Minx Ep. 05: Sphere, Age of Arachnids

"You're well on your way, Vanessa." Dragon nodded his head and gave her a small smile for good measure.

"Well on my way to where?"

"You'll find out."

"Why not tell me?" she asked.

"I have my reasons. I know far more about psychology than you do. You'll have to trust me."

"I can only trust you if you trust..." she began and then she stared at his face and stopped. "I...I am sorry about that. I was just so angry...!"

"I forgive you. I understand you needed to let some anger out and I was a convenient target. It's not the option I preferred, of course," he added with another smile.

Vanessa chuckled. She took a deep breath and released it slowly. "He wanted me to clean up."

"First things first, Vanessa. Have you seen those creatures before?" Dragon nodded toward the doorway where one of the scorpions stood and watched them. This one also had a box on it back.

She shivered uncomfortably. "Yes. Mahar says they're his allies."

"I think there's something in the box for you."

Vanessa did not move.

"Go on. Be brave. If Mahar thought the scorpion would ever attack you he never would have sent it here. He has other plans for you," he reminded her.

Vanessa slowly walked over to the creature, hugging herself as she went. The scorpion remained completely immobile. She peered into the box while trying to maintain at least a metre's distance from the scorpion's legs.

"It looks like some towels and a container of liquid?"

"You should grab them, or remove the box from the creature's back."

She stepped closer to the animal, reached out for the box and found it was attached to the scorpion by the harness. Dragon observed that she had lifted the scorpion slightly when she had tried to lift the box. Vanessa quickly reached into the box, grabbed everything she could then hurried away. The scorpion clicked its claws and scuttled away and down the hall.

Vanessa opened the bottle and grimaced.

"An ammonia based cleaner," noted Dragon. "I can smell it from here."

Vanessa nodded then went to work on the vomit.

"Is there a place to dispose of the dirty towels?"

She nodded again. "It's in the next room. Some kind of drawer but I saw lasers at the bottom."

"Sounds serviceable. Are there any extra towels for you to use as clothes?"

Vanessa stopped suddenly and looked at him. Then she looked at the small number of towels, almost all of which were already soiled.

"Maybe something will present itself in the future."

Vanessa went back to cleaning the floor, scrubbing the remnants of the liquid. "I thought you'd prefer to see me naked. You are a man."

"It can't be that comfortable for you."

Vanessa only nodded in response. She was coming around to his side. He just had to be careful.

"This would be a fun little problem to solve if not for the danger Minx was in," he thought as he watched Vanessa bend to her task. "Patience. Patience will help me solve this puzzle box. I just hope Minx has the time."

VI

It was four hours after Minx had shut her eyes that a whispered conversation between Alice and Rod caught her attention. She kept her eyes closed, feigning sleep. A few moments later, one of the two — she guessed Alice — approached her slowly.

"Captain?" the red-headed woman called out in a gentle tone.

Arachne rose and clicked menacingly at the intruder, making Alice take a few wary steps back.

"What is it, Alice?" asked Minx without opening her eyes.

"It's been about eight hours. Dragon liked me to wake him up in a certain way and I thought you'd like Rod to..."

"It's only been four hours and seventeen minutes, boss," stated Aphrodite.

"Alice?" interrupted Minx. "It's just been a little over four hours."

"Uhm. Sorry, Captain. How do you know that?" asked Alice.

"I have access to a chronometer. You and Rod should get some more rest. Dragon's gone. He won't be back, not while he has two new toys to play with."

"Yes, Captain!" Minx heard the woman walk away.

Sleep returned swiftly, especially as Minx had been reminded of Arachne's protective presence. Soon enough, she was dreaming. In the dream she and Dragon were together on a tropical beach. A yellowish sun was shining brightly and a light breeze cooled them. Waves crashed on the shore as they walked hand in hand. It was idyllic. She couldn't imagine a happier time, nor could she recall one. They embraced and their bathing suits vanished leaving them skin to skin. Then, everything went dark. She looked up to see an enormous, sharply-angled star ship right above them, blocking out half the sky.

"It's here for me," said Dragon. "Time to get back to work. The galaxy awaits!"

"No, it isn't," corrected Minx. A shuttle floated down from the large warship, making its way toward them at a leisurely pace. "It's come for me. I'll try to come back for you when I'm done, Dragon. Promise you'll wait?"

"I won't promise anything," he said, taking her in his strong arms. "Do you have to go now?"

"The universe awaits, and it needs someone to rule it," she answered, supremely confident. "If you're a good boy I'll let you be my consort. The others are not happy with the arrangement but, in the end, they'll do what I tell them to."

"Wakey! Wakey! Eight hours on the dot, Minx," whispered Aphrodite. "You have no idea how long it's been for me!"

"That's it, people!" announced Minx, leaping to her feet. The dream had been annoying but somehow comforting, too. "Rest time's over!"

"That wasn't eight hours!" grumbled one of the pirates.

"Rod!" shouted Minx. The man stood quickly, and she was tempted to believe that he almost saluted her. "That whiner's sword is yours! Alice, see that it happens!"

Minx took a portion of the food and water the pirates had set aside for her use, then sat and had breakfast. The others ate quickly and kept glancing at her, as if afraid she might suddenly order them up and on before they'd eaten their fill. They seemed willing to obey her, at least for now. She wondered how far she could push them before they'd turn on her. She was not as imposing as the hyperman.

"Minx?" called out her vessel.

"Yes, Aphrodite?" whispered Minx.

"I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, honey. Any word from Dragon?"

"None. I can only assume Mahar has slain Dragon, destroyed the communication device, or disabled the link. Disabling seems the most likely cause. Do you think you can trust these pirates?"

"Not for a second. They'll only do what I say as long as they're afraid of me." Having gobbled down her food, she licked her fingers. "Aphrodite? What do you think Mahar might do to him?"

"You do care!"

"Yes, of course I do. He did come to my rescue, after all."

"I don't want to think about it, Minx...the tortures, I mean. There's some pretty nasty stuff in my memory banks concerning what the hypermen did to their captives and slaves while they ruled humanity. Do you really want to know?"

"No." She thought about how she would face down Mahar. Was her best chance a diversion followed by a personal attack? Or should she try to sneak into Mahar's base and murder him in his sleep? Maybe a trade? The pirates for Dragon...? She shook her head at the idea. She could not turn anyone over to the conscience-free hyperman. Even though Dragon was not evil, Mahar was bound to be ruthless, ingenious, capable and scheming. Anything she could think of, he had already considered and countered. She glanced at Arachne thoughtfully.

"Uhm, Captain?" asked Alice, walking slowly over to Minx. "We're done eating and you said you wanted to get going?"

"That's right, Alice!" Minx leapt to her feet. "You're going to make an excellent lieutenant, my girl."

Alice beamed for a second, then whirled on the other pirates. "Alright! Get off your lazy asses! Captain wants us down below! Everyone pack up, and then we follow Captain Minx!"

"A switch-hitter who likes to be dominated," noted Minx in a whisper.

"Dragon found her most accommodating, boss. Getting a taste for Sapphic pleasures again?"

"Aphrodite!" Minx rolled her eyes. "That was just...Fran is a real good friend...and things just got..."

"Things got very steamy, boss!"

"Glad to see you acting like your old self, Aphrodite. Well...sort of."

"Ready to go any time you are, Captain!" half-shouted Alice. The tone of eagerness in her voice made Rod gave her a strange look.

"Very good, Alice. I want you and Rod with me. The rest of you follow behind!"

Minx turned and led them from the room, pausing to allow Arachne to scuttle on ahead of the group. The arachnid seemed familiar with the design of the tower complex and Minx thought it likely all the towers were laid out in similar floorplans.

"So, she's ready to go any time you are, is she boss?" asked the A.I. suggestively.

"Shut up, Aphrodite," whispered Minx.

"You're talking to Dragon through a hidden communicator?" asked Alice.

Minx licked her lips. How much did Alice know?

"She knows about me, boss," prompted Aphrodite.

"You read my mind," said Minx out loud.

"No, I didn't, Captain," answered Alice, suddenly worried.

"Of course I did," explained the A.I. "And I can see you're wondering how much fun Alice might be..."

"No, Alice," interrupted Minx. "I'm conversing with my vessel. I call her Aphrodite. We crashed back in the mammal zone."

"Oh, I've seen her!" exclaimed Alice, full of energy. "She's a beautiful ship, Captain. I mean, she's banged up some, but I'm sure we could make her fly again. A little small though, and Dragon said there wasn't much in the way of ship-to-ship weaponry."

"I'm afraid she won't fly again until we find Dragon."

"But..." Alice pursed her lips and looked away. Minx guessed that Alice had no desire to encounter either of the hypermen ever again, and she could well understand why.

The troop walked on for a while, slowly making their way deeper and deeper under the structure. Arachne would be exploring ahead and then would disappear, but somehow the arachnid knew where Minx was headed and made sure to point out tunnels to her friend.

Eventually they came into a large, spherical hollow. Catwalks with low railings met a number of tunnels around the walls, and all joined together in the centre of the chamber. Other holes, larger than those met by catwalks, dotted the walls. In the central area, surrounded by catwalks and a large platform, was long cylindrical tube. There were windows along the side nearest them, and a door stood open. Arachne hurried down to the vehicle.

"You arrived in this?" asked Minx, pointing at the cylindrical tube. The enormous hollowed-out chamber reminded her of a spider's nest for some reason, and then it struck her that Arachne's people would have deliberately designed it so.

"Yes," answered Rod. "Dragon flew the thing, or piloted it...I don't know. None of us know how. Most of the controls aren't even labelled."

"I suspect Arachne does know how," commented Minx.

"Dragon's pet spider?" asked an incredulous Alice.

"She is an intelligent being, and a member of the race that built this hollow world and then sent it rocketing off Earth and into the galaxy," growled Minx. "And, her name is Arachne! Learn it!"

"Yes, Captain," answered Alice, and though her tone was submissive Minx noticed a small smile upon the woman's face.

"Let's go!" Minx turned to look at the group. They all appeared to be reluctant to continue the quest, yet she had to encourage them and keep them with her. Letting them loose would simply be playing into Mahar's hands. If they confronted him as a group then they might be able to hurt him, or perhaps free Dragon so the two hypermen could battle it out. Though she had no idea of Mahar's capabilities, she had a sneaking suspicion that he would be no match for Dragon in an even battle. She had also begun to think it likely her hyperman was still alive; she suspected hypermen preferred to prolong the suffering of others.

Arachne raced across the catwalks and scrambled inside the cylinder before Minx had even walked one hundred metres. As the bounty hunter entered the craft she heard switches being flipped and the electronics suddenly being activated. The arachnid was seated atop a large platform that suited her size and shape and made it easy for her to manipulate the controls.

"So, Dragon was teaching her quite a bit," she noted.

"The arachnid's writings are sometimes in the ultraviolet," pointed out Aphrodite. "Arachne can see the labels on the controls, though there is no way of knowing if she fully understands them."

"Find somewhere comfortable to rest," Minx commanded her five followers. Then, she went to join Arachne at what she guessed was the front of the strange conveyance.

Sure enough, the arachnid's claws darted here and there with a confidence and precision that surprised Minx. What had her friend been doing wandering around the zone with monsters from the Cenozoic when she would have been far safer in her people's tunnels? The question was answered when she recalled Mahar. The hyperman had either chased Arachne from where she belonged, or taken her and dropped her off in a hostile environment. She sneered. The bastard! He had probably gotten a sick thrill watching Arachne barely survive her ordeals!

"Captain?" called out Alice quietly. Minx turned her head and nodded at the woman. "Rod's busy getting everyone settled. I..." she walked up and stood close beside Minx. "It was about an eight-hour trip to get here, Captain."

"Good to know, Alice. Thank you."

Alice smiled. She glanced back at the others then turned again to Minx. "If there's anything you need just let me know, Captain," she whispered.

"I'll keep that in mind, Alice," Minx answered as discretely as she could.

"Who-hoo, boss! After you've bedded her, maybe you and Dragon can make it a threesome! I've always wondered about the mechanics of a threesome, boss. I mean a foursome you can probably just get in a circle — there's enough room — and then satisfy one another orally. And, five or more probably just gets messy, with organic body parts everywhere. But a threesome? If Dragon's busy with your pussy, are you locking lips with Alice or is your tongue deep in her muff?"

"Aphrodite?"

"I'll work out some probabilities and calculate the best orientations for you, boss." Then, the A.I. chuckled.

"Does your vessel talk to you a lot, Captain?" asked Alice.

"Sometimes too much..."

"I was just thinking...you know...Dragon is a hyperman and very dangerous...and so is Mahar. I mean he's dangerous, too. We could all be killed. He killed..." Alice faltered.

Minx felt a sudden pity for her. What had happened in the young woman's life to make her a pirate? What had happened in her life to bring her across Dragon's path? The bounty hunter had met quite a few criminals and while some were utterly heartless others just seemed to be caught up in a life they'd never wished for.

"Go on," urged Minx.

"Well, four of us had him cornered in a room and I was the only one to get out alive. I've never seen anyone move so fast before...except for you and Dragon. And...he was so different from Dragon...so cold. And then...and then there were these two cavemen-things. He called them Paul and Miguel..."

"Paul and Miguel?" demanded Minx. "What happened to them?"

"I barely got away from them. At first...I thought they were going to eat me, then it was pretty clear they wanted something else." She giggled and hugged herself. "They were monster enough to eat me, but men enough to want something else. And...Mahar gave me to them. They may still be with him...waiting for us..."

"What happened to them?"

"You know them?" asked Alice, but she paled slightly at the sudden glare Minx sent her way. "I don't know what happened to them, Captain. I escaped and ran, and eventually found Rod and his group. We were wondering how to get back to the boat when you found us."

"So, Paul and Miguel's personalities haven't been changed that much, then," murmured Minx. She couldn't forgive the men. Neither had repented. Paul would have raped her the moment she was helpless, while Miguel would have let him. Both men had only been friendly with her as long as they needed her to survive.

"This place is really dangerous, Captain. Do we have to find Dragon?" Minx raised an eyebrow at her. "We could go back to your ship. I know the others would love to keep sailing that sea. But it's full of terrifying sea monsters, Captain. So, you and I could drop them off then we could keep going and find the tower nearest your ship." Alice looked away, then continued. "You and I could fix your ship, then fly her out of here. Just the two of us. It is a rather small ship. Cosy."

"I'll keep that in mind as a possibility, Alice," soothed Minx. "It'll be our back-up plan if things don't work out. In the meantime, we're going to find Dragon. He's our best option for getting rid of Mahar. And, I'll make sure Dragon behaves himself afterward."

"Yes, Captain," responded Alice, with a small frown. "Anything you say, Captain."

"Now find yourself a nice comfortable place to rest, back there, while I keep an eye on Arachne."

Alice nodded at her, then strolled away.

"Well, that wasn't quite what I expected, boss," said Aphrodite. "And, good for you for sticking up for your lover boy."

"Aphrodite, he's not my lover boy."

"That was gentler than your other refutations. I think you're countering some of your programming."

"That may be true, Aphrodite." Was it possible? Could she be fighting back against whatever was putting these ideas into her head? "Keep helping me with it, okay?"

"You bet, boss!"

VII

Vanessa scrubbed the floor, eager to restore it to its original spotless state. Every couple of minutes, she paused to wipe away sweat from her brow with the back of her arm. Dragon watched every move she made and considered that this was likely the most labour she'd done since her vessel crashed. It would re-enforce that Mahar only intended bad things for her. He knew it was time to offer an alternative, one that Mahar had not permitted the woman.

"There are maintenance robots that you could have used to clean the floor," noted Dragon from his chair.

She stopped and stared at him. "I haven't seen any...it's a trick! You could reprogram them to free you and then you'd kill Mahar and torture me!"

Dragon shrugged. "Believe what you like, Vanessa. I don't see the point in such efforts when there are automated systems waiting to do it for you. Intelligent beings were created for more important things than washing vomit from the floor."

He watched as she finished scrubbing. She set aside the dirty pieces of fabric, then grabbed some clean ones to sop up the water she'd used to aid in her cleaning.

"Why didn't you use some of that material to make yourself some clothes, Vanessa?"

"Mahar didn't say I could..."

"You mean, you hope that he will eventually be smitten with your lovely body and discard his plans for you? It won't happen. Naked or clothed, he sees you merely as a slightly more intelligent animal. A dog or pig, perhaps, something that can be trained to do tricks but which will eventually become a bore. In the end, the time he has spent with you will make no difference to him and will be worth very little to him."

"If it won't make a difference then why even bother to tell me!"

"It will make a difference to you."

She stared at Dragon in confusion.

"Wearing clothes would be a statement to yourself, my dear. You'd be telling the universe that you're a human being, a sentient creature that chooses how she looks. It would make you feel that you have some degree of control over yourself and your fate."

She sulked and bent back to her chore. "But it would all be a lie, wouldn't it?"