Albert was just about to answer—to let them know he was still alive—when it suddenly hit him that he was still submerged in the ant queen's bodily fluid. He couldn't speak at all.
"…"
For a moment, he found himself regretting that he hadn't managed to acquire some kind of ability to talk underwater.
Which, when he thought about it, was a pretty absurd thing to wish for.
Pushing against the silken cocoon encasing his body, Albert struggled to swim toward the edge of the ant queen's abdomen. Through the layer of webbing and the thick, fleshy abdominal wall, he slammed his fist against the "wall" in front of him, hoping the dull, sluggish thuds might catch Hayes's attention.
There was no response from outside for quite a while—only the relentless crackling and clashing of combat.
