“How come, Sir? We won’t be flying out at all?”
“Not that we are complaining…” Jo threw in.
Xe smiled. His moral kicked back into place.
“Do you see that cloud over there?” He gestured toward the western sky. With the weather being dry recently, the youngsters still didn’t hear the lecture on recognizing incoming storms by appearance of the clouds. “Pure white and puffy, and it doesn’t seem perilous. But in fact…”
The rain indeed came in the mid-afternoon, but in a form of weak intermittent showers which barely wet the dust of the flatlands and only increased the humidity. Still, as always, the temperature inside of the Hive remained bearable.
By morning it stopped raining. The sun returned more intense than ever, and every inhabitant of the great plains who was at liberty to flee to the shade did so. Eeols couldn’t afford such luxury.
“Our current quest leads us to the Black Soils Area,” said Commander Ma to his Scouts. “Strict caution will be required as this zone is full of thickets, and there may be unpleasant surprises so stay alert. Also, keep close to others at all times.”
“We haven’t yet seen the Black Soils Area, Sir,” remarked Jo.
Commander Ma gave him an angry look. “You are not allowed to interrupt, Starter JoraZ0186! When Matures talk, the young keep silent!”
Attentive as always, Xe caught the snort from Go’s direction; but luckily, he was the only one who did.
“Understood, Sir.” Although Jo bowed his head, his eyes didn’t cease to blaze. Insolence burned in them like the black flame.
Later, when the scouting company was already more than half-way to their destination, Xe deemed it might be a good time for a talk with Go. He carefully climbed up, being mindful not to cause disorder in their flying formation, and slowly neared the rebellious Eeoless.
“How did it go this time, Go? Was it hard?” He was referring to her latest penalty.
“Not in the least.” She smiled, being in a good mood apparently. “We were scraping down some parasitic mushrooms from brood cocoons on Subterraneous Level 4. Ugly, slimy lumps which squash and ooze under your spike, but according to our Master, they don’t cause any damage. And, yes! Did you know that the Superiors have been looking for KappaP5513 for days? He is nowhere to be found. Shirker!”
“Maybe something happened to him?”
“Yeah, right. No, he’s hiding who knows where. Somebody will find him sooner or later, but what can the Superiors do beyond put him in punishment again? He’ll never come to his senses.”
Just like somebody I know, thought Xe.
The scouting company took a dive. The Black Soils Area lay under them, blackening at several spots where the ground was bare but mostly swallowed by green and brassy colors of its thick vegetation. The pleasant scent of multiple flowers drifted upwards on the gentle summer breeze, soothing the hearts of Eeols.
“I know this place,” cried Xe to his Starters, looking at the landscape features and picking up familiar patterns.
“We were right at this spot in the late spring I reckon. Yes…” he smiled and pointed with his hand. “I remember like it was yesterday. Me and Commander Da, we were both mere Starters then, stood beside that exact root snag, that brown twisted thing you can see over there, when Commander Ce came from this direction–”
“Who’s Commander Ce, Sir?” interjected Jo.
Xe’s face darkened instantly.
“Who…? The best Commander in the world… that is, he was. He’s dead now. Don’t ask, just proceed with your orders, Starter,” he snapped in a harsher tone than he had intended.
“Understood, Sir,” grumbled Jo, not satisfied with the answer.
Xe still found it too painful to think about Commander Ce or about any of his lost friends for that matter. He threw himself into his tasks instead and it showed to be helpful; concentrating on the work was taking his mind off the grim stuffs.
In this plentiful area, the Scouts located the rich pasture with ease. It was a lovely grove of Samse in full bloom with plants stemming around in abundance but still not too dense, and also at sufficient distance from the large and heavily entwined thicket that greened to the north. Being in the top of their season, large red and yellow flowers emitted powerful sweet scent into the hot air.
“Well done, Scouts,” commended Mission Commander DeraB1044, pleased with the find.
After half of the company flew back to the Hive, the remaining Scouts stayed alert keeping watch from the plant tops and patrolling the designated zone in small groups. The time was passing slowly for them. The summer sun began to beat hard and the wind totally died out. In the shade of a nearby coppice of Brush Herb, a group of lazy Grasshoppers nibbled at the metallic leaves and observed impassively Eeol units tirelessly sauntering the area.
Pretending to look to the other side, Xe heard his Starters whispering something among themselves while showing in his direction. That was not the first time he caught the youngsters talking about him and he wondered how mature Scouts of their unit had to seem from their viewpoint.
Well, Fe liked him, that much was certain, as he admired all Commanders. For the others, Te was probably the favorite. Xe could vaguely distinguish his friend behind a thick brassy foliage at the left being busy assisting Ve on patrol. She had probably asked for help again; she did that a lot and it annoyed the other Matures, but Te has never turned down help to anybody, and Xe couldn’t recall ever seeing him mad. He envied him a lot.
Some strange hum interrupted his thoughts.
Silent at first but rapidly growing louder, it was coming out of the deep shadows of that entangled thicket rising at the north. The muffled sound turned into a rough buzzing, abominable and blood-curdling, and the tips of the plants in the thicket began to shake.
All Eeol heads were raised in alarm.
“Swarm of the Long-legged Grabbing Flies! A huge one!”
By the volume of the buzz, the Eeols knew they were way outnumbered and that any attempt to take a stand would be futile, which meant there was only one option left.
“Run, Scouts!!! Emergency take-off!” bellowed Commander NakaP8812, who was temporarily in charge as their Mission Commander had gone with the first half of company. All the Scouts were taking off in a feverish rush. “There is not a second to lose, the enemy is upon us! Stick together and head for the Hive!”
The nasty armored insects began to shoot out of the leafy shroud of a thicket with their large segmented bodies glimmering a metallic blue in the bright sunlight. There were hundreds of them. With dazzling speed, the carnivorous Flies engaged in the pursuit, and harsh buzzing of their powerful air-screws clouded all other sounds of the plains.
Frightened to death, the small party of Eeols put every last bit of their strength into a desperate attempt to lose them.
Xe dared to look back just once. He assessed the Flies outnumbered their forces at least five to one. The dreadful flock was coming fast and steadily closing in. While the speedy Green had a good chance to outrun them, there were many Scouts who couldn’t keep up this velocity for long.
Dashing by his side, young Ve was weeping.
“I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die!”
For a moment she started to lose speed; but Se 7 and Se 11 got to her and grabbed her firmly under the arms, pulling her forward by the strength of their air-screws.
“Ve, you must not surrender! Just keep going! Fly, fly!”
Xe looked around for the rest of his Starters. There was Bo zooming fast from the other side, very pale and mute as a rock; Jo and Fe flew at the rear dragging two slower fellows, alongside Da and Go who dragged another two. Ha and Se 41 were nowhere in sight, but Xe was sure they were somewhere ahead.
The heavily armed insects weren’t easing their chase. By the time the Scouts reached one moderately-sized hill, the relentless Flies were so close that Xe could clearly see their sharp metallic jaws and repulsive snouts. Little by little, the speed of their party w
as waning.
“I can’t go further! I have no strength left!” Cries full of despair pealed through Scout ranks.
With muffled clicks, Xe pulled shiny tips of blasters out of his wrists.
But then the most beautiful sound echoed across the plains.
It was a gorgeous and marvelous buzz, a combined song of thousands of Eeol air-screws. Brought by the summoners, the gathering swarm has arrived. The twirling red eddy spilled over the land like a red flood sweeping away everything in its path, and the puzzled Flies didn’t stand a chance.
Xe hovered high in the air, still catching his breath and glaring at the scene. He listened to the sweet buzzing and couldn’t get enough of it. The sound was so enjoyable and lovely it was almost beyond description.
Somebody slapped him on the back from behind.
“Pull yourself together, Commander!” He picked up Commander Ma’s voice even before he had a time to turn around. “Help to call up our Starters! The unit has to assemble!”
Xe nodded in reply, but the execution of this order showed to be a demanding task as youngsters overwhelmed with excitement were difficult to work with.
Jo was constantly flying in circles and bumping into his friends in the process. “Did they get them? Did they?”
“Oh, yes,” affirmed Se 7 and Se 11, watching down on the numerous incinerated carcasses of slain insects scattered over the brown clay. “They got them for real. Not a single Fly escaped!”
On the other hand, Ve couldn’t stop shivering while crying her eyes out. “It was horrible! I have never been so scared in my life!”
Due to all the fuss, it took a while for unit 33 to get into a proper array.
“Attention, Scouts!” said Commander Ma. “Swarm Leader CaxaD7605 kindly allowed several troops to escort us home to have a rest from today’s dire events. Basic flying formation, quickly! I have the lead.”
“In line after the Commander Ma!” rushed Xe. “Scouts, let’s go home.”
21.
When the Ice Falls
The heat grew worse further into the summer. With temperatures escalating beyond all limits, even the air itself seemed thick and smothering. It has been a while since it last rained, but there was still sufficient moisture deeper in the ground protected by the hardened surface of clay, and metallic plants weren’t suffering much. Sweet nectar continued to run into the needy honeycombs of the Hive in decent amounts, allowing Eeols to relax regarding their food supplies. The only remaining problem was how to withstand the awful hot days.
Thanks to its mainly underground positioning and thick external walls, the Hive could be kept reasonably comfortable with some help from the carefully planned ventilation, but Flyers on duty were cooking inside their red armors. They looked for any shade in the vegetation to get away from the scorching sun, yet under metallic leaves swelter tended to get even more extreme.
“Hot, hot, hot,” moaned Jo, dusting off his currently not so glistening red armor. “I used to hate winter, but now I have to admit that cold season does have its advantages.”
“My helmet is constantly overheating,” complained Bo. “I’ll have sunstroke one of these days for sure!”
Ha turned out to be the only youngster who didn’t whine, but he was keeping his mouth shut anyway. Nothing seemed to bother him, and he always looked calm, or perhaps apathetic.
For the time being, the Starters were enduring all the difficulties very well. The ugly reality of the outer world shook them hard but didn’t break their spirits. They were fighting and adapting and learning how to cope.
Still, there were quite a few mistakes and false alarms.
One time Xe stared in disbelief and was too surprised to react at Fe firing his weapons on the peaceful Grasshopper. Awakened abruptly from its mid-afternoon slumber by a burning blaster shot, the hulking insect instinctively jumped off, delivering at the same time a powerful kick with his hind leg that flung Fe through the air like a flake.
The youngster blacked out, but fortunately wasn’t seriously injured; only his helmet suffered a modest indentation. The other Scouts managed to bring him back right on the spot.
“Starter FeppaT7131!” yelled infuriated Commander Ma while Fe was struggling to sit up. “What were you thinking? Attacking a Grasshopper! Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
Fe squinted at Scouts surrounding him, looking embarrassed.
“I thought it was a hostile,” he murmured.
“Hostile? That was a Grasshopper! How can a plain grass-chewer be hostile?”
“I’ve mistaken it for a Grabbing Fly.” The youngster had to be aware how stupid it sounded as those two insects shared absolutely no resemblance. “I glimpsed some large creature in the vegetation, panicked it might be a lurking Fly, and it worked out like this.”
“Starters, I said it before, and I’ll repeat again. Be careful! A quick response is crucial for a Scout, but quick does not mean mindless.”
Crashing into plants and other obstacles, that was happening to youngsters so often that nobody counted it any more. In one such incident Se 11 prattled happily with Se 7 while the company was entering the Hive, and flying forward blindly while looking back to his friend, he succeeded to miss the entire Gate. The Starter smashed into the hard wall; sliding down a long way before remembering to stop himself by means of his spikes. That was indeed a triumph of stupidity and earned him a couple of penalty days.
Still, Go was the true queen of penalties. Sometimes by Commander Ma’s request, but much more often by complaint of some another Superior, she was collecting her days for disobedience, neglect of duty and cheekiness. Quite frankly, she didn’t mind it but regarded her determination not to bend to the rules a virtue; for her, all these punishments were actually confirmation of her personal worth.
That morning Go was again coming out of detention to meet her unit in the Central Chamber.
“Masters finally found KappaP5513!” she announced with a chuckle. “You won’t believe what that slacker did. He discovered some forgotten room at Level 4 with some old honeycomb still containing a little food, and he simply stayed there loitering. If some Internals didn’t come to tear down the chamber, who knows how long he would have been stayed there. The Superiors decided enough was enough, and there will be no more flights for him. He is now permanently placed with the cripples to work in the Hive.”
Xe shrugged. “Better for him to stay inside, he would be safer there. With such an attitude, it’s a miracle he didn’t get killed long ago.”
The gathered Starters giggled, being allowed to listen to the story. It was certainly a rarity among Eeols to disregard one’s duties completely and that was the real reason why slacker Ka was getting so much attention in the Swarm.
“Enough with talks,” ordered Commander Ma, showing up without warning as habitually. “Move, Scouts! Our company is going to fly out shortly, so make haste!”
Like many times before, scouting company three emerged from the Hive into the summer morning. The outer air was unpleasantly warm and humid, almost viscous, as this day was promising to be especially hot. The sun scorched savagely from the predominately blue sky, although some light-gray clouds hung over the western horizon.
The company set a course toward the Stream, increasing its speed.
“I really don’t understand why we can’t get one day off,” grumbled Go while Xe hummed softly beside her. “One lousy day, now when it’s so hot and supplies are good. But no, the Queen, sitting in her cool and cozy chamber, won’t let us!”
“Shush, Go,” warned the Green. “Don’t talk too much!”
She grunted again and rubbed her visor nervously, but shut her big mouth. Xe looked around, and fortunately nobody was near enough to be able to overhear their conversation.
It was one thing to criticize the Queen when speaking with close friends, but Starters might pass along what she said to the Superiors purely unintentionally, and badmouthing the Queen was considered a very serious offense which mig
ht generate severe consequences. Concerned for Go’s wellbeing, Xe was doing his best to stop her from the worst violations of the Swarm rules at least.
A beautiful multicolored Butterfly crossed paths with Eeol company, gliding on its tin wings with strenuous effort. The lack of a breeze on which Butterflies relied to help them keep aloft was making it difficult and the pretty creature fluttered in the hot sultry air like stunned.
But then a much sinister sight came into view, freezing the Eeol hearts straight up. The entire company stopped and hovered in midair.
On the gentle slope of one small hill there was a clump of emerald-green stems. Dressed in glossy lancet-shaped leaves from top to bottom, they were all erecting from a single root together with one distinctive tongue-like shoot, long and thin and sprouting far upwards; a developing bud of a future flower.
The verdurous clump was a Maya plant.
Its bud was a dreadful reminder that their blooming season was close. With the last days of summer, the Maya plants would mercilessly open their lavish red blossoms to bring the bane of Eeols, a horrible and inexplicable thing known as Evil of the Maya Flower, and nobody could remain cold on these prospects.
Mission Commander DeraB1044 shouted an order and the Scouts winced. Executing his command, the company quickly regrouped and resumed its course. They were all deeply disturbed, but they had to proceed with their seeking.
A wandering silver stripe glared some distance away. The Stream was abundant with water once more as it rushed its way between the heavily-grown banks. With the early-summer drought long forgotten, the vegetation fringing its violent currents became thick and lush again. Thanks to the rich pastures available across the plains, there was no need for Scouts to take risks by getting to close to this dangerous area.
A fine meadow was already looming ahead of the company, located in wide ranges of the perfectly flat terrain extending alongside the western bank of the Stream. Consumed with bright colors of many flowers, it was easily distinguishable from the surrounding gravel-strewn plateau where hardly anything grew.
The Call of the Swarm Page 22
