บท 61: A Test of Might

Since Bohdan elected to skip lunch, stating that all he needed were his protein bars and some exercises to lock in, Ella assumed the carrying duties of the passed-out alien woman. She wrapped the legs around her hips, the rest of Kylara's body resting on her back with the woman's on her shoulder. The cafeteria resided in the ten-story main building, so they had to backtrack to the lobby, then take a left and a few more corners before they found the enclosed bridge.

She readjusted Kylara into a comfortable position so that the woman's head wasn't bent awkwardly. As far as the task of hauling a full-grown woman around, it was no issue. The truth was, she could barely feel the extra weight, akin to the heft of a good leather jacket.

"I could take her off you," Jamal offered. "You must be tired from all that running."

"Na, it's all good," she said.

Still, Jamal was persistent, resting a hand on Kylara's back, and with his other wrapping around her armpit, he attempted to lift. "No, I insist. There is no reason a lady should exert herself while a man's around."

Her eyebrows shot up in a gesture of humored surprise.

"Jesus, Jamal," Sasha said. "Give it a rest. Can't you see she is barely breaking a sweat?"

Since Jamal wanted to display his chivalrous virtues, who was she to complain? So she let him lift Kylara up and away.

Kylara slowly came to once the aroma of food wafted about, her eyes lighting up when she spotted the array of delicacies before her. So the alien who had, by far, the weakest physicals, consumed the most food, easily out-eating Ella and Jamal combined, to everyone's astonishment.

"Where did fuck does all that food go?" she asked.

Sasha commemorated her question. "Yeah! Because it sure as hell isn't providing you with any extra energy. Jesus, you eat more than Bohdan."

Kylara, still chewing on a mouthful of meat, mumbled. "My powers are very resource intensive."

"Yeah?" she said. "So, what can you do exactly? If you don't mind sharing."

"I do not mind. However, your kind tends to react hostile to my capabilities."

Before she could speak, offering some modem of camaraderie for being misunderstood, Sasha butted in. "Now I really have to know. Is it x-ray vision that allows you to be a peeping Tom? Or wait. Can you make people your slaves with a thought?"

Kylara flinched in response to Sasha's last comment. "N-none of that sort. I can read minds, among many other things."

"Oh."

"I can see how that causes friction," she said.

"Hold on." Sasha frowned. "Have you been reading my mind all this time? Because if you have—"

Kylara shook her hands frantically. "You have it wrong. I haven't read anyone's mind for weeks."

For the first time in a while, Jamal spoke. "Why is that? It seems like an incredible power not to take advantage of."

"I recently embarked on a peacekeeping mission to war-torn locations in the Middle East. The thoughts I encountered there were truly disturbing. So it's more of a self-imposed abstinence on my part for the foreseeable future."

As they continued to talk, two hours passed swiftly. Back in the massive test room, the robots had reformed the area, removing the running track and replacing it with a myriad of workout equipment, some familiar to her while others were completely alien. To her right, she spotted a towering cage-like contraption with a humongous steel barrel at the top connected to levers, hydraulics, and wires. The bottom of the equipment was left bare, an empty space the height of a human.

"What the hell is that monstrosity?" Sasha asked.

With a knowing look, she replied. "A hydraulic press."

Bohdan, standing next to the press, waved them over. When they reached him, he said. "Cool, huh? Who's giving this a go?"

Sasha let her eyes travel up and down the machine. "Absolutely not."

Bohdan, expecting that answer, looked to Jamal, who shook his head, then finally rested his excited gaze on Ella. She distinctly remembered the last time she used a similar machine. It ended in a disaster with her destroying the expensive-looking machine and finding out the shocking truth about her strength.

No, thanks.

Bohdan understood her disapproving gesture, but still beaming with excitement, he gazed up at the machine with reverence.

Once everyone arrived, they gathered around Ivarsson, who explained in detail the rules for the strength test. First and foremost, they had to choose three select segments from the available five to make up the 6%. Unlike the speed test where the threshold to pass was the same across both genders, the strength test had different classifications for men and women. Also, Ivarsson encouraged them to do their best in light of the superhero ranking index.

After the announcement, Ella and the usual bunch huddled together to discuss which components of the strength test to partake in. Kylara reasoned that maximum force output and grip strength were her best bets to start, given her below-average physicality. To this, Bohdan agreed, while also stating that he would try the deadlift and bench press to prepare for his showdown with the hydraulic press. As for Ella, she listened absentmindedly, as her only worry was to remember the thresholds to pass. Even though she felt comfortable displaying her speed, showcasing her strength was an entirely different matter. She would rather avoid it.

Her worries turned out to be a moot point because the thresholds were displayed prominently on screens next to the equipment. They all stuck around to watch Bohdan have a go at the deadlift section before they split off to partake in the test. The barbell resided in a box enclosure that required a weight to be set before releasing it. To pass this component, all Bohdan had to do was lift 150 lbs, but the big guy with a cocky grin set the weight to a thousand despite the agent's best efforts to have him start slow.

It didn't matter in the end though as Bohdan lifted the barbell with little effort, even going as far as to raise the heavy weight over his head.

"Fucking show off," Ella remarked.

Bohdan flashed his teeth. "I mean, if you got it, you flaunt it, right?" Then he proceeded to strike bodybuilding poses, eliciting groans and eye rolls from everyone. So they left one after the other, leaving her alone with him.

"Think you can come close?" He teased, dropping the barbell. "I'll understand if it's too much for you to handle. After all, this ain't child's play."

Something in his teasing tone infatuated her. Her choice had been to coast through this round, barely going above what was required. However, her competitive spirit burning within couldn't let him get away with his boastful comments.

"I can match you," she said.

A side of his lips curled, with a brow to match. "This ain't a joke, lady. You may be fast, but this here's the real deal where men get to work."

That did it. She would make sure his cocky attitude blew up in his face by the time the day broke. The agent asked her how many pounds she wanted. When 500 left her mouth, the agent did a double take, switching his gaze between her and Bohdan, then ultimately shrugging and giving her the go.

She set her stance wide, wrapped her hands around the cold steel barrel, and lifted the barbell inches above the ground to complete her rep. After she dropped it, the agent notified her that she passed the component, while Bohdan nodded, definitely impressed by her display. Still, she glimpsed an aura of boastfulness from him for lifting twice what she did.

"Set it to 1500 lbs." She deadpanned.

"Okay, what?" the agent said. "You've both passed. Why not save your strength for other components?"

Seeing that her resolve was set to lift the weight, the agent spread his arms in resignation. "1000 lbs is all I've got in store. After you have a go, both of you have got to leave."

As the barbell calibrated itself to the right weight, Ivarsson stopped by to watch. With no fuss, Ella effortlessly lifted the thousand-pound barbell a few inches off the ground, then swung her arms up to hold the weight above her head.

Bohdan held her gaze, shock evident in his eyes. "You're strong too?"

She never responded as she set down the barbell and casually walked toward him, all the while maintaining eye contact.

"So what's next, big guy?" She clasped her hands behind her back, swaying in a feminine manner.

He chuckled. "I see. I've changed my mind then. Screw the bench press. It's maximum force output before the hydraulic press. You up?"

"Lead the way."

So they crossed the large room, past many straining superhumans engaged in grueling tests, and stopped before a long metal barrel resting on giant tracks with straps attached to one end. The goal of this component was to measure the peak amount of force that one could exert by pulling.

Bohdan extended his arm. "lady's first."

"Are you sure?" she said. "I'd rather not crush your ego."

Bohdan laughed. "I'm certain. I'm curious what benchmark you'll set."

She moved to the side of the barrel with the straps. There, an agent wound and secured the straps around the upper section of her body. The passing threshold set for women to pull was 250 pounds, while 300 pounds was for men. However, she knew she had to eclipse that mark many times to match Bohdan. Before pulling, she spotted Ivarsson again standing close by at the edge of her vision. It would seem the agent had an interest in her strength.

With deep breaths, she threaded forward, a powerful tension building between her and the giant barrel. Soon, she won over, the barrel groaning as it slid forward on the tracks. About a few seconds after the test began, the agent notified her that she had met the threshold to pass. But she pushed on, eyes closed, and her muscles working with efficient focus. Now it was just her and the heavy barrel of metal. Nothing else mattered but the rugged straps digging into her chest and the whine of metal wheels threading on tracks.

"And you've reached the machine's limit," the agent called out. "I advise you to stop, ma'am."

She halted, opening her eyes to the two baffled men. "What did I get?"

The agent replied. "5,000 pounds. Splendid job, ma'am."

"Oh my God, pick your jaw up from the floor. You've got to match me, remember," she said when she returned to Bohdan's side.

For the first time, the large man ran his hand through his spiky blonde hair, utterly speechless. Still, he moved into position. When the straps were secured around him, he surged ahead, gnashing his teeth as the steel barrel slid forward. Bohdan managed to reach the machine's limit, rejoicing with a flurry of magnificent poses. However, it seemed as if he exerted more effort to match her tally. But who was she to deem that as a fact when she had done her entire test with her eyes strained closed?

They exchanged a fist bump when he returned.

"It seems you somehow matched me," he said.

"I'd say it's the other way around," she said. "You looked like you were seconds from passing out at the end there."

"My." His chest rumbled with laughter. "I never took you to be this feisty when we first met." He edged closer, gazing down at her. "I guess it's up to the press to decide once and for all who's got it."

Similarly to the sliding barrel, the area around the press was deserted save for a lone man standing under the giant barrel of steel, while pushing with great effort. The agent stationed there informed the man that he had passed the threshold of 300 pounds. Matching Bohdan's tenacity, the man continued to test his limit, even pushing his tally up to a thousand pounds.

Bohdan gave the man an appreciative fist bump when he passed by.

"Do you know him?" she asked.

"Nope," he said, raising a tightened fist. "But I understood his resolve and determination seeing him break past his limit. I'm pumped."