The Worms

The Worms

Negotiations were going well between the worms and the humans. Both
sides had already established a mutual understanding that they needed
each other to survive in the dome and any further confrontation would
be pointless. The worms accepted their losses and were busy dividing to
try and get their numbers back up to what they were before all the
chaos began. The humans had also coped with not only the failures of
the crops but the damage to the supplies that had been left unattended
during the recent conflict. They'd also called off the birds while
negotiations ensued, and had promised to keep them at bay with force if
necessary until both sides could arrive at a reasonable
consensus.
Head-worm slid onto the main negotiating table and eyed his
human-counterpart with a degree of suspicion but now, after recent
talks, with an air of confidence. "So you've finally acknowledged our
status, human?"
"We have, and we apologize." The head human negotiator was called
Higgins, and had been instrumental in saving the population of the dome
from a recent leak when the planet's weather systems had taken a
particularly nasty turn for the worse. The dome was running more
efficiently thanks mainly to his calm and common sense approach to the
potential disaster. It was one of the reasons he was in charge of
negotiations with the worms. Higgins felt strange talking to a worm,
but it was just a part of evolution, he supposed. It had to happen
sometime. "And we promise to renew the supply of organic material to
the areas you've designated."
"How can we be certain of that? For all we know you could leave this
room now and just keep us isolated in the areas you choose. We'd have
to eat your wasted chemicals just to live, if you could call it living.
We'd be at your mercy again, and you'd be able to prepare for our
attack. Damn chemicals. Just look at the shade of my segments!"
Head-Worm slid around to proffer a better view.
Higgins felt as though the Head-Worm was lapsing back into suspicion
and, ultimately, paranoia. "No, it would be stupid. Like we've said,
now that we know that you're as sentient as we are, there's no reason
for us not to co-operate for our mutual benefit. It makes little
difference to us whether you live in one area or another so long as we
know your preference. You need our organic waste to live and we need
you to recycle it so that we can live. If your numbers diminished like
they did when we were ignorant of you, the dome would not last long,
maybe a couple more generations but that would be it. The birds don't
need to eat you to survive as we have alternatives for them, so now
we're all aware of the situation we can organize it better, for the
mutual benefit of all species. Neither of us have the advantage; we all
need each other."
Without a word, the Head-Worm slid back to his soil bucket and seemed
to confer with the other worms there. Higgins gazed on with the
magnifier to see if he could decipher any of the worms' body language.
He'd wondered what the sliding together meant the last time he'd
negotiated with them, but assumed it was some form of
worm-communications he'd never be able to understand. Eventually, the
other worms slid back under the soil and Head-Worm resumed his position
on the table. "Okay," Head-Worm said, "we understand your point-of-view
and are satisfied that you understand ours."
Higgins nodded in agreement.
"So we ask two things of you."
"Okay," Higgins replied, and motioned to the other humans to pay
special attention. It was as though the whole room held its collective
breath; worms and people alike. "I'm listening."
"Firstly," Head-Worm began, and slid from side to side as he spoke as
though hunting for the right words, "as we've stated and you've agreed,
it's imperative that you put your organic waste at the places we've
designated and clear out the chemicals you're experimenting with. We
won't try and burrow out of the dome's perimeter and will inform you
immediately if there are any worms or anything else that appear inside
from the outside. You'll notice from our diagram that we've got pretty
much every likely entry point covered."
Higgins referred to the diagram the worms had drawn. It was difficult
to accurately measure distances as a lot of the worm-slime had dried
and had to be enhanced from discussions with other worms, but he was
satisfied that their feeding areas were well-positioned, and good for
crop rotations. He nodded in agreement. "An even distribution of waste,
then? Across all areas?"
"Yes. We don't mind if you want to automate it with your pipes and
will understand if some areas get more than others from people dumping
their extras. We'll distribute this ourselves unless it gets
out-of-hand, and unless it's chemicals."
"In which case come and talk to us again and we'll re-organize it for
you."
"Yes, exactly." Head-Worm felt as though they were getting somewhere
now. To be this far ahead after so much deadlock was tail-warming for
him. "Secondly, the birds. You must keep us free of the birds."
Higgins looked strained for a moment. Not from the notion that he
couldn't keep the birds away, but more for what the humans had planned
and could not reveal to the worms.
The Head-Worm noticed this and stopped sliding for a moment, fixing
Higgins with a pointed stare. "We won't allow any more of our numbers
to be taken by the birds, under any circumstances. Not one."
In the brief moment of crossing the line between succeeding or failing
in these negotiations, Higgins took a gamble. "All right," he tried to
sound as convincing as possible, "we'll stop the birds from eating you.
You have my word." He added, in his mind, oh you definitely have my
word on that.

Head-Bird crouched on the table and a sickly white goo plopped from
her rear-end. "Oh, sorry," she squeaked, a little embarrassed.
"Oh that's okay," Higgins held up a placating hand and at the same
time motioned to one of the assistants with his head.
"I forget where I am sometimes," she hopped casually away from the
excrement as though pretending no-one had actually noticed. Her chest
feathers went a slightly darker shade of red and she ruffled her tail
to shake off any excess. "It's been a while since we were involved in
cross-species discussions."
"Indeed." The assistant appeared with a scraper and container, and
performed the necessary duties. Higgins wanted to tell him to make
certain the excrement was placed in the main recycle tube so it would
be evenly distributed - every little helps - but thought better of it.
Head-Bird might think that he was starting out the discussion on the
side of the worms and that could lead to delays in getting this problem
sorted out once and for all. The birds did tend to get annoyed quite
easily, in his opinion, and he just wanted everything to get back to
normal as quickly as possible. In any case, this was all for show, but
that was a different matter. "I'll come straight to the point, if
that's okay."
Head-Bird jumped onto the perch and flicked her head to one side,
glaring at Higgins with one round, hypnotic eye. Then, just as fast,
she twisted her head back and stared straight at him with both of them.
"Okay, yes please."
"The worms aren't happy -"
"When are they ever happy?"
"Well I'm not here to judge, but their little escape attempt from the
dome could potentially be disastrous for all of us. If they get out
into the planet and start digesting some of the wastes that are out
there, they could return, changed."
"What do you mean, changed? I know we've been over this before, Mister
Higgins, but we still doubt the veracity of your scientists' findings.
The albatrosses feel there are too many imponderables and extraneous
elements for an accurate and empirical assumption."
"Yes I know, but we've recently been working closely with the mice and
-"
"Oh don't talk to me about mice! They multiply just as fast as any of
us so a few for the Birds of Prey every now and again doesn't go amiss.
I mean - "
"Head-Bird, please!" Higgins didn't lose his temper very often but
felt that he was close on this one. The birds had been known to just
get up and fly off in similar negotiations before now, for no apparent
reason. But he felt he needed to take the risk here. The scientists had
indeed identified the potential hazards if the worms escaped the dome
and started to 'go native'. Images of creatures the size of people
burrowing back in and digesting everything in sight flashed through his
mind as he explained it all to Head-Bird in the humans' terms. Apart
from her head flicking to each side every now and again, she appeared
to be listening to the reinterpretation of knowledge she already
possessed.
"Well we need to discuss it, a clandestine meeting," she said, after
Higgins had finished his pitch.
"Yes. Of course you do. But please remember that the worms demand that
not one of their numbers is taken by a bird. If one goes, then they all
leave, and that spells complete disaster."
"Mister Higgins, you really believe they'll do it this time, don't
you?"
Higgins sat back in his chair, took a thoughtful sigh and nodded.
"Yes, yes I do. I saw the look on his segments. They aren't kidding.
They've had enough. They know they'll lose a lot of their numbers in
the planet outside but eventually they'll adapt."
Head-Bird was thinking more about feeding. "But they can just split
themselves in two, can't they?"
"It's irrelevant. Fact is, their numbers have been decimated and no,
I'm not blaming you birds fully. We're just as guilty of neglecting
their needs by trying to build concrete structures and digging solid
foundations like they did millions of years ago. That and the chemicals
we started to create to try and reclaim some of the planet. We're all
guilty of ignorance and neglect but luckily we have the chance to make
good our mistakes&;#8230; if you don't eat any more worms. We all
rely on each other."
"But what's our alternative? That white bread you put out for us is
bland and there just aren't enough nuts and other grubs to go
around."
"Peas."
"Peas?"
"Yes, peas. Pea seedlings. You'll like them. Full of
nourishment."
"Peas&;#8230;" Head-Bird pondered for a while.

Higgins wandered along the walkway in the middle of the main dome
area. The rain forests below him stretched out like a perfect picture.
The mist in the air dampened his garment against his skin and it made
him feel comfortable, somehow. The negotiations had gone well, he
thought, and he was glad it was over. Putting up such a fa?ade for so
long had worn him out somewhat and he'd felt hot and bothered. The
dampness in the air helped to cool him down. Above him, a small flock
of pigeon-sparrows traversed the heights of the dome. Some of them were
young and he instinctively prepared himself for the usual pranks of
trying to splat the humans. That made him think about the Head-Bird
again and a small wave of guilt flooded over him.
A familiar feeling on his leg snapped him out of his gaze. He looked
down, and saw who he expected to see. The tortoise-shell kitten rubbed
herself again and again against his leg, purring, arching her back and
quivering her tail. Higgins bent down and rubbed the kitten's chin.
"Tell them to meet me at the designated place two hours after sun
down."
The kitten said nothing, but rubbed a few more hormones onto him and
then trotted off towards one of the walkway's exit points. The
guilt-wave ebbed and now Higgins didn't feel remorseful in the
slightest. The humans had discussed the plan at great length and it was
the only logical conclusion that ensured the survival of the dome and
the majority of its inhabitants. It was kill or be killed. He knew
where the birds would meet, as they always did. Now all he had to do
was keep his nerve and go along with it like an automaton. The worms
were important, the birds weren't. Higgins was glad that it would seem
that there was no involvement from the humans as it would either breed
mistrust or offer the potential for the worms thinking they could take
advantage of their importance. This was the best way, and it would
succeed. It must succeed!

A day later it was on the main news feeds. Higgins couldn't help but
smile to himself, even though he felt bad for all the deaths. It had
been necessary. A necessary evil, for all the other species.
Secret meeting of all bird species made into a slaughter. Cats attack
in full force, trap them into the tent with makeshift nets. Been
preparing this attack for weeks. Cats claim their feral needs ignored;
treated like pets when they should be free as birds were. Claim they
tried to make peaceful remonstrations but birds fail to listen, thought
of them as a part of humans, too much taunting. Cats all support the
attack. Humans promise to consider their pleas and be lenient during
full-species trials.

A few seasons later, it was a quieter place. What few birds remained
were kept in check and the cats had a feral area to themselves that
some of them chose to use while others didn't. The crops were like they
used to be, only with more peas and less damage. To Higgins, it
appeared that harmony had been restored. A job well done.
Except they'd overlooked the importance of one very obvious
factor.

"Some of the humans are digging again," Head-Worm stated, with an air
of importance that demanded attention. "They're digging and putting
down foundations. They want concrete structures and houses and
buildings, all within the dome. It means less natural areas and more
decimation of the dome. It affects all of us."
Head-Cat sat relatively still, his tail gently wafting the forest air
around the group of cats and worms. "Well what can we do," he
whispered, "they control all the planning for the dome."
"The dome runs itself," Head-Worm said.
"It runs itself? How do you know? For how long?" The other cats
stopped washing and scenting to attend to this.
"Since your attack on the birds about four seasons ago. But we think
it's been self-sufficient for longer than that. Well, as
self-sufficient as it can be allowing for us recycling everything. Fact
is, if they do any more of this building, our numbers will decrease and
we can't allow that. You can help."
"How?" Head-Cat's ears were fully attuned to the Head-Worm's
plan.
"Well, you've evolved, haven't you? Like us. You're stronger, more
aggressive when you want to be. I suggest a well-placed
attack&;#8230;"
The other cats eagerly gathered round.