The next afternoon, that same minivan again being driven by Greta pulls up in front of what appears to just be an out cropping of rocks in the desert. Jeff opens the sliding door of the van and steps out. Then he reaches back and draws Reana out. Yvette hops out followed by Brian and Steve. Each man has a bag over his shoulder full of equipment for gathering samples for testing.
Greta comes around from the driver's side of the van, "Follow me, please."
They follow her to the outcropping of rocks. As they step around the outcropping, the opening to a cave is revealed.
"Didn't know this was out here," comments Jeff.
"It is remote," Greta replies.
They step inside the cave. Greta flips the switch on a generator and a string of lights comes on above their heads.
"Be careful Jeff," Reana's eyes wide, "the ceiling's kind of low."
"I see," says Jeff having to hunch so his head doesn't bump into the lights hanging from the ceiling.
"You guys work fast," comments Yvette, "Got lights and a generator out here already."
"We didn't put in the lights," Greta responds, "But they did require some electrical work, and the generator needed replacing."
The floor of the cave slopes down as they follow Greta. Then a strange odor permeates their noses.
"Oh Jeff," Reana putting a finger under her nose to block the odor, "What's that awful smell."
"I hope it isn't anything dead," says Yvette with a hand over her small nose.
"It's not something dead," states Steve.
"It's fumes of some kind," Brian deduces.
"Well, I think we've found the source of the malodorous fumes," says Jeff as he looks at dozens of metal barrels with different hazardous symbols on them. "Well, someone obviously knew this cave was out here. They were dumping toxic waste in here. And by the looks of some of these barrels, they've been here for quite a while...
We should take soil samples near each one that's leaking."
"We're on it," Steve tells Jeff.
Jeff, Reana and Yvette follow Greta deeper down into the cave until they come to a pond. There are more barrels scattered around. Yvette uses a Geiger counter to monitor radiation levels.
"How are our levels," Jeff ask Yvette.
"A little higher than normal," answers Yvette. "Nothing outrageous, less than an x-ray, yet still higher than normal. Constant exposure would start to have an effect after a while."
Reana kneels by the pond to take water samples.
Greta stands next to Reana, "This is all that is left of what was once a vast ocean."
Reana fills several vials with water from the pond. Then she notices small life forms swimming in the pond water. They're luminous, and glow prettily. Reana puts her latex covered hand into the water palm up and one glides into her palm. It's about the length of her petite middle finger. And at its widest point in the middle of its length, is just wider than her thumb. She gently lifts it from the water to have a better look at it and it looks back at her with its three tiny black eyes.
"You don't find us offensive," inquires Greta.
"No," answers Reana fascinated with the small creature in her petite hand, "You're actually quite beautiful."
"It's the lower life form we have been forced to use that bothers you," states Greta.
"Yes," confirms Reana, "I'm sure that you have seen through the minds of the people you're using, that many human beings have a fear of insects and arachnids. I myself am quite phobic. The only way this could be worse for me is if the lower life forms you were using were arachnids."
"You're fear is irrational," states Greta.
"Irrational or not," Reana replies, "it's real for me."
Jeff kneels by Reana. Reana shows him the creature in her hand. She tells him, "We've been looking at them through microscopes in rooms filled with bright lights. It didn't allow us to see they're luminescent."
Jeff nods toward the water and Reana puts it back in the water. Jeff collects soil samples from around the pond.
"What's back that way," Jeff asks Greta.
She looks in the direction he indicated, "A cavern. The lower life forms we inhabit that are here to tend to the queen moved back there so you could work undisturbed."
"Reana," Jeff putting a hand on her shoulder, "Start back toward the van. Yvette and I will check it out."
Reana glances into the darkness. She's not afraid of the dark. It's what's lurking in the dark that has her worried. She doesn't question Jeff. She just nods her agreement, gives him a kiss and starts back the way they came.
Jeff and Yvette follow Greta. Greta flips another switch and the cavern is lit up.
"Jiminy Crickets," exclaims Yvette wide eyed.
"Indeed," Jeff responds as he takes in the cavern. There are at least a hundred more barrels of toxic waste. And sitting on top of the barrels is the mother of all cockroaches. There are numerous other roaches of various sizes crawling over the barrels and the ginormous cockroach.
"Our queen resides within this unusually large low life form," Greta informs them.
"Can she understand us," Jeff asks Greta.
"No," answers Greta, "Not without the information coming through me or someone like me. Without the connection via the lower life form to a human being, we are just observers. What I and the others learn, she learns. What one knows, all know. And the size of her host has become such that once she released the human being she's attached to, they would expire immediately. This host has become too large to even leave the cave."
"Well," Jeff says more than just a little nervous to Greta, "Let her know that we're just going to take some soil samples and that we're no threat."
"You are safe," assures Greta.
"That's good to know," responds Jeff as he and Yvette set about collecting soil samples.
"Would she mind if I got a closer look at her," Yvette ask Greta, "Maybe even took a few pictures?"
There's a pause before Greta answers. Jeff realizes that these pauses are when the parasites are communicating with each and their queen. Exactly how they are managing to communicate, he doesn't know.
Greta tells Yvette, "That would be fine."
"Jeff, give me a boost," request Yvette.
Jeff helps Yvette up onto the barrels. The smaller roaches move out of her way as she examines the ginormous cockroach.
"So," Jeff turning toward Greta, "It seems from what we've learned so far. Your size increases with the host size. And judging by the size of that particular host, your queen has gotten too large to take a human host."
"Perhaps," Greta responds, "I am unaware of her current size. But I am aware that she is not alone within this host. Several drones are in this host with her. They copulate frequently."
Yvette takes one last picture, then hops down from the barrels, "Okay, Jeff."
"You got balls little girl," Jeff tells Yvette on their way out.
"Naw," says Yvette, "My curiosity is just greater than my fear. I have stuff that freaks me out."
"Like what," Jeff asks Yvette curious.
"Eels, man," answers Yvette with a shiver, "just… ewe…"
Then Jeff turns to Greta as they head out of the cave, "We think we have everything we need for now. But sometimes scientists like myself have a eureka moment or realize we forgot something or I may even need to do some on site tests. So if we show up here unannounced I don't want your queen and her attendants to be alarmed."
"I would be more than happy to accompany you," Greta begins to say to Jeff.
"The phones are down," Jeff reminds Greta, "We can't call you from the house in the middle of the night if we realize we missed something."
There's that brief communication pause, then Greta answers, "We see. Do not worry about it. They will not be alarmed."
"Good, good," Jeff relieved. "By the way, good job of putting the town back together after all the havoc you caused at the carnival and in town."
"We need to keep things running as normally as possible," Greta responds. "We aren't ready to branch out into the world at large yet. Plus, delivery trucks need to come and go normally. There needs to be food at the grocery store. Your bodies need nourishment."
"And when you can finally branch out into the world, then what," ask Yvette.
"We will dispense with your barbaric monetary system," Greta answers. "We will bring order and harmony to this chaotic world. No one will starve or be homeless. All will lead useful productive lives."
"All," says Jeff skeptically, "What about people who are physically and mentally disabled or the elderly who need looking after because they've gotten too old and infirmed to care for themselves?"
"They will be disposed of humanely," Greta answers in a cold detached tone. Jeff, Reana, Yvette, Brian and Steve have yet to have seen any evidence of the emotions they claim to have.
After they arrive home that night, Jeff's long legs pace back and forth between the living room and dining room, "Just dispose of them humanely," Jeff says to himself. Reana watches him concerned. She knows he doesn't pace unless he's really bothered by something.
"They think they're better than us," Jeff says to himself, "They're not better than us. This is our planet not theirs. Some things are for us to achieve on our own."
"Jeff," Reana says softly.
He hears her and stops pacing to focus on her lovely round tan face. He recognizes her concern first. Then the tightness around her beautiful brown eyes tells him she's afraid. He goes to her, takes her in his arms and kisses her deeply. The height difference between them, with Reana being nearly a head and a half shorter than Jeff, doesn't bother them. It just adds to how cute they are as a couple as he holds her tightly, comforting both of them.
"Come on," Jeff calling the other three young people that have become residents in their home. "I know it's late and we're all tired and scared. Let's just sit around the kitchen table for a few minutes and do a little brain storming."
They sit around the kitchen table and Yvette starts, "These are the photos I took while we were in the cave." She spreads them out on the kitchen table for everyone to see.
Reana's eyes grow large at the pictures of the ginormous cockroach perch upon the barrels of toxic waste, "That was in the cave with us."
Jeff squeezes Reana's hand assuringly, "She is impressive."
"Impressive," repeats Reana with a laugh that's half scoff.
"How close did you get to that thing," Steve asks Yvette.
"Jeff gave me a boost up onto the barrels," answers Yvette.
"You're crazy," states Brian.
Yvette informs Brian, "You need to remember that next time you try to cop a feel while I'm sleeping."
"She's got big brass keyounays, Brian," Jeff says with a grin, "Don't piss her off."
Brian puts his hands up in surrender.
"She just got up there with it," Jeff tells the others shaking his head in disbelief, "and examined it. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it. I certainly didn't want to get any closer to it than necessary."
"I probably would have fainted again," says Reana guiltily, "That's why you sent me back to the van."
"I was afraid for you, yes," admits Jeff. "Under normal circumstances you're more capable than most."
"We all have something we can't cope with," Yvette empathizing with Reana. "If we were dealing with giant mutant eels, I would be the one fainting."
"Snakes," admits Steve, "Snakes freak me out."
"Brian," questions Yvette.
Brian mumbles something incoherent that none of them can hear properly.
"What," they all ask.
"Homoes, okay, homoes," admits Brian irritated. "Not like lesbians, they don't bother me. But gay guys creep me out. I don't want to beat them up or anything like that. I just can't stand the thought of some guy looking at me like I look at a woman."
"Wow," says Reana amused.
"Jeff," questions Yvette.
Jeff answers with an amused grin, "Super Models... Especially ones named Gloria. They make my skin crawl."
They all chuckle and snicker, but Brian says, "Aw, come on, Jeff."
"Okay, okay," then Jeff admits, "Mice."
"Mice," the others say surprised.
"But Jeff," says Steve, "You're a scientist. You have to do experiments and junk involving mice and rats."
"Those are white lab mice and rats," explains Jeff. "For some reason, they don't bother me. But like wild field mice or wild street rats, they just give me the heebie-jeebies."
They all go silent for a minute.
"A lot of those dumped barrels had flammable on them," says Steve.
"That's something for us to work with," says Reana hopefully.
"We can't just light a match and run," says Brian. "Even I'm not that fast."
"I told them we may need to get more samples for testing," shares Jeff. "So we can basically come and go from the cave as we please."
"Why would we want to come and go as we please," ask Steve.
"So we can plant bombs in the cave," answers Jeff.
"Where are we going to get bombs," ask Brian.
"We're going to make them," Reana realizes.
Jeff looks at Reana and smiles, "That's why I love you."
"How are we going to do that," ask Yvette.
"Reana did a project her senior year of high school," explains Jeff. "It was on homeland terrorism and the ease of making homemade bombs."
"Many household products can be uses to make all kinds of things," Reana shrugs." We probably already have most of what we need. The rest we can pick up at the grocery and hardware store."
"But they like to drop in on us," reminds Steve. "What one knows, they all know. If one of them has any info on this sort of thing, we'll all end up slaves like everyone else."
"We've been keeping the doors locked," reminds Jeff. "They know they have to ring the bell. They just can't walk in on us."
"Plus," Reana adds, "We have a basement. We can work down there and leave all the equipment set up in the dining room so it looks like we're still working on their problem in our spare time."
"Here's a thought," Brian shares, "the unconnected roaches can't understand what we're saying, but they can see us. If we're setting up explosives with wires and all, they're gonna see."
"We'll set them up with wireless detonators," is Jeff's solution. "We have a cave full of metal barrels full of dumped toxic waste, a good deal of it flammable. Normally, we would be calling the authorities because someone knew that cave was there and was obviously dumping illegally. After so many years down there in a dark dank cave, they started to leak which I believe has been the major contributing factor to our current problem. Once our bombs are ready with wireless detonators, we simply place them in some strategic places in the cave next to barrels containing explosive and flammable materials.
In the meantime, we make a habit of stopping by the cave to collect extra soil and water samples, get them used to us dropping by."