Music is "Romantics" by Tove Lo feat. Daye Jack.

Picture is Claudia Doumit as Sarai.

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Apis Dorsata

Commonly referred to as the giant honeybee, Apis Dorsata is found in South and Southeast Asia, mainly in forested areas such as the Terai of Nepal. They are a social species known for their aggressive defense strategies and vicious behavior when disturbed. A. Dorsata is unusual in that multiple colonies can exist within a close distance of each other, sometimes having up to 200 hives in a single tree.

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Chapter Twenty-Six: Dorsata

My hand tightens around Wanda's as we walk through the doors of the Eco Innovations Fair. Inspiring music plays over the speakers, and thousands of people flood into the building. It's like every scientific event or TEDx event I've ever been to and more. The security is much more impressive, too. Dozens of guards can be easily spotted around the front of the building and inside. When we walk through the front door, we're escorted to a security check. Metal detectors and bag checks are a normal procedure for these kinds of events, and yet I can't feel like Max has gone into overdrive because of Stephen, Loki, and I.

After getting through security with ease, Wanda hands our tickets over to the people at the front desk in exchange for lanyards, an event schedule, and brochure of the speakers.

"These are your event passes," one of them tells us with a wide grin. "Enjoy the event!"

I try to smile, and Wanda thanks them. As we walk away, further into the busy lobby, she pulls out her cell phone and dials a familiar number. "We're in," she tells Bucky on the other line. "Where are you?" He replies, and Wanda turns to nod at me. "Good. We're on our way into the stadium. Text the group when you're set."

She ends the call, and I sign, "Are they in place?"

She shakes her head softly. "Not yet, but they will be soon."

I breathe in and out heavily. "God, I hope this works."

Wanda links her arm with mine as we step from the lobby into the giant stadium of people and speakers. "Me, too."

I stop us both at the entrance, turning to her to sign, "Promise me that, once this is all over, we'll go on a proper date, one that might end with us being proper girlfriends?"

Wanda blushes as a joyful grin spreads across her face. "I'd love that."

The room takes my breath away. The stage is in the center, but there are seats all the way around it, stacked several meters gradually upwards. It reminds me more of a sports stadium than a conference hall. If we weren't here to take down a bad guy, I might actually be enjoying myself. This event is spectacular. It's unique, one of a kind, and the perfect place for Max to hatch the final stage of his plan.

We find our seats uncomfortably close to the stage, but I'd expect just as much since we got the tickets from Max himself. However, this was before I tried to break in and destroy his favorite project. We're in the front row, just a few feet from the stage, and next to the speaker's booths on either side. I swear, I'm breathing the exact same air as Jane Goodall and Tetsunari Iida.

Wanda and I take our seats, and I spot Max on the balcony across the stadium. He seems to be ensuring the final preparations for the Fair, last minute checks and such. He hasn't seen us yet, which is good, but I know he inevitably will. Hopefully, he won't act against me while I'm with Wanda, whom I'm fairly certain he still believes to be innocent. Our entire plan hinges on his attention being solely on me.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I retrieve it. Wanda does the same, and I see we've gotten a group text from Bucky. "Sam, Clint, and I r set backstage. Good to move on Stephen/Loki when we find them. Tony?"

A few seconds later, Tony replies, "Rhodes, Pegs, and T'Challa r good w/me on the balcony." Wanda and I look up and see Tony smiling from the balcony. "Eyes on Dr. Evil and ready to distract."

"Good," I text quickly. "Carol, check in?"

"Steve/Thor/me r good to go in the lobby," she responds speedily. "We r incognito & blending in perfectly. Just let us know where the bees r and we got the jackhammers to take em out."

"Nat?" Wanda asks.

"The smart kids are in a closet next to the security room," she responds, referring to Vision, Bruce, Pepper, and herself in the text. "Between the 4 of us, hacking the system is easy. Just say the word, and I can get to anything."

I close my eyes, connecting to Melizza. I told her she could come along, but I didn't want her on me in case something happened. She's somewhere in the stadium, though. I can feel her flying nearby. "You all right, Melizza?" I think through the hive mind.

"The goodest!" she responds. "I am landing on the tall one."

Wanda turns to me with a confused look. "'Tall one'?" she asks.

"Bucky," I translate for the little honeybee. "Melizza, you stay with Bucky, Sam, and Clint and keep an eye on everything. Keep the hive sight connection open so I can show them where to go, okay?"

"I can do this, Your Majesty!" she buzzes happily, and suddenly I'm able to see through her eyes at will. She's sitting on top of Bucky's baseball cap, looking around at the backstage area where much of the extra equipment is kept. It's dark and crowded, but at least there aren't any other people there. For now.

"If you need to, you get out of here, okay? Your safety is more important than a second set of eyes."

"Do not worry, Sarai. I will be the mostest careful."

Everyone checks in, and everything seems to be going okay for once. I don't let my hopes get up too high, but I allow myself a sigh of relief.

"Don't worry," Wanda whispers in my ear, grabbing my hand again. "We got this."

"I sure fucking hope," I sign.

Wanda tenses, and Max walks onto the stage. He's smiling and cheery, which I suppose is no surprise. His eyes scan the crowd, landing on Wanda and I. His smile falters, and a flicker of confusion crosses his face.

I hold Wanda's hand tighter, lowering my other hand to sign the letters, "S-M-I-L-E." Luckily, Max doesn't see, but Wanda does. She corrects her expression to that of a smile to her supposedly beloved uncle.

Max smiles back, but his gaze shifts to me uneasily. I'm sure he recognized me yesterday at the lab, and I know he remembers. He's probably wondering why I'm here with Wanda, today at the Fair, which is exactly what I want him to be focused on. At this rate, the rest of the group can find the bees and hive and destroy them without a trace.

"Good morning, good morning, good morning!" he greets, his voice carrying over the surround-sound speaker system. The room goes quiet, and everyone finds their seats. A spotlight clicks on, and Max is brought into the center of attention. "I want to welcome you all to the first annual Eco Innovations Fair! The first of many, I hope."

Max smiles at the crowd, and they chuckle slightly at the comment. He clasps his hands in front of him, an eager smile on his face. "First off, I want to thank you all for coming, and I especially want to thank our half a dozen speakers for coming out today to share their knowledge and experience with us all. Mother Earth and all on her, it's all of our concerns. As a professor and inventor, it's my job to spread awareness about things of importance. I can't think of anything more important than the environment."

He gestures to the booths on either side of Wanda and I. "Denis Hayse, you convinced me to put solar panels over my buildings and convert completely to solar power. Peter Newman, you convinced me to change my transport systems to more eco-friendly alternatives, ones that have saved both me and the planet billions. Philip Weller, you were the person that first told me about the importance of freshwater clean-up, and ever since hearing you speak a few years back, I have put millions towards that clean-up."

Max turns to the second row of speakers. "Jane Goodall, you showed me--and the world--how important the animals on our planet are to the health of our planet. Tetsunari Iida, your arguments against our reliance on nuclear energy after the Fukushima disaster solidified my belief in renewable energy. And even though we haven't met until this Fair, Julia Hill, you've displayed time and time again how important activism and advocacy are--even if you have to sit in a California Redwood for 738 days to get your point across." Everyone but Wanda and I laughs. "So Denis, Peter, Philip, Jane, Tetsunari, and Julia, thank you all for coming. This Fair couldn't happen without you."

Our phones buzz again, and I read the text quickly after turning it back on. "We have a problem," Bucky texts the group. "Looked backstage and found nothing. No hive, no bees. We searched the entire floor."

"That's not good," Steve, from the group in the lobby, responds. "What do we do?"

My thumbs move quickly in response. "Nat, can u find anything on the security cameras?"

"She's already on it," Pepper texts.

As Max continues to open the Fair, I wait for a response. Eventually, Bruce texts, "She's got nothing. Wherever Max is hiding them, it's damn good."

"Shit," I think to myself. "This isn't good."

Melizza speaks through the hive mind, "I am small. I could find them if I had the time, but I am too small to fly across the entire human hive."

A light goes off in my head, and Wanda looks at me the same time I turn to her. The same idea crosses both of our minds, causing me to smile. "Melizza, just wait a minute or two. I'm calling for backup." I tap the keyboard and send out a group text. "I have an idea, guys. Give me a minute. Whatever you do, don't swat at my bees."

Before anyone can respond, I turn off the cellphone and close my eyes. I find my connection with the hive mind and expand it past Melizza in the building, out to the occult shop not far from here. I feel my tie to her colony strengthen, and it causes me to breathe easier.

"I need your help," I tell all five-hundred of them.

I don't have to say anything more before I feel them breaking out of the shop and flying in formation towards the Fair.

END CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX.