//001//[Video]

[game_over_man]

[You know that feeling when you wake up from a really shitty dream and after a few minutes you kinda wish you could go back to the dream where the xenomorphs were gonna face rape you and make their babies in your guts?]

[Yeah, that's what Hudson's feeling.  Wake up with a mother of a headache, in a cryopod, in a dark bay, which is enough like the Sulaco that he ain't gonna question it.]

[Behold, another USCM, in his olive drab skivvies.  He's pulling on the body armor he found in the locker, but hey, Marines just ain't that modest.]

Bishop!  Fuckin' cryo's malfunctioning! 

Comments

[Audio]

[nukeitfromorbit]

_{[Wait, what. You're supposed to be dead. Hicks saw the Xenos drag Hudson down-]}

...Hudson?

[Audio]

[game_over_man]

[Aw, shit. The only voice he wanted to hear less than this was Sergeant Apone's. Okay, maybe Burke.]

Don't sound real happy to see me. Hear me. Whatever.

[nukeitfromorbit]

_{[Well, that's probably because the last time he saw Hudson, he was in the process of being killed.]}

...I just didn't expect to see you here, Hudson. That's all.

[game_over_man]

Sure I'd share the sentiment if I knew where the fuck here was.

[No way, bro. That was just a bad dream. Spunkmeyer's moonshine is bad shit.]

[nukeitfromorbit]

Hell if I know, Hudson. Still...

_{[Hudson was a squaddie. If not exactly a friend.]}

Good to see you. You remember anything about LV-426?

[game_over_man]

[Hey! Hudson is the Ultimate Badass, Hicks. A little credit!]

Aw fuck no. No. No no no no no.

[Denial? It's more likely than you think!]

[nukeitfromorbit]

I'll take that as a "yes".

[game_over_man]

[Expletive deleted.]

Yeah, no. I must be remembering it wrong. Got my bell rung good or something. Cause what I do remember? Did not fucking happen.

[He remembers the floor caving under him, blasting wildly with the M41A.]

Cause I'd be fuckin' dead.

Or worse.

[nukeitfromorbit]

Sounds about right.

_{[Hicks grimaces on the other end.]}

...sorry, Hudson.

[game_over_man]

Sorry? You're sorry?

What the fuck, man? What the fuck is that supposed to mean? We're dead? We're fuckin' dead? Or what?

Oh wait. Don't tell me. This is some goddam crazy ass hallucination and I'm spackled to a wall by bugspit till a goddam dildo-shaped alien pops outta my chest?

Fuck. Goddamn .

Think I'd have better goddam hallucinations than you.

[Uh, no offense.]

[nukeitfromorbit]

I'm not dead. Just you.

_{[Sorry Hudson. Hicks doesn't sugar-coat. Much.]}

At least the last time I saw you, I was pretty sure you were dead. But Hell, since we're both here...

_{[You can almost hear the shrug in his voice.]}

I know I'm not hallucinating.

[game_over_man]

[Just him?]

Are you out of your fuckin' mind? I'm right here, man! Right fuckin' here! I ain't dead! I can't be dead.

Three goddam weeks from being out for good. I ain't dead.

[nukeitfromorbit]

I remember you getting dragged away by those things, Hudson.

Not sure how you ended up here. Better than the alternative, though.

[game_over_man]

Yeah, well you're remembering wrong, pal. Because I ain't dead.

Unless. [Thank you for the Very Bad And Horrible Though you just planted in his head.]

...you don't think... [He looks down at his chest, almost panicking.]

[nukeitfromorbit]

Jesus-

_{[Last thing they need right now.]}

Listen, get the Hell off that ship. I think they have a doc in town and we'll get them to take a look at you, alright?

[game_over_man]

Yeah? A medic? What are we gonna tell them, huh? That I may be the baby daddy of the freakiest shit out there that's going to kill all of us?

Yeah, that'll make me fuckin' popular.

... Oh shit. What if one of them's here on board, man? What if they're already here?

[Panic mode: engaged.]

[nukeitfromorbit]

They can at least tell you if they actually planted anything in you. Better than spending the next forty-eight hours wondering if you're going to-

_{[Oh, fantastic.]}

I didn't see any. And no one hear has heard of them, so I think... we're OK.

[game_over_man]

Yeah? How do you know that, man? For all we know these freakin' aliens could have like...invisible eggs or some shit.

[Okay, that sounds stupid, even to Hudson. But that's not the point!]

You think? We're gonna go by you think? No mysterious disappearances or nothin'? Maybe it's just too bright, Hicks, think of that? Maybe they're just not good at seeing in daylight.

[Which means...the ship...failing lights...oh shit.]

[nukeitfromorbit]

Nothing that can't be attributed to normal wildlife, no.

_{[Deeep breath.]}

Hudson. Calm the fuck down and get your ass into town. It's better than hanging around that derelict and imagining what might happen. Get a grip.