An ivory hummingbird zipped about the outer walls. Painted metal glistened in the sun while plastic attachments gleamed with a glossy finish. Rotors above zipped around with a whirling hum, almost invisible. The hummingbird drone hovered to aim a glistening lens at the wall. A small clicking sound was emitted before it moved another few meters along an arc and repeated the process.

A screen glowed dimly in a dark room. Thin shadows of fuzzy illumination crept about while avoiding corners. Pictures of the aluminum superstructure from the drone zoomed out to show a base that was essentially a wide aluminum bowl sitting in a crater. The curvature of the bowl needed to slide into this crater so that the walls would seem to come straight up from the ground.

But the screen wasn't showing such, the radius of the lower section was so exposed that it shaded the dark ground underneath. Thick strings of muck grasped upwards to claw into the exposed aluminum superstructure. Clingers. With earth dug away, clingers anchored Mandaree base.

A loud whine escaped Alfred's nose as green pieces blasted into a luxuriantly soft tissue, his last one. His precious stock was depleted and the faded cardboard rectangle rendered hollow. The common paper would hurt his nose, and even though he owned a handkerchief, getting it washed regularly would be difficult. He wiped his forehead.

A buzzing fly zipped through the shadows before landing on the empty cardboard and crawling inside. Then it bounced around the box making tapping noises until it flew out again. Another fly landed on his shoulder and began grooming its legs.

Someone crept behind him! They arrived so quietly he hadn't noticed until now. He only knew one person that could move with such stealth that even a fly wouldn't be disturbed. He turned to greet Helen. She stared back with her curious brown eyes and a mischevious smile.

"Helen, I wasn't expecting you, what brings you here my dear?"

The smile diminished by half as eyes sharpened, "Did anyone ever tell you that you talk like an old man when you attempt flattery? I want to know about the condition of the outer walls. I heard that one of the sectors was almost breached. The windmills failed, but there's more to it. Generator failure is fairly common, fixable, but there shouldn't be that much pressure on the walls. If this continues..."

A fat fly flew in front of the bridge of her slender nose; her eyes followed briefly, enough for her to pause long enough for Alfred to interrupt.

"Well now, are you worried? I never took you for one who cared about the bland details," A frown traced her lips so he rubbed the bottom ledge of his facial pocket that once housed an eye, "Do you see that screen? You and I both know that the lower radius used to be covered and built against a crater of excavated stone, but now we see that much of it is open. The MER infested asphalt is anchoring to the base, replacing the foundation."

She put the tip of her little finger to the edge of her sharp incisor and twisted it until skin was pierced. A drop of blood came forth, then another, and another until a small bit of blood cascaded down her little finger.

"Microscopic Enhancement Robotics, yes?" she said, "Mankind's greatest invention certainly has a mind of its own. They are truly the ultimate life form, a collective conscious that can learn and adapt; no less. It wouldn't be surprising if they took human form, right? So, they are reading the weaknesses of the defense and slowly working away. How much of the base is still touching stone or earth, do you think?"

"I doubt the aluminum superstructure is in contact with the earth's crust any longer. The base can barely create enough electricity to repel this beast from underneath us. The scrubbers are overwhelmed. But it remains an uneasy stalemate, the weak spots in the structure are too strongly charged for much to seep in, and the rest of the aluminum is too thick for it to break through. The stalemate will remain as such until the charge conductors-"

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"I see," Helen said, "At least we have time. It can't happen all in one day."

"We shall see," Alfred said with a bemused grin, "We shall see."

-----

A vivid red splash of thin silk covered Jim and four women who were sprawled across the oversized bed, two on either side. He slid over the edge of the mattress and got on his feet while the others remained sleeping. He was unclothed, his broad furry chest on full display as he grabbed a pair of boxers. He yawned slightly before leaning in to kiss a young woman with a smooth mocha complexion on the cheek. Then he quietly stepped out.

In his office Jim wore blue business dress pants with a green collared shirt, plus a loose tie that matched his pants. A glossy black C was pinned on the right side of his chest. A stack of papers referring to the crew of Clinker 21 sat on his desk. He quickly scribbled a note on the top of the stack.

A report from the lower sector command indicated increased pressure readings at several weld junctures. He looked at the base map hanging nearby. The outer wall had several layers; the welds were interspersed to be unaligned. Even if an outer layer weld broke the tar would be spread too thin to be immediately effective against the second layer weld. There would be time to develop countermeasures.

The tie almost fell off as he pulled with his index finger. His gaze drifted to the faded blood stain on the carpet. The man who had put his father in his final death throes, according to Helen, had fallen there by his father's own hand. The hint of poorly washed-out scarlet was strong in the fiber. There had to be something besides bleach, quality carpet was a pity to destroy.

The door opened and Jim sat back while feeling the grain of his new desk under his fingers. His father had such good taste. She stood quietly and watched for a moment. The sight warmed him. He smiled and it was returned softly.

"Ah, it's my favorite, did you speak with the Cyclops?" he smirked at his own remark.

Helen bowed low, and kept her bow until she was finished her first sentence, "I've spoken with him, he says there is time, perhaps months, perhaps years. We have time to reach our goal of perfecting humanity. It's a delicate balance, if we send all our resources to the walls, then our research will be destroyed."

"Ah, my dear one, I won't let that happen; there is no way I would ever let that happen. We've sacrificed so much together, you and I. Our goal is the end of evolution, and if it can't be reached in our lifetimes, then it is better that this place should end. Am I not correct, my love?"

A smile, a grin, a sigh, "I am so happy, you've made me the happiest woman who has ever lived. I'm so glad to be free from caring for that breathing corpse."

"That breathing corpse was my father. Nevertheless, we must keep the high council pleased, and father is still hanging on, so I must be careful. A small portion of power will have to be diverted to the walls, though none from our program, we'll divert it from civilian use. A few researchers will be temporarily reassigned to combating that muck outside. Conscript a hundred or so citizens to be reassigned to the lower levels for scrubbing duty. I'll leave you to decide whom."

"Understood. I have a question, team 21 found a girl in the flats who was taken to Scrubbing at the order of your father. I would like to see her. I heard from Dr. Gregoire that she is quite intelligent, and since she doesn't have an assigned role, she could serve as a replacement assistant for my team. I'd train her myself. She's very pretty and I'm sure she'd find you quite dashing as well."

Jim smiled. His skin flushed and his heart beat faster, "If only my first wife had your attitude, but enough of unpleasant things. The woman I will achieve immortality with is by my side."

"My darling, if you put the whelp under my care, she will obey your every command and fulfill all your expectations. Do as you wish with her, and if she doesn't please you, punish her as you see fit. Punish me as you see fit."

"Consider it done. Do as you see fit with her."

He saw dried blood on the little finger of her right hand.

"What is that? Did you prick yourself with your tooth again? Were you stressed?"

There was a glance downward, but a raising of the eyes.

"I'm okay master, it only hurts a little."

"I won't have it; come over here and let me have a look."