I’m back. This time it was just an update and some helpful best practices for sheltering in place. Nothing of immediate consequence. It seems like they’re conditioning us. The EAS sounding off isn’t always bad news. But you better check to be sure.
Grandad has been spending more time with Para and me, working on our abilities. Now he’s looked at Rock and Roll. “How are you doing with your gifts?”
Rock shrugged. “Good, I think. The methodology is somewhat hard to explain. With our capability, we can ... well, it seems like there is almost a two-way connection. It’s like we interact with a quantum realm. We access it. We consider a destination. It’s like something helps us dial in. We go. The whole process is so ... intuitive.”
Roll nodded in agreement. “It’s mystical, the Universe stepping up to help.”
Rock rolled his eyes a little at that comment. I probably did too. Grandad squinted at him, about to say something as he often did when a philosophical statement like that would come along. But he ended up moving on to some task or another. Too much was going on for our customary friendly debates.
***
BUGS EVERYWHERE
Let me tell you about the creatures that invaded us. The Intelinet reports have not been very descriptive. No doubt the government is muzzling them. Grandad says there is concern over frightening the populace. Well, we should be frightened. Some military friends of Grandad sent recordings of the enemy in action. A real horror-show. We then witnessed it in person. Ummm, I’ll be back in a minute.
I witnessed ... we witnessed ... the carnage at two different locations. It was day two of the invasion. Grandad decided he was going to take a look around, see what we were up against. He didn’t know how bad it was out there. Not really. Not on day two. Somehow, we talked him into letting us go along. I wish I hadn’t gone. It was worse than a virtual reality 3-D holovision horror show. I realize, I shouldn’t use such a stupid comparison. It’s the best I can do right now. Here’s an example of what we saw.
A group of bugs cornered a crowd of people. One brave fellow stepped out of the crowd and started yelling at the bugs. A bug stepped up to him. The bugs can walk just fine on their four rear legs. They tuck their abdomen under and stretch out.
The bug was looking the man right in the eye. It started pumping its head up and down like a ... like I don’t know what. Maybe a wild animal. A challenge.
The man had on heavy boots. And he must have had extensive martial arts training. He executed a perfect outside crescent kick to the side of the bugs head. Billy Jack would have been proud. It rattled the bug too, almost knocking it completely around. If it didn’t have so many legs it would have landed right on its ... abdomen.
The bug moved back about 10 feet or so. It looked startled. I could tell what it was thinking. Really, I could. How could something so soft, something that doesn’t even have an exoskeleton, do that? The other bugs started making a horrible raspy rattle sound. Horrible. And they all started with the head pumping. Up and down. Raspy rattle.
It crouched down and sprang, wrapping the man up in its legs. Mandibles, claws, stinger. Blood. Then the rest of them moved in on the crowd. There was nothing we could do...
I wake up at night. Any little sound. Middle of the night. Terrible dreams. I think it’s the screaming that’s the worst. You can look away from a terrible sight. But the screaming goes on. Someday it might stop. I don’t want to hear that any more. In the middle of the night.
The bugs need to die. Often, that’s my sentiment. At other times I want to run and hide, head for the mountains. Terror. The bugs are running through the streets terrorizing. They come at any time with their single seat fliers too, rail guns chattering. They are evil. Sure, I’m frightened, but I’m going to use this ability against them in any way I can.
You probably already know all of this because you’re going through the invasion too. Then, there’s all you rich guys in your multi-million-dollar renovated and redecorated missile silos. Got any extra room in there? Just kidding. Well... More to the point, the Journal needs to have cohesion. So, starting from the beginning and including the basics helps with that cohesion. Cohesion and a timeline will make for a good journal.
Here is what I know about the bugs. I’m just going to call them that. It fits. They bear a distinct resemblance to Earth insects. Especially big ugly Carpenter ants. Well, Carpenter ants if you mixed in some wasp parts. They are terrifying creatures. There are likely three types. Queen, worker, and soldier. All are insectoid in appearance and have segmented bodies with a head, thorax, and abdomen. They have six legs.
Soldiers are about the size of an adult human. Workers are somewhat smaller, though there’s not much of a difference. That there are queens is more of an assumption, an extrapolation from the little information we have at hand. Earth insects don’t have lungs, neither do the invader bugs. They take in oxygen via spiracles and tracheae on their abdomens.
All bugs are incredibly strong. Para and Roll were just discussing their size and strength. Para has been studying biology and reads everything she can find on the subject. She qualified for, and has already been immersed in, two levels of synaptic reception sessions. Para knows her stuff.
Anyway, Roll was mainly wondering about the size of the bugs. There is a “structural” problem associated with a giant insect. He said something about the square-cube law.
The term sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place the meaning. Para could. “That’s
