12 Strength in Numbers

A bead of sweat dripped down her face as Mang shut her eyes in concentration. She’d been at this for hours, but she refused to give up until she could do it properly.

A little explanation might be necessary before we continue. You see, Mang- short for Manganese- is one of 117 special people born with the ability to control an element. Called Elementals, each of them can wield a particular element, and they’ve been tasked with the protection of the entire world of Periodica.

Mang was one of these people, and she was currently trying to produce a makeshift shield of solid Manganese that could withstand a well-aimed kick from her friend, Ian. Creating the shield wasn’t the hard part, it was keeping it in one piece that had kept them on the training field long after everyone else had gone home for the evening. Manganese is strong, but the metal is also very brittle.

The cool breeze and the golden evening light slanting through the yellowing leaves of autumn made Mang wish for a moment that she was just an ordinary girl enjoying a nice evening with friends. But when she thought about the importance of her position and the power she had, and the girls around the world who yearned for that very thing, her resolve hardened.

When her eyes opened, a silvery-gray color that matched her tied-back hair, they were determined.

“I’m ready, let’s go again,” she said to Ian, producing a shield and willing all her strength into it. He nodded and, covering his foot in Iron as he went, sent a swift kick right for her shield. It shattered easily and Mang groaned.

“Not again!  I really thought I had it that time!”

Ian gave her a sympathetic smile and swung a reassuring arm over her shoulders.

“You’ll get it eventually, don’t stress about it, there’s no rush,” he assured her. Raised voices nearby caught their attention and they turned to see Al and Scand, two elder Elementals, walking down the path to the training field. Ian and Mang shared a here-we-go-again look as the two elderly men got closer.

“Why would she want advice from someone whose element can’t withstand more than 2,500 degrees?” Scand harrumphed. Al rolled his eyes as he hobbled down the path, leaning heavily on his wooden cane.

“As if that has any bearing in this situation! You look for any excuse to rub Scandium’s higher melting point in my face,” he shook his head. Scand raised his chin indignantly.

“As if you pass up an opportunity to yak about all the uses for Aluminum!” Scand retorted.

Ian and Mang stepped forward to meet the two old men before either one blew a gasket.

“Hello Al, Scand,” Mang said with a smile and a nod to each of the elderly men. “What brings you to the training grounds?” Scand raised his bushy eyebrows in surprise, he had been so lost in the conversation he hadn’t noticed the two younger Elementals approach.

“Well, we saw you two training out here-”

“And thought we’d see if there was some way we could help,” Al finished, interrupting Scand before he could finish his sentence. “It looks like you’re having a hard time, Mang, what seems to be the trouble?”

“I can make a shield of Manganese, but it’s so brittle it breaks if anything hits it. I can’t figure out how to make it strong enough to withstand even a kick from Ian!” she explained with a sigh. Scand nodded solemnly and contemplated her words for a moment.

“Never forget, Mang, that Elementals are always stronger together. Perhaps you and Ian should try pooling your talents and see where that leads?” he suggested. Mang and Ian shared a look.

“Pool our talents? What does that even mean?” Ian asked, clearly confused. Neither one of them had ever tried combining their powers, though there were rumors of Elementals who could form powerful alloys that were virtually indestructible.

“Why don’t we both try to make a shield? You use your Iron and I’ll use my Manganese, and we’ll see what happens,” Mang suggested. So, they sat down in the grassy field they used to train and combined their metals, forming a gleaming shield of steel. Both of them sat there and stared at it open-mouthed for a time before jumping up and cheering. The two older Elementals shared a meaningful look. Scand had been right; Elementals were stronger together, and so were their powers. The shield was no longer brittle and it took a much greater effort to break it. When word got out that they had successfully formed an alloy, people came from every corner of the world to see it and try to break the shield. It became a sort of test of strength. Weeks went by, and when someone finally succeeded and broke the shield, Mang didn’t even care. She had discovered where true strength came from- her friends. And that was more precious than anything. As for Scand and Al, well, they never stopped arguing altogether, but they, too, had learned that strength is in numbers.

Fun Facts:

When oxidized, scandium develops a pink and yellow tint!

Manganese has a melting point of 2,275 degrees Celsius!

Manganese is very brittle on its own, but when combined with other metals, it becomes very strong!