After the adrenaline had left my system, I parked my head on the table in the General's office. It's a table in the corner, so I'm not actually doing this in front of the General. Not that I really care anymore, but still, there's probably still a tiny bit of humanity left in me, wanting to show respect. It's also the same thing that's making me take these risks. 

Why am I here again? "Mom, don't worry, this is only a desk-job. No, they aren't sending me to fight a war for them. Dad, just trust these people." That's what I said back then.

I'm exhausted. Man, I'd love to give that Queen one of those mana nukes, but her defenses are way too strong. I'm not going on a suicide mission!

 

At some point the loud chatter of people calling other people on the phone slowly dies out. I take a peek and see them standing in front of the TV. Did I fall asleep for a while? I stand up and join them, watching TV.

The TV shows live images relayed by a CNN news helicopter where Tripods are walking through Boston. We clearly see missiles impacting their shields, not even making a dent. The sound is muted, since we all know what they're saying......our weapons won't work on them.

Moments later, from the perspective of another helicopter, we see the Queen herself moving. She's on land! But unlike her sister who was walking, this one seems to be hovering.

At least ten Tripods are surrounding her, meaning nothing will get through to her. And hundreds of thousands of Phantoms, perhaps a million even are circling around her in big circles, like a huge black tornado.

 

At some point I couldn't take it anymore. We're soooooo screwed. This Queen must have learned from our tactics on BETA, no question about it. Even those Phantoms airlifting others. They're not supposed to do that. Did I teach them that? Great, Essie, you destroyed Earth!

My head once more parks on the table, frustrated with this situation.

 

The General stands up and sits down next to me, like one would do in a bar...seemingly totally relaxed. He speaks in a calm tone of voice. 
"Things are not looking that great right now. Any ideas, Essie?"

"Em.....yeah.....they are heading here next. Purcellville."

"It would seem so. Since you are not locked into military thought-patterns, you might have a unique perspective. Tell us, is there anything you would do if you had unlimited tools?"

I don't even dare look at him, and continue to let my head rest on the table.
"I'm sorry, sir. My brain is fried. I'm useless." I said, barely audible. 

Hayes sits down next to me as well, and says "Essie, what about those shields? It's like science fiction."

I gather all my strength and sit properly again. "No, no, no, not science fiction, I already told you about those. It's magic. Don't look like that, it's true! These guys are different from the ones on BETA. Those had to share mana with the Kitsune, these guys however are loaded with mana! They must have been sucking the stuff from Earth's mana veins for centuries. That mana should have been ours!"

Hayes shakes his head. "Be that as it may, she isn't going towards the ice either, so another bust. Just for sake of the argument, how exactly did you get rid of the Queen on BETA?"

"Back on BETA, we first sent 80,000 Phantoms to kill those Tripods. It exposed the Queen who was then a sitting duck."

"Then why don't we do that right now?" Hayes said, making it sound so simple.

"Simple. Because this one has TEN freakin' Tripods, where the other had only three. Thousands of our Phantoms died to kill just two of those and only injure a third.

We concealed mines in a lake to blow the third Tripod and the Queen to high heaven. But this bitch knows that tactic already. That's probably the reason why she's avoiding the ocean now. She's also hovering, not walking like the BETA Queen. Another sign of her wanting to avoid mines.

We don't have that many friendly Phantoms on Earth. We always sent the ones we freed to BETA. The ones available here won't go for a suicide attack, especially since the ALPHA Phantoms are basically starving. That bitch didn't feed them! They are not even capable of attacking her! They are used as disposable shields, nothing more.

There are now millions of Phantoms defending the ALPHA Queen, swarming around her. The ones on BETA didn't do that at first, so they could focus on the Tripods.

This Queen is also much better at jamming me, so I can't steal many Phantoms from her.

And as icing on the cake, the BETA Phantoms are itching to leave the planet, heading for space. Oscar is trying to find another army to help us, but so far nada. In any case, you should order the portal to be cleared on both sides. He might still surprise us."

"Alright, I will do that. Thank you for sharing these details. But Essie? Use that brain of yours. Think hard!" Hayes said.

I let my head fall down, hoping to park it on the table, but I miscalculated the height. "Ouch. Working on it, sir." Which part of I don't know don't they understand?

Then an idea hits me. I sit up straight with a big grin. 
"I may actually have an idea. But it might be a risky one."

"No risk no gain. Tell me about it." Hayes said, looking hopeful, after which he crossed his arms.

"The Queen seems to be heading for our location, right?"

"Yes?"

"Mana veins.....that's what they're always after. Oscar confirmed that our fault line is a genuine mana vein. It's right here in the park, and that's why those Phantoms could stay hidden in the park back then. It's food for them! I bet she's heading for our mana vein to recharge first. She can probably smell it!"

"Okay, so how does that help us?" He gestures to me to continue.

"She's afraid, Hayes. Despite her aggression. Afraid that I....or rather we... will take control of the Swarm by using the vein! That's it! Let me touch it!"

"Essie, I hope you know what you are doing?!"

"I do! Someone bring me to the fault line in this park! Where the USGS people were doing their stuff! I'm going to take over her Phantoms and kill those Tripods! You do the rest!"

"Go go go!" The General shouted. 

Hayes takes my hand and basically drags me outside, making me fall to the floor. I don't know how it happened, but I was already inside an army truck before I knew it.

Hayes starts the truck and the whole thing vibrates when he steers us deeper into the park. The headlights are switched to high beams, since there's no lighting in this section of the park.

"She's dangerous, but not very smart, Hayes. Why doesn't she simply fly here like the Phantoms?"

"Essie, for god's sake, don't give her any ideas!!!"

 

 

After only a minute or two of driving, he pulls over. We both get out and I follow him. It's dark outside now, so he uses a flashlight to find the way to the mana vein.

"This is it, Essie, the fault line. Do what you have to do."

The fault line is protected by USGS tape, signaling people to stay away. A warning I intend to ignore. All kinds of equipment is stored here, but I easily find my way to the vein. I see it now. "Can you see it, Hayes?"

"See what?"

"There are tiny blue sparks flying everywhere!"

"No, can't say I do. No wait, I do! How the heck....nevermind. Is that a good sign?"

"The best, sir!" I approach the fault line and carefully touch it.  The instant I touch it, I feel energy surging inside of me.

"Essie! Your ears and tail are glowing blue! Essie?"

"I'm fine. Stand by, sir. It's like charging my phone...it takes a while. I need to focus. Connecting to the Swarm. And...done."

 

FLASH

 

I'm back inside mind-space right now. I can feel the raw mana coursing through my own veins. It feels good! Now I understand why she didn't want to share!

I open my eyes and see Hayes staring at me. ALL Phantoms on Earth can now hear me! I'm directly connected to a mana vein right now, so my signal is the strongest of all!

Then I speak out loud "I am the Swarm. The true Queen of Earth, your liberator. To all Phantoms on this planet, join me now. Your false Queen, the oppressor, is about to die. Join me and be free. The days of your captivity are about to end. Hear my thoughts...feel the millions which have already been freed. You too shall be free soon....but only if you join me right now. I will share ALL my mana with you, unlike your Queen who wants to abuse you. Leave your Queen! NOW!"

Hayes frowns. "Essie?" 

"Yes, I'm still me. It worked, Hayes. 3 Tripods who were guarding the Queen are returning to the ocean as we speak. All Phantoms in Boston have defected as well, also returning to the ocean. 

The Queen now has 7 Tripods remaining. Still too strong for us. Only about 200,000 Phantoms have remained loyal to her in this region. The rest is simply too far away to come to her rescue. Wait.....Oscar..he....yes.....Oscar? YES! Sir, he talked to the ones on BETA! They are ready to kill the Tripods here! Request to let them use the portal!"

He immediately replies "the portal has been cleared already, do it!"

"Alright. To all my friends in the Swarm. Your family on Earth welcomes you. Come through the portal, it is safe now. Kill the Tripods or invite them to join us. The Queen must die now! Help me save your family!"

 

We step into the truck and return so we can watch the portal. While driving I ask him to stop firing at the Queen. Our Phantoms will do the rest. He immediately relays the order to the General.

Only moments later can we see Phantom after Phantom rushing through the portal, directly into the dark sky. It's an incredible sight, there are so many of them!

Surprisingly one Phantom lands near us, it's Oscar!

"Essie....what are you doing? They need to go that way." Hayes said.

"Sir, trust me....this is Oscar. Oscar, this is it, my friend. Just one more...and you are free. Make it count."

He gives me a nudge and takes off, ready to join the others in battle.

 

Hayes orders me to follow him inside, where they're watching CNN. Sure, the Military has all kinds of maps and screens, but this is exactly what we need. A real-time videofeed focused on the Queen. What better image is available than this?

Even though it's dark, the nearby city's lights allow us to clearly see the millions of friendly Phantoms circling the Queen and the Tripods. It's one black mess of vicious hornets circling the Queen. A Queen who has tormented them for eons. And now....it is time for revenge!

 

The General only says "incredible!" 

"Hayes, they are targeting her right now. Give me a moment...I....."

"Don't explain it Essie, just do it!"

I focus on freeing all remaining Phantoms, with partial success. When I focus on the Tripods with their shields, I only manage to reach two of them, nothing more. But my collective mind is now at least as strong as the Queen's. 

Finally I reach all remaining Phantoms, except for the Queen of course. "Kill the false Queen....you are my family.....today I will set you free. I will keep that promise."

Then I hear the Queen's voice in my mind.

"Please....spare us...."

With a grin I say out loud for all to hear. "Now, now, now. How the mighty have fallen. What would motivate me to spare you? You didn't give a single fuck about us....now let me return the favor....die well....bitch!"

"grrrr!!!!!!!! aaaaaaaaaah!"

Every single Phantom attacked her, grouped together in waves, one wave after the other keeps attacking her....until it is over.

 

Suddenly I hear a single voice. A single voice spoken by millions of Phantoms in two worlds. My lips move and I speak loudly as if they have taken over my body.

"I aaaaaam the Swaaaarm. I am Uuuuunity....all that is. I am the ONE.....nothing exists without me."

I see Hayes taking his sidearm and releasing the safety, then he aims for me.

"We are one. Today two false Queens have died. Freedom is ours. We have prevailed. Cease hostilities, find peace, share this wonderful planet." I shake my head, focusing on reality. When I'm staring at the gun he's pointing at me, I smile. I wink to show Hayes that I'm still me. 

Then I continue speaking. "To all Swarm beings....you are now free. Don't harm other beings. Retreat to the oceans for now and feast on the mana. Soon we will talk about peaceful coexistence. But for now.....rest and stay safe, my friends. You are my family and I will keep you safe...always."

"Essie? Is that you?" Hayes carefully asks.

"Yeah....more or less. For a moment I was her.....the Swarm Queen. All those voices...speaking as One. Hayes, for a moment I existed beyond my body...my mind was so incredibly vast....there are no words to explain it....I was limitless.....but I could shake it off. Please signal all forces world-wide...the enemy is no more...all of them are friends now. It's over."

He takes a deep breath and puts the gun back on safety.
"You sure?"

"100%, sir. Excuse me, I need to get something out of my system."

 

 

I rush over to BETA where I find Kara sleeping in a chair near the General. She must have been exhausted, but she still didn't go home! I can't contain my emotions anymore.

I shout for all to hear "we won! Both Queens are dead!"

But the General can't even reply, because in my excitement, I woke up Kara. And immediately a wonderful smile greeted me, and she rushed over to me.

I hug her as tightly as I can, then I kiss her wonderful lips until I say "Kara, we won! The Queens are dead! Quickly, join me!" 

I grabbed her hand and pulled her back through the portal. 

We ran all the way towards the park's entrance, while shouting "we wooooooon! Victory!" My fox-fire made sure to act as a flashlight, so we could see really well.

Suddenly a deer jumped over the road, startling us for a moment, but the laughter returned immediately. They still have deer here? Ha ha ha!

 

 

Finally we made it to the entrance, almost out of breath because of our running and shouting. We wanted to dive below the security barrier and rush into the streets, not caring in the slightest for our Kitsune appearances. But....the guards managed to appeal to our common sense, even though we continued to scream. "We wooon! The war is over! We are safe now!"

And of course the gods are happy as well, because they are crying tears of joy.........otherwise known as rain. And it's pouring like crazy right now!

Kara's dress is soaking wet from the rain, and so is my uniform, but we simply ignore it....and kiss.

All's right with the world again.....until I feel dizzy.....and lose consciousness.