Of Men and Spiders

Eric didn't like what he'd just heard. Typically, a couple of kids getting eaten by giant spiders would just be funny, but the boss seemed really insistent the kids be brought back alive. He turned to Tom. "Hey, get a bunch of the guys, arm up, and get the bikes ready. We're leaving now!"

Tom looked interested. "Arm up? Out here? What should we bring?"

Eric didn't feel like taking chances. "Everything. If it shoots, burns, explodes, or otherwise causes destruction, bring it with you. I'm grabbing my suit."

That grabbed Tom's attention. "Oh man, shit's that real?" He turned around to the guys, relaxing between searches, and shouted to get their attention. "Alright, you lot, sounds like we might be getting out of here soon, but first a bit of fun! Grab every weapon you can find and mount up. We've got a couple of brats to catch, and it sounds like there might be some trouble on the way! Just remember, DO NOT KILL THE BRATS! Anyone who does will be answering to Cooper when we get back!"

The resounding cheers at the thought of finally getting off this mudrock were almost enough to drown out Tom's fears about why Eric felt his suit was warranted..."

-

When Charlotte found a man sneaking around near the flowing water she and Alice were at, she'd hesitated momentarily. She hadn't killed any humans yet. Based on Scott's description, humans held each life so important that even the deaths of a few might warrant a full conflict with the entire species. But it quickly became apparent the man was communicating with someone, probably using a device similar to the one She'd overheard back at their camp that one time, so She sent in several hands to deal with the threat.

To his credit, despite her approach being effectively obscured by so much ground cover, he managed to disable two of her hands before he was removed as a threat. However, before she'd finished disassembling the threat, she reached out and grabbed Alice from the water with her human interaction body. Alice screamed in laughter, obviously thinking Charlotte was playing a new game with her, but Charlotte corrected her. "One of the humans looking for you and Scott seems to have heard you. I don't sense anyone else nearby, but we're heading back to the camp right now."

Alice didn't protest when Charlotte placed her on her back like She did when they were playing "horsie" and started heading back toward camp, sending out more hands to watch the area as they left.

-

Lacy and Scott were awoken by one of those...things crawling into the hut. Suddenly awake, she grabbed her gun but kept it pointed toward the ground for now and turned toward a still sleepy Scott. "I thought you said they'd only come in here in an emergency?"

That seemed to wake Scott up more as the creepy mouth spider spoke. "One of the humans looking for you overheard Alice laughing at the creek. We are on our way back now."

Scott looked confused. "What were you doing at the..."

Lacy cut him off. "That doesn't matter right now. How far away are you, and how far away is our old camp where the pirates are staying?"

Charlotte answered without emotion. "We are about one point two miles out, and your old camp is about twenty-three point five miles away."

Lacy was doing some math in her head. Assuming the one that overheard Alice got a call out, the men could probably travel over the trees to get to the location he was at pretty quickly. Then it would depend on if they could find a trace of passage, and given the divots Charlotte's large body left wherever she went... "There's a good chance they can catch up to you before you make it back to camp... We'll meet you partway. Can you lead us to you?"

The spider didn't hesitate. "Of course."

-

Charlotte found Lacy's claims about the humans being able to catch her before she made it back to camp hard to conceptualize without more information, but She decided not to doubt or question the claim for now. Instead, She woke up the hive defenses.

As soon as She'd verified Scott's claims of how dangerous the pirates could be, She'd started production on a new line of defensive appendages, better able to handle human fighting tools. However, most of those capable of rapid or long-range movement were still in development as She'd focused more on inner hive defenses, thinking that's where Scott and Alice would fall back to in an emergency and where She was most vulnerable. She still had three blades and a couple dozen stingers that survived the crash and could move quickly enough to be of assistance, though the venom in the stingers was designed for more simple organisms, like those a fellow She might create. In this instance, the complexity of the human body would aid them in surviving the stings she had already prepared, but it would still be unpleasant.

As She closed the distance with herself, Charlotte wondered what tools the human pirates would fight with...

-

Tom didn't get a great look at the body, but what he saw was enough to make him double-check his gear. It looked like poor Pete had been pulled to pieces. Eric was relaying the information to Cooper when one of the other men called out that he found what looked like tracks from something...big.

On the one hand, Tom would rather not find out what made those tracks. On the other hand, if he ever wanted to get off this miserable rock and away from whatever had dissected Pete, it was probably best they found the kid sooner rather than later. At Eric's behest, he shouted out to the rest again. "Right! Whatever this is, it's probably big and scary, but we've got guns and more! So when we find it, we kill it, grab the kids, and get the hell off this planet! Let's move!"

-

Lacy moved through the forest at a light jog. Knowing her daughter was in danger, she began to panic, but then an odd peace overcame her as she settled into old pre-combat habits and fell back into her old self as Lucy again. She didn't have much to fight with, a couple of combat knives and a pistol that was almost out of ammo, but it would have to do. She looked at Scott, who only had a paltry wooden spear, and thought about telling him to stay here, but she knew he wouldn't listen. So she did the next best thing. "Listen, I don't want you fighting out there. The only thing you should do is wait for an opportunity to grab your sister and run. Leave everything else to Charlotte and me."

Scott looked like he was going to argue, but he tightened his jaw and nodded instead. A little of Lacy came back through as she smiled proudly at him. Scott was a good kid. He deserved better than this...a better life, a better home, and a better mom. But she was what he had, what Alice had, too. It was about time she put her skills to use for the good of her family.

Then, hearing the sounds of distant gunfire, Lucy frowned, picked up her pace, and swore a silent oath. Anyone stupid enough to shoot at her baby was going to die today.

-

As they raced through the forest, Tom couldn't see much ahead, but Eric seemed one step ahead of him as usual. "I think they're right up ahead. Tom, I want you and one other to get ahead of them and block their path. Keep your weapons ready, but whatever you do, don't shoot the kid!"

Tom nodded. " Sure thing. Jones, you're with me!" With that, the two of them accelerated ahead of the rest, who slowed down as Eric gave them more instructions.

What Tom saw a moment later almost made him cut and run. There, just ahead of them, was what looked like a giant spider with a human-like torso. But something was wrong with the torso as if it was encased in some odd armor or something, and as he got closer, it seemed more and more...off. The only thing that kept him from calling it off was seeing what looked like a human kid on its back, holding on for dear life.

Tom nodded to Johnson, and the two of them flew ahead and landed, cutting it off. He expected the monster to either charge or turn and try a different direction, but instead, it paused as if thinking.

With his rifle trained on the beast, Tom was perfectly happy to hold off on doing anything until Eric showed up to make the call. "If it moves, shoot it. Just be sure you don't hit the kid!"

-

Seeing the tools these pirates rode on, Charlotte suddenly understood why Lacy had claimed the humans would catch up to her. They hovered in the air and seemed to accelerate and decelerate far faster than She was capable of. Whatever their top speed was, to clear over twenty miles in such a short time meant She couldn't likely outrun them, and if she tried, it would only put Alice at risk if they started shooting those guns of theirs. The best thing to do would be to delay them while she caught up with her other appendages while also keeping Alice out of any danger of being shot.

It seemed like the humans were aiming for her torso. If the projectiles could pierce through the torso, they would hit Alice behind her. "Alice, I want you to slowly get off my back and stay low to the ground. I don't want you to be hit if they shoot."

Alice only hugged her tighter. "No! I won't leave you!"

Charlotte reached back and patted the young girl in a way she hoped was what the humans referred to as comforting. "Alice, there is only one of you and many of me. Please get down for now. Whatever happens here, I will be fine. I just want to make sure you are, too."

Before Alice could respond or move, a bunch of other humans rode up on those hovering devices of theirs.

-

Hearing the nightmare-inducing monstrosity speak, Tom wasn't sure what to think. Luckily, that wasn't his job. He keyed his com to Eric so he wouldn't have to shout over to him. "Hey, as crazy as it sounds, that thing speaks... It was just talking to the kid on its back."

Eric spoke back on a private line. "It...talks? You're sure? And the kid, did it talk back?"

Typically, Tom didn't like having someone question what he said, but this time he could understand. "Yeah, the kid seems to like the thing. I don't get it either."

A moment later, Eric hopped off his bike, his combat suit making him look almost as imposing as the monstrosity in front of them all. Though if Tom was a betting man, and he was, he'd put all his money on that suit's servos over whatever strength that monster had.

Eric keyed his com to project his voice so everyone could hear. "Listen here, spider, all we want is the kid. Let us have her, and we won't bother you anymore."

The thing fixed its gaze on Eric, tilting its head as it slightly danced in place to reposition its body to face him directly. Then it answered him. "I'm afraid I cannot allow that. I'm reasonably certain Alice's mother, Lacy, would be less than pleased if I allowed you to take her."

Eric chuckled as he stepped forward again. "I'm afraid you don't have much choice in the matter. You are outnumbered and outgunned. The only reason I'm giving you this option is because I don't want to hurt the kid, but if you refuse to give her up, We'll just gun you down and take her anyway. So, one last time, give us the kid, or else you die!"

This time, when the monster spoke to the kid, the kid actually got down on the ground, but rather than usher it forward, the spider monster stepped in front of the kid, with the kid now peeking out from behind its legs. Finally, the monster turned and spoke with Eric again. "You make a compelling argument, but I'm afraid one of your claims is incorrect..."

Eric just drew a gun that would have far too much recoil for a human to shoot unaided and pointed it at the beast before answering. "Yeah? What did I say that was 'incorrect?'"

The spider monster sounded remarkably calm. "It is you who are outnumbered."

That was when one of the guys by Eric started screaming, followed shortly by the sounds of gunfire.