Note to readers (if there are any out there). Okay, so I've taken a liberty here concerning San Diego Zoo. Not absolutely sure if their arachnid exhibit has a name or if, in fact, they even have one at all; I couldn't find it on the web site (which was a lot of fun to browse by the way). Anyway, did find a cute little piece for children on how to make a paper creaturer, and as the title was just too good to pass up have loaned it for this chapter.

All will become clear…now read on.

Chapter 9

San Diego Zoo

Just like most typical weekdays during the busy summer months, the place was thronging with visitors from every corner of the globe. Groups of tourists posing for photographs to show their friends and family back home; small children chattering excitedly as they pulled the exhausted adults from one live exhibit to another.

Hobbes and Fawkes walked side by side as they battled their way through the crowds to the rendezvous point. Looking around at the carefree, innocent faces of these people just out for a day to enjoy themselves, Darien wondered idly what their reactions would be if they knew of the deadly threat hanging over them…probably mass hysteria.

Even with the large numbers here on this balmy day, their Agency 'back-up' stuck out like sore thumbs as they did their pathetic best to blend in; wearing their versions of tourist chic with standard issue federal agent shades. Their odd behavior as they 'shadowed' the two agents was more than enough to warrant concerned glances from the general public at large.

Hobbes' cell phone beeped and he flipped it open listening intently to the instructions, a frown creasing his brow.

"We're here," he announced pointing over Darien's shoulder, then watched as his partner turned, the color literally draining from his face as they stared across at the large modern building home to, as the sign announced:

The Itty Bitty Spider House.

"Man, you gotta be freakin' kiddin'," Darien muttered nervously, running fingers through his hair and then out of sheer panic over the back of his neck.

Grunting something, Hobbes started forward, Darien hesitating before finally dragging his heels behind his partner, tiny beads of sweat already forming on his forehead as he visualized the eight-legged, creepy horrors waiting to pounce beyond those glass doors.

The cavernous oval building had two levels, the second being a balconied atrium overlooking the lower ground floor, a vast safety net made to look like a spider's web hanging between. Large glass aquariums lined the interior walls with small plaques alongside, each showing a photograph of the creature contained within, along with detailed information for the interested visitor on its natural environment and eating habits etcetera.

In the center of the ground floor, a large group of giggling and squealing school children huddled around a zoo keeper with a Tarantula splayed on the back of his hand.

Darien began to hyperventilate.

He reached out to clutch Hobbes' shoulder, knees threatening to buckle with every step they took further into the den of hell. Hobbes mumbled something vaguely reassuring, patting his hand, while trying his best to mask a slight flicker of amusement.

The cell phone beeped again and this time when Hobbes answered it his eyes drifted up towards the atrium, Darien following his gaze to where Ella Craven stood at the edge of the balcony overhead,. peering down on them and smiling.

"Where's Claire, and where's the GS-2?" Bobby growled into the phone glaring up at her.

The woman started gracefully down one of the two metal and wood staircases, talking all the while.

"All in good time Agent Hobbes. First of all I believe we have an exchange to make, and then I'll tell you where you can locate the nerve agent and your sweet Keepie."

As they waited for Ella to join them, Hobbes watched his friend out of the corner of his eye. Darien was now unnerved and definitely not at his best, and actually looked ready to bolt. Taking small steadying breaths to control the quicksilver, which was probably threatening to put in a premature appearance, his hand was still firmly clutching Bobby's shoulder as his eyes darted to the aquariums containing the freaky, hairy monsters.

"This really sucks Bobby."

"I know kid, I know,." Hobbes soothed, patting the hand again for good measure.

Ella's eyes were on Darien as soon as she got within a few feet of them.

"Hello Darien, having fun?" She was smiling broadly, the irony of the choice of venue definitely not lost on her.

Hobbes risked a quick, concerned sideways glance at his ashen partner before turning back to the woman. "C'mon lady, let's get this over with," he growled, wanting to get Darien out of there as soon as possible.

Ella turned her full attention on Bobby now, studying him intently. The last time she had encountered Agent Bobby Hobbes had been in Darien's apartment and what she had seen then, albeit briefly, had impressed her. The self-assured, resolute man in front of her now definitely didn't disappoint.

"Of course. You first." She smiled, holding a hand out and wriggling the fingers expectantly. Hobbes paused, his own gaze burning into hers, then sighing he reached into the pocket of his pants for the trigger device and handed it over.

He spoke softly, his voice even but with an undertone of menace nonetheless, "Lemme tell you one thing lady. My friend has been through enough, so if you hurt him there won't be no place big enough or far enough for you and that hulk of yours to run. You hear what I'm sayin'?"

"I'll bear it in mind." If Ella was bothered by the threat she didn't show it, strapping the device around her wrist, all the while a faint little smile twisting the corners of her mouth, eventually turning her focus back to Darien.

"We're heading for the parking lot," she told him tersely. "Bruno's waiting and he's really looking forward to seeing you again Darien." The intent wasn't lost. "As long as you do exactly as you're told, I'll keep my part of the deal and give Agent Hobbes the location of your Keeper and the GS-2, plus the timer code to disarm the explosive it's attached to."

Darien nodded his understanding, exchanging one brief anxious look with Bobby as they followed her outside.


"Okay this is as far as you go Agent Hobbes."

Ella came to an abrupt halt at the edge of the parking lot, staring with barely concealed irritability at the federal agents posing as tourists following conspicuously in the trio's wake. "And tell your incompetent friends to pull out, or so help me I'll activate the GS-2 right here and now and to hell with the consequences," she snapped.

With an audible curse Hobbes spoke via the mic on his headset to the rank amateurs the Fish had insisted they bring along, even though Bobby had been adamant that he and Fawkes should handle this alone. Where the hell had they hired them; Find-a-Fed?

"They're backing off," Hobbes confirmed, watching with contempt as the hired help even did a bad job of pulling back as ordered, hovering in the near distance, still within their line of vision. However, this seemed far enough to placate Ella Craven for the moment.

"We're over here." She indicated across to a tan saloon, grabbing Darien's arm, only to find Hobbes stepping around her quickly to block her path.

"Ain't you forgetting somethin'?" he snarled, and was rewarded with a look of feigned innocence from the woman, followed by a slow sardonic smile. She pointed off towards a white transit van parked way across the lot and casually tossed him a set of keys.

"Dr. Keeply and the GS-2 canister are over there."

Hobbes still wasn't budging. "And the timer code?" he demanded.

"Four digits…think QS Project," she responded trying once again to pull Darien off towards the waiting vehicle. "It's set to detonate at 2.00pm, so you have just enough time to save the Ice Queen and the endangered species here at the zoo. I don't need to remind you that the bomb can still be activated by remote, so unless you have some way to evacuate the entire area I suggest you make damn sure we get a clear run out of here."

He wavered until Darien gave him a tiny strained smile, indicating towards the transit van. "I'll be okay," he assured not at all convincingly. "Go get 'em Bobby."

Then Hobbes was gone, running as fast as he could over towards the van.

When Ella pulled on his arm this time, Darien allowed himself to be led over to the car, his step faltering only when Sartori emerged from the front passenger side as they approached, an eager smile fixed in place on his heavy features. Ugly dark bruising covered the entire left side of his head. Darien gulped.

"Get him in the car." The engine was already running as Ella moved quickly around to the drivers side, just as Bobby's voice came urgently over Darien's miniature concealed earpiece; one of Eberts recent purchases.

"Crap, Claire's not here. It's Plan B partner."

Another shout went up from across the lot, and Darien half turned to see Hobbes and a dozen or more agents racing back towards them from all directions, weapons drawn.

Okay, so Plan 'A' had always been a long shot, and relied on Ella Craven having a degree of integrity, which she blatantly didn't, not to mention both the GS-2 and Claire being exactly where she said they would be. Once they were secured, Darien was supposed to go see-through and then wing it from there, working on the assumption that, 1) Craven and/or Sartori wouldn't be suicidal enough to release the GS-2 while they were both still within range of its deadly effects and, 2) in the event that Craven activated the nano-bug, Darien could hold out long enough for Hobbes to get to him.

Perhaps not their greatest ever strategy, but all they could come up with under the circumstances.

To Darien's mind though, Plan A was definitely preferable to Plan B, which meant he would probably now have to see this thing through the hard way.

Literally as Hobbes' shouted his panicked warning, Darien's in-built self-defense mechanism kicked in, subconsciously activating the quicksilver flow at the same time as Ella's fingers found the trigger device.

Caught off guard by the sudden severe explosion of pain, Darien was propelled forward to collide heavily with Sartori's chest, the quicksilver flakes dispersing immediately as the man's arm went round his neck and he easily hauled a stunned Darien the rest of the short distance to the back of the vehicle, slamming the door closed behind them.

As the car skidded out of the lot and sped away in a haze of dust and burning rubber, Darien raised his head slightly and caught a glimpse of Bobby's desperate face.

TBC