It's in the eyes. Always the eyes.

Chapter Three| Testing Skills

Penny's stomach churned as she stood a few feet away from Coco's latest invention, a towering, makeshift robot built from scrap metal and spare parts. The thing looked barely held together, with wires poking out at odd angles and bolts that didn't seem quite tight enough. Penny questioned every decision that had led her to this point. Out of all the things she could've done today, why had she agreed to be the test subject for this?

"Um, Coco... are you really sure this is safe?" Penny asked, her voice wavering as her eyes darted from the robot to Coco.

Coco's head popped up from behind the machine, her face beaming with pure excitement. "Of course it's safe! You've got to trust me on this, Penny. I've run all the calculations, double-checked every wire. It's going to be fine!" Her enthusiasm did little to ease Penny's anxiety.

"I just... I don't know. Something about this thing doesn't scream 'safe' to me," Penny muttered, her ears drooping.

Coco waved off her concern with a dismissive hand. "Come on, you're overthinking it! And besides, Crash is here to step in if anything goes wrong." She cast a glance at her brother, who stood a few paces away, ready but visibly nervous. Crash gave a small nod, though his usual confidence seemed to be absent. His eyes flickered with the same worry Penny felt. It wasn't often that Crash was so unsure of something, which only added to her nerves.

Penny sighed, rubbing her arms as she mentally prepared herself. "Okay... if you say so." She glanced at Crash one more time, drawing a bit of comfort from his presence, even if he looked just as hesitant.

Coco, oblivious to their shared unease, continued making her final adjustments to the contraption. "Alright! Ready to start!" she announced with far too much enthusiasm for Penny's liking.

Taking a deep breath, Penny stepped forward, praying that Crash wouldn't have to step in after all.

The makeshift robot roared to life, its joints creaking and popping in ways that sounded anything but safe. Penny winced at the ear-piercing noise, her fox-like ears flattening against her head. She tried to steady her nerves, telling herself this would be over soon. After all, Coco said it was harmless... right?

The robot suddenly raised its arms, shifting into a fighting stance. Penny's heart dropped—fighting stance? Oh no. She had zero combat training. Her attempt to mimic the robot's stance was a poor, half-hearted pose, but it was all she could manage under the circumstances.

Before Penny could process what was happening, the robot lunged. Its massive metal fist swung down with terrifying speed, aimed directly at her. Penny froze, her brain screaming at her to move. Move!

At the last possible second, she scrambled backward, narrowly avoiding being flattened. The robot's fist struck the ground where she'd been standing, the impact sending shockwaves through the earth, kicking up a thick cloud of dust. Penny fell hard onto her backside, her eyes wide in shock.

That thing almost squashed her!

The dust settled, revealing the robot standing eerily still, its blue laser eyes fixed on her like a predator. Penny shivered under its gaze, feeling completely outmatched. The robot raised its arm again, swiping at her. Penny yelped, flinging herself onto her back to avoid the blow.

"Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit!" Penny's panic erupted in a stream of curses as the robot loomed over her.

It raised its leg, preparing to stomp down on her. With a terrified scream, Penny rolled out of the way and bolted to her feet, running as fast as she could while the robot chased after her, its heavy footsteps pounding behind.