Magnus and the Mayan Curse

A/N: This is part of a larger series written by Muse of T – GhostPenWriter. There is a reference that Helen makes in one of the chapters to "giant Mayan spiders." This is that story. Enjoy reading it and please go read Muse of T – GhostPenWriter's story TCSS 1: Step Through the Looking Glass and try and find the reference (it might even be in TCSS 2!).

Please enjoy and review! ~~Arones

Magnus was leading the way through the tunnel; her brown leather was keeping her arms muscles warm and ready at the drop of a hat in the cold temple that they were walking through. Kate and Will were following her, bickering nonstop about something or another that she wasn't really paying attention to. This exploration and discovery was going to be too much, too important for her to pay mind to them. However she did catch something about her boots that made her turn and give more thought to the conversation taking place behind her.

"I don't get it, how the hell does she get her boots on so fast? It's not like they magically appear on her feet and then poof we're ready to go!" Kate sounded exasperated and Magnus could only smile at the young woman's curiosity.

"Really Kate? That's what you think about?" Will took a long draw from the water bottle strapped to the side of his pack before replacing it and wiping a hand over his sweaty forehead. It had been a long day so far and they had found nothing of interest. She supposed they could stop for a moment and rest, but what if she missed the opportunity to see these creatures? Magnus had done much research into their whereabouts and she wasn't going to miss out.

"And those heels she wears everyday…you'd think her feet would hurt within twenty minutes of stalking around the Sanctuary in those things, but she never takes them off." Magnus stopped suddenly which allowed Kate to walk into her back and Will to walk into Kate's. She turned on the younger woman and raised an eyebrow in question. Kate took a large gulp before speaking, "What's up, Doc? Find something?"

"Perhaps it takes me little time to change into a pair of boots because I'm not concerned with how they fit with my outfit." The woman promptly turned and continued on her way through the dark cave like tunnel.

Magnus' backpack was strapped tightly to her shoulders and she had to adjust it because of the weight; it was a slight maneuver, though, and she was sure neither of them had noticed. She turned a corner and beckoned the other two to follow quickly, to ensure safety and that they didn't get lost. What Magnus failed to notice, because of the distraction her team members were, was the giant spider looming overhead in its nest.

As soon as the other two passed the entry way, it jumped down and landed heavily causing rocks to tumble and fall from the ceiling blocking the exit more so than with the giant abnormal facing them down. Magnus pulled out her stunner from behind her and raised it to the creature that towered over her. "Bloody hell," her voice rang out and her throat covered with dust that had been stirred causing her to cough sporadically.

"That thing is huge!" Kate replied, ever the observer and mimicked Magnus' position. She wasn't incorrect; the damn thing was the size of a small airplane. Will took an extra second longer because he had to make sure that the stunner was on and charged before he raised it against the beast in front of him. It was then that Will felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and a warm breeze flow over his skin.

He turned his head to the side and caught the face of another one of those monsters with all eight eyes staring straight at him, small amounts of breath coming out of his sharp toothed mouth and its legs bending down to his height. "Ah, shit." He stated before being knocked suddenly to the ground and pinned with two spidery legs. The giant Mayan spider leaned down and sunk its teeth into Will's shoulder. Magnus watched as its mouth, which was so large, covered half his chest, neck and completely obliterated any view of his shoulder. She fired her weapon into the spiders fast and jumped when a third one took a swipe at her and she landed hard against the rocky ground.

Kate flipped her stunner to the highest setting possible and started firing at random and with as much aim as possible when she was dodging the multitude of long hairy arms that were attempting to stop her. She did stop, when she felt jagged teeth enter into the back of her leg and she fell face first to the ground below, breathing hard.

Magnus had managed to make her way to Will to find his heart still beating, though rather rapidly, the blood loss minimal and him stirring from unconsciousness. She pressed bare fingers into the gaping hole to make sure the wound was alright, the lack of blood was an odd and unsettling occurrence to see. When she felt his hot flesh on her hand she realized she probably shouldn't have done that. Wiping what blood she had gotten from him on her pants leg she felt the sting of an open wound along her finger. Damn it. She really shouldn't have checked his wound now.

She felt the air move behind her and she swung onto her back in reaction aiming her gun that was filled with tranq's at the spider that had just attempted an attack. She fired. Two tranq's landed in the abdomen of the closest spider when Kate realized she should be helping. She flipped on her back and again mimicked Magnus' position, firing at will.

They downed six spiders before Magnus felt as though she could turn and tend to Will again. She called over her shoulder when she knelt next to his prone form. "Kate, find us a way out of here and quick. I have a feeling there are more of those things in here."

Kate stood and hobbled over to the exit they had come from, walking precariously over the drugged up spiders that were twitching violently in their state. She leaned against the wall and pushed a few rocks aside. "We can get out this way, just give me a sec."

"You need to hurry, I must to tend to Will's wound sooner rather than later." The man was finally awake and she was helping him to sit up, his right arm held tightly against his abdomen. She felt for his pulse again to make sure he was faring well, but his rapid heart rate had her concerned. Rather than bring it up she helped him to stand and leaned his body heavily on hers. "You almost done there, Kate?"

"Yeah, almost got it Doc." The young woman grunted as she removed the last rock so they could crawl out. She moved first and took their packs, while Magnus practically dragged the half conscious Will to the hole. He tried to use his right hand to crawl out and fell down in a sudden onset of pain that radiated through his bones.

"Watch it!" Magnus called out and helped him to balance and use less of his wounded side than he had been. Will was breathing hard once he got to the other side and he leaned against carved stone wincing and crying out in agony. Magnus leaned over him checking his vitals before turning to look at Kate's cuts and bites. Resting on her heels and boots she turned toward the halfway collapsed entry way they had just left. Knowing she would have to close it off she helped pull Will further away before aiming her stunner that had a full charge.

She fired and the rock began to fall down again. All her ears could hear was the sound of the rubble falling and the dust that once again filled her lungs. She coughed into her sleeve and looked over to find Kate and Will holding their arms against their faces as well. Before the ground had settled she began to heave Will to a standing position. "Mag—nus?" Her name came from his through it two very separate syllables. Warning bells began to ring in her head. "Some—things…wrong." His body was sweating and shaking and he couldn't help but lean in and smell her hair.

Magnus turned quickly out of his reach and still held onto him. "What's wrong, Will? Tell me the symptoms." She continued to move, albeit very slowly and to tug him along with her.

"Hot…it's hot…" he hummed and pressed his face into her neck, not wanting to move it at all. Magnus promptly sat him down and checked him over again. Rapid pulse, flushed cheeks, his eyes unfocussed: he was trying desperately to concentrate on controlling his body, but he was having no luck with it. She ran fingers over his face, shoulder, chest and leg looking for more wounds that could explain this. When she reached his leg, she realized his real problem.

"Oh…why didn't you say something?"

"Couldn't…" he managed to get out between clenched teeth.

"Will, you need to calm down and get some semblance of control or this is not going to end well. You heart rate is entirely too fast."

He shook his head violently, "Can't."

"Kate and I will leave, but you need to take care of this. Now." It was an order he would have to follow, he always had to follow her orders and this time, he really wanted to. He nodded once and Magnus picked up her pack and found Kate leaning against another wall around the corner, in much the same state that she had left Will in.

She mumbled to herself while she checked Kate over, "Must be a reaction to the venom." She spoke louder when Kate's legs started to tremble, "Kate you need to take care of this or your body's going to give out." The woman nodded and unzipped her pants before Magnus even had time to leave the vicinity. Magnus sat herself down in front of the recently closed off corridor and aimed the weapon at it, just in case anything broke through. She could hear them, apparently neither was quiet in the bedroom, thank goodness she had insisted on sound proofing the residential wing and also thank goodness she didn't have Henry or her old friend's hearing capabilities. It was also a good thing that it was Will's right shoulder that was bitten otherwise his job might have been a bit more difficult.

She could hear them finish off almost simultaneously. Standing and brushing the dirt off her pants she stalked over to Will making sure he was decent before kneeling before him. "Better?" The man nodded in response.

"Help me up, will you? I really wanna get outta here."

"Yeah," She pulled on his good arm until he was standing and once again leaning on her frame. They moved over to Kate who was definitely decent and beckoned her to join them on their way out. "Good thing her bite was less severe than yours. Not sure I could bring you both out of here." It took them about thirty minutes to make it to the jeep parked outside the temple. Magnus piled Will into the back of it before helping Kate into the front seat.

She drove quickly to the where the plane was waiting, knowing she had much better medical equipment there and both her patients seemed to be doing much better. Her eyesight went blurry for a second and she could feel her heart speed up as a reaction. Shaking her head she put the car in park and helped each member of her team to the small plane.

Magnus began to bandage them up as they took air under their wings. Kate was completely done and shot up with antibiotics when she started on Will. She wavered on her feet when she began to take gauze over his open wounds. She leaned into the bed and Will looked up at her curiously for a second before she shook her head and continued her doctoring. Will was patched up when she realized she'd have to leave the steady bedframe he was laying on to retrieve a clean needle for his antibiotics. Taking a breath she took her gloves off and he saw the open slice on her index finger. Magnus took a step away from him and promptly collapsed on the ground completely unconscious.

"Magnus!"

"Doc!"