05-29-2006, 06:54 AM
Seventeen didn?t know how long he drifted in and out of the delirium, and the only sensations he could vaguely remember were a few foul tastes fighting their way down his esophagus and a couple new splashes of pain from his abdominal region. A few times, the machine-hybrid heard his surviving alliance brothers bicker, but none of the spats came to any fruition?luckily. Even in his depleted state of awareness the android could deduce that tensions were running high. Fortuitously for all of them, they had managed to settle down for a while. Whoever said that a fire was the best way to calm people in a bad situation had been at least partially right. Although his mind was still reeling, Seventeen was starting to feel some of the pain subside into numbness. Even if he was still grievously wounded, he knew he would have to shake of the agony and keep fighting. He owed that much to not only his fallen brothers but to his surviving comrades as well.
?Welcome back to the world,? Super Buu said the moment he noticed the fallen cyborg open his eyes. For the first time in several hours, the cybernetic warrior could actually see and hear unimpaired. Seventeen gazed up, past the sparse forest canopy, at the black sky that loomed overhead. Somewhere in the distance he was sure he heard a voice decree that another day had begun. Based on the position of the moon, the android assumed that it was probably rather early in the morning. Slowly and rather painfully, the cybernetic warrior managed to combat the pain from his wound and make it into an upright position. Unfortunately, he soon realized that by sitting down he was applying unneeded pressure to the shotgun wound that had so effectively eviscerated his abdominal region.
Clenching his teeth together, the android slowly pushed off the cold dirt beneath him until he was standing fully erect; however, the short, personal victory was cut short when Seventeen?s legs began to wobble like wet noodles. After but a brief moment of standing on his own, the android began to teeter, and then he started falling backwards. Super Buu, who had been watching from a few feet away, scrambled forward, catching the cyborg a few inches from a painful meeting with the earth. Even after the bubblegum-colored warrior placed his softly on the ground, the machine-hybrid refused to lie down and give up. Gathering up his depleted strength, he fought up to his knees and crawled over to the pile of bags and weapons his group had been toting around with them. Reaching out, Seventeen wrapped his blood-encrusted fingernails around the length of his rocket launcher.
?Human?s and their inability to recognize their own inferiority,? Super Buu grumbled, perhaps trying to lighten the mood with some sarcastic wit. Then again, in a situation like this, it wouldn?t be too hard to imagine that the magical golem was being completely serious. Ignoring the condescending words of his sardonic ally, the android, using the bulky weapon as an impromptu can, reclaimed a vertical position. Leaning heavily on the firearm, the cyborg started away from the campfire. ?Where do you think you are going?? Super Buu questioned, turning his head away from the fire long enough to question the mental workings of his injured friend. Seventeen let out a labored sigh as he turned back toward the sitting warrior.
?I just need to catch some fresh air,? the android said. ?This fire is a tad uncomfortably for my likes.? Just when he was about to skedaddle off, the machine-hybrid was stopped when a slender hand fell on his shoulder.
?Stay where we can see you, all right?? Violet asked, obviously worried about someone with a diminished mental state like Seventeen wandering off into the wilderness with a wound of such magnitude.
?I?m fine, really,? the cyborg muttered. ?The wound is still there, and it still hurts like a bitch, but all I can feel is an immense numbness from that region of my body,? Violet?s hand fell from Seventeen?s shoulder and she returned to whatever she had been keeping herself busy with the last few minutes. Meanwhile, the android took a few more steps before he leaned against a firm tree. Now gripping the trigger of the rocket launcher firmly, the wounded warrior stared through the dense forest. Despite an obvious lack of sleep and taking a slug of energy pellets to the gut, he felt well enough to serve an actual purpose. There was no chance in hell that Seventeen was going to let down his surviving friends.
?Welcome back to the world,? Super Buu said the moment he noticed the fallen cyborg open his eyes. For the first time in several hours, the cybernetic warrior could actually see and hear unimpaired. Seventeen gazed up, past the sparse forest canopy, at the black sky that loomed overhead. Somewhere in the distance he was sure he heard a voice decree that another day had begun. Based on the position of the moon, the android assumed that it was probably rather early in the morning. Slowly and rather painfully, the cybernetic warrior managed to combat the pain from his wound and make it into an upright position. Unfortunately, he soon realized that by sitting down he was applying unneeded pressure to the shotgun wound that had so effectively eviscerated his abdominal region.
Clenching his teeth together, the android slowly pushed off the cold dirt beneath him until he was standing fully erect; however, the short, personal victory was cut short when Seventeen?s legs began to wobble like wet noodles. After but a brief moment of standing on his own, the android began to teeter, and then he started falling backwards. Super Buu, who had been watching from a few feet away, scrambled forward, catching the cyborg a few inches from a painful meeting with the earth. Even after the bubblegum-colored warrior placed his softly on the ground, the machine-hybrid refused to lie down and give up. Gathering up his depleted strength, he fought up to his knees and crawled over to the pile of bags and weapons his group had been toting around with them. Reaching out, Seventeen wrapped his blood-encrusted fingernails around the length of his rocket launcher.
?Human?s and their inability to recognize their own inferiority,? Super Buu grumbled, perhaps trying to lighten the mood with some sarcastic wit. Then again, in a situation like this, it wouldn?t be too hard to imagine that the magical golem was being completely serious. Ignoring the condescending words of his sardonic ally, the android, using the bulky weapon as an impromptu can, reclaimed a vertical position. Leaning heavily on the firearm, the cyborg started away from the campfire. ?Where do you think you are going?? Super Buu questioned, turning his head away from the fire long enough to question the mental workings of his injured friend. Seventeen let out a labored sigh as he turned back toward the sitting warrior.
?I just need to catch some fresh air,? the android said. ?This fire is a tad uncomfortably for my likes.? Just when he was about to skedaddle off, the machine-hybrid was stopped when a slender hand fell on his shoulder.
?Stay where we can see you, all right?? Violet asked, obviously worried about someone with a diminished mental state like Seventeen wandering off into the wilderness with a wound of such magnitude.
?I?m fine, really,? the cyborg muttered. ?The wound is still there, and it still hurts like a bitch, but all I can feel is an immense numbness from that region of my body,? Violet?s hand fell from Seventeen?s shoulder and she returned to whatever she had been keeping herself busy with the last few minutes. Meanwhile, the android took a few more steps before he leaned against a firm tree. Now gripping the trigger of the rocket launcher firmly, the wounded warrior stared through the dense forest. Despite an obvious lack of sleep and taking a slug of energy pellets to the gut, he felt well enough to serve an actual purpose. There was no chance in hell that Seventeen was going to let down his surviving friends.
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