A. Colucci - The Colony

Uh-oh, here it comes. Kendra slumped in her seat as Jeremy threw her a wink.

“Invicta has been supplying us with statistics on fire ants for years. We studied and analyzed video, charts and graphs, every piece of data from Kendra’s field studies, then created millions of computerized ant models based on things like behavior, soil, weather, geography— mating habits, ” he said, raising a brow.

Kendra could feel Paul glaring at her. She wanted Jeremy to just stop talking, so she blurted out, “Ants are very predictable in their habits. We were able to figure out which direction they would travel, colony size and, most important, the location of the nests. At that point we were able to dig up the queens.”

“Kill the queen and you kill the colony,” Paul said, looking at her.

“In other words,” Jeremy said, shooting Paul a glance, “know your enemy and you can destroy him.”

“Well, that is rule number one in the military,” Russo replied.

“Exactly,” Kendra said. “So using Paul’s DNA samples and Jeremy’s supercomputers we might be able to figure out the locations of the Siafu Moto nests.”

“ Might, ” Paul stressed.

“Still, even if you find the nests,” the mayor reasoned, “what good will it do? You said these ants are indestructible.”

“Nothing is indestructible,” Jeremy said. “It’s just a matter of finding the right method to kill a particularly nasty opponent.” His eyes lingered on Paul. “And of course, finding the right man for the job.”

“Or woman,” Kendra added. “I might be able to kill the queens with a technique I’ve developed. It has more to do with the manipulation of natural chemicals than creating a toxin. It’s sort of like tricking the colonies into suicide.”

“Is that right?” Russo asked. “Paul didn’t mention it.”

“Paul isn’t too familiar with research outside his own,” Jeremy said. “But Kendra has already killed off quite a few colonies with this method. It’s very promising, very promising indeed. I’m certainly going to incorporate it into my business practices.”

Kendra could almost feel Paul steaming, and suddenly wished she hadn’t kept Jeremy so informed on her progress—but then quickly reconsidered: Why shouldn’t she tell a colleague about her work when he was so interested, so supportive of her efforts?

The mayor turned to Jeremy. “You said that colony of ants you found was a hundred fifty miles long. What did you call it, a supercolony?

“That’s right,” Jeremy answered. “And we’re looking at the same behavior in our New York variety. The largest supercolony ever discovered is a single colony of Argentine ants that stretches through Italy, France and Spain and then spans thousands of kilometers throughout Japan and California.”

“Across continents?” the mayor asked, surprised.

“Yes. When scientists put the Argentine ants together with any other species, they fought to the death, but when they put the European variety with the species from Japan and California, they acted like old buddies. Even though they were separated by vast oceans, they had formed a global supercolony.”

“Ants wear a waxy substance that they can smell on each other,” Kendra added. “It’s like those ants in Europe, California and Japan were all walking around in the same team uniform.”

“So these ants could technically spread across the nation, and the world.”

“Technically, yes,” Jeremy said.

“It’s even more frightening than you realize,” Paul warned. “A supercolony is genetically homogenous. They recognize each other and cooperate with each other, and they kill off all the native insects in the area. From what I’ve discovered in the past few days, these ants are doing the same thing. Not just annihilating rats and people, but every living creature they come in contact with.”

“Is that so?”

“Actually,” Kendra said, “if we hope to kill the colony with pheromones, a supercolony might be easier to hit as a single unit.”

“Especially if I can locate the nests,” Jeremy added.

The mayor looked skeptical. “In my day, a bug crawled by and got the old boot stomp. But if you think this computer stuff might work against these freaks of nature, then you have my support.”

Jeremy nodded with confidence. “It certainly can’t hurt.”

The mayor stood up, stretching an ache in his back. “Paul, can you stop by my office? I’ve got these confounding lab tests from all over the world that I’m anxious to unload.”

“Sure.” Paul gave Jeremy a weak nod and followed Russo out the door, not even glancing back at Kendra.

She wanted to follow Paul, but her legs felt like rubber. On top of that Kendra was hungry, starving, actually, and exhausted. It was hours since she’d devoured a small bag of pretzels and her blood sugar was in the basement. She longed for a shower, a nap and a serious conversation with Paul, but felt a pang of guilt at such selfish desires while a citywide crisis was lurking.

Now she was alone with Jeremy. She watched him whistling and unpacking boxes and was certain no lack of comforts would ever stop him from saving the world. He could probably go for days without anything but a computer and some hair gel.

“So, what did they tell you about this new species?” she asked.

“Siafu Moto?” He chuckled. “They told me it was some kind of ecoterrorist experiment that escaped. Apparently all the research was destroyed, and if I breathe a word of this I’ll be thrown in prison.”

“You believe all that?”

“The prison part, maybe. The rest, who knows?” He pushed aside a box and sat down next to Kendra, smelling clean and faintly of musk. The back of his neck flushed, a reaction to being near her, and his deep voice dropped to a coarse whisper. “Been a long time since Bakersfield, Kendra. The desert is fine, but robotics is the future.”

“I’m sure you’re right.”

“It’s not too late to get back in. We really miss that brilliant mind of yours.” His fingers playfully flicked her short locks and he smiled as if pleased with the new look. “I miss you too.”

Kendra turned from his gaze.

“So, I guess you’re back with Paul,” Jeremy said, standing up and busying his hands inside the box again.

“You guess wrong. I’m a consultant, same as you.”

“Yeah, right.” He clicked his tongue. “When are you going to realize Paul’s work will always come before any woman. You deserve better, Kendra. You can’t replace love with the social order of Solenopsis Invicta. ”

“What is it with you two? Why do you have to disagree about everything?”

Jeremy frowned and then snarled, “It’s that blasted Paul and his stupid theories about ants. I hope this disaster proves him wrong, once and for all.”

Kendra sighed, weary of their endless bouts.

“Any scientist in his right mind knows that ants are savage warriors, not to be admired. Let’s be sensible. Other than man, ants are the only creatures on the planet that go to war. They fight for territory, food and sometimes no reason at all. They show no mercy. They take prisoners and make them into slaves. Kendra, ants are no better than we are.”

“You’re talking about a small number of species. Most ant colonies get along fine.”

He shook his head vehemently. “If this catastrophe proves anything, it’s that Paul O’Keefe is full of crap.”

She forced a smile. “Let’s just hope you can find those queens.”

He seemed to calm a bit. “My technicians are setting up Gwendolyn now.”

Kendra figured Gwendolyn was one of Jeremy’s supercomputers. He had a habit of naming them after women he fell in love with. She wondered if he still owned the prized Cray-2 that he renamed Kendra when they were dating.