One of the General's attaches handed McGee a tablet with a video recording.
"Is that Brooks?"
Pressing the play button, McGee watched the security footage of his closest friend.
Brooks sat silently in an interrogation room gazing off into space, seemingly squinting at his status screen. However, after whispering something unintelligible, a gyzer of fire erupted from Brooks' throat. It spilled onto the metal table, melting it into slag.
Brooks continued to disgorge a seemingly impossible volume of red hot liquid until it finally dribbled down his jaw. The fire didn't so much as catch fire as it melted the tissue around his jaw and throat. His fingers clawed desperately, trying to wipe it away.
The video feed cut and was replaced with a slideshow of Brooks' gruesome injuries. He'd been fine just a couple hours ago but now he was in a coma, breathing from a thick tube in his throat.
Not you too.
Xavier Brooks was McGee's closest friend ever since he enlisted. They had the same aspiration to become Army Rangers and tackled RASP like champs, relying on one another and pushing each other to succeed. They celebrated for two nights straight when they became Rangers. Again, when they got posted to Fort Lewis together and after each deployment. Even when McGee pulled the promotion to Team Leader out of his ass, there were no hard feelings.
"Figures your skinny white ass gets the promotion."
"Aaay! Don't go blaming this on my good looks now."
"Yeah, yeah, bull-shit. Who's the one that can't score any ladies?"
"Ohhh-you bastard. Trinidad was a fluke and you know it. I bet it was that cologne you sprayed me with."
"Hahahah! That was the cat's piss you stepped in outside the bar. And there's no way a pastey redneck like you'd score that dark-skinned heiress in the hijab anyway. You're lucky we all didn't get roasted then and there."
"Fuckin' ouch."
"But seriously. If I had to take orders from any other hillbilly, I'd probably shoot myself. I'm glad it was you."
The bittersweet memory flashed by as a new notification lit up his vision.
[Chat Window]
- Luna Galligan has connected -
Galligan: Holy Shit, where the fuck am I? Where's that Predator sonovabitch?
Galligan: Is that my body? Holy CheeseBalls man; I look like a leftover Christmas ham!
Galligan: McGee! There are messages here when I scroll.
McGee: Galligan, you're alive! What's your status?
Galligan: This shit is fucked. I'm floating above my body like Casper the Ghost. Where are you talking from? I can't see anyone other than the doctors. Hey! What do you think you're doing? Ugh... I think I'm gonna hurl.
In response to finding out Brooks and Galligan's conditions, McGee had stopped walking. He had the wherewithal to look apologetic as the General scrutinized him. He explained that he was talking to Galligan but things weren't looking good. General Kensey grumbled something but allowed McGee to continue chatting as they switched directions for the trauma ward.
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Galligan: McGee! McGee! My heart just fucking stopped!
McGee: Fuck. Calm down.
Galligaan: Don't tell me to calm down! The line's going 'eeeeeee' and the doctor has my heart in his hands. He's fucking squeezing it like swollen testicle, hurry the fuck up and do something goddamn it!
McGee: Pull your shit together. You said you're floating above your body, can you react to anything? Can you go back in?
Galligan: You think I didn't try that? Oh, wait. My heart started again.
McGee: That's great. Then what about your Status? Is there anything useful?
Galligan: Maybe? Sort of. It seems locked. I don't know! You and Brooks are the ones always playing COD.
McGee: Hang tight. I'm almost there.
=
They Medics and Doctors brought Galligan to an impromptu surgical space they'd set up. The room was a former lecture hall with the operating table set up on stage. Armed guards were placed around the room as a few technicians finished setting up cameras and monitors to keep track of the surgery's progress.
Galligan was barely in one piece with a large section of her intestines out. The voluminous amount of red blood contrasted with the surgical-green caps the doctors wore. From the glimpses McGee could make out of Galligan's pale face, he confirmed that she was entirely unconscious.
Galligan: Quit staring. You'll drill holes in me at this rate.
"She's shy."
Unbeknownst to McGee, Galligan tried to take a swing at him.
General Kensey crossed his arms.
"It bodes well she has a sense of humor."
Staying calm while seeing your own body mutilated was not something just any Ranger could do. Galligan was known for her dark humor and take-no-shit attitude, but she was indispensable in a fight. Any woman who passed RASP and became a Ranger was tough as nails. Galligan was the 101st to make it in.
"Hold on. I'm trying to confirm her status."
He wasn't allowed anywhere close to the operation table, and using his Identify skill from this distance was giving him a migraine. McGee pondered saying fuck it and walking closer when he finally heard a satisfactory ding.
[ Character Sheet (Limited) ]
[ Name: Luna Galligan]
[ Skills: Communication, Ogre's Physique ]
[ Destination: Auria ]
[ Time Remaining: 164:32:52 }
"Pfft."
Galligan: Be very careful what you say next.
McGee laughed half-heartedly. He relayed the information he was seeing to the General, including how Ogre's Phsyique seemed to be colored in red. The consensus was that it was locked or disabled. One of the General's aides chimed in and said that Ogres in fantasy settings often had regenerative properties or enhanced constitution. Thus, getting it in working order may aid in saving Galligan's life.
Upon inspecting the individual sections of the system carefully there were small pop-up tool-tips. Like how a Character Sheet was a list of everything important about a person. Similarly, the word Limited stated that more information would be available to view after reaching our Destination. Frustratingly there was no information on McGee and Galligan's Destination.
When focusing in more detail on Ogre's Physique, a description popped up.
[ Ogre's Physique: The foundation of a hardy warrior built for combat. Increases constitution, resistance to disease, and boasts quickened regenerative powers. ]
Focusing on regenerative powers queued another pop-up.
[ A subset of certain Physiques. If fueled by enough Ki, Mana, or Energy, will receive explosive benefits. ]
The more he dug into it the more of a headache McGee got. Focusing on Ki and Mana eliciting different but similar things. It took half an hour of rooting around to finally find a solution.
[ Locked Skills may be unlocked by infusing the required amount of Energy. ]
[ Ki and Mana may be converted into Energy by sacrificing skills. ]
[ Ogre's Physique - Initial Activation Requirement: 2 Million Energy ]
Galligan tried to flip the table when she heard the bad news, but she phased through it instead. Incorporeal, she stomped around with her arms out, huffing and puffing, marching away from the room until she was inexorably pulled back by some cosmic force.
McGee found her silence suspicious but didn't ask what she was doing. Instead, he thought about how to fulfill the energy requirement.
The answer came to him unbidden.
"Brooks."