Chrysalis

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Sloan asked Cobalt tentatively.

"Sure? Of course I'm sure?! Did you think I sat around here crunching numbers between my mandibles for twenty hours just for the heck of it?!"

"All right! I just wanted to check, please, keep working," the general made a tactical retreat to where several other council members were standing at a safe distance.

"Gotta be careful around the carvers right now," Wills greeted her, "they are more than a little touchy."

"Can't really say I blame them," Sloan muttered, "considering how hard they've been working, and the constant threat of being dragged off for torpor."

"That reminds me," Bella chipped in, "didn't Cobalt get dragged away yesterday?"

"She did. The moment she woke up, she was back at it," Wills confirmed.

They all fell silent as they internally paid tribute to the incredible fortitude of the carvers, the great buildings of the Colony. To face down not only an insurmountable amount of work, but the torpor police at the same time, it took more courage than most soldiers would dream of claiming.

Wills took another look at the huge steel constructs being assembled in front of them.

"Just so I get this straight in my mind," she said, "they want to drop these down and drive them into the plate that holds the city so we can run down the cables in order to assault the city?"

"That sums it up," Sloan said.

"I don't know… that doesn't seem… nuts? To any of you?"

"It's a bit extreme," Sloan agreed, "but when you think about it, there aren't really any safe ways to assault the city from up here. You either climb down the pillar, an idea that I've ruled out since our enemy is likely prepared for such an approach. Although we doubt they expect a serious assault from above at all. Or, you make your own way down. We considered creating a unit of flying soldiers or scouts to secure a landing ground for us, but the evolutionary costs are prohibitive."

tier six scouts," Wills said absently, still

tier five members of the Colony was slowly increasing, but there weren't many, barely more than a thousand, each and every one of which would be participating in this assault. To counterbalance that,

once only belonged to the Queen was now being shared amongst a select few of her

"HeythereguyshowareyouallahwhoopsIdidn'tstopfastenoughnoooooooo!!!"

nearby wall which raised a storm of cursing from exhausted construction workers. When the dust cleared the second ant to reach the sixth tier was revealed, upside down, her six legs flailing in the

"I'mnotusedtomyspeedyetheeeeeeeeelp!" she laughed.

few seconds for Sloan to translate what she could smell, only then did they move over and

understand what you're trying to say when you talk that fast! You have to slow it down

her legs started to flex the moment they

her evolution there'd barely been a solitary moment when she hadn't been running. If her previous speed had been absurd, then at tier six she was practically lightning. If the ants who saw her didn't have

that I just can't quite get used to it! I think I'll need to mutate my brain again before I'll be able to handle this much speed! Anyway, how are all of you doing? You look tired! Are you working too hard? Don't let the torpor police catch you! If you want to keep away from them, my advice is

scent in edgeways, she was gone, accelerating so fast she

know what she's capable of now that she's

luck getting her to sit down and explain it to you," Wills laughed. "Best bet is you wait for the Eldest to get back. They

"I don't like having unknown factors in a battle, even if they're

aside, "having more power on our side

the drop! Make sure you double check your prescribed angles! We start tunnelling in ten minutes!"

giant spearheads had been slotted into place and

snap! She's just going to start in ten minutes?! The troops aren't in place!" Sloan

need speed lessons from Vibrant?" Wills

until the

my antennae crooked or

well? They're an integral part