zzambrosius_02

Ambros and Bruce dropped in to the Fair site on Saturday around noon. He used the wild area near Daredevil Palace as their drop-in: with his Shifter still active, he could see hundreds of Traces, the spoor of Commonwealthers visiting the Fair. He sent a mental command to the Shifter, shutting it down. It bore a distinct resemblance to a hockey puck, though it was fractionally lighter. He stowed it in the pocket on the front of his kilt.

He looked his companion over and thought: ‘Bruce is a Giant Ant, for all practical purposes. Oh, there are a lot of small differences...and big ones, too; like the Squid sticking out of the top of its head.’

Most people would see Bruce and call it an Ant, though: ‘We certainly did, when the Commonwealth first ran into them.’

He knew that the creature had an internal skeleton as well as its chitinous carapace. ‘...and the cyborg aspect, don’t forget that part. Most of its memory is in the mechanical-biological computer set in its thorax.’

Two metallic tentacles dangled from the silvery rectangular panel set into its carapace. Occasionally these waved around, often in sync with the antennae on the “Ant” part’s head.

‘The machine stores memory and works logically. The Squid feels emotion—exactly what sort is hard to say— and provides motivation. The actual Ant part is more or less a biological bicycle, although with senses that the other two parts lack. And these three organisms have been a commensal and collective intelligence for at least several million years.’

He spoke aloud: “This is gonna be a riot. I hope not actually...”