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.

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

who w-w-w-will save

think she’s

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

Brilliant roared. “I CAN SEE IT

mage was 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 quick farewell to the disturbed genius as

“L-l-leader! Be c-c-careful!”

“BAH! CALL ME BRILLI-”

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

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

five minutes before the room stopped shaking and Experimant felt

get a quick headcount?

Brilliant said, emerging from the

course you are…” Experimant

you want to know how I

“Not really-”

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

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

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

sensor arrays melted?” Experimant grumbled as she

got a good look at what

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

“I can project it if necessary. My brain, that is. Come

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

legs as an array

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

got by infusing the liquid mana was