Day Two: Early Morning

[Android 17]

Who am I? The question reverberated in the android’s mind as he moved across the desolate stetch of land alongside Minoshia. For the first time in over a day, Seventeen was able to think clearly, without the interjection of the rasping, malicious presence that plagued his mind. Glancing over, the android took a moment to stare at the konat royalty, who had his narrowed, vengeful eyes glued on the horizon.

“Why are you staring at me?” Minoshia growled without tearing his attention away from the streamers of gold and orange clawing their way up from the horizon. Without a response, the machine-hybrid scowled once more and turned his focus back to the same vibrant panorama that the vile warrior seemed slightly entranced by.

Is this what I have been reduced to? The cyborg mused as the awkwardly silent pair of warriors continued their forward march. Someone coexisting with a child killer…a vulgar little bastard who gets off to mayhem? What does that make me? The thoughts caused the android’s vicious scowl to turn into a heavy frown. Although part of him was confused by the design his subconscious had made, there was also that facet of Seventeen’s thought processes that proposed no qualms with the mohawked warrior. And it was facts that like which caused the machine-hybrid to shiver.

Come on now, champ. It was back—the callow, serpentine voice that operated from the depths of the android’s mind, biding its time like a disease that was currently in remission. You know that you can’t say no to this delightful little arrangement. You said it yourself, you don’t have any friends in this game that wouldn’t stab you the moment you turned your back.

“Shut the fuck up,” Seventeen hissed, placing a palm to his eye as he started to stagger. The outburst had triggered the konat to draw his baseball bat and move back a few paces from the android. Minoshia’s lips moved as if he was speaking, but the wide-eyed android could hear nothing but a dull, relentless ringing.

It’s better to be with someone you know you shouldn’t trust. The voice continued, sounding rather calm in comparison to the erratic actions of the android. At least this way you know enough to never let your guard down. There’s no pseudo sense of security or friendship here. It added—sounding as if it was rather pleased with the logic it had devised during the cyborg’s short reprieve from its poisonous presence.

“I’m the captain of this ship!” Seventeen screamed shrilly, clenching his eyes closed as he forced his seemingly unresponsive legs to move forward. From a few feet away, the konat watched, appearing more startled than anything else as a faintly visible aura of ki began to hum around the android’s bony body.

You know I’m right. The voice remarked calmly as the machine-hybrid continued to convulse. You’ll need me before this is over… With that, a foreboding calm spread across the twisted chaos of the android’s mind. As the malign thoughts faded back into silence, Seventeen snapped back into reality—his eyes popping open as the light red aura that had begun to surge around his body faded into nonexistence.

“Do not do that,” Minoshia rasped as he sheathed his weapon and returned to his prior position. As he turned to his current traveling ‘partner’ (if that term could even be applied to the arrangement), Seventeen said nothing. He simply reciprocated the konat’s glare, and after a few moments, the two began to laugh. It wasn’t the jovial chuckling that two old friends would share, but rather a vocalization of the mutual resentment that the two shared.

Nevertheless, silence soon returned to its position of power, and without further communication or interaction, the awkward, uncharacteristic pairing of warriors continued their trek across the bleak landscape.