[PS] Barracks

[Android 17]

?Master of the house!? Seventeen shouted incoherently as he jumped from table to table in the bar?bottle of vodka in hand. It had been about fifteen minutes since the android had arrived on the planet, and in about a third of the time, he had managed to drink himself into a drunken stupor. Now well under the effects of the vodka and whiskey coursing through his system, the android found himself completely oblivious of the group of people who had accumulated around him to watch his idiocy unfold.

With a gleeful trill, Seventeen hopped off one of the wooden tables and landed in the middle of a crowd of bewildered people. Smiling as widely as humanly possible, the android put an arm around one of the nearby strangers and then took a swig from the glass bottle in his other hand. Although the cybernetic warrior?s breath was potent enough to down an ox, the group of potential contestants didn?t seem to mind.

?Seventeen?? A voice interjected just as the android was on the verge of beginning a conversation with his newfound chums.

?Fuck?? The onyx-haired fighter chuckled, sliding his hand off of the man?s shoulder. Pivoting around as he usually did when needing to confront someone behind him; the android suddenly let out a groan and shuddered as his balance teetered on the verge of failure. After placing his arms out to his sides in an effort to steady himself, the cybernetic warrior cracked a smile at the man who had addressed him. ?Me?? The onyx-haired drunkard inquired.

?Yes, sir,? the man said, eying the inebriated android nervously. ?I need you to come with me now. You have been selected as the twenty-third competitor in Dante?s Abyss, and you need to report to the barracks to receive your weapon and supplies,? the worker said with an awkward smile as he gestured toward a nearby lift with one of his hands.

??Bout damn time!? Seventeen yelled joyfully?punctuating the moment of bliss by giving the sheepish man a hearty slap on the shoulder. Unfortunately for the android, he had underestimated his strength, and with a grunt, the worker toppled onto the floor. The machine-hybrid began to chuckle, but upon further inspection, he noticed that the man wasn?t playing a gag on him. ?I didn?t do that,? Seventeen declared as he pointed toward the crumpled pile of man.

After verifying that no one was paying him much attention, the android began to whistle and slowly slink his way over to the lift. Once he was a few feet away from the door, Seventeen lurched forward and collapsed into the metallic chamber. As he groaned, the door slid shut and the elevator began to descend. In the meantime, the cyborg twitched and writhed in an effort to get off the cold floor of the tiny, steel box.

?Eureka!? Seventeen shouted as he vaulted off the metal floor and returned to an unsteady standing position. Although he had met success in one degree, the sudden arrival of the elevator at the barracks heralded the android?s subsequent downfall. With an obnoxiously loud beep, the lift struck the bottom of its shaft. Almost immediately, Seventeen let out a groan and pitched backwards, but just as he was about to hit the doors of the elevator, they slid into the wall.

The cyborg hit the floor outside the barracks with a resounding thud. A string of incoherent obscenities poured from his maw as he stared up at the overbearing florescent lights that dominated the drab ceiling of the barracks. For one reason or another, there were at least three times as many light fixtures as Seventeen would have deemed necessary.

?Balls,? the cyborg groaned as he stared at the churning amalgamation of white and gray that loomed overhead. The android let out a sigh and closed his eyes to the madness, but regrettably, Seventeen had overlooked one simple detail when he decided to take a nap whilst lying half in an elevator. There was a warning beep, and then the dense metal doors of the lift slid out from the walls and slammed into the android?s bony legs.

Although the safety features of the elevator triggered the doors to instantly retreat back into the wall, their damage had already been dealt. With a visible expression of agony plastered across his pallid countenance, Seventeen dragged his legs out of the elevator and used a nearby bed to pull himself up to a standing position. Much to the chagrin of the android, he appeared to be the only contestant in the room. No matter?it just meant he had more time to sleep and lollygag before all the murder and death began.

Although he was already starting to sober up, the machine-hybrid was still somewhat enjoying his stay. With a faint smile upon his face and the help of a nearby assistant, Seventeen hunted down the bed that bore his number and proceeded to fall asleep a few seconds thereafter.