Clone-plications

“I don’t like it here!” Efof whimpered as he carried one end of the nuclear device deeper into the Hymenoptera tunnel.
“It’s dark, and it’s scary!” he continued. Jay, who was carrying the front end rolled his eyes.

“What are you worried about?” he snapped “It’s dark enough that if the ‘bugs caught sight of your four-armed shadow, they’d probably think you were one of them!”

“Really?” said Efof optimistically, and letting go of the nuclear device, dropping it heavily on the floor while he checked out his multi-limbed shadow, flexing his muscles, one arm slightly less developed than the others as it had yet to fully grow back after it’s predecessor was removed, the sudden shift in weight caused Jay to drop the other end on his foot.

“OW!” Jay yelled “For smeg’s sake Efof, why don’t you just blow us all into next week! We’re not exactly carrying a box of pillows, this is a Nuclear bomb!”

“SSSSH!” Jayne, who was up ahead scolded. “Bug’s ahead…”

Jay and Efof fell silent, and each of them grabbed their rifles from their backs, and flicked off the safety catches, running quickly over to where Jayne was standing.

She had her back against the tunnel wall, and gestured for Jay and Efof to do the same. A large group of Hymenoptera soldier’s moved quickly along an intersecting tunnel, and disappeared along it, not noticing the trio, after a few minutes, gunshots were heard, echoing along the tunnel.

“They must be moving out to intercept one of the other teams” Jayne said “Should we help them?”

“No” Jay said “The plan was to attack from as many sides as possible, so that they’d be spread out enough that at least one team could get in. We need to take advantage of the distraction before we get caught…theres only three of us, thanks to the rest of our team being scattered after the Phoenix was shot down"...Jay's bottom lip wobbled for a second as he said this before he continued "so we need to avoid contact as much as possible…although having so few of us will make it easier to get where we wanna go undetected..the bugs will be busy with everyone else, frankly, they don't stand a chance with Rosette out there somewhere..."

More loud booms were heard and some small fragments of rock crumbled down from the tunnel ceiling overhead, making Efof wince in discomfort as some dust got under his hat and made his genitals itch.

"Come on" Jay said "We can't stay here"

He and Efof picked up the bomb, and Jayne began leading the team deeper into the hive, aiming her shotgun down every corner as they moved, Efof, with his two free hands doing the same at the rear.

"Oh wow..." Jayne said, stopping dead causing Jay to walk straight into the back of her. "You have got to see this..."

The tunnel had come to an end, at least for the moment, and the ground gave way, except for a narrow strip of rock, that formed a bridge across a vast chamber that seemed to extend downwards forever, to the left, the right, above and below more bridges connected one tunnel to another, all around, on the sides, the floor and other bridges, worker bugs scurried around, carrying items larger than themselves in only their pincers to convert into proteins that would be used as food, or to construct ships, weapons and structures. This, was furthest into the hive any human had ever been.

"Ummm" said Efof "Is that noise more explosions on the surface or something else?"

"Something else!" Jay said "Everyone MOVE!"

Coming up the wall beneath them, at breakneck speed was an immense Stag Beetle, climbing toward them rapidly, and smashing through the rocky bridges to get at them. The trio began to run across the rocky bridge toward the other side, Jay and Efof with the bomb first, while Jayne followed, turning to fire the odd blast from her shotgun at the pursuing creature.

The beetle reached their level, and began coming toward them, it's body wider than the bridge, making it look comical as it balanced precariously along the rocky tightrope beneath it.

Jayne let off a few more shots, which bounced off it's shell harmlessly, until one shot found soft flesh between the two hemispheres of the exoskeleton causing the bug to screech in pain.

"Now I know where to hit'cha!" Jayne said, smirking and she reloaded her shotgun for another round.

"Jayne! Don't fight, just move, it won't be able to follow us into the tunnels!" Jay yelled, but Jayne couldn't hear him above the noise of her gunfire.

The beetle, frustrated now as more shots pelted it's soft flesh reared up on it's rear most legs, and came crushing down on the narrow bridge, smashing through it and making Jayne lose her footing, the bug leapt toward her as she lay on the very edge of the now broken bridge, and its mighty pincers smashed down into the rock as Jayne pulled her legs up and out of its path as it landed, the rock beneath it collapsed and the bug fell several stories to the ground below. It was too late, however, for Jayne to regain her footing, and she slipped over the edge, Efof dropping the bomb once more as he dived forward, grabbing Jaynes hand as she fell, he began to skid along the ground, but was stopped as Jay grabbed his ankles.

Jayne struggled as she tried to pull herself up the Ffionian, while Jay, started to pull Efof back up.

Jayne looked down for a second, and saw the beetle, dazed from the fall open it's wings and begin to fly back up towards the trio.

Jayne looked back up and Efof and Jay while she hung there. "It's gonna take out the entire bridge!" she said "I'm.....I'm sorry,.."

She let go of Efof's hand and began to fall to the ground. "NO!" yelled Jay as he watched his clone tumble.

Jayne spun in the air and let of shot after shot at the oncoming beetle, each shot landing in the soft flesh around the beetles head.

"DIE DAMMIT!" she yelled as she fired one last shot, it was enough, the bugs wings stopped flapping, and it fell back to the ground on it's back, it's legs and claws pointing upwards, Jayne caught up quickly, with the aid of gravity, and was spared from landing the hard rock floor by landing on the bug.

Jaynes fall came to a stop as she was impaled on it's long, cerrated pincer which pointed to the sky.

She smiled briefly, as the last bit of life drained out of her.

Up above, Jay and Efof watched in horror as the scene below them unfolded. "We need to move on.." Jay said solemnly, his voice threatening to break any second "Otherwise, she'd have died for nothing..."

Efof nodded, and got to his feet, and helped Jay carry the bomb across the remainder of the bridge and into the tunnel on the other side of the room.

"Look" Jay said, as they reached the end of the much shorter tunnel, and pointed below at the bottom of another chamber, surrounded by eggs, was the Hymenoptera queen....

<TBC / Tag!>