Rani brushed her hair back and tied it into a bun. She looked at her distorted reflection on her blade as she applied dirt to her face. When completed, she stood to let her grandmother, Amma, place the molted exoskeleton of a Hemipteran upon her shoulders, attaching it securely with a cord.

 

The Hemipterans had arrived centuries ago, attracted to Earth's infrastructure and copious supplies of plastic. When nuclear warfare had decimated civilizations on each continent, the radiation-resistant Hemipterans had built giant hives that enveloped ancient skyscrapers. Their iridescent insectoid workers continued to fly far and wide to gather and turn unpalatable resources into edible feasts.

 

"You look fierce," said Amma proudly despite the fear wrinkling her forehead. "But perhaps, this time, you should stay home."

 

Rani sheathed her weapon and picked up a rattle, giving it a warning shake. Its protracted cicada-like vibrations echoed off the small room's walls.

 

"Those blind buggers won't know I'm there," said Rani, who, at twelve, knew she was pushing the safety limit for mining. Without her team's forages to the Hive, the Colony would go hungry.

 

As children matured, getting past the pheromone guardians of a Hemipteran Hive would get more difficult. Rani's bound chest hid her changes from Amma, who would keep her home if she knew. They both secretly feared that each trip could be her last. Yet Rani wasn't ready to join the ranks of useless adolescents who lingered about the Colony waiting for children to feed them.

 

* * *

 

The Hive buzzed, emitting a warmth of its own, and Rani and her gang were already starting to sweat. It was a sumptuous palace whose octagonal cells held the most wondrous delights. Repurposed plastics had been used in its construction, and Earth's pollen, algae, and plankton were turned into honey, oils, and protein-rich jelly.

 

"Keeda, I need you to take the lead and monitor the youngest," said Rani to the eleven-year-old before her. "One day, you will be in charge." Keeda hung on Rani's every word as she directed where they would be mining that day.

 

The group swarmed the entrance, surrounding the eldest children to mask burgeoning scents. Once inside, they scuttled amongst the human adult-sized Hemipterans without fear and traversed the towering combs. Finding their chosen resource, they placed taps and filled buckets. Rani watched as Keeda lifted the youngest on her shoulders to reach a higher comb. She was comforted by their teamwork.

 

* * *

 

Searching for medical-grade royal jelly, Rani separated from her group and ventured deeper into the Hive. She hadn't told Keeda she was drawn by an unfamiliar urge that had grown this past year. A longing that propelled her to travel closer to breeding zones. Rani's mother, a scientist, had once spoken of such longings. She had gone further into the Hive than any adult before her, hoping to gain knowledge. Amma never talked about the day she disappeared.

 

"Rani, Raaaniii," someone called to her as she neared the center of the Hive.

 

Mom? She pushed her way through crowds of buzzing workers. She could smell a familiar body odor that attracted her onward. Within the Queen's chamber was Rani's mother embedded within the abdomen of a mighty Hemipteran, the size of a giraffe. The Queen was surrounded by workers waiting to carry eggs to the breeding chambers beyond.

 

"Mom!" Rani unsheathed her blade and shook her rattle to alert the gang.

 

"Rani!" Her mother's cry urged her forward. She slashed her blade, parting workers as she approached the center.

 

The Queen's pheromone guardians advanced on Rani, their feelers sniffing the air. Their clicking and clacking carapaces and the chamber's sickly sweet smell made Rani feel faint. She tightened the hold on her weapon.

 

"Rani, be our next Queen!" Her mother's voice, along with the hum of the workers, echoed in her ear. Tears streamed down Rani's cheeks, and the weight of the molted armor on her back suddenly felt too much to bear. She cut it off her shoulders, and it struck the floor with a thunk. Unencumbered, she made her way to the Queen only to be blocked by her guardians, their large pincers threatening to cut her in two. Just as she was about to strike, Rani's womb spasmed with painful cramps. Not now!

 

"You're coming of age, my daughter," said the Mother/Queen as it pushed past the guards to meet her. "Your pheromones will mature our next generation of workers."

 

"I'm here, Mom! I'll save you!" Rani's eyes blurred with tears as she hugged the abdomen that held her sedated mother.

 

As she backed away, Rani sliced the Queen's abdomen open with her blade. Clear liquid spurted from the wound. Her mother's inert form slid out from the gash.

 

The entire Hive went silent. The only sound came from the Queen's wings lifting her safely away. Rani, prepared to fight the guardians, was surprised to see them back off, following the Queen. She ran to her mother only to find her lifeless.

 

"Noooo!" She knelt beside her mother, shaking her in desperation. Rani lost her all over again. In despair, she collapsed into a fetal position. The workers swarmed Rani, gently removing her clothing and bathing her with their soft tongues. She was fed a warm jelly that removed any fear, pain, or anger, leaving only sadness as they cradled her and rocked her to sleep.

 

* * *

 

Keeda and the children entered the emptied Queen's chamber and found Rani gone. Near her blade and rattle lay the prone corpse of a woman, one unknown to the children. Together, they brought the body back to be buried.

 

Amma's keening was heard throughout the Colony when Keeda returned with Rani's belongings and the remains of her lost daughter. The adults carried Amma into her bed chamber. They sedated her with a potent hive-elixir. The children swarmed Amma, their little bodies close by, snuggling around her, providing warmth and safety as the Hemipterans had shown them.