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 the smaller ant, threw her on her back and rushed to the

w-w-w-will save the

she’s

mana emptied, sending the volatile substance flowing through the underground pipelines and into the gate matrix. As predicted, the matrix blew almost instantly, rocking the chamber once more

roared. “I CAN SEE IT

hanging upside down from her spire, so close to the unstable mass of power she could reach out and touch it. Within her heart, Experimant said a

“L-l-leader! Be c-c-careful!”

“BAH! CALL ME BRILLI-”

white, then expanded rapidly, enveloping the entire room in a

for cover as stone and debris rained down from above. The chamber had been built to withstand magic detonations, but that last one had been beyond

room stopped shaking and Experimant felt confident enough to

we get a

Brilliant said,

are…”

to

“Not really-”

herself on the carapace with a front leg. “And that was the best experiment we’ve

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

you out of the cages. We’ve got to

all of our sensor arrays melted?” Experimant grumbled as she helped the rest of

fine, I got a good look

I extract your brain to study it, then?” Experimant said, then realised she said it out loud, went to apologise, then shrugged and kept doing what

hand, “I can project it if necessary. My brain, that is. Come on! We are on the verge of a breakthrough after

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

on, 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

one. When that refused to work, she savaged it with a bite before running to the next. In short order, she’d either repaired

mana was just what we needed.