The clones stopped moving and stared at the glowing barriers. They felt uneasy.
The thaids were following some kind of pattern, some purpose that went beyond mere survival.
Moving past the checkpoint, the clones entered what looked like a weapons testing range.
The bugs had repurposed this place and turned its anes into storage chambers for their larvae.
A sudden vibration caused dust to fall from the ceiling and made some old metal panels rattle. The clones froze in place as a leader thaid emerged from a side passage.
Within seconds, dozens of worker and warrior thaids streamed from nearby tunnels, responding immediately to their leader's signals.
The clones hid, waiting for the bug to get away. However, the leaders stopped briefly, maybe to see through its sensory organs if there was something inside the room.
The clones stayed motionless; their small size and dark coloring made them hard to spot, but they turned invisible anyway as a precaution.
