Visette was no longer carrying a Novidium battery.

“You ready?” Lyn guessed Visette wouldn’t speak about the contents of her trip so she just climbed into the driver’s seat.

“Yes,” Visette answered as she climbed into the car.

Neither one said much so the drive back was as quiet as the one it took to get there.