Ranked Zero

The terminal reads. Eight seconds. Ten. Fifteen. I have never seen a terminal take fifteen seconds. At seventeen seconds the screen flashes once, goes dark, and then displays. RANK: UNRANKED. CLASS: ANALYST. COMBAT ATTRIBUTES: NONE. SKILL TREE: NONE. STAT GAINS: NONE. Then someone laughs. Once one person laughs the rest follow, not because anything is funny but because laughter gives people permission to stop sitting with the discomfort of watching something go wrong for someone else. The scouts have already turned away. But...