Minx Ep. 05: Sphere, Age of Arachnids

"So..." spoke Vanessa, breathing slowly, "you'll tell me when we're ready to make our move?"

"That's right. Then, and only then, you'll free me. Next, I'll save your life, then place Mahar's in the palm of your hand. Fair trade?"

She stared at him. Anger, sadness and fear crossed her face in a few seconds. At last, she nodded.

"Good. Mahar won't want to torment you for a day or two, Vanessa. He's hoping you'll believe that the attack was a one-time fit of pique, and to further his plans he'll want to see if you've become pregnant. I want you to explore every room on this floor...once you feel up to it. If you activate the monitors, I'll watch Paul and Miguel and let you know when Mahar has removed them to their pen. He'll want you to clean that room once he's taken away the beast-men. Will you be up to that?"

"I don't know."

"You're stronger and better than you think you are, Vanessa."

"I hope so."

"Good. Now come closer," instructed Dragon. "When he does allow you back in the hangar to clean it, I have some things for you to do. He cannot be allowed to have a working spacecraft, so you'll have to disable it in a way that he can't easily detect. Here's exactly what I want you to do..."

XII

Arachne froze in place and Minx copied her.

"What is it?" whispered Alice, who'd been hovering close behind her new captain.

They had left the slope and journeyed across a flatland covered in knee-high ferns, until finally entering a region of thick-stemmed green plants that were topped with curled up fronds. The plants had been still while the troop had weaved around them, and everything had been silent. What animal life they had seen had been small and fearful of them.

Arachne crouched suddenly. Minx copied her and motioned for the others to do the same. The group made far more noise than she liked, but there was little she could do about that now. The bounty hunter searched with her eyes and listened intently.

At last a distant buzzing grew louder and then, after about fifteen minutes, faded. Arachne waited until the sound had completely vanished, then slowly rose and cautiously crept forward.

"What was it?" whispered Alice.

Minx shrugged in response. "Aphrodite? Any ideas?"

"Not a one, boss," replied the A.I. "Trust Arachne."

"Let's keep going," Minx told Alice. The pirate passed on the command to the rest of the group as quietly as she could.

They continued their march through the bizarre terrain. Minx was disturbed by the fact that the other humans, aside from Alice, appeared to have lost their wariness of the strange place. They whispered and joked, and Minx's cautions were ignored. The air seemed thick, and a light mist decreased visibility to one hundred metres or so in most places.

Six hours after they'd risen from their last meal, the group came to a marsh. Arachne squealed in frustration, or so Minx believed. The arachnid scuttled one way and then the other, keeping her claws out of the liquid. Then, she sat still right at the edge of the murky water, with two claws poised over the still surface.

Minx motioned for everyone to stay where they were and she watched her friend at work. The arachnid's claws began to slowly shift left and right, then darted into the water and Arachne lifted out a fat, ten-legged bug-like creature the size of a human head. She bit into it quickly, then began sucking.

"Okay! We'll camp here!" announced Minx.

Blankets were laid out and the humans sat down to eat their last meal of the day. Alice and Rod sat down beside Minx.

"So, Captain," said Alice, "what's the plan?"

"We camp here and rest, then continue on in several hours," explained Minx.

"And...we're going to the tower in this part of the hollow world?" asked Rod.

"That's right," answered Minx. She shoved some dried meat into her mouth and chewed.

"To find Dragon and kill Mahar?" asked Rod.

"That's right," agreed Minx, eying Rod.

"And then what?" asked Rod.

Minx raised an eyebrow at him. He looked down, then glanced at Alice for a fraction of a second. The questions were really coming from her, thought Minx.

"And then we leave this world," replied the bounty hunter.

"How do we do that?" asked Rod.

"My ship survived her crash. Once the energy-dampening field has been shut off we can simply fly out of here. Or, we use Dragon's ship - his vessel was probably following yours at a distance too far for your sensors to detect it."

"And...then what?" repeated Rod. The two pirates had stopped eating and stared at Minx, obviously trying to read her.

"You're worried about what Dragon will do to you?"

"Yes," responded Alice with a slight tremor.

"He'll..." Minx thought for a second. What would Dragon do with the pirates? They were tools to him, nothing more. Well, maybe Alice meant more to him than that. "I'm not sure what he'll do."

"He's a hyperman, but you've known him for a while. What do you think his plans are?" Alice seemed very concerned about the matter.

"I don't know. Honestly, I don't know."

"So...he might decide to just kill us all..." suggested Alice.

"You don't really have a choice, do you?" asked Minx. "I mean, Dragon and I are your only means of getting out of here. Though, I cannot believe he would simply kill you. I know him well enough to be confident of that."

"Those cave-people survived for quite a while in the area we all crashed in." Rod was trying to be subtle.

"Yes," Minx agreed without committing herself.

"So...we could try and return there and simply live out our lives. Let Dragon and Mahar fight it out amongst themselves. We'll build ourselves a city, and wall it to keep the monsters out."

"Rod," began Minx, "you're an idiot."

Alice glared at him and swung her head to indicate he should leave. He briefly glared back at Alice, then stood and walked a few metres away. He sulked as he continued his meal alone.

"Why did you get him to ask me all of that, Alice?"

"I didn't! I..." Minx gave her an angry look. "I'm sorry. I just thought if I showed you that the others wanted to stay here then you and I could leave in your ship. Together."

"We can't leave until we disable the energy-dampening field. We cannot disable that field until we've dealt with Mahar. I explained this to you." Minx was having a real problem understanding the lack of foresight in these pirates. How in the galaxy had no military force ran across them and destroyed them?

"We...we could stay in your ship. It had weapons, didn't it? We could build a wall around it. You could hunt for food and I could help you. The two of us would be safe," Alice licked her lips and leaned close, "and alone."

"I'll think about it, Alice. For now, make sure everyone is organized and set up watches. I'll take the first one."

Alice rose and took a walk around the camp. Minx watched her. It had to be the pheromones, she reasoned.

"She's got it bad for you, boss," said Aphrodite.

"Any clues as to why?"

"Well...Dragon noticed that she has a strong submissive streak in her, but it's only evident around certain people. You. Dragon."

"Pheromones," sighed Minx.

"I don't think so," countered Aphrodite. "Alice can be very dominant and domineering when she needs to be. I think she's afraid of a lot of things and feels that she can only be safe when she's in control. At least, until she meets a person who demonstrates superior survival abilities. Then, she becomes submissive and turns over her fate to that person she feels safest with. She's adopted you as her protector."

"Wonderful! As if I don't have enough to deal with!"

"I think you're missing the point, boss. She would do anything for you! Think of it! She would be your complete sexual slave if you wish it!"

Minx did think about it. A vision of having Alice strip down and then caress every square centimetre of her body with her soft lips flittered through her mind. Yet, the feelings she experienced when she imagined that weren't erotic. Instead, Minx felt powerful. This, she realized, was about control and power! She recalled some of the nightmares she'd had about leading an army to conquer the galaxy, and realized that this was similar. She mentioned her thoughts to Aphrodite, very quietly so that no-one else might hear her.

"What do you think?" Minx asked.

Aphrodite paused for a full second. "I think it's quite possible that this might have to do with your past and with your irrational anger towards Dragon."

"It's not irrational...!" claimed Minx with a rising voice. The others stared at her, wondering what conversation she was having with the A.I.

"Do you trust me, boss?"

"Yes," answered Minx, grudgingly.

"You need to talk to Dragon about this stuff."

XIII

"Wake up!" demanded Mahar.

Dragon opened his eyes and raised his head. "Nanobots?"

"What?" asked Mahar, clearly confused by the question.

Vanessa lifted her head off her arm and stared, bleary-eyed and confused, at the two hypermen just a few metres away from her. She had been afraid to leave Dragon's presence and had subsequently fallen asleep on the floor. Now that Mahar had returned, her first thought was that he was going to turn her over to Paul and Miguel once more, and she began to panic.

"The torture..." said Dragon.

"Yes, yes. Nanobots. Don't you have access to that technology?" sneered Mahar.

"No. Never heard of them."

Mahar glared at him, then regained his control. "Your sense of humour is very human," he said, hoping the insult stung deep.

Dragon shrugged. Humans were inferior to their people, yet that did not mean they had no redeeming qualities. To him it made perfect sense that his sense of humour was human; whatever sense of humour he possessed was an extrapolation of that possessed by one of his all-too human ancestors before the modification to their genetic code.

Mahar scowled and then stomped to the control console. He glared at the screens which showed numerous locations inside the Sphere. On one, Dragon could make out Minx and a handful of humans making their way across a strange landscape filled with unusual plants. Simple logic informed him that she had made her way to this region and he guessed her goal was the tower. He allowed himself a brief smile at her ingenuity; he would have done the same thing if their places were reversed.

Vanessa gathered her courage and rose to her feet, stretched, then walked closer to the two men. Mahar ignored her, though he must have heard her walking across the floor. Dragon nodded at her, and she gave him a small smile.

"So..." she began, then faltered. Her face went red.

"What is it?" demanded Mahar impatiently, without even looking toward her.

"She was," explained Dragon, "going to ask you what chores you wished her to perform today, then she recalled what you did to her yesterday. I would have thought that an elementary deduction my dear Mahar. Haven't you studied humans long enough to understand their psychology, or their verbal and nonverbal communication?"

Mahar turned, walked over to Dragon and drew out the small pad from his pocket. He hesitated then put it away without activating it. "You should learn politeness. It may prolong your life. Or, haven't you been around humans long enough to pick that up, Dragon?"

"Wouldn't that be wonderful." Dragon spit on to the floor. There was blood in the fluid; his body had not fully healed from the excruciating pain earlier. "Your temper is very human, Mahar. As is your spite."

The other hyperman glared at him. Vanessa smirked, despite herself, and then banished the smile from her face. It had just occurred to her how easily Dragon was goading Mahar, and the wrong attitude displayed by her might result in Mahar deciding to punish her, too.

"Clean up that mess!" commanded Mahar. "That's why you are here!"

Vanessa stood frozen for a second, then kneeled on the floor and began mopping up Dragon's spit with what was left of her clothing.

"And how are you today, Vanessa?" asked Dragon. "Sorry about the mess. Are you in a better mood than our host?"

"I..." she smiled at Dragon, then frowned. Tears started to roll down her cheeks.

"Sorry," responded the confined hyperman. "I shouldn't have made light."

"Don't apologize to a human!" shouted Mahar. He strode back to the control console and activated some switches and dials. A holographic display appeared between him and Dragon, and then he manipulated controls made entirely of light. "By the Creator, I will take you apart piece by piece to find all your flaws, then devote myself to exterminating those flaws in the remainder of our species!"

"You will?" Dragon rolled his eyes. "If I'm so inferior then why did it take you so long to capture me, Mahar? I don't think you're going to prove threatening to others of our race. I'm willing to wager you haven't met another hyperman in some time, having hidden yourself out of their reach for the last few years like this? You were never really that sociable to begin with."

Dragon waited patiently as Mahar scrutinized displays and made fine adjustments to the holographic controls. It was clearly some sort of biological testing interface and from what he could see it offered both biochemical and genetic information. He put on his most arrogant face and stared at Mahar impatiently. After a minute, Mahar wiped away the holographic interface with a furious sweep of his arm.

Mahar then waved a hand at the screen which followed the movements of Minx and the other humans. "Behold! The human female that you have taken as a mate! She leads a group of her species across this region of Mahar's World in a futile attempt to find and then kill me. Their first trial awaits. I think the coming adventure should hold much interest for you."

XIV

Minx watched Arachne pause at a bog. Suspicious mats of weeds, moss and slime floated like flat islands in the still black waters. Those waters stretched into the distance to eventually become lost in fog. Not a single insect or animal could be seen or heard over the water, and that worried Minx. The bounty hunter found a dried vine nearby and stuck it into the brackish water and pushed. The mud was several centimetres deep, but no real obstacle to any of them. She crouched down and looked across the still surface. How deep, she wondered, did this bog become as you travelled further from shore?

"We can go slow and wade across, Captain," offered Alice. The red-head looked about nervously, having picked up on Minx's uneasiness.

Rod rubbed his chin. "Maybe we should make a raft. We can collect some of these dead vines and..."

Arachne clicked several times in anger. Minx looked over and noted her friend was pointing along the shore, around the water. It would mean a delay in their journey as they skirted the large body of water.

"We're not going in," Minx stated, having made her decision.

"But...I can see the other side from here!" countered Rod, peering into the fog. He looked at the faces of the others, searching for support. "And that damn spider just doesn't want to get her feet wet! Everyone knows spiders hate water."

"Captain," whispered Alice, warningly.

Minx stood and rubbed her hands together, cleaning some of the mud from them. She cast a sidelong glance in Rod's direction. "Arachne knows this region. She's from here. Did you really want to go on without me? How are you going to handle Mahar on your own? I'm going that way," she added, pointing in the direction Arachne had indicated.

The two remaining pirates and Victor approached and stood behind Rod. He stared at Minx in defiance. She wondered what was wrong with them that they would make such a stupid decision. "We're going across the bog," declared Rod. "You can even see dry patches. We'll all take sticks to prod ahead with. We'll set up a camp on the far side and wait for you there." Minx instinctively knew that was a lie. Once he was out of her sight he clearly intended to find a safe place to live, well away from her, Dragon and Mahar. "Alice, get over here!"

Minx shrugged. "Do what you want. It's not safe to cross the water, at least here. And, just because we haven't seen many dangers yet doesn't mean they're haven't been any. Arachne's been guiding us away from threats."

"Alice?" called out Rod. In answer, the female pirate shuffled over to stand beside Minx.

"Fine!" announced Rod. "The rest of us are taking the easy route!"

Rod stepped into the water. It seemed as if everyone was holding their breath. Nothing happened. Rod took another step, then another. The black water came up to about his knees, and rings spread across the surface from where he stood. It was the only movement on the otherwise still liquid.

"Give me something to poke ahead with! I don't want to fall into any holes!" he demanded. Minx tossed him the stick she had tested the water's depth with. As he began wading across the other pirates stepped tentatively into the water then followed him.

"It looks okay..." murmured Alice uncertainly.

"It always looks okay in the beginning, Alice," replied Minx, shaking her head. "Arachne didn't like it and she's familiar with this region as well as its fauna and flora."

"Oh," was the only thing Alice said. She didn't sound convinced that the swamp was dangerous.

Minx put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you friends with any of them?"

"Not really. The King Midas was quite cut-throat."

"I'm not sticking around to see what happens to them, Alice. Besides, I think Rod is hoping I'll leave so he and the others can get away. You're welcome to join them if you really want to...but I still think it's a foolish risk."

Minx walked over to her arachnid friend and Arachne scampered off just ahead of the bounty hunter. With a shrug of resignation, Alice followed her captain.

Ten minutes later the pirates were still surrounded by black water which had not deepened, and Minx could barely make out the group through the mist. The swamp seemed like one long strip of bog across the landscape, strange as that was.

A sudden splash in the water made Minx whirl about. Alice screamed and there were shouts from the water. Thick, man-sized leaves splashed up from the black water and enveloped Vincent. The plant then pulled down and disappeared with its prey, beneath the surface.

"Damn it!" shouted Minx.

Arachne squealed in fright, then continued on her way. Minx recognized that as a sign that the remaining pirates were doomed.

"We've got to help them!" begged Alice.

"How?" demanded Minx.

One more pirate was sucked down as they watched. Rod and the last were scrambling for shore, shouting in terror as water erupted around them. Rod tripped, leaves came up and over him and he disappeared without even a scream. The remaining pirate stood completely still.

"Arachne?" called Minx, trying to get her friend to stop.

The arachnid stopped and let out a frustrated hiss. It slowly scuttled back to Minx.

"Can we wade out to Ahmed?" asked Alice.

"And get taken by one of those carnivorous plants?" Minx countered. "Arachne," Minx pointed to the lone, terrified man standing out in the bog far from shore, "can we help him."

Arachne waved a claw at the man, then turned away and continued on her original path.

"I'm guessing that's a no," Minx translated. She followed her friend, confident that Alice would follow. It was unfortunate, but there was nothing any of them could do to help the unlucky pirate. Minx consoled herself with the fact that those people who had just died were pirates, and had probably done some pretty nasty stuff to their innocent victims over the years.

However, Alice remained near the shore and cupped her mouth in her hands. "Shuffle through the water as slow as you can, Ahmed! I'll wait for you!"