I awoke later the next afternoon. Everyone was already up. I made my way to the kitchen and made a sandwich.
"You slept late," Jason said.
"I had a rough night."
I could feel suspicious eyes staring at me. I knew it was Nicole, she sensed that I was not myself, but didn't know what to suspect. Perhaps she thought I was a Controller. Or maybe she thought I was still having guilt over Mom and Dad, which I was.
"Hey look at this!" Michael called. I trotted into the living room, the news was on.
"Authorities claim that when they arrived on the scene, the three suspects were stuck to the wall by a giant spiderweb," the reporter said. "The suspects stated that a person capable of crawling on the walls and ceiling was responsible and that when officers arrived, swung out the window on a rope made of webbing that was shot from their wrist."
I smiled inside.
"The reletative of the young victim said that they made contact with the mysterious person."
The screen switched to an interview with Rowan. "She appeared out of nowhere and said she was a 'friend'. She told me her name was Spider-Girl, then she crawled up the wall and disappeared."
The phone rang and Michael answered. "Hello? Yeah we're watching it right now. I know, it's weird. Okay fine," he said and hung up. "That was Cheyenne, she and Travis are on their way over."
"I actually feel sorry for Rowan," David said. "I mean that was her brother."
"Yeah," Nicole sighed, "he was a sweet kid."
"The trial will be held tomorrow. All three suspects have been charged with first-degree murder and are expected to receive life in prison without the possibility of parole."
Cheyenne and Travis walked into the room along with Marco and Cassie.
"Hey guys," Marco said. "We need to talk about this Spider-Girl."
"Yeah, Dad thinks she might be a new weapon of the Yeerks," Cheyenne said.
"So how do we find out for sure?" Jason asked.
I spoke before anyone else could. "We could take her captive. I can have Ketara make a scanner to detect any Yeerk presence."
"But how do we catch her?"
I looked at Cassie. "Got a tranquilizer gun?"
"I think so, but all the tranqs are too strong a dose for a human, she'd be out for hours."
"Make a weaker one then. Everyone with me on this?" They all nodded. "I'll go fill Ketara in on the details. Cassie, get everything ready."
I morphed and flew out to the forest to find Ketara. I found her running in a field, feeding. I swooped low and landed on a fallen tree.
Hi Ketara.>
Hello. Is something wrong?>
I demorphed and stood before her. "No. I need to talk to you about something."
I told her of the plan to catch Spider-Girl. She saw the report on the tv she had in her scoop. Building a scanner wouldn't be a problem for her. An hour later I had it in my hand.
"Now you must swear to me on your honor as a warrior that you will not tell anyone what I am about to tell you."
I swear on my father's name.>
"Good. I'm Spider-Girl," I told her.
There was a long moment of silence. I could see the realization begin to show in her eyes. You are... >
"Yes."
How is that possible?>
I explained what happened that day at the exhibit. And told her what my theory was on the genetic transfer.
You are correct in your assumptions. This gene mutation is now a permanent part of your genetic coding.>
"I figured that out after I morphed and was still capable of climbing walls when was human again."
Have you tried doing so while in morph? Maybe the gene fused with the DNA of all your morphs.>
"Never thought of that."
One question: How are you going to be captured as Spider-Girl and not be there as yourself without rousing suspicions?>
I grinned. "That's where you come in."
Ketara had acquired my DNA, along with Nicole and Cheyenne's, to make a human morph. She somehow was able isolate part of that and morph me. I explained what I wanted her to do.
"Don't go acting all proper. If you're going to be me, you have to act and sound like me."
Understood. I mean, no problem.>
I nodded and flew back to the house. The plan was set to take place tonight. Marco and Tobias would pretend to mug Rachel, while Cassie shot me with the tranquilizer. The rest of us would wait at the house. Nicole was downstairs watching a movie with the others while I was supposedly finishing up some homework. Ketara flew through my window and landed on the end of my bed.
Are you ready?> she asked.
I slipped on my mask and gloves and morphed to golden eagle while she morphed me and slid into the clothes I changed out of. I flew to the spot where everything was to happen and demorphed out of site. Rachel was walking down an alley, I swung across above her, making sure she saw my shadow on the ground. Marco and Tobias came out of the shadows and grabbed her.
"Hey babe," Marco said. "How's about a kiss?"
"Get away from me you creep." She tried to go around but he blocked her path.
"Where do you think you're going?" Tobias asked. "Come on, give us a kiss."
Rachel swung her purse and hit him across the head then ran. They chased after her and tackled her to the ground.
"Help me!" she yelled. "HELP!"
Marco pulled out a knife and held it to her throat. That was my cue. I swung down and knocked them away. Marco came at me with the knife. I had to hurt them a little to make it believable. I hit him in the stomach with a well-placed kick. He went down hard. Tobias grabbed me from behind and pinned my arms down. That wouldn't stop me. I thrust both of my elbows into his ribs and broke free. He swung his fist at me, I grabbed his arm and flipped him over onto his back. They decided to give up then and ran off.
Sorry guys, I apologized silently.
Rachel was cringing by a dumpster. "Are you okay Miss?" I asked her.
"I'm fine, thank you."
My spidersense was going off right then, but I ignored it. I knew Cassie was taking aim.
BLAM!
"Ow!" I yelled as I felt the dart stick in the back of my neck.
Everything started getting blurry as the drugs took effect. I staggered about trying to keep on my feet until I finally passed out in front of Rachel. The last thing I remember was hearing their fading voices.
"Damn she's strong. I think my ribs are broken."
"Quit complaining and help Tobias put her in the car."
Everything went black. I don't know how long I was out, but when I came to I was tied to a chair in the basement of Rachel's house. I struggled against my restraints. A gorilla come from the shadows and stood before me. Marco.
"Great. I've been captured by the circus and put in the freak show."
Very funny.>
"Who's saying that?"
I am,> Marco said. Come on down you guys, she's awake.>
Rachel, Tobias and Cassie, along with the others came down to the basement. Marco demorphed.
"You! You're the people from the alley! Who are you?! Where am I?!"
Ketara (in her morph of me) came and held the scanner to my head. "Hold still, this won't hurt." After a few seconds. "She's clean."
"Clean of what?"
Marco and Tobias untied me. "Sorry," Tobias said. "We had to make sure you weren't one of them."
"Who?"
They told me the story of the Yeerk invasion and how they defend the human race with the power to morph. I played it off so they wouldn't suspect me. They asked if I would consider joining the fight. I declined the offer.
"I've got my hands full fighting crime. You guys handle the Yeerks and I'll take care of the small stuff."
"If you change your mind let us know, we could always use someone like you," Ketara said.
"I'll help any way I can, but I can't accept this power."
"Okay, that's your decision," Jason said.
"I must be on my way. The city needs my help." I headed up the stairs and out the door.
I waited on the roof for Ketara. She flew up and landed, where she demorphed and morphed to me. I took my clothes back and put them on, at least she kept a leotard on for when she was morphing human. I climbed down and in through my window. I still felt disoriented from the tranquilizer, but at least the greater part of it had worn off. Nicole came in and sat on her bed.
"She was kind of odd don't you think?"
"I found her interesting," I said.
"She reminded me of you. Same attitude and everything."
"Hey watch it."
"I'm just saying she seemed like the leader type. Maybe she'll change her mind and join us."
"Possibly. But let's not push it, there are other things happening besides the invasion. It's good that the police have someone helping them out."
Nicole agreed. The Yeerks weren't the only problem in the world. Crime was a major issue these days and the police alone couldn't stop it completely. They needed all the help they could get. Tobias was in the kitchen fixing an ice pack for his hand.
"What happened to you?" I asked.
"Spidey hurt my wrist when she flipped me, and all she did was grab it."
Spidey?! "She that strong?"
"I think she could beat up Marco in gorilla morph."
I felt guilty hurting him like that, but it was necessary. Marco could just morph his injuries away, but Tobias couldn't. I didn't see Rowan at school the next day, she was at her brother's funeral. The three men that were responsible for his death received life plus eighty years in prison. Justice had been served.