11-09-2009, 05:56 AM
Coldness. It ran up and down his spine. He almost welcomed it; at least he was actually feeling something other than pain, no matter how unpleasant. Whatever the reason for the icy chill in his back was unknown. His entire body was paralysed and numb, save for moments of abrupt agony, applied to his skin without warning.
Anxiety squeezed his lungs like a tightening vice. He was fully aware of his surroundings, but any instruction to his arms or legs died before it reached them. First, his hearing came in. Dull at first, there were muffled voices, the clanging of metal against metal, and a steady, droning beep like a heart monitor. He tried opening his eyes, but the right lid was heavier than a tonne of bricks, and he couldn't even feel his left.
He had to stifle his fretfulness. Calming his mind as best he could, he took controlled breaths until he felt some strength return. He attempted to move his arms again ... no luck. Could he open his eyes now? ... Yes. At least his right eye responded, slowly slitting open. A wave of light poured into his sore eye, forcing it shut immediately. He steeled himself, baring himself to the harshness once more.
Everything was blurry. A brilliant lamp, or possibly the sun, sat overhead. Focusing on anything but that blinding object, he looked about the room. Hazy white blobs scurried back and forth. In a few moments, his vision aligned, revealing lab coated employees moving back and forth to the instructions of a very ... short man by his bedside.
"Oh, you're awake?" the vertically challenged scientist remarked, speaking as if Orion was a child. "That's no good is it?" He plucked a syringe filled with emerald fluid from a nearby tray, flicking the case to remove any air bubbles. "Well, let's just put you back to sleep, shall we?"
Orion had no idea how he managed it, but sensation returned to his left arm. It shot off the table, grasping the diminutive doctor by the throat. With all his strength he pressed his fingers into his oppressor's larynx, hoping to suffocate the miserable bastard before he lost access to himself again.
Several of the assistants rushed over, prying at the saiyan's curled fingers. Another took the syringe in the doctor's hand and thrust the needle point directly into Orion's forearm, forcing the fluid into his bloodstream. Orion tried to groan as he felt his grip loosening.
The doctor composed himself, brushing off his lab coat. Orion looked straight up in his sedated state.
"Well then," the short scientist remarked, his voice croaky from the strangulation, "I see someone's in a bad mood today." He rose a scalpel to Orion's eyeline. "I guess we won't be using anesthetic today, will we?!"
Orion cried uselessly as torment filled his mind.
"What the hell?!"
The one eyed saiyan shot upright in a panicked daze. Those dreams, those nightmares ... it had been so long since the last one. He truly thought he was rid of them. Alas, they still haunted him. Orion sucked in a deep breath, placating his nerves.
He stood to his feet, examining the landscape. The last thing he remembered was listening to a lecture by that Damon Dukes fellow who was kind enough to host Dante's Abyss this year. Then the room filled with gas ... oh.
"That was pretty damn rude, Dukes," Orion said out loud. "You didn't need to gas me. I wanted to be here, for crying out loud.
In any case, he was on the island now. A metallic necklace was fastened to his neck. Orion shrugged, assuming it to be a tracking device, until he recalled that if they were identical to the previous years, they had the potential to vaporise his body.
Keeping that pertinent fact in mind, he noticed his new surroundings. He stood in the middle of a quiet intersection. Buildings, mostly housing businesses, lined up and down the diverging streets. Orion presumed he was in the central business district of a city, but everything was so silent. No people, moving cars ... not even parked cars. It was night however, indicated by the softly glowing street lights and the blanket of stars in the coal black sky. That could've explained the deserted city. It was just as likely that it was purged of any living being for the competition.
What a crappy place to start, he thought to himself. It was up to him to hunt down his combatants, but without any scanning technology or an ally who knew how to track, he was going blind.
Orion picked a random of the four roads and started down it. There was no way to tell if this was the correct direction or not, but for now it didn't matter. Besides, if he felt hungry, there seemed to be a butchery further down the street, its display window crammed with delectable meats. Even just the thought of those spiced animal products hurried his pace. Was there a better way to start a death tournament than sitting down to a huge banquet of -
<Hellllooooooooooo!>
Orion stopped mid-step. Dread removed any trace of anticipation for food. He knew that voice. He hoped the knockout gas was still lingering in his respiratory system, continuing to unearth bad memories of his past, but -
<Ooooriiiiiiiiion! Are you there?>
No. No no no no no. It was him. He knew he was watching, but did the platinum haired god have to actually speak to him?
<Stop ignoring me, Orion! It's your buddy, Anitan!>
Anxiety squeezed his lungs like a tightening vice. He was fully aware of his surroundings, but any instruction to his arms or legs died before it reached them. First, his hearing came in. Dull at first, there were muffled voices, the clanging of metal against metal, and a steady, droning beep like a heart monitor. He tried opening his eyes, but the right lid was heavier than a tonne of bricks, and he couldn't even feel his left.
He had to stifle his fretfulness. Calming his mind as best he could, he took controlled breaths until he felt some strength return. He attempted to move his arms again ... no luck. Could he open his eyes now? ... Yes. At least his right eye responded, slowly slitting open. A wave of light poured into his sore eye, forcing it shut immediately. He steeled himself, baring himself to the harshness once more.
Everything was blurry. A brilliant lamp, or possibly the sun, sat overhead. Focusing on anything but that blinding object, he looked about the room. Hazy white blobs scurried back and forth. In a few moments, his vision aligned, revealing lab coated employees moving back and forth to the instructions of a very ... short man by his bedside.
"Oh, you're awake?" the vertically challenged scientist remarked, speaking as if Orion was a child. "That's no good is it?" He plucked a syringe filled with emerald fluid from a nearby tray, flicking the case to remove any air bubbles. "Well, let's just put you back to sleep, shall we?"
Orion had no idea how he managed it, but sensation returned to his left arm. It shot off the table, grasping the diminutive doctor by the throat. With all his strength he pressed his fingers into his oppressor's larynx, hoping to suffocate the miserable bastard before he lost access to himself again.
Several of the assistants rushed over, prying at the saiyan's curled fingers. Another took the syringe in the doctor's hand and thrust the needle point directly into Orion's forearm, forcing the fluid into his bloodstream. Orion tried to groan as he felt his grip loosening.
The doctor composed himself, brushing off his lab coat. Orion looked straight up in his sedated state.
"Well then," the short scientist remarked, his voice croaky from the strangulation, "I see someone's in a bad mood today." He rose a scalpel to Orion's eyeline. "I guess we won't be using anesthetic today, will we?!"
Orion cried uselessly as torment filled his mind.
"What the hell?!"
The one eyed saiyan shot upright in a panicked daze. Those dreams, those nightmares ... it had been so long since the last one. He truly thought he was rid of them. Alas, they still haunted him. Orion sucked in a deep breath, placating his nerves.
He stood to his feet, examining the landscape. The last thing he remembered was listening to a lecture by that Damon Dukes fellow who was kind enough to host Dante's Abyss this year. Then the room filled with gas ... oh.
"That was pretty damn rude, Dukes," Orion said out loud. "You didn't need to gas me. I wanted to be here, for crying out loud.
In any case, he was on the island now. A metallic necklace was fastened to his neck. Orion shrugged, assuming it to be a tracking device, until he recalled that if they were identical to the previous years, they had the potential to vaporise his body.
Keeping that pertinent fact in mind, he noticed his new surroundings. He stood in the middle of a quiet intersection. Buildings, mostly housing businesses, lined up and down the diverging streets. Orion presumed he was in the central business district of a city, but everything was so silent. No people, moving cars ... not even parked cars. It was night however, indicated by the softly glowing street lights and the blanket of stars in the coal black sky. That could've explained the deserted city. It was just as likely that it was purged of any living being for the competition.
What a crappy place to start, he thought to himself. It was up to him to hunt down his combatants, but without any scanning technology or an ally who knew how to track, he was going blind.
Orion picked a random of the four roads and started down it. There was no way to tell if this was the correct direction or not, but for now it didn't matter. Besides, if he felt hungry, there seemed to be a butchery further down the street, its display window crammed with delectable meats. Even just the thought of those spiced animal products hurried his pace. Was there a better way to start a death tournament than sitting down to a huge banquet of -
<Hellllooooooooooo!>
Orion stopped mid-step. Dread removed any trace of anticipation for food. He knew that voice. He hoped the knockout gas was still lingering in his respiratory system, continuing to unearth bad memories of his past, but -
<Ooooriiiiiiiiion! Are you there?>
No. No no no no no. It was him. He knew he was watching, but did the platinum haired god have to actually speak to him?
<Stop ignoring me, Orion! It's your buddy, Anitan!>
![[Image: OrionAug11.jpg]](http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b187/captain_civic/OrionAug11.jpg)