**Action** New Allies and Enemies - Part 2/3

<snip>
"I can't even get Jazz FM, there must be some kind of interference
in the atmosphere."
Phil pressed a few buttons on the RAID's onboard computer and
scanner. "A jamming signal has been set up, its coming from
underground tunnel that we're heading for."
"Well, that's another reason to go there!" Said Jay. "Jump in
everyone! ….and Phil, stop drinking from your gun!!!"
<end snip>
**Action** New Allies and Enemies - Part 2
Who: Jay, Phil, CK, Mk6, Seymour, Wowbagger, Harris
Where: The Hymenoptera planet
When: later
On the drive to the cave, they passed many more dead Hymenoptera,
all killed by stingers. Some had even been pinned to the wall by the
stings, some it had split them in half, some had large holes in them
where a sting seemed to have passed straight through them. They came
to believe that something was capable of firing them at extremely
high velocity.
The RAID drove up to a cave entrance. It was a darm ominous looking
hole in the side of a mountain.
"That's not a normal mountain…" Said Seymour. "We've seen those
before, it's a large Hymenoptera mound!"
"Mound?" Asked Wowbagger.
"Like a termite mound." Lots of Hymenoptera workers… like ants,
build them to house the Queen, or ships, or their food storage. It's
the closest they seem to have to buildings.
Seymour parked up and they all got out of the car. "This is what I
need, some proper danger!" Said Seymour.
"So how do you know so much about the Hymenoptera Seymour?" Asked
Wowbagger, grabbing a weapon from the car.
Seymour's personality suddenly shifted from the happy attention-
craving one to the posh, arrogant Seymour.
"That's Mister Ambassador to you!" Said Seymour. "Well a couple of
years ago, I became linked to the Hymenoptera hive mind. They have
this way of stabbing you in the neck to access your neural impulses,
its not very friendly or comfortable…"
"What's it like? Do they talk to you?"
"It's like dying and going to Scunthorpe." Said Seymour. "You feel
as though your consciousness is floating in this foggy white room.
With millions of insects all around you, just out of sight. And they
all talk at once through a big bright ball of light in front of you."
"Sounds … um quite an experience actually!" Said Wowbagger,
enthralled.
Jay came up behind them and slapped them both on the back, and
thrust a beer-gun into Seymour's hand.
"Well I for one don't want any insect sticking its filthy crawlers
inside my brain! Now arm yourselves, but don't fire unless
instructed, understand?"
Jay rounded the team up.
"We will split into two groups. Harris, Kochanski, MK6 and Wowbagger
will stay outside and guard the entrance whilst Phil, MK6, Seymour
and I go inside the tunnel and try to disable the jamming signal so
we can contact the `Dwarf, as well as find out what happened here."
Jay turned to Harris, Kochanski, MK6 and Wowbagger. "Stay here and
guard the entrance. Don't move from this area, we'll try not to be
long!"
"And don't let anything happen to the RAID!" Said Seymour.
Jay lead Seymour and Phil into the tunnel. The narrow passage opened
up into a large cave after about 20minutes. Waving their torches
around they could make out the bodies of large ant-like creatures.
"Hymenoptera workers" said Seymour. "They're smaller and less
dangerous than the warriors we've seen, but specially bred for
building and digging."
Jay tutted and carried on walking down another tunnel. "Thanks
Seymour but we don't need the exobiology lessons."
Phil noticed a degree of hostility from Jay towards Seymour's
knowledge of the hive. "Something wrong Jay?" He piped up and walked
alongside him.
Jay sighed. "I… I just don't get it. We've both met the alternate
evil versions of ourselves right?"
Phil smirked. "Ah yes, Evil Phil. What a character. Lead a rebellion
of Plebians against us!"
"Right." Said Jay. "Well for a time, my double, Evil Jay became
leader of the Hymenoptera."
"Oh yeah!" Said Phil and Seymour.
"…And well, I just don't understand why. I mean I can understand the
desire for power…"
"Me too…" Said Seymour until he was hushed.
Jay continued. "…but why the Hymenoptera? They're a disgusting
insect race, bent on nothing but their own well-being and the
destruction of others…"
Seymour nodded in recognition. Then realised what he was doing and
stopped.
"…How could I… well… me.. the OTHER me, join forces with a power
like that?"
Phil or Seymour didn't have much time to answer as a long sharp
sting embedded itself in the wall an inch away from Seymour's head.
"Get down!!!" Yelled Phil.
Seymour looked around and then ducked. He could see something moving
in the darkness of the corridor and then a lot of commotion.
Phil stood up and sprayed his beer gun towards a tall figure he
could semi see in the darkness. The figure stood there and looked at
himself. Then walked towards them.
"I guess beer doesn't work on these guys!" Said Phil. "Oh well, the
more for me!"
"I don't normally like to suggest it, but - Hasty retreat anyone?"
Asked Jay. Seymour and Phil opted for "Yes" and they ran down a side
corridor.
The figure that had shot at them ran behind them, snarling.
Seymour being the best at running away reached a cavern a split
second before the other pair. This one being lit dimly by glowing
green eggs. Seymour stopped and a Hymenoptera warrior jumped out in
front of him.
"AAAAAaaaaaaaah!" He screamed upon seeing the insect. Being taken by
surprise, the insect was equally as startled and screamed also, in a
shrill insect squeal.
Seymour panicked ant pulled the trigger of his beer gun, spraying
beer in the spider-like insect's mouth. The hymenoptera's 8 eyes
bulged and it exploded. Covering Seymour in green goo.
Phil and Jay ran into the cavern, just as this happened. But didn't
see Seymour and knocked into him, dropping them all to the floor.
Their assailant ran into the cavern after them. They could see it
now for the first time, it was vaguely humanoid, well, it ran on two
legs and had two arms, but that was about the only similarity.
It wasted no time in picking Jay up by the neck and holding him up
against the wall.
Jay looked straight into its eyes, they were green and glowing
bright. The creature's skin was dark black, with glowing green veins
that ran all around its body.
"Who are you?" Asked Jay.
The creature tilted its head in confusion.
There was a clicking sound from behind. Phil stood with a rifle
pointed at him. The creature turned and held out his arm towards
Phil, and a long stinging dart shot out of his palm, hitting Phil
and knocking him back against the far wall. Luckily the stinger
glanced off his weapon otherwise it could have easily have shot all
the way through Phil's body.
Seymour looked as useless as a lemon paperclip as he stood watching
Jay being choked. Strangely enough, Jay's saviours did enter at this
moment – but they were unexpected.
Four Hymenoptera warrior bugs ran into the cavern and distracted the
humanoid creature. It let go of Jay and instead of running left or
right, it ran up. It crawled up onto the ceiling and crouched with
its arm out the shoot. Deadly stings shot into the Hymenoptera's
bodies, where they pumped deadly poison into them. The shot
Hymenoptera exploded.
Three of the four went down, the last one jumped and caught the
humanoid creature, bringing it to the ground. But the humanoid was
resourceful, and possessed abilities that utterly confused the
watching humans. It walked straight through the giant spider, as if
it were a ghostly spirit, then picked up the Hymenoptera as if it
were on object. The Hymenoptera screamed in protest and kicked its
legs, before the humanoid dashed it against some rocks.
Jay, Phil and Seymour stared at the creature's amazing strength and
agility. The creature looked at a corridor where the sounds of more
Hymenoptera were approaching, then it looked at them and ran towards
a wall and vanished.
"Um…. Did you see that?" Asked Phil.
"I think he just walked into a wall." Said Jay.
"Hmm, funny that." Said Seymour.
"Maybe the wall is just a hologram" said Phil, and ran towards it
also. He thought this was a bad idea when he bounced back with a
nosebleed.
Then, the hairiest Hymenoptera spider walked into the room. It
walked slowly and majestically (for a spider).
"Ohhhh, somebody needs a shave!" Mocked Phil.
"Shh!" Said Seymour. "Maybe they want to negotiate." He walked
towards the creature. "Oh humble Hymenoptera, I the Ambassador of
the Queen of England speak to you on behalf of my people…"
The spider paused and pointed a long hairy mandible towards Jay.
Smaller worker bugs that seemed to be fairly non-threatening entered
the room and pushed back Phil and Seymour, and walked around Jay in
order to make him walk towards the hairy spider.
"Seymour is this normal?" Jay whispered.
"I'm not sure. Maybe they think you're Evil Jay" Said Seymour.
"Act evil!" Suggested Phil.
Jay was pushed closer to the spider and forced down onto his
knees. "I don't like how this is going." He said. Then two
Hymenoptera restrained him and the hairy one bend down to face him.
Jay struggled, but the Hymenoptera stabbed him in the base of his
neck.
Jay screamed.
<to be continued>