The office was quiet. Too quiet. The kind of oppressive silence that only comes after days of frantic work, broken only by the rhythmic click of a keyboard and the occasional frustrated groan.
Elian hunched over a whiteboard covered in scribbled model diagrams and lattice-phase calculations, his fingers twitching as he tried to simulate nano-capacitor decay rates in his head. His brain felt like a fried circuit. His eyes were bloodshot, two furious pinpricks in a gaunt face. His stomach had mutinied hours ago, a hollow ache that he barely registered.
Jenna leaned back in her chair, observing him with a mix of concern and exasperation. She took a slow sip from her cracked mug labeled: If you're not over-caffeinated, you're underperforming.
"Elian," she said slowly, watching him rock back and forth, a gaunt, caffeinated monk lost in his own private quantum monastery. "You need to take a break. A real one."
"No time," he muttered, his voice raspy, eyes wild as he stared at the whiteboard. "Must optimize battery discharge efficiency. Must—must not collapse."
She rolled her eyes and tossed a protein bar at him. He caught it on instinct, his fingers closing around the wrapper, and then immediately forgot it existed, his gaze already snapping back to the theoretical diagrams.
"You haven't slept in three days," she pressed, her tone firm.
"I powered through."
"You haven't eaten anything solid in two."
"I am become pure thought," he mumbled, a faint, delirious grin touching his lips.
"Elian," Jenna said, her voice now edged with a clear warning.
He blinked, the fog slowly lifting from his eyes as he finally looked up at her. He saw the genuine concern beneath her usual dry wit.
Jenna gave him a small, knowing smirk, leaning forward slightly. "You have a science system that can generate optimized blueprints and theories for almost anything, right? Something that just gave us a room-temperature superconductor?"
Elian's brow furrowed in concentration, piecing together her line of thought. "…Yeah?"
"Then stop being a martyr," she said, tapping her mug. "And use it to make us the perfect cup of coffee. You know. Something to keep you from turning into a full-blown science ghoul. I want maximum energy, zero crash, maybe even brain benefits. Something potent enough to be illegal in at least three countries."
Elian stared at her, his expression slowly shifting from exhaustion to dawning realization, as if she had just discovered a hidden fundamental truth of the universe.
"…That's genius," he whispered, a genuine spark returning to his bloodshot eyes.
Brew-Mind
[System Query: Beverage Optimization – Caffeine Variant]
[Parameters Set:]
Maximum mental focusLong-lasting energy releaseZero jitters or crashEnhanced neuroplasticityAntioxidant & mood-boosting effectsNootropic synergyDelicious
[Processing…]
[Theoretical Formula Generated: "Neurobrew Prime"]
[Required Ingredients List Ready for Procurement]
[Warning: One compound is regulated in the EU. Alternative available, or procure via non-standard channels.]
Three Hours Later
Elian's lab had transformed into a mad scientist's kitchen. Boxes arrived in rapid waves, driven by Jenna's shockingly efficient online ordering and a few discreet, slightly-less-than-legal vendors. The air filled with the scent of imported wild civet coffee beans (ethically sourced, Elian insisted), the earthy aroma of lion's mane mushroom extract, the subtle sweetness of L-theanine, the metallic tang of nano-encapsulated CoQ10, the rich, dark notes of flavonoid-rich cacao, a pinch of Himalayan salt, a cold-pressed algae oil from Iceland, and a small, opaque mystery vial labeled "Bioactive Monoamine Modulator – Do Not Shake."
Jenna leaned against the counter, arms crossed, a wary amusement on her face as Elian set everything up with the precision of a chemist prepping for a Nobel prize in breakfast beverages.
"You're actually doing this," she stated, not a question.
"I'm optimizing centuries of trial-and-error and half-baked barista rituals into a mathematically perfect neurochemical symphony," Elian said, holding a measuring spoon like a conductor's wand.
"Just don't blow up the coffee machine. Or me."
He fired up a gleaming, precision induction kettle, adjusting the water to exactly 93.6°C. He started grinding the ethically sourced beans using a ceramic burr grinder that had been optimized for absolute uniformity by the system's calculations, a low hum filling the lab.
Jenna watched, fascinated and a little alarmed, as he meticulously mixed the supplements and extracts in a large glass beaker like he was performing forbidden alchemy. The lab filled with the intoxicating aroma of rich coffee, dark chocolate, and… something vaguely medicinal, like a very expensive, very potent cough syrup.
"I feel like we should be wearing hazmat suits for this," she said, eyeing the shimmering, dark liquid with suspicion.
He ignored her, meticulously pouring the finished product into two matte-black, thermal cups. He presented them with a flourish.
"Behold," Elian said reverently, his eyes alight with a mix of scientific triumph and utter exhaustion. "Neurobrew Prime."
They clinked cups like two weary adventurers discovering a magical elixir.
Ten Minutes Later
"...Oh my God," Jenna whispered, her voice filled with profound awe.
Her pupils were slightly dilated, her jade green eyes gleaming with unnatural focus. Her typing speed had tripled, a furious, rapid-fire click-clack on her keyboard. She was currently juggling three windows of complex scientific papers, simultaneously updating a budget spreadsheet, and was halfway through reorganizing the lab's entire digital file system, all with a serene, almost terrifying efficiency.
"I can see numbers in color," she muttered, a low hum of pure concentration emanating from her.
Elian, meanwhile, was back at the whiteboard, scribbling furiously. "I just solved three critical bottlenecks in the capacitor model," he announced, his voice clear and resonant despite the previous exhaustion. "And figured out how to significantly optimize our AI codebase for quantum computing applications. Also," he added, turning to her with a wide, almost manic grin, "I feel like I could win a dance battle against gravity right now."
Jenna blinked, then narrowed her eyes at her own hyper-efficient workflow. "Do we… patent this too?"
"Maybe after we make sure our hearts don't explode," Elian quipped, taking another deep, satisfying gulp.
A system notification popped behind his eyes, a private message only he could perceive:
[Innovation Registered: "Functional Nootropic Beverage - Neurobrew Prime"]
[+1 System Point]
[New Branch Unlocked: Applied Biochemistry & Human Optimization]
[Research Suggestion: Custom Nutrition for Cognitive Optimization (Tier II: Bio-Synaptic Accelerants)]
Elian grinned, a genuine, unburdened smile. "Okay. Now we publish papers."
Jenna's eyes gleamed with unnatural energy, echoing his excitement. "Now we publish papers."