Now. Strength available. But endurance most iffy.
Surely everyone remembers stories of 92-pound housewife who, witnessing car fall off bumper jack onto husband, performs hundred-yard dash in three seconds flat, lifts car with one hand, extracting hubby with other. Or hiker, confronting grizzly without warning, who subsequently finds self standing 30 feet above ground; on lowest limb of tree too big to have encircled with arms, legs; with no memory of how got there. Etc.
Less widely known: Many such stories true.
Solution arcane but not supernatural. Straightforward biochemistry: Given protein machine (assuming well-toned musculature, ample lung capacity, sound heart, circulatory system in good repair), energy expenditure limited to rate at which fuel metabolized; muscle cells nourished; heat, waste removed. Reserve stored in muscle tissues negligible.
Cells of which muscles composed contract not in unison but take turns; work in relays. System allows each cell a rest period to recharge during even most strenuous exercise; also means only tiny fraction actually participate at any moment.
Now, if stimulus encountered which triggers substantial majority of cells in given muscle simultaneously, awesome feats ensue (along with real potential for popped ligaments, tendons, fractured bones — system designed for shiftwork operation).
Own karate training, as with any advanced student, had covered Hysterical Strength, Unleashing Management Thereof; had gone, in fact, beyond routine analysis, theoretical discussion — into practicaclass="underline" Teacher included hypnosis in curriculum. Planted within psyche posthypnotic code to loose Beast Within at ultimate need.
Present quandary seemed to fall within definition: Needed more strength than possessed; else would die. Clear enough, even allowing for Teacher’s dire warnings.
For nothing magic about transaction. Simple arithmetic: X calories produced, available within Y length of time. Rigidly controlled by inverse proportion rule: Double consumption, halve duration.
During tests had seen own strength increase tenfold. Briefly. Followed by crushing fatigue: in strict accordance with tanstaafl principle.
But saw no alternative.
Lay back on front seat, fanny close to door. Gripped steering wheel with one hand, seat edge with other. Drew back legs, knees on chest. Concentrated inward. Gathered forces; focused ki flow into, through legs. Transformed trigger word utterance into kiai, intensity of scream hurting throat, and…
…KICKED!
Astounding results: Door burst open, whistled through arc, crashed against hinge limits; welds failed, door flew down sidewalk, bouncing end-over-end.
Instantly air vanished inside vehicle as heat flooded through door opening; searing lungs; dessicating eyes, nasal passages; scalding exposed skin. Smelled burning hair; never doubted was own.
Time of essence now as never before: If couldn’t get victim, self, safely beyond flames before metabolic supercharge ran down, likely wouldn’t — unconsciousness only seconds away.
Organizing actions to avoid waste motion suddenly acquired desperate importance. Snatched rear-seat cushion over into front; thrust through door opening (through which flames now licked, beginning to char headliner), positioning to bridge infernal moat. (Or almost bridge — just lacked length to span, with pond still spreading.)
Seized driver, propped up into approximately seated position, slumped against seat back. Loosened jacket, pulled up over head, zipped shut. Shoved limp arms down into pants; tightened belt to hold in place.
Shrugged own jacket upward, retracting head like turtle. Placed shoulder just below victim’s beltline; tugged, felt weight roll onto back as torso collapsed forward. Slid arm under thighs; lifted, jogging shoulder to center load in fireman’s carry (And marveled at own strength — while dreading impending consequences of reckless squandering: Sustained consumption rate surely four, five times norm; probably more.)
Straightened experimentally: Bumped roof to gauge relationship between victim’s fanny, own shoulders — crouch needed to clear upper door frame.
Fixed seat cushion’s location indelibly in mind’s eye. Took deep breath, held it; closed eyes, pinched jacket shut over face. And…
…LEAPED!
Time stopped as again felt blast-furnace ambience envelop whole body. Seemed to hang motionless midair; conscious this time of flames probing, digging, seeking access through flimsy coverings. Oppressive heat, pervasive roar blanketed all other sensations.
Feet blindly seeking landing, but impact somehow unexpected, surprise. Cushion yielded underfoot as knees bent, absorbing extra weight; then airborne again, leaping for fire’s boundary — and heart stopped as cushion skidded away from legs’ thrust, robbing jump of power needed for distance, throwing balance off.
Eyes snapped open, head jerked forward, trying to get clear of jacket; even at risk of optic burns, needed to see, reestablish orientation — mustn’t fall while still within holocaust!
Dragged fabric clear of eyes just as cool air washed jacket, over clothing, into lungs; as landed, stumbling briefly, on flat, dry, cool pavement.
Shrugged victim to ground; conducted hasty inspection for burning clothing — mine, his. Used own jacket to smother small blaze on victim’s left pants leg.
Then attention riveted by rapidly forming pool of blood under leg: bright red — arterial stuff. Probably femoral, judging by amount. Must have been lying such that position created pressure block, preventing loss in car. Moving eliminated obstruction. If femoral, had as little as 20 seconds left — less whatever time had been bleeding in car since first moved.
Heavy denim parted like cobweb before preternatural strength: Tore pants leg open from ankle to crotch; then ripped entirely free from garment. Turned victim over; confirmed suspicion immediately:
Deep gash from medial upper thigh to anterior knee — spurt-ing.
Twisted denim strip into rope; looped about thigh above wound. Looked around briefly, wistfully — no sticks within reach. Slid fingers under bandage, made hard fist; partially stood, stepped three fast turns around body, using own hand as stick, tightening tourniquet very nicely, thank you, but cutting off blood to fingertips in process.
Seized collar with left hand, right still lodged in tourniquet; swung victim back up over shoulder into fireman’s carry.
Staggered then, beset by flash of vertigo; suddenly aware of warning twinges as muscles all over body threatened to cramp. Conscious also of perspiration abruptly streaming from body in rivers as autonomic system belatedly noticed calorie-consumption rate, tried to do something about mounting internal temperature. And breathing affected now, too: coming in deep, tortured gasps.
But couldn’t complain; not unexpected. In fact, remarkable aspect to condition is why symptoms so long deferred — no idea how was still functioning at all. According to data, painfully garnered through previous supervised (and conservative) experiments, activity level sustained during past few minutes flatly impossible. Should have achieved coma long since through massive fatigue products build-up, with vital organs shutting down from systemic shock; death imminent, barring only most profound life support, treatment.
However, seemed less than opportune moment to question blessing. Set off for van at dead run.
Arrived still conscious but deteriorating: Heartbeat thundering inside skull; lungs afire; cramps attacking in earnest now; black patches flickering across vision; clothing dripping, saturated with sweat.
Terry greeted with “Hello, baby; what’cha doo-in’?”; but couldn’t spare breath, time to respond.