Invasive by Chuck Wendig

capitalized Google but not hannah but don’t feel bad because corporations are people now and people are basically just bugs
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  Ez: oh holy shit isn’t this your lucky day
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  Hannah: What is it?
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  Ez: [email protected]
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  Hannah: Ha ha again. I’ll see if I can find a company address for Arca.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  Ez: hannah i’m not fukkin kidding that is his email address
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  Ez: he has it right on his goddamn website which by the way looks like the website youd find for a model
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  Ez: smoldering sexy pics of einar in fancy suits
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  Hannah: That’s really his email?
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  Ez: so his website says though i gotta warn you it probablygets read by some assistant and by assistant i mean some well-paid cat
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  Ez: a cat who probably just says FUCK THIS and bats it into the mouth of a shredder with an inconsiderate paw
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  Ez: a beautiful Icelandic cat
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  Hannah: You’re weird.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  Ez: NO YOU ARE WEIRD
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  Hannah: I guess we’re both weird. You rock. Love you. Talk to you tomorrow.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  Ez: don’t forget to tell my boyfriend i miss him
    Hannah sits down, cracks her knuckles, and composes an e-mail.

    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  Mr. Geirsson:
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  My name is Hannah Stander. I serve as a consultant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and we have been trying to contact you regarding a recent death. A man died, killed by what appears to be anaphylaxis as the result of multiple ant stings.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  Tests reveal these ants to be genetically modified. They possess indicator genes that match those of your modified aegypti mosquitoes. We believe they came in this container (see attached photo). We further suspect this container is unique to your company. Custom made.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  I would like to visit Arca at your earliest convenience. The alternative solution is for actual agents of the Bureau to make that visit instead. Once that happens—meaning, they procure a warrant—this becomes a far more serious investigation.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  I hope you will read this and take it seriously. I certainly do.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  Thank you for your time and consideration.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  (I’m also attaching the phone number and e-mail address of the agent in charge of this investigation, Hollis Copper.)
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  Regards,
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  Hannah Stander
    She hesitates. It’s a fool’s errand, flinging an e-mail like this off into the ether. But the hell with it.
    Hannah hits Send.

    Hannah tosses and turns.
    She hears a tink-tink-tink . Above her somewhere in the dark.
    She closes her eyes but tilts her head up to listen. Again: tink-tink-tink . A little pitter-patter.
    Then, much closer: a tap . Like the sound of a drop of water hitting the pillow next to her.
    Hannah groans, fumbles for the bedside lamp. There must be a leak from the floor above. She gets the switch and ocher-yellow light fills the room. Everything is washed out as her eyes adjust.
    She