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

think she’s beyond

substance flowing through the underground pipelines and into the gate matrix. As predicted, the matrix blew almost instantly, rocking the chamber once more and sending deadly blasts of unstable mana arcing

roared. “I CAN SEE

dimension mage was hanging upside down from her spire, so close to the unstable mass of power she could reach out

“L-l-leader! Be c-c-careful!”

“BAH! CALL ME BRILLI-”

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

above. The chamber had been built to withstand magic detonations, but that last one had been beyond even what Brilliant was normally capable

the room stopped shaking and Experimant felt

a quick headcount? Sound

Brilliant said, emerging from

are…” Experimant said

want to know

“Not really-”

herself on the carapace with a front leg. “And that was

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

of you out of the cages. We’ve

grumbled as she helped the rest of

got a good look at

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 she

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

the dust and began rummaging about, shouting and exclaiming all the while. Assistant hesitantly made her way from the

as an array embedded into

to work, she savaged it with a bite before running to the next. In short order, she’d either repaired or fatally damaged all ten of the outer detectors and started poring over the printed scent-pages of information

mana was