Psi Powers and Research

Among the various topics of research in Mirai City, psi powers and their development are of course of intense interest. Improvements in reliability and strength of power generation are always desirable, but have proven to be an intractable puzzle.

But another major aspect is that of replicating some of that incredible power and harnessing it in ways to help ordinary people. Some abilities, like pyrokinesis, may not seem as special on first glance, since producing flame in mechanical ways has been something done since ancient times, whereas teleportation, mind reading, and dimensional travel offer hitherto unforeseen possibilities. But even powers whose fundamental basis is well understood could have tangential application in a human context. For instance, electricity manipulation might offer insight into as a way to solve diseases involved in human neuron signalling pathways, or cryokinesis used to enable quantum computing applications or cryostasis technology.

Beyond this, a number of devices have been created to work with or experiment on psi powers more easily, such as:

Kirlian Scanner

A form of sensor that can detect the PRF of psi users. Contrary to the original conception of a ‘Kirlian device’, these scanners do not detect the ‘auras’ of people who have not gone through the Power Curriculum, though there is related work in ongoing in that area.

Psychotronic Battery

This strange device, about the size of a brick, is covered in a hard black ceramic coating and a series of green glass and gold-colored contact points across the top and a set of interface ports and mode switch controls on the side.

On the ‘Input’ setting, when the contact points are in close proximity to a person with psi abilities – they do not need to touch it, but be within an inch or two - the battery appears to drain psi power. Both active and passive use of abilities is more difficult and capabilities as far as weight or range are greatly reduced. Other than the effect on psi powers, the person being ‘drained’ cannot feel it happening and suffers no ill effects.

On the ‘Output’ setting, it can slightly boost psi powers as long as the person is, again, in close proximity, similarly to a gestalt. However, the boosting capabilities are not even close to its draining ability. Research is ongoing to improve the battery efficiency.

Codename: Astral Blade

A secret project, the “Astral Blade” is a form of psychotronic battery that harnesses and redirects a portion of a user’s personal reality field into a set shape, in this case, a ‘sharp’ edge . The device itself looks similar to a psychotronic battery, but smaller and more easily held in the hand. The ‘blade’ of it is invisible to the naked eye and detectable only with Kirlian Scanners and similar devices.

At present, its use is limited; for most psi users, since their abilities don’t interact with other PRF fields, it really has no effect other than extending the range of touch-based powers to about six inches from teh hand holding the ‘blade’. However, in the hands of psi users with extradimensional powers, or ones with abilities that affect others’ fields, it has more potential.

Mindseeker

This missile lock system targets brainwave patterns rather than heat signatures. Rumor suggests that it can be tuned to specific individuals, allowing for highly targeted strikes.

Psi Augments

Researchers are also interested in augmenting or preventing use of psi powers. Is a student is limited to a single energy beam – well why not provide a prismatic splitter that can create hundreds of beams? Incomprehensible visions? Give them a generator that recreates the image from brainwaves and analyzes it with AI for patterns. The possibilities are endless.

Psychochemical Regulator

For those with difficulty controlling telepathc or empathic powers, a psychochemical regulator tuned to their specific biochemistry can be installed at the base of the neck by a professional. These allow the user to deaden or heighten their own feelings through microdosing of pharmaceuticals. These generally need to be topped up at regular intervals.

Psi Jammers and Nullifiers

No technology completely nullifies the use of psi powers in a general sense. However, there are ways to make it unpleasant/undesirable to use powers. The tech comes in two known types that either create unreasonable distractions (ie, high-frequency sound) or create additional undesirable effects (devices that interfe with PRF fields and alter power usage).

However, outside of the Reformatories, this tech is rare, since Mirai City generally encourages ability use by students. Mirai City’s refusal to release this proprietary technology to any other country is an ongoing international dispute.

In addition to broad-scale nullifiers, there are also specific use cases such as:

Dimensional Interlock

This large, constantly form-shifting and loudly humming device warps space in a wide bubble around it very slightly, disrupting attempts to teleport. People within the area often feel an unnerving sense that corners are less than 90 degrees square, or distances seem shorter or longer than they should, and even that colors have an odd texture to them. Though functional, it makes existing within its range feel quite unpleasant.

Mindshield

Unlike drugs and biomods, this helmet is very effective in preventing mind reading or other mental effects. The bulky device covers the wearer’s eyes and cranium to the base of the neck at the back, leaving essentially only mouth and nose exposed. Although there is a small screen to act as the user’s vision, it lacks full peripheral vision, is heavy, and generally tight and unpleasant to wear for extended periods of time.

Dark Side Experiments and Devices

Mirai City's 'Dark Side' has produced horrific atrocites -- eradicated whenever the light of day peeks through to the city's underside. But the results from horrific experiments still exist, with some just too useful to be gotten rid of so easily.

Body Crystal

A sort of ‘drug’ that has been around for years and years, that’s known to amplify a user’s psi abilities (at some cost). However, what most people don’t know is that it’s created from an extract of neurochemicals under the PRF of psi users – in other words, extracted from other students.

Psiborgs

Not a real term exactly, but informally used among some of the most unethical for cases where they have treated students with superhuman psionic abilities as just another form of technology to be used to augment others.

One form was developed during attempts to create a person who could have two different psi abilities. Pioneering experiments by Marian Saizawa allowed for implantation of brain tissue culture from multiple individuals into another to allow them to use the original person’s abilities, so long as that person is still alive. But other ‘psiborg’ creations exist such as...

Sponges

‘Sponges’ are devices constructed from either brain tissue or the actual brain of a telepathic psi user. Tissue allows the sponge to be larger and thus have greater area and strength of effect, but the resolution is worse.

These psiborgs affect all people within range, usually designed to listen to surface thoughts. These are then recorded and can be “replayed” by contact with another telepathic ability or run through a Neuralink Disambiguator to pull them apart into something vaguely comprehensible.