17 A friend's death
The terrain outside the concrete road was so uneven. Elena was losing control of the car and she had to avoid trees and shrubs as they ripped through tall grasses, a cornfield, and creeks.
But Elena had no plan of slowing down. All that she wanted now was to go away from this place as far and as soon as possible. And she's more terrified than ever. Her feminine instinct tells her that the explosion was targeted to them.
The ride was dangerously bumpy. Ato and Janoy were howling as they bumped on each other since there were no safety belts in the back seat.
Elena was now trying to go back to the road and she needed to do it quickly since the space was narrowing down because of a cliff at the left side of the road.
Meanwhile in a not very distant area, scientists were testing a synthetic thermoplastic material that they've invented. But they were now being supervised by the group that sieged the towns.
They've seized their properties and ordered them to continue on their tests since they found the product highly useful and profitable.
"We call this material Mambra. Palladium microalloy glass is the third strongest material in the world. But our Mambra thermoplastic fiber will now beat the microalloy glass," said the lead scientist to a man near him.
"So this Mambra material is now the third? But what are the names of the second and first strongest materials?" the man said. He appeared to be a high ranking official of the rebel group. His pistol was visible on his hip.
"Carbon nanotube and graphene. They're the strongest materials on Earth but it's extremely difficult to craft them into macro objects. As of now, they only have limited industry application."
"Is that so..."
"But the Mambra composite fiber is quite different since it's less costly to mass produce and easy to turn into different objects. Our calculation is that the Mambra is ten times stronger than diamonds!"
The officer's eyes widened. He smiled at the astonishing info he heard. "Hmm... very interesting..! And I suppose much lighter since it is plastic?"
"Yes, correct. It is forty percent lighter than steel," the scientist replied.
The testing area was an open space. The building was open at the sides and front. Only the roof and concrete back wall cover the building.
At the center of the building was a heavy mechanical clamp. The clamp was made from maraging steel. The base supporting the clamp was fixed on the concrete floor. The shape of the steel base was like a truncated pyramid and as big as a car.
The clamp held a one-inch thick peg or spear that was made from Mambra.
"This clamp is of the highest grade of maraging steel. It is the strongest kind of steel. We need to use it to hold the peg so that it won't move during the tests," said the lead scientist.
The Mambra spear stood sixty degrees from the clamp. Above it was a heavy metal frame, also made of maraging steel. A sample material was fitted on this frame and the frame, ran by electricity, slowly moved down at forty-five degrees angle to press the sample material against the Mambra plastic spear.
The observers have witnessed three materials tested against the newly invented material. The first material tested was an inch thick Tungsten. Tungsten is the strongest naturally occuring metal.
They were fascinated at how the pointed plastic punched an inch hole on the Tungsten without being deformed.
The second material was an inch thick maraging steel. This steel alloy was stronger than Tungsten. But the plastic peg still pierced through it.
The third material tested was Kevlar. Kevlar was the material used in soldiers' helmet and bullet-proofed vests. It is much stronger than Tungsten and a maraging steel. It is also a thermoplastic like Mambra.
But as the test showed, the Mambra was much stronger. It was over nine times stronger than Kevlar.
The officer took another Mambra spear to look at it closely. The plastic peg had the same dimensions with the first except that it was threaded at its base.
"This plastic is really marvelous! It's my first time to see something like this. The tip didn't became blunt even against a steel alloy. This must be the toughest material on Earth!" the officer said.
"What do you plan to use it for?" the scientist asked.
"There are many things we would like to use it for. But for now, we need it for hunting. Hehehe."
A woman approached the lead scientist and murmured something to him. She left as soon as she's done relaying her message.
"We have to wait for a while for the next test. It will be the last material to be tested," said the lead scientist to the officer.
"And why is that so?" the officer replied.
"The material hasn't arrived yet. It was delayed along the way."
The officer's face showed an upset expression. But he knew that all he can do was to wait.
"Make it quick then or else you'll die!" the officer said.
"Y-yes, sir.." the scientist replied.
Then the lead scientist left. He had walked four steps away when the officer noticed something from a distant.
"By the way, Doctor?" The scientist turned. "Are there any Bao tortoise in this area?"
The doctor was a bit puzzled. "Yes, there are some here. Bao tortoise are a rare species but they thrive here because of the rich flora and fauna."
"Is it true that their shells are the strongest?"
"Yes! They have the hardest shells among all species of turtles. They are completely protected and because of that they are not afraid of humans. Locals love them for that since they can play, especially the children, on their backs." The lead scientist smiled as he recalled his daughter happily playing with a cute and gentle Bao.
"How strong is their shells? I've heard that no bullets can penetrate their shells."
"That's true. Their shell is the hardest among all animals. And the adult ones are harder than rocks. You can drop a boulder at heir backs, still they won't feel a thing."
The officer smiled. "Is that an adult Bao tortoise?" he pointed to the scientist a tortoise whose shell was bigger than a study table. It's around seventy meters from them.
"What the..! That's a giant Bao! That's very rare. It's probably around three hundred years old. And yes, its shell is the toughes—" the scientist didn't finished.
The officer walked away towards a pick-up car where a mechanically powered harpoon was mounted on its back. The officer drove the pick-up and positioned it so that the harpoon was now over fifty meters from, and was facing, the tortoise.
The armed men brought three harpoons with them to Quiet Lake town since they intended to catch the ancient crocodile in the lake. This legendary crocodile living at the center of the lake had fascinated people for a long time.
But the local Government strictly forbade people to show hostility to it in case they see it. Locals said that it's the spirit of the lake protecting fishermen and maintaining abundance in the lake.
The officer climbed the back of the pick-up, fitted the Mambra spear on the harpoon through its thread. Some of the armed guards gathered near to watch the spectacle.
"Hey boss, we fired an RPG on a back of a turtle a while ago when we were coming here but it wasn't hurt. Hahaha," said one of the men. The others also laughed.
"Really? Even an RPG? Awesome!"
The harpoon was five times more powerful than regular harpoons used in hunting whales since they knew that the toughness of the giant croc's back was reputed to be beyond ordinary.
The officer aimed the harpoon at the tortoise.
"W-what are you doing?" the scientist shouted. His eyes were wide opened. The officer sneered.
"Just target practicing, Doctor," he fired the harpoon and hit the stationary tortoise. The tortoise's shell sparked and the fiberplastic spear pierced through it. The gentle Bao wailed due to the pain. Tears flowed from its eyes.
The Mambra spear embedded eight inches deep on the giant Bao's shell. The armed men celebrated. They laughed, raised their arms, and some jumped.
"Hahaha!" the officer had a nasty laugh. "Beautiful! This is beautiful. There's nothing on Earth that cannot be cut by this material!"
-
Under the concrete rubble, Guntira's eyes opened. Then the rubble scattered, the pick-up thrown, and Guntira stood in the middle. He looked really embarrassed and furious.
Guntira surveyed the road with his eyes and saw the Hummer. It's kilometer away and was already threading the road. He sprinted towards the Hummer and will reach it in no time.
When he's less than fifty meters behind the vehicle he jumped and landed in front just like what he did before.
Curiously, he bent again his body to aim his bald head at the car. From the looks of it, he hadn't gotten over yet with proving how tough his head was. Obviously, he enjoyed doing this.
BLAG! The right corner of the Hummer's bumper hit Guntira's head. The front windshield spattered. The car spun. The backseat door opened. Everyone howled!
Ato fell from the car and rolled on the ground. The car headed towards the cliff! It stopped just at the edge of the cliff. Any moment from now it will fall!
Ato's head was stained with blood from his bruises. His body was all in pain. He's still dizzy when Guntira walked towards him. He grab Ato at his shirt and lifted him up. He intended to throw him away.
Given Guntama's strength compared to Ato's weight, if he throw Ato while exerting even just a normal force, Ato will be thrown at least twenty meters away. And this is enough for him to either die from broken bones or will be permanently disabled.
And in Guntira's mood right now, there's zero probability that he will act anywhere below his ordinary strength. He's not the type of person who will handle somebody gently just because the person is a kid.
There was not a single hesitation in Guntira's mind to throw Ato. Actually, for him, it's a lot more merciful than punching the kid.
Guntira lowered a bit his arm. He's going to throw Ato now. Ato's eyes widened. The expression in his eyes was like someone who saw something terrifying. But he was not really looking at Guntira.
"BOOM!" A strong explosion halted Guntira. The Hummer fell from the cliff that was more than a hundred meters high. The car exploded as soon as it hit the ground.
Ato was still elevated from the ground and Guntira's hold on his t'shirt's neckline made his breathing difficult. But he's still able to move his head towards the cliff. He saw the car fell!
"What do you want from me?" Ato asked Guntira angrily. He was furious because this man was the reason why his friends have just died.
"WHAT do you want from me!!" Ato screamed. Tears flow from his eyes. He held Guntira's wrist with his two hands and pressed his fingers tight.
Guntira stared at Ato, obviously annoyed. He raised his right hand and curled his middle finger to flick Ato at the forehead.
Perhaps, it's because of his annoyance that he had became less merciful to the boy. Instead of just throwing him, he's now acting crueler to the kid.
Meanwhile, in the face of the cliff just nine meters from the top, Janoy was holding his mother with his right hand. His left arm and left leg were hooked on the trunk of a tree. They were able to jumped outside of the Hummer when it started to fall.
But Elena can see that Janoy can't hold anymore. She can sense that his grip was loosening. And if she kept on holding, Janoy will exhaust his strength and he won't have energy left to even support himself.
It's up to Elena to keep holding. "Smash!" Elena shouted to her son. "I love you! I really really love you. Please let go now and save yourself. You must continue living. Promise me that!" she said tearfully to Janoy.
"No, mom!" Janoy screamed. "I won't let you go! Don't leave me, mom!" Janoy was weeping. His eyes flooded with tears.
Janoy will never let go of her mother. He was more afraid of seeing his mother fall from his hand than the two of them falling together. But Elena had no choice. She had to let go, otherwise, both of them will die.
-
Guntira aimed his middle finger at Ato. Ato looked at his aggressor's hand. Guntira's thumb pressed against his finger. A single flick at the forehead will send Ato to instant death.
But, mysteriously, Guntira paused again. Something got his attention. His eyes moved away from Ato and focused in one direction. Then he let go of the kid!
"I don't need anything from you... I don't even know you," said Guntira to Ato and he walked away.
He walked towards the cliff to the direction where the Hummer fell.
"YAAHHHH!" Nolie stood up and emptied the bullets from his M16 magazine on Guntira. As soon as it's empty, he replaced it with a new one.
But before the bullets in the second magazine were depleted, fear half-paralyzed his body. He realized that the bullets were not affecting the man he's shooting.
He forced his limbs to move and resumed pressing the trigger. Guntira was just walking near him. The second magazine was now empty and he rattled as he fitted the third.
He aimed the rifle again and fired. But he soon stopped. It was now clear to him that there's no point in what he's doing. And now he can't feel his hands. His shaking body rendered him unable to make any controlled movement.
"You're in my way!" Guntira slapped Nolie as soon as he reached him and Nolie was thrown twenty meters away! His neck broke!
"A-Ato... forgive me... f-find my son, pleas–!" this were Nolie's last words before he died.
Ato saw what happened and his strength left his legs and he fell on his knees.
Guntira reached the cliff and stooped down to check the thing that has gotten his attention.
He had detected a surge of energy that was growing! It was what caught his attention. And he felt that it was what he's looking for here in Quiet Lake town.
