Phoenix Talon leaped aboard a second ant as the fastest way of catching up with the one carrying Thunderbolt off. Cold Steel ran after and scrambled up as well; Xorn had disappeared, taking a shortcut through the earth.
    "Howdy."
    "Oh, brother," Steel sighed. "Cameramen! For cryin' out loud!" A fogbank erupted around them, hiding them from the view of the people in the helicopter. "The last thing we need is for people to see us riding ants."
    Thunderbolt drew his .45; no sense messing around with these things. The ant stopped sharply and lifted its mandibles to grab hold of his arm as he pitched forward, off balance. Keeping his arm meant sacrificing the gun. [Yes, Josh rolled ANOTHER 20. We'd all like to know why this keeps happening to the poor man.] He sensed the radiation arcing between the ant's antennae as it scuttled forward a few more steps and then released the gene sequencer, which slid rapidly down a long, shallow incline into the absolute darkness.
    The ant let out a sudden, hideous squeal.
    "Thunderbolt, jump!" someone yelled. He did, just as Xorn appeared to rip the thing apart with another vibrational wave. "Did you get it?"
    "No. Dropped down the shaft."
    "No doubt straight to the heart of the problem," he sighed as the other two caught up.
    "Where is it?" Talon asked.
    Xorn pointed. "Down that hole."
    Phoenix Talon promptly leaped forward and slid after it.
    "He's exuberant, I'll give him that," Steel observed. "I'll follow after, I am made of metal, after all." He vanished.
    The other two exchanged a shrug.
    "I'll follow in my own style, thanks." Xorn disappeared back into the floor.
    Mid-slide, Talon noted that this was probably once part of the sewer system. Now it was crawling with ants, which seemed to have better things to do than worry about three small intrudors. There was no sign of the sequencer; another ant must have picked it up. He slid to a halt, moved just in time to keep Steel from crashing into him.
    "Let's go this way," Talon suggested.
    "We need some light, or something."
    Phoenix Talon turned on his flashlight and led them deeper into the nest until they reached its heart, a vast chamber with a monstrous queen at rest in its center. The gene sequencer lay before her.
    "Wasn't there supposed to be a supervillain down here? Doc Twilight?" He seemed to hear a buzzing sound... inside his head.
    Yezz, Doc Twilight made uzz. The zzequencer is for him, in payment for our life. And then we will kill him, and lay eggzz inside his body like we will do with yourzz!
    "I got an egg right here for ya." He pulled out his other grenade and smiled.

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