Chapter 5: Test of Strength and the Wonky Room ID#12205

*******************Chapter 5:  Test of Strength and the Wonky Room***********************

Knight looked at me and said, “What I do is pretty simple. I use my strength and speed to kick some Legion butt and you if mess with my ride, I’ll break your head, although I must admit that was pretty funny.” Now let’s head over to the Mega-gym where I train.

We got to Knight’s Mega-gym and it was, well, mega huge.  Everything there was meant for heavy training and speed.

Knight started with the basics. He took my blood pressure and put me on a scale to see how heavy I was and took some blood to check my cholesterol and also to determine my morphon count. I guess the higher the morphon count the higher probability for stronger abilities. I said, “Man, what is with all these tests? You’re as bad as a doctor.” Knight smiled and said, “That’s my day job.”

Knight was shaking his head while looking at the test results. I said Hey man. “Why are shaking your head, is something wrong with my results?

No, your blood pressure and cholesterol are fine but you are a bit heavier than you should be even with that stone like hide of, but I’ll take care of that.  I’ll also need a sample of your skin and feathers to learn more about your physiology but the most notable thing on your test is the level of morphons in your body, they are quite high. You have an uncanny ability to absorb and retain high amounts of morphons.

I asked, “Is that a bad thing?” Knight replied, “No, on the contrary, it’s quite good. The greater number of morphons you can absorb the more attributes you may attain, thus the stronger you can become but enough about that for now. It’s time to test your strength.”  

We left the lab and walked into Knight’s weight room.  This was not your normal weight room. There were no small dumbbells and machines like what I was used to. On the far wall, inside the running track, was a row of dense Osmium-titanium alloy wrecking balls of increasing size and weight with only heavy duty handles to lift with. The smallest was one half ton and the largest had 50 tons written on the side and there was one for each hand. There was a heavy bag made of soft misshapen lead and a boxing ring on the other side of the room for sparing and on the far side was a heavy vacuum sealed door marked ‘Morphon Time and Gravity’. I don’t know what that is all about but I’m sure I’m about to find out.

Knight walked me over to the wrecking balls and said, “Alright, let’s see what you got for strength.”  I looked at him like he was nuts. I’ve not too long ago started this change. “There is no way, I can lift those,” I said.  He told me, “We don’t say No or I Can’t here, you start at the half ton and lift it!”

To my surprise, I lifted it with ease. Not bad said Knight. “Skip over the next to set and try the ten ton wrecking balls.” I felt the weight but still raised them up to my chest.  Knight cheered me on and then instructed me to go to twenty-five ton set and lift them while hovering in flight. I barely got the wrecking balls off of the floor when he said to fly around the running track with the weight and don’t touch the floor. Well, I struggled around the long track and failed to complete the full lap. He stopped me before I said “I can’t do this” and told me to take a break as he wrote something on his clipboard.

He took me over to the door marked ‘Morphon Time and Gravity’ and lead me through the door.  The room was empty except for a pair of osmium armbands and weight boots.  Knight explained, “This room was specially designed to do three things. Firstly, you will experience time different in here, one hour inside will equal one week of training outside the room, secondly, you will experience the weight of gravity increase by two times each hour you are inside and lastly, the apparatus on the ceiling funnels morphons into the room to help raise your strength and healing abilities. Put on the armbands and boots and get ready to lift and fly with the weight around the room. Don’t touch the floor or you will get a zap.

You will be inside for eight hours. That is roughly two months of speed and strength training. There will be a ten minute break every two hours. If you survive, you will have speed and strength to move mountains.  I’m setting the starting weight for the armbands and boots at one half ton each.” Knight closed the door and locked it down. I heard him speak through the intercom, “Get ready for hell in five seconds.”  I readied myself and began to fly around the room with the weight. It got intense quick.

The time in the room had barely begun before I started to tire and the pain of constant flight and increasing weight took its toll. After the first hour, the gravity increased two fold and I hit the floor at which time an alarm sounded and a computerized voice warned, “You have five seconds to rise from the floor before penalty shock.”  I didn’t make up in time and got a whopper of a shock.  I lifted the weight again into the air, struggling and breathing hard.

I made it thru the second hour and was happy for the small break. I collapsed on the floor from exhaustion. Ten minutes equals nearly an hour in “The Wonky Room of Time.” That’s what I call it now.  Just enough time to rest and make conscience effort to absorb all the morphons filtering into the room to repair and renew strength to worn out muscles.  The computerized voice warned, “You have five seconds to resume training before penalty shock.”  Six hours of hell training to go.  I had better get to it.

The weight on the armbands and boots doubled again as raised above the floor, flying around in circles. I felt stronger but as the weight doubled yet again at the end of the third hour, I was forced to the floor once again. Same warning but a bigger penalty shock. This routine continued until the end of the seventh hour and by this time I developed a tolerance to the ever rising penalty shock.

It started to feel good as I walked around the electrified floor just curling the max weight of fifty tons for the remaining hour.  The computerized voice warned, training time ending in five seconds.  

The armbands fell off and the weight boots were no longer weighted. The gravity was restored to normal and the door opened. It felt like I was floating as I stepped through the door.  Normal Earth gravity could not hold me anymore.  

Knight congratulated me on my survival and successful completion of training in ‘The Wonky Time Room’.

“Knight said, “There is a final test of your training here.  Let’s see how you handle the fifty ton wrecking balls now.  Pick them up and fly around the running track as fast as you can. I’m gonna time you for one lap. On your ready! Go! “I was gone and back before he could start and stop the timer. “Excellent,” Knight exclaimed.

Now go and give the lead heavy bag a good punch.  I punch so hard and fast my fist created a huge hole in the bag.  Oops! I didn’t think I would break it. Knight put me at ease when he said; you’re not the first to destroy the lead bag. Nova will be pleased to hear these results. You have earned my respect but tell me. What is your real name? I said, “My real name is Donald Blake.”  “Well, that sounds better than Togood,” remarked Knight. I dub thee Donald Blake MD, he said. I asked, “What’s the MD for.  Knight laughed and replied, “My Dawg.”

Knight ordered me to report to Inferno for Magic Studies next week. You get a few days to recoup. You’re gonna be sore tomorrow. Knight sent me on my way with an open invite for more ‘Wonky Room’ training and a last bit of advice. He said simply, “Remember to keep your cool. You’re way stronger than you’re used to, so be gentle, until you can’t.”

To be continued….