Chapter Five: Capture and Discovery

Blade didn't how he had gotten himself into this situation, tangled up in a spider's web and hung upside down, how embarrassing. What was worse was that apparently Torch was correct in saying he saw two gigantic spiders that were after him.

His capture had led him to realise that there was more to this cabin than he realised. For one, there were hidden tunnels and passageways in the ceiling. The spiders that had caught him brought him to the garage where he found Toulon's trunk wide open and its contents on desks and shelves. He also found the elixir sitting near a chemistry set and some snakes and rats were analyzing it.

He wriggled around again to try and get his blade free so he could cut himself loose but this was spider's web for crying out loud! The damn stuff was super sticky! At least they left his head free.

He looked down below him and spotted the large python Six had talked about earlier. Six was also right about that. The large python slithered up to the elixir and the screen that had its readings. It hissed at a smaller snake that was swirling a sample bottle before handing it over to the python. The python swirled it a few times, flicked its tongue out, smelling it and then peered at it at a higher angle before giving it back to the small snake, hiss and slithered away.

Blade watched the small snake place the same bottle next to another one with a label on it and then pour some kind of powder inside both of them. The little beakers began to bubble and emit the dense white smoke that showed the elixir was complete. At least that's what Jester had told him when Toulon first brought Leech Woman to life.

He didn't remember any smoke from the formula he learned how to make when Dead Toulon was brought back. Maybe that was a variant. He continued to watch as the small snake took the labeled beaker and poured half of its contents into an empty vial, set it aside and brought another labeled beaker and poured half of its contents into the previously empty vial, cork the mixed vial and then tossed it to a group of snakes. The group of snakes tossed the vial around, spun around with it and overall just played with it for a spell before tossing it back to the small snake.

'What was the point of that?' he thought.

The small snake uncorked the vial, grabbed a dropper and gathered a few drops of the new mix and slithered over to a microscope where a couple of mice looked through and were using their tails to adjust the scope.

'What the devil are they doing?'

One of the mice squeaked at the small snake who slithered back to the unlabeled smoking beaker with a new dropper.

Before it could do anything though, the large python returned, hissed at the small snake which continued with its work, and the python hissed loudly at a darkened part of the lab.

One of the spiders that had captured him appeared and the python hissed at them, flicking its tongue. The spider hissed back and the two conversed before the spider finally turned around and went back in the shadow. Then Blade saw it climb up the wall and head straight for him and he began to panic. Was he going to be a test subject for their mixed elixir?

The webbed string he was hanging from was cut and he fell for a second before he was rolled up again and secured to another string and dragged back through the passageways.

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Fifteen minutes after the living room was cleaned . . . . .

Torch was relieved when the newcomer finally drained the tub and stepped out. He was so much closer to freedom. But then a large python emerged from the under the sink and raised itself.

So far the tests have been proving positive on the duplication process but it's very basic and I was recently informed that the injured one was captured. it said with a female voice.

"Captured how?" the new-comer asked, wrapping a towel around his waist and then toweling his hair.

One of the twins performed a snatch job.

"Snatch job?! Which twins and who did the snatching?"

Ariana and Devlin. Devlin pulled the stunt.

"Why a snatch job?"

They wanted to fix his ankle, but the one called Torch scared them off.

"Torch?"

He throws flames from his right arm.

"Awesome. And the others?"

Jester, Six Shooter, Tunneler and Pinhead.

"The injured one?"

Blade. I believe he is the leader of the group and this Torch fellow appears to be able to understand us.

"Ok, well send the injured one, Blade, was it? back and locate this Torch fellow and tell him of the twins intentions but stave off any fighting with them."

The snake bowed and turned back to the sink.

"Jessie, Blade isn't wrapped up in the web is he?"

Uh, probably. But I'm sure it was for safety reasons on both sides. Blade doesn't have hands, just a knife and hook.

"A knife and hook? Are the others' name choices in a similar fashion?"

Yes, all quite obvious.

"Well then, shouldn't be too hard to figure out who's who then. Off with you now."

The snake slithered under the sink and disappeared.

Torch was stunned. They were being watched the whole time?! And what was this duplication process they were talking about? Was it the formula? And the spiders wanted to help?

He was distracted when he heard yelling coming from the living room that soon led here.

Boss! The others won't let me return him! They keep attacking me!

"Well, what'd you expect? You snatched up their friend and carried him off and pretty much held him prisoner."

But I wasn't!

"That's not how they see it. They can't understand anything you say, except maybe that Torch fellow."

Who's Torch?

"The one with the flamethrower."

Oh! He nearly burnt me and Dev earlier this morning.

"How often to I have to tell you to look at things from another's perspective? Put yourself in their shoes and try to think and react like them."

. . . . Oh, my bad.

"Where is Blade, anyway? You didn't leave him hanging from the ceiling in the living room, did you?"

No, he's still behind me.

"(si-i-i-gh) Hand him over."

"Put me down! You wait til my brothers get a hold of you! If I wasn't injured I'd slash you into a million pieces!"

Torch looked up from his hiding spot and saw Blade completely wrapped up in a cocoon and being lowered down from the ceiling, wriggling and throwing a fit.

The newcomer put some gloves on and grabbed Blade and placed him in the sink then headed to a cabinet above the toilet and brought out a hair dryer. Torch couldn't help but laugh, Blade looked ridiculous.

Chug immediately turned around upon hearing the laughter and spotted Torch hiding in the space between the tub and the wall.

"Torch! Get over here and get me outta this mess! Fry the guy! Do something!"

Chug watched Blade wriggle around in the sink hissing like crazy.

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In the hallway . . .

Jester could hear someone talking in the bathroom and motioned everyone to gather at the door, all poised to attack.

"Well what did you expect? You snatched up their friend and pretty much held him prisoner."

(Hiss!)

"That's not how they see it. They can't understand anything you say, except maybe that Torch fellow."

Jester raised his hand to stop their attack and listened in instead.

"The one with the flamethrower."

(clicking noises)

"How often to I have to tell you to look at things from another's perspective? Put yourself in their shoes and try to think and react like them."

( . . . . click, click)

"Where is Blade, anyway? You didn't leave him hanging from the ceiling in the living room, did you?"

(Click. Clickity click-click)

"(si-i-i-gh) Hand him over."

"Put me down! You wait til my brothers get a hold of you! If I wasn't injured I'd slash you into a million pieces!" The four puppets heard Blade shout. They soon heard Torch laughing.

"Torch! Get over here and get me outta this mess! Fry the guy! Do something!"

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Back in the bathroom . . . .

"Find something amusing, little fella?" Chug asked, placing the hair dryer on the sink's counter.

"Blade, you look ridiculous!" Torch chuckled and finally crawled out of his spot.

Chug looked at the sink. "Oh, so you're Blade."

Then there was pounding on the bathroom door along with grunts, groans and . . . what sounded like a cat, or some cooing . . . . A little black gloved hand holding a gun snuck in under the door and fired off a few rounds.

Chug climbed onto the toilet to protect his feet.

"So, can you tell your little friends not to attack me if you tell them that I can get you out of the web?" he asked, looking at Blade.

Blade hissed at him angrily and wriggled around.

"Look, this is spider webbing here, and from a fairly big one at that. The only thing that can break through that many layers is heat. I was going to use the hair dryer, but you might not like it, so perhaps a hair straightener?"

Blade hissed again, more angry and wriggled some more.

"I can't understand a word you're saying." Chug said, crossing his arms and legs.

Torch finally gathered his breath and stood up and walked over to the newcomer. "Why not just bathe him in hot water?" he asked.

"Oh no, water would make the webbing even more sticky."

Blade stopped glaring at the person in front of him and hissed.

"He can talk to snakes and spiders." Torch shouted back defensively.

"Well that's because they're part of the animal kingdom. The spiders I inserted a neural chip to read on the same wavelength as an animal." Chug said.

Blade started hissing again and wriggled around some more.

"You keep up that wriggling and you'll worsen your injury." Chug said and grabbed his phone off the counter.

"Just what are you doing with our formula anyway?" Torch asked.

"Not much, just playing around with it really." Chug answered.

Blade hissed and started wriggling some more.

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In the hallway . . . .

"Find something amusing, little fella?"

"Blade, you look ridiculous!"

"Oh, so you're Blade."

"Blade! Torch! Hang on! We're coming!" Jester shouted and climbed up on Tunneler.

"Open the door or I'll break it down!" shouted Pinhead.

"Aha! Got one of my guns free!" said Six Shooter and crouched down to look under the door and spotted a pair of feet, took aim and fired, but missed. The feet disappeared from view. "Crap, I missed!"

"So, can you tell your little friends not to attack me if you tell them that I can get you out of the web?"

"Free me and I'll slice your head open like a cantaloupe!"

"Look, this is spider webbing here, and from a fairly big one at that. The only thing that can break through that many layers is heat. I was going to use the hair dryer, but you might not like it, so perhaps a hair straightener?"

"Tunneler, drill a hole through the door!"

"I can't understand a word you're saying."

"Why not just bathe him in hot water?" They heard Torch ask.

"Oh no, water would make the webbing even more sticky."

Each of them stopped what they were doing and looked at each other.

"You can't understand me but you can understand Torch?" Blade questioned.

"He can talk to snakes and spiders." Torch shouted back defensively.

"Well that's because they're part of the animal kingdom. The spiders I inserted a neural chip to read on the same wavelength as an animal." Chug said.

"Someone kill this guy and get me out!"

"You keep up that wriggling and you'll worsen your injury."

"Just what are you doing with our formula anyway?" Torch asked.

"Not much, just playing around with it really."

"He has our formula?! Get me outta this thing!"

"Cripes, what the hell is he doing with our formula?!" Six shouted.

"If he has the formula does that make him our new master?" Pinhead asked.

Everyone was silenced.

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Bathroom . . . .

Torch looked at the door, then at the newcomer.

Blade stopped his wriggling, went silent and glared. 'Fuck. . . .'