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.

Experimant replied as she snatched up the smaller ant, threw her on her back and rushed

who w-w-w-will save the

she’s

substance flowing through the underground pipelines and into the gate matrix. As predicted, the matrix blew almost instantly, rocking the chamber

roared. “I CAN SEE

mass of power she could reach out and touch it. Within her

“L-l-leader! Be c-c-careful!”

“BAH! CALL ME BRILLI-”

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

cover as stone and debris rained down from above. The chamber had been built to

room stopped shaking and Experimant felt confident

we get a

Brilliant said, emerging from

you are…” Experimant said

to

“Not really-”

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

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

Come on, all of you out of the cages. We’ve got to check the

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

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

then?” Experimant said, then realised she said it out loud,

brain, that is. Come on! We are on the verge of a breakthrough after

and exclaiming all the while. Assistant hesitantly made her way from the

YES!” Brilliant punched the air with her two front legs as an array embedded into a reinforced stone pillar flickered to life. “Someone

In short order, she’d either

of power we got by infusing the liquid mana was just what we needed. See these readings? Are