Bending to Noble's desire, the emotions went out from her in a concentrated beam. They were silent, cutting the air with an invisible force.
But that was a problem. The air was cut.
The professor had hoped that since there was no living being to receive the blow that the attack would dissipate on its own.
Her hopes were dashed, much like the front of the polymer chamber.
The wall in front of her bowed and then peeled outward like a torn food wrapper. It was only because of the specialized material that it did not shatter or melt.
"Oh…oh!" Noble instinctively reinforced the alloy frame with her telekinesis.
After a moment of shaking, the frame stood still.
Looking at the carnage, Noble blinked. She had only used a fraction of her power. She shuddered to imagine what would happen if she went full out.
The power difference between Masters and Saints was even more than Noble had previously estimated. There was simply no comparison. The one positive side effect was that her headache had momentarily alleviated. As for the rest…
"Professor Noble?" Bee Two's metallic voice came both through the hole and the intercom. "Is there something you might want to tell me?"
Noble winced.
"I think the polymer needs to be replaced. It's been there for years now without an upgrade."
"Oh?" The android sounded smug. "While you were gone, I took the liberty of requisitioning the schematics for the technology that is in the military's bodysuits."
"Requisitioned? By whose orders?" Turning away from the gaping hole, Noble's eyes went wide.
"That's not important," Bee Two waved the concern away. "After a few modifications, I found a way to include the same fundamental properties into the chamber."
"You mean…" Noble's eyes flicked back to the hole.
The edges of the hole, which had been sharp and jagged, were now soft and malleable, moving towards each other with a magnetic pull.
Soon, the hole was shrinking.
"The chamber! It can self-heal?" Noble watched in awe at the development.
"I had a lot of time to make improvements all around the classroom while you were away. It only cost the discretionary fund for the next three years!" The android's words nearly sent the professor into a tailspin.
"T-three years?! What am I supposed to do for the next few years with no budget?"
"Most of the funds went toward the upgrade of the chamber. Perhaps I can put in a requisition to be reimbursed by…"
"No more requisitions or requests or reimbursements! You've done quite enough." Noble pinched the bridge of her nose. "We will figure it out without any more redistribution of government or academy funds."
She looked up at the hole in the chamber. It had all but mended. Noble hummed softly.
"You did good work, Bee Two. That would not have been fun to explain."
The android moved toward the chamber to examine the healing wound.
"That polymer was supposed to be break-proof even for a Master's strength. I reviewed the calculations myself…"
"Speaking of calculations, I don't suppose you got any interesting readings before I… caused that?" Noble ignored the sweat forming on her brow.
"I collected data, yes." Bee Two nodded.
"And?" Noble held out her hand.
"And what?"
The professor blew out her cheeks. One minute, she thought the android would be taking over the world tomorrow, and then the next, she felt like a pet rock would be easier to talk to.
When she spoke again, Noble used short, crisp words.
"What data did you collect?"
Unoffended, Bee Two recited the information.
"The temperature in the chamber rose half a degree before you released your charge. After you released it, the chamber dropped two degrees below the rest of the room. That may not seem like much, but it is statistically significant. Whatever you did fundamentally altered the environment. What was that new attack?"
"When I was in my…on my sabbatical, I had the opportunity to discover new skills. It turns out I can not only influence the emotions of others, but I can harness them in an explosive manner. I get why it would cause damage to a person's psyche or soul. What I don't understand is why physical destruction occurred as well."
The last time Noble had detonated, she had assumed the damage around her was done by the Others, but now she knew that was only partially true.
"If I may," Bee Two offered. "It seems that infusing your attack with essence has given the emotions a tangible form. Quite a curious thing."
"Very strange," The professor thought about how Aether had made starlight into a net strong enough to bind a dragon. Mass had been imbued there also, probably through a similar process.
"Having no emotions myself, I have never given them any value. It seems emotions are more powerful than I calculated. Your emotional manipulation powers are not useless after all, Professor. Congratulations!" Bee Two clapped synthetic hands.
"They have never been useless…" Noble realized the futility of trying to explain. "What else did you discover?"
"Only that the pressure sensor indicated you could knock down a mundane house with a pulse like that. Possibly two. If I can upload the information, I can—"
"No. That will be all."
Noble didn't need exact measurements in this case.
Her experiment had been successful beyond her expectations. Any more trials would have to be in the Dream Realm, where she wouldn't accidentally destroy any government or Academy property.
'A house demolished by an emotion! That defies logic.'
If the professor went all the way, would she be able to level a neighborhood? Surely Noble would never find out, but she found the prospect fascinating.
"Are you sure you do not want me to submit the findings for research? If the results can be replicated with Spelltech, then…"
"Bee Two. Please delete the information you gathered." Noble interrupted the Android.
Emotions were a powerful thing. Contrary to Bee Two's belief, Noble knew how potent and persuasive emotions could be. They were enough to form and topple empires and could crush a soul from the inside out.
While Noble meant only good for others, her power in the wrong hands could spell disaster for the human race.
The Spell might decide to grant that Ability to someone unworthy, but Noble was not about to make the findings available to the public.
"Deletion successful," Bee Two's metallic tone sounded particularly robotic.
"Thank you." Child of Promise let out a relieved sigh.
"For what?" The android tilted its head.
The professor realized that her assistant had not only deleted the results but also any recollection of the events that had just occurred.
"For the upgrades to my classroom. I do appreciate it, though in the future you need to ask me before spending so much money."
Bee Two nodded. "I have adjusted the appropriate protocols. Next time, your approval will be required."
'That's a relief.'
"Say, what else did you change? Besides the chamber upgrades, I mean." Noble hoped they might include a teapot. Not having to traipse all the way to the cafeteria for warm water would be nice.
"You'll see…" The android's answer was unsettling.
The professor looked around to discern if anything was different. That's when she noticed the alcove.
"What did you…"
"A droid's got to have the proper amount of rest to recharge. It might as well be in style."
Noble had no answer to that, so she let the matter go. "Just… keep the alcove closed when you aren't using it."
It wasn't like she could return any of the items without arousing suspicion.
Though why a robot needed a state-of-the-art lumbar pillow and a blanket made of satin, the professor would never know.
There was one thing left on Noble's mind before she returned to her paperwork. She picked up the bobblehead on her desk. Floating a pen into her hand, Noble signed the base with her Dreamscape moniker.
"Bee Two, I need you to summon a courier. I have a package that needs to be sent."