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June 1985 - "Millstone III"--a nuclear power plant in Connecticut
"Rupert! Wake up, nimrod! The core's over-loading!" The worker shook the safety engineer awake. Alarms were blaring - though they weren't as loud as Rupert's snores. Rupert snorted as he jerked awake. One hand flailed wildly for the control board - knocking the cold cup of coffee on it. Sparks began to fly. The men cursed and ran out. Something brushed Rupert's face as he ran. Quickly and mindlessly he swept away the spider who fell near the controls and began crawling along on it's 7 legs - the 8th one injured in the fall. The men got out as the power-core ruptured and nuclear waste was sent through-out the area. Thankfully there was no fire - but the men still were worried. M3 had not been built to specs and the men knew it. If people ever found out.... Thank God for the expert way government officials can cover things up so well. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Dad?" Michelle poked her head into her father's room. God, he looked so thin. The cancer was eating away at him. Still, Michelle couldn't blame him for wanting to die at home. "Are you going to be okay?" Rupert smiled, his gums were shrunken and most of his teeth had fallen out. "I'll be fine, sweetheart." A cough racked him for a moment, then he weakly waved to his daughter as she headed out for work. When had his little girl turned into a woman? Her red hair and green eyes were so like her mother's at that age. The angelic face made him want to sob. At 22 when most girls had children 3 or 4 years old, Michelle still had an innocence that he hoped she'd never lose. It was that bloody M3 that caused his cancer. In Rupert's heart he knew it. The radiation eating away at him, mutating his cells. Killing him slowly. At least Mary had died quickly, the drunk driver killing her on impact. If only he had his life to live over again..... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Alright, team A - you're going to go through sections A, B, and C, team B, you get D and E. Robby, you're in charge of Team A, Michelle, you get Team B. Remember I want this place cleaned from top to bottom. The government wants M3 up and running again by the end of the year. We need to get it ready for inspection. Any questions? Alright, go." Michelle grabbed her supplies and headed in with her team. It was smaller than team A, which was why they were doing only 2 sections of M3. The abandoned nuclear power plant had been her father's last place of work before mom died. Then, suddenly, he got sick. *Beware! Beware!* Michelle looked around. A squirrel sat on its haunches, chittering at her. Repeating it's warning. For as long as Michelle could remember she could understand the speech of animals and insects. More than that, she could "talk" back to them. Softly she chittered back. *Beware of what?* *Of the large blood sucker! It bites, it kills. Stay away from its web! Stay away! Flies are not enough - Moose isn't enough!* The squirrel turned and ran off. Leaving a confused Michelle behind. The redhead stood there for a moment before shaking herself awake and entering M3. The warning echoing in her mind. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Robby sighed heavily. "Have you ever seen such huge dust webs? Yeesh!" With a pissed-off look he grabbed a mop. "You'd think for a job this big they'd send more than 50 people. Let's get to work, folks!" The workers spread out. Muttering over the sounds of buckets and mops. Something about this place gave them the creeps and the sound of human voices helped keep away the crawling feeling on their skin. It was like something - inhuman - was watching them. "Hey, Robby! Look at this!" A worker called out, motioning to a large white "cable," there were millions - maybe even billions of little black specks on it. Closer inspection revealed these to be the corpses of flies. The "cable" was sticky to the touch. "What is it?" Robby asked, lightly hitting it and making it vibrate. The worker shrugged. "Looks like a giant spider web of all things." He too, hit it, a little harder. Suddenly someone screamed. Everyone looked up and froze in terror. Robby was the first taken. As the sickening crunch cut off his terrified yell and caused the workers to turn and run as blood splattered on the floor below. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The dust in section D caused Michelle to sneeze violently. God, she hated this job - but money was needed to help dad and she couldn't afford to go to college. Not now at least. Maybe someday, when dad died.... Now that was a horrible thought! How could she think - Her thoughts, however, were interrupted by the sounds of screams. A centipede crawled over her foot and into her pants, the tiny legs tapping out a message. *The large bloodsucker! It's hungry! Run, run!* Then it crawled back out and into a crack in the floor. "Run!" Someone from team A shouted. "Spider! I mean a BIG spider! As big as a man! It killed Rob -" His warning was suddenly cut off with a scream as a web hit him in the back and pulled him off his feet. Michelle's coworkers dropped their supplies and began to run. Michelle, however, didn't run. Instead, she walked right to where the man had been. Only a few drops of blood marked his place. Another drop fell and splattered. The redhead looked up slowly, holding her breath. The sight above made her pale. Cocoons, ten in all, hung from the ceiling. Each contained a human who was obviously dead. Some had half their heads missing. Others looked like they had been drained dry. Either way, there was no help for them now. And in the midst of all this, a large, brown-black spider. A very, very large spider. Michelle gasped and the spider looked at her. Looked at her with a nearly-human face! If not for the two large fangs glistening with poison and the complexed eyes, it would be a human face. It also had two arms with hands like a human being. The two back legs were human-like as well, though they ended with long toes that hooked into the ceiling. There were still two spider legs on each side. *Fooooooood.* The spider-thing hissed-chittered. On a web it lowered itself. Michelle now noticed that the butt was still very spider-like, though it was smaller then a spider's would be. The top half was like a well-muscled man though. *No.* Michelle answered in spider-talk, though her mouth was dry with fear. *Friend.* *You loooook like foooood.* The spider paused. Food didn't talk spider. Yet it looked like the large beings and talked spider. Something was wrong here. It rubbed its fangs together in concentration. Michelle closed her arms together and brought them down in a submissive position. *I'm a friend. Food can't talk like this, can it?* *Nooooo.* *What happened to you?* Morbid curiosity drove her to ask it. *Maaaan - poison. Boom.* Alright, radioactive waste. Must've caused a normal spider to mutate into this - beast. All she had to do now was keep it occupied until the others could escape and bring back something to kill this thing. Put it out of its misery. *If not fooood - then you are -* The spider-thing paused, thinking long and hard. *Spider! Mate!* Suddenly Michelle felt like fainting. This thing thought she was another spider like him. That he could - mate - with her! Worse, it might actually be possible considering the mutation that had taken place. If everything was partly human-like she was in big trouble! The spider began to approach her. Even though the eyes were inhuman, the gleam in them translated into the same thing in all species. Lust. Michelle needed help - and fast! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fifty people had gone in, barely thirty had made it out with their lives. They babbled a story about a human-like spider that had killed part of the crew. Government men came at the first phone call in their large black vans that they hustled the survivors into. Driving them to God knew where, to do Lord couldn't imagine what, to them. The soldiers were next. Three special teams trained by the CIA for missions that needed to be extremely hush-hush. A force that no one knew about. And should anyone find out they'd be dead within 30 seconds. Each team went in through a different entrance, their faces masks of non-emotion as they walked into the lion's den. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Michelle and the spider were locked into a mating dance. The mutant human trying to show the spider she wasn't interested; the mutant spider trying to get her interested, anyway. Just as it looked like Michelle was about to be pounced upon and mated with against her will, the sound of human feet echoed around them. *Foooooood!* The spider chittered. It seemed his hunger was stronger than the urge to mate. With a push from his powerful legs, the spider launched himself to the ceiling, then quickly scampered away. Sighing in relief, Michelle enjoyed the brief reprieve. Until the first scream hit her. The mutant was urged into action. She ran back into the room she had been cleaning and looked around. Mops, brooms, buckets, cleaning chemicals.... Pursing her lips, Michelle thought. Then began to grab up stuff and got to work. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Team 3 was the unlucky group to encounter the spider. The leader was just making his first report when something sticky hit his back. Suddenly he was jerked upwards. There was barely time to scream before the fangs hit his shoulder. Paralyzing poison filling him. Then a sticky cocoon was spun quickly around him and he was hung upside down - still alive. With horror he watched as his men tried to kill the spider - but part of its mutation was extremely fast healing. Bullets had no effect other then to anger the monster. The men turned, trying to run. Some escaped, but most found themselves paralyzed and wrapped. Watching with wide-eyed horror and wishing they could close their eyes. Death would be better than this. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Team 3 - report! Team 3?" The leader of team one sighed and shoved the walkie-talkie back into her pocket. The last thing she had heard was a scream followed by gun fire. Then nothing. Looking to her men, the soldier checked for fear. Not a single trace. These men were trained well. Most had seen it all - things humans should never see. From mutated humans with powers unknown to man to aliens. Never once had she heard them scream. Until today. Whatever it was that was in there must be hellish. "Alright, men, let's move along now." She turned and lifted her gun. Scanning everywhere - but above her. Something tangled around her foot. Looking down she saw a thick white cable. It seemed to be covered with glue. As she attempted to pull her foot free she was yanked, sliding along the floor on her back and then up. Upside down she looked into multi-faceted eyes. The knife was out of her boot and into the creature's side just as it's fangs pierced her flesh. As she was wrapped up she briefly saw the wound she caused, already sealed up. If only she could tell her team. Not once did she think of screaming. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Michelle heard the sound of running feet. Screams. Brief bursts of gunfire. It seemed the spider was going to be fed well for a long time. Unless she could stop it. She had never considered herself a hero of any kind. Though in a way she always had been - giving up her chance at a better life through education plus any chance of a social life by caring for her dying father. Working herself to the bone to get the money for the doctors and hospitals. She was more of a hero than anyone who put on a mask and fought crime. Yet, she didn't know this. The world saw it, but she did not. Today, however, she was going to be a super hero. Standing, she made sure the wooden stakes were in place - amazing what you could do with boom handles and a Swiss Army knife. From a mop handle she had made a spear. Finally onto her back she had strapped a bucket of bleach water. She had poked a hold into the lid of the bucket and rigged it up so she could pump it and cause pressure. With the hose and high-power trigger sprayer, she had her insect sprayer. She pulled on a filter mask and a pair of goggles. She looked to a mosquito that was buzzing around. Softly she made some buzzing sounds with her mouth. *Time to kick some arachnid butt!* ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This food would last him until winter. Unless of course he got the female to mate. Then he would have to save the food for the babies. He cleaned his fangs, thinking of the female. She didn't look like him, but she talked like him. So she had to be a mate. If only he had a dance step that impressed her. Well, since there weren't any other spiders his size she'd have to mate, like it or not. He just hoped she wasn't the kind that devoured her mate afterwards. Fangs now clean of the food's blood, the spider began to crawl along the ceiling. He chittered happily as he spotted the bright red head of his mate. But - she looked different - more beautiful than before! Her eyes were now as large as his and her mouth protruding. She must be hiding her fangs. Ah - how lovely. *Mate!* He called, lowering himself slowly from the ceiling. Now to resume the courtship dance. Suddenly there was pain. Something that mate had thrown pierced his right eyes. He cried and tried to pull it out. *Why, mate? Why?* *Two reasons. 1: I am not your mate, nor will I ever be. 2: You're a murderer and a monster.* Mate took something from her body and rushed him. They grappled and fell. Pain filled his throat. If he could get the things out he could heal, but as long as they were embedded in him, he couldn't. His fangs dipped into mate's shoulder. Tearing flesh, but she pushed away from him with a scream. Standing, she held something out. A burning spray hit him full in the face. It burned! It burned! It.... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Burned. The spider had not gotten it's fangs all the way in, but the poison burned. Michelle tried not to think of it as she emptied the bleach water from her make-shift pump sprayer into it's wounded flesh. Nor when she took out the bottle of ammonia from her back pocket and the powered cleanser from another. Anyone who worked with cleaning products knew you never, ever mix ammonia, bleach, or powered cleanser in any way, shape, or form. Just two of these together made a gas very similar to the gas bombs in World War 2. It would burn the inside of a person's lungs. As the spider thrashed maddeningly, Michelle emptied the ammonia over it. Where it mixed with the bleach a thin stream of smoke rose. Then she took the knife and cut off the top of the cleanser before dumping it all over. Then she turned and ran as fast as she could. Blood oozing down her shoulder and her side. She caught a small whiff of the burning gas just as the poison proved to be too much and she fell. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Doctor, she's awake." "Where -" Michelle croaked then coughed. The doctor shushed her. Then he began to examine her, ordering blood tests, before finally he looked down into her green eyes. "It's a long story. I'll explain everything when you're stronger." He sighed heavily. "First though," his voice softened, "Michelle, your father was found dead when we went to tell him where you are. He died peacefully, there was no pain." One tear was all she had the strength for at the moment. There would be more. "Others?" She managed to gasp out. "Most of the others died long before we could cut them down. The rest are in a coma, but we have high hopes for them now that you're awake. We now know our antidote works." He smiled and patted her hand. "Rest, and we'll talk more later." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Several days passed and Michelle got well. The soldiers woke up, though the cleaning crew had all died. It was the day she was to check out that a man in a black suit entered her room and made her the offer of a life time. "Basically, you'll be the first of the group. You'll be - well, a super-hero. So, Michelle, what do you say?" "I want to choose the rest of the team myself, you'll pay for my complete college education, and I have access to all records at anytime." Michelle chuckled. "Sir, that's a yes." ~~~~~~~THE END....?~~~~~~~
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