Chapter 4
Malik rubbed his wrists as he stood up. Even though he had been tied up and hadn't much room to move, his movements were still graceful.
Mariku kept his eyes glued to Malik, although he couldn't do much to oppose him, should Malik attack him.
But Malik did nothing.
He touched the scratches on his cheek and made a disapproving face. His eyes narrowed and he let loose a hissing sound.
"So," Mariku began and Malik looked at him. "Where are we?"
"I'm hungry."
"Tell me where we are first."
Malik put his head slightly askew. "No."
Mariku closed his eyes for a moment. Slowly but surely, these aliens were getting on his nerves. He looked at Malik. He would show him that he didn't take any shit from him. Malik owed him now. He could expect at least a little respect.
Mariku took a step forward, but Malik reacted much faster than Mariku did and turned the tables.
He pressed Mariku against the wall. They were the same size.
"Make no mistake, human," whispered Malik and licked his lips.
He let go of Mariku and Mariku touched his throbbing shoulder.
"If you kill me, the others won't hesitate to kill you." Mariku snapped at him, but Malik laughed.
He made a flourish gesture. "And you think they would have a chance?" Malik smirked arrogantly; he then grabbed Mariku again by the collar and pulled him close. "Now give me something to eat before we get eaten." He pushed him towards the door. With a grim face, Mariku smoothed his shirt.
It wasn't a pleasant feeling to turn his back on Malik, which was why Mariku looked over his shoulder repeatedly.
But Malik followed him in silence. He was looking around, as if he were analyzing the ship.
Mariku bit his lower lip. That was probably exactly what Malik was doing and already plotting how he would kill them all for sure. At least he couldn't kill them if he wanted to get out of here, because the ship needed three people to pilot it.
When the kitchen door slid open, Mariku glanced over his shoulder again. Did Malik know that? Although he seemed worried before, Malik did now look quite calm. Were they really in danger? What had happened to Jonouchi? Was he still alive?
Malik sank into a chair and began to drum on the table with his claws. Mariku opened the fridge.
"What... does your race eat?"
"Meat." was the terse reply.
Mariku stared at the contents of the fridge and was overwhelmed. The food was packed in different containers, although they were labeled, but in a language Mariku didn't know. Unsure he stretched out his hand.
"Directly in front of you, the first to the left," Malik said in his usual bored tone.
Mariku glanced at him and then reached for the blue container. He placed it on the table and removed the lid. Before he could do anything, Malik had already snatched a piece of meat and tore it greedily from the packaging.
Mariku closed the container, but before he could lift it off the table, Malik's hand slammed on top of it to prevent that. Chewing, he looked at Mariku, who raised his hands and sat down opposite of Malik. Malik gobbled the meat and Mariku felt sick from watching him.
The door slid open and Ryou entered. His left arm was bandaged and in his hands he held a gun, which he pointed at Malik immediately. Malik, however, continued eating unimpressed, although he kept his eyes glued to Ryou.
Ryou's eyes wandered briefly to Mariku and gave him the same look of pure hatred with which he looked at Malik.
Mariku ignored it.
"Well?"
Malik tore off a chunk of meat with his teeth and chewed with relish.
Ryou gritted his teeth. "Where is Jonouchi?"
Malik swallowed and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "In their nest."
"He's still alive?"
"Most likely."
The door slid open again and the rest of the crew entered. First Honda, who didn't flinch when he saw Malik.
Bakura looked at him curiously and with raised eyebrows.
Anzu, however, avoided any eye contact.
"According his descriptions," he made a brief gesture in Mariku's direction, "we are on Latro and are dealing with Trodectans."
Uncomprehending looks were exchanged and Malik rolled his eyes. He put the last piece of meat in his mouth and then opened the lid to take a new one.
"Ugly, hairy women." he said, chewing.
"This is suicide," Malik hissed angrily.
They had stunned and chained him again, which wounded his pride. He hissed and spat as they walked through the dim forest.
"Your loyalty will kill us all!" He stumbled forward as Honda pushed the stun gun in his back.
Mariku agreed with him secretly. It was sheer madness trying to save Jonouchi and he had little desire to die because of it. They should have listened to Malik's advice and left this planet, but Ryou refused to leave Jonouchi behind.
Anzu was the only who stayed back, because according to Malik's words, the Trodectans hated other women and would not hesitate to kill Anzu.
Mariku shuddered at the thought of what Malik had told them. Oh no, he certainly did not want to go through this forest. He looked around nervously, expecting an attack every moment. Doggedly he tried to make something out in the dim light, but he couldn't see anything except trees.
Every now and then he had the feeling something moved over their heads, but as much as he strained his eyes, he couldn't make out any details.
They carried torches with them, which hadn't been ignited yet, because Malik told them the Trodectans didn't like fire. Mariku doubted the effectiveness of the torches. It was like trying to fight a wolf with a match.
Bakura went ahead of the group, since he could see best in the dark. Just behind him was Ryou. Mariku could see their white hair in front of him.
Malik and Honda went behind Mariku and all Mariku could hear, were Malik's disapproving, faint hisses.
"Do you see anything?" Ryou said quietly, clutching the handle of his weapon.
Bakura shook his head. Except trees he could hardly see anything. Every now and then he thought to see a moving shadow, but that was it. He neither saw nor heard a living being.
Apart from Malik, but he had managed to block his hisses.
Mariku lifted his shirt. It clung to his upper body and sweat ran down his forehead. The oppressive air made it difficult to breathe properly. They didn't even know where to search for Jonouchi and were going through the forest without a real plan.
He let himself fall back so he could walk along beside Malik. "What are our chances of survival?"
Malik hissed at him. "Non-existent." His gaze pierced in Ryou's back. "And it's all the fault of this useless slave!"
Ryou stopped abruptly and pointed his gun at Malik. "One more word and I'll shoot you right here."
"Oh please," Malik hissed at him. "Better than what awaits us."
Loading the gun sounded unnaturally loud, but before Ryou could shoot Bakura put his hand on his shoulder.
"There are more important things than him," Bakura said in a low voice. "We are no longer alone."
Immediately Mariku raised his eyes, but he couldn't see anything unusual.
Malik hissed softly and had fixed his eyes on something above their heads.
Was it just Mariku's imagination or had it suddenly become darker?
"Honda, the torches!" Honda's body began to glow and a brief touch of his hand was enough to ignite the torches. Mariku raised his over his head and tried to see something.
Were the shadows moving?
"Take off this fucking rope!" There was panic in Malik's voice. His gaze was still fixed on something in the dark and he tore at the rope.
"They're coming." Bakura was looking in the same direction as Malik.
Ryou raised the stun gun, even though Malik had repeatedly pointed out that they would be useless. Nevertheless, the guns were the only weapons they had.
"Let me go, damn it," cursed Malik.
Mariku hesitated a moment, then pulled the pocket knife from his pocket and placed the blade on to the rope.
However, he paused for a moment, as Ryou fired a shot and the bullet lit up the surroundings.
For the first time Mariku could see what the Trodectans really were, because the only description Malik had given them, was "ugly, hairy women". The sight sent cold shivers up and down his spine.
Since the moment he had seen the huge spider web, he'd had a bad feeling, which was just confirmed: Spiders.
The lower bodies of the Trodectans were the one of spiders, which blended into women's bodies. Mariku was really relieved as the light went out again.
"Come on!" Malik's voice brought him back to reality and Mariku almost dropped the torch as he cut the rope. It fell to the ground, and Malik turned to face him.
In the torchlight Mariku could see his grin. "Have fun dying," he whispered, and before Mariku could do anything against it, Malik disappeared into the darkness.
He cursed and on top of it he even dropped his knife.
"Mariku, damn, stop dreaming." Ryou snapped.
"Where are they?" Bakura was breathless. His gaze moved restlessly from left to right and back up.
Ryou pointed his gun in the air. They stood close together and the only sounds they heard were their breathing and the crackling of the flames. Mariku could feel the heat radiating from Honda.
"Ah!" Bakura dropped the torch and held his hands over his face.
"Bakura?"
Suddenly Mariku felt something sticky on his arm. He tried to shake it off and took a step back, only to lose his balance and fall onto the muddy ground. He could see the thick, white string around his ankle and picked up the torch to burn it.
No sooner as the fire touched it, a darting flame erupted and the torch went out. Mariku cursed in any way he could think of.
Ryou fell beside him on the ground. He fidgeted. His body was already partially webbed.
The gossamer hissed, as it touched Honda's body, but even the heat seemed to be insufficient to prevent him from getting cocooned.
Mariku kicked and tried to get away. He grabbed his torch and threw the wood into the darkness. He heard a thud and an angry snarl.
"Ah!" Something had stung him and he tried to touch his neck, but before his hand reached the skin, his body went numb. Mariku gasped, and then lost consciousness.
Malik's description of Trodectans had been the understatement of the century. They were a new level of ugliness. Their fat spider bodies were covered with thick, black hair and according to Malik it was like armor and couldn't be penetrated. The fat body was supported by eight legs, but the humanoid upper body still had two more arms. However, the hair covered not only the spider body, but went up to the breasts too. In the middle, however, remained a free spot. Their skin was as white as Ryou's hair and stretched over their bones. The fingers were long and thin. Their upper body was invulnerable. It was almost impossible to break through the bone. The only weak spot was the neck.
Mariku looked around. He was stuck to a spider web, his arms and his legs stretched from him and he could barely turn his head to the side.
Bakura was beside him. The area around his eyes was red and he blinked at short intervals.
"You should practice how to rescue someone," he heard Jonouchi say above him.
"You seem to be pretty fine, if you're still able to make wisecracks," muttered Ryou. "And where is this fucking Notechis? I knew he would betray us." The net trembled slightly and Mariku suspected that Ryou was to blame. "Who set him free?" A moment of silence. "Mariku!"
"So what? Whether he's free or hangs here with us, what makes the difference?" He really didn't want to argue with Ryou in this situation.
Mariku tried to free his arm, but he couldn't move it even an inch. He sighed. Why hadn't he stayed at home to become a mechanic?
Suddenly the spider web trembled more. Something seemed to move on it.
"Don't you dare to touch me, you ugly woman!" cursed Ryou.
Mariku rolled his eyes. Of course it was a good idea to make the Trodectans angry. As if their situation wasn't bad enough already.
One spider woman appeared before Mariku and it was the first time that he saw them up close. Mariku could have done without this experience.
Her jaws clacked incessantly. Her eyes were huge and divided into eight smaller eyes. Mariku couldn't stand looking at her for too long. He got goose bumps. A bony hand cupped his chin and forced him to look up. Mariku shuddered. He felt sick at the thought of what was yet to come.
He could literally see Malik's grin in front of him, as he had told them with an amused undertone that the Trodectans would mate with them.
As a species that only spawned females, Trodectans were dependent on other species to reproduce. The pairing was a sacred ritual for them. They caught males and presented them to their queen. The Queen had the first choice for herself and her daughters to make sure that their lineage only got the best genes.
Mariku grimaced and was glad when the alien let go of him. He didn't want to imagine the mating. According to Malik's words, they would get injected with a poison that made sure that at least their bodies were ready to mate.
"I wish Malik would have killed me," he muttered.
"Are you not keen on fucking some really disgusting women?"
Mariku turned his head and looked at Bakura in disgust. Despite his amused tone Bakura looked as if he was about to throw himself off the next cliff. He still blinked continuously.
"What's with your eyes?"
"No idea, but it burns like fire. I hope they hurry up. I'm looking forward to the part where they eat us."
"You're annoying me as much as Jou." Ryou hissed.
"I just wanted to lighten the mood a bit."
Jonouchi laughed and even Mariku had to smile. Their situation could not get any worse anyway.
"But hey Mariku, it's like you said: Aliens want to either fuck or eat you. The women here want both."
He grinned broadly and in spite of their predicament Mariku had to laugh.
"You're such a moron," muttered Ryou.
"Oh Ryou sweetheart, relax a bit. We're going to die soon."
"Do not call me sweetheart. I'm not your sweetie!"
"But maybe you would've become my darling."
"Certainly not."
"We would have been a perfect couple."
Ryou rolled his eyes. "I hope they start soon, so I don't have to listen to you ever again!"
"You hurt my feelings."
"If I could, I'd really hurt you!"
"Oh, now you want to make me horny." Bakura grinned broadly while Ryou cried out angrily. The cobweb shuddered as he braced himself against the threads. "You know, maybe sex would relax you."
"I'll kill you!" Ryou let out a series of swear words, his voice then got unnaturally high, and went on in a singsong. It was the first time Mariku heard Ryou's mother tongue. Although Mariku knew he probably let out a lot of swear words, it was a pleasant sound.
"That was the hottest thing someone ever said to me," Bakura said with a grin after Ryou had calmed down.
"Don't provoke him all the time."
"But he's so cute when he's angry."
"You can't even see him right now."
"I'm imagining it."
Mariku shook his head, grinning. "You really are a weirdo."
"I'm just trying to make my last moments as pleasant as possible. Panicking doesn't help."
The web began to tremble, and the grin died on Mariku's face. He tried to look up, but that only reminded him of the fact that he remained stuck to the net by his neck. A muffled sound was heard, and then the angry snarl of a spider woman.
"Don't touch me, you..." The rest of the sentence was muffled by cobwebs. A Trodectans appeared beside Mariku, another beside Bakura. They trickled something on the cobwebs, which dissolved them slowly.
Mariku couldn't enjoy his newfound freedom for long, because as soon as he was free, he was tied up with cobwebs again. He watched as Ryou was carried past him, his mouth glued with cobwebs.
Mariku kept silent as the Trodectans lifted him and tried to keep his face away from the hair. Goose bumps crawled over his body and he tried not to think about what lay ahead.
The attempt, however, was not successful; his imagination was too vivid. He shivered. Could one die of disgust? Because he certainly would.
Suddenly a loud, upset hiss was heard and Mariku turned his head. An unpleasant smell reached his nostrils, which reminded him of burnt rubber. He wrinkled his nose.
Honda was on the floor. His body glowed again, and smoke rose from the cobwebs. The Trodectans were restless. Three of them approached Honda.
Mariku frowned. What was he doing? Was he trying to get killed in advance? Or was that a rather pathetic attempt to get free? Mariku craned his neck, but the Trodectans that carried him, moved and he lost sight of Honda.
Mariku looked around while they moved over more and more spider webs. The Trodectans seemed to be everywhere. Considering that their reproduction was dependent on other species, their population seemed to be very high. Mariku tried to count, but it was impossible.
A clearing opened up before them. All the trees were decorated with spider webs. Hundreds of eyes were watching them as Mariku and the others were placed in the middle of the clearing on the ground.
"I feel a little observed," muttered Jonouchi and looked around with wide eyes.
"I am very glad I can't see that much at the moment," whispered Bakura. The skin around his eyes was still red.
Ryou's mouth was still glued with cobwebs. He looked angry.
"They're hell of a lot." Mariku put his head back. The Trodectans were everywhere. They would die alone from exhaustion when they had to... Mariku swallowed.
Honda was placed beside them. He had his head bowed and eyes closed. His body shook slightly.
"Are you okay?" Jonouchi whispered to him, but Honda just shook his head weakly.
A Trodectans came from the other side of the clearing and made excited clacking and hissing sounds. That seemed to put the others in an uproar. The ones, who had carried them, withdrew. Only one stayed behind and removed the cobwebs around Ryou's mouth. Ryou winced in pain.
"Damn bitch," he hissed.
Above them the Trodectans suddenly began to move and the Trodectans, who was still close to them, stood next to them as a guard. Mariku looked up. Between the aliens a gap had opened and a Trodectans rappelled down from above.
As her eight legs touched the ground, Mariku did not doubt for a second that it was the queen. She was bigger and fatter than the others, at least relating to her spider body. The upper body looked just as thin as the others. Their guard bowed and remained in this position.
The queen came closer and looked first at Honda. She said something to their guard, who answer quickly and nervously.
"Looks as if the fun finally starts," muttered Bakura. "It was nice to have known you."
"I wish I had never ever met you," Ryou said grimly. "This is entirely your fault."
"You could tell me something nice, now, in the face of death."
"I hope I can watch how they kill you."
"You just want to know what I look like naked."
Ryou rolled his eyes. He couldn't believe he wasted energy to argue with Bakura in a situation like this. Bakura was a thousand times worse than Jonouchi with his stupid sayings.
As it was Mariku's turn, he turned his head to the side and tried to ignore the fingers in his face. He could not bear the sight of her face. He had never seen anything more disgusting in his entire life.
Mariku had the feeling the queen took quite a while to check him out, but maybe it was only his imagination. He sighed in relief when she moved on to Bakura.
"Wow, I don't think more ugliness is even possible," Bakura said, looking straight at her. "Guess the queen is elected by ugliness?"
Alarmed Mariku looked at him, but the queen showed no reaction. Fortunately for them, she didn't seem to understand their language.
Ryou leaned away from the queen, as she wanted to touch him, which caused him to fall backwards onto the ground.
Bakura snorted.
"Bastard," complained Ryou and kicked Bakura in the back of the knee, so he too fell to the ground.
Mariku stared straight ahead and couldn't believe how those two behaved. Why hadn't Malik killed him? That would have been quicker at least.
Jonouchi rolled his eyes. "In case you haven't noticed yet, we are about to get killed. Could you behave appropriate to the situation?"
"Oh, shut up," Ryou and Bakura hissed at him at the same time, while they were put back on their feet by the guard. They chattered with their jaws and raised their claws menacing.
The queen turned away from them and looked again at Honda and Jonouchi before she stopped in front of Mariku.
Mariku bit his lower lip and stared at the empty spot on the belly. Suddenly, the queen let out a shrill cry and the remaining Trodectans began to move. They came closer, while the queen pulled Mariku out of line.
"Ding, ding, ding, Jackpot," whispered Bakura.
Mariku closed his eyes. Why him of all things?
"An excellent choice, my revered Queen."
Mariku opened his eyes. Malik stood in the clearing and bowed deeply.
"This was the best choice you could have made."
The queen hissed. "Notechis" was the only thing Mariku could understand among the sounds she uttered. The Trodectans approached from all sides, but none of them seemed to dare to attack Malik.
Malik straightened himself.
Mariku noticed that the sleeves of his shirt were missing.
"I interrupt this special moment only very reluctantly, most beautiful of all queens." He put a serious look on his face. "I am here at the behest of my father, Lord Ishtar."
The queen waved her entourage away and Malik moved slowly closer, while the queen spoke to him.
"He will feel much honored if I tell him that you still remember him, dear Queen."
Again, the queen spoke and Mariku watched them with interest. So they understood their language after all?
"After the tragedy, my father raised in the ranks of a lord." A small smile played around Malik's lips, but he hid it quickly behind an austere countenance. "And now that my people are regaining strength, we're looking for our loyal allies."
The queen waved her hand and Malik walked beside her to one of the cobwebs. They stepped on it and Mariku was surprised Malik didn't remain stuck on it. He climbed up the threads like a staircase, but made sure to stay always some steps beneath the queen.
"I knew that he was a fucking traitor," hissed Ryou and gave Mariku a dirty look. Mariku, however, ignored him and watched Malik and the queen.
"I'm sure," Malik continued, "that you, most beautiful Queen, and your revered entourage, deserve much better than those," he gestured towards Mariku and the others, "weaklings." He got closer to the queen. "If you join us again, you will get only the finest selection. The best and strongest men, other breeds have to offer."
"What's he up to?" Bakura asked softly, Mariku shrugged as best he could. He braced himself against the threads, but they were too tight.
"What do you think? Betraying us, as he had planned the whole time."
"No," contradicted Mariku and turned his gaze back to Malik. "I don't think so."
Ryou rolled his eyes. "I can't believe you're so stupid. I should have let you die on the space station."
"I would've preferred it; I then wouldn't have to deal with this bullshit here!"
While Malik continued to talk insistently to the queen of Trodectans, complimented her and whispered sweet promises in her ear, he moved closer. Only slowly and carefully, so that she didn't notice. He had only one chance. He tensed the muscles in his arms and stared at her neck while he spoke. He was glad that his father had taught him how to ensnare somebody with words.
Venom was dripping from his claws, but his poison wouldn't be of any use. Like himself, the Trodectans were immune to poisons.
Malik's attack came quickly and unexpectedly for the queen. She had been long captured by his charming words. Almost up to his shoulder his arm stuck in the neck of the queen.
For a moment there was complete silence. Mariku and Ryou had stopped fighting and stared with open mouths to Malik, who slowly withdrew his arm and jumped off the net.
As his feet touched the ground, a blinding scream broke the silence and hundreds of Trodectans began to move.
Mariku ducked his head and closed his eyes in anticipation to be torn to pieces any moment, but pain didn't come.
Instead, he heard Malik's voice next to him: "Hurry up! We don't have much time."
Mariku opened his eyes again. Not far from him were some dead Trodectans. Killed by their own kind. With his claws Malik broke the spider threads, which had tied them up. Like under a spell Mariku started at the Trodectans, who fought each other over the body of the dead queen.
"What... did you do?" Bakura asked in a hoarse voice.
"No time now," snarled Malik and grabbed Mariku's arm to pull him along behind him.
Mariku couldn't look away from the Trodectans. What happened here? What were they trying to achieve?
"Damn it, look ahead, you fool!" Malik dragged Mariku's arm painfully and brought Mariku back to reality. He averted his eyes and quickened his pace.
Jonouchi had to stabilize Honda, who still looked dazed. However, Malik had no regards for it. They hurried through the forest and Mariku started to sweat. They passed Trodectans, whose throats had been ripped out. Malik had done a great job.
By now Mariku was quite happy that he had cut Malik's ropes. Without him, they would be spider food.
They left the nest behind them and it got brighter around them.
Mariku breathed heavily. The oppressive air wasn't a great running condition. He was barely faster than Jonouchi and Honda. Mariku coughed and his chest ached from the strain.
"If you stop, you're dead," said Malik, who was suddenly beside him.
Mariku gave him a quick look. He gritted his teeth. He'd show those damned aliens that he withstood the strain.
Malik ran ahead again.
Inside the spaceship Mariku sank to his knees. Not only his legs, but his whole body was shaking. Hastily he breathed oxygen into his lungs.
"ANZU!" shouted Ryou. He, too, was slightly out of breath. "Get the ship ready immediately!"
"What happened?"
"No time. We have to get out of here quick."
"I don't think that's a..."
"No discussion!" He pushed her towards the cockpit. "Jou, come with me!" he called over his shoulder. "Bakura take care of Honda. Go! Go!"
"I'm hurt myself," said Bakura, but Ryou couldn't hear him anymore. Sighing Bakura took Honda off Jonouchi.
The entrance gate shut and Mariku tuck up his legs. He rested his forehead on his knees. His shoulder had started to hurt again.
"You humans are just too weak," Malik said, leaning against the wall beside him.
"Be quiet," Mariku snapped.
Malik chuckled.
Trembling the spaceship set in motion. It still flew extremely unstable. With one side they scraped along a tree.
Awkwardly, Mariku got back on his feet. He leaned against the wall as he walked to his cabin.
He sighed and plopped down on the bed. He touched his shoulder. They had survived. They really came out alive of this hell. He began to laugh with relief.
"Have you lost your mind now?"
Mariku sat up and looked at Malik. "What are you doing here?"
"I saved your life. You should be nicer," he repeated what Mariku had said to him a few hours earlier. Malik sat down at the foot of the bed.
"Thanks," Mariku said quietly after a while. He held on to the head frame of the bed to have at least some support while the ship swayed dangerously.
"What happened?"
Malik leaned against the wall and licked the blood from his fingers. His whole arm was covered with it.
"This is really disgusting."
Malik lowered his arm and licked his lips.
"I killed the queen," he explained the obvious.
"Yes, I saw that, but what happened afterwards?"
Malik looked at Mariku for a long time, and then he shrugged. The wobbling of the spaceship didn't seem to bother him.
"The Trodectans love and adore their queen," Malik began to explain, "but they also hate nothing more than their queen." He grinned. "When a queen dies, the one who eats the heart of the old queen will be next queen."
Mariku shuddered and opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, the door slid open.
Ryou had a gun pointed at Malik. "Come along!"
"Why should I?"
"Because this time it will not only stun you, bastard."
"Ryou..." Mariku started, but stopped as Ryou pointed the gun at him.
"Shut up! You've done enough!"
Malik's movements were too fast for Mariku's eyes and Ryou reacted too slowly. The gun fell to the ground and Ryou's eyes widened in surprise. Malik had pressed his claws against his throat. Ryou felt the poison dripping down his neck.
"You give me no more orders, slave."