21 The Metal League
Magnesium, Calcium, Boron, and Iron
Chloe Fox; Nye Htway; Hser Kmwe; Travis Pikop; and Reilly Johnson (illustrator)
Once there lived two superheroes, Magnesium and Calcium. Though they look different physically, Magnesium was very shiny and hard while Calcium was dull and soft. Sometimes people thought she had a yellow appearance. Calcium wore a soft silvery cape with a yellow bodysuit while Magnesium wore a silvery white headband. They are both from the same family in the periodic table, the alkaline earth metals, and they knew each other well. They were part of a larger superhero band called the Metal League. In the daytime, they worked together as doctors. In the nighttime, they fought crime. Magnesium and Calcium’s specialty was the ability to fly since they were the lightest of the metal superheros.
While on a mission in London, Magnesium and Calcium met Boron. Boron is a metalloid, not a metal, but Boron bonded well with Magnesium. Boron became the glue to the metal superhero squad and she amplified each hero’s power to make them even stronger. One special characteristic about Boron is when she uses her power her hair and suit changes from black to green. Boron emits a lot of heat when she uses her powers and this causes the color change.
Iron was a metal superhero who was on a long mission which he could never come back from. During his last mission he had been exposed to water and oxygen and had begun to rust. Every time more rust formed, his powers diminished. Yet, he still wore a black hooded cape. That cape would glow red when he used to fight, but now it stays black as he slowly rusts away.
Not all the metals were part of the Metal League. Their arch nemesis Mercury, the only liquid metal, had plotted against them and had led a bullet train to derail and it was inches from tumbling down a cliff. Without the strength of Iron, it was up to Boron, Magnesium, and Calcium to save the day. As Boron and Magnesium held the train up, Calcium worked on rescuing people from the train. Boron and Magnesium tried their hardest to give Calcium enough time to save the people, but there were so many people and they were very scared. As the train inched closer to the edge Boron used the final bit of her power to amplify Calcium’s power just enough that he successfully rescued everyone off the train.
In all this chaos Mercury slipped away from their fingers yet again. The Metal League was still able to save the day, but they were frustrated that Mercury escaped. They shouted to the sky “We will capture you one day Mercury!”
Will they every capture Mercury? That is a story for another day!
Fun facts:
Calcium is the most abundant mineral in your body!
Magnesium is a mineral that is important for your health. Magnesium is necessary for proper heart function and building strong bones.
Boron is used in rocket fuel!
The Iron Age began when the Hittites developed the technology to obtain iron from its ore in 1500 BC.
Mercury is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature. It used to be called quicksilver.