âIâm not angry,â she says from the top of the basement stairs. âJust disappointed.â
Below, a million hard exoskeletons glitter in the light streaming through the open door. The floor is completely covered in them, the hard-packed dirt rounded and molded into their home.
With a sigh, she starts down the stairs. âDonât you swarm at me. I give you food, I give you shelter and this, this is the repayment I get! Whereâs the Queen?â
Thereâs the sound of insects rushing past each other and a black mound begins to form. It grows higher and higher, moving slowly towards the bottom step, until itâs at her waist. Slowly, the top layer of workers peels back to reveal the Queen in all her glory.
The Queen is easily the length of her hand, glittering and gorgeous in the faint light. She had been the one to make the Queen last semester as part of her final project. Her professor had given her an A on the condition that she destroy the Queen and her genetically enhanced children, but, instead, sheâd taken them home.
âLook at this,â she says, thrusting her bill in front of the Queenâs tiny head. âI canât afford this! I donâtâwhere did you all even get computers?â
The ants surge guiltily, producing a mac that looks very, very familiar.
âYou stole my exâs laptop.â Itâs not a question. âThatâsâalright, thatâs pretty funny. Iâm not going to take it away, relax, but you all need to figure out how to pay for this, okay? I canât feed you and entertain you on my stipend, okay?â
The Queen regally nods. Thereâs a shift in the air as she communicates with the others and another mound of ants forms and pushes forward. This one opens to reveal a plastic bag filled with dirt-covered jewelry and a handful ofâŚancient coins?
She takes the bag, staring blankly at it. âOkayâŚIâm not going to ask. I donât want to know. Iâll invest in better internet and pretend that you guys arenât about two seconds from opening a chop shop or crime ring or whatever in my basement.â
She turns to go and pauses halfway up. âI have to ask. What do you guys even need internet for?â
The mac flickers on to show Jessica Jones paused halfway through episode six.
âFair enough,â she says and goes to google local pawn shops that donât ask too many questions