7 Chapter: 7 Rita

The next day began with Rita, bursting through the tent's entrance. She looked as though she hadn't had a wink of sleep the night before, with dark circles around her eyes and untidy clothes that reeked of blood and sweat. She wept and informed Helen of what had happened, apparently her fainting had given them quite the shock.

Dr. Richcar had been checking up on her every other hour and Rita had been up all night, looking after Helen in case she might need anything.

While this was good and all, doing so was highly unprofessional and strictly against war regulations meant to be adhered to by the American Expeditionary Force. They were cutting it close with the rules.

It took her quite a while to smooth out any worries that dear Rita and the good doctor might have had and she sent them off to get something to eat. Once she was left to her own accord, she activated the interface once more,

'Stat'

| NAME | HELEN BACCHUS |

| AGE | 28 |

| GENDER | FEMALE |

| Military Designations | 1st Lieutenant, 167th Field Hospital, 117th Sanitary Train, 42nd (Rainbow) Division |

| STATUS | HUMAN |

| STRENGTH: 7.5(+0.2)/10 |

| DEXTERITY: 5.1(+0.4)/10 |

| VITALITY: 8(+0.9)/10 |

| INTELLIGENCE: 6(+0.2)/10 |

| SKILLS |

| Stealth: #->C+ |

| Description: Helen Bacchus... |

| Inventory |

| $100k (War Bonds) |

| Blueprint: DShK 1938 HMG |

| Fiction-Soldier Card: Simon 'Ghost' Riley/ Task Force 141 |

| Charge |

| 19th Platoon, 7th Company, 25th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Division (57 Personnel) |

Helen surveyed the information displayed before her, taking note of the drastic changes taking place on the interface. The term 'stats' was new but she understood the general meaning of each 'stat.' However, the term 'Human' still seemed a bit strange... perhaps it was referring to the general limitation of what a human was capable of.

'What's above human? If there even is something above that.'

{I'm glad you asked!}

Helen gave a startled yelp... in her mind, as the loud voice of the interface echoed in her ears,

'Great! Now I have two of them.'

{It is, what it is. Anyway, the 'Human' reference limits your physical stats within the range of 1-to-10, above that there's the 'Super-Human' which lies between 10-to-100, 'Demi-Deity' which is between 100-to-1,000, and 'Deity,' between 1,000-to-10,000}

'Seriously?'

{Dead seriously.}

Helen continued to scan the upgrades in some of her skills, especially the more noticeable ones like Air-Combat and Water-Combat which referred to what exactly?

{Your capacity to fight in and underwater, and 'Air-Combat is just a fancy word for 'Para-diving.'}

'Ok.'

{Anyway, what's the plan now?}

Helen pondered for a moment, considering the situation she found herself in.

'Hmmm... I need to get this hole sealed up first.'

She glared at the bandages wrapped around her abdomen and sighed,

'Then I will be figuring out what resources and personnel I have at my disposal, and then I need to survive the Great War or at least try not to smooch an artillery shell.'

{Sounds like a plan.}

She decided to focus on the immediate concern—the hole in her stomach. The wound made it difficult to move or, well, pretty much do anything.

{I'll provide you with a quick overview.}

The interface displayed information about her current condition, a detailed diagram of the wound, and the ongoing treatment. It also highlighted that the regeneration had just sped up and that she would be up and about in under a week instead of the expected month and a half.

'Well, that's good... right?'

A week later, Helen found herself slightly back on her feet once more, 'slightly' because she was still missing a lot of blood. The bandages around her abdomen had completely disappeared, and she had considerable freedom to move around without the said movement being too painful.

She tested her footing, cautiously touching her legs down on the ground before applying more weight behind them. All seemed well, or, well, other than the stumbling, everything else was fine. So, with a satisfied nod, she tried to stand up straight and stumbled back onto the bed,

'Ouch.'

It seemed as though she would need a couple more days to fully recover, and just as she tried to stand up again, Rita walked in with a basket under her arm.

The nurse was small, a very small woman, roughly 5' 5", which was well above the average height of an American woman early in the 20th century. And since Helen was at least two heads taller than Rita, nearing two meters, their standing in front of each other was a rather comical sight,

"Land sakes, Miss Helen,"

Rita exclaimed, her voice laced with a touch of exasperation,

"I told you before, and I'll say it again, you're one heck of a big woman!"

Helen smiled before slumping back down,

"Can't stay standing for too long, something about the blood circulation being affected."

Rita chuckled sympathetically, setting aside the basket on the bed, the bedside table was laden with medicines and used bandages, before hurrying over to Helen's side.

"Well, ain't that a darn shame. But don't you worry none, I brought you some goodies to help you feel better."

Helen raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Rita's offering.

"What did you bring?"

Rita lifted the lid off of the basket, revealing a pair of ration cans filled with pipping hot stew,

"What's the occasion?"

The nurse shook her head,

"Not a lick, ma'am. We're headin' up to a forward field hospital, so they're clearin' out anything that might go bad on the trip."

Helen nodded in understanding, grateful for the warm meal. She reached out to take the can being handed over by Rita, feeling the heat radiating from it and breathed the savory, well, not so savory, aroma of the stew. She spotted potatoes, lots of potatoes, and chunks of what looked like some sort of meat.

It had been a while since she had a hot meal, counting her previous life as well, and the thought of a warm meal warmed her spirits,

"Thank you, Rita."

Rita beamed, pleased to see Helen's appreciation,

"Sure thing, sweetheart. Now, how about I get you all settled in so you can tuck into that food nice and easy?"

With Rita's help, Helen hoisted herself onto the cot, propping herself up with a straw pillow. Once settled, she dug into the hot stew, chewing on the warm and somewhat flavor...

"It's bland."

Rita let out a hearty laugh,

"You ain't wrong there, honey. Most of the good cooks got scooped up by the Navy a while back. This here's leftover from whoever they could find."

As she ate, Rita chatted animatedly, updating Helen on the latest news from the front lines. Between bites of stew, Helen couldn't help but feel grateful for Rita's company... well, at least she was a cheery woman.

{You can use the Interface to observe her you know.}

Helen paused, considering the suggestion from the interface. It was true; she could use the interface to observe Rita's true identity, maybe even her intentions. But something about that felt invasive, after all, it might violate Rita's privacy.

{You sure, suit yourself. Just offering a suggestion.}

The corners of her lips quirked up,

'What she don't know, won't harm her.'

With that decided, Helen decided to observe Rita in the interface. Despite her initial apprehension, she couldn't help but do it. Her curiosity for the mystery that was Rita was too overwhelming,

| NAME | RITA BARNER BACCHUS |

| AGE | 30 |

| GENDER | FEMALE |

| Military Designations | Private, 167th Field Hospital, 117th Sanitary Train, 42nd (Rainbow) Division | Field Operative, Naval Intelligence Division, Special Operations Branch | | Department of Covert Operations, United States Secret Service |

| STATUS | HUMAN |

| STRENGTH: 6.8/10 |

| DEXTERITY: 8.1/10 |

| VITALITY: 6.5/10 |

| INTELLIGENCE: 6.9/10 |

| SKILLS |

| Infiltration + Surveillance + Interrogation + Counterintelligence + Sabotage + Psychological Warfare(Covert Operation): A | | Assassination: A |

| Description: Rita Barner Bacchus, a covert operative, the illegitimate daughter of Adam Bacchus, and the step-sister of Helen Bacchus. |

'...is this thing malfunctioning?'

{Told you so! Ha! You're fucked!!!}

Helen shook her head,

'No, that's not necessary. Maybe she's after someone else?'

{Suit yourself.}

After finishing her meal, Helen leaned back against the straw pillow, feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over her. She glances over at Rita, who was bustling about, tidying up the tent and humming a strange tune under her breath,

"Rita,"

Rita turned to her with a warm smile,

"Yes."

Helen smiled,

"Thank you for everything. You've been a great help."

Rita waved her arm dismissively,

"Oh, it's no trouble at all, sweetheart. Just doin' my job."

Helen smiled outwardly, feeling a sense of exhaustion as she finally spotted the indifference hidden deep beneath those warm eyes and sighed. Just as she was about to question, Rita, her nurse, and now, her half-sister, a shout broke through the silence,

"THAT ONE THERE'S EMPTY! GET 'ER IN THERE, QUICK!"

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