Stretched out in the shade of the trees, Tonya laid unmoving. She had only been out of the pool five minutes, but her swimming suit was already dry. She lay with her chin propped up on her hands, watching a huge orb weaver tending its web, her eyes half closed.

This particular spider was about twice normal size; clocking in at around eight inches from leg to leg.  Tonya had named it "Jewel" after she had discovered it two weeks before. Unlike most weavers, who were just yellow and black, this one glittered with sapphire blues, emerald greens, and ruby reds. After marking the spot with a hair tie, Tonya had shown it to Daniel. He had given her a weird look when she had asked him to be careful when doing work there, because she didn't want the spider hurt or killed.

Almost everyone who knew her, knew she was terrified of spiders. She totally freaked out if a spider got on her, she walked into a web, or a big one was near her. "Big" was anything bigger then a dime in Tonya's book. Tonya was always getting one of the guys to kill spiders for her if there was one found inside the house. Outside, she just marked the area, then avoided it. Tonya didn't hate spiders, she just hated that she was afraid of them and didn't know why. The oddest thing was that she liked to watch spiders, if they stayed in their webs.

A fly buzzed around Tonya's head, trying to land on her to bite. She batted at it, annoyed. Finally, she managed to confuse it enough that, when it dodged her next swat, it flew into the spider's web. Jewel wasted no time in wrapping it up.
Tonya grinned, "Don't mess with me, Flyboy." Then, she got up and brushed herself off. "It's too hot," she informed the spider, "I'm going inside."
- - - - - -
Tygeress flew slowly over the town, looking for criminal activity. Because of the lack of crime and the intensity of the heat, the girls had decided that only one person would go out each night. If something happened, the heroine in the field could call in back up. Ty had a slight advantage because she could fly and use the wind to cool herself. Sweat still trickled down her back and face.

Sighing, she paused on the roof of a building to wipe the sweat out of her eyes. "How can Abra wear that costume in this heat?" she asked herself aloud, "I would get heat stroke!"

Yawning, she looked around the rooftop. There was a huge skylight in the middle of the rooftop, but that wasn't very interesting to the sleepy coed. "I am soooo bored!!" she yawned, stretching.

"Now where are those Pentium five chips?" a female voice pondered, somehow echoing in the night air.

Tygeress froze, then slowly looked around again.

"I know the store has a safe hidden in the wall, but where?" came the voice again.

Crouching down, Tygeress crept to the skylight. A woman dressed in a red and black outfit, highlighted with spiders appeared to be talking to herself in the room below. The lock of the skylight was missing and a long white rope hung to the floor.

Tygeress took out her cell phone, then frowned. "There only appears to one person in there. If I call for back up, the others will laugh at me. I'd better check this out more." she thought.

The woman moved out of the room and Tygeress floated down to the floor. Computers of all makes, models, and years surrounded her. She quietly slipped out of the room, keeping to the shadows, following the strange woman. The woman stood in the next room in front of a large safe in the wall. The safe was open and Tygeress could see computer chips inside.

"Hold it right there!" Tygeress commanded, "You're under arrest!"

The woman turned, "Oh really?" she asked, "Who is going to arrest me?"

"I am Tygeress! I fight for justice and uphold the law."

"I am the Web Mistress and I am not doing anything wrong."

"Sorry, lady, but breaking and entering is a crime. So is stealing technology."

"I'm truly sorry about coming to the store after hours, but I wasn't going to steal the chips. I was just going to borrow a couple to make my own. Then I would return them. I promise."

"Copying technology is a crime, too." Tygeress replied stepping forward, "Come along quietly and you can explain it to the judge."

"I think not." replied the strange woman launching at swift kick at Tygeress, who blocked the blow. The Web Mistress continued to throw a flurry of punches and kicks, but Ty blocked every blow.

Sparring with Zarbon and Sally has really improved my technique, thought Tygeress as she dodged a kick to her face. That's enough of this, was her next thought. She blocked the next punch then threw one of her own, knocking the Web Mistress off her feet and across the room. She sat up slowly, wiping a trickle of blood from her mouth.

"You can surrender now," Tygeress told the woman, "or we can continue this dance. But you are going to jail, even if I have to carry you there myself."
"Or so you think," Web Mistress smirked as she stood up, "Lobo! Mommy needs you sweetheart!" she called.

Tygeress whirled to face this new threat, but saw no one. "What are you trying to pull?" she asked as she turned back to face the Web Mistress. "There's noonehere" her eyes went wide in terror, "Oh shit," she whispered.

A gigantic wolf spider, standing over four feet tall now stood between Tygeress and the Web Mistress. Tygeress found herself paralyzed with fear; she couldn't move, think, or even breathe. The spider looked at her with its nine eyes, bared its foot long fangs, and growled.

"Lobo, honey, take care of this pest while Mommy does her shopping." the Web Mistress told the spider. Lobo advanced on Tygeress as his Mistress turned back to the safe.

Tygeress's instincts were screaming for her to run, but her body was still frozen and wouldn't budge. Lobo suddenly lashed out his one of his legs and knocked Tygeress into the next room. She struggled to get to her feet, but the spider pouched on her and knocked her back to the floor. The huge spider batted at her with its front legs, knocking her around the slick floor using his other legs to keep her from slipping away from his grasp. Suddenly, Lobo jumped back, and crouched watching her. Tygeress scrambled to her feet, and looked desperately for an escape route. Lobo lunge forward again and slammed his right fore leg into her right side. Then he caught her with a slap from his left leg, and juggled her back and forth between his front legs.

"Lobo, time to leave." the Web Mistress called, "Let's go!"

Lobo caught Ty between his legs. She tensed waiting for the spider to bite her and wrap her up for a snack. Instead of biting her though, Lobo hurled her at the wall, knocking the breath out of her. He watched her for a second, then scampered out of the room. Tygeress just lay there; almost positive she was dead or dying. Her lungs finally figured out how to breathe again, and she felt a wave of relief wash over her.

The sound of sirens reached her ears, and she jumped to her feet. She ran back to the skylight room and rocketed out of the building. Her pride in the gutter and her body aching, she flew back to the base.
- - - - - - - - - -
Techno and the others were in the cave when she got back.

"Beginning to wonder if you were coming back tonight," Sally teased, "or sleeping on a rooftop."

"There was a break-in at the computer store, "The Graveyard of Lost Chips." Did you see anything?" Techno asked.

When she didn't answer, everyone turned to look at her. They noticed she was looking at the floor, avoiding their eyes. Her hair was disheveled, and she seemed to be in some pain.

"Are you alright?" Jed asked.

"What happened?" Poopsie queried.

"I'm fine." Tygeress replied gruffly, "The culprit at the store escaped."

"Escaped?" Dee said surprised, "How?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Ty grumbled.

"Was he cute?" Jed giggled. "He was, wasn't he?" Zarbon frowned slightly at Tygeress's silence.

"I don't want to talk about it." Tygeress repeated slightly louder, getting annoyed.

"Come on, Tonya! Tell us about the cute guy you ran into." Jed pleaded.

"He wasn't cute," Tygeress growled, "AND I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT." she shouted, then fled up the stairs to hide in her room.

"Good one, Jed." Dee chided, as the others frowned. Jed just looked away.

"I'll go talk to her." Zarbon offered.
- - - - - - - - -
Starting to get stiff and sore, Tonya found she was stuck in her costume. "Damn zipper." she grumbled as she tried to reach the offending metal tag. Her arms no longer wanted to go through their full range of motion. Getting frustrated, she began to growl. A knock at the door annoyed her still further.

"Go away." she replied loudly, but the door opened and Zarbon stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him. She turned to glare at him, "I said, go away."

Zarbon just smiled, and cocked his head in imitation of her, "Need some help?" he asked innocently.

"No, I" she began, but he turned her around and unzipped the zipper. She froze at his touch desperately thinking of an excuse.

"See." he said, "That wasn't so bad." he rested his chin on her shoulder, and gently wrapped his arms around her waist. He felt her wince, then tense.

He knew she wore an undershirt and a sport bra under her costume, so he pushed the costume off her shoulders, freeing her upper torso. His sharp intake of breath told Tonya that she was as beat up as she thought she was.

She felt his eyes burning into the back of her head as he debated about asking her about her injuries. For the first time, she was glad that Zarbon was from a planet where men were submissive to women. He would just frown at her tell he got his answer, but she could kick him out before then.

She turned to give him her saddest look, hoping he would just let the matter drop. He frowned at her, but still didn't speak.

Sighing heavily, she stepped up to him, wrapped her arms around his waist, and laid her head against his shoulder. His gaze softened, and he gently held her.
"Zar-chan," she murmured, "I really don't want to talk about it right now. I just want to get a shower and sleep."

"You should let Poopsie heal you," he replied, "Or at least put some ice on those bruises."

"If I ask Poopsie," she retorted, pushing him away, "she'd want to know how I got hurt." At his hurt look, she regressed, "I'll take a cold shower, as cold as I can stand it. Will that work?"

"Guess it will have to," he replied, walking toward the door. Just as he reached it, she spoke again.

"Zarbon?"

He turned to look at her, uncertain of what she would say.

She suddenly looked extremely shy. "Could I sleep with you tonight?" she blushed deeply, "I don't want to be alone."

"Pardon?" Zarbon couldn't believe what he thought he had just heard, and stared at her in shock. "What did you say?"

Her face burned, and she quickly shook her head, "Never mind." She turned to gather her shower things to hide her embarrassment.

He paused there uncertain, then opened the door and paused again. "You can join me if you wish." he said, then left.
- - - - - - -
Waking suddenly after what seemed to be the millionth nightmare, Tonya stared into the blackness of her room, trying to discern between dream and reality. She clutched her Care Bear to her chest, and took deep breaths to calm herself.

She threw back the covers, and turned on the lamp. She blinked at the brightness, and quickly found a pair of shorts to wear under her nightshirt. Still holding her bear, she flicked out the lamp, and slipped into the hall.
- - - - -
The slight creak of the door opening woke Zarbon. He peered into the darkness trying to discern the familiar shape of his beloved. She moved quietly, but he could hear the soft rustle of her feet moving across the carpet.

"Tonya." he said quietly, and he heard her pause in the darkness.

"I didn't mean to wake you." came the reply, and she move to stand by the bed.

Zarbon pushed back the covers, and she climbed into bed with him. She slipped into his arms, and sighed; already starting to drift off. Kissing her gently, Zarbon settled down to sleep.
- - - - - -
Zarbon awoke slowly, fully aware of the warm presence in his arms. Tonya showed no sign of waking up any time soon, so he carefully slipped from the bed. After tucking her in, Zarbon got dressed and went to get some breakfast
- - - - - - - -
The wall clock said it was 10:30 and no one was in the kitchen. That was surprising because everyone got up about this time. Zarbon took a couple of granola bars from the cabinet, and walked down to the cave.

Techno, Sally, and Dee were sitting at the briefing table. Suddenly, Poopsie and Jed arrived in Bernard.

"We got it!" Jed cheered. "They gave us a copy of the surveillance tape."

"Now we can discover Tonya's reason for not talking," Poopsie grinned.

"Isn't this a bit under-handed?" Zarbon asked, a worried look on his face, "I mean, won't she be angry that your doing this?"

"She can't complain too much," Sally smirked, "she's done similar things." In answer to his shocked look, she replied, "You've know her about five, six months now. We've know her for five, six years."

"Are we going to watch this or not?" Dee asked, video in hand, ready to put it in the video player.

"Do it." Poopsie answered.

Dee put the tape in and waited, then frowned. "It's not working."

"You have to turn it on, Brainiac." Techno smirked.

"Shut up, moron." Dee growled as she poked the On button.

The screen flickered to life. The group watched the video for about five minutes before Sally had a question.

"Do we need to watch the entire video, or can we fast forward to the important stuff."

Techno punched a button and the clock on the video spun madly. "What was the time of that call? Three something?" he asked.

"Something like that," Zarbon replied, "I remember that she was late."

"STOP!" Dee yelled, "Look there." She pointed at the screen, which now displayed a strangely dressed woman sliding down a white rope.

The video had captured details and sounds perfectly. The group watched as the woman talked to herself, then Tygeress's entrance, and the catfight.

"Poor lady doesn't stand a chance." laughed Jed as Tonya knocked her off her feet.

"I don't understand why she didn't want to...oh my," Poopsie trailed off as Lobo entered the picture.

Watching in horror as the spider beat their comrade, the group began to realize this break-in was more serious than they thought. After the spider left the screen and Tonya had fled the building, Techno stopped the video. Sally quietly stood up and went up stairs. The rest just sat there in stunned silence.

"No wonder she was reluctant to talk." Dee said, "That must have been a nightmare for her."

"Now I understand why she was so bruised." Zarbon said in awe, "It's a wonder she didn't break something."

"She has a metallic skeleton," Poopsie replied, "Thank God. That spider could have crushed her ribs or back."

Sally returned looking worried. "Tonya is not in her room. Her bed looks slept in, but I can't find her. Her cell phone was on her nightstand. Where do you think she could have gone?"

"We should start searching the grounds, and then the town. She couldn't have gone too far if she is as banged up as you say she is." Dee said.

"I wouldn't count on that," Sally interjected, "She tracked Zarbon down the night at the sand pits and she could barely walk."

"Let's quit talking and find her!" Jed exclaimed.

Zarbon cleared his throat loudly, still trying to think of a good way to say what he needed to say. "She's still asleep," he paused. "Or was when I left." He inspected the ceiling, his cheeks beginning to burn.

"But Sally said she's not in her bed." Jed argued. "Oh!" her eyes widened.

"Please tell me you didn't screw her," Dee began.

"NO!" Zarbon cut her off, blushing deeply, "She was having trouble sleeping and she came to sleep in my room."

"In your bed." Techno accused.

"Yes," Zarbon admitted, "But we just slept, nothing else happened, I swear."

Sally looked skeptical, "Well, I think we need her down here. Can you go wake her up?"
- - - - - - -
About thirty minutes later, the full crew was gathered at the table. Tonya's hair was still in the twin braids she had slept in, and she was only half-awake. Her muscles were so sore, she couldn't walk and Zarbon had carried her down the stairs. Her upper torso was a mass of purple/black bruises, and she had a black eye.

Poopsie whistled, "Man, that spider worked you over good."

Tonya jerked awake, "Spider? What spider?" she looked around frowning.

"The spider at the computer store." Jed explained, "We got the surveillance tape. It kicked your butt."

Tonya glared at the others, but didn't say a word. Poopsie put her hands on Tonya's shoulders, and began to massage her neck. Tonya's eyelids dropped shut as her head drooped. Poopsie began to use her healing power and the bruises faded from Tonya's body.

"Better?" Poopsie asked.

"Much." Tonya agreed.

"Do you know what that woman stole last night?" Techno asked.

"Not the exactly," Tonya replied, "but she was looking for Pentium five chips."

"How do you propose we find her?" Dee asked.

"Look for a giant web?" suggested Jed.

"Maybe you should stake out computer stores." Zarbon said.

"How many are there?" Tonya asked, "I know of the Graveyard and Radio Hut."

"There's Mel's Electronics," Jed added.

"They don't sell computers there," Poopsie corrected, "Computer Place is downtown."

"That's all of them," Techno concluded, "You should double up and stake out the stores."

"Did you flunk your math classes, Techno?" asked Dee, "There are five of us. If we double up, we need six people."

Techno smirked, then exchange a knowing look with Zarbon. "We have six."

"I'll team up with someone and help with the stakeout," Zarbon added, "Techno and I have designed a costume for me," he grinned slightly, "I even have a name."

"Then all we have to done is decide who goes with whom." Sally decided.

"Dibs on Zarbon!" Tonya exclaimed, jumping up out of her chair.

Sally and Poopsie grabbed her arms and pulled her back into the chair. "Down, Girl." Poopsie commanded.

"Should we draw straws?" Dee asked.
- - - - - - -
Shanshani and Tygeress were staking out the Graveyard, while Slick Pimp Pattie and Abra Pirata had Radio Hut, and Lucy Diamond and Azure had the Computer Place covered.

"I don't understand why I couldn't go with Azure." Tygeress pouted.

Shanshani grinned, "Because you would stake out each other instead of the building."

"No we wouldn't," Tygeress giggled, "We'd move in closer and do a bit of exploring."

"Like you did last night?" Shanshani asked.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Ty frowned, looking at Poopsie oddly.

"Zarbon told us about last night."

"Oh, really," Tygeress raised an eyebrow, her expression serious, "What did he tell you?"

"Just that you came in, climb in bed with him, and..." she smirked at her friend, "you feel asleep almost immediately."
- - - - - - - - -
After two weeks of seeing nothing, the girls started going out singularly again. With Zarbon taking a turn now, it gave the girls a chance to work on their costumes, vehicles, etc.

"Maybe you scared her away, Tonya," Jed said one night, "Maybe she isn't coming back."

"I wish," Tonya replied, "but I have a bad feeling that this is a tumor situation."

"What?" Sally asked, giving Tonya a confused look.

"With a tumor," Tonya explained, "You have a small indication there may be a serious problem, but it usually goes away quickly, so you forget about it." She looked at Jed, "Then, something happens. With a true tumor it maybe as simple as a serious cut, but for us it could be murder. The next thing you know," she paused, "you've got a problem so severe, you can't recover."
- - - - - - - - -
Fortunately for the girls, they didn't have to look for the Web Mistress. She came right to them.

The girls, Techno, and Zarbon were relaxing around the mansion waiting for the sun to go down, and the temperature to drop a little. Tonya was in her gunroom, cleaning and playing with her guns. The rest of the group was playing Monopoly in the den. They heard a vehicle pull up into the drive, but didn't really think about it; it was probably Daniel the gardener. But the knock at the door was surprising.

"I wonder what he wants." Zarbon said, looking up from the board and turning on his hologram disguise.

"The pleasure of Sally's company?" asked Poopsie.

Sally gave Poopsie "the look", then said, "Okay, I can take a hint."

Sally walked to through the foyer, and opened the door. Then she ran back into the den.

"What's wrong?" Jed asked.

Just then, a huge hairy leg appeared in the doorway. The group stood up and moved together, with Zarbon and Techno in the front. The spider moved to peer through the doorway, then stepped back. The Web Mistress came into view.

"I am looking for the iridescent Argiope aurantia. Tell me where it is, and I will let you go, unharmed." she said, smiling evilly.

"What is she after?" Jed whispered, but no one could answer her query.

"I intercepted an e-mail from a student who lives her to her biology professors concerning an iridescent Argiope aurantia. Where is it?"

"What is it?" Dee replied.

"It is an orb weaver with shiny coloration," Tonya's voice came from the stairs, "Was an orb weaver."

"What do you mean 'was'?" The Web Mistress frowned.

"A parasitic wasp thought it would make good baby food." Tonya said just outside the door, "So the spider is dead."

"Your lying!" the Mistress growled.

"I can show you the grave I made if you'd like." Tonya paused, stepping through the second doorway "But I assure you it's dead."

The Web Mistress looked furious and the spider stepped forward.

Tonya brandished her 460 Weatherby Magnum. "Step back, Fang-Face!" she growled, "This gun will stop an elephant dead in its track, I'm sure it will stop you."

"You wouldn't dare shoot us!" the Web Mistress said.

"Don't count on it." Tonya replied, "You're threatening us in our home, so it would be self-defense if I shot you. In other words" Tonya took a breath and aimed the gun, "GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE OR I'LL SHOOT YOU!"

The duo fled the house, jumped back into their van, and sped off. Tonya pulled a small gun from her belt and fired a shot at the van. It hit just above the bumper.

"Tracking device," Tonya said to the group, "Been toying with this for awhile. Finally got it working," she grinned, "Well I hope I did."
- - - - - - - - -
Down in the cave, Techno managed to pick up the tracker's signal. It appeared to move around in circles for the longest time, then finally stop.

"Let's move out." Techno said.

"Hold it." Tonya said. She had been quiet and thinking hard since the attack.
"What?" Jed said annoyed, "We know you afraid of spiders, so what's your problem?"

"Nothing, really," Tonya replied, glaring, "Just that the spider present here tonight, wasn't the same one that I encounter before."

"Are you sure of that?" Sally asked, "Are you positive? How can you tell?"

"Yes, I'm positive." Tonya answered, "The one tonight was too darkly colored and too big. It was probably six foot tall. The one I faced the other night was lighter brown with dark stripes, and was only about four feet tall."

"It's been weeks since then," Poopsie interjected, "it could have gotten bigger."

"I considered that, but there was one feature I'm sure it couldn't grow out of." Tonya paused, "It's eyes. Tonight's spider had ten, normal spider eyes. The other one had seven spider eyes, and two almost human ones."

"So what are you saying?" Jed asked confused, "That there's more than one giant spider?"

"That exactly what I'm saying."
- - - - - - - - - - -
The group carefully approached the building. They had waited until true night had fallen because the building was located in the heart of the downtown area. This made it difficult to sneak around because the bars didn't close until midnight or one. Not sure what was waiting for them and in no rush to find out, they paused outside.

Clocking in at seven stories, the structure towered over the buildings surrounding it. No lights appeared to be on, but that didn't mean anyone was home.

"Well," Pattie said, "Are we going in or are we going to stand here all night?"

"How are we going to get in?" asked Shanshani, "I'm pretty sure the door's going to be locked."

Tygeress pushed lightly on the door to test it, then lean close to inspect it.

"Oops." She giggled, "it's a 'Pull' door." She tugged lightly at the handle, "Yup," she agreed, "it's locked." Unsheathing a single claw, she slipped it around ths of doorframe, avoiding the hinges. Then she turned to the group, pulling opening the door, "Unlocked."

"Impressive." Pattie said dryly, "Can we going in now? I would like to get this done sometime tonight."

- - - - - - - -
"It's so dark." complained Lucy, "We're going to walk into the walls or something."

Shanshani and Pattie rolled their eyes, Abra shook her head, and Tygeress ignored her.

"Shield your eyes," Azure warned, and a bright ball appeared in his palm.

Tygeress blinked, shaking her head. "Thanks," she growled.

"I warned you." he reminded her quietly.

She turned and began to walk down the hallway; the others followed. Doors lined the hallway, but all were locked. They soon passed a hallway branching off to the left, then one off to the right. Tygeress began to scan the walls, obviously looking for something. She stopped and looked behind them, and frowned.

"What?" asked Abra, "What are you looking for?"

"Security precautions." she answered, "No cameras, no wires, no lasers, no nothing."

Abra paused thinking, "Your right."

"Do you think she knows we're here?" Jed asked.

Tygeress stepped forward to the edge of the light's glow still scanning the walls. Suddenly the overhead lights blazed on, blinding the group for a second. A wall shot out cutting off Tygeress from her friends. She rushed back to the wall, desperately trying to find away through.

"ABRA!" Tygeress yelled as she pounded on the cool metal, but heard no answer.
* * * * * * * *
"TYGERESS!" Azure leapt to attack the wall, but couldn't make a dent in the thick metal, "TYGERESS, CAN YOU HEAR ME!"

"Welcome to my parlor, said the spider to the fly." The Web Mistress laughed, "And haven't I caught quite a few flies in my web?" the voice laughed maniacally.

"We have to find away around," Pattie said, "and fast."
* * * * * * * *
Tygeress realized she was cut off from the others, and had no way to get back to them. She began to trot down the hallway, looking for more traps and trying doors. A wall began to slide close in front of her, while another tried to cut her off from behind. Running as fast as she could, Tygeress dove through the gap just before the wall snapped shut. She turned the dive into a roll, and landed on her feet, looking behind her. She resumed her trek down the hall, watching the walls even more closely.
- - - - - - - - -
The hallway going straight ended at the elevators. There was a small jog to the left, but the three doors were locked. To the right was nothing but a smooth metal wall.

"Guess I take the elevator." Tygeress said nervously as she thought, this is so convenient. It practically screams that it's a trap, but what choice do I have.

She poked the button quickly, then jumped back waiting for the trap to spring. She could hear the cables moving but something sounded off, which made her even more nervous. The ding of the elevator made her jump, and she tensed as the doors slid open. For a moment she thought the light in the elevator was broken, then realized the shaft was empty. Cautiously, Tygeress slipped to the shaft, and looked inside.

"Huh." She said quietly, "I guess the elevator's on vacation." Jumping to the cables in the middle, she began to climb.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Damn it!" Azure slammed his fist against the wall in frustration. "There has to be a way to get up to the other floors!"

"But we checked all the doors," Lucy whined, "And all the hallways were dead ends."

"We have to do something!" Abra said, "She's probably up to her tail in trouble by now."

"Maybe we can get in from the outside." Pattie suggested. "We could bust through a window or something."

"That's the best idea I've heard all night." Azure agreed, "Let's do it."

The group ran for the door, and burst out into the black night. Just as the last person made it out of the door, a metal plate slammed down across the entrance. They stared at the building in shock as the rest of the windows, vents, and other possible entrances were sealed with the cold, unyielding metal.

"It was a trap." Lucy whispered in awe.

"Poor Tygeress." Abra said. "She's on her own against the only thing she fears." - - - - - - - - -
Tygeress heard something on the other side of the third floor elevator door. She paused listening, then checked to see if her quiver of arrows and bow was still on her back. Hidden by her unbraided hair, she doubted the others had noticed she had it.

The noise had stopped so she reached over and touched the door with one hand. Nothing happened so she floated over to the door, and pulled it opened a crack. Peeking through the crack, she saw a huge lab. There didn't appear to be anyone around, so she stuck her hand through and waved it about. Nothing happened. Opening the door a bit wider, Tygeress poked her head into the lab and looked around. She could see no one around, so she wiggled through the doors into the lab.

Standing on the catwalk, Tygeress stared in awe at the huge lab, which filled at least five of the seven stories. Machines beeped, buzzed, and hummed in a sterilized harmony. There were several major catwalks running around the perimeter of the room, with several smaller ones branching off to meet at the center of the room.

In the middle of the lab was a huge machine that looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. It rose from the floor and stretched almost to the ceiling. Gigantic test tubes ran the circumference of the structure. Something was in the tubes, but she couldn't quite make out what it was.

"Soon, my Pet." A voice echoed through the chamber, "Soon my army will be ready. Then we will show this world our strength. Everyone will bow down to me as ruler of the world!"

Tygeress crouched, peering over the edge of the catwalk looking for the Web Mistress.

"In five hours," the Web Mistress continued, "The new clutch of super spiders will hatch." she paused, "Hmm, I wonder if I should name them or number them."

"Super Spiders?" Tygeress blinked, "Take over the world? Not if I can help it!"
Flipping over the railing, Tygeress jumped to the second floor catwalk. Then she ran around the room until the Web Mistress came into view. She was standing in of a large computer, her spider by her side. Drawing her bow, Tygeress reached for her new net arrow. It had worked perfectly on the dummies, but had yet to be tested on live targets. Just as she notched the arrow, an alarm went off.
* * * * * * * *
"So that's the situation." Abra concluded, looking at Techno.

"We need to know if she's still alive or" Azure took a breath, "or dead."

"She's alive." Shanshani said, putting a hand on his shoulder, "You have to believe that." Azure smiled weakly and nodded.

"Well," Techno began, "I could tune into her homing device. Then, we'd at least know where she was."

"What if she doesn't have it on?" asked Lucy.

"Ty's homer is always on," Techno smirked, "Or at least as far as we're concerned it is. If I want to know where she is, I turn it on and find her."

"Does she know about this?" Azure asked skeptically.

"Are you kidding? She's the one who came up with the idea." Techno smirked again, "You know how 'talented' she is."
* * * * * * * * *
Cringing in pain and terror, Tygeress knew she was caught. The blaring alarm assaulted her ears, making her eyes water. Knowing she would be surrounded any moment, she desperately tried to formulate a plan. Abruptly the noise ended, and Tygeress frowned in confusion

"Time to add the last dose of chemical." The Web Mistress smiled, "This will make my babies big and strong."

"All that noise, and it was just a timer!" Tygeress glared at the woman below, "I thought my skull was going to spilt."

She stood quickly, took aim and fired. The arrow hit the spider, and tangled it up in the net. The Web Mistress glanced at her companion in surprise, then return her attention to the computer. She quickly reached to push a blinking button on the console, but a second arrow cut her off.

"Hold it right there!" Tygeress jumped to the floor, her bow at the ready, "Back away from the console. You're coming with me this time."

The spider was struggling fiercely in the net, but couldn't move its legs enough to break it. Tygeress advanced on the pair, not sure how to get out of the lab. A loud snap caught her attention; the spider was biting through the net!

Wriggling free of the net, the spider growled at Tygeress. Tensing, Tygeress kept the bow targeted on the Web Mistress, but was prepared to move quickly if the spider attacked. The spider raised its front legs in typical spider fashion, telling Tygeress to run away. This move was designed to show how tough it was; much like a man flexing his muscles. But she held her ground; she had no where to run to anyway.

The spider lunged at her landing just short of pouching on her, and swung at her with its forelimbs. Tygeress dodged the first blow, but the second managed to trip her. Trying to keep her balance, she accidentally loosed the arrow. It flew at the computer screen, and then shattered the glass. The huge pop of the vacuum tube breaking startled the spider allowing Tygeress to leap back to the second floor. Sparks and flames began to bombard the console, igniting an electrical fire. The huge spider was preparing to jump up to the second floor to continue the chase, when the Web Mistress stopped it.

"Fang! We have to get out of here!" she screamed, "If the flames hit those test tubes!"

She had already moved to the north wall of the room, and the spider skittered to join her. The wall slid open and they ran through it. Tygeress had already jumped back down and sprinted for the doorway. She managed to grab the wall as it was sliding shut and tried to force it back open. A gun barrel suddenly appeared right in front of her face.

"Do the world a favor," the Web Mistress commanded as she pull the trigger, "and die!"

Tygeress threw herself to the side to avoid begin shot, but this trapped her in the room with the inferno. Scanning the walls for a way out, Tygeress began to cough on the thick smoke that was starting to fill the room.

"The elevator!" she suddenly thought, "the elevators still open."

Jumping into the air, she quickly flew around the room, struggling to see through the stinging smoke. Almost mistaking the black shaft as a wisp of smoke, she wriggled back through the doors and slammed them shut. The distant echo of an explosion reached her ears.
- - - - - - - - -
The elevator door refused to open to her insistent pulling. Another explosion rocked the building, and almost toppled her from her perch. Giving up, she flew still higher scanning the walls, spinning as she flew. The ceiling of the shaft was now visible just a few yards above her. Spotting another door, she landed on the sill and forced the doors open with ease.

Stepping into the room her heart sank. The large glass windows were now covered with the same evil metal that had separated her from her friends. It was true she could use her metal claws to cut her way out, but she had no way of knowing how thick the metal was. Chewing on her lower lip, trying to think, she could help but feel a sense of impending doom.
- - - - - - - - -
"Mommy! Mommy!" a voice cried out. "Mommy, help me!"

Tygeress snapped out of her depression, and focused on the voice. She followed it to the source, hoping she might have found a way out of the building. Rounding a corner, she found herself looking into a darken room. The voice definitely was coming from the room, and she fumbled for a light switch. Flicking the light on, she just about passed out.

There, in a cage in from her, sat Lobo calling for his mother! Tygeress clung to the doorframe, taking deeps breaths, and staring at the cage. The spider returned her gaze evenly.

"Help me." Lobo spoke clearly, "Help me and I will lead you out of the building."

Tygeress shook her head, trying to even her breathing, "I can't."

"Why not?" he demanded.

"I'm afraid." came the weak reply, "My legs won't move."

"Afraid? Of what?" suddenly Lobo caught on, "Of me?"

A blush crept across her face as she stared at the floor. It was impossible for her to move; fear kept her from moving forward, but her conscious wouldn't let her leave. Lobo stared at her in surprise, not really believing she could be afraid. They were both going to die if he didn't think of something.

Raising his forelimbs in a parody of ears, and folded his third set of legs underneath his belly, "WOOF! BOW WOW!" he barked. The girl's head jerk up and she stared and him in shock. "Woof! Big Doggie. Big Doggie. Woof, Woof." He wagged his abdomen in attempt to wag his nonexistent tail.

Tygeress smirked in spite of herself, then grew thoughtful, "Big doggie," she murmured, "Big doggie." she said again, with more confidence. She began to move toward the cage, still chanting those words. Grasping the lock with her left hand, she cut it from the cage with her right hand claws. Stepping back, she opened the cage to let Lobo out. He tried to exit the cage, but found the he couldn't walk with just two set s of legs. He looked at the girl pleadingly.
"Mutant doggie." The girl chirped as he put the folded legs down, "Good mutant doggie. Let's get the hell out of here."
- - - - - - -
Even running up the stairs, Tygeress was still chanting to herself. Finally, the duo burst out onto the roof. There were no buildings close enough to the building that Lobo could jump to, and Tygeress wasn't ready to pick him up to carry him to safety. They could feel the building shake with explosions; it would fall soon.

"Spin out a length of silk." She commanded on an impulse.

"What?" he asked in surprise.

"Just do it!" she snapped, "and hold on to it!"

He did as commanded, spinning out a rope of silk about 20 feet long. He grasped it firmly with his first and second legs. Tygeress grabbed the end of the silk and leapt into the air, dragging the surprised spider with her.
- - - - - - - - - -
"Now what." Lobo asked the girl.

She just shrugged, unsure of where her train of thought was taking her. Dismissing the totally impossible ones, she was running out of ideas. Sitting in a wheat field south of town, the duo was hoping no one would find them. Thou she was pacing while she was thinking, she never came within 10 feet of the resting spider.

She paused, thinking through her current thought. It was possible to do, and wouldn't take much effort. But would the parties involved agree? She could only hope.

"Lobo." she said to catch his attention, "What would you think of living in a Wildlife Refuge?"

Shrugging, "What other choices do I have?" he replied.

"Charlene Sprinter owns a Wildlife park east of town." she explained, "She ordered a pride of lions from Africa, but the deal fell through at the last minute. She had already built the enclosure, and is looking for something to put in it."

"How do you know all that?" he asked.

"She's a friend of the family, and" she paused for affect, "I work out there now and again."
- - - - - - - - - -
Slipping past the gate was easy; they just flew over it. They walked through the park quickly, looking for the new enclosure. The wolves and tigers came to the fences to watch the odd couple pass, but they didn't make a sound. The animals knew who Tonya was; the costume didn't throw them a bit.

Suddenly changing direction, she sprinted toward the park's worker locker room. Pulling out a set of keys she unlocked the door, and stepped inside shutting the door. Lobo looked at the door in confusion. Why was she deserting him now, when they were so close? The door jerked open and Tygeress poked her head out.

"Can you keep a secret?" she asked. "You can't tell anyone, aspecially the Web Mistress."

"I have no loyalty to her anymore. Your secret will be safe with me." he replied.
"Good!" she chirped, "Charlene doesn't know I'm a super hero, so I have to change into my alter-ego."
- - - - - - - -
Stepping from the building, Tonya flipped her ponytail over her shoulder. Now dressed in shorts, a T-shirt, and Tennis shoes; she hardly resembled the heroine she was. Lobo let out a wolf whistle, and Tonya laughed shouldering her pack.

"Shall we get you settled in now?" she asked

"Okay."

 

"Oh, hold on." she dug into her pack pulling out her phone, "I need to call my friends." She dialed quickly, "Hey, T.  It's Tonya.  I'm safe so tell the others to stop worrying.  I'll be home in the morning.  Bye."  She spoke in a rush and hung up before Techno could reply.
- - - - - - - - - - -
Opening the gates to the enclosure, Tonya stepped back and let Lobo enter first. He cautiously entered the huge pen and began to explore. Soon he was scampering around the enclosure just like a giant puppy. Tonya began to giggle at the incredible site. Finally, he slid to a stop in front of her.

"You like it?" she asked.

"I love it!" he replied excitedly, "This is way more room then she ever gave me."
They settled in to wait for the morning when Charlene would show up. To pass the time they began to play question and answer.

"Why were you locked up?" Tonya asked curiously.

"Because I was starting to question her authority." he replied, "I wouldn't kill people, and she wanted me to. She also realized that I was smarter then she had thought. She couldn't handle that."
- - - - - -
Tonya's head drooped in sleep. It was passed 4 am, and she was exhausted. She slid down into a reclining position, and fell completely asleep. A cool wind began to blow, and Lobo saw the girl shiver. Picking up a piece of canvas, Lobo carefully stalked toward the sleeping girl. Gently, he laid the canvas over her, using it as a makeshift blanket.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
"Thanks for letting us in, Charlene." Zarbon said, "I don't know if she's here, but I have a feeling she is."

"No problem." Charlene replied, "She's probably near the wolves or tigers. Those are her favorite animals. Their right over here."

Scanning the area, the group didn't see a single sign that their friend had been there. Frowning, Sally glanced at the tracker. The glowing dot that was Tonya homing device showed that she was extremely close, but yet she wasn't visible.
"Is there any where else she might be?" Sally asked.

"She could be in the lion's enclosure." Charlene shrugged, "Otherwise she could be anywhere."

"The lion enclosure?!" the group chorused.

"What would she doing in there?" Dee asked, wide eyed, "besides becoming dinner for the lions."

Charlene laughed, "There's no lions in there. I lost the deal on the pride. She likes the run around in there and pretend she's a cat."

"There she is!" Jed pointed excitedly.
* * * * * * * * *
Hearing voices, Lobo woke up, stretched, and walked out of the cave. He squinted in the early morning light. Seven people were lined up at the fence, pointing at Tonya, who was still sleeping. Suddenly, the blond one spotted him.
* * * * * * * * *
"Look!" Sally exclaimed, "One of those huge spiders."

"TONYA!" Jed yelled, "WAKE UP!"

Tonya sat-up and yawned. "What?"

"Don't move!" Zarbon ordered.

The group ran around to the back of the enclosure to the gates. Tonya watched them go, then looked at Lobo and shrugged. Standing up she moved toward him. She held out her hand.

"I guess I see you later." she said, "I work out here often. I'm sure she'll let you stay. You'd be a really unique exhibit."

Holding up his foreleg, he shook 'hands' with her. "Thank you." he replied, "You saved my life."

They heard a gasp from the entrance gate. The group was watching them. Zarbon stepped through the gate, follow by the rest. Poopsie whipped out her camera.

"Hey, stand next to him." she called, "I'll take your picture."

Moving along side his head, Tonya looked at her, "Like this?"
"Back up a bit."

Stepping back, a rock slipped under Tonya's foot causing her to fall. Lobo caught her quickly, and Tonya found herself aside his back. Tonya blinked in surprise, then grinning at Poopsie, held up a peace sign.

"Perfect!" declared Poopsie as she snapped a picture, then another, "Okay, I'm done."

Zarbon cautiously moved up next to the spider, then help Tonya down. Then he wrapped her in a huge bear hug. Poopsie snapped another picture.

"I thought I'd lost you," he said.

"For awhile I thought you had too." Tonya agreed, "But Lobo help me escape."
"I thought you were afraid of spiders." Charlene said.

Tonya shrugged, "I guess I'm not anymore."

Zarbon finally release her from his hug, but kept an arm around her waist.
"So...can he stay?" Tonya asked.

"It's okay with me," Charlene replied, "But what is he, what does he eat, etc."

"Ask him." Tonya said, "He can talk. He's quite fluent in English."

"I know a little German too." Lobo added.

A small shape descended from the wire canopy. The spider was about as large as a fifty-cent piece, and it paused right in front of Tonya's nose. Tonya noticed it, frowned slightly, then crossed her eyes to focus on the intruder better.

Zarbon felt her body stiffen, then go limp as she passed out cold.

Catching her in his arms, her smirked at Sally, "I think she's still afraid of spiders."