The droid stepped forward on long black legs, its humanoid physique spoilt only by demonic red lights that flickered in the middle of its flat, armoured face. Rachel stepped sideways as it approached and swung her combat boot in a wide arc towards its head. The droid ducked under her kick and punched her hard in the ribs. Gasping for air, she threw a punch of her own, catching it on the side of the head as it dashed to her right. The blow lacked power, but it bought her a few seconds.
She tried to remember her combat training as the droid returned to continue its attack. A shiny metal foot swung towards her stomach. Rachel had to react fast to block it with her forearm. She stumbled backwards as an uppercut smacked her on the chin. The droid was quick to take advantage of her momentary lack of balance. It lunged forwards, grabbing her jacket, and placing one hand between her legs. Rachel blinked in confusion as her body rose up into the air. She slammed her elbow into the droid's expressionless face as it stared up at her. Its head snapped back with the force of the blow, but it still managed to spin her around and throw her onto the padded mats below.
Rachel landed with a loud thud. She arched her back and twisted onto her side, her face contorted in agony. Waves of pain coursed through her back as the droid stepped towards her, raising its fist to strike her in the face.
'Stand down,' Rachel said, between rasping breaths.
The droid froze in place, its red eyes fading to grey.
Rachel put her arm behind her back and pressed her fist against the scars of her operation. She had been too slow. The training droid had only been configured for combat mode one. It should have been easy to outsmart it. Combat mode one was slower than the average trooper. She was so out of shape. Her reactions were terrible and her back didn't feel right at all.
'Go home,' Rachel said between clenched teeth.
The training droid straightened itself and walked over to a tall cabinet that was attached to the wall. The doors opened, and it stepped inside, attaching itself to a maintenance rig. Ordinarily the rig would repair any parts that had been damaged during the training session, but Rachel hadn't damaged the droid at all.
Groaning in pain, she rolled onto her front and rubbed her lower back with the flat of her hand. She didn't want to use the infuser again. She had to learn to handle the pain without it.
It was several minutes before she was able to climb back to her feet and limp over to the window. Wiping silent tears from her eyes, she gazed out across the long, green, hydroponic lawn. It was one of the more lavish features of her new house. The lawn had been obscenely expensive, but seeing Lisa running across the grass and playing in the rose bushes made it all worthwhile. Her daughter had been through so much lately. Rachel hoped that getting her out of their old, cramped apartment would help take her mind off the loss of her father and grandfather. The last few weeks had been hard on them all.
She took a long, deep breath and gazed beyond the confines of her garden. Twenty kilometres to the South, she could see the Black Towers of Central Command standing in a proud circle. The towers had dominated the skyline for centuries. Numbered from one to six, their original names had been long since forgotten. They looked small from so far away, but Rachel knew that they were some of the tallest buildings in the Orange Zone. Standing between the Black Towers, holding pride of place amongst them all, was the tallest building that Rachel had ever seen. The White Spear was the core of Central Command. Its white stone walls rose high into the sky, and its tip touched the apex of the Dome Shield a kilometre above the ground.
Rachel stared in silence. She could feel the towers calling to her. She could feel the weight of history within them. Their urgent need had often tugged at her heart in a way that she couldn't quite explain. A yearning inside her grew stronger every day. She remembered the first time she had felt a strange attraction to the White Spear. She had been transferred to Beacon station after an argument with Gail Thompson. She had resigned herself to her fate. Travelling south in the back of a Rotohawk truck with half a dozen other malcontents, something had clicked inside her. It had taken her a long time to realise what it was. It was as though a thread existed between her and the White Spear. As she travelled further from the towers, the thread pulled tight, becoming increasingly uncomfortable. It had been confusing at first, but she had learnt to deal with the strange sensation. A part of her had accepted that it would never go away, but she also knew that she would never find peace until she stood within the walls of the White Spear again.
Staring at the sun reflecting from the tower's distant tip, Rachel rubbed a hand across the stiffness in her lower back. Mentally, she was ready to return to duty but she had to be realistic. It was going to be a long time before she would be fit enough for combat operations. She felt restless. She wouldn't rest until she was fighting alongside the security forces once more.
'Fight,' she said.
The wall cabinet sprang open and the training droid charged out. It swung a high kick at her head but she dodged to her left, catching a glancing blow with her shoulder. Lunging forwards, she thrust her elbow into the droid's face. Its head snapped back, and Rachel stepped closer, delivering a rapid sequence of uppercuts to its head and body. When she grabbed its head and swung her knee high, the two collided at shoulder height with a reassuring crunch. The droid stumbled onto its knees, emitting strange grinding noises from somewhere behind its featureless face.
Rachel wasn't taking any chances. The droids had been known to fake injuries during combat training to catch their opponents off guard. She kicked it twice in the head before it managed to leap back onto its feet. Its red eyes flashed as it surged towards her once more. It threw a series of rapid punches towards her head. Rachel blocked them with her forearms then fought back, faster and harder than before. She smiled as sweat formed on her brow, and swung her leg low, toppling the droid onto its side.
The towers were calling out to her and Rachel intended to answer their call.