Visette quickly moved through the academy in search of Arthur. Of course, there were stray Abnormals patrolling the area and her previous victims would soon be discovered.

[Team number one, come in.] The stolen radio Visette held buzzed. [...All teams, be on alert, contact with team one has been broken. Switch to the secondary channel.]

It was smart of the Abnormals to have a fallback plan in case their line of communication was compromised, but they couldn’t possibly plan for Visette. With a combination of psionic power and her nanites, she felt for the frequencies causing the radio to crackle. After a few seconds, she found the “secondary” channel.

[Team’s three and team four, look for team one. Everyone else, hold tight, the DSF has been alerted and everything is going according to plan. We already set the explosives on the ]

“I wonder if those bastards are playing around with the students.” A voice echoed down the hall, causing Visette to hide in a doorway.

“You think? Fox seemed pretty damned serious when he told us not to hurt them too badly. And if we touch the important ones, I think we’ll have to deal with Hawk.”

“Eh, Hawk? He’s not so scary.”

“Fuck off, I once saw him kill a whole group of bastards tougher than you with a single pistol.”

“Yeah? I think I could take-”

Before the pair could continue their conversation, Visette rushed out as they approached, she threw the fire axe, hitting one in the head, while the other reacted too late and was grabbed by the collar. He wasn’t even able to get ahold of his gun as Visette slammed him into the hard floor before pressing her knee into his neck.

“What is your goal?” She asked calmly.

“Fuck off,” The Abnormal cursed.

Seeing that he wouldn’t cooperate, Visette simply held his head in place before delivering a fatal strike to the back of his neck, killing him on the spot.

For her, she could see very little logic in interrogation. If she couldn’t obtain it by asking, she would simply kill them. There was also the fact she hadn't been trained to interrogate, but to kill.

She sent out a psionic pulse, finding the immediate area to be clear, and tossed the lifeless bodies into an empty classroom.

Visette decided to head for one of the gathering places the students were to be taken to. On her way, she passed the evacuation door that was the source of strange activity. She quickly looked over her shoulders, sending out another pulse, and once she sure no witnesses were present, she used her psionic power to twist the handle of the door. The metal croaked as it began to warp and twist under the immense pressure.

In her mind, the fewer exits available for the Abnormals to escape from, the more beneficial it would be for her. After finishing, she headed to the cafeteria in search of Arthur.

…

On the opposite side of the building, Charlie and a small group of nervous students sat in silence. Most of them were fearful of every little sound, except Jonah, who continued to glance at Charlie.

“Hey, Charlie?” Jonah began speaking.

“Hm?” Charlie replied. Both of her hands held onto the revolver tightly as she observed the only door into the supply room they were hiding in.

“That was weird back there, wasn’t it?” Jonah asked.

“What was?”

“The Abnormals, all of their guns kind of jammed up but it was like Visette knew it would happen.”

Charlie didn’t turn to look at Jonah, but her shoulders trembled in surprise ever so slightly.

“Y-You know, they had to smuggle those guns in here somehow. Maybe they were just faulty?”

“You think?” Jonah narrowed his eyes, clearly seeing Charlie was hiding something. “I wonder if she’s working with them, the Abnormals I mean.”

“What?!” Charlie glared at him. “Visette wouldn’t do something like that and she saved your life so you shouldn’t be so quick to say that!”

Jonah paused for a second before making an apologetic smile, “Sorry, I’m just nervous that’s all.”

Charlie stared at him for a few moments longer before turning back to keep watch.

“Hey, uh, you know, I’ve gone through firearms training before. If you want, I could keep hold of the gun and you can rest for a few...Think of it as an apology.”

“I’m fine,” Charlie replied sharply. Inwardly, she finally realized Jonah’s behavior was extremely calm for the situation.

“If you say so,” Jonah replied as he went to speak to the other students.

A few minutes later, he returned with a young man who was covered in sweat.

“Hey, he has to use the bathroom,” Jonah spoke as he patted the young man’s shoulder.

“Sorry, but you’ll have to hold it.”

“I-I can’t.” The nervous student responded.

“...Go, but hurry up and if you get caught, don’t come back here,” Charlie gestured for him to leave so he hurriedly approached the door.

“I’ll go with him to keep an eye out.” Jonah volunteered before the two departed.

By now, Charlie knew something was very wrong with Jonah. She looked to the students who were huddled together like frightened kittens and then to the gun in her hand. She was the only line of protection for them, but she had a feeling staying would result in trouble.

She waited a few moments, long enough for Jonah and the other student to be out of earshot and then began speaking, “...Come on, we have to go.”

“What?”

“Why?”

“What about those two?”

The students began panicking and were very reluctant to step back outside in fear of being captured once more.

“There’s no time, we have to go now,” Charlie spoke urgently, but the students all avoided her gaze. “Fine...I’ll go without you.”

Charlie opened the door, quickly surveying the hallway before she left, leaving the panicked group behind.

…

[Attention, we’ve found Team One, or, what’s left of them. It seems that VT is roaming around the academy building. Keep an eye out, and if you see a girl with white hair, shoot her.]

Visette listened to the radio while surveying a sealed off the library. She spread out her psionic pulse and received a large amount of information in return.

Four guards stood behind the door while there were another six gunmen on the east and west sides of the room.

She found it extremely hard to enter without using the combat rifle hanging from her shoulder. Her mind raced like a well-tuned machine, running the most-likely scenarios to occur if she rushed in.

‘Enter. Combat follows. Multiple firearms fired at various angles will lessen the space available to maneuver. The likelihood of exposing my psionic abilities increases...Creating a barrier of psionic energy inside to the room to suppress sound...Viable, but the energy expenditure is very high. Using a firearm may alert others of my presence...Final solution: Use the combat rifle to secure Arthur, followed by immediate extraction of Charlie Wakefield.’

It didn’t take more than two seconds for Visette to create her plan of action. Before she could enact it, she had to verify that Arthur was even present. So, she dropped the fire axe quietly approached the door and peered in.

“Oh, what a nice teacher!”

Of the ten Abnormals, four were guarding the door, three stood watching the east side of the room and the other three were encircling a teacher.

“P-please, just let them go.” The old man pleaded as the Abnormals surrounded him.

“Oh? And what? Keep you instead? You aren’t worth much.”

“Hey, here’s an idea…” One of the men walked toward the group of children who were tied up and grabbed a girl by her hair.

“Stop!” She cried out as she was dragged along.

“Hey!” Along with a loud shout, a red-haired student leaped toward an Abnormal and attempted to shove him but was met with a swift punch to the face, knocking him down.

“Little bastard.” The Abnormal tossed the girl aside and began raining down kicks into his side.

“Arthur!” A few students who seemed to be familiar with him all cried out, but no one could move to help as the Abnormals kept their guns pointed at the group.

That’s when the two doors that were basically locked from the inside went flying into the air and a rain of bullets descended into the room.

Visette made a huge leap forward and began firing at each of Abnormals. They were caught unaware and were completely unable to react so they could only fall as bullets tore through all of their vital areas.

Visette rolled onto the ground and swung her rifle, searching for any threats she might’ve missed but all the Abnormals collapsed lifelessly, spilling blood onto the floor.

The room was silent and even Arthur was late to react to the fresh corpse lying atop him. Blood poured out of the dead Abnormal’s head and chest, covering Arthur’s shirt completely.

“V-Visette?” Arthur blinked in pure shock as he looked up, seeing a girl with white hair standing over him.

“Are you injured?” Visette asked.

“N-No...You-” He stammered out before she lifted the corpse and tossed aside and pulled him to his feet.

“If you are not injured we will leave immediately.” Visette tossed away her emptied rifle and pried one away from one of the dead Abnormals before cutting Arthur’s binds.

“What? Wait! What about everyone else?!” He asked.

“They are not my priority. If Charlie did not ask me to retrieve you, I would not have taken any action as it puts her safety at risk. If there are no other questions, we will leave now.”

“You…” Arthur’s expression went through several changes as he tried to comprehend the situation.

Visette’s cold, empty, eyes, her emotionless voice, and the dead bodies of the attackers that were littered around all made him take a step back, finding that Visette was far different from what he thought.

“I have to help them! You go if you need to!” Arthur shouted as an unknown, painful, feeling filled his chest.

Visette stared at him, likely weighing a few choices in her head before she took a step toward him.

“W-What?” Arthur stepped back nervously.

“I have been asked to ensure no harm comes to Charlie. The same does not apply to you.” As Visette finished speaking, her fist struck Arthur directly in the center of his abdomen and winded him. “We will depart now.”

“Arthur!” The students struggled to stop Visette but she pointed her rifle at them with one hand while the other dragged Arthur along. “If you take aggressive action against me I will assume you to be an enemy.”

Her voice caused many to reconsider their course of action and they could only watch as she hoisted a stunned Arthur over her shoulder and left the room.

…

Charlie left the supply room and didn’t look back once, Jonah was acting far too strangely for her to stick around and she wasn’t willing to kill him. In fact, she didn’t even want to shoot an Abnormal.

“I heard gunfire! I think it came from the library, come on!” A group of Abnormals rushed through the halls, their voices echoing.

“Ah!” Charlie panicked and tried to hide somewhere, but they turned the corner before she could find somewhere safe.

“Raise your hands and don’t move!” Charlie aimed the revolver at the three Abnormals who were only a few meters from her.

They paused and slowly raised their arms up, but they were all evaluating Charlie whose hands shook.

“Your Charlie Wakefield, aren’t you?” One of them asked with a grin.

“Drop your weapons and kick them away!” Charlie shouted, pulling back the hammer with a loud click.

“Sure thing, Charlie Wakefield.”

The Abnormals laughed to themselves and dropped their weapons before turning around.

“N-Now, stay there!” Charlie pressed her back against the wall of the hallway and cautiously moved past them.

Once she neared the corner, she turned away and began sprinting as fast as she could.

The three Abnormals picked up their weapons and hurriedly spoke on the radio.

“We’ve found Charlie Wakefield! She’s heading down the southern hallway with a gun in her hand!”

[All teams patrolling, apprehend Charlie Wakefield at all costs! She is one of the most important individuals here! Be aware, shots were fired near the library and a team has gone unresponsive, believed to be the work of VT, keep an eye out]

…

A few minutes prior to Charlie being discovered, Visette returned to the supply room with Arthur in hand but found two Abnormals standing guard at the door.

“Hey! That’s her!” They noticed Visette heading toward them and raised their weapons to fire, but Visette raised the combat rifle with one hand and fired at them, sending two bullets into their skulls, dropping them without hesitation.

She sent a psionic pulse into the supply room before kicking the door down. The students she rescued had ended up being tied up once more.

“Let...go…of...me-” Arthur’s groaning was interrupted as Visette dropped him onto the ground like a bag of trash.

She approached one of the students at random and grabbed them by the shirt.

“Where is Charlie Wakefield?” She asked.

“S-She left before the Abnormals came! It was Jonah, he’s working with them and led them here!”

After getting her answer, Visette dropped the student and moved to leave the distressed group when the radio rang out. She listened closely and heard the order to apprehend Charlie which caused her to stop after leaving the supply room. As her mission was in danger of failing, something like an alarm rang out in her head. Due to Minerva’s mental suggestions, failure to achieve her mission was the worst possible outcome for her to experience. It was as if her entire being had entered an emergency state.

‘Directive, rescue, and extract Charlie Wakefield. Eliminate any individual that interferes.’

Visette channeled psionic power into every aspect of her body while her psionic pulse spread beyond its limits, covering the entire academy.

‘Possible target found.’

She honed in on a presence that was moving rapidly through the hallways as several followed closeby.

‘Moving to retrieve Charlie Wakefield.’

Visette took a single step forward as her pupils glowed with a dim blue light. She pushed off, leaving a large indentation in the ground before she sprinted down the hallway with an incredible burst of speed. As she came to a turn, she came to a sudden stop, twisting her body, and pushing off once again, resuming her dash forward.

She stumbled upon Abnormals running for Charlie’s last known position and fired her bullets into a perfect trajectory, striking them dead without them even realizing they had died. She wasted no time in dealing with them and didn’t care about alerting them anymore. She dispatched several small groups before running out of ammo but didn’t stop to pick up another gun as she felt any time wasted would be detrimental.

…

Charlie panted heavily as she came to a dead end. With a group of Abnormals following right behind her, there weren’t many more options but surrendering to them.

And, right on time, the Abnormals arrived only a few seconds after her.

“I hope you had a good bit of exercise, but let’s just give it up, alright? There’s no way you’re getting out of here. Just come with us,” An Abnormal took the lead.

They had her cornered, but none of them dared to raise their guns due to how important she was.

“Stay back!” Charlie raised her gun, waving it at each of them as they slowly approached.

“What, you gonna shoot us? We ain’t gonna hurt you so stop putting up a fuss.” One chuckled as they surrounded her.

Charlie began adding more pressure to the trigger, just as she felt it was about to fire, she turned her head and closed her eyes. Before a single gunshot rang out.

Everything went silent and when Charlie opened her eyes, all of the Abnormals were dead. It wasn’t a single bullet that miraculously managed to kill them, but something they wouldn’t be able to comprehend.

The battered and broken bodies of her pursuers were spread out in front of her, their torsos and heads twisted around at odd angles while their faces still held smiles. Charlie’s eyes slowly looked at them before she turned her attention to Visette who stood in the center of the hall with a stream of blood flowing from her nose. The bullet Charlie fired was floating in the air right in front of Vis and felt to the ground with a soft metallic impact.

“I am escorting you out of the academy immediately.” Her voice was far more distant than it had been before and her blue pupils shined ominously.

“...Okay,” Charlie answered sheepishly, too scared to even ask about Arthur.

Visette’s pupils returned to normal as the two silently headed for the closest exit. After they descended a secluded stairwell, they came upon a door that read “Emergency Exit Only” that was shut with a chain.

Visette grabbed onto the chain and pulled it as hard as she could, snapping one of the links apart before opening the door.

They stepped outside and although Charlie felt bad about leaving everyone else to an uncertain fate, she felt even worse when she realized that she made Visette go along with her whims.

“I’m sorry,” She muttered behind Visette as they moved away from the academy.

There were already DSF and military personnel surrounding the school so all they had to do was reach them.

“Is there a need to be apologetic?” Visette replied.

Somehow, Charlie felt that her voice was more lively than before. The image of Visette’s frozen expression and her pupils that glimmered with a strange blue color was somewhat frightening to her. So she more than welcomed Visette reverting back to her normal self.

“...I guess not,” Charlie answered, but inwardly resolved herself never to put Visette in that situation again.