Invasive Species

Liam

A crooked window was in the rear of the house. Liam stuck his head in the window but was careful not to open it. He saw nothing. It was morning, but Brooksville was not safe. Experiment 321 had flopped, and authorities could not help its residents.

Experiment 321 accidentally released viruses, lions, rats, rabbits, monkeys, and ants into the world. Of everything, Ants scared the world the most, and it was not the lions. The lions were spotted and killed, and it was the same with the other animals. But the ants were different and complicated.

Before the NanoTech disaster, Liam, in the 9th grade, had come to stay with Freddie, his uncle, as his parents were away in India for the summer. Liam was bright and curious and was 5'6 growing like a rocket. Liam cut his hair short and read lots of books. Freddie, a high-energy tech worker, worked at NanoTech, a bio-weapon research plant receiving billions from the Pentagon. Freddie was an expert in computer science and genetic research and was the lead at 26 years of age for NanoTech.

One day, Liam asked Freddie, "What do you do at NanoTech?"

"We at NanoTech have been researching and developing ways to modify viruses and turn genes on and off in animals," Freddie informed Liam. "Our goal is to bring these animals back to their prehistoric ancestors, thus, reverting them into the beasts they used to be." Freddie continued, explaining further details of the company's research.

Liam thought that was neat until the biotech lab accident. Freddie had been unhurt in the accident and only briefly hospitalized, but the lab had caught fire and blown up. The lab animals escaped, and it was a national emergency. Soon it became a world emergency.

After the lab accident, Naval helicopters showed up with marines, and that was the beginning. In a few days, the CDC showed up in hazmat suits. For Liam in Brooksville, things worsened as the city quarantined and troops moved in. Pentagon and CDC used containment procedures, and nobody got in or out of the town. Freddie could not leave Nanotech but was alright. Liam stayed at the house, and food and supplies were brought to him by the marines.

Lian's heart raced, and it was what he saw on the mountain. Liam could not understand, but millions of bubbles were heading to Brooksville. The military mobilized. Soon most of the US military came. Tanks, helicopters, and keeps descended on Brooksville, and they destroyed bubbles.

The Pentagon was in a panic and had sent written orders to Brooksfield. The Pentagon had ordered Brookfield residents to destroy bubbles that landed on their property. Bubbles by the millions were descending on air currents to Brooksfield. Hundreds of miles away saw the bubbles too. The marines tried to destroy the bubbles but failed. Bubbles were all over thousands of square miles.
Freddy called Liam daily from Nanotech but was unable to leave the facility due to the need to keep experts on call 24/7. Liam asked many questions on the calls.
Liam asked, "Why do ants like water pipes?"
Freddy responded, "It is a mystery, but it has something to do with ants attracted to metal's electrical properties. Copper carries electrons, and ant antennae can pick up small currents. The ant is bad news because the ants are destroying the water supply unintentionally."
Liam, "Can the ants be stopped?"
Freddy, "We have tried everything, and nothing can stop the ants from multiplying. "
With that, Freddy hung up the phone, and Liam was determined to find one of these ants.