This is a little extract from the Sci-fi novel I am currently working on. Humans are farmed by bacteria. There is intrigue in the bacterial ranks. Malco 145 is stirring up trouble for Project Leader Zane 1.
Farm 703 – The Human Project
You do not get to be opposition leader if you are a slouch. Malco 145 had been impatiently waiting in the wings for a hundred thousand years. She had jealously watched Zane 1’s success and noted every slight Zane 1 had made to her, storing up her pain and frustration. She had patiently waited for an opportunity. But she had not been idle. She had been not only looking for a weakness but also plotting to exploit it when she discovered one and discover one she had.
The obvious weakness was the human project. It also provided the ideal opportunity to undermine Zane 1. Humans were numerous, capricious and uncontrollable. She could easily covertly insert her own control units in the human subunits to counter Zane 1s attempts at control. She could then orchestrate disruption, make humans more violent and destructive and thus make Head Office more sceptical of Zane 1’s project.
Plans take a long time to reach their culmination but it was always pleasing to see them working so well. By the time Zane 1 had woken up to what was going on, if she ever did, it was probably too late to do anything about it.
Malco 145 mentally gathered her campaign organisers around her for a weekly progress report. They were used to this tight-knit tuning. The group of them had melded. They had a common interest – the pursuit of power.
‘Right Ibbo 170, perhaps you can start us off?’
‘Only too glad,’ Ibbo 170 replied, sending through a happy red aura, ‘as you know the whole project has been highly successful, even if I say it myself.’ The aura turned crimson. ‘The wars in the Middle East have successfully stirred up the fundamentalists. The wave of ensuing terrorism has undermined the Western governments and created panic in the population. The poverty and war led to mass immigration that created a hysterical wave of racism and xenophobia leading to the rise of extreme right-wing groups.’ She oscillated the aura between crimson and orange. ‘I think my job is done. I’ve laid the foundation for everyone else. So I’ve put things on hold. I’ve reduced both the levels of terrorism, war and immigration. It’s served its purpose. They are on hold, but ticking over in places like Syria and Yemen, should we need to give things another push.’
‘Extremely impressive Ibbo 170,’ Malco 145 said waving her flagella and flashing red, ‘I’ve been watching with admiration at the way you organised that.’ She turned her big red eyespot on to Cras 501.
Cras 501 stretched her flagella and flashed an orange aura. ‘All going well on this front as well,’ she announced. ‘Ibbo 170 laid the foundation,’ she flashed crimson at her. ‘The population were suitably panicked. We sneaked our man in and he is performing admirably. So far he has completely undermined all scientists and experts, reduced funding from all science and environment projects and is denying any environmental problem exists. He’s re-arming, threatening other countries, undermining allies, supporting right-wing groups and promoting weapons, misogyny and hatred. I’ve never seen such a divided nation. It simply could not have gone better.’ She flushed a satisfied pink.
Malco 145 waved her anterior flagella in appreciation. She flashed a crimson chuckle. ‘I know. I’ve been watching all this with interest. I don’t know how you pulled it off. Well done.’ She turned her attention to Trab 83.
‘Same story here,’ Trab 83 said, glowing a self-satisfied orange. ‘Following Ibbo 170’s brilliant work it was easy. The racists came out of the closet. Everyone was terrified about a Muslim take-over. They voted to come out of the European Union. We managed to get them to vote for a complete buffoon. The European Union is in crisis. There is division, turmoil and economic gloom. The humans are in a mess.’
Malco 145 chuckled in crimson waves. ‘Most excellent.’ She turned to Herd 13.
‘All good,’ Herd 13 announced, matching the other orange glows. ‘The population is all riled up. They put cash before everything else. Our man promised to make them wealthy and the gullible fools fell for it. He’s been elected and is now busy destroying the last haven of wild-life and nature on the farm. There are fires currently raging throughout the Amazon. All proceeding according to plan.’
‘This will all recover?’ Malco 145 asked anxiously, concerned that they might be creating long-term problems for themselves when they took over. It would be imperative to get productivity back on course.
‘You bet,’ Herd 13 replied. ‘Once the humans are out of the way we’ll speed up evolution and hey presto – it all springs back to life. Farm 703 will be back in business in no time at all.’
Malco 145 flashed her a crimson beam of pleasure. ‘Superb job Herd 13.’ The last of the group was Plac 47. Their red eyes all turned to her.
‘I have it ready to go,’ Plac 47 told them. There was no flash of colour. It wasn’t Plac 47s nature. She was a very cool, calculated person. Her integument remained neutral and her cilia were all relaxed. It was not that she was the only Cocc in the group; it was merely her personality. ‘I have concocted a virus that is highly virulent, extremely contagious and for which there is no resistance. It will wipe out ninety nine percent of all humans.’ She turned her red eye on to Ibbo 170. ‘I trust I can leave that one percent to you?’
‘No problem,’ Ibbo 170 replied, flashing orange. ‘I think we can manage that.’
‘If not,’ Plac 47 stated coldly, studying Ibbo 170 with her eyespot, ‘I can easily release another. I have a few other lethal viruses on standby.’
‘Good to know,’ Malco 145 told her. ‘What of this virus you’ve just released – this corona virus – covid-19?’
‘That is doing well,’ Plac 47 replied. ‘Containment is failing. It is about to create a major worldwide pandemic.’ She turned her attention to Malco 145. ‘As you instructed, I have produced a virus that has a mortality rate of around two percent but which requires extreme medical care for over ten percent. I believe you wanted it to cause panic, create further disruption of world trade, generate more distrust and division and hit the global economy without drawing attention to the fact that it was manufactured by us?’
‘That’s right,’ Malco 145 enthused. ‘It seems to be doing that well. Excellent job Plac 47.’ There was no response. Plac 47 was not prone to extravagant displays.
Malco 145 went as dull yellow as she contemplated their position. Finally looking up she turned her red eye from one to the other. ‘Thank you,’ she said quietly, gently wafting her flagella. ‘We seem to be right on course. We have Zane 1 right where we want her. Farm 703 is plummeting into chaos. Productivity is at absolute bottom. The humans are out of control and looking a complete disaster. Surely Head Office cannot afford her any more leeway?’ Her gaze bobbed around them all. ‘This is the time we have all been waiting for – the endgame. We will soon have the power we crave. Then we can knock this farm back into shape.’
The whole group, apart from Plac 47, turned a deep crimson, and even she managed a mute orange.
‘There is still much work to be done,’ Malco 145 warned them. With that she broke the tune.