"About time they got here," Burke muttered to herself as the horde made its final approach to the outer layer of fortifications the colony had erected.
"Everything ready?" Wills asked for the fourth time in the last five minutes.
"Yes, everything is ready. You really should have rested when you were told to."
"Couldn't," Wills flicked her antennae, "the scouts were still out there."
"That doesn't mean that you had to be."
"We disagree on that point."
"I know," Burke lifted an antenna and brought it down with a gentle thwack on her siblings head. "Now that the battle has arrived, you're useless. Go back with the other late returning scouts and get an hour of rest. This isn't going to be over by then."
Stubborn, Wills shook her head.
"I'll be fine for a while yet," she said, "I've got a full load of acid and I'm not sleeping till these invaders have felt every drop of it."
"Fair enough then. Just make sure you don't push too far forward. Stick to the plan. Deliver the product and then get to safety."
The two scouts fell into a companionable silence as the horde made its final approach. One hundred metres. That's all that separated the enemy from the first defensive line. After a week of solid fighting, it was a relief to have it come to this.
"About time then," Burke announced.
"Seems like it," Wills agreed.
order to open fire," Burke told
snapped out
course, Elder. Fire
was passed in rapid pheromone communication. Not a single sound was uttered yet a thousand monstrous ants leapt into motion simultaneously. Not far away the human defenders could only marvel and the eerie quiet in which
however, the
engage in ten seconds! Ten seconds! Soldiers and generals will fire in thirty seconds!
Are you ready
Check your angles! Don't
them what real monsters
"Two! One! FIRE!"
Sapiens, their collective
POW!
faint whistle emitted from each ant's volley as the acid cut through the air with incredible power. All together the shrill sound
upon by its fellow horde members in an instant,
POW! POW! POW!
barrage, firing in sequence
"what do you think
I haven't been tracking the time,"
and generals, FIRE!" the order rippled down the
POW! POW! POW! POW!
if it were possible to miss in this
the horde continued to advance, an unstoppable wave of momentum that couldn't be halted. Despite the damage caused by the acid bombardment, the colony may as
she could look out over the wall once again. "Ten more
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