"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.
open fire," Burke told the general resting behind
out a
Elder. Fire when
outer wall the order 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
however, the
to fire! Long range will engage in ten seconds! Ten seconds! Soldiers and generals will fire in thirty seconds! Wait
Are you ready to
Check your angles! Don't aim for the front
what real monsters are made
"Two! One! FIRE!"
the entire scouting brigade of the Formica Sapiens, their collective business districts
POW!
with incredible power. All together the shrill sound pierced the air but faded quickly as the acid lost momentum and began to reach its
who fell was set upon by its fellow horde members in an instant, torn apart and consumed in seconds. Hundreds of monsters were felled in this way but
POW! POW! POW!
scouts continued their steady barrage, firing in sequence as a
Burke observed, "what do you think
it's close. I haven't been tracking
generals, FIRE!" the order rippled
POW! POW! POW! POW!
to fall on the horde like burning rain. The ants were careful to spread their fire as much as possible. It wasn't as if it were possible to miss in this scenario, but to inflict maximum damage on the horde the ants didn't need to inflict fatal damage. It was better to wound as
their wounded brethren, 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
look out over the wall once again. "Ten more seconds till
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