CH3: CAUSE FOR ALARM.

[ArkVille Hight.]

[Time: 5:00 PM]

"Look at your face. You've been involved in a fight, haven't you?" teasing her brother, Cherry pressed the wounds on his face repeatedly to further agitate him. "Jason again?"

"Always," Ace winced and then grinned. "I fought back this time. Fool's having his parents pay the school a visit while I walk home scot-free. Win for me."

Pressing her finger deeper into Ace's wound, Cherry brought her brother to his knees as she scoffed at him saying, "He'll walk away with a slap on the wrist while you'll be nursing wounds. I doubt if you inflicted that much damage on him."

"Oh I did," he smiled, earning him another finger press in his wounds. "Stop doing that, it hurts."

"I'll keep doing it until you learn your lesson, Ace." Cherry snapped like a woman yelling at her drunk husband. "For goodness sake, consider your own health. You can't afford to add broken bones to your medical record."

"It won't happen." Ace sighed, moving away at the last moment since his sister tried touching his wounds again.

"I highly doubt tha…"

"Let go," the boy hissed, grabbing his sister's hand and pushing it away from his wounds. "Let's just hurry and get back home…before any more trouble follows us. Wouldn't want to be caught outside loitering." 

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Later that night, Ace lay in his bed with his other foster siblings, looking out of the bedroom window and staring at the stars. While the others slept off, he remained awake in his thoughts, thinking about many things all at once while making up random scenarios. 

Suddenly, the boy found himself in a dark space within his mind, void of any light or signs of life. At first, he thought it was another asthma attack but later on, came to realize he was in a trance-like state. Again, and without warning, the dark space erupted with stars and planets forming before his very eyes.

"The Big Bang?" 

While still in the chaos of solar systems forming, Ace found his body hovering over a large spaceship, one that didn't have any signs of human design. Actually, the boy counted three ships to be precise, and behind them were planets, colonies, and civilizations that were either enslaved, burned, or massacred with pools of bloodshed all over.

"What the…."

*ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR*

A terrifying, blood-curdling screech, so loud and menacing, shook Ace's body that his heart nearly stopped. Looking back, his eyes caught the view of a red tall being with long teeth, a body print of black with red networks of what looked like blood all over, a long tongue, and claws for fingers.

The Fear of God fell upon Ace, pushing him to try his best to get away from the creature. However, since he was in 'deep space' in his 'trance', there was nothing for him to latch onto, let alone a way for him to float away from the creature. 

*SPLISH*

The red creature quickly advanced to Ace's side, slicing his throat while creating a long crimson blade from its arm which pierced his back, advanced through his heart and lungs, and came out from his chest.

"AAAHH!!" Ace shouted, finding himself lying in his bed. His heart raced, his body ached, and his hands shook with fear embracing his body. Running his hands on his chest and neck, he checked to see if the red creature in his dreams inflicted any wounds on his physical body.

'What was that all about?' he nearly cried, his eyes feeling heavy with the recurring thought pestering him. 'Ships? A…a…a demon-like THING? What did it all mean?'

This went on for the next hour. Thinking over and over again, asking questions without answers, and reimagining the entire thing in a new light. Eventually, fatigue overtook the boy's thoughts, putting him to rest even though it wasn't as easy as he had wished. In fact, even some of those trance thoughts made it into his dreams, frightening him even more in his sleep.

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[Meanwhile, in the International Space Station stationed above ArkVille.]

Nightfall at the Space Station. To be more accurate, there was neither daytime nor nighttime in deep space but there were limitations to how long one would stay awake in space. 

Whilst the majority of those aboard the facility rested in their respective facilities,, the same scientist, and most of his colleagues, from earlier was up late keeping watch at his workstation. Given strict orders to watch over the 'signals in deep space', he started noticing strange occurrences happening once again with said signals. . 

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*

 The scientist, half awake at this moment, looked at one of the many computer screens and noticed three large heat signatures entering the Earth's solar system. It took him a while to collect his thoughts but as soon as he did, he quickly arose from his seat and ran to a large red button that was mounted on the wall, activated the panic alarm which immediately sounded a loud alarm that woke everyone up, including the person in charge of the entire operation. In the meantime, the scientist then ran to the General's room in a frantic and hopeless manner, banging repeatedly on his door as he stressed the situation unfolding.

Annoyed by the constant banging on his door and the panic alarm, the General angrily opened the door and nearly blasted at the scientist but seeing the others running all over and the alarms off forced him to ask what was going on. 

"There better be a good reason as to why you're…." 

Not in the mood to listen to the General's insults, the scientist grabbed his hand and dragged him all the way to the Main Observatory Room and showed him what he and the rest of the scientists stationed at the screens noticed. 

"I told you…I told you that something strange was going on!!" he panicked, his eyes judging the General for his stupidity and refusal to listen. With regret but also a false sense of redemption, the General looked at the scientist and ordered him saying, "Get me on a call the Secretary of Security, NOW!!!"