Chrysalis

“MORE POWER, DAMMIT!”

“We don’t have any more! We don’t have the power!”

“It’s so close. So close! Empty the tanks, we need every drop!”

“But… but that’s madness!”

“It’s not madness… it’s BRILLIANT!”

Electricity crackled, lightning flashed and sparks fell like rain from overhead as the ants scurried to follow the orders of their leader. Atop her observation spire, Brilliant cackled, her mandibles snapping together in a staccato rhythm as the flashes and explosions lit her from below, projecting her demented shadow onto the wall.

“Th-th-the b-backup m-m-matrix is collapsing!” Assistant whimpered.

“It’s fine, we have three backups!”

“This IS the third backup!” Experimant roared.

“Not to worry, I installed a secret fourth backup matrix and didn’t tell you!”

“That’s just a lie, isn’t it?!”

Another explosion rocked the chamber and Brilliant teetered on the edge of her spire, a hair's breadth from losing her grip and falling into the swirling maelstrom of light below. The many-faceted eyes of the mage were filled with an unearthly glow, and for a long moment, Experimant was convinced she’d finally lost her mind.

“Dump the tanks and then hit the cages!” she shouted and hundreds of lab ants rushed to follow her orders.

“Th-th-th-th-th-this will overflow the matrix for sure!” Assistant said.

snatched up

who w-w-w-will save the

think she’s beyond

sending the volatile substance flowing through the underground pipelines and into the gate matrix. As predicted, the matrix blew

CAN SEE EVERYTHING!” Brilliant roared. “I CAN SEE IT

so close to the unstable mass of power she could reach out and touch it. Within her heart, Experimant said a quick farewell to the disturbed

“L-l-leader! Be c-c-careful!”

“BAH! CALL ME BRILLI-”

the entire room in a second. Brilliant never got a chance to complete

rained down from above. The chamber had been built to withstand magic

stopped shaking and Experimant felt confident enough to

get a

said, emerging

course you are…”

want to know

“Not really-”

she boasted, slapping herself on the carapace with a front leg. “And that was the best experiment we’ve run so far! The

“Y-y-you're alive?” Assistant mumbled.

you out of the cages. We’ve

she helped the rest of

ones. But that’s fine, I got a good look at what they

I extract your brain to study it, then?” Experimant said, then realised she said it out loud, went to apologise,

it if necessary. My brain, that is. Come on!

shouting and exclaiming all the while. Assistant hesitantly made her way from the perimeter as the rest of the staff began

come on, come on, come on… YES!” Brilliant punched the air with her two front legs as an array embedded into a reinforced stone pillar flickered to

to the next. In short order, she’d either repaired

got by infusing the liquid mana