Still, I didn’t want either one of them getting past me to attack Mack from behind, so I swung my leg back, and kicked the door shut. And then I remembered the Blazer, and raised it to cover the one moving fastest towards me.
It stopped, and raised its hands—all six of them—as it backed off a step. When it saw it had my attention, it used the three arms closest the desk, to gesture towards the computer.
“Be my guessst,” it said, and the sibilance in its tones sent shivers up and down my spine.
I glanced towards its companion, and saw that he hadn’t stopped. Now, it was my turn to back up a step and get some distance between us. The door stopped me short. I shifted the Blazer, but couldn’t cover them both.
“Are you sssure it’sss the computer you want to borrow?” the first one asked, closing the distance between us.
I swung the Blazer up, reluctant to start firing when they hadn’t shown any sign of hostility. The creature stopped, and I took a breath. Tens’ cry of “Shoot it!” came just as the second one leapt towards me, hitting me side on, and wrapping its arms around me.
The Blazer went off, but the other creature was already moving, and the shots went wild. I kept my finger hard on the trigger, twisting in an attempt to break the grip of the one that held me, but to no avail. I was held tightly by two sets of arms, as the third set unsealed the suit, tearing the mask from my face, and pulling the hood away from my head.
I felt it pull the suit aside to expose bare skin, and wondered what the fuck it was doing. The sudden pain as it sank unexpected fangs into the space where my shoulder met my neck shocked a cry of pain out of me, and then numbness spread from the bite down through my chest and arm.
Sucks to be you, I thought, when I couldn’t pull my finger off the trigger. That was quickly followed by the idea that it sucked to be me, as the arach who hadn’t grabbed me, moved in from the side, and twisted the Blazer out of my hands. I also registered that the arach hadn’t taken its fangs out of my neck, and that the pressure from it was fluctuating, even if the pain had stopped.
What are you doing? I wanted to ask, but the words wouldn’t form.
The other arach came and sat down in front of me, lifting the wrist of my good arm in its hands, and sliding the glove from my hand before pushing the suit’s cuff up my arm.
“We’re draining you dry,” it said, and smiled so I could watch fangs extend, before it raised my wrist to its mouth and bit deep.
I wanted to kick free of them, but couldn’t move an inch. I wanted to scream, but my throat locked, and I couldn’t make a sound... not out loud, anyway. I was screaming plenty loud inside the confines of my head.
“We’re coming.” Tens.
“We’re coming.” Mack.
“We are so fucking here!” Delight, as she came through a hatch set in the ceiling at the back of the office, but she was shooting as she spoke, and I had no way of avoiding being sprayed by blood and brains as each round hit home.
I’d have been screaming fit to burst, if I’d have been able to make a sound.
“Tens, port me some antivenin,” she ordered.
“Better idea,” Tens said, and I found myself wrapped in silver light, hearing Delight’s surprised comment of, “Oh, yeah. Much better,” before she moved over to the computer, I’d been asking to borrow.
“I’ll have that connection for you, shortly.”
She faded from view, and my surroundings flashed from silver to ship’s grey seconds later.
30—Crewmen Lost
Tens was waiting for me when the silver light swirled away. I caught sight of him behind the console, and then I saw him come out from around it. He picked up a small package on the way, but I couldn’t make out what it was, and he wrapped his hand around it in a way that stopped me from seeing it as he got closer.
“I’ve got you,” he said, lifting me clear of the platform, and taking me to one of the small recovery rooms set to one side of the port-space.
I wanted to ask him who had Mack and Delight, but I couldn’t. He caught the thought anyway.
“The team will take care of them, until Doc gets here for you. He’s on his way.”
I wasn’t sure that was as reassuring as it was meant to be, but Tens set me down, and rolled me onto my side so he could examine the neck wound. I heard the inward hiss as he pulled air between his teeth. He didn’t sound too happy.
“Why’d you shut the door on Mack?” he asked, but I got the impression he was more interested in distracting me from what he was going to do next than any answer I might be able to give. He stepped away from me, rattling through a nearby cabinet set into the cabin wall. I figured he’d get back to me, and focused on the question, instead.
I tried to answer, and then discovered my voice still wouldn’t work. Fine, I answered through the implant.
“Didn’t want them getting past me. Didn’t think I could stop them.”
“Yeah? Well, at least I know you don’t have a god complex. A death wish, maybe... Mack is going to be pissed with you.”
Personally, I didn’t care. Mack could go suck it. I’d done what I’d thought best in a tactically bad situation. There’d been no point in both of us being taken down.
“And how is Mack?” I asked, changing the subject.
I couldn’t hear him shooting since I’d shut the door and Delight had blown away
