Two-X, Four-X, Eight-X...

"HERE'S ME DANGEROUS!"

I stepped level and reached back, and Naru finally realized her mistake as her eyes went wide in panic.

Then I swung.

'CRACK!'

Naru's face went deathly white; my fist firmly embedded in a four-by-four wooden deck support beam next to her ear. The piece of wood was shattered around the impact that I'm certain she realized very well could have been her head.

[...]

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Fire, burning, pain...

"No," I choked, turning to flop down against the rail. "I just punched through solid hardwood with the strength of eight men."

Motoko blinked in confusion.

"I think I broke my hand..." I amended, fighting back the tears starting to stream down my face.