You rested quietly in your position in the chamber that had been opened up for your nest. It was certainly a step down from your old apartment, but you were free and not being experimented on. After the the Divine Fire Ants stung you and turned you into a giant Divine Fire Ant Queen, you really didn't have much hope of staying in your apartment and not being poked and prodded by scientists who likely couldn't explain how Divine Fire Ant venom transformed you and thus wouldn't be able to reverse your transformation. You were a Divine Fire Ant Queen, now. That couldn't be changed and your freedom was the most important thing to you.
Not to mention that as you had conversed with the ants that had changed you and with with Hank Pym, you'd found yourself much more interested in Pym's work with regard to researching the Divine Fire Ant and feeling the actual love from the ants that changed you. It felt like they didn't change you out of hate or even need. Though they probably did need you when they first stung you, as their queen had died and they needed a new queen to take over to keep their colony alive, thus transforming you and then Hank was a necessity for them. But at the same time, you could feel their love. As their queen, they did care for you and loved you in ways that was surprisingly touching. In some ways it was an odd sensation as you felt it through the sort of "hive-mind" that existed within the colony, and in that, you could feel Hank's desire to figure out how it worked, but it was fast becoming something you didn't want to give up. You were the colony's queen now and you had laid an egg and many more were developing in your abdomen. You didn't want to lose your freedom and you didn't want to disappoint the ants that had chosen you to be their queen and had cared for you so much. You didn't want Hank to lose his chance to study the Divine Fire Ant in a way no scientist could have ever thought to study ants.
That meant dealing with Hank's colleague, Doctor Benjamin. The scientist may have legitimate fears, but he had already betrayed his promise to keep your existence as a giant Divine Fire Ant a secret and allow you and Hank to establish your colony in safety. That was a problem, though you figured that you had done enough assure that you were physically safe for the time being, which could allow for proof to be presented that the effect of Divine Fire Ant venom on invertebrates would enlarge them to the point where the colony wouldn't pose a threat to the entire Amazon ecosystem, despite its giant size. However, you didn't know how long that would take to work and allow for peaceful coexistence between your colony and humanity. That then gave you some worries over what Hank had told you about how the battery on his phone would last.
"Hank... how long will your phone's battery last?" you asked him carefully as you moved your gaze from the other ants as they worked on enlarging and improving the nest. Their work was busy and hectic but not quite what you were presently focused on.
Hank looked up from where he was actually typing something. There was a brief settlement for a moment before he answered her.
"About a week or so before I'd need to recharge it," Hank said slowly, "I'd mean a lot of hectic work to get all my research done and typed, but if I focus, I'm sure I can get all the answers we need."
"But there's a lot about being a giant ant that none of us know... not even the colony," you said to him.
"The points there are bound to be speculative," Hank admitted, "but the key point is to get the information that Doctor Benjamin will need as proof that at this size we aren't a threat to ecosystem."
You were hopeful on that part. Being safe from being prodded to lay your eggs and let your colony thrive was important. You wouldn't have let Hank been stung and mated with him if you hadn't had some acceptance of what you'd become and willing to give the colony a queen. However a part of your mind worried that certain things might not be answered in time, as from things that Hank had talked to you about, there was a lot of things he wanted to find out about regarding your new species. That would have to take time. Your thoughts were then interrupted with another of your drones spoke up.
"What about your parents?" Martin wondered, "you said you had some worries about them."
If you still had eyelids, you would have blinked in surprise. As you'd discussed the research plans that Hank had you'd practically forgotten about your parents. Even if they responded well to the email that you'd sent and didn't go crazy over whatever the company that Hank and Doctor Benjamin were working for tells them about what had happened to you, they would want contact with you. Getting the email would only let them know that at the moment you would have the means to contact them, they wouldn't know that you presently only had a limited time to do so. It brought a great deal of realization to your mind.
"We can't lose the ability to charge your phone," you spoke the surprise and realization evident in your voice, "even if it doesn't relate to Doctor Benjamin... it will relate to my parents. If they don't totally go nuts... they'll still want to hear from me."
Hank looked down for a moment and lowered his antennae and then looked up to you again. He looked fairly calm, but you got the sense that he was somewhat concerned as well.
"But you did tell them that contact would be sparse..." Hank said slowly, "Right?"
"Right... but if they don't reject me, they will want contact and I would want to keep some contact with them," you said to him, "not simply lose contact with them at all."
You looked to all of your drones and they looked to you. You got the sense that all of them were worried, likely an intuitive result of the worried and nervous feelings you were presently putting out. They knew you were worried and as your drones, they all loved you and that was something you had come to like. Hank came first and foremost, but the fact that the others also loved you for being their new queen was enough to make you feel glad to have their company, but that wasn't all of the worries that you had.
"If they reject me... I'll let them go off and hate me for what I've become," you told them, "but if they don't reject me... they are family. My parents. If they respond well, I would like to keep contact with them. I am afraid they'd reject me because I'm so different now... but that doesn't mean that I don't love my parents and that we've had a bad past."
Your drones all looked to each other, including Hank and it was Hank who ultimately answered.
"It'll mean greater contact with Doctor Benjamin and likely meaning that he would need to be brought here quickly," Hank spoke, "not just finding the beetle as proof that our venom enlarges invertebrates."
"If we can show him that, would he let us be or at least be willing to let us be free?" you asked him.
"Maybe," Hank answered, "his chief concern is that at this size we'd eat the Amazon out of animals. Showing that our venom will enlarge invertebrates will help with that, but I cannot say for sure on whether or not he may have other issues. If we simply vanished into the Amazon and he learns that our venom enlarges invertebrates he may have to let us go, as there would be nothing that could be done to find us without organizing a massive search, and thus letting it be... if only to wait for some other sign. This... this will potentially mean bringing him here."
"And he may still be hostile?" Oscar asked.
"If he does, we eat him!" Nathan declared.
"No," you said firmly, "my need to be able to communicate with my parents will mean working with him... and regardless of whether or not they reject me or Dr. Benjamin proves he can be trusted, we are NOT to wage war with humanity. All that will do is make us monsters to them... and they have the technology to kill us all."
"Dr. Benjamin may still be hostile or at least suspicious," Hank said to Oscar, "but if we're find a way to keep contact with Christine's parents in the long term we'll NEED to work with him."
"But we can talk to him... with your phone in some word or text program that he could read?" you asked to Hank.
Hank nodded affirmatively.
"Then that is what we will do," you spoke, "the workers making a path to the beetle will bring Dr. Benjamin here and he will be made to see that we aren't a threat to humanity or the Amazon."
You then paused and turned to look out to the workers who were busy. Some were getting a few bites from the tarantula that had been captured and now filled up a large central area of the chamber. Most were moving to begin enlarging the nest, going deeper into the earth or moving horizontally so that they would soon have chambers specifically for you, your drones, and your eggs, not to mention food storage, resting areas and ultimately areas in the nest for garbage. It was helpful, as they were making a lot of progress and moving far faster than what you could do on your own.
"I will need one volunteer," you announced through your antennae.
Your workers lifted their antennae in response as the sort of telepathic communication went through the "hive-mind" that seemed to link you with the entire colony. You watched as they seemed to talk among each other. Eventually three came before you. They lowered their heads and antennae as they approached you.
"We are free to perform whatever task you may need," the three said together as they approached. Their voices weren't in perfect unison, but it was pretty close.
"I only need one volunteer," you said to them, "earlier, I sent out a small group to create a path that would lead Dr. Benjamin to the beetle. The hope was that this would let him see that we won't eat the Amazon out of animals. However, I have been reminded of things in our present situation where we may need to work with Doctor Benjamin. This will require him brought here and brought into the nest where we may negotiate out a working partnership. I need the volunteer to catch up with the team building the path and let them know that Doctor Benjamin needs to be brought here... and brought here ALIVE and UNHARMED. Restraint is one thing... but I don't want him hurt. As troublesome as he may be... we ultimately need him."
"And that is all you need, my queen?" the second of the three asked.
"Yes," you replied, "he was a jerk to me and I do not trust him for betraying his promise to Hank... but the over all situation is such that we will need his cooperation."
The three looked to each other for a few moments. It was the third of the three that answered.
"All three of us can, my queen," the third said respectfully to her.
You inwardly sighed and nodded. Eventually you pointed one antennae to the one in the middle of the group of three. She looked the strongest and the most able to catch up with the team sent to create the trail.
"You will go," you said to her, "remember that Dr. Benjamin is to be brought back alive and unharmed. Understand?"
"Yes, my queen," she answered and was soon off.
"You two may return the work on building the nest," you instructed to them and again inwardly sighed with regard to everything that was going on. Things never seemed to be easy.