“Give her back,” he said, and pivoted towards me.
Spiders move fast. And there were seven guards to his one, all-on-its-lonesome, self. Spiders are also stronger than the average bear… or not-so-average bear, in Mack’s case. Still, it took three of them to pin him, as their leader came around the table towards me.
“You owe me blood,” he said, and I stared at him.
It was dumb, the stupidest move ever, but I figured I had nothing to lose. After all, I already owed him, so what was a little more between us?
I stayed curled, and I let him think I was too terrified to move. I kept still, when all I wanted to do was run. I was already tense, my feet already tucked. When he got within range, I let him have it, kicking out with both legs, slamming my feet into his chest with all the force I could muster. Something went crack, and he froze and glanced down at his chest. Ichor leaked a line of brown, where the break had occurred. It stained his suit.
Arach face or not, I could tell I’d caught him by surprise. And then he laughed.
“Now, you owe me more.”
I’d already known that would be the case, so why did hearing it send chills right through me?
I watched as he turned his head to one of the guards not holding either Mack or me in one spot, and then he spoke to it in arach, his mouth-parts moving in a way I’d never wanted to see. When they both turned towards me, Mack started shouting, and kicking up three kinds of hell, and not doing an ounce of good. And me?
Well, of course, I tried to run—and I got nowhere. But I didn’t stop trying. I didn’t. Right up until I saw the leader nod, and felt the arach behind me sink his fangs into that point where your neck connects to your shoulder.
Well, that made me yelp, and kick until the second arach grabbed my legs. And then the poison took effect, and I couldn’t move at all.
As if in reflection, Mack stopped struggling.
“No,” he said, his voice soft with disbelief. “No. That’s not part of the deal! There will be no deal!”
And he was struggling again.
I might have laughed when he got bit, as well—except it wasn’t funny, and the arach leader was closing. I got passed like a sack of veggies, into his arms, and then he opened up a vein in my throat, and took what he said I owed. And there wasn’t a damn thing Mack or I could do to stop him.
About half-way through, the poison wore off, and I tried to push him away. The best I could do was lay a hand on his chest. Not long after, I heard Mack speak.
“Please,” he said, and I tried to turn my head.
That man had never begged in his life.
“Please,” he said, again. “I’ll need her for the job.”
At this, the arach raised his head. I’d like to say, I lifted mine, too, but I didn’t. I just lay there, in the spider’s arms, limp as a wet fish.
“So there will be a deal?” and the arach shifted to almost human form, vocal cords letting him speak aloud, but still keeping two sets of arms around me. Now, though, I rested against a tea-and-ichor-stained suit, instead of a carapace that looked like steel. Oh…good.
Mack sounded tired when he answered.
“There will be a deal.”
Defeated, even. But I was tired. Too tired to run…or to struggle as the arach bent his head to my throat, once more.
“Please,” and this time, I heard grief.
What? The man was going to miss trading blows on the mats? Kicking me out of his control room, when I had no business being there? Give it a break.
“Please. I need her.”
Well, Hell.
And the arach raised his head.
“Let him up,” he said, and carried me over to where Mack was getting shakily to his feet.
“I’ll give you ten minutes to hand her over to the medics, and be back here for your orders,” he said, and dumped me in Mack’s arms.
The arach looked down at me, and then back at Mack.
“I suggest you hurry.”
I wanted to agree, but I was getting real sleepy, so sleepy I was having trouble keeping my eyes open.
Mack hurried.
I drifted in and out, watching Mack’s lips move, but only catching patches of conversation. Words like ‘transfusion’, ‘cutting it fine’, and other less complementary phrases typical to Doc about a captain that lets his crew members get et. But what did I care?
Mack needed me as something more than a spider-man’s snack—and he needed me enough to beg.
And damn me, if I didn’t find that kinda cool.
3—On Landing
Cool or not, I found out just how much he needed me, when the docs pulled me out of the med bay and sent me back to my quarters. It was no surprise to find Mack waiting in my room.
Nope, no big surprise there. The big surprise was that the arach leader was standing right next to him, along with two of his men, who pulled me through the door as soon as it opened.
This time, I didn’t freeze—but I didn’t get out the door, either.
I backed up against it just as they closed it behind me, then I took a breath, and pulled myself together.
“I have orders to rest,” I said, shuddering as the arach guards closed up tight on either side.
Each one slid an arm between my back and the door, and walked me forward. I was fine, until one bent and brushed a pedipalp across my cheek. And that was it, I curled up, still standing, but hunched in on myself as I screamed.
Mack was in front of me in an instant, bending to put his face close to mine, his grip firm on my shoulders. His words whiplash sharp against my mind.
“Snap out of it!”
It took a long moment for
