H. MEDFORD: Very strange. Most unusual.
P. MEDFORD: There were no larvae or pupil in the egg chamber. They all seem to hatch directly from the eggs. I estimate it's from the whole mutation process.
H. MEDFORD: Yes, that's the logical conclusion. And you feel sure these two are gone? You found no winged ants in the nest anywhere?
P. MEDFORD: We saw only worker ants.
O'BRIEN: I don't get it. You two act like it's the end of the world.
H. MEDFORD: Well it could be. These two empty egg cases contain queen ants. You see newborn queent ants have wings, so do their consorts, male ants. You found no ants with wings?
PETERSON: Not a one.
H. MEDFORD: The brutal fact is we didn't destroy this first nest soon enough, no. Two young queen ants hatched out, dried their wings and flew away. Each with one or more winged males. They've gone on their wedding flight. You need not worry about the males because they'll die very quickly, but the queens . . .
PETERSON: Doctor, are you telling us there are going to be other nests?
H. MEDFORD: A single queen is capable of laying thousands of eggs. From these will hatch dozens of other queens who may in turn . . .
O'BRIEN: How far can they fly?
H. MEDFORD: These giants? I don't know. Ordinary queens of the smaller species have very limited flying powers. They dependent more on winds and currents to carry them along. They have been found in the stratosphere. But these giants, I don't know, you guess.
GRAHAM: And I thought today was the end of it.
H. MEDFORD: No, we haven't seen the end of them. We have only had a close view of the beginning of what may be the end of us. You better inform Washington, General.
Dr. Medford and the rest arrived in Washington to meet with officials and leaders.
WASHINGTON OFFICIAL: Sargeant Peterson, what about your superiors? Do they know that these lethal creatures are committing the crimes in your desert?
PETERSON: No sir, they don't. General O'Brien and Dr. Medford felt that absolute secrecy about the big ants was essential.
WASHINGTON OFFICIAL: Do you also think this extraordinary hush-hush is necessary?
PETERSON: Yes sir, I certainly do. I don't think there's a police force in the world that could handle the panic if the people found out these babies are loose.
H. MEDFORD: Gentlemen, I believe we are ready. Now some of you have displayed incredulous attitudes towards our reports and photographs. The rest of you are trying to understand the gravity of our situation, but repeatedly ask how really serious this is.
Now for your edification, I've prepared a short film, which I hope will give you some idea of the nature of the creatures we are up against, in a small way of course. Robert, please turn out the lights.
|
