9 CH9:INSIDE THE BASE.

[5:00]

With no place left to go than the base ahead of him, Ace quickly dashed for it while making sure not to attract the Granians. Unfortunately for him, the two aliens noticed him and immediately aimed their weapons at him.

Each Granian aimed and shot at him, but Ace evaded their attacks with agile movements. He jumped and dodged like a deer, successfully avoiding the Granians' blasts.

'My body feels much stronger than before!! This is...amazing.' He smiled while appreciating the new changes he was facing. Back then, running and dodging the way he was would have exhausted him so him being able to do so with ease was a great achievement.

While Ace ran faster and faster, the Granians struggled to keep up, given the conditions they were in. Unable to hit him with their energy weapons, the Granians threw floating orbs that moved faster than Ace could run. The orbs were programmed to stun upon contact.

Ace increased his speed, noticing the two orbs closing in on him. The first orb was only an arm's length away, its glowing green center ready to fire at him. Dodging the first two shots, Ace couldn't evade the third one, which hit him directly in the lower spine. The pain was excruciating, causing him to almost lose his balance and blackout.

[-10HP]

[40/50]

Ace darted left and right, skillfully evading the shots. He was only a few meters away from the base when two large cannons emerged from the walls and started firing at him. "What the... HEY! I'M HUMAN! DON'T SHOOT AT ME!" he yelled. "DON'T FIRE AT ME!!"

The people manning the cannons redirected their aim toward the Granians, partially opening the gates for Ace to enter. He made it inside just in time to watch the cannons nearly wipe out the Granians who had been chasing him moments before.

However, the Granians easily dodged the shots and retreated back into the forest. A few minutes passed, and their pods were seen flying back to the Granian mothership.

Ace sighed in relief as he caught his breath. Immediately, Military personnel grabbed him by the hand and yelled, "What were you thinking, going out on your own, kid? You could have been killed!"

"I'm sorry, sir," Ace panted. "I was...captured by those two aliens when they attacked yesterday." He replied, careful not to reveal too much of what they did to him. Ace, now confused, looked at the person holding him who also looked at Ace weirdly.

"When did you say you were abducted?" The man asked once more.

"Y-yesterday. When the aliens attacked."

"Yesterday?" The military personnel asked. "Kid, what are you talking about?"

"The attack. The aliens attacked us yesterday, right?" Ace asked the man. "They attacked yesterday. I somehow managed to survive....there are other people on the ship. We have to go and save them before anything bad happens to them. Please, my sister's trapped in it too."

The military personnel sat Ace down and said, "Kid, the aliens attacked us three months ago. Where exactly did they take you?"

'Three months? I've been gone for three long months?' Ace thought, feeling his heart sink.  Ace listened as the military personnel took the opportunity to fill him in on the current state of the world.

"Three months!!" Ace mumbled with his hands holding his head. "So much to learn. So much to catch up on. Am I even in ArkVille anymore?"

"I may not know what happened to you, but let me get you settled in. Come, follow me. I'll explain everything you need to know."

*********************

[Fifteen weeks ago]

After the Granian attack on Earth subsided, the military quickly intervened to assist the displaced people. They set up makeshift bases to house small communities until more permanent structures could be built.

A few days passed, and the surviving humans were either in military bases or makeshift concentration camps.

During this time, the duplicated serums were distributed to all the individuals who chose to stay within the military bases. These serums, which were created in the Earth Space Station for many years, were brought back on Earth, studied, and then duplicated. Once that was done, they were distributed across the planet and given to young people aged fifteen to thirty, as they were deemed physically capable of handling the effects the serums provided. The serums altered human DNA in various ways based on genetics and blood type.

The effects were as follows:

- Blood Group A: Elemental abilities. This blood group possessed control, and manipulation of Earth's elements.

- Blood Group B: This group could alter their bodies into animal or inanimate objects, including shapeshifting.

- Blood Group AB: Skills from both Blood Groups A and B, making them powerful individuals who preyed on the weak.

- Blood Group O: Possessed powers unrelated to elements or body traits, such as teleportation, telekinesis, flight, speed, superhuman strength, and mind control. This group was the rarest, only comprising thirty-eight percent of the population.

After receiving the serums, the military established special programs to train these superhumans to prepare them for battle with the aliens in case of another attack.

Surprisingly, the Gifted, superhumans, were not the only new advancement the humans made. With some countries having already taken down the pods, killed Granians and confiscated their technology, they quickly adapted to the new world standards and made strides in the technology, weaponry, and medical field and more was still being learned.

After being painfully taught that guns had no effect on Granians, bigger, stronger, and deadlier weapons were made to help the humans stand a fighting chance against the alien race, some of them being the cannons that were mounted on the base's walls. All of this was done in three months.

************

"First of all, my name is Jimmy Eckarman, but you can call me Jim. I'm in charge of the young adult gifted, so if you need anything, come to me," Jim said, but Ace wasn't paying attention.

He was captivated by the base's internal structures. From the outside, it appeared small and unremarkable, but the interior surpassed any establishment Ace had ever seen.

The current base, named ArkVille after his hometown, featured a large arena-like building at the center, surrounded by three long rectangle-shaped buildings in the back, left, and right. The front of the arena boasted a beautiful fountain and lush green grass. Currently, a few military personnel were cleaning and organizing the area.

Jim led Ace to the left building, called ArkVille One. "This is where we'll introduce you to the serum. For now, we need to run a few blood tests to determine what's suitable for you."

"It's alright. I... I don't need that," Ace replied. "I'll do just fine."

"It's not a request. It's mandatory for everyone aged fifteen to thirty...." Jim emphasized, "...to receive the serum."

'Oh no. Won't this expose the blood mutant system?' Ace worried.