Chapter 24 Is There A Solution?

Morton did a deep breathing exercise as he sat in a chair. He drummed his fingers on the side of the chair, hoping that would also contribute to his calming down. Iggy stood in front of one of the lab tables, and his eye was directed into the lens of a microscope. He looked ultra serious, ultra determined, as he studied the crystal specimen. It was kind of comical in Morton's opinion. Iggy was like a statue. A very realistic and colorful statue, but a statue nonetheless. Morton slowly got up and walked over to his brother.

"Discover anything?" He didn't even bother trying hide his desperate tone.

Iggy lifted his head and looked at Morton with a taken aback expression. "This crystal...it is unlike any crystal I have ever seen!" He backed away from the microscope, keeping his eyes on Morton. "It appears that it is made out of pure Galaxium!"

Morton nodded. "Well, yes, but that was kind of a given." Galaxium was known for being the end all, be all source when it came to magic. Of course the crystal that would start a time loop would be made of such a thing.

"Yes," said Iggy. "But that is not what intrigues me." He gestured toward the microscope. "I would recommend taking a look for yourself."

Morton nodded and leaned toward the lens. What he saw was incredible. Crystalline fractal patterns formed loop-like scenery. It was like staring at a snowflake, or perhaps a fingerprint. What's more; there were more colors present than Morton could shake a stick at. Yellows fought with the purples, blues kissed the oranges, reds and pinks caressed the greens. It was almost like Morton was staring directly at the inside of a very expensive, very beautiful kaleidoscope.

"Woah," Morton uttered.

"I know," said Iggy. "I wasn't even aware such formations were possible with galaxium before. But then again, it is a newly discovered element, so I suppose anything is possible."

"Right," said Morton. He turned toward his brother. "But how are we going to destroy the crystal?"

"Hmm. A good question if I have ever heard one." Iggy put his hand to his chin. "Perhaps what we should do is try a magical spell?"

Morton shook his head. "I don't think that'll work. I already talked to Kamek during one of the loops."

"Oh!" Iggy nodded. "Yes, yes, I remember you telling me this." He continued stroking his chin, his eyes focusing on the floor while his mouth was in a serious line. "I suppose….we should start with brute force?"

Morton looked down at the crystal. He didn't know if that would work. Actually, he was hesitant to believe it would, considering the crystal had survived being crushed by Motley Bossblob. But what other options were there?

"I suppose we can give it a shot." With that, Morton picked up the crystal. Gritting his teeth, he exerted all of his strength into trying to snap it in half. He tried so hard that he felt as if he pulled a muscle. Alas, it was to no avail. The crystal would not break.

"Man," Morton said as he panted. "This thing is tough."

"Durable, yes," said Iggy with a nod. "I theorize that it is similar to a diamond, as such a gem is difficult to break."

"Okay. So what now?"

Iggy thought about this before putting on a smile. He made his way into the Chasm of Death before coming out with a sledgehammer. He handed it to his brother.

"Morton, will you do the honors?"

Morton nodded and took the sledgehammer. Staring down at the crystal with a hate-filled expression, he readied his hammer. Swinging it back, he used all the strength he had at his disposal. He even broke the floor underneath.

Unfortunately, the crystal remained intact.

"Darn it," Morton muttered.

"Darn it indeed," said Iggy. "We need to resort to more drastic measures."

With that, he went back into the Chasm of Death. This time, he came out with a jackhammer. Morton looked at the display in concern.

"Umm, Iggy…?"

"Step aside Morton and let a professional break this down." He slapped on a construction helmet and turned on the jackhammer. The sound it produced made Morron's teeth hurt. He put his hands to his ears, feeling like he was minutes away from screaming in pain.

Iggy himself rode the jackhammer toward the crystal, leaving marks in the floor along the way. When he got to the crystal, he laughed maniacally, towering over it like an executioner. However, the darn thing still did not break.

"Come on, COME ON!" Iggy cried. He switched the jackhammer up to an even higher setting. The noise grew louder and louder, the vibrations of the power tool grew stronger. The thing let out a pathetic sound as it screamed for relief, ultimately causing Morton's ears to bleed. Before he could move though, the jackhammer exploded. Iggy was pushed back and landed right on top of his brother. They coughed and hacked away as the smoke cleared.

"Did it work?" Morton asked.

"Let's find out, shall we?" Iggy asked. He got back up, took off his construction hat, threw it toward the other side of the lab, and went over to the spot where the crystal should have been.

"OH, YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!"

Morton got up. He knew exactly what that cry meant, but he needed to see in order to confirm his fears. When he came over, he gawked at the sight.

The crystal was still in one piece. There wasn't even a dent in it.

"What?" Morton asked. "How is that even possible?"

Iggy scratched the back of his head. "I suppose we need another tool. Perhaps nuclear bombs would be worth considering?"

Morton's heart stopped in its tracks. "No! We are not doing that!"

"Well then, what can we do?" Iggy asked. "We have got to destroy this thing somehow, and traditional methods are not working."

Morton sighed. He was right. Of course he was right; he just watched a very long demonstration of how he was. He gazed at the crystal, feeling more and more hatred toward the thing as he did. He decided he needed to look away from the evil thing before he exploded in rage.

So he did. His eyes roamed over the lab. They stopped at one particular place. That being, a silver looking pod with an antenna on the top.

"Iggy?"

"Yes?"

Morton turned toward his brother, feeling more hopeful than he had throughout any of the last few days. "What if we use the time machine?"