Arachna hung above a group of three Yumen marines. They held long light sticks that emitted white lightbeams in every direction. It mixed with the glowing violet light of the Xitherium engine, turning areas of the metal staircases a shade of light purple.

She caught a beam in her eyes, temporarily blinding her vision. No one noticed, her stealth cloak hiding her presence through its invisibility field.

How it worked she had no idea, but it worked.

Click, click.

A marine turned his light and opened fire at the nearby wall. The spray of bullets was loud and destructive.

Arachna had bounced her clicks off the wall. She was in the exact opposite direction.

"Did you get it, Gonzo?" another voice said.

"I don't know, Skink" Gonzalez said. Arachna recognized him from the other day. This was the man she had encountered in the utility closet.

"Void," said the marine known as Skink, shining his light on the bullets that had embedded themselves into the wall. "I don't see anything."

Click, click.

Gonzalez let out a second burst of weapon-fire, this time up the stairs. Arachna would lead them exactly where she wanted them to go.

"It's up there," Skink said. "Moving to pursue to the mid-level, starboard side."

The men were talking into some sort of headset built into their helmets. Arachna couldn't tell who was on the other side but she assumed it would be the other marines, and the rifter too.

Click, click. Arachna let off another series of clicks upstairs. All the while she remained near the ledge, climbing up a thin strand of silk, watching on the sideline.

Clank, clank, clank.

The heavy, metal boots resounded on the grated floor. The marines stomped loudly as they climbed upward.

Almost there, Arachna thought. The men were getting closer to her trap. The trick was to ensnare all three at once. She had traps littered throughout the room, but if a marine tried to help a fellow soldier it wouldn't be difficult.

She'd led this group here, specifically, because she had one of her larger snares set. One that could take down a group.

At the back of the corner of the mid-level floor was a funnel-web. This particular web wasn't built to stay hidden. It was a web of strands built into a tunnel within which Arachna could hide. The strands were woven in a circular pattern surrounding a long hole that could act as shelter in a harsh climate.

"There it is," Gonzo said. "I think we found its nest."

"Wait," Skink said. "I bet it's inside there right now.

"Grenade?" the third marine said.

Click, click. Arachna was nowhere near the funnel-web. It was designed to act as a distraction, drawing the Yumens in. She bounced a click in its direction from her perch at the ledge of the metal floor.

"Do it, Klaus" Skink said.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

The marine known as Klaus retrieved a small oval-shaped object from his side and put his hand on the pin.

"No grenades," a voice screamed over their comms. "Are you an idiot? Do you want to blow the Xither-drive?"

"Oops," Klaus said, removing his hand from the pin. "I forgot about that."

Skink gulped given his

"I'll shoot it then," Gonzalez said, raising his rifle.

"No, let's all do it together," Skink said.

The three marines aimed at the hole in the back and fired. The sound of their guns echoed through the engine room as red light flashed with each successive round.

"Think we killed it?" Klaus said, lowering his gun.

"Only one way to find out," Skink said. "Why don't you go in to check it out?"

"Me?" Klaus said. "Are you kidding?"

"Okay, Gonzo then," Skink said.

"I'm not going in there," Gonzo said, shaking his head and throwing up his arms. "I don't make enough to walk into that thing by myself."

"Fine," Klaus said. "We all go then. Strength in numbers. You two in front."

After another minute of bickering, the three marines walked forward, together, slowly toward the destroyed web. It looked like a rag torn to shreds, bits of old cloth spreading across the ground like bits of dust.

They were cautious, which was reflected in the relative quiet of each step. The key word was relative given that each stomp could still be heard from a mile away.

Right about, Arachna thought. One more step. Now.

The marine known as Gonzalez walked right into an orb-shaped web. His right hand struck a strand as he swung it forward. The pretensioned strand immediately snapped from below, releasing the tension on top. It Gonzalez up into the air like a flying dactyl.

"Help," he screamed, dangling from one hand. As he rose, his leg hit a second pretensioned strand, which snapped and pulled him down and to the left, counterbalancing the first. The man's upper left hand hit a third and his lower right leg, a fourth. In an instant, he was fanned out, ready to be consumed like a tasty treat.

"Retreat," Klaus shouted. "It caught Gonzalez."

Well, Arachna thought. She had forgotten about that. These Yumens were especially prone to fear.

To his credit, Skink ignored the fearful Klaus and removed his knife. He shined his light on the web, its strands glowing in the light. "I'll get you down buddy," he said. "Klaus, cover me."

Klaus paused his retreat and watched from several paces back, raising his rifle.

"Get me outta here," Gonzalez said, voice trembling.

As Skink made toward the orb-shaped webbing from which Gonzalez hung, Arachna crawled on the ceiling above and snipped off a few strands.

A third web parachuted down like a blanket falling from the sky. It landed directly on top of Skink. The Yumen immediately lifted his hands to pull at the web, but the bottom was designed to stick and contract. Each grasp of his hands was immediately constricted and the web quickly closed in and around him, tightening into a cocoon.

Horde, Arachna was surprised at how well that worked. The silk wrapped the trapped the Yumen inside a white sticky container like a meal-ready-to-eat. He squirmed on the ground but the webs were too strong, even for his suit-enhanced strength.

"Ahh," Klaus said, turning to run.

There was another web ready for this man but not if he ran in the opposite direction.

So, Arachna did the only thing she could think of. She leaped.

"Help," Klaus shrieked as Arachna landed directly on his helmet. She peered down at him through his glass visor, dripping acid from her mouth. "It's going to eat me."

In his full suit of armor, Klaus was maybe ten times her size but all fear. He flung his arms into the air, dropped his weapons, and ran down the stairs. Arachna pecked at his glass visor but it would take a moment or two for the acid to weaken it enough for her to penetrate.

Horde, she thought. What was she to do? How was she supposed to get past his armor before he rejoined the others?

Maybe another idea.

She climbed down his back and onto his right leg. The marine was running with suit-enhanced speed, and didn't seem to pay attention to her. She bobbed up and down with each step.

Arachna quickly secreted a single silk strand around the man's boot. Then, with careful timing, she leaped onto the other, connecting the two boots together.

He tripped.

The marine fell headfirst down the stairs, his suit grinding with each step, sparks flickering from the friction. As he hit the floor below, he blacked out, unconscious, his body going limp.

Click, click.

Improvising had worked. Arachna walked over to his helmet, the acid sizzling on the visor where she'd dropped it. A few more seconds and she could inject him with venom, which would also act as a preservation agent so she could enjoy a meal at a later time.

Miss me?

A voice sounded in her head. Arachna looked up.

Standing over her was the shimmering translucent body of the Yumen known as Vapor.

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