Rachel tracked the creatures’ movements up a large tree; they were surprisingly silent and quick for their size, but she could hear every twitch of their muscles and joints.

Turning to the captain, she said, “Taliesin, once Scarlet is back, could you send one of your men through to report the situation to the Major and have them bring as many blood bags as they can. There should be a bag of sugar, too. General Dallas said there would be some prepared.”

“Yeah, I can do that. What about the creatures in the jungle and the ones under our feet?”

“Right now, I’m just observing them, and the creatures below us are taking some time to create their tunnel; I don’t think they know our exact position. They’re probably examining the vibrations we make walking. Don’t worry about any of them; I’ll inform you if anything changes.”

He nodded. “It sure is strange having people with abilities around … I suppose the general chose you for a reason.”

She turned her focus back to the sky.

The flying ones seem to be drawn to Fiona’s light; but overall, they’re nothing special. They could be dangerous to creatures on this planet, especially with their numbers, but Fiona just has to fan her fireballs around, and they get smoked. It’ll be interesting to see what new skills she can develop after killing all of them. They’re not really that intelligent … she’s beginning to kill them by the hundred.

Her head dropped to the treeline.

These invisible things, though … I feel like it’s still too early to count them as intelligent, but they certainly do seem to have interesting behavior. Two scouts that are obviously observing. The issue is if they can communicate with the others. It doesn’t appear like they are, but how would I confirm it?

Rachel’s wide vision took in the area.

These soldiers are tense, but focused; they’ve only been given orders to secure the crystal and wait for us … it must be aggravating. That scientist operating the equipment seems most agitated. They are dealing with a lot of unknowns in an alien environment; the horror movies flashing through their minds must be on overdrive.

These things must seem like wraiths to them … I can’t hear any other humans in the jungle. Where did they bring the other unit? How did they escape the defenses, as well? They could have sharp senses to detect the claymores and other defensive measures … they’re clearly cautious. The previous team could have been under observation the entire time.

They took much of their equipment with them, but I don’t hear any of it within my sensory radius. Why? Scarlet should have a lot more information with her when she returns.

Her ears stiffened as she turned her head, scanning the area.

There are so many creatures around the jungle, but most appear to keep a wide distance from the monsters that attacked the camp. They’re probably the apex predators of … wait, one of them just attacked another creature … how far away … three miles southeast.

She paused on the scene, listening to the scrapes and light guttural sounds the other creature made in contrast to the high-pitched sounds of the invisible monster.

The other one is putting up a decent fight … they’re winning. I’m not close enough to get a clear picture. It did something to…

Her thoughts paused, ears twitching; she’d heard a high-frequency sound from the invisible creatures in that direction, making every one of the monsters around the forest pause and look in that direction; it sounded like a distress call.

The offensive unit of the invisible creatures had just been wounded and was on the retreat; a new sound from under the ground entered the mix, and the sounds faded with a shift in directions by several units in the area.

Was it a counter-ambush? Did they bait the creatures to a specific location to get the upper hand? They caught up … it sounds like they’re pulling them underground. This ecosystem is an interesting one.

She glanced south as she heard Scarlet teleporting just under a mile at a time, heading their way. The other soldiers tensed as she appeared beside her.

“Rachel, it’s not a burnt area!” She said with excitement. “It’s like black sand—well, more gravel than sand.” She said, holding up a handful of the bumpy substance; it almost looked like obsidian, but less shiny.

It could be dangerous to handle for humans. I’m not so worried about Scarlet, but the others…

“Taliesin, could you get a biohazard bag that we could put this in. I’m sure the scientists on the other side would want to investigate the substance.”

“I was just about to suggest that,” he muttered, calling over the blonde-haired scientist by the trailer adjusting the radio equipment. “Hazard bag, Thomson!”

Scarlet’s brow creased as she looked down at the objects in her hands. “I didn’t even think about it being dangerous like that.”

“I doubt it could do any harm to you,” Rachel chuckled. “Anyways, what else did you find?”

“Thousands of those insect-like creatures underground! It’s like a massive hive, and I saw the equipment down there … the men are dead, though. It looks like their bodies were taken to the hatchery … butchered, really.”

“Butchered...” Taliesin’s nose twitched.

Scarlet looked up. “Fiona’s fighting those dragonfly things?”

“Yes,” Rachel said without explanation. “What do the invisible ones look like?”

“Umm,” her void black and red halo irises shifted to the trees. “Kind of odd. Some have a circular butt that flattens out into a point, and they have different sections on their bodies … kind of like an ant-wasp hybrid. Some have two big wings … I can see a bluish-like liquid coursing through their bodies; that’s probably their blood.

“Their mouths have four sharp … what would you call it—mandibles? There are smaller teeth further in their mouths. I can see a pretty small brain, and they have some strange organs. I think they have a really hard outer shell; it looks tough, at least.

“Oh, and there are a few different types in the hive; the ones that were sent out look more or less the same—my teeth ache a bit … I kind of want to see what they taste like. Oh—but looks—looks … some have segmented parts, and some are more oval. Some are brown and black, some green. The ones that are digging have paddle-like hands with small sharp fingers … they’re super creepy, actually.

“There are a few fuzzy ones in the underground hive, and they all have stingers near their stomach. I saw one latch onto a big rhino looking bug … like around its back, and its stinger shot right through its tough-looking armor. It injected some kind of liquid that paralyzed the rhino-bug. Every one of them has six legs and big antenna … some larger than others.”

“Crap,” Maria mumbled; she was still seated several meters away on the trailer, but listening. “Thousands of those things around us?”

“Well, there are tunnels under us,” Scarlet nodded, “but I don’t think they’re all from those creatures.”

“What about being invisible?” Taliesin asked.

“Oh, yeah! The ones in the jungle can change their colors to blend in. I don’t know if the others can do it, though. I didn’t see any of them doing it besides the ones with flat butts, but my eyes have like x-ray vision so I can see their fluid and organs. They can’t change that color,” she chuckled.

“Does it look like they’re intelligent?” Rachel pressed. “You called it a hive; do they have honeycomb-like structures underground?”

Scarlet nodded. “The hive, yes, intelligent, I don’t know … they seem to have a lot of structure. They’re all going about doing specific tasks. They create this strange black sticky substance that they put the eggs in … it’s like they throw it up from this little gland in their mouths.” She shuddered. “They’re pretty picky about cleaning places, too. They have an entire place where workers go in to be cleaned before leaving or going to different areas of the hive.”

Taliesin folded his arms, pursing his lips. “How did you get that so fast?”

“Like I said, It helps when you have x-ray vision that can see really far into the ground,” Scarlet said with an innocent smile.

“You said you wanted to … taste them?” He asked with a strained smile.

“That’s not important,” Rachel cut in, shifting her eyes to the blonde-haired man as he approached.

He held up a bag for Scarlet to drop the black materials into. “Umm, I heard you guys talking about the creatures, and from what I heard, they’re producing normal bee or ant-like behavior.”

“Oh?” Rachel asked, adding a soft smile to her lips. “Do you know a bit about insect behavior?”

“Yes … it’s one of the reasons why I was selected,” he muttered. “I feel like I haven’t been able to do much cooped up here in the camp, though.” He said, shooting a glance at Taliesin.

“I’ve heard your complaints,” Taliesin sighed. “However, with the enemy so close to us,” he glared at the jungle, “it was the right decision to wait.”

“What’s on your mind?” Rachel asked.

“You see … insects usually have incredibly sensitive hairs on their antennae, and they need to be cleaned to smell food or follow pheromone trails or communicate. Similarly to ants, bees clean themselves quite regularly, too, wiping their eyes.

“These creatures might be a slightly more advanced form of bees or ants; it seems as if they’re observing us to understand our behavior. Some animals have curious personalities and will study and mimic humans.

“I don’t know how advanced these creatures are, but if we’re talking about honey bees, then they’re more akin to animated robots that move around their environment, responding to stimuli with behaviors that have served them well for millions of years. They build wax combs to use for food storage and baby bee production; it allows the bees to keep tens of thousands of bees huddled closely together.

“Infection is a serious thing to consider, though, and any type of microbial outbreak that happens in a species that interact closely with one another could be destroyed since they’re so tightly packed together; that’s one reason why they’re so meticulous about cleaning, to avoid an epidemic.

“Bees, for example, exhibit behavior to deal with that problem; they collect resins from various plant sources, return to the hive with these sticky masses, and their sisters help to unload them. It’s commonly called propolis or bee glue because it is used to fill small cracks in the hive and cements the boxes together.

“It’s used as a thin varnish to line the walls, and sometimes portions of the combs. They carry surprisingly potent antimicrobial properties that are effective against bacteria, fungi, and viruses. So, bees are encased in a shell of antibiotics. It’s been speculated that the inside of a beehive is as clean as a hospital room.”

“That’s fascinating and all, but what are we going to do with that information,” Taliesin asked dryly, “spread viral or bacterial warfare among them?”

“I’m just saying that’s a possibility with what she saw,” Thomson defensively said. “The scouting behavior is an interesting one, though. Bees will send out scout bees to find new locations for the colony to build if they’re becoming overcrowded. Generally, though, insects follow a set of rules rather than complex behaviors.

“For these creatures, they sent out scouts that watched us cautiously, having developed themselves to be hard to notice. They seem to have evolved to have different types of workers, by your explanation, young lady, and that is an important identification.”

Scarlet beamed at his praise, likely feeling useful.

Rachel hummed thoughtfully. “No, I like your explanation. So … you think each of these ants is designed for different purposes in mind, and that’s been dictated by their environment? These scouts are now observing Fiona in the sky, and the ants burrowing below us could be special ants designed for surprise attacks. These scouts seem to be equipped with some kind of vocal attack, though.”

“It’s possible; I’m just giving you my experience with insects. Insects and most animals don’t tend to enjoy wasting resources like we humans tend to do. In many cases, warrior ants have developed so specifically for combat that they can’t even feed themselves with their powerful arms and must be spoon-fed by others.

“It takes a lot of resources and time for these ants to develop and are valuable resources to the colony; so, they will send in fodder worker ants to die in droves during war to give the warrior ants the opportunity to deliver a fatal blow without sustaining injury. It’s easier to replace the worker ants than the highly specialized warriors.

“You have these scouts observing us, and they’re looking to see how dangerous we potentially are. They eventually found us as potential food and sent their scouts after us, not needing their warriors; however, one got away and was even able to injure them. Therefore, we’re a more potent threat to the collective than they first understood.

“It appears slightly more advanced than your average ant or bee … they appear to have sharper senses and functions, but they seem far from intelligent. That’s my observation, anyway.”

Rachel’s red irises moved to the jungle. “Thank you.”

“It’s my pleasure … I’m just happy I was able to get a bit more information on the creatures. I’d personally love to take some back with me for study.” He said with a hopeful tone.

“We’ll see,” Rachel whispered. “Our priority isn’t the creatures, but the crystal itself. I don’t think we need to focus on them too much other than defending ourselves. So, let’s let them know we’re not to be trifled with.”

She smiled down at Scarlet. “Go grab one of the ones three hundred meters to our left, in the middle of their group, make them fear you; paralyze one, and bring it back.”

“Got it!” Scarlet chimed, saluting as she vanished in shadow.

“Making the preemptive attack?” Taliesin whispered. “Should we prepare for a counter-attack?”

“It wouldn’t hurt, but this is also to determine what their response will be.” Rachel smirked as Scarlet appeared on top of a scout.

A chill ran down every soldier’s spine as Scarlet released her Fear Aura. The creatures froze as Scarlet’s pleasant tone carried through the suddenly silent jungle. “Hello! My name’s Scarlet. How are you guys this fine night? Oh, I’ll be taking one of your friends.”

Thomson’s body began to quake as he stared toward Scarlet’s sinister presence, pointing them in her direction. “What is this feeling of—of dread?”

“As creepy as ever,” Maria huffed, leaning back against the trailer to stare up at the sky.

Rachel’s ears followed the actions of the packs of creatures, but she replied with a light chuckle. “Scarlet is built to be at the top of the totem pole; how they react to an apex predator will determine what our next move will be.”

“An apex predator … what is she?” Taliesin asked. “I feel like it’s something that—that we should just run from. It’s something we shouldn’t even consider fighting.”

Fiona darted back down as the bugs fled. “Hey, Rachel! Is Scarlet okay?”

“Yes, she’s bringing back a prisoner. Mind throwing up a Wind Prison when she gets back?”

“Umm—yeah.”

“Good work with those bugs, by the way.”

“Oh, were you listening?” She eagerly asked.

“Yeah … you have an amazing voice, but…”

Fiona’s eyes widened. “But? But what?”

“But you could work on your lines; don’t get me wrong, some of them were priceless, but I think the combination could use some work.”

“Hey,” Maria shouted, but she bent over, clutching her stomach. “Ugh … screw multiple moons. Don’t be hard on her! It was her first time rapping.”

“Aww,” Fiona’s smile rose. “Did you hear, Maria?”

“No … but it was your first time really doing it yourself.”

Fiona’s ears drooped. “I guess I could work on the lines.”

All their eyes darted to a large, thin blood portal that appeared several feet from them; Scarlet deactivated her Fear Aura as she dropped through, sitting on top of a blob of colors. She made a victory sign. “Brought the prisoner!”

“That thing’s huge!” Fiona said, a gust of wind blowing past them as she created the Wind Prison. “Wait … are those big things their teeth? Gross … oh, did you hear my rap, Scarlet?”

Scarlet blinked blankly, teleporting through shadow to her side. “Rap? I didn’t know you rapped, Fiona? I thought you said you never even tried back when you were drinking.”

“Yeah, but Maria’s been coaching me … I think I need to work more on my freestyle; Rachel thinks I should work on my lines.”

“I’m just saying,” Rachel scratched her left ear, folding it slightly. “You have a wonderful voice, but the follow-up lines could use some work.”

“Lay it on me,” Scarlet smiled. “I want to hear.”

“I second that!” Maria called out, still looking slightly sick.

“What’s up with her?” Scarlet asked.

“The freakin’ moons!”

“That’s inconvenient,” Fiona sighed, moving over to talk with her, Scarlet following.

“Umm,” Taliesin followed their conversation with a confused expression, eyes moving back to the quivering colorful mass. “Should … is it secure?”

Fiona waved her hand nonchalantly. “Yeah, yeah, no problems, Wind Prison’s up. So, check out these lines, Maria!”

Rachel patted Taliesin’s back with an encouraging smile. “It’s fine. I’m keeping track of everything. Right now, the ones underneath us are retreating, and the two that are still watching us are pulling back; I’m pretty sure they saw that we captured one of their people.”

“It can’t be this easy…” He trailed off as Rachel chuckled. “This isn’t anything funny.”

“This is just another deadly game of life,” she responded. “The situation had too many unknown variables, and we’ve just made a move that will simplify things. We haven’t killed them yet, which gives us leverage if they’re intelligent. However, if they want to fight, then I’m not opposed.”

“Seriously?”

Maria laughed, apparently listening to them as Fiona collected her thoughts. “That’s just how it’s done! Hey, Rachel, you said those vatos are running—and dang, I’m gonna need sunglasses with how bright you are.”

“As charming as always,” Rachel said with a fond tone. “Yeah, they’re backing down.”

Fiona made her best gangster impression to follow Maria. “We’re G’d-up, Homie!”

“Chica,” Maria shook her head, “it just sounds comical from you.”

She puffed out her cheeks. “Hey, I’m trying! It’s not my fault I’m flippin’ three inches tall. I’m just repeating some of the things in the songs you showed me!”

“Yeah, but,” Maria popped her tongue and pulled her hair over her shoulders, “okay, yeah, it just doesn’t fit ya.”

“Then how would you say it?” Scarlet asked, glancing over at the creature as it started to rise back to its feet; it seemed to be struggling to even stand.

Maria smirked, walking over to the edge of the Wind Prison, flashing her teeth. “These vatos have no clue who they messed with; they tryin’ to see some blood spray, we can do some slug trades if they think they can play. This is just a big sea, and we roll and dismantle, so they better comply. Ya hear, el insecto? Abliberate your whole clika when it’s time to get down. We’re serio, like a fuego, chino, so pay close attention.”

Fiona hummed with a hint of disappointment. “I’d give that a seven.”

“Dang,” Maria muttered.

Scarlet’s vampiric eyes widened. “Really? I thought she sounded pretty threatening.”

“Meh, I’ve heard better from her.” Fiona shrugged. “The Spanish was a nice touch, though. I doubt it even understands us.”

Maria popped her tongue. “Y’all unbelievable.”

“You’re all nuts,” Rachel said with a forced chuckle. “Fiona, can you not communicate with it?”

Fiona pursed her lips before shaking her head. “Na, I’ve heard a few creatures speak around the area, but not this thing. I don’t think my communication skill works with insects.”

“Alright, see if you can find something nearby that can give you some information. Be forceful if you need to.”

“Aww, can I tell Maria my bars real quick?”

“That’s fine. Once you finish that, see if you can get us some intel on these things. Maybe you could find an interpreter or something.”

Scarlet licked her lips, eyeing the creature that had retreated to the opposite side of the prison. “Oh, that would be cool! I really would like to taste a little of them, though.”

“In time,” Rachel replied, turning to the Captain. “Could you send in your report. It seems Scarlet is getting a little hungry.”

“Just a little … and I’m just a bit curious; it smells a little sour, but a good kind of sour.” Scarlet said, licking her lips as she looked at the creature in front of them.

“This is insane,” Taliesin mumbled, moving to talk to one of his soldiers. “It’s like we’re the monsters here now…”