47 CH47:THE BLOOD MOON

"What do you need, Sir?" Jason, who was asked to stay behind, sat as he anxiously looked at General Luke. The General stared back at Jason without blinking, moving or even making a single sound. Jason's heart rate begun racing as Luke's intense gaze made him highly uncomfortable.

"Son, is there something else you need to tell me?" Luke asked. "Anything about what that alien told you?"

"Err…there's nothing, Sir.' Jason replied while forcing himself to not to stare into Luke's piercing gaze. "Everything he told me, I told you."

"Are you sure?" Luke asked as he walked closer to Jason. "What you told me was not long enough to cover over the ten minutes you had with him." Luke leaned closer to Jason and said, "If I find out you're hiding something from us or thinking of betraying your race, I'll have those powers drilled from your bones and imprison you for life, UNDERSTOOD!!"

Jason simply nodded with fear as Luke scoffed and sent him off.

A few minutes passed and Hurt, Michelle, Zain, Lilly and Jason returned to the room, each having a bag with their personal belongings. Luke, who was in the room with some other military personnel, presented a couple of items for each of them.

"I won't go through everything again so listen up." Luke spoke. "In front of you are a couple of objects that'll help us with our manhunt. Number one!!"

Seven armor stands were rolled into the room, each with a never seen before design. Unlike the casual military onesies, these ones had shin guards, armor plates, helmets but each had a futuristic design made with navy blue materials. "These suits, prototypes of their kind, are designed with a replica of the alien computer system."

"What do you mean, Sir?" Hurt asked.

"They mist have gotten a sample of the alien computer system from a stray pod, if I'm correct, right?" Michelle replied.

"Correct." Luke said. "The system can measure your vital organs, alert you of any incoming lifeforms or danger and they will be a way for each one of us to keep eyes on the other. Also, they adapt with each of your body sizes and powers so that you can use them freely."

"Then what are the helmets for?" Zain asked.

"For now, we do not fully know about what that gas did to our planet's air. It could be…dangerous for us to breath in."

"To cut things short, We're moving out, tonight."

"WHAT!!" The Gifted students all shouted in frustration once they learned how early they were told to leave for their manhunt.

"SILENCE!!" Luke silenced them with a look of furry written all over his aged face. "In order for us not to be seen by the other Gifted students and the alien species, we move out at night. Besides, it'll be a red moon and we all know some inconspicuous things happen by then." With one stern glare, Luke looked at the Gifted students and said, "Do I make myself clear?"

They each nodded in response and sat back down while waiting to move out at the designated hour.

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[2 Hours left till the Blood Moon]

[The effects of the moon have started to take place. Your stats have been doubled for the time being]

STRENGTH:7(14)

AGILITY:6(12)

STAMINA:4(8)

Seated in the middle of the large, metallic cage, Ace could feel his body slowly change and morph with this new, unknown power as the last bits of sunlight slid under the horizon. The violent orange skies dimmed to a navy-blue color while the stars became clearer. However, the boy didn't see the moon nor even see any light produced by it.

To make things a little more interesting, everyone in the base they were in was either busy sharpening their weapons, hiding their beast cores or fortifying their homes with wooden boards and booby-trapping them. "What in the actual hell are these people doing?"

[!!WARNING!!]

[Your bloodlust grows. Luckily, you will get an opportunity to feed.]

Reading the message over and over again was a disturbing and unsettling remainder that Ace had to succumb and feed this new power that he was unwillingly given. The very thought of consuming the blood of his fellow humans sickened him but it also put a smile on his face when he remembered how terrified Jason was that he crapped himself.

'I wonder what that leader idiot's been up to?' He wondered to himself. 'If there's anyone's blood I'd gladly take, its his…and that b*tch Lilly too…'

"HEY!!" Ace, who was snapped out from his thoughts, angrily starred at the maniac responsible for making that loud, obnoxious noise. Standing before him, outside the cage, was the loud man from earlier who had been so kind to capture and cage him and his friend Sky.

"RISE AND SHINE, SKIN AND BONES!!" He shouted so loud and for so long that his head starting turning red. "YOUR BUYER'S ALMOST HERE AND I'M GOING TO BE RICH. ALSO…." The man snapped his finger and two men came carrying a long stick-like object that was covered in a brown cloth. They unveiled and behold, a green, shiny, glowing long sword was presented before Ace and the loud man.

"My core!!" Ace wondered in disgust. "You stole my beast cores"

"Oh, you didn't think I didn't notice them?" The loud man leaned over and glared directly into Ace's eyes with the widest and ugliest grin that showed all the gingivitis in his teeth. "This sword has a lot of value. The beast you got it from was an A-class beast. This sword will be very valuable to me. And this….." Gauntlets made of blood red armor with orange edges were presented as well. "The beast you got this core from was also in the A-class. I don't know how you got this, boy, but you and your little girl have brought me a lot of fortune and in any minute from now, your buyers are gonna come walking right through that door and will make me very rich, hahahaha."

The man walked off with the weapons while Ace remained quiet in the cage. In a distance, he was able to see the moon's head popping out from the other end of the hemisphere and this brought a slight grin to his face. "Maybe I won't feel so bad about having your blood after all."