Ah, Sonora. It's such a lovely place at night.

Out here, bats dart from cactus to cactus. They like the flowers. They long for their nectar. They drink and pollenate. Without them, these cacti would die childless. That's hard to believe; the saguaro has a long lifespan without reproduction.

The spines on these green giants hurt like hell to any attacker. Luckily, at Marion's size, they don't make a difference.

Still at less than a thousandth her normal size, Marion hangs from a saguaro spine...by her panties. Below her, it's a long drop to the ground. If only bats didn't fly so high. But then, at this time of night, this would be a very bad time for Marion to be on the ground.

Armadillos wander here and there, along the ground. They like to eat ants, among other things. Marion's the size of one. And armadillos are not known for their eyesight...or even their night vision.

There are also bobcats. They prefer bigger prey, but like housecats, they will eat mice if they find them. Marion's more like a flea than a mouse. Even so, cats in general tend to be egalitarian, when it comes to what they hunt.

And those are just the big threats that wait for Marion down there. As awkward as this is, she's better off up here...for as long as it lasts.

Screech owls like to burrow into the cacti. On the upside, they're not home at this time of night. They're hunting, and putting their epic night vision to use. It's the diurnal birds Marion's got to watch out for; wrens, woodpeckers, starlings, and the like.

Not entirely sure why starlings prefer cactus holes. They're social. And I've certainly never heard of a cactus hole that can accommodate for a murder of starlings. Unless, of course, starlings have become so good at black magic, that they can extend the inner dimensions of a cactus hole, like Mary Poppins's carpet bag...

Either way, there are birds in here. With luck, one won't need to go outside and relieve themselves before the night ends. In that case, Marion almost wishes the night won't ever end...

And yet, the desert night hath no mercy on the weak and helpless. It turns out that some desert moths are too blind to stay near the cactus flowers. But then again, the possibility that bats like to eat moths as much as they do drink nectar might have more to do with that... Anyway, soon Marion is intimidated by a visitor. It's a moth. To her, it's like a really big hang glider.

Several times, the moth nearly hits her. Marion doesn't think moths eat meat...but she's been wrong before...

Easy enough, the moth flies away, as if Marion doesn't matter to her. Marion breathes relief, and tries to get comfy in her panties. They'll be stretched, by the time she gets down from here...if she can get down from here without getting attacked by something no other human ever has to be afraid of...

Far away, a pair of headlights shine. It's a truck. It's off-road. Marion almost flags them for help...until she remembers that they wouldn't be able to see her. Plus, she thinks she might be wanted for embezzlement in Phoenix. Not ideal, in case they're bounty hunters...

Yes, Marion knows; it seems silly that the NAU still has bounty hunters in a century that has nuclear reactors. Marion's pretty sure that if bounty hunters weren't paid to do what they do, they'd hate the government just as much as the average non-civil servant does.

From the top of the cactus, a spider stalks. He senses Marion. Hanging a thread from a spine, he descends towards her. She smells nice, despite not having had a shower in a while...

The truck gets closer. Marion studies its trajectory, as it approaches. She's got a hunch. She'll die if she's wrong, but... It's either act on it, or die out here for sure. So, she starts easing her panties towards the end of the spine, and hoping that the spine's pointy end doesn't rip them off completely...

The truck approaches, and drives among the cacti. Coyotes, javelinas, and kit foxes clear a path for it.

The truck is closer. What's even better, Marion can see a soft spot in the back of it...

The spider's almost reached his quarry's ass. He reaches forth, with his forelegs, and coils his back legs to pounce...

At last, Marion is free. And she's in freefall. The spider leaps, with nths to spare. He misses his target.

Marion falls, and screams while doing so. Beneath her, the roof panel seems to take WAY too long to pass her. But as soon as it has, she rejoices. Her fall will, after all, take her somewhere where she can...

She lands, and looks around. She knows this ground. She's been on it before. And she now knows who she owes for her salvation.

This is the money she embezzled from both her employer and a certain drunk client of his who would've had her deposit it. Somehow, by miracle, Marion's been reunited with it.

She looks around. This...doesn't look like the most strategic place to store it... But then, it almost never rains out here. But then, that's not to say that the wind never blows... But then, if not for a paper bond that kept all this money stacked, that'd be a bigger concern.

Judging by what these men own, they don't seem to deserve this money. But then, they're spending what money they do have the most wisely that they possibly can, aren't they? Plus, Marion's pretty sure they don't make this much money. She knows for a fact, at least, that they didn't make THIS amount...

Onward into the night, the truck drives. Marion's still just as vulnerable as before...but at least she's been reunited with her means of helping Sam evolve...if she ever sees him again.