06-01-2008, 06:14 AM
“Shh shh shh!” Kayley shushed, waving at her boisterous companions. “It’s starting!”
“Do you think they’ll do any good?” Smitty wondered. His face was screwed up in a grimace, remembering his old days at war.
“Don’t know. We’ll just have to watch and see,” Sky shrugged, sinking back into the couch of the common room.
“I think they’ll do really well!” Briggs chimed in.
“Do try to clean up after yourselves during this broadcast,” Hawkins, the onboard A.I., reminded.
“GOOOO CAPTAIN!! GOOOO VIOLET!!” Kayley cheered, pumping her fists vigorously. “YEAAAHHHHHH!!”
“Calm down, Kayley. It hasn’t even been two minutes yet,” Sky said. The one-eyed first-mate didn’t even flinch as she angrily turned on him.
“Can it, Cyclops! I’ll scream if I want to!!” she proclaimed fiercely.
Sky chuckled to himself, turning his attention back to the screen as the show finished displaying its dramatic opening. The crew of the Iron Knuckle all sat fixated as one by one, the Dante’s Abyss contestants began their bloody battle to the top.
----------
Bardock never made it to the barracks, but that didn’t really matter now. He was HERE.
Long forgotten was the messy table piled high with empty trays once filled with nachos, onion rings, and sliders. Bardock’s vision carefully adjusted to the blackness of night, and he could hear the sounds that indicated his environment. A duffel bag, though he had not grabbed one, had been teleported beside him. The saiya-jin gave a quick scan around, looking for movement and feeling naked without the use of his Ki Sense. Feeling nothing, Bar unzipped the bag and began rummaging through it, the first priority to get the scouter on. The screen whirred to life, and the fighter quickly customized the settings on the standard model. Proximity readings were enabled, followed by a few personal preferences, and finally, the saiya-jin hit the tiny little flashlight so he could read in the dark. The odds of someone finding him immediately after drop-down were slim to none, so he need not fear detection for a decent length of time. As per usual set-up, Bardock scanned the map, noting that the terrain and placement of landmarks was somewhat different this go around. He downloaded it visually into the scouter so he could have instant access to it at any point in time. Next, he reached in, fingers wrapping around the object that had to be his weapon. He pulled it out, eyes lighting up. There was no mistaking what this weapon was. It was so gloriously straightforward. Bardock balanced it in one hand, and then the other, testing it out. This was going to be fun. He could hardly wait to try it out on somebody.
Bardock zipped up the duffel and slung it over his shoulder, having no need for anything else. He gripped his weapon tightly in the other hand and started moving forward. A strong sense of nostalgia overwhelmed him. This place felt like home, in so many ways. All of the stress and confusion was washed away, leaving him to feel like a calm sea after a violent storm. Things were as they should be. He and so many others were trespassing this unholy ground, just waiting for an opportunity to strike down anyone foolish enough to cross paths. Bardock wasn’t even yet bothered by the annoying and flamboyant voice of their overly-feminine host.
For the next seven days, or as long as he was alive during the competition, it was going to be pure bliss. A surge of excitement pumped radically through his veins, and Bardock quickened pace, eager to find his first fight.
“Do you think they’ll do any good?” Smitty wondered. His face was screwed up in a grimace, remembering his old days at war.
“Don’t know. We’ll just have to watch and see,” Sky shrugged, sinking back into the couch of the common room.
“I think they’ll do really well!” Briggs chimed in.
“Do try to clean up after yourselves during this broadcast,” Hawkins, the onboard A.I., reminded.
“GOOOO CAPTAIN!! GOOOO VIOLET!!” Kayley cheered, pumping her fists vigorously. “YEAAAHHHHHH!!”
“Calm down, Kayley. It hasn’t even been two minutes yet,” Sky said. The one-eyed first-mate didn’t even flinch as she angrily turned on him.
“Can it, Cyclops! I’ll scream if I want to!!” she proclaimed fiercely.
Sky chuckled to himself, turning his attention back to the screen as the show finished displaying its dramatic opening. The crew of the Iron Knuckle all sat fixated as one by one, the Dante’s Abyss contestants began their bloody battle to the top.
----------
Bardock never made it to the barracks, but that didn’t really matter now. He was HERE.
Long forgotten was the messy table piled high with empty trays once filled with nachos, onion rings, and sliders. Bardock’s vision carefully adjusted to the blackness of night, and he could hear the sounds that indicated his environment. A duffel bag, though he had not grabbed one, had been teleported beside him. The saiya-jin gave a quick scan around, looking for movement and feeling naked without the use of his Ki Sense. Feeling nothing, Bar unzipped the bag and began rummaging through it, the first priority to get the scouter on. The screen whirred to life, and the fighter quickly customized the settings on the standard model. Proximity readings were enabled, followed by a few personal preferences, and finally, the saiya-jin hit the tiny little flashlight so he could read in the dark. The odds of someone finding him immediately after drop-down were slim to none, so he need not fear detection for a decent length of time. As per usual set-up, Bardock scanned the map, noting that the terrain and placement of landmarks was somewhat different this go around. He downloaded it visually into the scouter so he could have instant access to it at any point in time. Next, he reached in, fingers wrapping around the object that had to be his weapon. He pulled it out, eyes lighting up. There was no mistaking what this weapon was. It was so gloriously straightforward. Bardock balanced it in one hand, and then the other, testing it out. This was going to be fun. He could hardly wait to try it out on somebody.
Bardock zipped up the duffel and slung it over his shoulder, having no need for anything else. He gripped his weapon tightly in the other hand and started moving forward. A strong sense of nostalgia overwhelmed him. This place felt like home, in so many ways. All of the stress and confusion was washed away, leaving him to feel like a calm sea after a violent storm. Things were as they should be. He and so many others were trespassing this unholy ground, just waiting for an opportunity to strike down anyone foolish enough to cross paths. Bardock wasn’t even yet bothered by the annoying and flamboyant voice of their overly-feminine host.
For the next seven days, or as long as he was alive during the competition, it was going to be pure bliss. A surge of excitement pumped radically through his veins, and Bardock quickened pace, eager to find his first fight.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
_=Pass you by, it's all in this life you have
Pass you by, good-bye to you=_
Pass you by, good-bye to you=_