Them-2 - Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen – St Peter Port, Guernsey

“There’s been a new development in America,” Dorbec stated, as he sauntered into the small room where Hamish and several others were working. “The ants are running over a mall in Balling Green and the American capitol is under siege.”
“Overrunning.” Hamish corrected. “And it’s Bowling, not Balling.”
Dorbec gave Hamish a twisted grin. “And, I suppose your French is as good as my English?”
“About the only froggie I speak is, âne gentil, Hamish smiled back. “We’ve heard. Sir Geoffery was here a few minutes ago looking for answers. He gave us a rundown on the latest news from the tellie. It seems like they’re popping up in all sorts of places. They’ve been spotted in a dozen cities including two in Canada. Lady in Exeter reported one, turned out to be a pile of brush. The world is in a big bug frenzy. One of our spotters called in a little while ago, asked if these bugs looked anything like birds. I think we need to take a closer look at some of the people we have on watch.”
“Man on the télé reported that the American representatives were trapped down in their subway corridors beneath the capitol. Paratroopers were moving into the streets of Washington D.C. to kill the creatures and rescue the lawmakers. I watched some footage from the attack on that Kentucky mall. These beasts are not easy to kill.”
“Any word on our satellite phone?” Hamish shrugged, noting that was the reason Dorbec had left in the first place.
Dorbec held up his hand in victory. “Police only had two of them. I got one.”
“We need more information on these creatures and I’ve been worried about Huck ever since Sir Geoffery gave us the news update.”
“Call for you sir.” One of the volunteer assistants handed a phone to Hamish. “Lady at the Royal Guernsey Golf Club thinks she’s spotted one of the flying creatures.”
Hamish glanced at Dorbec then asked in a gruff voice. “Report please!”
“Madame Alouns here, sir. I am out on Rue des Grands Camps. One of the flying ants flew right over my head and continued on in the direction of La Fontenelle. It was no higher than the trees so I got a close look at it. I am positive it was one of the beasts we are searching for.”
“Can you describe the creature, Madame Alouns?”
“It resembled the average ant I usually find in my flower beds, reddish in color, with long silvery wings, but had to be the size of a bloody horse.”
“It did not land anywhere?”
“It flew towards La Fontenelle. I live off Les Mielles Road so I know my directions. It was heading straight towards where my home would be. I watched it until it was beyond my sight, and it did not land.”
“Merci Madam Alouns. I will contact our watch people in La Fontenelle. Perhaps they also spotted it.”
Hamish turned to the woman who had handed him the phone. “Who do we have on watch in La Fontenelle?”
She searched through a list of names and locations. “Four people, sir,” she finally answered, spouting out four French sounding names.
Hamish wrote down the name of two watchers and gave it to Dorbec. “You call these people and I’ll call the other two.”
None of the watchers in or near La Fontenelle had witnessed the flight of the giant ant. A second hand report had one spotted near the Icart Cliffs, but no confirmation could be made.
Later, on their second attempt, they finally contacted Huck.
“Tellie reports that your location is being overran by these creatures?” Hamish asked. “Are you in any danger?” The satellite connection was poor and communication was static laden.
“Right now they’re swarming over the mall area,” Huck replied. “There are several news helicopters circling the city and it looks like they’re starting to spread. There must be thousands of them.”
“How is your military coping?”
“The ants flooded out of their nest so fast they overran the military on the ground. A good number of the soldiers managed to find safety inside the mall complex and they secured the entrances with armored vehicles. The creatures also killed a considerable number. They move fast, very fast. I doubt anything an outrun them. There are also televised reports of the creatures in Washington D.C.?
“We’ve heard,” Hamish grunted. “Have the scientists with you come up with any new thoughts on their projected distribution or ways to combat them?”
The last part of the transmission was so garbled Huck requested that he repeat it.
“Expect world wide distribution. The best way for you to combat them is to keep them from building a nest on your island. If they manage to build a nest, locate it quickly and eliminate them before they multiply. Do not take anything for granted. Anything unusual at all, missing livestock, missing people, pets, even rumors, double check it. Assault rifles will kill them but if they mass in numbers the odds are in their favor. Regular vehicles are no good, the creatures can easily tear them apart with their powerful mandibles. Armored vehicles or armored plated vehicles are best.”
“Do you think they will eventually make it to the United Kingdom and Europe?”
“No place is safe according to the scientists here. Were I in your position, I would plan for a worse case scenario.”
“What are your plans?” Dorbec spoke for the first time with concern in his voice. “Is there any way we can help you?”
“We’ve been unable to make any plans,” Huck replied. “The ants reproduced so fast and started spreading before we could persuade the government to get involved. We’ll have to see how things develop and plan accordingly. We do have some military personnel and two armored Bradleys guarding us.”
“You are welcome to join us here,” Dorbec replied, just as communication was cut off. He looked at the phone then at Hamish. “Damn phone went dead!”
“Satellite system is being flooded,” Hamish suggested.
“We’re going to need a battalion of Royal Marines,” Dorbec blurted. “Make that a Regiment.”
“If these beasties make it to the UK, I doubt the government will send military units here.” Hamish reached for a cup of coffee sitting on his computer stand. “I think we should go under the premise that we are on our own. What was that last population report?” Hamish asked one of the volunteer staff.
“Sixty seven thousand and change,” the woman replied.
“For an area of thirty square miles that’s pretty dense,” Dorbec mused. “Which brings us to logistics. What percentage of our food and other resources do we import?”
“Far more than we produce,” Hamish replied. “Without imports of food and other essentials, the population cannot sustain itself.”
“Looks like a JIC scenario to me,” Dorbec screwed his face up at the cold coffee.
The volunteers in the room gave him a quizzical look. “What does JIC mean?” one finally asked.
“In Special Forces we go by the Just in Case rule, or JIC,” Dorbec replied. “Meaning we plan for the worse case scenario. In this situation I think we need to order bulk shipments of food as soon as possible, the more the merrier. This way, if we do get cut off from supply sources, we can survive until alternative plans are instituted.”
“We don’t have the storage capacity for perishable items,” Hamish cut in. “The majority of our needs should therefore be canned or dried items.”
“Second priority must be an armed militia,” Dorbec stated. “We need a quick reaction force to find and destroy any nest that may be established. They will also be needed for population control if it comes down to it. When people start getting hungry, they can become radical and may do things they wouldn’t ordinarily do, like attacking food depots.
They knew they had a serious job to do in a short period of time and they would need the absolute support of Sir Geoffery.

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She had been flying for what seemed like an eternity. Her exhaustive mating venture had carried her high into the atmosphere and into the jet stream. She had finally headed down towards the surface only to find nothing but water as far as she could see. Unable to fight the strong wind currents, she had settled into a powerful cruising mode.
At last, she spotted rocks and sand beneath her. She did not know it was an island, nor did she care. She was so exhausted from the flight she knew death awaited if she did not land. As she flew over an open bay, her senses picked up hints of food mixed with the gentle air currents.
She was ravenous. The chemicals triggered by her mating had produced a rapid change to her physiology and she desperately needed food. She spotted a small bipedal creature on the ground below her and started to make her descent. She has sensed that the creature was a good food source.
Before she completed her turn, a stronger scent invaded her being, a much larger and more powerful scent. She angled to her left, back towards the shoreline and spotted a herd of four legged animals grazing on rich fertile grass.
She dove onto the back of one of the animals causing the small herd to scatter. The animal was slightly larger than her, but did not possess her strength and stamina. The fight with the animal was short and quickly over. Her eagerness and hunger caused her to miscalculate the landing and one of her gossamer wings snapped. She could sense the curiosity of the remaining animals and did not like the feeling of being watched.
She picked up the thousand pound creature and looked for a place to secure her prize. She could see a large outcropping of rock in the distance and smell the tangy salty air. Within minutes she carried her lunch to the rocks and looked for a crevice or depression in which to hide. She felt vulnerable out in the open.
The Icart Cliffs were rugged and had many fissures running back into the soft ocean carved soil. In no time at all she found a perfect spot. It was a tight squeeze to get through the opening, so she had to cut the animal into pieces. Once inside the fissure it opened up into a perfect nesting ground. She quickly retrieved the pieces of the animal to prevent scavengers from stealing them then settled in to enjoy the rich juicy meal her body craved.
She was comfortable, warm, had a perfect spot in which to expand her nest, and best of all, a reliable food source not far away. Life was grand!