[10] Android 17 - Wastelands

[Burter Jr]

Away from the group, Seventeen roams freely. Until he specifies a location, he's just roaming

[Android 17]

The machine-hybrid stopped in his tracks and cursed beneath his breath. Without a map, he really had no idea where the hell he was going. The asteroid?s terrain was the same everywhere?dirt, dirt, and more dirt. He had only been on Kala for about two days, yet it seemed like he had spent nearly ninety percent of the time wandering these aggravating, endless stretches of earth. With a few exceptions, nearly everything that adversely affected him had gone down on this environment. Both Piccolo Daimaou and Yajirobe had lost their lives on these wastelands. The cybernetic warrior longed to return to his home once again. At least on Earth there were more colors then red, brown, and black. This rock he had been forced on was doomed anyway. It was a great cause to prevent the deaths of its inhabitants, but who would want to live out their lives on this dead stone? Taking in a deep gulp of air, the android broke into a sprint?no real destination in mind.

Seventeen had no idea how long he had wandered around the fields before the first snowy mountain peaks were visible on the horizon. The android was taken aback by the sudden appearance of white on the black backdrop that was the night sky. Raising an eyebrow, the machine-hybrid activated his battle visor and scanned the mountain range for any signs of life. Strangely enough, the android could detect several faint sign of life up on the side of the mountains; however, Android Seventeen knew that the energy sources he was detecting may be highly dangerous. But what did he care? The cybernetic warrior had traveled long and far, and maybe a little excursion on these mountains could be just the relaxation he needed. Leaping into the sky, the android flew the rest of the way to the base of the mountains.

Landing near the base of a cliff, Seventeen shrugged his shoulders and started to climb. He knew he simply could have avoided the physical exertion needed to pull himself up the massive wall of rock by flying, but he wanted to leech the opportunity for as many cheap thrills as he could. Even so, by the time he got to the top of the small cliff, he was worn out already. However, at the top of the cliff, a draft of cold wind numbed the majority of the small wounds that were dotted all over the android?s body and made him feel rather relaxed.

As chilly as it was, Android Seventeen had experienced far worse when it came to weather. Memories flooded the machine-hybrid?s mind?he saw the highlights of the final battle of the CIA invasion flash before his eyes. He?d seen them all before, so it wasn?t much of a shock to see all the death and murder once again. Making his way through the ankle-deep snow, the android started trudging up a rather steep incline. Luckily for the cybernetic mountain climber, his boots, that had somehow managed to remain intact during the course of the game, allowed him to remain standing in the constantly shifting footing.

The steep incline leveled off after about a quarter of a mile, placing the android on a wide plateau on the side of the mountain. From where he was right now, the clouds were right above him, yet it seemed like the mountains continued going strong even after they vanished into the dense cloud layer. Emitting an audible ?brr?, Seventeen rubbed his arms together and wiped the snowflakes from his forehead. Walking around the edge of the plateau, the android found the easiest method to scale the vertical surface. The northern side of the mountain was splintered; a giant crack nearly two feet in diameter had been swiftly cleaved in the thick stone. The mountain had been came apart irregularly, leaving several knobs of stone that could easily double as footing along the inside of the fracture. Taking a firm grasp on the first chunk of rock, the android started to pull himself up to the mountain side.

Going about half a foot with each knew rung, Seventeen was about halfway to the top of the summit when he heard the soft rumbling from inside the deep fissure. Ignoring the faint noise, the machine-hybrid continued up a few more yards, but then the sound returned?with a vengeance. A deep, animalistic war pierced the night air just as the side of the mountain started to crumble away. With nothing to hold on to as the cliff fell apart, Android Seventeen tumbled all the way back to the base of the cliff. He struck the frozen earth and started to roll towards the rim of the plateau. Realizing the next drop would not be so short, the bewildered android shot his hands forward as he tried to grab hold of something?anything.

His bony fingers wrapped around a small spur of stone jutting from the edge of the plateau. Letting out a relieved sigh, Seventeen looked up to see the crumbling mountain explode into a thousand, tiny pieces. From the former unknown, a giant beast stepped forward, the shine of its natural tuxedo contrasted against its yellow beak and piercing stare. With another roar, the monstrosity flapped its giant, stout wings and swung its mammoth bill at its victim. Its prey?the mortified android?screamed out in horror, but the fear of being ripped in half superseded his fear of falling to his death. Letting go of the side of the mountain, the machine-hybrid started to plummet. Yet, even as he was falling from the abomination, it lunged forward with ungodly speed. Seventeen watched as the yellow beak moved to close around his abdomen and rend him in twain.

And then, just as it seemed he was going to fall victim to the bizarre mountain beast, Android Seventeen lost consciousness. The blackness lasted a few brief moments before the cybernetic warrior awoke in a completely foreign cave. Uttering a surprised gasp at what had just happened, the machine-hybrid rubbed his eyes, stunned by the sudden change in setting. More shocking then the dark cave was how cold he was feeling. When he was scaling the Kala mountain range he wasn?t chilly at all, but now he felt like someone had abandoned him in the Artic for a few weeks with no clothes. Two figures that had been standing near the mouth of the cave were drawn in by the impulsive outburst of their company. Even though the cavern was light by only a small, dying fire, Seventeen knew Paige and Leo when he saw them. The two whitelighters smiled at their confused friend and offered him a thick blanket to drape over his freezing form.

?What happened?? the android asked, rubbing his aching head and then his freezing arms. Leo waved goodbye and abruptly orbed from the cave. Paige assisted Seventeen back to a vertical position and walked him back to the mouth of the grotto.

?We found you about halfway up the mountain; you were cataleptic and nearly frostbitten,? Android Seventeen was taken aback by that tidbit of information.

?But I was just near the peak a few seconds ago?right by the big crack in the one cliff wall when that beast almost killed me?? among the chattering of teeth, it seemed that Paige had understood what her android friend had just said, but all she did was lean over and tighten the blanket around his shoulders.

"You should just be lucky that Leo and I found you when we did. My guess is whatever you saw with the cracked mountainside was probably a hallucination brought on by this uncanny cold,? Paige walked outside of the cavern and looked up towards the dark clouds near the peak of the mountain, ?Leo and I are pretty sure that the artifact that Vapor wants is near the top of this particular mountain, but we have been unable to detect his presence. I am going to go help Leo search for where it may be hidden, and I want you to get off this mountain and help Gabriel,? her speech completed, Paige disappeared in her normal grandeur, amidst a cloud of blue and white orbs.

Android Seventeen, hugging the blanket against his chest, only had to think for a few moments before he realized he had to help find the Eye. Besides, if the Eye wasn?t hidden on the summit, he would just leave and help the seraphs. Taking a little detour to the top of the mountain couldn?t take him that long?could it?

OOC: Kinda lost on what to rp, but that's what I concocted. It's my second post, and Seventeen is now near the peak of the Kala Mountains.

[Burter Jr]

EVENT

The clouds shook with with excitement, the sky rumbling as if hungry. Android Seventeen flew up calmly into the storm, then resting his two mechanical feet on the surfance of the tip. He looked up into the skies.

It was a very uncanny sight. A man on the top of the tallest mountain on the asteroid, standing up to the storm as if to challenge it. Lightning struke around the summit, but never on it.

From up here, he could see everything. But not demons...no other warriors in sight for miles. It was as if they had all vanished, and he was alone.

Suddenly, movement was felt beneath his feet. Vibrations in the mountain. It became louder, faster, until finally he lept off in fear of somethin under him. The tip of the giant mountain literally exploded, as if it was overheated.

The giant spider from Group 4's previous battles had returned, and Seventeen was the unlucky person to find it

[Android 17]

Up on the mountain?s summit, the machine-hybrid felt like a god. Everything below him just seemed tiny and insignificant. The feeling lasted for a few moments before the mountain started to grumble and vibrate beneath him. Then his footing was lost as the tremors became too violent for him handle, and the mountain exploded under the power of whatever was inside it. Android Seventeen leaped away from the mountain, shielding his face from whatever had just obliterated the peak with the ratty old blanket. Yet, in the moments before he was thrown off the summit, he noticed the small ebony structure. Cradled on a little plateau on the back side of the mountain, it was apparent that the black spec held some importance, but before he could get a better look, Seventeen was forced to abandon his kingly perch in fear of his life. The android rolled and tumbled down the side of the mountain for a few yards before he stopped himself on a flat stretch of land.

From the ruins of the former summit, a mass of black and gray emerged from the cloud of dust. Android Seventeen tied the blanket to his waist and prepared to combat the massive creature. The arachnid that was scampering down the mountainside was larger then any of its ilk that the cybernetic warrior had encounter on Earth, and it seemed to be a lot less pleasant then its minute relatives. One of the spider?s legs was easily as thick as the android?s entire figure. Green globs of saliva dripped from the arachnid?s fangs, pooling on the ground and easily eroding away the dirt and thin layer of snow.

Seventeen backed away from the massive spider as it leaned back on its haunches and prepared to lunge. The backdrop behind the beast?the perpetual lightening storms that punished the mountains?only served to add to the mutant?s intimidating appeal. Both the machine-hybrid and the giant arachnid jumped at the same time. Android Seventeen landed on the torso of the creature and tried to hold on for dear life and figure out how to kill the spider as it bucked back and forth. Unfortunately for the cybernetic warrior, he only managed to hang on for a few moments before his overgrown foe?s head struck him square in the face. The stunned android managed to hold on up until the next blow from his kicking foe?s cranium sent him flying.

Seventeen was thrown completely over the former summit by the force of the spider?s strike. Half-unconscious, the machine-hybrid found himself unable to do anything to stop his flight down the side of the mountain. As he plummeted down the back of the tall peak, he saw the black structure, nestled on its tiny plateau devoid of a thick layer of snow, pass him by. The realization that his goal was leaving him shocked Android Seventeen back to full-awareness. Reaching out, the android managed to stop himself for a few moments on a loose rock. The few seconds that the stone held him was more then enough time for Seventeen to push up onto a tiny ledge. Standing back up, the android untied the blanket from his waist and wrapped it around his shoulders.

The cybernetic warrior was colder then he had ever been in his entire existence. Even the frozen fields that blanketed Earth so long ago weren?t nearly as piercing cold as the atmosphere here on Kala?s mountain ranges. Down near the base of the mountain, the snow had only been a few inches deep, but at this altitude, Seventeen was finding himself sinking into snow up to his waist. He tried to fly the rest of the way up to the building, but after a few feet he found it impossible to breathe and fly at the same time with such a decreased level of oxygen. Still, the edifice was mere yards above him, and the machine-hybrid would be damned if he failed with his goal so close.

With one hand holding the tattered blanket against his nearly bare chest (the android?s tee-shirt had long since been reduced to sweaty, dirty rags), Seventeen began to pull himself up the mountainside. A few feet above the exhausted android was the building he had seen from the mountain?s apex. Using what little strength he had, the cybernetic warrior pulled his torso over the ledge of the small plateau and collapsed. Even though his feet were still dangling over the edge, Seventeen knew he was victorious. Not even Mother Nature and a giant spider could keep the android under thumb. The exhausted machine-hybrid started to laugh, a crazy, maniacal sound that echoed down into the massive valleys and gorges beneath him. Pulling his legs over the ledge, Seventeen turned to look up at the night sky.

From this vantage point, near the back side of the mountain, all around the android was nothing but sky and stars. The storm clouds had moved north enough to allow any mountain climbers a beautiful view. Minute flickers of light, nearly infinite in number, were sprinkled across the endless black sea of space. Android Seventeen realized that he could have spent the rest of his natural life entranced by the view he had, but the cold realization soon set. His entire body was wrought by a draft of cold air that blew across the length of the small plateau.

The bitter reality shook the machine-hybrid from his astonishment and reminded him of the task at hand. At least where he was on the mountain, the layer of snow on the ground was greatly diminished compared to the parts of the mountain that suffered from the full power of the wind. Seventeen cuddled the thick fabric against his chest and focused his attention on a small structure on the immediate horizon. In an effort to get the blood flowing and possibly warm his numb body, the cybernetic warrior sprinted towards the structure.

As he neared it, the android noticed the building resembled a small pyramid. Only about eight feet tall, the thick stone panel that served as its entrance was slightly ajar. Now only a few yards away from the odd building, a draft blew past the android, but for some reason, the wind itself was not cold. Seventeen watched the small cloud of gray gas dart right past him and through the tiny space created by the slightly open door. Android Seventeen realized immediately that was no normal cloud that had just slipped into that chamber.

Uttering another silent obscenity, the machine-hybrid darted towards the entrance of the small pyramid. Curling his fingers around the freezing slab of stone, Seventeen tried to pry the heavy door open. Sweating and swearing profusely, the android collapsed against the slanted wall of the ziggurat. He had only managed to pull the door open a few more inches, but he realized that would have to be enough because this insane cold was just sapping him of strength. Squeezing his thin frame through the small space was a challenge, but the android accomplished the task with only a few abrasions from the rough stone.

Inside the compact pyramid, the cybernetic warrior began looking around the small space for any signs of his gaseous target. The sound of rustling dirt from beneath his feet captured his attention, and with a look down, Seventeen realized he was standing on a giant metal grate. Kneeling down to investigate, the machine-hybrid quickly came to the realization that the falling dirt he was hearing was coming from the edges of the grate he was standing on. An instant later, the metal grate broke away from the floor of the small room, taking a flailing Android Seventeen down with it. As the cybernetic warrior plummeted down, he watched as the walls of earth around him were quickly replaced by shimmering, crystalline sheets of ice. Using his ki to prevent breaking all his bones upon impact, the android softly descended to the bottom of the shaft.

Touching down on the smooth, reflective surface, Seventeen tried moving forward, but quickly realized he was just stumbling around like a drunk. Unable to walk proficiently on the icy floor, the machine-hybrid opted to simply levitate a few inches over the ground and sprint down the hall that way. As he neared the room at the end of the hall, the android gazed up at the thousands of stalactites that lined the roof of the hallway. The way they were organized, so carefully neatly, made the ceiling look like the base of some torture pit. Dropping back to the ground, Android Seventeen, now in the circular room, rushed over to the statue in the center of the chamber. It was a simple effigy of a man?s torso, his cupped palms outstretched and cradled within his marble hands, was a small red stone. It took Seventeen a few seconds before he grasped the identity of the object he had just located.

?The Eye!? the android exclaimed as he reached up to collect the gem; however, at the last moment, a massive blast of ki sent Seventeen flying forward. The cybernetic warrior crashed into the frozen wall of the antechamber, triggering several of the stalactites to come loose. Not want to be speared, the cybernetic warrior rolled to the side, abandoning the burning blanket and flipping back up to a standing position. The cloth was no longer necessary, the adrenaline coursing through Seventeen?s veins could more then compensate. Turning his attention back to the statue, he saw Vapor examining the gem with a grin on his face.

?Victory is mine, android,? the bio-android cackled as he tucked the glass orb into his robes. The cybernetic warrior charged his foe, but Byrk?s lieutenant vanished in the blink of an eye and reappeared in the icy hallway an instant later. Seventeen gasped at how fast the triclops had become. Vapor went to speak, but his words were drowned out by a mighty roar that invaded the hidden, tomb-like chamber.

?Damn it all!? the green-tinted humanoid yelled as the walls began to shake and the stalactites above him started to rain down, ?the agents of the underworld seemed to have found us my friend, so for now I will spare you life. For I have much more important business to attend to?Lord Byrk?s resurrection is at hand!? Android Seventeen moved to intercept the excited bio-android, but Vapor dematerialized just as the machine-hybrid swung his fist. Seventeen stumbled through where his foe had once been standing and was nearly impaled by the downpour of stalactites. Flipping back into the circular antechamber, the cybernetic warrior landed on his feet again just as the back wall of the room exploded. The explosion spewed shards of ice and dirt across the entire chamber, peppering Seventeen?s back with the painful shrapnel. The android bit his lip and yelled out in anger. Turning around, the cybernetic warrior?s expression of anger was quickly dulled by the sight of his new guest.

The red skinned giant, at nearly eight feet tall, was obviously by no means a man. Dressed in armor made from bone, it flexed its fingers; each of them complete with a foot long, black fingernail. Two puffs of air exited the creature?s helmet?the skull of a large goat. Glancing over his shoulders, Seventeen realized the tomb was caving in. With a mighty roar, the demonic warrior started towards its prey, the ground trembling with each step it took. More rock and ice was being knocked loose by the creature, and the android was not ready to be buried alive. Throwing his hands together, the cybernetic warrior blasted a wave of ki at his enormous oppressor. The yellow blast of energy struck the demon squarely on the chest, but even as Android Seventeen pushed more power into the beam, he watched the beast continue to advance at the same rate.

Giving up his vain effort to stall the demon, Seventeen dropped his hands and exploded off the ground. Swerving through the chunks of stone and ice, the android barely made it to the shaft to the surface when the corridor completely crumbled. Rocketing upwards and encasing himself in a barrier of energy, the cybernetic warrior burst through the small ziggurat. Dropping to the bare earth, Android Seventeen, still operating off a massive surge in adrenal levels, swiftly leaped off the edge of the mountain plateau and dove down the cliff.

Behind him, he could hear the mountain breaking apart, but the thrill of the descent eclipsed any fear of what was preparing to attack him. Seventeen landed on the edge of another plateau about hallway down the side of Kala?s illustrious mountain range, but the machine-hybrid only had a few seconds of solace before his stalker landed on the ground behind him. Taking a few steps away from the drop-off, Android Seventeen prepared to combat the crimson behemoth.

The creature, still standing where it had landed, cracked its neck and knuckles. Satsified, the behemoth slowly started advancing on its prey. Aside from the black smudges on its chest plate, the demon appeared unfazed by its previous tryst with the android. Seventeen understood that there was a large chance the monster was exponentially stronger then he was, but the cybernetic warrior did not fathom engaging the creature in melee. Creating a saber in one hand, Android Seventeen channeled a small ball of ki in his free palm.

With a flick of his wrist, the machine-hybrid tossed the orb of energy into the face of his demonic attacker. There was a shower of bone fragments as the creature?s helm exploded into a million shards. Seventeen leaped onto the shoulders of the titan and moved to plunge his saber into the demon?s burnt cranium. As he was about to dish out the death blow, the crimson warrior?s hands shot up, closing around the android?s hips. With barely any effort, the behemoth tossed Android Seventeen into the mountainside.

Colliding with the unforgiving rock, the machine-hybrid managed to recover rather quickly. Still, the demonic Goliath was unwilling to let his cybernetic David survive their encounter. Seventeen raised his energy sword, empowering more of his ki into the yellow blade. The silent demon, his unmasked eyes emotionless and black, cracked his knuckles again. The android charged the slowly walking beast and drove his ki saber into its chest. Without so much as a grunt, the titan swung a clawed hand and sent the cybernetic warrior skidding along the ground once again. Unwilling to surrender, Android Seventeen flipped back up, taking a moment to wipe the fresh blood oozing from the gashes on his cheek. Creating two energy swords, the machine-hybrid rushed at his gigantic foe. The juggernaut swung his fists down at his prey in anticipation, and the android, following through with his scheme, leaped up over his antagonist.

Landing in a crouch behind the beast, Seventeen spun around and separated the titan in half at the waist with one swipe. The demon teetered for a few seconds before it fell away from himself?his torso struck the ground and fought to pull itself towards the android. The cybernetic warrior, with the last shred of pity he had for the behemoth, severed its head and ended its suffering. Because of the cauterizing heat of the ki swords, there was no blood shed on the small battlefield, save for the android?s. Turning to face the horizon, Android Seventeen started to climb back down the mountain. He had to hurry and save the oppressed people living on the asteroid before things got hairy back on Earth. Seventeen made it a few feet when he thought he heard a faint rumbling. Scolding himself for being so nervous, the android continued his downward journey.

OOC: Sorry for the length, but I had most of the post done before you posted that event, Burter, so I had to incorporate it. Post three.

[Burter Jr]

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