A young man, somewhere in his late twenties, was sitting at his desk with a contemplative look. He interlaced his fingers and leaned forward. He had short and neat dark blonde hair with a clean-shaven face that complimented his dark blue military ware. Various medals and insignias were pinned to his chest. His sharp features gave him an authoritative look, unbefitting of his young age.

There was a knock at the door and then someone spoke, “Commander, Lyn O’Hara has arrived with Rachel and Charlie Wakefield.”

“...Send them in.” Commander Wakefield delayed in his answer but he knew he couldn’t prolong the meeting.

A few minutes later, two women and a teenage girl entered the room. One was Lyn who held her sword close. The other two were an angry Rachel and a nervous Charlie.

“...Rachel.” Commander Wakefield seemed a choked with emotion.

In contrast, Rachel seemed angry, “Nathan.”

He sensed her poor mood and shifted his glance to Lyn, “You can go, O’Hara.”

“Yes, Sir.” Lyn gave a weak salute before leaving.

Once the three were left in the room, Nathan spoke.

“Charlie. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you...You probably don’t remember me but I’m hoping to see you more often.” Nathan stood up and walked over to Charlie who unconsciously took a step back.

Rachel moved to stand in front of her and spoke, “No, that won’t be happening.”

“Why not? She’s my daughter too Rachel. You’ve kept me away all this time and for what?” Nathan asked with clear frustration.

“You know why!” Rachel shouted.

“I couldn’t do anything about it back then and you know it. Don’t act as if you don’t know what position I was in. No one wanted someone as young as me being Commander no matter how good my record was,” Nathan replied.

Rachel slapped him across the face which caused Charlie to jump.

“I don’t care about that, Nathan. You lied to me...You looked me in my eyes and lied to me about it.” Rachel looked at Nathan hatefully.

“...It was to protect you,” Nathan spoke softly.

For a moment it was silent and no one could find the strength to speak until Charlie’s face suddenly flashed with determination.

“You have to send someone out to get Visette,” Charlie said.

“Visette?” Nathan repeated with clear confusion in his eyes.

“Visette Thales, she’s the girl I had to leave behind because of the orders you gave,” Rachel explained.

“So can you send someone to get her?!” Charlie asked.

“I can’t, Charlie.” Nathan shook his head regretfully as he watched Charlie’s expression deflate.

“W-Why not?” Charlie questioned with disbelief.

“It would be impossible to find her at this stage. There are hundreds of evacuees scattered around not to mention the possibility of a horde. I can’t put my men in danger to retrieve one girl, there are many government officials who would try to use that to remove me from my position,” Nathan answered.

“...She’s special, Nathan.” Rachel sighed.

“What do you mean?”

“She’s an abnormal with multiple abilities...I think she’s a victim of human trafficking but I think she escaped. When we found her she was drifting down a river dressed in a medical gown.” Rachel left out the part about Visette’s psionics due to the fact that she didn’t want to betray her trust.

“...Even so, without any clear evidence, I can’t change anything. If she does possess multiple abilities then I’ll make sure she receives the best treatment possible.”

Rachel was slightly disappointed but she believed that Vis was more than capable of surviving, at least, that’s what she told herself.

“Now then, I’ll send someone to help you two get settled. I’ve arranged a place for you in the Upper District. Charlie has been registered for the New Mayhall Academy but I won’t force her to go. Also, there’s a spot in a local clinic that I’ve reserved for you, Rachel. Again you don’t have to work there but I remembered you liked to help people.” Nathan seemed happy, even if it wasn’t exactly a heartwarming reunion.

Rachel nodded and guided Charlie out of the room, leaving Nathan to think. Although Rachel was furious at him for his actions he had never stopped thinking of avenging the death of her parents. It was just that seven years of little to no fighting had led to his position becoming even more fragile. If it was during times of war, he’d be on the same level as the Governor if not higher. His lack of influence made had caused him numerous delays but he was nothing if not persistent.

Nathan retreated to his desk and a made a move to press an intercom, “Tell those at the gates to watch for a girl named Visette Thales. Once she arrives, send word to me immediately.”

[Yes, Sir.] A female voice on the intercom buzzed back.

…

A few days had past and Visette estimated she was nearly at the city of New Mayhall. She used her Psionic Sprint in short burst to cover enough distance and ended up catching up to the scattered group of evacuees. Well, she hadn’t met with any of them but the embers of a campfire told her that she was close. Though something was definitely off with the situation. She noticed the empty shotgun shells and bullet casing scattered about but no sign of Corrupted. It was more likely that a fight amongst the evacuees broke out. Especially seeing as a lot of supplies were left behind when the Variant attacked which meant some would end up going hungry.

Visette raised her level of caution and continued. After a few adjustments, she could easily enhance her vision with psionic energy. Her range of sight was higher and she could detect even the smallest of movements in the distance. Although she still hadn’t managed to reduce the blue glow that would appear in her pupils.

Suddenly, there was movement in the distance. Most people wouldn’t notice but Visette noticed the leaves shifting in several different areas. Pushing more psionic energy into her eyes, Visette was able to see the barrel of a hunting rifle sticking out from under a pile of shrubbery. Her enemies were human and they attempted to prepare an ambush for anyone who had yet to catch up to the larger group of evacuees. There were many reasons why one might’ve turned to robbery and murder during an evacuation. Firstly, there were no laws in the wilderness. Secondly, guns and items could be sold for money once they arrived in New Mayhall. The refugee center would be packed and the jobs given weren’t appealing at all.

Vis, of course, didn’t care for their reasons at all. In a few moments, she had already thought of a plan and used psionic energy to pull back the hammer of her holstered revolver. Her eyes focused on the movement of the hunting rifle as she waited for the perfect time to strike. A small adjustment told her that the one holding it was lining up a shot.

Visette drew her revolver and fire while diving behind a tree. Two gunshots rang out at the same time but only one person was hit. A short grunt emerged from a man hidden under dirt and grass to the surprise of four other men gathered near him.

“Shit!”

“How the fuck did she do that?”

“Is she an abnormal?!”

The group of robbers panicked but one remained calmer than the rest, if just by a small amount.

“No, she must’ve seen us and got a lucky shot off. All abnormals either gather in the main cities or in that city they’ve claimed for themselves.”

“R-Right.”

“It makes sense.”

“Alright, two on each side. Keep firing on that tree so she can’t fire back.”

The four men emerged from the brush and began firing their guns toward Visette. The combined fire of a shotgun, a hunting rifle, and two revolvers ripped the bark of the tree as the men moved closer.

Above the spot where they last saw her, Visette dug her fingers into the tree and climbed up quickly. With psionic energy wrapped around her hands, she seemed almost cat-like. She climbed onto a branch and put her revolver away. She equipped her shotgun and lowered her body while watching the four men approach.

“Huh?” When they arrived they found that the only thing waiting for them was a backpack.

Visette aimed her shotgun and the two who were nearest and fired off two consecutive shots. Without realizing what happened, their heads burst open like watermelons.

“Above!” The remaining two were to slow on the uptake and Visette had already jumped down.

She raised her arms and their guns went flying before she landed on one of them.

“Heurk–” A strange sound escaped his throat as he felt the impact but he wasn’t able to finish as Visette shoved the revolver into his mouth and pulled the trigger. Blood splashed onto her face but she didn’t blink as she raised her hand toward the remaining man. She lifted him into the air with her psionic and concentrated the power on his neck.

“What...are...you?!” The man clutched his throat in an attempt to fight the mysterious force controlling his body.

Visette flicked her hand and a neck-snapping sound entered her ears. After making sure no one was left, Visette exhaled and a small drop of blood trailed down her nose. She walked over to retrieve her backpack before looting a few shells from the corpses and leaving.

…

After hours of walking, there was a paved road leading to a bridge that lay ahead of Visette. On the other side of the bridge were two interlocked steel blast doors. A 20-foot concrete wall covered in barbed wire surrounded the city. Anti-personnel turrets were spread along the wall with a soldier to man each of them. Gathered in front of the gates was the entire group of evacuees who looked exhausted and relieved at the same time.

Visette moved toward them and took her place behind the crowd while gathering numerous strange looks. The reason being wasn’t her mud-covered clothes but the dried blood splattered on her face. It was clear that it wasn’t her own and those who had heard of the white-haired girl going crazy began to feel concerned.

[Move forward until no one is standing on the yellow tape that is at the back of the bridge.] A speaker in front of the gate resounded and the group moved further onto the bridge. Once Visette, the last person on the bridge, was clear of the yellow tape a metal barrier was raised around them and the thick blast doors slowly opened.

[Make sure all weapons are unloaded and have safety’s on. Keep a calm and orderly pace as you advance. Once you enter, someone will come by to collect and mark your weapons so you can retrieve them at a later date. Anyone who disobeys and shows hostility will be shot on sight. Those found attempting to smuggle weapons, including blunt object and blades, will be arrested immediately.]

Once the evacuees passed the first doors, they were met with another set of doors and two turrets on the left and right of them. They had to wait for a few minutes before the next set of doors were lined up with metal detectors and a group of armed guards.

Thus, the vetting process had started and some of the evacuees even began to break down and cry. Others held hardened looks and some looked somewhat skeptical. For some, their hardships were just beginning.