The Plan

Eric arrived in his room. He was there by himself. Vincent and Alex were still in the medical ward. He didn't know where Smith was.

'Maybe he is in the medical ward by now. No, I doubt that it is possible. Unless he fights Arlo, I don't think anyone could beat him,' Eric thought.

'He isn't here right now. So this is my chance to absorb the gem while I'm alone."

He pulled out the gem and laid it flat in his hand.

< Consume Beast Gem.>

< Yes> < No>

'Every time this message comes up, I always second-guess myself. Eventually, I have to do something else with this besides absorb it. Arlo is a threat, though. He hasn't become hostile toward anyone yet. People who have power seem to fall into the temptation of lording over others.'

< Beast Gem is absorbed>

The gem began to glow bright. Then it faded away. Once it was gone, his body had a slight yellow glow for only a moment.

< + 2 Stat Points Available>

< A.I. Progress: 7%>

'Sooner or later, I will have to deal with Arlo. I need to be stronger and faster.'

Eric already knew where he wanted to add his stats. It's going to his attack and dexterity.

< + 1 Attack>

< + 1 Dexterity>

< Current Stats>

< Attack 14>

< Defense 10>

< Dexterity 14>

< Stamina 14>

< Radiation 18>

< HP 55>

< RP 84>

< 280/640 EXP>

'Great, I am making progress. I'm growing faster than the others, but Arlo is further ahead of me.'

He had a little over two hours before supper would be ready. Since he was planning to go on a reconnaissance mission later that night, he needed to get some rest to replenish his energy and RP points.

'If I come across a military officer, I need to be at one hundred percent. I doubt it could beat them anyway, but I could escape from them. Depending on their powers, that could be easier said than done.'

He laid down on his bunk and placed his hands behind his head. He closed his eyes and fell fast asleep. From using his RP points and the hits he had taken from Elizabeth, he was much more tired than what he thought. His body needed the rest to recover.

It felt like only minutes later. He could hear a noise and feel his body being jostled around.

"Hey, wake up. Wake up!"

Eric opened his eyes and could see a person standing in front of him. They had dark brown curly hair, but he could tell what their face looked like. His eyes were still adjusting from being asleep.

'Who is this?'

"What!?" Eric asked in anger, not wanting to be awake.

"We are running late for supper. We need to go to the mess hall now if we want to eat."

He began to rub his eyes, then he saw who it was. It was Smith.

"Smith. Sorry, I yelled."

"It's ok, but we need to get moving."

"Ok, ok, you are right; let's go."

Eric got up from the bed, and they both left going to the mess hall. He was lucky, both for someone coming to wake him up and that he was fully dressed. He laid down with only the intention of taking a nap. He still had his boots on. So there was nothing he needed to put on.

They both arrived in time to be in the back of the line with only ten people left, not including themselves.

"That was close; if we weren't in line, we would be out of luck on food." Smith said with a smile.

They grabbed their food and sat with Vincent and Alex. They both looked as good as new.

'Healing powers are quite amazing. I should find one and bring them into our little group,' Eric thought.

'Haha. I'm plotting now, like I'm trying to gather people to start a faction. That's never going to happen.'

Eric shook his head in amazement due to his ridiculous thoughts.

After they all ate their food, they began to discuss the plans, bringing Smith up to speed. They talked in low voices, so the noise of the mess hall covered their conversation to the point where no one could hear their conversation.

Eric was going to infiltrate the offices to see how difficult it was going to be. With that information, he would go back the next night and look at Arlo's file. The others split up into eight-hour shifts to track Arlo's movements. Due to Vincent's power of smoke, he took the night shift. It would be easier for him to hide and get away without a trace than the others.

Smith was very excited about all of this. It was strange to the others, but they didn't pay that much attention. After all, he was a little socially awkward. His real reason for excitement was he was being a part of something. It made him feel like he belonged.

'I have friends. Is this what having friends is like?' Smith thought to himself.

'Alright, then everyone knows their mission?" Eric asked the group.

Everyone nodded.

"Smith, Vincent, Alex, if you need anything, let me know. If anyone gets into trouble, let me know so I can at the very least help remove you from the situation."

"Hey, wait a minute. Why is everyone, but me, on a first name basis?" Smith said, now feeling left out even though he was apart of them.

The three of them glanced at each other, then back to Smith. They really didn't know why, but they also didn't even know what his first name was. They weren't even sure if he had told them his name, and if he did, they didn't remember. Alex was the first one to speak up and break the uncomfortable silence.

"What is your first name?"

Smith sighed in disbelief. 'How could they not know? Am I really that easy to forget?'

"It's Brandon," he said, looking down at the table, not making eye contact. He felt defeated.