Honeybee | Wanda Maximoff {AU}

Chapter Fifteen: Sodalis

Music is "Control" by Halsey.

Picture is Claudia Doumit as Sarai.

}0{

Coelioxys Sodalis

This species of bee, from the family Megachilidae, can be found all over North America and are one of the numerous kleptoparasitic bees. C. Sodalis lay their eggs in the nests of other bees, typically those related to the genus Megachile. When the eggs hatch, they are co-inhabitants of the hive with the other bees.

}0{

Chapter Fifteen: Sodalis

"Are you ready for this, Sarai?"

"Well, no, not really, but what choice do we have?"

"That is the spirit! Just do as your grandest mother instructed. Mold your sight to mine, and you will see what I see."

I take a deep breath as Melizza crawls under the door and flies into the project center lab. "Good luck, Melizza."

My eyes close, and I start to see the outline of the room behind the door. I focus on it, trying to connect to the hive sight that Melizza gives me. At first, everything is fuzzy. She's looking at so many things at a speed that I can't comprehend, and my brain can't keep up.

"Melizza, you need to focus," I state. "This is hard enough. Can you just look ahead?"

"That would be easier said than done," she replies. "A bee is always on the lookout, but I will try to be the calmest for you, Sarai."

I sit with my back against the door, intently focused on Melizza as she flies. Slowly, my vision clears, and I'm able to see the entire project center perfectly. I've never had terrible sight, but what I'm seeing now is clearer than anything I've ever seen. I doubt any human has. Colors, detail, and distance: all of it can only come from something with compound eyes. Everything from the dozens of shelves of parts and tools to the massive machines that are creating all the noise, we can see it all.

It's one of the most amazing things I've ever seen.

"This is so fucking cool," I think to myself.

"If you think this is cool, you humans must have the worst sight."

"Well, you're not wrong." She continues to fly around the room, and I spot something past the shelves of materials. "Hey, fly towards that shiny thingy."

Melizza does as I ask, and a huge machine comes into view. The closer she gets, the more detail comes into view. The device is a near perfect circle with a circumference of at least a dozen feet, made of a light grey metal that reflects light from the industrial lamps overhead.

Melizza flies around the side, her eyes scanning the surface of the metal orb. "What is this thing? Is it a metal hive?"

"I don't think so," I reply.

The honeybee flies around to the front of the metal orb, and I catch sight of the only difference on the face of the machine. It's a dip in the metal in the shape of a hand.

"What the hell?"

"What do I do now, Sarai?"

Melizza looks around the project lab. On the desk nearest the giant metal orb, I see schematics and blueprints. The one I can see looks like something similar to the metal hive Max revealed this morning.