Beth

General Meyer had come back the next night and Beth had met mom again. Even the wall between their cells had been slid away for a brief reunion. She held mom tightly and felt her breathing.

“Do you remember when Jonathan got lost in the hydroponics research building?” Beth said, rubbing her head. She missed fighting to straighten curly hair locks. How much she hated those curls, but now she longed for them.

“Of course! My heart pounded like it wanted to escape my chest. The stress of not knowing where he was, if he had hurt himself or been kidnapped,” Mom said.

“Slow down, mom. I found him eventually. Researchers are nice people. They can get a little too focused, a little too one sided, but they are still nice people. I was supposed to be a scientist,” Beth said, looking down.

“I know, honey. It’s alright. When we get out of here you will be able to finish your studies,” Mom said.

“Ha. Mom, I don’t think they will ever let us go. Maybe kill us. Letting us go? Not a chance in a thousand years,” Beth said.

“Of course you are correct. I just wanted to lift your spirit. That is what parents do for their children,” Mom said.

“Mom. Mom, I am not five anymore, I know how the world works. How ugly it truly is. I missed all that misery because of you and the education. I really am in debt to you and dad,” Beth said.

Mom smiled and hugged her, dragging the moment. “We raised you well.”

“Growing up in the domes on Callisto was a real treat. A utopia for intelligence and science, for progression. The wonders they invent. I miss it so much and dad. And Jonathan,” Beth said.

“Under the protection of the Europeans you would think that Callisto is safe,” Mom said.

“But these people managed to snag our entire family under its fingers,” Beth said.

“Russians or Americans. Cunts. War thirsty cunts,” Mom said with a wide smile.

“Mom!” Beth said.

“It is the truth,” Mom said.

General Meyer entered the room with his usual ponderous posture. “Time’s up for today. Food and sleep, Elizabeth.”

“Don’t call me that,” Beth said and turned to mom. “Stay safe, mom and eat properly.

“I will, honey,” Mom said.

-

The food turned into almost a homemade attention to detail. Almost. Mushrooms that looked and had the texture of the real deal, even though she was sure they were artificial. To Beth’s surprise, the improved diet made life a bit closer to tolerable. Beyond that routines stayed unchanged.

The breakfast bowl included crunchy oat cereal in milk with a slight chance of blueberry. With the food consumed she was escorted by armed guards to the training field. Saif moved always in the vicinity and kept the chains loosely around her mind, ready to tighten at a moment’s notice. The personnel took no chances with her anymore. Beth took pride in this change, it meant they were afraid. Back at the university on Callisto no one would ever consider Beth dangerous with her lack of physical strength. She was still thin as a stick, but now she was strong, the strongest person in the world.

A cube of metal had taken the place of the boulder. General Meyer stood by its side standing proud, his length just about the same as the cube, holding a hand on the metal surface.

“This lovely thing is made entirely from iron. Completely. No holes, no cavities. Only iron,” Jacob said and walked back to her. “Break it.”

Beth nodded. Days and weeks had passed since this thing had awoken in her; it had manifested they called it. The sweetness flooded and muscles itched with anticipation. To summon was instinctive. She punched, knuckles connected with the cube a moment before her arm reached full extension. A fist shaped crater was left in the cube’s surface.

“Good. Good. But your technique is lacking. At least you are not over extending your arm,” Jacob said.

Beth hid her smile. “I am not stupid.”

“Ha. Wrong. In this regard you are. I used to be a boxer when I was younger,” Jacob said and halted behind her. “You are not using your weight in that swing.”

Beth’s eyes widened. Jacob was correct! Acceleration and mass. She had focused only on the former. How would she put mass into the punch? And would it really make a difference? She weighed nothing and her manifested strength did not behave as normal human physical strength. Even without her skin turned into metal her knuckles didn’t hurt when she threw a punch. Her bones should also break, but they don’t.

“Just try it. A punch starts from the feet. But don’t stand like that,” Jacob said and spread her feet.

Instead of her feet besides each other Jacob offset them, one a bit forward and the other a bit back. He shoved her shoulders down, forcing her to bend her knees.

“Good. Keep those bent. Now. Try to feel the flow of the punch. From the back of your heel, moving along your leg, hip, torso, shoulder and into your fist. Straighten and turn as the flow moves. In one fluid motion,” Jacob explained carefully.

Beth tested the motion a few times, punching the air. She focused to feel the flow course through her body. From heel, to fist. It was not difficult. The motion made sense, she was transferring her body weight through herself and into the punch.

“And put some might into that swing. Are you the hammer, the anvil or the brittle metal in between?” Jacob said, obviously taunting her.

Sweetness flooded and she was eager to test. Heel up, leg straightened, hips and torso turned, shoulder and arm extended. Knuckles connected with the iron a moment before her arm reached full extension. Cracks shot out from the impact crater like thunder discharged from clouds. Even with the many cracks the cube kept its form, but its structure was weakened. She didn’t enjoy being outsmarted, but the progress felt great.

Beth smiled. “I would have figured that out eventually. I am more clever than most.”

“Of course you would,” Jacob said.

On the next punch the cube stood no chance. Iron shattered. Fragments flew.

-

The training session ended and Beth was escorted back to her cell. When she used her strength wouldn’t her body take harm? Bones should break under the strain. Knuckles should crack and bleed. Joints should dislocate. But none of that happened. How did her strength work? Physical strength stemmed from muscle fibers gathered in bundles. The cross-sectional area of the fibers determined contractional force and the length of the fibers determined contractional velocity. Maybe the gene treatments had changed the muscle fibers size. But she had not gained weight. What about the density of the fibers? Maybe. Weight gain would also happen with increased density. Every first year student on Callisto knew this.

Beth sat down and squeezed her right bicep. “How do you work?”

Magic. The word was on her tongue, but she didn’t want to give it weight. Magic was nonsense, it didn’t exist. On the other hand, she was unable to find a scientific reason behind the strength. Telekinesis. No, absurd. Her former classmates would have had a good laugh at her. What facts did she know? Her strength had to be activated each time. At activation and during usage a sweet taste flooded her mouth.Why? It had to be important and not a random coincidence.

How about her skin turning into metal? It was possible that the grey surface was not metal at all. She could look for metallic properties. Like electrical resistance and conductivity, magnetism and behavior when heated. For the experiments she needed hardware, but her captivity made them unattainable. If her kidnapers had already performed the experiments they had not revealed the results to her. And why would they? There was nothing to be gained.

“Hey, how are you?” Saif said, standing by the side. His pale skin almost whiter than the walls and the dark rings under his eyes contrasted sharply.

How had the perverted man appeared from thin air? The cut to his head had somehow vanished and the trauma box removed. Also, why would he be able to stand up? His legs had looked limp before.

“You little cunt. Stay away from me and stay out of my head,” Beth said.

“The Callisto student is using swear words! Ha. I just wanted to try this new thing. On you.” Saif grinning.

"I am sorry that I failed to break your back," Beth said and stood up. “I will hit harder next time.”

Saif's lower lip trembled. “That hurt.”

Sweetness ran across her tongue and fists tensed. Muscles itched. No chains limited her actions. She positioned her feet as Jacob had instructed.

Saif smiled. “Ha. I dare you. Come on.”

Beth roared and let the power flow from feet through body to fist. The punch didn’t connect. Her fist halted an inch from Saif’s face and it hung locked rigid. It felt like her arm had been caught by an invisible force which had no intention to let go. Saif had gained motor control via her brain.

“When I found out that you, a fellow scholar, had manifested superhuman strength I was disappointed. I had hoped that I would have someone to converse with, to match my intelligence or to even challenge me,” Saif said and moved away from the locked fist and arm.

Sweetness increased and Beth swung her free arm. The attempt was awkward and without enough reach. She stumbled. Stupid of her to even try.

“The General finds your defiance admirable. I think your anger is primitive,” Saif said.

“How can you do this?” Beth asked.

There were no chains around her thoughts. Her muscles tensed, but there was no motion. Her punch’s promise of violence couldn’t be delivered. Saif stretched his back.

“Intelligence! Do you think that I only know one method to control your mind? You are stupid, I am not even here. You took my legs from me. Bitch. So I shall take yours,” Saif said.

The seeds had been too small to perceive, but as they grew on and around the clusters of thoughts in her mind they became apparent. Vines sprouted from the seeds. She yanked at her thoughts, but the growing vines adapted quickly and anchored their prey. The vines didn’t crack.

“Bitch. This is just a small taste of what is to come,” Saif said and disappeared.

Beth’s legs vanished and the remaining half of her landed hard on the floor. She reached below her waist. No legs. Nothing. No pain. No blood. Her body ended in a stump. It had to be an illusion. She was soaked in sweat and her heart pounded in her chest. Nothing. Her hands trembled. Saif played tricks with her mind. It had to be an illusion. It had to be! Please. The room turned dark.

Her legs re-appeared before the night finished.