I could see the huge arachnids long before we got down to the bottom level. They were crawling everywhere, their clear bodies shimmering like glass or ice in the low lighting.
“Watch out for these fuckers,” the Baron advised me. He was gripping the barrel of his weapon tightly. “Don’t let them get close enough to sting you with their bristles—their venom can paralyze a grown male in just a few solar minutes.”
“The better to incapacitate their prey,” I said grimly. “Why do you let these monstrosities out into your living areas?”
“Actually, they were bred to eat the ice mites that feed on our infrastructure—without them all our fucking buildings would collapse,” Baron Vik’tor told me. “The ice they’re made of would be riddled with thousands of tiny, microscopic holes.” He shook his head. “The downside is, the Sweepers are mindless—pretty much eat anything that gets in their way. Your pet…she may already be gone. I’m really fucking sorry.”
I closed my eyes briefly, thinking of little one. But I could still sense her through our bond—could still feel her small, brave flame burning inside me. She wasn’t dead yet, though she was in terrible danger.
“My pet is still alive,” I said in a low voice. “I can feel her.”
“Well, she’s either hiding in a bolt hole somewhere or she might have gotten pushed out into the street,” Baron Vik’tor told me. “That’s as deadly as the Sweepers—temperatures drop sharply when the sun goes down.”
“I’ll try to follow her scent,” I told him.
“I’ll go with you, clear the way,” he offered. “Are you ready? The doors are about to open.”
As he spoke, we reached the bottom floor.
“Yes,” I said grimly. “Let’s go.”
There was a soft ding as the lift stopped at its destination.
And then the doors opened and all Hell broke loose.