Inside Grim's ship, the Granians watched as Ace was being severely battered by Jason. A few cheers came from different sectors of the ship, but they fell silent as they witnessed Ace's body breaking apart and rebuilding itself.
Enraged by the fact that his sister, the only person he truly cared about, had been hit by his high school bully, the blood mutant started to transform. This transformation, known as the Fight or Flight mode, was the same process that had occurred when Cherry was transported away from the room after they were both abducted.
"LET GO OF MEEEE!!" Ace roared with a shrieking voice. The bones in his body broke apart and regrew to match the height of a blood mutant. All the blood vessels in his body swelled and burst, with blood flowing out from his eyes, nose, ears, mouth, and other orifices. However, not a single drop fell to the ground, as each drop extended over his body, resembling ink on a white wedding dress. As Ace's body transformed, Jason's heart began to beat faster, his memories taking him back to that particular day in the ArkVille Military Base for Minors.
Ace's transformation reminded him of the same creature that had startled him before, causing him to wet his pants. "IT'S... IT'S YOU... YOU'RE THE ONE WHO..." Fed up with Jason's talking, Ace used his other foot to kick him as hard as he could in the head.
The blood mutant's toes left three holes in Jason's head, with blood dripping out. The kick pushed Jason back, and Ace got up on his feet. In his rage, the blood mutant created a multitude of tendrils and sent them towards the blood mutants that had attacked his sister.
As the tendrils killed the Granians, Ace gathered all their blood and formed more blood spikes, which he aimed at those in front of him. With all his strength, the blood mutant shot all the spikes at once, leaving him weakened in the end.
With his energy running low, Ace seized the opportunity to use his newest skill on his target. Due to his low strength, the spikes dropped to the ground as his body slowly started to shrink. Observing this, the Granians and Jason quickly attacked.
However, Ace still had a lot of fight left in him. He used his tendrils wisely, grabbing the weakened Granians and draining them of their energy and blood. The blood Ace consumed restored his lost energy and health points, but he had to be careful not to become addicted.
The fight between Ace and Jason resumed, with Jason charging at Ace's midsection. Despite being scared, the substances Grim had placed in Jason's body forced him to focus on his task. "YOU'RE COMING WITH ME, WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!!" Jason's body started to glow from the inside as he tackled Ace to the ground. The blood mutant struggled to free himself, but Jason's grip was too strong. "TIME TO SLEEP, ACE."
Jason's body became bright like an imploding star, forcing everyone to shield their eyes. The brightness turned into electric shocks, stunning Ace's body and causing him immense pain. Ace screamed as Jason continued to pin him down and shock him even harder.
Unable to bear it any longer, Ace quickly shoved his tendrils into Jason's back, draining as much blood as possible. Neither of them was willing to back down, turning it into a battle to see who would stay standing the longest.
As Ace consumed more blood, his body started to deteriorate, with the blood barely restoring his health and energy. Jason's body continued to bleed, and the large bursts of energy he released caused his energy to drop rapidly.
"You're... slipping... Jason..." Ace grinned with an
eerie smile creeping across his face. He continued to pierce his tendrils into Jason's back while consuming the blood that came out. Jason couldn't take it anymore; his strength was gone, and his once bright body became dim. The two boys pushed each other away and stumbled back onto their feet.
Jason's body was severely battered, with multiple wounds on his back. Ace, on the other hand, was quickly regenerating as he glared at Jason. "Your move."
Jason stomped on the ground, causing it to shake and kick up dust, blocking Ace's view. He ran through the dust, hoping to pin Ace down again. However, Ace had already predicted this attack and used his tendrils to drag Jason's legs apart, making him perform an involuntary split.
Ace then lifted Jason upside down and threw him with all his might into the Granians, who had been standing and observing the battle. Jason knocked down a few Granians before getting back up on his feet, ready to continue fighting.
"NYAAAAHHH!!" Jason charged at Ace once again, with the Granians following suit. The Granians eventually overtook Jason and started jumping on Ace all at once. However, Ace couldn't withstand the weight of the dead mutants on top of him for long.
"GIVE IT UP, ACE," Jason screamed as he jumped high into the air. "YOU'RE COMING WITH MEEEEE!!"
With his large body gathering speed, Jason clenched his fists together and aimed to crash into Ace. However, he was suddenly blasted back to Grim's ship. The spectators were stunned, caught off guard by the sudden turn of events. Even Ace wondered what had happened.
"FALL BACK!!" The Granians on top of Ace screamed as the sound of engines grew louder. Shots were fired at the Granians, killing them instantly. Some of the shots were aimed at Ace, forcing him to run and take cover.
"Let's give them hell, soldiers," General Gene Maguire, leader of the ArkVille Military fleet, announced as his fleet moved through the city. Soldiers, both Gifted and Normal, descended from the ships and surrounded Grim's ship and the surrounding Granians.
Other soldiers quickly worked to evacuate as many people as possible, knowing that the city wouldn't be safe as long as they were there.
"HALT, CREATURE. STAND DOWN, NOW!" Maguire ordered Ace, pointing weapons at him. "DO NOT MOVE, OTHERWISE WE'LL..."
"WAIT..." Jack shouted, waving his arms around to get attention. He was one of the soldiers from the ArkVille fleet. "He's one of us. HE'S ON OUR SIDE. IT'S THEM YOU WANT."
Maguire and the rest of the ArkVille fleet sighed with relief and joy as they saw Jack, pleased that their leader was alive and well. Without wasting time, Maguire landed the ArkVille Main Ship and rushed to embrace Jack, tears rolling down his eyes as he saluted his superior.
"At ease, General," Jack said, trying his best to calm Maguire down. "Thank you for taking charge. I didn't expect any of you to come here today, let alone follow the aliens."
"It was General Luke who called for this mission," Maguire replied. "I believe you are with him, correct?"
"Luke called for this?" Jack asked, surprised that he hadn't come across Luke. "Explain in detail what happened."
"Luke sent a distress call asking us to come to an abandoned shelter. However, when we arrived, he was missing. My theory is..."
"The aliens have captured him," Jack replied, pondering for a moment. "Do the others know about this?"
"Yes, sir," Maguire replied. "
We've asked the Nexille Military to assist us. They should be here in a matter of minutes."
"Very good," Jack said as he approached the ArkVille Main Ship. All the soldiers inside saluted in respect as he passed by. "I'll be taking command now. This isn't just a simple search and rescue mission. We're turning this into a war, one that will send these bastards back to where they came from.
"The objective is simple. Ace and Cherry are our trump cards," he said, referring to the blood mutants. "They're the reason those creatures are still here, but I'm sure you all know that. While they confront the aliens, we'll support them in any way possible. Air support will handle any flying threats they throw at us, while ground support units provide firepower.
"The rest of us will conduct a rescue mission. Our target is General Luke and whoever he's with. We'll have to wait until we see the black alien emerge. When it does, we'll make our move and advance with one of those two, understood?"
"Yes, sir!"