“Hive”: A SciFanSat Microfiction Compilation

Ground tremors—buzzing in the air.

An alien swarm, are trying to bring a war of #attrition around the NASA compound.

As the army looks on, a woman with a big #hive hairstyle appears outside; raises her hands & shouts “Stop”, the swarm freeze. #vss365 #SciFanSat#Satsplat

— Fizzy-AllSortsOfAllSorts (@Fizzytwizler) February 12, 2022

A bee alights on the boy’s finger as he faces the robber knight. “Beware, the hive’s bravest warrior is my ally.”

A sword rises to strike the beekeeper’s son, but a buzzing enters the knight’s helm through its visor.

He screams as his eyes are stung.#SciFanSat #2WordPrompt

— Jason H. Abbott (@Jason_H_Abbott) February 12, 2022

The station looked like an enormous wasp nest, ships hovering in and out like insects. The voice on the comm greeted us in a chorus of hive-mind—Welcome strangers! Join us, join us….#SciFanSat #hive

— Voimaoy (@voimaoy) February 12, 2022

A mile inside the hive, our tracker fails. Jones tells us to press on anyway.

Vincent elbows me and lowers his voice. “Think this jewel will be worth—”

He lets out a choked sound as pair of ragged mandibles encircles his throat from behind.#SciFanSat #SatSplat

— Armond Boudreaux (@armondboudreaux) February 11, 2022

In a Mother Dimension
you must hide at first
in her hexagonal universe

Borrow her thoughts
Siphon her time
Eat her nourishment
Occupy her mind

Earn her charity
By #attrition
survive
Repay your Queen
when you join her #hive

Busily
Buzz along
with her throng#vss365#SciFanSat

— Edward V. Fuller (@fuller_edward) February 12, 2022

The human commander, trapped deep inside the hive, considered the queen’s terms: to bee, or not to bee. #SciFanSat #scifisat

— A. A. Rubin (@TheSurrealAri) February 12, 2022

The spell was pure accident. It morphed the planet into a giant hive. The atmosphere actually thickened, so that the wings everyone was sprouting would support them in flight. Much larger flowers were engorged with nectar and pollen. It was suddenly a bees' world.#SciFanSat pic.twitter.com/EtKh9HLu40

— Indigenous Soul (@GeneVatow) February 11, 2022

I watch them leave, a black swarm of mini-drones, a hive-mind AI. They murmurate like birds, flocking upwards toward the metropolis.
The generals call this #attrition.
I know another name.
One remains, rotor twisted. It senses me, unsheathing its toxin stinger.#scifansat#vss365

— John Everex (@EverexJohn) February 12, 2022

#SciFanSat
Theirs was a constant #attrition, a robber to robber conflict w/c often began w/ the smallest of things. The way a visor was worn once heated an argument leading to the quarrel where to #hive away their stash.
The police later solved their problem.#vss365#2WordPrompt

— aran (@AranPotente) February 12, 2022

"You," thundered the judge, "have shown zero #attrition. Let it be known that The #Moonstone #Robber will never see freedom again! Guards! Let us see his face."

They raised his #visor, and the #hive mind flowed forth, stripping flesh.#vss365 #vssmagic #2WordPrompt #SciFanSat

— That Burnt Writer (@ThatBurntWriter) February 12, 2022

Old timers told stories with the nostalgia of a Super 8 film. The way it was back when.

And there were horror stories. Dystopian. Sawmills & beehive burners. Smelters & tanneries. Environmental collapse.

The way it almost was.#SciFanSat (hive)

— Irene 💙 (@_Irene_Dreams_) February 12, 2022

#SatSplat #vss365 #SciFanSat
Maria held her plasma gun&peeked over the wall at the hive of zombie aliens. Just beyond it was her ship.
She paused & closed her eyes.
Direct attack or weaken them via attrition?
She shrugged, opened her eyes, took a deep breath,&leapt into action.

— Alex (أليكس) ☪ ✝ – ? (@A22523) February 12, 2022

We approached knowing that each step led to the unknown. They had warned us. Don't get near the #hive-s.

Our bellies were empty. Yes, it was alien honey, but we agreed it was worth the risk. Nothing moved. Bravado spurred us on. Then the buzzing began.#satsplat#SciFanSat

— Maria A. Perez (@MariaAPerez1) February 12, 2022

On trash day, she stepped out into what seemed like a storm, then realized. The sky was dark with wasps. The old van near the dumpster had been ensconced by an enormous #hive.

Thr swarm approached her. Trash splattered.#SciFanSat #satsplat

— Meg Frye (@Meg_Frye) February 12, 2022

The bees exited the #hive and disappeared through a crack in the floor.

The law of #attrition states that this ruin was built during the pirate king’s reign.

I wedged my fingers underneath the slate and lifted. A tunnel!

The smell of treasure wafted up.#SciFanSat #vss365

— Danielle Ste. Just (@DanielleSteJust) February 12, 2022

Bionic bees bolt from a comb
"It's a hive," declares Frankenstein.

#SciFanSat #hive

— Beth Cusack (@BethCusack9) February 12, 2022

The round tunnel walls arched over the pupil of unknown ahead of me. In the darkness a steady #attrition of courage slowed my steps.

Amazing how regular the walls were. Almost as if they were –

A hum rushed toward me.

A #hive.

It was awake.#vss365#satsplat#SciFanSat

— A.L. MacDonald (@A_L_MacDonald) February 12, 2022

Anne weakly put on her helmet then bristled at someone else's thought:
In folktales people wander with baskets of cheese.
Anne nodded. They needed more too.
She did it. She hacked energy from the hive.
In the hall footsteps bounded up the stairwell.#366FF #satsplat #scifansat

— Fennel (@FennelSteuert) February 12, 2022

The lack of regular sleep pattern
The driving dream seeking
Demand & roll a self induced
Attrition upon the fragile body
Would it be thinned by
The addition of a hive mind?
Or broken by control?
No one answers#vss365 #attrition#SciFanSat #hive

— DW Keene (@Dragonandelf) February 12, 2022

I slogged across the treacherous terrain, clinging to shrubs & twisted trees, that somehow persevered despite the #attrition, the way I clung to hope
I knew #Meece was in the #hive
But I didn't know if he was still alive – or uncorrupted#vss365 #AchtenWrite #SciFanSat #satsplat pic.twitter.com/0D3oK2I5CV

— 🤩 Debbie Iancu-Haddad 📚📝 (@debbieiancu) February 12, 2022