She knew that the recruits weren’t pleased with the obstacle she presented them with, as if their task wasn’t already difficult enough. It was, unfortunately for them, the way of things. Most of the recruits rose above the challenge, falling hard and getting back up again like any good soldier would. Ava was even fine with the nasty curses they uttered in frustration. As long as they carried on, there was no problem. There was one individual in particular who didn’t take the challenge in stride. Out of her line of sight, he dropped the mattress and parts of the frame of his bed. The clanging of metal was not an unusual sound. She simply assumed it was a recruit tripping over his or her own feet, but when she caught sight of a blur in her periphery her instincts kicked it. She ducked the swing of the metal pieces, feeling the drag of air they carried behind them. They narrowly missed her, but once it cleared her head, she was quick to disarm him.<br/><br/>Ava learned to compensate for her size. She wasn’t very tall and she wasn’t physically strong, so she had to strike quick and disable, just like Nick taught her. While she was low, and his body was turned, she slammed a fist into his kidney, ensuring that he would piss blood with how hard she hit him. She kicked him in the back of his knees, bringing him to the ground. The recruit didn’t have a split second to compose himself. Ava was turning him over before he could take a breath, straddling him so that she could bring her fists to his face again and again. The first punch elicited a cracking noise. It was the sound of his nose breaking, an occurrence that should have told her that she’d done enough. Since her nanites still had some degree of control over her emotions and stress levels, and right now she was in a heightened state. She kept slamming her fists into his face, not stopping even when blood coated her knuckles and he stopped screaming. He was either unconscious or dead from the trauma. At the thought, she did stop. The last thing she wanted to do was kill someone, especially not over a failed attempt at a cheap shot.<br/><br/>The recruits were confused as to what to do. Some slowed, wondering if they should pull her off of the man’s body, but they were all frightened—of her or what the commander might do if they didn’t continue with their task. Others ignored the commotion altogether, and rightfully so. The clock was still ticking.