Randell studied the small vex before him, contemplative. She watched him with an undeniably smug look. And the implications of that expression, far more than the results of the stupid memory test itself, terrified him.

  He had well understood the enigmatic queens of the hive were more intelligent than their drone counterparts. It was common knowledge that they were clever little pests. They had to be in order to keep the massive subterranean superstructures running smoothly. The great question, then, was exactly smart they were. For the last seven months, he'd been reading various updates and daily reports from Rythica's caretaker. He had been watching, in a way, as the girl slowly grew and her mental faculties developed. He had seen hints in those reports that implied she was more than her monstrous appearance would let on. They were subtle things; from picking up on instructions a little quicker than expected to clearly manipulating the oblivious nanny into handing out jerky sticks as if they were as common as grains of sand in a desert. Most of these feats of the mind could be played off as exaggerations of a doting mother, singing the praises of a child in her care for everything they did. And even the things that weren't over-embellished didn't necessarily imply anything. Crows and ravens were smart and could be taught tricks, too. So what if a juvenile vex queen was on the level of a particularly bright bird?

  And even the results of this memory test weren't a terribly ground-breaking discovery. Sure, her results were impressive, but most primates had better short-term memory than humans did. So what if a being that literally evolved to micromanage hundreds of other beings had an impressive memory at such a young age?

  What about how quickly she caught onto the rules of the game? A human child wouldn't have had a chance at her age, even accounting for a vex's accelerated growth rate. While deeply unsettling, it still wasn't truly conclusive evidence.

  But that look on her face...

  That was not the expression of an animal who did a trick to receive a tasty treat. An animal didn't shove their bounties off to the side so they could keep concentrating. This was a challenge, plain and simple. She knew she was being tested and she wanted to show off. Even now, she sat, leisurely reclining in her cage, deliberately chewing slowly and maintaining eye contact with a condescending, self-satisfied smile on her lips.

  In that moment, he had seen her as something more.

  Randell had to admit, he had been dismissive of Julia's claims to the point of being obstinate. So he had to wonder, why was he so insistent that she wasn't a person, that she couldn't think and reason and He didn't need to consider it for very long. He already knew.

  Euthanizing a dangerous monster was easy.

  Euthanizing a child a dangerous monster was a very different story.

  He to believe she was just a monster. He wanted to believe that . He felt like he was constantly fighting himself to see her as something less. It was like a voice kept pulling him away from that line of thinking, forcing him to see her as something precious and fragile. It had gotten so bad, he was standing his ground merely to prove to himself that he wasn't a slave to his emotions.

  Why did he care so much, anyway?

  Other implications whirled through his mind. What if she sapient? If she was... He already knew he wouldn't be able to hurt her. Even setting her free in the wild sent chills down his spine. What if something happened to her? Would she be safe out there? She was just a child. He needed to

  He forcefully tore the thoughts away. It didn't matter. He didn't need to think about this now, not when he wasn't certain. He glanced down at the book in his hands, scanning through all the various tests he had lined up for today. With a few quick flicks of his quill, he crossed out all of the physical ones. What did it matter how good her reflexes were, or how strong she was? No, all that mattered was finding out the truth.

  What test was next?

  Rythica finished off the last of her hard-won delicacies all too quickly. She licked her claws clean, trying to squeeze just a bit more flavor out, to limited success. She sighed in both contentment and mild disappointment, rubbing her full belly.

  Her favorite minion, hovering nearby, spoke up. "Master Randell, are we done for the day?"

  Oh, she was engaging with again.

  The defeated "not-Julia" had been silent for a while, his hollow gaze flicking back and forth between the queen and his book, lost in thought. He took a few moments to respond.

  "No, I have a few more tests I'd like to run, first." His eyes finally locked on Rythica, a sudden fire burning in them that instantly knocked Rythica out of her comfortable pose. "Her test results were rather impressive, and I'd like to capitalize on this momentum."

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  The now-vexed girl sat forward, a conflagration burning in her own eyes. Did this drone seriously not learn his lesson yet? She had defeated him and broken through his trickery, and yet he still looked at her in such a way? That infuriated her. She had won. That filthy creature should be curled up on the cold floor, begging for forgiveness and offering up his severed limb in recompense. She had shown him mercy, merely trampling his pride and even deigning to defer his punishment.

  She rose to her feet slowly, her wings buzzing furiously, her mandibles clicking in warning. Her burning violet compound eyes met a pair of unsettled, yet determined hazel ones. Neither of them blinked.

  The "Julia" hesitated, noticing the sudden tension. "Um, is... everything alright?"

  The enemy shook his head, reminding himself of his surroundings. "Of course, Miss Julia, I was merely lost in thought. I apologize for my rudeness."

  Rythica didn't break her death stare, nor did she calm her furiously humming wings. She flexed her fingers, already imagining raking her claws across his face. Her anger churned hotter than it ever had in her short life. She had been more than patient today. He had crossed the line far too many times by this point; the box incident, the empty cages she was ruthlessly locked in, the attempt at usurpation, the rigged game to make her look bad in front of her drone.

  She thought back to all the injustices this being had imposed on her. She remembered the tests and challenges he had made her do in the past. She remembered that weird metal disk that he used on her and made her uncomfortable. She remembered him getting annoyed and drenching her with water out of spite.

  She had had enough. She had reached her limit and surpassed it. And she was found wanting.

  Something within her snapped.

  Even as she stood there, fuming, there was a sudden clarity to her thoughts. That rage within her still burned, but it was a cold fury. She looked at the target of her ire, and her thoughts whirled with sudden plans for her retribution. Her plans were not complex. They had few moving parts and strained at the very edges of what her youthful mind could conjure. They were full of more holes and assumptions than actual substance. Yet, in those plans, she tasted sweet blood and bitter catharsis.

  Her prey saw something in her eyes and flinched. Rythica smirked, but there was no mirth in the gesture. He quickly looked down at his book. He clapped his hands and spoke with forced cheer, but it was a bit strained.

  "Let's move on to the next test, shall we? Let's see here. It seems the next test should be... multi-tasking? No, not now. She's a hive queen; of course she'll excel at that. Problem-solving? That might work."

  With whatever he was saying, he looked unsatisfied with the book.

  The "Julia" gave the two a concerned look, clearly not understanding the underlying situation, but she didn't say anything. She gave an especially long look at Rythica, almost as disturbed by her abrupt shift in demeanor as the prey was. Rythica ignored her.

  The prey slipped on his gloves and approached Rythica's cage, before hesitating. He glanced over to the queen's only remaining drone and offered her the gloves instead.

  "Miss Julia, would you be so kind as to transport the subj- , Rythica, please?"

  The nanny quietly did as asked, donning the protective gear. She reached down into the cage and slowly moved towards the simmering bug.

  "Hey, little one. You okay? I'm going to pick you up now, okay? Rythica?"

  Rythica did not move or squirm as the hands wrapped around her and lifted her into the air. She simply kept her head trained in the direction of her target. She was silent as she was carried across the room and carefully deposited onto a strange platform with various colorful symbols and blocks on it. She didn't care. Her servant offered her a treat, but she completely ignored it even as it was waved in front of her face. She didn't even acknowledge the "Julia's" existence.

  Her focus, her entire world, was the prey in her sights. She waited for him to get closer, to drop his guard. A small part of her mind recognized that he was only backing further away. She was intimidating him. She needed to appear weak and helpless if she wanted him to approach.

  "Master Randell, I don't think she's feeling very well."

  Rythica lay down on the platform, curled up, and began to whimper and mewl like a wounded animal. Her trap had limited success. Her drone, instantly sensing her queen's distress, rushed over and knelt by Rythica's side, trying to figure out what was wrong. The drone reached a hand down, trying to rub her back and comfort her, frantically making sounds that Rythica dismissed. Unfortunately, the wrong being took the bait. She eyed her servant for a moment, letting the minion fuss over her. She sighed internally.

  The prey didn't move from his position, despite her flawless acting. Acting wounded wouldn't work, then. She thought hard about the events of the day, trying to recall the prey's actions. What had happened when he approached? What caused it?

  Her eyes widened in realization. The games. He always made sure to keep some protection between them, but he always approached, sounding excited, when doing the games. Not just today either, but every time in the past as well. He'd force her to play a game while he scribbled in that book of his. And, more importantly, every time he had compelled her to play the games, he always ended the day by touching her hand with that weird metal circle thing that made her feel weird for a second. An... "Essence"-something? That was the sound the two humans used when he pulled that device out.

  That was the key, wasn't it? If she wanted to lure him in, she'd need to pretend to play his games until he got close. She'd do his bidding and bait him into thinking he was winning. And, when he was done with her for the day, he'd move in to use that device on her. That was when she'd strike.

  Fine, she could do that. She scrutinized the prey one last time before pushing her minion away and rising to her feet. She forced herself to calm down. If she appeared too tense, he'd pick up that something was wrong.

  She disregarded the humans behind her, now communicating in hushed tones. Let him plot and plan. She knew her last drone was loyal to her. She would revel in tearing down her prey's elaborate ploys.

  She took in the platform she was standing on. What game was he forcing her to play, now? If she needed to make it a show, she'd do it. She did not like having the limits of her patience tested.

  She looked forward to what came next.

  a bit too far.

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