Alex dodged the blow coming from the left as a training robot attempted to take her off guard. Her uneven steps skipped across the metal floor as she fought off three of them, metal and flesh arm flashing as her new eye struggled to catch all the information it was seeing. It had been little over a month since she'd been taken off field duty, if she could complete this test then she would be put back out. Alex blocked a blow with her flesh arm and used her metal right arm to punch a hole through the chest of the robot, jumping back clumsily, using too much power in her robotic leg again.
Around her, faces leered down as the judges of the Council and THOR watched, gauging her readiness. Their unreadable faces pushed the Viking harder, she put more power in her punches, more speed in her steps. She took and gave more and more damage before, finally, the last training dummy fell; it's head held in her robotic grasp. Alex's lungs strained to take in as much air as possible while she awaited her verdict like any good Viking; silently.
"Trial, Complete. Score Totaled. Viking Alex Cline will be returned to active duty." Came the female AI's voice from the speakers. Alex dared not raise her head as THOR gave her his usual 'face the world' speech. She dared not look into their faces and see them thinking of how she should be retired, recycled, abandoned. Alex didn't raise her head until everyone was gone and the desperate tears that had run down her face were dry.
She had passed. Now...she'd have to face that nightmare all over again. Again, and again until she died; useless and abandoned because she was a mere tool. A broken tool.
"I won, Toon. You can't scare me anymore." Then, she left. Alex decided a long hot shower was her deserved treat for her win.
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