Brooks was wheeled into the operation room. The ventilator they had hooked was barely keeping him best friend alive. He wouldn't last the night, let alone whatever world he was summoned to.

[ Character Sheet (Limited) ]

[ Name: Xavier "One-Shot" Brooks]

[ Skills: Limitless, Fire Breath]

[ Destination: Oleron ]

[ Time Remaining: 164:00:23 ]

McGee chuckled when he saw "One-Shot" register in his status screen. It was given to him by his fan club. They were full of pissed off-exes, jealous groupies, and crazy one-night stands. We all had a huge laugh about it whenever it came up, but Brooks played it off as if it was referring to his sniping skills. What irked McGee the most was that it was the cocky bastard had the highest accuracy in their squad.

Brooks could have been anything, his potential Limitless like his status says, but none of that mattered now. His skin was growing cold.

Kensey impatiently tapped his boot. McGee got the message.

Reaching out a gloved hand, he placed it on his best friend's scalded chest. With the other, he gripped Galligan's hand.

[ Participant Galligan is willing. ]

[ Participant McGee is willing. ]

[ Participant Brooks... is willing. ]

[ Skill Transfer Authorized. Converting Skills into Energy. ]

The silence in the room was palpable. The technicians halted their work to watch with bated breath. Guards and Doctors waited for something magical to happen. General Kensey squinted his eyes, spotting the dripping sweat rolling down McGee's cheek.

Galligan lurched up on the table, back arching drastically, splashing blood everywhere! The heart monitor spiked. Guards held her down as she sagged and convulsed, shaking the rickety gurney until a bolt came loose from the table. Then it stopped. Her organs rested, still splayed out, but her breathing calmed and the heart monitor returned to normal.

Meanwhile. A poignant flatline echoed in the calming room, fading out as McGee covered his dead friend's face.

=

The days after blurred together. General Kensey had a lot of work for him to do. McGee identified everyone he could, met with strangers, some were even prisoners. He identified someone with a rare heal ability and they were "persuaded" to help with Galligan's recovery before he got zapped into nowhere.

McGee confronted General Kensey several times about getting a minute with the bastard who butchered his squad but was firmly shut-down every time.

Ramirez and Jenkins, his two surviving teammates were fine, but he wasn't allowed to stay in contact with them for long. The symbols on their hands were that of a purple willow tree and their destination was called Aurelia. Apparently, that world was very different from Auria. He saw many other world destinations, but few had any overlap. He wasn't even sure if that Predator thing came from Auria, Aurelia, or outer space.

Galligan had stabilized and was healing impressively fast. Other than the fact that her tattoos were bleeding away to reveal unblemished skin, she was perfectly fine. Her attitude in chat could use some readjusting, but McGee understood her frustration. She had once failed RASP for being quick to barb back, but the commitment to go through that shit a second time earned McGee's respect.

[ Time Remaining: 23:54:11 ]

Less than a day remained before they were Summoned. He'd seen it happen. A Washington State prisoner was summoned and replaced with an oozing slime that needed to be incinerated. McGee idly wondered what monsters would appear when he and Galligan got summoned.

"What're you moping about, boss?"

"Galligan. Should you be moving?"

She wore a green jacket occasionally swaying enough to see all the bandages. She was holding her stomach as if afraid her guts would spill out but otherwise didn't seem in much pain. Tentatively, she sat down at the grub table, devouring the food he'd left untouched. He shoved the metal tray over to her and she began to eat with abandon. It was disgusting to watch, so McGee focused on the clouds he'd been watching. The moonlight shone through them.

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"We have the rest of the day to take care of our effects before shipping out. What's your plan?"

Galligan wiped her mouth and considered.

"We won't be here for Brook's funeral."

"Nope."

The body was being flown back to Chicago where his family was. McGee had to be the one to tell them Brooks had died, but he wasn't allowed to tell them how. Still, despite losing their son and brother, they let McGee keep Brooks' dog tags.

They were good people.

"I don't have anything else to do. Probably grab my razor and toothbrush from my bunk if they're still there."

"You have to stop shaving your legs in the barracks."

"Don't you know you run faster with shaved legs?"

"I need to take care of my dog."

Galligan poked at the peas on her tray.

"Shit. Yeah. You had that dog since when?"

"10th grade. He's on his last legs, but I can't bring myself to put him down."

"I've got a guy I know."

"I'm not leavin' him with one of your old trainers."

"No, really. A priest I know runs a shelter. He'll take care of Barry."

"Oh. I see. Thanks then. That'd be appreciated."

"Why the hell is your dog's name more human than your name anyway? Didn't your parents love you?"

McGee scoffed.

"Says the Asian girl named Luna."

"I was adopted. I have an excuse. Cooter is the most white-trash name there is. It's all the way up there with Luke and Dexter."

They continued to shoot the shit. It was a routine they had done back in Trinidad as their FOB was under fire.

Eventually, the night turned back into day. They got a few winks of sleep before being escorted off base to take care of Barry and leave him with Galligan's former priest. They spent the rest of the day assessing their own condition, writing letters, and training for whatever was about to happen. They were given guns, grenades, a large crate of supplies, practically a whole arsenal. Research showed that everything within a certain radius disappeared, so Kensey's men utilized every square inch.

[ Time Remaining: 7:02 ]

They sat on the crates, cleaning their guns, checking ammo, and staying busy as the clock ticked down. The space chosen was a wide-open killing field surrounded by a wall with mounted guns, flamethrowers, spotlights , and a few dozen grunts. About twenty feet away Ramirez and Jenkins were pacing back and forth next to a similar cache of supplies.

General Kensey approached McGee one last time.

"How's the nerves?"

"Cool as a summer breeze on an autumn afternoon."

"You understand your mission?"

"Recon. Survey. Establish a MOB ASAP."

"Good. I don't expect the world, but in case any of us follow after-"

An earthquake rocked the surroundings at the same time an explosion plumed up over the wall. All eyes turned in the direction of the flames. Men started running around and McGee's instincts had his trigger finger itching. Kensey's satcom whistled with static as garbled information came through.

"...eneral... the cre... escaped!"

Screams resounded as a flamethrower erupted, lighting up the men on the walls. They screamed and fell off.

The predator-thing was standing on the wall, a decapitated head in his hand.

"Shoot it! Shoot it!"

The section of wall exploded as a tank shot obliterated the area where it stood. McGee's ears rang as his vision homed-in on the creature carving a bloody path along the wall, slaughtering half the men in his wake while panicked friendly fire obliterated the other half. Kensey was barking orders as his guards tried to escort him to safety. McGee had to physically hold back Galligan from rushing in to get herself killed.

A compact missile fired from the predator's back and destroyed the sentry turret firing on him before he leaped down and straight-up charged 2nd Squad like he was Master Chief. Ramirez and Jenkins opened fire followed by Mcgee and Galligan. A prismatic blue shield erupted from a gauntlet on the alien's wrist, the other arm wielding that goddamn lightsaber.

"What the actual fuck!"

Jenkins screamed as he unloaded his rifle into the creature. He was just about to be sliced through when Galligan crashed into the side of the Alien. They tumbled into a cloud of dust. Weapons fire ceased as McGee searched the smoke. A glow gave away its position, but he couldn't see Galligan anywhere and was cautious of more friendly fire. He startled when Galligan came hurtling in his direction. Her weight flattened him.

A couple more explosions boomed out as reinforcements were destroyed and a tank was flipped onto the humvee rolling up. Jenkins and Ramirez had their knives out and were barely holding back the creature from killing them.

Where did...

*Vwoom*

"Galligan. Put down the lightsaber."

Galligan charged again. Cursing, Mcgee followed, keeping a close eye on his timer.

[ Time Remaining: 2:44 ]

Jenkins lost his knife and held out his hand in a panic. Force Palm propelled the alien through the air and slammed him against the stone wall. Ramirez reloaded and continued to fire, but the alien's shield held long enough for Galligan to reach melee range. The disoriented alien caught Galligan's arm and head-butted her. She head-butted him back and nearly knocked herself out. McGee tackled the creature but he didn't go anywhere. Being 5' 7'' didn't give him a lot of weight, but it got him closer to his prize.

*Screeeee*

The creature winced as the low blow caught him in his manhood. There was a layer of polymer between McGee's knee and it's target, but that didn't stop the force.

[ Time Remaining: 1:58 ]

The alien used an Ezio blade from his wrist to nearly skewer McGee. Galligan's lightsaber cut it off before a blaster pistol shot the weapon from her hands. What followed next was a losing fight as McGee and Galligan got their asses kicked with the creature straddling McGee and pummeling him into the ground. That was, until a gunshot blew the creature's brains out.

Smoke wisped off the Kensey's Desert Eagle as reinforcements ran in, separating McGee and Galligan from the body as they riddled it with bullets.

"I've lost too many men already."

A vague tattoo slowly formed on the General's hand.

"Get to your positions."

A few men dragged the corpse away as more men manned the wall and posted up for whatever creatures were about to appear. A Blackhawk came to hover just outside the wall, guns starting to spin up.

[ Time Remaining: 0:26 ]

The General had to shout over the noise as 2nd Squad returned to their caches, reloading their weapons.

"Give them a message for me, will you!"

He holstered his pistol and waved for his remaining men to hold their fire.

"Stay the Fuck away from Earth!"

[ Time Remaining: 0:01 ]

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